Okay, so here it is (what I've got)
The 2009 setting is a planet called Bara Magna.
The living things that live on Bara Magna are divided into six tribes - water, fire, ice, jungle, rock, and sand.
Agori, which make up different tribes, are the small 2009 sets.
Glatorian, big 2009 sets, are recruited by Agori, and fight in stadiums.
Their weapons shoot Thornax fruit.
Bara Magna is mostly desert.
Sets:
Glatorian:
Red - Malum
Green - Gresh
Black - Skrall
White - Strakk
Brown - Vorox
Blue - Tarix
Agori:
Red- Raanu
Green - Tarduk
Blue - Berix
Black - Atakus
White - Metus
Brown - Zesk
Large Sets:
Green/Black - Tuma
- leads Rock tribe
Fero and Skirmix
- Fero rides Skirmix
More later if I have any info.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Takanuva's Blog From Where I Left Off
14 August
"Are you crazy?" I said, staring at Pohatu. "You think I'm a Makuta?"
"Well, you don't look much like a Toa of Light," The Toa of Stone replied, his weapon still aimed at me. "And we've all been fooled by Makuta before."
Gali looked from Pohatu to me. Even she was showing some doubt now - and who could blame her? I had grown in size and my armor color had changed from white and gold to white and grey. Frankly, if I had been a Makuta trying to impersonate a Toa of Light, I'd be doing a really lousy job.
I wracked my brain trying to come up with some way to prove I was me (try it sometime, it's not easy). I could use my light powers, but Pohatu might just think that was just a Makuta illusion. I could use my mask power to promote trust in him, but I had a feeling the second he felt a shift in mood, he would blast away.
"If you're really Takanuva, then I'm sorry," said Pohatu. "But if you're not, then all our lives aren't worth a widget. So I'm giving you to the count of 10 to tell me why I shouldn't skyblast you out of existence. 1... 2... 3..."
18 August
"6 ... 7 ... 8 ... 9 ..."
"What's a Toa?" I suddenly shouted.
Pohatu paused in his countdown and looked at me, puzzled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The first time you woke up on Daxia," I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth in my haste. "You were told you were a Toa, and your response was, 'What's a Toa?' There were no Makuta there, so how could one know about that?"
"There's only one problem," said Pohatu. "You weren't there either."
"But I saw it," I insisted. "I saw your creation, your training, I saw the team fighting avohkah here, and I saw the storm ... that's why I'm here."
An idea struck me. I turned to Gali. "Remember, last year, when I was still Takua the Chronicler? You forged a mental link with me so I could see what you saw when you fought Makuta. Do you think you can do it again?"
"I ... I don't know," said Gali.
"Don't do it," said Pohatu. "Makuta would just love to get inside your head."
"She has to," I said. "It's the only way. She has to look inside my mind, and if she doesn't like what she sees ... you can kill me dead, right here."
21 August
Toa Gali shut her eyes. After a few moments, I felt the unique sensation of her mind reaching into mine. For an instant, I could see myself through her eyes (which was pretty disturbing - even I hadn't realized how much I had changed). Then I felt the link snap as she pulled away. Pohatu reached out and grabbed her to keep her from falling.
"Amazing," she said softly. "A place where Mata Nui died ... another where the Toa rule as dictators ... your journey here was ... eventful, Takanuva"
"Then he is --?" asked Pohatu.
"He is," confirmed Gali. "Darker, perhaps, and not quite the innocent Takua or the eager hero we remember ... but he is our friend."
"What's the situation here?" I asked.
Pohatu pointed towards the east. "The Makuta are putting up a good fight, but we're holding our own. We'll have Mata Nui awake again before you know it!"
"That," I said, taking to the sky, "is what I am afraid of."
25 August
Pohatu had just brought up the fact that even he didn't recall the story I had told of his early adventures when we arrived in the midst of a full-scale battle. The Toa Nuva were fighting a group of Makuta I had never seen before. Pohatu and Gali split off to attack from the flanks, while I rammed right up the middle. If my appearance took the Nuva by surprise, it seemed to do even more than that to the Makuta. My light powers tipped the balance and the masters of shadow retreated to the east.
Tahu wasted no time on welcoming me. He produced six fragments of stone and asked us all to read them. They contained, he said, the secret to awakening the Great Spirit. I really wished I could share in the moment ... so close to achieving their destiny ... but the time had come to tell what I knew.
28 August
I was about to speak up when someone new arrived - yet another Toa, though the others seemed a little wary of him. When he spoke, it sounded like he had just learned to use his voice. He related a stunning story. Apparently, he wasn't just wearing the Mask of Life - he was the Mask of Life. Worse, he was a Mask of Life on a countdown to the annihilation of every living being in the universe ... something about things being out of balance and this the only way to make things right.
I gave the others a moment to absorb the news. Then it was my turn to add a little more cheer to the gathering. "We have another problem," I said. "If we succeed in waking up the Great Spirit, this place is going to be hit with an energy storm that will destroy everything in Karda Nui!"
1 September
I expected shock or anger or even panic at my news. I should have known better. "Then we'll just have to move fast," said Tahu. "We need to get into the Codrex. So we hit the Makuta hard and hope some of us make it inside. This may be our only shot at this."
I didn't have time to ask what a Codrex was before we were in the air and in combat with the Makuta. Lewa and Gali combined their powers to call down a raging thunderstorm while I struck with my light powers. The Makuta started to give way, and that's when I saw it through the mist - a great spherical structure, half-buried in the tip of a fallen stalactite, and looking like it had been here forever and was at the same time totally alien to this place. That, I realized, was a Codrex.
4 September
We forced our way inside the Codrex, using the keystones to get us past a force barrier around it. Once inside, the Toa stopped short. This place, they realized, was where they had been for almost 100,000 years, sleeping in their canisters, waiting for the time they would be needed. I noticed that Tahu looked uncomfortable, but having only been a Toa such a short time, I didn't feel right asking him what was wrong.
Onua started examining some of the machinery in the chamber. He must have hit something, because the floor in the center of the room started to descend. Curious, we peered down into the darkness to see what waited below ...
8 September
Down below, we saw a huge, cavernous chamber. As the section of flooring touched bottom, six great lightstones rose to form a circle. We descended down and began to explore. There were six pathways leading from the center. Lewa was the first to reach the end of his. I couldn't hear what he said, but the next instant, a huge metallic cocoon erupted from the floor. A moment later, it was gone, and in its place was an amazing crimson vehicle with a nameplate that read, "Axalara T9."
Lewa always did have incredible luck ...
11 September
We barely had time to marvel at the vehicles we discovered in the depths of the Codrex - for there were three - before disaster happened. A red armored Makuta suddenly appeared in the cockpit of the Jetrax T6. Before we could react, he had flown off! Pohatu and Lewa wasted no time in leaping into the Axalara T9 and Rockoh T3 and heading off in pursuit, leaving the rest of us to wonder what would happen next.
15 September
I knew I had to go back into the swamp. In the moments after Pohatu and Lewa left, I found myself filled with rage. The Makuta had to pay for what they had done, both here and in the rest of the universe. I existed to destroy them - I knew that now. More, I knew that at some point I must have been a Matoran of Light (even if, for some reason, I didn't remember being one). That meant those people were my people out there, fighting for their freedom. Although Tahu and Gali tried to talk me out of it, I left the Codrex and headed back to the fight.
18 September
Kopaka had preceded me out. I caught up to him as he was pursuing the Jetrax and tangling with Radiak. I offered to deal with the shadow Matoran so he could go after the vehicle. Radiak jibed at me, calling me a "Toa of Twilight." I had to fight down an urge to show him just how much light power I still had. But seeing him reminded me of something else - that he wasn't a shadow Matoran by choice. He had been corrupted by the Makuta, and it was up to me to find some way to save him and the others. More, I had to get them out of Karda Nui before the energy storm hit.
22 September
I had managed to collect Photok, Solek, and Tanma, and together we dragged a struggling Radiak through the sky. I had no idea how I was going to accomplish my task. But I knew I had to try. As a Matoran, I had looked up to the Toa and dreamed of being like them. Now I was, and it was time to live up to being a hero. I was still lost in thought when I heard Photok cry out, and looked up to see a shadow Matoran flying right toward me!
25 September
That was when things got really strange. The shadow Matoran, whose name was Vican, insisted that he was no longer a slave to the Makuta. He said that a Rahi's attack had shattered the hold shadow had over him. The other Matoran told me not to believe him. But something in Vican's eyes, his voice, made me wonder. I knew what it was like to be attacked by a shadow leech, as Vican claimed he once had been. If what he was saying was true now, then maybe there was a way to cure the shadow Matoran of Karda Nui. It was a chance I had to take.
29 September
In a strange twist of fate, it was Radiak himself who found the Rahi he sought. Spotting it flying through the air, he hurled a bolt of shadow energy at it. He missed, but had managed to irritate the creature. It emitted a loud cry, the sheer volume of which seemed to stagger the Matoran. He struggled to get free of my grasp, and this time I didn't try to stop him. He looked around at Photok, Solek, and Tanma, as if he they were friends he had not seen in ages. "Are you all right?" he asked. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Tanma, of course, did not believe Radiak had returned to the side of the Av-Matoran. But the change seemed real. When pressed, Radiak revealed that the Makuta planned to allow Mata Nui to wake up, then slay the Toa Nuva and corrupt the rest of the Av-Matoran. But why? Why would they want to let the Great Spirit awaken, I wondered?
2 October
"Get the rest of the shadow Matoran here," I told Tanma. "We're going to cure them all, then we're getting you out of here."
"This is our home," the Av-Matoran protested. "And we'll stay and fight for it."
"Listen to me," I snapped. "In a little while, this isn't going to be anyone's home. When Mata Nui awakens, this place will be hit by the biggest energy storm anyone has ever seen. And that's why I am getting every Matoran out of here, even if I have to drag you."
Little did I know, as Tanma and his companions flew off, that I was about to come under attack.
6 October
There were eight of them. Makuta Chirox and seven different incarnations of Makuta Bitil. Under ordinary circumstances, one Toa against eight Makuta ... I wouldn't have stood a chance. But since being attacked by a shadow leech and walking the fine line between light and darkness ... I wasn't the same being. And these weren't ordinary circumstances.
Light can do a lot of things. It can illuminate. It can welcome. It can warm. As it turns out, it can also make laser beams that slice through protosteel. "Come on, then!" I shouted. "This won't be some kolhii match masquerading as a battle! Any Makuta who gets near me, dies!"
9 October
I confess, I remember little of what happened next. I recall blasting a hole in Chirox's armor, then charging into the midst of the Makuta. All I felt was rage. In that moment, the shadow was the closest it had ever been to taking control. I was so caught up in the battle that I never noticed one of the Bitils about to strike me down.
But he never got a chance. A bolt from the Jetrax T6, piloted by Kopaka, saved me. A second rocked Bitil so much that he lost control of his mask power, causing his duplicates to disappear. But I wasn't done fighting. Chirox was mine, and he was going to pay.
13 October
It was Kopaka who stopped me ... who brought me to my senses before I killed the Makuta. As they fled back to the swamp, I told the Toa of Ice what I had learned: that the Makuta wanted Mata Nui awakened, for reasons I could not imagine.
Kopaka left me to warn the others, while I tracked down the last shadow Matoran needing to be saved. This was Gavla, and despite her protests, I managed to put her in the path of the klakk's scream ... and myself as well. I could feel the barrier within me shatter and the light begin to return. I was cured, and so was she ... but she was not so happy about it. The shadow, apparently, had been a place she felt she belonged, and I had taken her away from it.
I sent her after Tanma and the others. They would be making their way to the western portal and escape from Karda Nui. I had to rejoin my friends.
16 October
The storm had begun.
It started out small, just in the center of the swamp, but grew bigger rapidly. It was terrible and beautiful at the same time, light and power released in a fury that nothing could compare to. Even I, releasing all my power in one mighty blast, could never have equalled what was going on below.
As I flew by, I saw Makuta Mutran tentatively hovering near the edges of the storm. It seemed as if he was trying to study it ... the last foolish act of a wasted life. A bolt of lightning incinerated him as I watched. I didn't have it in me to feel any regret ... perhaps in some ways, what I have been through has changed me for good.
20 October
Along with my friends, I clung to one of the three vehicles discovered in the Codrex as we raced to escape Karda Nui. Around me, I could see the Makuta being consumed by the storm, and I thanked the Great Spirit I had been able to save the Matoran. Nothing could have survived this.
23 October
Toa operate by a code, one that says we do not kill our enemies. To do so would make us no better than them. But when Pohatu called attention to the Makuta, now in mortal danger from the storm, I have to confess - I felt nothing. They had brought this upon themselves. They had chosen to tamper with the natural order of this universe in a petty effort to seize power, and now the universe was setting itself right. And it was a universe that had no room for such as them.
27 October
I heard Pohatu say he thought he saw the Mask of Life. Gali told us of Toa Ignika's sacrifice, his decision to give up his new "life" to awaken Mata Nui. Although Ignika could not die, as Matoro had, he still put the universe before his own needs and desires. I wondered if I would have the strength to do the same, under similar circumstances.
30 October
I thought surely we were going to crash. A wave of energy had rocked the vehicles and now we were headed for a solid wall. But at the last moment, all three and their passengers shimmered out of existence, only to reappear inside a twisting array of tunnels. How Lewa, Pohatu and Kopaka ever managed to pilot us through there, I do not know. Behind us, the storm had reached its peak...anyone and anything that was still in Karda Nui was now disintegrated. The threat of the Brotherhood of Makuta was destroyed ... or so I hoped.
3 November
We felt the universe jolt and tremble, as if the Great Cataclysm had happened again. But somehow we knew that this was no second disaster, but a sign of renewal and hope. I looked at the Toa Nuva, and I could see in their eyes that they knew - after so long, they had at last achieved their destiny. Mata Nui was awake once more!
6 November
The journey to Metru Nui took ages, or so it seemed, despite the speed of the vehicles. We were all exhausted and just longing to see our friends again. No doubt Jaller and the other Toa Mahri were wondering where I had disappeared to. I had no idea what had been happening in the universe since I left Metru Nui. Had the Order attacked the Brotherhood? Had the Toa Mahri been pressed into service? Was Metru Nui still standing?
10 November
Home! I can see the Coliseum, the spires of Ko-Metru, the Great Forge of Ta-Metru, and the beautiful gem that is the Great Temple. We made it ... We're alive ... and we have won!
13 November
Turaga Dume welcomed us warmly, even sparing me a lecture about deserting my post. There must be a celebration, he says, of the Toa Nuva's triumph and the awakening of Mata Nui. More, there must be a tribute to those Toa who lost their lives in the fight against the Makuta.
17 November
What an experience this has been. I have been a part of many celebrations of the Toa's heroics - after they first defeated the Makuta, after the Bohrok were driven off - but to be a part of one as a Toa is an amazing thing. I look back at some of the things I have seen in recent days - a dimension where evil Toa ruled, another where there was no evidence of any Toa at all - and I realize how fortunate I am to have adventured beside heroes like Tahu, Gali, and Kopaka. Hopefully, this day is the start of a new era of peace for our people.
20 November
Turaga Dume made a beautiful speech, honoring the heroes who had given their lives to save the universe. Looking back, I wish I could remember Toa Lhikan, or that I had gotten to know Matoro better. Somehow, you expect your friends to live forever ... but I guess nothing lasts forever. Who knows? Someday, all that we have done, all that we are, may be nothing more than faded carvings on some long-abandoned Wall of History. But now isn't the time for such grim thoughts ... this is a celebration, after all.
24 November
I am writing this from deep in the Archives...Gali is missing ... Tahu badly injured ... I don't understand ... how could this have happened? They're coming ... we have to keep moving ... Onua says he knows a place where we can hide and regroup. More later ...
27 November
We seem to be safe for now. Kopaka and Lewa found Gali, she's all right. The Turaga have brought as many Matoran as they could find to this chamber deep inside the Archives. While it is not much of a hiding place - can there be any hiding place? - it is defensible against Rahkshi attack.
It is almost impossible to believe...Makuta Teridax in possession of the body of the Great Spirit, and so in control of this universe. Can any word be said he will not hear? Any plan carried out he will not know in advance? Tahu says we will fight back ... but how do you fight back against the sun and the stars and the world beneath your feet?
1 December
Onua is right, of course - we can't stay here. We can't hide in the darkness while the entire universe is at the mercy of that vile lunatic. Kapura reports that the surface of Metru Nui is teeming with Rahkshi, enforcing Makuta's evil laws. So we must find another way out.
Fortunately, the Turaga were able to find Krahka, a shapeshifting Rahi they once fought down here. She allied with them once against the Visorak, and is willing to do it again. She knows long unused tunnels that lead to the shoreline. If we can steal a boat, perhaps we can link up with other Toa in other lands.
4 December
Tahu has a plan.
True, Makuta has almost infinite power now, but his mind was not designed to control it. If we split up, stir up trouble, force him to focus his attention in dozens of places at once, perhaps he will lose his grip on the universe... anyway it's worth trying.
We encountered an Order of Mata Nui agent named Trinuma on Stelt. He says Daxia is destroyed, but there are some Order members who survive. I have to believe that as long as anyone who loves freedom is alive, there is still hope.
"Are you crazy?" I said, staring at Pohatu. "You think I'm a Makuta?"
"Well, you don't look much like a Toa of Light," The Toa of Stone replied, his weapon still aimed at me. "And we've all been fooled by Makuta before."
Gali looked from Pohatu to me. Even she was showing some doubt now - and who could blame her? I had grown in size and my armor color had changed from white and gold to white and grey. Frankly, if I had been a Makuta trying to impersonate a Toa of Light, I'd be doing a really lousy job.
I wracked my brain trying to come up with some way to prove I was me (try it sometime, it's not easy). I could use my light powers, but Pohatu might just think that was just a Makuta illusion. I could use my mask power to promote trust in him, but I had a feeling the second he felt a shift in mood, he would blast away.
"If you're really Takanuva, then I'm sorry," said Pohatu. "But if you're not, then all our lives aren't worth a widget. So I'm giving you to the count of 10 to tell me why I shouldn't skyblast you out of existence. 1... 2... 3..."
18 August
"6 ... 7 ... 8 ... 9 ..."
"What's a Toa?" I suddenly shouted.
Pohatu paused in his countdown and looked at me, puzzled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The first time you woke up on Daxia," I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth in my haste. "You were told you were a Toa, and your response was, 'What's a Toa?' There were no Makuta there, so how could one know about that?"
"There's only one problem," said Pohatu. "You weren't there either."
"But I saw it," I insisted. "I saw your creation, your training, I saw the team fighting avohkah here, and I saw the storm ... that's why I'm here."
An idea struck me. I turned to Gali. "Remember, last year, when I was still Takua the Chronicler? You forged a mental link with me so I could see what you saw when you fought Makuta. Do you think you can do it again?"
"I ... I don't know," said Gali.
"Don't do it," said Pohatu. "Makuta would just love to get inside your head."
"She has to," I said. "It's the only way. She has to look inside my mind, and if she doesn't like what she sees ... you can kill me dead, right here."
21 August
Toa Gali shut her eyes. After a few moments, I felt the unique sensation of her mind reaching into mine. For an instant, I could see myself through her eyes (which was pretty disturbing - even I hadn't realized how much I had changed). Then I felt the link snap as she pulled away. Pohatu reached out and grabbed her to keep her from falling.
"Amazing," she said softly. "A place where Mata Nui died ... another where the Toa rule as dictators ... your journey here was ... eventful, Takanuva"
"Then he is --?" asked Pohatu.
"He is," confirmed Gali. "Darker, perhaps, and not quite the innocent Takua or the eager hero we remember ... but he is our friend."
"What's the situation here?" I asked.
Pohatu pointed towards the east. "The Makuta are putting up a good fight, but we're holding our own. We'll have Mata Nui awake again before you know it!"
"That," I said, taking to the sky, "is what I am afraid of."
25 August
Pohatu had just brought up the fact that even he didn't recall the story I had told of his early adventures when we arrived in the midst of a full-scale battle. The Toa Nuva were fighting a group of Makuta I had never seen before. Pohatu and Gali split off to attack from the flanks, while I rammed right up the middle. If my appearance took the Nuva by surprise, it seemed to do even more than that to the Makuta. My light powers tipped the balance and the masters of shadow retreated to the east.
Tahu wasted no time on welcoming me. He produced six fragments of stone and asked us all to read them. They contained, he said, the secret to awakening the Great Spirit. I really wished I could share in the moment ... so close to achieving their destiny ... but the time had come to tell what I knew.
28 August
I was about to speak up when someone new arrived - yet another Toa, though the others seemed a little wary of him. When he spoke, it sounded like he had just learned to use his voice. He related a stunning story. Apparently, he wasn't just wearing the Mask of Life - he was the Mask of Life. Worse, he was a Mask of Life on a countdown to the annihilation of every living being in the universe ... something about things being out of balance and this the only way to make things right.
I gave the others a moment to absorb the news. Then it was my turn to add a little more cheer to the gathering. "We have another problem," I said. "If we succeed in waking up the Great Spirit, this place is going to be hit with an energy storm that will destroy everything in Karda Nui!"
1 September
I expected shock or anger or even panic at my news. I should have known better. "Then we'll just have to move fast," said Tahu. "We need to get into the Codrex. So we hit the Makuta hard and hope some of us make it inside. This may be our only shot at this."
I didn't have time to ask what a Codrex was before we were in the air and in combat with the Makuta. Lewa and Gali combined their powers to call down a raging thunderstorm while I struck with my light powers. The Makuta started to give way, and that's when I saw it through the mist - a great spherical structure, half-buried in the tip of a fallen stalactite, and looking like it had been here forever and was at the same time totally alien to this place. That, I realized, was a Codrex.
4 September
We forced our way inside the Codrex, using the keystones to get us past a force barrier around it. Once inside, the Toa stopped short. This place, they realized, was where they had been for almost 100,000 years, sleeping in their canisters, waiting for the time they would be needed. I noticed that Tahu looked uncomfortable, but having only been a Toa such a short time, I didn't feel right asking him what was wrong.
Onua started examining some of the machinery in the chamber. He must have hit something, because the floor in the center of the room started to descend. Curious, we peered down into the darkness to see what waited below ...
8 September
Down below, we saw a huge, cavernous chamber. As the section of flooring touched bottom, six great lightstones rose to form a circle. We descended down and began to explore. There were six pathways leading from the center. Lewa was the first to reach the end of his. I couldn't hear what he said, but the next instant, a huge metallic cocoon erupted from the floor. A moment later, it was gone, and in its place was an amazing crimson vehicle with a nameplate that read, "Axalara T9."
Lewa always did have incredible luck ...
11 September
We barely had time to marvel at the vehicles we discovered in the depths of the Codrex - for there were three - before disaster happened. A red armored Makuta suddenly appeared in the cockpit of the Jetrax T6. Before we could react, he had flown off! Pohatu and Lewa wasted no time in leaping into the Axalara T9 and Rockoh T3 and heading off in pursuit, leaving the rest of us to wonder what would happen next.
15 September
I knew I had to go back into the swamp. In the moments after Pohatu and Lewa left, I found myself filled with rage. The Makuta had to pay for what they had done, both here and in the rest of the universe. I existed to destroy them - I knew that now. More, I knew that at some point I must have been a Matoran of Light (even if, for some reason, I didn't remember being one). That meant those people were my people out there, fighting for their freedom. Although Tahu and Gali tried to talk me out of it, I left the Codrex and headed back to the fight.
18 September
Kopaka had preceded me out. I caught up to him as he was pursuing the Jetrax and tangling with Radiak. I offered to deal with the shadow Matoran so he could go after the vehicle. Radiak jibed at me, calling me a "Toa of Twilight." I had to fight down an urge to show him just how much light power I still had. But seeing him reminded me of something else - that he wasn't a shadow Matoran by choice. He had been corrupted by the Makuta, and it was up to me to find some way to save him and the others. More, I had to get them out of Karda Nui before the energy storm hit.
22 September
I had managed to collect Photok, Solek, and Tanma, and together we dragged a struggling Radiak through the sky. I had no idea how I was going to accomplish my task. But I knew I had to try. As a Matoran, I had looked up to the Toa and dreamed of being like them. Now I was, and it was time to live up to being a hero. I was still lost in thought when I heard Photok cry out, and looked up to see a shadow Matoran flying right toward me!
25 September
That was when things got really strange. The shadow Matoran, whose name was Vican, insisted that he was no longer a slave to the Makuta. He said that a Rahi's attack had shattered the hold shadow had over him. The other Matoran told me not to believe him. But something in Vican's eyes, his voice, made me wonder. I knew what it was like to be attacked by a shadow leech, as Vican claimed he once had been. If what he was saying was true now, then maybe there was a way to cure the shadow Matoran of Karda Nui. It was a chance I had to take.
29 September
In a strange twist of fate, it was Radiak himself who found the Rahi he sought. Spotting it flying through the air, he hurled a bolt of shadow energy at it. He missed, but had managed to irritate the creature. It emitted a loud cry, the sheer volume of which seemed to stagger the Matoran. He struggled to get free of my grasp, and this time I didn't try to stop him. He looked around at Photok, Solek, and Tanma, as if he they were friends he had not seen in ages. "Are you all right?" he asked. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Tanma, of course, did not believe Radiak had returned to the side of the Av-Matoran. But the change seemed real. When pressed, Radiak revealed that the Makuta planned to allow Mata Nui to wake up, then slay the Toa Nuva and corrupt the rest of the Av-Matoran. But why? Why would they want to let the Great Spirit awaken, I wondered?
2 October
"Get the rest of the shadow Matoran here," I told Tanma. "We're going to cure them all, then we're getting you out of here."
"This is our home," the Av-Matoran protested. "And we'll stay and fight for it."
"Listen to me," I snapped. "In a little while, this isn't going to be anyone's home. When Mata Nui awakens, this place will be hit by the biggest energy storm anyone has ever seen. And that's why I am getting every Matoran out of here, even if I have to drag you."
Little did I know, as Tanma and his companions flew off, that I was about to come under attack.
6 October
There were eight of them. Makuta Chirox and seven different incarnations of Makuta Bitil. Under ordinary circumstances, one Toa against eight Makuta ... I wouldn't have stood a chance. But since being attacked by a shadow leech and walking the fine line between light and darkness ... I wasn't the same being. And these weren't ordinary circumstances.
Light can do a lot of things. It can illuminate. It can welcome. It can warm. As it turns out, it can also make laser beams that slice through protosteel. "Come on, then!" I shouted. "This won't be some kolhii match masquerading as a battle! Any Makuta who gets near me, dies!"
9 October
I confess, I remember little of what happened next. I recall blasting a hole in Chirox's armor, then charging into the midst of the Makuta. All I felt was rage. In that moment, the shadow was the closest it had ever been to taking control. I was so caught up in the battle that I never noticed one of the Bitils about to strike me down.
But he never got a chance. A bolt from the Jetrax T6, piloted by Kopaka, saved me. A second rocked Bitil so much that he lost control of his mask power, causing his duplicates to disappear. But I wasn't done fighting. Chirox was mine, and he was going to pay.
13 October
It was Kopaka who stopped me ... who brought me to my senses before I killed the Makuta. As they fled back to the swamp, I told the Toa of Ice what I had learned: that the Makuta wanted Mata Nui awakened, for reasons I could not imagine.
Kopaka left me to warn the others, while I tracked down the last shadow Matoran needing to be saved. This was Gavla, and despite her protests, I managed to put her in the path of the klakk's scream ... and myself as well. I could feel the barrier within me shatter and the light begin to return. I was cured, and so was she ... but she was not so happy about it. The shadow, apparently, had been a place she felt she belonged, and I had taken her away from it.
