Treachery in the Ice

"Lost indeed. But dead? Not at all."

- Narrator, Treachery in the Ice

Treachery in the Ice is the first installment in The Tales of Xioc Nui Epic Series by BZPower and C.I.R.C.L.E. member Em-Oh-Cee-Ehr.

Prologue
Xioc Nui... There are two words never spoken of. Any who do, are considered insane. But why? Why would mentioning Detark Nui’s name make others think someone crazy? The answer is simple, because the island and its' dome was lost long ago. Very long ago. They just... disappeared. A lone Matoran from another island had been a trader between the two lands until a massive bioquake struck the caverns, causing one to collapse with the Matoran inside. The Matoran trader however was unscathed, as he had just returned home, but the damage was done. In the tongue of the ancient Matoran, "Xioc" meant "The Lost Land". Lost indeed. But dead? Not at all. In fact, six amphibious monsters found the remains of the island, and began their siege. For a mere five-thousand years did it last. Then, after a massive portion of the island was lost to the sea, the island's Toa were finally defeated, and the Six Lords had conquered Xioc Nui as it had come to be called, transforming it into their own empire. Now, over fifteen-thousand years later, the island has become enslaved. Some freedoms ensue, but not many. The Matoran have been put through military-style practices, including aqua archery, strategist's training, and blacksmithing. With no knowledge nor memory of freedom, they work without question. But, five Matoran have been chosen by destiny, and they will become the greatest of heroes...

