Varkanax39

Chapter 5 The cold Fellsian wind battered against Shardak, the chill seeping through his armor and into the muscle beneath. Shuddering, the Toa drew his black cloak around him, trying to conserve warmth. He hadn't realized the higher mountains of the Fells grew so cold at twilight. Ion had warned him of it, yes, but in the face of the dangers posed by the Ix and Jekart, he'd almost ignored it. Torak stepped next to him, his eyes fixed on the map Ion had given them. Badly incomplete, it only showed the Fells, the Northern Wastes, and the southern kingdoms, including the Scar Mounatins and Akkad. Torak had to hold the map tightly and later place it in with the blue diamonds, for the winds grew so strong they nearly tore it from his hands. Shardak stopped at the edge of a gorge, and Valkyria, Blast, and the others did the same. It wasn't large, almost leapable, but Shardak knew at once that the two Matoran could not make the jump. Once again, he wished his element was more useful, or he had sufficient auric control to simply levitate them all across the chasm. "Should we try to jump it?" asked Shardak. Valkyria nodded. "You, Torak, and I can easily make it across, and once one of us is on the other side, we can hand the Matoran over from one side to the other." Torak grunted in agreement. The taciturn Skakdi was not one for a large amount of words, and simply gave a one-word reply or a grunt when he needed to voice his opinions. Shardak had wondered at first if they'd done something to bother him, but Torak certainly didn't seem annoyed. "I'll go across." said Shardak to Torak. "Then you and Valkyria can hand the Matoran across the chasm to me." Steeling himself for the jump that he knew he could make, but also knew certain death awaited him if he didn't, Shardak leapt across the void, grabbing onto the jagged edge of the cliff. For one moment, his eyes fixed on the dizzying drop below him, and he almost let go of the cliff in shock. Quickly tightening his grasp, he climbed his way up the jagged edge, and finally rose to his feet on the other end of the gorge. Now Silver was being passed across the gorge. Shardak knew this had to be done very carefully, for if Valkyria's grasp faltered, even for one minute, he and Silver would both plummet to their deaths in the Void. Shardak leaned over the gorge, Silver now being supported by both Valkyria and Torak, but still unable to bridge the chasm. Shardak leaned further, abandoning all but the slightest of handholds. He felt his fingers close around Silver's, and he hauled the Matoran onto the surface of the cliff just as Valkyria let go. No sooner was Silver safely across when Torak began helping Dust across. Twice the Skakdi's grip almost faltered, but both times he managed to save himself and the Matoran narrowly, finally letting go when Shardak and Silver pulled Dust across to the other side. Valkyria easily leaped across the chasm, grabbing hold of one of the jagged handhelds and dragging herself out of the Void. The Ix girl had seemed more at ease on their journey, talking politely to both Silver and Dust, and seemed more relaxed and at ease. Shardak remembered Saren's wishes to kill her before Shardak left the rebel base, and realized how hard it must have been for her to live for four months in a place where her kind were hated and reviled. Torak seemed more wary, staring down several times into the abyss before finally leaping across. He fell short by several meters, and Shardak had to reach across the chasm and grab his hand in order to pull him across. Torak grabbed hold of the cliff's edge, rising shakily to his feet next to Shardak. "That was...interesting." said Torak, guarded. "I prefer flat ground to the Fells, though." Shardak understood how that felt; after years of being raised in the Fells, the flatlands in the Circle and, later, the Nameless City, had seemed strange to him. Shardak drew his cloak once again around his body and began to follow his allies deeper into the Northern Mountains. The mountains were only growing higher, they were far above the rebel base now. Suddenly Shardak saw more lights, and a dark weapon flashed from the gloom. Shardak reflexively raised the Blade of Arcturas, deflecting the attacker's sweeping scythe. Shardak instantly recognized the heavy black armor and the cold, dark eyes. Ix warriors. Shardak had no more time to think, only time to react. He couldn't even see how many attackers there were, only watch as Torak raised his shield and water spear and charge forward, slamming against a tall Ix warrior. The Blade slashed through the being's armor, but Shardak could see no more, for suddenly he was fighting a second Ix warrior, shorter and less heavily built then the first, but no less fast. Shardak flung himself forward, launching into a fast but not extremely complex fighting pattern, a vague combination of the Sila and Lihtne combat forms. The Ix seemed surprised at his attack in both the aura field and the physical world, and for one moment he hesitated. However, he quickly recovered, and brought his scythe down on Shardak's shoulder. Blood welled from the wound. At one time, that would have stopped Shardak. But Shardak was no longer the naïve young warrior who had once sought battle with the Ix and their allies. He'd been trained by some of the greatest weapons instructors alive today, and whatever Saren thought of Ion, the Toa had trained him well. He quickly recovered, forcing the Ix once again on the defensive, and then began to batter at the Ix warrior's already weakening mental defenses. However, while surprised by his ferocity, the Ix warrior was still far more skilled then Shardak. He quickly lashed out again, his weapon smashing against Shardak's with such ferocity that the Sword of Fire was nearly dragged out of Shardak's hands. The Ix warrior swept his weapon then to one side, following his first attack with a wildly confusing attack pattern that tore through Shardak's defenses and tore a gash along his arm. Shardak was quickly being forced backward, and suddenly he was fighting not one, but two beings, an Ix and a Kranr. He saw flashes of his allies in the darkness, saw Valkyria battling a Kranr soldier, Silver and Dust mobbing a Glatorian. Neither Torak nor the other Ix warrior was anywhere to be seen. Within seconds, the Kranr had forced his way past Shardak's defenses, and was battering at his chestplate with his spear. Before he could impale Shardak completely, the Toa brought his weapon down across the Kranr's armored back, feeling it sink through first armor, then muscle. The Kranr staggered backward, opening his mouth in a roar of rage that quickly became a scream as he vanished from view. Shardak was confused for one moment, then realized he'd staggered over the edge of the cliff. Shardak hadn't even noticed the cliff's edge was directly in front of him. There was no more time to think, only react as the Ix warrior battered against his defenses again and again. Shardak felt him overcome the last of his defenses, heard the Blade of Arcturas fall to the ground. He pulled it toward him in the aura field, felt his fingers close around the handle. The Ix warrior snarled as Shardak deflected his attack once again, then suddenly swung the scythe in the opposite direction. Confused, Shardak had barely enough time to register a blue blur before Torak slammed into the remaining Ix warrior, slashing open his throat and chestplate. Mortally wounded, the Ix warrior fell to the ground, his weapon falling from his hands. Shardak looked around for any signs of surviving Ix warriors, but three Kranr lay dead, and he could see the mangled remains of the other Ix lying near the opposite edge of the cliff. He could see both Silver and Dust were alive, though one of the Kranr had torn a gash across Dust's arm. However, none of them were badly wounded, not even Torak. Shardak looked up at the darkening skies, and knew it was almost time for them to set up camp for that night. They had all suffered light wounds, but even those could become infected without treatment. He wished, not for the first time, he could somehow heal with his Toa powers. It wasn't even a wish--he was sure there was a way-- but neither Arkhan nor Ion had taught him how. "Lucky that none of us were seriously wounded." he commented to Silver. "Yes..." answered the Matoran. "But it's strange. Almost as if they knew we were here." Silver's words sent a chill of foreboding up Shardak's spine as he echoed Saren's words from the day before. Why would any Ix warrior be in the Fells, when nearly all of their elite warriors were based in Drakos Capitol and the surrounding cities? There could only be one explanation. Someone in the rebellion had told the Ix that they would be there. *** Not for the first time, Blast opened his mouth to speak to Shardak, then remembered the Toa wasn't there. As he strode through the flat plateau along the border between the lower cities and the Fells, he reflected on how little he'd been able to speak with his best friend before he was sent away on yet another mission for the rebellion. He wished he'd been able to explain to him about the dreams he'd had. They seemed so vivid at times that Blast was sure he'd actually lived through them. His most recent dream had been his most vivid. He'd been fighting on a cliff against a group of tall, heavily armored beings, beside a heavily built being that looked a little like Ion, but wore blue armor and had red eyes. But these eyes were not at all like those of the Ix. They were kind and almost appeared both old and young at the same time. Then, suddenly, he was somewhere else, standing in a cave beside a being who looked like a Toa, flanked by several Glatorian. The blue-armored being was there as well, holding Blast's scythe and Fairon was there, standing beside a white-and-yellow Makuta. Then he'd awoken, wondering how much of the dream had been true. He'd wanted to speak with Fairon, but the Toa was far away, fighting against the Ix in the Canyonlands. Deep in the Void, four months ago, Blast had learned he'd been posessed by an ancient entity known as Millennium, who had wiped all memories of his previous life and, in an elaborate illusion, influenced him to believe he'd always lived in the Fells. He'd been an outcast until he met Shardak a few months later. Now Blast was desperately trying to make sense of what had been real and what had been false. He still had not recovered his memories, even after the death of Millennium, and while Fairon had told him that he'd once taken part in the Eternal Game, he remembered little else. "Blast!" a voice broke through the maelstrom raging within Blast's mind. "Blast, follow me. We're ready to continue." For the past day, he, Jareroden, and Ion had traveled to the borders of rebel territory and crossed once more into the Ix Empire. They were now in the middle of the wild plains generally labeled the Wastelands, though Blast had seen they were far, far more then that. They were roamed by tribes of wild Vorox, Zesk, and Rock Steeds, as well as other creatures far more wild and dangerous. They now stood atop a large hill, the massive peaks rising in the distance beyond the swamps and the Fells alike. Blast knew that somewhere, high above him, Shardak was traveling, with a Skakdi, his two Matoran friends, and an Ix warrior. Blast had never been sure what he thought of Valkyria. On one hand, she'd saved Shardak's life in the Void, on another, she was an Ix warrior, who could never be trusted. Despite the fact she'd been sentanced into the 175th Eternal Game, Blast still didn't believe she hadn't gone willingly. "Coming!" he called back, racing over to join Jareroden and Ion. Both Toa looked grim as the winds grew colder and the skies grew darker. "We're almost to the camps of the Dargon tribe." said Ion. "Hopefully they will be convinced to join our cause.' Their mission was to find the camps of the enigmatic Dargon race and convince them to ally with the rebellion. The majority of the rebellion's warriors were of the various Veythari clans, who were all allied against the Ix and lived in the upper regions of the Fells. The next greatest group were disaffected Matoran, Agori, and Kranr, and the remainders were Glatorian or Toa. They needed more allies before they would be able to assault the Empire's cities. While they may have been able to win several victories in the Fells and the Canyonlands, they had certainly not gathered a stong or large enough force to take on the more powerful of the Ix's cities, certainly not heavily fortified districts like Gigas Nui or Drakos Capitol. Suddenly, a second flash of light interrupted Blast's thoughts. A tall, blue-armored being stood before them at the base of the cliff. Blast instantly felt vulnerable, for they were standing at the edge of the mountain, and to fall from the cliff at this height would mean certain death. Blast recognized the being immediately, his cold orange eyes and sapphire armor all too visible in the broad daylight. This was the being who had captured them all those weeks ago in the Circle, the being who had taken them as prisoners to the Circle. Ion unsheathed his long, curved broadsword, and Jareroden raised his Toa tool. "Banrax..." Ion hissed. The Elemental smiled, a cold, grim expression that spoke of little more then death. "I am glad that I have mnet you again, Ion, and you, Glatorian." he said, fixing his gaze on Blast. "Now you shall perish."

Chapter 4 Shardak stared at the massive cliffs that bordered the rebel base in awe as he, Valkyria, and Torak walked toward the gates. Ion and Arkhan stood there waiting for him, both carrying weapons. The usual, uniformly gray-armored guards were conspicuously absent. Since his training had begun, Shardak had sparred many times with both Ion, Arkhan, and Saren at these gates, and he was almost annoyed to leave them after his four months here. Then he remembered what today would bring. Today was the beginning of his search for the Annulus fragment, today was the start of his first day as a warrior of the rebellion. He looked at Torak, Silver, and Dust, who looked likewise excited, and at Valkyria, whose expression was unreadable. Not for the first time, Shardak wished he could speak to her, tell her that they were among friends and there was no need to continue hiding her emotions, but he could find no way to put it to her. "You will have to travel south, through the Sourthern Mountains." said Ion. "Eventually, they'd lead into Arden, but you'll stop at a city about midway known as Akkad. The Akkadians have long been able to remain independent from both the Fells and the Southern Kingdoms due to their large supply of iron ore, and this continues to this day. The city is neither ruled by the rebellion or the Empire, much like the northernmost cities of the Fells. "There you will find the information broker known as Jekart. He, like all of the other Akkadian information brokers, is neutral, but has disturbing ties with a bounty hunter known as Skorr currently employed by the Empire. However, he is the only being who deals in the information that you seek, and the only being brave enough to deal in information about the Empire." "What information do we need from Jekart?" asked Shardak. "The latest movements of the Ix's armies." answered Ion. "You can't expect to remain in Akkad and recover the Annulus. He will give you the location of the Obsidian Cliffs as well. We expect they're somewhere north of Arden, perhaps in the Scar Mountains, since that's where the Ix have been seen lately. However, the cliffs have always been heavily guarded by Ix, so no one here knows their exact location." "How long will the journey to Akkad take?" asked Shardak. "Ideally, we would send you through the Canyonlands along the Arden border. However, the fighting is too thick there for us to send you that route. It'll take you two or three days to reach the city of Akkad along the Fellsian route. While the Ix presence may not be as thick along the edge of the Fells, but there's still a large possibility you could be attacked, either by Imperials or mercenaries. The Southern Mountains have always been full of bounty hunters, and you can be sure the Ix have a bounty on your head." Shardak nodded, remembering Nightwatcher. The thought of him, and the Nameless City, suddenly caused him to think of Saren's revelation. What if Ion was trying to get them all killed? "You'll be fine, Shardak. Arkhan has trained you well, as has Silencer. Torak, Silver, Dust, and Valkyria are all strong fighters." Ion reassured him. Shardak nodded again, relieved that Ion hadn't been able to read his wariness as well as Arkhan had the day of the High Council meeting. "How will we deal with this Jekart?" asked Torak, his voice a low growl. "He certainly doesn't sound like the type who'll simply hand over the information freely." "You're right." said Ion. "Jekart is, perhaps, the most expensive of all the brokers in Akkad. Perhaps this will convince him that you can pay him accordingly." Ion handed a satchel to Shardak, who opened it. The bag was filled with at least seventy blue diamonds. Even one of these could fetch an exorbitant price of at least one hundred. "This will certainly be enough." said Shardak. "I'll hand them all over to Jekart, then--" "No!" interjected Ion. "If you give Jekart the entire bag, he'll simply ask for more. Give him exactly a fourth for the information you seek, and if he does not give a complete answer, give him more. Under no circumstances should you let him see the full contents of the bag, or empty it completely." "I understand." answered Shardak, and Ion smiled. "One more thing." the mutated Toa said. "You handed this to Atarus your first night as a rebel warrior. Now I give it back to you, with the hope that you will keep it safe." He handed Shardak a dark black, ebony stone, one that seemed to absorb light rather then reflect it. Shardak recognized it immediately: the heart of the Ix's power, the fragment of the Annulus' power source. The Shadow Orb. "But why?" asked Shardak. "It's safer with the rebellion, isn't it?" "Not any more." Ion said cryptically, and Shardak knew he would not elaborate further. Seeing his expression, Ion said, "You are ready for this, Shardak. We never expected you to simply allow us to keep you safe in the Fells." Shardak responded politely, still a little wary of Ion. But even still, his mentor's words filled Shardak once again with expectation. He stared once again at the Blade of Arcturas, then at the sack of diamonds, and knew that he was ready for the journey that lay ahead. Silver, Dust, Valkyria, and Torak had already passed through the gates, and Shardak followed, stepping through the gates and once more into the world beyond. *** The clash of weapons rang through the air as Fairon nimbly sidestepped a thrust from a Kranr warrior, followed suddenly by a backslash from the Glatorian standing next to him. Fairon slashed through the Kranr's breastplate, and as the mortally wounded being fell to the ground, he surveyed the battlefield. Nearly half of Kharix's warriors were dead, but they had slain many more Imperial soldiers in the conflict. Slowly, Kharix was pulling her warriors back, allowing Galika's troops to reinforce them. Here, Fairon knew, the battle was turning in their favor. Nearly twenty dead Imperials lay killed by spears thrown by Galika's warriors hidden among the cliffs, and the remainder of the first wave of attackers were being systematically cut down as they attempted to follow the spearfighters up the cliffs. Fairon slashed to one side, parrying thrusts and slashes from Kranr and Glatorian alike. The reflexes he'd gained in the months following the Eternal Game took over, and seven Kranr lay at his feet, dead. A Glatorian charged toward him, and the Toa of light tore the weapon from the soldier's hand and felt his weapon bury itself in the attacker's leg. As the Glatorian staggered backward, frantically reaching for his weapon, two spears felled him. Fairon looked around for any sign of his rescuers, and saw two Agori, armored from head to foot, ready their spears once more and prepare to combat the second wave of attackers. Fairon could see Kharix, surrounded by eight of her warriors, fighting against the onslaught. Galika, despite her tactical advantages. was faring little better-- nearly half of her warriors had fallen to the attackers, either dead or wounded. "Lieutenant!" he called. "Pull back! Hold the cliffs!" Kharix nodded once, then disappeared back into the fray. Despite Galika's heavy defenses, the second wave had managed to scale the cliff despite losing a third of its warriors. Fairon could see one more wave of perhaps twelve already wounded attackers reinforcing their comrades, but despite their losses, Galika continued to hold the cliffs, leaving Kharix and her surviving warriors able to concentrate on forcing their way through the remnants of the second and first groups of attackers. Fairon felt his scimitar tear through a Copy of Corpse, causing the machinelike being to stagger backward and collapse, then, in the same motion, deflected a thrust from an onrushing Kranr. As the Kranr forced his way past, Fairon used his elemental light powers to create burst of burning white light. The Kranr staggered backward, momentarily blinded. Fairon easily disarmed him, then turned and vanished back into the fray as Kharix's troops pushed forward, leaving the Kranr and his group of warriors lying dead on the ground. Fairon could see their forces were about even now-- while the attackers still outnumbered them by maybe ten warriors, he still had at least twelve beings guarding the cliffs, and six of Kharix's warriors were still alive as well. Fairon charged into the battle beside a badly wounded Skakdi, who was firing bolts of heat vision from his eyes every few seconds, while at the same time slashing through the enemies' armor more effectively then Fairon would have believed possible. Now the Imperials were pulling back. Galika's forces had slain the remaining enemies on the cliffs, and the remnants of the small platoon were pulling back as Galika's remaining warriors charged toward them, slamming into them from the side as the remainder of Kharix's group charged toward them. The few remaining warriors who still lived had either dropped their weapons and fled, or were pulling back, leaving their dead comrades behind on the battlefield. Only there were only a few fleeing now: of the nearly sixty Imperial warriors who had engaged them at the start of the battle, only about twenty still lived, half of those badly wounded and in no condition to fight them any further. Fairon watched as the last of his enemies disappeared into the shadows. "Let them go." he ordered. "They won't trouble us any further." The battlefield after the battle had always disturbed Fairon. The corpses of both allies and enemies lay strewn across the canyon, the conflicts they'd had in their life meaning nothing now in death. The majority of the fallen beings below were Kranr or enemy Glatorian-- most of Kharix's troops had fallen in the canyon beyond, Galika's had died defending the cliffs. "How many do we have left?" Fairon asked Galika, dreading the answer. He knew that Kharix had lost almost all twenty of the beings under her command, and Galika could not have done much better. "Fourteen of my group still live." said Galika. "And Kharix has seven who survived the battle. However, at least four of these beings will not recover, and only twelve would be able to fight, including us, if we were attacked." Fairon nodded acknowledgement; he'd expected far worse. However, with only twelve beings able to fight, he certainly couldn't continue his offensive. He hadn't expected to be able to, either, with only forty beings under his command, he was lucky any of them still lived. They'd be forced to fall back to the Wastelands, where he knew at least several detachments of rebel warriors were, guarding the border between the sourthern portion of Xaterex and the Fells. They'd have to resupply, then return to the Canyonlands, to hold the territory he'd gained from this battle. The Toa of light could only hope that the Fells were not being attacked along another front. While it was difficult for the Fells to be attacked from the Canyonlands, Fairon knew the border with Arden was dangerously undefended, and the Mountain range in which several of the larger districts were built, while more heavily guarded then the other borders, could probably not hold against attackers from one of the far larger and more powerful Ix strongholds. Fairon continued thinking about the many fronts of the war, including the battle that raged on Noctxia Magna, and whether they had enough troops to attack the heavily guarded cities just south of the Fells. Slowly, however, he began to gather his surviving warriors. He toyed with the idea of leaving several to guard the border, but realized that there was no way they'd be able to stand against another group of Ix, not even a small one. Fairon knew they had won a victory against the Ix, but with so few surviving beings under his command and being forced to retreat to the Wastelands felt much more like defeat. For the first time in many days, Fairon thought about his friends still at the base in the Fells. There was Blast, the Glatorian who had been his ally in the first Eternal Game, Jareroden, who'd been an ally in the second Game, and Ion, who had helped train him for the war in the flatlands. But mainly, he thought of Shardak, the Toa of aura, who, along with himself, Galika, and Jareroden, were the last surviving free Toa in the universe. He wondered, exactly, where Shardak was, and what he was doing now. Had the High Council deemed him ready to join the war effort? Or was he still waiting in the Fells, wondering when they would allow him to begin? And do you really want Shardak to join us? Fairon thought. Our past three months have been nothing but ceaseless battle along the Fellsian border. Slowly, night began to fall, and his surviving warriors began to set up camp. Fairon helped, but his mind was elsewhere, lost in memories of the friends he'd lost, and the friends he had left behind. Finally, he began to calm, to relax from the long battle they'd fought. We have to continue. While I have waded through two bloody arenas and now still fight on. I promised the Ix silently, that night after the first Eternal Game, that I would make sure no other being had to fight in the Eternal Game again. I will not surrender.

