The Iron Toa

End of YrentaChapter Thirty-four==Yrenta Region, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ “Well done. I'm proud to call you my successors, and the successors of Vibrak and his team that came after my team and before yours,” said Turaga Morok, bowing before the Toa. “But it saddens me that this victory is tainted by the death of our Ko-Matoran brothers, and the brave Vayrag, who kept the spirit of a Toa even when our enemies robbed him of a Toa's form. And though Anecrax is dead, Teskor may yet live... and whether he is alive or also dead, our troubles with the Makuta are not over. And yet, we have survived the shadow of Anecrax and the Ukzokth hordes, and four of our Toa have returned to us triumphant. The Matoran deserve a celebration – as long as we remain watchful for the next threat.”“That's just what Tanaman said,” said Vilam. “We've achieved a victory, but the Makuta will seek revenge.”“And they'd want us dead just for being Toa,” said Imlen. “Toa that have made it clear that they will not ally with the Brotherhood, I might add.”“That's why we must soon leave,” said Iskanemo. “I suppose we've earned some time to rest, and we should make sure your people are safe now, but we can't stay for long. We'll need to travel the universe, keeping a step ahead of those that seek to hunt us down.”“Travel the universe? I'm done with that,” declared Imlen. “I agree that we cannot settle in Yrenta. We could travel across this side of the continent – perhaps the entire continent – but I have no intention to spend the rest of my life on distant islands.”“Well, I... we'll discuss this later,” said Iskanemo, and he glanced at Morok, who nodded.“Yes, now is not the time for debate,” agreed the Turaga. “Today we celebrate our victory and mourn our dead.”It was quite an event. The entire jungle village was participating in the celebration and memorial service, and the Toa were sure that the other people of Yrenta were doing the same in their own homes. The Matoran had wanted to gather together for one large festival, but the Toa had decreed that it was too dangerous. The Brotherhood or Dark Hunters could attack them at any moment, and so a highly publicized party would put many lives at risk. When it was deemed safe, however, Turaga Morok would travel to the other villages and fortresses and reestablish the political bonds that had once linked the scattered settlements together. For now, the Turaga used his elemental powers to cause flowers to bloom, and he told stories of the past. He told histories that the Matoran had forgotten, and he told of his personal experiences, including the hundreds of years he lived in exile only a few kio from the village. The Matoran listened with delight to the tale of how he befriended the Jivri Nui, although they had heard the story before.When that was done, Morok and the Toa reminded the Matoran of the brothers and sisters that had died recently: the casualties of the Battle of Ba-Naja, the Ko-Matoran that were wiped out in an instant, and Toa Vayrag. Unfortunately, the Toa had been unable to retrieve the bodies of Vayrag and the Ko-Matoran from the Wastelands, but they did their best to make up for that. Honorary graves were given to them in the village cemetery, and marked by the traditional sepulchral plants. After a solemn service, Morok declared that those who had died would not have wanted them to mourn all day after such a victory. And so, the festivities began again. There was much revelry, though the Toa were not much in the mood to join in. They had gotten the feeling they could have saved the Ko-Matoran if they had confronted Anecrax sooner. And they were saddened by the loss of Vayrag. Every one of them mourned him, even Vilam and Imlen, who had only known him for a few weeks, but Mozmana of course was especially grieved.“We could have found a way to cure him, someday,” she lamented. “We never told you this, but... when they saw what he had become, his... his own people rejected him. If only we could have restored him, and brought him home...”“He didn't need a cure, sister. I traveled with him for years, too, remember,” said Iskanemo comfortingly. “He was not perfectly happy with what he had become, but he accepted it. And if his people rejected him, they didn't deserve to have him.”“And you already gave him what he really wanted,” Vilam reminded her. “You helped him continue to be a Toa. You prevented the venom from destroying his mind. That's more than most victims of Hordika venom can hope for.”“Thank you. I'm lucky to know you all,” said Mozmana. “We're a good team.”She flashed an anxious look at Iskanemo, but the other Toa took no notice. The Toa spent the rest of the day resting in the jungle village, then they traveled back north. Since the shattering of the Ukzokth tribes and hordes, Po-Matoran had already attempted to resettle their old home. Upon arriving, they had felt a sense of unease just as the Toa had felt in the blighted region in the Southern Continent, and they found the desert to be devoid of all life. Turaga Morok had advised them to wait a few years for Anecrax's corruption to fade away, but there were rumors that a few brave Matoran had gone ahead to the former site of their village. The Toa went to investigate, and found that the rumors were true. Upon conquering the Po-Koro, the goblins had quickly turned it into a fortress that had been dubbed Cordak-Naja. But as they approached the ugly Fortress of Desolation, they saw it was being converted into a fine Matoran-style walled settlement.A Po-Matoran builder hailed the Toa from the top of the gateway he was redesigning. He bid them enter, and the settlement's small new population came forth to greet the Toa. There were eight Po-Matoran, and to the surprise of the Toa, there was also a Matoran of the Green. He explained that he had come to bring life back to the desert.“We've brought a small herd of Mahi,” he said, and his Po-Matoran friends showed the Toa. “We're hoping to bring more Rahi, and that this will encourage wild Rahi to return, restarting the ecosystem.”“An admirable project. But fauna is only half of an ecosystem, and not the half your kind is known for,” said Imlen.“Of course. I – oh, my name is Ayser, by the way – I have something else to show you. Something I'm quite proud of,” said the Green Matoran.Ayser led the Toa to a plot behind his hut. It was a patch of sandy ground that looked no different than the rest of the village, but it was isolated by a perimeter of little marker stones. And in one corner a small piece of green was showing. The Toa looked closer, and saw it was a very young cactus.“This, my friends, is the first plant to grow in this rejuvenated environment,” said Ayser proudly. “If all goes well, its brothers should sprout over the next few days. And if they remain healthy, I will soon travel the desert, spreading seeds all around.”“If you have such success so soon, you should inform the Turaga,” said Vilam. “His initial judgment might be wrong, and he'd like to know.”“Oh, I will. Even if all goes well, we'll need lots of help if we're to revitalize this region before we eat all the Mahi we've brought,” said Ayser. “But don't worry too much about that – if we start to starve, we'll go back to the other villages.”The Toa congratulated Ayser and the other settlers. Before leaving, they reminded the settlers to alert the other Matoran if Ukzokth or other enemies were seen in the area. Then the Toa traveled south around the canyon and north again to Ba-Naja. The Ba-Matoran and their neighbors had worked quickly to restore their home after the battle, and when the Toa arrived, the fortress was in pristine condition. It seemed that there had been some celebration, but as usual, Netun and his people had focused on the more grim things. A mausoleum for those who had died in the siege had been excavated in the back of the cavern, and there was another memorial to the Ko-Matoran nearby. After paying their respects there and ensuring that all else was well in that community, the Toa traveled west and entered Bwatana's domain. The Onu-Matoran happily reported that they were once again prospering, as they uncovered riches from mines that had been abandoned for millennia. There was a high proportion of Ukzokth remaining underground, as the tunnels were extensive, with many hiding places. But the realm of the Matoran was well-protected, and the goblins had been forced to retreat into distant lairs.The Fe-Matoran had forged the lower half of Anecrax's sword into a fine weapon for Vilam, though at first they had had trouble working the protosteel. They regretted that Metaku was gone, for he would have done a far better job than any of them. But Vilam took the sword with much gratitude and pronounced it the best work she had ever wielded. Soon, the Toa headed to the surface again. They cautiously passed a wide distance around Aki-Naja, and they came to Kara-Naja, where they addressed a crowd of Matoran. There, they promised to help the Matoran recover the knowledge the Ko-Matoran had left behind, and to reclaim Mount Tasle for the Matoran of Lightning. But in the midst of their speech, a Matoran sentry interrupted them. A force of Visorak and Brotherhood soldiers was advancing on the fortress. The gates of Aki-Naja had been opened and its garrison released.“Disperse! Don't resist,” Imlen ordered, to the shocked protestations of the Matoran. “Listen! They're after us, not you. If we leave, they'll follow.”“We won't have you die needlessly,” said Vilam.The Matoran reluctantly obeyed, evacuating through the main gate as the Toa left through a smaller exit and moved to face the oncoming legion. The local Brotherhood force that had been left behind after the Dark Hunter invasion had recently been further diminished by Anecrax's rebellion, but it was still more than the Toa could expect to defeat alone. And so they fled. They turned south, and as they expected, the enemy legion followed, ignoring the Matoran of Kara-Naja. The Toa moved through the hills quickly, and the Visorak and soldiers lagged behind. About a dozen Rahkshi flew ahead of the group and landed in front of the Toa. The Toa attempted to clear a path with their elemental powers, obliterating three of the Rahkshi immediately, but the others closed in to block their escape. Two Rahkshi of Chain Lightning and a Rahkshi of Electricity attacked together. Vilam deflected their attacks before the Toa were hit, but that left her vulnerable to a Rahkshi of Sleep. Rays of sleep-inducing energy surged through her, and she was forced to try hard to stay awake. She tottered, and Imlen shielded her with a barrier of plasma. The nearest few Rahkshi took a step back as he conjured more plasma.While Mozmana cured Vilam of her drowsiness, he and Iskanemo turned the plasma into a storm that engulfed all of the Rahkshi, blinding them. Vilam's mind cleared before the plasma dispersed, and she sent her own element coursing through it. The Rahkshi spasmed, and Mozmana rushed into melee combat. She nimbly maneuvered among the hostile machines and quickly sliced four of them into pieces. These Rahkshi were clearly not Teskor's elite, but they were delaying the Toa long enough for the pursuing legion to nearly catch up. Mozmana retreated as the remaining Rahkshi recovered, only to be struck by a Rhotuka from the army's Vohtarak vanguard. The paralysis took effect before she could attempt to resist. The red Visorak charged, firing their spinners, and the other Toa ducked. Imlen pulled Mozmana out of the path of the soldier Rahi while Vilam and Iskanemo held off the Rahkshi. Calling upon a great amount of elemental energy, Iskanemo created a tempest that gathered the clouds overhead, and Vilam coaxed lightning from the storm.The thunderbolts targeted the Rahkshi with guided precision, stunning them long enough for the Toa to take out all but four of them. By then, the foremost Visorak were upon them, and the rest of the legion was not far behind. Imlen was caught in a stasis field as he bent over to lift Mozmana. Iskanemo sent the Rahkshi of Stasis Field hurtling back into the advancing horde while Vilam freed Imlen, and together the three of them created a cyclone of electrified plasma that briefly incapacitated the nearest Visorak and the Rahkshi. Imlen hefted Mozmana's paralyzed body over his shoulder, and the Toa ran. Iskanemo helped to carry her, and when the Toa had a moment to rest, the Toa of Air borrowed Mozmana's mask to restore her mobility. The Rahkshi flew after them and soon caught up at the edge of a small forest. The Toa ducked under the cover of the trees, but Imlen was too slow. Rings of pale energy struck him, and he fell. Iskanemo turned and reached out a hand to help him out, then recoiled suddenly.“Ouch! What was that for?” he demanded, glancing at his red-hot fingers.“For Paqyar. It's your fault he died,” snarled Imlen as he got up on his own.“Now's not the – whoa,” Iskanemo said, narrowly dodging a blast of plasma. “What's gotten into you?”“Brothers, help!” called Mozmana, and Iskanemo glanced over to see the two female Toa surrounded by the four Rahkshi.“The Kurahk's afflicted Imlen,” said Iskanemo, having noticed the white Rahkshi.Iskanemo rushed to aid his sisters just as Imlen released another surge of plasma. The tree he had been standing in front of was struck, and it burst into flames. In that short time, Iskanemo could not be sure if it would trigger a forest fire, but he would not take the risk. He paused for a moment to deprive the blaze of air. Behind him, Mozmana and Vilam fell to their knees, gasping for breath at the feet of an orange and black Rahkshi. Iskanemo turned and released the air he had absorbed, counteracting the Rahkshi of Vacuum's attack. He then charged into melee combat, and the Toa quickly destroyed the Rahkshi of Stasis Field, which had already been damaged when the Brotherhood legion trampled it. As Vilam struck it with a final blow, the combatants were blinded by a sudden brilliant light. The globe of plasma that had appeared in their midst exploded outward, and Imlen began to beat the dazed Toa and Rahkshi with wild rage.A brutal strike of his staff knocked the Kanohi off of Iskanemo, and he released the last of his elemental energy as a scorching cloud of plasma that turned a circle of the forest floor to glass. His allies' armor glowed orange, and they passed out. The Rahkshi fared just as badly, and two of them collapsed, their Kraata dead or unconscious. Only one remained: a black and purple Rahkshi of Adaptation that had altered itself to resist his element. Imlen advanced on it, then faltered as he realized he had nearly killed Vilam. The Kurahk had amplified his bitterness at Paqyar's death and the blame he placed on Iskanemo and Mozmana, but he could think of no reason to be angry at Vilam. He hesitated, and the Rahkshi of Adaptation took the opportunity to knock the staff out of his hands. Imlen took a step back, and the Rahkshi pressed its advantage. It stabbed at him with the bladed ends of its staff, and he grabbed the thrusting weapon before it impaled him. Using the Rahkshi's own momentum against it, he wrenched the staff out of its hands and tossed it away.The Rahkshi hissed and tackled Imlen, pinning him to the ground as its hands turned into claws. The Rahkshi of Anger's power still affected Imlen, and with the Rahkshi of Adaptation in his face, all his rage was focused on it. He struggled, and though he cut himself on the Rahkshi's claws and the spines that sprouted from its armor, he forced it to release him. As he stood up, he glanced at his wounds, then he looked at the Rahkshi and snarled. He advanced on it again – then was struck from behind by another paralyzing Rhotuka. The Vohtarak had caught up, and Imlen could only roar with helpless fury as they surrounded the Toa Muktirhith. Additional Visorak came, and it was clear they were restraining themselves only with great reluctance. Some soldiers joined the Visorak, and there seemed to be some indecision amongst them. Imlen's artificially induced anger finally faded, and he overhead the Brotherhood soldiers saying that they would secure the Toa and wait for their commanding officer.Imlen felt great shame as he and his companions were disarmed and deprived of their Kanohi, bound with durable chains, and dragged to their feet. The three other Toa stirred, but Imlen did not dare to speak. They were separated, each surrounded by a group of soldiers and Visorak with readied weapons. Imlen was kept waiting for what felt like a long time, and he felt his elemental energy slowly returning. But he was still paralyzed, chained, and missing his mask, and there were a dozen different launchers and blades focused on him, all ready to strike if he acted. He risked a glance in the direction of the other Toa, but he could only see Vilam. She was on the other side of the glade, with many Brotherhood minions between the two Toa, and yet Imlen could tell she was wounded and barely conscious. He flinched. She had not been hurt in the battle; Imlen had done this to her. A Visorak chattered menacingly and leaned forward, adjusting its Rhotuka launcher in warning, and Imlen looked straight ahead submissively. A few minutes later, he heard voices. It seemed the commander had arrived at last.“These must be the Toa Makuta Teskor was looking for,” the commander said triumphantly and yet rather impatiently. “He wants them dead... at least those were his standing orders... but we don't know...”“Sir?” a subordinate interjected questioningly.“I was just thinking these Toa could inform us what happened to the Makuta. Bring them to me!”The pair of burly beings holding Imlen upright dragged him roughly into the presence of the commander. As he was moved, he felt a little slack in the chains binding him, but he did not dare to act yet. The leader of the legion was a being of a yellow-armored species Imlen recognized. The other three Toa were also held in place before him. It was hard to tell for sure because of the paralysis, but they appeared to barely be conscious. Again, Imlen felt guilt upon seeing the armor that had been deformed by the heat of his crazed attack. One of the soldiers tried to slap Iskanemo awake, but his attempt had the opposite effect. Iskanemo's bare face went still and he stared ahead blankly. In part of his mind, Imlen still held a grudge against the Toa of Air, but the sight of his flickering heartlight banished all animosity. Imlen couldn't let his fellow Toa die, especially since it was his fault they were in this predicament.“Please, Commander!” he spoke up. “My friends are badly hurt – your Rahkshi, they... they turned me against them. But – but the Toa of Psionics – she has a Mask of Healing...”“Ah, but I only need one Toa to tell me what I need to know,” said the Brotherhood officer with a cruel smile. “Or are you dying too?”“No, but suppose... suppose I don't know the whole story?” postulated Imlen.“Do you?” said the commander, and he held a dagger under Imlen's chin.“Well no, there was some of it I wasn't present or conscious for,” Imlen lied.“Start talking,” said the yellow being, and he nicked the armor just below Imlen's neck for emphasis.“But they could die anytime now,” protested Imlen. “And if they die, I'll tell you nothing.”“You're willing to die with them, aren't you?” said the commander, but he didn't wait for an answer. “Alright then. Medics, get over here!”The healers of the legion came forth, and one of them was given Mozmana's Kanohi. Imlen clarified the nature of his friends' wounds, and the medics began to treat them. Imlen looked away as their armor was opened and their flesh treated. The medics said the operation would take a while, and so the legion set up a camp there in the forest. Hours passed, and Imlen felt his power returning while the paralysis wore off. They were still in a dire situation, but Imlen felt a spark of hope. For now, he kept the commander occupied with false information. He claimed that Teskor was trapped in a hidden cave in the Wastelands that only the Toa could locate and unseal. The commander accepted his story and let him live, for now. No one seemed to notice that Imlen's chains were not as tight as they could have been, but still he waited. Then he felt a familiar mental signal coming from the medical tent.Hello, Imlen. Pay attention, and we can escape, projected Mozmana. I've tricked the healers into giving us our Kanohi back, and we're feigning weakness. I trust they didn't restrain you as well as they should have, right?How did you know about that? You were unconscious, responded Imlen.Perhaps some of the time, but I've been awake enough to subtly manipulate our captors, explained the Toa of Psionics. I'm sorry I couldn't inform you earlier, but I needed your performance to be, well, at least a little sincere.You knew what I would say, and what would happen? Imlen wondered.No, I just trusted you, projected Mozmana. I trusted you to request to have us healed if you thought we were dying – and we were dying, actually – and I trusted you to convince the commander of the importance of keeping us alive.And the looseness of the chains? asked Imlen.A subtle mix of telekinesis and induced negligence, Mozmana explained. Just make the soldiers tying you up a little less patient and a little more apathetic, and they won't do a thorough job.I didn't know you could be so... manipulative, thought Imlen.It's not the first time I've been in a situation like this, projected Mozmana. Though it wasn't easy this time. And you're the only one of us who isn't securely chained. So we'll need you to free us.I'm surrounded by Visorak that are waiting impatiently for me to make a move, thought Imlen. But my elemental power has returned to me. How about you?We're recharged and rested, and we'll be ready to fight when we're unbound. These chains restrict elemental energy, but yours might be loose enough already to be ineffective, projected Mozmana.I think you're right. Ready?Mozmana sent a telepathic affirmation, and Imlen acted.Review

No problem, thanks for continuing to review at all. Though I do wish some others would tell me what they thought...Anyway, I hope you like the past couple chapters. It's the climax, or at least a climax -- you may have noticed what the title describes hasn't yet come to pass, and I have a general idea of what I want to happen to Imlen and the others.

