Trial of Iron

"I'll continue because I know that I can beat you six... I'm a Toa... and I won't let you do these tests to any other being. This I swear."

- Iro, Fractures

Fractures is the second installment in the Fractures Epic Series by BZPower and C.I.R.C.L.E. member Iro.

Prologue
Netruhl, Toa of Earth, was bored out of his mind. The black and silver-armored Toa Cevil was not used to this much... nothingness. Ever since he; Inquer, Toa of Light; and Ujama, Toa of "The Green", had defeated that three Makuta team that tried to attack the Central City, there was not very much to do. ''And that had been what? A hundred years ago?'' Peace was good, he knew, but surely something had to happen somewhere that was cause to call upon him. Being stuck as a village guard in the Green Region was agitating. He sheathed his sword and brandished one of his twin daggers. Looking at a faraway tree, he threw the weapon at the plant. "Bullseye..." he muttered as the dagger buried itself in the tree's trunk. It was not as if this were the first time he had tried that, though. In fact, this was about the... hundredth? Netruhl no longer kept count. He turned his head to a sound coming from the west. He grimaced to see that it was only Inquer. "I was expecting someone else..." he said, disappointment in his voice. "Sun's almost down," the white-armored Toa replied. She smiled softly. Inquer understood the pain of boredom in her brother; it was a pain she, too, shared. "Ujama's already heading back to the village." Netruhl nodded. It was true; the sky to the west was a dark, warm orange, heralding the sun's setting. "He's been quiet lately," the Toa of Earth said. "I mean, back with the Toa Ryhmä, he wasn't much of a talker, but still..." "I get it," Inquer replied. "Even for him, it's a bit weird. Although... it's not like there's a lot to talk about. No real news from the other regions and no threats from the shadows." The Toa of Earth frowned behind his Kanohi Uhi. The shadows.... Ever since the First Shadow had fallen at the hands of the Toa Cevil, the relationship between the three had felt a bit... strained. Maybe it was just the trauma of the situation. After all, Avira, Qestes, and the other Toa Ryhmä - the first guardians of Uteara - had all been brutally murdered, leaving just Tyverus, a Toa of Fire, Pothyn, a Toa of Stone who had disappeared during the confusion, Netruhl, and Ujama as the only Toa from that team still alive. Inquer, a rookie Toa of Light, had joined their team later when they became the Toa Cevil. "Do you think he's really dead?" Inquer asked her brother. Despite being only a year younger than Netruhl, the Toa of Light acted a lot like a little sister to him. "Tyverus?" Netruhl said. "Uh..." "Not him... the Shadow." "I don't know, Inquer...." Netruhl said uncertainly. "Ava-xar said to watch our backs regardless of whether we think he's dead or not." "And you think he's not?" "Like I said, I don't know. I hope he is, though. Beings like him don't deserve to live after actions like what he committed." The First Shadow was once a Toa of Shadow that was a part of the Toa Ryhmä. His name was never to be spoken again by the Toa Cevil, as his betrayal was so shameful. At first, he was kicked off of the team because he had stabbed Pothyn in a rage. After a debate between Tyverus, Avira, and the Shadow, it was decided that he leave the team for the benefit of all. The Shadow did not take it well, transforming into a monster and attacking the Central City. His legions were defeated by the Toa Cevil with the assistance of a species that dwelt in the Volcanic Sector, the Atreu. A rustling sound could be heard coming from the north. Ujama was supposed to be south of the two Toa's current location. Sunfall was almost over... who could be traveling at this time of day? As Netruhl unsheathed his sword, he and Inquer found out the answer to that question. The being was fairly tall, standing nearly two bio in height. His armor was a scarlet and black suit that looked like it was a creation of the shadows with the dark orange hues reflecting off of the armor. His body shape was similar to a Toa's, but had noticeable differences, such as the clawed feet and hands, and the scales on his limbs. Most distinctive was the being's head, looking somewhat like a Rahi alligator's. It was entirely black from neck to nose, and had rather large teeth sticking out of its' mouth. Its' eyes were a blood-red that were expressionless, being impossible to read. In its' left hand, it carried a jet-black mace, the head of which was covered in razor-sharp spikes. "Inquer, stay back," Netruhl whispered. "Are you crazy?" the Toa of Light shot back. "First time in a thousand years that I see a guy that looks dangerous, and you want me to just stand by while you have all the fun? Yeah, right." Before Netruhl could warn her, she hurled a bolt of Light in the being's path. To both of the Toa's surprise, he merely glanced backward, as if daring either to attack again. After a second or two, he began walking towards the general direction of the village of Ota-Koro. "Hey, buddy!" Inquer called out. "Didn't you get it? You're not supposed to be traveling after sunfall!" "Are you to force me to obey you?" the being said silkily. As the Toa had a better look at it, they realized that it was a member of the Atreu species. "Sooner shall I offer my head on a platter, Toa." "Listen..." Netruhl muttered. "While I don't agree with her methods, such as attacking and yelling at whoever she sees, she has a point. We don't allow travel between regions after sunfall. So we have a problem, you see." "What problem is this?" the being asked. "Am I causing any harm? Do you see your village quaking in fear before a mere traveler? I am just one being whose intentions are innocent." Inquer glanced at the stranger up and down. "You don't look very innocent to me. You're armed." "Are you not?" Netruhl frowned. This being, whoever he was, came across as intelligent, perhaps only being armed for his own protection. After all, Inquer attacked him at first sight. It was possible that this stranger had faced a similar situation before. "All right," the Toa of Earth said. "I'll let you go. Head to where you need to be and don't try this again, and we won't have a problem. Sound fair?" The stranger nodded. "Very well. No problems shall I cause...." He turned to continue walking when he looked as if he had a realization. He glanced back at the two Toa. "Toa Cevil Netruhl and Inquer, am I correct?" "Yeah..." Netruhl said. How had he known that? "You know us?" "Not in a personal matter, but rather, I know of you." "Oh?" Inquer asked. "How?" "You are my targets," the being said softly. After a fraction of a second, he swung his mace at Netruhl's head, then at Inquer's. Instantly, the two Toa slumped to the ground, unconscious. The being grabbed each by the heel as he began to walk northeast, toward the Isle of Kehtyva. Zha-xar did not smile at the easy defeat of two powerful Toa. He merely dragged their bodies to his boat. With a single action, he thought, ''the future shall change forever. Perhaps time is to tell if that is for the better...''

Chapter I
Toa Iro, it could be said, was very annoyed. Not a day ago, he had received a letter that told him he was being sought out to be a possible fourth member of the legendary Toa Cevil, the original heroes of Uteara. Naturally, the Toa of Iron leaped at the opportunity. He would prove to be a valuable asset to the team; he was a novice, yes, but his control of his elemental power had been improving each day, and he had already discovered that his mask was the Kanohi Eniden, the Great Mask of Knowledge. So where were the Toa Cevil? He had arrived an hour before the appointed time to meet them, but it had been two hours since then. He had not seen Ujama, Inquer, nor Netruhl. Was this a joke by Juthron or Rezaxis? The two were known for pulling stuff like this when Iro was a Fe-Matoran. If it is, it's a seriously messed up one, he thought grimly. I've been standing here for how long? He grimaced as his stomach growled. He had not eaten anything since sunrise, which was about six hours ago. ''No sign of anyone.... I swear, those two will pay for making me wait in this barren for so long.'' Still, the idea of joining his heroes was one that he would not let go of. What if the three had simply ran into some trouble and had to help someone out or something? That was a possibility, he supposed. Iro rested his axe and shield on the ground. After a few minutes, he sat down on a nearby rock and sighed heavily. Being all alone in the Great Barren of Uteara was not very pleasant; it was scorching, and there was no life for kio. Although, it was only about an hour walk from the northern part of the Central City, where Iro and his friends lived. The Toa of Iron could not help but to question his own nature. Since his transformation, there had been no threats to any part of Uteara. The place was peaceful, nothing to worry about here. He should have been more grateful, he knew. The only "trouble" he had seen was the time when a few Skakdi thugs were harassing his friend Braxel, a Matoran of "The Green". At the sight of a Toa, though, they fled. "Takuma told me this was a prank," he muttered to himself as he stood up. "Should've listened to him..." "Why?" a voice asked. "So hard was it to entice you to come to this place, Toa." Iro whirled around, expecting to see the three Toa Cevil standing behind him. What was really there was something entirely different. There were not three beings, but six. Each of them were taller than the Toa of Iron, but were nothing like he had ever seen before. The first was just about the ugliest thing Iro had ever seen. It was a tall avian being that was green and brown in color. However, the colors were not the healthy hues of a Toa of Air or Stone, no, no. The green was the same as that of a washed-out, diseased plant, while the brown was in the shade of a dead leaf. Its' head looked to be a twisted, mangled combination of a bird and reptile, its' teeth a disgusting black, and its' eyes a dull gold. The being had no arms, just two large black wings. A mark was on its' forehead: I. The second looked something like a Toa, if not bulkier and stronger. Its' armor was gold, completely gold. Its' arms were crossed and a smirk rested on its' face. Its' eyes were an acidic green in color, the only part of the being that was not gold. On its' forehead was a similar mark to that of the first being's: II. The third was a blood-red and black in color. It was extremely large, towering over the rest of the six. It wore a helmet and had flaming chains wrapped around its' torso. Its' eyes carried a certain quality that looked like the being was eager to snap someone in half. It, like its' companions, had a symbol that was glowing on its' head: III. The fourth was a crimson and white being with the head of a serpent. It had a slight hunch, but still looked like it would be a formidable opponent in a fight. It carried a double-sided hook that looked strong enough to rip off a being's jaw. Iro had the strangest feeling that that was the weapon's actual purpose. The being was lean, built for both speed and endurance. The mark on its' forehead read: IV. The fifth being was solid black in color, with no features able to be seen from a distance. It was skinny with two small dark green eyes that glowed in an unhealthy light. In a certain light, pieces of its' body would glow a ghastly green. Its' arms ended with deadly sharp claws. The symbol V rested on its' forehead. The sixth provided some normality to the group. It looked like a Toa, like the second being, but had a certain ominous quality. Its' armor was merely in shades of grey, and its' eyes were a bright red. On its' chest was the symbol VI. "What... what in the world are you guys?" Iro breathed. The six beings spoke as one. "We are the Faces of Death. You, Toa Iro, are now our prisoner. To escape this cage, you are to defeat the six of us in combat." A rumbling could be felt as cliffs erupted from the ground, sealing the seven inside of it. The sky above turned to a dull grey. "One of us shall fight you at a time. The environment is to change with your opponent. Do you agree to battle the Faces of Death?" "You haven't given me a choice here, have you?" Iro muttered. "I'll take you down if I have to." "So be it," boomed the Faces of Death. One by one, five of the six began to fade away, leaving only the avian entity with the I symbol on its' forehead. "I am Poison," it said. "Welcome to the void, Toa Iro." All around, dead trees began to sprout from the ground. Vines acted like snakes, trying to wrap around Iro's arms and legs. Iro gulped. He supposed that it would be a challenge to defeat this Poison, but if the environment was to be in its' favor... Don't think about it, he told himself. ''You're a Toa now... suck it up and take down this ugly excuse for a bird.''