I sent her after Tanma and the others. They would be making their way to the western portal and escape from Karda Nui. I had to rejoin my friends.
16 October
The storm had begun.
It started out small, just in the center of the swamp, but grew bigger rapidly. It was terrible and beautiful at the same time, light and power released in a fury that nothing could compare to. Even I, releasing all my power in one mighty blast, could never have equalled what was going on below.
As I flew by, I saw Makuta Mutran tentatively hovering near the edges of the storm. It seemed as if he was trying to study it ... the last foolish act of a wasted life. A bolt of lightning incinerated him as I watched. I didn't have it in me to feel any regret ... perhaps in some ways, what I have been through has changed me for good.
20 October
Along with my friends, I clung to one of the three vehicles discovered in the Codrex as we raced to escape Karda Nui. Around me, I could see the Makuta being consumed by the storm, and I thanked the Great Spirit I had been able to save the Matoran. Nothing could have survived this.
23 October
Toa operate by a code, one that says we do not kill our enemies. To do so would make us no better than them. But when Pohatu called attention to the Makuta, now in mortal danger from the storm, I have to confess - I felt nothing. They had brought this upon themselves. They had chosen to tamper with the natural order of this universe in a petty effort to seize power, and now the universe was setting itself right. And it was a universe that had no room for such as them.
27 October
I heard Pohatu say he thought he saw the Mask of Life. Gali told us of Toa Ignika's sacrifice, his decision to give up his new "life" to awaken Mata Nui. Although Ignika could not die, as Matoro had, he still put the universe before his own needs and desires. I wondered if I would have the strength to do the same, under similar circumstances.
30 October
I thought surely we were going to crash. A wave of energy had rocked the vehicles and now we were headed for a solid wall. But at the last moment, all three and their passengers shimmered out of existence, only to reappear inside a twisting array of tunnels. How Lewa, Pohatu and Kopaka ever managed to pilot us through there, I do not know. Behind us, the storm had reached its peak...anyone and anything that was still in Karda Nui was now disintegrated. The threat of the Brotherhood of Makuta was destroyed ... or so I hoped.
3 November
We felt the universe jolt and tremble, as if the Great Cataclysm had happened again. But somehow we knew that this was no second disaster, but a sign of renewal and hope. I looked at the Toa Nuva, and I could see in their eyes that they knew - after so long, they had at last achieved their destiny. Mata Nui was awake once more!
6 November
The journey to Metru Nui took ages, or so it seemed, despite the speed of the vehicles. We were all exhausted and just longing to see our friends again. No doubt Jaller and the other Toa Mahri were wondering where I had disappeared to. I had no idea what had been happening in the universe since I left Metru Nui. Had the Order attacked the Brotherhood? Had the Toa Mahri been pressed into service? Was Metru Nui still standing?
10 November
Home! I can see the Coliseum, the spires of Ko-Metru, the Great Forge of Ta-Metru, and the beautiful gem that is the Great Temple. We made it ... We're alive ... and we have won!
13 November
Turaga Dume welcomed us warmly, even sparing me a lecture about deserting my post. There must be a celebration, he says, of the Toa Nuva's triumph and the awakening of Mata Nui. More, there must be a tribute to those Toa who lost their lives in the fight against the Makuta.
17 November
What an experience this has been. I have been a part of many celebrations of the Toa's heroics - after they first defeated the Makuta, after the Bohrok were driven off - but to be a part of one as a Toa is an amazing thing. I look back at some of the things I have seen in recent days - a dimension where evil Toa ruled, another where there was no evidence of any Toa at all - and I realize how fortunate I am to have adventured beside heroes like Tahu, Gali, and Kopaka. Hopefully, this day is the start of a new era of peace for our people.
20 November
Turaga Dume made a beautiful speech, honoring the heroes who had given their lives to save the universe. Looking back, I wish I could remember Toa Lhikan, or that I had gotten to know Matoro better. Somehow, you expect your friends to live forever ... but I guess nothing lasts forever. Who knows? Someday, all that we have done, all that we are, may be nothing more than faded carvings on some long-abandoned Wall of History. But now isn't the time for such grim thoughts ... this is a celebration, after all.
24 November
I am writing this from deep in the Archives...Gali is missing ... Tahu badly injured ... I don't understand ... how could this have happened? They're coming ... we have to keep moving ... Onua says he knows a place where we can hide and regroup. More later ...
27 November
We seem to be safe for now. Kopaka and Lewa found Gali, she's all right. The Turaga have brought as many Matoran as they could find to this chamber deep inside the Archives. While it is not much of a hiding place - can there be any hiding place? - it is defensible against Rahkshi attack.
It is almost impossible to believe...Makuta Teridax in possession of the body of the Great Spirit, and so in control of this universe. Can any word be said he will not hear? Any plan carried out he will not know in advance? Tahu says we will fight back ... but how do you fight back against the sun and the stars and the world beneath your feet?
1 December
Onua is right, of course - we can't stay here. We can't hide in the darkness while the entire universe is at the mercy of that vile lunatic. Kapura reports that the surface of Metru Nui is teeming with Rahkshi, enforcing Makuta's evil laws. So we must find another way out.
Fortunately, the Turaga were able to find Krahka, a shapeshifting Rahi they once fought down here. She allied with them once against the Visorak, and is willing to do it again. She knows long unused tunnels that lead to the shoreline. If we can steal a boat, perhaps we can link up with other Toa in other lands.
4 December
Tahu has a plan.
True, Makuta has almost infinite power now, but his mind was not designed to control it. If we split up, stir up trouble, force him to focus his attention in dozens of places at once, perhaps he will lose his grip on the universe... anyway it's worth trying.
We encountered an Order of Mata Nui agent named Trinuma on Stelt. He says Daxia is destroyed, but there are some Order members who survive. I have to believe that as long as anyone who loves freedom is alive, there is still hope.
Brothers in Arms as of Chapter 6
Chapter 1
Five years ago...
Mazeka dove aside even as the acid blade slashed through the air where he had been standing. He could hear the angry hiss of centuries-old rock dissolving where the sword had brushed against it. A step slower and that would have been his armor.
He hit the ground and rolled, ending up back on his feet with dagger at the ready. Vultraz twirled the blade over his head, smiling. "You knew it had to come down to this, didn't you?" said the crimson-armored Matoran. "Just the two of us, mask to mask."
"This isn't one of your epic fables," Mazeka replied. "You're a thief and a murderer, Vultraz. You killed an entire village of Matoran who never did a thing to you."
"Except have something I wanted – an intact lava-gem, a rare find on the Tren Krom Peninsula," Vultraz replied. "They didn't want to give it up... thought it appeased the volcano or some such thing, kept it from erupting... a few well-timed explosions and one sea of lava later, and they found out how wrong they were."
Mazeka lunged. Vultraz sidestepped and hit his foe with the flat of his blade, burning an impression of the weapon into his armor. Mazeka stumbled toward the edge of the cliff and caught himself just in time. The entire mountain slope was lined with razor crystals, sharp enough to shred armor and tissue into ribbons.
"How many times do we have to do this?" said Vultraz. "When are you going to realize that you're not a Toa... just some crazy villager who thinks he has to risk his neck fighting the bad guys? Go home, Mazeka. Go back to your little life, before you force me to end it."
Mazeka scrambled to his feet, his back to the cliff. Vultraz was right – he was just a Matoran, with no elemental or mask power. Of course, Vultraz was too, but his old enemy had years of experience at lying, cheating and killing. Up until a few years past, Mazeka had just been a scholar trying to solve the mysteries of the universe. That was before Vultraz killed his mentor and stole valuable tablets containing the results of years of research. The two had clashed many times since then, but the tablets had never been found.
"Put down your weapon, old friend, and walk away," said Vultraz.
"We were never friends!" spat Mazeka.
"Sure, we were," Vultraz grinned. "All those happy years toiling away in our backward little village, trying not to attract Makuta Gorast's attention. I was just the more ambitious of the two of us. I got out.'
"And you've been running ever since," said Mazeka. "Time for it to stop, before you run into something even you can't handle."
Vultraz charged, swinging his blade... but not at Mazeka. Instead, he sliced away at the piece of rock upon which his enemy stood. It disintegrated before the acid and fell away. Mazeka fell, too, grabbing onto the ledge and hanging suspended over the razor crystals.
"I really don't want to kill you," Vultraz said quietly. "You're a link to my past... a reminder of all the things I avoided becoming. But you keep getting in my way, and I can't have that."
Vultraz lifted the blade over his head and brought it down. Mazeka swung to the side, letting go of the ledge with one hand, and used his momentum to carry his legs up. He kicked Vultraz in the side even as that Matoran's attack was carrying him forward. The combination sent Vultraz over the edge of the cliff. He never screamed all the long way down.
Mazeka looked down and cursed. It was impossible to spot Vultraz's body so far below, but that was a mercy, in a way. Sliding hundreds of feet down razor crystals would leave precious little to see. He concentrated on trying to climb back up to safety before he joined his enemy in death.
A hand shod in ocean blue armor grabbed his wrist and pulled him up. It belonged to a warrior Mazeka had never seen before. She carried a chain mace and a shield and looked powerful enough to down a Takea shark with one blow. She wasn't a Toa, he was almost certain, but he had no idea who she might be.
"I'm a... friend," the newcomer said. "Never mind my name. I saw what happened here. You are very brave, Matoran."
Mazeka shook his head. "Not brave. Lucky. And not even that... he died before telling me what I needed to know. Now I have to return to my village and submit myself to the justice of my people."
The warrior shook her head. "Don't fear. You did them a service and will be rewarded... and who knows who else you may have helped today?"
Mazeka didn't answer, just walked away with his head down. The warrior watched him go. When he was almost out of sight, the face and form of his rescuer began to shimmer and change. In a moment, the mighty warrior had been replaced by Makuta Gorast. She looked at Mazeka, then glanced over the cliff.
"Yes, little hero," she said, smiling wickedly. "Who knows, indeed?"
Chapter 2
Five years ago...
Sometimes, a being does something so completely unexpected, so totally surprising, that it shocks even them. On this day, that being was Vultraz – and what he did was wake up.
After falling off a cliff, Vultraz fully expected to be very dead. Instead, he was lying on a slab in a darkened chamber, being tended to by... well, they were Rahi of some kind, and he preferred not to know just what type or why they were prodding him. He wondered if he had somehow survived the fall, only to be dragged off by wild animals as an evening snack.
He tried to move, thinking maybe he could make a quick escape. But his arms and legs were tied down with some kind of vines. These were either really intelligent Rahi, or else there was someone else involved.
That someone else chose that moment to walk in. Vultraz gasped. He had only caught a fleeting glimpse of her a few times, but he knew Makuta Gorast just the same. He tried to pretend he was still unconscious, even though he knew it would not fool her.
"I can read your thoughts," the Makuta hissed. "And your fear, little Matoran. But you have nothing to be afraid of... you are safe here."
If he had dared, Vultraz would have laughed. No one knew what happened to Matoran who wound up in Gorast's clutches, but there were plenty of rumors. Each of them was worse than the last and some were downright revolting. Vultraz had done some pretty bad things in his life, but he was a cuddle-Rahi next to Gorast.
"If that were true, I would have let you fall, instead of having Rahi there to save you," Gorast said. "True, you were damaged... badly... but you survived."
"Why...?" Vultraz stopped. His voice did not sound like his voice. He looked down at his hands – the armor on them was completely different. What had happened here? What had she done?
"You are well known on the peninsula," Gorast replied, once again reading his thoughts. "Too well known for my purposes. But your enemy is busy spreading the word of your death, and the changes I have made will insure no one will recognize you."
"Just... just what is it you want me to do?" Vultraz asked, already knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"I want you to find a Matoran for me," said Gorast. "A Matoran named Krakua... and when you find him, here is what I want you to do..."
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Mazeka returned to his village, bringing word of Vultraz's fatal fall. Some greeted him as a hero, though he did not feel like one. He had failed to regain what Vultraz had stolen, failed to capture him – and while the Ta-Matoran's death brought his evil to an end, it was still not something he could bring himself to celebrate.
He was seated alone in his hut that night when someone rapped on the door. When he opened it, there was no one there. Annoyed, he slammed the door and went back to his sleep mat. It was then that he noticed the chair in the center of the room had moved out of position. He went to move it back to where it was, and found he couldn't – it was as if it were rooted to the ground.
"I wouldn't do that," said a deep, rasping voice. "You're only going to hurt yourself."
Mazeka jumped back a good four feet. There was no one else in the room, but someone was talking to him. He grabbed a weapon and spun around. "Who's here? Show yourself!"
"Ah, if only I could," the voice replied. "Unfortunately, not every experiment has happy results. By the way, the only thing you will get from spinning is dizzy. I am in the chair."
"Who are you?" demanded Mazeka, half-convinced he was just hallucinating the whole thing.
"My name is Jerbraz, once one of the most handsome and dashing members of my little circle of friends... that is, back when I could be seen. Now I have to rely on my charm alone to make an impression... that and this nasty sword that conveniently turned invisible with me. If you see someone's head just suddenly go flying off for no reason, it's not your imagination."
Mazeka backed up against the wall, trying to get as far from the chair as he could. "Is that why you're here? To kill me? But I've done nothing to you."
"No," Jerbraz replied. The chair moved back, as if he had risen and pushed it away. "But you did do something quite permanent to a foul little fellow named Vultraz. And the people I work for appreciate that kind of initiative. We want to hire you."
"Who do you work for?" asked Mazeka, still not fully willing to accept the reality of invisible beings offering jobs.
"If I told you, and you declined the offer, I would have to... well, you know. So I guess you will just have to accept or reject..." Jerbraz gave a low chuckle. "...Sight unseen."
"Then can you tell me what the job is?" said Mazeka.
"Yes," replied Jerbraz. Mazeka could tell his visitor was standing right beside him now. An instant later, he felt an invisible hand resting on his shoulder. "It's stopping people like Vultraz – there are more of them than you might think – and protecting their would-be victims. Specifically, to start with, one potential target – a Matoran named Krakua."
Mazeka thought about Vultraz, all the evil things he had done, all the people he had harmed. If there were others out there like him, stealing and killing and ruining lives, how could he turn down a chance to stop them?
"All right," said the Matoran. "As long as I don't have to turn invisible too... I'm in. Just tell me what I have to do..."
Chapter 3
Five years ago...
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" whispered Mazeka.
"No," answered the invisible Jerbraz. "But it's the only idea I have."
The two were on the outskirts of a small village on the Tren Krom peninsula. Mazeka had never seen it before, and he had explored much of the peninsula over the years. At first glance, it looked like any other village – a series of huts, a central meeting area, Matoran wandering about. The only thing that marked it as strange was the absolute silence that permeated every inch of the place.
"What's going on?" Mazeka asked, so quietly he could barely hear himself. Despite that, one of the Matoran stopped and looked around.
"They are De-Matoran," answered Jerbraz. "Matoran of Sonics. Very sensitive to noise, so they train themselves from early on to not make any more than is necessary. On the plus side, their hearing is so acute that they are probably listening to every word we say ... and would be even if we were a kio away."
Mazeka considered that. "Then why are we whispering?"
"Out of respect. Plus they hate loud sounds – that's why no Toa are allowed into the place. Where Toa go, battles follow ... and battles are noisy."
Mazeka felt the invisible hand of Jerbaz tap him on the shoulder. "Krakua is over there, to the left of the clearing – he's the one you're after. Looks like just another villager to me, but the people in power say he matters. So you go in and bring him out ... before someone else does."
The one Jerbraz had identified was standing off by himself, but not by choice. The other Matoran were avoiding him, and giving him nasty looks besides. Mazeka quickly figured out why: Krakua was humming to himself.
"Someone thinks he may wind up a Toa someday," Jerbraz continued. "I can see why. Matoran with the calling sometimes are a little ... eccentric. Almost like their brain knows something it isn't telling them."
At Jerbraz's urging, Mazeka slipped into the village and beckoned to Krakua. He was careful not to call out to them. No point in drawing unwanted attention to himself. When Krakua joined him at the outskirts, Mazeka said, "You don't know me, but I've been sent here to find you."
"By whom?" asked Krakua.
"I can't tell you that," answered Mazeka.
"Okay. How about why?"
"I can't tell you that either," Mazeka replied, already feeling very uncomfortable.
"Is there anything you can tell me?" asked Krakua, frustrated.
Mazeka looked over Krakua's shoulder. Something was rolling into the center of the De-Matoran village. "Yes!" he yelled, diving for Krakua. "Trust me!"
The two hit the ground, hard. Mazeka clamped his hands over Krakua's audio receptors just in time. A wall of sound struck the village, excruciatingly loud for a being with normal senses, beyond devastating for the Matoran of Sonics. Matoran hit the ground almost instantly, overcome by the sound. Mazeka almost passed out as well, but he fought to stay conscious and do what he could to protect Krakua.
When the effect finally ended, Mazeka couldn't hear his own voice. He called out Jerbraz's name a few times, but couldn't have heard the answer if it came and felt no taps on his shoulder. Had the Order agent deserted him?
Before he could worry about that, someone entered the clearing. It was a Ta-Matoran, though not one Mazeka recognized. He idly picked up the device used to fell the villagers, smiled, and tossed it away. Then he surveyed the unconscious Matoran as if he were looking for someone in particular. Now and then, he would use his sword to roll one over and get a better look.
Mazeka took his hands away from Krakua's head. Using hand signals, he told Krakua to follow him. Mazeka started away, but stepped on a branch, snapping it. He was still unable to hear, so he never noticed the noise. But the Ta-Matoran did.
An instant later, Krakua was spinning Mazeka around. As he did, a dagger thrown by the Ta-Matoran buried itself in a nearby tree. Mazeka drew his own blade, ready to fight. But the Ta-Matoran didn't advance – in fact, he seemed a little startled.
"Go!" Mazeka yelled to Krakua. "Get out of here! I'll handle this."
Krakua hesitated. Then his feet left the ground and he was flying into the jungle. Mazeka almost smiled – Jerbraz hadn't left after all. He was carrying Krakua to safety.
The Ta-Matoran advanced. Mazeka leaned back a little on his heels, ready to meet the attack. The Ta-Matoran made a few tentative attacks, then went to work, hacking and slashing. Mazeka parried the blows, even landing a few of his own. All the while, something was nagging at him. There was something familiar about his enemy – not how he looked, nor how he sounded, since he hadn't said a word. No, it was his moves in combat. Once in a while, he would do something that struck a familiar chord, then it would be gone.
Unfortunately, the middle of a fight is not the best time to try to and jog one's memory. The Ta-Matoran took advantage of his distraction to disarm him. Mazeka tried to retrieve his blade, but the Ta-Matoran got in between him and his weapon. A swift stroke and Mazeka had lost his mask. He stumbled and fell to the ground.
His enemy stood over him, smiling. He lifted his blade for the killing stroke, twirling it over his head for a moment.
And then Mazeka knew. Someone or something had changed his appearance, but that habit of twirling his blade before a final attack ... only one person did that in Mazeka's memory.
"Vultraz!" he gasped. "You're ... alive?"
"More than I can say for you," whispered Vultraz, as he swung his razor-sharp sword at Mazeka's head ...
Chapter 4
Five years ago ...
Mazeka forced himself to keep his eyes open as Vultraz brought the blade down toward his head. He wouldn't give his enemy the satisfaction of seeing he was afraid.
The razor-sharp steel came closer, closer ... Mazeka accepted that it would be his last sight in life ...
And then the sword stopped, less than a quarter of an inch from Mazeka's mask. When he looked beyond the blade, Mazeka could see that Vultraz was smiling.
"No, I don't need to kill you now," said the Ta-Matoran. "I've beaten you. Every breath you take from now on is only because I allow it. No matter where you go, who you fight, how many battles you win – you'll know you're only walking, talking, living because of me." Vultraz laughed. "I just saved your life, Mazeka ... I think that rates a thank you, don't you?"
Mazeka said nothing, just glared with hate-filled eyes at his enemy.
"Of course, it's a shame that I lost the little De-Matoran, but no worries – I'll catch up to him later, and give him what I didn't give you," Vultraz continued. "As for you ... live a long life, Mazeka. I want you around to remember this day."
With that, the Ta-Matoran withdrew his sword and vanished into the jungle. Mazeka got to his feet, ready to pursue him and settle things once and for all. But an invisible hand restrained him.
"That's not what we're here for," said Jerbraz. Mazeka could hear him clearly, though he could not see him. "We got what we came to get. Be satisfied with that."
"But --" Mazeka began, angry and frustrated. Then he stopped. Jerbraz was right. If this Krakua was so important, getting him before Vultraz did was what mattered most ... wasn't it?
"Krakua is someplace safe," said Jerbraz. "Now he can be trained. There's a reason you don't see a lot of Toa of Sonics around – they are vulnerable to their own power. One of the Great Beings' little jokes, I guess. We'll make sure he can use his power – all of it – when he becomes a Toa someday ... because we're going to need it."
Mazeka was only half listening. His mind was on his fight with Vultraz – a fight he vowed wasn't over. "Listen," he said. "I did what you asked. Now I want a favor in return. I want training."
"What kind?" asked Jerbraz.
"I want to learn how to fight," said Mazeka, his tone grim. "I want to learn how to win clean ... and win dirty. When I'm done, I want to be a master with a blade, with my fists, with any kind of weapon – and then I want you to get out of my way."
"You're going after that Ta-Matoran, I'm guessing?" said Jerbraz.
Mazeka walked away from the voice, deeper into the jungle. "We're wasting time. You have a Matoran to deliver ... and I have a hunt to get ready for."
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Now ...
Mazeka walked into an inn in one of the nastier parts of Stelt. The whole island was in an uproar – something about a monstrous, reptilian thing tearing the roof off a building. He didn't see any sign of any giant creatures, so he dismissed it as just another wild Steltian story.
He was here to see a Fe-Matoran whose name changed every few months. A rogue Nynrah crafter, the Matoran had a bad right arm, the result of an accident in a forge. Of course, any Nynrah worth his tools could have made a new mechanical part to replace the damaged one, but he hadn't – story was he kept it as is as a reminder that even the best can make a mistake.
Two big, blue warriors stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor. They made it clear that no visitors were allowed. Mazeka nodded, turned as if to leave, then spun and delivered a devastating kick to the knee joint of the nearest. When the second went for his blade, Mazeka's own dagger flashed. He disarmed the brute in one swift motion. The guard charged and Mazeka evaded, winding up behind his larger opponent. Before the guard could turn, Mazeka did a leap from a standing start, got one hand onto the big warrior's shoulder, and then slammed both knees into his face. It didn't do much more than daze the bruiser, but that was all Mazeka needed to do. He took advantage of the situation to race up the stairs.
The door to the Fe-Matoran's workshop was locked. Mazeka brought it down with a kick. The Matoran of Iron grabbed for a weapon, but Mazeka's dagger was already primed to throw. "I just want to talk," said Mazeka.
"You've got a noisy way of saying hello," the Fe-Matoran answered. "I'm open for business – all you had to do was knock."
"I know all about your business," said Mazeka. "Someone will be talking to you about it another day. Right now, I just have one question – where's Vultraz?"
The Fe-Matoran did his best to look confused. "I don't know any Vultraz."
"You helped him modify his vehicle," Mazeka replied. "And he used it to raid a village on an island not far from here. Two Matoran were killed, 12 more were hurt. You're responsible for that."
"Why me?" said the Fe-Matoran. "I didn't do that! He did that!"
Mazeka twirled his dagger, then hurled it at the Nynrah crafter. It struck his mask, knocking it off. The Fe-Matoran staggered and reached for his lost mask, but Mazeka was there first and kicked it away. "Vultraz. Now."
"I don't know anything!" the Matoran sputtered. "Give me my mask back!"
Mazeka held his foot poised over the fallen mask. "Tell me what I want to know or I'll shatter it. And then you and I can have a nice long chat until you pass out. So what's it going to be?"
"He said ... he said he was going to get in good with a Makuta," the Fe-Matoran said. "Said he was heading to the core ...that's all he said, I swear, the core ... to bring something to somebody named Icarax."
Mazeka nodded. That fit with other scraps of information he had picked up.
"Okay, thanks for the information," he said. Almost casually, he brought his foot down and broke the mask to pieces. "Next time, don't take so long to answer."
Mazeka left the room, so lost in thought he almost didn't notice the two guards waiting for him outside. He was distracted enough that it took him all of ten minutes to get away from them. On his way back to his swamp strider, he wondered -- what was Vultraz up to now? And how could he stop him?
Chapter 5
Daxia was a good place to visit, providing you were a member of the Order of Mata Nui and had been invited. There were places to relax and to train, libraries full of tablets on every imaginable subject, and a central well of energy for when one got hungry. Of course, there was also an armory, an equipment storehouse, and a vehicle center that members could access before going on missions.
If, on the other hand, you weren't welcome ... well, that was another story, as Mazeka was finding out. He had been to Daxia before, during his training, and had even been given his swamp strider vehicle by Toa Helryx, leader of the Order. With some reservation, she had approved his pursuit of Vultraz, providing it didn't get in the way of other work she needed him to do. But it was also made clear to him that return trips to Daxia had to be cleared first, so the Order could make sure he was not being followed to their secret base.
This day, Mazeka had not done that. He had stormed the coast of Daxia, seeking information. His old enemy, Vultraz, was heading for someplace called the core, carrying something for a Makuta named Icarax. Mazeka was determined to stop him, but first, he had to learn what the core was and where it was. And he knew who would have the answers.
"Helryx!" he shouted, as he ran through the central corridor of the Order base, two guards in pursuit. "I request an audience!"
"Grab him!" one of the guards yelled. "He could be a Brotherhood spy!"
Mazeka stopped suddenly and dropped to the ground. The lead guard tripped over him and went sprawling. Mazeka shot up, grabbing the second guard's wrist. With a quick movement, he tossed the guard over his shoulder, sending the sentry crashing to the ground.
"Sorry," Mazeka said. "But I don't have time for official channels."
Both guards were getting back to their feet, so Mazeka took off. While he couldn't become invisible like his old trainer, Jerbraz, he knew how to "disappear" when he had to. The shadows were his friend. He found a hiding place and waited for the guards to rush past before moving out again.
Mazeka knew where Helryx's chamber was – he also knew all the traps and guard stations along the way. Jerbraz had trained him to pay attention to things like that. You never knew when you might need the knowledge. Now he used it to evade observation as he made his way to the center of the base.
Under normal circumstances, this would probably have been impossible to do. But with the Order now at war with the Brotherhood, the number of members on Daxia had dropped. Most agents were out leading operations against Makuta strongholds, meaning that many fewer guards to dodge.
Forcing his way into Helryx's chamber would be impossible – too well protected. But he had noted an escape tunnel built into one wall and had made a point of searching for where it came out. Now he went in that hidden exit and followed the tunnel along, all the way back to his goal.
But when he emerged, he saw that Helryx wasn't there. Instead, it was a senior Order of Mata Nui agent, Tobduk. This was just about the last person Mazeka wanted to see.
Tobduk was tall – easily 10 feet in height – and although he looked very lean, it was deceptive. He was all wiry muscle. He wore a Kanohi Sanok, the Mask of Accuracy, an appropriate one for him – for he was a killer.
This particular Order member got the ugly assignments, and thrived on them. He was most famous within the group for planning the deaths of or personally slaying everyone who knew the location of the island of Artakha – including other Order members and a Makuta. Although one would expect someone like him to be cold and calm, Tobduk was in a perpetual rage – he fed on anger, his and others, it made him stronger.
Mazeka had battled Tobduk a few times during his training. He had always lost. Despite the Matoran's best efforts, frustration and anger would grow in him during the fight, making Tobduk even stronger. Then the fight would be over in seconds.
