Fractures (Epic)

"You're going to pay, Ulreq. I don't care how powerful you are; we're going to take you down."

- Xinlo, Fractures

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

Prologue
Xinlo, Toa of Sonics walked along the southern beach of the City section of what used to be the grand continent of Uteara, deep in thought. Not long ago, a meteor shower struck Uteara, although, thankfully, the meteors hit the Great Barren, where no one resided. However, they did cause a massive earthquake, one of such high power that it was enough to fracture the entire continent. It had been a few days or so since then, and the residents were already starting to rebuild what had been lost. Some things, however, could not be rebuilt. Since the "Fracture of Uteara", as some called it, Xinlo had not left the Central City, now dubbed "Free City", and he had lost communication with his allies. Kara and Autahr were supposed to be in the Volcanic Sector, while Iro, Toa of Iron, and Gravemos were in the Industry Region, and Ujama and Braxel, Turaga and Toa of "The Green", respectively, in the Green Region. None of them had come to the City, as far as Xinlo knew, and some may possibly have died during the earthquake. Hopefully, the Head also suffered a blow from the Fracture, the Toa of Sonics thought. Because, somehow, I bet they could even use this to their advantage... ______________________________________________________________ Zokau, Toa of Ice, sighed heavily. He was tired, hungry, and needed some rest, but this was not the time, or place, to do so. Long ago, he had battled two Makuta in this vast desert of white and cold that was the Ice Region, and had ended up trapped in ice, but survived somehow. Then there was a rumbling feeling, and the ice shattered, setting him free. Revenge was not on his mind, surprisingly. After all, he had been frozen, and then in an unconscious state, for far too long. Who knew what changes had happened since his last memories? Although, given the circumstances, perhaps it was best not to know. ______________________________________________________________ Promethius shook his head in disappointment. Since the earthquake, the Piraka's shelter in the Industry Region had been destroyed, along with many other buildings in the area. The Piraka were a group of assassins, the Sansta-Skakdi of Plasma sending out the six employees out to complete various hits, with the employee taking half of the payment. Of course, now, the business was as dead as a Piraka's target, as most people were now worrying about themselves and not about wanting others dead. "I have... an idea of sorts," Promethius said to the six Piraka. "What would that be?" Vizu, Skakdi of Water, grunted. "You remember the Head of the Spear?" "Yeah," was the answer from five of the six. "What of it?" Haneq, Skakdi of Fire, asked. "You're not suggesting going back to help them out?" the brown-armored Avaron asked. "They've been pretty much gone since that Toa sunk their island, ya know." "Not exactly," Promethius replied. "Most of their members survived and have attempted to revive it." "But since the quake, I doubt they're really up for the whole conquest game just now," Raiduran muttered. "Or perhaps this is an opportunity," Kohtan, mad Skakdi of Ice, said. "One's time of distraught is another's time to rob him of everything. The same applies to this situation, but on a much larger scale, with Uteara being the possession, the residents being the first person, and the Head of the Spear the robber." Vizu grimaced. He had spoken with a few of the Head's members, Methenor and Zha-xar being the two he remembered most. The former was an orange and black-armored Makuta, a very ambitious being, always looking out for himself, and seemed like the type who would seize control of the Head as soon as the leader showed weakness. Zha-xar, on the other hand, was a follower, but one who seemed distant from the cause that his superiors wished him to take part in. He was of a species unknown to any of the Piraka, having both Toa-like properties and reptilian-like ones. He was a being whose rage held him up, but Vizu had to question what would happen should that rage die down. "Hm. I'm not their biggest fan," the Skakdi of Water said. "I see none of their members as trustworthy, and in this business, trust is needed. Not only that, but we're probably expendable to the likes of them; they're Makuta, walking pieces of shadow scrap that stick their noses so high in the air that they could touch the sun." "But how are we to continue to live?" Promethius asked. "We are wanted dead in most regions, and I doubt that has changed." "What do you think, Zaqutan?" Kohtan asked. Zaqutan, a Skakdi of Air, was a being who seemed to be born an assassin. He never spoke, for reasons unknown, and hardly ever made noise. For some reason, Kohtan kept trying to make him speak, with bribes, threats, and anything else the Skakdi of Ice could think of. Nothing worked. Zaqutan simply shrugged, revealing that either he had nothing to add, or that he simply did not care. "Said that I'm not too big on the Head," Vizu said. "Not that I won't go along with this for a while. But if those hindquarters of Muaka go too far with how they treat us, don't expect me - us - to follow them... or you." ______________________________________________________________ "Autahr? Autahr, you okay?" Kara, Toa of Fire, watched as the massive Autahr opened his eyes for the first time in days. Right before the Fracture, Autahr had taken it upon himself to be the one responsible for dropping the body of Scrythe, an ally of theirs that had revealed the Head's second coming to Kara and her allies, into the Great Volcano. After the body fell into the lava, the mountain erupted, blowing Autahr back several feet, and knocking him unconscious. Autahr looked around. He was in an enclosed space, was the first thing that he noticed. He hated being confined. He looked up at the being speaking to him. She was not familiar... an enemy, perhaps? He did not care to find out. Noting the chains on his wrists, he swung one at the red-armored female's head and bellowed. She went down immediately after the blow connected. After escaping the hut, he turned his head left and right, observing his surroundings. That was when it all came back to him, Scrythe dying, dropping his body in the volcano, the eruption. After that, Autahr did not remember much, but he knew where he was going - north, to the Central City. That was where Iro was... if he remembered correctly. Heading northwest, he prepared himself for a long walk. ______________________________________________________________ Ujama, it could be said, was in a unique position, and had been for what seemed to be a long time. Hours ago, he had been ambushed by an unknown being, and then been shoved up against a tree. That was when the attacker electrocuted him; the pain felt like a thousand white-hot needles sticking into his body. The next thing he knew was that he was stuck to the tree, his weapon and most of his body fused with the plant. Even though he was a Turaga of "The Green", he did not have enough power to free himself. He hoped Braxel would come back soon, although that was doubtful. The Toa of "The Green" was in the village, taking Toa Netruhl to the healer's. Ujama had told the Toa to stay with Netruhl until he was sure that when the Toa of Earth awoke, he would be fine. Now that command came back to bite him, it seemed. The Turaga knew not of how long he could survive like this. He had no food, no water, and he couldn't simply absorb nutrients from the tree. It seemed like the worst of situations, but Ujama had been a Toa once, albeit one that was perhaps a bit too ignorant or cocky compared to now. Only time could tell if he would ever escape... ______________________________________________________________ Zha-xar glanced at his two allies to the left and right of himself. Venom was one, and the other was a most unexpected helper, but one whose efforts were useful, never-the-less. "When the Toa is weakened, and it appears that his life shall be yours," he said to Venom, who was looking at the Toa of Sonics named Xinlo with eagerness in his eyes. "Our ally and I shall halt the battle. You are to be surprised at his identity, as much as the Toa shall be." "Do you really think we can trust him?" Venom growled, looking at the ally up and down. The being's silver armor and horned mask did not look appropriate next to either Venom or Zha-xar. "How do we know he's not playing cross-and-double-cross?" "I know, as a fact, that he shall not betray us," Zha-xar replied. His tone suggested no further questions. "Fine, but that Toa's head will be mine, right?" "When the time for the kill is right. Now is not that time, however." Venom shrugged and hopped down from the building that the trio was standing upon. He readied his weapons and closed in on Toa Xinlo. ______________________________________________________________ "He does not trust me," the warrior muttered. "He does not with good reason, of course," Zha-xar replied. "If one were to take account of your appearance, your weapons, your Kanohi, and your past, one such as I should never trust one such as yourself. However, I trust you... for I have knowledge." "I suppose," the being shrugged. Inside, he smiled. Everything was going according to plan. Xinlo had once called him a traitor. With this revelation, it would seem as though the Toa of Sonics was right... in a sense. From behind his Kanohi Eniden, the Great Mask of Knowledge, the silver-armored, axe-wielding warrior laughed. ______________________________________________________________ Ulreq, leader of the Head of the Spear looked around from his vantage point. He was in disguise, being a shape-shifter, but he doubt his neutral form could be recognized, at least not at this time. He saw the blue and black-armored Toa of Sonics walking on the beach, which was littered with rubble of the remains of buildings. The Shadow Lord narrowed his eyes at a flash of green to the left. Venom was stalking the Toa, sticking close to the shadows. This new Head member had been taught well, it seemed; the Toa was oblivious to his position. This Toa was an ally of Iro's, if the Shadow Lord remembered correctly. It did not really matter; if Venom killed him, one way or another, a potential annoyance would be eliminated. Of course, the fools think that it is Krevt or Zha-xar who is now leading the Head of the Spear, he thought. ''Their ignorance shall be their doom, but not at the time. My living is one thing that shall be revealed much later. By then, our armies shall take this continent, regardless of its' condition. However, one issue of concern is how united these pieces of Uteara shall be. The last time I struck at Uteara with an army, I was faced with Atreu, Glatorian, and Toa from the different regions, and their united efforts defeated my legions. No, no, this is a matter that shall be solved quickly: We shall obliterate the Central City.''

Chapter I
Yurahk, Elite Rahkshi of Shadow Creep, roamed the desert of white and cold that was the Ice Region, glancing at its' silver and teal-armored partner every now and then to see if it had detected some sign of life. According to Krevt, Methenor and Tora once fought a Toa of Ice and Shadow in this piece of Uteara and defeated him, encasing him in the ice that he commanded. However, the rumor was that this Toa survived and was freed by the cataclysm. He could be a valuable ally... or another dead enemy. Neither Yurahk nor Abirahk cared. They were, perhaps, closer to true beings than other Rahkshi, who were simply suits of armor piloted by Kraata, but the two Elite Rahkshi were simply artificial intelligence exposed to many things that had given each slight "personalities" Yurahk was the calmer, more calculating of the two, while Abirahk was the "smash and kill" type. "I sense a shift in heat..." Abirahk, Elite Rahkshi of Acid, said. "A few miles northeast of our current location. There is a being here." Yurahk gave a nod. The ebony and emerald-armored Elite Rahkshi did not have a doubt as to who this being may have been. After all, if it was a Matoran or an Agori, Abirahk would not have reported its' presence. It was the Toa. The two Elite Rahkshi unlimbered their natural weapons. Yurahk had a pair of large blades erupting from the back of its' clawed hands, while Abirahk had no hands - just two pairs of acidic talons. After they made sure that they were ready to fight this Toa if he did not comply, the two Elite Rahkshi charged forward. ______________________________________________________________ "Head's up, Toa!" Xinlo rolled as blasts of shadow were hurled from above. The Toa of Sonics responded by clapping his hands together at the sound of the voice, then amplified the sound to use as an attack of his own. The attacker took the full brunt of the blast and was sent sprawling. Xinlo eyed the being warily. He was roughly two bio tall and wore green armor that looked like the sickly hues of a poison. His head was serpent-like, showing resemblance to both a snake and a Rahkshi. He wielded both a sword and a shield, and his orange eyes burned with ambition. "Who are you?" Xinlo growled. "And why did you attack me?" "The name's Venom to you, Toa," the being spat. "Exiled by Deccius only to return to this miserable place... except this time, I shall become its' ruler." Venom cringed as his mind was ravaged by a mental assault. One of his allies was telling him to speak with his words - and life - in mind. "Good look with that," Xinlo shot back. "I doubt you can even rule the ruins." The Toa of Sonics remembered this being as an agent of the Head of the Spear. He would have to strike without mercy if the fight resumed. "We'll see, Toa. What happens in the end might just shock you." "Not a lot of things do. That had better be pretty good if you want to shock me." Venom muttered a curse and hurled more shadow bolts at Xinlo. Taken by surprise, the Toa of Sonics was sent flying back as the energies blackened his armor. Xinlo hurled his hand axe at Venom, forcing the Head agent to drop his sword and switch to the defensive. He followed up with head-splitting blasts of sound. Venom lashed out with his laser vision as the sonic force threatened to shatter his skull, firing twice from his orange eyes. The first was enough to send Xinlo staggering backward, and the second damaged his breastplate. Venom charged forward, striking the Toa with his shield, eventually driving him to the ground. Shadow energy crackled in Venom's hands. "It's over for you, Toa," he growled. Before he could execute Xinlo however, the Toa unleashed another devastating wave of sound. This time, it was enough to nearly shatter Venom's armor, sending the Head member flying back several bio. The Toa of Sonics rushed to his fallen enemy and stood over him, arms crossed. "Too bad about that ruling thing," he said mockingly. "I doubt you're going to see that dream come true." He spoke too soon. A pillar of metal erupted from the ground and struck him in the back, sending him stumbling forward. Venom lashed out with a sweeping kick, knocking him down. As the Toa of Sonics rose to his feet, he was struck in four different directions by the same number of pillars. With some effort, he made it to his knees. Xinlo's eyes widened at the identity of the second attacker. It could not be; it had to be an impostor! But he was so... believable. He was so... like himself, that the Toa of Sonics could not help but to hang his head. "Iro..." he whispered to himself. "He was a traitor..." Two figures were now in the street with Venom - Iro and another reptilian being that Xinlo did not know. "Why must we do battle?" the reptilian entity asked. His tone suggested that this was a question to everyone present. "He's right," Iro said. "After all, this is a great day... it's the day when the shadows shall conquer the light and Uteara shall belong to us!" "Traitor!" Xinlo yelled. "I - we - trusted you! What are Gravemos and Ujama and your other friends going to think? What about Scrythe? He died for you... and this is how you repay his sacrifice?" "I didn't ask him to kill himself!" Iro roared, in a tone never heard before coming from the Toa of Iron. "The price of stupidity is death in his case." "You'll pay." "And what army of yours shall make me do such a thing?" Iro spat. "In case you didn't know, I have an army at my disposal now... You? You have a group of ragtag heroes, which, by the way, are in very... bad situations." "What did you do, Iro?" "Ujama... I fused him to a tree. I give him a day or so to live. Braxel... he's a rookie; he'll die in the invasion to come, Gravemos with him. Autahr's got a nasty case of amnesia and is attacking anything that moves, including your friend Kara." "Wh... why are you doing this?" Xinlo whispered, shocked at how easily Iro could say such things. "I realized my call in life. I'm no ‘Ferrous’ or whoever they say I'm supposed to be. I'm no hero, just a Toa who once tried to do what was right. Maybe when you've come to your senses, you'll join us, too. Or you'll die resisting. Whatever suits you." "I swear, I'll make you pay for this, Iro." "Hah!" the Toa of Iron laughed. "You couldn't beat me in the Great Barren one-thousand years ago, when I was a novice. What makes you think that you can beat me as a veteran?" Xinlo said nothing; he couldn't really think of an answer to that question. Maybe if he rallied up the others in time, he could use them to strike at Iro and bring him to justice. But he couldn't just say that out loud. "If you're going to rally your friends, I'd suggest you hurry up," Iro smirked. "Time's tickin'." "How-?" "Your thoughts are so slow that even I can read them. And I'm not even telepathic. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off. Conquering Uteara is going to take some time, after all." With that, Iro whirled around, Venom and the other being, Zha-xar, followed. Xinlo raised his hand axe and unleashed a sonic blast, directed at just Iro. The blast sent the traitorous Toa falling to the ground face-first. Iro rose to his feet and stared at Xinlo for a few seconds. From the expressions on Venom and Zha-xar's faces, it looked as if the Toa of Iron might kill his former friend then and there. Instead, the Toa simply shrugged, but still stared at Xinlo. After a moment, the Toa of Iron unsheathed a weapon, although it was not his axe or shield. It was a staff, its' blade sharp and its' shaft glowing with a blue and yellow energy. Iro jabbed it forward at Xinlo, and triggered its' power. Instantly, thousands of volts of electricity coursed through the Toa of Sonics' organic system and armor, sending spasms throughout his body. After a moment, Xinlo fell into unconsciousness, his only movements being the occasional spasm. "You could have done worse... couldn't you?" Venom asked. "That's why you hesitated." "I was thinking of killing him. I could have... but... why not make him an ignorant pawn in this game of ours?" Iro replied. "He will be more of use to us that way." "As you wish, Toa," Zha-xar said. Venom shot a look at the Atreu, one that said, "What did you just say?" "You lack knowledge," Zha-xar whispered to his ally. "Once you have gained such knowledge as I have, you shall show your respect to this friend of ours. For now, however, simply obey his word until Krevt has arrived." "When will he arrive?" The scarlet and black-armored Kra-Atreu pointed to something rather far away heading toward the City at high speeds. "Perhaps he has, my friend." ______________________________________________________________ Makuta Krevt - leader of the Head of the Spear. Behind his Amplified Kanohi Quarar, Mask of Imitation, his crimson eyes glowed with a trait rarely seen in a Makuta's eyes - glee. He cut off his gravity power and landed on the northern port of the Central City hard. His red and lime armor, however, remained unscathed. "A world... to be mine," he muttered. "A broken world, but it does not matter. Under my rule... we shall rebuild this miserable place. And with the power of this place in my hands... the Makuta shall finally have what oh so rightly belongs to us..."

Chapter II
Zha-xar and Toa Iro walked down a narrow street in the Central City. Not long ago, Iro had attacked Xinlo, a Toa of Sonics, who was a former friend of the Toa of Iron's. Of course, the mighty warrior was not really himself anymore. After being attacked by Zha-xar a week prior, Iro had been acting very different, but it could still be said that he was who he was - Iro, Toa of Iron. "We must part ways here, Toa," Zha-xar said. "The object of your desire is located south of this place, in the region of green. However, a number of your former allies reside there, as well. Take caution." "I will," Iro replied. "But perhaps it is they who should fear me." Zha-xar nodded and turned around. "I shall meet with Venom," he called out over his shoulder. "He and I are to be sure Makuta Krevt is properly greeted." "Very well. I will not be long, rest assured." Zha-xar gave a sick smile. Oh, how Ulreq shall be pleased, he thought. ''The game has begun... the pawns are in their proper places. It is but a matter of time to see what is to happen to the side that takes the loss...'' ______________________________________________________________ Zokau whirled around at the sound of a hiss. It was not the hiss of a common serpent, however; it was the hiss of a Rahkshi. He unsheathed his sword and turned his head left and right, all senses on alert. The snowstorm had grown in size. He could not see more than a few feet in front of him. Stay calm, he thought to himself. I'm a Toa of Ice; a Rahkshi is nothing compared me. He took a few steps back. The hiss sounded again, this time it appeared to be very nearby. The Toa of Ice froze in place and shut his eyes. The Rahkshi was making no true effort to be inconspicuous; another hiss could be heard. This time, Zokau was able to hear where it was coming from and formed a dagger of ice in his hand. If the Rahkshi attempted to strike, he was ready. Or, at least he thought he was. A clawed hand erupted from the snow and grabbed his leg, pulling him down. Caught off-guard, Zokau was forced to fall to the ground. He spat out some snow that fell into his mouth and cursed. He then glanced upward to see the attacker. It was a Rahkshi, as he had predicted, but this one was different than any other he had seen. Its armor was a sleek black and emerald, with no trace of the grey that was present in most Rahkshi's armor. Another noticeable difference was the lack of any melee staff. This creature, instead, had large claws with blades erupting from the backs of its' hands. It was soon joined by another, this one teal and silver in color. It too had no weapons, nor even true hands. It had but a pair of talons that glowed in an unhealthy light. "We are Yurahk and Abirahk," the first Rahkshi stated, its' voice a static-filled monotone. "The Elite. We have come to this place in search of you, Toa Zokau. Your presence is requested by our master." "If you refuse," the second added, "we are to kill you. The choice is yours, Toa." "Neither sounds like it suits my tastes," Zokau shot back. "How about I break the two of you apart, instead... piece by piece?" "We will see," Yurahk said, "who is to do the breaking, Toa." Zokau charged forward and brought his ice dagger back and attempted to stab Yurahk in the head. Before the strike could be made, however, the black and emerald-armored Elite Rahkshi disappeared from sight. Abirahk then surged forward, slashing its' talons at the Toa of Ice. The acid contained in the talons corroded away Zokau's armor until the silver and teal Rahkshi detected that organics were exposed. It slashed at the weak spot with its' talons once more, forcing Zokau to let out a yell of pain. Shadowy energy struck Zokau's back, causing him to stumble forward. The energy then struck at him a second time, but this time, it entered his body, forcing his inner shadow to take a hold of him. As the energy exited, it transformed into the shape of Yurahk. "We are the Elite for a reason, Toa," it taunted. "None have defeated us in the past, and no one ever will." "Hate to break that streak," Zokau muttered. "But look at your friend..." Yurahk turned its' head to see Abirahk frozen in a block of ice. If it was not freed soon, it would most likely die. The two may not have been true living beings, but their loyalty to each another was impressive. "It is a duel, then," Yurahk stated, its' voice still emotionless. The two charged forward, blade striking blade. Yurahk had the advantage of its' Shadow Creep power, but it refused to use it. It did not know if it had developed some sense of honor, but it knew that Zokau did not have such an ability. Zokau managed to drive Yurahk backward with bolts of shadow and spikes of ice. It seemed as if the fight was his to be won. The Elite Rahkshi, however, had other ideas. It batted aside a hail of ice and converted its' form into shadow energy. It phased through the Toa of Ice, sending his inner shadow escalating to a dangerous point. It then struck Abirahk's icy prison, shattering it to pieces. "He is weakened," Yurahk stated, "but still too big a danger to bring to the master. We shall leave." Abirahk nodded. It grabbed Yurahk's arm as the black and emerald Rahkshi converted itself into shadow energy once more. The Rahkshi of Acid was also transformed, and the two rocketed forward. Yurahk, however, would not flee without a parting blow. It struck Zokau dead-center, causing the Toa of Ice and Shadow to scream in agony as shadow energy struck at his body. By the time he had regained his bearings, it was too late - the two Rahkshi were long gone. We'll meet again, he thought darkly. And when that time comes, they'll regret attacking me... ______________________________________________________________ Iro landed his small skiff on a small port on the northern part of the Green Region. Long ago, this place was the "base" of the Toa Liiri, a team Iro used to be the leader of. Now that the other seven Toa were dead, many Toa did not occupy the region. This suited Iro, as he was sure Xinlo or someone who witnessed what had happened in the Central City had told another of what had happened, and that he was being sought out by someone. It did not really matter; he had the power to crush anyone and everyone else. After a few hours of searching, he found the small vial that contained the substance that he was looking for. He did not really know why any sane being would leave a vial with such contents lying about, but perhaps the owner had simply died in the cataclysm, leaving this behind. Satisfied, he began walking back to his skiff. Another hour had passed when something caught his eye. It was a female Makuta, and she was battling what appeared to be a Toa of Air. He decided to halt his journey and watch, slightly amused. The Toa was obviously the better fighter, striking swiftly with his sword, forcing the Makuta to defend herself. The Makuta, however, had assistance - a large hound-like Rahi. The Rahi forced the Toa to keep his distance, as its' sharp jaws threatened to tear through his armor. Perhaps a test of my new power is what is to be proven here, he thought. As the hound pounced on the Toa, Iro hurled a blast of lightning at it. The sheer power behind the attack was enough to turn the Rahi to ashes. "Not bad..." he muttered, continuing to walk to the northern port. "I think you can take her," he said over his shoulder. "Yeah," the Toa of Air replied, a bit taken aback. "Thanks, uh..." "Iro. Iro, Toa of Iron..." ______________________________________________________________ Toa Braxel cursed in shock at the sight before him – Turaga Ujama... fused to a tree. He had no idea how the Turaga of "The Green" was stuck in this situation, but he would ask questions later. Now was the time for action. Working quickly, Braxel used his control over plant matter to force the tree to expel Ujama from its' trunk. After minutes that seemed like hours, the Turaga was free. "Ujama?" Braxel asked, not sure if the Turaga was paying attention to him. "Ujama? You okay?" "Braxel?" Ujama mumbled. "Is that you?" "It is, Turaga. What happened?" "I don't know... I remember the feeling of being stalked, so I proceeded to look about and see if I was able to spot whoever was following me. Then... all I remember was pain and then being fused to the tree. I am not sure I could have survived much longer." "We'll make... whoever did this... pay. Do you have any clues as to who the attacker may be?" "I do not. There was not enough time to even see the being's shadow before I was attacked." "We gotta' find Iro, Xinlo, and the others. If this was a Head-related attack, then they may have been attacked... or worse." "I agree. Iro said to meet in the western beach of the Central City. He and the others must not be too far from there, then." Braxel nodded and motioned for Ujama to follow him northward. "Oh, and Braxel..." the Turaga began. "Yes, Turaga?" "What of Netruhl? Is he... in good health?" "Well, about as good as a being who expelled his inner shadow can be. It must've taken a toll on him. He's alive, though. Pretty beat up, if you ask me, but still alive. You did break his arm, ya know." "Yes... I did." The Toa of "The Green" could see that Ujama did not like admitting that he hurt his friend in such a way. Of course, it was better than the alternative - being a Toa of Shadow for the rest of his life, probably getting killed in the final defeat of the Head of the Spear. Still, there was the possibility that there was another way to make Netruhl see the light and expel his inner shadow, but given the circumstances, no one was really sure that another way would present itself. "Wasn't entirely your fault," Braxel said, his voice a bit more gentle. "Probably wasn't even his fault. From what you said, he was attacked and drained of his inner light. Nobody but a Makuta really chooses to do that." "You are right, Braxel," Ujama said solemnly. "I suppose I owe Iro an apology. Yes, Tyverus died in front of me, but perhaps I was too harsh on him about the death of his friends." "We have other problems to deal with right now. I don't know if you felt it, but an earthquake..." Braxel paused and looked Ujama in the eyes. The Turaga did not know what had happened. "Ujama... Uteara... it's gone." "What?! What do you mean?" "A meteor shower hit the Great Barren... caused a massive earthquake. Uteara... it just split apart. It's... it's gone." "How... how long has it been?" "Days, maybe a week. I haven't left the Green Region; I don't know what happened to the cities." "We must make haste, then!" Ujama exclaimed. "Hurry, we must try to find Iro or Gravemos or... anyone..." ______________________________________________________________ Autahr's eyes widened at the sight before him. The land that connected the Volcanic Sector and the Central City... it was gone. ''The earthquake. The one that made me fall from the volcano. That must have did this, too. '' Autahr was far from a scientist. His past life before living on Murtua was a mystery, even to himself. All he knew was that Iro had told him that he was supposed to meet him in the Central City... if it still stood. ''It will have to. We're the good guys, after all. We're supposed to win because the things we are guided by are infallible. Justice, honor, unity, duty, stuff like that.'' Iro had taught this Rahi well, an observer would say. He had taught Autahr the qualities that he believed made a good hero. A hero had to protect and serve those who could not protect and serve themselves. A hero had to put his life on the line to protect others, but a hero also had to realize that people die, and that it is not always their fault. A hero had to accept a defeat like he would a victory, or else he would become bitter and resentful, and could possibly be corrupted by evil. All this and more were now Autahr's ideals. He believed that he was now in the role of a hero. He believed that, just like Iro or Braxel or Ujama or Xinlo, he had to help stop the Head of the Spear from carrying on their plans and taking over Uteara. Steeling himself, he charged forward and plunged into the water, ready for a long swim. ______________________________________________________________ Krevt smiled viciously at the sight of Venom and Zha-xar approaching him. Neither looked extremely happy to see the crimson and lime-armored Makuta, but it did not matter - they were his servants now. "How good to see you, Brother Zha-xar... and Brother Venom," the Makuta chuckled. "A train is required for you now, Krevt?" Zha-xar groaned. "Are you so thick-skulled that you are too heavy and we must carry you about? Or perhaps you are a bird whose wings are to be clipped?" Krevt muttered a curse. He hated it when Zha-xar began speaking like this. Normally, he could tolerate the Atreu's formal speech, but when it was to the point when the Makuta could not understand it, he became aggravated. "I didn't get it either," Venom said. "But he's always been weird like that." "A dense skull for you as well," Zha-xar said, bowing his head mockingly. "Why must you purposely annoy me on this day, Brother?" Krevt growled. "We have much work to do." "I am aware," Zha-xar replied. "I simply grow bored under your leadership. We have done nothing, if I am correct." "You have done nothing," Krevt spat. "I have gathered the army and hid it away for our use." "I have made use of time," Zha-xar said. "We have a new ally, Brother Krevt. One who may be the downfall for the group of heroes who may dare oppose us." "Who is he?" "He shall meet with us, but later in time. For right now, he is on a mission of great importance. His plan is great, and it is being performed as we speak." "Plan?" Krevt and Venom said in unison. "What plan?" the Makuta growled, getting extremely frustrated with his Kra-Atreu ally. He was the leader of the Head of the Spear now, not Zha-xar. Who was Zha-xar to approve someone's plan... especially if Krevt had yet to even meet him? "It is simple, but a plan to be heard from his lips and not my own," Zha-xar replied, trying to force back a smile. Krevt was not his leader and never would be. "Who leads the Head of the Spear, Zha-xar?" Krevt asked. "A question, indeed," Zha-xar said. "Answer me, you fool!" "If you persist... I say that shadow leads the Head of the Spear. All we do is in the name of shadow. You, I, Venom - and our deceased Brother Methenor and Sister Tora - we are all of shadow, as was Ulreq. We serve shadow, Krevt. I would think such a truth to be obvious." Krevt felt like lashing out and killing this pest once and for all. His mocking tone and dodging answers... it was almost enough to make the Makuta explode in rage. Zha-xar's tone then hardened. "However, I believe you meant who the physical leader of the Head of the Spear is." "Yes..." Krevt said. All right, Zha-xar was done with whatever mind games he was playing. "That is what I meant, Brother." "If you have thoughts that you are to be the leader of this faction, then you are just as foolish as you believe yourself to be strong. You are but a pathetic weakling, a rat that must crawl into the sewers when the lightning flashes. You were a coward one millennium ago, and you shall always remain with that title." "How dare you insult me?!" Krevt roared. "You are not a Makuta; you do not speak to me in such a manner!" "Are we to lower ourselves to prejudice, Brother?" Zha-xar sneered, brandishing his mace. "Silence!" The three Head members whirled around to see Toa Iro approaching them, a small vial in hand. He glanced from Venom to Zha-xar to Krevt and shook his head. "Pathetic... absolutely pathetic," he barked. "Are you seriously fighting among yourselves when we have a world to conquer? Krevt, you're the leader; you've already established that. Zha-xar, Krevt's the leader... you have to respect his authority. You would respect Ulreq's authority if he were still alive." "He speaks the truth," Zha-xar said. "My apologies, Brother Krevt. Lead and I shall follow... so long as I am not repulsed by where you shall lead." "Wait... this is our new ally?" Krevt asked, a bit astonished. He recognized this being... as the mighty warrior ‘Ferrous’. This was the being who killed Ulreq... what was he doing allying with Zha-xar and the Head? "He is." Zha-xar nodded. "He has proven himself to be a worthy ally of the Head of the Spear." "What has he done?" "I've come up with your basic plan, Makuta," Iro snapped. "We're going to test the unity of these pieces of Uteara. Either that, or we're going to shatter it." "What is this plan?" Krevt asked, addressing the Toa directly for the first time. "Let's talk as we walk," Iro replied, glancing at the vial and tightening his grip on it. He could not let it drop... not yet. ______________________________________________________________ Autahr landed on the eastern beach of the Central City. The place was a mess, but not as bad as the Industrial City, he supposed. It had been hours since he had begun swimming, but he was strong; he would not let fatigue stop him from reaching his goal. After all, Iro would not have, so Autahr could not, either. Little did the feline Rahi know, he would reunite with Iro very soon. Unfortunately, the meeting would not be pleasant for Autahr. No, no - if he knew of what Iro was currently doing, his whole view on life may have just turned on its' side...