Chapter 3 Fairon stood atop the cliffs, surveying his troops below. The division of warriors, Glatorian, Agori, and Skakdi, mainly, were standing below, armed and armored heavily. All had the glint of determination in their eye, ready to face the Ix once more. Sometimes, Fairon couldn't believe that nearly four months had passed since his escape had passed. The arena always seemed directly behind him, and he almost felt as though the arena loomed ahead of him as well, though he knew he'd never participate in another Eternal Game. The rebellion would never allow the Empire to capture him alive. Almost immediately after he'd escaped the arena, the rebellion had appointed him leader of a division of warriors, with two other victors, Galika and Kharix, as commanders under him. He'd been sent after two weeks of rest to attempt to force the Ix onto the defensive. His division had taken three Imperial outposts in the past month, including one along the Shadewater River, which ran through Arden and the Mountains as well as the Fells. It had been a better month then the last two, which involved several defeats along the New Metru Nui front which had forced him into retreat toward the Fells. Recently, he'd regained the offensive and pushed further, across the Shadewater. Now he stood in the Canyonlands, the wild border between the southern lands known collectively as Arden and the northern provinces of Gigas Nui and the Fells. Several of the canyons were far too deep to pass through, others allowed easy passage between the two areas. However, every single one of the passable canyons was guarded by heavily armed Ix warriors. The majority of the troops were conscripts, Kranr, Agori, and Matoran making up the bulk of the forces, but Fairon's scouts had reported several Ix warriors with them as well. This was unusual, for the bulk of the elite Ix warriors were currently tied down fighting in Noctxia Magna, where the war was thickest. The other planet the Empire ruled, Calos, was still officially neutral, but Fairon knew it was wavering toward the rebellion. "Commander." a voice broke through his thoughts. Fairon turned to see Kharix, clad in silver and green armor, walking toward him, two Glatorian warriors following her. "The Ix warriors have been sighted. Three of my scouts have fallen and we are waiting for the order to engage them." Fairon followed Kharix down the ridge, toward the valleys below. The Canyonlands were filled with his helmeted warriors, numbering just over forty. While he and Kharix been enemies in the Eternal Game, Fairon had been on better terms with her after the Game, when they no longer had anything to fight about. She treated him with respect, if not friendliness. Kharix turned, gathering her warriors. Fairon nervously began to worry that his force could not defeat the massed group of Kranr below, for there were far more Ix warriors then he had under his command. Most of his battles had been skirmishes, a subtle push and pull back and forth. This was the largest battle he'd ever ventured into, and he realized they had little hope of winning. He surveyed the battlefield. The Ix warriors would have to come through the narrow openings to reach them, but at the same time, they'd have to do the same to break through their lines. Calling Galika over to him, he whispered an order to the Toa of Water. "Kharix will be going into the battle first, Use your twenty warriors to defend the pass, and make sure no Ix warriors get through. If Kharix falls back, then reinforce her. I'll follow Kharix, but you'll guard the pass behind us." Galika nodded, her face grim. Fairon knew she missed Jareroden, her friend who was currently still at the base in the Fells. They hadn't had contact for the past month, since Fairon had been given his newest orders. Once he broke through the canyonlands, he was to meet with the officials in the city on the edge of Arden known as Vatru in an attempt to convince them to join the rebellion, thus giving them a foothold in the south as well. Fairon had no more time to think of his mission. He could see that Kharix was already leading her troops toward the Canyons, while Galika's warriors took up positions on the cliffs above. Fairon drew his scimitar, a replacement for his lance that he'd used in the Void and lost after the Eternal Game began, and followed Kharix's warriors into the battle. *** "It is imperative." began Saren, his voice a low whisper. "That nothing I tell you leaves this room. This is dangerous information, but as you join Jareroden's command, Blast, and your mission begins, Shardak, you cannot afford not to know this." "What?" asked Blast. "What could be so dangerous that you couldn't mention to the High Council?" "I believe that there is a traitor in the rebellion, someone in our inner circle." said Saren. The two beings gasped in shock. "What?" asked Shardak, surprised. "Why?" "Remember the way Nightwatcher located Jareroden almost too easily, then proceeded to capture you? Do you honestly believe that even a bounty hunter of his caliber could simply locate you that easily? Later, more proof was given of this, when we were forced to evacuate Void's Edge." Shardak remembered that day, when he'd met with Ion, Atarus, and the rest of the rebellion's high command, and then had to abruptly evacuate the base when a troop of Ix warriors attacked moments later. It had almost seemed uncanny how easily they'd discovered the allegedly well-hidden base. "Yes, I almost came to the same conclusion." said Shardak. "But how could the two incidents be related? The only member of the rebellion who was with us in the Void was Ion." "Yes." said Saren. "It pains me to say this, but I believe that Ion is the traitor." "What?" Shardak exploded. "Ion would never betray the rebellion! He did everything he could to escort us to the rebels until the Shadow of Ages attacked!" "Yes, I know. Ion has always seemed like one of the most loyal of all our members. If Atarus were here, we would be able to use his Rode to scan his mind, but he'll be in Noctxia Magna for at least another month before he'll be able to return. I can't imagine what motive Ion would have for betraying us, but one thing is certain: you must be on your guard. Trust no one you meet in your mission." Saren's voice seemed almost hopeless, and Shardak realized how hard this must be for him, to even consider that his friend could be a traitor. He didn't exactly know what to think of this, for he couldn't believe, after everything Ion had done, that he was a traitor. Yet the Ix found you almost too easily one other time Ion was with you. a small voice whispered within Shardak's mind. Near Void's Edge, the day that Silencer died... The thought of his first mentor's final sacrifice so that he could join the rebellion always shook Shardak, more so now that he'd heard Saren's suspicions. Silencer had fought to the death against an Ix commander far more skilled then he. His brother, Melnox, had then decoyed the Ix away from Shardak so he, Blast, and Kyhrex could escape them. Sometimes, he wondered about Melnox's final fate. He'd certainly never made it to any of the rebel's bases on Xaterex. "That is all I have to say." Saren finished. "Be on your guard, Shardak and Blast, and may Mata Nui protect you in your coming trials." Shardak answered politely, then followed Blast out of the Command chamber. He would have to now gather the rest of his group, Silver, Dust, and Valkyria for their mission. Inwardly, despite Saren's disturbing revelation, he was filled with both happiness and abstract fear at the thought of the quest he had ahead of him. Finally, after the weeks following his escape from the Circle and the deadly Eternal Game, his quest had begun. Thoughts of the Annulus and the trials he would face raced through his mind faster then he would have normally believed possible. While he'd certainly never have wanted to go back to war, he couldn't let Fairon and Jareroden and his other friends fight for the rebellion while he remained in the Fells. "So, this is where the war begins." said Blast, his voice oddly emotionless. "Yes." said Shardak, his voice grim, but resolved as he turned and followed Torak down the narrow corridors of the rebellion's base. Raising the Blade of Arcturas, and examining the ancient, runic designs on the Blade, Shardak knew he was ready. He had to be.

Chapter 2 Wind howled across the open plains below the Fells, and Shardak almost shivered in the chill cold. Above them, the great binary sun Solis Magna was rising, a burning globe of liquid fire in the east. Slowly, the striking pink and red clouds began to vanish as the sun climbed higher. Once again, the plains were being replaced by forest, and ahead, Shardak noticed the base. The rebellion's base would never have been spotted by the casual observer, and Shardak only recognized it because he'd lived there for nearly four months of his life. It was an ancient building, the foundation and the west wall were slowly being overtaken by vines. However, the most of the building had been restored and nearly completely rebuilt. Even the walls were painted in camouflage, and while he could not see them, Shardak knew that several skilled archers patrolled the wall. Two spear wielding guards nodded as Arkhan passed them. The Glatorian whispered the password, then the remainder of the strike team did the same. Then they were in. Shardak strode through the long hall, awaiting instructions. Arkhan disappeared through a paneled door, ready to report their mission's success to the High Council. There, the most senior members of the resistance met, to discuss their many campaigns against the Empire. Slowly, he walked away from the door, passing by several other armed resistance members. They were being sent to reinforcer Fairon, who was leading a campaign against the city of Gigas Nui, his homeland. While Shardak knew little of the rebellion's long-term war plans, he knew that Fairon's division was one of many, and several others were fighting on Xaterex, trying to take down the large districts nearer to Drakos Capitol. Shardak was so absorbed in his thoughts he nearly ran into a tall, armored being he recognized as Darvath. One of the leaders of the rebellion, Darvath's species had nearly been completely destroyed during the fall of the ancient Elemental kingdom Arcaea, and had fought against the Empire ever since. "The High Council wishes to see you." he said, his voice formal and rather flat. "Follow me." Shardak felt a burning ray of hope rise within him. Finally he would be able to speak with the leaders of the rebellion, as he had not been able to since the first day he'd awoken in the small base at Void's Edge, shocked to find that his rescuers were Silencer's allies. Darvath opened the paneled door and walked through. Shardak followed, and stepped into the command chamber. The room was ancient, far older then any other in the base, and ancient pictures depicting Arcaea at the height of its glory were carved onto the ceiling, walls, and even the table where five other beings were seated. Shardak immediately recognized Arkhan, his face slightly grim. To his left sat the Glatorian warrior Saren Naghara, who smiled at Shardak and waved in greeting. The tall, enigmatic being known as Parikon stood to Arkhan's right, his face inscrutable. Facing them were the Skakdi known as Freztrak, a powerful Skakdi warlord from the Fells who had allied his large tribe with the rebellion, and Tiral, the commander of the Rebel's Starcraft fleet. There was a sixth being standing in the chamber, and Shardak, to his surprise, recognized it as his friend Blast. He waved to the Glatorian, who had been fulfilling similar duties to those of Shardak since their escape from the arena. "Please be seated." said Saren, waving to a chair on his right. Both Shardak and Blast sat, Blast beside Freztrak, Shardak next to Saren. All of the rebel warriors wore grim expressions, and Shardak wondered what had been troubling them. "What are the latest updates?" Freztrak asked Saren. "Still no word from Mersery. He and his detachment are pinned down between the Northern Wastes and the Fells. However, Fairon has captured and destroyed several fortresses in the Scar Mountains, and is ready to strike at several larger targets in the valleys below." "Any reports from the bases south of Arden, Parikon?" asked Tiral, who seemed slightly annoyed. Shardak guessed she was loathe to abandon her fleets, even for a few days, and wanted to return to the larger cities in the Fells where the rebel fleets were based. "Yes, but nothing good." said Parikon grimly. "They were overrun, and completely destroyed. Several of our outposts along the Fellsian border are still intact, however, but have no chance of making a counterattack or surviving an assault." "What of our attack on the Imperial fortresses on the edges of the Fens?" Arkhan asked Freztrak. The Skakdi stayed silent for a few moments before answering. "We managed to defeat a group of Imperial soldiers, but suffered more casualties then we caused. I am not eager to continue pressing an attack against the Empire in the Fens for fear they will eliminate the neutral tribes that occupy the area." All of the commanders nodded in understanding. Shardak knew that none of them were eager to alienate more neutral kingdoms by invading the Imperial outposts in the Fens. The tribes that occupied the area, both primitive Kodax, Skakdi, and Glatorian, were all nominally ruled by the Empire, but the Ix would not hesitate to use them as an example to alienate more kingdoms from joining the rebellion. "So, Shardak, this brings us to you." said Saren. "We are ready to formally accept you as a member of the resistance. However, there are certain things you must know."' "Until now, the Empire has been tyrannical and oppressive, as well as dangerous." Parikon began. "However, they've seemed distracted recently, preoccupied by something that goes beyond expanding their rule over Noctxia Magna, were the fighting has been thick for the past half century. "Rumors abound that another force is at work here, something that the Empire has been searching for for many, many years. Have you ever heard of an artifact known as the Annulus?" "Yes." said Shardak, almost surprised. "Silencer mentioned it once. He said, 'The beings that existed before the coming of the Great Beings, known as the Forerunners or, more commonly, the Ancients, made many creations, principle among them the Annulus.' I barely payed any attention to it, however, I had many far more pressing concerns at the time." "The Annulus is an ancient legend, but is, like many things across the worlds that were once Arcaea, has more then a little truth to it. The legend is that the Ancients, whose past is shrouded in mystery, created a single ring of power, which contained the spirits of a race that predated the Ancients themselves. The vengeful spirits, sealed within by a mysterious power source, could grant the bearer of the Annulus nearly unimaginable heights of power. However, eventually, the Annulus was destroyed, shattered into three fragments. The power source was also broken, albeit later, in half. After many bloody civil wars over the fragments of the Annulus, the beings who had fought over it, the Great Beings, turned their talents to creating new life and the Annulus disappeared from history, until it was eventually relegated as a myth. "This year, we recieved undeniable proof that the Annulus exists." "What?" asked Shardak, wondering slightly what this had to do with the rebellion. "You handed it to me." answered Parikon. "The Shadow Orb was the power source of the Annulus, where the beings who lived before the Ancients are sealed. The Shadow Orb is full of both auric and Elemental power, and any Elementalist or aura user could tell you." Arkhan nodded. "The half of the Shadow Orb you handed Parikon contains enough auric power to tear apart an entire small country. Imagine the power that a being would possess if he reassembled the entire Annulus." "This is what the Ix want?" asked Shardak. "Do they have any fragments?" "Yes. They have a single peice of the Shadow Orb, but we do not know who currently posesses it. If they have it, they've certainly not been using it." "But what about the rest of the Annulus? Do you know where it is?" "No. That's what we are assigning you to find out." answered Parikon. "Your mission is to track down a large group of Ix warriors whom our spies have recently learned are heading north, toward the Obsidian Cliffs. There are many, many warriors with them, far too many for this to simply be a scouting team. No, they're hunting for something, and our spies seem sure that it is an Annulus fragment." "But why now?" asked Shardak. "Why has the Empire chosen this moment to try and discover the Annulus." "Rumors abound that the Empire has a new leader: a tall being who wears a hood pulled over his face. Apparently this leader wishes to spread his rule far beyond Xaterex: he wishes to conquer Noctxia Magna, a planet that has long resisted the Empire. "Many other unsettling stories are running through the Imperial cities now at war: that a mysterious new enforcer has gained much power across the Empire, that the Imperial warriors are once again using Elimination, and that Shadowdermis is once more out in the open. Things are shaping up to be like what they were last time." "Last time?" asked Blast, who had stayed silent throughout much of the discussion. "The fall of Arcaea and the rise of the Empire, as well as the ongoing wars across Noctxia Magna." answered Parikon. "What is Shadowdermis?" asked Shardak. "Silencer never once mentioned it." To his surprise it was Saren, not Parikon, who answered. "It was created many, many years ago, and the circumstances of its creation have always been shrouded in mystery. However, we do know this. Shadowdermis is a sentient virus, not at all like Elimination. It is a highly aggressive and intelligent variation of Energized Protodermis, and was used by the Empire's leaders during the Arcaean war to support their insurrection. "Shadowdermis, supposedly, can do almost anything, and the Empire's leaders used it to seal each kingdom of Arcaea from interdimensional travel, this allowing only their own warriors to pass through the gateways." "So you see why the rebellion is in danger of falling." finished Parikon. "We stand little or no chance against an enemy with such powerful weapons at their disposal. and with the Annulus in their hands, nothing will be able to stop them." Shardak paused, allowing this to sink in. He thought about the horrible stories he'd heard about Elimination, and the knowledge he'd gained about Shadowdermis and the Annulus made the Empire seem even more terrifyingly deadly. "Will you accept this mission, Toa Shardak? We have tried, for too long, to keep you under guard, for fear that the Empire would capture you." "That's another thing." interrupted Shardak. "Why do the Ix want to capture me alive? What do they want?" Parikon did not answer at once, and as he was opening his mouth, Saren interrupted him. "So you'll accept? Good. Now, we move on to more pressing matters, such as when we will execute the Ix warrior." It took Shardak a few moments to grasp that Saren meant Valkyria. He remembered their earlier discussion in the Void, when Blast and Fairon had suggested they do the same thing. "No." said Shardak. "Valkyria's just as loyal to the rebellion as I am. She saved my life in the Void, and in the 175th Eternal Game." "I'm sorry, Shardak, but I simply can't believe that. You of all people should know how insidious the Ix are. They lure you in until you trust them completely, then the next thing you know it, one's standing over you with a dagger in his hand." Shardak remembered Nightshade, the Ix warrior who'd pretended she was his sister for nearly ten years while they both lived with Arcturas. She'd done the same. But surely, after all that they'd been through togetehr, Valkyria would not betray him as she had? "Yes, but why would she? The Ix sentanced her to the Eternal Game!" "Yes, but even still, you can't trust the Ix! Why in Mata Nui's name are you defending the Ix warrior who killed your friends in the Sanctum of the Mind?" "Because we can't just kill her, even if she didn't come willingly and we'd captured her. Killing our enemies in cold blood makes us just like the Ix." "He's right." answered a new voice. All of the heads at the table turned to look at the speaker who had just entered the room. "Ion!" yelled Shardak and Blast. The massive mutated Toa nodded a greeting. He turned to Saren. "Sorry I'm late." he said to Saren. "My patrol was...delayed." "He's right." repeated Ion, taking a seat beside Parikon. "Killing an Ix warrior who has yet done nothing to suggest she is considering betraying us is taking one step toward beings like her. We may not have yet wiped out her entire race, but do you think the Ix themselves started? They didn't plan at first to use Elimination, they probably started out the same way we were considering, by killing a single captive Toa. Once they'd taken the first step, it would be easier for them to use Elimination." "I cannot argue with that." Saren said. "We'll let your prisoner live, on the condition that she accompanies you on your mission." Shardak nodded, relieved. Valkyria was one of the deadliest warriors he knew, she'd be a valuable asset to his strike team. "Who else will come with me?" asked Shardak. "Two other beings who you know very well. Silver and Dust will accompany you, as will as another being." he backoned to a blue-armored being standing at the door. "Torak, come forward." A heavily armored Skakdi stepped through the doorway, carrying two massive sickles. He half-smiled at Shardak, who nodded once in acknowledgement. Skakdi had a brutal reputation as unrefined killers, but a large group of Skakdi under Freztrak had allied themselves with the rebellion, and Shardak knew they could be trusted. Two Matoran, a Toa of aura, an Ix warrior, and a Skakdi. thought Shardak. This might be the most unlikely strike team ever assembled in the history of the rebellion. Saren seemed to feel the same. "You cannot fail." he said. While Shardak was still quite inexperienced reading the aura field, he could tell the Glatorian still seemed apprehensive. "Many hopes are following you." said Parikon. "It is imperative that the Ix do not recover another Annulus fragment." He turned to Blast. "You will have your own mission, in time. Speak to Jareroden, he will tell you of his commands." Blast nodded. "Are there any other things we need to bring before the council?" asked Parikon. Not one being answered. "Then the meeting is adjourned. Shardak, Torak, gather Silver, Dust, and the Ix warrior and then find Arkhan. He will show you the path." Slowly, the High Council began to leave, one by one. Finally, only Saren was left, standing half hidden in the shadows. "Come with me." said Saren, once the last council member had exited the chamber. "There is something I must tell you."