Chapter II
Netruhl awoke with a start. The first thing that he noticed was that he was not in Ota-Koro... or anywhere in the Green Region at all. He was in a chamber of sorts, metal roof and walls surrounding him. He glanced to his left to see Inquer on a cot a few feet away from him, in chains. The Toa of Earth attempted to move only to see that he, too, was bound. "Inquer!" he called out. "Are you all right?" "Netruhl?" she asked weakly. The Toa of Light turned her head and locked eyes with her friend, a small smile on her face. "Are we going to get out of this?" "Yeah... yeah, we are, Inquer," the Toa of Earth said, his tone radiating confidence. "I'm sure that Ujama will help us if we don't get out ourselves." A female's laugh sounded in the room, but neither Toa could move enough to see the source. "I doubt either of you will escape what is to happen." "Who are you?" Netruhl growled. "Show yourself!" A figure walked next to the Toa of Earth. To his shock, it was a Makuta, armor black and navy. In her right hand was a black flail, while her left arm was entirely robotic, ending with a pincer of sorts. Her mask was a dark blue, looking somewhat animalistic. "I... am Makuta Tora," she hissed. Her voice sounded like how Inquer imagined a viper's would; it had all of the same qualities, at least. "Welcome to Kehtyva. Your friend Ujama will not be here to save you." "How do you know?" Netruhl shot back. "Ujama will go to the ends of this world to find us once he knows we've disappeared." "We were sure that was the case," Tora said. "So we pointed him in a different direction. He believes he is on his way to save you. He is truly on his way to his grave, far from here, to the west of the Great Barren." "Who's 'we?'" Inquer asked. "You shall know when it is time," replied Tora. The Makuta extended her robot arm and clamped the pincers around Inquer's neck. "Netruhl...?" the Toa of Light said fearfully. She was somewhat amazed at how, but a few seconds ago, she believed escape from her chains would be achieved so easily. "It will hurt for but a few moments," Tora said. Shadow energy poured from the robot arm into Inquer. To one such as her, a being of Light, the effect was not just painful, it was sheer agony. She screamed as the energy began to drain her inner Light, replacing it with darkness. "Inquer!" Netruhl cried, struggling to free himself from bondage. "Inquer!" Tora chuckled softly as the Toa of Earth's rage began to destroy his proper thinking. Did the two possibly have a closer bond than most others? Was this more painful for Netruhl than it would for, perhaps, Ujama? She halted the energy flow into Inquer. Her armor, once a brilliant white, was now a dark grey. "She is alive..." the Makuta whispered. "However, the Inquer you once knew, Toa Cevil of Earth, is forever gone, consumed by the darkness. You shall soon follow suit." Netruhl shook his head. "Kill me now," he growled. "Fool!" Tora laughed. "You think there is a choice for you? You are to share your friend's fate. To the darkness with you, as well." With those last words, Tora extended her robotic arm and poured the shadow energy into Netruhl. ______________________________________________________________ Ujama was worried. As he combed the Green Region for any sign of Netruhl or Inquer, he began to have the strangest feeling that he would not find them. Still, the Toa Cevil of "The Green" had a duty, a duty to find his friends. He used his machete to slice away thick plants, and his Kanohi Huna to stay invisible, so that a threat might not spot him. It had been hours since Ujama first left the village of Ota-Koro to search for his brother and sister. He began contemplating plans to search through the Volcanic Sector, then the Storm Sector. Wherever the two may have disappeared to, he would find them... or so he thought. After another fifteen minutes, the Toa of "The Green" could have sworn that he had heard his name being called. "Netruhl?" he called out as loudly as he could in a whisper. "Inquer?" "Toa Ujama?" the voice replied. "Is that you?" "Yes. Who is this?" Out of the brush came an Atreu, one that Ujama recognized as Zha-var. This particular Atreu had battled side-by-side with the Toa of "The Green" long ago, in the first days of Uteara. "Zha-var?" Ujama asked, confused. "What are you doing here?" "I am now to be called ‘Zha-xar’, my friend," the Atreu replied. "I come bearing news of your brother and sister." "Netruhl and Inquer?" the Toa of "The Green" replied. "Where are they?" "I apologize... I knew not of what was to happen... They were captured, Toa Cevil." "What? By whom?" "A Makuta, one you may know... Makuta Krevt," the Atreu hung his head. "I am most sorry, friend... I... I could not stop him." Ujama nodded. Zha-xar was a good guy, he knew. This Atreu made an art of honesty, never leaving his friends in the darkness. "You might not have, but I will. Do you know where Krevt was going?" Inside, the Toa of "The Green" was relieved to know that it was a familiar Makuta they were to face. Krevt, along with two other Makuta, once staged an attempt to take over the Central City. Krevt was defeated, but managed to escape. The two Makuta that did not, disappeared, although one was found dead the next day. "Makuta Krevt traveled in the direction of the territory west of the Great Barren, to the cliffs," Zha-xar replied. "Unfortunately, I cannot join you in pursuit, for reasons of my own." "That's all right," Ujama said. "We defeated Krevt in the past, and we'll beat him now." "I have faith, Toa." Zha-xar smiled and extended his fist in a Toa's salute. Ujama tapped his fist to the Atreu's, then broke off into a run. Krevt had a reputation of being violent; the Toa of "The Green" could not afford to stall anymore. Zha-xar sighed and shook his head. In truth, he liked Ujama. The Toa of "The Green" was a good person... but the Atreu had issues of his own that he had to deal with. ''Was sending Ujama to his grave the best idea, though? Krevt would carve up the Toa in revenge.'' I wish you good luck in your quest, Toa, the Atreu thought solemnly. The stars know you require it to survive.