"Come out, Mazeka," Tobduk said, with the grin of a hungry kavinika wolf. "I know you're there."
There was no point in denying it or postponing the inevitable. Mazeka kicked open the entrance to the tunnel and stepped out into the light. "I would have thought you would be out killing something," he said. "Did Helryx ground you?"
"My time is coming," Tobduk snapped. "I was made for war."
"Great," said Mazeka. He forced himself to stay calm and collected, so he could deny Tobduk any extra strength. "I hope you and your battles will be very happy together. I need information. Where's Helryx?"
"Out. And you don't come to us ... we call you," Tobduk growled menacingly.
"Vultraz is heading for the core, bringing something to a Makuta," Mazeka explained. "I need to follow him, but I don't know where the core is."
"I do," said Tobduk. His eyes somehow managed to gleam and yet remain cold and dead at the same time. "And I could tell you ... but not yet." He picked a dagger up off Helryx's desk and toyed with it. "Jerbraz says you have come far. But do you have what it takes to kill?"
Here it comes, thought Mazeka. He's going to challenge me to combat for the information I seek. And I'm better than I once was, but not better enough to beat him.
To Mazeka's surprise, Tobduk put the dagger into a sheath on his hip and smiled. "No. Cutting you down wouldn't even be sport anymore, not when there are so many better targets out there. I have a job to do, Mazeka ... and I could use a little help. You aid me and I will tell you what you want to know ... or you could refuse, and the guards will haul you off to a cell for interrogation while Vultraz roams free."
Mazeka had no choice. His need for revenge on Vultraz mattered more to him than anything else. If he had to team with someone like Tobduk to achieve his goals, then so be it.
"What do I have to do?" asked Mazeka.
"Nothing too terrible," said Tobduk, already walking out of the chamber and obviously expecting Mazeka to follow. "We're just going hunting."
Chapter 6
Mazeka grabbed Vezon's arm and yanked him away from where Makuta Tridax and Tobduk were fighting. "Come on, you fool," the Matoran said. "You want to get killed?"
"Well ...." Vezon said, as if he were seriously debating the question. "Anyway, I want to see the end."
"Trust me, there will be plenty of endings to see," Mazeka said, with some bitterness in his voice. "Everything ends eventually ... and sometimes, you're not sure why."
"How profound. How deep," said Vezon. Then he added, "How boring. Who are you and why are you here?"
"I'm here to kill you," said Mazeka.
"Oh," brightened Vezon. "I knew there was something about you I liked."
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Tobduk watched the last of the Makuta's armor dissolve before the protosteel-eating virus. That left just his free floating antidermis to deal with. Meanwhile, the fortress of Destral continued to shake and crumble before the onslaught outside.
"You Makuta," Tobduk said, shaking his head. "In the end, you're just wisps of corruption, aren't you? No substance at all. Not like these Toa you have imprisoned all over the place in this chamber."
Tobduk looked around. He didn't recognize the Toa in the cases, but could tell they were – somehow – all the same being. "Someone's been tampering with things best left alone," he said, in a vaguely sinister, sing-song voice. "I've heard enough Turaga tales to know what that leads to."
The antidermis floating in the middle of the room turned a darker shade of black and green. Tobduk had no doubt the Makuta was trying to mentally attack him ... or perhaps even telepathically beg for his life? But with his mental shields up, nothing was getting through. That was okay, though. He hated to hear a grown gas cloud cry.
"I can guess what you're thinking," Tobduk said. "With all these Toa here, no one would dare destroy Destral. No one would risk the damage to all those other realities. No one would sacrifice all these lives."
Tobduk smiled and pulled out a nasty looking staff. Its shaft was inscribed with Matoran symbols and its head was carved in the shape of a doom serpent's head. "Well, let me tell you something. I used to live on an island to the east of here ... just a simple place, where a few of us tried to get by day to day. We had a little Rahi trouble now and then, nothing too serious. That is, until the day a Makuta showed up.
"He had a little experiment he wanted to do. He mixed a little of this, a little of that, and before you knew it ... he had a great big spider ... and then a lot more. But that wasn’t enough ... he had to see what they could do. So he unleashed them on our village ... it was over in minutes. When they were done, the Makuta renamed the island Visorak in honor of their pets."
Tobduk shuddered a little, from the memory. "I made it off the island ... a few others did, too ... and got to Nynrah, and from there, to Stelt. By the time we made it there, the horror of all I had seen had ... changed me. When my new friends took me in, they named me 'Tobduk,' which I hear means 'survivor.' Their idea of a joke, I guess."
Tobduk's eyes gleamed with a mixture of rage and madness. "Cause, you see, I didn't survive. I don't even know who I used to be. I'm not who I was ... and I'm not what the Order wanted to make me. I am no one."
A beam of white-hot energy lanced from Tobduk's staff. It struck the antidermis in mid-air, incinerating it in a matter of moments. Tobduk didn't turn the weapon off until every last particle was gone.
"Impressive," said Mazeka from the doorway.
Tobduk shrugged. "It passes the time. Where's the other one? He's a loose Rahi ... needs to be contained."
"He's dead," Mazeka lied. He had no idea who Vezon was, but had no reason to murder him either. He decided to let him take his chances with the army outside the gates, slim though those chances might be.
"You owe me," the Matoran continued. "You said if I helped you, you would tell me how to find the core."
The fortress was rocked by an explosion. The ceiling of the chamber cracked and rubble began to fall. "So I did," said Tobduk, seemingly unconcerned about the destruction all around him. "Very well, Matoran, I will point you in the right direction."
"What about all these Toa?" asked Mazeka.
"Wrong place, wrong time," answered Tobduk. "They don't belong here and we don't have time to send them all home. They're casualties of war. You can stay and try to save them if you like, but I'm done here ... so I am going. If you want the secret of the core, you'll come with me."
Mazeka considered. The lives of a bunch of Toa he didn't know vs. stopping whatever evil Vultraz had planned. He knew what a Toa would do – risk everything to save the helpless and let the villain escape, maybe putting more lives at risk in the long run. But maybe that was why there were only 50+ Toa left in the universe -- and anyway, Mazeka wasn't one of them.
"Okay," said the Matoran. "We go."
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When the Matoran and the Order agent had vanished from the chamber, Vezon stepped out of the shadows. Destral was falling to pieces all around him, but he ignored it. His eyes were on all those crystalline cases and the Toa sleeping inside.
He had mocked Makuta Tridax's "collection" not so long ago. But as the madbeing traced a finger along one of the cases, he couldn't help but wonder:
What couldn't I do with an army of Toa by my side?
Five years ago...
Mazeka dove aside even as the acid blade slashed through the air where he had been standing. He could hear the angry hiss of centuries-old rock dissolving where the sword had brushed against it. A step slower and that would have been his armor.
He hit the ground and rolled, ending up back on his feet with dagger at the ready. Vultraz twirled the blade over his head, smiling. "You knew it had to come down to this, didn't you?" said the crimson-armored Matoran. "Just the two of us, mask to mask."
"This isn't one of your epic fables," Mazeka replied. "You're a thief and a murderer, Vultraz. You killed an entire village of Matoran who never did a thing to you."
"Except have something I wanted – an intact lava-gem, a rare find on the Tren Krom Peninsula," Vultraz replied. "They didn't want to give it up... thought it appeased the volcano or some such thing, kept it from erupting... a few well-timed explosions and one sea of lava later, and they found out how wrong they were."
Mazeka lunged. Vultraz sidestepped and hit his foe with the flat of his blade, burning an impression of the weapon into his armor. Mazeka stumbled toward the edge of the cliff and caught himself just in time. The entire mountain slope was lined with razor crystals, sharp enough to shred armor and tissue into ribbons.
"How many times do we have to do this?" said Vultraz. "When are you going to realize that you're not a Toa... just some crazy villager who thinks he has to risk his neck fighting the bad guys? Go home, Mazeka. Go back to your little life, before you force me to end it."
Mazeka scrambled to his feet, his back to the cliff. Vultraz was right – he was just a Matoran, with no elemental or mask power. Of course, Vultraz was too, but his old enemy had years of experience at lying, cheating and killing. Up until a few years past, Mazeka had just been a scholar trying to solve the mysteries of the universe. That was before Vultraz killed his mentor and stole valuable tablets containing the results of years of research. The two had clashed many times since then, but the tablets had never been found.
"Put down your weapon, old friend, and walk away," said Vultraz.
"We were never friends!" spat Mazeka.
"Sure, we were," Vultraz grinned. "All those happy years toiling away in our backward little village, trying not to attract Makuta Gorast's attention. I was just the more ambitious of the two of us. I got out.'
"And you've been running ever since," said Mazeka. "Time for it to stop, before you run into something even you can't handle."
Vultraz charged, swinging his blade... but not at Mazeka. Instead, he sliced away at the piece of rock upon which his enemy stood. It disintegrated before the acid and fell away. Mazeka fell, too, grabbing onto the ledge and hanging suspended over the razor crystals.
"I really don't want to kill you," Vultraz said quietly. "You're a link to my past... a reminder of all the things I avoided becoming. But you keep getting in my way, and I can't have that."
Vultraz lifted the blade over his head and brought it down. Mazeka swung to the side, letting go of the ledge with one hand, and used his momentum to carry his legs up. He kicked Vultraz in the side even as that Matoran's attack was carrying him forward. The combination sent Vultraz over the edge of the cliff. He never screamed all the long way down.
Mazeka looked down and cursed. It was impossible to spot Vultraz's body so far below, but that was a mercy, in a way. Sliding hundreds of feet down razor crystals would leave precious little to see. He concentrated on trying to climb back up to safety before he joined his enemy in death.
A hand shod in ocean blue armor grabbed his wrist and pulled him up. It belonged to a warrior Mazeka had never seen before. She carried a chain mace and a shield and looked powerful enough to down a Takea shark with one blow. She wasn't a Toa, he was almost certain, but he had no idea who she might be.
"I'm a... friend," the newcomer said. "Never mind my name. I saw what happened here. You are very brave, Matoran."
Mazeka shook his head. "Not brave. Lucky. And not even that... he died before telling me what I needed to know. Now I have to return to my village and submit myself to the justice of my people."
The warrior shook her head. "Don't fear. You did them a service and will be rewarded... and who knows who else you may have helped today?"
Mazeka didn't answer, just walked away with his head down. The warrior watched him go. When he was almost out of sight, the face and form of his rescuer began to shimmer and change. In a moment, the mighty warrior had been replaced by Makuta Gorast. She looked at Mazeka, then glanced over the cliff.
"Yes, little hero," she said, smiling wickedly. "Who knows, indeed?"
Chapter 2
Five years ago...
Sometimes, a being does something so completely unexpected, so totally surprising, that it shocks even them. On this day, that being was Vultraz – and what he did was wake up.
After falling off a cliff, Vultraz fully expected to be very dead. Instead, he was lying on a slab in a darkened chamber, being tended to by... well, they were Rahi of some kind, and he preferred not to know just what type or why they were prodding him. He wondered if he had somehow survived the fall, only to be dragged off by wild animals as an evening snack.
He tried to move, thinking maybe he could make a quick escape. But his arms and legs were tied down with some kind of vines. These were either really intelligent Rahi, or else there was someone else involved.
That someone else chose that moment to walk in. Vultraz gasped. He had only caught a fleeting glimpse of her a few times, but he knew Makuta Gorast just the same. He tried to pretend he was still unconscious, even though he knew it would not fool her.
"I can read your thoughts," the Makuta hissed. "And your fear, little Matoran. But you have nothing to be afraid of... you are safe here."
If he had dared, Vultraz would have laughed. No one knew what happened to Matoran who wound up in Gorast's clutches, but there were plenty of rumors. Each of them was worse than the last and some were downright revolting. Vultraz had done some pretty bad things in his life, but he was a cuddle-Rahi next to Gorast.
"If that were true, I would have let you fall, instead of having Rahi there to save you," Gorast said. "True, you were damaged... badly... but you survived."
"Why...?" Vultraz stopped. His voice did not sound like his voice. He looked down at his hands – the armor on them was completely different. What had happened here? What had she done?
"You are well known on the peninsula," Gorast replied, once again reading his thoughts. "Too well known for my purposes. But your enemy is busy spreading the word of your death, and the changes I have made will insure no one will recognize you."
"Just... just what is it you want me to do?" Vultraz asked, already knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"I want you to find a Matoran for me," said Gorast. "A Matoran named Krakua... and when you find him, here is what I want you to do..."
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Mazeka returned to his village, bringing word of Vultraz's fatal fall. Some greeted him as a hero, though he did not feel like one. He had failed to regain what Vultraz had stolen, failed to capture him – and while the Ta-Matoran's death brought his evil to an end, it was still not something he could bring himself to celebrate.
He was seated alone in his hut that night when someone rapped on the door. When he opened it, there was no one there. Annoyed, he slammed the door and went back to his sleep mat. It was then that he noticed the chair in the center of the room had moved out of position. He went to move it back to where it was, and found he couldn't – it was as if it were rooted to the ground.
"I wouldn't do that," said a deep, rasping voice. "You're only going to hurt yourself."
Mazeka jumped back a good four feet. There was no one else in the room, but someone was talking to him. He grabbed a weapon and spun around. "Who's here? Show yourself!"
"Ah, if only I could," the voice replied. "Unfortunately, not every experiment has happy results. By the way, the only thing you will get from spinning is dizzy. I am in the chair."
"Who are you?" demanded Mazeka, half-convinced he was just hallucinating the whole thing.
"My name is Jerbraz, once one of the most handsome and dashing members of my little circle of friends... that is, back when I could be seen. Now I have to rely on my charm alone to make an impression... that and this nasty sword that conveniently turned invisible with me. If you see someone's head just suddenly go flying off for no reason, it's not your imagination."
Mazeka backed up against the wall, trying to get as far from the chair as he could. "Is that why you're here? To kill me? But I've done nothing to you."
"No," Jerbraz replied. The chair moved back, as if he had risen and pushed it away. "But you did do something quite permanent to a foul little fellow named Vultraz. And the people I work for appreciate that kind of initiative. We want to hire you."
"Who do you work for?" asked Mazeka, still not fully willing to accept the reality of invisible beings offering jobs.
"If I told you, and you declined the offer, I would have to... well, you know. So I guess you will just have to accept or reject..." Jerbraz gave a low chuckle. "...Sight unseen."
"Then can you tell me what the job is?" said Mazeka.
"Yes," replied Jerbraz. Mazeka could tell his visitor was standing right beside him now. An instant later, he felt an invisible hand resting on his shoulder. "It's stopping people like Vultraz – there are more of them than you might think – and protecting their would-be victims. Specifically, to start with, one potential target – a Matoran named Krakua."
Mazeka thought about Vultraz, all the evil things he had done, all the people he had harmed. If there were others out there like him, stealing and killing and ruining lives, how could he turn down a chance to stop them?
"All right," said the Matoran. "As long as I don't have to turn invisible too... I'm in. Just tell me what I have to do..."
Chapter 3
Five years ago...
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" whispered Mazeka.
"No," answered the invisible Jerbraz. "But it's the only idea I have."
The two were on the outskirts of a small village on the Tren Krom peninsula. Mazeka had never seen it before, and he had explored much of the peninsula over the years. At first glance, it looked like any other village – a series of huts, a central meeting area, Matoran wandering about. The only thing that marked it as strange was the absolute silence that permeated every inch of the place.
"What's going on?" Mazeka asked, so quietly he could barely hear himself. Despite that, one of the Matoran stopped and looked around.
"They are De-Matoran," answered Jerbraz. "Matoran of Sonics. Very sensitive to noise, so they train themselves from early on to not make any more than is necessary. On the plus side, their hearing is so acute that they are probably listening to every word we say ... and would be even if we were a kio away."
Mazeka considered that. "Then why are we whispering?"
"Out of respect. Plus they hate loud sounds – that's why no Toa are allowed into the place. Where Toa go, battles follow ... and battles are noisy."
Mazeka felt the invisible hand of Jerbaz tap him on the shoulder. "Krakua is over there, to the left of the clearing – he's the one you're after. Looks like just another villager to me, but the people in power say he matters. So you go in and bring him out ... before someone else does."
The one Jerbraz had identified was standing off by himself, but not by choice. The other Matoran were avoiding him, and giving him nasty looks besides. Mazeka quickly figured out why: Krakua was humming to himself.
"Someone thinks he may wind up a Toa someday," Jerbraz continued. "I can see why. Matoran with the calling sometimes are a little ... eccentric. Almost like their brain knows something it isn't telling them."
At Jerbraz's urging, Mazeka slipped into the village and beckoned to Krakua. He was careful not to call out to them. No point in drawing unwanted attention to himself. When Krakua joined him at the outskirts, Mazeka said, "You don't know me, but I've been sent here to find you."
"By whom?" asked Krakua.
"I can't tell you that," answered Mazeka.
"Okay. How about why?"
"I can't tell you that either," Mazeka replied, already feeling very uncomfortable.
"Is there anything you can tell me?" asked Krakua, frustrated.
Mazeka looked over Krakua's shoulder. Something was rolling into the center of the De-Matoran village. "Yes!" he yelled, diving for Krakua. "Trust me!"
The two hit the ground, hard. Mazeka clamped his hands over Krakua's audio receptors just in time. A wall of sound struck the village, excruciatingly loud for a being with normal senses, beyond devastating for the Matoran of Sonics. Matoran hit the ground almost instantly, overcome by the sound. Mazeka almost passed out as well, but he fought to stay conscious and do what he could to protect Krakua.
When the effect finally ended, Mazeka couldn't hear his own voice. He called out Jerbraz's name a few times, but couldn't have heard the answer if it came and felt no taps on his shoulder. Had the Order agent deserted him?
Before he could worry about that, someone entered the clearing. It was a Ta-Matoran, though not one Mazeka recognized. He idly picked up the device used to fell the villagers, smiled, and tossed it away. Then he surveyed the unconscious Matoran as if he were looking for someone in particular. Now and then, he would use his sword to roll one over and get a better look.
Mazeka took his hands away from Krakua's head. Using hand signals, he told Krakua to follow him. Mazeka started away, but stepped on a branch, snapping it. He was still unable to hear, so he never noticed the noise. But the Ta-Matoran did.
An instant later, Krakua was spinning Mazeka around. As he did, a dagger thrown by the Ta-Matoran buried itself in a nearby tree. Mazeka drew his own blade, ready to fight. But the Ta-Matoran didn't advance – in fact, he seemed a little startled.
"Go!" Mazeka yelled to Krakua. "Get out of here! I'll handle this."
Krakua hesitated. Then his feet left the ground and he was flying into the jungle. Mazeka almost smiled – Jerbraz hadn't left after all. He was carrying Krakua to safety.
The Ta-Matoran advanced. Mazeka leaned back a little on his heels, ready to meet the attack. The Ta-Matoran made a few tentative attacks, then went to work, hacking and slashing. Mazeka parried the blows, even landing a few of his own. All the while, something was nagging at him. There was something familiar about his enemy – not how he looked, nor how he sounded, since he hadn't said a word. No, it was his moves in combat. Once in a while, he would do something that struck a familiar chord, then it would be gone.
Unfortunately, the middle of a fight is not the best time to try to and jog one's memory. The Ta-Matoran took advantage of his distraction to disarm him. Mazeka tried to retrieve his blade, but the Ta-Matoran got in between him and his weapon. A swift stroke and Mazeka had lost his mask. He stumbled and fell to the ground.
His enemy stood over him, smiling. He lifted his blade for the killing stroke, twirling it over his head for a moment.
And then Mazeka knew. Someone or something had changed his appearance, but that habit of twirling his blade before a final attack ... only one person did that in Mazeka's memory.
"Vultraz!" he gasped. "You're ... alive?"
"More than I can say for you," whispered Vultraz, as he swung his razor-sharp sword at Mazeka's head ...
Chapter 4
Five years ago ...
Mazeka forced himself to keep his eyes open as Vultraz brought the blade down toward his head. He wouldn't give his enemy the satisfaction of seeing he was afraid.
The razor-sharp steel came closer, closer ... Mazeka accepted that it would be his last sight in life ...
And then the sword stopped, less than a quarter of an inch from Mazeka's mask. When he looked beyond the blade, Mazeka could see that Vultraz was smiling.
"No, I don't need to kill you now," said the Ta-Matoran. "I've beaten you. Every breath you take from now on is only because I allow it. No matter where you go, who you fight, how many battles you win – you'll know you're only walking, talking, living because of me." Vultraz laughed. "I just saved your life, Mazeka ... I think that rates a thank you, don't you?"
Mazeka said nothing, just glared with hate-filled eyes at his enemy.
"Of course, it's a shame that I lost the little De-Matoran, but no worries – I'll catch up to him later, and give him what I didn't give you," Vultraz continued. "As for you ... live a long life, Mazeka. I want you around to remember this day."
With that, the Ta-Matoran withdrew his sword and vanished into the jungle. Mazeka got to his feet, ready to pursue him and settle things once and for all. But an invisible hand restrained him.
"That's not what we're here for," said Jerbraz. Mazeka could hear him clearly, though he could not see him. "We got what we came to get. Be satisfied with that."
"But --" Mazeka began, angry and frustrated. Then he stopped. Jerbraz was right. If this Krakua was so important, getting him before Vultraz did was what mattered most ... wasn't it?
"Krakua is someplace safe," said Jerbraz. "Now he can be trained. There's a reason you don't see a lot of Toa of Sonics around – they are vulnerable to their own power. One of the Great Beings' little jokes, I guess. We'll make sure he can use his power – all of it – when he becomes a Toa someday ... because we're going to need it."
Mazeka was only half listening. His mind was on his fight with Vultraz – a fight he vowed wasn't over. "Listen," he said. "I did what you asked. Now I want a favor in return. I want training."
"What kind?" asked Jerbraz.
"I want to learn how to fight," said Mazeka, his tone grim. "I want to learn how to win clean ... and win dirty. When I'm done, I want to be a master with a blade, with my fists, with any kind of weapon – and then I want you to get out of my way."
"You're going after that Ta-Matoran, I'm guessing?" said Jerbraz.
Mazeka walked away from the voice, deeper into the jungle. "We're wasting time. You have a Matoran to deliver ... and I have a hunt to get ready for."
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Now ...
Mazeka walked into an inn in one of the nastier parts of Stelt. The whole island was in an uproar – something about a monstrous, reptilian thing tearing the roof off a building. He didn't see any sign of any giant creatures, so he dismissed it as just another wild Steltian story.
He was here to see a Fe-Matoran whose name changed every few months. A rogue Nynrah crafter, the Matoran had a bad right arm, the result of an accident in a forge. Of course, any Nynrah worth his tools could have made a new mechanical part to replace the damaged one, but he hadn't – story was he kept it as is as a reminder that even the best can make a mistake.
Two big, blue warriors stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor. They made it clear that no visitors were allowed. Mazeka nodded, turned as if to leave, then spun and delivered a devastating kick to the knee joint of the nearest. When the second went for his blade, Mazeka's own dagger flashed. He disarmed the brute in one swift motion. The guard charged and Mazeka evaded, winding up behind his larger opponent. Before the guard could turn, Mazeka did a leap from a standing start, got one hand onto the big warrior's shoulder, and then slammed both knees into his face. It didn't do much more than daze the bruiser, but that was all Mazeka needed to do. He took advantage of the situation to race up the stairs.
The door to the Fe-Matoran's workshop was locked. Mazeka brought it down with a kick. The Matoran of Iron grabbed for a weapon, but Mazeka's dagger was already primed to throw. "I just want to talk," said Mazeka.
"You've got a noisy way of saying hello," the Fe-Matoran answered. "I'm open for business – all you had to do was knock."
"I know all about your business," said Mazeka. "Someone will be talking to you about it another day. Right now, I just have one question – where's Vultraz?"
The Fe-Matoran did his best to look confused. "I don't know any Vultraz."
"You helped him modify his vehicle," Mazeka replied. "And he used it to raid a village on an island not far from here. Two Matoran were killed, 12 more were hurt. You're responsible for that."
"Why me?" said the Fe-Matoran. "I didn't do that! He did that!"
Mazeka twirled his dagger, then hurled it at the Nynrah crafter. It struck his mask, knocking it off. The Fe-Matoran staggered and reached for his lost mask, but Mazeka was there first and kicked it away. "Vultraz. Now."
"I don't know anything!" the Matoran sputtered. "Give me my mask back!"
Mazeka held his foot poised over the fallen mask. "Tell me what I want to know or I'll shatter it. And then you and I can have a nice long chat until you pass out. So what's it going to be?"
"He said ... he said he was going to get in good with a Makuta," the Fe-Matoran said. "Said he was heading to the core ...that's all he said, I swear, the core ... to bring something to somebody named Icarax."
Mazeka nodded. That fit with other scraps of information he had picked up.
"Okay, thanks for the information," he said. Almost casually, he brought his foot down and broke the mask to pieces. "Next time, don't take so long to answer."
Mazeka left the room, so lost in thought he almost didn't notice the two guards waiting for him outside. He was distracted enough that it took him all of ten minutes to get away from them. On his way back to his swamp strider, he wondered -- what was Vultraz up to now? And how could he stop him?
Chapter 5
Daxia was a good place to visit, providing you were a member of the Order of Mata Nui and had been invited. There were places to relax and to train, libraries full of tablets on every imaginable subject, and a central well of energy for when one got hungry. Of course, there was also an armory, an equipment storehouse, and a vehicle center that members could access before going on missions.
If, on the other hand, you weren't welcome ... well, that was another story, as Mazeka was finding out. He had been to Daxia before, during his training, and had even been given his swamp strider vehicle by Toa Helryx, leader of the Order. With some reservation, she had approved his pursuit of Vultraz, providing it didn't get in the way of other work she needed him to do. But it was also made clear to him that return trips to Daxia had to be cleared first, so the Order could make sure he was not being followed to their secret base.
This day, Mazeka had not done that. He had stormed the coast of Daxia, seeking information. His old enemy, Vultraz, was heading for someplace called the core, carrying something for a Makuta named Icarax. Mazeka was determined to stop him, but first, he had to learn what the core was and where it was. And he knew who would have the answers.
"Helryx!" he shouted, as he ran through the central corridor of the Order base, two guards in pursuit. "I request an audience!"
"Grab him!" one of the guards yelled. "He could be a Brotherhood spy!"
Mazeka stopped suddenly and dropped to the ground. The lead guard tripped over him and went sprawling. Mazeka shot up, grabbing the second guard's wrist. With a quick movement, he tossed the guard over his shoulder, sending the sentry crashing to the ground.
"Sorry," Mazeka said. "But I don't have time for official channels."
Both guards were getting back to their feet, so Mazeka took off. While he couldn't become invisible like his old trainer, Jerbraz, he knew how to "disappear" when he had to. The shadows were his friend. He found a hiding place and waited for the guards to rush past before moving out again.
Mazeka knew where Helryx's chamber was – he also knew all the traps and guard stations along the way. Jerbraz had trained him to pay attention to things like that. You never knew when you might need the knowledge. Now he used it to evade observation as he made his way to the center of the base.
Under normal circumstances, this would probably have been impossible to do. But with the Order now at war with the Brotherhood, the number of members on Daxia had dropped. Most agents were out leading operations against Makuta strongholds, meaning that many fewer guards to dodge.
Forcing his way into Helryx's chamber would be impossible – too well protected. But he had noted an escape tunnel built into one wall and had made a point of searching for where it came out. Now he went in that hidden exit and followed the tunnel along, all the way back to his goal.
But when he emerged, he saw that Helryx wasn't there. Instead, it was a senior Order of Mata Nui agent, Tobduk. This was just about the last person Mazeka wanted to see.