Chapter 1 The Toa of Aura peered through the trees, lime green eyes darting back and forth, alert for any sign of approaching beings. His armor, green and gray, blended well with the cold, uniformly green plant life of the northern forest. Though unwounded, he had a long scar across his shoulder, and carried a long, red scimitar that smouldered with red light. Shardak heard a twig snap, and turned, alert for any sign of attackers. His training, honed and sharpened by months of practice using the Sword of Fire caused him to raise his weapon in a defensive Lihtne pattern almost instinctively. Tensed, prepared to fight, he lowered his weapon when he realized it was simply a small, catlike Rahi, racing across the forest floor. It feels as though I've been with the rebellion forever. Shardak reflected, slowly beginning to calm once more. In reality, it had been four months. Four months since the final day in the bloodthirsty Eternal Game at the heart of the Ix Empire, four months since his battle with the Elemental known as Skorpix, four months since his training as a warrior in the rebellion began. Now, he was once again about to face the Ix, the enemies who had haunted his nightmares since his narrow escape from Skorpix and the arena. He and his allies had been sent to eliminate a small group of Imperial warriors scouting across the edge of the forest near their base. There was no option but to eliminate them or force them to abandon their mission. Shardak felt a hand on his shoulder. Panic shot through him as he whirled around, Blade of Arcturas raised. Slowly, he lowered the weapon as he recognized his friend Blast. The Glatorian warrior was too disciplined to question him, but raised his hand in a signal that Shardak recognized well. Enemies near. "Where are Arkhan and the others?" asked Shardak under his breath. "He's leading them around, to cut the Imperial soldiers off." answered Blast. "There are eleven Kranr warriors, and two Stalkers." Shardak almost felt his old shoulder wound sting as he remembered the viscious semi-invisible Rahi used by the Ix. One of them had attacked him when he, Blast, and Kyhrex had escaped an Ix stronghold known only as the Circle. Kyhrex had managed to finish it off, but not before it had torn open Shardak's shoulder. The wound had troubled him until, eight days later, the rebellion was able to heal it completely. "Here they are." whispered Blast. Shardak followed his gaze toward a grove directly in front of them, and recognized the familiar pale green and white armor that the Kranr wore. There were no sign of any Stalkers-- yet. Blast raised his weapon, a long scythe. It looked unremarkable, but held far more power then Shardak could even feel in the aura field. Blast had been taught to use it in battle, and could even channel some of its lesser energies, such as using it to attack. However, Shardak was sure it could do much more, he had seen it used once in the hands of a Makuta known as Dredzek, and knew exactly how dangerous the Scythe of Creation could be. Shardak readied his weapon, ready for the first battle he'd fought since the fateful duel with Skorpix. He was tense, but tried to allow himself to relax, knowing that agility played a great role in allowing him to survive a lightning-fast Stalker attack. Two more of Shardak's allies moved to stand behind Blast, the Matoran known as Silver and Dust. Both had been present in the emergency council after he, a Toa of Light known as Fairon, and several other beings had escaped the Eternal Game using the Scythe of Creation, and both were highly loyal and deadly warriors. Shardak had no more time to think, the sense of danger was palpable. Both Toa, Glatorian, and Matoran all readied to face the Imperial soldiers. Then the Kranr were upon them. Shardak felt his weapon strike against a Kranr's armor, saw the eyes of his enemy glaring at him through the helmeted visor as the Kranr trust his sword at Shardak, alternately blocking and thrusting as Shardak slowly began to force him back, deeper into the foliage. The Kranr suddenly whirled to one side, tearing past Shardak's guard and tearing through his armor. Shardak felt a brief flash of pain, easily ignored. Reaching out in the aura field, he caused the Kranr to stagger backward, then easily disarmed him. For one moment, the Kranr froze, suddenly realizing what Shardak had done. The Toa stepped forward, ready to finish his attacker. Suddenly there was a flash at the corner of his eye, and Shardak, recognizing it at the last second as a Stalker, whirled around, feeling his weapon tear across the Stalker's armor and draw blood. The Stalker snarled quietly, but in doing so had given away its position once more, and the Blade of Arcturas tore deeper into the Stalker's armor. While Shardak was occupied fighting the Stalker, however, the Kranr had grabbed his weapon. He charged toward Shardak, weapon ready. Shardak deflected his first thrust and managed to keep the stalker away as well, but the Kranr followed his first attack with a series of hammering blows that forced Shardak completely onto the defensive. At that moment, the Stalker struck. Shardak felt the Stalker's claws dig into his armor, unable to draw blood. However, suddenly, Shardak felt himself fall to the ground, the Stalker leaping at him. Slashing upward with the Blade of Arcturas, Shardak felt the weapon bury itself in the Stalker's throat, saw the Stalker become fully visible in death. Before Shardak had a chance to recover, the Kranr was upon him, his weapons drawn. Shardak had no time to block the weapon, and suddenly he had once again become the defenseless Toa who had once battled the Ix in the Void. As the Kranr's weapon descended, Shardak suddenly saw a blur of light flash by him, striking the Kranr through the heartlight. The startled being staggered backward, his eyes glazing over. His body shuddered once and then fell still. Shardak rose to his feet, looking at his rescuer, the final member of their strike team. Ix warrior Valkyria Rhai gave him a half-smile as he rose to his feet, looking around for any signs of more Kranr. She was wearing the scaled, green armor favored by the scouts in the rebellion's armies. In one hand she carried a long, curved dagger in one hand, her longbow in the other. Valkyria had been part of the Ix strike team sent to kill Shardak and recover the Shadow Orb. However, when she'd failed, they'd been forced to make a temporary alliance against the dual threats of the Shadow of Ages and the serpent known as Sarkanian. Later, she had been betrayed by the Ix and sentanced to fight in the Eternal Game, and had joined the rebellion after they'd escaped the arena. Shardak scanned the forest for any signs of Kranr or Stalkers, but saw none. Arkhan strode toward him, white armor stained with blood. Two lean Agori following him, only slightly injured. Shardak noticed one of their team was missing, and knew he'd been killed. He'd barely known the other member of their squadron, he'd been a Glatorian with gray armor. Still, any loss of life in a battle was another warrior who could not be replaced. "We lost Marad." reported Arkhan. "A Stalker hit him from behind, he didn't have a chance. None of the Kranr escaped." "None of the Kranr who attacked us fled." said Shardak. "We suffered no losses." Slowly, the rebellion group made its way back toward the hidden fortress. Shardak walked beside Blast and Valkyria, wondering what the rebellion's leaders would think of their successful defeat of the Kranr. He hoped they would reward him by allowing him to participate in a more useful mission, as his friend Fairon was now doing. For the past four months, they'd simply been either travelling toward the base in the Fells, or being sent on unimportent missions such as these. Arkhan seemed to notice what he was thinking. "Every strike we deal to the Empire is useful. We cannot match them in strength or weapons, our greatest battle is one of survival." Shardak cursed inwardly, wishing that for a moment he could cloak his emotions behind a mask of nothingness, as Valkyria could. He could still barely control his aura, and had seen in his battle with Skorpix how risky that could be. Any competant auric user could control him in the aura field without him consiously resisting. "Come." said Arkhan, as he watched the bodies of the fallen Kranr, Stalkers, and Glatorian be consumed by fire. It was imperative that the rebels left no trace of where they'd been, and watched as Arkhan, after waiting for the fires to consume the fallen, doused the fire. Shardak was surprised to learn that, like his friend Kyhrex, Arkhan was a water Elementalist, one of the few Glatorian who could control an elemental power. Shardak followed Arkhan toward the hidden base, in his mind wondering what his future would bring.

Epilogue "Join us...join us, Toa Shardak." Skorpix rasped. Shardak tried to blot out the Elemental's cold voice, but couldn't. Skorpix was within him, his aura still following him wherever he went. "You to take your father's place as a member of our Order...I was wrong, when I said you had only survived because your friends had died for you. Join us, and you will have power that Arcturas once knew, power that will allow us to end the rebellion and the other factions who oppose our rule..." "You cannot escape me...this is your destiny...to be the greatest of all of our Order. Join us, Toa Shardak, and Arcaea will rise once more under your rule..." Skorpix's eyes were boring into him once more, staring intently into him, twin crimson pits of abyssal rage and raw hatred scorched his pupils- *** Toa Shardak awoke to pitch blackness. His first sensation was confusion. Where was he? How had he come to be here? Why had he entered this strange place of darkness? Had he been blinded? Then his confusion was replaced by excruciating pain, coupled by a rush of memories of the horrible battle with Skorpix, and the Elemental's devastating revelation. While he wanted it to be a lie, wanted it desperately to be untrue, he could not blot out the Elemental's voice from his mind. Now that he was once again awake, he was sure Skorpix was still not speaking to him, but he could not block the Elemental's voice from his mind. It's true. What he said was the truth. The being I knew was just a lie, another one of their lies. They'd all lied to him. All of them. Silencer, Melnox, Nightshade... All of them, except Skorpix. a small voice in his head whispered. He told the truth. And sometimes that can be more hurtful then any lie. For a few moments Shardak lay there, devoid of any hopes or dreams. Then another, more pressing concern came to him. Where am I? Standing, he was surprised to see the Blade of Arcturas, glowing brighter then he'd seen it gleam in many days, lying beside him. He lifted it, feeling the warmth from the Sword of Fire spread through his arm, and then noticed something else. His Stalker bites no longer pained him. He looked at the wound, and could see that it was healing quickly. The injuries he'd suffered during the Game and the fight with Skorpix were likewise quickly healing, and no longer bothered him. Rising to his feet, he allowed the Blade of Arcturas to shed light to his surroundings. He was standing in a darkened chamber, blank save for several blade marks that had scarred the walls. He did not recognize his surroundings, but a new, more deadly possibility occurred to him. What if he'd been captured by the Empire? He knew that Skorpix had still not given up on trying to change his allegiances to the Ix. Racing to the door, he opened it, surprised it had not been locked. He could hear sounds of muted conversation in the room beyond, and, half-scared to enter the room for fear that the Imperial soldiers were deciding his fate. "We've lost touch with our operatives in New Metru Nui, but sources prior to the end of the Games believe that an uprising may have occured there." The voice was male, deep and commanding. His voice, while brisk, did not resemble that of a Kranr or an Ix warrior. "Permission to lead a group of our surviving warriors to guard the parameters around the base. The enemy could be anywhere." another being asked. The second voice was younger, but had the same stern tough edge to it. Shardak paused to listen as the first being answered, his voice lower now. "You know I can't authorize that, Arkhan, not while there are Ix warcraft patrolling the skies around this area. As soon as we can get word to our allies in the surrounding countryside of Gigas Nui, we'll set up a rendezvous point there and join with their group." "Are you sure they're still active and have not been eliminated, as they have in New Metru Nui?" asked Ion. Ion! the name tore through Shardak's mind, and suddenly he felt a wild hope rise within him as he opened the door. He was certainly not prepared for what he saw within. A tall, golden armored being carrying a long scimitar was seated beside two other beings, a tall, heavily armored Glatorian, and Ion. Nearby, two other beings, an Agori and a Glatorian taht he did not recognize, stood beside them, their faces grim. Next Ion stood Fairon, his face grim, Jareroden, burned but still alive, Valkyria, holding a dagger in one hand, her face its usual mask, Kyhrex, looking slightly worried, and Blast, wounded but still holding the Scythe of Creation upright. All of the being's eyes turned to Shardak as he entered the room, and Blast's eyes lit up with happiness. Fairon rushed over to greet him, and even Valkyria seemed to relax slightly. Shardak breathed a sigh of relief that his friends had escaped the Games alive. "Are Galika and Flardrek alive?" he asked immediately. "Yes." said Fairon. "After I pulled you through the gateway, we ended up back where we began: the Nameless City. Arkhan's patrol found us, and brought us here, to Void's Edge." The white Glatorian nodded. "It's slightly out of sync with the rest of the plane's time and space." said Ion. "So the Ix will have a hard time following us here for the next few days." Hearing Ion speak was hard, harder then Shardak would have believed possible. The pain of the truths that Skorpix had told him came flooding back, and it took all of Shardak's willpower not to scream in rage at the Toa that had never told him the secret. "What..." he began at last. "All will be explained to you." said the golden-armored being. "But first, you must tell us what you saw and experienced after the teleporter took you from the Game. It is important we know how you escaped." Shardak began, in halting tones, to tell of his transportation to Arcaea, his meeting wth the Ix and Skorpix, and Skorpix's tale of how Arcaea was destroyed and the Ix Empire came to be. He told them of the battle they fought, and how Skorpix had overpowered him. Finally, when he was ready, he told them Skorpix's final, deadly secret. "Why didn't you tell me?" he snarled at Ion, his words incoherent. "Silencer recognized Arcturas' name when I told him, I know he did. Why didn't you tell me that he was one of the Ix's Order? You--" "Shardak." Ion held up a hand. "We did not tell you this because--" "Why?" Shardak hissed. "Because you thought I wasn't ready? Or that it was simply another peice of information I didn't need, like the rebellion's location? The--" "Shardak, let me finish." said Ion, when Shardak had finished. "You demand answers, yet you will not let me give them. Let me finish." Shardak nodded. "We did not tell you this not because we thought you didn't need it, but that the full knowledge would put you in still more danger. There is one last part to the tale that Skorpix did not tell you. Atarus will explain." He pointed to the golden being. "Arcturas had joined them to do what he believed was right, Shardak. He truly believed that Skorpix's order, the order that would become known as the Shadowed Ones, were trying to bring about peace to a war-torn Arcaea. He was not alone, many, many beings supported them then, Toa as well. "Arcturas did not recognize the depths of his friends' ambitions until far too late. Even they had started out with the best intentions, and eventually, perhaps, the power they held corrupted them. When the Shadowed Ones began taking over the government by force and using the plague Elimination to wipe out Toa, he betrayed them. Their order was dealt a horrible blow, which allowed the scattered resistance groups to reform and take control of many cities along the edges of Xaterex and across Noctxia Magna. Arcturas, no longer wanting any part in the chaos, fled into the wilderness of Xaterex, to the city that became known as Intax." Shardak began to calm, accepting what Atarus had told him. Finally, the story that Kyhrex had told him about Arcturas and Skorpix's devastating revelation made sense. But there was one thing that still bothered him. "But Skorpix said more. He said that the Toa Order and the Arcaean governments had grown corrupt and weak, and that they were in the midst of a small war when the Shadowed Ones were formed. Were the Toa no better then the Ix, then? Were they just as tyrannical?" Atarus paused for a few moments, as though considering his words, then replied, "For many, many years, The Twelve Kingdoms of Arcaea were the greatest in the multiverse. Slowly, however, all of the external threats were defeated, and the government became weaker. While the Toa never descended to the level of darkness the Shadowed Ones did during their purge, their actions were certainly not justifiable. "At the time of the Fall, nearly any being would have listened to anyone who promised to eliminate their problems and restore Arcaea to its glory. No one knew how determined the Ix were to rule the universe until it was far too late to stop them." "But--" Shardak began. "There is no satisfactory answer to your question, Shardak. Yes, the Toa Order had descended into corruption by the time the Ix rose to power. However, many individual Toa protested, and these were the beings who fought against the Ix before the Elimination Plague struck." Shardak knew there was nothing more Atarus could say. Perhaps, he thought, the Toa Order and the Arcaean government had been seen as evil by the people of Arcaea, and perhaps Skorpix and Arcturas had once been just as determined to rebel and cast down the unjust government as he was now. He knew now that if Atarus had answered, no, Skorpix had been lying, he would not have believed him. "But on to the present. Fairon has told us of how he allowed you to escape from the arena, and as soon as Saren's scout team returns, we shall depart for our base on Xaterex. "Your escape has fanned the flames of the dying war between the Empire and the rebellion, Shardak. There have been armed uprisings all across Xaterex, and for the first time in years, the most solidly Imperial world has been rocked by the flames of war. The situation is different on the Noctian front, they've been fighting nonstop for years. However, we've brought our plans ahead, and the waning war will only grow in scope." Atarus paused, then said, "So I ask you this, Toa Shardak. Will you stand by us? Ion has spoken highly of your courage, and your escape from the Sharidir in the Void was impressive and daring. Your companions have all joined us. Will you stand beside us as we begin our largest campaign in the history of the Xaterex Resistance?" For one moment, Shardak was shocked that Atarus had even given him a choice. He'd fought for the past two weeks in Silencer's team and the Void and the Eternal Game, had he not proven that he would never give up fighting the Ix? He was done running from them. A flame of new hope gleamed in Toa Shardak's eyes, the spark that had become a fire across Xaterex. "Yes." he whispered. "Excellent." said Atarus, and he rose to his feet, weapon in hand. "Welcome, Shardak, to the Xaterex Resistance." Continued In: The Darkest Light XATEREX MULTIVERSE STORYLINE Volume I: Into the Darkness / Review / PDF / CBW Page | Volume II: The Shadows Coil / Review / PDF / CBW Page | Volume III: The Darkest Light / Review / PDF / CBW Page | Volume IV: Shattering / Review / PDF / CBW Page | Volume V: The Final Prophecy / Review / PDF / CBW Page | Volume VI: Eternal Darkness / Review / PDF / CBW Page

Chapter 27 The battle was only growing larger, though Fairon was barely conscious of any attackers. His wounds had pained him at first, but now, his only thought was to somehow keep fighting until they were all consumed in a fiery inferno. He stepped over the body of Jaina as he fought Graf across the flames. The Toa of Starlight was desperate now, and suddenly, he fell to the ground. Fairon saw that Kharix was still fighting as well, her dagger burying itself in Graf's spine, killing the victor instantly. Among the surviving victors were Galika, still battling Shadowplayer, Blast and Valkyria, wounded badly but still fighting Kharix across the flames, and Flardrek, wounded so badly Fairon knew that unless he was helped, he would die. With the teleporter gone, Fairon knew there was no reason to continue fighting. However, only Shadowplayer knew that Shardak had won, the others were still playing the Game to the last. Even as the inferno devoured the corpses of the fallen, Shadowplayer, Kharix, Blast, and Valkyria seemed ready to fight until they were all killed. Suddenly Fairon saw a flash of familiar yellow armor beside him. Shardak! he gasped. "What are you doing here?" yelled Fairon. "You won the Game!" "It's not like that." said Shardak, his voice hollow as the curtain of flame descended upon him. "But it doesn't matter now." Fairon longed to ask him what he was talking about, for him to explain what had happened when he'd been teleported out of the arena. The explosions were growing larger now, and Fairon almost wished they had some way to escape this, some way that would allow them all to escape alive. He remembered Blast carried the Scythe of Creation, and wished desperately that he could operate it. The Scythe had to be given willingly to another being, or taken from a fallen owner, to truly possess its power. Fyxan had been an owner, as had Blast and Leviathos. He wished desperately that they were there... "Nightwatcher and Antidax are the most deadly threat now." said Leviathos. "We have to stop Nightwatcher from destroying everything, and with Mata Nui's help"-Leviathos shot an ironic glance at Mata Nui-"I believe we can defeat this threat." "But Dredzek may arrive at any minute!" protested Tanuva. "We have to stop him, as well." "I will stay." Fyxan spoke quietly, his voice steady. "I'm the most wounded of us all. I'll hold him and his machines off as long as I can. Until I die." "But the caves will collapse around you as soon as Blast leaves the caves." pointed out Leviathos. "If you die before he reaches you, he'll escape unharmed." Blast unlimbered his Scythe. "Take this, Fyxan. The Scythe contains the power to hold the time walls up a few more minutes." Fairon stared at his friend, and watched as Blast gave away his most prized possession to the Kodax. He handed the Scythe to Fairon, who passed it to Fyxan. And at that moment, Fairon didn't care that everyone in the Kodax Empire was watching, every one of the remaining Toa stood within the chamber. This moment was only for the two friends, parting, unlikely to ever see each other again... He'd handed the Scythe to Fairon. Fairon remembered now. He'd handed it to Fairon, then passed it to Fyxan... An idea began to form in Fairon's mind as Shardak stood next to him, watching the contestants battle below. All the while the fire was only growing. He watched Shadowplayer's claws descend at Galika, slashing the Toa to the ground. Shadowplayer, sensing weakness, leapt toward the wounded victor. Then Flardrek struck. As Shadowplayer's claws were about to rip Galika's head from her body, Flardrek tore and hacked at Shadowplayer's armor. The Cryomancer simply flung Flardrek away with a blast of kinetic energy, causing the victor to stagger away. Kharix lept forward to continue Shadowplayer's battle with Galika, then the entire scene was obscured beneath a curtain of flames. Within minutes, the horribly wounded Shadowplayer staggered from the flames as Flardrek stepped forward, driving his weapon through the Cryomancer's neck. The dying victor disappeared once more into the inferno. The idea was insane. For it to fail meant more then certain death. It meant the end of hope for any of the contestants to escape the arena. But then, Fairon reflected, all of his ideas, during the 174th Game, the Void, and these Games, had been insane. "Hand me the Scythe." he ordered Blast. "What?" asked Blast, still watching Galika and Flardrek fight Kharix across the burning battlefield. "You wouldn't remember." said Fairon. "You gave it to me during the 174th Game." Blast looked confused, but, desperate, handed Fairon his Scythe. Immediately Fairon felt the same crackling power surge through him as soon as his fingers touched the cold metal. He knew the feel. He'd held the Scythe for less then a minute, but it was enough for him to become its owner. He felt himself being drawn into the power within the weapon. He could see the gateway that Nightwatcher had opened, he could see the door, still open, the Scythe on one side of the gateway, the Nameless City on the other... Fairon reached out with his powers, touching his aura through the Scythe to Shardak's. He reached out for Galika, and Flardrek, and was surprised to find Jareroden alive as well, wounded badly. Touching the aura of the scythe, finally, to Kyhrex, Valkyria, Blast, and Kharix, willing the power to work, believing it would work, he opened the gateway. Fairon felt the now familiar rush of air, felt himself being pulled into the gateway that was the Void. The fires grew dimmer, like dying embers being devoured slowly by darkness. This was coupled by a massive loss of energy as Fairon felt nearly all of his remaining drops of vitality being drained from him. Slowly, the remnants arena grew even further and further away as he tumbled through the darkness, through the gateway... Fairon felt the shadows of the Void envelop him once more as the world turned black.