Chapter III
Krevt looked at his allies. He, Zha-xar, Venom, and Toa Iro were walking to an unknown destination, although neither Zha-xar or Iro would bother telling the Makuta where exactly they were going. In fact, Iro had not even begun speaking of his grand plan that the Head of the Spear was supposedly going to execute as their own. So much disrespect for the Makuta... it was enough to send Krevt into a frenzy. However, he would not make a mockery of himself. He knew that Zha-xar, and perhaps Iro, were testing him, even if involuntarily. He knew he had to reject all emotional responses and be a wise and rational leader, as opposed to one guided by things like rage and blinding fury. "Forgive me... Toa, but I have yet to hear your master plan that seems to have our support," he muttered. "Do you mind telling me - your leader - what this plan may be?" "I don't," Iro said. "But it's probably not the smartest idea if I tell you now." "Why's that?" Venom asked. "Simple," Iro replied. He stopped walking and looked at Krevt right in the eyes. "You might not like it... and if I reveal the plan too early, you'll try and stop me from carrying it out. Can't let that happen. Zha-xar agrees with it and sees that it's the best thing to do right now. In one fell swoop, we'll weaken the resistance, crush any hopes of victory among the resistance, and shatter the unity of this broken place. Yeah, it's that good." "And if your plan fails?" Krevt asked. "Heh. See, the thing is... it won't. It can't. This vial I hold in my hand... as long as it's in either Zha-xar's or my own possession, it won't fail." "What if the vial shatters or is simply lost?" Iro chuckled. "If it shatters... you won't be worrying about anything else for the rest of your life." "Is that a threat?" "Of sorts, yeah." "So you are to kill me if I rid you of your precious vial?" "If you take it away, yes. If it shatters... I won't have time to." "We're being followed," Venom reported, not sounding too happy about the feeling. "By what, I don't know." "I know we're being followed," Iro said. "A Toa, a Makuta, and an Atreu... plus you. Someone's going to be at least a bit intrigued by this oh-so-strange group. You three keep moving; Zha-xar knows where to go. I'll deal with our curious little friend." ______________________________________________________________ Autahr shook his head, trying to clear his sight. Was what he was seeing really there, or was he hallucinating? No, it really was Iro walking with Venom, Zha-xar, and another being that he did not know. ''He's probably just trying to figure out what they're up to by pretending to ally with them. Either that, or he's a prisoner. No matter, I'm here to back him up if he needs me.'' Iro suddenly stopped walking and said something to the three Head members. They continued to walk on, but the Toa of Iron stayed where he was. Autahr figured Iro had realized that he was here, and that he wanted to meet with his true ally. He hopped down from the low rooftop he used as his spying point and walked up to the Toa of Iron. Iro! his mind-voice called out. Iro, it's me, Autahr! The Toa of Iron stared at his ally for a moment. He had the oddest look in his eyes, as if he did not recognize Autahr. "Autahr..." he mumbled. "I don't know you." ''What? Iro... we've known each other for a thousand years. How don't you know me?'' "Just don't," was the toneless reply. "Now leave me be; I have work to do." ''Oh, I get it. You think those Head members might be listening to our conversation, right? That's fine, but don't get all corrupted by those guys, okay? Hey, what happened to your weapons? What's that new one you have? Why'd you swap them? Did your others get too beat up?'' "Enough!" Iro yelled. "Do you ever shut up? I said I don't know you, and yet you pester me with questions that don't need to be asked. Back, beast!" The Toa of Iron's eyes glowed crimson, and a second later, two lasers erupted from his orbs. They struck Autahr, scorching his hide. Not satisfied with Autahr's reaction, Iro fired a second and third set at his former friend until he finally fled in pain. With that distraction taken care of, I must meet with my real allies, Iro thought. ''That was probably a good friend, too. Ah, well, he cannot interfere with my plans... No one can.'' ______________________________________________________________ Ujama and Braxel landed their skiff on the southern edge of the Central City piece of Uteara. Shattered glass and pieces of rubble littered the beach. The skyline of the city was no longer neat and uniform, but instead was broken and uneven. "Iro said to meet him on the western beach," Braxel stated. "We should look for him there, I guess." "We should travel in the city," Ujama said. "Perhaps we may find other allies there." Braxel nodded and began walking north into the city. The Toa of "The Green" shuddered inside; this was his home, and seeing it in this shape made him uncomfortable. All of this damage... all of this destruction... All of the innocent lives that may have been lost and all of the lives that were destroyed. Was this a mere act of nature, he wondered. Or was there something more sinister involved with the meteor shower and earthquake? "It is best not to think of it," said Ujama, as if he heard the Toa's thoughts. "It is true, there is much to rebuild, but perhaps it is for the best. We shall now be more aware of what is happening in our world and the unity between regions shall become stronger. It will only be a matter of time, Braxel." "I guess..." Braxel muttered. The Toa of "The Green" was about to continue speaking when something caught his eye - Autahr running away from some unknown threat. From the look of it, he was burned by something... or someone. Braxel unsheathed his blade and ran off after Autahr, Ujama following. They caught up to their giant ally a few minutes later. "Autahr, what happened?" he asked. Iro... the Rahi's mind-voice mumbled. Iro... "Iro?" Ujama repeated. "Did something happen to Iro as well?" ''No... Iro... He did this!'' "What?" Braxel stammered. "Wh... why would Iro do that?" Looking at the burn marks, he added, "And how?" Ujama narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment before speaking. He remembered a situation similar to this from his days as a Toa Cevil. There was a being named Darcai, a Makuta who never used his true form, but instead posed as well-known Toa, Matoran, and even Turaga. The main flaw with Darcai was that he tended to use Kraata powers that made no sense being wielded by a Toa; he would use his power over poison while posing as Netruhl or his hunger power as Tyverus. While Darcai may have been long dead, the Turaga of "The Green" had no doubt that no Head of the Spear member was above posing as a mask trusted by many. "Perhaps... perhaps it is not Iro," he said aloud. "From my experience, Makuta are shape-shifters... and there are Makuta as Head of the Spear members." "Did he do anything... off?" Braxel said to Autahr. Autahr suddenly realized what Iro did to make him run away. After a moment, his mind-voice filled his friends' heads, ''Well, he... uh... shot... lasers out of his eyes.'' "Yeah..." Braxel muttered. "Last I checked, Iro, or any Toa, can't do that. Whoever's posing as him just made his first mistake." "So we must find the true Iro, then," Ujama said. "And defeat this impostor." "Might not be so easy," Braxel replied. "If the impostor's with the Head, then he might be a shape-shifter. And then, he may have attacked Xinlo, Kara, and Gravemos, as well. They might take some convincing to believe that this is a fake." Well, we'd better hurry, Autahr said. Before the imposter hurts anyone else...

Chapter IV
Ulreq. It was a name unknown to many, but to a select few, it meant a grave deal. Long ago, the being named Ulreq had once been the very first, and the only natural, Toa of Shadow. During his first year of existence, he tried his hardest to bear the title of Toa with pride, tried to work with his fellow brothers and sisters. Needless to say, it did not work out. He was forced to leave the team when he killed a Makuta named Justac that threatened to harm the Central City of Uteara. "Toa don't kill," Pothyn, Toa of Stone, had said. "You've been with us long enough to know that." "Yes, because every villain cowers at the sight of Toa," was Ulreq's reply. "Once they learn this flaw of our kind, brother, they shall hunt us down and kill us. Deccius may have wanted a bit of peace, but we cannot afford to choose pride and weakness over logic and power." "...we cannot afford to choose pride and weakness over logic and power." Ulreq thought to himself. He would always remember those words. ''To this day, I have lived by my own words. Perhaps this attempt at conquest shall not succeed... but it does not matter. I know that I shall emerge victorious in the end. In fact, if one were to know my entire life - every detail - they might even go as far as to say that I am destined to be victorious...'' He was still hidden, but at the same time, he was able to see everything happening. He knew that Iro had just attacked his friend Autahr; he knew that Toa Xinlo had left the Central City to check on the well-being of his little friend Kara; he knew that Ujama, Braxel, and Autahr believed there to be an Iro impostor and were seeking out the true Iro; and he knew Iro's plans for the Central City. We are one mind, he thought to himself, amused. For, if one were to know the plans of Iro, they may say that they sound much like the plans of Ulreq... Ulreq. Now, he was the Shadow Lord, a being beyond anything else on Murtua. Toa, Makuta, even Deccius and Yzaa were dwarfed in power by this one being. He led the powerful Head of the Spear with a fist of iron. His first attempt in conquering Uteara was foiled by the Toa Liiri. However, six out of the seven had perished in their mission to bring down the Head of the Spear, leaving only the leader, Toa Iro, alive. Now, one-thousand years after his defeat, Ulreq would stand triumphant. He was very thorough with his plans. A little "suggestion" here and there would make not only Iro and his allies puppets, but even Zha-xar, Krevt, and the Head of the Spear would also become pawns in this game. ''And perhaps this endeavor comes to an end. Perhaps Krevt, Venom, and Zha-xar shall fall in combat with Iro and his allies. Perhaps the army shall crumble and our fortress shall shatter.'' A smile curved on his face. ''It matters not. The destiny of victory belongs not to the Head of the Spear as a faction... but to I alone.'' ______________________________________________________________ "Kara? Kara, are you okay? Kara!" The Toa of Fire blinked her eyes. The world around her was still a bit blurry. A black and blue figure was standing over her. "X... Xinlo?" she asked weakly. "Yeah, it's me," the Toa of Sonics replied. "Are you okay?" "I'm... fine," she said. "My head hurts... a lot. I can't really remember what happened." Xinlo swore under his breath. He knew what had happened. Iro, a Toa who everyone thought was this defender of justice and peace, had defected to the side of evil. Xinlo's theory was that Iro had maddened Autahr, forcing him to attack Kara. Autahr was nowhere to be seen, but was probably long gone by now. "I have bad news," he said. "Iro... he's betrayed us. He with the Head now, Kara." "Iro? Toa of Iron... talks a lot, right?" "Yeah, that's him. Turns out all that talk was just a cover up. I was right about him... he was a traitor." "He didn't seem like the traitorous type. Are you sure it's him and not an impostor?" "It's him. He attacked me with his elemental powers. Makuta can't duplicate that." Kara was about to speak when a soft wind blew by. What sent chills up the Toa's spines was the tone of the breeze. It was as if the wind carried a message, a bad omen. Once it passed, the two Toa looked around. Nothing. This portion of the Volcanic Sector was barren, flat as desert. No one could hide; the area went on for kio. In fact, there should not have even been any wind. They were not close to the ocean at all. "Eerie," Kara muttered. "I've never heard of anything like that happening. Have you?" "No..." said Xinlo. He was a bit more creeped out than he would have liked to admit. "Let's get out of here. Maybe we can meet up with Gravemos or Ujama or someone. I just... don't really want to stay here..." ______________________________________________________________ "There they are..." Braxel whispered to Ujama and Autahr. The three friends were on a shadowed rooftop, gazing down upon Iro, Zha-xar, Venom and a forth being that Autahr identified as Makuta Krevt. The group of villains was heading in the direction of an abandoned government tower, from the looks of it. I can't read Iro's mind for some reason, Autahr reported. But according to Zha-xar's thoughts and memories, these guys have some bad plans for the City. "How bad?" Braxel asked. Bad enough to order an evacuation, was the response. Ujama thought for a moment. He himself did not know what plans the Head of the Spear may have had for the City, but he was a leader. He knew that decisive thought and action was what consistently prevailed in situations like this. "Braxel," he began, "you must speak to Turaga Kohu. Tell him... anything, but make it believable and make it extreme enough so that he will order an evacuation. I know not of the Head's plans, but if they are as bad as Autahr claims, this evacuation will be for the best." "What are you two going to do?" the Toa of "The Green" asked. Ujama smirked and his eyes flashed, having the same reckless quality that they carried when the Turaga was once a Toa. "We are going to give them something to remember." ______________________________________________________________ Iro waved his hand, ordering his allies to halt their pace. He looked around, but saw nothing. He was not going to turn around. He would not give those who dared follow him the advantage of knowing that Iro knew they were there. Venom cursed, impatience taking hold of him. "What i-?" Iro motioned for silence, but did not say a word himself. After a moment, he spoke, his voice in a harsh whisper. "Don't look around, but we're being followed. By some of my former friends, in case you're wondering. Now, don't move. We've stopped, and if they're not completely stupid, they'll realize that we know they're there. It's best if they don't realize that, but it doesn't make a huge difference. There are three... no, two; one just left. A Turaga and the sentient Rahi." "I'll take them," Venom said, looking forward to some action. It had been at least three hours since he had fought Xinlo. "Such enemies are much trouble," Zha-xar muttered. "Perhaps it is the one who stands over all who is to defeat our enemies." When no one said anything, Iro said, "He means Krevt." Krevt chuckled. "An honor this shall be, no doubt. Very well, friends; I shall destroy these former allies of Iro's. You three continue to the tower; I shall join you shortly." "And then I'll reveal my plan," Iro said. "Once we're up there, there's no stopping it." Krevt nodded and unsheathed his weapons. Iro, Zha-xar, and Venom made a dash for the tower. Krevt had a reputation for being a quick executioner, and if they walked, he would have probably beaten them to the top of the tower. Krevt waited until his allies were out of sight before speaking. His voice was filled with self-confidence and pride. "You can come out now," he called out. Against most ambushes, Krevt would have been able to defeat the effort and then use the attack to his own advantage. Unfortunately for him, mental assaults were not attacks that allowed room to defend himself. Autahr leaped from the rooftop he was standing on, behind Krevt. He tackled the Makuta like a Muaka pouncing on its' prey. He then reared up and sent screaming thoughts into Krevt's mind, sending him staggering backward. When Krevt took a step forward, Autahr charged forward, headbutting the Makuta in the abdomen, forcing him to fall to the ground. Ujama smiled. Autahr had remembered his advice. Makuta were powerful, but keeping them too off-balance to use their powers was key in order to defeat them. It was now his turn to enter the fray. He jumped off of the rooftop and summoned a swarm of vine tendrils to keep Krevt in place. Before the Makuta could react, the Turaga had stabbed his blade into Krevt's armor. Krevt roared and triggered his repulsion power, sending his two assailants flying back. He looked from Ujama to Autahr and then spat on the ground. "Who is it, then," he asked, "that wishes to die first?"

Chapter V
"I could've taken them," Venom muttered to Iro. He glanced back to see Makuta Krevt battling a green-armored Turaga and a large Rahi. "Easily, too. Why'd you send Krevt after them?" Iro smiled and chuckled softly. "I needed to stall him for a bit. We need to get up there before he does. That way, he won't be in a position to give orders, nor will he attempt to stop me from using the contents of this vial against our enemies." Venom glanced at the vial. It was a jet-black, so that its' contents were hidden. "What is in there?" he asked. "A gas that is highly reactive to air. I'd say the resulting explosion would be enough to... destroy the city. This little treasure's a make-shift bomb." "No wonder you didn't want to tell Krevt..." "There's a lot I don't want to tell Krevt... like who I really am," Iro said, his voice a bit more guttural than usual. "You're Iro... aren't you?" Venom asked, a bit confused. "You used your elemental powers, and Makuta can't duplicate those. Or, at least, not iron. You can't be Methenor, nor Tora, nor Vraal, right?" "Many things are possible. For example, Vraal did not die in the sinking. He left long ago and was also a respected ally of Zha-xar." "So you're Vraal?" Venom muttered. "Or perhaps I am Methenor. His armor was not recovered from Kehtyva, and he could have survived." "Or maybe you're Tora, right?" Venom spat. "Tora is dead, incinerated by a Toa of Fire. Only ash scattered in the ocean remains of her." "Brother Venom, our friend shall reveal his true identity when we are all in the tower," Zha-xar said. "However, I understand not why you assume he is a Makuta... or a Head of the Spear member. He may simply be an unknown shape-shifter that wishes to be a part of our campaign." Iro gave a nod. Venom rolled his eyes, a bit annoyed. "Let us continue," Iro said, gesturing to the abandoned government tower that stood a few yards in from of them. "Our mission is too close to completion to be interrupted once more..." ______________________________________________________________ Under normal circumstances, Braxel was not the type to run, even when dire situations called for it. However, a bomb threat from an Iro impostor was enough to send the Toa of "The Green" sprinting to the capitol building. He was trying to think of a reason for ordering a city-wide evacuation, which, believe it or not, is not an easy thing to do, particularly one that sounded sensible and that Turaga Kohu, governor of the Central City, would buy into. Braxel no longer needed to think of a reason. Overhearing the false Iro, Venom, and Zha-xar's conversation was reason enough. He barged into the capitol building, knocking over the two Toa guards, Axur and Battes, as he slammed into them. He ripped open the door to Kohu's chamber to see the Turaga in conversation with Turaga Toren, governor of the Ice Region. "Forgive me, Toren," Kohu said to the Turaga of Ice. He shot a look at Braxel, contempt in his eyes. "What is it?" he barked. "You need to evacuate the city," he said. "Now." The two Turaga looked at each other. Kohu broke out laughing. "What? What makes you think that there is a need for such a thing? There are no storms; there is nothing to fear." "I just heard that a group of villains is planning to bomb the city. Worse, I'm pretty sure they can back up their words with action." "‘Pretty sure?’ Is that all?" Kohu asked. "No evidence? No hard proof? I am afraid I would need more than ‘pretty sure.’" "Listen, you old fool," Braxel growled. "Ujama told me that you rejected his notion of warning the City of the Head of the Spear's existence. Yeah, if it were not for the Toa Liiri, seven of whom died, I might add, the Head would be ruling this place. Do you dare to make that same mistake again?" Kohu hesitated. He had to admit that he made a crucial mistake in denying Ujama's request to warn the City, but this was something different. A warning was one thing, but an evacuation was not something to be taken lightly. "What if you are wrong, and there is no bomb?" he asked. "Then too bad," Braxel shot back. "If there is, and there are people in the City when it goes off... According to the villains I heard talking about it, the explosion would be enough to obliterate the entire City." Kohu winced. Thousands of Matoran and Agori lived in the Central City, and there were also Toa, Glatorian, Skrall, Vortixx, and more that called this City their home. If he did not, then tens of thousands of lives would be claimed by the madbeings who would commit this unspeakable deed. "Very well, Toa," he sighed. "I shall order an evacuation. If there is no bombing within the month, then you are to be exiled from this place. Are these terms fair?" "Yeah," Braxel said. He turned around to exit the chamber. "You made the right choice this time. First time for everything, I guess." ______________________________________________________________ Krevt was a veteran of combat. He had fought many battles in his life, and he knew how to defeat all kinds of different opponents. Not only that, but he was of the Makuta species, which meant he had forty-two powers at his disposal, more than enough to destroy whoever he fought. Tell me, then, he thought to himself in disgust, how these two pathetic opponents are still alive. He had considered the fact that after one-thousand years, his lack of fighting had come to bite him in the rear. In fact, he was sure that this was the reason for Turaga Ujama and Autahr remaining alive. Still, one would think that even if Krevt's fighting skills were not what they once were, that he could still easily eliminate his two enemies with the use of his powers. What he did not notice was the black-armored Skakdi hidden behind a building nearby. Vizu was surprised at the amount of time it was taking to drain even a quarter of Krevt's energy reserves. Zha-xar had told him a day earlier to do this task, as he wished to weaken Krevt. The blue-spined Piraka did not have the opportunity to do it until Krevt was attacked, but he was sure that this was the circumstance the Kra-Atreu had in mind when he wanted Krevt to be drained of energy. He concentrated on Krevt's energy reserves, then applied the energy he was absorbing to his leech power, speeding up the draining process. Krevt charged at Autahr, attempting to stab his acid spear through the Rahi's hide. Autahr grabbed the shaft of the spear with his front paws and snapped the weapon like a twig. Ujama then jumped in the air and slashed at Krevt a few times, driving the Makuta backward. Autahr came for him again, using the chains around his forelegs to beat on his armor, denting it, and doing even worse damage to other parts of the armor. "Retreat, Makuta," Ujama sneered. "Perhaps we will show mercy." "I need not your pathetic mercy, Turaga," Krevt growled. "Onl-" He stopped as a telepathic flash was felt in his mind. Zha-xar was calling for him. The flash was punctuated with the words "It is time..." Krevt unleashed a blast of chain lightning, striking both Ujama and Autahr. The two were knocked out instantly. The Makuta would come for them again, but later. Now was the time to see what Iro was truly planning. Unknown to him, now was also the time for his destiny to be met... ______________________________________________________________ Venom glanced out of the shattered window of the tower, looking for Krevt. The Makuta was scaling the building, and quickly. His armor was suffering from a good amount of damage, Venom noticed. He wondered how good of a fighter Krevt really was if he took that much damage from a Turaga and a Rahi. "He's climbing up," Venom reported. "Fast." Zha-xar placed a Kanohi over his face. It was crafted by a master forger, molded to fit an Atreu's head. The Kanohi Yyter, it was, Great Mask of Matter State. It had the ability to convert most inorganic objects into different states of matter, be it solid, liquid, or gas. It had been a long time, but he was finally going to use it once more. Iro crossed his arms and waited. After two minutes, he could see Krevt fling himself through the window and land inside the tower. He tossed the black vial to Zha-xar, as if he expected a skirmish to erupt between Krevt and himself. "I am here," Krevt said. "Now... I believe it is time to reveal this master plan of yours, Toa. But first, repair my armor. The Turaga pierced it with his blade." "Fix it yourself," Iro spat. "I'm not your slave. But I will tell you my plan. It's simple, really. We're going to obliterate the City. That black vial that is now in Zha-xar's hands contains a gas that is highly reactive to air. Once this gas is exposed to air, a massive explosion shall occur, destroying the entire City. We shall make our escape due to the Shadow's Glass that Zha-xar has with him. He shall shatter a piece of it before the vial is dropped, so that we shall enter The Shadow's Realm before it shatters." "That... that sounds much like a plan from Ulreq," Krevt muttered. "Meaning both stupid and risky. I disagree; the advantage of the Head of the Spear is its' secrecy. Bombing a city shall destroy that secrecy." "What was it that was once said by you, Iro?" Zha-xar asked. "It is too late to stop me, Krevt," Iro growled. "We have the vial, and we shall kill you before you even move to seize it."