Chapter One: Secrets
Soft footsteps echoed in the hallways of the Ko-Xiocian Ice Lair. A lone Ko-Matoran quickly walked to Lord Shenku’s throne room. He carried in his hand a sheet of blueprints. This particular Matoran was Kortec, a well-known weapons designer. He had a meeting today with Shenku on the development of his latest weapon, one of which he was proud of. “Oh, I’m so late,” Kortec said. He was careful not to run. The floor was iced-over, so anyone running would slip. He could see the spiral staircase ahead. He carefully ran up the stairs, which were also iced-over. Had he not been in such a hurry, Kortec would have taken the time to respect the beauty of the light as it passed through the light coating of ice that covered the windows. Refracting and reflecting, the light was just bright enough to elegantly illuminate the hall. Soon enough, Kortec reached the doors at the top of the staircase. It was easily two-and-a-half times taller than him, with two sets of handles. The first set of handles were half way to the top, and the other were just a bio off the ground. The latter set he used. “Yes?” called a female’s voice from inside. Kortec knew who she was, but it was still something worth shivering about. “I-It’s me, Kortec. With the weapon designs you asked for.” “Ah, yes. Come in,” she said. Kortec did as she said. He walked into a giant room, known as the Throne Room. A being sat on the throne at the other end of the chamber. The Six Lords had an odd spine that went around their head and ended down their back as a tail. Well, all but Dentark and Mentsu that is. But this white and sand-blue mistress with a large, white spine was Shenku. On either side of her were white and sky-blue Rahi known as a Xioc Frostelus. These odd creatures have been around ever since Shenku made her home here. They were used as guards. They also patrolled the streets of Ko-Xioc to assure no harm came to the Matoran, or at least that's what the villagers hoped they were there for. Kortec walked up to Shenku carefully, but was stopped by a Frostelus’ growls. He backed away carefully. “Uh, here,” said the Ko-Matoran, setting the blueprints on the ground. Shenku gestured to the tablet. A hand of Ice gently rose out of the ice-coated floor and took the tablet to Shenku. She grabbed it and skimmed the engraving. She smiled. “There is only one mistake,” she began. Kortec gulped. Shenku hated being disappointed. In fact, Kortec’s friend, Kosu, had been exiled for not meeting her harsh demands. That, in turn, had caused Kortec’s own social life to be cut short and he feared the same would happen to him. But then she finished her thought, “It's the name.” “B-but it’s named after me,” said Kortec, somewhat whimpering. “Exactly!” replied Shenku harshly. She took an icicle and scratched something out, presumably the name, all the while talking. “Kortec Launcher? Honestly!” she said as she walked over and handed it to Kortec. On it, the name was scratched out and in its’ place were the words "Shenku Launcher". “You Matoran come up with the most insane things! Change that, and bring the prototype here within seven days. Seven. That’s all.” * * * Kortec closed the door to Shenku’s Throne Room and stomped down the stairs angrily. How dare she change the name, he thought in his mind. ''I don’t get why everything has to be named after her! She would put her name on a Kikanalo Pen Cleaner if somebody pitched it to her!'' Kortec was at the bottom of the steps now. ''She wants a prototype, I’ll bring it. And I’ll shove it down her th-'' then he tripped over something. “Makuta bones!” he said aloud. He saw a stone where he had tripped. He picked it up. “Who just leaves a stone on the floor? Someone could kill themselves tripping on one of thes-” But he stopped in mid-sentence. There were odd markings all over it. They were so intriguing, Kortec almost left without his blueprints. And, to prevent future injuries, he scooped the stone up and placed it in the pocket of his robe. * * * Four days later, Kortec came back, prototype in hand. It resembled a failed machine he made once, long before. He couldn’t quite put his finger on how he knew that or what the machine had been, but Kortec knew he did. It took spherical ammunition that was made of a material hardly known by any but himself and Kosu. They had, of course, discovered it. Kortec paused, something he really shouldn’t do on his way to Shenku. Kosu... His friend had, five years ago, been called upon to help on a project unknown to Kortec. However Kosu had somehow allowed something to slip, and he paid for it by a one-way trip to Mount Torent. Kortec resumed walking. The power of the ammunition in his Korte- uh, sorry, Shenku Launcher, depended on the mind of the user. Some may make it attract metal to a target, some may give the target a sharp jolt of Electricity. Kortec himself, using it on a boulder, found that he gave the orb a power to freeze a certain portion of the target. And, as long as some of the Ice still covered the object, he could control how fast it developed. However one side-effect was that it took great concentration to keep the effect lasting. Kortec walked up the icy stairs, looking out for any more stones. He kept the rock with him for some reason, as if attracted to it by a magnetic force. He reached the top of the stairs. He was early, but why would Shenku mind? He was about to knock, but he heard voices inside. He listened in, intrigued about the conversation. He heard two voices. One was Shenku, the other deeper than her voice. “You know Mentsu is adamant about keeping all of this secret,” said Shenku. “So keep it secret!” “You know that I care about my Matoran, so if something could harm them, I should know about it!” said the deep voice. Kortec recognized it as Lord Dentark, ruler of Ga-Xioc. He was more honest to his Matoran than any of the others. Only Lord Zetu came anywhere close to that title. But right now, his voice carried substantial anger with it. And, as Kortec had learned, an angry Dentark usually ended badly. “Listen you muscle-head! If Mentsu knew you told the other Matoran, you’d be killed!” shouted Shenku. “Although it would be for the better,” she added quietly. Dentark stomped on the ground. He was going crazy with anger. “Again, if something could harm my Matoran, they should know about it! And if you five think different, then so be it!” “You might want to put on that fake ‘I don’t Care’ attitude on,” warned Shenku. There’s a little ‘Ice Bat’ outside. You wouldn’t want to scare it off, would you?” Dentark ‘stopped caring’ and calmed down, quite an amazing feat. “So,” he said. “What’s he going to do with the Stone of Spirits?” He heard Shenku whisper something, then Dentark laughed evilly and clearly. It was a horrid sound. “I’ll contribute how I can.” Dentark said as he walked to the door and opened it. No one was there. He took a final glance around and began his trip back to Ga-Xioc. * * * Kortec walked out from behind the door, unseen. After a moment, he knocked, went in, and demonstrated his launcher. Shenku took it and promised to mass-produce it, under the name “Shenku Launcher” of course. Kortec then walked out the door and hurried to the Grand Library in the center of the Ko-Metru. I don’t know what they could possibly be planning, he thought, but anything can be solved with a little hard work!