Chapter 26 Shardak felt a pull as his body began to re-materialize on the other side of the gateway, similar to the pull that he'd felt after Nightwatcher had hauled him through the gateway. He could barely make out anything in the shadows, and for one moment he was confused. Where am I? Shouldn't the teleporter have taken me to New Metru Nui? Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and he looked around. He was standing in a massive, rubble-strewn courtyard, a dilapidated palace rising in the distance. The entire area was silent, and the courtyard was filled with dust and ashes. Suddenly he noticed a large group of Ix warriors, standing half-hidden in the shadows. As usual, they wore fanged masks and long dark cloaks, and carried several scythes. Their faces were cold and impassive, and gave not a single hint of the hatred they surely felt. But Shardak barely payed them any attention. His main focus was on the large being standing directly in front of him. He was tall, armored in black, and carried a long, curved scythe. It was far larger then the daggers usually used by the Ix warriors, and his eyes shone red. His mask was intricate, silver and black, covered in markings and symbols. His armor was so black it appeared almost red, and Shardak saw that unlike the Ix's cloaks, it gleamed like a black diamond. "You have caused us a great deal of trouble, Toa Shardak." said the being. His voice was deep, but had a slightly nasal and raspy undertone to it. "Now give us the Shadow Orb, and I will end your life." "No." said Shardak. "I've won the Eternal Game. The battle is over. Let me go." The being laughed, a chill rasp that made Shardak shudder. "Do you expect us to simply let you go after all the trouble you've caused us? You and Ion and Silencer and your pathetic resistance? You have lost all of your allies now, and soon you will be dead as well. "We made sure you were the first to use the teleporter. We made sure it was you who would find it, by elimating any victors who stood in your path. You needn't have feared Fairon would betray you, for he was, perhaps, you only true ally in the arena...it is almost ironic that your journey ends where it began, here, in the Empire." "I'm not going to die here." said Shardak, trying to sound more confident then he really was. However, in reality, he knew that this battle was hopeless. Within moments, it would be all over. If this being didn't destroy him, the Ix warriors would. "I'll fight against you." The being laughed again. "Such spirit, Toa Shardak. Such power. However, it is useless to use against me, for I am far, far too powerful to be defeated by a mere Toa of Aura, only half-trained. I am Skorpix, the greatest of all Elementals, the lord of the Ix. And you are Toa Shardak, the rebellion's last hope for victory, the last surviving member of the Toa Order. "However, it would be far too terrible for you to die in ignorance, for tonight is the night that our Empire's troubles have been solved forever. "Let me tell you a story, Toa." whispered Skorpix, his eyes cold eyes burning far brighter then the flames of the inferno in the arena. "A tale of another place, another time." "Once, this place was a paradise." began the Elemental. "A paradise of elemental power, a paragon of all worlds. It was the crossroads of the universe, it dwarfed the cities built by the Mindeaters and the Forerunners and the Ancients themselves." "Arcaea." whispered Shardak, remembering the paradise that Silencer had described. "I know." "Imagine this world." said Skorpix, and Shardak felt a host of visions invade his consciousness, and suddenly he was no longer in the courtyard of the ruined city, but standing-- No flying, simply floating in the air, a massive city of spires and minarets seemingly floating through the clear azure skies as well... Swimming within lakes of sapphire water, the massive jeweled cities of reflective blue diamonds on the lake's banks, the oceans gleaming in the sunlight of a great binary star... A massive palace of obsidian, like the Spire in the Circle but so much more beautiful, hundreds of beings of all types walking through the gates freely... "These were the Twelve Elemental Kingdoms of Arcaea." rasped Skorpix, his voice bringing Shadak once more into reality. "The greatest cities the multiverse has ever seen." "Until you destroyed it!" snarled Shardak, suddenly remembering who was facing him. The phalanx of Ix warriors had moved closer to him, cutting off any hope of escape. "Silencer told me Arcaea was destroyed by the traitors that became the Ix, and their allies." "Is that what he told you?" said Skorpix, eyes gleaming. "Nothing could possibly be farther from the truth. The kingdoms of Arcaea were corrupt, enacting badly thought out laws, always competing for land. And the Toa Order protected these corrupt kingdoms! They were so secure, the elite guardians of the kingdoms, that they knew they had nothing to fear from these broken worlds. They could sit back and watch for any external threat while all of us languished in misery as wars broke out and Elementals were killed." "No, that's not true!" protested Shardak. "It can't be. The Toa were the defenders of Arcaea, and they would never have allowed--" "They thrived on it!" snarled Skorpix. "Their order thrived on the chaos, knowing that they need do nothing while the kingdoms fought save watch for any threats from beyond Arcaea. They let the kingdoms fall!" "No!" snarled Shardak as Skorpix circled him, tensed like a Muaka Cat about to strike. "We would never have--" Skorpix cut him off with a blast of cyclonic energy, which flung Shardak to the ground. Shardak lashed out with the Blade of Arcturas, and Skorpix's eyes gleamed at the sight of the weapon as their weapons met. Shardak knew instantly it was a hopeless battle. While he could hold his own against even an Ix, the Elemental was simply too fast and strong for him to defeat. "Pathetic." said Skorpix. "You cannot hope to hold your own against me. If this is all Silencer has taught you, I am disappointed in you. I would have expected the corrupt Toa Order's last hope to be far stonger." "My Toa-father Arcturas fought you!" snarled Shardak, fighting Skorpix back across the courtyard. "And you killed him!" Skorpix tore the weapon from Shardak's grasp in a single fluid stroke. Shardak watched as it clattered to the ground, but Skorpix leaned in close to him, his eyes inches from Shardak's own, the cold red raking through his pupils as though the Elemental could see through them like they were gateways to his mind. "Young Toa..." His voice had dropped lower now, his voice no longer full of hatred, as though he was simply stating a fact. "No one has ever told you the truth about Arcturas, not even the Elemental himself." "How can I trust you?" asked Shardak. "You're evil!" "Answer me this, then, Toa..." whispered Skorpix. "If I have been lying to you, and we are evil, then why did Arcturas join our order? He was our greatest ally." For one moment, time seemed to stand still. Shardak felt as though the world had ended, that a knife had gone through his heart, that all of his senses were lying, Skorpix was lying, this couldn't...Arcturas couldn't... "He was much like you, really." Skorpix added. "He too had many friends, he too wished to make up for wrongs he didn't commit. He recognized the evil that the Toa Order had become, and joined us to build a better world." "And that was your vision? The Toa exterminated, the Ix and their allies ruling a universe of darkness. You lie!" burst out Shardak, the pain at Skorpix's revelation fueling his anger. "Arcturas was your enemy, the only being to escape the Empire and live!" "Why would I lie to you, as Arcturas and Ion and Silencer have?" asked Skorpix. "Is there any reason I would lie, so close to your death? Search your soul, Shardak. You know it to be true." "No!" said Shardak. "Why would you tell me this? What do you want?" "For you to take your father's place as a member of our Order..." whispered Skorpix. "I was wrong, when I said you had only survived because your friends had died for you. Join us, and you will have power that Arcturas once knew, power that will allow us to end the rebellion and the other factions who oppose our rule. You have vast potential, Shardak. Arcaea could rise once again, under your control." "It can't be!" snarled Shardak. Tears blurred his vision, his voice was filled with rage. "Kill me then. Kill me like you killed him, Skorpix." "Are you sure?" whispered Skorpix. "You have more potential then Arcturas ever did." "Yes." hissed Shardak, voice filled with rage and pain. Blast, Fairon, and Valkyria were dead-- all for nothing. It was time he joined them. "So be it." said Skorpix, and the Elemental raised his obsidian blade and lunged at him. The first strike was a long slash at Shardak's side, which Shardak barely blocked with a parry. Skorpix was fighting slower then usual, his weapon matching Shardak's in speed. His eyes gleamed as he toyed with the Toa, his second strike tearing a wound across Shardak's leg. The third and fourth attacks were so crushing that Shardak almost lost his grip on the weapon as Skorpix attempted to sever his arm. He was absolutely sure now that Skorpix was trying not to kill him--yet. The grace and ease with which the Elemental hacked and slashed at his armor were unparalleled. He could have finished him off at any time. Within minutes, Shardak was being forced further back, toward the waiting Ix warriors. He could see the teleporter, lying tantalizingly just out of reach, just beyond the Ix warriors. If only he could grab it without assuredly sealing his fate... Skorpix was attacking once again with a barrage of black lightning, which tore across Shardak's chestplate, tearing the armor apart. The pain was horrible, but Shardak barely registered it. He had suffered so many wounds in the Void and the Eternal Game that he simply couldn't hurt worse now. Shardak tried to seize the offensive as he deflected another of Skorpix's thrusts, but Skorpix responded with a burst of rust-red shadow energy that Shardak had to leap out of the way to avoid. While he was distracted, Skorpix closed in on him, weapons flashing in the shadowy illumination as they slashed across Shardak's chestplate, drawing blood. Within minutes Shardak had abandoned all hope of regaining the offensive, and was simply trying to delay his inevitable death, Shardak knew that as soon as he was next to the Ix warriors, they'd kill him, if Skorpix didn't first. The Elemental, however, showed no signs of stopping now. His weapons tore open Shardak's forearm, and the Toa had to duck to avoid being decapitated by one of Skorpix's slashes. All the while, the Elemental was firing bolt after bolt of small lightning at Shardak, it was painful and distracting, allowing Skorpix to wound him over and over again. Shardak felt as though every drop of vitality was being slowly sucked from his body. Skorpix, on the other hand, showed no sign of tiring. The Elemental calmly deflected his attacks, both physical and auric, all the while forcing Shardak to stagger back to avoid being run through immediately. "Nearly time to end it now, I think." said Skorpix, his voice a sibilant hiss, like that of a snake. They were nearing the Ix warriors now. Shardak was staggering away from Skorpix's attacks, and he knew that any minute, the Ix warriors would fall upon him, tear him open with their scythes. Skorpix was fighting him in both the aura field and the physical world now, and Shardak, unaccustomed to battling on both planes at once, began to feel Skorpix's power surging through him, forcing him to his knees against his will. "Bow to me." hissed Skorpix. "Bow to death, Shardak..." Shardak felt himself being lowered to the ground, and against his will, felt his head bow. Skorpix smiled coldly. "This battle is over." No! thought Shardak, fighting against him, but nothing he could do could break the hold Skorpix had on his mind. Slowly, the Elemental was draining his life force, causing his breathing to become labored. He strove against his bonds with blasts of auric power, but Skorpix seemed unconcerned, his red eyes gleaming in triumph. Shardak continued to struggle against the bonds...allowed his raw auric energy to build up inside him... a meterialization of the raw desperation he felt as Skorpix's sword descended upon him... There was no time to react...not enough time... Suddenly, the pure auric power that was within Shardak seemed to tear through him like a lightning bolt. The energy flooded through him. Instantly Skorpix's power was broken, and suddenly he was within the Elemental, his own power forcing Skorpix to stagger backward-- More visions invaded Shardak's consciousness, more memories that the Elemental held. An inferno, not unlike the fire he'd just escaped from, devouring screaming beings as the flames rose higher and higher, blotting out the stars... A being, cornered, trapped, holding the Blade of Arcturas in one hand, the Shadow Orb in the other. Before his eyes, the being brought down the weapon and shattered the Orb into bloody fragments... Shardak barely had time to think about what he was about to do. Instantly freed from Skorpix's power, he simply leapt into the air, dragging a surprised Ix warrior to the ground. Skorpix, quickly recovering, fired a second barrage of shadow bolts at him, an Ix warrior slashed open his leg with a scythe, but Shardak hardly payed the wounds any attention. He raced toward the teleporter-- "Stop him!" roared Skorpix. As one, the Ix warriors surged forward... ...Just as Shardak's fingers closed around the teleporter. The Toa felt a rush of air block out the Ix warriors' shouts, Skorpix's screams of rage. He felt his vision go black, his body vanish...he was going back.

Chapter 25 Shardak could hardly believe that Duuril was dead. The Turaga had been his last link to the Void, last link to Meilo and the visions that had haunted him in the Sanctum of the Mind. The battle had lasted all of a few minutes-- yet when it was over three enemy victors and three allies had been killed. Valkyria seemed completely calm, Shardak wondered why. Only one of them could win this Game, and he was sure it wouldn't be him or even Blast or Kyhrex. Compared to Fairon, Flardrek, Galika, and Jaina, they were far too inexperienced to last beyond a few days, when the alliance would collapse. We need to leave. thought Shardak. He'd trusted Fairon in the Void, but now...with only a few competitors left, the Toa knew that the alliance would disintegrate. Smaller alliances, such as Tronica's and Shadowplayer's, would survive, but not for long. Seeing that even Fairon was still resting, he called Kyhrex, Blast, and Valkyria over. "What is it?" whispered the Ix girl, suddenly alert. Kyhrex and Blast still looked tied, but Valkyria had sensed his fear in the aura field. "We have to get out of here." whispered Shardak. "Today will be either the last, or second to last, day in the Game, and we have to find a way out of the arena." "A way out of the arena?" asked Blast. "It's impossible. They have invisible barriers surrounding the entire grounds, even the sky is barricaded by an invisible force field that keeps flying beings from escaping. We're walled in." "We have to find a way. Today the alliance will break, and they'll begin fighting." He stopped, and touched Valkyria briefly in the aura field, trying to let her know that then they could settle their battle over the Shadow Orb. Valkyria gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Shardak, relieved, continued. "Do you honestly think that Fairon, Jareroden, Flardrek, Galika, or Jaina will let us live?" asked Shardak. "We have to escape before the alliance breaks and the entire Game ends." "Agreed." said Blast. "Millennium mentioned that this Scythe has the power to create gateways between different places, like the portal Nightwatcher created." "Let's go." said Kyhrex. "You're right, they will try to kill us. They all certainly want to win the Game." As the group of allies exited the cavern, Shardak kept an eye on the remainder of their once-great alliance. Fairon was waking, and he certainly didn't want to be caught by the Toa. He and Kyhrex broke into a run, and Valkyria and Blast followed. Eventually, when they were certainly out of hearing distance, they stopped. "Do you know how the Scythe works?" Shardak asked Blast. "Do you remember any of the past Millennium said he wiped?" "It's coming back." said Blast. "Bits and peices, mainly. Nothing about the Scythe yet." Shardak realized how hard it must be for Blast, to find out that his entire life he thought he'd led in Intax had merely been an illusion planted by Millennium. He wondered if Blast, when or if his memory recovered, would chose to share it with him. Shardak suddenly noticed something lying on the ground. It was a small device, made of solid protosteel, that resembled a Midak blaster slightly. He picked it up. Suddenly, Shardak heard rustling in the jungle foliage behind them. He whirled around, scimitar in one hand, the strange device in the other-- "Drop the teleporter." said Kharix. Shardak was so startled he actually listened to the female victor, and the device fell from his grasp. Kharix smiled coldly as Shadowplayer seemed to appear out of the shadows and stand beside her, a long, curved scimitar in one hand, a spear in the other. Both victors looked satisfied, and they both stared at Shardak, Valkyria, Blast, and Kyhrex as though they were already dead. "What have we here?" hissed Shadowplayer, his voice sounding slightly raspy and full of venom. "The four remaining contestants in the Game who are not already victors. This battle is over before it has even begun." "Drop your weapons." ordered Kharix. "And we will give you the mercy of a quick death. If you do not, we will finish you off slowly, as is my specialty." she smiled coldly. "And when I am done even an Ix lord would weep at the sight of your remains." Shardak reached out for the teleporter, but stopped when he saw the gleam in Shadowplayer's eyes. The Cryomancer's gaze held nothing but the promise of death for them all. Blast, Valkyria, and Kyhrex faced the two enemy victors, then raised their weapons, despite the fact they were sure it would mean certain death. Shardak turned and faced his friends, and knew that all of them, even Valkyria, would go down fighting against the last remaining beings in the Games. "We will not surrender." said Shardak at last. Valkyria and Blast nodded. "We will fight you to the death." said Kyhrex. "So be it." hissed Shadowplayer, then leapt toward them without warning. Shardak tensed, waiting, knowing that any minute the death blow would land-- Then the arena exploded into flames. Shadowplayer, Kharix, Blast, Kyhrex, and Valkyria all froze as an explosion of flame tore its way free from the ground. Several smaller explosions rocked the arena, and Shardak staggered backward. As the ground began to burn, he could see Shadowplayer, his red armor gleaming in the fire, charge toward him, reaching out to grab the teleporter-- The next morning dawned clear and cold, the sun seeming cold and distant, the skies gray. The ground was wet with the rains, and the waters of the lake had risen as well. Fairon knew that today would be either the last day in the arena, or at the very least, the day the alliance would break. He wondered how many would remain loyal to him when he told them what he planned to do, and how many had already guessed his intentions. With only three competitors (who were not currently his allies) out there to worry about, Fairon was, for the first time since they'd entered the arena, able to think clearly. The Ix believed that Shardak was a Glatorian, and the heavy alterations that Arcturas had made to the mask of life allowed the disguise to hold. But after the Games, the Ix would-- There's nothing you can do about it. thought Fairon. The Game will be over within days, and we'll all be dead. Shardak has allies out there such as Ion, who will help him rejoin the rebellion. All around him, his allies were waking. They were discussing their next plans, which seemed to involve tracking down the remainder of the contestants, before eliminating those who remained alive. But Fairon knew it was not that simple. Sooner or later, the Empire would try to create a massive finish to the Game, whether it was a flood, a fire, or something even more deadly and dramatic. So far, these had been an extremely fast-paced Games, with only a handful of players left after three days. And today it will end, one way or another. Suddenly, Fairon realized that Shardak, Kyhrex, Valkyria, and Blast were gone. Flardrek and the others had noticed as well, but before they could speak, a scream tore through the arena. Fairon rose to his feet and was about to race out of the cavern, but Jareroden held him back. Fairon tore free from his grasp-- That was when the explosions started. Fairon raced toward the caves' entrance just in time to see a pillar of fire rising from the forest. Fairon remembered the fire only too well, and knew without a doubt Shardak was down there somewhere. Fairon raced out of the cavern, the other allies by his side. Within seconds they'd reached the lakeshore, where the explosions of flame were tearing free from the ground, as they'd done the first day. Fairon charged toward Shardak as he saw Shadowplayer leap from the flames, trying to wrestle something free from Shardak's hands-- the teleporter. "Not so fast." hissed a new voice beside him, and Fairon saw Jaina beside him. Her eyes blazed, and Fairon saw she was carrying some type of weapon, a long chain that ended in a curved dagger. She slashed it at Fairon again and again, and Fairon felt pain tear through him as the chain-and-dagger struck his shoulder. Blood poured from the wound as Jaina speared him with it again and again. Suddenly a black blur flashed past him, and Jaina was flung to the ground, a spear embedded in her shoulder. In her place stood Graf. Jaina was rising to her feet, and Fairon, leaving her and Graf to fight it out to the last, raced toward Shardak and Shadowplayer. In the firey halflight, the Cryomancer's features appeared even more demonic then they usually did as he tore the teleporter from Shardak's hands. Fairon charged toward him, rage and despiration giving him strength. All around him their alliance was collapsing, he couldn't tell who was friend or enemy, his only focus was on tearing the teleporter from Shadowplayer's hands. Shadowplayer's sword flew from his grasp, clattering to the ground as Fairon hacked at his arms with his scimitar. Suddenly he recognized the weapon-- it was Shardak's. He saw the Toa of Aura race toward it, picking it up and turning on Graf, who had appeared suddenly. Flardrek was badly wounded, and was staggering toward him, weapons swinging wildly as Fairon ripped the teleporter from Shadowplayer's hand. Shadowplayer reached out, grabbing Shardak's old scimitar and charged toward him. Jareroden leapt at him, but a single bolt of flame fired from the Cryomancer's hands sent the Toa spinning backward, into the flames. The battle was becoming even more confused, as Jaina and several of the allies were now fighting with each other. Fairon only focused on Shardak, defending him from any being, allied or enemy, that came toward him. He saw flashes of the battle, saw Kharix throw a dagger that took Blast in the arm, saw Galika fall beneath Shadowplayer's claws. He saw Jaina charge forward, fighting both Flardrek and Shadowplayer at the same time, and saw the badly wounded Graf grab Kharix's leg, dragging her to the ground. Arrows, daggers, scythes, weapons of all kinds were being thrown at them, but Fairon and Shardak deflected them all. In the horrible firelight, Fairon was once more fighting Iruka, Serrakaan, and Dredzek, and was once again sure that the price of failure was death. This time, not only his death, but Shardak's as well. Fairon saw Jaina rear up above him, a scimitar in one hand, a dagger in the other, and slashed her to the ground with a single stroke from his weapon. He had no way of telling whether she was alive or dead, but didn't care. He only cared about protecting the teleporter, and escaping the battle so Shardak could get to safety. Suddenly another shadow appeared above him. Shadowplayer lunged for the teleporter, tearing it free. No sooner had he grabbed it, then Kyhrex, Blast, and Shardak all charged him, and the Cryomancer was forced to drop the teleporter, which clattered to the ground near the edge of the fire. Fairon, half crawling to it, reached out for it, knowing that Shadowplayer was also reaching for the device-- Shardak was racing through the horrible maelstrom of blood, fire, and weapons when he saw Fairon fall. The Toa of Light was wounded badly, two of Valkyria's arrows had struck him in the back, and Kharix's dagger had gone through his leg, but he was still fighting. It wasn't until a second dagger struck Fairon in the shoulder that he fell to the ground, reaching for the teleporter that was inches away. However, Shardak knew it was hopeless. Shadowplayer would get to it first unless he attacked. Charging out of the bloodred haze of fire, Shardak grabbed the teleporter just as Shadowplayer's fingers were about to close around it, and lifted it. The teleporter was surprisingly heavy, and Shardak remembered from Silencer's talks about the Game that it was the only way out of the arena. "Shardak!" yelled Fairon over the roar of the flames and the clash of arms. His voice sounded raw and desperate. "Shardak, use the teleporter. Escape the arena! Win the Games!" "I can't leave my friends!" yelled Shardak. Fairon's eyes were filled with despiration now. "Do you think you have a choice? The teleporter only works for one being. You have to escape. Do you want us all to die for nothing?" "Take this." said a new voice. Shardak saw that Valkyria was standing behind him, her weapons drawn. She was slightly wounded but otherise unharmed. Shardak gasped as Valkyria handed him the Shadow Orb. "Bring it to your friend Ion." said the Ix girl. For a moment, Shardak hesitated. He knew that was what Valkyria would have done. What Jareroden or Kharix or even Fairon would do if they were in his position. But he couldn't leave his friends. Which, as he thought about it, they all were, even Valkyria. He wouldn't have left her die during the battle with Sarkanian, and he couldn't let any of them die now. "Shardak, in the Eternal Game there can only be one victor." said Fairon. "This is not just abouyt you! You are the Spirit Toa. You cannot die, or this world will remain under the shadow of the Ix forever. You will be saving many more lives if you leave." Shardak thought of Barit and Silencer, who had died so that he could live. He thought about Melnox and Ion, who could both be dead by now, for all he knew. He thought about Xatax and Treedaka and Sayna, and all of the other beings who had died in the one hundred seventy five years of the Eternal Game. Then he looked at Fairon and Valkyria, determined to fight to the death so that their cause could go on. Against his will, Shardak lifted the teleporter, and fired. The last thing he saw before he vanished was Fairon's grim smile as he disappeared from the burning arena.