Chapter VI
Makuta Krevt and Toa Iro circled each other wearily. A moment ago, Krevt had attempted to seize the small black vial from Zha-xar, but a blast of lightning from Iro had stopped him from attacking the Atreu. It was now a dual between the two. Krevt had deduced that since he had been weakened by Iro's former allies, the Toa of Iron was now attempting a grab for power. Krevt would make sure that Iro was to be ground under his heel. Naturally, Iro had other plans. At this point, both Zha-xar and Venom knew that this being standing before them was not the true Toa of Iron, but a shape-shifter capable of duplicating even a Toa's elemental powers. Only Zha-xar knew who this shape-shifter truly was, although Venom and Krevt would soon learn of his true identity. It was only a matter of time. Krevt charged forward first and brought back his Acid Tri-Blade. He then thrust his arm forward, the weapon positioned to stab through Iro's armor and damage his organics. Before the blow could be dealt, however, the Iro impostor used his power over metal to shatter the weapon to pieces. He then brandished his Shock Staff and stabbed it at Krevt, sending a devastating number of volts into the Makuta's armor, so that even one so powerful had to yell in pain. Krevt knew that he could not waste words. He triggered the power of his Amplified Kanohi Quarar, Mask of Replication, summoning a doppelganger of Iro to fight against the original. What the Makuta had not been prepared for was Iro's reaction. The Toa of Iron surged at the duplicate and stabbed his staff through its' face. The doppelganger faded away into nothingness. "I dislike a pathetic carbon copy," he spat. As he said that, his deep blue eyes began to change. Once clean and healthy, they were now a sickly diseased yellow. Krevt growled at the sight. He could not put his finger on it, but he recognized those eyes... from where was the question. "You do not understand, Krevt?" the impostor chuckled. "Perhaps I shall remind you of my identity... I believe your last words to me were ‘This warrior has sealed your fate and I do not wish to take part in the events to come. I leave you to your destiny now. I would not want to stall it any more than I have already.’ Now, Krevt..." the being growled, his voice much more guttural than it once was, "whatever made you believe that you or any other pathetic being could ever seal my fate?" Now Krevt remembered... Now it came back to him... Now was the first time in his entire existence that he truly knew what it was like to feel stark terror. "Ulreq..." he whispered. "It cannot be..." "It is," the Shadow Lord said through Iro's mouth. "It is Ulreq... and I believe that it is your fate that is to be sealed on this day. Venom." Venom came up from behind Krevt and grabbed him in a bear hug, forcing him to stay in place. Zha-xar walked over next to Ulreq and placed the black vial on a table nearby. "For the crime of desertion," Ulreq began, "you, Makuta Krevt, are to be met with swift punishment. For abandoning the Head of the Spear... you are to be condemned to death." Ulreq reached out with Iro's arm and clenched the Toa's fist. A split second after the action, Krevt's body shattered into millions of microscopic pieces, revealing the greenish-black Antidermis that was Krevt's substance and spirit. The Makuta was not going to go down without a fight, however. His Antidermis darkened, signaling that he was preparing a devastating mental assault. Gathering every portion of his power, Krevt focused on Ulreq and Zha-xar. Once released, the attack would drive them both to be nothing more than babbling lunatics. Destiny, on the other hand, had different plans. So engrossed in preparing his attack, Krevt was, that he did not notice that Zha-xar's silver mask was blackening, meaning that it was in use. Antidermis was a gas... and the Kra-Atreu's Kanohi Yyter was the Great Mask of Matter State. If Krevt had known that, he may have fled when he had a chance. Unfortunately, he did not have such knowledge... and he was now doomed. Zha-xar triggered the power of his Kanohi Yyter, forcing the atmosphere around Krevt's Antidermis into a solid state. Gravity took hold and the solidified Antidermis began to fall to the floor. Once it did, Zha-xar used his mask's power again, converting the solid into a liquid form. After the process was done, there was a small greenish-black puddle that was now Krevt. Ulreq, however, was not satisfied with the former Head of the Spear member's fate. No, no, he was not to simply die... all traces of his existence were to be completely erased. Twin lasers erupted from Iro's eyes, striking the liquid Antidermis. After Ulreq was done, there was nothing left of the Makuta but mere wisps of vapor. Venom looked at the spot where Krevt once stood. According to Methenor, Krevt was once one of the more powerful Makuta in existence. ''Now what was he? A few small wisps of vapor? His spirit was dead, with no hope of returning to the world of the living.'' It was a fate even Venom would not wish on anyone. Although, the revelation of Ulreq being the Iro impostor left him with some questions. "How?" he asked Ulreq. "How are you able to use Iro's elemental power?" "It is simple," the Shadow Lord stated. "My spirit was able to survive the sinking of Kehtyva while my body was not. I killed the spirit of a Vortixx and used his body to contact Zha-xar. He constructed a weapon that he called ‘Reaper Claw’ that had the ability to eject one's spirit from his body. Zha-xar used the weapon and its' power against Iro's body, and I deserted the Vortixx's body so that I was able to possess that of Iro's. The elemental power of a Toa is tied to the physical body, and not the spirit. With that fact in mind, I knew that I would gain control of Iro's power over metal." "Neither Krevt nor any of Iro's allies suspected an impostor until Ulreq had begun attacking them," Zha-xar said. "He and I were extremely careful with our planning. He was to use Iro's elemental power and nothing else against some allies, but he would also use his own against others. This was to create confusion and hostility among the allies of Iro, perhaps allowing them to go against one another." "Krevt was but a worn out puppet," Ulreq continued. "He was to appear as the new leader of the Head of the Spear so that no one would suspect my return. And they shall not, as I have my most well-crafted puppet to use. Iro shall be the leader of the Head of the Spear as far as the rest of the world is concerned. You are to say that Krevt was killed in combat and that Iro became the new leader." "But why kill Krevt?" Venom asked. "He may have been a puppet, but he was a useful one, was he not?" "Krevt was useful puppet indeed. However, he joined the Head of the Spear under my terms. One-thousand years after he abandoned us, he attempted to lead us? That is something that shall not be." Zha-xar removed his Kanohi Yyter and smiled. "A matter of revenge, this was, as well. Krevt did abandon the entire Head of the Spear, but he also thought that he was able to murder Ulreq. When his first plan failed, he left Ulreq to face Iro alone in combat. The result was Kehtyva being sent plunging into the ocean, along with a shattered body for Ulreq." "And what about the Reaper Claw?" Venom questioned. "Can it be used to restore Iro back to his normal body?" "It can," Zha-xar said. "I did not have sufficient time to isolate and eliminate that particular ability. It matters not, as the Reaper Claw is buried in the Ice Region, under ice and snow. Iro also has no body to use if he were to find it. He can only stare at it until death escorts him beyond the mortal world." "So there is no hope for those fools?" Venom chuckled. "They can't do anything? Just watch as we seize their world?" "Yes, Venom," Ulreq rumbled. "There is nothing that Iro's allies can do that is enough to stop the Head of the Spear. They are only able to watch as their world is set on fire and brought under our control..." ______________________________________________________________ In the abandoned government tower, there was a fourth being present among the three villains. He had encountered each of the three before in his life, but at this point, he could only watch as Ulreq used his body to kill Krevt and wreak havoc in the world. The spirit of Toa Iro burned with vengeance. No one was able to see him or feel his presence, but there was now a new chapter in his life to be written. He would make his way to the Ice Region and have someone uncover the Reaper Claw. What could he do after that? He did not know. In truth, he did not know how he would ever find someone who was able to see his spirit, but it did not matter. My body's in the possession of the most evil being I have ever met, Iro thought. ''But I'll never give up. I owe it to Autahr, Ujama, Scrythe, Tyverus, Xinlo, Braxel, and everyone else. The Faces of Death once said that it was I who was supposed to stop the evil of the Head of the Spear. As long as I live, I will find a way to make that so. By the souls of the fallen Toa of the past, the Toa fighting now, and the Toa who will defend the future, this I swear.''

Chapter VII
Gravemos and the Cai-Matoran Eek walked down the alley cautiously. Crime had escalated to an all-time high in the recent week since the Fracture. Shops and houses were raided by would-be criminals, and it was chaos in the Industry Region. There was no governor, unfortunately. The last two had been impeached because, much like Vices, they did not do their job as they should have. By the time a new governor was to be placed into office, he was murdered. The next day, a meteor shower had struck Uteara, causing a cataclysmic earthquake called "the Fracture," due to Uteara being split into multiple pieces. Gravemos had closed his shop and stashed away the weapons, but he was still running a business of sorts. He was now hiring himself out as a bodyguard to anyone who could afford it, although to a few friends, like Eek and Touran, the service was free. "Haven't heard or seen anything Piraka-related for a while," Gravemos said. "Who knows, maybe a few died in the earthquake." Eek shook his head. "I heard that they had headed north into the Central City before the quake. They're just someone else's problem now." Gravemos frowned. He knew that Iro and Xinlo had stayed behind in the City to keep an eye out for Head of the Spear activity, although he had heard of nothing since then. He hated to desert them, but right now, he was needed in his own city. "I thought you had something better to do than be a living shield?" Eek said. "You know, like help your other friends out." "What can I do, Eek?" the Jattillan sighed. "I'm not a fighter, just a giant getting in the way of things. I don't have that strategic edge like Ujama or Iro, and I'm not as good a fighter as Xinlo or Braxel." "So? I think I can manage on my own, but you're part of something bigger than just the Industry Region right now." "So you know about the Head?" "Enough to say that you belong with them, and not here." "Maybe... but they're all scattered right now. I don't know what I can do at the moment?" "In the legends of the BIONICLE, it was said that fate has a way of showing you what to do. Maybe that applies in the real world, too." "Maybe it does..." a voice boomed from a side alley. "But your fate may turn out to be a lot different than you believe." "Tyrashi..." Gravemos muttered. "Get back, Eek." "Bu-" "Get back. Now." Suddenly, a fist of iron erupted from the side alley, a grey-armored Skakdi riding it. He carried a three-headed axe and wore a scarred helmet. His yellow eyes glowed in an unhealthy light. Gravemos did not know how, but he realized what those yellow eyes meant. "He's not just functioning on his own," the giant said. "He's been claimed by the Head." "What does that mean?" Eek asked. "It means we're in dee-" Tyrashi chose that moment to conjure up another fist of iron, this time sending it barreling down on the Matoran of Acid and Jattillan. Gravemos stuck his left arm out and used his telekinesis to send it flying back at Tyrashi. The Sansta-Skakdi of Iron used his elemental power to attempt to send it at Gravemos once more, but the giant's gravity power proved to be stronger and the fist was forced to crash down upon its' master. It struck the ground, but there was no sign of Tyrashi. That, however, did not mean that the Skakdi had died so easily. "Eek, run away. I'll take him down," Gravemos said. "What abou-?" "Forget about me. I'll do what I have to." ______________________________________________________________ Iisei shivered as the winds of the storm began to pick up. It was not the best time to be a member of Ko-Koro's search-and-rescue team. The white-armored Glatorian's job was to go out and find any stragglers who may have been dumb enough to wander out of the village prior to the blizzard. He shook his head at the thought. Why would anyone want to leave the village prior to the Winter's Herald? The biggest storm of the year - the Winter's Herald - usually marked the beginning of the eight-month long winter. A few of Iisei's friends on the team had died out here. Others, the slightly more fortunate ones, only had to have a hand or foot or limb amputated due to frostbite or hypothermia. So far, Iisei had been lucky; he had not lost any limbs nor had he died, obviously. His stomach growled. He smirked; it had been far too long since he had last eaten anything. He was, however, hours away from Ko-Koro, the small village in which he resided. He had to be smart with the amount of food he was eating, although, starvation was not an option here either. Iisei found a spot where the storm was letting up a bit and began to eat a meal from his pack. It was small, but it would have to last him another ten hours or so. After a few more hours of searching for anyone, he would head back to the village. That was when something caught his eye. In the snow about a bio in front of him - was that gold? He shook his head and blinked, trying to see if his mind was deceiving him. No, there was a small gold object under the snow. The Glatorian put his pack back on and headed toward the object. He removed a good amount of snow, then yanked the object free. It was not what Iisei was expecting, that was for sure. It was not gold, nor copper, nor any precious metal. It was a claw-like weapon. Its' surface was gold, but the tips of the tines were a blood red. He set down the claw and began throwing snow out of the way. His initial thought was that someone had been stabbed by the claw, but when he picked it up and more thoroughly studied the tips, he realized that each "stain" was exactly the same as another. He also realized that the surface was not perfectly smooth, but instead that the back of the claw had two words scratched into it. Messor Telum. Iisei narrowed his eyes. That was not in any language that he understood. In fact, there was only one being who would know what ‘Messor Telum’ meant. That being was named Zha-xar, a member of the Atreu species. The language was that of a dead species... and the words were ‘Reaper Claw’. ______________________________________________________________ Vizu cursed repeatedly. He knew it. The Skakdi of Water knew that the Head of the Spear did not give a Protodite's sigh about the welfare of the Piraka. If it were not for Haneq and Zaqutan's report, the six Skakdi may have wound up as less than dust due to the bombing that faction was planning. "That's it," he growled. "We've been kept in the dark and we may have ended up dead because of it." "Promethius...?" Raiduran asked, fearing he knew what became of the Piraka's leader. "He's with them now," Vizu muttered. "Coward cares more about himself than us." "Is it such a surprise?" Kohtan questioned. Vizu shrugged. Skakdi were generally greedy and would sell their brothers out for minimal pay, but he had considered the Piraka to be above most Skakdi. They wore their black armor proudly, and now their own leader dared to shed it. "Let's get out of here," the Skakdi of Water said. "Avaron, prepare the boat. We're headed to the Great Barren." "What's in the Great Barren?" the Skakdi of Stone replied. Vizu smiled. "A chance for some payback. Haneq, the Head's final confrontation with the Toa is scheduled to be there, right?" The Skakdi of Fire nodded. "Promethius shall be there as well." "And so will we, then," Vizu said. "We owe him a little pain."

Chapter VIII
Iisei looked at the golden claw in his hand, puzzled. A moment ago, he had found it buried under a good amount of snow. The Glatorian did not know what it was, nor what it was meant to do, as the only inscription was in a language he did not know. If he had set it down and cast it aside, he may have changed his fate, and by extension, the fate of Uteara. The claw in his hand was the Reaper Claw, a weapon created by an Atreu named Zha-xar. It had the ability to eject a person's spirit from his body and to place another spirit in that body. A mere touch of the fingertips of the claw would be enough to trigger its' power. Iisei fit the claw onto his arm. It felt very awkward, as if it did not completely fit his arm shape. He chuckled and posed around with the weapon, despite a part of him screaming to dispose of it. Accidently, he allowed the tines to brush against the side of his body. An instant later, his body slumped to the snow, still as death. ______________________________________________________________ Gravemos ducked as Tyrashi's axe swung over his head. The Jattillan took a step forward and sent out a small pulse of gravity, enough to disorientate the Sansta-Skakdi of Iron. Gravemos surged ahead and struck Tyrashi with the flat of his sword, then brought the blade crashing down upon his enemy. Tyrashi rolled and rose to his feet. He cracked his neck and chuckled softly. Another fist of iron formed and rocketed at Gravemos. Caught off-guard, the giant took the entirety of the blow and was sent sprawling back several yards. "Had enough?" Tyrashi sneered. Gravemos muttered a curse, but did not rise. He thought of all possible actions to take. After a moment, the answer came to him. It was so simple, he realized. A split second later, the Jattillan cut off Tyrashi's personal gravity. The Skakdi was sent flying upward... four bio... seven... eleven... and still Tyrashi flew. After another minute, the Skakdi was at least five dozen bio off of the ground. Now... Gravemos thought to himself. He returned the gravity to its' normal state, forcing Tyrashi to fall... and fall... and fall... The impact was enough to knock him into submission and it created a small crater where he had landed. "I'd ask the same to you," Gravemos said. "But I don't think you're in any condition to answer my questions." The Jattillan threw Tyrashi's body over his shoulder and began to walk toward the prison. Would that be enough to cage up the Skakdi of Iron for good? Most likely not, however, it was the best thing to do at this moment. Gravemos chuckled. Maybe Eek was right. Maybe he did have a duty to his friends and had to be there for them. Best to think of that later, he decided. Right now, he had to haul one of Uteara's Most Wanted to prison. ______________________________________________________________ Braxel looked down the allyway. Nothing... again. Since he had left Autahr and Ujama, he had found no trace of either. He had run into several Toa, however - one named Zokau and a team of six called the Toa Komua. After explaining the situation to them, the Toa of "The Green" had asked if they were willing to warn the other regions of Uteara of the upcoming Head of the Spear attack. They agreed and set off, leaving Braxel to find his friends. He turned back to the general direction of the government tower, where he last saw the two. After a fifteen minute walk, he found them... both unconscious. The Toa of "The Green" rushed to them, dropping his weapon in shock. "Come on..." he muttered as he shook Ujama, trying to wake him up. "B- Braxel? Is that... is that you?" the Turaga mumbled. "Yes, Ujama, it's me," he replied. "Wh- where is Krevt?" Ujama asked weakly. "I don't know, but I think you're safe now." Autahr's eyes snapped open. He let out a growl of annoyance. "Hey, Autahr," Braxel said. "You okay?" I think so... Autahr's mind-voice responded. After explaining what was happening, Braxel suggested that it was best to leave the City. Even if it was being evacuated, the Toa of "The Green" believed the Head was not above bombing even a deserted city. An hour had passed by the time the group had reached Braxel's skiff. None of them had much of a clue as to why the bomb had yet to be detonated, but they did not dare to question the good fortune. "Whose do you think that is?" Braxel asked, pointing to the medium-sized boat resting in the waters a few bio away. It looked big enough to fit at least a team of six Toa. "Mine," a gruff voice sounded. The three turned around to see six black-armored Skakdi approaching, a stocky brown-spined one in front of the others. The lead Skakdi grimaced at the sight of a Toa. "Yours' for the looking, too," the white-spined one chuckled. His voice was low, as if suggesting a conspiracy was to be formed. "Should you have the heart not to steal - Who am I fooling? You are a Toa, not a thief." The blue-spined Skakdi narrowed his eyes. He recognized the Rahi and Turaga from somewhere, although the Toa was an unknown being. "So, ya heard of that evacuation?" he asked. "Yeah," Braxel said. He was as uncomfortable around Skakdi as they were around him. In truth, however, he knew that there was one infamous group of black-armored Skakdi that Gravemos had spoke of - the Piraka. "You know much of it?" the Skakdi of Water said. There was something in his tone... as if he truly knew what was happening, but was trying to see if any others did also. "A bit," Braxel said. "I've heard there's a lunatic with a bomb." "Lunatics," the Skakdi replied. "Don't suppose you've heard of the Head of the Spear?" "I have. Nasty group of Makuta... got beat down by some Toa a thousand years back, right?" "His knowledge exceeds that which he displays, Vizu," the white-spined Skakdi growled. "I can feel it." "Shut it, Kohtan," the Skakdi of Water spat. Turning back to Braxel, he added, "But my colleague is right, though. You know more about this than you're letting on." "I'd rather not shout it in your face... Piraka." Braxel smirked. "I see... We're assassins, yes, but we have an amount of trustworthiness." Braxel said nothing. "Truce," Vizu grunted. "We share what we know, and since I'm pretty sure we're both against the same force, we don't kill each other." "All I know is that the Head is back, staying in the dark and announcing their presence by bombing the City. Who do you think got Kohu to order the evacuation?" "Nice," Vizu said. "Zaqutan and Haneq here reported that the Head's planning to call your kind out." "What do you mean?" "Final chance at beating them, which must be very unlikely if they're going to have their leaders fight the Toa." "Where?" "The Great Barren. A final showdown... or a chance to eliminate some Toa. Depends on your point of view." The red-spined Skakdi stepped forward. "Haneq," he said, his gesture indicating that that was his name. "I am no friend of a Toa's... but I propose a temporary alliance. Betrayal within our ranks has weakened us. We shall travel to the Great Barren when your forces are prepared to strike at the Head leaders." "I'd also suggest gathering a mini-army," Vizu added. "In case Toa start getting picked off, you'll have others to take their place." "We have others going out and contacting the various regions, warning them of the Head's attacks," Braxel replied. "I'm sure we can get the numbers in due time." "Be quick. Who knows how long the Head's going to tolerate having Toa around?" "Not long, that's for sure..." "Ya know, for a kid, you're not bad," Vizu said. "Most rookies are so much more..." "Breakable," the brown-spined Piraka named Avaron snapped. Braxel turned to see that in the time span of the conversation, he had prepared the Piraka's boat for a long voyage. "As good a word as any," Vizu chuckled. Toa and Piraka reached out to shake hands. And with that action, an alliance had been formed, the first time the Piraka had made peace with anyone, even if it was temporary. First Zokau and the Toa Komua, now the Piraka... Braxel thought. Who knows, maybe we can actually win this without Iro...

Chapter IX
Venom cursed loudly. He turned to Ulreq, who was possessing the body of Toa Iro. He glanced out the window to see the last wave of Central City residents make for their boats and leave their homes behind. The Head of the Spear member could have guessed what had happened. Somehow, their plan had been leaked to Iro's allies, who responded, by calling for an evacuation. "Drop it already!" he shouted at Zha-xar, who was carrying a vial that contained a substance that was extremely reactive to air. As soon as the vial shattered, the entire Central City would be dust. Ulreq shook Iro's head. "I have thought of this evacuation and how it can be used to our advantage." Venom moved toward Zha-xar, but he soon found himself trapped in a stasis field. "The slaying of one often leads to the death of the murderer. The slaying of the Central City shall lead to our demise at the hands of Uteara." Zha-xar nodded in agreement. "What is the destruction of one city, an empty city, to the rest of a broken land? It shall become but a symbol of terror and of our power." Venom frowned. Their words did make some sense, but it felt as if there was some wasted time here. The stasis field around him dissipated. "Unfortunately, I shall not be present for your escape," Ulreq said. "I sense the presence of each and every of Iro's allies in the city south of the one we stand in. Zha-xar, once the vial is dropped, direct Venom's path to the Industry Region. You are to take command of Krevt's Fortress; prepare it to become Kehtyva's successor." Wings of shadow jutted out of Iro's shoulders and Ulreq took off, heading south. "That'll be a slaughter," Venom chuckled. "And I'll be glad to join it." Zha-xar frowned for a moment. Back when he was an ordinary Atreu, he had learned the ways of ghosts and spirits, knowing how to sense their presence. As Ulreq left, the Kra-Atreu felt as if a fourth being had left the tower, as well. Could it have been Iro's spirit? Zha-xar refused to ignore the possibility of the fallen Toa's ghost following them. "Perhaps, Venom," he said at last. After a moment, he added something else, his voice below a whisper, "Or perhaps destiny shall run a different course..." ______________________________________________________________ Iro flew. Not exactly in a way most beings would expect him to; the Toa of Iron had made a point to use two mechanical wings for long travel, but he still rocketed north of the Central City. A moment ago, he was listening to Ulreq, Zha-xar, and Venom speak, as one of his friends had leaked their bombing plan to Turaga Kohu. The next, a strange feeling came over him. Despite being a bodyless spirit, the sensation of moving at such speeds was greatly hated by the Toa. After a minute or so, he felt as if he was slowing down. Yes, the movement of his spirit was definitely coming to a gradual halt. Now that he could see his surroundings, he noticed that he was in the Ice Region. All around him, there was heavy snow and sleet, although he could not feel the cold. The next thing he saw was a white-armored body on the ground, a golden claw fitted on its' hand. No way... Iro thought. ''This guy... he found the Reaper Claw! But he didn't know what it could do... he ejected his own spirit...'' There was a tough decision to be made here. Could Iro truly possess this being's body in order to gain his own back? It saddened Iro to realize how easily he made his choice. His spirit poured into the hollow body, charging it with life. He stood up shakily. While it was time to head south, there was something to be done first. "Whoever you are," Iro said through the being's mouth, "I apologize for this, but my taking over of your body is something that has to be done. There is a great evil that dares to seize control of our world. I'm the guy who has to stop it. The most evil being I've ever met has taken over my body, which is why I need to use yours'. I promise, I'll do everything in my power to return your body, but I have to stop the Head of the Spear first." Iro glanced at the Reaper Claw. It was still intact. If he had the chance to attack Ulreq by surprise with the Claw, he would have his own body back rather easily. Let's just hope Ulreq doesn't do any major harm before I can find him, Iro thought as he ran south. And that the others can survive meeting him for the first time... ______________________________________________________________ "Great job," a Toa of Stone said to Gravemos. "We need more people like you to help get scum like this off of the streets." The Jattillan nodded as he watched a Toa of Earth toss Tyrashi's unconsious body into a cell. "Don't know if he's gonna stay there for very long," Gravemos said. The Toa of Earth frowned. "Well, it's not like we've got much to work with. No governor means no funding, you know. We donate our time to act as officers, but we get no pay for the service." "Sorry to hear that," Gravemos said. "I'll see if I can help any further in the future." After a brief good-bye to the two Toa, the Jattillan headed back to his house. He brandished his melee staff. In his mind, there was no such thing as "too safe". He rounded the corner when he heard a noise. "Who's there?" he said. "You're not being very inconspicuous." A dark chuckle echoed throughout the empty street. The shadows around seemed to take on life and reach out at Gravemos. "'Who's there?' I said!" Gravemos shouted. A figure stepped out of one of the side alleys. The Jattillan let out a sigh. "Iro..." he breathed. "Don't scare me like that, man. I thought for a second..." "You thought I might be of the Head of the Spear, right?" Iro asked. "Yeah," Gravemos muttered. "Well... you were not entirely wrong." "Wait, what? What is that suppo-" Iro stuck out his arm and a blast of sonic force erupted from his palm. Gravemos went down after about a half minute of enduring the head-splitting sound. The Toa of Iron's eyes went from their normal blue to a yellow. He shook his head and chuckled. Sometimes, this disguise proves to be a most useful asset, Ulreq thought. ''Unfortunately, I must shed it in due time. It lacks the ability to amplify my power as my traditional form does. It matters not, I suppose. One by one, these little friends of Iro's shall fall before the being that was once thought to be the one to stop my reign.'' ______________________________________________________________ "They're all gone," Venom reported. "Is it time?" Zha-xar hesitated for a moment. Could he really be the one to destroy the Central City, a symbol of the beauty of Uteara? As it turned out, he could not. He idly tossed the vial to Venom. "The honors are to be yours'; you endured the pain of waiting for action to take place, and you shall be the one responsible for the beginning of the end." Venom chuckled. "If you say so," he said. Zha-xar sighed heavily. He knew why he gave the vial to Venom. It was but a pathetic attempt to allow his conscience to feel a bit better. Knowing that, of course, meant that the plan was not going to work. Venom, however, had no such conscience. He looked down for a spot on the ground where the vial was meant to shatter. "All right," he said. "Ten seconds. You drop the glass in eight." Zha-xar nodded, but said nothing. He simply walked right next to Venom and produced a small blackish-purple piece of glass known as the Shadow's Glass. It would allow the two to travel to The Shadow's Realm, where they could access other parts of Uteara in little time. Venom began counting as he stuck his arm out the window. "One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight..." Zha-xar hurled the glass on the ground. An instant later, a portal to a blackened world opened up, consuming the Atreu. "... nine... ten!" Venom shouted. He unclenched his fist, letting the vial drop several dozen bio to the ground below. He bolted into the portal just as it began to close. He saw Zha-xar about a bio ahead in the darkness. "You know where you are to go," Zha-xar called out. "Focus and you shall soon be there..." the Atreu then disappeared, most likely gone to Krevt's fortress, where he would prepare it to be the new base of operations for the Head of the Spear. Venom focused... Industry Region... he thought. Come on... He, too, winked out of existence. A split second later, he landed on cold, hard street. He smiled at the sight of the towering apartments and factories of the Industry Region. He began to seek out Ulreq when a violent roar sounded. He frantically looked around to see the cause. After a moment, he realized what it was. Even he had to widen his eyes in sheer shock. The Central City had fallen.