Tobduk was tall – easily 10 feet in height – and although he looked very lean, it was deceptive. He was all wiry muscle. He wore a Kanohi Sanok, the Mask of Accuracy, an appropriate one for him – for he was a killer.
This particular Order member got the ugly assignments, and thrived on them. He was most famous within the group for planning the deaths of or personally slaying everyone who knew the location of the island of Artakha – including other Order members and a Makuta. Although one would expect someone like him to be cold and calm, Tobduk was in a perpetual rage – he fed on anger, his and others, it made him stronger.
Mazeka had battled Tobduk a few times during his training. He had always lost. Despite the Matoran's best efforts, frustration and anger would grow in him during the fight, making Tobduk even stronger. Then the fight would be over in seconds.
"Come out, Mazeka," Tobduk said, with the grin of a hungry kavinika wolf. "I know you're there."
There was no point in denying it or postponing the inevitable. Mazeka kicked open the entrance to the tunnel and stepped out into the light. "I would have thought you would be out killing something," he said. "Did Helryx ground you?"
"My time is coming," Tobduk snapped. "I was made for war."
"Great," said Mazeka. He forced himself to stay calm and collected, so he could deny Tobduk any extra strength. "I hope you and your battles will be very happy together. I need information. Where's Helryx?"
"Out. And you don't come to us ... we call you," Tobduk growled menacingly.
"Vultraz is heading for the core, bringing something to a Makuta," Mazeka explained. "I need to follow him, but I don't know where the core is."
"I do," said Tobduk. His eyes somehow managed to gleam and yet remain cold and dead at the same time. "And I could tell you ... but not yet." He picked a dagger up off Helryx's desk and toyed with it. "Jerbraz says you have come far. But do you have what it takes to kill?"
Here it comes, thought Mazeka. He's going to challenge me to combat for the information I seek. And I'm better than I once was, but not better enough to beat him.
To Mazeka's surprise, Tobduk put the dagger into a sheath on his hip and smiled. "No. Cutting you down wouldn't even be sport anymore, not when there are so many better targets out there. I have a job to do, Mazeka ... and I could use a little help. You aid me and I will tell you what you want to know ... or you could refuse, and the guards will haul you off to a cell for interrogation while Vultraz roams free."
Mazeka had no choice. His need for revenge on Vultraz mattered more to him than anything else. If he had to team with someone like Tobduk to achieve his goals, then so be it.
"What do I have to do?" asked Mazeka.
"Nothing too terrible," said Tobduk, already walking out of the chamber and obviously expecting Mazeka to follow. "We're just going hunting."
Chapter 6
Mazeka grabbed Vezon's arm and yanked him away from where Makuta Tridax and Tobduk were fighting. "Come on, you fool," the Matoran said. "You want to get killed?"
"Well ...." Vezon said, as if he were seriously debating the question. "Anyway, I want to see the end."
"Trust me, there will be plenty of endings to see," Mazeka said, with some bitterness in his voice. "Everything ends eventually ... and sometimes, you're not sure why."
"How profound. How deep," said Vezon. Then he added, "How boring. Who are you and why are you here?"
"I'm here to kill you," said Mazeka.
"Oh," brightened Vezon. "I knew there was something about you I liked."
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Tobduk watched the last of the Makuta's armor dissolve before the protosteel-eating virus. That left just his free floating antidermis to deal with. Meanwhile, the fortress of Destral continued to shake and crumble before the onslaught outside.
"You Makuta," Tobduk said, shaking his head. "In the end, you're just wisps of corruption, aren't you? No substance at all. Not like these Toa you have imprisoned all over the place in this chamber."
Tobduk looked around. He didn't recognize the Toa in the cases, but could tell they were – somehow – all the same being. "Someone's been tampering with things best left alone," he said, in a vaguely sinister, sing-song voice. "I've heard enough Turaga tales to know what that leads to."
The antidermis floating in the middle of the room turned a darker shade of black and green. Tobduk had no doubt the Makuta was trying to mentally attack him ... or perhaps even telepathically beg for his life? But with his mental shields up, nothing was getting through. That was okay, though. He hated to hear a grown gas cloud cry.
"I can guess what you're thinking," Tobduk said. "With all these Toa here, no one would dare destroy Destral. No one would risk the damage to all those other realities. No one would sacrifice all these lives."
Tobduk smiled and pulled out a nasty looking staff. Its shaft was inscribed with Matoran symbols and its head was carved in the shape of a doom serpent's head. "Well, let me tell you something. I used to live on an island to the east of here ... just a simple place, where a few of us tried to get by day to day. We had a little Rahi trouble now and then, nothing too serious. That is, until the day a Makuta showed up.
"He had a little experiment he wanted to do. He mixed a little of this, a little of that, and before you knew it ... he had a great big spider ... and then a lot more. But that wasn’t enough ... he had to see what they could do. So he unleashed them on our village ... it was over in minutes. When they were done, the Makuta renamed the island Visorak in honor of their pets."
Tobduk shuddered a little, from the memory. "I made it off the island ... a few others did, too ... and got to Nynrah, and from there, to Stelt. By the time we made it there, the horror of all I had seen had ... changed me. When my new friends took me in, they named me 'Tobduk,' which I hear means 'survivor.' Their idea of a joke, I guess."
Tobduk's eyes gleamed with a mixture of rage and madness. "Cause, you see, I didn't survive. I don't even know who I used to be. I'm not who I was ... and I'm not what the Order wanted to make me. I am no one."
A beam of white-hot energy lanced from Tobduk's staff. It struck the antidermis in mid-air, incinerating it in a matter of moments. Tobduk didn't turn the weapon off until every last particle was gone.
"Impressive," said Mazeka from the doorway.
Tobduk shrugged. "It passes the time. Where's the other one? He's a loose Rahi ... needs to be contained."
"He's dead," Mazeka lied. He had no idea who Vezon was, but had no reason to murder him either. He decided to let him take his chances with the army outside the gates, slim though those chances might be.
"You owe me," the Matoran continued. "You said if I helped you, you would tell me how to find the core."
The fortress was rocked by an explosion. The ceiling of the chamber cracked and rubble began to fall. "So I did," said Tobduk, seemingly unconcerned about the destruction all around him. "Very well, Matoran, I will point you in the right direction."
"What about all these Toa?" asked Mazeka.
"Wrong place, wrong time," answered Tobduk. "They don't belong here and we don't have time to send them all home. They're casualties of war. You can stay and try to save them if you like, but I'm done here ... so I am going. If you want the secret of the core, you'll come with me."
Mazeka considered. The lives of a bunch of Toa he didn't know vs. stopping whatever evil Vultraz had planned. He knew what a Toa would do – risk everything to save the helpless and let the villain escape, maybe putting more lives at risk in the long run. But maybe that was why there were only 50+ Toa left in the universe -- and anyway, Mazeka wasn't one of them.
"Okay," said the Matoran. "We go."
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When the Matoran and the Order agent had vanished from the chamber, Vezon stepped out of the shadows. Destral was falling to pieces all around him, but he ignored it. His eyes were on all those crystalline cases and the Toa sleeping inside.
He had mocked Makuta Tridax's "collection" not so long ago. But as the madbeing traced a finger along one of the cases, he couldn't help but wonder:
What couldn't I do with an army of Toa by my side?
Dwellers in Darkness as of Chapter 6
(by Greg Farshtey - DW by Greg Farshtey also)
Chapter 1
Toa Bomonga tightened his headlock on the Tahtorak and tried to wrestle the beast to the ground. Bomonga's Mask of Growth allowed him to reach almost the size of the creature, but he could not match the Tahtorak in sheer strength. Still, he knew a few things about leverage and pressure points that the Rahi did not.
With a roar, the Tahtorak lost its footing and slammed hard into the ground of Xia. What was left of the island city trembled from the impact. "Now stay down," Bomonga growled, even as Toa Pouks used his power to create bonds of solid stone for the monster.
After a long battle, the Tahtorak had battered the Kanohi Dragon enough that Toa Norik's spinners had been able to slow it down, while Toa Kualus' ice attack finished it off. It now lay unconscious, sprawled across much of the southern district of the city. Toa Iruini had taken the advice of a Vortixx and made sure to move the creature's leg away from The Mountain, so it wouldn't end up a big snack for that hungry landmark.
Only Toa Gaaki stood off to the side, her eyes fixed on the ocean but unseeing. The Toa Hagah had seen her like this before. She was focused inward, using the power of her Mask of Clairvoyance to see things they could not. Now she stiffened, cried out, and turned toward the others.
"They're coming," she said. "Hundreds of them."
"Hundreds of who?" asked Iruini. He considered Gaaki a good friend, but her vague predictions did have a way of getting on his nerves at times.
"Seekers of shadows," Gaaki muttered. "Slayers of the dark ... ready for war ... Vortixx cannot stand ..."
Norik walked up beside her and gently eased Gaaki to a seat on a rock. He knelt in front of her and talked to her in a whisper. Now and then she would nod her head. After a few minutes, he gestured to Kualus.
Although the Toa of Ice was no longer a Rahaga, he had not lost his bond with flying Rahi or his ability to communicate with them. Now he signaled to a smoke hawk up above and spoke rapidly in a language none of the others understood. A moment later, the hawk flew off to the west.
"How is she?" Pouks asked Norik.
"It's been a long time since she used her power," answered the Toa Hagah of Fire. "Or, rather, since it used her. It's never easy."
"What she said – seekers of shadows – what do you think it means?"
"Isn't it obvious?" asked Bomonga, shrinking down to his normal height. "Seekers of shadows – Dark Hunters."
The smoke hawk picked that moment to return, flying in tight circles above the island and cawing loudly. Kualus nodded twice and rushed over to his fellow Toa.
"Bomonga is right, from the sound of it," he said. "My winged ally sees ships coming, so many they blot out the waves. And the crews are armed, my friends ... it's a battle fleet."
Iruini had climbed up the top of one of the few spires still standing in the city. "Score one for the birdie," he yelled down. "We have company. I'm going to check them out!"
"Iruini, wait --" began Norik.
"Wait for what?" the Toa of Air said, smiling. "I spent thousands of years as a Rahaga – now I'm back in action, and I love it!"
An instant later, the Toa of Air used his Mask of Quick Travel to teleport from the spire to the flagship of the oncoming fleet. He found himself standing on the deck, facing two powerful looking figures. A handful of armed warriors immediately moved to surround him.
"Who are you?" asked Iruini. "What's your business in these waters?"
"My business?" asked one of the figures. "My business is profit, and that profit has been strangled for too long. And who are you?"
"I am Toa Iruini. My friends and I have just completed a mission on Vortixx. That island was half-levelled in the process, and let me guess – you're here to level the other half."
"My name is The Shadowed One," came the reply, "leader of the Dark Hunters. Standing beside me is my loyal lieutenant, Ancient. Standing in front of me is a very foolish Toa if he thinks he can get between me and my goal."
Iruini ignored the jab. "If you're looking to loot Xia, there's precious little left to steal."
"Loot?" repeated The Shadowed One, in mock surprise. "Steal? How little you think of me. Would I muster a fleet for petty thievery? No, Toa, I have made a bargain this day with a power I never knew existed – and my new allies have asked to me to insure that Xia provides no more weapons to the enemy. They wish me to blockade or occupy the island, but I do not believe in half-measures."
The Shadowed One smiled, an expression as cold as one of Kualus' ice blasts. "So I am going to destroy Xia, and every last living thing on it. And if your friends are unfortunate enough to be there when I arrive ... well, perhaps I will be merciful, and leave enough of them to bury."
Iruini raised his Cyclone Spear. Weapons were suddenly aimed at him from a dozen different directions.
"This is my war," The Shadowed One said softly, "and welcome to it."
Chapter 2
At times like this, Iruini looked back fondly on his days as a Rahaga. It wasn't so bad, being short and twisted and spending all your time chasing after Brakas monkeys. At least you didn't have to stand on rolling decks, staring at the crazed leader of the Dark Hunters as he prepared to slaughter an entire island full of ... well, not so innocent Vortixx.
"You know I can't let you do this," Toa Iruini said.
"I know you can't stop me," The Shadowed One replied, smiling. "My new partner suggested I occupy Xia but I must have misheard. I could have sworn she said 'destroy.'"
Iruini was about to make a smart comeback when the seas started to churn and heave. The next moment, a tidal wave big enough to swamp the entire Dark Hunter fleet rose from the ocean depths. It towered hundreds of feet in the air ... and just stayed there, looming over the ships like the shadow of doom.
"Is that enough water to clean out your ears?"
Iruini turned. Standing on the bow of the ship was a Toa of Water he did not recognize, carrying a spiked mace and a shield. She was flanked by a warrior in golden armor and a four-armed giant with two long horns coming out of his head. He alone was heavy enough to almost swamp the ship. He carried a multi-bladed axe and a small object covered in a cloth.
The female Toa stepped down to the deck and marched up to The Shadowed One. Although he was taller than she, her bearing made her seem to dominate everyone on board.
"I hired the Dark Hunters for a simple task," she said, her voice as quiet as a dying breath. "If you can't do it ..."
She held the mace aloft. The tidal wave suddenly rushed forward toward the ships, almost colliding with the flagship. It stopped dead again as she lowered her weapon.
"I'll find someone who can," she finished.
Iruini looked from the Toa to the obviously concerned Shadowed One, and back again. "Nice," he said. "What do you do for an encore?"
The Toa nodded and the golden warrior vanished. He reappeared an instant later with the other five Toa Hagah in tow. They arrived to see The Shadowed One in intense whispered conversation with the Toa of Water. It ended when the Toa blasted three nearby Dark Hunters into the sea as casually as someone else might swat a gnat. Then she turned to the assembled Toa Hagah.
"Ah. Good," she said. "I have a mission for the six of you."
"Wait a minute!" snapped Norik. "Who are you? What's going on here?"
"And we don't take requests from anybody wearing a mask," said Kualus. Then he turned to Norik and added, "Do we?"
Norik shook his head.
"My name is Helryx," said the Toa of Water. "I run an organization you never heard of called the Order of Mata Nui. We are at war – and you've just been drafted."
"And if we say no?" asked Toa Bomonga.
Helryx gave a slight smile. Her eyes darted toward the ocean off the starboard side, where the three Dark Hunters were desperately trying to tread water. Then she looked back at the Toa Hagah. "Yes, you don't take requests, as I understand it – good thing I'm not making one."
"What is it you want us to do?" asked Toa Pouks. Seeing Iruini's glare, he said, "Well, it doesn't hurt to ask."
Helryx took a few steps closer and lowered her voice so the Dark Hunters could not overhear. "We are mounting an attack on the Brotherhood of Makuta, but their leader eludes us. Our best information is that he was last known to be inside a Maxilos robot near Mahri Nui, but where he may have gone to since then is unknown. We need Makuta Teridax found."
"Why us?" asked Iruini.
"You've fought him before. You've beaten him before," Helryx replied.
"And we all remember how well that turned out," muttered Iruini.
Helryx ignored him. "If I am right, Teridax has gone somewhere no one else has ever dared to venture. Left free, he could do untold damage."
"And just how are we supposed to track him down?" asked Bomonga. "Knock on the doors at Destral and ask if he can come out to play?"
Helryx chuckled. "There may not be doors left to knock on soon ... but that's another story. You will have a guide – someone who has generously offered to work with you in exchange for his freedom."
The four-armed giant took a step forward, and at first they thought Helryx meant him. But instead he took the cloth off the object he carried, which was revealed to be a globe filled with water, and something else ... what looked like a green sea snake with hate-filled crimson eyes.
"His name is Zaktan," said Helryx. "He's not as friendly as he looks. If he acts up, just haul him out of the tank and let him gasp for air a few times. That's what I always do. And now I think it's time you got started."
The Toa Hagah looked at each other. One by one, each of them nodded ... all except Gaaki. She was backing away, shaking her head, hands up to the sides of her mask. "Death," she whispered. "All around ... we are going to place of death ... and one of us will not return!"
Chapter 3
Toa Iruini dove for cover, barely dodging Toa Hewkii's chain. Not far away, Norik was locked in a stalemate with Jaller, while Bomonga was having a hard time even finding the stealthy Nuparu. All in all, it was not one of the Toa Hagah's better days.
They had hoped that their return to Metru Nui – the city they helped save when they were Rahaga – would be a joyous one. Instead, they were here on a mission from a shadowy organization called the Order of Mata Nui. Their goal: track down the missing Makuta Teridax before he could execute the final stages of his Plan.
Unfortunately, that was not as easy as it sounded (and it didn't sound that easy). They had been saddled with a mutated Piraka, Zaktan, they had to carry around in a water-filled sphere. His information was that Teridax would be heading to an inaccessible spot below the Metru Nui Coliseum. As antidermis, he could slip through cracks too small even for Norik to make through with his Mask of Shrinking. The only way to follow him would be to shatter the foundation of the Coliseum, which would bring the structure down.
Needless to say, popping in and saying, "We're here to wreck your most important building" had not sparked joy in the Toa Mahri. Given Takanuva's recent unexplained disappearance, they were on edge to start with. This just set them off.
Hewkii swung his chain again. This time Iruini grabbed it in mid-air and yanked the Toa of Stone forward. At the last moment, Iruini sidestepped, letting his opponent slam into a rock wall. "Stone, meet stone," muttered Iruini. "Now will you listen?"
Toa Kualus had teamed with Bomonga in an effort to pin down Nuparu, whose Mask of Stealth made him almost impossible to spot. A hastily created snowstorm revealed the Toa Mahri of Earth, but finding him and stopping him were two different things. Sixty feet in height just made Bomonga an easier target and a barrage of earth kept him off-balance.
Kualus frowned. He remembered these Mahri when they were Matoran villagers. He understood their suspicion and hostility, given the circumstances, but if this kept up, someone was going to get hurt. This called for drastic measures. Summoning the power of his Mask of Rahi Control, he touched the mind of a massive Rahi dwelling in the Archives not far below. In response, a huge claw smashed its way through the pavement and grabbed Nuparu.
"Let him go!" shouted Toa Hahli, blasting Kualus with a powerful jet of water. Even as he staggered from the impact, Kualus realized what was about to happen. The creature had been roused by his mask power, but his concentration was now broken. The Rahi was no longer under his control.
It erupted from below ground in a shower of rock and earth. Well over 60 feet high, it scanned the battlefield with its three heads. Muted light from the sunholes reflected off its brown scales as it spread its batlike wings. Its cry of triumph shattered crystal structures as far away as Ko-Metru.
The word "Toa" means "hero" in Matoran. And one of the characteristics of a hero is the ability to put aside personal feelings in a crisis. Thus it was that the Mahri and the Hagah forgot their fight in the face of this monstrosity from below. Still reeling from Hahli's blow, Kualus could not reassert control. But Jaller and Norik had already discovered the beast feared fire, and their twin blasts drove it back toward the barren plains of Po-Metru.
The creature wasn't about to go quietly. It hurled Nuparu through the sky at deadly speed. Hewkii whirled and used his Mask of Gravity as he never had before, applying just enough power to slow the Toa of Earth without ripping him apart.
Bomonga, still at his maximum size, landed a rain of blows on the Rahi. He might as well have been a Toa of Water summoning a light spring rain for all the good it did. Now it was Kongu and Iruini's turn, as they combined their air power with the powers of the Toa of Fire to create a swirling tornado of flame.
The Rahi was directly in the eye of the storm, which was so hot it melted nearby mountains into slag. It roared and attempted to fly out of the trap, but its wings were already blazing. Finally, overcome by the heat, it toppled over. The impact shook the ground for kios around.
Eleven weary Toa stood around the unconscious beast. Already, Onu-Matoran would be on their way to help prepare the creature for its return to the Archives. Po-Metru was a disaster area, the ground scorched and burned. Not far away, Po-Matoran labored to put out fires in their villages, aided by Hahli and Gaaki. Only the fact that this area of the metru was sparsely populated had kept this from being a true cataclysm.
Norik glanced at Jaller. "We either need to stop fighting," he said, "or find someplace uninhabited to settle things. Otherwise, Matoran are going to get killed – and neither of us wants that."
"What do you think will happen if you destroy the Coliseum?" said Jaller.
"We're not trying to hurt anyone," said Pouks. "We're trying to save them."
"Yes, and we're all idiots," added Iruini. "We have almost a dozen Toa here ... we should be able to figure out how to do what we have to and keep the building intact."
"Just what is it you have to do?" asked Jaller. "Why are you here?"
"Listen to me," said Norik. "The Toa Nuva are in the core of the universe right now, fighting for the Great Spirit. But the true mysteries, the true secrets ... all the hidden knowledge about this cosmos and its workings aren't there. They are somewhere beneath your feet, in a place no Toa, Matoran, Turaga has ever been. Right now, we think Makuta has reached that place – and if we're right, then it may already be too late for us all."
It took hours of planning, more to convince the Turaga the Toa hadn't all lost their minds, and another half a day on top of that to complete the work needed. When they were ready, Jaller, Norik, Pouks and Nuparu used their powers to crack the foundation and create a tunnel where none had been before. Outside, Hewkii's gravity power, Kualus' ice power, and Bomonga's vast strength struggled to keep the building intact. Once the tunnel was in place, Hahli and Gaaki used their water power to cool down the walls. Iruini and Kongu watched over Zaktan, with Kongu more than ready to send the Piraka's glass case hurtling into the air at the first wrong word.
The hardest part came last. Bomonga and Kualus had to let go of the Coliseum to join the others as they prepared to venture into the unknown. That left Hewkii supporting the vast structure alone.
"My team will go with you," said Jaller to Norik.
"No," the leader of the Toa Hagah responded. "If we fail ... if Teridax escapes ... you may be the last hope to stop him. We will go, and Pouks and I will seal the tunnel behind us. Hurry, Hewkii cannot last long."
Jaller wanted to argue, but Norik was right – the Toa of Stone was on the verge of collapse. He watched as the Toa Hagah disappeared below ground. A moment later, the powers of Stone and Fire resealed the entrance. He signaled to Hewkii, who slowly, slowly, eased back on his mask power to lower the Coliseum back to the ground. Then the Toa of Stone passed out.
"He'll be all right," said Hahli, after checking on their fallen friend. "But I still think we should have gone along. They may be facing great danger."
"I know," said the Toa of Fire. "I kept thinking as I watched Pouks and Norik closing the tunnel behind them ... I have never seen anyone seal their own tomb before."
Chapter 4
The five Toa Mahri stood in a semi-circle, staring at the base of the Coliseum. A few moments before, the Toa Hagah had vanished down a tunnel in the foundation, heading for Mata Nui knew what. Now it seemed there was nothing for the Mahri to do but wait.
"What do you think they'll find down there?" asked Nuparu.
"Pipes," said Hewkii dismissively. "Dirt. Stone Rats. Maybe an underground stream or two. There's nothing down there."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Jaller.
"Onu-Matoran have been all over beneath this city," Hewkii replied. "If there was something down there, they would have found it by now."
"Maybe," said Nuparu, sounding not at all convinced.
"Let's go," said Hahli. "We're not accomplishing anything standing here."
The Toa Mahri of Water turned to head back to Ga-Metru. That was when she saw the golden crystal floating in the air. She reached out to touch it, and it moved away from her. "What is this?" she asked.
"Something you need."
The Toa Mahri spun around to see an ebon-armored female standing just behind them. For a second, they thought she was a Vortixx, but a closer look revealed her to belong to a species they had never seen before. She carried a shield, but no weapon that they could see.
"They call it the Heart of the Visorak," the figure continued. "It is active now and its power grows. Wherever it is, the Visorak will come, traveling from everywhere in the known universe to find it. You Toa must take it to the island of Artidax and plant it there. Draw the Visorak to that place, where they can be imprisoned forever."
"Right," said Jaller. "And who guards Metru Nui while we're gone? You?"
"It will be protected, never fear," said the woman. She produced a small stone tablet bearing a map to the island and handed it over. "Now you must take the Heart and go, before the Visorak descend on this city in search of it. Go now!"
Before the Toa could question her further, the armored woman's body shattered into a million crystalline fragments. The fragments scattered on the breeze. In moments, they were gone.
"Well, that was ... weird," said Kongu.
"So what do we do?" asked Nuparu. "If she was telling the truth ... this city isn't ready for another full-scale infestation."
"It's a big 'if,'" said Jaller. "So Kongu, Hewkii, you stay here. Hahli, Nuparu and I will go to this Artidax place."
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The three Toa Mahri departed by ship within the hour. Kongu and Hewkii watched them go, then spent some time agreeing on how best to split up their patrols of the city. Once that was done, they started back for the Coliseum.
Neither one noticed a cloud of crystal shards coalescing behind them into the form of their mysterious visitor. And once her shield struck them, knocking them both unconscious, they noticed nothing at all.
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The trip to Artidax was long, but uneventful. Nuparu kept a careful watch out for Visorak, but saw none the first few days. As they got closer to the island, he would catch a glimpse of the spiders on the shores of islands that they passed. If their visitor was correct, the entire horde would be in pursuit of them now.
The first thing Jaller noticed when they reached the island was a set of recent tracks. A number of older ones had been partially obscured by the actions of wind and tide, but these looked like they had been just made. Nearby, various bits of wood floated in the water, apparently the wreckage of a ship or boat.
"Well, someone's been here," he said.
"And still is." The voice belonged to a tall, blue biped, monstrous in appearance, wearing a water-filled helmet on his head. He held a crude stone dagger in his hand.
"Takadox!" said Jaller, in surprise. He and his team had fought Takadox, along with the other Barraki, in the Pit. "How did you escape? And where are your friends? Talk, you miserable insect."
"I 'escaped,' as you put it, out of a desire to do my bit for Mata Nui," Takadox answered, with a cold smile. "As for my fellow former rulers, they are no doubt rotting in cells by now, where they belong. But what brings you to this garden spot of the universe?"
"They do," said Nuparu, pointing toward the ocean. It had become a sea of Boggarak, skating across the water's surface, heading for the island. Behind them, floating on pieces of flotsam and jetsam of all types, were thousands more Visorak. All of them were coming right for Artidax.
"They're after us," Jaller said to Takadox. "But, don't worry, we won't be staying long ... of course, they will be."
"The entire horde?" said Takadox. "You're carrying the Heart of the Visorak ... I've heard of it, though never seen it, of course. And you're leading them here ... that explains a great deal."
"Talk straight, Takadox," said Hahli. "Or we'll leave you here as company for the spiders."
"Not at all a bad idea,” said Takadox. Summoning all his willpower, he focused his gaze first on Hahli, then on Jaller. When Nuparu tried to shield his eyes, his two allies grabbed him and forced him to meet Takadox's stare. In moments, all three were in a hypnotic trance.
"That is more like it," said the Barraki. "A short time ago, two strange beings appeared on the beach in a flash of light. They did not notice me, and I chose to follow and watch. I saw them mounting something on the slope of the largest volcano on the island ... and even I could tell what it was for: they were planning to trigger an eruption. And when it happens, this island and everything on it will be ashes.
"They disappeared as quickly as they came, leaving me with no way to escape the disaster ... until you arrived. Now I will take your boat and leave this rock – again – while you three stand nice and still, waiting for the end. If you're lucky ... very lucky ... that volcano will explode before the Visorak get their pincers on you."
Chuckling, Takadox climbed on board the Toa's boat. Raising the anchor and adjusting the sail, he started it moving away from the coastline of Artidax. Behind him, the three Toa Mahri stood like statues, helpless to stop his departure. And as Takadox's ship vanished over the horizon, and the volcano moved closer and closer to eruption, the first Visorak set their claws on the sands of the island.