End of YrentaChapter Thirty-three==Wastelands North of Yrenta, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ Anecrax's onslaught was especially fierce now that he had a clear advantage. The sword clashed against the claws, and soon Teskor's right wrist was half severed. More of his foul-looking green and black vapor wafted from the cut, and he stumbled and fell backwards. Anecrax brought his sword down heavily – perhaps not a killing blow, given the nature of Makuta, but surely enough to cripple his foe – and Teskor barely managed to catch the blade with his left claw in time. Anecrax tried to pull the blade back for another swing, but Teskor was gripping it and would not let go. Realizing this, Anecrax pushed downwards, attempting to make the blade continue its original path to Teskor's armor. Even without the momentum of a swing, the sharp edge could saw through his protosteel shell if it had firm strength behind it. The blue Makuta struggled, but with Anecrax's weight behind the sword, he could only slow its descent. The blade came closer just a tiny fraction of a bio at a time, but it seemed he could do nothing to stop it. To the curiosity of the Toa, his Kanohi began to glow at that moment.“A desperate tactic, and a laughably ill-conceived one,” said Anecrax without slackening on the downward push. “Aging a Makuta to death? How long can I live for? Another hundred thousand years? Five hundred thousand? A million years? A billion? An eternity? Either way, you cannot accelerate time fast enough for it to – ”Anecrax stopped suddenly as his sword snapped in two, sundered by Teskor's grip. He stepped back involuntarily, dropping the hilt. Teskor released a blast of lightning and moved nearly as fast as it. In the flash of a heartlight, he was grasping Anecrax by the throat. He lifted his brother with his undamaged arm, and he managed to move his other claw enough to tear the Kanohi Tryna from Anecrax's face and toss it away. The necromancer's essence gushed from his bare face, obscuring it, and Teskor squeezed his left claw, making holes in Anecrax's neck from which more essence leaked. He leaned in close to his former ally, but spoke loudly enough for the Toa to hear.“Fast enough to kill you directly?” he finished for Anecrax mockingly. “Perhaps not. But metals rust and corrode much sooner than that. Protosteel seems to last forever, but the equivalent of a dozen millennia or so weakened your sword enough for fresher metal of the same type to break it. So, if your consciousness survives in some way, as you speculate, you can remember how I killed you.”With that, Teskor decapitated his brother. As Anecrax's essence bled out even faster, it was incinerated by Teskor's power over plasma. The Toa looked on, and they felt both horror and relief as the insane Makuta expired. Then Teskor tossed the broken black and silver shell aside, and the five beings prepared to face each other alone.“You're outnumbered and injured, Makuta,” said Mozmana. “Surrender now, lest we are forced to kill you.”“I have another offer,” said Teskor. “Mata Nui no longer rules over this universe. This is the age of the Makuta, but the transition has been rough. Aid us, and we will undo the damage that was done, and we will bring peace and order to the universe. There would be no Dark Hunters. No Zyglak or Frostelus or any other savage creatures... including my Ukzokth. The Matoran would be safe under the rule of their new benevolent lords.”“That's a noble goal,” said Iskanemo. “What would you have us do?”Iskanemo's agreement was obviously a ruse, and the Makuta noticed. He released a surge of shadow just as the other three Toa charged. His enemies were knocked to the ground, and Teskor followed with a chain lightning attack that zapped them before Vilam could counter it. She was the only one to remain standing, and as her allies spasmed on the ground, Teskor bore down on her. Her sword was no match for his protosteel claws, and after a few clashes, it was shredded. Vilam stumbled and fell backwards, and narrowly dodged as Teskor attempted to strike a killing blow.“I would have you die,” said the Makuta he summoned a sphere of shadow in each claw. “For you are rebels, dissidents – you have no place in the Brotherhood's universe.”“You're right... we don't,” grunted Imlen as he sprayed plasma at Teskor's mask, interrupting his attack on Vilam.“Because we're true Toa,” added Mozmana, getting to her feet and moving to help her sister.“And this is not the Brotherhood's universe,” said Iskanemo, and he knocked Teskor back with a blast of wind and his mask power.Teskor said nothing in response to that. He merely rushed back into combat, but not before the Toa were able to stand and recover. The battle was not as flashy as the previous fight had been, for the Toa had nearly depleted their elemental powers. Teskor, too, was tired, in the way that Makuta could tire. It was more mental exhaustion than physical, but he was slower and less potent. And yet the fight was intense, as none of the combatants would give up. When she had the chance, Vilam recovered the lower half of Anecrax's sword. It was no longer quite as strong as Teskor's claws, but it was still tougher than Vilam's sword had been, and now it was about the right size for a Toa. She reentered the battle in time to deflect a pair of laser vision beams aimed at Iskanemo. The Toa of Air was doing his best to widen the gashes in Teskor's armor with his sickle, and he had some success, though he suffered shallow scratches a few times when he failed to dodge quickly enough.Imlen felt quite ineffective, as his staff could not damage the Makuta, and he had little elemental energy left. But he resisted the impulse to waste the last of his power aimlessly. For now, he did what he could to distract Teskor and defend his allies. The Toa and the Makuta sparred for a while without using any special powers, until Mozmana finished severing the claw that Anecrax had damaged. Teskor growled as his essence leaked out, and that growl rose in pitch and intensity to become a Power Scream. But Iskanemo reacted quickly, creating a vacuum to block the sonic screech before it could blast the Toa back. The other three Toa unleashed their elemental powers to daze Teskor as the Toa of Air manipulated the vacuum to draw more of the Makuta's essence out. That lasted for a long moment, then Teskor lashed out. Iskanemo was forced to release the air he absorbed, and he did his best to focus it at his enemy. Teskor staggered, and the Toa tackled him, knocking him down. Mozmana and Vilam severed his other claw and pinned him down while Iskanemo drew out the rest of his essence as one murky mass.“Now, Makuta, I will kill you for your crimes,” said Imlen, pointing his staff at the hovering cloud that contained Teskor's consciousness. “Though it may be contrary to the Toa Code I was taught, I feel I am doing the right thing by ridding the universe of such a monster.”The other Toa did not object, not even Mozmana. Without the most secure of prisons, any Makuta was too dangerous to keep alive. Exceptions to the Code could be made in such cases, such as war, and though it was unofficial, this was a war. So with that, Imlen released all the plasma power he had left. Teskor's essence began to burn away... then the jet of plasma waned and ended. Much of the essence was gone – but how much could Makuta live without? What was left of Teskor blew away in the wind without dispersing before the Toa got an answer.“Did... did we do it?” said Vilam when the green miasma was gone.“I don't know,” said Iskanemo. “He's defeated, but there's a chance he is still alive. But again, he's gone for now. So, now what?”“Now we return to the Matoran, and Turaga Morok,” said Imlen, and the other Toa nodded. “It's time they hear of this victory.”Now that the heat of battle had left the Toa, and they were exhausted, they noticed for the first time all day how dry and cold the Wastelands were. The march to the south was difficult, but their spirits were high, and nothing they would face on the way could compare to the danger they had just survived. As they approached the snow-tipped mountains, they thought of the Ko-Matoran, and most of the joy left them. The thrill of success was tempered by the memory of the victims of the two Makuta. The Toa resolved to later find out if the Matoran of Ice truly were all dead, but first they needed to rest, recover, and inform the people of Yrenta of what had transpired. It was late at night when they left the Wastelands, and they camped in a cave in a pleasant valley that cut through the mountains. The next morning, they continued on their way. They were nearly out of the valley when Iskanemo pointed something out.“That tree looks out of place,” he said, indicating a tree that looked normal to the rest of the Toa. “Look at the roots. And the leaf arrangement – it's not like the others'.”“What do you think it means?” asked Imlen, looking at the plant cautiously.“I don't sense anyone,” said Mozmana. “If you think someone's hiding – ”Her speech turned into a yelp of surprise, for the surface of the tree began to move. The bark parted to reveal the features of a biomechanical being: a face that was part metal and part wood with dark green eyes, and limbs consisting of pistons and other machinery built into the roots and branches. The limbs and trunk took on a more or less Toa-shaped form, and the tree being stepped forward.“Hiding? Not so much as testing you,” it said in a deep yet soft voice. “The Toa of Air must have lived in the trees in his home village, for Le-Matoran of that sort know more about plants than anyone save the Matoran of the Green.”“What... what are you?” asked Imlen with wonder and shock.“My name is Tanaman,” said the being. “I'm an independent... spy, I suppose you can call me.”“A spy? For whom?” said Vilam.“Myself. But I give information to those I feel should have it,” explained Tanaman. “Such as Toa.”“And you have information for us?” said Imlen.“I do. A few days ago, the Brotherhood of Makuta attempted to marshal the Ukzokth for wars in other lands. But a rogue Makuta disrupted the operation, slaughtering the creatures by the hundreds for use in his undead army,” said Tanaman. “As a result, the remaining Ukzokth are broken and scattered. They will be a minor threat across the continent, perhaps across the entire universe someday, but as long as you are vigilant, I do not expect them to ever regain much of a foothold in Yrenta.”“Are these Brotherhood forces still in the area?” asked Iskanemo.“The Makuta devastated the task force that his brothers had sent to bring the Ukzokth in line. The survivors from that mission have been recalled, but there are still Rahkshi and other agents hunting you.”“Thank you for the warning. This same Makuta – Anecrax – was killed by the Makuta of this region, Makuta Teskor, whom we then defeated,” said Mozmana. “We do not know if he is alive or dead, but he is weakened and bereft of his body, at least. What do you expect of this?”“I'm not sure, exactly. The Brotherhood agents will be uncoordinated for a short time, I expect, but if the Makuta know where to find you, they will attempt to have their revenge. But how much effort they put into bringing you to 'justice' depends on how important this Teskor was.”“So we're still fugitives,” sighed Imlen. “I was hoping to be able to settle down in my homeland after all this.”“Such is our fate in this era,” said Mozmana. “Toa are an endangered sort of being, with many enemies.”“Indeed. But your people, at least, are safe for now. Go to them, and let them rejoice, for Ukzokth are crippled, and the shadow of Makuta Anecrax has lifted. Just be vigilant, and you will survive,” said the tree being.“Will you warn us of any developments we should know about?” asked Vilam.“If I can. A being with my talents is needed in many places, and in some places – places devoid of trees to hide among – I am not much use at all,” said Tanaman. “But if I am in the area, I will inform you if I notice anything important.”The Toa thanked Tanaman and left. They soon emerged from the valley and came to the foothills south of the mountains, which were home to most of the Matoran of Plasma and Lightning. The nearest major settlement was Aki-Naja, which was still occupied by the Brotherhood, and so the Toa avoided it. Perhaps someday they would retake the fortress for Yrenta, but right now no Matoran were enslaved within it, and it would be unwise to provoke the Makuta further. The Toa instead turned to a small village that was out of sight of the fortress's towers. They informed the Matoran of the events of the past few days, though they neglected to mention Tanaman. After resting for a short time, the Toa moved on, telling the Matoran to spread the news as they left. They traveled east, passing through several more villages and spreading the news of their victory. They spent the night in a farmer's homestead they had recently liberated from Ukzokth, and the next morning they came to the entrance of the underground realm.Since the tunnels had been cleared of danger and fortified, the Onu-Matoran had sentries posted at the entrance, ready to welcome visitors and deter enemies. The Toa shared their story with these guards, and a messenger was sent into the tunnel to relay the news. The Toa then traveled up the mountains. After two days of searching, they found the place where they had begun to follow the undead horde into the Wastelands. From there, it took another day for them to find the Ko-Koro. The village was hidden in a cleft in the mountain that was only safely accessible by a narrow tunnel. The Toa hiked down to where they expected the entrance to be, and it was not there. After searching for hours, they found it. After squeezing through a passage that was just barely wide enough for them, they emerged in the gorge they had seen from the slopes high above. From their vantage point above the village, they had seen no movement. Now that they were closer, they could confirm that all was still.They noticed there were no sentries to greet them, and as they scanned the buildings ahead, they saw no Matoran, living or dead. They walked to the midst of the ice structures, which each had a small entrance with no door. The Toa peeked inside and found every one of the buildings to be deserted. There was no sign of a fight, but some items had been dropped or knocked over. Just as the Toa feared, it seemed as though the Ko-Matoran had indeed died suddenly, to later rise from the dead and march to the Wastelands under Anecrax's command. Imlen did not wish to observe what had happened, but he knew it was foolish to rely on the physical clues that had been left behind when he had such an ability. Reluctantly, he picked up the nearest object in the hut he was in – a fragment of a fallen writing tablet – and activated his mask.He looked upon the broken stone's past, and sensed what he was seeing had occurred elsewhere in the mountains. Apparently, the Ko-Matoran had brought the tablet with them from the old village. That was mildly interesting, but not important at the moment. Imlen tried again to see for himself what had become of the Ko-Matoran. Again, he was shown a vision of a far different time than the one he was looking for. He continued to try for a few minutes, then Iskanemo, who had been searching outside, entered the hut and interrupted him.“Find anything?” the Toa of Air said as Imlen looked up at him.“No, not yet. You?” replied Imlen.“Yes – footprints. There's been some snow, but the village is sheltered enough to preserve some traces.”“And? What did you notice about them?”“It seems to confirm what we suspected,” Iskanemo said dourly. “From what we've seen, the tracks all lead out of the buildings and converge into a double-file line that points in the direction of the tunnel.”“That does fit with the scenario we imagined,” Imlen conceded, though he displayed a tiny spark of hope in his mood. “Though that just indicates they left – they could have been alive.”“I doubt it. Look – I just noticed this, but you can see here where the Matoran who held that tablet fell to the ground, dead,” Iskanemo pointed out. “I'm sorry Imlen... I... especially since these Ko-Matoran were also your people.”“Don't apologize – for that,” Imlen said. “You're not to blame for this, and I too doubt that they are alive. But before I give up looking for them, I must be sure of their fate.”For a moment, Iskanemo looked hurt by Imlen's subtle reminder of what the Toa of Plasma did blame him for, but then he composed himself. He nodded in understanding at Imlen's decision to continue to search the past for proof, and left him to do so. Imlen didn't notice Iskanemo's initial reaction. He had too much on his mind. He spent hours scanning various objects in the village, long after the other Toa stopped searching for clues. Finally, while holding an astronomer's telescope, he saw it. The wave of darkness the Toa themselves had barely survived had descended upon the village less than two weeks ago. It had swept through every hut, and the Ko-Matoran had dropped dead as it surged through them. He saw the astronomer die at his desk while the telescope rested on the nearby shelf Imlen had found it on. Imlen sighed. He felt a surge of grief, but he had merely confirmed what he he had strongly suspected, and so this revelation did not bring him much fresh pain. Taking a deep breath, he called the other Toa to him, and told them what he had seen.“It is so, then,” said Vilam solemnly. “At least we can take comfort in knowing that the death-monger Anecrax has been destroyed.”“Indeed,” said Imlen. “And let us hope that no one else ever unlocks the secret to spreading such destruction.”“We can cause even more damage, if we used our powers in such a way,” Iskanemo reminded them.“You're right. Then let's hope that no more Toa turn from the path of good, as Zima did,” said Imlen. “And that no more Toa are turned into mindless monsters like Anecrax's enforcers.”“There are too few of us already,” Vilam said, nodding. “Now, on the topic at hand: the Ko-Matoran were legendary scholars. Their knowledge and wisdom has been recorded and left behind here. The other Matoran should recover these records.”“Of course,” said Imlen. “There is much the Matoran should see – fabled knowledge they could once only dream of.”“But if the Ko-Matoran kept their knowledge secret, should we really reveal it to others?” asked Mozmana.“The Ko-Matoran were secretive because they were reclusive,” Imlen assured. “But they were practical, and not selfish. This is what they would have wanted.”“He's right. It would shame them to have their millennia of research and contemplation to go waste,” said Vilam. “And they were always kind to any fellow intellectuals that braved the mountains to visit them. They would be happy to allow any interested beings to read their works.”“Alright, I understand,” said Mozmana. “Well, it will soon be night. We'd best spend the night here, and tomorrow we can depart.”Review

Lhikan froze a pillar of water in the Many Deaths of Toa Tuyet. So that's possible for a skilled enough Toa of Fire.

Toa of Ice can freeze things, Toa of Water can't. I don't know if Toa of Water can change the temperature of their element, but they can't create it and manipulate it as a solid. I think they can absorb water vapor, but I think that's the limit of control they have over non-liquid water without combining their powers with another Toa. Consider how Toa of Stone can't control lava. In the same way, Toa of Ice can't control the molten version of their element. By extension, I'd also guess Toa of Iron can't control molten metal. And since almost everything in the Matoran Universe is made of protodermis, there are many types of protodermis, and so certain elements can only control certain types of it. As for draining, Toa of Water can absorb their element if that's what you mean, but like other Toa, they'd have to release what they absorbed.