Chapter X
Gravemos shook his head clear and muttered a curse. A moment ago, he had been attacked by a being who he thought was Iro. Of course, Toa of Iron do not typically have sonic powers, so the Jattillan deduced an impostor... a very stupid impostor. "Gravemos!" The giant turned to see Ujama, Autahr, and Braxel running towards him, and they were followed by Toa Xinlo and Kara. "What's going on here?" Gravemos asked, making no effort to hide the annoyance in his voice. "An Iro impostor," Ujama explained. "A foolish one who has made the mistake of using Makuta powers while in a Toa of Iron's body." "You too? That same impostor attacked me!" Autahr nodded. ''His mind is shielded, so I can't find out who he really is. I tried to read Venom's mind, but he didn't know either. Zha-xar does, but he had mental shields up. Weak ones, but they were enough to prevent me from finding out who the impostor is.'' Braxel then spoke up. "Gravemos, you're not gonna like this, but I made a few alliances in the City." "So?" Gravemos said. "We could use some help to beat the impostor." "Well, I ran into seven or so Toa, and they're warning the other regions as we speak... But the other allies that are going to fight with us during the final battle are the ones you'll hate... they're the Piraka." "What?!" Gravemos stammered. "Wh- why? How?" "These are trying times," Ujama said. "The Piraka, too, suffered the loss of their leader to the Head of the Spear. The alliance shall last until the Head is defeated." "So what are we waiting for?" Xinlo asked. In his mind, it was a lot easier to accept the fact that some villain was going around posing as a mask trusted by all. Braxel looked around at his friends. What were they waiting for? He opened his mouth to speak when a roar filled the air. He immediately turned north to look at the Central City. He wished he had not. The Toa of "The Green" dropped his weapon, his eyes blazing. "No!" ______________________________________________________________ The Central City of Uteara was far more than a mere city. It was a monument, a reminder, and a symbol. Over one-thousand years ago, it served as the base of the Toa Cevil. When the First Shadow took over, the Toa Cevil went into hiding, but soon struck out, eventually overcoming it. While the majority of Uteara hated the governor, Turaga Kohu, most beings from the Central City claimed to be from there with pride. It was considered to be the most hospitable place to live, as Toa and Glatorian were a common sight, and the crime rate was low. And now... all of that was gone. Ulreq's vial hit the ground and shattered, releasing the gaseous substance that was contained within the glass. As soon as it came in contact with air, a violent reaction occured. The explosion was massive, perhaps one of the largest ever to be noted. Buildings crumbled and glass shattered. Homes were destroyed. The statues of the Toa Cevil and the fallen Toa Liiri were turned to dust by the force of the blast. The Central City of Uteara had once been far more than a mere city. Now, however, it only represented what would happen to those who dared oppose Ulreq and the Head of the Spear. Its' destruction was seen all over the hemisphere. The Piraka, Iro, Braxel and his friends, Toa Zokau, the Toa Komua, Zha-xar, Venom, Avvun, Ulreq, and everyone else on the continent witnessed this event. Most, even professional killers like the Piraka, would bow their heads in sadness and in respect to this event. Only one heartless being without care for whom he stepped on smiled at the sight. ______________________________________________________________ Ulreq chuckled as he saw the Central City crumble before the might of the explosion. The first blow had been struck, and what a blow it was. If his theory was correct, the other regions would begin to cower and refuse the unity that could possibly spell victory. They would be weakened to the point where a fraction of the Head of the Spear's army would be enough to conquer what remained of this entire continent. Iro's allies had met with one another, he noticed, which made them perfect for the hunt. He did not bother to switch his eye color from yellow to blue. The heroes knew there was an impostor of Iro, so why bother trying to maintain the illusion of being the Toa of Iron? Venom came up from behind him. "It's done," he said. "I didn't know... that was what would happen... It's almost sickening in a way." "I assume you were to vomit if I allowed the citizens to stay?" Ulreq asked. When Venom did not respond, the Shadow Lord simply smiled. "I wish to rule a continent. However, it is not to be an Uteara of the dead." "So we're now going to battle Iro's friends?" "Yes. There are many, mind you. A Turaga and beast proved to be enough to nearly defeat Krevt, a Makuta with nearly fifty powers. Do not underestimate the vengeance of a hero." Venom nodded. The words "vengeance of a hero" reminded him of someone... Cortez... he thought. He said something like that to me the last time I saw him. "Attack with darkness as an ally," Ulreq said. "I shall make my own existence known, but you are to keep the advantage of surprise until you feel it is best to attack." "All right," Venom replied. He made sure his weapons were ready, then slipped into the shadows of a nearby alley. ______________________________________________________________ The Toa of Ice shook his head. "You want me to do what?" he asked. Before him was Iisei, a friend of his from the search-and-rescue team. What was most strange was how the Glatorian was acting. "I need to leave the Ice Region," Iisei said. "Now." What Toa Kopern did not realize was that his friend's body was being possessed by the spirit of a Toa of Iron named Iro. This Toa had been through much, including the loss of his body to an evil being named Ulreq. "I also need your Kanohi Kakama," Iro added. "I think you've spent too much time out in the storm," Kopern said. "You leave now and you'll end up dead. You know that." As it turned out, Iro did know that. He possessed not only Iisei's body, but his brain as well. The Glatorian's knowledge was open for the Toa of Iron to read. "Which is why I need your Kakama," he said. "I can leave really quickly." "That still doesn't make any sense. Glatorian can't use Kanohi... and why do you need to leave so badly, anyway?" Iro was tempted to tell the Toa that he was a powerful Toa of Iron who had possessed a Glatorian's body so that he might stop a great evil from taking over Uteara. He doubted Kopern would embrace the idea. No, he would most likely send Iisei to the nearest clinic. Without a word, Iro slashed at the Toa with the Reaper Claw that he carried. Kopern's body slumped to the ground. Iro grabbed the Kakama and placed it on his face. He slashed at the Toa of Ice again, allowing his spirit to return to his normal body. Toa mind... Glatorian body... Iro thought. Let's hope this thing only needs the mind... Iro triggered the Kakama's power and waited for something to happen. To his surprise, he began to rocket forward at blinding speeds. He saw the world around him become a white blur... then he saw the blue sky above. He ran over the water, through the Great Barren, and around the Central City ruins. He came to an abrupt halt at the northwestern part of the Industry Region. He looked back and bowed his head solemnly. They did it... he thought sadly. ''They destroyed the City. Those... monsters... They have to be stopped.'' He glanced at the Reaper Claw. And I happen to have the power to stop them. ______________________________________________________________ "It would appear that the first blow has been struck..." Braxel glanced up to look at a sight that filled him with fury like none other. "You..." he seethed. The others looked to see Iro... no, not Iro - the impostor. He stood there before them, arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "Hello, Toa Braxel. I see that you have witnessed what my power is capable of." "Lose the disguise, creep," Kara spat. "We know you're not Iro." "Why should I do such a thing?" the impostor asked. "Regardless of whether I wish to or not, I have not the power to transform a body that is not meant to be transformed." "What do you mean?" Gravemos asked, brandishing his melee staff. "I am not Iro, as you assume. However, who is to say I am a mere shape-shifter?" The reply came not with words, but with a sonic attack from Xinlo. Gravemos, Kara, and Braxel added their own elemental powers into the mix, hurling the impostor against a nearby building. "Fools!" the impostor hissed. "Do you wish to kill Iro with such passion?" "You're not Iro," Braxel growled. "I am... in a sense. The body you see belongs to the Toa of Iron... the mind and spirit belong to Ulreq." The last word was enough to halt any attack that may have been planned. Braxel shook his head. "Impossible. How can you be in Iro's body? And how can you be Ulreq? He's been dead a thousand years." Ulreq gave a guttural laugh, one that sent chills through the heroes' spines. "Can one truly kill shadow? Can one truly interfere with destiny? I believe the answer to both questions is this: one cannot. I am forever, just as fire, water, or air shall be. I give Autahr one chance to glance at my mind. He shall tell you what I have: That I am Ulreq... in the flesh of Toa Iro." Autahr nodded at Braxel, signaling that he was willing to read Ulreq's mind. After a moment, he jumped back in shock and horror. It's Ulreq... his mind-voice said. ''I couldn't keep looking in his mind... So much darkness and evil in one mind... I never thought that it was possible...'' Ulreq smiled. "I assume you wish to battle the Shadow Lord in an attempt to avenge your dead Toa Iro?" "He... he is dead?" Ujama gasped. "I know not how long a spirit can survive without a body. However, I do know that it is not very long. Your friend shall soon travel to the cold of the void, where he shall remain... forever." "You're going to pay, Ulreq," Xinlo said. "I don't care how powerful you are; we're going to take you down." The Shadow Lord still smiled, but shook Iro's head, as if in disagreement. "We shall see who is to fall indeed, Toa Xinlo."

Chapter XI
Toa Xinlo charged forward at Ulreq, swinging his hand axe. One moment, he was running and the next, he was sent sprawling onto the ground. He shook his head clear. He had not even felt the blow connect... What kind of enemy were they dealing with here? Autahr and Ujama mounted the next attack, mental shocks and hordes of vines came for the Shadow Lord. The pair then sprinted forward, Autahr giving a powerful headbutt while Ujama sent Ulreq falling to the ground with his blade. The two looked down at their fallen enemy. The next thing they felt was an explosion, then the sensation of being hurled back against a building. Braxel grabbed Ulreq in a bear hug, but the Shadow Lord elbowed him in the mask and broke away. He snatched the Toa's sabre and struck Braxel in the head with its' flat. Ulreq then snapped the blade in two as if it were a twig. He also targeted Kara, using his power over temperature to nearly freeze the Toa of Fire in place. Xinlo decided to attack once more, but soon found himself on the receiving end of a tidal wave of pure sound. Being a Toa of Sonics, such an attack was enough to completely disorientate him. "Okay..." he muttered. "Maybe we should've planned something out." He glanced at Gravemos to see the giant being ambushed by Venom. The two then began a duel of their own. "Six of us," he said to Braxel. "Two of them. Come on, let's do this right." ______________________________________________________________ Iro, in the body of the Glatorian Iisei, looked upon the scene of battle. It was to be a massacre. Ulreq alone was enough to beat down the six, but he was now being aided by Venom. It was as if an army decided to attack the sun, it seemed. Sparing one last glance at the Reaper Claw, Iro sighed. Let's see if I can even the playing field a bit, he thought grimly. ______________________________________________________________ Ulreq surveyed the battleground. Ujama and Autahr had both been knocked unconscious by the force of gravity, while Kara fell to the sub-zero temperatures around her. Gravemos and Venom were engaged in a furious battle, neither side looking like it would soon quit. That left only Toa Xinlo and Toa Braxel free to oppose him. "You have seen my power," the Shadow Lord stated. "Any being with a functioning mind is able to say that there is no hope to defeat me... let alone the entire Head of the Spear." "We're Toa," Braxel growled. "It's not our job to be beat by the likes of you." "Yeah," Xinlo added. "We're fighting 'til the end." Ulreq simply shrugged. "So be it..." For the first time in the battle, Ulreq attacked first. Lightning poured from the sky, forcing the two Toa to scramble away. The Shadow Lord used Iro's elemental power to send a pillar of iron crashing into Braxel's head, rendering him unconscious. He then teleported behind Xinlo and brought back his Shock Staff. "It is time to make an example of you," Ulreq said. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ulreq glanced over his shoulder to see a white-armored Glatorian running at him. In his right hand was a golden claw. "The Reaper Claw..." the Shadow Lord muttered. "Iro..." ______________________________________________________________ Metal clashed against metal as Gravemos and Venom battled. It was a lot like their original battle, although the stakes seemed to be much higher at this point. "Haven't we been through this before?" Venom hissed. "We have," Gravemos said. "But I beat you last time. So don't complain." The giant spun his melee staff around. He noticed that Venom had slightly let down his guard. ''Where could he be struck? '' The opportunity revealed itself as Gravemos noticed a hole in Venom's armor, on the right shoulder. An instant later, the Jattillan jabbed his staff forward, aiming for the gap in the armor. Venom did not notice it until he felt the sharp pain of his organics being pierced by cold metal. He let out a cry of agony and dropped his weapons. Gravemos shook his head. Using his gravity power, he sent Venom's head crashing to the ground. The impact was enough to knock him out. "That's two you've lost to me," the giant said. "When will you learn?" ______________________________________________________________ Iro charged towards Ulreq at full speed. Already, he willed his right arm, fitted with the Reaper Claw, to be prepared to jab at the Shadow Lord, so that his spirit may be ejected. While still angry at himself for giving away his attack, he was confident that Ulreq had been taken completely by surprise. Only a few seconds until his body was to be his own again. He was a mere bio away now... less than that. Iro had him! "You're finished, Ulreq!" he cried. The Shadow Lord whirled around and stuck out his right arm. In a fraction of a second, he clenched his fist and reached out with Iro's elemental power over all things metal. Targeting the Reaper Claw, he commanded it to shatter. With his left arm, he sent his fist crashing into the former Toa's face. Iro fell to his knees. "No..." Iro whispered, the sound of defeat heavy in his voice. "My apologies, Toa," Ulreq said, his tone lacking any form of sorriness. "I still require your body for the time. A clever plan you had, I must admit. Stealing the body of another is not below you, I see. If I were another, I would be enraged with Zha-xar for not destroying that weapon after its' use. However, robbing you of the hope that you may one day retrieve your body has made me much more... forgiving." The Shadow Lord triggered three small explosions near where Iro, Xinlo, and Gravemos each were standing. The three heroes fell to the ground, unmoving. "You beat them all..." Venom said, awe in his voice. He made it shakily back to his feet and put his hand to his head, as if he had a headache. "How?" "Rage is able to fuel a being's natural strengths," Ulreq explained. "However, it blinds beings to logic and deteriorates the ability to think rationally." "Are you going to kill them?" "This was to be but a warning. If they dare persist with their deceased cause, I shall be sure they do not live to interfere once again." "So what now?" "We are to make our way to Krevt's Fortress." Ulreq paused and glanced at Iro for a few seconds. "Iro shall know where we are to be. Time will tell if he dares to avenge himself." ______________________________________________________________ Zha-xar glanced out of a window of Krevt's fortress. He could sense that Venom and Ulreq were coming. Did that mean Iro's friends were now dead? For some reason, the Atreu hoped not. He remembered two of Iro's now-deceased friends - Toa Takuma and Toa Reizac. Zha-xar had attempted to block their passage to rescue Iro from Ulreq's power, but Takuma's words had stopped the Kra-Atreu from carrying out his mission. His dedication to his friend was enough to make Zha-xar feel sympathy to their cause. Of course, now Zha-xar was different. Even he himself did not realize how lost he truly was. What of Yzaa? What of the fallen Atreu? He had not thought of either ever since he spoke to Ulreq for the first time after his defeat. What had happened to the warrior of justice that he once was? Had he simply drowned in the shadow within? Or perhaps he was forever gone, never to be heard from again. All he cared about now was victory. Victory for himself, victory for the Head of the Spear, victory for the shadows. And perhaps... that is what I am to be reduced to, Zha-xar thought sadly.

Chapter XII
Iro shook his head clear and muttered a curse. Looking around him, he saw Autahr, Gravemos, Ujama, Braxel, Xinlo, and Kara - all unconscious. The former Toa cursed again. He made it to his feet and began shaking each of his friends, trying to awaken them. Braxel's eyes snapped open. Iro offered the Toa of "The Green" his hand and helped him up. "You okay?" he asked his friend. "Yeah..." Braxel muttered. "Thanks, stranger." "‘Stranger’?" Iro repeated. "Braxel... it's me, Iro." "Iro?" the Toa of "The Green" asked, perplexed. "How-?" "Long story. When Autahr wakes up, tell him to read my mind. He'll see that it's truly me." A strange tug was felt in Iro's mind. The former Toa turned to see Autahr, already awake. "Well?" It's him, Autahr said. In the body of someone named Iisei. "What... what are you doing here? Ulreq said you were dead," Braxel asked. "Close to it," Iro replied. "When I... took over this body, I was minutes away from dying completely." "Wait, how did you take over the body?" Iro hesitated. The answer was easy, but Braxel was still a rookie, one who looked up to the Toa of Iron. Would telling him the truth affect that at all? "The Reaper Claw; it was the thing that allowed Ulreq to take over my body. I found this body, spiritless, with the Reaper Claw next to it. Like I said, death was breathing down my neck. I'm not sure I had much of a choice." He paused. "I hope you can understand that. Sometimes being a hero forces you to make tough decisions." Braxel nodded and put his hand on Iro's shoulder. "I understand. You did what you had to." "So... that wasn't pretty," Iro said, referring to the battle with Ulreq. "I know," Braxel said, helping Xinlo and Kara stand up. "I've never seen a Makuta do what he did. The power to trigger explosions? That's a new one." Kara shivered. "He can also tamper with temperature. Nasty trick... I'm still freezing." "He's not a Makuta," Iro said. "He's something else entirely." "Yeah, well... whatever he is, he's got to have a weakness, right?" Xinlo asked. "I don't know," Iro muttered. "I scanned him with my Eniden once. It never even got to weaknesses; it just kept barraging me with his power list. I had to shut it off before it was even close to being done." He glanced at Xinlo. The Toa of Sonics' armor was cracked and damaged beyond repair. "What'd he do to you?" "Sonic attack," Xinlo said. "He did something before that, but I don't know what it was. He's not just strong; he's fast. Didn't even feel the first hit. All I felt was the impact of hitting the building afterward. And then the explosion..." He looked down at his armor. "That didn't help, I can say that." "Hey..." Iro said, looking around. "Where's Gravemos? He was here a minute ago." The four looked around. Ujama was awake now, but of Gravemos, there was no sign. Iro asked if anyone had seen the giant, but none saw him leave. "Don't send a search party," Gravemos' voice sounded. The six saw him and a green and black-armored Matoran approaching. "I'm fine... for a guy caught in an explosion, that is. This is Eek," he said, gesturing to the Matoran. "A friend of mine. He knows a thing or two about fixing damaged armor and equipment." "Ever fixed something like that?" Iro asked, pointing at Xinlo. Eek's eyes widened. "What in the world did that?" he asked, shock in his voice. He looked at the Toa's armor up and down. "It looks like you've been beaten every day since you started existing and refused to patch up your armor." The Matoran of Acid shook his head. "You don't need repair; you need a new set of armor entirely." "Do you have a suit of armor for him?" Kara asked. "And can you patch up our armor, too?" she added, gesturing to the rather beat-up group of heroes. "I don't typically keep an extra suit of armor lying around," Eek said. "But..." "But...?" Xinlo asked. "You're lucky today, friend." "Lucky? I don't consider this very lucky." "Fine, you're lucky this moment," Eek muttered, rolling his eyes. He nodded at Gravemos. "Got a shipment of armorsuits before the Fracture," Gravemos said. "One happens to be for a Toa of Sonics. Eek already bought it, but given the circumstances, I think he'd be willing to give it away." "At a price," the Cai-Matoran said. "What price?" Iro asked. Eek smiled. "You gotta' beat down that bad guy Ulreq." Iro and Xinlo both returned the smile. "You got it," Xinlo said. ______________________________________________________________ The group of heroes entered Gravemos' shop. The Jattillan explained that as a weapons seller, he had plenty to spare. Iro glanced around, looking for an axe and shield. "Geez..." he muttered. "You can arm all of Uteara with what you have here, Gravemos." "Thanks," the giant said, taking the statement as a compliment. "A lot of it's more for display, but the stuff I have in the back is... it's the stuff you'd be looking for." "Axe and shield, by any chance?" "And maybe a sabre?" Braxel added. "Ulreq snapped my last one." "I'll see what I have," Gravemos said. Ujama picked up a bladed weapon. He ran his fingers across the blade. It was long and thin, the type of weapon the Turaga preferred. "I have found what I need," he said. Kara looked at a black door in the back of the store. A sign hung on the knob, saying, "BIDDERS ONLY." "What's behind there?" she asked. Gravemos smiled proudly. "You're gonna like this." He took out a key from his pack and unlocked the door. Behind it was a large room with many objects covered in sheets. "It's been a long while, but sometimes I set up auctions for these things. Eek, Touran, and I built them with plans I found on Spherus Magna." "What are they?" the Toa of Fire asked. Gravemos walked up to one of the mysterious objects and threw off the sheet. It was a dark purple air vehicle, mounted with three cannons. It had two wings and a cockpit for a single pilot. On the driver's seat was a strange mask, one that was completely transparent. It had four spikes on it. The ground before it was labeled "JETRAX T12." "One of the Great Spirit Robot vehicles," Gravemos explained. "Faster than most anything you'll see on Uteara. The original was made by some guy named Artakha. It was intended to fire Light, but I saw that as too old school. This baby fires sonic force. I call her the ‘Screaming Devil’. The mask isn't really a Kanohi, but it's just as useful. Attach it to your own and you'll get a built-in heads-up display to navigate with." Kara shook her head. "What were you thinking at the time?" she chuckled. "Planning to start a war?" Gravemos laughed. "Nope. Just plannin' to stick around after everything goes down." He tore the covers off of two more vehicles. One was a black land vehicle, while the other was a strange sight, looking as if it were made for practically any environment. "Thornatus V5," he said, gesturing to the land vehicle. "And Quailec NX-4," he added, motioning to the other. "That's insane..." Braxel's voice said. Gravemos turned to see he, Iro, Xinlo, Ujama, and Autahr in the entrance to the room. All but Autahr were armed with new weapons they found in the storage room. "What else do you have?" "I'll take the Thornatus," Xinlo said, rushing to the vehicle. "Four cannons and blades look fine to me." "You look better," Gravemos muttered. "Eek patched you up pretty well, then." "What is this for?" Iro asked, looking at the Quailec. He noticed that Gravemos' name was carved on a panel. "Your personal machine of anarchy?" The Quailec NX-4 was truly a sight to see. It was a copper and green vehicle with treads like a tank. However, the treads were built in a way that they could retract into the vehicle, transforming it from a land vehicle to one built for flight. On the sides were wings, also capable of retracting into the vehicle. The back was fitted with booster rockets, useful for not only the aerial combat, but for speeding across flat ground. The vehicle was mounted with many different weapons, ranging from Zamor guns in the front to Skyblasters on the sides to Aseiden energy launchers next to the cockpit, which was large enough to fit even Gravemos. Eek's jaw was practically on the floor as he looked at the Quailec. "You never mentioned this thing before..." "Was gonna be a surprise," Gravemos said. "And it's still not yet done." He looked a bit disappointed. "Man... I wish I could put it to use right here. If Ulreq saw this thing, I bet he'd ditch his plans of conquest for good." "Keep tellin' yourself that," Iro said. "And soon, a genie will shoot out of the exhaust and tell you that you have three wishes." Iro... Autahr's mind-voice said to the former Toa. Your plan... "Oh..." Iro muttered. "Right." He let out a sigh. "Braxel tells me that the Head's planning to fight the Utearan Toa in the Great Barren to see if they can wipe out the majority. He also said you guys are planning to go down and fight, too. I don't know if I'll be joining you." "What?" Xinlo asked. "Why? You're the only one who's defeated Ulreq!" "Yeah..." Iro said quietly. His next words came out grimly. "I didn't so much defeat him as a roof crushed his body. He planted the knowledge of where he's going to be in my mind after he knocked me out. I'm going to fight him to get my body back... on my own." "So where does that leave us?" Gravemos asked. "You're going to take out Zha-xar and Venom. If I get lucky and kill Ulreq, one of them will take power. Gravemos, you've beaten Venom... twice. And Zha-xar might be powerful, but a united force will be able to take him down." "If you do beat him, what about your body?" Kara said. "Didn't Ulreq destroy the Reaper Claw thing?" Gravemos frowned. "I don't know how you might be able to get him out, but if you do... I know how you can get back in." The giant left the room. After a few minutes, he returned with a silver mask in hand. Its' design was somewhat tribal, looking both primitive and sleek. Its' eye slits were angled to the point where even when not worn, they carried a hint of menace. "A Kanohi Iden, Mask of Spirit," Gravemos said. "Use it and your spirit can leave this body... and maybe enter your real one." "Why can't we come with you, Iro?" Xinlo asked. "This is something I've got to do on my own," Iro said. "You've seen what Ulreq can do. If he left you to live, it's probably because that attack wasn't meant to kill you... it was meant to warn you of his power and what it can do. I don't want to risk you guys." Xinlo was silent for a long while. The Toa of Sonics then stuck out his arm, saying, "Good luck, then." Iro nodded as he shook his friend's hand, a bit surprised. He had expected Xinlo to make some remark of how the former Toa was stupid to challenge Ulreq on his own, but none came. Whatever feud they may have once had was forgotten, it seemed. "And hope a roof falls on him," the Toa of Sonics added. "And risk the death of that handsome devil of a body?" Iro laughed. "I wouldn't dare." "Don't die on us," Braxel said, offering his hand, which Iro shook. Kara smiled as she added. "Yeah, I don't think we'll see another like you." Ujama nodded and gave a sad smile. "Do not allow your ego to drive you on this quest." He swung his blade at Iro's head. In a split second, the former Toa grabbed it and tossed it aside. Ujama merely laughed. "I have trained you well, then." "Yeah, I think you did well, too," Iro said. Autahr ran up and tackled him playfully. Iro muttered a curse, then began to laugh. He gave his friend a shove, allowing himself to stand up again. ''Better hope they don't do that. Ujama didn't train you against that,'' Autahr said. Iro chuckled and patted the Rahi on the head. "I think they're too civilized to tackle, buddy. But I'll keep that in mind." He glanced at Gravemos. "Gravemos?" he asked. "No goodbye? No possible final words?" The giant was quiet for a moment. After a short silence, he finally spoke up. "Iro... take him down," he said. "Words to take to heart," Iro chuckled. As he began to walk back into the main area of the shop, he placed Gravemos' Kanohi Iden over the Kanohi Kakama, granting him access to both powers. He glanced back at his friends one last time. Suddenly, a new feeling of confidence came over him. Maybe he would luck out like in his first battle with Ulreq. He smiled and waved to them. His next words were enough to make the others smile back:
 * "I'll be back..."

Chapter XIII
Krevt's Fortress, it could be said, was a sight to see. When the Makuta was alive, he had conquered a small territory on which he built his grand fortress. Since the Fracture, that territory was split off from the rest of Uteara. With its founder now dead, Ulreq claimed the fortress and territory as a part of the Head of the Spear's empire. Venom glanced down the massive cliffs. Krevt knew what he was doing when he built this place, apparently. Being situated at the top of kio-high cliffs, it would be a challenge to even get to the gates, let alone face down the evil that lurked within. "I think we should name it is his honor," Venom said. "This little island, that is." "The Isle of Krevt?" Zha-xar asked, disgust in his voice. "I would sooner allow Iro to have my head. Shall we rename Uteara to ‘Tora’? Shall we call Deax Nui to the west ‘Methenor’?" Or perhaps Tukaia to the east shall become ‘Vraal’?" Zha-xar noticed his growing impatience with Venom for the first time. Normally, the two got along pretty well; no quarrels or skirmishes had erupted between them since they both joined the Head of the Spear. What was happening to him? "I get it..." Venom muttered. "We don't need to name places after dead Head members." Zha-xar was paying no attention. A battle within himself was taking place. A part of him was screaming that Venom was an enemy... that the Head of the Spear was an evil faction that did not benefit the Atreu in the slightest. Did it, though? Zha-xar could no longer tell. Ulreq approached the two, his gaze fixed on Zha-xar. "He is not well... A war within himself, from what I sense." "Why would he be at war with himself?" Venom asked. "Unless... he's going soft? He's thinking of abandoning us?" "I am not..." Zha-xar growled. He knew that was, however, a blatant lie. Hopefully, neither Ulreq nor Venom would be able to tell. "A conscience is a burden... However, I think not that either of you should understand such a concept." Ulreq frowned. Zha-xar was one of the few beings the Shadow Lord considered to be even close to a mutual friend. To see him possibly give way to his emotions was something Ulreq wished not to see. He placed his hand on the Kra-Atreu's forehead. "A heavy burden a conscience is, indeed." The Shadow Lord focused his power. "Let the annoyance of emotion be lifted until our final victory." Zha-xar's crimson eyes flashed the same sickly yellow as Ulreq's. After a moment or two, they returned to the bright red that they normally were. The Atreu said nothing, but simply nodded and walked away. "What did you do?" Venom said. "Iro seeks his vengeance," Ulreq replied. "I cannot afford to allow Zha-xar's emotional struggle to interfere with what is to happen. He is a... slave of sorts, for a short time. When the effects disappear, we will have conquered Uteara already." "Mind control?" Venom questioned. "He functions on his own. However, I merely placed a small untrue fact in his mind. He believes everything he wishes shall be his after our victory." "Will it?" Venom asked. "I very much doubt that what he wishes is to be accomplished with our victory," Ulreq said, his voice less than a whisper. ______________________________________________________________ Iro muttered a curse as he glanced upwards at the grand Shadow Cliffs, named for their black color. After the long trip over to the small island where Krevt's fortress was located, the former Toa had hoped that he could simply storm the gates and launch his one-man attack. Fate, it seemed, wished otherwise. Evidently, Krevt wished those who wanted to see him to be in no condition to fight. Iro had other ideas. He grabbed a small outcropping, and then used the leverage to pull himself up. He looked up again and swore. The cliffs were at least a kio high; it would take what seemed like an eternity to scale them. But Iro knew who lurked in this fortress. Venom, Zha-xar, and Ulreq in the former Toa’s body – the three of them were here. Ulreq had challenged him by planting the location of this fortress in his mind, and Iro would not be himself if he was not to take that risk. Fifteen minutes had passed since Iro had started climbing. The limbs of Iisei ached with tire, but there was no place for the white-armored warrior to stop and rest. He had to keep climbing. After another twenty minutes, the outcropping that he grabbed broke off. Letting out a cry of shock and fear, Iro desperately jumped to another to avoid falling to what might be his death. Not gonna die that way... Iro thought grimly as he resumed climbing. He did not bother checking how long he had until he could stop climbing. If it turned out to still be another long distance, he might end up being discouraged. If it turned out to be close, then he might start climbing too quickly and slip off again. By the time he was around four bio from the edge, Iisei's body had nearly had enough. Every muscle in the Glatorian's frame screamed for mercy; every tendon was in sheer agony. Yet still, Iro continued to climb. His determination and need for vengeance fueled his pursuit of Ulreq and his stolen body. Two bio, he approximated. Now one… he was almost there! "And where do you think you're going?" a voice hissed from above. "Venom…" Iro growled. He glanced up to confirm that the Head of the Spear member was indeed there. "Don't you have something better to do? Like getting your rear handed to you by Gravemos?" "Funny," the green-armored warrior muttered, his arms crossed. "Keep that up, and I'll teach you that it's best to keep your mouth shut when scaling kio-high cliffs." "I'm Iro," the former Toa shot back. "Banter's my thing." Venom gave a sadistic smile. "And I'm Venom," he chuckled. Twin orange laser beams fired from his eyes. They struck Iro's hand, forcing him to let go of the cliff. As he began to fall to his death, Venom added, "Killing pathetic fools like you is my thing."