Chapter 5
Toa Norik moved carefully through a narrow passage below the Coliseum of Metru Nui. Behind him, the other Toa Hagah walked single-file, eyes and ears alert for any threat. All of them knew they were in uncharted territory – going somewhere no Toa, Matoran, Turaga, or other intelligent native of this universe had ever gone before.
Well, that was not completely true. If what the Order of Mata Nui suspected was true, Makuta Teridax had traveled this route not long ago. Of course, that information came from an evil Piraka, Zaktan, who was now traveling along with the Toa Hagah. His recent mutation into a sea creature meant Zaktan had to be carried by Kualus in a water-filled globe.
"This reminds me of the Archives," Toa Iruini whispered. After a pause he added, "I pretty much hated that place too."
"You have to admit, though, Teridax fits right in here," said Pouks. "Dark, dank, the kind of place only a stone rat could love."
"We're not looking for a new home," snapped Norik. "Focus on the job."
"That's right, fight among yourselves," hissed Zaktan. "You Toa are all alike – all mewling idiots."
"Well, not all alike," Kualus chuckled. "I, for one, am much clumsier than the average Toa. In fact, I feel your globe slipping from my fingers even as we speak. Certainly hope I don’t drop it."
Zaktan cursed. Kualus responded by dropping the globe for an instant, then catching it again. "Whoops. There I go again," said the Toa.
Up ahead, Norik had come to a stop. Using a small portion of his flame power, he was illuminating one of the walls of the tunnel. On it was a series of inscriptions, apparently very ancient in origin.
"Is that Matoran? It doesn't look like it," said Norik. "I don't recognize the language."
"Let me see," said Bomonga. Being something of a master of the underground, Bomonga had seen more than his share of old inscriptions. "It's not Matoran, I don't think ... maybe some kind of root language. I can make out a little of it ... not much ... I think it's some kind of record."
"A record of what?" asked Gaaki.
Bomonga stared at the writing for a while before answering, "I can't tell. All I can make out is a name ... not sure if it's a person or a place ... 'Bara Magna.'"
No one said anything as they searched their memories for that name. After a few moments, all realized they had never heard it before. If it was somewhere in the universe they knew, then it must have been in an unexplored region.
"Does it say anything about how to stuff a Makuta into his armor and then flush it away?" asked Iruini.
"I wish," muttered Bomonga.
"All right, let's keep going," said Norik. "Zaktan, how much farther do you think it is?"
"I don't know," snapped the Piraka. "I haven't been here either. I just know that the inscriptions I read hinted that this was where the Makuta had to come. I'm not sure he even knew for sure what was down here, or that 'here' actually existed – I think he was guessing."
"Nothing worse than a Makuta who's a good guesser," mumbled Iruini.
"I expected this trip to be more ... dangerous," said Pouks. "From the way Gaaki was talking when we left ... about it being a place of death, and all that ... I expected loads of traps and nasty Rahi. So far, this is a stroll through Metru Nui"
The tunnel was suddenly filled with a low hum, which grew louder by the moment. Too late, Iruini cried out, "Out! Everybody out!" The next instant, he was slammed against the wall, followed by the other Toa Hagah. It was only by sheer luck that Kualus was able to twist his body so that Zaktan’s globe did not get smashed to pieces by the impact.
Now all six Toa Hagah were trapped, pinned to the wall by a powerful magnetic force. Norik immediately called on his power of fire, but the tunnel was fireproof. Each of the others tried their powers in turn, only to find that the wall was somehow impervious to their elemental energies.
"Makuta?" asked Iruini.
"I don't think so," Norik answered. "He's not this subtle. I think this is one of those traps Pouks was so relieved we missed out on."
"Well, it could be worse," said Kualus. "I mean, given time, I'm sure we can figure a way to get free."
"Why do I think time is the last thing we'll be given?" said Bomonga. "Do you smell that?"
They all did. It was a hot, metallic scent that wafted from the tunnel up ahead. They all knew what it was, but Norik was the first to speak it aloud.
"It's molten protodermis," he said quietly. "And it's headed this way."
Chapter 6
Toa Jaller stood on the beach of Artidax, his body locked rigid by Takadox's hypnotic trance. Next to him, Hahli and Nuparu stood, similarly paralyzed. None of the three were aware of what was going on around them, which was probably for the best.
Artidax was about to be the scene of a disaster. Its volcano was mere moments away from exploding, raining fire and ash on anything unfortunate enough to be around. Not knowing this, the Toa Mahri had brought the Heart of the Visorak here, a beacon that would summon the entire Visorak horde to this spot. The idea had been to strand them here. What no one knew was that Takadox was hiding on this island, and he hypnotized the three Toa and stole their ship, intending to make his escape.
Worse, the Visorak had arrived, and were even now scuttling across the beach toward the Toa Mahri.
All in all, not the best day the Toa Mahri ever had ...
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Visorak, it is said, never forget.
The specimens now approaching the Toa Mahri had seen Toa before, 1000 years or so ago in Metru Nui. It had been a different team, of course, but to Visorak, one Toa looks much like another. They could remember, if dimly, the pain the Toa had caused them, and they could remember the hate.
But they recalled one thing more. Toa might appear weak, beaten, or defeated, and then suddenly lash out with devastating effectiveness. It wouldn't do to rush up to their apparently helpless foes and possibly walk into a trap. So they hung back a bit, cautiously probing to see if the Toa would react. Others began to scout - if these Toa really were frozen, as they seemed to be, something had done it to them. Could that something still be on the island, waiting to do it to the Visorak?
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Jaller had a thought. This was very strange, as he wasn't capable of thinking at the moment. But some tiny part of his consciousness that was still active realized the answer: the thought was not his.
This is no way for a Toa to die.
That little spark of awareness was followed by a slightly larger one of recognition. He had heard that voice before. It belonged to Makuta. Although it had sounded different when it came from the mouth of the robotic Maxilos, the arrogant one was the same.
The voice continued. Paralyzed on a beach, about to be slain by Visorak or incinerated by lava? Is that the stuff of which legends are made? I think not. No, don't bother looking around for me ... not that you could, in your condition. I am not on Artidax, but somewhere far away. Still, my powers have increased, so I can see and speak to you just the same. Jaller, Jaller ... Vakama had such hopes for you, and look at you now. As a Toa, you make a good statue.
Of course, I should object to what you had planned for my Visorak ... you and whoever set the volcano to erupt. But you didn't know about that, did you? And it would be such a shame to miss "seeing" your expression when you find out the truth ...
Jaller felt a sudden jolt of pain, sharp and agonizing. It cut through the fog caused by Takadox's hypnosis. In that moment, he awakened, his mind reeling. Someone had been talking to him ... but who? What had they said? What had just happened?
There wasn't time to puzzle it out, not with Nuparu and Hahli in trances and Visorak now closing in. With no other choice, Jaller hurled small fireballs at his two partners, just enough to singe them. As he hoped, the pain shocked them awake.
"Hey!" snapped Nuparu. "What's the idea?"
"Not dying, that's the idea," said Jaller. "We need to get off this island."
Hahli was already at work, summoning a wall of water to smash into the oncoming Visorak. Jaller threw up a wall of flame to block those coming from behind. Both Toa and Visorak alike froze at the sound of a rumble like thunder, coming from the volcano.
"Uh oh," said Nuparu. "I may not be the lava fan you are, Jaller, but I know enough about volcanoes to know what that sound means. It's going to blow!"
"Mata Nui," whispered Hahli. "Do you think that was why we were supposed to bring the Visorak here? So they could be killed?"
Something was nagging at Jaller, a memory of something he had heard, but he couldn't put his finger on what. But somehow he knew he was speaking the truth when he said, "Yes. I think someone planned this ... and I'm not sure they cared if we got caught in the middle."
"Our ship is gone!" said Nuparu. A half dozen Visorak moved on them. A shot from his Cordak blaster convinced them to back off.
"Then we swim," said Jaller.
"To where? We're in the middle of nowhere," Nuparu pointed out.
"It's swim, fry, or be a Visorak's lunch," said Jaller. "Take your pick."
"Did I ever tell you how much I love the water?" said Nuparu. Triggering his elemental power, he churned up the ground in front of the Toa, creating a path temporarily free of Visorak leading to the water.
"Go!" yelled Jaller.
The three broke into a run and dove into the ocean. Behind them, the Visorak milled about for a moment, confused. Their prey was getting away, but the Heart of the Visorak was here. They had to stay where the Heart was, didn't they?
Out in the water, the Toa were battling their way through more of the Visorak horde, all headed inexorably for the island. Jaller looked over his shoulder. For a moment, he was tempted to destroy the Heart. But that would mean having a horde of Visorak on he and his friends in a moment.
It's what a Toa should do, he thought. Toa don't kill, after all ... or help someone else do it. But maybe this is a new world – one where you can't trust your friends or your enemies. Maybe all we can do is try to stay alive.
The Toa were still too close when the Artidax volcano exploded. Hahli grabbed her two friends and pulled them underwater just as flaming chunks of rock started landing all around them. On the beach, the assembled Visorak found themselves too close to the disaster to escape. The horde, which had brought pain and death to so many, now reaped the reward for their acts.
"Now what?" said Nuparu, when the Toa had surfaced again. "We're a long way from home."
"We'll get there, one way or the other," said Jaller. "And then we're going to have a little talk with a certain black-armored female and get some answers ... or we're going to start a war of our own."
Chapter 1
Toa Bomonga tightened his headlock on the Tahtorak and tried to wrestle the beast to the ground. Bomonga's Mask of Growth allowed him to reach almost the size of the creature, but he could not match the Tahtorak in sheer strength. Still, he knew a few things about leverage and pressure points that the Rahi did not.
With a roar, the Tahtorak lost its footing and slammed hard into the ground of Xia. What was left of the island city trembled from the impact. "Now stay down," Bomonga growled, even as Toa Pouks used his power to create bonds of solid stone for the monster.
After a long battle, the Tahtorak had battered the Kanohi Dragon enough that Toa Norik's spinners had been able to slow it down, while Toa Kualus' ice attack finished it off. It now lay unconscious, sprawled across much of the southern district of the city. Toa Iruini had taken the advice of a Vortixx and made sure to move the creature's leg away from The Mountain, so it wouldn't end up a big snack for that hungry landmark.
Only Toa Gaaki stood off to the side, her eyes fixed on the ocean but unseeing. The Toa Hagah had seen her like this before. She was focused inward, using the power of her Mask of Clairvoyance to see things they could not. Now she stiffened, cried out, and turned toward the others.
"They're coming," she said. "Hundreds of them."
"Hundreds of who?" asked Iruini. He considered Gaaki a good friend, but her vague predictions did have a way of getting on his nerves at times.
"Seekers of shadows," Gaaki muttered. "Slayers of the dark ... ready for war ... Vortixx cannot stand ..."
Norik walked up beside her and gently eased Gaaki to a seat on a rock. He knelt in front of her and talked to her in a whisper. Now and then she would nod her head. After a few minutes, he gestured to Kualus.
Although the Toa of Ice was no longer a Rahaga, he had not lost his bond with flying Rahi or his ability to communicate with them. Now he signaled to a smoke hawk up above and spoke rapidly in a language none of the others understood. A moment later, the hawk flew off to the west.
"How is she?" Pouks asked Norik.
"It's been a long time since she used her power," answered the Toa Hagah of Fire. "Or, rather, since it used her. It's never easy."
"What she said – seekers of shadows – what do you think it means?"
"Isn't it obvious?" asked Bomonga, shrinking down to his normal height. "Seekers of shadows – Dark Hunters."
The smoke hawk picked that moment to return, flying in tight circles above the island and cawing loudly. Kualus nodded twice and rushed over to his fellow Toa.
"Bomonga is right, from the sound of it," he said. "My winged ally sees ships coming, so many they blot out the waves. And the crews are armed, my friends ... it's a battle fleet."
Iruini had climbed up the top of one of the few spires still standing in the city. "Score one for the birdie," he yelled down. "We have company. I'm going to check them out!"
"Iruini, wait --" began Norik.
"Wait for what?" the Toa of Air said, smiling. "I spent thousands of years as a Rahaga – now I'm back in action, and I love it!"
An instant later, the Toa of Air used his Mask of Quick Travel to teleport from the spire to the flagship of the oncoming fleet. He found himself standing on the deck, facing two powerful looking figures. A handful of armed warriors immediately moved to surround him.
"Who are you?" asked Iruini. "What's your business in these waters?"
"My business?" asked one of the figures. "My business is profit, and that profit has been strangled for too long. And who are you?"
"I am Toa Iruini. My friends and I have just completed a mission on Vortixx. That island was half-levelled in the process, and let me guess – you're here to level the other half."
"My name is The Shadowed One," came the reply, "leader of the Dark Hunters. Standing beside me is my loyal lieutenant, Ancient. Standing in front of me is a very foolish Toa if he thinks he can get between me and my goal."
Iruini ignored the jab. "If you're looking to loot Xia, there's precious little left to steal."
"Loot?" repeated The Shadowed One, in mock surprise. "Steal? How little you think of me. Would I muster a fleet for petty thievery? No, Toa, I have made a bargain this day with a power I never knew existed – and my new allies have asked to me to insure that Xia provides no more weapons to the enemy. They wish me to blockade or occupy the island, but I do not believe in half-measures."
The Shadowed One smiled, an expression as cold as one of Kualus' ice blasts. "So I am going to destroy Xia, and every last living thing on it. And if your friends are unfortunate enough to be there when I arrive ... well, perhaps I will be merciful, and leave enough of them to bury."
Iruini raised his Cyclone Spear. Weapons were suddenly aimed at him from a dozen different directions.
"This is my war," The Shadowed One said softly, "and welcome to it."
Chapter 2
At times like this, Iruini looked back fondly on his days as a Rahaga. It wasn't so bad, being short and twisted and spending all your time chasing after Brakas monkeys. At least you didn't have to stand on rolling decks, staring at the crazed leader of the Dark Hunters as he prepared to slaughter an entire island full of ... well, not so innocent Vortixx.
"You know I can't let you do this," Toa Iruini said.
"I know you can't stop me," The Shadowed One replied, smiling. "My new partner suggested I occupy Xia but I must have misheard. I could have sworn she said 'destroy.'"
Iruini was about to make a smart comeback when the seas started to churn and heave. The next moment, a tidal wave big enough to swamp the entire Dark Hunter fleet rose from the ocean depths. It towered hundreds of feet in the air ... and just stayed there, looming over the ships like the shadow of doom.
"Is that enough water to clean out your ears?"
Iruini turned. Standing on the bow of the ship was a Toa of Water he did not recognize, carrying a spiked mace and a shield. She was flanked by a warrior in golden armor and a four-armed giant with two long horns coming out of his head. He alone was heavy enough to almost swamp the ship. He carried a multi-bladed axe and a small object covered in a cloth.
The female Toa stepped down to the deck and marched up to The Shadowed One. Although he was taller than she, her bearing made her seem to dominate everyone on board.
"I hired the Dark Hunters for a simple task," she said, her voice as quiet as a dying breath. "If you can't do it ..."
She held the mace aloft. The tidal wave suddenly rushed forward toward the ships, almost colliding with the flagship. It stopped dead again as she lowered her weapon.
"I'll find someone who can," she finished.
Iruini looked from the Toa to the obviously concerned Shadowed One, and back again. "Nice," he said. "What do you do for an encore?"
The Toa nodded and the golden warrior vanished. He reappeared an instant later with the other five Toa Hagah in tow. They arrived to see The Shadowed One in intense whispered conversation with the Toa of Water. It ended when the Toa blasted three nearby Dark Hunters into the sea as casually as someone else might swat a gnat. Then she turned to the assembled Toa Hagah.
"Ah. Good," she said. "I have a mission for the six of you."
"Wait a minute!" snapped Norik. "Who are you? What's going on here?"
"And we don't take requests from anybody wearing a mask," said Kualus. Then he turned to Norik and added, "Do we?"
Norik shook his head.
"My name is Helryx," said the Toa of Water. "I run an organization you never heard of called the Order of Mata Nui. We are at war – and you've just been drafted."
"And if we say no?" asked Toa Bomonga.
Helryx gave a slight smile. Her eyes darted toward the ocean off the starboard side, where the three Dark Hunters were desperately trying to tread water. Then she looked back at the Toa Hagah. "Yes, you don't take requests, as I understand it – good thing I'm not making one."
"What is it you want us to do?" asked Toa Pouks. Seeing Iruini's glare, he said, "Well, it doesn't hurt to ask."
Helryx took a few steps closer and lowered her voice so the Dark Hunters could not overhear. "We are mounting an attack on the Brotherhood of Makuta, but their leader eludes us. Our best information is that he was last known to be inside a Maxilos robot near Mahri Nui, but where he may have gone to since then is unknown. We need Makuta Teridax found."
"Why us?" asked Iruini.
"You've fought him before. You've beaten him before," Helryx replied.
"And we all remember how well that turned out," muttered Iruini.
Helryx ignored him. "If I am right, Teridax has gone somewhere no one else has ever dared to venture. Left free, he could do untold damage."
"And just how are we supposed to track him down?" asked Bomonga. "Knock on the doors at Destral and ask if he can come out to play?"
Helryx chuckled. "There may not be doors left to knock on soon ... but that's another story. You will have a guide – someone who has generously offered to work with you in exchange for his freedom."
The four-armed giant took a step forward, and at first they thought Helryx meant him. But instead he took the cloth off the object he carried, which was revealed to be a globe filled with water, and something else ... what looked like a green sea snake with hate-filled crimson eyes.
"His name is Zaktan," said Helryx. "He's not as friendly as he looks. If he acts up, just haul him out of the tank and let him gasp for air a few times. That's what I always do. And now I think it's time you got started."
The Toa Hagah looked at each other. One by one, each of them nodded ... all except Gaaki. She was backing away, shaking her head, hands up to the sides of her mask. "Death," she whispered. "All around ... we are going to place of death ... and one of us will not return!"
Chapter 3
Toa Iruini dove for cover, barely dodging Toa Hewkii's chain. Not far away, Norik was locked in a stalemate with Jaller, while Bomonga was having a hard time even finding the stealthy Nuparu. All in all, it was not one of the Toa Hagah's better days.
They had hoped that their return to Metru Nui – the city they helped save when they were Rahaga – would be a joyous one. Instead, they were here on a mission from a shadowy organization called the Order of Mata Nui. Their goal: track down the missing Makuta Teridax before he could execute the final stages of his Plan.
Unfortunately, that was not as easy as it sounded (and it didn't sound that easy). They had been saddled with a mutated Piraka, Zaktan, they had to carry around in a water-filled sphere. His information was that Teridax would be heading to an inaccessible spot below the Metru Nui Coliseum. As antidermis, he could slip through cracks too small even for Norik to make through with his Mask of Shrinking. The only way to follow him would be to shatter the foundation of the Coliseum, which would bring the structure down.
Needless to say, popping in and saying, "We're here to wreck your most important building" had not sparked joy in the Toa Mahri. Given Takanuva's recent unexplained disappearance, they were on edge to start with. This just set them off.
Hewkii swung his chain again. This time Iruini grabbed it in mid-air and yanked the Toa of Stone forward. At the last moment, Iruini sidestepped, letting his opponent slam into a rock wall. "Stone, meet stone," muttered Iruini. "Now will you listen?"
Toa Kualus had teamed with Bomonga in an effort to pin down Nuparu, whose Mask of Stealth made him almost impossible to spot. A hastily created snowstorm revealed the Toa Mahri of Earth, but finding him and stopping him were two different things. Sixty feet in height just made Bomonga an easier target and a barrage of earth kept him off-balance.
Kualus frowned. He remembered these Mahri when they were Matoran villagers. He understood their suspicion and hostility, given the circumstances, but if this kept up, someone was going to get hurt. This called for drastic measures. Summoning the power of his Mask of Rahi Control, he touched the mind of a massive Rahi dwelling in the Archives not far below. In response, a huge claw smashed its way through the pavement and grabbed Nuparu.
"Let him go!" shouted Toa Hahli, blasting Kualus with a powerful jet of water. Even as he staggered from the impact, Kualus realized what was about to happen. The creature had been roused by his mask power, but his concentration was now broken. The Rahi was no longer under his control.
It erupted from below ground in a shower of rock and earth. Well over 60 feet high, it scanned the battlefield with its three heads. Muted light from the sunholes reflected off its brown scales as it spread its batlike wings. Its cry of triumph shattered crystal structures as far away as Ko-Metru.
The word "Toa" means "hero" in Matoran. And one of the characteristics of a hero is the ability to put aside personal feelings in a crisis. Thus it was that the Mahri and the Hagah forgot their fight in the face of this monstrosity from below. Still reeling from Hahli's blow, Kualus could not reassert control. But Jaller and Norik had already discovered the beast feared fire, and their twin blasts drove it back toward the barren plains of Po-Metru.
The creature wasn't about to go quietly. It hurled Nuparu through the sky at deadly speed. Hewkii whirled and used his Mask of Gravity as he never had before, applying just enough power to slow the Toa of Earth without ripping him apart.
Bomonga, still at his maximum size, landed a rain of blows on the Rahi. He might as well have been a Toa of Water summoning a light spring rain for all the good it did. Now it was Kongu and Iruini's turn, as they combined their air power with the powers of the Toa of Fire to create a swirling tornado of flame.
The Rahi was directly in the eye of the storm, which was so hot it melted nearby mountains into slag. It roared and attempted to fly out of the trap, but its wings were already blazing. Finally, overcome by the heat, it toppled over. The impact shook the ground for kios around.
Eleven weary Toa stood around the unconscious beast. Already, Onu-Matoran would be on their way to help prepare the creature for its return to the Archives. Po-Metru was a disaster area, the ground scorched and burned. Not far away, Po-Matoran labored to put out fires in their villages, aided by Hahli and Gaaki. Only the fact that this area of the metru was sparsely populated had kept this from being a true cataclysm.
Norik glanced at Jaller. "We either need to stop fighting," he said, "or find someplace uninhabited to settle things. Otherwise, Matoran are going to get killed – and neither of us wants that."
"What do you think will happen if you destroy the Coliseum?" said Jaller.
"We're not trying to hurt anyone," said Pouks. "We're trying to save them."
"Yes, and we're all idiots," added Iruini. "We have almost a dozen Toa here ... we should be able to figure out how to do what we have to and keep the building intact."
"Just what is it you have to do?" asked Jaller. "Why are you here?"
"Listen to me," said Norik. "The Toa Nuva are in the core of the universe right now, fighting for the Great Spirit. But the true mysteries, the true secrets ... all the hidden knowledge about this cosmos and its workings aren't there. They are somewhere beneath your feet, in a place no Toa, Matoran, Turaga has ever been. Right now, we think Makuta has reached that place – and if we're right, then it may already be too late for us all."
It took hours of planning, more to convince the Turaga the Toa hadn't all lost their minds, and another half a day on top of that to complete the work needed. When they were ready, Jaller, Norik, Pouks and Nuparu used their powers to crack the foundation and create a tunnel where none had been before. Outside, Hewkii's gravity power, Kualus' ice power, and Bomonga's vast strength struggled to keep the building intact. Once the tunnel was in place, Hahli and Gaaki used their water power to cool down the walls. Iruini and Kongu watched over Zaktan, with Kongu more than ready to send the Piraka's glass case hurtling into the air at the first wrong word.
The hardest part came last. Bomonga and Kualus had to let go of the Coliseum to join the others as they prepared to venture into the unknown. That left Hewkii supporting the vast structure alone.
"My team will go with you," said Jaller to Norik.
"No," the leader of the Toa Hagah responded. "If we fail ... if Teridax escapes ... you may be the last hope to stop him. We will go, and Pouks and I will seal the tunnel behind us. Hurry, Hewkii cannot last long."
Jaller wanted to argue, but Norik was right – the Toa of Stone was on the verge of collapse. He watched as the Toa Hagah disappeared below ground. A moment later, the powers of Stone and Fire resealed the entrance. He signaled to Hewkii, who slowly, slowly, eased back on his mask power to lower the Coliseum back to the ground. Then the Toa of Stone passed out.
"He'll be all right," said Hahli, after checking on their fallen friend. "But I still think we should have gone along. They may be facing great danger."
"I know," said the Toa of Fire. "I kept thinking as I watched Pouks and Norik closing the tunnel behind them ... I have never seen anyone seal their own tomb before."
Chapter 4
The five Toa Mahri stood in a semi-circle, staring at the base of the Coliseum. A few moments before, the Toa Hagah had vanished down a tunnel in the foundation, heading for Mata Nui knew what. Now it seemed there was nothing for the Mahri to do but wait.
"What do you think they'll find down there?" asked Nuparu.
"Pipes," said Hewkii dismissively. "Dirt. Stone Rats. Maybe an underground stream or two. There's nothing down there."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Jaller.
"Onu-Matoran have been all over beneath this city," Hewkii replied. "If there was something down there, they would have found it by now."
"Maybe," said Nuparu, sounding not at all convinced.
"Let's go," said Hahli. "We're not accomplishing anything standing here."
The Toa Mahri of Water turned to head back to Ga-Metru. That was when she saw the golden crystal floating in the air. She reached out to touch it, and it moved away from her. "What is this?" she asked.
"Something you need."
The Toa Mahri spun around to see an ebon-armored female standing just behind them. For a second, they thought she was a Vortixx, but a closer look revealed her to belong to a species they had never seen before. She carried a shield, but no weapon that they could see.
"They call it the Heart of the Visorak," the figure continued. "It is active now and its power grows. Wherever it is, the Visorak will come, traveling from everywhere in the known universe to find it. You Toa must take it to the island of Artidax and plant it there. Draw the Visorak to that place, where they can be imprisoned forever."
"Right," said Jaller. "And who guards Metru Nui while we're gone? You?"
"It will be protected, never fear," said the woman. She produced a small stone tablet bearing a map to the island and handed it over. "Now you must take the Heart and go, before the Visorak descend on this city in search of it. Go now!"
Before the Toa could question her further, the armored woman's body shattered into a million crystalline fragments. The fragments scattered on the breeze. In moments, they were gone.
"Well, that was ... weird," said Kongu.
"So what do we do?" asked Nuparu. "If she was telling the truth ... this city isn't ready for another full-scale infestation."
"It's a big 'if,'" said Jaller. "So Kongu, Hewkii, you stay here. Hahli, Nuparu and I will go to this Artidax place."
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The three Toa Mahri departed by ship within the hour. Kongu and Hewkii watched them go, then spent some time agreeing on how best to split up their patrols of the city. Once that was done, they started back for the Coliseum.
Neither one noticed a cloud of crystal shards coalescing behind them into the form of their mysterious visitor. And once her shield struck them, knocking them both unconscious, they noticed nothing at all.
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The trip to Artidax was long, but uneventful. Nuparu kept a careful watch out for Visorak, but saw none the first few days. As they got closer to the island, he would catch a glimpse of the spiders on the shores of islands that they passed. If their visitor was correct, the entire horde would be in pursuit of them now.
The first thing Jaller noticed when they reached the island was a set of recent tracks. A number of older ones had been partially obscured by the actions of wind and tide, but these looked like they had been just made. Nearby, various bits of wood floated in the water, apparently the wreckage of a ship or boat.
"Well, someone's been here," he said.
"And still is." The voice belonged to a tall, blue biped, monstrous in appearance, wearing a water-filled helmet on his head. He held a crude stone dagger in his hand.
"Takadox!" said Jaller, in surprise. He and his team had fought Takadox, along with the other Barraki, in the Pit. "How did you escape? And where are your friends? Talk, you miserable insect."
"I 'escaped,' as you put it, out of a desire to do my bit for Mata Nui," Takadox answered, with a cold smile. "As for my fellow former rulers, they are no doubt rotting in cells by now, where they belong. But what brings you to this garden spot of the universe?"