Chapter 24 Shardak raced through the darkness, the faint, smouldering red light that the Blade of Arcturas always gave off illuminating the area five feet ahead of him. He raced through the blackness, Jareroden supporting Galika, Flardrek and Fairon ahead of them. Nowhere in the blackness could he see any sign of Valkyria or Blast. He'd hoped they'd made it out, but he couldn't be sure if they had. When the dark vapor had surrounded them, sucking the air from their lungs, he'd awoken immediately, and following Jareroden's orders, ran. Now, he could see the horrible fog blanketed their entire area of the arena, from the jungle to the lake. Shardak was now gasping for breath, and he could see that Jareroden and Galika weren't faring much better. Ahead, Fairon was beginning to slow down, though Flardrek continued running through the darkness. With a gasp for breath that simply wouldn't come, Shardak raced after them. The Blade of Arcturas suddenly felt heavy in his hands, even his Kanohi-- the Kanohi Ignika-- seemed to be slowing him down. Quickly, Jareroden fell behind him. Even now, the battle for survival was hardly over, for while Shardak had now pulled alongside Flardrek, Blast and Valkyria were nowhere near them, and Galika and Jareroden were falling further behind. Now he was growing desperate. He was holding his breath now, to even breathe in would mean certain death. He was no longer walking, but staggering, hoping that soon it would end, soon the fog would lift. However, if anything, the darkness seemed to be growing more oppressive. Shardak realized that it no longer mattered that he and Blast could not both win the Game, for within minutes they'd all be dead. Each time he exhaled slightly, he knew he was letting out a little more of the precious oxygen he needed to survive. He began wondering if any of them would escape this trap alive... Then, suddenly, it was over. Shardak was standing, knee deep in water, gasping for breath. Beside him, Fairon had fallen to his knees and was drawing in lungfuls of precious air, gasping out the last remnants of the horrible fog. His vision, somewhat hazy, was beginning to make out the scenery. They were standing by the edge of the lake, and Valkyria had walked out of the shadows. The mist hadn't seemed to have effected her, Shardak wondered if she'd used the aura field somehow to allow her to pass through the fog without any mists, or if she'd just recovered quickly. Blast staggered out of the darkness as well, breathing heavily. Flardrek and Fairon, mostly recovered, looked around for any sign of Jareroden and Galika. There was none. "Did you see them?" Fairon asked Blast. The Glatorian, still gasping for breath, could do nothing more then shake his head. Worried, Shardak began to wonder if he should suggest going back to search for them, but suddenly Jareroden emerged from the darkness, Galika by his side. Both Toa gasped for breath, then both fell to the ground. Fairon raced over to them, helping Jareroden to his feet. The Toa's breath still came in short, sharp gasps, but Shardak could tell they would live. Slowly, the fog was lifting, the sun chasing it away as it had done to the Shadows Coil the previous night. Shardak knew that the danger had passed, but was still badly shaken by the experience. Had the Ix tried to eliminate their entire alliance? No. If the Ix had meant that trap to kill us, we would all be dead now. It was probably just a ploy to drive us toward the other competitors. "Jareroden!" called Flardrek, breaking through Shardak's thoughts. "Shardak! Jaina, Treedaka, and Sayna are coming." "Is Duuril with them?" asked Shardak, hopeful for a moment. "I don't see him, no." said Flardrek. "But why is Jaina with them?" he wondered aloud. "She's not one of our allies." Shardak saw that Treedaka and Sayna were slightly wounded, but looked otherwise unharmed. Jaina was a tall, strong-looking Toa of Fire who carried a broadsword and two smaller handaxes. Shardak saw that Treedaka had overheard Flardrek. "She is now." said Treedaka. "After the initial battles, we formed a temporary alliance to defeat several other victors led by Lothia. She escaped, only to be killed by Azzurok. However, we spent the past two days searching for all of you and Duuril, but found none of you." "Were you attacked by any victors today?" asked Fairon. "No, Lothia's alliance was destroyed the day before, the first night in the arena, though she was only killed by Azzurok this morning." Shardak felt a rush of hope as he realized they were now the largest alliance in the entire arena. Now, he thought, there was hope they'd be able to survive. The victors, as one, began to rise to their feet, beginning to plot their next move. If they remained here any longer, they would surely be attacked, either by a loner like Graf, or worse, Shadowplayer's alliance. *** Night was beginning to fall once more as Fairon led his patrol of scouts, consisting of Galika, Blast, and Sayna, back to their new camp. It was nearer to the lake, hidden well by the tall trees. None of the contestants had found it yet, nor had any predatory Rahi. The entire arena seemed to be holding its breath for a storm about to come. It was literally about to rain, Fairon realized. The moisture in the air was palpable, and since it rarely rained in the arena, Fairon knew the Ix would be gearing up for another trap that would end in the deaths of many more victors. He wondered briefly if the Ix had been attempting to eliminate them with the black fog that night, but quickly pushed the idea from his mind. If they'd wanted them dead, they'd all have been dead by now. Returning to camp, Fairon woke Treedaka, telling him to gather his patrol to guard their territory. Treedaka nodded, and Shardak and Kyhrex rose to their feet and followed the Toa victor. Fairon decided he'd take the first watch. Despite the fact that the sky was growing darker, and more and more stars were disappearing behind black clouds, the Toa and Glatorian were alert, Valkyria was holding her bow in one hand, a dagger in the other. Even Shardak seemed uneasy. Suddenly, a scream tore through the night, and Fairon recognized it as Treedaka's. Instantly Fairon was on his feet, Jaina was racing toward the lake, Shardak and Valkyria following her. The clash of arms tore through the darkness, and Fairon emerged from the woodlands to see that the winds were picking up and the waves were crashing against the shore. He could see Struxx and Tronica racing toward him, Kharix drawing a second knife, and Azzurok dragging himself away from the horribly bleeding body of a Toa. Fairon suddenly recognized Treedaka, and before his eyes Azzurok drew a second knife and buried it in Treedaka's throat up to the hilt. "No!" Sayna screamed, racing toward Treedaka. Before she could run far, however, Kharix raised her long scythe and slashed Sayna across the mask. Fairon reacted instictively, raising Blettnox's Shatterer and firing round after round at Azzurok. The dead Mattrelor sank beneath the waves, his upper body damaged beyond repair. Everything was happening amazingly fast all around him. One of Valkyria's arrows struck Struxx in the shoulder, and Jaina was fighting Kharix, forcing the female victor backward, toward the waves. Half swimming, half charging toward Struxx, Fairon had no way of determining who was alive or dead, enemy or friend. It was a throwback to the first day in the arena, when all of the contestants had been battling furiously, and as Fairon fired pulses of elemental light at Struxx, causing the Makuta to vanish beneath the waves, Valkyria fired several arrows at Shadowplayer, forcing the Cryomancer onto the defensive. Suddenly, Fairon felt cold claws grab him, dragging him under. He could see Struxx, smiling coldly as he struggled in vain. Beside him, he could see Jaina, too distracted by Kharix to help, and Shardak, Blast, Kyhrex, Valkyria, and Flardrek, all fighting Tronica and Shadowplayer, were unaware of his plight. "Say good-bye, Toa Fairon." sneered Struxx, as the Toa was dragged beneath the waves. Fairon struggled, but was unable to escape Struxx's hold. He writhed desperately, but Struxx simply held him below the crashing waves... Suddenly there was a flash of green armor, and suddenly Struxx staggered backward, blood pouring from a wound in his throat. There was a flash of silver, and Kharix's dagger impaled Struxx's attacker through the heart. All around him, chaos had broken loose once more; Struxx collapsed, his eyes glazing over, Jaina had buried an axe in Kharix's side. In the midst of the chaos, Fairon rushed to the side of the dying being, the being who had saved his life. All around him, the chaos was growing larger, Jaina had thrown an axe which felled Tronica, and Shadowplayer was being forced backward. Kharix was fighting both Kyhrex and Shardak, but both were unable to finish her. But Fairon barely payed the conflict any attention, for he suddenly recognized it as Duuril, the Turaga from the Sanctum of the Mind. Seeing the wound, Fairon knew instantly it was hopeless. Kharix's dagger had speared him directly through the heartlight, and it was beginning to flicker and dim. Feebly, the Turaga reached out a hand, fighting to keep himself above the thrashing waves. Then he fell below the water, vanishing into the darkness. Nearby, his allies were beginning to retreat, their stricken looks confirming that there was no way to help Duuril, Treedaka, or Sayna, no need to finish off Struxx or Tronica. Fairon looked around for any sign of Kharix or Shadowplayer, but saw neither. "Where'd they go?" asked Fairon. It was Shardak who answered. He was bleeding slightly, but despite Shadowplayer's attack, he seemed to be faring well, despite the shocked look in his eyes at Duuril's death. "They retreated after Struxx was killed." he answered. "Valkyria wounded the silver female, but Shadowplayer escaped unharmed." The others were all wounded. Valkyria had been slashed across the thigh by one of Kharix's daggers, both Galika and Jaina were wounded badly. Flardrek was standing beside Jareroden, watching as the waves continued to grow. Six contestants were dead, eleven still lived. Three who had been killed were their allies. While Fairon knew they should leave now before Shadowplayer or Kharix or Graf came to find them, he felt they should stay, to remember what Treedaka, Sayna, and Duuril had sacrificed. Despite the fact that Fairon had known they'd all have to die, including himself, so that Shardak could win, seeing Duuril, Treedaka, and Sayna die before him had made it irrevocable, real. Soon, their third day in the arena would be over, and at the rate the contestants were dying, it would be all over tommarrow or the next day. It was nearing midnight when Fairon, Jareroden, Galika, Valkyria, Shardak, Blast, Kyhrex, and Jaina returned to their camp. Their alliance of eight was far too large to be attacked openly by any of the remaining contestants, and as Fairon walked back, toward their camp, he was thinking over possible situations. He did not know if Jaina was to be trusted, and he doubted Valkyria would allow herself to die so Shardak could win. She'd probably remained with their alliance thus far because there was more strength in numbers. As they were nearing the camp, it began to rain. The storm had broken, but Fairon knew that, for the eleven surviving competitors, the true storm had yet to begin.

Chapter 23 The late afternoon sun began to fall below the trees, and the shadows began to return at last. Hidden within a grove of vines, Skarge smiled. The twilight was his time to strike, it was the time that he could hide within the half-formed shadows, before the larger alliances went hunting for loners yet after the battles that day had died down. He'd had been surprised when he'd been chosen for this Game once again. Pleased, but surprised. He'd won the Game against beings far more skilled by hiding the the shadows and assassinating them, and was confident he could do it again. While he was wary of Shadowplayer's alliance and dared not attack them yet, he could see that the other alliances and loners would easily be defeated. As if he'd summoned her, another competitor, one that Skarge recognized very well, strode toward him. It was another surviving Toa, the one known as Lothia. She seemed to be following someone, and in the shadows he could make out her quarry in the distance. Duuril. While the lone Turaga was vanishing into the distance, he would be an easy kill, Skarge was certain of that. He stood no chance against Lothia, one of the younger victors. However, if he allowed her to kill Duuril, he'd lose his oppertunity to kill one more competitor. Skarge smiled. His knives were already drawn, his weapons ready to strike. Lothia had still not sensed him, indeed, she had began running now, intent on catching the Turaga. He smiled at her ignorance. This battle is over. he thought as he leapt at Lothia, slamming into her. Years of skilled assassinations, first for his master, Makuta Malok, and then in the 125th Game allowed him to place his weapon, driving it through her armor and finally through muscle and bone. Lothia staggered backward, blasts of shadow flying from her fingertips, before she collapsed on the ground. Skarge walked over to her, checking to see if her breathing had stopped. As he did, he saw that her body was changing. Her black armor was becoming blue, her eyes becoming sapphire. Quickly, "she" rose to her feet, returned to his original form. Skarge staggered backward, dagger in hand. He was now facing Azzurok. He tried to flee, but another being emerged from the shadows, scimitar in one hand, dagger in the other. Kharix smiled as the Makuta realized their deception, then, before he could move, slashed her weapon across his neck. Skarge staggered backward, gasping for breath. His eyes misted over, his mouth whispering protests. Finally, he fell still. "I knew disguising as the Toa of Shadow we killed earlier would give us the advantage needed to eliminate this assasin." said Azzurok, satisfied. "Now, let us rejoin Shadowplayer and Tronica. Soon, Blettnox, Struxx, and Krimsonnar will rejoin us, and the arena will fall before our might." *** Fairon raced through the trees, hoping to eventually find Struxx's trail. Following him closely were Shardak and Valkyria. However, the Makuta, while wounded, was also fiendishly clever. He'd chosen to cross paths in an area where many beings, both Rahi and competitors alike, had passed through. Then the trail went completely cold, and Fairon remembered that Struxx was a Makuta, a shapeshifter. Once he'd healed enough, he could have easily taken to the air. Karzahni. thought Fairon. There's no hope of finding him tonight, as he's obviously rejoined his remaining allies. Who's with Shadowplayer? Kharix, Struxx, Azzurok, and-- Tronica! Fairon thought. That was the name of the silver-armored victor Treedaka had been fighting in the initial battles, the fourth ally whose name he couldn't remember. A powerful Glatorian, she'd won her Game by pretending to be weak until the stronger contestants had killed each other off, then defeated the remainder easily. While not as powerful as Azzurok or Struxx or as skilled and deadly as Kharix or Shadowplayer, she was still another competitor, and one whom he could not afford to underestimate. He knew she could kill viciously. The shadows were lengthening by the time Fairon returned to their camp. Jareroden, Blast, Flardrek, Kyhrex, and Galika were waiting within the cavern. "No sign of Treedaka, Sayna, or Duuril." Fairon reported. "Or Struxx." "Did you run into even a single competitor?" asked Galika. "Not one." said Shardak. "They could be on the other side of the lake, near the small forest." "True." said Jareroden. "However, it bothers me that no other competitor has come hunting for us. While none of the loners, like Graf or Lothia, would, there are other alliances simular to Sligorian's and Klugron's." Suddenly, the Kodax's voice echoed through the arena, congratulating the competitors who had survived a second day in the arena. He then began to list the death toll. "Klugron, Sligorian, Krimsonnar, Grennkirro, Lothia, Skarge." That was all. Then the voice vanished, leaving the contestants once more with no ties to the world outside once more.Six dead today. thought Fairon grimly. Seventeen still alive, and six, nine if you count Sayna, Treedaka, and Duuril, are Shardak's allies. "Lothia and Skarge are dead?" Jareroden said, keeping his voice flat and expressionless. Fairon felt a stab of sympathy for the other victors, he knew how hard it must be for them to fight and kill again after all those years since their games, when they'd done their best to forever forget their experiences in the arena. "So who else is still alive, besides our and Shadowplayer's alliances?" Flardrek asked. Fairon could see that the Glatorian was not badly injured, by tomarrow, certainly, he'd be able to run and fight again. Galika, on the other hand...she'd been hit by a Shattering bullet on the leg and another on the shoulder, and Fairon knew that while it would take more then that to kill her, such a wounded Toa would not last long in the Games. "Not many." answered Jareroden. "Duuril, Treedaka, Sayna, Graf, and Jaina are all out there somewhere." "We'll have to resume our search for them tomarrow." said Jareroden. "And I don't think it's wise for us to remain here for another day either. If we do, another contestant will be sure to find us." For a while, the contestants continued discussing the possibility of more alliances developing later in the Games, but all the while there was the unspoken battle raging between all of their allies: they all could not win the Game. Fairon was determined to help Shardak win, so that he could return to the Void and return the Kanohi Ignika to the other surviving rebels, Zhrek and Shardos. They obviously had more allies, and would make sure that he would be protected as the last Toa still free from Imperial control. And soon, nearly all of those will be dead. Fairon thought. Out of the twenty-odd victors who had not been chosen for the 175th Game, only three others were Toa. The trouble is that I don't know if Valkyria will stay loyal to us if it comes to a battle. Fairon thought. I'm sure Jareroden, Flardrek, and Galika will side with me, but what of Blast? And if we find Treedaka, Sayna, and Duuril, what then? The cold night gave Fairon no answers. Slowly he began to drift into sleep, waking Jareroden for his watch before closing his eyes. However, despite the fact he knew that these were his allies, Fairon was only half-asleep, during the three weeks that he'd spent in the arena, he'd slept with one eye open, and now that he'd returned to the arena, he could not force his mind to sleep fully. However, he hardly noticed when the room was filled by more shadows. However, he soon felt his breathing becoming labored. He could see they were all struggling to breathe now, and that Jareroden was shaking the others awake. Fairon gasped for air, but found he was losing oxygen rapidly. "Run!" Jareroden managed to gasp out, half-dragging Galika to her feet. Fairon tried to create a small light, but failed in the oppressive darkness. He raced out of the cave, still half blinded, and staggered through the blackness, Jareroden and Galika by his side. With no way to determine whether the rest of his allies were following them, or, indeed, were even alive, Fairon raced through the blackness, hoping desperately that Shardak and the others had survived.