Chapter XIV
Iro was falling to his death. Venom's laser vision had forced him to let go of the cliff, the one thing that he was holding on to, and he now plunged down the kio-high Shadow Cliffs. Was this how he was supposed to go? Most likely not. He probably screwed up by taunting Venom when he was hanging by a thread. That was Iro's flaw. He had to insult the being who did not give a Muaka's hindquarters about the former Toa's life. Unfortunately, that was Iro's nature. And now, it would be his death. Not if I find a way to not get killed, Iro thought. He triggered the power of his Kanohi Kakama, allowing him to move at great speeds. He grabbed onto an outcropping, and then used both the leverage and the power of his mask to shoot upwards. He rocketed over the edge and brought back his fist. At this point, Venom had turned away, being sure that Iro was as good as dead. Oh, how wrong he was. Iro, still using the Kakama's power, sent his fist crashing into Venom's face. The warrior let out a cry of pain. As soon as he saw Iro, he cursed. "Why can't you just die?" he seethed. "It makes people's lives a lot easier." "'Cause I have a duty," Iro said. "And that duty is to beat down you, Zha-xar, and Ulreq. You monsters destroyed an entire city to make a point, and if you dare fight me, Venom, I may just kill you to make my point. Get it?" "How you've changed. Where's the humanity, Iro? All gone, along with your body?" "You got it. And since I'm no longer a Toa, I don't have to follow our code until I get my body back." Venom spat at Iro's feet. "Please. You don't have the body, but you still have your pathetic morals. You don't kill, and you don't allow the helpless to die if you can help it. That's the way your kind is." "Maybe I'm not ‘my kind’ anymore. Maybe the loss of my body changed more than just my appearance. I took over Iisei's body without hesitation, so who's to say I won't kill you on the spot?" "I don't know. Your kind is full of hot air and empty threats, so I don't really know what to think. You remind of an old friend of mine – Cortez. He was a good guy, trying to act as a guardian for Uteara during its' early days. I helped, not knowing about our future. We got old. Deccius and Yzaa started creating hundreds of Toa and others, rendering us obsolete. Cortez embraced the new brothers; I resented them. Still do, ya know. Cortez, like you, talked a lot. He swore he'd defeat me after he learned that I defected to the side of the shadows." "Did he?" "Heh, I'm here, aren't I?" "Not for long." Iro rocketed forward with his Kakama, landing a hundred blows in mere seconds. One last one was enough to send Venom sprawling onto the ground. "Ugh..." the green-armored warrior muttered. "No mercy from the vengeful hero, I see. So let's try something else..." Venom had a somewhat unknown power over plant life. He did not frequently use it because, unlike Toa of "The Green", he could not access it unless there were plants around to control. Luckily, there was something to work with here. The grass around the Head of the Spear member began to form into a giant, bipedal figure. Two small holes acted as "eyes" for the creature. Venom then added his shadow power to the creature, giving an artificial life to the monster. The monster swung its' arm at Iro, who was in no real shape to dodge. However, the former Toa was sent crashing towards the fortress instead of away from it. "No, you stupid thing!" Venom hissed. "Away from the fortress! Away!" The creature gave a grunt, signaling that it understood. It hurled a portion of its' substance at Iro, who somehow found the energy to dodge. It then charged at the white-armored warrior, kicking him high in the air. As Iro hit the ground, he let out a string of curses. He hurled a rock at the monster, but it merely opened up a hole in its' body to allow the projectile to pass through without harm. Doubted that that would work... Iro thought. Let's try another approach... He triggered the power of his Kanohi Kakama once more to rocket forward at, not his opponent, but Venom, who was standing aside. Iro tripped the Head member, robbing him of the concentration needed to keep the creature together. The plant monster broke apart, turning into nothing but mere blades of grass. Before Venom could attack, Iro grabbed his head and smashed it into the ground. A few more times and Venom was unconscious. "Gravemos was right," Iro said. "You really don't learn from the past." ______________________________________________________________ Iro entered Krevt's Fortress about fifteen minutes after his defeat of Venom. If he was to fight Zha-xar and Ulreq, he would need to be in some sort of good shape. He picked up a small knife he found near the entrance. It was very dusty, telling him that the fortress had not been occupied until very recently. He moved as stealthily as he could. He knew that it would not do him much good, as he was wearing white armor, but it still was better than making a racket. He entered the next chamber cautiously. He remembered that Ujama had been here as a Toa. In fact, it was Krevt who had absorbed the Turaga's Toa Power, forcing him to transform. This was a chamber of records, apparently. There were three scrolls resting on a small desk. Ujama had mentioned those before. Had absolutely no one been at least curious about what a giant fortress was doing on the top of these cliffs? Had no one come here since Krevt had long abandoned it? Guess not... Iro thought. He continued into the next chamber with even more caution than before. There was no sign of Zha-xar's nor Ulreq's existence at all, which meant that they were most likely waiting in ambush. This chamber, like the record room, was bare. There was a large window that gave a view of all of Uteara, a few discarded weapons here and there, a table in the far corner of the room, and a dull chrome-purple mirror. No sign of either Head member... That was not good. Iro glanced at the mirror again. There! He could have sworn he saw a figure move away as soon as he focused on the reflection. It was either Ulreq or Zha-xar, that much he knew. He noticed that the mirror revealed the presence of a figure, a tall figure, in the far corner of the room. It was shrouded in darkness, so that it could not be properly identified from a distance. The former Toa slowly approached the figure. He was less than a bio from it when he realized who it was. Ulreq... but not the complete Ulreq. No, this was but his empty body. Iro looked into the body's eyes. Nothing. They were hollow, black, and empty, like that of a dead being's. The body was ebony and crimson in color, bearing no scars or scratches, making its' surface look like a work of art. It stood nearly three bio in height, rivaling even Gravemos' tall stature. Ulreq's mask was unlike anything Iro had ever seen; it was not Murtuan, that much he could tell. The one thing that puzzled Iro was how... similar to a Toa Ulreq's body was. Despite being about a bio taller than the average Toa, the design looked somewhat like the armor styles of the first generation of Toa. In fact, the design was eerily similar to that of the Toa Cevil. Could Ulreq have been..? No... Iro thought. ''He's a shape-shifter... and the similarities are probably just a coincidence.'' "It is tempting, is it not?" Zha-xar's voice sounded. Iro whirled around to see the Atreu emerge from the mirror as if it were a wall of water as opposed to solid glass. "To inhabit such a body, but to have the knowledge that you cannot. I know what you must be thinking - ‘If only there were a way to exit the mortal shell that I currently reside in.’" Iro smiled and ripped off his Kakama, revealing Gravemos' Kanohi Iden behind it. "And there is," he said, his tone much darker than usual. "Do not be a fool," Iro's voice said. Ulreq, in the former Toa's body, emerged from the mirror as well, his eyes the same blue as Iro's. Obviously, this was to taunt the former Toa. The blue eyes changed to yellow. When Ulreq spoke again, it was in his own voice. "If I am able to use my power in your body, nothing shall be gained should you possess my body. Your spirit has no power tied to it." "So you're just toying with me?" Iro growled. "I suppose," Ulreq replied. He triggered his magnetism power, causing Iro to slam onto the wall next to the mirror. "However, despite defeating Venom, you are to die in this fortress. Perhaps you may describe to me the feeling of your death. I have seen far too many die at my hands, but shall never enjoy the killing as much as I am to with your death, Toa Iro. Unfortunately, the being you possess shall die as well. However... I require something from you before your death." "And what would that be?" Iro asked. "Your portion of the Key, of course." "What? What key? I don't know what you're talking about." "With due respect, Master," Zha-xar said, "I, too, know nothing of a key. Do you care to explain what it may be, and why it has taken one-thousand years for you to first speak of existence?" "Perhaps in a later time, I shall," Ulreq said, his tone making it clear that he wished to speak no further of whatever this key may have been. His gaze fixed on Iro once again. "How do you know not of your portion of the Key? You have been carrying it since you first walked on this world." Iro shook his head. "No one ever told me I was carrying part of a key." Ulreq frowned. He looked a bit confused, to tell the truth. The Shadow Lord walked over to the table in the far corner of the room. He picked up a large axe... Iro's own Iron Axe. He said nothing more than, "It is only fitting..." Iro, for the first time, feared for his life. Here was Ulreq, wielding the former Toa's own axe, ready to decapitate him. Bonds of shadow energy formed around his wrists and ankles, courtesy of Zha-xar. Was there no way out of this situation? Ulreq placed the head of the Iron Axe on Iro's neck. The former Toa glanced to Zha-xar, but the Kra-Atreu had already left through the mirror. Perhaps even he did not want to see Iro's death. "I killed Toa Avira much like this," said Ulreq. "The loss of a head is to be shared. Have you any final words, prayers, or a silent goodbye you wish to release?" Iro sighed heavily. After a moment, he spoke. "Kill me, Ulreq... and I swear that I'll be avenged." No scoffs nor words of mockery came from the Shadow Lord. He merely nodded, but his manner made it seem as if the words were ones spoken by a madbeing. He brought the axe back a bit, then slowly placed the head on Iro's neck once more. Ulreq did this twice more; each time he brought the axe back, he brought it back a bit further than the time before. After the fourth time, he brought back the Iron Axe much more quickly. This was to be the killing blow. Ulreq then swung the massive axe at Iro's neck.

Chapter XV
Iro's heart pounded. He was practically sweating through his armor. Time seemed to slow down around him as his own Iron Axe, the weapon he had been using for over a thousand years, came for his head. In a matter of microseconds, the blade of the weapon would slice through his neck, removing his head and killing him once and for all. Ulreq, his executioner, made no signs of faltering. He had made his choice to kill Iro, and he would not change his mind. Although, even if he did, there would not be sufficient time to stop the axe from decapitating him. Iro had to admit, of all the ways to go, this was not how he had wanted to. The microseconds seemed like hours. His heart rate had doubled and was still increasing. It seemed that he would die of a heart attack as opposed to decapitation. If I'm lucky, that'll actually happen, Iro thought to himself. What especially filled the former Toa of Iron with sadness was the thought of Iisei dying with no cause. His body would die at Ulreq's hands, along with Iro's spirit. The Glatorian's own spirit would then die soon after. Was there no justice? All of these thoughts and more clouded Iro's mind. He, and perhaps even Ulreq, did not notice the minute changes that were happening to his body. His heartlight, once glowing blue, was now shining with a bright white light. His blue eyes, too, were a brilliant white. Had Iro been in a better condition to think, he would have remembered a similar situation that had happened almost a week prior in the Great Barren. The light from Iro's eyes and heartlight suddenly formed a beam of power that struck Ulreq with such force that it shoved him back nearly a bio. The Shadow Lord's eyes widened in surprise, but he said nothing. The light struck him again, but this time, its' effect was much different. Ulreq fell to his knees as the power enveloped Iro's body. After it subsided, both Iro and Ulreq were completely silent, waiting for something to happen. When it did, it was not what either expected. Iro's mouth opened and Ulreq made a sound, as if he were gagging. After a moment, smoke poured out of Iro's mouth, looking like a demon being exorcised. This, Iro realized, was Ulreq's true form. "What... what are you, monster?" he breathed. It looked to be smoke, black like tar, with flashes of a blood-red crawling through the substance like electricity. As if in response to Iro's question, the smoke made a sound that chilled him to the bone. It sounded like a predator's roar, but it seemed like it was coming from far away despite the fact that the smoke was a mere bio away from him. A moment later, it poured into Ulreq's body. A flash of darkness spread throughout the room. When it was over, Ulreq's substance and body had both disappeared. Iro was panting. Despite not willingly doing... whatever it was that he did, it seemed to have taken a toll on him, draining him of most of his energy. He did, however, gather up enough strength to trigger the Kanohi Iden that he wore. His spirit poured out of Iisei's body and into his proper body, which lay on the floor, slumped. The Toa of Iron started. He looked around, as if everything that had just happened may have been a bad dream. After seeing Iisei's body, his now-scorched axe, and himself being in his own body, he decided that it was not. He grabbed his axe and walked over to the table where Ulreq had kept the weapon. He was pleased to see that his shield was there, too. He glanced at Iisei's body. "I said that I'd do whatever I could to return this to you," he said to the unmoving body. "Now that you've done your part, I've got to do mine." Iro picked up Iisei's body and looked at the mirror that Zha-xar had used as a teleportation device. The Toa thought back to how Zha-xar managed to travel to many different places in a matter of seconds. The Atreu used a shard of glass... and now that Iro thought about it, the glass looked similar to the glass of the mirror. He also overheard Zha-xar telling Ulreq how to use it once. All it would take was concentration. Iro walked into the mirror, the surface of which rippled as the Toa entered, as if it were a wall of water instead of glass. Iro shut his eyes and focused. Before Iro could open his eyes, a cold wind blew past him. When he did, he saw kio of snow and ice stretching out all around. He was in the Ice Region, and not in just any area of the white desert. This was the area where he had first found Iisei. The Toa of Iron set down the body and waited for something to happen. The white-armored Glatorian's eyes flickered open. "Ugh... wha- what happened?" Iro smiled. "You were knocked out by the storm. Lucky I found you." "But... I saw... my body walking. It was possessed..." "I'd say that was just a bad dream, friend," Iro said. If Iisei believed that, the Toa of Iron decided, it would be for the best. "Here, let me take you to the village. I don't think you're able to walk." Iisei scrambled to his feet. "Me? Hah! I feel fine for a guy who's been out in this weather. I'm a member of the Ko-Koro Search-and-Rescue Team, after all. I must've just built an immunity to this kind of thing." "Must have." The Toa signaled that the two had better start heading for the village. "But... how did you know to find me? Rules are if one of our number's lost in the Winter's Herald, we can't afford to send people after them." "I didn't. I..." Iro's voice trailed off. "Maybe you're just lucky today, friend." Iisei could tell that this Toa was not going to really explain how he knew that the Glatorian was out in the wilderness. He simply gave a nod. "Maybe I am. The guys are gonna freak when they see that I'm still alive." "You're... you're just a kid, aren't you?" The Glatorian nodded. "Youngest member of the team. But they say I'm one of the best." "Huh..." Iro did not know that particular fact about Iisei. The Toa of Iron stopped walking. "Well, I'd better head off. I've got some real important things to get done." "You're not the brightest Lightstone around, huh?" Iisei asked. "It's sub-zero out here. I don't care if you found me; I've gotta' bring you in to the village. You might have something wrong with you if you were out here so long." "Sorry," Iro said. "I've got bigger problems than a little chill. Good meeting you, Iisei. Maybe we'll meet again someday." The Toa of Iron offered his hand to Iisei, which the Glatorian shook. Afterward, he turned and headed south. Iisei made no protest, but simply waved goodbye. When Iro was out of his sight, he shook his head. Crazy guy... Crazy, but nice enough... he thought. After a moment, a realization set in. The Glatorian had never properly introduced himself. ''So... how'd he know my name?''

Chapter XVI
Venom shook his head. He and the Atreu Zha-xar had traveled to the Industry Region under orders from Ulreq, who was supposed to meet them after he killed Toa Iro. It had been an hour since the two Head of the Spear members met there. Where was Ulreq? "It's been too long," Venom said, worry hinted in his tone. "You said Iro had no way of surviving, right?" Zha-xar nodded. Ulreq had an axe to the former Toa's throat, who was bound by magnetic force and chains of shadow. The thought of Ulreq taking this amount of time for a simple decapitation was a bit disturbing. "Perhaps Iro was trailed?" the Kra-Atreu suggested. "Perhaps he had assistance hidden so that he may escape a situation that he could not by himself?" "Don't be comforting," Venom growled. "We have to assume the worst." Zha-xar hesitated before speaking. "What would that be, I wonder?" "You know..." The Atreu frowned. He did know, in truth. The worst would be that Ulreq was somehow killed, and that Iro was now going to target the two Head of the Spear members. "Under normal circumstances, I would assume one of us is to be the new leader. However, our power is evenly matched. I believe we are to ignore who is the greater and who is the lesser, and focus on the dire task at hand." Venom chuckled. A bolt of shadow erupted from his claw and struck Zha-xar dead-center. The Kra-Atreu fell back onto his posterior, his eyes wide in shock. "Sorry, old friend, but I don't think there's room for two supreme entities on Uteara." ______________________________________________________________ Ulreq's eyes snapped open. The Shadow Lord glanced around to see that he was in the Great Barren, near the Valley of Death. Despite being weakened by Iro's attack, he was still able to teleport quite far away. He sent a telepathic flash to his agent in the Industry Region, the Sansta-Skakdi of Plasma named Promethius, commanding him to free Tyrashi and have the Skakdi of Iron lead the Head of the Spear legions that were to attack the Green Region. He reached out and came in contact with Zha-xar, who was locked in battle with Venom for the position of the new Head of the Spear leader. A telepathic message told the Atreu of what happened in Krevt's Fortress. A third went out to Yurahk and Abirahk, the two Elite Rahkshi created by Zha-xar. Their role in this attempt at conquest was to lead the legions that would attack the Storm Sector. Avvun was already mobilizing his forces to the Volcanic Sector, the Shadow Lord realized. The last telepathic flash was one that was heard by everyone on Uteara. Its' message was simple, but could shift the balance of things drastically if the Toa acted to what it said:
 * Warriors of Uteara, I am Ulreq, the being responsible for the demise of the Central City. This message is perhaps one of the few generosities I shall ever give to another being. I allow you warriors to have one chance to battle myself and three other beings that are members of the Head of the Spear, the faction that has coordinated the attack on the Central City. The Great Barren is to be where this battle shall take place. I encourage as many warriors to take part as possible; I assure you that it is but the smartest thing to do. You wish to avenge those who may have died in the explosion, I assume? Even if none you know were killed, vengeance is to be served, correct? What risk is worth not destroying me? Every warrior should come to the Great Barren... You have thirty hours... otherwise, the Head of the Spear shall seize Uteara by force, our legions killing you with ease. I truly wish to see all warriors; it shall be a momentous day in the history of Uteara... no, the world...

______________________________________________________________ "It's a trap," Gravemos muttered. Ulreq's telepathic flash had confirmed what the Piraka had told Braxel; the Head of the Spear was challenging Uteara in a single battle that was taking place in the Great Barren. "It has to be. All of the Utearan warriors against Ulreq, Zha-xar, Venom, and someone else? No. The odds are too much in our favor." "Isn't that a good thing?" Kara asked. "I mean, maybe Ulreq's just being cocky. Must villains are sure of themselves, right?" "Yeah, but Ulreq is a cold calculating manipulating machine," Braxel said. "Iro said that he's practically prepared for any circumstance... except a falling roof." Ujama nodded his agreement. "One versus one-thousand is not a fair fight, but perhaps the one has a trick up his sleeve?" "I'm willing to bet that the fourth being might be some super-powerful being that can wipe out dozens of Toa at once," Gravemos said. "Or something like that. I mean, I know two of them are going to be Zha-xar and Venom, but he said three others." The door to Gravemos' shop flew open, two black-armored Skakdi behind it – Vizu and Haneq. They both looked somewhat annoyed. "Piraka," Braxel said. "What are you doing here?" "We have some news," Haneq said. "Only good, though," Vizu added. He paused. "I'm guessin' you want to hear it now?" "Yeah, go with that," Xinlo muttered. "We could use a little good news." Vizu rolled his eyes. "All right, well, Avaron found this underground cave network that goes all the way under the Great Barren. The Head might think they have us out-powered, but if we hide a bunch of Toa and Glatorian in the caves, maybe a huge ambush will be able to take the four of them out." "Do you know who the fourth is?" Haneq shook his head. "I believed him to be Krevt until I remembered that Zaqutan and I saw him die. It's possible that one of the original Head members might have found them, or this is a new being entirely." "Whatever the case, we'd better prepare for the worst," Gravemos said. He nodded to his friends and added, "We're going to the Great Barren. Xinlo, Kara, get the Thornatus and Screaming Devil." After a moment, he looked around. "And can someone please find Autahr?" ______________________________________________________________ Avaron, Skakdi of Stone, looked at his completed weapons with admiration. They were two extremely large shields that would attach to his forearms. Raiduran dismissed them as being too big to be good, but the brown-spined Piraka insisted that when the time came, he would prove to the Skakdi of Earth that they were just as useful as mere buzzsaws or any of the other Piraka's weapons. As he began working on a lance-type weapon, Kohtan, Skakdi of Ice, walked next to Avaron and inspected his work. He attempted to pick up one of the shields, but underestimated its' weight and dropped it. Quick action from Avaron prevented it from breaking on impact of the cave floor. "What are you doing, tinkerer?" the Skakdi of Ice asked. "Makin' myself some weapons," Avaron replied. "That I want to keep in one piece for the battle ahead, so don't go around breakin' my stuff." "Where is Zaqutan?" "He's exploring the caves. Didn't say anything, but when does he ever?" "Do you not think that as most strange?" "Sure, but, then again, I don't really care. He annoys me a lot less than you do. He actually asked me to make him a weapon." "In words?" "No, he wrote it down. Come on, Kohtan, we've know him for a thousand years. Don't you think that you won't get through to him? He's not gonna speak for you." "What weapon did he want?" "He didn't say what, just something that could tie to his power and release the things he can transform into. So basically, a weapon that can shoot sound, fire, light, and electricity. I'm making it a lance, somethin' lightweight." Avaron glanced up to see that Kohtan was gone. The bone white-spined Skakdi obviously did not share the same love for weaponry that Avaron did. "Eh, an artist's work goes unappreciated," he said to the lance. "Typical..." ______________________________________________________________ Tyrashi awoke with a start. A loud noise had awakened him from his rest time. The Skakdi of Iron glanced around. There was nothing in his cell. He looked out through the bars. The Toa of Water stationed as a guard was there, dead. What was going on? "Get back," an approaching figure said. It was a red-brown-armored Skakdi of Plasma, but not just any Skakdi of Plasma. This was Promethius, leader of the Piraka. Tyrashi did so and watched as the Skakdi melted the bars with his element. "Come on," he muttered. "We have work to do." "For whom?" Tyrashi grumbled. He had no love for the Piraka and their pathetic dream of organized assassination. "The Head of the Spear. Now hurry, lest you wish your head to be impaled by a spear." The Skakdi of Iron muttered a curse, but did as he was told. He had encountered a Head of the Spear member named Vraal once, long ago. There was a reason Tyrashi now had to wear a helmet. "We give you a chance at what you love, Tyrashi," Promethius said. "Chaos. I know your master Keltt is away for a while. Ulreq has his permission to use you for a time." "I am not a slave," Tyrashi spat. Promethius brandished a whip and struck the Skakdi of Iron until he fell to the ground. "It seems that you are, indeed. Keltt would not approve, but he is not here, now is he?" "You're dead..." Tyrashi growled. "Not at your hands. Now let us go... you have an army to lead, my little fool." ______________________________________________________________ Autahr was troubled. The Rahi was traveling the streets of the Industry Region, which did not exactly help him to calm down. When he had left Gravemos' shop, there was a huge argument between Braxel and Gravemos, about whether the Toa of "The Green" should seek out Iro or not. Gravemos and Ujama rejected the notion, but Xinlo and Kara were for it, and a war of words erupted. Where I come from, disputes were not settled so... immaturely, he thought to himself. He stopped himself there. Where did he come from? He racked his brain, but found no recollection of anything from "where he came from". This was a problem, indeed. Every night, he dreamed of a strange place far away from Uteara, but could not remember enough to piece anything together. Only one word stuck in his mind: "Elucca". ''What does it mean? Braxel doesn't know the word, and neither does Xinlo. I doubt anyone does. So why is it so familiar? Why do I feel like I should know it?'' He thought about it. If some recollections of some past were coming together, logically, he would start to remember more eventually. But his curiosity would not allow him to wait. He had to know more; he had to! So engrossed in his thoughts, Autahr was, that he almost did not notice the tall figure in front of his path. He looked up to see... Iro. The real Iro? A telepathic sweep would prove if he was Ulreq. To his surprise, he could read Iro's thoughts instead of the nothingness he heard from Ulreq's shielded mind. Iro! his mind-voice cried. Instantly, he tackled the Toa of Iron. "Off," Iro chuckled. He shoved his friend aside and rose to his feet. "Come on, have some dignity." ''I thought you were dead! So did Gravemos and Ujama.'' "Well, I'm not. Was close to it, but I got lucky." What happened? "You remember how I blasted the Dark Dragon away in the Great Barren? Well, basically that, but it didn't kill Ulreq." I think you're just in time; Ulreq's calling out all of the Utearan warriors. "I heard. It's a trap, I know that much. Gravemos and Ujama might not know this, but there aren't too many Toa on Uteara. Maybe a hundred, but probably less." But are we going to fight them? "We have to." Even though it's a trap? "We'll just have to make our own." Autahr nodded and led Iro to Gravemos' shop. What they saw on the way was nothing that either could have expected:
 * Zha-xar and Venom, locked in combat. Both sides were ready to finish the other one off for good.