"They do," said Nuparu, pointing toward the ocean. It had become a sea of Boggarak, skating across the water's surface, heading for the island. Behind them, floating on pieces of flotsam and jetsam of all types, were thousands more Visorak. All of them were coming right for Artidax.
"They're after us," Jaller said to Takadox. "But, don't worry, we won't be staying long ... of course, they will be."
"The entire horde?" said Takadox. "You're carrying the Heart of the Visorak ... I've heard of it, though never seen it, of course. And you're leading them here ... that explains a great deal."
"Talk straight, Takadox," said Hahli. "Or we'll leave you here as company for the spiders."
"Not at all a bad idea,” said Takadox. Summoning all his willpower, he focused his gaze first on Hahli, then on Jaller. When Nuparu tried to shield his eyes, his two allies grabbed him and forced him to meet Takadox's stare. In moments, all three were in a hypnotic trance.
"That is more like it," said the Barraki. "A short time ago, two strange beings appeared on the beach in a flash of light. They did not notice me, and I chose to follow and watch. I saw them mounting something on the slope of the largest volcano on the island ... and even I could tell what it was for: they were planning to trigger an eruption. And when it happens, this island and everything on it will be ashes.
"They disappeared as quickly as they came, leaving me with no way to escape the disaster ... until you arrived. Now I will take your boat and leave this rock – again – while you three stand nice and still, waiting for the end. If you're lucky ... very lucky ... that volcano will explode before the Visorak get their pincers on you."
Chuckling, Takadox climbed on board the Toa's boat. Raising the anchor and adjusting the sail, he started it moving away from the coastline of Artidax. Behind him, the three Toa Mahri stood like statues, helpless to stop his departure. And as Takadox's ship vanished over the horizon, and the volcano moved closer and closer to eruption, the first Visorak set their claws on the sands of the island.
Chapter 5
Toa Norik moved carefully through a narrow passage below the Coliseum of Metru Nui. Behind him, the other Toa Hagah walked single-file, eyes and ears alert for any threat. All of them knew they were in uncharted territory – going somewhere no Toa, Matoran, Turaga, or other intelligent native of this universe had ever gone before.
Well, that was not completely true. If what the Order of Mata Nui suspected was true, Makuta Teridax had traveled this route not long ago. Of course, that information came from an evil Piraka, Zaktan, who was now traveling along with the Toa Hagah. His recent mutation into a sea creature meant Zaktan had to be carried by Kualus in a water-filled globe.
"This reminds me of the Archives," Toa Iruini whispered. After a pause he added, "I pretty much hated that place too."
"You have to admit, though, Teridax fits right in here," said Pouks. "Dark, dank, the kind of place only a stone rat could love."
"We're not looking for a new home," snapped Norik. "Focus on the job."
"That's right, fight among yourselves," hissed Zaktan. "You Toa are all alike – all mewling idiots."
"Well, not all alike," Kualus chuckled. "I, for one, am much clumsier than the average Toa. In fact, I feel your globe slipping from my fingers even as we speak. Certainly hope I don’t drop it."
Zaktan cursed. Kualus responded by dropping the globe for an instant, then catching it again. "Whoops. There I go again," said the Toa.
Up ahead, Norik had come to a stop. Using a small portion of his flame power, he was illuminating one of the walls of the tunnel. On it was a series of inscriptions, apparently very ancient in origin.
"Is that Matoran? It doesn't look like it," said Norik. "I don't recognize the language."
"Let me see," said Bomonga. Being something of a master of the underground, Bomonga had seen more than his share of old inscriptions. "It's not Matoran, I don't think ... maybe some kind of root language. I can make out a little of it ... not much ... I think it's some kind of record."
"A record of what?" asked Gaaki.
Bomonga stared at the writing for a while before answering, "I can't tell. All I can make out is a name ... not sure if it's a person or a place ... 'Bara Magna.'"
No one said anything as they searched their memories for that name. After a few moments, all realized they had never heard it before. If it was somewhere in the universe they knew, then it must have been in an unexplored region.
"Does it say anything about how to stuff a Makuta into his armor and then flush it away?" asked Iruini.
"I wish," muttered Bomonga.
"All right, let's keep going," said Norik. "Zaktan, how much farther do you think it is?"
"I don't know," snapped the Piraka. "I haven't been here either. I just know that the inscriptions I read hinted that this was where the Makuta had to come. I'm not sure he even knew for sure what was down here, or that 'here' actually existed – I think he was guessing."
"Nothing worse than a Makuta who's a good guesser," mumbled Iruini.
"I expected this trip to be more ... dangerous," said Pouks. "From the way Gaaki was talking when we left ... about it being a place of death, and all that ... I expected loads of traps and nasty Rahi. So far, this is a stroll through Metru Nui"
The tunnel was suddenly filled with a low hum, which grew louder by the moment. Too late, Iruini cried out, "Out! Everybody out!" The next instant, he was slammed against the wall, followed by the other Toa Hagah. It was only by sheer luck that Kualus was able to twist his body so that Zaktan’s globe did not get smashed to pieces by the impact.
Now all six Toa Hagah were trapped, pinned to the wall by a powerful magnetic force. Norik immediately called on his power of fire, but the tunnel was fireproof. Each of the others tried their powers in turn, only to find that the wall was somehow impervious to their elemental energies.
"Makuta?" asked Iruini.
"I don't think so," Norik answered. "He's not this subtle. I think this is one of those traps Pouks was so relieved we missed out on."
"Well, it could be worse," said Kualus. "I mean, given time, I'm sure we can figure a way to get free."
"Why do I think time is the last thing we'll be given?" said Bomonga. "Do you smell that?"
They all did. It was a hot, metallic scent that wafted from the tunnel up ahead. They all knew what it was, but Norik was the first to speak it aloud.
"It's molten protodermis," he said quietly. "And it's headed this way."
Chapter 6
Toa Jaller stood on the beach of Artidax, his body locked rigid by Takadox's hypnotic trance. Next to him, Hahli and Nuparu stood, similarly paralyzed. None of the three were aware of what was going on around them, which was probably for the best.
Artidax was about to be the scene of a disaster. Its volcano was mere moments away from exploding, raining fire and ash on anything unfortunate enough to be around. Not knowing this, the Toa Mahri had brought the Heart of the Visorak here, a beacon that would summon the entire Visorak horde to this spot. The idea had been to strand them here. What no one knew was that Takadox was hiding on this island, and he hypnotized the three Toa and stole their ship, intending to make his escape.
Worse, the Visorak had arrived, and were even now scuttling across the beach toward the Toa Mahri.
All in all, not the best day the Toa Mahri ever had ...
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Visorak, it is said, never forget.
The specimens now approaching the Toa Mahri had seen Toa before, 1000 years or so ago in Metru Nui. It had been a different team, of course, but to Visorak, one Toa looks much like another. They could remember, if dimly, the pain the Toa had caused them, and they could remember the hate.
But they recalled one thing more. Toa might appear weak, beaten, or defeated, and then suddenly lash out with devastating effectiveness. It wouldn't do to rush up to their apparently helpless foes and possibly walk into a trap. So they hung back a bit, cautiously probing to see if the Toa would react. Others began to scout - if these Toa really were frozen, as they seemed to be, something had done it to them. Could that something still be on the island, waiting to do it to the Visorak?
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Jaller had a thought. This was very strange, as he wasn't capable of thinking at the moment. But some tiny part of his consciousness that was still active realized the answer: the thought was not his.
This is no way for a Toa to die.
That little spark of awareness was followed by a slightly larger one of recognition. He had heard that voice before. It belonged to Makuta. Although it had sounded different when it came from the mouth of the robotic Maxilos, the arrogant one was the same.
The voice continued. Paralyzed on a beach, about to be slain by Visorak or incinerated by lava? Is that the stuff of which legends are made? I think not. No, don't bother looking around for me ... not that you could, in your condition. I am not on Artidax, but somewhere far away. Still, my powers have increased, so I can see and speak to you just the same. Jaller, Jaller ... Vakama had such hopes for you, and look at you now. As a Toa, you make a good statue.
Of course, I should object to what you had planned for my Visorak ... you and whoever set the volcano to erupt. But you didn't know about that, did you? And it would be such a shame to miss "seeing" your expression when you find out the truth ...
Jaller felt a sudden jolt of pain, sharp and agonizing. It cut through the fog caused by Takadox's hypnosis. In that moment, he awakened, his mind reeling. Someone had been talking to him ... but who? What had they said? What had just happened?
There wasn't time to puzzle it out, not with Nuparu and Hahli in trances and Visorak now closing in. With no other choice, Jaller hurled small fireballs at his two partners, just enough to singe them. As he hoped, the pain shocked them awake.
"Hey!" snapped Nuparu. "What's the idea?"
"Not dying, that's the idea," said Jaller. "We need to get off this island."
Hahli was already at work, summoning a wall of water to smash into the oncoming Visorak. Jaller threw up a wall of flame to block those coming from behind. Both Toa and Visorak alike froze at the sound of a rumble like thunder, coming from the volcano.
"Uh oh," said Nuparu. "I may not be the lava fan you are, Jaller, but I know enough about volcanoes to know what that sound means. It's going to blow!"
"Mata Nui," whispered Hahli. "Do you think that was why we were supposed to bring the Visorak here? So they could be killed?"
Something was nagging at Jaller, a memory of something he had heard, but he couldn't put his finger on what. But somehow he knew he was speaking the truth when he said, "Yes. I think someone planned this ... and I'm not sure they cared if we got caught in the middle."
"Our ship is gone!" said Nuparu. A half dozen Visorak moved on them. A shot from his Cordak blaster convinced them to back off.
"Then we swim," said Jaller.
"To where? We're in the middle of nowhere," Nuparu pointed out.
"It's swim, fry, or be a Visorak's lunch," said Jaller. "Take your pick."
"Did I ever tell you how much I love the water?" said Nuparu. Triggering his elemental power, he churned up the ground in front of the Toa, creating a path temporarily free of Visorak leading to the water.
"Go!" yelled Jaller.
The three broke into a run and dove into the ocean. Behind them, the Visorak milled about for a moment, confused. Their prey was getting away, but the Heart of the Visorak was here. They had to stay where the Heart was, didn't they?
Out in the water, the Toa were battling their way through more of the Visorak horde, all headed inexorably for the island. Jaller looked over his shoulder. For a moment, he was tempted to destroy the Heart. But that would mean having a horde of Visorak on he and his friends in a moment.
It's what a Toa should do, he thought. Toa don't kill, after all ... or help someone else do it. But maybe this is a new world – one where you can't trust your friends or your enemies. Maybe all we can do is try to stay alive.
The Toa were still too close when the Artidax volcano exploded. Hahli grabbed her two friends and pulled them underwater just as flaming chunks of rock started landing all around them. On the beach, the assembled Visorak found themselves too close to the disaster to escape. The horde, which had brought pain and death to so many, now reaped the reward for their acts.
"Now what?" said Nuparu, when the Toa had surfaced again. "We're a long way from home."
"We'll get there, one way or the other," said Jaller. "And then we're going to have a little talk with a certain black-armored female and get some answers ... or we're going to start a war of our own."
Destiny War as of Chapter 7
Chapter 1
Axonn charged across the landscape of Voya Nui, weapon at the ready. He had just spied two figures materializing in The Green Belt. One looked something like Botar, but obviously wasn't. The other resembled a Toa, but wasn't one Axonn knew. The first thing he had learned after being assigned to this place was subdue first, ask questions later.
The Botar look-alike spotted Axonn first, and tried to block him. A sweep of an armored fist sent him sprawling. Axonn was on top of the Toa in the flash of a heart light, axe blade at the intruder's throat.
"Who are you?" growled Axonn. "What do you want here? Talk!"
"My name is Krakua," the Toa answered, trying in vain to push the axe away from his neck. "I was sent to find you. You're needed."
"Who sent you?" asked Axonn.
"Toa Helryx. Use your mask, you'll see I'm speaking the truth."
Axonn did just that, calling on the powers of his Kanohi Rode, the Mask of Truth. To his surprise, it told him that his captive was indeed being honest. He got up and let Krakua get to his feet. "You're Order of Mata Nui, then," Axonn said. "I see recruiting standards have slipped a little."
Krakua paid no attention to the remark. Instead, he said "Come with us. Your presence is required on Daxia."
Before Axonn could object, the Botar type had come close and activated his teleportation power. The three of them vanished from Voya Nui, only to reappear in the Order of Mata Nui fortress on Daxia. Axonn had been there before, so its appearance was no surprise to him. The sight of his former partner, Brutaka, was, though. Not to mention the huge dragon next to him whose bulk almost filled up the great hall.
"Things must be desperate if they're calling on an old war Rahi like you," Brutaka said with a smile. "Oh, by the way, have you met tall, green, and gruesome here? Don't mind the scales and teeth, but you might want to stay downwind of him."
"Brutaka!" said Axonn. "What are you - how did you get out of The Pit?"
"They let me out early for good behavior," Brutaka smiled. "But I'm the least of the shocking faces around here. This is it, my friend. The Order is about to come out of hiding after all these years. Helryx told me so herself."
"What did she say?"
"Two words," said Brutaka, his smile disappearing. "Destiny war."
***
The Dark Hunter known as Ancient stood on the beach of the island of Odina. Behind him, rebuilding of the fortress destroyed by Pohatu Nuva went on rapidly. His eyes scanned the waters, watching for the return of Lariska from her mission. He was anxious to hear just what she had seen and heard.
A cry made him look up. It came from a bat-winged Rahi wheeling through the sky, one not native to Odina. He recognized the creature as one bred for long distance flying. More than once the Dark Hunters had used them to send messages back and forth to agents on other islands. But the flying creature up above did not come from another Dark Hunter. As a half dozen more joined it, they began flying in a pattern recognizable to no one on the island but Ancient. It was a message intended for him, and one that was urgent. The time had come. He had to seek out The Shadowed One and try to make him see the only possible future for the Dark Hunters. And if The Shadowed One, his old friend, failed to see reason, Ancient would have to kill him.
***
Elsewhere, Vezon paced in his cell on Daxia. Across the corridor were two great water tanks. In one swam the six Piraka, now mutated into water snakes. In the other was a bizarre looking being others referred to as Karzahni, who seemed to Vezon to be quite insane. And Vezon knew insane.
When Brutaka's team had first escaped the island of Artidax with Makuta Miserix, they had flown to a barren island in the middle of nowhere. After a short time, Brutaka had them on the move again, this time to a place called Daxia. Brutaka explained that the location of the island had always been a secret before, but that secrecy didn't matter anymore. Neither, apparently, did gratitude, as Vezon and Roodaka were both thrown into cells immediately upon arrival.
Vezon, frankly, was disappointed. Sure, he had tried to steal the Mask of Life, and, yes, he had tried to kill the Toa Inika once, well, twice. And, okay, he had made an effort to trade their lives to the Zyglak in exchanged for his, but it's not like that had worked. And he had volunteered, well, been forced, well, actually been threatened with bodily harm if he didn't help, but he did aid in the rescue of Makuta Miserix. And what was his reward? A cold cell, an uncaring guard, and nothing nearby he could use to kill the Piraka. Was that justice?
His musings were interrupted by the crimson armor of Trinuma. The Order member took a long look at Vezon, shrugged and shook his head. Then he unlocked the cell door and threw it open. "It's your lucky day, misfit," said Trinuma. "You're getting out."
"I am?" said Vezon. "I mean, of course I am. Keeping a being of my brilliance locked away is a terrible waste of resources. No doubt your masters want to consult me on matters of strategy and tactics."
"No," said Trinuma. "I think they said something about needing someone who could die horribly without being missed. So, naturally, they thought of you."
Vezon's addled brain processed what Trinuma said, and somehow decided it was a compliment. "Well, naturally," he replied. "Lead on, and let me show you all how dying's done."
Chapter 2
Axonn crouched down behind a low stone wall, and watched the Fire and Ice bolts fly by overhead. Beside him, Brutaka was peering around the crumbling bit of cover now and then, hurling a blast from his sword.
"Knock on the front door," grumbled Axonn. "Great strategy. I think all that time in Mahri Nui left you with a waterlogged brain."
"Oh, come on," said Brutaka, smiling. He picked off an attacker with a bolt of energy, then winged another. "You love this, and you know it. After thousands of years sitting around on Voya Nui waiting for something to happen, you need the exercise."
A green-fleshed Skakdi climbed over the wall, spiked club in hand. Axonn quickly made him regret it.
"This was supposed to be a nice, simple job. Go to Zakaz, find warlord Nektann, arrange an alliance between the Order and the Skakdi. Not get pinned on a beach by an angry horde."
"Are we pinned? We're not pinned," said Brutaka. "Watch."
Brutaka popped over the wall and fired an energy bolt at a half-crumbled building. Shearing through its only support, he sent the structure toppling down on a mob of Skakdi. When the dust cleared, all of them were trapped beneath the rubble.
"Now those guys, they're pinned," said Brutaka.
Axonn sighed. "Just like the good old days," he said. "Now I remember why I hated them so much."
"If you liked that idea, you'll love this one," Brutaka replied. Before Axonn could react, Brutaka had grabbed him by the back of the neck. He dragged Axonn to his feet and stood beside him, free arm in the air. "We surrender!" Brutaka shouted to the Skakdi army. "Take us, we're yours."
***
Elsewhere, a trader on the island of Stelt would, over the course of his life, see pretty much everything at least once. The place was a crossroads for the crooked, the desperate and those just looking for fast money, or a deal best kept hidden from Toa. This particular trader, though, had recently seen more than he would have wished. A small group of warriors, including the hated Roodaka, had stolen one of his best ships. Worse, they had done it in such a way that no one would even believe it had happened. Things had at last settled down though; he had managed to find a replacement ship and recover those members of the old crew who were still alive. It was back to business as usual; at least until a 20 foot-tall dragon tore the roof off his shop.
"Where's Teridax?" the dragon growled.
"Teridax? Who or what is that? And how would I know?" said the trader, reaching frantically for a weapon, and coming up with nothing better than a cracked Kanoka disk.
"I know Stelt," said the dragon, "A Nui-Rama doesn't buzz on the Tren Krom Peninsula without you scum hearing it. So I'll ask again, where is he? Where is the Makuta of Metru Nui?"
"I don't know! I swear it!" shouted the trader.
The dragon scooped his victim up in a great claw. "I don't have time for this. I have places to be, and bodies to break. I want you to send out a message to all your friends, to everyone who sails in and out of this island. Tell them Miserix is back, and when I find him, Teridax is dead!"
***
Elsewhere once more, Vezon sat in a small skiff with a jet black sail. Trinuma sat at the bow, keeping an eye out for potential threats. If he considered Vezon one, he didn't show it. For his part, Vezon was just happy to just be out of his cell. Prison was far too... confining, but then he guessed that was the point of it. Speaking of points, Trinuma had given him a lovely dagger. Vezon had said "thank you" by not trying to plunge it into his companion's back.
"Where are we going?" asked Vezon, “Why are we going? Are we going at all, or just sailing in a big circle? Or is it a spiral? I went down a spiral once: a big stone tunnel that went down and down and down, and ended in Zyglak. Whoever built it had no decorating sense at all."
"Would you be quiet?" said Trinuma, "This is a secret mission. Do you understand that?"
"Sure," answered Vezon, "Secret mission means if you get killed, I won't tell anyone. And you still haven't answered any of my one-hundred ten questions, or my follow ups."
Trinuma sighed in resignation. "We're going to a place called Destral. Once we get there your job starts. If you succeed, you live to babble another day. If you fail, you die horribly. Okay?"
"Destral ... Destral. Wait a minute that's the Makuta base! Spiriah was a Makuta. At least, he was until Miserix killed him. I flew with Miserix, did I tell you that? At least until he did those loops and threw me off his back. Ocean water is really cold, don't let anyone tell you different. So what am I supposed to do on Destral? Theft? Assassination? Running with sharp objects?"
"You have the most important job of all," said Trinuma, "You're going to betray the Order of Mata Nui, and the entire universe, and this is how you're going to do it."
Chapter 3
One of the peculiar things about a Skakdi warlord's base is the lack of any kind of a dungeon, torture chamber, or prisoner of war camp. History has shown that there's very little point in torturing a Skakdi, as they never talk except in trade, usually for their freedom, which few captors will agree to. And keeping prisoners means listening to them whine for trivial things like food, water, and a good-sized club to use on the Stone Rats who keep paying midnight visits.
So when Brutaka and Axonn were marched into warlord Nektann's camp, no one seemed quite sure what to do with them. Killing them immediately came to mind, but then it would be impossible to find out why they were on the island to start with. Unlike the famed Necrofinch of the Zakaz mountains, most beings did not continue to sing after they were dead. It was Axonn who insisted that they be brought before Nektann himself. Nektann was larger than the average Skakdi, or at least he appeared so sitting on his throne made from the fused weapons of his foes. He was accompanied by his pet, which looked like a Muaka cat covered in spiked armor. Nektann, ever the gracious host, asked them if they had anything to say before he had them painfully disassembled.
"Yes," said Axonn, "The Brotherhood of Makuta."
Nektann spat on the ground. The Muaka growled. "What about them?" asked the warlord.
"We offer you a chance to sack their fortresses, loot their weapons, and slay their warriors," Axonn said.
"We'd throw in 'Make their women weep,' but have you ever seen a female Makuta?" added Brutaka. "I-It's not pretty."
"Why should I listen to you when it would be so much quicker and easier to throw you into the Tahtorak pens?"
"Because we've already been to see the other warlords of Zakaz," lied Axonn. "What, did you think we would come to this puny hole first? They have all agreed to ally with us. If you refuse, you can sit on your petty throne and watch as they grow rich and powerful."
Nektann frowned, the only expression uglier than a Skakdi's smile. No self-respecting warlord wanted to be left out of a chance at glorious battle and even more glorious loot. In the end, he nodded.
"Why did you tell him we had talked to the other warlords?" whispered Brutaka. "We still have to go to all their camps and talk them into an alliance."
"That's a lot of work," Axonn agreed, "so I guess you better get started."
***
Toa Mahri Jaller stood in the center of Metru Nui, gazing up at the statue of the late Matoro. It had been constructed by Turaga Onewa himself as a tribute to the fallen hero. It was good to know that his comrade was remembered and always would be, but it did little to dispel the grief he felt over his death. He had to admit that thoughts of Matoro had distracted him. When the other Toa Mahri left to search the city for Takanuva, he chose to remain behind. When they returned, reporting that there had been no sign of the Toa of Light, he hardly paid any attention. It still troubled him that the Toa Mahri had been unable to fulfill their destiny without losing one of their own. Behind him, he could hear the other Toa in conference. Metru Nui was quiet for now, with the Kardas Dragon subdued and most of the other Rahi back in the Archives. Still, the heroes could never relax. Who knew where the next threat could come from?
There was a sudden flash of light. When Jaller could see again, six Toa stood in front of him. He didn't recognize any of them. Instinctively, he readied his weapons.
"Welcome to Metru Nui," said Jaller, "Who are you? Why have you come here?"
One of the newcomers, a Toa of Fire also, stepped forward, "My name is Norik, of the Toa Hagah. I ask you and your teammates to stand aside. We have no wish to see anyone hurt while we carry out our task here."
"The Toa Mahri stand aside for no one," said Toa Hewkii, stepping forward. "Tell us your business here, or be considered our enemies."
"Our business," said Norik, "is as simple as it is terrible. We have come to destroy the Coliseum."
***
Vezon landed hard on the stone floor of the Makuta Fortress of Destral. He had been captured by Rahkshi less than two minutes after Trinuma had dropped him off on the shore of the island. Vezon had never met a Rahkshi before, and found that he disliked them. Most beings had a scent, either pleasant or unpleasant; Rahkshi smelled of cold metal and death. The Makuta who came to greet him wore armor of purple and crimson. Although Vezon was polite enough to introduce himself, the Makuta did not bother to share his name. Vezon was tempted to complain about this, but the spear at his throat, the one dripping acid, convinced him to save it for another time.
"Who are you?" said the Makuta. "What are you? And how came you here?"
"My name is Vezon, your darkness, and I was brought here by an agent of a power that wishes you and your Brotherhood harm. They wanted me to come and tell you that they exist and plan to attack this island, but I'm not going to do that, no no no!"
"You just did," said the Makuta. Behind Vezon, three Rahkshi moved a little closer, staffs at the ready.
"Well, of course I did, but only to tell you that I won't!" said Vezon, exasperated. How could this being hope to conquer the universe, and yet be so slow? "It's all a trick, you see. They want me to pretend to betray them. They want you to concentrate your forces here against an attack that won't come. But I decided: Why pretend to betray them when actually doing it would be so much more fun?"
The Makuta grabbed Vezon by the throat and slammed him against the wall.
"Speak, fool! And let only truth and clarity come from your mouth if you wish to continue having one."
"Truth and clarity... Truth and clarity... I don't think I know them," answered Vezon. "Will you settle for 'white-lipped and trembling?' This Order of Mata Nui, it plans to mass an army and navy, threaten Destral, force you to teleport it away from where it is now, and then..."
When Vezon did not continue speaking right away, the Makuta tightened his grip.
"Alright, alright! I was only pausing for effect. They have a spy inside this fortress. They've sabotaged your means of teleportation. When you'll try to use it again... Well, I wouldn't start reading any long tablets, let's put it that way. And now that you know, tell me, what are we going to do about it?"
Chapter 4
Axonn and Brutaka stood on a steep rise, overlooking a battlefield. Down below, the assembled might of the Skakdi of Zakaz were locked in combat with a small army of Rahkshi. The setting was an unnamed island in one of the southern chains, set up as a staging area by the Brotherhood of Makuta for an invasion of the mainland continent. The Rahkshi had been brought there in secret, and allowed to practice their skills on the scattered Matoran residents. Needless to say, there were no longer any Matoran on this island. Initially, the Skakdi had suffered horrible losses, but they were capable of something the Rahkshi could only pretend to: rage. Hungry for victory, and filled with hatred for their enemy, the barbarians regrouped and tore through the Rahkshi ranks. It was overwhelming, thrilling, and sickening all at once.
"Come on," said Brutaka, tearing himself away from the spectacle. "You know what we're here for." Together they walked down the hill and deep into a small canyon. In the center, buried beneath the soil and rock, was a square metal trapdoor with an iron ring. After Axonn split the rock with his axe, Brutaka grasped the ring and pulled open the door. A stench rose from within. The smell of age and neglect, decay and rot. The two Order of Mata Nui members climbed down into the hole.
Axonn sent energy through his axe, illuminating the chamber. It was obvious that no one had walked here since perhaps the beginning of recorded time. The place was bare stone, with the only interesting feature a pool in the center. The waters were greenish-black and swirled angrily, despite there not being even the slightest breeze to stir them.
"So this is it?" asked Brutaka.
Axonn nodded. "Yes, this is the place the Great Spirit created the Makuta. And the only place new Makuta could ever spring from. From that pool came their substance, made into living form by the powers of the Great Spirit until time made it into pure energy."
"Then if we destroy the pool?" said Brutaka.
"Yes. There can be no more Makuta ever. But do we have a right to end a species?"
Brutaka was looking at the pool, eyes wide. "I'd love to get into a philosophical debate with you, old friend, but I think we have a problem."
The waters of the pool suddenly exploded up and outward. Foul, scalding liquid struck Axonn and Brutaka, seeping into the openings in their masks and armor. It hissed and writhed, like a thing alive, burning wherever it touched. Temporarily blinded and in pain, the two warriors staggered and then stumbled, plunging into the pool itself.