Chapter III
Poison let out a shriek and took off, soaring high above Iro. The Toa of Iron muttered a curse as he used his axe to hack away the vines that tried to wrap around him. Eventually, the vines started moving too quickly for Iro to react, and began wrapping around his torso. They were ripped to shreds by razor-sharp spikes that formed on the Toa of Iron's armor. "Come on, you coward!" he yelled to his Face of Death opponent. "Is this a fight, or am I supposed to do your gardening for you?" A bolt of energy flew down toward the Toa, forcing him to scramble out of the way. The vines that were struck by the energy withered and died in a matter of seconds. Poison then shrieked once more, diving toward Iro. Before he could react, the avian entity flew above him, landing a glancing blow with its' left talon that sent the Toa tumbling toward the cliff wall. "Mock not the Faces of Death," Poison warned in a raspy voice. It flew over Iro, sending more bolts of corruption energy at the Toa. "For even one such as you shall meet a most... painful defeat." Iro responded not with words, but with a pillar of Iron that struck the Face of Death in the chest. The Toa of Iron then charged forward, jumped, and hit Poison with his shield. The vulture-like being fell to the ground. As it made it to its' feet again, Iro expected some sort of threat or curse. Poison merely let out a raspy laugh, one that sounded like that of a dying being's. "You fight with much heart, little one," it chuckled. "It shall be a shame to have to shatter such spirit." "I don't think so," Iro replied. "I'm one of the best fighters on Uteara." "And yet you are to die...." "But I do have one question - why am I here? What do you... Death Faces want with me?" "We are the Faces of Death, foolish child," Poison spat. "This is a test of your strength, your power, your will." "Wait... were you sent by the Toa Cevil?" "Our existence is only known by five other beings in the universe. Such a thing would be impossible." The two began to circle each other, waiting for the other to strike first. Iro decided to be the one who would, driving the head of his Iron Axe into Poison's chest. A sweeping kick and a blow to the head from the Toa's shield were enough to fell his enemy. Impossibly, Poison rose to its' feet once more. It charged forward, driving its' talons into Iro's chest. A swift movement ripped off the Toa's breastplate. With its' enemy distracted, the Face of Death spat a bolt of corruption energy at Iro. From a close range, it would almost certainly hit its' target. However, quick action from Iro resulted in a barrier of metal rising to the ground to protect the Toa. Another formed behind Poison, and after a few seconds, the two slammed together, the avian entity trapped in between. Iro rushed to check on his fallen opponent. Poison was badly hurt, but still alive. "Very good... Toa..." the Face of Death said, its' voice in short gasps. "The... first test... has been passed." All around, the dead and decaying trees faded away. The I symbol on Poison's forehead glowed in an intense white light. Suddenly, the light struck Iro in the chest. The Toa's wounds were healed instantly. "The second Face of Death you are to battle is Arrogance, to be recognized by its' golden armor. Be wary, for it is not to be as... merciful as I have proven to be." With that, the avian Face of Death faded from view, a muted shriek signaling his final defeat. Iro shook his head. Poison had nearly killed him... and he was only the first of six. That left a question in his mind: Will I manage to survive the next challenge? ______________________________________________________________ To the west of Toa Iro's recent showdown was a small territory claimed by a single being named Makuta Krevt. Most others thought this patch of land to be worthless; it was, after all, dominated by kio-high cliffs. Who would wish to scale them to reach the land all of the time? As it turned out, the "who" was Krevt. After a defeat at the hands of the Toa Cevil, the Makuta headed west and stumbled upon this empty patch of land. One-hundred years later, his grand fortress would be completed. By this time, he had already joined a mysterious faction called the Head of the Spear, and decided to make use of it. The territory was guarded by Rahkshi, Vahki robots, and himself. After some planning with another member of the Head of the Spear, Zha-xar, the two would set up Toa Ujama to be killed while Toa Netruhl and Inquer would be transformed into Toa of Shadow. Krevt was an odd example of a Makuta. Most of that species preferred to have black armor, as they were beings of shadow. Krevt's armor was a dark red and lime green, truly a unique case. His mask was an Amplified Kanohi Quarar, or Mask of Imitation, which allowed the Makuta to create an exact copy of most any being; powers, mask, and all. Krevt was not only one of the most brutal Makuta in existence, but he had a slight liking for torture. His acid-tipped spear and Acid Tri-Blade were useful for just that, burning through victims until they decided it was best to talk. He chuckled softly as he sensed someone approaching the fortress. Is that you, Ujama? he asked himself. I have looked forward to meeting you again for so long now... Using his chameleon ability, he changed his armor color to the same greyish hues of the stone and metal that his fortress was made of. After making a few preparations for his "guest", he magnetized himself to the roof of the chamber he was waiting in. It was to be ambush at its' finest. ______________________________________________________________ The Ta-Matoran named Takuma was extremely puzzled. He and five other Matoran - Reizac, Matoran of Sand; Rezaxis, Matoran of Plasma; Heithrix, Matoran of Magnetism; Vaa, Matoran of Water; and Juthron, Matoran of Gravity - had been summoned to the outskirts north of the Central City for an unknown reason. "Any idea who summoned us?" Reizac asked. Normally, one or two Matoran being summoned by Turaga Kohu or someone else was not strange, but six? Heithrix shook his head. "Maybe the same guy who asked for Iro?" "You mean that wasn't you playing a prank on him?" Takuma said. "No," Heithrix replied. "He's a Toa now; I've given up on the jokes for now." "Guys!" It was Vaa, pointing to the east. The others looked in that direction to see a figure approaching. It was a Toa of Stone, his brown-grey armor bearing the scars of a thousand years. His orange eyes glowed with fire. His left arm was limp, and his right leg a bit twisted. At the sight of the assembled Matoran, he smiled sadly. "Faithful Matoran..." he groaned. He stopped walking and began to fall. Moving quickly, Juthron and Rezaxis caught him before he could hit the ground. "Thank you..." he said to the two. "Who are you, Toa?" the Matoran of Plasma asked, resting the Toa on his back. "I... am Toa Pothyn... one of the Toa Ryhmä..." That was a shock. The Toa Ryhmä was a team composed of one Toa of each element, and was, in fact, the first Toa team of Murtua. They eventually split up and, unfortunately, most ended up being tragically murdered. "What did this to you?" Vaa asked. "The darkness..." Pothyn mumbled. "It... it has returned.... The Toa Cevil... they have been tricked... and are in danger..." Shock number two. Aside from Iro and the Cevil, there were not many Toa on Uteara; it was decided so many were not needed. After all, Glatorian acted greatly to uphold peace... and they usually caused less damage, as they lacked any powers. "What do you want us to do?" Takuma inquired. "We have to do something, right?" Pothyn coughed violently before speaking. His lungs had been damaged earlier in a battle. In response to Takuma's question, he nodded. "Uteara needs Toa to protect her...." Another heavy cough. "I do not think I will be able to see another day.... I have selected the six of you... for you are those the stars have dictated to become the next heroes of Uteara.... The dark... ness must be... stopped..." "Us?" Juthron laughed. "Heithrix is a bookworm, and Reizac can't fight to save his rear! I think the stars chose the wron-" A look from the beaten Toa of Stone silenced the Ba-Matoran. "As is my dying wish... you six are to become Toa.... Defend Uteara well, heroes... and know that I will be with you... always..." Pothyn extended his arm and a beam of power formed in his palm. Suddenly, light shot out in six different directions, each striking one of the Matoran. The six fell to the ground as the transformation began. One by one, they rose to their feet. The feeling was the same for all - shock and awe. "Are we... are we Toa?" Reizac asked, looking at his tan-and-grey armor with admiration. "I guess we are!" Heithrix gasped. His armor was primarily silver, but had smaller parts in red and blue. He hurled a bolt of energy at Rezaxis, and another at Juthron. The Toa of Plasma and Gravity were sent hurling toward each other. The two let out groans of pain and annoyance. "Payback for that ‘bookworm’ comment," he chuckled. "Guys..." Takuma was knelt down next to Pothyn, who was now a frail brown-armored Turaga. He noticed that the former Toa's heartlight was black. "He... he's... dead..." "He wanted us to stop the darkness..." Vaa said. "What do you think he meant by that?" "I don't know..." Takuma said solemnly. "But I know this - Uteara is in danger. The Cevil have disappeared, and Iro may soon share their fate. Regardless if we're novices or not... we're the new heroes of Uteara... we are the Toa Liiri!" Placing one hand on another, the six new Toa Liiri let out two simple words as one: "For Uteara!" ______________________________________________________________ From his perch, Makuta Vraal smiled. Pothyn had escaped Kehtyva, and it was this particular Head of the Spear member's duty to silence the Toa of Stone permanently. While the crimson and grey-armored Makuta did not have that opportunity, to kill six brand-new Toa was just enough to make up for that. Pothyn, you fool... he thought. You have merely increased the number of Toa to have died at my hands...