Chapter XVII
The battle that took place in front of Autahr and Toa Iro was one of those "If so-and-so fought so-and-so, who would win?" scenarios; no one thought it would actually happen, but it was entertaining to think about. Perhaps, Iro realized, they were not as entertaining as one might believe. Zha-xar and Venom, both Head of the Spear members, were engaged in a furious battle, neither faltering nor showing any signs of stopping to fight. "What in the world?" Iro breathed. Zha-xar broke away from Venom's grip long enough to jab his mace forward, striking his enemy in the chest. Now with some distance, the Atreu was able to send multiple shadow bolts flying toward Venom, although their effect was minimal. The green-armored Head of the Spear member swung his sword at Zha-xar's head, but the attack was countered by the Atreu's mace. Two quick blows were enough to disarm Venom of both his sword and shield. A wall of iron formed in between the two combatants, although it was not from Iro. The Toa of Iron turned to see a grey-armored Sansta-Skakdi of Iron and a reddish brown-armored Skakdi of Plasma behind him. He recognized the latter from somewhere. But from where is the question? he thought to himself. Even the metal barrier was not enough to stop the vicious battle. The distraction gave Venom the opportunity to retrieve his weapons and charge back into the fray. Zha-xar, however, had apparently prepared for combat against an armed Venom again and crouched out of the way as his enemy tried to land a blow with his shield. A quick motion with his mace knocked the shield out of Venom's hand once more. The Kra-Atreu charged forward and struck with extraordinary speed. His mace hit Venom in the chest, then in the right shoulder, shattering the already-damaged armor. Another two quick jabs to Venom's knees felled the green warrior. Zha-xar then dropped his mace and dug his fingers into Venom's organics through the gaping hole that he created. With the sharp claws that were customary for Atreu, it was enough to begin to rip the soft tissue to shreds. Aren't you going to do anything? Autahr asked Iro. As Venom cried out in pain, the Rahi added, Maybe you can show mercy? To Autahr's surprise, Iro shook his head. "Remember that these two monsters obliterated a city." The Toa was a bit ashamed to admit that he received some sort of satisfaction out of Venom's pain. The Head member had, after all, blasted him off of a cliff. "Besides, if one dies here, Ulreq's plans may be set back." "However, one is not to die, Toa," Zha-xar muttered, landing a devastating punch to Venom's face, knocking out the warrior. "Ulreq has use of Venom still." After a moment, the Atreu digested that this was Iro, of all people, before him. "How did you survive?" "Easily," Iro shot back. "Your leader's weaker than you know. A little blast of light sent him running." "Fool," Promethius, the Skakdi of Plasma, spat. "I know the truth. You were seconds from death until a power from beyond forced Ulreq to retreat. " Tyrashi chuckled. "I don't think we appreciate being lied to, hero." The Skakdi of Iron brandished a three-headed axe. "Honesty is key in this game." "Like how you were honest with the Piraka?" Iro asked Promethius. Now he remembered that Braxel had spoken of a Skakdi of Plasma that had betrayed that group of Skakdi. "You left them to die in the Central City. If it were not for their extreme distrust of the Head, they would have been ashes." "The Piraka would not follow where I was to lead," Promethius replied. "Therefore, I had to do what was best for myself." "And kill them?" Iro said. "You know they're alive still. They won't stop coming after you until you're dead." "Or until they're dead," Tyrashi growled. "I'd like to break those pathetic would-be killers in half." Zha-xar smiled savagely. "Perhaps, Skakdi of Iron, there is to be a bit of breaking done before the Piraka's turn." Both Skakdi took the hint and began to circle Iro and Autahr. "A lucky shot defeated Ulreq," Promethius said. "Let us see if you are able to do such a thing again..." Tyrashi let out a yell and ran towards Iro, the Skakdi's axe swinging. Before he could try to land a blow, however, a mental assault was enough to stun him. Iro glanced at Autahr, who nodded at him, signaling that he would back up his friend no matter what. Promethius fired his disorientation vision at Autahr, whose mental attack on Tyrashi halted. Taking advantage of the loss of pain, the Skakdi of Iron continued his attack on Iro. Zha-xar, too, entered the battle and targeted the Toa of Iron. It would take a little while, but Iro would eventually fall before the two. Autahr fought with the same grace and viciousness as a rock lion, using his razor-sharp teeth and claws to keep Promethius at a distance, where the Skakdi could easily fall victim to a mental attack. Promethius, however, caught Autahr as he let down his guard just slightly. Two quick bursts of disorientation vision were enough to cause the Rahi to fall on his side. Iro was having the same luck. Zha-xar's mace had shattered his shield to pieces, and quick action from Tyrashi disarmed him of his Iron Axe. He struck out wildly, attempting to land punches, kicks, headbutts, anything, on his two enemies. Seeing how Autahr had been defeated, the Toa of Iron broke into a run, slamming Zha-xar out of the way. He grabbed Promethius by the neck and separated Autahr from the three attackers. "Had to go sometime..." the Toa of Iron muttered to himself. Suddenly, a blast of flame struck Tyrashi, sending him staggering. A sonic attack felled Promethius and Zha-xar was sent crashing to the ground by an abrupt increase of gravity. It was Kara, Xinlo, and Gravemos, the two Toa riding in the giant's vehicles. "And that's not today," Gravemos said, using his telekinesis to hurl the two Skakdi and Zha-xar away. "Thought you could use a hand," Kara called out from her Jetrax T12, or the Screaming Devil, as Gravemos called it. Xinlo exited his Thornatus V5. "Good to see you made it," he said to Iro. "And that you got your body back." "You know it's really me?" Iro asked, picking up his axe. "Autahr's fighting with you, so I trust his judgment." He's the real Iro, Autahr said. Don't worry. "So that Kanohi Iden came in handy, I see," Gravemos stated. "Do you still have it?" Iro muttered a curse. "Uh... I left it with Iisei. In the Ice Region." The Jattillan shrugged. "Oh, well. Not like any of us really need it, and since the Reaper Claw's destroyed, we don't have to worry about Ulreq trying to do something like that again." "Although," Kara added, "we're gonna have to worry about what he has in store for us now." "So you guys got the message, too?" Iro asked. "You know it's a trap?" "Definitely," Gravemos said. "But the Utearan Toa, Glatorian, Skrall, and everyone else don't." "So we have to explain that to them, I guess," Kara said. "Who's good at convincing large mobs of armed warriors that trying to destroy the bombers of the Central City isn't the best plan in the world?" "We'll have to try," Xinlo replied. "Whatever Ulreq has in mind, it involves the deaths of a ton of warriors." "The Piraka are trying to get the warriors to stay in the underground cave network in the Great Barren, but I'll bet that they're getting restless," Gravemos stated. "So we'd better hurry up and join them," said Iro. "Braxel and Ujama already headed north, but I haven't heard from them yet. Most likely, they just got there." Iro nodded. "We'd better get there quickly, too, then. I'll ride with you, Kara. Autahr, ride with Xinlo." ''Me? On a vehicle?'' Autahr's mind-voice asked. You've never seen me run, I guess. Iro shrugged. "Fine, but if you get there an hour late, don't complain that we didn't stop for you." The Toa of Iron hopped into the Jetrax T12 next to Kara in the cockpit. He nodded to the Toa of Fire, and she pressed on the controls. "Hang on tight..." she said. "Hang on?" Iro repeated, looking around. "Hang on to wha-!" Suddenly, the Jetrax took off, shooting through the sky. Iro, caught off guard by the sudden increase in speed, cursed repeatedly. "You're gonna have to help me get this thing across the water," Xinlo said to Gravemos. "This thing's not meant for marine travel." The Toa of Sonics put the vehicle into drive and the Thornatus V5 began rolling down the streets of the Industry Region, Gravemos, using his gravity and telekinesis powers, flying above him. Autahr broke off into a run, surprisingly being able to keep up with the vehicle quite easily. Told you, he said to the two. Suddenly Xinlo's heads-up display caught sight of an incoming being. It was Venom, beaten and scarred, but still looking for a fight. "I got him," the Toa said to Gravemos. He put the vehicle on autopilot and triggered the command to bring out the weapons. Flipping a switch, he sent orbs of electricity at the Head of the Spear member from the Thornatus' Aseiden energy launcher. The warrior, not being able to dodge in time, was sent crashing into the cold metal of a manufacturing plant. "Yeah?" Gravemos asked. "Well, who's got them?" He pointed to Tyrashi, Promethius, and Zha-xar, all in the path of the heroes. I do, Autahr said. Picking up speed, he landed a killer headbutt on Zha-xar, who was knocked over like a barrier confronted with a Kane-Ra stampede. "Not bad," Gravemos muttered. "But not as good as this!" The Jattillan used decreased the gravity around the two Skakdi, sending them flying high in the air. The two then crashed toward the ground an instant later. "And still not as good as this," Xinlo added. The sides of the Thornatus retracted outward. The two Skakdi were hit, and knocked senseless by the impact. As the three headed for the northern coast of the Industry Region, Gravemos decreased the gravity around Autahr and the Thornatus. Using his telekinesis, he allowed the two to fly over the water and the Central City ruins. After about fifteen minutes, the three arrived in the southeastern part of the Great Barren. They were greeted by Iro, Vizu, and an extremely large Skrall. "Ran into some trouble," Gravemos explained. "Who knew how much easier those guys are to fight when you're in a vehicle?" "This is Zaraus," Iro said, gesturing to the Skrall. "He's the leader of a small tribe of Skrall from the Isle of Tukaia in the east." "I saw the explosion from so far away," Zaraus said. "I and some warriors came to investigate. We heard the mental message from an ‘Ulreq’. Such an injustice cannot go unpunished. Our people are here to help in what ways we can." "Avaron's arming the warriors that don't already have weapons," Vizu added. "Have a count on how many we have?" Gravemos asked. "A hundred, not including Zaraus' Skrall warriors. Give or take a few, that is. A mini-army, practically." "Against four beings, though?" Zaraus said. "Is this necessary?" "Believe me," Iro replied, "it is." "You suspect a trap." The Skrall was not asking. "Or worse." "So what's the plan, exactly?" Xinlo asked. "I know we don't want to just go crazy, but I can't really think of another idea right now." "It's simple, really," Iro said. Vizu nodded. "Fight fire with fire. The Head has a trap for us; we spring a trap for them." "We have so many warriors on our side," Iro stated. "What we're going to do is this; we'll have some Toa of Earth open a passage to where a few of us will meet with the Head members. When they spring their trap, the Toa of Earth who is with us will send a signal, and then our warriors will meet them head-on." Zaraus looked impressed. "So it's war strategy you're going to use here," he chuckled. "It's been so long since my Skrall have been in such a worthy battle." "All right, so who's going to meet with the Head members?" questioned Xinlo. "Me, Ujama, Vizu, Haneq, and Gravemos," Iro said. "Plus a Toa of Earth. We need you and Kara in hiding; we might have to make use of those vehicles immediately." "Cave entrance is over there," Vizu said, pointing to a small mountain range east of the warriors' current position. "Let's go, then," Iro said. "We have a city to avenge." With that, the six allies headed for the cave. As it turned out, the battle in the Great Barren was to be the least of their worries.

Chapter XVIII
"Awaken." Venom's eyes flickered open. The warrior muttered a curse as his vision became clear. Zha-xar's reptilian face was not the prettiest sight to see, he had to admit. "What's going on?" Venom groaned. "Why does... everything hurt?" "We dueled," Zha-xar replied. The Atreu was trying to wake up Promethius. Tyrashi made it to his feet unsteadily beside him. "I was victorious. Afterward, we dared to make the mistake of attacking the Toa... and were cast aside as if we were but grains of sand before a desert breeze." "Good to hear. So I guess you're the new leader of the Head of the Spear?" "That is incorrect; Ulreq lives. Our plans are not to be interfered with." "So what now?" Tyrashi asked. "You, Sansta-Skakdi of Iron, are to lead our forces that shall attack the Green Region. My Elite Rahkshi Yurahk and Abirahk are to lead the forces to attack the Storm Sector, and Avvun has already started his overtaking of the Volcanic Sector." "How's that going?" Venom asked. Zha-xar frowned. "It is not as we had originally planned." "How so?" "There was... resistance." "That's not a surprise." "No, warrior," Zha-xar said, his voice so low that the three others had to strain to hear it. "Our attack was expected." ______________________________________________________________ Avvun was angry. His small legion of Rahkshi had demolished the defenses of Ta-Koro, the fire village north of the Great Volcano. However, when his forces tried to move on to the village on the eastern coast, Be-Koro, they were greeted by a force of twenty Toa led by a Toa of Fire. Within seconds, six of the Toa disappeared, replaced by two mighty Toa Kaita. Moments later, the Head of the Spear agent found half of his legions obliterated. There would be no help from Ulreq or any of the others, Avvun knew. It was not that they would not help him; he was more than sure that they would. However, they could not, and that was the problem. His forces were on the losing side of a battle, and he himself was weakening. The lead Toa of Fire charged at him, distinguishing the Head of the Spear agent as the leader of the Rahkshi forces. The Toa's forked staff gave him a slight edge in the battle. "Come on!" Avvun roared. "This isn't another pathetic battle for you, Toa! This is war!" "I know," the Toa of Fire chuckled. "Too bad for you, war's rules apply in this battle." ______________________________________________________________ In the Green Region, another resistance against the Head of the Spear was waiting for the coming attack. The leader, a hero of the millennia known as Cortez, was becoming impatient. "They're toying with us..." he muttered to the team of six Toa that stood next to him, the Toa Komua. The leader of the team, a Toa of Fire named Ta Komua II, gave a shrug. "Maybe their plans have been halted." "No..." a Toa of Earth named Netruhl said. "I know who we're dealing with. I was one of them for a thousand years before a friend, who I owe my life to, saved me from their darkness. They have backup plans for their backup plans. Whatever's going on, it's not going to be good, that much I can promise you." "We're ready, though," Cortez said confidently. He glanced at his scythe, making sure it was ready for battle. "We'll have to be." As soon as the white-and-black-armored warrior said that, a tree crashed down in front of him. The first wave of Rahkshi had arrived. ______________________________________________________________ Venom muttered a curse as he, Promethius, and Zha-xar flew through the void of The Shadow's Realm. He hated using it as a means of quick travel, despite its' usefulness. Going through the place made him feel as if he were to vomit; moving as fast as one did in The Shadow's Realm typically would. When his sight cleared, he saw that he was in the western Great Barren, near the location of Krevt's Fortress. In fact, he could see the island in the distance from his current location. "Welcome to the final battle," Ulreq's guttural voice said. "I am glad to see that you have survived the journey." "You mean you sent us here?" Venom asked. "How can you do that? Do you have any limits at all?" "It matters not; you are now here, and Tyrashi is now in the Green Region, where his proper place is to be." "Have the warriors responded to your call?" Promethius asked. Ulreq shook his head. "I fear Iro and his friends may have deprived us of the satisfaction of crushing the opposition like insects." A Skakdi approached the four Head of the Spear members. "We're in place, sir," he reported. "As soon as you meet with the Toa, I'll send the army after them." "Hidden in the mountains, I assume?" Promethius asked. The Skakdi general nodded. "Ready to take out whoever's in their way." "If Uteara has not been overcome, this army should add its' ranks to those of Avvun's, the Elite Rahkshi's, and Tyrashi's," Zha-xar said. "Ensuring total victory is a most logical plan." "Of course," the general replied. He looked at Ulreq, who nodded his agreement. "We're all set, then." "Very well..." Ulreq rumbled. The world around the five blurred, bringing them to the eastern part of the Bara Mountains. "The final battle shall soon begin." ______________________________________________________________ "You sure you're up for this, Axur?" Gravemos asked. "We could get someone else to be the one who sends the signal." The Toa of Earth shook his head. "Don't worry, Gravemos, I'll be fine. You make it seem as if these guys are things from the void." "Well..." "Gravemos!" Iro called out. "We're ready," the Toa of Iron said, approaching the two. Seeing that Gravemos' head practically touched the roof of the cavern, he tried to force back a laugh. "Uh... so yeah, the warriors know what they're going to do. Zaraus' forces will be meeting the Head with us." Looking at Axur, he added, "This our guy?" "Yeah," the Jattillan replied. "Axur, this is Iro, the maniac who planned this hundred-versus-four thing. Iro, Axur." "Good to meet ya, Axur," Iro said, shaking the Toa of Earth's hand. "You up for this? It might seem easy, but I assure you, this is crucial." "I think I can handle it," Axur replied. "Great. It's almost time to face them. We'd better start heading east." Vizu walked up to the three. "The warriors are in place under the meeting spot. You guys ready for this? 'cause I'm not; I don't have a clue in the void about what's going to go down." "Neither do we," Iro laughed. The Piraka shook his head. "No wonder I don't see too many of your kind around, Toa. You're all freakin' suicidal." "Why are we heading east?" Axur asked. "Don't want any spies to find out about this place. This is a trap only as long as they don't know about it." ______________________________________________________________ Xinlo sighed heavily. According to Braxel, the time for the final battle was coming along soon. He still questioned Iro's logic behind all of this preparation and planning. Whatever the Head of the Spear had in store, the Toa and the others would be ready to confront it... right? He walked up to Kara, who was patching up a portion of the Jetrax T12 that Iro had damaged by hitting it. "He hit it that hard?" Xinlo asked. "Enough to dent it," Kara replied. "He didn't like how fast it went, and when we landed, he slammed his fist on the side." "Well, do you think you’re ready for this?" "I don't know. Can we be ready for this? Iro and Gravemos are acting so weird, saying that there's this huge trap that the Head is planning to spring. I didn't see anything, though." "Neither did I. Maybe they just don't want anyone to get really hurt... or worse." "Yeah, but we're the good guys. We have to win, right?" Xinlo shrugged. "I guess... Listen... just in case this turns out to be worse than we think... and one of us goes... I think I should sa-" "Don't. I don't want to hear any mushy stuff from you, Xin. Come on, I think we'll both make it out of this just fine." The Toa of Fire climbed in the cockpit of the Jetrax T12. "Get in your vehicle, now. We'll see each other again. I promise." Xinlo nodded and walked next to his Thornatus V5. Braxel was standing there, arms crossed. "So... ‘Xin’," the Toa of "The Green" chuckled. "I think I should be able to ride this baby into battle. You got to bash three Head members already; I've gotta play with this thing now." "I don't think so." "At least let me ride it," Braxel grumbled. "Looks big enough to hold the both of us." "All right... Just don't break anything." "Whatever you say, Xin." When the two Toa were seated in the vehicle, Braxel let out a laugh. "‘Xin’?" "What? It's short for ‘Xinlo’." "I know... but still, ‘Xin’?" "You're not going to let that one go, are you?" "Not for a looong time... Xin." ______________________________________________________________ After meeting with Haneq, Ujama, and Zaraus, as well as his Skrall, the team walked through the twisting corridors of the cave network until they emerged in the far east of the Great Barren. The group then marched through the Great Barren, until they were about a half of a kio from the Bara Mountains. Ulreq, Venom, Zha-xar, and Promethius were there, waiting for them. Iro noted that it was already sunfall. "How kind of you to join us," Ulreq chuckled. "We wish more had come," Zha-xar added. "But to exterminate you guys is still good for us," Venom said. "I must say, my Piraka," Promethius said to Vizu and Haneq, "I am not fond of your new friends." "Don't speak, you piece of excrement," Haneq growled. "How dare you mock us after you attempt to kill us?" "So, Ulreq, I see that little light blast didn't scare you as bad as I thought it did," Iro taunted. "Maybe I should try that again?" "Do not be a fool," the Shadow Lord hissed. "You know not of how you even did such a thing." "This is what I call ‘no position to joke’," Venom said. "You see, we have the numbers." "How'd they let you in, Venom?" Gravemos asked. "I believe the requirement was beyond genius levels of intelligence. You can't even count properly. It's four versus thirteen." "Not when you know what we do," Promethius growled. "Now!" From the Bara Mountains, a cry was heard. It was the sound of the yells of Skakdi warriors and the hiss of Rahkshi. There were hundreds - no, thousands - of them pouring out of the mountains. To the four Head of the Spear members' chilling surprise, Iro simply smiled. "Axur, now!" he cried. A tremor shook the ground of the Great Barren. Nothing happened afterward; the army of Skakdi and Rahkshi continued their charge. Venom laughed hysterically. "Is that..." A split second later, it seemed as if the world exploded. "...it?" From the sands emerged a miniature army of a hundred Toa, Glatorian, and Skrall, along with what Skakdi refused to join with the Head of the Spear. Xinlo and Braxel roared onto the sand in Gravemos' Thornatus V5, and Kara took off into the air in her Jetrax T12. Autahr and the Piraka led the army to combat that of the Head of the Spear's. "So..." Iro chuckled. "How about exterminating us now, huh?" With that said, Iro's team charged into battle as well. The Toa of Iron targeted Ulreq, but the Shadow Lord disappeared instantly after he saw Iro coming after him. "Well, then, it's you," the Toa of Iron said to Zha-xar. The two ran toward each other, metal clashing against metal. Gravemos, Autahr, and Ujama combined their powers to blast away a regiment of Rahkshi. A legion of Skakdi attempted to ambush them, but sonic attacks from Kara's Jetrax shattered the element of surprise. Xinlo and Braxel piloted the Thornatus, the former operating the weapons, while the latter steered the vehicle. Rahkshi and Skakdi fell before the power of the land vehicle. The Piraka dueled Skakdi with brutality never seen before in battle. Their need for revenge was too great for the pathetic desires of the soldiers they fought. Zaraus' Skrall legion joined with a number of Skrall from the Storm Sector in order to combat a group of Rahkshi Kaita. Despite the power of the fused Rahkshi, the Skrall's thirst for battle and sheer skill in a fight gave them the edge they needed to hold their own. ______________________________________________________________ Chaos. After nearly two millennia, it had returned to Uteara. As the individual regions of the south tried to hold their own against the Head of the Spear's forces, Iro and his friends battled the members of the faction, knowing they were taking an extreme risk. With some help from some of the Utearan warriors, they took the Head of the Spear's army by surprise, which may have given them the advantage they needed in order to win this fight. While the battling occurs around him, however, Ulreq, the Shadow Lord and leader of the Head of the Spear, does not take part. Does he wish to see the outcome of the battle before deciding to join? Does he simply see himself as being above fighting, leaving his followers to fight for him? Or, perhaps, does he have something else in mind? Only time will tell...

Chapter XIX: Showdown -- Part One
Xinlo had to admit, Iro was right after all. The Toa of Iron had predicted some trap that the Head of the Spear may have planned, and a hidden army counted as such. Using the Thornatus V5's Aseiden Energy Launcher, the Toa of Sonics fired bolts of electricity at the incoming Rahkshi. Those that he missed were sliced into pieces as Braxel, the Toa of "The Green" pilot of the vehicle, ran into them. The Thornatus' blades were more than enough to reduce the Rahkshi from a threat to a speed bump. "So, Xin," Braxel shouted, "any other ideas? There's got to be a better plan than just this. Eventually, the Skakdi will figure out that this thing isn't invincible." "We'll worry about that then," Xinlo said. "And don't call me ‘Xin’." "You don't mind it when Kara calls you that." "That's different. We're..." "More than friends, I take it?" "Yeah..." Xinlo glanced to his left to see Autahr running beside the vehicle. The Rahi was taking out the Skakdi that neared; he understood that if enough soldiers rallied together, one of the two vehicles that the Toa had as an advantage would be taken out of the battle. "Autahr seems to be taking care of the Skakdi," Xinlo reported. "But Zaraus' ranks aren't exactly holding up as good as we are," Braxel replied, pointing to the giant black-and-green-armored Skrall trying to destroy one of the Rahkshi Kaita. That particular one, Vo, had the ability to absorb energy from a distance, weakening the Skrall ranks. "Autahr, we're gonna help Zaraus take out those Rahkshi Kaita. You regroup with Gravemos and Ujama." Got it, Autahr's mind-voice said. He leaped over a few Skakdi, kicking his hind legs back just before he landed. The Skakdi of Magnetism that took the hit was knocked off of his feet. Autahr then used his sharp claws to tear through a small troop of Rahkshi. He soon made it to Gravemos' post. The nearly three-bio tall giant had succeeded in taking out a few Rahkshi, but a flank of Skakdi was coming for him. "Autahr!" Ujama called out from somewhere in the battlefield. The Rahi headbutted his way through a Skakdi that tried to block his pass. More and more separated him from Ujama, however. They stood over him as if he were but a pathetic gafna to be stomped on. Before one could react, he sent out a devastating mental shock. The seven Skakdi were sent reeling, giving Autahr the chance to help out his friend. ______________________________________________________________ Kara was having the time of her life. Despite being proven wrong about there not being a trap sprung by the Head of the Spear, she managed to put her Jetrax T12, or the Screaming Devil, as Gravemos called it, to use. Sonic blasts barraged the Head of the Spear's soldiers from above, and they could not stop them, as the Toa of Fire was too high for anyone to actually damage the ship. She noticed that Gravemos was going to have some problems in battle, as a small battalion of Skakdi was coming for the Jattillan. Kara triggered the controls, and contain sonic energy was fired at the opposing force. Gravemos glanced upward long enough to see the Toa of Fire waving down. He attempted to wave back, but an attacking Rahkshi Guurahk grabbed his attention. Not bad so far... she thought. ''We're evenly matched for now. Maybe I'm the one who has to turn the tables, though...'' ______________________________________________________________ Venom stabbed his sword into a Toa's chest. He kicked the body, letting the weapon come out. He targeted another two Glatorian that were charging him. A shadow bolt to the face took one down, and quick blasts of laser vision felled the other. He looked around, seeking a new opponent to kill. One came, but it was not for him to kill. The black-and-white-armored Sansta-Skakdi named Kohtan, a Piraka, had spotted him and had decided to attack him. "Foolish Skakdi," the warrior growled. "Why don't you join the others of your kind and be useful?" "I find the unlikely to be the best champions," the mad Skakdi shot back. He brandished two bladed weapons. "Oh, and I am perhaps the one being who can bring you to your fall." "Don't make me laugh," Venom spat. "Why not?" Kohtan asked. That was a most odd question. "After all, I am able to." So saying, the Skakdi of Ice activated his ability to alter the emotions of those nearby. He focused on Venom and forced his mind to create a sensation similar to that which causes laughter. In seconds, the armored warrior began to laugh hysterically. His mind was struggling to continue to fight, but his body was not able to stop laughing, all because one Skakdi willed that to be so. Venom would not stop laughing until the flat of one of Kohtan's blades came for his head. The Head of the Spear member fell to the ground silently. "I dislike the sound of your laughter," Kohtan grumbled. "I would much rather hear you scream." ______________________________________________________________ Iro kicked Zha-xar back as the Atreu tried to charge forward. The battle between the two enemies was, at this point, a stalement. Iro was bound by the Toa Code, and he would not do anything too cruel to his opponent. Zha-xar, too, was following a similar code - the Etiquette of the Atreu Species. He would battle, but refused to kill his enemy nor even to put his Kanohi Yyter, Great Mask of Matter State, to use. "Our kinds both have certain rules that must be followed," the Kra-Atreu stated as he used his mace to deflect a blow from Iro's axe. "This battle shall continue for eternity." "Too bad you didn't keep your code in mind when you bombed the Central City," Iro growled. "Or when you joined Ulreq." "My reasons are my own, Toa," Zha-xar hissed, his tone surprisingly harsh. "You cannot begin to fathom what I have been through... why I have reduced myself to this." "Maybe not..." The Toa of Iron jabbed his axe forward, striking Zha-xar in the chest. Acting quickly, he grabbed his opponent's mace out of his hands. "But the thing is, you have. Your evils have been committed." "My evils? I am but an Atreu warrior who wished to be among the ranks of the scholars; I have committed no such evils." "Are you kidding me?! You destroyed the Central City! That wasn't just a city... it was a monument, a reminder. Do you know what you did when you destroyed such a thing?" "It was not even I who destroyed your precious city. It was Venom who dared obliterate it." Iro shook his head. "He may have dropped the vial, but you're just as responsible. You got it for Ulreq; you explained to Venom and him what it would do. Even Krevt - Krevt - rejected the idea. When the most violent Makuta thinks that that's a bad idea, he might just be right. And what did you and Ulreq do? You killed him. For no real reason, I might add; you had no fight with him, and yet you did what Ulreq wanted - used your mask to force him to become so weak that a few blasts of laser vision would end his existence. Is that what you are, Ulreq's personal slave with a fancy title?" "I am not a slave. Whatever I have done, it is because I require the Head of the Spear to succeed." "Come on! What, Zha-xar, what is it that makes you so freaking desperate to have Ulreq win?" That was when Zha-xar exploded. "Have you seen another Atreu in your pathetic lifetime, Toa? I think not! Do you know why that is? Do you know why I am the first and only Atreu you shall ever see? There are no other Atreu in existence! We were destroyed when the Great Being Yzaa decided we were a threat to him! Seven-thousand lives were lost at his hands!" One moment, the Atreu was fury given a body... the next, he looked as if he was completely defeated. "My friends..." he whispered, "my mentor... my love... All of them... they are gone. They are gone because of the evil in others. I should be with them..." He fell to his knees. After one-thousand-five-hundred years, the emotional trauma of watching his brothers and sisters perish at the hands of a monster caught up to him. His head hung low and his crimson eyes shut. "Do what you please, Toa... I care no longer..." Iro offered the Atreu his hand. "Get up," he said, his tone a bit more gentle than it had been. "I get it now... you don't want Ulreq to win. You want vengeance." "That is, however, what Ulreq offers," the Shadow Lord's voice rumbled. He was not standing beside the two warriors a moment ago, but here he was now, arms crossed. A shield of energy was surrounding the three, protecting them from the massive battle all around them. "Back off, Ulreq," Iro growled, standing in between the titan and Zha-xar. "I doubt you were much help to the poor guy." Any fear for the Shadow Lord the Toa may have once had was gone in this instance. "Pathetic Toa, I know how Zha-xar thinks, something that you do not. I know that he believes that once Uteara is ours, Yzaa shall descend from the heavens to make right in his wronged land." "There could be other ways to summon him, Zha-xar," Iro said. "I promise you, I'll go to the ends of the world and beyond to help you have your vengeance... just... just stop being Ulreq's pawn." "A pawn?" the Shadow Lord asked. "He is to be a king at my hands. Ruler of the three southern regions of Uteara, he shall be. I shall summon Yzaa... and assist my brother in shadow to kill that pathetic creator once and for all." "You don't even know how, I bet." "I have... connections to the Great Being that are perhaps beyond even those who claim to be his brothers. I know more than you, Toa of Iron. Unlike you, I am able to assist my brother. What should happen if he joins you? A failed expidition of Murtua, and nothing more. A simple decision is all that you need to make, Zha-xar." The Atreu sighed. He was silent for what seemed like an eternity. "I have made my choices in this life," he said. "I have committed my evils, as well. Perhaps I am to fall with them. I am sorry, Toa, but I shall not join your side." Ulreq smiled and patted the Atreu on the back. "Very good, my brother. Now, please, exterminate those two Toa and their vehicle." The Shadow Lord pointed to Xinlo and Braxel, who were driving around, blasting any Head of the Spear forces that came near them. "As for you, Toa of Iron, you are to come with me..." Ulreq grabbed Iro by the neck, and seconds later, the two disappeared. The shield around the Atreu shimmered away. Grabbing his mace, Zha-xar charged back into battle. He did not know if his spirit had been fueled by Ulreq's words... or if it had been crushed.