End of YrentaChapter Thirty-two==Wastelands North of Yrenta, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ The journey had taken two days, but the Toa Muktirhith had kept up with the undead horde and come to the tower in the center of the Wastelands. The reanimated creatures had continued to ignore them, until now. The tower's gate opened, and most of the army began to charge up the stairs inside, but some of them stopped to form a defense against the Toa. The Toa broke through the ranks of undead in melee combat, conserving their elemental energy for the challenge that lay ahead. They reached the base of the stairs, and fought their way up step by step, but more of the walking dead streamed in constantly from the open gate below. The Toa passed many traps that had already been triggered, and the tower occasionally shook from the peak downwards as they climbed. It took over an hour for the Toa to reach the top of the stairs, and yet the periodic rumbling continued. A pair of massive undead Urshnolg guarded the top of the stairs. The Toa took them out and paused for a moment outside the tower's uppermost chamber.“Anecrax is already being attacked,” said Imlen as the tower shuddered once again. “Now is our chance. Everyone ready?”“Ready, brother,” said Vilam.“Ready,” said Iskanemo.“Ready,” snarled Vayrag.“Ready as I'll ever be,” said Mozmana.“Let's go,” said Imlen, and they charged.The five Toa rushed into the large central chamber of the tower's peak. What they saw surprised them, until they remembered Morok's advice. The Toa had done nothing yet to deliberately turn the Makuta against each other, but the tensions between Teskor and Anecrax had apparently reached a critical point on their own. The two Makuta were battling each other, though the one that must have been Anecrax was mostly dodging. His Kanohi was glowing, as was a green crystal imbedded in the center of his chest. Teskor, a blue and gray Makuta with claws, was roaring and snarling as he tore through a swarm of undead minions that sought to stay between him and Anecrax. The Toa hesitated for a moment at the sight of this scene, and were forced into the room by a stream of undead reinforcements. The chamber floor was covered with crawling body parts of Anecrax's horde, and the Toa nearly stumbled. They recovered and fought side by side, cutting down the reanimated creatures that threatened to swarm over them.“It's as good as over, Anecrax,” said Teskor, catching sight of the Toa. “Even these Toa must realize that your army must be disabled as soon as possible.”“They can try,” cackled the necromancer Makuta, and he launched a wave of shadow at the Toa, causing them to stagger. “Really, brother, consider what I've told you. We Makuta are special – we don't die when our bodies are destroyed, and someday, maybe, we can learn to survive the destruction of our essence. These other beings... so fragile, and what good are they alive anyway? They're more loyal and better workers when they're undead, and they can keep moving after taking a lot more damage.”“Makuta are not satisfied ruling over corpses. They are not true subjects,” said Teskor, and he caught Anecrax by surprise with a sonic attack.Anecrax staggered back, but his undead minions barely slowed. Makuta Teskor was right: for there to be any hope of victory over him, his control over the undead must be broken. The Toa intended to bring both Makuta to justice, but first, they focused on reaching Anecrax. This proved difficult. He was dodging about the room, and each of his undead creatures had to be sliced into small pieces to be taken out of the fight. Soon the doorway was obstructed by a pile of dismembered corpses, and more undead pushed these aside as they attempted to break into the chamber. The Toa had to call upon their elemental powers to keep themselves from being overwhelmed, and the chamber filled with a storm of plasma, lightning, wind, and severed metal parts flying everywhere. Vayrag managed to hit Anecrax with a Rhotuka, and the dead and undead pieces covered him, dragging him down. The Makuta used his own magnetism powers to free himself, and he recovered in time to counter Teskor's attack.Dodging backwards, he threw down his scepter and brandished a large sword. The two Makuta sparred in close quarters, Teskor's claws clashing against Anecrax's blade, and they matched their many powers, making the tower shake. Teskor would have had the upper hand, had Anecrax's minions not interfered. His claws were fine for personal combat, but they could not cut through the many undead creatures fast enough. When he had the opportunity, he slammed the black and silver Makuta into the wall with a Power Scream, and magnetically pulled a dead Urshnolg's club into his claws. Wielding this oversized mass of metal, he quickly cleared a space around him. Anecrax got to his feet and used his Elasticity power to stretch across the chamber and pull himself away just before Teskor lunged forward. Teskor's claws dug into the wall behind which Anecrax had been a moment ago, and he snarled. Many more of the other Makuta's undead advanced on him, and Anecrax himself moved to engage the Toa.“This is a Makuta matter. Something for my brother and I to settle,” he said as he faced the five heroes. “But this will be fun. It's been years since I killed a Toa.”“And you never will again,” said Vilam, and she launched a lightning bolt at the green gem in his chest.“A rebellious spirit, but impressive skills,” said Anecrax, dodging the bolt easily. “You will make good minions, with enough improvement.”Anecrax retaliated with a blast of shadow that hammered the Toa like physical blows. The darkness blinded the Toa, and even the light of Imlen's plasma was smothered. Mozmana shouted a warning, and the Toa ducked just in time as the Makuta appeared behind them and swung his sword. The blade swept over their heads, and Anecrax immediately followed up on his missed attack. The Toa felt their armor begin to crush them under a strong magnetic force, and they focused their elemental powers on Anecrax, forcing him to release them. As he staggered for a moment, the Toa struck together again. Mozmana kept him unsteady with a psychic attack while Iskanemo created a cyclone that lifted scattered weapons and body parts off the floor. Imlen and Vilam turned the debris into electrified slag and plasma, and Vayrag struck Anecrax with a Rhotuka. Anecrax grunted in pain and frustration as the superheated metal stuck to him. Application of his Fire Resistance power kept it from melting through his armor, and he attacked the Toa viciously with his sword.On the other side of the chamber, Teskor was dragged down by grasping carcasses. But they could not pierce his armor, only slow him. He was soon back on his feet, though those feet were being pulled on by a dozen undead appendages, preventing him from moving much. Another of the reanimated parts crawled forward each time he destroyed one, until he was knee-deep in Rahi and Ukzokth remains. He could see that Anecrax was toying with the Toa by attacking them alone, but soon they would be out of the fight, and if Teskor was still restrained next time the two Makuta fought each other, he would have a fatal disadvantage. For the moment, he escaped the grip of the creeping dead things by reducing his density, and he floated up to the chamber's ceiling. Then he resolidified and dropped down, summoning his Fragmentation power and punching the ground as he landed. A large section of the floor fractured violently, and more of it crumbled from the force of the blast. The Toa and Anecrax were both surprised, and their battle paused for a fleeting moment.Iskanemo recovered first, and he sent the Makuta hurtling into the chamber below with his Mask of Repulsion. Teskor had already landed neatly on the level below, and he pounded Anecrax with attacks even as he fell. The necromancer hit the ground awkwardly and endured Teskor's attacks until his undead seized the blue Makuta. The Toa took a moment to catch their breath, but the undead remaining in the upper chamber advanced on them quickly, and they were soon fighting again. Suddenly something blasted a hole in the wall of the tower, and the Toa glanced outside to see Rahkshi battling Anecrax's horde. Several of the Makuta-Sons were leaving the fight outside to enter the tower and support Teskor. The Toa made room for these and made their way to the edge of the broken floor, leaving the undead on that level to the Rahkshi. The chamber below was smaller, and the two Makuta were locked in furious combat. Anecrax moved quickly, though he had to devote part of his attention to sustaining his army. It seemed Teskor would have had the upper hand had he not been constantly tearing undead bodies off of him.“I can sense your Rahkshi have arrived,” said Anecrax. “That could tip the scales. Fortunately, I too have reinforcements, for you see...”From above, the Toa Muktirhith saw Anecrax's undead Toa of Fire and Toa of Sonics appear and attack Makuta Teskor.“You were not thorough enough with Gromsvuk and Atsusa,” said the necromancer as his enforcers forced the other Makuta against the wall. “I'm surprised, actually. The Toa managed to destroy poor Traidmaur, I – ”“And now we'll finish the other two!” called Vayrag as he and the other Toa dropped down.“And then what, Toa? How long do you think you'll survive in a room with two Makuta?” said Anecrax, and he pinned them to the ground with increased gravity to emphasize his point.“Oh, they'll die,” said Teskor, using his own power over gravity to counteract Anecrax's. “But you're first!”With that, Teskor's eyes glowed bright and each released an intense laser beam. Anecrax was struck in the chest and staggered back. Teskor had missed the crystal, but the lasers had burned holes through his armor. Anecrax glanced down at the wisps of greenish smoke leaking out of him and snarled. Iskanemo barked orders, and at his direction Imlen and Vilam attacked Anecrax. He and Mozmana engaged the undead Toa – Gromsvuk and Atsusa, Anecrax had called them – and Vayrag shredded the remaining reanimated creatures. Imlen felt very strange and uncomfortable turning his back to Teskor, but whatever that artifact Anecrax had that let him create such an army, he was the greater threat. Doors on either side of the room burst open, and more of his undead minions surged inside. Vayrag was surrounded and dragged down, though he continued to struggle. Iskanemo sustained a vacuum, negating Gromsvuk and Atsusa's elemental attacks, and Mozmana confronted them in melee combat.With another Makuta and two Toa opposing him, Anecrax would have been expected to go down quickly. But he was defiant, and he changed from a defensive stance to a vicious onslaught, forcing Vilam and Imlen to retreat. Three of Teskor's Rahkshi dropped down, and before he could direct them otherwise, they attacked the Toa of Lightning and Plasma. Again, the two Makuta were left to battle each other alone in their corner of the chamber. Protosteel clashed against protosteel, and the walls cracked before dozens of missed and deflected attacks. Meanwhile, after a furious exchange of blades, Mozmana was disarmed. She flipped backwards and attempted to telekinetically retrieve her sword. Atsusa, the undead Toa of Fire, grabbed the weapon before she could, and Iskanemo was forced to move to defend her. He released his hold on the air around the two Hagah, and the vacuum bubble collapsed, allowing them to create fire and sound. The two Toa Muktirhith fell back before the resulting elemental onslaught, regrouping with Imlen and Vilam and letting the Rahkshi shield them inadvertently.“Where's Vayrag?” said Vilam, looking around the room desperately.“He was... oh, no,” said Mozmana, indicating where the Hordika had been fighting.There was nothing there but a heap of carcasses, some of which were still squirming. The Toa of Psionics dashed forward, and was about to dig through the pile when she paused. She ducked behind the grisly mass and reached out with her elemental power, searching for Vayrag's familiar mind. A moment later, the other Toa saw her catch her breath. She nearly collapsed, but the Toa were still in danger, so she got to her feet and rejoined the fight.“He's... dead,” she said, her voice breaking. “My friend, my dear brother...”“I... I'm sorry, Mozmana,” stammered Imlen as he sparred with a Rahkshi of Plasma. “I... I...”“Let's finish this,” said Iskanemo fiercely, summoning a great blast of air.The blast combined with Iskanemo's Kanohi Crast to sent a Rahkshi of Stasis Field crashing into the wall. The Rahkshi and the stone both broke apart in the impact. A shattering sonic boom from Gromsvuk finished off the last Rahkshi, a Guurahk. The four Toa Muktirhith now faced the undead Hagah together, and another wave of reanimated creatures entered the room from both sides. These surrounded Teskor, and Anecrax's Hagah fought defensively, keeping the Toa occupied so the Makuta could finish their fight. Only the general shape of their bodies, their elemental powers, and their masks marked Anecrax's favorite enforcers as former Toa. Those three factors together usually indicated a Toa, it was true, but these beings were less lifelike than ever. They turned intangible before any melee strike could land on them, and their writhing internal cables moved them in frighteningly fast and unnatural ways. Yet more of Anecrax's horde entered, forcing the Toa back towards the center of the room. Teskor stumbled and Anecrax brought his blade down, leaving a gash in Teskor's armor.“Stay still. The next cut will let your essence leak out in seconds,” said the skeletal Makuta, readying his sword.“Let's try something else,” said Teskor, and he released a blast of electricity.While Anecrax was stunned, Teskor followed up with a stasis field. That only briefly held the necromancer, but it gave time for Teskor to unfurl a set of wings and fly up and out of the tower. Anecrax followed, and as he flew up, the walls began to fragment. Teskor was bringing down the uppermost level of the tower. The Toa dodged falling rubble, and Iskanemo boldly reached out and grabbed Atsusa. Before the undead Toa of Fire could free itself or turn ghostly, a large chunk of stone crushed it, nearly taking Iskanemo's good arm off in the process. Sections of black rock continued to fall, until the peak of the tower was gone, and the Toa were left in a broken chamber left wide open to the sky. Many of Anecrax's minions had been crushed, and the rest of his horde was blocked by rubble for the present. While fending off the remaining crawling undead in the room, the Toa Muktirhith focused their attack on Gromsvuk. In a few minutes, Anecrax's last Hagah was destroyed, and the room was still. Or nearly so, for the two Makuta were battling in the sky above, and occasionally something from their duel would strike the tower, causing it to shudder.“Drat, they're too far away,” said Vilam, launching a lightning bolt that missed both Makuta by a large degree.“Not for me,” said Iskanemo, and he launched himself into the air with his mask.“Iskanemo, wait! Don't go alone,” called Imlen, and Iskanemo circled back.“You expect us to just sit this out?” said Iskanemo as he descended.“No, I – ”“I have an idea,” Vilam interrupted Imlen. “Mozmana, Iskanemo, we will form a Kaita – if you think you can support the weight of the three of us, Iskanemo.”“Great idea – whoa,” said Mozmana, narrowly dodging an energy bolt from the battle above.“Yes, but what about me?” demanded Imlen. “I suppose I could stay, but if those undead break through...”“Of course not,” said Vilam. “You can hold on tight and take a ride.”“Sounds crazy,” said Imlen. “But I guess the life of a Toa is full of crazy things, right?”Vilam nodded and activated her mask. She, Mozmana, and Iskanemo merged into the Toa Kaita known as Kalavai, and Imlen climbed onto the fusion's shoulders. Using the power of Iskanemo's mask and element, Kalavai shot into the sky. Imlen held on tight as the Kaita flew towards the dueling Makuta. Anecrax saw them coming and channeled his gravity power at Kalavai, forcing her down, but that left him vulnerable to Teskor's attack. The blue and gray Makuta let out a mighty Power Scream, causing Anecrax to lose his concentration. Kalavai recovered and swooped underneath him. Imlen aimed his staff.“This is for Vayrag,” he called, hurling an intense ball of plasma at the necromancer Makuta. “And this is for all the Matoran you've killed!”With that, he released an even more intense stream of plasma at Anecrax. While the Makuta hesitated, struggling to keep the heat from melting his armor away, Teskor lunged at him. Anecrax screamed in protest as his brother ripped the green crystal from his chest and crushed it into powerless shards. Many of the undead on the ground below collapsed, and a moment later Anecrax deactivated his mask and the rest also fell. The Toa passed by him, pounding him with elemental attacks, but it was Teskor that struck back. A surge of shadow nearly caused Kalavai to break apart, and she lost altitude in her recovery. She hovered a few bio off the ground, with Imlen still grasping her massive shoulders, while Teskor's voice boomed out.“Your insane dream has been crushed, brother,” he said. “Now, before we can settle this between us, we must remove these Toa interlopers.”“They'll die,” declared Anecrax. “Trust me, they'll die... you'll all die!”“We should not go back up there,” said Kalavai to Imlen as Anecrax viciously attacked Teskor. “And the presence of the Makuta is making it difficult for me to remain whole.”“I agree.” said Imlen. “It looks like Anecrax's control over the dead is diminished. But we still need to take them out.”Kalavai said no more as she gently descended. Once on her feet, she separated into her three constituent beings. The four Toa stood for a moment, taking the opportunity to rest, until one of the Makuta plummeted into the ground near them. It was Teskor, and Anecrax followed, swooping down as the clawed Makuta picked himself up out of the crater his impact had formed. Anecrax was no longer distracted maintaining his army, and so now he fought with greater speed and agility. Teskor's Rahkshi had also been destroyed, and so the Toa and the Makuta were alone outside the broken black tower. The battle had been long, and the sky was beginning to dim. But Makuta did not tire, not in the sense that most beings did, and the two of them continued to battle each other. The Toa would have kept out of their fight, but both Teskor and Anecrax wanted them dead as much as they wanted to kill the other Makuta, and so the Toa were forced to defend themselves. A storm of supernatural powers and clashing metal engulfed the battlefield.The Makuta seemed to be evenly matched, but the Toa feared Anecrax would spread more death if he escaped, and so they focused their attacks on him. Yet they let Teskor do most of the work, so that his strength would be depleted when it was his turn to be taken down. Anecrax fought back with the madness and murderous hatred of all lesser beings he had developed. He had come to view life as most beings knew it as an abomination, and was determined to annihilate it and any of his fellow Makuta that stood in his way. Both he and Teskor were wounded over the course of the battle, and though their essence leaked from holes in their armor, they did not slow. The Toa also suffered injuries. Imlen fell as he was struck by beams of Heat Vision, but he was not hurt badly, and he rejoined the fight a few minutes later. Not long after, Mozmana was shocked badly by a storm of chain lightning, and she fell. The other Toa had only enough time to determine she was alive but unconscious. Teskor reached out and attempted to finish her with a barrage of shadow bolts, and Vilam jumped in front of Mozmana and did her best to endure the onslaught, blocking what she could with her sword.Iskanemo quickly broke Teskor's assault on his sisters. Again, he released an intense blast of air backed by the repulsive force of his mask. Makuta Teskor was thrown back nearly ten bio, and he landed on his back. Anecrax stunned the Toa with a sonic blast and charged his brother. He was upon Teskor nearly before the other Makuta could rise. When the Toa recovered, Iskanemo saw to Mozmana while Imlen and Vilam followed the Makuta. As they rushed over, they could see Teskor was at a clear disadvantage. They had been fighting for over an hours, and so the Toa paused to rest. Iskanemo roused his sister and rejoined the others, and they stood there with their weapons held defensively, breathing heavily, as they watched the Makuta finish their duel.Review

I try to ignore the Tohunga -> Matoran names from the beginning and how they were all changed. The Matoran turned out to have those "new" names back in Metru Nui, so there's no reason for that bit to exist. Besides a few mentions of the holiday Naming Day, no one else seemed to mention that later on either, so I guess it's close enough to having been uncanonized. As for my fan fiction, I do my best to fit within the canon.