Chapter IV
"You have got to be kidding me..." Toa Ujama stared up at the enormous cliff face before him. At least a kio high, he estimated. This was an ideal position for a fortress, especially one for a Makuta. Krevt could simply teleport to the top, while most others would have to scale the cliffs if they wanted to enter the structure. Luckily, the Toa of "The Green" thought, ''I'm a Toa. I don't scale dangerous cliffs before trying out a few things...'' His first idea was to use some vines to act as a slingshot, but he doubted that he would make it all of the way to the top. There had to be another way... Climbing was the option he kept referring back to, but he also kept rejecting it. If he was to attempt to scale the cliffs and manage to not die, he would be in no condition to fight Krevt, who had Inquer and Netruhl hostage. Tyverus would have found a way... he reminded himself grimly. Ever since the Toa of Fire had died during the battle against the First Shadow, Ujama had been acting as the leader of the Toa Cevil. Neither Netruhl nor Inquer treated him with the same respect as they did with Tyverus, and perhaps he held some resentment to his fallen brother for that. ''But I'm not Tyverus... and maybe I have to accept that.'' Suddenly, a plausible plan formed in his head. He could summon a special type of vine that he nicknamed "Morbuzakh", and wrap it around himself. He could then use it to place himself on the edge of the cliff, no real energy being wasted. It was not as risky as it sounded; Ujama's Morbuzakh was an extremely durable breed, and its' vines were also long enough to possibly allow him to make it all, if not most, of the way up the cliff. Worth a shot... The vine exploded from the ground next to the Toa of "The Green". It gently wrapped itself around its' master and began to rise out of the opening. After about fifteen minutes, it stopped rising. It had reached its' limit. Ujama glanced up to see that the edge was only about six to nine bio away. Commanding the vine to toss him toward it, he prepared to stab his machete into the black rock of the cliff. Ujama grabbed onto an outcropping with his left hand, then stabbed his weapon into the rock about a foot or two above it. Satisfied with how his pace would be, he repeated the process until he was able to leap onto solid ground. The first thing he noticed was the small "greeting party" that was waiting for him. Three Rahkshi - a Lerahk, a Zirahk, and a Vorahk - and five blue-gold armored robots with silver pincer weapons. Ujama shook his head, thankful his energy was not wasted on the climb up to this place. The yellow Rahkshi Zirahk charged first, firing blasts of Heat Vision from its' eyes. Remembering the two weaknesses of this particular breed, Ujama dodged, then kicked the Rahkshi's staff out of its' hands while it was temporarily blinded. Now unable to use its' power, it fell victim to Ujama's machete, which cleaved off its' head in a single blow. The Lerahk and one of the robots were the next to fall, vines wrapping around them and crushing their torsos until they broke apart. "You think you miserable things are gonna' stop me from rescuing my friends?" Ujama asked, tossing one of the robots off of the cliff. The fall was so long that the Toa did not have the chance to hear the impact. The Vorahk, however, had other plans. It ran forward, staff ahead of it. Once the weapon came in contact with Ujama, it triggered its' Hunger power, absorbing the Toa's energy. Ujama broke away, only to be struck with an orb of power from two of the robots' weapons. Instantly, he felt the vampiric effect taking hold of him. He fought to stay standing, but could not and fell to his knees. The four remaining servants of Krevt moved forward, as if to finish Ujama off, but fell prey to a swarm of vines that began tossing them off of the cliff. The Toa of "The Green" shook his head clear and rose to his feet. He glanced at the Zirahk's head, which remained on the ground, staring back up at him. It crumpled as the Toa's foot landed on top of it. I'm coming for you, Krevt, Ujama thought. If you don't hand over my friends, the mercy that Netruhl showed you won't be shown by me. ______________________________________________________________ In the vast universe that was located around planet Murtua, there are many different types of beings. Some are heroes, selfless, righteous beings of justice that care for all, and live and die to preserve the peace. Others are villains, beings that only care of themselves, and will sacrifice anything and anyone to better themselves. These beings live and die only for themselves, usually finding that their lives must be cut short by the work of another villain. There are heroes, there are villains... and then there is a single being named Ulreq. This being is beyond good or evil, some would say. What he truly was could only been known by the shadows. The only title given to him was "Shadow Lord", Ulreq was truly a sight to see. He stood almost three bio in height, towering above most beings. His armor was jet-black and crimson, the standard colors for a being of Shadow. His hands ended in claw-like fingers that looked like a fusion of those of a Toa's, and the claws of a beast. His mask was unlike anything ever seen on Murtua. It was called a Ţevch, a mysterious mask, the power of which remained unknown. He frowned as he sensed the creation of new Toa. His connection to Uteara allowed him to sense what was happening in the land that was soon to be his. Has Pothyn managed to create a new team? Ulreq supposed that that was the case. The Toa of Stone had learned of what the Shadow Lord, the leader of the shadowed faction called the "Head of the Spear", was planning to do, some fault due to the stupidity of a Makuta named Wheicr, who was executed on the spot after Pothyn had landed on Kehtyva, the island fortress that served as a base to the organization. Methenor and Tora, two Makuta members of the Head of the Spear, nearly pounced at the chance of killing a Toa. The Shadow Lord, however, surprised them by handling Pothyn on his own. The Toa of Stone was badly defeated with what could be labeled as embarrassing ease. He had managed to escape, and when Ulreq had decided that he may have had a chance to live, he sent Makuta Vraal after him. Now he had to wait. It mattered not; Ulreq was patient. He would only execute his plans when he felt that it was the perfect time to have them put into use, be it a day or a century later than originally planned. Pothyn, my old friend, the Shadow Lord thought. One mistake you have now made shall be the demise of Uteara. ______________________________________________________________ Takuma watched as the newly-formed Toa Liiri began to dig a grave for the fallen Turaga Pothyn, the being responsible for the Toa of Fire and his friends' transformation. Reizac, Toa of Sand, unskillfully tried to use his elemental power to move grains of sand away to make the grave, but such a novice had a hard time doing so. Takuma did not know what to think. Admittedly, he was a bit jealous of Iro, who was transformed into a Toa of Iron a year prior to the Liiri's transformation, but he did not think of himself as ready for the job. He had to be now, he realized. Still, his condition had not been affected by the transformation. He knew that he had to be extremely careful now that he had power over flame. "So what do we do now?" asked Rezaxis, Toa of Plasma. "Find out what our masks do? Find some weapons to use?" "Why are you asking me?" Takuma replied. "I'm not the leader... am I?" There was a short silence. After a few moments, Reizac spoke up. "I think you should be, brother. Out of all of us, you might be the best qualified." "Until we find Iro, maybe?" Takuma asked, uncomfortable with an even bigger responsibility on his shoulders. "He's been a Toa longer than us; I think he could do a good job." Juthron, Toa of Gravity, nodded his head. "All right. 'til we find Iro... Where is he, though?" Takuma was about to respond when something made him turn his head to the west. Instantly, he spotted a blast of energy heading for the purple and black-armored Toa. Moving more quickly than he ever could have as a Matoran, the Toa of Fire tackled Juthron out of the way. The energy hit the ground in front of Rezaxis and sent him flying back a few feet. "What in the world was that?!" cried Juthron. "Not two minutes and we're being attacked?!" Takuma ignored his friend's outbursts and looked around. The attacker had to be somewhere... "There!" Vaa, Toa of Water, cried out. "He's over there!" She pointed to a lone, caped figure on top of a small cliff. It disappeared soon after the Toa Liiri began to come up with an idea as to why it might have attacked. Reizac looked around cautiously. It was a waste, unfortunately; he was sent sprawling into the sand by an unseen attacker. Rezaxis attempted to find the invisible being, but the stranger sent him falling onto the ground too. "Show yourself, coward!" Heithrix, Toa of Magnetism, taunted. "Or are you afraid that we'll beat you after we see you?" The attacker returned to visibility. It was a Makuta, armor grey and red. It wore a ripped-up cape that was black in color, and wielded a staff for a weapon. Its' crimson eyes regarded the Toa as if they were insects to be stepped on. "A coward is Vraal?" it asked, amused. "I think not. But if you insist, I suppose I should allow you to see the mask of your killer." A blast of water struck the stranger in the chest, knocking him off of his feet. It was Vaa, a smirk on her face. "I don't think you know who you're dealing with," she said. "We're the Toa Liiri." Twin lasers erupted from Vraal's eyes, scorching the Toa of Water's armor. "Yes, ‘Toa Liiri’, mighty heroes of a thousand seconds. I quake with fear." A flame bolt hit Vraal's weapon, knocking it out of his hands. Takuma and Juthron were on both sides of the Makuta. They had heard enough about this species to know that they had a great love for killing Toa. Vraal acted too quickly for the Toa, however. A stasis field formed around Rezaxis while Vaa fell to a sonic attack. Reizac tried to use his elemental sand power, but his inexperience made him hesitate long enough for the Makuta to gain the advantage needed to strike him. Heithrix found a quick usage of the element he supposedly commanded to be his defeat as he and Reizac slammed against one another until they were knocked out. Only Takuma and Juthron were left now. The Makuta surged forward, attempting to use his chain lightning power to force Juthron back. "Get back..." the Toa of Gravity muttered. "I'm warning you." He did not notice that his purple mask had started to glow. As Vraal stalked toward him, Juthron landed a solid uppercut to the Makuta's head. To both of the Toa's surprise, Vraal was sent rocketing upwards. Takuma's eyes widened. "Juthron, your mask power!" "Awesome..." Juthron said, stunned. "Now, if we can all find our mask powers in the next few minutes, this'll go by a lot better than it normally would have." "Not necessary, Toa." It was Vraal's voice, but coming from a different direction than where the Makuta hit the ground. About a few feet away was a figure, one that looked exactly like Vraal. His armor, however, was blue, white, and gold in color, making him look like a being of Light. His voice was a lot less angry and full of hate than Vraal's was. He wore no cape and wielded a warhammer. "I will take care of my brother." "Who are you?" Takuma asked. "I have no name as of yet." "Are you a Makuta?" The stranger smiled crookedly. "I am half of a Makuta... the better half, rest assured. Now go. Your friends remain in danger in Vraal's presence. We... er, he is a professional killer of Toa." Takuma did not pay attention to the last comment. He was already grabbing Vaa and Reizac as Juthron hauled Rezaxis and Heithrix to their feet. "Thanks for dealing with him," the Toa of Fire said. "We're just novices, you see." "I understand..." the Vraal lookalike replied. "You must leave now.... My brother in shadow is no longer stunned by your attack." The six Toa Liiri headed south, but the stranger cloaked them in an illusion, making it seem as if they were going north. Obviously, he cared enough for the Toa to not want them to see Vraal again. "I see you have a love for Toa, thing..." Vraal spat as he unsteadily rose to his feet. "I cannot say I am fond of your existence, not any more than I was." "An accident I was created from, yes," the vezon replied. "But I am still a being as you are." "If you were anything but what you are, I might have had some sort of respect for you. However, seeing that this is not the case, I shall destroy you as I have countless Toa." The Vezon-Vraal hurled a bolt of Light at Vraal. The Makuta stumbled backward and found himself victim to the other being's warhammer. He grunted as he hit the ground face-first. When he regained his bearings, he looked around for his attacker, but he had disappeared... The Toa were gone, and so was Vraal's vezon. He sent a telepathic flash to his sister on the Isle of Kehtyva, Tora. She would know of how to ease the Makuta's rage.