Chapter XX: Showdown -- Part Two
Iro shook his head clear and swore under his breath. After Ulreq had grabbed him by the neck, he felt the sensation of extremely fast movement. The Toa of Iron once wore a Kanohi Kualsi, Great Mask of Quick Travel, which allowed the user to teleport across short distances. The feeling of the act of teleportation was very different from what he had just felt. "What... what happened..?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "What happened, Toa, was extremely fast movement," Ulreq said. The Shadow Lord was standing next to Iro, surprisingly making no hostile actions. "I am capable of much, as you assume. My speed is legendary... Unfortunately, I have no witnesses to attest to that statement. Two are dead, two have disappeared, and one is fighting in the battle east of our current location." Iro suddenly had a thought. "The original Head members? You... fought them?" "I had doubt that one such as Krevt or another like Vraal would follow my rule. Always have I made my point by action and not words, Toa... You and your friends, of all beings, should realize this." "So why aren't you on the battlefield? I've seen what you can do... I'd think if you joined, we'd be screwed." "We two are not pawns in this game, Toa... We are the players, the fighters here and across Uteara are the pawns... and Uteara is the board." Ulreq's mouth curved into a wolfish grin and his sickly yellow eyes glowed in an even more unhealthy light. "I would say that it is more than time that this game of ours has its' true nature revealed." Ulreq's eyes suddenly faded to black. Twin shafts of shadow erupted from the Shadow Lord's orbs and struck Iro. In a few seconds, the two mortal enemies' bodies fell to the sandy grounds of the Valley of Death. Neither one would rise for a long while. ______________________________________________________________ Iro awoke with a start. He frantically looked around, as if he had just had a nightmare. Although, given what was to happen, perhaps he was still trapped inside of one... The first thing that Iro noticed was that he was no longer in the Great Barren. All around were faraway stars, planets, and comets. Directly below him was planet Murtua, the Toa of Iron's home. He could not see any of the Eastern Hemisphere, only the broken shape of the western continent of Uteara, along with the two large islands of Deax Nui and Tukaia to the northwest and southeast, respectively. The next stunned him just as well as the realization that he was in space. He was sitting at a floating table, on one end. Ulreq was seated at the other... and a game board shaped like Uteara lay in the center. On the board were many game pieces that looked like people that the Toa of Iron knew. He saw a blue figure that represented Xinlo, a greyish one that was Gravemos, and a yellow-orange quadruped that was Autahr, along with more. To the side of the board was a red figure... in the shape of Krevt. Iro shook his head in disbelief. "What in the world, Ulreq? What... what is this?" "It is a game..." Ulreq casually replied. "I believe I had already said that." "I thought you were being metaphorical... How are we in space?" "We are not, to be honest. My old self still clings onto life... he believed a dramatic show was to be put on for this special occasion." "So what do we do?" "We control the battle, Iro. Do you see your friends in the Great Barren? Do you see Krevt and Tora off of the playing field? This game depicts what has happened... and what is to." "Wait... so if these game pieces are off... then..?" "They are deceased. Do you not see that the Toa Liiri, Tyverus, Pothyn, and others have been removed from play?" "I'm losing? I didn't even know I was playing!" "You are losing, yes, but my side has not gone without loss." Ulreq pointed to the Green Region of Uteara. The silver figure that was Tyrashi was facing against several pawns that depicted a white-black-armored warrior, the Toa Komua, and Toa Netruhl. In the Storm Sector, Yurahk and Abirahk were against hordes of Skrall, whose game pieces outnumbered those of the Elite Rahkshi. The Volcanic Sector showed Avvun and four Rahkshi against seven Toa pawns... led by a very familiar Toa of Fire. "However, these are not to be the focus..." The board of Uteara suddenly zoomed in on the Great Barren until all of the other regions were no longer in view. "This is our game. Choose who is to be your king, your second, and your eight pawns. I have chosen mine already." Iro glanced to see that on the left side of the board, near where Ulreq was sitting, Zha-xar and Venom were chosen to be the king and second. Promethius was a pawn, to the Toa's surprise. There were also only seven pawns on the board. Krevt, Iro supposed, was the missing pawn for this game. "Uh..." he mumbled. He hated this; he knew too many of the fighters, and making a few of them pawns was tough. "I choose Autahr as king... Xinlo will be second." In this common Utearan game, kings and seconds could only be eliminated by other kings and seconds; the Toa of Iron felt safe choosing them as those two particular pieces. "Braxel, Kara, Gravemos, Vizu, Haneq, and three Toa legions will be pawns." Ulreq laughed. "Let this game begin, then..." He moved one of his Skakdi pawns forward a space. Iro's hand hovered over his pawns. After a moment, he selected Haneq's game piece and moved it forward in front of the Skakdi pawn. The Shadow Lord nodded. "Very well, let us see how this turn has played out..." The game pieces faded away, and the board zoomed in on Haneq, who was combating a small regiment of Skakdi... ______________________________________________________________ Haneq blasted away a charging Skakdi of Plasma with his flamethrower. He smiled at the soldier's reddish-brown armor being scorched black. This was practice for when Promethius was in his sights. "Haneq!" another Skakdi growled. It was Festhus, a Skakdi of Lightning that was not Haneq's closest friend in the world... the two practically hated each other. The yellow-armored soldier fired a blast of his vision power at the Piraka. Haneq dodged, but Festhus merely smiled. "I see that you're fighting now. What happened to your dreams of being a studier? Gone now?" "Silence, you oaf," Haneq muttered. "I am an assassin; I have the necessary combat training to kill you ten times over." "Assassin? I'd take off the last five letters of that word. Then it'd be a more accurate description of you, Haneq." "How clever. I am surprised that you can spell." The Piraka fired his berserker vision at his old rival. Festhus was not able to dodge and the power's effect took hold immediately. The Skakdi of Lightning screamed in agony as his entire body was filled with a sensation of pain. Haneq placed the end of his flamethrower next to Festhus' head. "Too bad that you are just one of those fools that die in combat..." The Sansta-Skakdi of Fire then triggered the weapon... ______________________________________________________________ The board zoomed out to display the Great Barren as a whole once more. The Skakdi pawn shattered as Haneq was placed back on Iro's side of the board. Ulreq looked impressed, but the Toa was shocked. "Is that your sick game, Ulreq?" he breathed. "Pitting these guys against each other without their consent, waiting for fate to come in and decide a winner?" The Shadow Lord smiled. "Yes, that is how my game is played. This game originally called for the flipping of a coin to decide a victor, but the modifications that I have made allow for a much more... interesting challenge. Besides, why should we bother with combat?" he asked. "That is what these pawns are for, after all. You and I, Toa, we are the ones who have true power. We are the ones who are able to make a difference. Perhaps if you were to join me... you would understand." "Understand?" Iro repeated. "Understand what? That you're a sick maniac who has way too much power than is good for anyone? That you've just been working in the background, manipulating everything and everyone until you get what you want? I understand, all right. But the fact that you dare ask that I join you? That I don't understand... and I don't care why you want me to. Know this, you psychopath: I will never join you. Ever." Ulreq shrugged. "Very well, Toa. Spare me your moralic lecture and make your move..."

Chapter XXI: Showdown -- Part Three
Yurahk and Abirahk's forces landed on the first island of the Storm Sector at dawn of the current day. It was now midday and the two Elite Rahkshi had not been able to conquer anything past the two smallest islands. The resistance was mostly made up of Skrall, a warrior race that dominated the island of Tukaia in the south, along with much of the Storm Sector. The Rahkshi could only imitate the sheer skill and cunning of the Skrall. They began to fall as soon as they arrived in the Skrall camp on the center isle of the Storm Sector. Despite the fact that the warriors did not have any powers of their own, the four different breeds offered too much variety for any Rahkshi to adapt to. The majority of the Skrall were of the warrior-class, lean and hunched beings that struck quickly and skillfully. The second most common were the elite-classes. The female elite-class Skrall had a small range of psionic powers, allowing them to cloak themselves in illusion and strike when unseen. The male elites were not so stealthy, but were instead stronger, slower, and bulkier versions of the warrior-class. Their war clubs broke the metal Rahkshi apart in a single swing. Lastly, there was the lord-class. These were giants among Skrall, towering over all three of the other classes. They wielded claymore swords that proved to be even more lethal than the war clubs of the elite-class. These weapons were capable of slicing through multiple Rahkshi in one swipe. Seeing how brutally their brothers were being treated, the two sentient Rahkshi kept at a distance. Those Skrall that came too close met a quick end, either by Abirahk's acidic talons or Yurahk's deadly claws. Against so many warriors, however, the two Elite Rahkshi knew that they, like the countless other Rahkshi, would end up as scrap metal. "Retreat is the only option," Yurahk said, its static-filled voice carrying a hint of annoyance. "We cannot stand against this force." Abirahk nodded. "Is the army to survive, or should we alone retreat?" Yurahk signaled a battle-scarred Rahkshi Guurahk to come over to where the two captains stood. "Send a call of surrender to the other Rahkshi. Until reinforcements arrive, we cannot win." The blue-armored Guurahk broke off into a run, back toward the battlefield. Once a good amount of Skakdi from either the Volcanic Sector or the Green Region joined them, the opposition would fall rather easily. The lethal eyebeams and special powers of that particular race would tear through the powerless Skrall, fighting skills no longer an issue. ______________________________________________________________ In the Green Region, Cortez muttered a curse as the three-headed axe of the Sansta-Skakdi of Iron named Tyrashi came for his head for the third time. The white-black-armored warrior landed a solid kick to his enemy's midsection. He charged forward, driving his elbow into Tyrashi's metal helmet. The impact was enough to temporarily stun the Skakdi. Cortez tried to disarm Tyrashi with his scythe, only to find his weapon shredded to pieces by the Skakdi's. "How did you expect this, Toa?" Tyrashi growled, mistaking Cortez for a member of that species. "Firstly, I'm not a Toa," the warrior shot back. "Secondly, we heard from a team of Toa who heard from another Toa about what you guys were planning. Can't say I approve of bombing a city and trying to eliminate all of the Utearan warriors. Is this the society I was meant to protect? I don't think so." "Of course it was not. You merely deluded yourself by believing evil cannot be born. Deccius, too, made that crucial error in judgment. Now he is gone, and there is no one to stop us." A fist of mud and soil struck the Skakdi of Iron, forcing him back a few steps. As he stumbled backward, Cortez unsheathed a sword, leaped forward, and stabbed Tyrashi in the abdomen. As he fell to the muddy ground, the Skakdi let out a groan of pain. The blow was not lethal, but it would take some time to recover completely. Netruhl, former Toa Cevil of Earth, approached. He crossed his arms and a smirk formed on his face. "No one but us, the underdogs," he muttered. To Cortez he said, "Not bad, brother." "Likewise," the warrior said. He glanced to the east to see how his other allies were holding up. "The Toa Komua need our help. The general might be down, but I don't think that'll stop these guys completely." Netruhl nodded and the two allies charged forward into a new battle. ______________________________________________________________ The Volcanic Sector was, to Avvun's dismay, managing to repel his forces as quickly as the Skrall were driving back the Rahkshi in the Storm Sector. He himself was too caught up in a battle with the leader of the resistance, a Toa of Fire who did not bother to state his name, which was at a stalemate. "You do know that these resistances you've built up will be of no help," the Head of the Spear agent muttered. He fired light arrows from his bow, but his enemy dodged them easily. "Once Ulreq and the others crush your brothers in the Great Barren, which they will, all of those who dared to remain in their regions and fight back will be reduced to nothing." "Come on," the Toa of Fire chuckled. He countered a blow from Avvun's bow with his Forked Fire Staff, then used his weapon to force his enemy back. "You know how the story goes, good guys beat the bad guys no matter how powerful they are. It's the universal law." "That's completely illogical," Avvun growled. "You can't always win, Toa. We have been waiting too long for our victory, and this is our chance." "Please. If your kind was meant to rule the world, you would have been placed in charge of things when you were first created..." "That proves nothing. Sometimes, things must be taken. Sometimes, power and authority must be earned instead of given. Only in a fantasy world do beings not realize that there is someone, somewhere, who is not happy with things and is willing to take action. Beings like Ulreq, the Makuta, and myself... we're the future, Toa. You know why the Skakdi and Industry Region have joined us? They know that, in the end, we are the likely victor in the grand scheme of things. Even if we do fall, you know there will be others like us... others who might just succeed with what we failed to accomplish." The Toa of Fire did not respond. He was focusing on something. Most likely, some usage of his elemental power. Avvun looked around, but could not find any alteration of heat, nor any sudden appearances of fire. That is, he could not until the ground under his feet shot up by the first thousand degrees or so. A split second later, and the warrior was engulfed by white-hot flames. "Others are to be dealt with later," the Toa of Fire chuckled. "You and yours are to be dealt with now." As the red-armored warrior ran back into the fray to help his brothers, he did not notice the blackened body of Avvun give a small twitch... He also did not notice that the charred face of his enemy curved into a sick grin as his body faded into nothingness.

Chapter XXII: Showdown -- Part Four
Braxel muttered a curse as the Thornatus V5 trampled over a Rahkshi of Illusion that had not managed to stay in a good enough illusion. The Toa of "The Green" doubted running over every Rahkshi was a plan that would work after a while. "Toa!" Zaraus shouted as he saw them drive by. "My forces can't hold out for too much longer! We need reinforcements!" The Skrall was using his sword to slice through whoever came near him, but his followers did not have the same claymore as their leader; their own swords were nowhere near as effective. Still, the Rahkshi were managing to be beaten with some sort of ease. However, the Skakdi of the Head of the Spear's army saw that the Skrall were a threat. In the past, the two species had had their conflicts. The Skakdi, traditionally, would come out as the victor of their disputes. Xinlo, Toa of Sonics, scanned the battlefield, looking for a Piraka or two. Those six Skakdi were what was called "Sansta-Skakdi", as they, unlike the majority of their brothers, had access to their elemental powers. He saw the green-spined one named Zaqutan fighting off a few Rahkshi. If Xinlo had the time to analyze the Piraka's expression, he would have seen that the Skakdi looked somewhat bored. "Piraka!" Xinlo called out. Zaqutan blasted away two or three Skakdi with his lance and ran to the vehicle. He said nothing, but his features asked the question that his voice did not. "We need you to help out the Skrall over there." The Toa pointed to the area where Zaraus and his warriors were fighting. "Think you're up for it?" Braxel asked. Zaqutan nodded. He turned to assist his allies, but then looked back to the two Toa. He gave a short series of complicated hand gestures. Typically, the Skakdi of Air simply wrote down what he needed to say, but during a battle, he would sign, as he would not be able to write. Unfortunately, neither Braxel nor Xinlo understood what he was trying to say. "I don't understand..." Xinlo muttered. "Can you talk?" Zaqutan shook his head. He then pointed to the other side of the battlefield. The Toa ranks were falling before an enemy that the two friends could not see. "Do you know what that is?" Zaqutan shrugged. He pointed to the Toa, then to whatever was tearing through the Toa forces. He then made a slashing motion across his neck with his finger. His message, surprisingly, was clear. "We got it," Braxel said. "You worry about Zaraus and his Skrall; we'll take care of... whatever's doing that." The Skakdi of Air gave a quick smile and nodded. While no one was able to know, he found an odd pleasure when others who could not normally understand his hand gestures figured out what he was trying to say. He then ran towards the Skrall legion, ready to turn the tables of battle. ______________________________________________________________ Kara, too, saw that the Toa ranks in the west were falling. However, from her vantage point, she could also see what was doing this. It was Venom, Zha-xar, and Promethius, the three Head of the Spear members that were actually taking part in the battle. The supreme brutality of the three was shocking, to say the least. "I don't think so," she said. "You guys are goin' down..." She glanced at an odd red button on the weapon controls. Gravemos had not told her of what that did. She supposed it would trigger a more dangerous weapon. "Guess I'll have to find out for sure, then..." She pressed the button. The dark purple armor of the Screaming Devil suddenly turned a yellowish gold. The Toa of Fire dove toward the three aggressors. Immediately, the effect of the button was noticeable. The Jetrax T12 was flying at speeds that far exceeded the maximum speed that the vehicle once had as its' limit. Kara let out a cry of both surprise and happiness. The three Head of the Spear members saw the vehicle heading towards them. Being who they were, they had sufficient time to react. "Zha-xar, you have to disable that thing," Venom growled. "Promethius and I will take care of the other vehicle." The Kra-Atreu nodded. As the vehicle was mere inches from striking them, the three leaped over it. Zha-xar gave the smallest jump and landed on the front of the Jetrax as Venom and Promethius charged towards Xinlo's Thornatus. "Get off," Kara muttered. "This thing doesn't take passengers... not ones like you." "I very much doubt that you can force me to," Zha-xar sneered. The Toa of Fire shrugged. "Your funeral..." The Jetrax T12 suddenly shot upward at a near-perfect ninety degree angle. Its' speed kept on increasing, showing no signs of slowing down. "Thinking about letting go now?" Kara shouted. Zha-xar shook his head. He still remained on the ship, and even looked as if he were used to being upside down. "An Atreu must know how balance is to be kept." He clenched his hands into fists and crawled toward the cockpit. ______________________________________________________________ Venom was relieved to see that no one had dared to interrupt his and Promethius' pursuit of Xinlo and Braxel on their Thornatus vehicle. It was just a matter of time until the two Head of the Spear members would destroy their pathetic advantage. For the Skakdi of Plasma, however, fate had other plans... ______________________________________________________________ Ulreq placed his Promethius game piece forward, planning to use it for the next battle. He and Iro had, so far, been evenly matched in this game of the Shadow Lord's. However, he had a certain plan that would call for a few losses on his own side. Iro smirked at the sight of Promethius' game piece. He then remembered something one of the Piraka had said to him in the underground cavern:
 * "Promethius? A Head member now? Ha! The fool's a coward, just as much as scum to us as we are to them. But the thing is... he betrayed us, betrayed our trust. We don't want the Head to rule Uteara, yeah, but there's a certain matter of revenge... Tell your Toa not to lay a finger on Promethius. I want him to be our kill..."

"I choose my Vizu pawn to go against your Promethius," Iro stated. "Let's see if cowardice can overcome Vizu's need for revenge, Ulreq. I doubt that your ally's ready for what mine has in store." Ulreq nodded his approval. He could sense the sheer hate that Vizu radiated. In the assassination business, there was a certain trust in one another that the Piraka had. Promethius had broken that trust for his own desires, part of a subtle suggestion that Ulreq had made. It was funny how beings like this Skakdi of Plasma had no idea that such things that were said a thousand years ago could influence their actions in the present day. "I have doubt there is a need to see how this battle is to end," Ulreq chuckled. "However, Promethius is not in my favor. He abandoned his Piraka quickly... too quickly for my liking, you see. Should he do such a thing to the Head of the Spear? I am sure that he would... May this Vizu and his need for revenge teach my pawn that betrayal is not acceptable... not for the Piraka, and surely not for the Head of the Spear... Let us both see how the once mighty shall fall to his successor..." ______________________________________________________________ "Get ready..." Venom muttered to Promethius. The two allies were chasing down Xinlo and Braxel in their Thornatus vehicle. They hid behind Rahkshi and Skakdi to make sure that they remained unseen. "I'm ready," the Skakdi of Plasma replied. "Should we strike?" "Wait for it..." Promethius did so. He heard Venom scream, "Now!" but felt the sensation of being slammed onto the ground. As he regained his bearings, he saw a blue/black-armored Skakdi standing over him... and Venom being blasted away by Toa Xinlo. It did not take him long to figure out that he had been tackled... by the Piraka and Skakdi of Water named Vizu. "Get up, you piece of scum," Vizu spat. "I'll teach ya that you don't mess with the Piraka like you did." The Skakdi of Water brandished his scythe and bore his teeth into a wolfish grin. "Ready?" Promethius fired his disorientation vision at the Piraka. Vizu stumbled backward and fell down to the sandy ground. The Skakdi of Plasma then unlimbered his war club. Using his special power, he enhanced the sound around his former employee, making even the sound of breathing unbearable. "Please, Vizu," the former Piraka leader sneered. "We must be civil, now." Twin blasts of laser vision struck Promethius' face, distorting and blackening his features. The Skakdi of Plasma roared in agony. A Skakdi's face was mere flesh and bone, the one thing that did not have armor. Vizu then landed a solid punch to the side of Promethius' face. "Screw that..." Vizu muttered, rising to his feet. "I'd rather see you die right here, right now." Promethius did not respond. His entire face was still in pain. He lashed out with his war club, but missed Vizu by a kio. The Skakdi of Water grabbed onto his enemy's weapon with his scythe. One quick movement disarmed the Skakdi of Plasma, and a swipe of the weapon knocked Promethius off of his feet. "Good... We've established ‘here’. Now... I think your death's gonna happen... well, now." Vizu dropped his weapon and stuck his arms out. Two pale purple orbs formed in his palms. Promethius knew what this meant. The Piraka was using his special power... and this particular one was, perhaps, one of the deadlier ones that a Skakdi could possess. The Skakdi of Water had an ability much like that of the Kanohi Arkaiva, Great Mask of Leech. He could absorb the energy and strength of another being, then attribute that energy to his own powers, be it his laser vision or his elemental control of water. However, unlike the Arkaiva, Vizu could attribute the energy gained to his own leech power, making the draining process go by, a lot more quickly, at no expense to himself. And that was just what the infuriated Piraka planned to do... Two beams of power shot out of the orbs and struck Promethius. Vizu let out a yell of triumph as he felt his former leader's energy being added to his own. After a minute or so, the Skakdi of Plasma fell to the ground, as still as he would be if he were dead. Attributing the leech power to itself had made the process speed up rapidly. The orbs in Vizu's palms faded away. The Piraka walked over to Promethius and viciously stepped on his head. His armored toes clenched around it like a fist. "Let this be a lesson to those who dare to betray the Piraka..." Vizu whispered harshly. ______________________________________________________________ Ulreq smirked as the Promethius game piece shattered. The Skakdi of Plasma was, admittedly, an acceptable loss. The former leader of the Piraka was expendable; he had to be. The Shadow Lord would have never offered him membership to the Head of the Spear if he was not. "You're losing, Ulreq," Iro said. "I've only lost four pawns. You've lost all but one now." "Strategy, I assume, has never worked well with you, has it, Toa?" Ulreq asked. "In my game, sacrifice is needed." Iro shrugged and placed his Kara pawn forward. "How're you going to counter that?" "I am going to use my king, of course." Ulreq placed his Zha-xar piece forward. He smiled grimly. "Perhaps you have never played this game before?" "Not in a long while... I thought you had to lose your second before playing your king." "That is false. You can have but two other pieces on the field before using a king piece." Iro frowned. He remembered some special property of a king that made it above the other pieces. What was it? It did not matter, he supposed. The pieces faded away once more and the map of the Great Barren zoomed in on Zha-xar, who was struggling to stay on Kara's Jetrax vehicle.