End of YrentaChapter Thirty-one==Yrenta Region, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ The Toa stood back-to-back and looked at the ring of ambushers. The walking corpses were mostly of Ukzokth, along with some Urshnolg and Rahi. There were also some undead Matoran among them – all together, an improbable number of corpses for this particular location, unless some unusual disaster had occurred. More likely, Anecrax had recently moved them here to lie in wait. Either way, there were enough to pose a challenge to the Toa, but not an overwhelming number. They cut down and blasted the undead as they approached, while taking out the larger ones before those could come close. The reanimated creatures continued to come in waves, then they stopped suddenly in the midst of combat, falling dead into the snow once again. The battle had only lasted a few minutes, and there were many whole corpses remaining. The Toa looked around in confusion for a moment, then began to destroy the bodies before they could rise again.“What... happened?” said Imlen. “Why did they stop?”“Something's wrong. I can feel it,” said Mozmana.“What? What's wrong?” demanded Iskanemo tersely, ready for a nasty surprise to appear at any moment.“The undead Toa – maybe... but there's something else,” said the Toa of Psionics uncertainly.“I think you're right,” said Imlen as he destroyed the carcass of an Ice Vermin, and he pointed something out. “There's someone up on the mountain... standing still. Wait – what's that?”A black ring was rippling outward from the figure, covering the ground in fleeting shadow where it passed. Imlen barked a warning, and together the Toa lashed out with their elemental powers. Whatever the ring was, it was something sinister and harmful, they were sure. The one casting it was at least a kio away, but they hoped they could somehow interrupt him or disrupt the circle that sped towards them, expanding rapidly. Perhaps their elemental powers had some effect on the shadow, but they could not be certain, for it washed over them a moment later, and they nearly lost consciousness. It felt like they were struggling against the force of death itself, without having suffered any physical injury. One by one, they dropped. Then the sensation stopped becoming worse, though it had done its damage. The Toa felt weak, as if they had had their masks removed, but several times worse. The corpses got up and marched forth to finish them off, and only with tremendous effort and willpower were the Toa able to get to their feet and raise their weapons.“Anecrax,” panted Imlen. “He... no... can't end... like this.”“Be ready... I will release... what strength I have left,” said Mozmana.With difficulty, the four other Toa summoned their elemental powers to destroy the advancing undead, while Mozmana stood in the center of them as if in a trance. She focused all the mental power she could, and the other Toa dropped to the ground as she released it with one desperate blast. It was far weaker than a Nova Blast, for the passing shadow had weakened her greatly, but the telekinetic shockwave she created devastated the immediate area. The decaying bodies of the undead creatures were torn apart by the force of it, and avalanches were triggered for kio around. She staggered forward to make sure she had not killed her friends, and fell to the ground before she could get an answer. To her relief, she could see the other Toa crawling over to her, but that was the last thing she saw before she passed out. Vayrag and Imlen also fell unconscious, and Iskanemo and Vilam were unable to stand.“Wake... up,” said the Toa of Air weakly. “We're not... safe yet.”“If the undead... Toa come...” Vilam failed to finish her sentence, as she too passed out.Iskanemo got onto one knee and immediately fell back down. He managed to lift his head and look around, and he saw no enemies about. Hopefully Mozmana's shockwave had destroyed any nearby hostile creatures, but the Toa could not count on Anecrax's enforcers being defeated so easily. One desperate idea came to Iskanemo, one plan that could save them or doom them. Straining to move his body with what little strength he had left, he rolled over onto his back. In that position, he extended his powers to the air around him. With his last energy, he created a windstorm – not as natural-seeming as he would have preferred, but enough to get the job done – that lifted the snow from the ground, blowing it all around the Toa, and burying them. Iskanemo passed out, half expecting to never wake up again. If the plan worked, the winds would pile snow on the Toa, concealing them from enemies. It was not guaranteed to succeed in that, however, and it also had a good chance of making them freeze to death faster.Hours later, Imlen was the first to wake. Fortunately, the time of day was a little after noon. Had it been night, the Toa would have frozen within minutes of being buried. But though Imlen was chilled and still somewhat weak, he was alive, and the sleep had refreshed him enough for him to vaporize the snow on top of him and stand. He could see vague lumps in the snow, but no clear signs of his friends' presence. Another application of his elemental power melted the top layer of the nearby snow, revealing the bodies of his companions. He dashed over to the nearest one, Vayrag, and found he was alive. Without much difficulty, he managed to awaken the Toa Hordika, and the two of them saw to the other three Toa. All of them were alive, but Mozmana could not stand and could barely talk, and the other two would not wake up at all. Their armor was frighteningly cold. Imlen's plasma warmed them, and they stirred, but they still did not rise.“Hypothermia...” said Mozmana, and she managed to reach up and touch her mask. “Take it... heal us.”Without delay, Imlen tore the Mask of Healing from Mozmana's face. He quickly removed his own Kanohi and placed it on her, for he feared that the weakness of being deprived of a mask could kill her in such a state. The use of the Mask of Healing was mentally exhausting, and Imlen was still weary, but he was determined to save his friends. With the power of the mask, he restored their frozen organic tissue, while Vayrag took the heatstones from their packs to keep them warm. Imlen healed Vilam first, as she was his closest friend, and next he healed Iskanemo. Mozmana was in the best condition, so he tended to her last. One by one, the thawing Toa woke and sat up. They looked around. The corpses that had been demolished in the recent fight were scattered around the area, having been buried by the blizzard Iskanemo caused and partially uncovered by Imlen's melting of the snow. The Toa stood up achingly and huddled around a pile of the heatstones.“Thank you, Imlen,” said Mozmana as they swapped their Kanohi back.“We're just lucky to all be alive,” said Imlen.“Indeed,” agreed Iskanemo. “I'm sorry I had to cover us with snow. It was a risky strategy, but no more risky than leaving us exposed for Anecrax or Teskor's minions to find us.”“You did that?” said Vayrag. “Well, it worked. Good thinking.”“We should get moving,” said Imlen. “They might still be out there.”“No, we should rest longer,” argued Vilam. “We have some strength, but we should recover more before we expend any more of that strength climbing the mountain. We have warmth now, and if we are careful, we will not be surprised here.”“I suppose you're right, Vilam,” said Imlen. “But what of that ring of shadow? What could it... oh, no.”“The same thing that eliminated all life in that place in the Southern Continent? Perhaps it...” Mozmana considered nervously. She closed her eyes and reached out with her elemental power, and gasped. “No... I – I can sense no minds around us. Not even the smallest Rahi.”“Maybe there weren't any creatures living in this area,” said Iskanemo.“It could be, but...” Imlen realized something, and spoke with dread in his voice. “The Ko-Matoran. If they live nearby...”Imlen got to his feet without finishing his sentence. He immediately started up the path, and the other Toa rushed to follow him. They were tired, and the hike was difficult, but Imlen would not stop. He was determined to find the Ko-Matoran as soon as possible, but if his fears were correct, the Toa were already too late. The trail was very vague, and after climbing for hours, the Toa came to the end of it. They were only halfway up the mountain, and the path ended abruptly. The Ko-Matoran had not wanted to be found, and so of course there was no clear route to them. Imlen cried out in frustration, then he calmed himself, and he and his friends began to search for clues. Eventually they could discern three possible routes, and after debating the matter, they took the one in the middle. By dusk, it had led them to nowhere but a dangerous craggy ridge. The Toa were frustrated and exhausted, and they camped there on the mountainside, sheltered by icy rock formations. At dawn, they attempted to return to the junction of trails, but winds had shifted the snow in the night, and they were soon lost.“North is that way,” Vayrag indicated as they stopped for the fifteenth time to get their bearings.“I know,” said Iskanemo impatiently. “We can descry the Wastelands from here, see?”“Just trying to help,” muttered the Hordika as they cautiously hiked south along the northwestern side of the mountain.“Like you 'helped' by leading us this way in the first place?” said Imlen scathingly.“Yes. I still say it's the right way. The path just got difficult to follow,” said Vayrag. “You should trust me. I've got tracking instincts, plus I'm a Magnetism type. I had a natural sense of direction even before I was turned into a Hordika.”“You do have a point,” conceded Vilam. “The Ko-Matoran would hide beyond a dangerous and unclear path. But if that ever was a trail, I doubt we could reach the end of it now. Frankly, it's almost a miracle there's any visible path left at all.”“Were it not for what I saw with my mask, I would not believe the Ko-Matoran ever lived in this area,” said Imlen. “And if they did live here... they probably don't live anywhere anymore.”“You saw a Matoran walk this path in your vision, didn't you?” said Vayrag.“I thought I did. But he could easily have turned east and gone up that route,” said the Toa of Plasma.“Now we just need to concentrate on getting b – ”Iskanemo was suddenly interrupted, as the icy precipice he stood on gave way and fell. The other Toa looked over the edge with horror. To their relief they saw Iskanemo rocketing back up, supported by his Kanohi and the winds. He soared up to stable ground and landed neatly on his feet. He was battered, but did not seem to be seriously injured.“Iskanemo, are you alright?” said Mozmana, rushing to his side.“Yes, I'm fine,” said the Toa of Air. “Stay away from the edge, but we'd better find a safe way down. I saw a Rahi carcass down there, and something else – a Matoran or Ukzokth corpse, maybe, but I can't be sure it's either.”The Toa found a steep but relatively safe route down over the icy rocks of the slope. From there they went to where Iskanemo had fallen, and indeed they could see the remains of a large beast. The body was quite fresh – the cold could keep it well-preserved, but it did not seem to have been killed more than a few days ago anyway, and it had not been touched by scavengers. It was easy to see what had killed it. Matoran-sized javelins were stuck in several parts of its body, and a few of them had pierced its head and chest deeply. Or at least, these could have killed it, if something else had not killed it before it succumbed to its wounds. A quick search revealed the hunters that had attacked the beast. They were all dead. There were five Ko-Matoran, each equipped with traveling and hunting gear, all lying dead in various positions from which they had apparently ambushed the Rahi. None had any visible injuries, with the exception of minor scratches and dents that were to be expected of travelers in this hostile environment.“So it was that,” said Imlen grimly. “However the Makuta did that... they did it. The wave of shadow killed the Ko-Matoran.”“Perhaps not all of them,” said Mozmana. “We survived, and besides, their village could have been out of its range.”“Possible, but not likely,” said Vilam. “I doubt the village is far from here. We should be able to find it soon and see for ourselves.”“Let's not bother. This is all the proof I need,” said Imlen. “It's time to put a stop to this before it happens again.”“You say we should confront the Makuta now?” said Mozmana, and Imlen nodded. “But we should tell the Matoran before we leave them.”“We can tell them what happened if we get back,” said Iskanemo. “If we fail, then... there won't be any Matoran in Yrenta to wonder what happened to us, not for long.”“You're right,” sighed Mozmana. “I do not wish to abandon the Matoran, but we must end this threat immediately. Though I fear to face the Makuta.”“I do not expect us to defeat two Makuta at once,” said Imlen. “But if we can remove their ability to spread this circle of death, it will be a worthwhile victory, even at the cost of our own... lives.”Imlen uttered that last word slowly and in surprise, for as he was speaking, the carcasses of the Matoran hunters and their prey stood. The Toa reacted immediately, cutting down an undead Matoran directly in front of them, and turned to fight the others. But the undead were not advancing upon them. They were marching away to the north, and ignoring the Toa entirely. The Toa followed, curious, and as they traveled for kio, the reanimated Matoran and Rahi were joined by other walking corpses. There were undead creatures of all kinds: Ukzokth, Urshnolg, and every species of Rahi native to the mountains. To the dismay of the Toa, the horde was joined by a group of several dozen undead Ko-Matoran, all with no apparent injuries. The reanimated beings traveled north out of the mountains, and were joined by many more as they traveled, though several times some of these marched blindly off precipices. Even if these were not destroyed, they could not keep up with the others, and were left behind.The Toa followed this oblivious undead horde to the wastelands, and they could see for many kio around in the clear, dry air. What they saw shocked them. A large and jagged black tower had been erected in the center of the gray wastes, and beings – more undead, it seemed – were converging on it from all around.“Looks like Anecrax knows we are coming,” said Vayrag.“If we can just destroy whatever he uses to support this army, it will collapse,” said Imlen.“There's something strange about this I can't quite define,” said Vilam. “What is Makuta Teskor's plan? What is Makuta Anecrax's?” ----- Teskor felt his teleportation attempt violently repulsed, and he found himself sitting dazed outside the tower. Growling with anger, he stood up. He shapeshifted his hands into claws and slashed at the wall. The protosteel did not cut as deeply as he had expected – the walls were quite strong for something that had been built so quickly. But it would be no match for his Makuta powers. Pressing his claws against the rough stone surface, he channeled his Disintegration power through them, and a section of wall crumbled into powder, leaving a hole large enough for him to enter through. He found himself in the empty space under a wide spiraling staircase. With an application of his Fragmentation power, he blasted a hole in the stairs above, and he reduced his density to float upwards through the hole. Then he restored his density to normal and rushed up the steps. He had only gone two revolutions out of many up the stairs when he sprung the first trap.Enormous, spiked metal balls swung down from chains in the ceiling. At the same moment, spikes emerged from holes in the wall, and a trapdoor in the steps behind him opened. He managed to dodge the traps swinging from the ceiling, but was struck by several of the wall spikes. They were made of inferior metal, not strong enough to pierce his armor, but they caused him to stumble backwards, and he fell through the trapdoor. There was a spiked floor many bio below, and Teskor reduced his density again to stop falling and float back up. He remained in this lightened form this time, until he came to a trap that launched fire at him. The heat threatened to tear his dispersed particles apart, and he was forced to solidify himself. He growled again and punched the wall, causing cracks to run through the stone. These traps posed little danger to him, but they were terribly annoying. He vowed to make Anecrax pay for the frustration, as well as everything else.The necromancer Makuta had lost what little self-control he had had, and probably his sanity too. He had sent his undead Hagah to kill the Toa again and again, and each time they had failed. His experimental enforcers came back damaged, and he had directed all his time to rebuilding them, making them more dangerous and less lifelike each time. Then one of his three pets had been lost, and he decided to do whatever it took to get revenge on the Toa. And so, he had betrayed Teskor by sending waves of indiscriminate death through Yrenta, and worse – he had slaughtered many Ukzokth and formed a new army of the undead, contrary to the agreement of the two Makuta. Now he was gathering this horde to him in this tower that he and Teskor and their minions had built over the past weeks. From there, he would unleash a new wave of death over all of Teskor's domain, and cause the victims to rise under his control. Then, in his madness, he would attempt to do this to the entire universe, betraying his brother Makuta and the Plan – unless Teskor could stop him.That would be the hard part. Makuta Teskor was encountering more and more traps – traps that had not been there when he oversaw the tower's construction – on the way up, as well as several undead minions. But they were no challenge, rather mere hindrances. His opinion did not change when Anecrax's two ghostly former Toa materialized in front of him, but he did figure the climb up the stairs was about to get more interesting.Review

Pakari + Kakama doesn't sound so complicated. It just means you're fast and strong. For a headache, consider using the Mask of Psychometry and the Mask of Clairvoyance at once. I suppose the Mask of Growth and Mask of Diminishment would just cancel each other out...Anyway, Kaita can use more than one of their three Kanohi powers at a time, right? It would make sense for them, since their minds are made of multiple weaker minds.

Heh, well, it is getting intense now. I liked the illusion trick Imegna used in your latest post. And as of the last couple posts, now we have a better understanding of Rynekaad's motives. I'm eager to find out what attacked him with acid and what killed Falkhan. I noticed a couple typos, too. In Chapter 26, Emeder released a 'blast of concentrate air', I think you meant 'concentrated', and in Chapter 27, Imegna said of the Shadow Leeches "There all dead." Just a couple oversights, I'm sure.On the subject of story matter, though, were Shadow Leeches invented that early? I was under the impression they were new as of the Karda Nui arc, or maybe a few months older than that.

End of YrentaChapter Thirty==Yrenta Region, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ While the Toa usually found adequate shelter and were left undisturbed while they slept, they always took turns sleeping in case they were attacked in the night. This night, that habit paid off. Several hours before dawn, Mozmana and Vayrag had been standing guard in the abandoned village when the Makuta's enforcers struck again. The three animated Toa corpses had returned, and they were accompanied by five Rahkshi. Mozmana rushed into the hut her allies were sleeping in and sent out a psychic wave that jolted them awake. Vayrag followed as energy bolts blasted the ground where he had stood, but as soon as he took shelter in the hut, the stone structure shattered violently. Iskanemo and Mozmana used wind and telekinesis to deflect the falling rubble, and the Toa Muktirhith fled the ruins as the undead Toa of Stone caused the remnants of the hut to turn into grasping bonds.Imlen was still disoriented, and he tripped over stone fragments that were growing grasping appendages. The animated stone pinned him to the ground, but the shock cleared his mind. He turned the stone shackles into plasma and rolled aside just as a Rahkshi of Hunger struck the ground where he had been. Imlen channeled the ionized rock vapor and some of his own elemental energy at the Vorahk, melting it before it could react to his sudden dodge. Nearby, Iskanemo was depriving the Toa of Fire and Toa of Sonics of the air they needed to sustain their elements. It was an effective tactic, but it required concentration, which was broken when a Lerahk targeted him. His Kanohi Crast slammed the Rahkshi of Poison through the wall of a nearby hut before it could strike, but that left him vulnerable to an attack by Anecrax's Toa of Stone. A blunt mass of solid rock materialized and rammed into him, and he fell.Vayrag attacked a Rahkshi of Gravity from behind while it was busy keeping Vilam pinned. His Magnetism Rhotuka caused the blue and silver Rahkshi to collide with a Rahkshi of Fragmentation, knocking both machines down. The Hordika charged the two fallen Rahkshi, but was trapped midway in a stasis field. Vilam channeled a powerful bolt at the magnetized Rahkshi and moved to finish them off, but was intercepted by the reanimated Toa of Sonics. A burst of sound overwhelmed her, and she stumbled back. Another lightning bolt prevented the Sonics monster from following up on its attack, and Vilam engaged it in melee combat. Meanwhile, Mozmana dueled the Toa of Fire. Whatever sort of mind these undying beings had, her mental powers were ineffective against them. She barely managed to dodge her opponent's flames and counter with telekinesis, and she was outmatched in melee combat. She was quickly forced into a desperate defensive stance, and retreated a step at a time across the village as she sparred.Both Iskanemo and the Lerahk recovered, and after a brief battle between them, the Toa of Air emerged the victor. Iskanemo ran to help Mozmana, and blasted the undead Toa of Fire away just as it overcame her and prepared a killing blow. He continued his attack against it while Mozmana engaged the Toa of Stone that had come to support its partner. She adeptly dodged and deflected the rocks it launched at her, and together she and Iskanemo pressed the advantage. On the other side of the village, Vilam endured the power of Anecrax's Toa of Sonics and broke through its defenses. Before she could finish the duel, the Rahkshi of Stasis Field turned aside from its fight with Imlen and froze her. Its distraction gave Imlen ample time to destroy it, and he readied himself as the Toa of Sonics came for him. The Panrahk and the Rahkshi of Gravity summoned the strength to pull themselves apart and followed. He shielded himself with a cloud of plasma, and the Rahkshi of Gravity forced it to the ground, causing the earth around him to glow red-hot.The Rahkshi of Fragmentation and the Toa of Sonics struck together by causing the ground under Imlen to explode and amplifying the sound into an overpowering shockwave. Imlen was blasted back a few bio and landed on his back. The Rahkshi of Gravity prevented him from getting up. In a desperate move, he used a large amount of his elemental energy to melt the ground in a wide area around him. The two Rahkshi and the undead Toa were surprised, and Imlen took the opportunity to free Vilam. A focused burst of plasma overwhelmed the stasis field that trapped the Toa of Lightning, and she in turn freed Vayrag. The two released Toa turned to help Imlen, who moved to join them as soon as the ground was cool enough. Together the three of them quickly destroyed the two remaining Rahkshi, and the former Toa Hagah of Sonics floated away. Iskanemo and Mozmana rejoined the group, having just prevailed in their fight.“Good work, team,” said the Toa of Psionics.“Thanks for waking us so promptly,” said Vilam. “What happened to the other two undead Toa?”“We damaged them badly, but they escaped,” said Iskanemo. “I hate how elusive they are – they could attack us again at any time.”“Still, we managed to destroy five Rahkshi, and they were not low-ranking ones either,” said Imlen. “And we've demonstrated that Anecrax's Hagah are no match for us on their own.”“By the way, they can use mask powers. The Toa of Fire has a Mask of Strength. I found that out the hard way,” said Iskanemo, caressing a multitude of dents in his armor.“The Toa of Sonics has a new hand, too,” mentioned Vilam. “He seemed faster this time, too. Anecrax must be upgrading them.”“And we're their practice targets,” said Vayrag. “Let's find this Makuta Anecrax and end this.”“I doubt we could prevail against two Makuta at once,” said Mozmana. “And besides, the Matoran here need our help first. They should not need to hide inside fortresses while Ukzokth plunder their villages.”“I would like to put a stop to this as soon as we can, but you're right,” said Imlen. “As long as the dead do not walk again, we should be able to subdue the goblins. And if we are quick, we should be able to destroy these abominations Anecrax has made next time. I doubt they are completely invulnerable in ghost form.”It had already been almost two weeks since the fall of Ba-Naja, and Anecrax's influence over the dead had vanished. The Toa had returned to the Fortress of Gravity to find it empty, with the exception of some motionless corpses. After those had been thoroughly disposed of, Netun and his people returned to their homes and began to rebuild. Upon arriving, they had encountered a band of Ukzokth that had taken shelter in the fortress, but the Toa had been with them to drive the goblins away before any Matoran were killed. Once the villagers had rebuilt most of their fortifications, the Toa left, and they had begun to help the inhabitants of Yrenta elsewhere. There were many places to go to set things right, but they had not dared to split up, and the recent fight had proved their caution to be justified. After retrieving their belongings from the hut that had been shattered, the Toa rested in another of the abandoned homes until morning, then moved on.The Ukzokth were not organized enough to pose a threat to the fortresses – unless the dead walked again – but the Matoran could not sustain themselves for long without the many tiny villages supplying food. And so, the Toa began a quest to drive the goblins out and make the countryside safe for the Matoran. They started with the settlements along the southern side of the mountains, where most of the Matoran of Plasma, Lightning, and Magnetism lived. Some Po-Matoran also lived there, but most of them had moved in with the Ba-Matoran after the loss of their home. The Toa spent several weeks driving the Ukzokth away from the abandoned villages and crippling their offensive ability, forcing the savages to retreat to the most isolated parts of Yrenta. During that time, the Toa had a few encounters with Rahkshi and Anecrax's undead Hagah. On each occasion, his enforcers had been modified from last time, having been granted tougher armor, faster reflexes, greater strength, and increased healing abilities. But they could not overcome the five Toa Muktirhith alone, and each time the Toa managed to evade or destroy any Rahkshi that had been sent along with the undead.When the scattered villages were occupied again by Matoran, the Toa traveled under the mountains to the realm of the Matoran of Earth and Iron. The tunnels were unguarded, allowing stunted black Ukzokth to roam unchecked. Because of this danger, the underground realm had rarely been traveled to during the past several years, and the mission of the Toa was as much to reestablish contact as to ensure the safety of the inhabitants. Long ago, every known tunnel and cavern under the mountains had been counted as part of the territory, just as the jungle belonged to Morok's people. But more and more of the enormous natural labyrinth had been claimed by Ukzokth and other monsters, and other parts had been crushed or sealed by cave-ins over the millennia. The Onu-Matoran used to correct such disasters, but the hostile creatures living in the dark places had made such a task more difficult, and the Great Cataclysm had caused damage that seemed irreversible at the current rate of progress.The Toa intended to make the tunnels safe again, allowing the Onu-Matoran to excavate long-lost places under the mountains. After defeating a horde of cave Ukzokth and Earth Trolls that had assembled in response to their presence, they made their way to the heart of the tunnel network, where the Matoran settlement was located. Upon reaching the great cavern that housed the village, the Toa could see for themselves why this place had endured. The road outside the entrance stopped at a sudden drop, which was fortunately illuminated by Imlen's plasma before the Toa went off the edge. A gap stretched about five bio to the opposite side, where a stone wall with an iron gate blocked the entire tunnel, and an extendable bridge was retracted. The gap had also been given away by heat rising from it, and a reddish glow from the bottom. Two bio below the path, at the bottom of the gap, was magma. The Onu-Matoran had formed this underground moat, excavating to magma, or perhaps rerouting the molten rock to suit their purpose.“We can't see them, but I sense Matoran sentries on the other side,” said Mozmana. “Keep us lit up, Imlen. I'll introduce us.”“Right – the rest of you stay alert,” said Imlen, as he created a flare of plasma he was sure the sentries – and any nearby Ukzokth – would see.Greetings, Matoran of the underground, Mozmana projected telepathically to the two guards, while transmitting the mental conversation to all individuals present.What are you over there on the other side, sending words into my head? the sentries thought before Mozmana could finish her greeting.Do not be afraid. I am Mozmana, Toa of Psionics, and I have come here with four of my fellow Toa, Mozmana projected, and she introduced her companions with a combination of words and images in the minds of the Matoran.Toa? This is fantastic! thought one of the sentries excitedly.Well, you look like Toa, at least, thought the other. I'd let you in, but we'd better discuss it with the others first.Wait here. I'll get Bwatana, our leader, thought the first sentry.“Tell him to hurry,” said Vayrag to Mozmana, and she politely forwarded his request.The Makuta took Metaku from us, the remaining sentry told the Toa while his comrade departed. Bwatana is no great smith, but we Onu-Matoran understand the ways of the underground better than anyone else, and that's what counts in these times.“They said you have not received any visitors for a year,” said Imlen, and Mozmana sent his message to the minds of the Onu-Matoran. “Is that true? How many of you are left?”Forty-one Onu-Matoran and eight Fe-Matoran, replied the sentinel. A fifth of what we used to have, before the Cataclysm, and I'm told hundreds more lived here in the peak of our community.“A village losing two hundred Matoran... that's awful,” said Iskanemo. “I'm sorry to hear that.”We know it's not the only place where that's happened, thought the sentry. And about half those losses were from the Great Cataclysm, and many more from the months after. It took us a while to figure out how to survive.“Why did you stay in this place, if it's so dangerous?” asked Vilam. “Surely, you could have found another cavern, or even another cave system entirely.”Ah, but you are of the Lightning folk. Your people fled Mount Tasle when it became too hostile. My people are more rooted in the earth, if you'll pardon the pun, replied the sentry. By now, we've secured our village well, as you can see, and our numbers are so few, we fear to leave. The Ukzokth greatly outnumber us, by how much we cannot tell, but we would have no chance if they surrounded us.“A mysterious new shadow looms over Yrenta, of which I will tell you more when we are inside,” said Imlen. “We must put an end to it, but while we are here, we will do what we can to help.”And when we are free to leave our village, Bwatana will lead us to aid the surface folk, responded the sentry. I'm sure of it. But here he comes, now. Excuse us.Mozmana ended the telepathic conversation to allow the Matoran to converse privately. Less than a minute later, the cleverly-designed mechanical bridge extended, with the end settling securely on the side of the gap on which the Toa waited. They crossed carefully, and as they reached the other side, the portcullis lifted into a recess in the ceiling. The Matoran waved from small windows in the wall, and came to greet the Toa when they passed through to the interior of the village. Bwatana stood in front, flanked by the sentries, and all three of them were Onu-Matoran. The village leader instructed the watchers to return to their posts, and led the Toa to the center of the settlement. Matoran were very efficient workers, and the Toa were sure they could have removed all the earth and stone that had fallen on their village during the Great Cataclysm long ago, but Bwatana explained that the villagers had decided to sculpt most of the debris into monuments. And so, in many places in which there had once been homes, there were gray statues – not as high quality as Po-Matoran work, but lovingly carved – of Matoran that had been buried by that disaster.“I am sad to see that Spiileus is not among you,” he said quietly to the Toa as an audience gathered around them in the center of the village. “But no one has seen him since... since that one day. I suppose there's no hope of him returning.”“We know what happened to him,” said Imlen, and some of the assembled Matoran overheard him and gasped, so he addressed the entire crowd. “Spiileus sacrificed his Toa energy and his life to heal Vibrak during the Cataclysm. The two of them became Turaga, and so your Toa achieved his destiny with his last act. By doing so, he allowed Vibrak to escape and lead our De-Matoran brothers away to a safer home. Before leaving, Turaga Vibrak buried your Turaga in an underground chamber. The body of Toa Lidon rests nearby; he was crushed by falling rocks.”“A noble end to our hero,” said Bwatana solemnly. “Perhaps someday we will be able to add to his monument, when the tunnels are not so dangerous.”“We have come to help you make your realm safe again,” said Iskanemo. “But there is something else we must deal with – a mysterious new threat. This is a strange question, I understand, but have the dead moved down here?”“No... not that we have noticed,” said Bwatana, while the other Matoran also responded negatively and looked at the Toa with bemusement. “Barely any of us have left the village in the past few years, so we cannot say that such a thing has not occurred in the rest of the tunnels. But here, all of our dead have remained in their graves.”“That is good,” said Imlen.“But unfortunately you seem to have have little knowledge of the amount of Ukzokth here and where they are concentrated,” said Vilam. “It will take a while to root them out.”Bwatana agreed, and together the Toa and the Matoran made a plan. First, they decided, the Matoran should have a safe route to the surface, in case they needed to evacuate or call for aid from the other Matoran. The Toa patrolled the main tunnel, clearing it of goblins and watching the entrances to it while the Matoran installed gates, magma moats, and other defenses. These would not stand before a concentrated assault, especially with no one guarding them, but they would keep wandering creatures out. The work was expected to take weeks, and just after it was halfway done, the undead Toa attacked again. Mozmana sensed them before they could strike from the shadows, and so the Toa Muktirhith were ready. They instructed the Matoran to flee, and Imlen flushed the reanimated attackers out with a ball of plasma that made the tunnel as bright and hot as day on the surface.Again, Anecrax had upgraded his minions. While most undead moved rather like puppets to some degree, the necromancer Makuta had gone far beyond such simplicity. This time, his enforcers moved with unnaturally fluid movement, and their original bodies seemed to be no more than exterior shells that had now been covered with blades. The Toa of Sonics and Stone worked together to split the tunnel's ceiling, and Iskanemo and Mozmana called upon their powers to divert the rocks and earth that fell from the crack. Imlen launched the globe he had manifested at the Toa of Fire. As he expected, the walking husk of a hero absorbed the heat, turning the plasma to harmless cold gas. This was a feint for Vilam, who had shot a lightning bolt through Imlen's attack and willed it to continue to its target even as the plasma deionized. Vayrag tackled the Toa of Fire as the electricity stunned it, and Iskanemo and Mozmana still countered the other two, for the Toa Muktirhith had succeeded before by focusing on one of the enemy Toa at a time.Vayrag managed to pin his opponent without cutting himself on its spikes, and his claws dug deep through its armor and severed the writhing black cables that Anecrax had turned the Toa's innards into. The cables retaliated, grasping Vayrag's arm even as the fire-wielding abomination recovered and stood up. Vayrag struggled to free himself from the grip of the thick wires, and Vilam charged into melee combat to help him. Imlen moved between the two groups to prevent the other two reanimated Toa from interfering. Soon, the Toa of Fire was in pieces, and the main part of it faded away. Mozmana had been incapacitated, and Iskanemo was fighting desperately until his friends relieved him. The Toa of Sonics was defeated next, and when the Toa of Stone was overcome, Imlen was ready to end it. It could reduce its density enough to float and be nearly invulnerable, but this just made it easier to destroy with heat. Application of his elemental power turned the ghostly being into plasma, and it condensed into a shapeless mass of molten metal as it cooled.Vilam shouted a warning, and Imlen turned to see the severed pieces of the Toa of Fire were crawling aggressively towards him. He and the others easily destroyed these, and the battle was over. Enough damage had been done to set the Matoran back several days, but eventually the project was done. The Ukzokth had noticed, and soon they assembled and broke through. It was just as well, as this made it easier to cripple them. The Toa instructed the Matoran to retreat to the village, and the five of them faced the horde alone. The slaughter was terrible, but the goblins could not be negotiated with, and the Toa did what they had to do. The Ukzokth could not overcome the might of the Toa, and after a long battle, the survivors retreated. Over the next few days, the Toa executed the next phase of their plan. The Ukzokth lairs were sought and found, and the Toa forced the savages far from the tunnels and mines that had once belonged to the Matoran. The Onu-Matoran and Fe-Matoran emerged from their village to reclaim and fortify these before the goblins crept in again.During this time, messengers were sent to the surface to spread the news of the realm's triumph, and they returned to tell the Toa that the other villagers were doing well in the wake of their recent efforts. When the Onu-Matoran began to mine in shafts that had been abandoned for centuries, the Toa left for their next destination. The village of the Ko-Matoran had always been isolated, but a year before the Cataclysm, the sage Kotulo had led his people into hiding. No one knew where they had gone, but there were many places to hide in the mountains, especially for the Ko-Matoran, whose structures of ice blended into the white peaks and crags. Unless they had been forced to leave Yrenta, they were most likely in the same range they had always lived in, though perhaps many kio away from the original site of their village. Again, the Toa would rely on Imlen's mask to reveal the clues that would lead them to their goal. Therefore, their first destination was the abandoned site of the Ko-Matoran settlement.Kotulo's village had been off the maps for over five hundred years, but the Toa were able to find an old map that had the location marked without much difficulty. After all, Onu-Matoran were well-known for preserving the past, though the cartographer's hut the engraved tablet had been found in was far from the Great Archives. Tunnels led from the Onu-Koro to the high slopes of the mountains above, and the Toa traveled these and emerged before a clear sky and a blindingly reflective sheet of snow. Once their eyes had adjusted from the dark to the dazzle, they headed to where the map indicated the village had been. The Toa passed the spot several times before they realized that they were at the correct coordinates, for there was nothing left of the village. The Ko-Matoran had apparently demolished their structures, allowing the ice they were made of to become one with the ubiquitous snow, and carried everything else away. But Imlen did not need buildings or furniture. He picked up a nearby rock and scanned it.After many attempts to deduce useful information from the stone, Imlen discarded it and attempted again with another. After hours of viewing the millennia of the icy rock's history, he learned that the Ko-Matoran had traveled to the northwest. The search for physical and psychometric clues took days, but slowly the Toa uncovered a trail. Eventually, they found themselves staring up a path that led up one of the highest mountains. Before any of them could take the first step onto the path, the snow shifted all around them, and corpses emerged from their icy graves.Review