Chapter V
Iro rolled out the way as his golden-armored enemy used its' unique power to send a pillar of gold straight at the Toa of Iron. "Geez..." Iro muttered to himself. "I don't like these challenges... I'm nowhere near veteran-level when it comes to fighting yet." "Why do you believe we have made these challenges, Toa?" the golden Arrogance asked. Its' form mimicked that of the Toa of Iron's, but its' armor was solid gold and its' eyes glowed an acidic green. "There is to be a battle in the future that requires such skill." "With who?" Iro replied. "Are you guys trying to get me to do some dirty work for you or something?" "We do nothing so trivial, of course. You must realize that, after factoring out our names and appearances, we are not enemies of yours." "Aren't you? I can't tell with you trying to kill me." "Survival can be the best of teachers as opposed to schooling. The former's results are shown much more quickly... if you survive, of course." "Right. So you can make gold like I can make iron?" Arrogance shook its' head. "My powers vary with my opponent. I once faced a being that thought himself as all-powerful. He was nearly defeated, as his powers became my own." "What happened with him?" "We know not. He has disappeared for a long while. Rest assured, we shall find him in due time." "Well, maybe you should focus on him, and not me..." Arrogance shrugged, then used its' copy of Iro's elemental power to strike down its' opponent with a pillar of gold. One thing that it would leave the Toa to find out was that its' strategies in battle also varied with its' opponent. If Iro realized that, he might have been able to shorten the length of the fight. Iro grunted as he hit the ground. His Kanohi Eniden came off due to the impact. He then had an idea. Perhaps his Mask of Knowledge could help with this battle, he realized as he placed it on his face. Triggering the Eniden's power, the Toa began to scan and analyze Arrogance. After a moment, the Kanohi's "voice" rang in Iro's head. ''Error. Target cannot be scanned.'' "What in th-?" Iro said before he was struck by a fist of gold created by the Face of Death. "We are beyond the power of Kanohi masks, Toa," Arrogance chuckled. "I know of the power of your Eniden... and so I did not allow it to reveal my weakness." "Care to give a hint?" "Very well." Arrogance gave a shrug and its' form shifted back to its' traditional self. "'The key to defeating Arrogance is to defeat oneself,'" it said, sounding as if it were reciting some ancient lore. "To defeat myself?" Iro repeated. "How would I do that?" "When an opponent has beaten you in combat," Arrogance replied, "how was it that he did so?" "By hitting me in the head and knocking off my mask. You don't have a mask... do you?" The golden Face of Death smirked and shifted back to its' replica of Iro. "Perhaps I do... or perhaps not. Should you test this?" "Why not?" Iro charged forward and hit Arrogance with his shield. The Toa found himself on the end of the exact same attack, but he fell onto the sand. He rolled away as the Face of Death's gold axe came for his head. As Arrogance formed a dagger of gold in its' hand, Iro figured out his opponent's strategy: the Face of Death was keeping the Toa too off-balance to use his elemental power in any way that would require total focus, just as Iro was trying to do to Arrogance. The Toa ducked as the dagger whizzed overhead, then ran back a couple bio. As Arrogance charged forward, Iro commanded its' armor to shatter. After the Face of Death took a few steps, its' armor exploded into a thousand fragments, revealing its' golden skin. Its' acidic green eyes glowed with pride. "So you have learned..." it chuckled, "what my hint was meant to teach. You must not view the Faces of Death as the evils of others, Toa, but rather as the evils of thy self." Its' armor suddenly reformed, as if Iro's action had been rewound. "For the self is not only the greatest teacher, but the greatest flaw, and the greatest enemy of all. To defeat oneself is to defeat one's inner evil. Only then can a hero defeat the true evil of the world." Iro nodded. Arrogance's words were a bit too philosophical for him, but still managed to make sense. "Who's next?" he asked. But Arrogance was gone, replaced by a huge brute. It wore a horned helmet and had ebony and red armor. Its' swords were spiked on the blades. Its' bright red eyes looked down upon Iro as if the Toa was but an insect to be crushed. "Brutality is your next opponent, Toa," it growled, its' voice mingled with a noise that sounded like the crackling of flames. "Dare you continue?" Iro smiled grimly. "I think I'm ready. Bring it." ______________________________________________________________ Toa Xinlo muttered a curse as the knock on his door sounded again. Whoever was at the door was not going to give up until he met the Toa of Sonics, apparently. Unfortunately, Xinlo was in no mood to deal with anyone today, as he had almost found himself in a fight with a Toa of Iron named Iro in the day prior, and the whole ordeal was still on his mind. "I'm coming!" he yelled as he approached the door. He almost violently threw the door open... and immediately wished that he did not. "Who in the world are you?" he asked to his Skakdi visitor. "I am Promethius..." the Sansta-Skakdi of Plasma said, his red face curving into a devilish smile. "A... messenger, if you will." "Who's the message from?" Xinlo asked. "Oh, if this situation was not so complex, I may be entitled to reveal such information," Promethius chuckled. His dark orange eyes glowed with malice. "I can only state the message, you see." Xinlo gave a dramatic sigh. "And what would that be?" The Skakdi's fist collided with the Toa of Sonics' head, knocking off his blue Kanohi Kakama. As Xinlo stumbled backward, Promethius unlimbered a large, spiked club and knocked him off of his feet with a single swipe. A quick burst of Promethius' vision power completely disorientated the Toa. "Do not interfere, little Toa," the Skakdi of Plasma growled. "You have seen too many signs of what is to come already. Do not dare act on what you hear or what you think you know... or I swear that my next visit will not be so pleasant." With that, Promethius left, slamming the door behind him. With his strength, he accidentally tore it off of its hinges. Xinlo watched the entire thing in shock and pain. What I know? he wondered as he unsteadily rose to his feet. What do I know? He searched through his memory... and then it hit him. He had met a Makuta named Wheicr not too long ago, who had decided to tell Xinlo all of these things that did not concern him in the slightest. There was a great threat to Uteara, Wheicr claimed. An invincible evil that would consume all, he said. The Toa had to act before it was too late. Of course, a Toa named Vraal, who had killed the Makuta and then used his mask power, disproved Wheicr’s words. Vraal told Xinlo that Wheicr was a master of deception, a being who lied about his identity even when the situation did not call for such a thing. Trusting a Toa over a Makuta, Xinlo simply went back to his house and told some of his neighbors about what had happened. Then came the fight with Iro. The Toa of Iron claimed that even Makuta could tell a truth every now and again. He believed that the two Toa might be better off raising their guards a bit, but Xinlo scoffed at this and called Iro paranoid. An argument erupted, and if not for Toa Kara and Iro's friends, a fight may have broken out. "I hate it when Iro might be right," Xinlo muttered, placing his Kanohi Kakama back on his face.