Chapter XXIII: Showdown -- Part Five
A minute can change much. A single decision can alter a world. Using that logic, many minutes and decisions can lead to revolutions, wars, and many other things. This was evident on the planet of Spherus Magna... and on this day, it would prove to be true for planet Murtua. As the Shadow Lord Ulreq fought Toa Iro in a battle of wits, the majority of Uteara, the grand continent of the west, plunged into chaos. Days ago, the Head of the Spear, the faction that Ulreq led, bombed the Central City of Uteara. While the residents were warned prior to the attack, the action practically destroyed the morale of the Utearan people. They became fearful, scared of something similar happening to their region. That is, of course, what Ulreq hoped to happen. That fear would make the other regions, with the exception of the Industry Region, which was seized prior to the bombing, too weak to fight back against the Head of the Spear's legions. However, it went downhill from there. Ulreq was disguised as Toa Iro, using the best guise that he could - the hero's own body! Defeated, Iro took over the body of an Ice Region Glatorian named Iisei and told his friends of what was to happen. Suddenly, the allies began warning the other regions, telling them of the coming Head of the Spear attacks. While Iro managed to temporarily defeat Ulreq and gain his body back, the Green and Ice Regions, along with the Volcanic and Storm Sectors, began preparing for the attacks. Reunited with his friends, Iro prepared for the final battle in the Great Barren. Two armies clash, one fighting for Uteara, the other fighting for power they thought would be theirs. While the forces of good seem to be all but triumphant in the three southern regions, the battle of the Great Barren will determine the how future of Uteara will turn out... ______________________________________________________________ Xinlo hit the ground hard. Before his eyes shut for a short unconsciousness, he saw Braxel slam into the sand a few feet away from him. His eyes flickered open a few moments later, a sharp ringing sound going through his head. As the Toa of Sonics saw the fiery remains of the Thornatus V5, it all came back to him. Venom and the Sansta-Skakdi of Plasma Promethius had launched a somewhat successful attempt to stop the Toa from using their vehicle any more. Promethius had been knocked out of the assault by a surprise attack from Vizu while Venom was blasted away by Xinlo. However, the Head of the Spear member did not stop just because Promethius may or may not have died. The warrior destroyed the engine of the vehicle with a barrage of shadow bolts. The Thornatus had caught fire and exploded. Xinlo and Braxel had tried to jump out and, thankfully, they were not completely caught in the explosion. The Toa of Sonics tried to wake his friend up. "Braxel!" he shouted, attempting to hear his own voice over the ringing that the explosion had caused. "Wake up! This might be your last chance..." The Toa of "The Green" suddenly started and gave a loud cough. His armor was scorched and cracked, but he still smiled. "Good to know that I'll see the end of this fight..." he muttered jokingly. His Kanohi Verdaren, Great Mask of Photosynthesis, glowed for a short time. The mask was absorbing the sun's energy, allowing Braxel to gain his strength back. "Our ride's gone," Xinlo said, a bit annoyed. "I think Gravemos is gonna be mad." "Oh? What if I point our giant friend in another direction?" "What do you mean?" Braxel chuckled. "Well, if Gravemos gets to fight Venom, we know how that's gonna work out." Xinlo gave a laugh. Twice in the past, their gigantic Jattillan ally had faced off against Venom. And twice, he defeated the Head of the Spear member. "Well, let's tell him that someone wrecked his ride." ______________________________________________________________ Autahr and Ujama were a fighting pair made with the perfect strategy in mind. While Gravemos had decided to put his gravity power to use and take out inexperienced Skakdi in aerial combat, the two friends decided to try and see how well they would square up against trained warriors. Surprisingly, the two had managed to hold their own extremely well. Autahr's telepathy told Ujama everything that he needed to know, from the Rahi's plans to the thoughts of nearby Skakdi. The Turaga of "The Green" would then use the knowledge he retained from his days as a Toa to defeat the Head of the Spear warriors while Autahr used mental shocks and brute force to take down his enemies. Tired from all of the combat, the two hid in a small trench that was barely large enough to hold the Rahi and Turaga. I'm getting tired, Ujama, Autahr's mind-voice said. Do you think we can have a break anytime soon? The Turaga shook his head. "I am afraid, my friend, that this is our break." Do you have any water or anything in that pack of yours? Ujama rummaged through his bag for a few seconds. He had a small container with water in it. He took a drink and poured the rest into Autahr's mouth. Thanks. "Are you ready?" the Turaga asked. "I fear we may have to rejoin the battle soon." Give me a minute, Autahr replied. I'm not that old, but I'm not too young, either. Ujama laughed. "Become a Turaga, friend. You'll see how the effects of age take hold of you." ''I think I'm happy with who I am right now. I can fight, but it's all the running that gets to me.'' "I understand. Shall we stay for a minute or two longer?" If that's fine with you. "I think it is." ''Hey, maybe we can spring a trap from here. Maybe we can ambush some soldiers that run over this trench.'' Ujama smiled. "That, too, is fine with me." Do you think Iro'll win his fight against Ulreq? When Ujama did not say anything, Autahr added, ''I saw Ulreq teleport away with him. I'm pretty sure that that's what he had in mind, a one-on-one fight.'' "It is possible that he will. But nothing is certain. We may have to win here before he can win where he is." ''But do you think that that'll be enough? Ulreq pulverized us in the Industry Region.'' "It may very well have to be, my friend..." ______________________________________________________________ Gravemos was furious. He stalked through the battlefield looking for his green-armored nemesis. Xinlo and Braxel had told him that Venom had destroyed his Thornatus vehicle. After all of the time the Jattillan had spent just to build it, he had a right to be angry. He tossed aside Rahkshi and Skakdi with his gravity and telekinesis powers. This not only made his tracking easier, but it allowed them to fall to the Toa and Skrall that were scattered throughout the desert. He drove the head of his melee staff into the torso of a Rahkshi that tried to stand in his way. A quick use of gravity tore the mechanoid in half. He found Venom trying to fight against two Sansta-Skakdi – Raiduran and Avaron. The Piraka were holding their own, to the Head of the Spear member's surprise. Avaron's shields countered every use of Venom's powers while Raiduran's buzzsaws forced him to keep at a distance; the Skakdi of Earth was not going to show mercy, he knew. "Venom..." Gravemos muttered. The warrior turned around long enough for Avaron to land a crippling blow to the head with one of his shields. The two Piraka closed in for the kill, but the Jattillan waved them off. "He's mine." His tone made it clear that this was not up for debate. "Whatever..." Avaron said. "This guy's no fun to beat down, anyway." "Yes, I heard Kohtan beat him," Raiduran added, forcing back laughter. "Kohtan. He's insane and can't fight to save his life. There's a level of pathetic there that I'm not even going to bother to mention." "Go help out the Skrall," Gravemos told the two. "Your friend Zaqutan could use some help." Avaron grinned. "Zaqutan doesn't need help in a fight, not with his powers, but our Skrall buddies ain't so privileged, I guess." Gravemos nodded and the two Piraka ran off. "So I heard you like to break other people's property?" he said to Venom. "What are you talking about?" the warrior spat. "The Thornatus vehicle. The one Xinlo and Braxel were riding." "Oh, that. What do you care?" Gravemos grabbed Venom by the throat. The warrior noticed that the Jattillan's hands were the same size as his own head. "That was my vehicle. I spent years finishing that thing... and you ruined it. Not even with the courtesy to make it repairable, either." "This is above your pathetic vehicle, you fool," Venom barked, hurling a bolt of shadow at Gravemos to make him let go. "This is about us winning. And we will." The Jattillan spun his melee staff around and struck Venom in the chest, driving him back. "Let's see if I can go three for three, then..." ______________________________________________________________ "Why don't you give up?" Kara muttered to Zha-xar. "Seriously..." The Toa of Fire and Kra-Atreu were both riding on Gravemos' Jetrax T12, high above the battlefield. However, Zha-xar was not in the cockpit. He was practically glued to the front of the vehicle, trying to stay in place while Kara did whatever she could to knock him off. "I think it'll be lot easier," she said. "If you just... get off!" She hurled a blast of flame at the Atreu, but he simply shrugged off the intense heat as if it were nothing. "Pain matters not..." Zha-xar growled. "You matter not. All that is to matter is the victor of this battle." His crimson eyes flashed with new resolve. As Kara slowed down the vehicle for a crucial moment, he continued. "And that is not to be you!" The Atreu ripped off the hull of the engine as if it were a weak moss. He struck the engine itself with his mace and sent shadow energy flowing into it. He then hit Kara's head with his weapon, knocking her out. With the engine damaged and the pilot unconscious... the Screaming Devil began its' plunge towards the battlefield. Zha-xar leapt off of the Jetrax T12 to avoid being caught in whatever would occur due to the crash. He landed near a small trench and allowed himself to catch his breath. Big mistake... The Atreu let out a yell of surprise as he was dragged into the trench by a being much stronger than himself. The last thing he saw before being knocked into submission was the large Rahi named Autahr charging toward him. The resulting headbutt was all Zha-xar saw before the darkness consumed him. Ujama, we have to do something! Autahr cried, already leaping out of the trench. While he did not know Kara all that well, he had an almost extreme loyalty to anyone he considered a friend. He would not allow someone to die if he could help it. The Turaga of "The Green" sheathed his blade and hopped on his friend's back as the Rahi dashed through the sands of the Great Barren. "I know..." he sighed. "But what can we do?" ______________________________________________________________ "No!" Iro's head hung low as his Kara game piece shattered. He now remembered the king piece's special property – it defeated everything below it. This was Ulreq's strategy, losing until he could use his king and second to defeat everything else. Guilt washed over the Toa of Iron like an immense tidal wave. "How could I have been so stupid?" he seethed, more enraged with himself than with Ulreq. "How could I do this to her?!" Ulreq did not smile at his enemy's dismay. "Perhaps, Toa of Iron, you have begun to realize that we are not all too different, you and I. We both have a part of ourselves that is darker than the void." "I didn't know that would happen, though! Why didn't you tell me that would happen?! I could've saved her!" "Would it have mattered? Would you have then sacrificed the lives of an amount of Toa in her place? Or do you not care for those whose names you do not know, Toa of Iron?" That question was a huge tug at the heartstrings. He knew that, deep down, that may have been close to the truth. Ulreq's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "I have found your evil, then, Toa. You care not for the individual if you do not know him. If the majority is content and your friends are content, then you are to be, as well. I was much like that, to tell the truth. That, however, was long ago before the Head of the Spear, before the extinction of the Atreu, before most anything." "That's not true..." "Dare you lie when looking into my eyes? Forgotten have you that I already know the truth? Your words conceal what your thoughts do not. I only believe in two things, Toa - thoughts and actions. Words are to be taken with a grain of sand." Iro shook his head. "That's it. I'm done. I'm not putting anyone else in jeopardy." Despite the fact that he was apparently sitting in space, he tossed the chair aside and stood up. "Sit down, Toa. This game has not yet ended." "Didn't you hear me, Ulreq? I said I'm done." "Sit down, Toa. I am able to force you to do so." "I'm done, Ulreq. Get me out of here." Ulreq remained calm, but his voice still contained its commanding tone, as if the Shadow Lord were speaking to a disobedient pet. "Sit down." Against his will, Iro grabbed the chair and sat down. He looked at Ulreq as if it were the first time, the old fear of his enemy suddenly returning. "How did you... how did you do that?" he breathed in shock. "What am I to say, Toa? The power to do such a thing is simply a part of my nature." "What are you, though?" The Shadow Lord smiled, although there was no good humor in the expression. "I was once what you are at this moment - a hero, a warrior of justice and light... a Toa." "Impossible. How can you be a Toa?" "I am no longer a member of your species. Long since the early days of Murtua have I been in this condition. However, I do not look much different from how I did as a Toa of Shadow." "So... you were a Toa Cevil? Your armor looks like theirs did." "I was a part of the Toa Ryhmä, the first Toa Team of Murtua. Ujama and the Toa Cevil, too, were a part of this team before they became Toa Cevil." "But what are you now? And how did you become this?" "I am merely a unique being with power which rivals that of the Great Beings. The Great Beings were the reason I am this ‘monster’ you see before you. Yzaa created me long ago. He created me, then attempted to destroy me. However, Yzaa is idiocy in physical form. He failed... miserably. Accidentally, he transformed me into this being that I am. In return for such power, I plunged a spear into his lung. The fool retreated to his place of exile, never to be seen again... until he decimated the Atreu species, of course." "So you're just as bad as he was, then," Iro muttered. "That is not entirely true, Toa. You know but half of the truth, the half you have seen. Yzaa has committed far greater evils than I have." "It doesn't matter. I still have to take you down." "You believe that to be the case. Know this, Toa: you will not defeat me. You will not be rid of me. I am forever, just as the stars, the heavens, and the void are. You shall fall before me." He tapped his mask. "It is destined to happen." "What does your mask have to do with it?" "My mask has everything to do with what has happened. It is what is known as a Ţevch, the wish-granter. With its' power, I was able to force my eventual victory into the timeline. I am destined to rule not only Uteara, but all of Murtua. You shall be one of the few who has known me since before I became King of Murtua. You should be honored." "A mask can't change destiny. I don't care if that thing is just as powerful as the Ignika or the Vahi were; it can't do anything like that." "It is not a Kanohi, you fool. It is older than you, than I, than the Great Beings. Perhaps it was born in the days of the Divine Deities; I know not. Its' power is beyond what has been seen on Murtua and Spherus Magna. It is also sentient; its' thoughts have been shared with me. I know that it has approved of my actions. You see, if it did not... I would not be here before you." "The Ţevch may approve of your actions, Ulreq... but we do not." The Shadow Lord whirled around, as if the voice of the unknown speaker belonged to a being that he feared. His eyes glowed with both surprise and some sort of malice. The Faces of Death had arrived.

Chapter XXIV: Showdown -- Part Six
Zaraus fired three bolts of chain lightning out of his Lightning Aseiden Energy Launcher. His version of this common weapon was slightly different than most. It fired lightning out of the yellowish orb that always remained in the launcher as opposed to firing a single sphere of electricity. In a way, it was much more effective, as he could strike multiple targets at once if he chose to. His legion of Skrall had been annihilated by a band of Skakdi and Rahkshi, and now only four of his warriors remained. The lord-class Skrall, however, had been assisted by three Skakdi who called themselves "Piraka" – Avaron, Raiduran, and Zaqutan. They were more powerful than normal Skakdi, as they had much more deadly powers and had control of their respective elements. Since then, no more Skrall fell. "I thank you for the assistance," Zaraus said to Zaqutan. "But why are you not with your brothers?" "Askin' the wrong guy," Avaron said, beating back a Rahkshi with his right-arm shield. "He doesn't talk." "And for the record," Raiduran added, "we Sansta-Skakdi aren't all that popular among other Skakdi. They've segregated us as being something else. That was the main thing that made the six of us become the Piraka. Well, 'cept for Kohtan, but he doesn't care if we can use our elemental powers." Zaraus blasted an attacking Rahkshi away with his Aseiden. "I wish I could command an element. On Spherus Magna, I've heard, the Skrall have an affiliation to the element of rock. Such power would be very useful." Avaron used his elemental power over stone to create a fist of rock, knocking a Skakdi into submission. "You've got that right," he chuckled. He then used his ability to control any mechanical workings to force a Rahkshi to attack its' comrades. It was quickly destroyed, but not before Zaraus could stab his sword through one of the Skakdi that the Rahkshi had attacked. "Not bad..." Raiduran said, nodding his head approvingly. "But check this out..." He used one of his buzzsaws to slice open the armor of a nearby Skakdi. He then grabbed onto the organic tissue of the soldier. After a moment, the Piraka let go and his victim fell to the ground. "Paralysis," the Skakdi of Earth said to his three allies. "Just a touch and a thought, and anyone whose organics aren't defended by armor goes down." Avaron grinned broadly. From the look of Zaraus' face, the Skrall seemed to be very impressed. "Show him your power, Zaqutan." The green-spined Skakdi gave a shrug and tossed his lance to Avaron. Flames suddenly consumed him, with no logical explanation as to how they appeared from thin air. Eventually, the flames shifted until they were in the vague shape of Zaqutan. After a few moments, the Piraka transformed again, turning into a being of electricity. Afterwards, his form changed once again, this time becoming too bright to look at, as he was now a being composed entirely of light. For his last transformation, Zaqutan's form resembled himself, but was dark and transparent. He struck a Rahkshi with his arm and it turned to dust. "That one's sound," Raiduran explained. "May be his deadliest form, I think." "None of them look very appealing to be very be struck by," Zaraus muttered. Avaron tossed Zaqutan's lance to the Piraka, who had shifted back to being a biomechanical being. "He can't transform when he has the lance," Raiduran said. "But he can channel the four things he can transform into through it, so he's not at a complete disadvantage." "A side effect," Avaron muttered. "Somethin' in the workings of it messed up and cancels out the use of his powers when it's in contact with him." Zaqutan shrugged, signaling that he did not really care about his inventor friend's mistake. He simply blasted apart a Rahkshi or two with sonic force. He then narrowed his eyes at the sight of fleeing Skakdi and flame bolts showering the battlefield. He pointed out the odd sight to his allies. "I dunno' what that could be," Raiduran said. "And I don't care. Anything that's willing to shoot down some Skakdi for us is an ally of mine." The other three were in agreement. However, as Zaraus was a Skrall, and the three Piraka were Sansta-Skakdi, they could not help but to still attack the fleeing soldiers. Their actions was not fueled by the hatred of the individuals that had caused them pain so much as was fueled by the fact that, every once in a while, it just felt good to hit something. ______________________________________________________________ "Why dare you halt this battle?" Ulreq growled to the six Faces of Death that stood before him. "What right is yours to do such a thing?" The six entities spoke as one. "The right of death is ours. You are the one to defy the will of Deccius." The Shadow Lord glanced at Iro, who sat on the other side of the table, still with shock. "I care not of what Deccius wills. He is not my creator... and if he were, he would have vanished as Yzaa did... Yes, Faces of Death, I have seen your creator stalking in the cosmos around Murtua." "That matters not. You have dared to ignore law. You have dared to place your petty ambitions above destiny." "My  ‘petty ambitions’ are destiny, you fools. You realize this not. The Ţevch would have destroyed me; the Timekeeper would have halted my doings; Deccius would have ended my existence if this was not meant to happen. The facts stand firmly; I am meant to rule Murtua... and nothing can be done to stop this." A beam of light struck Ulreq in the chest from each Face of Death. After a moment of silence, the Shadow Lord faded away into nothingness. "What in the world..?" Iro breathed. "Is he... is he... dead?" It was too much to hope that Ulreq was not, but the question had to be asked. "He is trapped in a place from which he cannot escape for the time being. His fate shall be decided at a later time." "What?" the Toa of Iron exclaimed. "Is his living an option? He destroyed the Central City! You said it yourselves; he doesn't care what those above him want. He just wants to rule Murtua, to make us all his slaves." "We have rights beyond comprehension... However, the right to kill a being before their proper time is not ours..." The six paused for a long while. Poison, a hideous avian entity, spoke up first. As it was after Iro had fought the Face of Death, Poison's tone was soft and raspy. "Toa, what is happening and what is to happen... it is much greater than you know. We must ask that you honor our decision of Ulreq's fate... even if we allow him to live. You cannot understand this, and we do not expect you to, but he is..." Poison stopped talking. It simply looked at Iro, knowing that it should continue with what it was saying. "So how do I get out of this... whatever this is?" Iro asked. "Ulreq sent me to this game from the void, but he's gone now." "We shall allow you to leave Ulreq's game," Poison replied. "With a certain gift from the Faces of Death." Six symbols formed on the Faces of Death's foreheads or chests. They glowed with such an intense light that Iro could no longer look at the group of mysterious entities. A split second later, six beams of power struck Iro's heartlight, making it glow with the same white light. His eyes, too, glowed with the light. His entire form radiated pure power. "The power of the Faces of Death are yours' to use, Toa of Iron. We shall transport you to the field of battle in the Great Barren. Use our power wisely, for it is but a fraction of what is contained inside of us. If it is used too often, it shall drain quickly." "Yeah..." Iro muttered. "Take me..." The Toa of Iron blinked, as most beings needed to do on a normal basis. Gone were the blackness of space and the thousands of stars around him, replaced by the blue sky of Uteara above him and the sandy ground of the Great Barren below him. "...there..." Iro breathed in deeply. He was on the peak of the easternmost of the Bara Mountains, viewing the entire battle below him. The Head of the Spear forces were, for the most part, driving the miniature Toa army back. If the battle kept up, the heroes of Uteara might have been driven into the sea. He leaped off of the mountain and landed on the ground hard. The sand below his feet fused into glass due to the intense heat and a small tremor heralded his arrival. A Skakdi attempted to attack him, but was turned to dust by a mere uppercut. "What in the world?" he gasped, looking at himself in awe. "What kind of power is this?" Not waiting for an answer that would not come, he leaped into the sky. Surprisingly, he found himself able to fly above the great battle with no real explanation. Remembering some of the powers the individual Faces of Death had displayed during their fights with the Toa of Iron, he called upon Brutality's command of flame. Huge spheres of fire rained upon the battlefield, destroying Rahkshi and Skakdi with no trouble at all. This... he thought to himself, is gonna be fun. ______________________________________________________________ Venom had been utterly defeated. Twice. Gravemos had taken out all of his anger on the warrior and used his gravity power and melee staff to beat Venom into submission. If that wasn't enough, Toa Xinlo had decided to take revenge for being caught in the explosion caused by the Head of the Spear member's destroying of the Thornatus vehicle. In actuality, it had been that Skakdi Kohtan's fault. Those who suffered from the cruel use of his mental powers were usually left extremely shaken up. When Raiduran and Avaron had attacked him, they laughed at him for being defeated by Kohtan. The laughter reminded Venom of what the Skakdi of Ice had done to him – forced him to laugh until he was knocked unconscious. He was almost defeated before Gravemos had shown up. And now... he thought, I've had just enough of this. Xinlo was faring well against the warrior of exile compared to most other Toa. He had succeeded in disarming Venom, and had also used his Acidic Shield well enough to force the Head of the Spear member to keep his distance. "This is the end for you, Toa," Venom growled, not even believing his own words. "Once Ulreq finishes off your friend Iro, you're all going to die... slowly and painfully." Xinlo looked behind him to see some of the soldiers heading back to the mountains in retreat. He also saw the silver-armored Toa with a brilliant white aura around him destroying practically everthing that moved. "Really?" he asked, a smile forming on his face. "I think that it's you guys who're going to die... quickly and painlessly, though." "No..." Venom muttered. "It can't be... Ulreq couldn't have lost... he couldn't have." "He did, Venom," Xinlo laughed. "He lost. And now you're scared. You're scared 'cause you know that you're finished." Venom spat on the ground and turned around. "You haven't seen the last of me, Toa." He grabbed his weapons and broke off into a run. "Likewise," Xinlo said quietly. He then gave chase. ______________________________________________________________ Kara cursed loudly as the Jetrax vehicle that she had once piloted was hurtling toward the ground. The Toa of Fire had awakened a moment ago to see the horror of death coming for her. She knew she only had a few seconds before impact... Without hesitation, she used her elemental power to melt the straps to the seat to slag, then hopped out mere instants before the vehicle exploded into a fiery wreck. "That was a close one..." she muttered to herself. Seeing Iro flying above her, she waved that she was all right. The Toa of Iron immediately landed next to her. His glowing white eyes forced Kara to shield her own. To stare at Iro for too long in this state was to welcome blindness. "Kara?" he asked, his voice sounding distant and far away. "You're... you're alive?" "Yep..." she replied. "Almost wasn't, but I made it. Thanks for checking up on me. Xin's probably freaking out right now." "Probably. Listen, I hope you don't mind, but Ulreq did... something... and I feel that it's best if I kinda stick around you. I wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything." "That's fine. I don't know the guy like you, but he's... pretty scary. If he did something weird, I'd be protective of my friends, too. By the way, what in the world happened to you? I can't even look at you, that light's so bright!" "Had some help to beat Ulreq. That help gave me a small power boost." Small? Autahr's mind-voice sounded. The Rahi, along with Ujama, ran over to the scene of the wreckage where the two Toa were. You're exterminating anything that comes close to you! "Yes, we've seen what you have done to the Rahkshi," Ujama chuckled. "If I were still a Toa, I may not have approved..." "But circumstances call for stuff like that," an approaching Gravemos said. He frowned at the sight of his wrecked Jetrax, then sighed heavily. "Well, at least we made use of 'em..." "Look out!" Xinlo cried out from a distance. He was chasing Venom throughout the battlefield, but did not have sufficient energy to use his mask to catch the esaping Head of the Spear member. Venom suddenly broke away from his straight path and headed toward the group of friends. The warrior shoved Autahr out of his way, toppling the Rahi onto his side. Ujama was sent sprawling by the flat of his blade, and Gravemos was knocked over by his shield. Venom's gaze shifted to Kara. His orange eyes blazed with a new idea in mind. He glanced back to make sure Xinlo was still following. Venom's next action happened so quickly that no one could react in time. His sword surged forward toward Kara. It took both a few seconds and an eternity for his attack to be completed. The tip of his weapon pierced the Toa of Fire's breastplate and sunk into her heart. An instant later, it could be seen jutting out of her back. Venom gave a laugh of triumph. "No!" both Iro and Xinlo cried. The Toa of Sonics did not bother to think about what he was going to do. As Ujama caught the falling Kara, he slammed his Acidic Shield into Venom's face, corroding away the armor and distorting his features. Xinlo did this multiple times until Venom sreamed in pure agony as his flesh burned away, revealing bits of his skull. He then stopped. Xinlo's sabre stabbed through the warrior's neck, destroying his ability to scream or to speak or to whisper. The last thing he heard was the chilling cry of the Toa of Sonics. The warrior's body then slumped to the ground, dead. Xinlo had forgotten Venom already, however. He cradled Kara in his arms, tears running down his face. "Kara..." he whispered. "How could I have let this happen?" The Toa of Fire smiled sadly. "It wasn't your fault, Xin. It wasn't anyone's... You... you didn't have to kill him." "But he's killed you! That blow was fatal!" "Maybe... maybe I'm just not the killing type. And maybe I'd have been better off listening to that stuff you were going to say before we started the fight. But I can... I can take a guess." Kara's breath came out as ragged gasps. She glanced from Iro to Xinlo. "Don't beat your... selves up over this. It wasn't... your... fault..." Her body went limp in her friend's arms. Xinlo hung his head low in defeat. Iro grabbed Kara's hand. He focused every portion of the Faces of Death's power into her body. Something had to work... something. As the white aura faded away around him, he noticed that his efforts had been futile; Kara did not move. Her eyes did not open. She did not start breathing again. The Toa of Iron sighed in failure. "I'm sorry..." he said softly to Xinlo. "I wish I could have done more... I told her that I was to protect her... and I couldn't even stop this from happening..." Gravemos shook his head. "She said it herself... it wasn't either one of your faults... It just... happened." The Jattillan stopped speaking. He had never seen another being die before. He wished that remained true for the rest of his life. Braxel dragged himself over to the group. He was badly beat up, his left leg limp and his right arm broken. He glanced at Kara sadly. "The crash..?" he asked. He then saw the dead body of Venom, his face eaten away from acid and his skull blackened. "Oh..." A cheer rang throughout the battlefield. It was the Toa, raising their weapons in victory. The remaining Skakdi were being walked out to sea by the Piraka and Skrall while the Toa and Glatorian celebrated with their brothers. Toa Axur ran over to the group of sad friends, unaware of what had happened. "Guys!" he cried excitedly. "We did it! Zha-xar called out a surrender and said that Uteara was ours! Aren't you guys exci... ted…?" He looked at the group, then at Xinlo with a dead Kara in his arms. "Oh... oh my God... Wha... what happened?" "A mistake, Toa," Ujama said sadly. "One that resulted in this... unfortunate happening." "I'll... I'll leave you guys alone, then..." the Toa of Earth replied. "And... I'm sorry for your loss." ______________________________________________________________ Zha-xar watched as the last of Ulreq's soldiers were forced to drown by the Piraka. Hundreds of Skakdi had died at the Head of the Spear's hands. Vizu and his allies would make sure that no others would dare try such a thing again by this example. Venom was dead and Ulreq was gone. Avvun had reported that his attack on the Volcanic Sector had been countered, while Tyrashi had fallen to the Toa forces in the Green Region. Yurahk and Abirahk approached him, awaiting his orders. The two Elite Rahkshi had been created by Zha-xar long before he had joined the Head of the Spear, but after the death of his fellow Atreu. They were his attempt to have some sort of company. Unfortunately, they had turned out to be more of servants than companions. "Your master has failed..." Zha-xar said solemnly. He signalled for the two to follow him out of the Great Barren. "Toa Iro was correct; the Head of the Spear was not how my vengeance was to be served. I must wonder if it was to be served at all." "It will be, master," Yurahk said. "We will be by your side as you destroy Yzaa." "This is true," Abirahk added. "We will also help you to achieve your goal. It is our duty." Zha-xar gave a small smile. "You are so blindly loyal... It is touching in a way. At times, I wish for you to be free. It is not right for you to serve me." "Master, we will always serve you," Yurahk replied. "We have learned to enjoy it." "Perhaps you have... I shall leave Uteara for a small time. Do you wish to accompany me to my destination or shall you remain in the Atreu village until my return?" "We will join you," Abirahk said. "You could be in danger with no one to help you." "Where are you going?" Yurahk asked. "I shall travel to the Eastern Hemisphere," Zha-xar explained. "Perhaps I shall find a small number of Atreu there who escaped the notice of Yzaa. However, before this happens, I must speak with someone who offered me something that may help my quest. You must wait in my house in Atre-Koro. Escape the notice of all Toa; do not attack those you see." The two Rahkshi nodded their agreement. They would travel to the Volcanic Sector and head for the village of Atre-Koro located in the Xasa Basin. Then they would wait for their master to give them further orders. While Zha-xar did not realize it, such things gave Yurahk and Abirahk a sense of purpose. Toa Iro, I hope I am worthy of forgiveness, Zha-xar thought to himself as he rowed his skiff to the Industry Region. ______________________________________________________________ Toa Takuma watched as the sun fell over the Volcanic Sector. The other Toa were cleaning up the mess of Rahkshi armor that were scattered throughout the small village of Be-Koro. After Avvun was defeated, the small group of soldiers was destroyed rather easily. "What are you going to do now, sir?" a rookie Toa of Air named Ledan asked him. The Toa of Fire chuckled. "Well, there's a lot to do now, son. I have a friend who fought in one of these battles that I want to find. It's been too long since I've last seen him." "That's cool," the rookie replied. "Good luck with that." Takuma smiled. "Thanks. Good fighting out there. Glad to see this kind of patriotism for your home." Now to set things up... the Toa of Fire thought to himself. ''I can't meet my old friend Iro yet... It's not the right time or place. Maybe I should show him the marvels of the City in the Sky. I'd bet that he would want to check out the Eastern Hemisphere after so long of staying in Uteara.'' "Hey, kid," he said to the Ledan. "You mind doing me a favor?" "Sure, Takuma. What is it?" "I need you to tell a Toa Iro in the Great Barren that his old friend of the flames knows he's alive. I need him to head for the Eastern Hemisphere, to the grand City in the Sky. A reunion between us is long overdue." "Yeah, I can do that. What does he look like?" "He's a Toa of Iron, so his armor is silver. He has an axe and shield for weapons and he's taller than most other Toa, maybe by about an inch or so. His armor style is unique; you won't see it on another Toa, I don't think." As the Toa of Air ran off to do what he was asked, Takuma faded away into nothingness. The Toa of Fire had to prepare his friends in the east for the coming of the great Toa Iro. It had been so long - too long - since they had seen each other, after all...

Epilogue
Far from Murtua, on a screaming comet, a being awakened. His blue eyes flickered open with uncertainty. Had he been asleep for so long? He supposed so; it was the only thing that would explain why he was so close to Spherus Magna, his old home. That was most odd; he could have sworn that he saw that planet break into three pieces long ago. But where are the other two? Is it possible that the laborer of the Great Beings has succeeded? he thought. ''Has Mata Nui's grand mission ended with success? How could I have not noticed such an occurance?'' To his surprise, he found that he did not care. He stood up, his black armor unscathed by the extreme speeds of moving through space. Behind his helmet, his blackened face formed a frown. He sensed a certain absense from his Murtua. Had his favorite creation been... killed? ''If this is the case, then vengeance must be served. Deccius and his petty creations cannot believe themselves to be superior to my own. Perhaps I am the one to teach both of them this philosophy.'' The black-armored entity fired a beam of power at the comet. In an instant, it dematerialized, forever gone from existence. He still managed to survive in space; it was not in his nature to allow something like a lack of air to defeat him. Still, the comet was the fastest method for him to arrive on Murtua. Unfortunately, it was traveling in the opposite direction from the young planet. This would force him to use his own strength to travel. ''Now I realize why Deccius modified himself to be able to teleport across long distances. This method of movement is extremely slow... Regardless, I doubt Murtua is to know of my return... not until it is too late. However, I can still affect my creation from this distance. Already, I can feel the death of Venom at the hands of a Toa.'' As the giant flew through the blackness of space, he planned his next course of action. Deccius was long gone, and his creations were left to themselves. The last time he had visited Murtua, he had obliterated a species that he did not like. This time, he would destroy each and every of his brother's creations. And then I shall rule Murtua, the Great Being Yzaa thought. ''I shall find my brother Great Beings... and show them the power at my command. They shall bow before me. Soon, the entirety of the Solis Magna system shall be mine. Soon...''

Characters

 * Xinlo
 * Zokau
 * Promethius
 * Vizu
 * Haneq
 * Avaron
 * Raiduran
 * Kohtan
 * Methenor (Mentioned Only)
 * Zaqutan
 * Autahr
 * Kara
 * Scrythe (Mentioned Only)
 * Ujama
 * Zha-xar
 * Venom
 * Ulreq
 * Yurahk
 * Abirahk
 * Tora (Mentioned Only)
 * Deccius (Mentioned Only)
 * Iro
 * Krevt
 * Braxel
 * Tyverus (Mentioned Only)
 * Darcai (Mentioned Only)
 * Justac (Mentioned Only)
 * Pothyn (Mentioned Only)
 * Vraal (Mentioned Only)
 * Axur
 * Battes
 * Kohu
 * Toren
 * Gravemos
 * Eek
 * Touran (Mentioned Only)
 * Tyrashi
 * Iisei
 * Kopern
 * Reizac (Mentioned Only)
 * Avira (Mentioned Only)
 * Keltt (Mentioned Only)
 * Dark Dragon (Mentioned Only)
 * Zaraus
 * Avvun
 * Takuma
 * Cortez
 * Ta Komua II
 * Netruhl
 * Sarrau (Not Mentioned By Name)
 * Festhus
 * Poison
 * Arrogance (Not Mentioned By Name)
 * Brutality
 * Anger (Not Mentioned By Name)
 * Fear (Not Mentioned By Name)
 * Foreboding (Not Mentioned By Name)
 * Ledan
 * Yzaa
 * Mata Nui (Mentioned Only)