Chapter 22 The sun rose above the arena, chasing away the last whisps of the Shadows Coil remaining in the sky and bathing the arena in light for the first time during the Game. Fairon watched this, listening to the sounds of the Rahi and other animals waking, roaming free through the forests. Fairon, whose watch was last, knew that soon, all of the various contestants would be attempting to carve out their territories in the deadly arena. There had been no action after they'd rejoined Shardak and Valkyria, and he guessed that Shadowplayer's alliance had withdrawn after killing the older victor. Fairon had enough experiance with the games to know that the other alliances would continue to hunt them soon. They could try to track down weaker victors and eliminate them, but in battle they could easily lose the less experienced Shardak. He doubted that even Valkyria, who had fought alongside them to destroy the Shadow of Ages, would be able to take on a victor like Shadowplayer or Blettnox. We need to find Treedaka, Sayna, and Blast. he thought. An inexperienced loner would stand little chance against Sligorian or Lothia, and even Treedaka and Sayna could not defeat Shadowplayer's larger alliance. "We need to find Treedaka and the others." Jareroden was saying, again echoing Fairon's thoughts. "We're the only alliance almost as large as Shadowplayer's, and with three more warriors beside us, we'll outnumber them." "But could we, even then, overpower them?" asked Flardrek. "I know Kharix and Blettnox well, and all of the others I know by reputation." "Do we stand even a chance without our other allies?" Fairon asked. "They'd overpower us easily. We've encountered five of them, and I'm not sure if the other two Mattrelor victors aren't also allied with Azzurok." "Krimsonnar and Grennkirro?" said Flardrek. "Possibly. I didn't see either of them at the initial battle, but it was so wildly confused I could barely tell who was friend or foe." "So, are we all agreed our next move should be to locate Blast, Treedaka, and Sayna?" asked Jareroden, after a few more moment's discussion. "Yes." Shardak answered, and the others began to gather their weapons. There was a steely look of determination in their eyes that matched Fairon's own, and Fairon knew then that none of them would abandon the alliance until they all died fighting for Shardak to win. Valkyria...Fairon couldn't read the Ix warrior's expression, but she seemed willing to go along with the plan. Fairon doubted she was trustworthy. They were in the arena, and an Ix warrior was probably the last being he wanted as an ally in the Eternal Game. However, she'd done nothing hostile to any of them so far, so Fairon was willing to let her live until she did. Fairon wondered exactly how many days all of them had to live. His Eternal Game, with nearly double the number of contestants, had lasted close to a month. The average Game lasted nearly two weeks, but after the high death toll on the first day, Fairon wondered if these Games would be significantly shorter. "Remember to keep silent." Fairon whispered. He knew that none of the victors or Valkyria needed any reminding, but it thought it was best to mention to them all rather then to Shardak alone. "We don't want any one of the contestants spotting us until we've attacked ourselves." Slipping through the early morning dawn, the alliance strode warily through the large jungle, alert for any traps. Fairon remembered how the Fallen Six, during the last Game, had lost two of their allies when beings known as Kawa and Alloystepped on a pair of hidden teleportation traps. Galika, who had a keen eye for detecting traps, was scanning the forest floor while Fairon and the others were standing attentively, searching for any signs of other contestants. Fairon wondered for a moment if there was a larger battle going on somewhere else in the arena, for it had been almost eerily quiet in the jungle that morning. He actually wouldn't mind that. He'd already been attacked far too often during the past few days then he cared for. We won't know until tonight. thought the Toa, his gaze returning once more to the viny undergrowth ahead. A massive tangle of vines and fallen branches had barred the way, and Galika was causing a small flood to wash them away. Fairon knew that a Toa of Fire or Air would have easily completed the task in seconds, but the only two surviving Toa of Air were Treedaka and Sayna, and Fairon knew that only one Toa of Fire was still alive, another victor whose name he did not remember. Fortunately for him, he had not been chosen for the Game this year. Then the still air was broken by a clash of arms, and Fairon was jerked once more into reality. Racing through the undergrowth, Galika and Jareroden using their elemental powers to blast the larger vines out of the way, Fairon raced to the edge of a larger clearing. There he saw Sligorian, black armor gleaming in the rising light, facing off against Blast. The Toa was holding the Scythe of Creation, but Fairon knew that since the previous Game, his memory had been wiped by Millennium. He had no idea of the power it contained. Fairon had seen it in action against a massive alliance led by Malok and Antidax in the previous Game, and when he'd seen the final version of the complete Game when he'd won, he'd watched in amazement as its power had utterly annihilated a Makuta known as Benjarmin. Now, if Fairon did not stop him, Sligorian would kill Blast and take the weapon. And if it falls into the hands of someone who could actually use the power, like Azzurok or Shadowplayer--" Fairon didn't even finish the thought before he charged out of the shadows, Shardak close behind him. Sligorian, who had been about to crush Blast's skull with the mace, whirled around as Fairon charged him, beams of laser vision striking both Fairon and Shardak. Fairon hissed in pain but kept going, but Shardak fell to his knees. For the first time, Fairon noticed exactly how wounded he was; Shardak had suffered wounds all across his legs and burns all over his body. His shoulder was also bleeding slightly, and Fairon could tell that while it had been healing, it would soon become infected if he did not have it healed. Sligorian's mace flashed before Fairon's eyes, and almost instinctively Fairon countered the blow. Sligorian began rapidly battering at his defense in a complex attack pattern that would have disarmed almost any sword wielding Toa. However, Fairon was no longer the naive young Toa who had been recruited into the Eternal Game, his narrow victory over Iruka and the other opponents in the previous Game had given him far more skill then he'd had before. Lunging to one side to dodge Sligorian's laser vision, Fairon used a burst of light to momentarily distract Sligorian enough for him to seize the offensive, his rapid sword strokes causing the Skrall to stagger back to avoid being skewered by Fairon's broadsword. Suddenly, Fairon saw a blur of green armor flash by him and slam into Jareroden, causing the Toa to fall to the ground. For one irrational moment, Fairon thought it was Sayna, then he recognized the armor: Grennkirro. He looked for one moment at Sligorian, but the Skrall seemed just as confused as Fairon was. Sligorian, seeing Grennkirro was busy fighting Jareroden, Flardrek, and Galika, turned to focus once more on Fairon. Completely unprepared for the sudden attack, Fairon could only watch as the club descended-- then fell from Sligorian's grasp as four of Valkyria's arrows buried themselves in the Skrall's arm. Shardak charged toward Sligorian, the sudden attack forcing the disarmed Skrall to stagger backward, his laser vision flying in all directions. Then he recovered, his laser vision striking Shardak, then Fairon. Fairon charged forward, broadsword readied to finish him off. At the last second, Sligorian leapt to one side, the sword bouncing harmlessly off his armor. The Skrall charged forward again, snatching his club from the ground and charging toward Fairon. Then three things happened at once. Grennkirro, having disarmed Jareroden and stunned Galika, charged toward Shardak and Blast. There was a hiss and an explosion as something flashed past Fairon's line of sight, striking Sligorian full in the face as he lunged toward Fairon. Sligorian's helmet and head exploded into shards of black armor and blood as his decapitated body collapsed at Fairon's feet. Fairon whirled around, dodging a second Shattering pulse as Blettnox charged toward him, spraying pulses from his Shatterer. Several struck Grennkirro, but despite his wounds the Mattrelor continued his battle with Shardak and Blast. One hit Flardrek on the leg, tearing through armor and muscle. Fairon had no idea how deep his wounds were, but had no time to think as Struxx's longsword flashed out of the darkness, the powerful Makuta's strike tearing the weapon free from Fairon's hands. Nearby, Krimsonnar, another Mattrelor, and unlike Grenkirro, an ally of Shadowplayer's, was fighting Jareroden and Grennkirro now, allowing Galika, Shardak, and Blast time to focus on dodging Blettnox's Shattering pulses. Struxx, seeing Fairon distracted for one moment, charged forward, his armor shifting and changing, until suddenly the Makuta was holding a second longsword as well as the first. His weapons flashed in the sunlight, and Fairon dodged his attacks, retaliating with a burst of light, which blinded Struxx for a moment. Struxx, half-blinded for a moment, was unable to dodge a pulse fired by Blettnox, and his leg was half-shattered by a ricocheting blast from the shatterer. However, due to his mysterious armor, the injury was repared within seconds. Fairon knew they could not hold them off forever. Krimsonnar had wounded Grennkiro badly, and as soon as the Mattrelor was dead, Krimsonnar would be able to focus on destroying the Toa. And with two Makuta and a Mattrelor against them, it was only a matter of time before one or more of their allies were killed. Struxx was now once again forcing Fairon to the ground, elemental light and shadow flying from both of the combatant's hands and weapons, half-blinding the Toa. Fairon could see Blettnox was still firing shattering pulses, and several had struck Galika and Jareroden. Both Toa fell to the ground. Fairon had no idea whether either of them were still alive, and he had no time to run to their aid. Blettnox was now spraying more rounds from his shatterer, and while he and Struxx had deflected them all so far, it was incredibly distracting. Struxx was hit by several head-on, something that would have killed almost any Toa or Makuta. Struxx simply stemmed the flow of blood with his mysterious armor. Shadows exploded in front of Fairon, and without thinking his elemental light powers countered the blasts. Struxx charged forward, but at the same time, Fairon saw Grennkiro lunge toward him. There was an explosion as several shattering pulses exploded between them. Struxx lept aside and Fairon staggered out of the way. Grennkirro, however, deflected them all with his claws, blasting all of the pulses back at Blettnox along with a burst of acid. Blettnox tried to dodge, but the acid splashed over him, causing him to stagger backward just as the pulses struck him. Blettnox didn't even have a chance to scream before the shattering pulses killed him, his half-shattered body falling to the ground. While Grennkirro was distracted, however, Krimsonnar struck. The red Mattrelor brought his sword down across Grennkirro's neck, slashing his head from his shoulders. Stepping over the green Mattrelor's body, Krimsonnar charged toward Shardak, Blast, and Kyhrex. Fairon saw Jareroden was on his feet now, and that Struxx was fighting him, Galika, and Flardrek. They could not reach Shardak and the Glatorian in time to save them. Fairon raced toward Krimsonnar, but the Mattrelor was ready, and nearly tore the weapon from Fairon's hands with a single slash. Fairon raised his weapon, blasting the Mattrelor backward with a burst of elemental light. Krimmsonarr rose to his feet, flames flying from his hands and striking Fairon. For one moment, Fairon was once again fighting Iruka on the edge of the cliff in the burning arena. Then he was back in the present, blocking Krimmsonarr's relentless attacks. Shardak stabbed out at the Mattrelor, but Krimsonnar easily dodged and continued his relentless attack on Fairon. Struxx, meanwhile, was staggering away from the combined attacks of Blast, Kyhrex, Flardrek, Galika, and Jareroden. Fairon looked around for Valkyria, and saw her firing arrows at the Makuta. Shardak charged toward Krimsonnar again, but he easily fought them both, flames flowing from his fingertips and striking both of the Toa like chain lightning. Shardak fell to the ground, unconsious, and Fairon felt his arm burn and his weapon fall to the ground. Krimsonnar smiled. "This battle is over." As Krimsonnar's sword descended upon him, Fairon flung himself to one side, grabbing the shattering gun. Krimsonnar, seeing what he was holding, backed up, but was too late. Fairon fired six rounds from the weapon in quick sucession, all of them striking Krimsonnar dead-on and causing his legs to shatter into red shards. Remembering that the Mattrelor could regenerate, he fired it several times at Grennkirro's fallen body, scattering the already shattered shards across the jungle floor. Krimsonnar, horribly wounded, dragged himself toward Fairon, slashing at his legs. Slowly, the Mattrelor was reforming. Fairon fired the blaster several more times him, and Krimsonnar vanished, his body reduced to shards of red armor and blood. Struxx could see the battle had turned against him. With one final sneer, he vanished into the jungle. None of the allies pursued him. Fairon could see that Galika, Flardrek, and Blast were all wounded, though none of their wounds were mortal. However, Fairon knew that, without healing, wounds in the arena could become fatal. "They'll be fine." said Jareroden. "But we can't continue following Struxx." "We'll split up, then." said Fairon. "I'll go after Struxx with Shardak and Valkyria. Not to finish him off, but to find out where the rest of Shadowplayer's allies are hiding, and to find Treedaka and Sayna. You and Flardrek will guard Blast, Flardrek, and Galika until they can follow us." "But what if Kharix and the rest of her allies are watching us, waiting for Struxx's signal to attack.And if you and Shardak are killed, what's the chances any of us will win." "We'll have to risk it." said Fairon. "Treedaka and Sayna are still out there, and with eighteen odd contestants out there, they don't stand a chance against a powerful, lone victor like Skarge, much less Shadowplayer's allies." "Hopefully the deaths of Krimsonnar and Blettnox will unsettle Shadowplayer enough to call off any further attacks today. How many allies does he have left?" Jareroden asked. "Struxx, Azzurok, and Kharix. Maybe another, I'm not sure." "May you find Treedaka and Sayna quickly, before they find you." said Jareroden. "We'll go back to the caves. If we're not there when you return, try to lay low until you hear the death toll." Fairon nodded, the words eerily echoing Fyxan's during the last Eternal Game. For one brief moment, he was standing not beside Shardak and Valkyria, but next to Tanuva, Blast, and Leviathos again, and it was not Jareroden he was wishing farewell, but Fyxan. Then it was over, and Fairon was once again in the arena, following Struxx's footprints deeper into the jungle.

Chapter 21 "It's a Shadows Coil." whispered Jareroden, his voice filled with shock and awe. "A what?" asked Fairon, shouting to be heard over the cacophony of screams that had begun when the formation appeared in the sky. "A Shadows Coil." Jareroden said. "You've heard of the spectral formations the Veiled Ones use to announce the end of the Games?" "Yes." Fairon answered. "This is another of their formations, another way of making announcements. However, I haven't seen a Coil since the Last Great War. The Shadows Coil is a death mark, Fairon. It states that the Ix have taken their revenge, that one of their enemies is dead or as good as dead. It was every Toa's, every Glatorian's, every being's worst fear during the wars, save Elimination itself. It hasn't been seen in many, many years, not since the Order was destroyed." "Imagine you're a Matoran, walking home from a day's work." Galika said, her voice shaken. "Then seeing the Shadows Coil over your home and you know...what you'll find..." her voice trailed off into the shadows, only the screams throughout the blackness. "If the Shadows Coil is here, it can only mean one thing." said Jareroden. "The rebellion is finished. The Ix have won." "It can't be that..." Fairon whispered. All around him, the rest of the Toa and Flardrek were readying their weapons. "We have to find Shardak and Blast." said Jareroden. "If they're attacked by a terrified, fleeing victor..." He didn't even need to finish the sentance. It would be no contest. Fairon wondered if this was how Leviathos and Tanuva had felt, before they'd sacrificed their lives to allow him to win... Now, he was going to do the same. While he knew that it was likely that the Ix had given the other victors special orders to kill him in the arena, he had to help Shardak win, so that the rebellion could continue. And as they raced through the darkness, Fairon hoped against hope that they were not too late. *** Shardak raced through the shadows, the cries of the contestants echoing across the arena. He could barely even see in the shadows, for the massive, shadowy mark hid many of the stars. The moment the screams had started, Shardak realized several beings were hidden several yards away from him, and that any moment, they'd recover from the shock and begin pursuing them. He'd fled immediately, not pausing to consider if the beings would notice and pursue him. Fortunately, none of them even seemed to notice him, they'd been so distracted by the appearence of the mark in the sky. Shardak had no idea what it was, but he did know that if it was able to cause hardened victors to scream in terror, he knew it was something truly horrifying. Racing through the sparse forest, he hardly noticed that it was giving way to a wider, more dangerous jungle. Then, suddenly, a being seemed to appear out of the shadows. Shardak staggered to a halt, his weapon, a heavy scimitar, nearly falling from his grasp. "I knew someone would come, eventually, Klugron." a second being hissed. Shardak could see his attackers, a Skrall and a smaller warrior. The Skrall was carrying a large war mace, the warrior twin daggers. Both were heavily armored, and the predatory look in their eyes locked with Shardak's. "The fact that there was a Shadows Coil in the sky would eventually send someone toward us...someone inexperienced and alone." "Hello, Toa." Sligorian snarled, then charged. Shardak deflected his first strike easily, but saw a blur of darkness flash out of the corner of his other eye. Klugron lept toward him, daggers missing Shardak by inches. Klugron recovered quickly, and Shardak felt pain stab through him as Klugron tore through his armor with a dagger. Sligorian, meawhile, was readying for another attack. As he easily deflected blows from Shardak's heavy scimitar, the Skrall seemed to be withdrawing. Shardak saw his eyes, half-hidden in the shadows of his helmet, were gleaming brighter and brighter. Suddenly, a ray of pure red energy flew from Sligorian's eyes and struck Shardak directly into the shoulder, sending him staggering backward as pain exploded across his wound where the Stalker had bit him nearly five days ago. Seeing his enemy wounded, both Sligorian and Klugron closed in for the kill. Klugron raised his dagger, and Sligorian was approaching more warily, wondering if Shardak had something else planned. The sixth sense that all victors possessed was warning him that there was something- Klugron suddenly staggered backward, an arrow embedded in his shoulder. Sligorian was more lucky, and the next volley of arrows missed him entirely, another striking Klugron in the leg. All three beings turned toward the attacker, and Shardak was surprised to see Valkyria, her camouflaged armor allowing her to blend in perfectly with the darkness. Sligorian snarled in rage and fired more blasts of laser vision at Valkyria, but the Ix warrior dodged them all easily. The laser beams impacted against a tree, charring the bark slightly. Shardak was now battling Klugron, forcing the victor back but unable to defeat him. Pain flashed through him as Sligorian's laser vision struck him again, wounding him badly. Klurgon grinned and lept toward him- He never even touched him. Klugron staggered backward, an arrow through his neck. With a horrible choking sound, the victor fell backward. Then he halved his remaining seconds of life by tearing the arrow free. His body shuddered once, then he went still. Shardak recovered, then looked around for Sligorian, but the Skrall was nowhere in sight. Valkyria walked over to the Toa, her gaze searching for Sligorian but finding nothing. "That's the second time I've saved the life of a Toa in two days." said Valkyria, in mock disgust. Shardak laughed, then remembered who, exactly, he was talking to. He could see the red gleam of the Shadow Orb in the Ix warrior's hand, and wondered why she hadn't given it to the Ix to try to escape the Eternal Game. Sensing what Shardak was thinking in the aura field, Valkyria led him deeper into the forest. Both Toa and Ix were alert for any sounds of danger, Shardak knew enough about the Eternal Game to know that any being could be watching them, waiting for the perfect moment to attack them. "There's no one here." whispered Valkyria under her breath. "I've been hiding here since I escaped the initial bloodbath." "Was Fairon there? Did he escape?" asked Shardak eagerly. "I had to escape that battle quickly.' "He escaped, with little injury. I'm sure you know they lost one of their allies, Xatax. Otherwise, they're all alive, but I have no idea how injured the others are." "How did you know I was being attacked? The aura field?" Shardak guessed. Valkyria nodded. "I could sense the presence of Sligorian and Klugron." she said. "And I knew they were attacking you." "You could have left me to die." said Shardak. "In fact, you could have joined the Sharidir and Sarkanian in the Void, or killed me at the initial battle. Why didn't you tell the Empire who I am?" The last sentance was whispered so low that only Valkyria could hear. "Because we were allies in the Void." said the Ix warrior. "And because the Empire would have forced me into the Eternal Game no matter what I did, for allying with a Toa against Nightwatcher in the Void." Her voice was toneless as she said the last words, but Shardak could sense her sadness in the aura field. He wondered how he would feel if the resistance that Silencer had led had sold him out to the Ix despite everything he'd done for them, and he extended his aura slightly, touching her lightly in the aura field. Valkyria smiled, and for the first time since Shardak had known her, she actually seemed amused. "You need to learn to control your aura more fully. I can read your emotions and ideas far too easily." "I was never taught. Silencer died before he could teach me attacks or defenses in the feild, and since then..." he let his voice trail off into nothingness. Valkyria smiled slightly again, then quickly reverted to her usual, cold mask. Shardak could see she'd felt uncomfortable even displaying slight emotion, after so many years of keeping them hidden, it must have been hard. He did not continue speaking, simply waited there in the shadows, listening for any sounds of conflicts. In the distance, he could hear shouting, but stayed silent. "Who is it fighting?" he asked Valkyria. "Is it Fairon?" "Yes." whispered Valkyria. "They're in danger. Shadowplayer has found them." *** Fairon raced through the trees, searching for Shardak. He wished desperately his friend Rantu, another Toa of aura, was with him now. Shardak could be anywhere now, at the mercy of any of the other victor contestants. He had to help Shardak survive. It was their unspoken promise, the promise that united Jareroden and Flardrek and the other victors who had journeyed to the Void. Suddenly, Fairon was jerked out of his thoughts by an orange light bleeding through the trees. Peering through the undergrowth, he could see that one of the contestants had lit a massive fire, and that smoke was rising up through the trees, vanishing into the rapidly disintegrating Shadows Coil above. Surely not. said Fairon. Surely no victor would ever light a fire in the arena. It's the same thing as yelling "come and get me" to a powerful alliance. Why would-- "It could be a trap." whispered Jareroden, eerily echoing Fairon's thoughts. "There are very few victors still alive that would do something so irrational." Within seconds, their questions were answered. He could hear whispering, and could see a flash of armor in the shadows. He could hear another voice, begging and pleading, and recognized it, to his surprise, as Tonitrus, an old Makuta victor who, unlike Agrana, had weakened over the years. He was probably so confused by being back in the arena he'd forgotten the dangers of lighting a fire. Fairon cursed as he recognized Blettnox's voice. Shadowplayer's alliance had found them, and they were less then a bio away. He could hear another, gravelly voice whisper something, and heard Kharix answer. At least three of the deadliest victors in the entire Games were standing less then a bio away from them, and Fairon knew it was only a matter of time before they noticed their large group. It was impossible to stay hidden from such a powerful alliance for long. Then came the inevitable end, and Tonitrus' voice fell silent forever. Fairon winced as he heard the victors laugh for a few moments, then begin to search once more. Blettnox loomed above Fairon, and the Toa hardly dared to breathe, he was so frightened. However, the Makuta did not seem to notice them, and wandered off once more. The alliance was having a hushed discussion, from what Fairon could hear, they were discussing splitting up and searching the arena for more victors. Then they vanished into the darkness after what seemed like an eternity. Fairon rose to his feet, and breathed a short sigh of relief. Beside him, Jareroden, Flardrek, and Galika did the same. Walking through the clearing, taking care to tread silently, the Toa and Glatorian continued their hunt for Shardak. Fairon kept his eyes alert for any sign of Kharix, Blettnox, or Shadowplayer, but saw none of them. Suddenly, Jareroden whispered quietly, "We've found him." Peering through the undergrowth, Fairon saw Shardak, a long scimitar clutched in one hand, standing beside Valkyria, who had raised her longbow. "Shardak, we're here!" hissed Fairon, under his breath. "Are you all right?" "Yes, I'm fine." whispered Shardak. "Did you run into Shadowplayer? Valkyria sensed he was near you in the aura field." "He was, but we did not fight him. He and his allies were battling a Makuta called Tonitrus. We narrowly escaped him." "I was attacked by two beings named Sligorian and Klugron. We defeated them, though Sligorian escaped. What was that mark in the sky that caused some of the victors to panic?" asked Shardak. "Sligorian called it a Shadows Coil." "It's a death mark that the Ix use when they've defeated one of their enemies." said Jareroden. "It was used during the war." "We need to get back to shelter." said Fairon. "Soon it will be morning. If we want to find Blast, we'll have to rest before the day dawns and the real battles begin once again." "Agreed." said Jareroden, and began to lead them back to the caverns. There are only nineteen of us left alive. Fairon thought. The Empire is certainly not done with their dangers. The Shadows Coil was just the beginning. And soon the truly deadly battles will begin.