Chapter VI
When Makuta Vraal arrived back on Kehtyva, he was still in just as foul of a mood as he was back in the Great Barren. His grumbling could be heard throughout the halls of the fortress. The Makuta threw open the door to Ulreq's throne room, but the Shadow Lord was not present. Zha-xar, Makuta Methenor, and his sister Tora stood there, as if they were expecting him. Methenor's bestial mask curved into a smile. His orange-and-black armor made for a haunting presence, even for a Makuta. "It appears that our little brother Vraal has had a few problems with himself." "We grow tired of your endeavors," Zha-xar said, sounding rather bored. "If you cannot defeat and subdue your vezon, Vraal, I am more than sure that Krevt or another would be delighted to do so." "Unnecessary," Vraal spat, as if the subject was not open for discussion. "I can destroy this pest myself. If I cannot, that shall be the day I resign." Methenor gave a roaring laugh. "I wager that those words shall come back to haunt you, Brother Vraal." A defying characteristic flashed in the Makuta's crimson eyes. "Perhaps a true wager is in order for this situation?" "Do not be a fool, brother," Tora said to Vraal. "Destroy it without wager." "I did not ask for you to speak, sister," Vraal growled, still looking at Methenor. The hunched elder Makuta's posture screamed of disrespect; even Krevt would have been able to tell. "What would be the stakes?" "If you destroy your vezon with evidence," Methenor explained, "meaning that I require its' head be brought to Kehtyva, I shall attack Ulreq once for no reason at all, and suffer the consequences. If you do not, you must resign from the Head of the Spear. You cannot speak of this to Ulreq or another, but must simply disappear in the night." Vraal shrugged. "You shall face Ulreq's wrath indeed, Brother Methenor." The orange and black-armored Makuta shook his head and chuckled. "Either that, or you shall look like the greatest fool on planet Murtua, brother. After all, what being cannot defeat himself?" ______________________________________________________________ Ujama entered Krevt's grand fortress with great caution. He gripped his machete tightly and triggered the power of his Great Kanohi Huna, allowing him to fade from view. Despite being invisible, the Toa of "The Green" moved extremely slowly. Krevt was the brutal sort, killing first and asking questions to corpses later. Against the one who had all but ordered his death, the Makuta would not dare to show mercy. Where are you, Krevt? the Toa of "The Green" thought. Where do you have Netruhl and Inquer? A dark laughter sounded throughout the fortress, coming from everywhere at once. It was Krevt... it had to be. "Show yourself, coward!" Ujama shouted, readying his weapon arm for combat. "Come out of the shadows that you hide in!" "I do not cower, Toa," Krevt's voice replied. With it coming from all directions at once, Ujama could not even guess where the Makuta was hidden. "This is an ambush. I am somewhere, and you simply know not of where. Dare you enter the chamber that conceals my presence?" As Ujama walked into the next chamber, one dominated by a large glass window that gave a view of all of Uteara, he deactivated his Huna. "I'm a Toa," his bold response was. "I dare a lot of things." Ujama's sharp scream filled the chamber as he felt acid burning through his flesh. Krevt's red-green form had appeared directly behind the Toa of "The Green", and his Tri-Blade had corroded away a patch of armor on Ujama's back. "You Toa are all too generic," Krevt chuckled, driving his blade further into Ujama's back. A sharp kick sent the Toa stumbling forward into a table, knocking both over. "The faults of one can be attributed to the rest." Ujama growled as he shakily made it back to his feet. "Then you don't know Toa that well," he countered. He charged forward, swinging his machete at the Makuta. Krevt blocked the weapon with his spear and kicked Ujama back nearly a bio or so. He then fired three rapid bursts of laser vision, followed by one of heat vision. The Toa of "The Green" fell back onto another table that was set up near the window. "Little Toa, lost and alone," Krevt hummed, partially to himself. "So foolish and so far from home. Your brother and sister have fallen to the shadows. Soon, you shall join them... or perish." "You're forgetting, Krevt," Ujama spat, "something very important. I'm a Toa... and I'm never alone." A humongous Morbuzakh vine exploded through the window and wrapped around the Makuta, threatening to shatter his armor in its' grasp. As soon as it appeared, it retreated through the glass, dragging Krevt with it. "Makuta, Morbuzakh. Morbuzakh, Makuta," Ujama muttered. "I'm sure the two of you will have a splendid time." ______________________________________________________________ The one thing that particularly annoyed Iro about his third Face of Death opponent, Brutality, was the fact that the giant stood more than two bio in height, giving it an advantage when it came to reach and overall strength. The command of fire and ability to absorb kinetic energy did not help ease the Toa of Iron's stress all that much, and neither did the two spiked swords that Brutality wielded. The towering giant of the Face of Death made for an extremely intimidating opponent. Its' scarlet helmet that covered its' face carried a rather obvious hint of menace. "So how about that hint?" Iro muttered as he dodged a chain of fire that threatened to wrap around him and melt his armor. "I'm supposed to win, right?" Brutality scoffed. "You are supposed to learn how to win. Even then, your victory is not guaranteed. This is more than a test of your power. It is a test of your will. Poison, Arrogance, Brutality, we are the simple battles. To defeat us is not as difficult as to defeat Anger, Fear, and Foreboding." "So no hint on how to beat you?" "Why would I do such a thing? Arrogance is what its' name suggests, which is why its' hint was revealed; it believed itself to be superior to you. I am not Arrogance, however. I am Brutality, the darkness within all living beings, the ability to commit acts of violence, the ability to murder, the will to be evil." "What do you mean? You Faces of Death are the bad parts of people?" Brutality smiled as it knocked the Toa of Iron into the sand with the flat of its' sword. "Now you begin to understand. Since Poison and Arrogance did not explain what they encompass, I shall. Poison is the ability to be corrupted. It is the grand tempter, its' hideous form revealing what your facade of ‘hero’ disguises. Arrogance is the evil of the self towards the self. It reveals how high beings regard themselves... and if one's arrogance is not defeated, he shall fall from the throne he believes himself to rest upon." Iro made it to his knees, but was sent crashing back to the ground face-first by Brutality's sword. The Toa tried to rise again, but was met with a devastating kick from the Face of Death that knocked the wind out of him. Before he could even react, Brutality grabbed his head and threw him at the cliff face. The impact created a spiderweb of cracks throughout the surface of his armor. "Enough... already..." Iro muttered, his breath coming out ragged. "I... need a break..." Unfortunately, there was none for the Toa of Iron. He had to use practically all of his energy, which was not much, to avoid being incinerated by Brutality's flames. He then rolled out of the way to dodge the Face of Death's left sword, then miraculously moved out of the way as the right sword impacted the ground. He dodged the first sword again, but was too tired to do anything against the second, and its' flat sent him sprawling into the sand. "Enough..." he gasped. "I've... had... enough..." Brutality still came for him. A solid punch to the chest was almost enough to destroy Iro's sternum, and a kick to the side surely broke a rib or two. And still Brutality continued. The Toa of Iron was barely conscious to see his left arm snapped at the elbow and his right knee shattered. "E... nough..." Iro pleaded. "Please..." He was as good as dead, he knew, but if the Toa of Iron was to go, he would take this Brutality with him. As the Face of Death crossed its' swords and placed their blades on Iro's neck, he willed the action to happen. An iron spike erupted from the ground. Moving too quickly for Brutality to react, it stabbed its' way through the titan's head. Its' eyes turned black and it slumped to the ground. Although it was dead, Iro felt that it was still staring back at him as he met its' dead eyes with his own. Suddenly, the III symbol appeared on Brutality's helmet. It glowed in an intense white light and struck Iro in the chest. Instantly, all of the damage caused by the Face of Death was erased... along with any trace of Brutality. In the titan's place was a dead being. It was white and red in color and loosely gripped a two-sided hook in its' left hand. Its' eyes were a dull orange, resting in a bone-white serpentine head. The mysterious being then started, forcing Iro to yell in surprise. It rose to its' feet and looked at the Toa of Iron with great curiosity. "Thrice you have succeeded," it said to Iro. "Anger is to be your fourth opponent." The clouds above turned black and thunder could be heard coming from everywhere at once. Lightning poured from the sky like rain. "With the defeat of Anger comes the answer to a question that you wish to be asked. Perhaps that is incentive to continue." Iro glanced at himself in amazement. All of the pain that Brutality had caused was gone, although he remembered it all with horrifying clarity. "Are you going to mess me up like Brutality did?" he finally asked. Anger shook its head. "Worry not; I am not so cruel. However, to defeat me is not to be so easily accomplished." "I'll bet," Iro said. "I'll continue, Anger. I'll continue because I know that I can beat you six.... I'm a Toa... and I won't let you do these tests to any other being. This I swear."