Yeah, that's why it was awkward to write -- two groups of Toa that are very different, but only a few appropriate adjectives to distinguish between them. I use an online thesaurus, but it was not helpful on that subject. I also wasn't sure if it's appropriate to just call them Toa of Fire/Stone/Sonics because they're not really that anymore. Maybe I can arrange a way for the main characters to learn their names.Naja, as far as I know, is not a canon Matoran word. I made it up, which is why it's supposed to be an archaic term from Yrenta.

End of YrentaChapter Twenty-nine==Yrenta Region, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ “Anecrax! The goblins have not assembled on their own, the Makuta have unleashed them upon us,” said Imlen, then he shouted to the Matoran. “The dead ones rise! You must destroy the bodies utterly!”“We'd better wait until they get closer before we use our powers,” said Iskanemo, taking a spare crossbow. “We've already used much of our energy tonight, and who knows how long this fight will last.”“I agree,” said Vilam as she and the others also received ranged weapons.Most of the goblins' weaponry was inferior, but some of the trolls carried cannons. They were primitive weapons, but could be terribly destructive. Yet the walls of Ba-Naja were thick, and Imlen was confident it would take many cannonballs to bring them down. Indeed, after a thunderous salvo, the fortifications were barely chipped. Then the cannons were fired again, and only when the projectiles struck did the Toa realize they were not cannonballs this time. Imlen and Vilam recognized the effect, and identified what had just been launched. They were disintegration Zamor, rare and devastating siege weapons that could cause stone to crumble. Breaches formed in the walls. A tower with a catapult was struck, and rubble and boulders rained down upon the Toa and nearby Matoran. Just in time, Mozmana used telekinesis to shield them from the falling debris. Imlen relieved her by turning the stone to plasma and channeling it at the undead horde.“Good save, there,” said a Po-Matoran captain that had come over to report to the Toa. “Netun has sent messengers through the escape tunnels. If all goes well, the other settlements will send reinforcements as soon as they can.”“That could take days,” said another warrior, a Matoran of Lightning. “And what if all doesn't go well.”“Well, that's what the escape tunnels are for,” said the captain, and he looked over the battlements at the walking dead below. “Do you know what's causing... that to happen?”“Not exactly. Something to do with a Makuta, we think,” said Vayrag as he launched a series of arrows.The Po-Matoran muttered something fearfully and returned to his post. The reanimation made the Ukzokth and trolls harder to stop, but their progress across the ledge was still slow. The battle went on slowly in this manner for a while, then someone called out, and the Toa turned their attention to the cliffside. The fallen climbers had returned, and were moving much faster than the enemies approaching by the road. The rest of the scalding oil was dumped on them, but without pain or the fear of death, the undead goblins and trolls only fell if the liquid made them slip or pushed them off. Boulders and chunks of rubble were passed to that side of the wall, and the Matoran dropped the stones over the edge. This succeeded in felling many more climbers, but they kept coming. The Toa turned back to the main gates as arrows and bolts came from that direction.The Ukzokth on the ledge had come close enough to use bows and crossbows of their own, and several Matoran had been killed by their first attack. The defenders looked in horror as their dead allies arose as enemies. In their hesitation, the Matoran next to the fallen ones were killed by the undead corpses of their brothers and sisters. These, too, got up under the enemy's control, and began to spread this plague through the fortress. By killing only a handful of Matoran, the Ukzokth were turning the tide of the battle. The Toa rallied the survivors to destroy the undead Matoran. It was a terrible thing to need to do, and several more Matoran joined the ranks of the undead when they could not destroy the corpses of their friends. The Toa realized this was not working, and they ordered the surviving warriors to retreat. Deprived of victims, the numbers of the undead Matoran stopped increasing, and the Toa did what the other defenders could not bring themselves to do. They eliminated the reanimated beings within the walls, but it looked as if too much damage had already been done.The outer defenses had been abandoned, and if the Matoran came forth again, more would be killed and start killing others. The Toa shut the gates and sealed the breaches as well as they could, and waited for the horde to swarm through and over the walls. The fortress was as good as lost. Ba-Naja's escape tunnels led to secret paths in the mountains, and the Toa had only to delay the enemy army while the Matoran made it into those tunnels and sealed them. Then, of course, they would need to find their own way out. It seemed that would involve breaking through the entire horde to escape along the cliffside path, but first the Toa needed to make a stand behind the walls. After preparing as well as they could, they did not need to wait long. They heard a grinding roar, and looked to see undead Gravity Trolls smashing holes in the eastern wall. The climbers had reached the top. At nearly the same time, the enemies on the ledge came to the battered gates, and soon burst through.The Toa braced themselves for this next stage of the battle, then stopped in shock. They took a step backwards in unison. There appeared to be three ghosts floating above them. The ghosts looked like Toa. Their transparent bodies were black, with silver plating, but they did not have the hunched posture common to Toa of Earth. Then the 'ghosts' turned opaque and landed on the ground. The Toa jumped back out of the way. The advance of the undead slowed, and the Toa stared at these newly-arrived beings. Besides the fact they had apparently materialized in the fortress out of nowhere, or turned ghostly and flown, there seemed be something strangely wrong with them. The strange beings gave the Toa enough time to realize what they were, then they attacked. The reanimated Ukzokth and Urshnolg surged forward as the undead Toa attacked, one with Fire, one with Sonics, and one with Stone.“This isn't good,” said Vilam as the Toa were forced to retreat.“Undead Toa is a surprise by itself,” said Mozmana, parrying a strike from the undead Toa of Stone's hammer and releasing a telekinetic blast that made him stagger. “But elemental powers require one's body and spirit to be one – reanimated beings should be unable to use them.”“Also, I can't explain their arrival,” said Imlen as he fended off many charging Ukzokth. “Maybe they have density reduction powers somehow?”“These are no ordinary – ”Vayrag was interrupted by a blast from the undead Toa of Sonics. The attack knocked him out, and Vilam moved forward to help him. Iskanemo created a vacuum to block the fire and sonic attacks, and the Toa made it behind the next wall. The wall was not there for long, however. Before they could even close the gate, the undead Toa of Stone caused the entire structure to crumble. Again, Iskanemo created a vacuum, but this time the three undead Toa all charged him at once. He used his mask to repel the Toa of Sonics, letting the vacuum barrier disappear. The Toa of Fire scorched him, then lunged forward and nearly decapitated him. Iskanemo ducked in time to avoid that fate, but the undead Fire Toa's axe knocked off his mask and left a gash in his head. Imlen conjured a cloud of plasma to cover Iskanemo's retreat, however that backfired when the undead Toa of Fire harnessed the heat of the plasma and turned it against the Toa. Imlen fell back as his armor began to glow red-hot. Mozmana telekinetically retrieved the Kanohi Crast and tossed it to Iskanemo, who caught it and put it back on.Meanwhile, Vilam fended off the undead invaders. Fortunately, these strange reanimated Toa were not as skilled as Zima had been, and she was able to survive until Imlen recovered and came to support her. Iskanemo fainted from his wound, and Mozmana dragged him and Vayrag farther into the enormous cavern. Imlen used his staff to block the attacks of the undead Toa of Fire and Toa of Stone at once, and Vilam followed up, disarming the Toa of Stone before he could retract his weapon. Imlen pressed the advantage, allowing Vilam to cut the arm off the undead Toa of Stone. He punched Vilam with his remaining arm, and she and Imlen were forced to retreat before another wave of Ukzokth. They caught up to Mozmana, and together the three of them made another stand. The undead Toa of Stone had recovered his hammer and somehow reattached his arm, and he worked in conjunction with the Toa of Fire to create a spray of lava. With difficulty, Mozmana managed to telekinetically redirect the lava, and hit the Toa of Sonics with it, causing him to stagger. Vilam tackled him and brought her sword down, but before her blade could touch him, he turned intangible and nearly invisible again.“What?” she gasped as the ghostly Toa of Sonics floated away and rematerialized behind an Urshnolg.“Can't... keep this up,” said Imlen, struggling to defend their two fallen companions. “Vilam – use your mask... help us merge.”“Now is a good time,” agreed Vilam. “Ready, Mozmana?”“Ready.”With Paqyar dead, Samruna could no longer exist. The Kaita formed by Imlen, Vilam, and Mozmana was a different being, and her name was Ondumuru. She towered over the battlefield, and swept dozens of Ukzokth aside with each attack. Her domination of the fight did not last long, however, for the three reanimated Toa soon also merged. The two Kaita sparred and matched their elemental powers, and Ondumuru struggled to defend her fallen allies from the undead horde. She stood her ground long enough for Vayrag to recover and drag Iskanemo away, and a moment later the undead Toa Kaita struck her in the leg and she fell. She used the last of Imlen's plasma power to melt the goblin corpses that swarmed over her, and attempted to stand. But the other Kaita caused bonds of stone to form from the cavern floor and grasp her, and she was restrained. As her opponent brought his weapon down on her, she managed to tear one arm free of the stone shackles and block the attack. A surge of lightning caused the undead fusion to stagger back, and Ondumuru burst free.She fell back deeper into the fortress's cavern. Stone huts and fortifications were smashed in the battle, and the powers of the undead Toa of Stone caused rocks to rain down from the cavern ceiling, damaging the structures further. Ondumuru was pelted by falling boulders, and she stumbled. Her concentration was broken, and she split into three individual Toa. Imlen, Vilam, and Mozmana rolled aside just as the enemy Toa Kaita smashed the ground where Ondumuru had fallen. The three Toa scattered to avoid the heavy blows of the towering Kaita, fighting through the advancing horde of animated Ukzokth and Urshnolg carcasses. Suddenly a windstorm cleared a path for them, and they saw Iskanemo and Vayrag had recovered. The Toa of Air and the Toa Hordika of Magnetism were injured, but determined to keep fighting. The five Toa regrouped in a nearby plaza, then surged forward. Fighting alongside each other, they toppled the undead Kaita and forced it to dissolve.“You wounded me. Time to return the favor,” said Iskanemo as he intercepted the fallen Toa of Fire before it could rise.With a sweep of his sickle, he decapitated the undead former hero. Its body floundered, though it remained standing. He pressed the advantage, slicing through the headless body's armor, but the other two undead Toa quickly got up and forced him to step back. Black cables or tentacles of some sort shot out from the Fire being's neck stump and the severed head. The two bunches of cables met and spliced together, and a moment later the head was reattached, though the neck armor was still damaged. The living Toa looked on in shock, and in their hesitation the undead horde seized the advantage. Most of the walking dead had been damaged enough to be immobilized, but more kept coming, and the Toa were hard-pressed to defend themselves as battered Ukzokth corpses and hulking reanimated trolls advanced on them, compounding the attacks of the mysterious undead Toa.“I'm out of power,” said Vilam as she used her last lightning bolt to blast apart a shambling Urshnolg.“Me too. We need to get out of here,” said Imlen. “To the tunnels!”“We'll lead them straight to the Matoran,” protested Mozmana as Imlen began to lead the group towards the back of the excavation.“We've given them plenty of time to flee,” said Iskanemo. “And if we don't leave now, we won't be around to protect them later.”Mozmana agreed, and she ran with the group to the very back of the fortress. They outpaced the horde, but Anecrax's Toa caught up to them, and they battled before the innermost wall. Netun had shown his Toa allies where the secret tunnel entrances were, and they found one. It was sealed, and there were no living Matoran to be seen, indicating the inhabitants of the fortress had indeed escaped. As per emergency procedure, the mechanism to open the hidden door had been dismantled, and the door was barricaded from behind with a layer of stone at least a bio thick. The Toa lacked the elemental power to break through, but they managed to trick the undead Toa into damaging the portal. It crumbled, and the rock wall behind it was cracked. While the other Toa protected them, Mozmana and Iskanemo attempted to penetrate the barrier. Mozmana used the remnant of her elemental energy to focus a telekinetic blast. Aided by the repulsive force of Iskanemo's mask, she pushed the damaged stone aside.The Toa rushed into the tunnel, and the three reanimated Toa immediately chased them inside. The tunnel was dark, and with Imlen's elemental power gone, their only source of light was a weak lightstone Mozmana had been carrying. Their undead adversaries had no eyes, and could somehow sense their surroundings as easily in pitch blackness as in the brightening dawn outside. Fortunately, their elemental energies were almost also depleted. The living Toa moved forward, doing their best not to stumble in the dark as they fended off the reanimated Toa corpses behind them. They could not be certain if the rest of the undead horde was still following them. The tunnels were kio long, and they seemed to battle for hours, sparring as they retreated. The undead Toa soon ran out of elemental power, and they were outnumbered, and no faster than a living Toa. But they did not tire. Imlen and his allies were lost and exhausted, and they suffered many small wounds over the course of the battle. Only their determination to survive sustained them.Their determination would be enough this time, for after an excruciatingly long fight, Mozmana was the first to defeat one of the three opponents. While defending the team from the rear alongside Iskanemo, she sliced off a hand of the undead Toa of Sonics. She shredded the writhing cables when they attempted to reattach the limb, and with that, the walking corpses retreated. The three of them became ghostly and faded into the darkness, leaving the severed hand. Iskanemo took it and made sure it remained motionless. The Toa stopped to collapse a section of the tunnel behind them, then continued. By late morning they emerged from the tunnel, and they came upon a site where the Matoran had camped a few hours ago. The fortress's civilian population had scattered, and the Ba-Naja defense force's retreat plan was to march west and rendezvous with any reinforcements from other settlements that came to them. The Toa traveled west until noon, then they found a safe place to rest and recover. After sleeping and tending to his wounds, Imlen examined the severed Toa hand. His Kanohi did not work on living beings, but this body part had long been dead, and so he activated his mask.As he expected, he saw a De-Matoran. He scanned the past of the hand again and again, and deduced the story of the dead being. The De-Matoran had become a Toa, and that Toa had become a famous veteran. Along with other great heroes, the Toa of Sonics had been recruited to work for the Brotherhood of Makuta, serving on a team of one Makuta's personal protectors. Then, the Makuta had betrayed the Toa Hagah. Once he knew that much, Imlen stopped looking for more of the hand's history. He could guess the rest. The Toa of Sonics, along with the rest of his team – including the Toa of Fire and Toa of Stone – had been defeated and subjected to horrific experiments that turned them into the lifeless walking bodies Imlen and his friends had fought. He reported what he had learned to the other Toa, and after that they continued their journey. Within two more hours, they caught up to the retreating Matoran army, and together they marched to the nearest Matoran settlement.When they came to the village, they found it was abandoned. It appeared to have been raided by Ukzokth, but there were no bodies or signs of a fight. Upon closer inspection, it was determined that the inhabitants had left long before the pillagers came. That was not surprising, as many other unprotected settlements had been left empty over the past few years as Matoran flocked to the fortresses. After camping at the abandoned village overnight, the Matoran warriors and the Toa traveled to the nearest of those fortresses. It had been named Shelek-Naja because of its location in a quiet, isolated place, but now it was packed with Matoran. The Toa soon learned that most of the Matoran present were warriors that had received Netun's summons and had recently come to the fortress upon hearing they were too late to save Ba-Naja.The Toa and the Matoran militia stayed there for four days. During that time, news was spread, and the dispersed population of Ba-Naja gathered to take shelter in the Fortress of Silence. Netun had done well to keep his people safe, and eventually all the noncombatants that had fled were accounted for. In contrast, the defense force had suffered heavy losses. Out of about a hundred and fifty defenders, almost a third of them had been killed. While that did not cripple the Ba-Naja militia, Yrenta had not seen such a slaughter of Matoran since the massacre at Kara-Naja. Had the warriors fought to the last, they would have all perished as their fallen joined the ranks of the enemy horde. Now the Toa stood on the arch above the main gate and addressed the crowd of Matoran. All over Yrenta, news of the arrival of the Toa had spread, but so had news of the undead scourge, and the people were frightened.“Warriors of Yrenta, people of Ba-Naja!” Imlen shouted. “You have lived under the shadow of the Makuta for over six centuries, but now you have Toa to free you. I am Imlen, of what once was the village of Plasma. With me here is Vilam of Mount Tasle, and our three new friends: Iskanemo, Toa of Air; Mozmana, Toa of Psionics; and Vayrag, Toa of Magnetism. We are the Toa Muktirhith, the Liberators, and we will find the source of this terror that conquered Ba-Naja, and end it, and we will overthrow Makuta Teskor!” ----- Teskor growled as the messenger left. The courier had been terrified, but Makuta Teskor saved his wrath for the one who was to blame. When the two Makuta had the chamber to themselves again, he released his emotion in the form of a punch that dented Anecrax's armor. The other Makuta was not hurt, but he was startled out of his trance. His mask deactivated, causing his distant legion of undead to fall to the ground in unison, and he glared at Teskor.“You oaf,” said Teskor before the other could speak. “Not only did your useless hunks of dead flesh and metal fail to kill the Toa, but you got the Matoran to rally against me. And you killed fifty of them, and let many more of my Ukzokth and Urshnolg be slaughtered. I don't like having my subjects massacred... without good reason.”“The ability to form them into an army of the undead is enough of a reason for me,” said Anecrax, smoothing out the impression in his chest.“Exactly!” barked the blue and gray Makuta. “You're stealing my thralls.”“Very well,” said Anecrax, and he let out a sigh that was completely forced, as Makuta did not breathe. “I'll let your dead subjects lie for now. But I insist that you let me continue to test my favorite servants against these Toa. Their defeat means there are still improvements to be made.”“Agreed, provided some of my Rahkshi accompany them,” said Teskor. “And they will go directly for the Toa, and kill them. No toying with their prey, no grand battles. Let the Matoran stand around aimlessly with their weapons out for a while, then they will go back to work. Though I expect I will need to send Rahkshi to subdue them, once the Toa are gone.”Review