Chapter 20 Within that moment, the storm broke. Quickly, but what seemed like an eternity to Fairon, the cylinders opened, and out rushed the contestants. Shadowplayer decided to take the approach Nightwatcher had during the last game, and smashed his way free of the cylinders. Fairon could see the first danger already, the small pits that spewed flame directly in front of them. With no weapons, and the only cache in the water, Fairon raced toward the fire. All around him, chaos reigned as the victors charged past the fire and into the water. Fairon had nearly reached the lake when a geyser of flames exploded in front of him, blinding him for a moment. The Glatorian standing next to Fairon was not so lucky, and he screamed as the fire consumed him completely. Several others were burned, but Fairon saw that nearly all of them had made it past the flames unscathed. Most were already in the water, fighting with the weapons lying scattered across the shore. Without thinking, as though he had been ready for this all along, Fairon raised a spear, just as an attacker slammed into him. The assailant screamed as the spear entered his leg. In the half-light, Fairon could not tell whether the attacker was Toa or Glatorian or Ix, but he left the wounded being lying on the shore. The instincts he'd tried to bury after his defeat of Iruka took over, and Fairon found himself holding a spear in one hand, a sword in the other, thrusting, hacking, stabbing, and tearing at anything that attacked him. His eyes had adjusted to the dim light now, and he could see that all around him, other battles were going on. A helpless Glatorian, staggering desperately away from Makuta Blettnox, was blown to bloody shreds by a Shattering Gun. Xatax, sword in hand, standing over a defeated opponent and fighting several more. In the horrible light of the flames, the battle looked even more darkly intense, with the blood and the water both appearing black. Fairon could see several contestants lay dead in the water, and still more were climbing up the cliff's edge, trying to grab supplies. Nearby, Galika was battling another victor. Fairon caught a glimpse of his mask and spear, and recognized him. Makuta Skarge, a victor who'd won the Games years ago by hiding in the shadows, killing off the other contestants before they had a chance to retaliate. He certainly stood little chance against Galika in the water. Blettnox was now spraying round after round with his Shattering Gun, the pulses ricocheting off the crags and striking anyone in sight. Fairon dodged to one side and a pulse missed him by an inch, and nearby an Agori fell, holding his leg, before the massive currents Galika was creating pulled him under. He did not come up. What was more, the water was growing deeper as he half walked, half swam toward the main cache, and with the spray of water and the flashes of flame surrounding the dark arena, the faces of his opponents all seemed to have a ghastly, unreal quality to them. Struxx was battling Treedaka now. Fairon looked around for signs of any other dangerous competitors, and could see Blast, a few feet away, holding a long, curved scimitar and battling a Makuta. He seemed to be holding his own, despite the Makuta's much more powerful elemental abilities. Suddenly, a shadow reared above him, and as a flash of flame lit up the stars, Fairon caught a glimpse of his mask in the gloom, and recognized him. Agrana, one of the oldest victors, though still in perfect physical condition. His eyes gleamed with an emotion Fairon couldn't quite classify. Was it fear? Exhilaration? Hatred? Or a combination of the three? However, he was carrying a broadsword, and seemed perfectly capable of slicing Fairon apart. A horrible thought occurred to him. What if they've all been given orders for us to die in the arena? That would explain the Ix not searching them for the Shadow Orb or the Ignika. While Fairon knew Arcturas had disguised the mask Shardak wore so well that it could almost pass as a Glatorian helmet, he- Agrana's slash and a spear of pain brought Fairon back to the present. The victor's face was contorted in rage, and as he jabbed his scimitar forward, aiming to run Fairon through. Fairon feinted to one side, thrusting outward with his spear at the same time. Agrana tried to dodge, but he slipped, lost his balance, and plunged into the roiling current. Agrana quickly found his footing, but before he could reorient himself, a scimitar ran him through. Fairon made out Khadix in the gloom, her eyes gleaming with the thrill of the Games as she nimbly sidestepped a Glatorian attacker's sword, then slashed his arm off completely. The Glatorian staggered back, directly into one of the shattering pulses Makuta Blettnox was firing. His horribly wounded body vanished beneath the waves. Fairon suddenly found himself fighting next to Jareroden and Xatax. Jareroden was holding a massive trident, spearing anyone who came too near to them. Fairon half swam to a rocky outcropping, and no victor followed him. He could see Struxx and Blettnox were both still fighting the other victors, while Khadix and Shadowplayer were nowhere in sight. Fairon looked at Jareroden, who seemed just as shocked by the carnage as he was. He could see Galika and Flardrek walking over to them, and the same haunted look shone in their eyes. "I would have thought...there would be more hesitancy." said Fairon. "After all, these are victors, all of whom were forced to kill for the Empire." "What did you expect? None of us won the Games by chance, Fairon. We've all had to become killers in order to win." Jareroden answered. "Where are Sayna and Treedaka?" asked Fairon, scanning the battlefield for either of the Toa, but seeing neither. "I don't know." said Jareroden. "They've--" Suddenly, there was a flash of white light, and Xatax staggered back, clutching his shattered arm. Blettnox, seeing him wounded, fired more pulses at him. Even wounded, the Glatorian victor was still fast, and narrowly escaped death by inches. "Watch out!" Jareroden roared, and Fairon saw Struxx rise out of the water, Kanohi Crast gleaming in the shadows. Xatax fell, his spine snapped in half. "No!" yelled Jareroden, stabbing out at Struxx. However, the Makuta had already vanished beneath the waves once more, and Blettnox was standing on the other side of the cache now, firing his Shatterer at any moving target. Fairon, seeing that the battle was dying down as surviving contestants fled or consolidated the territory they'd carved out for themselves, grabbed several weapons and supplies from the cache before rejoining Jareroden. He cought up to the Toa as they staggered onto shore, on the opposite side of the lake. A sparse forest, which eventually led into a deeper jungle, lay ahead of them. Fairon, however, barely payed any attention to his allies as he staggered ashore, and began discussing where they could hide until morning. He was simply replaying the battle over and over in his mind, another nightmare that would haunt him forevermore. Slowly, Fairon, alongside Jareroden and Galika, followed Flardrek toward a hidden cavern covered in moss, ivy, and hidden from view by several large trees. It was an excellent place to hide a small group of contestants, and it was also easily defended. However, Fairon had learned never to underestimate the Ix. The arenas were always riddled with teleporters to seperate allies, traps that were just as dangerous as fellow competitors, and predatory Rahi. Suddenly, a voice boomed across the arena, another voice Fairon recognized. It was that of the Kodax announcer, the voice that had haunted Fairon's existance for nearly a month. After congratulating the survivors, the Kodax began to announce the death toll on the first day. Fairon payed little attention, trying to focus on names he knew. "Agrana, Mardun, Nazak, Namrus..." the list went on and on. Fairon listened for any more familiar names, but found none. "...Nerstak, Varr, Xatax!" finished the announcer. Then his voice vanished, and Fairon and his allies were alone in the arena once more. "Sixteen dead." said Jareroden grimly. "Twenty-one still alive." The majority of the victors that had been listed Fairon knew only by name, but for victors such as Jareroden, who had known them for many years, the losses must have been greater. Fairon could see that they all were shocked at the carnage, but all of them had a glint of determination in their eye. "So, Duuril, Shardak, Blast, and Valkyria are all still alive." said Fairon. "Who else do we need to watch out for?" "There's Lothia." said Flardrek. "But I didn't see her at all during the battle." "She's a loner, anyway, like Graf." pointed out Jareroden. "She wouldn't be likely to join any of the alliances." "Nor would Skarge." commented Galika. "He's probably going to try his old assassination tricks again." "What other alliances are out there?" asked Fairon. "Well, Shadowplayer controls the largest alliance. Kharix, Blettnox, Azzurok, and Struxx are all under his command, and there may be more." Like the Fallen Six in the previous Game. thought Fairon. They recruited several Glatorian as well. "But we can't rule out other alliances developing either." said Flardrek. "The last I checked, Sligorian had an ally, the bounty hunter Klugron." "Both dangerous victors." said Jareroden. "Wherever he is, I hope Shardak's safe." Mata Nui protect him and Blast. Fairon thought. They're not victors, and if they're attacked, they don't even stand a chance against Struxx or Shadowplayer. Shardak, wounds bloody, raced away from the massive bloodbath, his mask scarred, his armor dented. They'd known he, Blast, and Valkyria were not victors, and he'd only narrowly escaped with his life. So this is what the Eternal Game is. Shardak thought as he watched the flames light up the lake, the shadows of the furiously battling contestants illuminated by the darkness. This is what haunts Fairon's dreams. He'd escaped death, but he didn't even know how likely it was he'd survive past the next day. He was hopelessly outnumbered, and nearly every other contestant here were victors, who had fought and killed beings far more powerful then he or Blast. Even Valkyria, who had been trained as an Ix warrior, had little experience compared to several of these contestants, such as the being Fairon called Shadowplayer. And there's Duuril out there as well... Shardak thought. He's a skilled warrior, but could he ever defeat a victor? Hidden deep within the forest, Shardak's thoughts were interrupted by the Death Toll. The Kodax named sixteen dead contestants, none of which Shardak knew by name except Xatax, Jareroden's ally. He wondered if Blast and Valkyria had both escaped unwounded, or had crawled away from the battle, bleeding horribly, and would die sometime into the night. Shardak listened, but could hear nothing but the usual sounds in the forest. Several Glider Owls called in the distance, and several bats flew overhead. None took any interest in Shardak. Slowly, knowing he was safe, or as safe as a competitor could be in the Eternal Game, Shardak began to drift off into unconsciousness. Then, suddenly, something happened that jerked him wide awake. Darkness began to move, seemingly of its own accord. It spiraled upward, in a formation simular to the shadows that announced the Games were ending. Shardak could see it was twisting, turning, rising higher. Then the formation reversed, becoming a massive, spectral serpent. Within seconds, the shadows had swarmed to cover many of the stars. "What the..." whispered Shardak Then the formation changed again. What was once the snake became a twisted knot, a hideous explosion of shadows that spread across the heavens, blacking out the stars. That was when the screams started.

PART III: The Empire Chapter 19 Still reeling from shock, Shardak allowed himself to be led down the corridors without protest. He had, as Nightwatcher had said, left one prison and entered another. Unlike the Void, Ion was no longer with him, and all of his allies save Blast and Kyhrex were now potential enemies. And there was nearly no hope of escape from this prison, unless he killed every one of his friends. Which, now as he looked at Fairon, whose eyes were empty and expression grim, and Valkyria, trying to keep her face impassive but, for once, failing to conceal her shock. We're not victors. Why have we been sentanced to the Eternal Game? Then, a more worrying thought. Why hasn't Valkyria mentioned that I'm the Spirit Toa to the Ix? Or maybe she has, but we're all going to be sentanced to fight to the death anyway. Shardak knew they were at a disadvantage for another reason. Many victors formed alliances very early in the Games, then betraying each other later. The only allies he knew would stand beside him were Blast and Kyhrex, who were just as lost in these games as he was. When the Ix had asked his name, he'd told them he was Barit, an alias he'd also used in the Circle. He knew calling himself Ion, Silencer, or Melnox would attract immediate suspicion. No, it was better that he was an unknown Glatorian. Blast and Kyhrex had also given aliases as well, for they had no way of knowing how much Asgard and the other Ix knew the names of the beings who'd escaped the Circle and killed the Fury. Despite the horrible situation they'd been placed in, Shardak was already trying to figure out the chances of his survival. The instincts he'd had to develop when he'd been disguised as a slave in the Circle, and later in the Void, were already calculating what he had to do to, at the very least, allow Kyhrex or Blast to escape the arena and complete the cryptic instructions he'd been given when Ion vanished. Find Jareroden, or Atarus. He knew from Fairon's story that Jareroden was a past victor, who had disappeared mysteriously during the early battles in the Void. But who or what was Atarus? Shardak knew now that soon, the storm would break, and the victors would tear each other apart in the arena. He held little hope for his own survival, but at the very least, if one of the Toa or Glatorian lived, they would be able to complete the task Silencer had given him. *** Fairon was led into the massive antechamber, remincsent of the one he'd been deployed to the arena in during the Game he'd won. While he knew it was a different room, he still felt as though the clock had been turned back, that he was once again sentanced to the arena. At first, he'd thought the entire thing an elaborate, horrible dream, such as those he'd had in the Void. But he realized now this was no dream. The Ix had struck back, as Fairon had known they would, as Jareroden had hinted. Surveying the room, Fairon saw that the victors numbered nearly forty, substantially less then the beings he'd faced in the last Game. However, these opponents would not fall as easily, nor did he think that they would be destroyed quickly. They'd all won the Games, of course, and every one of them was a hardened killer. He recognized several, such as Shadowplayer, who was extremely fast and agile, and his eyes gleamed, as though he could hardly wait to return to the arena. Makuta Blettnox, another well known victor, who had won the Games the year before Fairon, and another Makuta, Struxx, a victor many years ago. The other group was made up of far older victors, several of which were so weak they could barely hold a weapon. Fairon saw there were only six of them, and knew that very few of them would make it past the first day. Several more victors caught his eye, Graf, scowling and annoyed, and Kharix, one of the younger victors, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Fairon knew that she, along with Shadowplayer and the mysterious Azzurok, were some of the most deadly victors in these games. Unlike in Fairon's Game, when all of the victors had grouped in their alliances, most of the victors stood alone, giving no clue of their allegiences. Nearly every one of the victors was looking at them, sizing them up. Kharix stared at Fairon contemptously, but seemed slightly wary of Treedaka, Flardrek and Sayna. Shadowplayer ignored them all, simply readying for battle. Struxx, on the other hand, seemed slightly afraid of Fairon. This was usual, of course. Older or more powerful victors, or those who had won against overwhelming odds, usually looked down on those who had won more recently. "Fairon!" Fairon turned, surprised, to see Jareroden and Xatax racing toward them. Seeing them under any other circumstances would have made Fairon happy, but here, about to enter the arena... He could see the same expression reflected in Jareroden's eyes. "Ready to be deployed into the arena." said one of the Ix, and Fairon could see the clear tubes of glass that would carry them away from New Metru Nui and to the mysterious new arena had arrived. Fairon wondered, for a moment, if he stood the slightest chance of winning against victors such as Azzurok or Kharix, who made his victory over Iruka seem small and insignificant. They said we were safe, that the Games were over. said Fairon, and he could see that some of the victors looked betrayed, others shocked. But Fairon knew that even that was a lie. He'd been playing the Game ever since he'd been taken to the arena, and he was still playing the Game now. It's called Eternal, for the players, even those who win it, never, ever stop. thought Fairon as he stepped into the cylinder marked #24: Fairon. "Remember." the Ix warrior called. "In the arenas, you kill. Or you die." Then he stepped back, vanishing once more into the shadows. At the same time, Fairon felt a rush as as the tube tore upward, ready to enter the arena. He wondered what dangers it held, what perils that it would hold. Surely it would have to be far, far more deadly, to challenge those who had won the games themselves before. We're here. he thought, as the cylinder ground to a halt. Fairon could see the arena, but he hardly wanted to believe what he saw. For the arena was neither fire nor water, but a horrible combination of both. Flames exploded from crevasses in the distance, a massive lake stretched out to one side, and atop a crag was a single cache of supplies. Peering into the inky blackness, Fairon could make out a jungle, a relection of the arena that Treedaka had fought in. And all of those horrible perils did not account for teleporters, hidden traps and grids, underground tunnels, and the other competitors. Fairon observed nearly forty contestants, mostly victors, ready to return to the realm of death and devastation. And he knew that only one could ever return.

Chapter 18 All was quiet in the shadowy, empty plain. To the casual observer, the plain would have been empty. However, Fairon could tell that this was not the case, for a phalanx of several Ix warriors stood guard over a heavy transport aircraft. One of the newer troop carriers, this was not one of the smaller Warrior- class transports that he and his allies had used to enter the arena. This was a Phantom- class transport, used mostly in military battles. However, this transport was not on a battle mission. Its job was to return the rebel victors and any of their allies to the Ix Empire. All this Fairon realized as he, Shardak, Valkyria, Flardrek, and the other Toa victors were escorted by the heavily armored Ix warriors into the transport. While none of the Ix warriors had spoken, there was a definite sense of eerie calm as both the unconscious and conscious beings entered the interior of the vehicle. Nightwatcher was standing alongside the Ix warriors, and Valkyria was talking to the Ix warriors in their own scratchy language. However, after a few moments, the Ix warrior hissed, and Valkyria lowered her head. The message was clear. Valkyria would share the rest of the allies' fates. Fairon, however, felt no pity for her. He knew how the Ix operated, this was simply what they did to each other. While they were too disciplined to ever attack their rivals openly, they would never miss an oppurtunity to eliminate a rival covertly. Not for the first time, Fairon wondered where they were going and what would become of them. With a rush of air, the Phantom rose into the air, camuflaged perfectly against the sky. Nothing would notice them, even another aircraft flying on the same level would simply mistake it for a trick of the eye. Fairon could see they were flying over the countryside now, before passing over cities. The entire ride was a blur for the Toa; he could hardly believe that one moment they'd been within the abyss, seemingly never to return, then suddenly transported into the Empire's clutches again. He looked at Nightwatcher, but the bounty hunter was even better then Valkyria at cloaking his emotions, and his eyes revealed nothing. Seemingly moments later, but what Fairon knew was probably hours, the Phantom landed. Fairon saw they'd landed directly outside a massive building, a building he knew far, far to well. It was the coliseum of New Metru Nui. No...no, not this. Fairon thought desprately, but he, Shardak, Valkyria, and the others were all escorted from the Phantom and, handcuffed, led into the building. The room they entered what just as Fairon remembered it, a large dias, on which stood several Kodax and a group of masked Ix. He barely took in the surroundings, he only had eyes for the Kodax whose voice had announced the worst period of his life. He could see the signs, read the words, but his mind rejected them. It could not, could not possibly be true... The Kodax, in his familiar voice, was reading off the words that Fairon knew almost too well, the words he'd heard each year, including the year he'd stood in this very room, nearly as scared as he was now... "...One hundred and seventy-five years ago, we crushed the Hand of Mata Nui and their corrupt allies..." "And threw all those that rebelled into an ever changing arena to fight forever. Now, more shall be sent, so that the one hundred and seventy fifth Eternal Game will have its share of contestants, with only one victor returning alive..." I've already won the Game once. thought Fairon. Surely they cannot... "Azzurok, Struxx, Jaina, Sligorian..." Now the Kodax was announcing the names of the contestants, but they were meaningless to Fairon, all his mind was doing was desprately trying to convince itself that he was not here, couldn't be here, it was as though the wheel of life had come full circle... "Graf, Skarge, Lothia, Shadowplayer..." the few names he picked out all belonged to beings he recognized, beings he knew, and as the Kodax paused, he realized that they were all victors. Now Fairon was listening, for he knew now that the Games always contained a twist of some type, an extra challenge to make it more dangerous for the contestants. Last year, there had been nearly double the contestants there usually were. And then the Kodax said the words that Fairon had been dreading, as though he'd known since they were all captured by the Ix that this would be their fate... "This year, to remember the fact that none will ever triumph over us, the forty contestants are all surviving victors..." No, no, not this, anything but this. Fairon thought, but as the Kodax continued, dispassionately listing off the names of the contestants, Fairon knew that their fates were sealed, and that despite everything they'd done, despite all of the dangers they'd faced... They had all been sentenced to the Eternal Game.

Chapter 17 Seeing his master fall, Dredzek faltered for one moment as the soldiers began to scatter. Fairon charged forward, standing alongside Blast to block his wildly swinging scythe. The Glatorian tore the weapon from his hands, and at that moment, the female Air Toa struck. The Toa of Air's elemental blasts struck Dredzek directly, causing him to stagger backward, to the very edge of the podium. Shardak could see the red Glatorian had felled or driven off the remaining soldiers, so that only Dredzek, Corzakx, and three pikemen still battled the unlikely alliance. Shardak, however, was hardly paying attention. He stood over the body of Karizdun, wondering why he'd finally sacrificed himself to save him. It was obviously not out of pity, merely a step further in his envisioned "cleansing". The Mindeaters had tried to wipe out all of the other species in the Void, and what had become of them? Every single one of them dead now, their city barely remembered as a myth in Matoran legends. Valkyria's arrows felled one of the pikemen, and the clash of weapons brought Shardak back to reality. The Ix warrior's second arrow wounded another pikeman in the shoulder. The Air Toa's next attacks struck the second pikemen, and he fell with a single scream over the edge of the cliffs. Dredzek and Corzakx manage to leap aside, but Valkyria's next arrow hit Corzakx in the thigh. The Shadow Matoran, standing so close to the edge of the cliffs, lost his balance and plummeted into the Void below. Dredzek and the remaining pikeman, realizing the battle had turned against them compeletely, attempted to fight their way backward, toward the bridge. They'd nearly reached the bridge when Fairon charged toward them. Shardak, battling the pikeman, watched as Fairon, his allies, and Valkyria all charged Dredzek, who was fighting his way through them to reach the spire. He was now forcing Fairon, the Glatorian, and the female Toa of Air back toward the spire. Shardak could see how exceedingly delicate and thin the spire was, and realized that if the glass were even broken slightly, it would collapse completely. Suddenly realizing what Dredzek was planning, Shardak yelled, "Fairon! It's a trap! Get out of the way!" Fairon, noticing what Shardak had, yelled warnings to the Toa and Glatorian. Dredzek snarled, realizing his plan had backfired, and flung Fairon and the Glatorian to the ground with a blast of force. He then turned to face Sayna and Valkyria. Before he could even raise his weapons, Shardak charged forward, tearing his final weapon, a spear, free. At that moment, Valkyria attacked him in the aura field, raising him off the ground. Sayna, realizing what Valkyria was planning, lifted him off the ground with a massive gust of air, and the raw power flung Dredzek against the impossibly thin spire. Dredzek opened his mouth, but his screams of rage were lost in the clatter of glass as the entire tip of the spire exploded into thousands of shards of glass. Dredzek was immediately knocked unconscious, and his body plummeted downward, into the void. Shardak stared for a moment at the half-shattered tower, and then turned as the final Shadow soldier fell to the ground, one of Valkyria's arrows through his heart. Shardak knew the threats were over. With Karizdun, the Sharidir, and Sarkanian dead, the Ix's threat had ended, and the power of the Shadow had been broken with the death of Dredzek, Corzakx, and Millennium. For now, at least, they could rest. "Who was that being who saved you?" asked Fairon, as the allies walked back to the platform. "It's a long story." said Shardak, and began by telling him of the day when Arcturas had died, his journeys that ultimately got him and Blast captured by the Ix, the battle in the Circle, Nightshade's revelation, and their battles in the Void. He'd just mentioned Valkyria when Blast interrupted him. "You made an alliance with an Ix warrior?" asked Blast incredulously. "Why?" "We were both trapped by the Shadow of Ages." said Shardak. "It was the only way for either of us to escape." All of their eyes turned toward Valkyria, who kept her expression unreadable. She fingered her bow, and Shardak realized that the Ix warrior could have turned on them when Millennium revealed he was working with the Ix. If she had, nothing, not even Karizdun, would have been able to have stopped Millennium. "You could have fought on the Shadow's side." said Fairon, voicing what all of them were thinking. "Why didn't you help him turn us in to your people?" Valkyria looked uncomfortable, but answered, "The Shadow of Ages warriors who fought here today are all dead, so no one will ever know I fought on your side. Besides, they attacked our strike team several times before, killing several of our warriors." Fairon and Kyhrex still didn't seem convinced. "I'm pleased you chose to aid us against the Shadow." said Fairon. "But we have no way of trusting anything you say." "She could have killed me, many times over." said Shardak. "That should be reason enough." "Shardak, are you defending an Ix?" spat Kyhrex. "Have you forgotten her people killed Silencer? And Melnox? And Arcturas?" "I have forgotten nothing." said Shardak. "But what else do you suggest we do?" "Kill her now." said the male Toa of Air bluntly. "It's what she would do in our position." Shardak turned to Valkyria. The Ix warrior looked surprisingly calm, considering they were deciding her fate. Or maybe she was simply cloaking her true feelings again. "Exactly." said Shardak. "But we've killed enough beings today. Besides, we are Toa. Killing her this way would make us just like the Ix." Kyhrex rolled her eyes, and Fairon and the two Toa of Air were obviously fighting to keep the skeptism off their faces. The Toa of Water, however, seemed unconvinced by either argument, as was Blast. "It is true." said the Toa of Water. "That we have suffered much at the hands of the Ix. However, killing one more of their warriors will not make a difference in their war effort. We cannot forget the Toa Code, despite our experiences in the arena." "Well said, Galika." said the female Toa of Air. Blast suddenly interrupted her. "Are you all forgetting she's downright dangerous? You saw how she killed the Shadow soldiers, they didn't have a chance! This isn't a question of morality, it's a question of survival. She may not have killed you, Shardak, but that doesn't mean now that she has met still more surviving Toa she will let us all live. She was sent to kill you, for Mata Nui's sake!" "Still, it's wrong." persisted Shardak. "I know we can't afford not to kill our enemies on the battlefield, but it's wrong to kill Valkyria after she helped us win a battle against our enemies." "He's right." said Fairon unexpectedly. "We cannot forget our own experiences in the arena, when others decided our fates. It would be wrong to do this to any living being." "We can't let her keep her weapons, then." said Blast. "Surely you agree with me on that much, at least." He looked at Shardak once, a quick, silent apology for the information he'd withheld from him earlier, about his origins with the Ix. I'll tell you everything later. the look said. Shardak nodded once. "Yes." said Shardak. He turned to Valkyria, who was still wearing the same expression as before. Shardak wondered what she'd have done had the other Toa decided they should kill her. Wordlessly, she handed Shardak her bow, quiver, and daggers. Shardak began to speak again, telling the Toa of how they had fought Sarkanian and the three Sharidir, culminating with their battle against Karizdun and the deaths of the Sharidir and Sarkanian. "How were you captured by the Shadow of Ages? And how did they know you?" asked Shardak. "We were all victors of the Eternal Game, sent to find the Kanohi Ignika, the mask of life. The Kanohi that you now wear." said Flardrek. Shardak was stunned into silence. "This mask is the Ignika?" "Yes." said the Toa of Water, Galika. "It is the Ignika, the mask of life. We learned of its location from your friend Silencer. I am sorry to hear that he was killed." Shardak nodded, but inwardly he was thinking over Fairon's statement. We were all victors... "You!" he said. "You're the victor that Silencer mentioned!" "What?" asked Fairon, confused. "Silencer mentioned something about a 'spirit' and a 'victor'" explained Kyhrex. "Now we know who one of the beings was that he mentioned." "And Shardak, the Spirit Toa, is the other." said Valkyria. Shardak was still reeling from the shock of discovering his mask was the Ignika. Inwardly, however, he realized it made much more sense. The Fury had said it himself four days ago on the edge of the Void. Give us the Spirit Toa and we will spare the others. "The Fury!" said Blast, echoing Shardak's thoughts. "He mentioned the Spirit Toa during our final battle." "Where is Ion?" asked Shardak, suddenly remembering that the yellow Toa was not with them. "What happened to him?" "I don't know." said Kyhrex. "I can only hope he escaped the Shadow of Ages and wanders the Void still." "We journeyed here on the same hope that you did." continued Fairon. "That this Void was a prison, not a means of execution." "The Void is both a prison and a means of execution." a new voice broke in. "And it is now time that you have left one prison and entered another. A tall being stepped out of the darkness, a heavily armored being with cold green eyes that reminded Shardak of colored fragments of the glass the Nameless City was built out of. He carried a long silver sword, wickedly sharp and curved. His mask covered most of his features, and in the darkness, only his shining eyes and curved weapon were fully visible. Fairon rose to his feet, shocked. "Nightwatcher!" he snarled. The being gave no sign of recognition, merely raised his sword and strode toward the Toa. "Not many beings have heard my name and survived to tell of it. However, for you, there is an exception. The Ix want you- and any of your allies- alive." *** Fairon knew that the battle was already over, and that it was unlikely any of them had any hope of escaping this alive. The Toa of Shadow known as Nightwatcher was a bounty hunter of the highest cabal, and would have no qualms about turning them all in to the Ix. "So, you're going to fight me?" asked Nightwatcher, amused as he saw all of the allies ready their weapons. Valkyria was still unarmed, but looked determined to fight him- or maybe aid him, Fairon could not tell. "Then I should warn you that I will only spare the Toa of Light and the other Toa who are with him." Go to Karzahni. Fairon thought, and charged forward. Nightwatcher deflected his thrust easily with his sword, and, as Treedaka crept toward him, unleashed a blast of pure shadow that flung the Toa off his feet. Treedaka was alive, but Fairon could see he had been wounded badly. Flardrek raced forward to continue Treedaka's attack, parrying three of Nightwatcher's thrusts in quick succession. Nightwatcher was holding his own now against Fairon, Shardak, and Flardrek, none of them overmatching him, none of them able to destroy him. Several of Kyhrex's crossbow bolts flew from the shadows, but Nightwatcher dodged them all easily, parrying another thrust of Shardak's easily. Flardrek, meanwhile, was pressing his advantage. Nightwatcher, focused on Kyhrex, Shardak, and Fairon, was allowing his defenses to lower slightly. Flardrek's sword snaked forward, but even the Glatorian was no match for Nightwatcher, who whirled around and easily disarmed him, blocking both Fairon's and Shardak's attacks easily as well. As Flardrek staggered backward, Nightwatcher hit him with a blast of shadow, flinging him to the ground. This time, Flardrek did not get up. Fairon had no way of knowing whether he was alive or dead, for Nightwatcher was forcing him to the ground, his blade tearing through the air faster then the Toa would have believed possible. In the shadows, it shown like a cold flash of ice, like a silver tear in the fabric of the universe. Fairon felt pain, worse then any he'd suffered since the Eternal Game, tear through him, and he slashed wildly at Nighwatcher. Now all of the allies except Flardrek and Valkyria were battling Nightwatcher, every one of them hoping desperately to score at hit on Nightwatcher's heavy armor. However, the Toa of Shadow was dodging them all, every one of them narrowly missing, every elemental power failing to injure him. Kyhrex quickly abandoned the idea of using her laser crossbow against him, for the bounty hunter was simply to fast for her crossbow to do even slight damage, and she realized it was far more likely she'd injure one of her allies. Fairon was wounded now, but he was still fighting desperately alongside Blast and Shardak, striving to strike the bounty hunter's armor. Now, he realized, Nightwatcher was simply toying with them, and Fairon hated being toyed with. He'd had enough of that during the Eternal Game, when he was the Ix's pawn. Galika and Treedaka raced forward, their weapons raised. Nightwatcher simply smiled coldly and stunned them both with a blast of shadow energy. Both Toa fell to the ground. Nighwatcher then disarmed Blast, and grabbing the scythe, slashed it across Shardak's shoulder. Blood welled from the wound, black in the cold illumination. Sayna and Fairon staggered toward Nightwatcher, battered horribly by his power. Shardak was retreating, the firey sword he held hanging limply from his wounded arm. He looked around, and saw Valkyria, her dagger in hand, making no move to attack but warning them not to come any closer. Easily, his weapon raised in a wide, sweeping arc, Nighwatcher disarmed Fairon, then Sayna. Both Toa stood still then, at the mercy of Nightwatcher. The bounty hunter smiled, raising the Scythe of Creation. Fairon suddered inwardly. What did Nightwatcher plan to do to them with the powerful weapon? Suddenly, a vortex, simular to the one that pulled Fairon into the clutches of Dredzek, began to form. Unlike most portals, which allowed passage between one dimension to another, this was merely an extension of the Void, a reverse of the abyss' power. "Follow me." said Nightwatcher. "Let the power of the Scythe return you to your masters."