Chapter VII
I suppose Krevt has failed... Ulreq thought grimly as he sensed the Makuta's distress. ''How, I wonder, can a Makuta fall to a Toa, especially now? They cannot die so easily as I remember...'' Perhaps they had all just lost their intellect, the Shadow Lord supposed. Or, at the very least, Krevt had. This would force Ulreq to take matters into his own hands. He did not so much mind having to deal with Toa, but he disliked dirtying his claws with pointless murder. He was not, after all, the being who masterminded the destruction of the Toa Cevil. That was the result of a revenge-seeking Methenor, a foolish Wheicr, and a violence-loving Krevt. I suppose that a temporary distraction has had its' attention paid, he thought bitterly. Tora and Zha-xar were growing restless; they knew that the planned attack on Uteara was more important than three Toa trying to stop them. ''To think, my old acquaintance Ujama must see my face once more before his end. Perhaps, however, it is best to die in the arms of a friend than at the hands of a fool.'' Ulreq reached out with his mind and saw the world outside of the fortress walls. He focused until he saw a structure all the way on the other side of Uteara. As his vision cleared, he saw great cliffs of black rock and a small fortress resting on the top of the cliffs. Then with a thought, the Shadow Lord disappeared, just as Tora entered his throne room. ______________________________________________________________ The two beings circled each other warily in the center of the Great Barren. They were identical in appearance, each having a mask similar in design to the other, and their armor style almost exactly matched. However, one was a red-grey suit, and the other was a blue-white. The beings' weapons also differed; the red and grey-armored one wielded a deadly sharp staff while its' twin wielded a warhammer. In truth, these two lookalikes were the same being. Both had emerged from the Makuta named Vraal as a result of an error in an experiment. The red-armored being still identified himself as Vraal and took on his appearance and name. The other, however, emerged as a being with white and blue armor, lacking the Shadow that Vraal had within himself. Immediately, the second Vraal denounced the name that had been given to it and had caused many problems for its' shadowed counterpart. Eventually, the vezon of Vraal escaped the island fortress of Kehtyva, forcing Vraal to chase after it. Many battles had been fought between the two... and each one had ended the same way - Vraal losing. "That ends today, brother," the caped Makuta seethed. "Your death shall mark my freedom from these pointless endeavors." The enlightened Vraal shook his head. "I disagree. After all, I have defeated you six times in the past. What logic dictates that you shall defeat me on our seventh match?" "What logic is there?" Vraal laughed. "We are four Makuta, a reptilian Toa, and a being whose power rivals that of the Great Beings that dare to face off against an entire nation. We are the Head of the Spear, fool. We need no logic." "Again, I must not agree," the vezon snapped. Lightning crackled through its' form. Instantly, electricity coursed through his arms and struck Vraal dead-center. The Makuta flew through the air and landed in the sand, rolling several feet after impact. "I see where my missing powers have gone..." Vraal spat. "I was most curious as to why the lightning did not answer my call." "Yes, brother, we each have only twenty-one of the standard forty-two powers of Makuta. I know which ones I lack, however. I wonder if you have bothered to see what powers you do not have." Vraal did not respond with words. Instead, he focused a sonic attack through his staff, then ran up to his vezon, who was stunned, and attempted to stab his weapon through the Enlightened Makuta's armor. Vezon-Vraal, however, had other plans. He broke Vraal's weapon with a devastating swing from his warhammer, then created a flare right next to the Makuta's Kanohi mask. Temporarily blinded, Vraal stumbled backwards, finding himself prey to the weapon of his vezon. Unable to dodge the attack, he was sent crashing to the ground by a crushing blow from Vezon-Vraal. When Vraal's sight returned, he saw the warhammer of his enlightened half coming for his head. Despite being an entity of Light and justice, the Makuta realized, this vezon would not obey the Toa Code... it would kill other beings if it felt the need. I had better do the same... he thought bitterly. He moved out of the way to avoid having his head crushed by the weapon, then repelled his opponent backward with another sonic attack. A power scream sent the vezon stumbling onto the ground, and a solid punch to the face ensured that he would not rise. "Now, you mockery of a Makuta..." Vraal hissed, "I shall end your pathetic existence... and have your head displayed as a trophy on Kehtyva." He stabbed the head of his broken staff into Vezon-Vraal's chestplate, then ripped off a small portion of it, expecting the gaseous Antidermis that Makuta were composed of to leak out. Instead, he saw no gas... just skin. "What in the world...?" Vraal muttered. He did not have the chance to say anything else. His enraged vezon shoved him backward, then fired multiple bolts of lightning at him. Vezon-Vraal kicked him down onto the sand, then sent his warhammer crashing down onto his chest. The Makuta screamed in pain as bits of armor dug their way into his own skin. It was then that he realized another side-effect of the accident; the two pieces of Vraal were what the Makuta were intended to be - powerhouse versions of Toa. If I am to perish... he thought bitterly, ''be it by the hand of Ulreq. I shall not fall to myself!'' ______________________________________________________________ "It is good to see that you have made the trip intact," Methenor muttered to the new figure in Ulreq's throne room. Tora and Zha-xar both looked at the stranger curiously. "My friend, you claim to know the ways of Uteara?" the Atreu asked. The being who Zha-xar was speaking to was a rather tall being, about two bio in height. His head was like a serpent's with what appeared to be a crown or a crest resting atop it. He had four arms, two of which were extremely flexible and rested behind his back, folded up. His armor was a dark green, the shade of a poison, and his eyes were the same orange of a blazing inferno. "I do know some things about Uteara," the being Venom replied. "However, I require one thing for my services." "We have brought you back from exile," Tora growled. "What more do you require?" "It isn't anything you can't handle. All I need is this: the Guardian of Murtua, Cortez..." "Yes?" Methenor said, a bit annoyed. "I want his head on a stake," Venom said acidly. "He and Deccius were responsible for my exile... and I want both dead." Methenor and Tora both looked at each other and smiled viciously. Zha-xar rolled his eyes, as if he were above such matters. "We can arrange that," the Makuta said in unison. ______________________________________________________________ "Well, that takes care of that," Ujama muttered as he peered through the window of Krevt's fortress. The Makuta owner of the building was having his armor shattered by Morbuzakh vines somewhere below the fortress. Although, even with the defeat of Krevt, a question reared its' head. ''Where were Netruhl and Inquer if they were not here? Why would Zha-xar give the Toa of "The Green" false directions as to where his missing friends were? Was the misguiding intentional, or did the Atreu really see Krevt head in this direction with the other Toa Cevil?'' "I can answer your questions, brother..." a guttural voice rumbled from behind him. It sounded like a volcano right before erupting. "However, you shall place the blame on me, I know." Ujama slowly turned around, fear coursing through his system. Could it be...? As his eyes met the figure to which the voice belonged, he realized that it was. "Ulreq..." the Toa of "The Green" whispered in shock. "What are you doing here? I thought you were...?" "You believed that I was deceased," the Shadow Lord finished for him. "You are incorrect, as you can clearly see. Ava-xar, perhaps, gave you more hope than he wished he had." "Why are you here, Ulreq?" Ujama asked, readying his machete. Ulreq gave a slight twitch of his left index finger and the weapon shattered to bits. His sickly yellow eyes glowed in amusement. "I am here to deliver a message, one regarding your fellow Toa Cevil." "What did you do, Ulreq? Did you kill them like you killed the Toa Ryhmä?" "Oh, Ujama... you were always the most knowledgeable of your old group of fools. You realize what your brothers and sisters did not." "Yeah, that you're a murderer." "I have long since decided that pawns are to commit murder for me. Why should I, a being with more power than the Toa Cevil in a single fingertip, dirty my hands? However, an offer I have for you before I reveal the state of your brother and sister." "And what's that?" "Willingly join the Head of the Spear, Toa Ujama. Ignore your pathetic moral code and become a being of power. I shall even give you your home that is the Green Region to rule as you see fit. Do this, and I shall restore Netruhl and Inquer to proper health. Do this, and all of your problems shall vanish. Any disease or ailment shall leave you; all negative emotions shall be forever gone. Join me, brother... and become an immortal king." Ujama moved his head upward, as if he were deep in thought. After a few seconds, he stared at his old enemy straight in the eyes. "You know, that's a really nice offer, Ulreq," he said. "I mean, a lot of Toa would go for that. Hey, if I were five-hundred years younger, I would have gone for that. A king? No problems? No worries? No sane being would reject that." The eyes of Toa of "The Green" flashed with a certain reckless quality. "But then again... I'm a Toa. Sanity's not on our resumé." Tendrils of the Morbuzakh vines erupted through the ground and wrapped around Ulreq's legs. Vines grabbed the Shadow Lord's arms, neck, and chest, threatening to crush him as they did to Krevt. As soon as Ujama willed them to kill Ulreq, they all withered and died. Krevt flashed into existence next to the Shadow Lord, battered, bruised, and extremely angry. "Perhaps you are insane, my old friend," Ulreq said. He paused for a moment. "Netruhl and Inquer have been transformed into Toa of Shadow, forever enslaved to the Head of the Spear. Even now, they are carrying out our wishes... as you perish." He stuck out his arm and fired a bolt of vampiric energy at Ujama. However, the result was not what the Toa nor even Krevt would have expected. The attack did not absorb the Toa's energy or strength... it absorbed the very thing that made him a hero - his Toa Power. As Ulreq absorbed and destroyed the Power, Ujama's form began to stumble around, eventually falling to the floor. The body of the Toa of the "The Green" began to change, his limbs shrinking, and his torso becoming hunched. After the process was over, Toa Ujama was gone, replaced by a small Turaga whose eyes shut behind his Noble Kanohi Huna. That was not enough for Krevt. The Makuta focused a bolt of lightning through his spear, which struck the ground in front of the unconscious Turaga. Ujama's body flew through the air and violently struck the back wall. "Seeing how our friend is now a pathetic Turaga," Krevt muttered, "that should have killed him." Ulreq struck Krevt in the chest with his fist and the Makuta faded away, sent back to Kehtyva. It should have, the Shadow Lord thought, fading away from view, ''however, Krevt, you have made too many miscalculations in the past. Therefore, I shall prevent you from making yet another.''