Hmm, what you came up with was a better sentence. My line does sound like 'bad acting' now that I read it again. Oh well, at least he admitted he didn't know what to say. I'll try to make sure the dialogue sounds more natural in the future. I mean, I pay less attention to making sure dialogue is grammatically correct, because people don't always use perfect grammar when they talk, but if it comes out awkward, it has the opposite effect.When I made Iskanemo neglect to mention he was a Toa of Air, it was not so much his personality as the fact that it was obvious. He's primarily bright green (Lewa Mata green) with some gray and he knows they have Le-Matoran in Yrenta. As for Mozmana, Ce-Matoran don't live in Yrenta, and she could possibly be confused for a Toa of Water with golden armor. And Vayrag isn't immediately recognizable as a Toa, and he wanted to clarify that he's a half-beast, but still one of the five Toa before anyone asked. Hence the emphasis on Hordika, then the pause to let that sink in before he mentions what element he is.Thanks for reviewing again. I think I'm almost done with my next chapter, but it's been kind of awkward to write (you'll probably be able to guess why when you read it), so I should spend some extra time proofreading it. I think I'll get it done by the end of tomorrow.

I'm happy you appreciate my reviews.If I recall correctly, the Toa Nuva came to Voya Nui in Toa Canisters that were launched into the sky from Metru Nui (and Toa Canisters can turn intangible). I understand now why you skipped your characters' journey to Voya Nui. I still think it would be better with an explanation, but skipping that part doesn't ruin the story.The word filter replaces the i-word that means 'stupid person' with 'cool dude', which explains what Brutaka said before you fixed it.

End of YrentaChapter Twenty-eight==Yrenta Region, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ “Hello,” said Imlen to the group of Ga-Matoran that came forth to greet them. “Is Akahati here?”“No,” said the foremost Matoran, and she looked down sadly. “An evil Toa of Ice came and killed her years ago.”“Zima. Well, he has been defeated,” said Vilam. “Once and for all, we hope.”“I hope so too,” said the Ga-Matoran. “I am the new leader. My name is Merileva. Welcome to our village.”“Thank you,” said Imlen, bowing. “You may not recognize us, but Vilam here and I, Imlen, are from Yrenta.”“Imlen the renegade?” one of the other Ga-Matoran spoke up excitedly. “I've heard of you! I knew you had a greater destiny!”“Oh, I... don't know what to say,” said Imlen. “Just doing what I need to.”“And these three have come to help us in our quest,” said Vilam, prompting the others to introduce themselves.“I'm Iskanemo.”“I am Mozmana, Toa of Psionics.”“And I'm Vayrag, a Toa Hordika... of Magnetism.”“Is there anything I can do to help you?” asked Merileva.“You should hear the full story,” said Vilam.Merileva agreed and led them into the village hall. On the way, the Toa passed a large red being with a tail being led into a hut that was far too small for him, and they saw other refugees moving around at the docks. The village hall was the biggest building, and like the others it was made of aquatic plants. Several curious Matoran followed them inside, and the Toa allowed it. The more information and feedback they received, the better. The Toa told their tale to their audience, and received information in turn. The Ga-Matoran traveled less than they used to, and the few times they did were usually overseas rather than to the rest of Yrenta. Therefore, they had no news about their homeland that the Toa had not already learned in the jungle village, but they had many rumors and first-hand accounts from other lands to tell. They also kept track of what the Makuta was having shipped to their village.“Lots of weapons and weapon parts,” a Ga-Matoran that unloaded cargo was saying. “Plus parts of machinery we don't recognize, and strange liquids and such too. Lab materials, we think, but none of us can figure out what any of it does.”“You knowingly help ship these things to the Makuta?” growled Vayrag. “Why? Why not sabotage the supply lines?”“He'd kill us!” cried another Ga-Matoran.“He'd force us to do it, somehow, or he'd replace us,” said Merileva. “I'm not happy about what these things are being used for – and I don't know exactly what most of those uses are – but if we rebelled, well, not only would we be destroyed, but the other villages might suffer his wrath. Things aren't great now, but we're doing as well as we can by keeping things as they are.”“I understand,” said Imlen. “It was not the right time to resist, it was time to obey and wait. Again, I'm so sorry we were gone for seven years. But now is the time to resist! If we can prevent him from obtaining supplies from this port, I'm sure he'll find an alternative, but it will inconvenience him – weakening him while we strike.”“But what about his response? He will punish this village. He'll do something terrible to them,” said Mozmana. “We can defend it, but not forever.”“And it would be no good to be stuck here,” said Iskanemo. “Any other ideas?”“Well, I suppose...” said Merileva reluctantly. “I suppose we could flee Yrenta until it is safe again.”“To where would you go?” said Vilam while the gathered Matoran expressed their surprise.“I don't know. But the universe is a big place,” said the village leader. “I'm sure we can find a temporary home somewhere nearby.”“The universe is also a dangerous place,” said Mozmana. “You will need our help to relocate safely.”“Hmm, that will take away some of the time we'd have to attack while Teskor and Anecrax are caught off guard by the loss of the port,” said Imlen.“Not necessarily,” said Merileva. “We've made other allies: seafarers that can protect us in the water, and guide us to our new sanctuary.”“It will take time to make new boats,” Iskanemo pointed out. “Poor, clever Paqyar... – won't the Makuta notice something's up?”“They have not kept a close watch on our village for years,” said one of the Matoran.“You may have noticed you were not attacked by Rahkshi upon arriving,” said another. “As long as things go smoothly, they leave us alone.”“Hmm... how subtly do you think you could sabotage the equipment you deliver?” said Vilam thoughtfully. “How long would it take for them to notice?”“I don't know,” said Merileva. “I don't know how soon the equipment is used after it's received. It depends on how we tamper with it, of course.”“We could time it so that we leave just as they find out what's going on, and so that we ruin as many items as possible,” said another Ga-Matoran. “Brilliant!”“It will take time to make arrangements, however,” said another Ga-Matoran, and the Toa agreed.The Toa remained in the village for days, helping Matoran to build enough boats to move the village's entire population – over a hundred – and the supplies they would need. Ga-Matoran were experts in nautical affairs, and already had many boats ready to sail before the project began. With most of their normal jobs suspended, it did not take long for the boats to be constructed. The Matoran that were still moving cargo for the Makuta subtly sabotaged the objects they delivered, and when the boats were done, the boat builders began to stow the villagers' belongings aboard. By then, they had made contact with the allies Merileva had mentioned. They were slender water-breathing creatures with incredibly sharp claws. Some of them had helmets that allowed them to breathe on land, and these came ashore to assist the Matoran. They had strange patchwork armor, but Iskanemo could identify them as members of a species native to the sea around the embargoed island of Zakaz.“One of their kind was once an infamous warlord,” he told his friends, then he addressed the creatures. “What are you doing so far from your homeland – um, home sea?”“Our kind was given these claws by a mysterious faction that endeavored to turn us into living weapons,” said one of the water-breathers with a voice that gurgled through the water in his helmet. “My folk were given... additional modifications. Experimental ones. It did not go well, and all we that survived got out of that bonus package was this strange appearance. We didn't belong with the others, so we found a new home near your coast. We got into a dispute with these villagers long ago – ask your Turaga – but now we have an understanding.”A week after the Toa arrived in the village, the Ga-Matoran were ready to go. They smashed the last shipment they were supposed to deliver and dumped the wreckage into the sea, then they were off. The Toa had told the Matoran about lands they had visited in their travels that might be suitable, and so the Matoran set sail for the nearest of those: a small island off the coast of the Southern Continent. It was strange how thoroughly gone the village was. Even the huts themselves had been dismantled, rolled up, and packed with the supplies. The Toa watched the boats sail away, escorted by their sea-dwelling allies, then turned north and returned to the jungle village. Morok was pleased by their report, and told them he had gone ahead and sent messengers to the other village to spread the news of the return of the Toa. It was his hope that this would inspire the villages to unite without needing the Toa to be constantly present.Still, the Matoran needed guidance and protection in this transition. After conferring with Morok, the Toa left the next day. Their first destination was the Fortress of Gravity to the north. They had acquired three Hypaka, swift steeds native to Yrenta. These were ridden by Imlen, Vilam, and Vayrag, while the other Toa rode the two surviving steeds from the town in the mountains. The Rahi made the trip quicker, but it still took several days, for they had to take a detour. The homes of the Ba-Matoran were built into the cliff on the eastern side of the mountains of Yrenta, overlooking the canyon that separated that territory from the desert that used to be inhabited by Po-Matoran. In past ages, a bridge had spanned the canyon, allowing easy access from the cliffs to the desert and the jungle directly to the south. When the Ukzokth defeated the Matoran of Stone and claimed the desert, the bridge was severed, and now travelers from the east had to cross the river west of the jungle and travel through the rugged terrain leading to the mountains.The foothills this far east had no fortresses, and many goblins dwelt there, as well as the troll-like brutes called Urshnolg. They took advantage of the isolation to gather and multiply in that untamed corner of Yrenta, and they ambushed any travelers that were bold enough to take that route to the cliffs. The Toa fought them off as they came, and when they came to the center of Ukzokth territory, a horde had assembled and was closing in on them from all sides. Imlen and Vilam knew Ukzokth, and knew that the savages had them outmatched. The creatures were small and weak, but knew how to attack in overwhelming numbers. Their Urshnolg counterparts were much rarer, but far more physically powerful, and some breeds of them were resistant to certain elemental attacks. The specimens present seemed to be Stone Trolls, which had no special resistances, but were stronger and tougher than other sorts, and Gravity Trolls, which were excellent climbers and hard to knock down or lift up.“Clear a path through them!” ordered Imlen as they dodged arrows from the approaching horde. “Keep going north!”“If we can get to the Ba-Naja, we can defeat them there,” said Vilam.“We'll have more cover behind those hills there,” said Iskanemo, pointing ahead and a little to the east. “As long as we don't let them trap us there...”The Toa rode to the place Iskanemo indicated, breaking through the ring of Ukzokth. Mozmana caused confusion among her enemies with a mental attack, and Iskanemo, Vilam, and Imlen followed up with a storm of electrified plasma. Vayrag blasted any of the goblins that still stood in the way, and the Toa made it to the little valley. As they expected, the trolls and goblins swarmed up the hills around them and in front of them, but there were rock formations and trees to provide shelter from their arrows. Ten Urshnolg barred the way to the north, toppling trees and rocks to form a barricade. Iskanemo blasted one back with his Kanohi, then turned to fend off the approaching Ukzokth while the others battled the trolls. Most of the hulks wielded stone clubs or tree trunks, though a few of them had metal weapons that had been provided to them by the Makuta when they served in his army.Vayrag leaped onto one and perforated the weak areas in its armor with his teeth and claws, then did the same to another. Without dismounting, Vilam shocked a few others into submission while Mozmana's psychic assault overwhelmed the simple minds of three more. Imlen melted the armor of two Urshnolg, and as he turned to face another, it swatted him with a spiky mace. He and his Hypaka went flying, and landed in the middle of a group of Ukzokth. The beast had taken most of the damage, and it died underneath him. Imlen rolled off the carcass as the goblins' blades came down on him. He felt the sting of a minor hit, and created a cloud of plasma to burn and blind his enemies. Iskanemo moved to help Imlen, covering his escape with a gale, and helping him climb onto the back of his steed. When the Toa were together again, they struck hard with their elemental powers, stunning the Urshnolg long enough for them to burst through the barricade.With the horde at their backs, the Toa rode on through the hills, towards the mountain paths leading up to the Fortress of Gravity. With Iskanemo's steed now carrying twice the burden, their progress was slowed, but the urgency of the situation caused them to ride for many hours at the fastest pace they could achieve. Late the next night, they judged they had gotten far enough from the Ukzokth to rest for a while, and so they did. They were now on a road leading up Yrenta's easternmost mountain, not including those of the border on the other side of the canyon and desert. This route was not traveled as much as it once had been, but traffic on it was still a common occurrence. The Toa had come by a seldom-used path leading up from the eastern foothills, while now most travelers came from the west, traveling along the mountain range. Above them, they could see the lights of an outpost or a tiny village that watched over the road.The Toa had traveled in the dark, refraining from making light to avoid being seen by the goblins. It seemed to have worked, but now they saw the reason the Ukzokth and Urshnolg had apparently slowed their pursuit. The violent creatures had seen the Matoran settlement above, and were advancing on it. By the light of the stars, the Toa could just see small and large shapes scaling the nearly vertical slope. Judging by the shape of the mountain and the position of the village, it would be too late by the time the villagers could see them. The Toa mounted and rushed up the road. They soon came to the settlement, which consisted only of a few huts and a watchtower overlooking the road. The ride had been short, but the goblins and trolls that lived in this area were naturally expert climbers. Imlen and Vilam expected they would reach the top before long. Imlen made sure their presence was known with a brilliant globe of plasma, and seven Matoran of Gravity came out to greet them.“Toa?” said one of them. “I never thought I'd – ”“A horde is coming,” interrupted Imlen. “Ukzokth and Urshnolg, climbing up the cliff.”“I'll light the warning beacon” said another Ba-Matoran, pointing to the top of the tower.“No, I'll do it,” said Vilam, and she ignited the pile of wood on the tower's roof with a well-aimed lighting bolt. “Now get to the fortress, we'll hold them off here for as long as we can.”“Right, get going,” said Imlen, and he turned to the other Toa. “Come on, if we hurry, we can catch them while they're still climbing.”The slope the savages were climbing was a five minute walk away, and when the Toa arrived, the first of the Ukzokth were swarming over the edge. Iskanemo sent most of them down with a windstorm, and Vilam and Vayrag picked off those that remained. Mozmana covered Imlen as the Toa of Plasma called upon his elemental power to heat the precipice. The ledge melted, and a cascade of lava washed over the slope. Most of the goblins were swept away, leaving their strongest members and most of the Gravity Trolls. The Toa maintained control of the edge for a while, defeating the invaders that came over the top. But more and more came, and the Toa were forced to retreat. The rest of the horde was coming up the road. Now was the time to fall back to the Fortress of Gravity. The Toa called their steeds and reached the fortress within an hour, with the Ukzokth about another hour's march behind them. Like the other fortresses, this one was named in old Yrenta dialect, and so it was called Ba-Naja.The village of the Ba-Matoran had been well-defended for as long as anyone could remember. Because it was built into a cavern in the side of a cliff and only accessible by a few guarded paths, only enemies that could fly or scale smooth, bare rock were much threat to it. Since the loss of the Po-Matoran village across the canyon, the Ba-Koro had been fortified, and even more construction had been ordered by Makuta Teskor when he claimed it for the Brotherhood. The cavern had been expanded, and more dwellings excavated in the cliffside. There was only one way in, and that path led along a narrow ledge for almost a kio. The ledge had a tall fence that could be collapsed, so travelers could pass safely without fearing the drop on their right, but enemies would be denied that safety feature. There were also several bridges that were also collapsible, and traps that could be activated by the flip of a switch all the way back inside the fortress. There were many sentries standing guard, and all of them insisted on staying at their posts when the Toa passed.The Ba-Matoran of Yrenta had a proud martial tradition, though their most famous order, the Knights of the Cliff, had been disbanded long ago. Indeed, Ba-Naja was one of the most secure fortresses in Yrenta. Many Matoran considered it only second to the Aki-Naja, which was still occupied by Brotherhood forces, and so villagers of other elements also took shelter within its walls. When the Toa entered, they were surprised to find these refugees outnumbered the Ba-Matoran natives. The Matoran, in turn, were far more surprised by the presence of the Toa, although the sentries had already arrived and spread the news. Apparently, such a thing had to be seen to be believed, but despite the shock, the fortress's commanders and warriors were ready. The leader of the community, a Matoran of Gravity named Netun, came forth to greet the Toa. While he was not as slow and frail, he had the manner of a Turaga. He had been leader of the Ba-Matoran for almost eighty thousand years. Indeed, while his memories of those days were vague, just before the start of his reign he had welcomed an adventurous Matoran named Morok when Morok's new friend Siok brought him to the Ba-Koro.“Welcome, Toa,” he said. “It seems our time together will be cut sadly short.”“Perhaps,” conceded Imlen. “But let's see what we can do to prevent that.”“The fortress is strong,” said Netun. “But we have not faced such an assault for many, many years.”“We came to unite the Matoran,” said Mozmana. “Unfortunately, we have accidentally gathered the Ukzokth to us instead.”“Turaga Morok lives, and he has sent messages,” said Vilam. “The others will know of us.”“Morok... is alive?” said Netun with disbelief. “I did not dare to believe the rumors. That is happy news, but sadly we can only guess of poor Turaga Siok's fate. Now, it is time to prepare for battle.”Netun led the civilians into shelter while the Toa assembled Ba-Naja's fighting force. Many brave Matoran answered the call, but it was a pale shadow of the former military. While some expertly-forged relics of the old wars were still in good condition, most of the weapons and shields were rusty, falling apart, or merely improvised laborers' tools. And yet, the Fortress of Gravity had never had five Toa defending it. That would certainly count for a lot. The defenses were prepared, and soon most of the Ukzokth force was crawling along the ledge that now had no fence, no bridges, and was full of deadly traps. The others scaled the vertical cliff face, bypassing those defenses, but the Ba-Matoran had protective measures in place for them, too. Within the fortress, more levers were pulled. At several points along the ledge and under the walls of the fortress itself, scalding, slippery liquid was dumped down on the climbing invaders. Hundreds of Ukzokth and Urshnolg screamed and plunged to the bottom of the canyon.“So, the Ukzokth war has begun again,” said Imlen, wincing involuntarily and looking away from the slaughter.The Toa heard a shout. The surviving attackers on the ledge were bypassing the traps by brute force and replacing the bridges with stone slabs and logs, and now they were coming into range. The Matoran retaliated with conventional ranged weapons. Catapults and ballistae, bows and crossbows, and many other sorts of projectile weapons were aimed and their projectiles launched. It was another slaughter, for nearly the entire remaining horde had to move along a path that was three bio wide at the widest point. Dozens more of the invaders were killed, and several large boulders were launched to block the passage. All went still and silent for a minute, then the stone barricade shattered. An Urshnolg vanguard was still approaching, and more Ukzokth suddenly swarmed around them. It did not seem possible, unless another horde had arrived in secret to reinforce the first. Then the first light of dawn came, and the Toa could clearly see what was happening. The dead ones were walking again.Review