***
Toa Helryx sat in the command chamber of her fortress on Daxia. The war against the Brotherhood of Makuta had begun, and it had not begun well. Although the Order, through the Dark Hunters, now held Xia, they had been unable to dislodge Makuta forces from the island of Nynrah. In other places, the Order's surprise attacks had met unexpectedly fierce resistance from Rahkshi and Exo-Toa. Being a leader meant making difficult decisions, something she had always known. In her time, she had sent agents on missions she knew they might well not come back from. She had ordered the deaths of everyone who knew the location of Artakha, and now she had to make two more vital choices that might lead to victory or disaster. The first had been easy. She dispatched a messenger to Metru Nui, carrying the Heart of the Visorak. This artifact could be used to summon the Visorak hordes from anywhere in the universe. It was to be placed in the hands of the Toa Mahri, with instructions to bring it to the volcanic island of Artidax and use it there. The second was more difficult. Brutaka had informed her of the presence of Hydraxon in The Pit, as well as the events that took place there. A second messenger had been sent to The Pit with orders for the jailer. She could not be sure he would follow them, given their nature, or she would simply be trading the Brotherhood in the end for a worse evil. But it had to be done. Sometimes she hated being the one in charge.
***
Hydraxon paced the dark, cavernous chamber that was The Pit. In his hand, he held a tablet that contained the orders from Helryx. The instructions carved in the stone were almost impossible to believe. The chamber door opened. It was Toa Lesovikk, bringing back another escaped prisoner. Although the two had clashed on first meeting, they had since become allies in the effort to recapture the former inmates of this vast prison. Hydraxon hesitated to show the orders to Lesovikk. After all, the existence of the Order of Mata Nui was supposed to be a secret, but if the situation, as outlined on the tablet was true, then he guessed it was a secret no longer.
Lesovikk let out a low whistle as he read the tablet. "So what are you going to do?" he asked.
"What I've always done," Hydraxon answered. "Follow orders."
He climbed down the iron ladder that led to the lowest tier of cells. Here, Pridak, Kalmah, Mantax, and Ehlek were imprisoned. The four Barraki looked at their jailer with undisguised contempt.
"Have you come here to mock us?" snarled Mantax.
Pridak smiled, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "We killed you once, you know. We can do it again."
Hydraxon ignored the obvious insanity. After all, he was alive and well, so obviously he had never been dead. "I have an... offer for you," he said, forcing out each word. "There's a war going on. A war to bring the reign of the Brotherhood of Makuta to an end. Agree to fight against the Makuta, and you will get your freedom."
"And if we refuse?" said Kalmah. "Why should we risk our lives to fight someone else's war?"
"If you refuse," said Hydraxon, "You will find that there are places you can be buried far deeper than this Pit."
"Another chance," said Pridak. "Another chance to fight, to lead armies, to conquer. And when the Brotherhood falls, the League of Six Kingdoms will rise again."
Chapter 5
The Shadowed One - master of the Dark Hunters, mortal enemy of the Makuta, thief, assassin and conqueror - was bored. Since he and his people had been dispatched to occupy the island of Xia by the Order of Mata Nui, there had been precious little to do. The island has been pacified in a matter of hours. Except for the occasional two or three Dark Hunters tapped by the Order for a mission, the bulk of their forces had yet to act. The Shadowed One did not like feeling penned in on this island, or ignored. That was why this day found him prowling the factories of Xia seeking amusement. Despite his pressure to get all manufacturing centers working again, many of the buildings were still badly damaged by the battle between the Tahtorak and the Kanohi Dragon. It was while walking through one such building that he came upon a Vortixx frantically clearing away rubble.
"What are you doing here?" asked The Shadowed One.
The Vortixx gasped, surprised. When he saw who was addressing him, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. The Vortixx, it seemed, had a long history of knowing when and to whom to submit.
"Nothing, Great Lord," said the Vortixx, "just… cleaning up so all factories can be working again as you ordered."
The Shadowed One said nothing. He knew what a lie sounded like. He had told enough of them himself. After several moments, he said, "Then I will help you."
"No!" the Vortixx cried out, "That's… that's unnecessary. This is work for a laborer, not a ruler like yourself."
Power flashed out from The Shadowed One's staff. A band of crystalline Protodermis appeared around the Vortixx's mouth, gagging him.
"I said I will help you," repeated The Shadowed One.
Striding over to the heap of rubble, The Shadowed One began to dig, never taking his eye off the Vortixx. The deeper he got, the more visibly upset the Xian seemed to be.
What, he wondered, was waiting at the bottom of this hole?
He soon found out. Several feet down, he came across a Protosteel box. Burned into the lid was the symbol of the Brotherhood of Makuta. The box was locked, but the lock was no match for the now very curious Dark Hunter. He opened it carefully- after all, this might be some clever trap. But when he saw what the box contained, his eyes widened.
"Oh, my, my," said The Shadowed One, as he gazed at something that soon might make him master of the world.
***
Vezon, it could truly be said, had a unique perspective on life. Perhaps it had been the fact that he had only been truly alive for a matter of weeks. Perhaps it was his time spent wearing the Mask of Life. Or perhaps it was just the fact that he was hopelessly insane. But the perspective he had today, he had to admit, was a new one: upside-down. The Makuta he had encountered in the fortress of Destral, who identified himself with a laugh as Tridax, had not entirely believed Vezon's story about cross and double-cross. In fact, he decided some follow-up questions were in order, the kind delivered when your guest is hanging by the ceiling by his ankles.
"I have checked our teleportation technology," Tridax said. "There was no sign of sabotage. You are a liar."
"Well, no one ever said Makuta were observant," said Vezon. "How could you be so sure? Suppose I sabotaged it myself using my incredible powers of the mind."
"You have no powers," said the Makuta, picking up a wickedly sharp blade. "You have no mind. You are about to have no head."
"You're right! You're right!" babbled Vezon. "There is no army, there is no delay, I simply wanted the pleasure of your company. Well, pleasure might be too strong a word. Did I tell you I once wore the Mask of Life? One stray thought back then, and you wouldn't have even left ashes. I do miss those days. Anyway, take pride in being correct. There is no threat to Destral at all."
The walls of the fortress suddenly shook violently from an incredible impact.
"Except that one." Vezon added helpfully.
Rock-dust fell from the ceiling, masses of weapons clattered to the floor and even the anchors of Vezon's chains came loose. A second blast tore a hole in the wall and sent mangled Rahkshi flying into the chamber. This time, the anchors came loose all the way and Vezon fell to the stone floor.
Makuta Tridax was paying no attention. His orders were clear: maintain Destral in its current location unless attacked. In the event of a serious threat from Toa or Dark Hunters, teleport the island off the shores of Metru Nui and seize that city. He stalked off to carry out those commands. Vezon followed behind, unnoticed.
"That's right," thought the deranged ex-prisoner. "Lead me to your secrets. Ah, this plan is so cunning it might almost be one of mine. And perhaps it will be before I'm done."
***
Far to the west, Pridak watched the fortress burn, and smiled at the sight. He had been fortunate since his release from the Pit. His captors had provided him with ships and the resources with which to raise an army. From the worst holes in the Universe, he had found ex-Dark Hunters, exiled Vortixx, even a Skakdi or two for his crews. Before Kalmah had even devised a battle plan, Pridak had sounded off without him on a voyage of conquest. It felt good. Good to sack and burn and destroy again. Good to feel the warm glow of the Lightstones on his body, even though his water-filled helm had kept him from smelling the wonderful smoke and stench of battle. He was back, and back to stay. His men had rounded the forces of the Makuta who occupied this place, but had found no actual Brotherhood member.
Now, as he surveyed his conquest, a few things captured his notice: the structure was not original, it had been rebuilt on the site of an earlier strong point. The lower levels were still incomplete, and it was while exploring them that he found a strange room. Deep below the basement was a room of rubble. The walls had been smashed, leaving only packed earth behind, and the remnants of those walls were littered around the floor. Intrigued, he picked one of the pieces up, only to find there was an inscription on it. The symbols made no sense to him and he was about to throw it away, when he noticed that another piece also had such an inscription. In fact, all the pieces did. There was some sort of message here, or there had been, he realized. Someone had tried to destroy it by shattering the walls, but the message was still here for someone who had the discipline to decipher it. And if someone had thought whatever information it contained worthy of destruction, it must be quite interesting indeed. With the infinite patience of a born hunter, Pridak began to assemble the stones.
Chapter 6
Axonn was drowning. The greenish-black fluid filled his mouth and lungs before he could react. His mighty arms flailed about, trying to find something to grab on to, and failing. As he sank further toward the bottom, Axonn knew that here, in the birthplace of the Makuta species, he was going to die. Then he was suddenly rising rapidly up through the murky liquid. A strong hand had a hold of him and was yanking him away from his fate. A moment later he felt the hard stone of the floor beneath him. He choked and gasped. When the colors finally stopped swirling in front of his eyes, he looked up at his rescuer. Brutaka floated three feet off the floor. Green fire crackled from his eyes and the tips of his fingers. His armor had cracked in numerous places as the tissue it covered expanded. An aura of pure power surrounded him, so bright that Axonn had to raise a hand to protect his sight.
"Axonn," said Brutaka, "we are glad to see you have survived."
"We? Brutaka, what's happened to you?"
"I... we are the essence of the Makuta species. We know what they were meant to know, but have forgotten. We see the error. The flaws. So much to repair; but it cannot be done."
Axonn stood, axe at the ready. He knew the effects the Makuta Antidermis had on Brutaka. Absorbing it somehow made him stronger, but he had never seen or heard anything like this. It was Brutaka's body and Brutaka's voice, but the words had not come from his old friend.
"Spherus Magna, the shattering," Brutaka muttered, seemingly more to himself than to Axonn, "The three that must be one; the two that must make them one."
Brutaka abruptly reached out and seized Axonn's arm in a grip of iron. His touch burned, but Axonn fought back the urge to scream.
"He must remember, he must be made to see, or the journey of 100,000 years will be for nothing. He hides beneath, preparing to meet his destiny. We must go there, we must right the wrong. So many wrongs before the shattering can end."
***
Ancient climbed a low-rise, stepping carefully to avoid tripping over the rubble that was once a Xian factory. He had been searching for The Shadowed One for the better part of an hour. They were supposed to be discussing the defense of the city, but the Dark Hunter leader was nowhere to be found. He was concerned. Toa Helryx had asked Ancient, her spy within the Dark Hunters, for regular reports on the state of things at Xia and The Shadowed One's actions. She fully expected a Brotherhood of Makuta attack on the island, and he was already overdue with his latest dispatch. Ancient reached the top of the rise. The first thing he saw was The Shadowed One, standing amid a pile of debris. He was holding a small chest, which was open, and staring at the contents with a nasty smile on his face. As Ancient drew closer, he noticed two other things: a dead Vortixx on the ground, his face encased in Crystalline Protodermis; and just what was in the chest: three vials.
"What have you found?" asked Ancient, "And why would a Vortixx be foolish enough to challenge you for it?"
The Shadowed One looked up, surprised. Then seeing it was Ancient, he visibly relaxed.
"A most amazing thing," he said, "Have you ever heard of Makuta Kojol?"
Ancient nodded. He knew the story from the Order of Mata Nui: Kojol had been visiting Xia to discuss having a virus added into a weapon the Vortixx were building for the Makuta. During his visit, he was "accidentally" killed by a different virus. Except it was no accident, but an Order operation to remove him.
"He brought a number of viruses with him when he came to Xia," The Shadowed One continued, "some were never found. The story was they were incinerated along with his armor. But they weren't, and I have found them."
Ancient tried not to look as worried as he felt. Weapons like this in the hands of the Dark Hunters was a disaster in the making.
"Excellent," he said, "We could ransom these for a good price."
"Ransom them?" said The Shadowed One, "No, no, I intend to make use of them. I will learn what they are and what they do, and then Helryx and the Makuta will answer to me! But I will need time... a great deal of time and privacy to work. No one must know I have them. That is why the Vortixx here had to die. And it's why..."
Two beams of power lanced out of The Shadowed Ones' eyes, striking Ancient. The veteran Dark Hunter vanished, disintegrated by the force of the blast.
"Apologies, old friend," The Shadowed One said, "but you know the old saying: 'A secret shared is no longer a secret.'"
***
Vezon stalked through the halls of the fortress of Destral, following Makuta Tridax and doing his best to remain unseen. The walls of the ancient structure shook from a ferocious pounding: the Order of Mata Nui had launched its attack on the Makuta base at last. His mission was simple, purposely so that even his deranged mind could keep it straight: He was to follow Tridax, find the means the Makuta use to teleport their island from place to place, and then disable it. He would then be most likely killed by Tridax, but then no plan was perfect.
At first it seemed like all was proceeding as expected: Tridax made his way to a sub-basement, seemingly oblivious to being followed. At the bottom of the basement was a massive chamber. What waited within that chamber staggered even the deeply disturbed Vezon. The walls towered forty feet, all around. Lining them were stasis tubes, close to one-hundred. And each tube was occupied by an identical figure. A few had armor of jet-black, most white-and-gold, but it was obvious they were all the same being. They were in some kind of stasis. Tridax walked to the center of the room, where a small table sat. On the table was a Kanohi mask. Tridax reached for it, then suddenly whirled and hurled a blast of Shadow at Vezon. Before he could dodge, the shadow had pinned him to the wall.
"Did you think I could not hear your clumsy attempt to follow me?" said Tridax, "Very well, Skakdi trash. You want to learn the most powerful secret of Destral? You want the satisfaction of knowing what hides here before you die? Look around."
Vezon did, but he didn't learn anything more by doing that.
"Quite a collection," he said, "I prefer sea-shells, myself. Sometimes leaves. Oh, and the heads of my enemies, though those take up so much space."
Tridax smiled and held up the mask.
"Do you know what this is? A Kanohi Olmak, the Mask of Dimensional Gates. One of only two known to be in existence. Not long ago, my fellow Makuta Mutran and I began experiments to develop a creature called a Shadow Leech; a creature that could drain the Light of others and turn them into beings of Shadow. That was what sparked my idea. I knew the mask could reach not only other places of this dimension, but other realities as well. And so I have begun traveling to those other realities and collecting the Toa Takanuva of each, bringing him back here, and feeding his Light to my pets. When I am done, I will have an army of Shadow Toa, all made from the most dangerous enemy of the Makuta."
The walls shook again.
"I think you'd better hurry up and finish then," suggested Vezon.
"No need," said Tridax. "I have only to release the Shadow Takanuva I have already made, and they will dispose of the attackers. And then I can go back to work in earnest. And then I can..."
Tridax stopped at the sound of crystal shattering. Startled, he let his Shadow power lapse. Vezon slumped to the ground, but not before he saw the Makuta looking at his arm in horror. Something was dissolving his armored gauntlet before his eyes, and his Antidermis was leaking out into the air. Two beings stepped out of the shadows. One was a Matoran, the other another species, very tall and very dangerous in appearance. He looked at the Makuta and laughed - a harsh and malicious sound.
"The most dangerous enemy of the Makuta?" said Tobduk, "Get ready, you're just about to meet him."
To be continued in Brothers In Arms part 6.
Chapter 7
Toa Helryx, leader of the Order of Mata Nui, picked her way across the remains of a battlefield. She was on the beach of the island of Nynrah, site of a struggle between the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Order. After a long and furious battle, the Order had won - driving the Brotherhood forces from the island or crushing them on the beach. Now she wandered the sands, occasionally picking up a piece of Rahkshi armor, studying it for a moment and then discarding it.
There was a method to her madness. Using her Mask of Power, Helryx could read the past of an object simply by touching it. Her goal here was simple; Rahkshi were created using a powerful substance called Energized Protodermis. The Order wanted to know every source of that substance used by the Makuta so they could capture or destroy those sources. Without them, no new Rahkshi could come into being.
So far, all the ones she had identified here were sources the Order already knew about. Still, it was worth the effort. It would be far easier to defeat the Brotherhood by cutting off their source of power, rather than beating them in battle.
She picked up a piece of crimson Rahkshi armor and called on the power of her mask. This time, she saw a place she did not recognize: Makuta Chirox was there, and a silvery pool, but not just any pool, no, this one had a figure emerging from it: a being actually made of Energized Protodermis. She concentrated hard and the location came to her: an island just north of the one her newest ally came from.
Helryx dropped the piece of armor and turned to Keetongu. The Rahi had reluctantly agreed to break off his efforts to save the victims of Visorak long enough to help in the war. In return, Helryx had promised him the Visorak would never again be a threat to anyone else.
"We have to go," she said, "there's another source."
It was a short journey. Their destination had at first seemed uninhabited, but that illusion didn't last long. Helryx spotted... things skulking among the rocks. They weren't Matoran, or Rahi, but looked like something in between. The overall feeling was that something was very wrong here. The air, the ground, the inhabitants - all felt off, somehow, in a way that obviously made Keetongu uneasy. There were no buildings on the island... none left standing, anyway. The most prominent feature was a large cave. Helryx and Keetongu entered cautiously. The passage narrowed considerably once they were a little ways in, forcing them to crawl to make any forward progress. Helryx couldn't help but think how easy it would be to get trapped in here.
As the passage widened again, Helryx saw more creatures. These obviously were Rahi beasts, but not like anything she'd seen before. They were short, pale bipeds, with large yellow eyes and spindly arms and legs. They backed away and moved to the side as she and her ally passed. But as soon as the two had moved on, they assembled into a group and followed close behind.
Helryx and Keetongu came to a huge chamber. In the center of it was not a pool of Energized Protodermis, but an actual lake of the stuff. And rising from the center was the figure of a living being. A head, two arms, a torso ending in the lake itself. Its features were barely there, and its substance was the silver color of Energized Protodermis. The sight triggered a memory. An agent on Metru Nui had reported that Turaga Vakama had once mentioned an Energized Protodermis Entity his team had fought when they were Toa Metru. Could this be the same being?
"I have been expecting you." said the figure, "I have felt your kind at work in my pools throughout this universe. Destructive, but ultimately futile. Cap one source of my substance and it will emerge somewhere else."
"Then we will destroy it there, too." Helryx answered. "What are you?"
"I am creation and destruction," the Entity answered, "I am the power to transform and to destroy; I am every drop of Energized Protodermis that exists, and every drop is me. I am as far beyond you, creature of armor and tissue, as you are beyond an insect."
"And your purpose here?" asked Helryx.
"I did not choose to come here," the Entity replied, "I lived in the core of a planet, until one day a portion of my substance forced its way to the surface. It did not take long for the inhabitants of that world to discover my power; or to begin warring over it. But some of what makes up my form was taken and placed inside this universe, and so escaped before cataclysm overtook that world."
"And now?" said Helryx.
"Now I experiment on the creatures and things I find around me," said the Entity, "I have even let others make use of my power if I found their intentions intriguing enough."
"You have helped create beings that have brought terror and death to thousands," said Helryx. "It has to stop."
"Is a weapon responsible for the actions of the one who wields it?" asked the Entity.
"Perhaps not," said Helryx, "but a weapon can be broken and so never used again."
A soft sound that might have been laughter escaped from the entity.
"I have met your kind before. So confident in your power to contain me, control me, or destroy me. You are no more than Stone Apes reaching for the stars, believing you could extinguish them if only you could get them in your grasp."
The lake began to boil and churn; a huge wave of Energized Protodermis rose up behind the Entity, so wide it spanned the whole chamber, and began to speed across the surface towards Helryx and Keetongu.
"Transformation, or destruction," said the Entity. "Which will be your fate? Let us find out, together."
Axonn charged across the landscape of Voya Nui, weapon at the ready. He had just spied two figures materializing in The Green Belt. One looked something like Botar, but obviously wasn't. The other resembled a Toa, but wasn't one Axonn knew. The first thing he had learned after being assigned to this place was subdue first, ask questions later.
The Botar look-alike spotted Axonn first, and tried to block him. A sweep of an armored fist sent him sprawling. Axonn was on top of the Toa in the flash of a heart light, axe blade at the intruder's throat.
"Who are you?" growled Axonn. "What do you want here? Talk!"
"My name is Krakua," the Toa answered, trying in vain to push the axe away from his neck. "I was sent to find you. You're needed."
"Who sent you?" asked Axonn.
"Toa Helryx. Use your mask, you'll see I'm speaking the truth."
Axonn did just that, calling on the powers of his Kanohi Rode, the Mask of Truth. To his surprise, it told him that his captive was indeed being honest. He got up and let Krakua get to his feet. "You're Order of Mata Nui, then," Axonn said. "I see recruiting standards have slipped a little."
Krakua paid no attention to the remark. Instead, he said "Come with us. Your presence is required on Daxia."
Before Axonn could object, the Botar type had come close and activated his teleportation power. The three of them vanished from Voya Nui, only to reappear in the Order of Mata Nui fortress on Daxia. Axonn had been there before, so its appearance was no surprise to him. The sight of his former partner, Brutaka, was, though. Not to mention the huge dragon next to him whose bulk almost filled up the great hall.
"Things must be desperate if they're calling on an old war Rahi like you," Brutaka said with a smile. "Oh, by the way, have you met tall, green, and gruesome here? Don't mind the scales and teeth, but you might want to stay downwind of him."
"Brutaka!" said Axonn. "What are you - how did you get out of The Pit?"
"They let me out early for good behavior," Brutaka smiled. "But I'm the least of the shocking faces around here. This is it, my friend. The Order is about to come out of hiding after all these years. Helryx told me so herself."
"What did she say?"
"Two words," said Brutaka, his smile disappearing. "Destiny war."
***
The Dark Hunter known as Ancient stood on the beach of the island of Odina. Behind him, rebuilding of the fortress destroyed by Pohatu Nuva went on rapidly. His eyes scanned the waters, watching for the return of Lariska from her mission. He was anxious to hear just what she had seen and heard.
A cry made him look up. It came from a bat-winged Rahi wheeling through the sky, one not native to Odina. He recognized the creature as one bred for long distance flying. More than once the Dark Hunters had used them to send messages back and forth to agents on other islands. But the flying creature up above did not come from another Dark Hunter. As a half dozen more joined it, they began flying in a pattern recognizable to no one on the island but Ancient. It was a message intended for him, and one that was urgent. The time had come. He had to seek out The Shadowed One and try to make him see the only possible future for the Dark Hunters. And if The Shadowed One, his old friend, failed to see reason, Ancient would have to kill him.
***
Elsewhere, Vezon paced in his cell on Daxia. Across the corridor were two great water tanks. In one swam the six Piraka, now mutated into water snakes. In the other was a bizarre looking being others referred to as Karzahni, who seemed to Vezon to be quite insane. And Vezon knew insane.
When Brutaka's team had first escaped the island of Artidax with Makuta Miserix, they had flown to a barren island in the middle of nowhere. After a short time, Brutaka had them on the move again, this time to a place called Daxia. Brutaka explained that the location of the island had always been a secret before, but that secrecy didn't matter anymore. Neither, apparently, did gratitude, as Vezon and Roodaka were both thrown into cells immediately upon arrival.
Vezon, frankly, was disappointed. Sure, he had tried to steal the Mask of Life, and, yes, he had tried to kill the Toa Inika once, well, twice. And, okay, he had made an effort to trade their lives to the Zyglak in exchanged for his, but it's not like that had worked. And he had volunteered, well, been forced, well, actually been threatened with bodily harm if he didn't help, but he did aid in the rescue of Makuta Miserix. And what was his reward? A cold cell, an uncaring guard, and nothing nearby he could use to kill the Piraka. Was that justice?
His musings were interrupted by the crimson armor of Trinuma. The Order member took a long look at Vezon, shrugged and shook his head. Then he unlocked the cell door and threw it open. "It's your lucky day, misfit," said Trinuma. "You're getting out."
"I am?" said Vezon. "I mean, of course I am. Keeping a being of my brilliance locked away is a terrible waste of resources. No doubt your masters want to consult me on matters of strategy and tactics."
"No," said Trinuma. "I think they said something about needing someone who could die horribly without being missed. So, naturally, they thought of you."
Vezon's addled brain processed what Trinuma said, and somehow decided it was a compliment. "Well, naturally," he replied. "Lead on, and let me show you all how dying's done."
Chapter 2
Axonn crouched down behind a low stone wall, and watched the Fire and Ice bolts fly by overhead. Beside him, Brutaka was peering around the crumbling bit of cover now and then, hurling a blast from his sword.
"Knock on the front door," grumbled Axonn. "Great strategy. I think all that time in Mahri Nui left you with a waterlogged brain."
"Oh, come on," said Brutaka, smiling. He picked off an attacker with a bolt of energy, then winged another. "You love this, and you know it. After thousands of years sitting around on Voya Nui waiting for something to happen, you need the exercise."
A green-fleshed Skakdi climbed over the wall, spiked club in hand. Axonn quickly made him regret it.
"This was supposed to be a nice, simple job. Go to Zakaz, find warlord Nektann, arrange an alliance between the Order and the Skakdi. Not get pinned on a beach by an angry horde."
"Are we pinned? We're not pinned," said Brutaka. "Watch."
Brutaka popped over the wall and fired an energy bolt at a half-crumbled building. Shearing through its only support, he sent the structure toppling down on a mob of Skakdi. When the dust cleared, all of them were trapped beneath the rubble.
"Now those guys, they're pinned," said Brutaka.
Axonn sighed. "Just like the good old days," he said. "Now I remember why I hated them so much."
"If you liked that idea, you'll love this one," Brutaka replied. Before Axonn could react, Brutaka had grabbed him by the back of the neck. He dragged Axonn to his feet and stood beside him, free arm in the air. "We surrender!" Brutaka shouted to the Skakdi army. "Take us, we're yours."
***
Elsewhere, a trader on the island of Stelt would, over the course of his life, see pretty much everything at least once. The place was a crossroads for the crooked, the desperate and those just looking for fast money, or a deal best kept hidden from Toa. This particular trader, though, had recently seen more than he would have wished. A small group of warriors, including the hated Roodaka, had stolen one of his best ships. Worse, they had done it in such a way that no one would even believe it had happened. Things had at last settled down though; he had managed to find a replacement ship and recover those members of the old crew who were still alive. It was back to business as usual; at least until a 20 foot-tall dragon tore the roof off his shop.
"Where's Teridax?" the dragon growled.
"Teridax? Who or what is that? And how would I know?" said the trader, reaching frantically for a weapon, and coming up with nothing better than a cracked Kanoka disk.
"I know Stelt," said the dragon, "A Nui-Rama doesn't buzz on the Tren Krom Peninsula without you scum hearing it. So I'll ask again, where is he? Where is the Makuta of Metru Nui?"
"I don't know! I swear it!" shouted the trader.
The dragon scooped his victim up in a great claw. "I don't have time for this. I have places to be, and bodies to break. I want you to send out a message to all your friends, to everyone who sails in and out of this island. Tell them Miserix is back, and when I find him, Teridax is dead!"
***
Elsewhere once more, Vezon sat in a small skiff with a jet black sail. Trinuma sat at the bow, keeping an eye out for potential threats. If he considered Vezon one, he didn't show it. For his part, Vezon was just happy to just be out of his cell. Prison was far too... confining, but then he guessed that was the point of it. Speaking of points, Trinuma had given him a lovely dagger. Vezon had said "thank you" by not trying to plunge it into his companion's back.
"Where are we going?" asked Vezon, “Why are we going? Are we going at all, or just sailing in a big circle? Or is it a spiral? I went down a spiral once: a big stone tunnel that went down and down and down, and ended in Zyglak. Whoever built it had no decorating sense at all."
"Would you be quiet?" said Trinuma, "This is a secret mission. Do you understand that?"
"Sure," answered Vezon, "Secret mission means if you get killed, I won't tell anyone. And you still haven't answered any of my one-hundred ten questions, or my follow ups."