Chapter VIII
"What is it?" Krevt asked, glancing at Venom up and down. "Surely, you do not wish to have this... creature join the Head of the Spear, Ulreq." The Shadow Lord shook his head. "It is you, at this moment, who I regret inviting to this organization Krevt. Firstly, you were defeated by Ujama, and secondly, your brain seems to have rotted over time. Methenor, where is the deadly cunning that you claimed Krevt to have?" "It shows itself during battle," the elder Makuta chuckled, "but my Brother Krevt has never been the thinking sort. After all, it was not he that aimed the weapon of death in the direction of Makuta Darcai, but myself." "I think you Makuta are all fools," Zha-xar grumbled. "Illiterate narcissists that grumble and complain because little things do not suit your ‘higher status’, you are. With the exception of Brother Methenor, none of you have bothered to realize how important Venom could be in the events to come." "Then elaborate," Krevt growled. "Please, Brother, I must know what you have to say." "The research I have compiled shows Venom to be the second being ever created by either Great Being, Deccius or Yzaa. He is powerful, being able to control shadow, flora, and he has the ability to fire laser vision from his eyes. His strength is formidable; I doubt that the most physically adept Skakdi can defeat him in a duel of pure physical combat." "He knows what he is talking about," Venom muttered, surprised. "All of what he has said is true." "I do not live by being ignorant," Zha-xar replied, his reptilian face curving into a smile. Ulreq was strangely silent. During meetings such as these, the leader of the Head of the Spear would make a point to be active in these discussions, but there was a nagging feeling of something missing in his throne room. However, there were six beings present, as usual - Zha-xar, Krevt, Methenor, Tora, Venom, himself, and... "Vraal..." the Shadow Lord said absently. Speaking up, he added, "Where in the world is Vraal? This was a mandatory meeting. Tora, you are closest to him, where is he?" The female Makuta looked around worriedly. Her brother was not here. He had left to face his vezon in the days prior, but he never returned... "He... he must be deceased," she said. "He left two days ago to battle his doppelganger. He has not returned since. He knows how important these matters are, and I personally sent him a psionic message telling him of when this meeting was to occur." Methenor smiled, but his expression seemed awkward, as if he was trying to force it back. Tora shot him a look, but he simply shrugged ignorantly. "Luckily, I am his replacement," Venom said. "I will join you, Ulreq. Your operation will not be disturbed, as I will take this Vraal's place in your ranks." The Shadow Lord nodded his approval. "Perhaps you shall be even more effective than our lost Makuta was. You have no vezon to feud with, I assume?" "There's Cortez, but I am an exile," the warrior explained. "I have all of the time in the world to end his pathetic existence." "So, shall we prepare our army, then?" Methenor asked, trying to erase the conversation of Vraal from the others' minds. "Promethius and his Piraka have silenced the Vortixx in the Industry Region that would dare to speak of our alliance with Turaga Vices. I believe we need not waste any more time." "I'm ready," Venom added. "I'm sure the Head of the Spear is, too." "I am prepared for the coming attack," Zha-xar said. "However, I tire, and must rest for a time. I am not such an ‘elite’ being as you Makuta are." "Dawn shall mark the beginning of this conquest, then," Methenor said. "This world shall soon be ours!" ______________________________________________________________ Iro's Steel Shield blocked a strike from Anger's dual-sided hook. The Face of Death's weapon, however, managed to grip the shield, and the Toa of Iron found it ripped out of his hand with violent force. "Wonder what that could do to a person's jaw..." Iro muttered. "Do you care to find out, Toa?" Anger hissed, amused. "I assume that is not the case." The Face of Death did not give Iro much time to respond, as it fired a bolt of crimson lightning from the palm of its' hand. The Toa dodged, and it struck the cliff behind him, turning the stone to dust. It spun its' hook rapidly and nearly managed to wrap one of the ends around Iro's head. The Toa of Iron's face contorted in shock at the sheer force behind the swing of Anger's arm. "You said that you'd answer a question of mine," Iro said. "So I guess I can ask it now?" Anger stopped its' next attack and stared at its' opponent curiously. "I suppose this is possible," it replied, unsure of its' own answer. "Never have I had the chance to halt a battle, but I shall do this today. What is it you wish to be asked?" "Why are you doing this?" the Toa of Iron asked, staring Anger in its' cold, dead eyes. "Why did you call for me and throw me into this whole situation? I never wanted to be part of this; I just wanted to be a hero. Poison wasn't too bad of a fight, and Arrogance was pretty tough, but I've never been so... beaten up as I was with Brutality. It was so painful, so terrible, and even that all the damage is done and gone, I remember it like a nightmare. I never asked for any of this, so why do I have to go through all of this?" "Toa, you know that there is evil in this world. You, however, have never seen true evil in the flesh. You have never seen the true power of shadow at work. I do not call this ignorance; you are but a youth. I can only say that you, Toa Iro, are to face such an evil. You are to look into the eyes of a being who has been twisted into a lord of darkness, a being whose power is not rivaled by that of any other beings'. You are to face this supreme evil and its' followers... and we, the Faces of Death, expect you to emerge victorious. Being the novice that you are requires you to defeat all of your flaws so early in life, which is why we have challenged you." "Why can't you just stop this evil yourselves? You seem powerful enough to." Anger smiled and shook its' head sadly. "We cannot exit this Valley of Death. We are trapped by some force from the outside world that is the only hindrance to our escape. Even if we were permitted to leave this cage of ours, it is not our destiny to face this evil... for we have fallen to it in the past." "Wait... Arrogance mentioned a powerful being that beat the six of you... Is that the same person as this evil?" "Our defeater is, indeed, the great evil that you must face. We believe that you are able to do one of two things - show this evil the error of its' ways, or destroy it once and for all." Iro nodded slowly. He did not respond for a long while, as he was digesting all that Anger had said. It was a lot to be expected, one Toa attempting to defeat a being that was able to fell the six immortal Faces of Death. However, assuming no one else was really aware of this evil, who else would be able to do it? The Toa Cevil had all disappeared, and the only other Toa he knew were Kara and Xinlo, but they would not necessarily believe him about this entire situation. "But you can't just accept that I might win this fight, can you, Anger?" he finally asked. "I cannot, as you well know. It is not because I know the outcome, but rather because I feel the need to... be amused, so to speak. I wander this valley aimlessly, knowing that any being that I could possibly battle will be or has been defeated by Poison or Arrogance. I believe I am entitled to have at least one moment of enjoyment, as I may not have such an opportunity in the eternity to follow." "All right, Anger. I suppose I can let you have your fun." A smirk formed on Iro's face. "So get ready, 'cause I'm not letting up on you." The Face of Death returned the expression. It looked much more evil and devious on Anger's serpentine head. "You shall expect the same of me, then, Toa. ______________________________________________________________ Xinlo knocked on the door of the Ota-Matoran named Braxel. The Matoran of "The Green" practically idolized Iro for training himself to use his elemental and mask powers, and wished to become a Toa more than anything else in the world. If there was any being on Murtua who knew where Iro may be, it would be Braxel. The Matoran opened the door and frowned at the sight of the Toa of Sonics. "Yeah? What do you want?" he asked in a particularly annoyed manner. "Where's Iro?" Xinlo replied. "We need to talk." "He left for the Great Barren yesterday morning," Braxel said, a bit confused. "He hasn't returned?" "I didn't know he was gone, to tell you the truth. Why did he leave?" "He got a letter from the Toa Cevil, asking him if he wanted to be the fourth member. But he hasn't come back yet... Do you think something's happened?" "I'm not sure... but I think he may have been right about that Makuta that I talked to a while back..." "I'm sure he was," Braxel chuckled. His smiled faded as Xinlo shot him a vexed glance. "Hey, what's that thing?" the Toa of Sonics asked, pointing to a blue-gold figure that seemed to be watching the two from a short distance. Braxel narrowed his eyes behind his Kanohi Verdaren. "I don't know. Looks like a robot or something. Maybe this is that new law enforcer that Vices talked to Kohu about?" "If it is, it's a piece of junk. And a creepy piece of junk at that. I don't like how it's just staring like that... Not to mention the red eyes." Xinlo began walking toward the automaton, leaving Braxel back at his dwelling. The Toa waved his hand in front of the contraption's face, but it still stared in the direction of Braxel's house. "You on?" he muttered, knocking on the robot's head. "‘ello?" He reached for a small tag around its neck. "‘Vahki Law Enforcer’", he read aloud. "'Hope you enjoy it... sincerely, Vraal...'" The Vahki suddenly turned to face Xinlo. Its' movement was so sudden that the Toa cried out in surprise and fell onto the ground. "Stupid thing," he mumbled. "You're not good for anything except creeping me th-" The automaton unlimbered two silver pincer weapons. Its' eyes glowed a ghastly red as a whirring sound could be heard coming from the inside of the head. "''Bzzt. Click.'' Threat detected," a voice from the Vahki said monotonously. "Target: Toa. Objective: Terminate." An orb of power formed at the tip of each of the Vahki's pincers. In a split second, they both struck Xinlo, sending him into a daze. The Toa of Sonics fell over onto his face, unconsciousness taking a hold of him. "''Bzzt. Click. Objective: Achieved," said the Vahki. ______________________________________________________________ Xinlo woke up a few minutes later. He looked around to see that the Vahki was gone. He was still in the street, meaning that Braxel, nor anyone else, had seen what had happened. His head ached, and he felt as if he had just gone through the most nonsensical dream imaginable. However, unlike a dream, he remembered everything he saw. Iro... he thought. Something with Iro... Not good, I know that. Is there something else going on in the Great Barren?'' To his surprise, he actually found himself thinking these thoughts that were not in his mind prior to the attack. A majority of them involved a suspicion of Iro that was not there before. Was he doing something against Uteara that Braxel and the others were not aware of? And why, for that matter, did he say that that Makuta Wheicr was to be trusted? He's with the likes of them, I bet, Xinlo thought, heading back to his house. ''And you know what? I'm going to prove that I'm right.''

Characters

 * Netruhl
 * Inquer
 * Avira (Mentioned Only)
 * Qestes (Mentioned Only)
 * Tyverus (Mentioned Only)
 * Ava-xar (Mentioned Only)
 * Zha-xar
 * Iro
 * Poison
 * Arrogance
 * Brutality
 * Anger
 * Fear
 * Foreboding
 * Tora
 * Ujama
 * Krevt
 * Takuma
 * Reizac
 * Rezaxis
 * Heithrix
 * Vaa
 * Juthron
 * Kohu (Mentioned Only)
 * Pothyn
 * Vraal
 * Morbuzakh of Murtua
 * Ulreq
 * Wheicr (Mentioned Only)
 * Shalec (Not Mentioned By Name)
 * Xinlo
 * Promethius
 * Kara (Mentioned Only)
 * Methenor
 * Venom
 * Cortez (Mentioned Only)
 * Deccius (Mentioned Only)
 * Darcai (Mentioned Only)
 * Vices (Mentioned Only)
 * Braxel