End of YrentaChapter Twenty-seven==Hills East of Yrenta, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ Imlen was the first to move, surrounding Jutsu with a ring of plasma. He was also the first to fall. Fortunately for the Toa, Jutsu was not using lethal force, but he made knocking Imlen's mask off and sending him flying into the wall with one kick look as easy as simply stabbing him. Iskanemo caught the dispersing plasma in a cyclone, swirling it around Jutsu, and Vilam electrified it. Without slowing, the Dark Hunter spun around, hurling many shuriken around him. Many of the shuriken were caught in the hot whirlwind, though some made it through, peppering the cavern with bits of molten metal. The Toa ducked instinctively, and Jutsu burst free. Vayrag had just been waiting for that. With a snarl, he jumped onto Jutsu's back and launched a low-powered Rhotuka into him, causing the Vortixx's body to become magnetic enough for him to hold on. Jutsu spun and shook in a vain attempt to dislodge him, then simply dropped onto his back, crushing the Hordika into submission.Vayrag let go, stunned, and Jutsu got up, only to be stopped by Mozmana. She was holding a hand out toward him, channeling her power through it as strongly as she could. She had never encountered a being with a mind as well-protected as Jutsu's, but she seemed to have finally succeeded in penetrating its defenses. She had to a degree, at least. His secrets were still buried within his mind, beyond reach, but her power appeared to have him mesmerized. Iskanemo and Vilam came forth and held him still, and he struggled weakly, as if dreaming. Imlen and Vayrag recovered and also came forth. Mozmana nodded slightly in satisfaction, and with new confidence, she reinforced her mental effort.“What is your mission?” she asked sternly.“I won't... tell,” Jutsu struggled to say.“You will tell us,” said Mozmana, strengthening her grip on his mind. “Has the Shadowed One sent you to us? What for? And what is your personal agenda?”“I... it's... not for you to...” the Vortixx began, then gave in. “Well, I guess... you figured it out mostly anyway.”“Tell us in all detail,” ordered Mozmana, without loosening her hold on him.“Not... all detail. But you can know this: though my kind has killed many Toa, the Shadowed One knows not to underestimate their potential,” said Jutsu, speaking more fluently when he was not fighting against Mozmana's power. “I am assigned to... manipulate you into doing deeds that will be in our advantage. But I promise you, this – most of this – is in your own best interest. We both want to see the Brotherhood fall, correct?”“Correct, but what more is there?” said Mozmana.“Nothing... no, I... won't tell more!” said Jutsu, and suddenly he threw Iskanemo and Vilam off him.Mozmana's concentration was broken by his sudden retaliation, and Jutsu had full control of himself in an instant. He tossed an Increase Weight Kanoka at Mozmana, pinning her to the ground, and leaped into his vehicle. Before the other Toa could stop him, he sped out of the lair. He was long gone before Mozmana could get back up. The Toa decided to rest while they could, and decide what to do next in the morning. Occasionally, a far away nocturnal Rahi would howl, and the sound of the wind was louder and more consistent, but other than that the night was quiet. Two Toa at a time took turns guarding their brothers and sisters as they slept. The day had felt much longer than it actually had been, and so the Toa slept soundly, and for many hours. In the morning they decided to travel southwest, and within a few hours they were at the southern edge of the desert, just outside the eaves of the jungle of Yrenta. ----- Makuta Teskor looked up and grunted as he saw a red and black mass of smoke coalesce into Makuta Anecrax. As was usual for these visits, the skeletal Makuta's Mask of Reanimation was altered to display a very smug smile. Teskor was always annoyed about how much satisfaction Anecrax got out of his work. Even when he suffered setbacks, or even total failure, he seemed to never get frustrated. Teskor supposed that was the kind of Makuta only suited to play in a lab all his life, while more ambitious Makuta – like Teskor himself – claimed real power. Then Teskor thought again, and realized that belief was dangerously wrong. Anecrax was as much after power as he was, he just enjoyed the methods he used to get it much more.“They're ready,” said the necromancer Makuta proudly.“They – oh... right,” said Teskor, remembering Anecrax's latest project. “Good for you.”“Capturing those Dark Hunter scientists certainly helped advance my work,” explained Anecrax. “And if anything, these are even harder to destroy than that Sentrakh being the concept is based on.”“Don't get carried away,” warned Teskor. “The rest of us do not wish to rule over a universe of corpses, no matter how lifelike those corpses are.”“I know. But consider what excellent servants they make,” said Anecrax. “And now I have the perfect opportunity to demonstrate.”“Oh?”“Oh, yes. I was there when you received the news,” said Anecrax happily. “You have intruders in your domain, and Zima is gone. Luckily for you, I have the perfect alternative.”“A perfect alternative?” scoffed Teskor. “They are not even alive!”“Nor are they dead,” said Anecrax proudly. “Isn't it beautiful?”“Yes... beautiful,” said Teskor sarcastically. “Now get out.”“Of course, let me just summon them here, and we'll help ourselves,” said the other Makuta.He concentrated, reaching out with his teleportation power. Another dark miasma appeared and formed into his three new minions. Teskor grunted dismissively and allowed them to walk out of his lair. He had decided it did not matter. If Anecrax's latest experiment passed this field test, the Toa team and mysterious Vortixx lurking in Teskor's territory would be dealt with, and Teskor would not need to bother with them. If they failed, it would give Teskor the opportunity to mock his rival and solve the matter himself. Either way, while Teskor was not as petty as he had once been, he resolved to have the Toa and their friend punished for depriving him of Zima. The Toa Hagah had been a rare sort of being, exceptionally skilled and even more loyal. But most all, he had been an irreplaceable propaganda symbol. Anecrax's latest project was frightening, but not the same as a Toa that willingly served the Makuta. ----- Imlen and Vilam were surprised by what they found in the jungle. The flora was always changing over time, and neither of them had ever kept track of what trees were where, but the past seven years had changed the jungle in a way the Toa could not quite define. There were more of certain kinds of plants, perhaps, or maybe some parts were more overgrown or barren than they had been. Whatever had changed, a more perceptible surprise was the greeting they received. The last time they had visited the jungle, they had not encountered any Matoran. This time, scouts spotted the group and greeted them only half a kio from the jungle's eaves. The Toa were led to the Green village, which, as always, was protected by a ring of dangerous plants. The floral guardians allowed the group to pass, and the Toa stepped inside. Imlen and Vilam had not seen the place for hundreds of years, while the other three Toa of course had never visited it. Iskanemo, however, knew a place like it, and he mumbled something about his home.Most of the homes were in the trees, reserving space on the ground for farms and gardens. The treetop houses were made of woven vines and leaves, while the buildings on the ground included those as well as hollowed-out rocks covered with moss. Every plant used in construction was alive and cared for, from the roofs to the vine bridges connecting the canopy district to the trees themselves. Though it was a large enough village in a small jungle to be easy to find, the jungle had shielded it from the outside. And so, it had thrived while the Matoran living to the north had been enslaved. Imlen estimated there were nearly two hundred Matoran in the village, mostly Matoran of the Green, with a Matoran of Air minority. There were also at least a dozen refugees from other villages. The Toa soon learned that the villagers were fortunate in another way, for Turaga Morok had returned to them. The Turaga greeted the Toa in the main treetop plaza, which was the enormous leaf of a peculiar one-leafed tree. He wore a festive assortment of leis and leafy wreaths around his neck and shoulders, and his leaf staff bore flowers. The Toa knew seven years meant little to beings such as him, but living with his people again seemed to have refreshed him, for he seemed quicker and more energetic.“Welcome back, my old friends. And hello and welcome to you new friends,” he said happily, then his mood turned somber. “Where is Paqyar?”“He died in Xia, just before we came here,” said Imlen, and looked at Iskanemo.“That is unfortunate. But I am sure he was a hero to many, in his short life as a Toa. Alas that he never saw his homeland again,” said Morok, and he cast off his floral decorations. “Your return is to be celebrated, but now is not the time.”“That's true. Merriment must wait,” said Vilam. “But thank you for the welcome. Now, we have much to discuss...”After introducing the three elder Toa, Vilam and Imlen apologized for their long absence, and the five Toa and the Turaga discussed what had happened in the past years. Morok had not left the jungle, but had heard enough to know that after the Dark Hunters left, the Brotherhood had withdrawn most of its forces. The Matoran were not forced to work as hard in Makuta Teskor's fortresses, but in turn, the Makuta had let his Ukzokth do as they would. Again, Matoran took shelter in those fortresses, which they had originally built for that purpose, though the banners of the Brotherhood now hung from their walls and towers. The jungle had been attacked, and had prevailed against its invaders each time, with a little help from the Matoran. Siok was still missing and presumed dead. Morok ended his tale on that sad note, and talk turned to what had happened in the past few weeks.“I have... bad memories of Dark Hunters,” said Morok when the Toa told him about Jutsu. “I lost a close brother and a close sister, and many distant siblings to the Hunters during the War. This one you speak of may be different. Less brutal, it seems, but he may well be just as ruthless, and even more manipulative.”“He keeps showing up, especially when we need his help, and he does help,” said Imlen. “It's kind of awkward.”“Hmm. It is fortunate that our enemy has a second enemy,” said the Turaga. “But I would call one side my friend no sooner than the other.”“We will be careful,” assured Vilam. “Now, about these undead...”“It is not the first time I have heard of such a thing,” said Turaga Morok. “A mysterious curse of that sort briefly touched our land, in the days of Toa Vibrak and his team. In the months preceding the death of Toa Kryaju, the Toa were plagued by Shadow Toa, mysterious and sinister manifestations of their inner Shadow. During that time, the dead walked in some places. Mostly eerie places with an abundance of corpses, such as graveyards and battlefields.”“The Wastelands are spooky,” said Imlen. “But we have not encountered any Shadow Toa.”“I believe the simultaneous occurrence of the Shadow Toa and the undead was not a necessary link, but contrived,” said Morok.“You mean the Shadow Toa were not responsible for the walking dead, but part of the same plot,” clarified Vilam.“Exactly.”“Sounds just like this Makuta Anecrax we were told about,” said Iskanemo.“I do not think I have ever heard of him before,” said Morok. “Hmm. Two Makuta could be twice the trouble... but if Makuta are as friendly to each other as they are to everyone else, a partnership between them could be disrupted.”“How do you propose we turn them against each other?” asked Mozmana.“I do not know. I don't know what their plans are, their collective plan and their individual agendas,” said the Turaga. “We need to find that out, but we will need help. Sneaking off into the Wastelands with no idea of what to expect will get you killed. So I say we make ourselves known.”“What do you mean?” said Imlen.“The Matoran deserve to know who their heroes are, and to have a Turaga again. And if we hide from them, we will miss out on their knowledge,” explained Morok. “By gathering information from them, we can start to assemble this puzzle. And, most importantly, I think this is a situation in which it is best to let the enemy make the first move. You will reveal yourselves, and the Makuta will reveal their pawns and plans. It will be dangerous, of course, but you are Toa. You can prevail, and you have a far better chance of it than you would confronting the Makuta with no plans and not enough knowledge of your own.”“It sounds risky. Perhaps we will be able to defend ourselves, but what about the Matoran?” said Iskanemo. “It sounds like there are a lot of those Ukzokth things scattered around here, and if they were assembled into an undying army, they could be unstoppable. I know the people of Yrenta have experience defending themselves, but if you had to completely dismember every single goblin, you would be overwhelmed.”“We would not achieve victory through armies in that case,” said Morok. “But if he assembles his forces and marches them upon us, that only makes it easier for you to find and destroy the source of Anecrax's power. Teskor has already conquered this land, though his grip has loosened. Now we have Toa again, and he has not yet enforced order among his scattered warriors.”“So the time has come to reunite our people before he reunites his,” said Imlen. “I agree with that, but I do not think it is time for their Turaga to come forth. It's still too dangerous for you.”“And I hope you're considering this on a larger scale,” said Iskanemo while Morok pondered Imlen's opinion. “No Makuta with such an ability – the power to create armies of the undead – would use that ability only to conquer one little Matoran territory.”“You're right. Both of you,” said the Turaga. “This Makuta Anecrax intends to put his method to the test. Makuta Teskor allows him to use his domain for the tests – but to what degree? Does Teskor care if Yrenta is reduced to a lifeless wasteland? There – ”“Lifeless wasteland?” interrupted Vayrag. “Do you remember the blighted land in the Southern Continent? And if Anecrax is obsessed with death...”“Yes, I remember,” said Imlen, and he explained it to Morok. “While traveling through the eastern part of the Southern Continent, we came upon an area, several kio wide and across, in which everything appeared to have died suddenly. It seemed to have been that way for months, and it was still devoid of life.”“That could be Anecrax's doing. But if he could do that easily, I think we would know,” said Mozmana.“I hope you are right. In any case, I do not think he would destroy us in such a way unless we really frustrated him,” said Morok. “It is my hope that we can discover a way to play the two Makuta against each other. Imlen, I want the Matoran to know I am alive. But I will stay here, at least until we know what we are up against.”The Toa spent the rest of the day making plans and talking to the Matoran. The villagers were happy to see them, but many of them knew Paqyar, and they mourned his death. The Toa were asked many times why they had been away for so long. There was no easy answer to that. Imlen had helped many people during his travels, but leaving his home had always haunted him. Now he and Vilam were back, and though Paqyar was gone, he had been replaced by three more experienced Toa. It was time to show everyone that although the numbers of the Toa were declining, they could still protect their people. The Toa slept in the jungle village, and the next morning they began their journey. Their first stop was the Ga-Koro, the nearest village to the jungle. After saying goodbye to Turaga Morok and the jungle Matoran, they traveled south and left the jungle.The land south of the jungle had once been farmland cultivated by a union of jungle Matoran and water Matoran. In recent centuries, the farms had suffered from Ukzokth raids and unchecked Rahi. The war with the Dark Hunters had caused many of the farmers to be brought north and forced to build fortifications and armaments alongside the northern Matoran. Now the area was covered with fields despoiled by invaders, dotted with derelict homesteads. The Toa doubted any of the farmers were left. If any had been left behind by the Brotherhood slavers, they should have moved back to the villages. Goblins still scoured the countryside. They would eat the untended crops until they were gone, then they starved until the plants grew back. At this time of year, the fruit was returning after months of barrenness, and the surviving Ukzokth were flocking to the former farmland in famished foraging parties.Before they were halfway to the Water village, the Toa were found by a small horde. These Ukzokth seemed to have eaten enough to not be weak, but were still hungry enough to be frenzied by the arrival of prey. The goblins preferred meat, and they were always equipped for the opportunity to obtain some. They were proud to eat Matoran, and Toa would be an even greater meal. As far as anyone knew, Kryaju was the only Toa to meet that gruesome fate. And it seemed that it was not likely to happen this time either. The goblins were fierce, but their band of a few dozen was no match for a team of five Toa. During the war against the Ukzokth, Vibrak's team had been forced to kill many of them, but this time the Toa only had to drive them off. Still, the battle was violent, and several of the twisted creatures were inadvertently slain. The Toa were relieved to discover that these did not rise from the dead.Soon the remaining Ukzokth fled, and the Toa continued. Imlen and Vilam told the other three about the history and geography of Yrenta while they hiked briskly through the wilderness. On the way, they encountered and defeated another roving band of goblins, as well as several ferocious Rahi. That afternoon, they came upon the Ga-Matoran village. It was much as Imlen and Vilam remembered, though as with most of the other villages, it had regressed over time. The small settlement served as Yrenta's port, which explained why the Makuta had allowed its population to remain, for keeping the sea routes open helped to maintain his realm. But while once fantastic and exotic wares had been brought ashore and sold in the market, now most of the cargo went to the Brotherhood military, or to other, richer territories of the continent. With Metru Nui lost and Xia and Nynrah focusing on weapons production, their fantastic technology no longer improved the lives of the common people.Many former merchants turned to fishing, which supported the village well enough, although it was far less glorious. Also, another line of work was born: the transportation of refugees and migrants. In the wake of the Great Cataclysm, and with the Dark Hunters, the Brotherhood, and lesser factions tearing the universe apart in their quest for power, Matoran and others traveled to and from the Northern Continent in search of a better life. Some denizens of the continent sailed away to more isolated lands, while inhabitants of distant islands that had been struck by natural disasters or caught in wars looked for shelter in more developed regions. Most natives of Yrenta remained, maintaining loyalty to their homeland and waiting hopefully for their lives to improve. But with Yrenta as it was, under the watch of a domineering Makuta, devoid of benevolent protectors and plagued by savage creatures, virtually all the refugees that came to the region traveled to other lands as soon as they could.The Toa had heard this from Morok and his people, and now they could see for themselves. They received the staring from the locals that they had become accustomed to, followed by looks of wonder and excitement. For the first time in five hundred and forty-three years, the people of Yrenta had Toa protectors again, and they rejoiced.Review

I agree 2008 was a great milestone (should have gotten a movie), but I think it would be a bad note to end on. Teridax was a great villain, but Bionicle follows the tradition of the good guys winning in the end, and I'm okay with that. I don't think letting the Toa and other characters we'd known for years suffer endlessly while Teridax is free to take over the cosmos would be well-received. As long as there was good new content, I would not mind if Bionicle kept going indefinitely. But if I could make it end a few years earlier or later, I'd make it end in 2011 or 2012, once the loose ends from the serials are resolved and everyone settles into life on Spherus Magna.