Trinuma sighed in resignation. "We're going to a place called Destral. Once we get there your job starts. If you succeed, you live to babble another day. If you fail, you die horribly. Okay?"
"Destral ... Destral. Wait a minute that's the Makuta base! Spiriah was a Makuta. At least, he was until Miserix killed him. I flew with Miserix, did I tell you that? At least until he did those loops and threw me off his back. Ocean water is really cold, don't let anyone tell you different. So what am I supposed to do on Destral? Theft? Assassination? Running with sharp objects?"
"You have the most important job of all," said Trinuma, "You're going to betray the Order of Mata Nui, and the entire universe, and this is how you're going to do it."
Chapter 3
One of the peculiar things about a Skakdi warlord's base is the lack of any kind of a dungeon, torture chamber, or prisoner of war camp. History has shown that there's very little point in torturing a Skakdi, as they never talk except in trade, usually for their freedom, which few captors will agree to. And keeping prisoners means listening to them whine for trivial things like food, water, and a good-sized club to use on the Stone Rats who keep paying midnight visits.
So when Brutaka and Axonn were marched into warlord Nektann's camp, no one seemed quite sure what to do with them. Killing them immediately came to mind, but then it would be impossible to find out why they were on the island to start with. Unlike the famed Necrofinch of the Zakaz mountains, most beings did not continue to sing after they were dead. It was Axonn who insisted that they be brought before Nektann himself. Nektann was larger than the average Skakdi, or at least he appeared so sitting on his throne made from the fused weapons of his foes. He was accompanied by his pet, which looked like a Muaka cat covered in spiked armor. Nektann, ever the gracious host, asked them if they had anything to say before he had them painfully disassembled.
"Yes," said Axonn, "The Brotherhood of Makuta."
Nektann spat on the ground. The Muaka growled. "What about them?" asked the warlord.
"We offer you a chance to sack their fortresses, loot their weapons, and slay their warriors," Axonn said.
"We'd throw in 'Make their women weep,' but have you ever seen a female Makuta?" added Brutaka. "I-It's not pretty."
"Why should I listen to you when it would be so much quicker and easier to throw you into the Tahtorak pens?"
"Because we've already been to see the other warlords of Zakaz," lied Axonn. "What, did you think we would come to this puny hole first? They have all agreed to ally with us. If you refuse, you can sit on your petty throne and watch as they grow rich and powerful."
Nektann frowned, the only expression uglier than a Skakdi's smile. No self-respecting warlord wanted to be left out of a chance at glorious battle and even more glorious loot. In the end, he nodded.
"Why did you tell him we had talked to the other warlords?" whispered Brutaka. "We still have to go to all their camps and talk them into an alliance."
"That's a lot of work," Axonn agreed, "so I guess you better get started."
***
Toa Mahri Jaller stood in the center of Metru Nui, gazing up at the statue of the late Matoro. It had been constructed by Turaga Onewa himself as a tribute to the fallen hero. It was good to know that his comrade was remembered and always would be, but it did little to dispel the grief he felt over his death. He had to admit that thoughts of Matoro had distracted him. When the other Toa Mahri left to search the city for Takanuva, he chose to remain behind. When they returned, reporting that there had been no sign of the Toa of Light, he hardly paid any attention. It still troubled him that the Toa Mahri had been unable to fulfill their destiny without losing one of their own. Behind him, he could hear the other Toa in conference. Metru Nui was quiet for now, with the Kardas Dragon subdued and most of the other Rahi back in the Archives. Still, the heroes could never relax. Who knew where the next threat could come from?
There was a sudden flash of light. When Jaller could see again, six Toa stood in front of him. He didn't recognize any of them. Instinctively, he readied his weapons.
"Welcome to Metru Nui," said Jaller, "Who are you? Why have you come here?"
One of the newcomers, a Toa of Fire also, stepped forward, "My name is Norik, of the Toa Hagah. I ask you and your teammates to stand aside. We have no wish to see anyone hurt while we carry out our task here."
"The Toa Mahri stand aside for no one," said Toa Hewkii, stepping forward. "Tell us your business here, or be considered our enemies."
"Our business," said Norik, "is as simple as it is terrible. We have come to destroy the Coliseum."
***
Vezon landed hard on the stone floor of the Makuta Fortress of Destral. He had been captured by Rahkshi less than two minutes after Trinuma had dropped him off on the shore of the island. Vezon had never met a Rahkshi before, and found that he disliked them. Most beings had a scent, either pleasant or unpleasant; Rahkshi smelled of cold metal and death. The Makuta who came to greet him wore armor of purple and crimson. Although Vezon was polite enough to introduce himself, the Makuta did not bother to share his name. Vezon was tempted to complain about this, but the spear at his throat, the one dripping acid, convinced him to save it for another time.
"Who are you?" said the Makuta. "What are you? And how came you here?"
"My name is Vezon, your darkness, and I was brought here by an agent of a power that wishes you and your Brotherhood harm. They wanted me to come and tell you that they exist and plan to attack this island, but I'm not going to do that, no no no!"
"You just did," said the Makuta. Behind Vezon, three Rahkshi moved a little closer, staffs at the ready.
"Well, of course I did, but only to tell you that I won't!" said Vezon, exasperated. How could this being hope to conquer the universe, and yet be so slow? "It's all a trick, you see. They want me to pretend to betray them. They want you to concentrate your forces here against an attack that won't come. But I decided: Why pretend to betray them when actually doing it would be so much more fun?"
The Makuta grabbed Vezon by the throat and slammed him against the wall.
"Speak, fool! And let only truth and clarity come from your mouth if you wish to continue having one."
"Truth and clarity... Truth and clarity... I don't think I know them," answered Vezon. "Will you settle for 'white-lipped and trembling?' This Order of Mata Nui, it plans to mass an army and navy, threaten Destral, force you to teleport it away from where it is now, and then..."
When Vezon did not continue speaking right away, the Makuta tightened his grip.
"Alright, alright! I was only pausing for effect. They have a spy inside this fortress. They've sabotaged your means of teleportation. When you'll try to use it again... Well, I wouldn't start reading any long tablets, let's put it that way. And now that you know, tell me, what are we going to do about it?"
Chapter 4
Axonn and Brutaka stood on a steep rise, overlooking a battlefield. Down below, the assembled might of the Skakdi of Zakaz were locked in combat with a small army of Rahkshi. The setting was an unnamed island in one of the southern chains, set up as a staging area by the Brotherhood of Makuta for an invasion of the mainland continent. The Rahkshi had been brought there in secret, and allowed to practice their skills on the scattered Matoran residents. Needless to say, there were no longer any Matoran on this island. Initially, the Skakdi had suffered horrible losses, but they were capable of something the Rahkshi could only pretend to: rage. Hungry for victory, and filled with hatred for their enemy, the barbarians regrouped and tore through the Rahkshi ranks. It was overwhelming, thrilling, and sickening all at once.
"Come on," said Brutaka, tearing himself away from the spectacle. "You know what we're here for." Together they walked down the hill and deep into a small canyon. In the center, buried beneath the soil and rock, was a square metal trapdoor with an iron ring. After Axonn split the rock with his axe, Brutaka grasped the ring and pulled open the door. A stench rose from within. The smell of age and neglect, decay and rot. The two Order of Mata Nui members climbed down into the hole.
Axonn sent energy through his axe, illuminating the chamber. It was obvious that no one had walked here since perhaps the beginning of recorded time. The place was bare stone, with the only interesting feature a pool in the center. The waters were greenish-black and swirled angrily, despite there not being even the slightest breeze to stir them.
"So this is it?" asked Brutaka.
Axonn nodded. "Yes, this is the place the Great Spirit created the Makuta. And the only place new Makuta could ever spring from. From that pool came their substance, made into living form by the powers of the Great Spirit until time made it into pure energy."
"Then if we destroy the pool?" said Brutaka.
"Yes. There can be no more Makuta ever. But do we have a right to end a species?"
Brutaka was looking at the pool, eyes wide. "I'd love to get into a philosophical debate with you, old friend, but I think we have a problem."
The waters of the pool suddenly exploded up and outward. Foul, scalding liquid struck Axonn and Brutaka, seeping into the openings in their masks and armor. It hissed and writhed, like a thing alive, burning wherever it touched. Temporarily blinded and in pain, the two warriors staggered and then stumbled, plunging into the pool itself.
***
Toa Helryx sat in the command chamber of her fortress on Daxia. The war against the Brotherhood of Makuta had begun, and it had not begun well. Although the Order, through the Dark Hunters, now held Xia, they had been unable to dislodge Makuta forces from the island of Nynrah. In other places, the Order's surprise attacks had met unexpectedly fierce resistance from Rahkshi and Exo-Toa. Being a leader meant making difficult decisions, something she had always known. In her time, she had sent agents on missions she knew they might well not come back from. She had ordered the deaths of everyone who knew the location of Artakha, and now she had to make two more vital choices that might lead to victory or disaster. The first had been easy. She dispatched a messenger to Metru Nui, carrying the Heart of the Visorak. This artifact could be used to summon the Visorak hordes from anywhere in the universe. It was to be placed in the hands of the Toa Mahri, with instructions to bring it to the volcanic island of Artidax and use it there. The second was more difficult. Brutaka had informed her of the presence of Hydraxon in The Pit, as well as the events that took place there. A second messenger had been sent to The Pit with orders for the jailer. She could not be sure he would follow them, given their nature, or she would simply be trading the Brotherhood in the end for a worse evil. But it had to be done. Sometimes she hated being the one in charge.
***
Hydraxon paced the dark, cavernous chamber that was The Pit. In his hand, he held a tablet that contained the orders from Helryx. The instructions carved in the stone were almost impossible to believe. The chamber door opened. It was Toa Lesovikk, bringing back another escaped prisoner. Although the two had clashed on first meeting, they had since become allies in the effort to recapture the former inmates of this vast prison. Hydraxon hesitated to show the orders to Lesovikk. After all, the existence of the Order of Mata Nui was supposed to be a secret, but if the situation, as outlined on the tablet was true, then he guessed it was a secret no longer.
Lesovikk let out a low whistle as he read the tablet. "So what are you going to do?" he asked.
"What I've always done," Hydraxon answered. "Follow orders."
He climbed down the iron ladder that led to the lowest tier of cells. Here, Pridak, Kalmah, Mantax, and Ehlek were imprisoned. The four Barraki looked at their jailer with undisguised contempt.
"Have you come here to mock us?" snarled Mantax.
Pridak smiled, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "We killed you once, you know. We can do it again."
Hydraxon ignored the obvious insanity. After all, he was alive and well, so obviously he had never been dead. "I have an... offer for you," he said, forcing out each word. "There's a war going on. A war to bring the reign of the Brotherhood of Makuta to an end. Agree to fight against the Makuta, and you will get your freedom."
"And if we refuse?" said Kalmah. "Why should we risk our lives to fight someone else's war?"
"If you refuse," said Hydraxon, "You will find that there are places you can be buried far deeper than this Pit."
"Another chance," said Pridak. "Another chance to fight, to lead armies, to conquer. And when the Brotherhood falls, the League of Six Kingdoms will rise again."
Chapter 5
The Shadowed One - master of the Dark Hunters, mortal enemy of the Makuta, thief, assassin and conqueror - was bored. Since he and his people had been dispatched to occupy the island of Xia by the Order of Mata Nui, there had been precious little to do. The island has been pacified in a matter of hours. Except for the occasional two or three Dark Hunters tapped by the Order for a mission, the bulk of their forces had yet to act. The Shadowed One did not like feeling penned in on this island, or ignored. That was why this day found him prowling the factories of Xia seeking amusement. Despite his pressure to get all manufacturing centers working again, many of the buildings were still badly damaged by the battle between the Tahtorak and the Kanohi Dragon. It was while walking through one such building that he came upon a Vortixx frantically clearing away rubble.
"What are you doing here?" asked The Shadowed One.
The Vortixx gasped, surprised. When he saw who was addressing him, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. The Vortixx, it seemed, had a long history of knowing when and to whom to submit.
"Nothing, Great Lord," said the Vortixx, "just… cleaning up so all factories can be working again as you ordered."
The Shadowed One said nothing. He knew what a lie sounded like. He had told enough of them himself. After several moments, he said, "Then I will help you."
"No!" the Vortixx cried out, "That's… that's unnecessary. This is work for a laborer, not a ruler like yourself."
Power flashed out from The Shadowed One's staff. A band of crystalline Protodermis appeared around the Vortixx's mouth, gagging him.
"I said I will help you," repeated The Shadowed One.
Striding over to the heap of rubble, The Shadowed One began to dig, never taking his eye off the Vortixx. The deeper he got, the more visibly upset the Xian seemed to be.
What, he wondered, was waiting at the bottom of this hole?
He soon found out. Several feet down, he came across a Protosteel box. Burned into the lid was the symbol of the Brotherhood of Makuta. The box was locked, but the lock was no match for the now very curious Dark Hunter. He opened it carefully- after all, this might be some clever trap. But when he saw what the box contained, his eyes widened.
"Oh, my, my," said The Shadowed One, as he gazed at something that soon might make him master of the world.
***
Vezon, it could truly be said, had a unique perspective on life. Perhaps it had been the fact that he had only been truly alive for a matter of weeks. Perhaps it was his time spent wearing the Mask of Life. Or perhaps it was just the fact that he was hopelessly insane. But the perspective he had today, he had to admit, was a new one: upside-down. The Makuta he had encountered in the fortress of Destral, who identified himself with a laugh as Tridax, had not entirely believed Vezon's story about cross and double-cross. In fact, he decided some follow-up questions were in order, the kind delivered when your guest is hanging by the ceiling by his ankles.
"I have checked our teleportation technology," Tridax said. "There was no sign of sabotage. You are a liar."
"Well, no one ever said Makuta were observant," said Vezon. "How could you be so sure? Suppose I sabotaged it myself using my incredible powers of the mind."
"You have no powers," said the Makuta, picking up a wickedly sharp blade. "You have no mind. You are about to have no head."
"You're right! You're right!" babbled Vezon. "There is no army, there is no delay, I simply wanted the pleasure of your company. Well, pleasure might be too strong a word. Did I tell you I once wore the Mask of Life? One stray thought back then, and you wouldn't have even left ashes. I do miss those days. Anyway, take pride in being correct. There is no threat to Destral at all."
The walls of the fortress suddenly shook violently from an incredible impact.
"Except that one." Vezon added helpfully.
Rock-dust fell from the ceiling, masses of weapons clattered to the floor and even the anchors of Vezon's chains came loose. A second blast tore a hole in the wall and sent mangled Rahkshi flying into the chamber. This time, the anchors came loose all the way and Vezon fell to the stone floor.
Makuta Tridax was paying no attention. His orders were clear: maintain Destral in its current location unless attacked. In the event of a serious threat from Toa or Dark Hunters, teleport the island off the shores of Metru Nui and seize that city. He stalked off to carry out those commands. Vezon followed behind, unnoticed.
"That's right," thought the deranged ex-prisoner. "Lead me to your secrets. Ah, this plan is so cunning it might almost be one of mine. And perhaps it will be before I'm done."
***
Far to the west, Pridak watched the fortress burn, and smiled at the sight. He had been fortunate since his release from the Pit. His captors had provided him with ships and the resources with which to raise an army. From the worst holes in the Universe, he had found ex-Dark Hunters, exiled Vortixx, even a Skakdi or two for his crews. Before Kalmah had even devised a battle plan, Pridak had sounded off without him on a voyage of conquest. It felt good. Good to sack and burn and destroy again. Good to feel the warm glow of the Lightstones on his body, even though his water-filled helm had kept him from smelling the wonderful smoke and stench of battle. He was back, and back to stay. His men had rounded the forces of the Makuta who occupied this place, but had found no actual Brotherhood member.
Now, as he surveyed his conquest, a few things captured his notice: the structure was not original, it had been rebuilt on the site of an earlier strong point. The lower levels were still incomplete, and it was while exploring them that he found a strange room. Deep below the basement was a room of rubble. The walls had been smashed, leaving only packed earth behind, and the remnants of those walls were littered around the floor. Intrigued, he picked one of the pieces up, only to find there was an inscription on it. The symbols made no sense to him and he was about to throw it away, when he noticed that another piece also had such an inscription. In fact, all the pieces did. There was some sort of message here, or there had been, he realized. Someone had tried to destroy it by shattering the walls, but the message was still here for someone who had the discipline to decipher it. And if someone had thought whatever information it contained worthy of destruction, it must be quite interesting indeed. With the infinite patience of a born hunter, Pridak began to assemble the stones.
Chapter 6
Axonn was drowning. The greenish-black fluid filled his mouth and lungs before he could react. His mighty arms flailed about, trying to find something to grab on to, and failing. As he sank further toward the bottom, Axonn knew that here, in the birthplace of the Makuta species, he was going to die. Then he was suddenly rising rapidly up through the murky liquid. A strong hand had a hold of him and was yanking him away from his fate. A moment later he felt the hard stone of the floor beneath him. He choked and gasped. When the colors finally stopped swirling in front of his eyes, he looked up at his rescuer. Brutaka floated three feet off the floor. Green fire crackled from his eyes and the tips of his fingers. His armor had cracked in numerous places as the tissue it covered expanded. An aura of pure power surrounded him, so bright that Axonn had to raise a hand to protect his sight.
"Axonn," said Brutaka, "we are glad to see you have survived."
"We? Brutaka, what's happened to you?"
"I... we are the essence of the Makuta species. We know what they were meant to know, but have forgotten. We see the error. The flaws. So much to repair; but it cannot be done."
Axonn stood, axe at the ready. He knew the effects the Makuta Antidermis had on Brutaka. Absorbing it somehow made him stronger, but he had never seen or heard anything like this. It was Brutaka's body and Brutaka's voice, but the words had not come from his old friend.
"Spherus Magna, the shattering," Brutaka muttered, seemingly more to himself than to Axonn, "The three that must be one; the two that must make them one."
Brutaka abruptly reached out and seized Axonn's arm in a grip of iron. His touch burned, but Axonn fought back the urge to scream.
"He must remember, he must be made to see, or the journey of 100,000 years will be for nothing. He hides beneath, preparing to meet his destiny. We must go there, we must right the wrong. So many wrongs before the shattering can end."
***
Ancient climbed a low-rise, stepping carefully to avoid tripping over the rubble that was once a Xian factory. He had been searching for The Shadowed One for the better part of an hour. They were supposed to be discussing the defense of the city, but the Dark Hunter leader was nowhere to be found. He was concerned. Toa Helryx had asked Ancient, her spy within the Dark Hunters, for regular reports on the state of things at Xia and The Shadowed One's actions. She fully expected a Brotherhood of Makuta attack on the island, and he was already overdue with his latest dispatch. Ancient reached the top of the rise. The first thing he saw was The Shadowed One, standing amid a pile of debris. He was holding a small chest, which was open, and staring at the contents with a nasty smile on his face. As Ancient drew closer, he noticed two other things: a dead Vortixx on the ground, his face encased in Crystalline Protodermis; and just what was in the chest: three vials.
"What have you found?" asked Ancient, "And why would a Vortixx be foolish enough to challenge you for it?"
The Shadowed One looked up, surprised. Then seeing it was Ancient, he visibly relaxed.
"A most amazing thing," he said, "Have you ever heard of Makuta Kojol?"
Ancient nodded. He knew the story from the Order of Mata Nui: Kojol had been visiting Xia to discuss having a virus added into a weapon the Vortixx were building for the Makuta. During his visit, he was "accidentally" killed by a different virus. Except it was no accident, but an Order operation to remove him.
"He brought a number of viruses with him when he came to Xia," The Shadowed One continued, "some were never found. The story was they were incinerated along with his armor. But they weren't, and I have found them."
Ancient tried not to look as worried as he felt. Weapons like this in the hands of the Dark Hunters was a disaster in the making.
"Excellent," he said, "We could ransom these for a good price."
"Ransom them?" said The Shadowed One, "No, no, I intend to make use of them. I will learn what they are and what they do, and then Helryx and the Makuta will answer to me! But I will need time... a great deal of time and privacy to work. No one must know I have them. That is why the Vortixx here had to die. And it's why..."
Two beams of power lanced out of The Shadowed Ones' eyes, striking Ancient. The veteran Dark Hunter vanished, disintegrated by the force of the blast.
"Apologies, old friend," The Shadowed One said, "but you know the old saying: 'A secret shared is no longer a secret.'"
***
Vezon stalked through the halls of the fortress of Destral, following Makuta Tridax and doing his best to remain unseen. The walls of the ancient structure shook from a ferocious pounding: the Order of Mata Nui had launched its attack on the Makuta base at last. His mission was simple, purposely so that even his deranged mind could keep it straight: He was to follow Tridax, find the means the Makuta use to teleport their island from place to place, and then disable it. He would then be most likely killed by Tridax, but then no plan was perfect.
At first it seemed like all was proceeding as expected: Tridax made his way to a sub-basement, seemingly oblivious to being followed. At the bottom of the basement was a massive chamber. What waited within that chamber staggered even the deeply disturbed Vezon. The walls towered forty feet, all around. Lining them were stasis tubes, close to one-hundred. And each tube was occupied by an identical figure. A few had armor of jet-black, most white-and-gold, but it was obvious they were all the same being. They were in some kind of stasis. Tridax walked to the center of the room, where a small table sat. On the table was a Kanohi mask. Tridax reached for it, then suddenly whirled and hurled a blast of Shadow at Vezon. Before he could dodge, the shadow had pinned him to the wall.
"Did you think I could not hear your clumsy attempt to follow me?" said Tridax, "Very well, Skakdi trash. You want to learn the most powerful secret of Destral? You want the satisfaction of knowing what hides here before you die? Look around."
Vezon did, but he didn't learn anything more by doing that.
"Quite a collection," he said, "I prefer sea-shells, myself. Sometimes leaves. Oh, and the heads of my enemies, though those take up so much space."
Tridax smiled and held up the mask.
"Do you know what this is? A Kanohi Olmak, the Mask of Dimensional Gates. One of only two known to be in existence. Not long ago, my fellow Makuta Mutran and I began experiments to develop a creature called a Shadow Leech; a creature that could drain the Light of others and turn them into beings of Shadow. That was what sparked my idea. I knew the mask could reach not only other places of this dimension, but other realities as well. And so I have begun traveling to those other realities and collecting the Toa Takanuva of each, bringing him back here, and feeding his Light to my pets. When I am done, I will have an army of Shadow Toa, all made from the most dangerous enemy of the Makuta."
The walls shook again.
"I think you'd better hurry up and finish then," suggested Vezon.
"No need," said Tridax. "I have only to release the Shadow Takanuva I have already made, and they will dispose of the attackers. And then I can go back to work in earnest. And then I can..."
Tridax stopped at the sound of crystal shattering. Startled, he let his Shadow power lapse. Vezon slumped to the ground, but not before he saw the Makuta looking at his arm in horror. Something was dissolving his armored gauntlet before his eyes, and his Antidermis was leaking out into the air. Two beings stepped out of the shadows. One was a Matoran, the other another species, very tall and very dangerous in appearance. He looked at the Makuta and laughed - a harsh and malicious sound.
"The most dangerous enemy of the Makuta?" said Tobduk, "Get ready, you're just about to meet him."
To be continued in Brothers In Arms part 6.
Chapter 7
Toa Helryx, leader of the Order of Mata Nui, picked her way across the remains of a battlefield. She was on the beach of the island of Nynrah, site of a struggle between the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Order. After a long and furious battle, the Order had won - driving the Brotherhood forces from the island or crushing them on the beach. Now she wandered the sands, occasionally picking up a piece of Rahkshi armor, studying it for a moment and then discarding it.
There was a method to her madness. Using her Mask of Power, Helryx could read the past of an object simply by touching it. Her goal here was simple; Rahkshi were created using a powerful substance called Energized Protodermis. The Order wanted to know every source of that substance used by the Makuta so they could capture or destroy those sources. Without them, no new Rahkshi could come into being.
So far, all the ones she had identified here were sources the Order already knew about. Still, it was worth the effort. It would be far easier to defeat the Brotherhood by cutting off their source of power, rather than beating them in battle.
She picked up a piece of crimson Rahkshi armor and called on the power of her mask. This time, she saw a place she did not recognize: Makuta Chirox was there, and a silvery pool, but not just any pool, no, this one had a figure emerging from it: a being actually made of Energized Protodermis. She concentrated hard and the location came to her: an island just north of the one her newest ally came from.
Helryx dropped the piece of armor and turned to Keetongu. The Rahi had reluctantly agreed to break off his efforts to save the victims of Visorak long enough to help in the war. In return, Helryx had promised him the Visorak would never again be a threat to anyone else.
"We have to go," she said, "there's another source."
It was a short journey. Their destination had at first seemed uninhabited, but that illusion didn't last long. Helryx spotted... things skulking among the rocks. They weren't Matoran, or Rahi, but looked like something in between. The overall feeling was that something was very wrong here. The air, the ground, the inhabitants - all felt off, somehow, in a way that obviously made Keetongu uneasy. There were no buildings on the island... none left standing, anyway. The most prominent feature was a large cave. Helryx and Keetongu entered cautiously. The passage narrowed considerably once they were a little ways in, forcing them to crawl to make any forward progress. Helryx couldn't help but think how easy it would be to get trapped in here.
As the passage widened again, Helryx saw more creatures. These obviously were Rahi beasts, but not like anything she'd seen before. They were short, pale bipeds, with large yellow eyes and spindly arms and legs. They backed away and moved to the side as she and her ally passed. But as soon as the two had moved on, they assembled into a group and followed close behind.
Helryx and Keetongu came to a huge chamber. In the center of it was not a pool of Energized Protodermis, but an actual lake of the stuff. And rising from the center was the figure of a living being. A head, two arms, a torso ending in the lake itself. Its features were barely there, and its substance was the silver color of Energized Protodermis. The sight triggered a memory. An agent on Metru Nui had reported that Turaga Vakama had once mentioned an Energized Protodermis Entity his team had fought when they were Toa Metru. Could this be the same being?
"I have been expecting you." said the figure, "I have felt your kind at work in my pools throughout this universe. Destructive, but ultimately futile. Cap one source of my substance and it will emerge somewhere else."
"Then we will destroy it there, too." Helryx answered. "What are you?"
"I am creation and destruction," the Entity answered, "I am the power to transform and to destroy; I am every drop of Energized Protodermis that exists, and every drop is me. I am as far beyond you, creature of armor and tissue, as you are beyond an insect."
"And your purpose here?" asked Helryx.
"I did not choose to come here," the Entity replied, "I lived in the core of a planet, until one day a portion of my substance forced its way to the surface. It did not take long for the inhabitants of that world to discover my power; or to begin warring over it. But some of what makes up my form was taken and placed inside this universe, and so escaped before cataclysm overtook that world."
"And now?" said Helryx.
"Now I experiment on the creatures and things I find around me," said the Entity, "I have even let others make use of my power if I found their intentions intriguing enough."
"You have helped create beings that have brought terror and death to thousands," said Helryx. "It has to stop."
"Is a weapon responsible for the actions of the one who wields it?" asked the Entity.
"Perhaps not," said Helryx, "but a weapon can be broken and so never used again."
A soft sound that might have been laughter escaped from the entity.
"I have met your kind before. So confident in your power to contain me, control me, or destroy me. You are no more than Stone Apes reaching for the stars, believing you could extinguish them if only you could get them in your grasp."
The lake began to boil and churn; a huge wave of Energized Protodermis rose up behind the Entity, so wide it spanned the whole chamber, and began to speed across the surface towards Helryx and Keetongu.
"Transformation, or destruction," said the Entity. "Which will be your fate? Let us find out, together."
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