That's a good explanation of why the Skrall always win in arena battles, I thought of it too. It's too bad we'll probably never find out more about Spherus Magna... wait, that leaves more room for us to fill in the blanks.

Yeah, an empire means subject territories under control of the central culture. For the Skrall to have had an empire, they would need to have non-Skrall be part of it, and I'd say non-Rock Tribe members, too.

Interesting. Neat idea with the rifts and realms, and the explanation of what the mysterious being is, as well as how Imegna's psionic abilities are so potent. Also Rynekaad. I wonder if he thinks he's doing the right thing by upholding order, or just concerned with money. Reminds me of a Toa in my story, except that character is deluded into thinking the Makuta are the good guys, and serves them unconditionally. I'm guessing that we'll see Rynekaad again sometime.My only complaint is that I don't understand how they got to Voya Nui. Unless I missed something, you neglected to explain how they got to an island that's far above the sky of their usual world.Also, you should consider two things in later story. For one, if anyone else finds out that the Toa and Guftivei know that the Order of Mata Nui exists, there could be trouble. They're willing to go far to protect their secrets, and their very existence is a secret, after all. Also, Umbra has a point about how the Makuta would benefit from the Light Ravager's... ravages. But if it goes too far, or attacks them, they would oppose it too. Just a couple things I thought of, I hope it doesn't sound like me dictating to you.PS: Oh, one more thing -- Brutaka seems to be complaining about the Order of Mata Nui, but calls them a group of cool dudes. Looks like a mistake to me.

Sorry the chapter I just posted took so long, but at least the one before ended suspensefully. Or perhaps not, if you know what to expect. Anyway, what happens in this next chapter might seem random and out of place, but it makes more sense if you read the previous story.

End of YrentaChapter Twenty-six==Wastelands North of Yrenta, Northern Continent, Matoran Universe==~543 AGC~ “Will... will he live?” asked Vilam.She feared to hear the answer. Mozmana did not reply immediately, holding Vilam in suspense for what felt like a long time. The Toa of Psionics was kneeling over Imlen, tending his wound and using the power of her Kanohi. Her Mask of Healing could save lives, but it could not heal every injury. Finally Mozmana looked up.“I don't know,” she said grimly. “I've healed his shredded lung, but he has some mechanical damage here that I can't fully repair.”“Did you use any of these?” said the Dark Hunter, stepping away from the unconscious Zima and holding up some tiny spare parts and other implements.“No, give me those!” said Mozmana, and the Vortixx stepped forth and handed over the medical supplies.“Everyone should carry the necessary tools to fix his vital parts in an emergency,” he said as Mozmana got to work again on Imlen. “If you Toa neglect to equip yourselves for worst case scenarios, no wonder your kind is dying off.”“You're right, but now's not the time for lectures,” said Mozmana tersely. “Good – he's breathing steadily, and his heartlight is... in adequate condition. He'll recover. Help me weld this shut.”“Did I hear that correctly?” said Iskanemo, who had just been making sure the Rahkshi and their Kraata were all destroyed. “He'll be alright?”“Yes. But don't wake him,” said the Dark Hunter. “He needs rest for the new parts to start working regularly with the rest of his body. He'd experience considerable discomfort if he woke before that.”“That's a relief. I'd feel terrible if he died, after what happened to Paqyar,” said Iskanemo.“If only he could hear – ” Vilam started to speak, then stopped suddenly when the Vortixx jumped up and fired a Kanoka from Zima's launcher.The disk flew above her head and seemed to hit something invisible far behind the group. It went off as it bounced off its target, causing the camouflaged Roporak to reveal itself as it shrunk. The Dark Hunter sprinted in its direction and tossed a series of shuriken. The metal stars stuck into the carapaces of several more of the stealthy Visorak. Spinners shot towards the Vortixx from behind, and he dodged acrobatically. The scouts of the approaching Brotherhood force had found them, and the rest of the army would soon be upon them. Fortunately, Roporak preferred to strike stealthily from a distance, and the spider Rahi had missed their chance to do that. Iskanemo and Vayrag charged into battle after the Dark Hunter. Vilam nodded to Mozmana, and Mozmana joined the fight, leaving Vilam to watch over Imlen and Zima. The Toa of Ice had been beaten unconscious by the Vortixx, and his Kanohi and weapons had been taken from him. But he could not be left unattended, nor could Imlen. Vilam could have launched lightning bolts at the Visorak her allies were fighting, but decided to concentrate on watching over the two unconscious Toa.After all, it was only a small group of Visorak. One or two Toa alone should have been able to defeat them. Indeed, just as Vayrag had caught up to the Dark Hunter, the Vortixx plunged a short, curved blade – his backup melee weapon – deep into the body of one Visorak, then killed another with a volley of knives almost offhandedly. The Toa Hordika wrestled another Visorak, and overpowered it. He sliced through it, and at that moment another Visorak attacked him from behind. He was surprised, and the Roporak's mandibles snapped shut around him. He and the other Toa could not see what was going on, but Vilam could, and it shocked her. The Visorak that ambushed Vayrag was the one that the Vortixx had just perforated with thrown knives, and the one that had been stabbed got up to assist it in mauling Vayrag. For a moment, Vilam wondered if those Visorak were lucky and tenacious enough to survive such wounds and keep fighting. But in the next several seconds, her allies took down more of the brown Visorak, and all of the fallen soldier Rahi got back up.“What... what's going on?” said Iskanemo as he and the others noticed Visorak that should have been dead rise again.“They're being reanimated. Destroy the bodies utterly,” said the Vortixx, then he addressed Mozmana. “You – scan for minds, find if there's someone else here doing this.”“No time now,” said Mozmana, dodging and blocking the attacks of the Visorak. “Help Vayrag!”Iskanemo blew away the undead Roporak that were attacking Vayrag, and ran forward to check on his fallen friend. The Hordika was alive, but badly injured. The Visorak Iskanemo had blasted into the air fell to the ground, got back up, and advanced on him. His preferred tactic of suffocating his enemies into submission was no use against reanimated creatures, so he summoned another cyclone. The wind lifted and dropped the moving carcasses again, and he began to shred them as quickly as he could before they could recover. A few bio away, Mozmana was having some difficulty. Her psychic attacks were also ineffective against the undead, and she could not sense anyone nearby that could be controlling them. She was agile and adept with her sword, but she was not trained to destroy targets that kept moving even when their bodies were sliced into pieces. As usual, the Vortixx seemed to be faring well. It was impressive how thoroughly he was able to destroy the Visorak with only short blades.He was not fast enough to protect Mozmana, however. She knocked over one reanimated Visorak, and cut its legs and jaws off. It struggled as she did that, and while she was occupied, one of the Roporak that was still alive hit her with a Rhotuka. She struggled against the resulting paralysis, but the poisonous energy immediately slowed her. Living and undead Visorak swarmed over her, dragging her down. She pushed them away with a telekinetic attack, but could not get back up. Iskanemo used his Kanohi Crast to smash another Visorak into a rock formation, then ran over to Mozmana. Swirling winds shielded the two Toa from attack while the Vortixx picked up the unconscious Vayrag and carried him over to Vilam. The Toa of Lightning had not been idle during this. She knew that the undead Visorak were far more difficult to incapacitate, and even if the Toa and the Dark Hunter could defeat them, the rest of the approaching force would be upon them in minutes. Already, arrows, crossbow bolts, and Rhotuka were raining down upon them.When the Vortixx placed Vayrag in her care, she had already summoned the three surviving Rahi steeds. The vehicle the Dark Hunter had arrived in was also nearby. He ran back into the battle as a pack of Ukzokth riding monstrous Kavtokh arrived. They launched spears and arrows at Iskanemo, and the wind caught the projectiles and swirled them around him. Then the wind stopped and the projectiles fell to the ground. Iskanemo had run out of elemental energy. Before he could change tactics, another volley of arrows rained down upon him. He remained standing even as arrows pierced his armor, but was slowed enough for the goblins and their Kavinika-like beasts to tackle him. The Vortixx charged in to save him, and found that like the Visorak, both the Ukzokth and the Rahi rose from the dead immediately after dying. After a brief struggle, he emerged from a pile of body parts that were still trying to kill him, carrying the two Toa. Both of them had suffered by the fangs and claws of the Kavtokh.“Ouch. Thanks,” said Mozmana, who could not move her body but could still talk. “We... owe you for this, I guess.”“Careful what you say,” said the Dark Hunter. “I'll hold you to it. I'm saving you Toa because I have something for you to do.”Vilam rode over to him on Imlen's steed, with the other two following. She zapped a couple of undead fighters to cover the Vortixx as he ran over to her. He secured Mozmana behind Vilam, then he helped Iskanemo onto the back of a second steed and mounted it. They rode the short distance to Imlen and Zima and dismounted. Zima was stirring, so the Vortixx picked up a Kanoka and slammed him with it. The disk's power weakened Zima, causing him to lie still. The Vortixx chained him securely to the back of his vehicle while Vilam endeavored to get her friends to safety. But the Visorak and Ukzokth were approaching rapidly, and it seemed hopeless. Vayrag and Imlen were unconscious, Mozmana was paralyzed, and Iskanemo was having great difficulty standing. Each of the steeds could support no more than two Toa. Vilam twitched to the side, narrowly avoiding a Rhotuka that struck the Rahi Mozmana sat on. The steed moaned and fell over dead, its organic tissue dried to dust by the spinner. Mozmana's limp body landed on its side.“My mask, Vilam!” said Mozmana as Vilam began to pick her up. “Take it, and heal the others!”“No, use it to heal her,” said Iskanemo as Vilam took Mozmana's Kanohi. “It's just Visorak paralysis, easily cured, and I'm not badly hurt.”“Right,” said Vilam, and she replaced her Mask of Fusion with Mozmana's Mask of Healing.The use of the mask was difficult. It required more mental stamina than Vilam was used to for a Kanohi, and she was still slightly dizzy from the Rahkshi of Power Scream's attacks. The Vortixx finished securing Zima, and protected her as she attempted to concentrate. After an excruciating minute, Vilam succeeded, and Mozmana got up. Vilam returned her mask to her and put her own mask back on. By then, the Makuta's army had caught up to them. Arrows bounced off the Dark Hunter's armor as he picked up Imlen and placed him in the rear seat of his vehicle. Mozmana took Vayrag on one of the remaining steeds, and Vilam helped Iskanemo onto the other. The beasts panicked as projectiles hit the ground all around them, and Mozmana used her power to calm them. The Vortixx drove away slowly enough for the Toa to follow him if they moved quickly. Soon they left their enemies behind, save the Kavtokh. Vilam and Mozmana urged their steeds to go faster, and they galloped away from the ravenous monsters.The Vortixx took them to the mountains they had come down to the Wastelands from. They went up the nearest path that could accommodate his vehicle and headed north. After traveling for a little while, they looped around a mountain and headed south on the other side of it. After about an hour, they stopped just beyond a stretch of the road that led along a precipice, on the edge of another mountain. The Dark Hunter led them into a cave for shelter, where Mozmana tended to the wounds of Vayrag and Iskanemo. The Kavtokh and Visorak bites were painful and debilitating, but they were not lethal in this case. Imlen stirred and clutched his chest. Grimacing, he opened his eyes and looked around. The Vortixx had placed a lightstone on the ground in the center of the cavern, allowing Imlen to see that it was large enough to comfortably fit the entire group. The Vortixx himself was sitting next to Zima, who was still unconscious, chained and bereft of his mask and equipment.“What... happened?” mumbled Imlen. "Where are we?"“Take it easy, friend,” said Iskanemo.“We're safe for now,” said Mozmana after doing a quick mental scan to assure herself that was true.“We all... made it?” coughed Imlen, looking down at his aching chest.“We made it out of the wastelands,” said the Vortixx. “And I hope we've evaded them. But I'd like to get moving again until nightfall.”“Hold on – we need information,” said Vilam. “Especially Imlen, who was unconscious for all that.”“I'll tell you what I know later,” said the Vortixx. “If you want to fill him in on what happened, that's fine with me, if that one – Iskanemo – will ride with me instead.”“I do owe Imlen a lot more than that,” admitted Iskanemo. “Alright... at least that way I can keep a closer eye on you.”“Let's get going then, come on,” said the Vortixx, and he and Iskanemo brought Zima back out to the vehicle that was hidden behind a rock outside.“I'll tell you the main thing you need to know,” said Vayrag as the rest of the Toa prepared to continue their journey. “That army in the Wastelands – those creatures rose from the dead upon dying.”Imlen was not sure what to say, so he merely nodded in acknowledgment. The group continued south to where the mountains turned into rocky hills. Below them, to the west, they could see a small sandy desert, where the Po-Matoran of Yrenta had once lived. Long ago, they had been forced out by Ukzokth, and the Toa could see the goblins' fortress on the site of the old Po-Koro. The desert and the hills were both dry, though not as dry as the Wastelands, and prone to extremes of temperature. Imlen shivered, both from fear and cold, as he listened to Vilam's account of what had happened. A wind blowing eastward over the land swept sand from the desert and sprinkled the chilled granules across the hills and the beings traveling through them. The Vortixx instructed them to find shelter, and soon they found a very large burrow in the ground. It looked big enough to comfortably fit the entire group and their means of transportation.“It's occupied. I'm not sure what it is, but there's something very big sleeping in there,” said Mozmana, mentally scanning the burrow. “We had better find another place.”“Ah, no, it's no problem,” said the Dark Hunter. “But I'll need to borrow this...”“What? Hey – ” protested Mozmana, but before she could stop him, the Vortixx had taken her sword.He stealthily slipped into the burrow. A minute later, he emerged and returned the sword to Mozmana. A thin layer of grime covered the blade up to the hilt, indicating it had just been used.“Alright, get inside” ordered the Vortixx.“You killed it?” said Mozmana disapprovingly, though she and the others felt they had no choice but to follow his instructions.“The sooner we got shelter, the better, and we're more important than him. If it makes you feel better, he was asleep the whole time,” said the Vortixx. “I'll tell you Toa what I know about those walking dead, but first I need to deliver someone. Stay in there. I'll be back soon.”“Wait – where are you taking him?” protested Imlen as the Vortixx made sure Zima was secure on the rear of the vehicle.“I can't tell you that,” said the Vortixx. “You have my promise you won't see him again... for what that's worth.”The Vortixx got back in the vehicle and started its roaring motor. The Toa watched him speed off, then went into the burrow. It was indeed large enough for them to all fit comfortably in, though the massive carcass dominating the den was unsettling. Vilam opened a bag of Rahi feed and fed the steeds while Mozmana checked everyone's wounds. They were all sore, and the three older Toa still limped slightly, but they would soon be completely well again. Once the Toa were settled in, they began to discuss the situation. Before they could come to any conclusions, the Vortixx returned. The Toa stared at him hard, determined to get some answers.“What happened to Zima?” demanded Vilam.“I delivered him – still chained, of course – to an ally, and that's all I will tell you,” said the Dark Hunter. “Your quest against him is complete, and that should be enough.”“Who are you? Why did you help us escape?” said Vilam.“You know who I am. I am a Dark Hunter,” said the Vortixx. “If you must know, my code name is Jutsu.”“'Jutsu'?” Imlen chuckled, then coughed. “Who... comes up with these code names?”“And I saved you because of our encounter with those undying creatures,” said Jutsu, ignoring Imlen. “Tell me, have you ever heard of a Makuta named Anecrax?”“No,” said Imlen, shaking his head.“Teskor is the only Makuta we know by name,” said Vilam.“I know who Makuta Gorast is, and I've heard of one named Tridax, and a few other names, but never heard of Anecrax,” said Iskanemo.“I don't know much about him either,” said Jutsu. “But apparently he's obsessed with death and reanimating the dead.”“You mean, he was the one reanimating the goblins and Visorak we killed?” said Vayrag.“I strongly suspect that is so. But though the Makuta have many powers, that is not one of them,” said the Dark Hunter. “And – unless he was hiding on the battlefield somehow, which I doubt – he was far out of range of a Kanohi Tryna.”“So he has some special means of creating undead from far away,” said Vilam.“And you think he's somewhere around here?” guessed Imlen.“Correct,” nodded Jutsu. “This unique ability of his must have some limit – otherwise, we would see the dead walking everywhere – and so I suspect he is in this part of the continent. More specifically, I think he is in the Wastelands, and probably working with your Makuta Teskor.”“So, what? You expect us to fight two Makuta at once?” said Iskanemo.“Oh, goodness, no,” said Jutsu. “I expect you to use your brains and come up with a plan to deal with them that won't get you killed. Or at least, I'd like to expect that. Anecrax is a threat to everyone, and the universe needs Toa to keep it safe from beings like him.”“What about you? Aren't you going to help?” said Imlen, and the words still felt strange to say.“Do I look like a Toa to you? I wish you the best, and not for your sakes, but I have other jobs to do. I mean it this time,” said Jutsu, glancing meaningfully at Vilam. “It's time I report to the Shadowed One.”“Wait,” demanded Imlen, and he readied his weapon to stop the Hunter. “What's the Shadowed One's goal here? What's your mission?”“I have told you all I will,” said Jutsu firmly.“No, you haven't,” said Vilam as she and the rest of the Toa drew their weapons and surrounded him.“You're making a mistake,” said the Vortixx, crouching into a combat stance.Review

The only reference to weight I recall was in Birth of a Dark Hunter, in which Gladiator was judged to be 'close to a ton of mechanical muscle.'

So basically, the part of Bara Magna that Mata Nui landed in was only one little part of a planet that might have thousands more Agori and Glatorian in parts we've never heard of. That makes sense, I'm not sure how I got the idea that that region and the Black Spike Mountains were the only inhabited areas.