Chapter 16 "No! Shardak, don't listen to him!" Blast's voice carried clearly across the silence. Shardak saw he was guarded heavily by four Shadow soldiers, as were Ion and Kyhrex. The fact that more beings were with him made Shardak feel only worse about the already horrible situation. He could hardly believe that after escaping the Ix's operatives again, he and all of his friends were facing nearly certain death at the hands of the Shadow of Ages. He saw Valkyria was fingering her bow, but had not raised it yet. He had no way of telling her not to attack without being impaled by the pikemen from all sides. "How did you find us?" he asked the Makuta, trying to buy some time. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough." said the Makuta. "As soon as our master arrives..." "Master? Where is he?" At that moment Blast suddenly fell to his knees. The Glatorian screamed once, then fell silent. Staggering backward, he slowly rose to his feet. However, now his eyes gleamed red. "Blast?" he asked. "Your friend is alive." whispered the voice. "Though not for much longer." "What have you done to him?" asked Shardak. "Who are you?" "You don't know?" the being sounded amused. "I think the Toa of Light knows, don't you, Fairon?" Blast turned to face the tall, battle-scarred Toa of Light the Vortixx was guarding. He looked tired and worn, but his eyes still blazed with anger. "You're Millennium." he snarled. "The leader of the Shadow." However, Shardak barely payed the Toa any attention. "You're a Toa?" he gasped in shock. "Yes, he is." said Millennium before Fairon could answer. "As are Treedaka, Sayna, and Galika. We also have another Glatorian prisoner, Flardrek." "What do you want?" asked Shardak. "Do you serve the Ix?" "Not intentionally." said Millennium, his voice cold. "But there is a reward out for you, my loyal servent Dredzek tells me, and the Ix certainly won't mind if I take a little compensation of my own...maybe the Sword of Fire?" "I'll never give it to you!" snarled Shardak. "How did you take over Blast's body?" "It's a long, complicated story." said Millennium coldly. "Your friend was an enemy of the Empire. He attempted rebellion, but they captured him and sentenced him to the Eternal Game. I was there as well. During a massive battle against a horde of warriors known as Baterra, Blast destroyed my body, burying it beneath hundreds of tons of rubble. However, a portion of my spirit remained in my weapon." He turned to the Vortixx. "Hand me the Glatorian's scythe." Silently, the Vortixx raised Blast's scythe, and handed it to Millennium. The being raised it, looking it over. "Not bad." he commented. "But I prefer its true form by far." As he spoke, the Scythe began to morph and change, finally turning into a massive, heavy axe. Millennium grinned coldly, the expression so terrible that Shardak recoiled to see his friend's face twisted into the cold grimace. "The Glatorian took my weapon. My spirit, craving life, entered his body, buried within his subconscious. Later, soon after my 'death', the Glatorian you know as Blast was apparently killed as well, flung into the Void. I used my teleportation powers to remove us from the arena, and my memory wiping ability to remove the very memory he was ever in the Eternal Game from his mind. Until this day, he believed he escaped the Empire, and he fled to Intax. "I watched everything you did, and in the Sanctum, when Blast needed weapons, I used my abilities to call the Axe of Eternity, disguised as his scythe, and the weapon you know as the Blade of Arcturas to him. However, I still could not free myself from his subconscious...until I met Dredzek, days ago, while you were still unconscious. I would plan with my commanders, during the times my soldiers separated you...did you think it a coincidence?" As he spoke, Millennium/Blast was walking toward them, the pike-weilding soldiers preventing all means of escape. Shardak wanted to speak with Valkyria, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from Millennium's cold red gaze. "I thought it was the scythe that contained the power." said Shardak, remembering the time he'd probed the "scythe" in the aura feild, surprised it contained so much raw power. Millennium smiled again at that. "Yes, it was...ironic that you believed that, for the scythe that Blast carried before the games did hold power. Called the Scythe of Creation, it can change the face and nature of reality itself. It even restored my loyal commander, Dredzek, to life, for it held a portion of his soul. Corzakx here-" Millennium gestured toward an ebon-armored Matoran with red eyes- "Led these soldiers here as well, and now I have returned to power. "I know all of the secrets you shared with Blast and Kyhrex..." hissed Millennium coldly. "I know your friends, your enemies, even your unlikely allies." he looked at Valkyria. He's toying with us. Shardak thought. He's going to turn us over to the Ix. Millennium was beckoning toward the Vortixx, who came forward to stand beside his master. "We will leave this city soon, however, I require a more powerful host. I have already exhausted most of this Toa's vitality, and it was specified that you were all supposed to be returned to the Ix alive." "Master?" asked the Vortixx, confused, and at that moment, Blast/Millennium reached forward, and dropping the Axe, reached out and grabbed the Vortixx by the throat. Surprised, the Vortixx could do nothing to fight back, but suddenly Blast's eyes flashed from red to their normal green, then he fell to the ground as the Vortixx's eyes became Millennium's. "This host will last me far longer then that pathetic Glatorian." said Millennium. "One day, I will be restored to my full power, but for now... I'll settle for turning you in to the Empire." "For someone who was sentanced to fight to the death by the Ix, you seem very willing to join them." said Shardak. "I am not their allies." answered the Vortixx/Millennium. "Perhaps, in another place, another time, this could have been so. However, I am a pragmatist, and, for now, turning you into the Empire will allow me the freedom to walk the surface world again." "But how did you find us?" asked Shardak. "How could you know-" Millennium cut him off. "Oh, someone you know very well helped us with that." "Who-" Shardak began, but broke off as he saw who was walking toward them. It was Ario, flanked by more Shadow soldiers who were leading Duuril. The Turaga of Air was glaring daggers at Ario, who looked completely satisfied as he saw Shardak and Valkyria cornered by the soldiers. "This is perfect." Ario exaulted. "The Toa of Aura who allowed Pierra and Korst to be killed, allied with the Ix warrior we spent days hunting down. Finally shown your true colors, have you?" he taunted. "You-" began Shardak. "You may console yourself I was already planning to kill off the other Turaga anyway." he said. "Whether or not you had come to the Sanctum. You merely allowed my plan to happen earlier. Soon, the number of surviving Turaga will be reduced from six to five, and Millennium has already promised to overrun the Sanctum once we've turned you all, Toa and Glatorian alike, over to the Ix." Valkyria took a step forward, her weapons at the ready. Ario merely laughed. "You certainly won't mind returning to your people, however. Which is why you're not going back. Surely nobody here will mind if I kill you." He turned to Millennium, who nodded once. Duuril opened his mouth, but one of the soldiers grabbed his neck, cutting off sound. As Ario raised his broadsword, both Duuril and Shardak tore free from their captors and charged the treacherous Turaga. Ario whirled around as Duuril, unarmed, slammed into him, battering Ario with punches and kicks. Ario's broadsword clattered to the ground. "Stop them!" snarled Millennium, and several soldiers charged toward him. Shardak disarmed one, and watched as two of them fell, Valkyria's arrows embedded in their throats. Shardak saw a second soldier charge him, but he nimbly sidestepped the being's spear and slashed the weapon in half with the Blade of Arcturas. Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed above him, and Shardak saw Makuta Dredzek's eyes gleam in triumph. The scythe that Blast had carried before the Games gleamed within his clawed hands. Slowly, the weapon began to descend, and Dredzek, confident of victory, readied to deal the final blow... The scythe never reached him. There was a flash of golden armor, and Dredzek staggered backward, as a second spear impaled him through the shoulder. The Makuta snarled in pain, a greenish-black substance leaking from his wounds. Shardak saw the Toa known as Fairon was fighting him, as well as a Glatorian and a green-armored female Toa. The Makuta recovered quickly, slashing out at them both elementally and physically. However, Fairon was ready, and beams of yellow light struck the Makuta, causing Dredzek to scream in rage and pain. As he staggered backward, swinging his scythe wildly, the Toa of Air caused a gust of wind to spring up around him, flinging Dredzek to the ground. Shardak, meanwhile, was fighting two insectlike beings, both of which were skilled fighters. The red-armored Glatorian was fighting beside him, cutting through Shadow soldiers easily. More rose to take their place, but the Glatorian warrior was easily holding his own while Valkyria shot down any soldiers who got past him. However, on the other edge of the platform, the battle was turning against the allies. The male Toa of Air and Duuril were both fighting Ario know, but were unable to finish him. The Turaga of Stone laughed madly as he parried another blow from the Toa, while all the while forcing them backward, toward the edge. Shardak speared one of his assailants through the chest, who fell to the ground, and Valkyria's arrows slew the other. He charged forward, weapons raised, but the Vortixx blocked his way, weapons raised. "Hello, Shardak." the Millennium hissed through the Vortixx's mouth. "Worried about your friend?" With a start, Shardak whirled around, and saw Blast's unconsious form lying behind the fire Glatorian, who was defending it alongside the female Toa of Air against Dredzek. The Makuta, while battered, was still a powerful adversary. "He will soon be dead. The Ix wanted you all alive, but certainly they'll allow me to kill at least one of you besides the Ix girl." Shardak charged toward the Vortixx, but Millennium merely smiled as Shardak felt vitality begin to drain from his body. It was as though the air had turned to molten protodermis, he could barely move. "I cannot manipulate time as I could before my body was destroyed without eliminating this host." said Millennium. "However, I can still slow you down." Shardak felt horribly helpless, trapped as he watched Ario charge toward Duuril, tearing the spear from the Turaga's hands and slashing open his shoulder with his broadsword. The male Toa of Air charged toward him, but Ario slashed his blade out in a wide arc, aiming to sever his head from his body- There was a flash of blue and red armor and then a scream, as Ario was swept off his feet by a massive wave of water. Shardak turned, and saw the Toa of Water. The broadsword was torn from Ario's grasp, just as the red Glatorian's sword slashed Ario's head from his shoulders. Seeing the treacherous Turaga fall emboldened Fairon, who forced Dredzek once more onto the defensive. The Makuta retaliated, bolts of shadow flying wildly from his claws like chain lightning. Several struck the red Glatorian, causing him to stagger backward and fall to the ground. The Toa of Water whirled around as she saw the Glatorian fall, but charged forward at the same moment, water spraying from her weapons. Nearby, the male Toa of Air was on his feet once more, forcing Dredzek back, toward the cliff's edge. The Makuta continued holding their attacks off, and suddenly the Toa of Air fell to the ground, stunned by a blast of concussive force. Now Dredzek was fighting not only Fairon, but Duuril, the female Toa of Air, the Toa of Water, and Kyhrex. Even with the combined might, the Toa could not seem to finish him, and still he fought. Millennium smiled. "Finish them off." he ordered to Dredzek. He turned to Shardak. "Now you see how hopeless your cause is." said Millennium. "Now, to-" Before he could finish, a blur of darkness struck Dredzek dead on. The Makuta staggered backward, scythe flying from his grasp. Shardak turned to see Blast on his feet, weilding a spear taken from a downed Shadow soldier. The fallen Toa and Glatorian were on their feet again as well, holding off the remaining soldiers as Dredzek, now wounded badly, was doused in water and shocked over and over again by Kyhrex's laser crossbow. However, even this was not enough to finish off the Makuta. He was suddenly attacking again, but this time, Blast was ready. Rays of energy that Shardak did not recognize flew from the scythe, tearing through Dredzek and causing antidermis to leak through the gaps in his armor. The shadow Matoran, Corzakx, was fighting Fairon now, and while the Toa of Light was winning, the Matoran was keeping him occupied, distracted from the real threats of Millennium and Dredzek. Slowly, Dredzek was overpowering them, and two Toa, the male Toa of Air and the female Toa of Water were hit by a blast of chain lightning and knocked unconsious. Frozen into silence, Shardak could only watch as Millennium turned, satisfied, to Shardak. He raised the axe. Suddenly, an arrow struck the Vortixx in the shoulder. Millennium snarled quietly, and Shardak saw Valkyria readying another arrow. However, before it could strike the Vortixx, Millennium used his powers to deflect it. However, during that moment, his concentration wavered. Shardak, immediately freed, charged toward him, his weapon raised. Millennium deflected it easily, and Shardak felt time begin to slow once more, his weapon moving slower and slower toward Millennium's host until it stopped entirely. Millennium laughed through the Vortixx's mouth. "Did you honestly think you could wound me? And even if you could, do you think that I would simply remain in my host and die along with it? I was old when your plane of existance was young, Toa. I have seen civilizations rise and fall on not one, but many worlds." He's toying with us. He knows he has all the time in the world. thought Shardak. "But I tire of this." said Millennium. "You have caused far too much trouble, and I have decided to grant you the mercy of a quick death. Goodbye, Toa." Shardak knew then, it was over, that Millennium had won, and that now he'd decided to kill him instead. The red eyes glared at him, betraying no more secrets. It was over, and he would die, and the others had nothing but captivity and the Ix to look forward to. The Axe began its inevitable descent, and Shardak closed his eyes- -But not fast enough to obscure the bolt of green energy that seemed to appear suddenly in the darkness and strike Millennium dead on. Shardak was flung backward by the impact just as a spear held by a dark-armored figure impaled the Vortixx through the chest. With a screech of rage, Millennium's powers exploded from his host's body, and the attacker, struck dead-on by many rays of cyclonic light and darkness, staggered backward. At the same time, the Vortixx, eyes changing once more from red to green, staggered backward, axe falling from his hands. Shardak barely payed him any attention, he raced to the side of his mysterious rescuer, lowering the hood- The Toa gasped in shock. Despite the ravages of Millennium's temporal power and the horrible wounds the axe had inflicted, Karizdun was still recognizable, his breath coming in horrible rattling gasps. "Must...be...cleansed..." he managed to rasp. An insane smile lit the last Mindeater's hideous features as his eyes glazed over and his head rolled to one side, a final, glassy look of triumph frozen on his face.

Chapter 15 With a bestial roar, Sarkanian uncoiled and flung itself bodily at Shardak, fire and acid spraying wildly from his jaws. Shardak felt pain roar through him, as deadly a monster as the serpent itself, as Sarkanian tore the Blade of Arcturas from his grasp. Now completely defenseless, Shardak staggered backward, Sarkanian still snapping at him. Shardak lunged toward the Blade of Arcturas, but Sarkanian was quicker, and barred it from him with a single sweep of his blade tail, narrowly missed Shardak. However, as his attacks became more wild and less precise, Shardak reached beneath his wildly swinging tail and grabbed the weapon, meeting Sarkanian's tailblade in midair. Sarkanian's rage broke, and he charged forward, tearing open Shardak's shoulder. Shardak winced in pain, but kept the weapon raised steadily, and as Sarkanian slammed into him, flinging Shardak off his feet, the Blade of Arcturas buried itself within the monster's shoulder. Sarkanian roared in pain, a hideous sound that was abruptly cut off as his blood flowed from the wounds. As soon as the blood began to spread, it began to open more old wounds all along Sarkanian's body. The primordial serpent screeched, and memories began to flood Shardak's mind once again... Caged! Trapped! Held prisoner! His massive body unable to move, unable to shake off the pain as the beings surrounded him, the very weapons they'd used to encase him in this sphere of auric energy raised... And then he was free once more, and he was rampaging across the planes, sowing destruction wherever he went... A tall warrior, armored in black and gold chainmail, facing Sarkanian, the Blade of Arcturas held in one hand... Shardak returned to reality just in time to see Sarkanian snarl once more and then turned and fled into the gloom. Shardak, raising the Blade of Arcturas, knew he'd probably changed targets. He'd be after Valkyria now, and Shardak knew that if the Ix girl was still alive, she'd stand no chance against fighting the massive serpent. As he turned the corner, following the sounds of shattering glass, Shardak caught a glimpse of a figure in the distance, a female armored in ice-white chainmail. She carried a mace in one hand, a long dagger in the other. Ahead of her, he could hear Sarkanian smashing through the massive, once-beautiful city. Seeing how strewn the city already was with broken glass, Shardak wondered if the Nameless City would be a massive pile of rubble within a few days. Racing after Sarkanian, Shardak kept his eyes open for the white-armored being, wondering if she was on the same side as Sarkanian. He wondered briefly if Sarkanian was affiliated with the Shadow of Ages, but quickly abandoned this idea. After all, Sarkanian had not spared them from his first attack. Suddenly, there was a massive explosion, and Sarkanian smashed his way through a small domed building to face Shardak. The serpent was in even worse shape then he'd been before, and now he was bleeding from multiple wounds. Despite this, his eyes still gleamed with malign intelligence, and when he saw Shardak, he opened his mouth and raced toward him. As Shardak lept to one side, there was a flash of white, and suddenly he felt pain explode within his chest. White lightning was flashing all around him, and he could no longer tell whether he was standing upright or spinning through the void. Then he fell to the ground, and saw that the white-armored being, small sparks of lightning still crackling in her hand, was standing beside Sarkanian. The massive serpent was bleeding badly, and Shardak realized he must have slashed open the being's face before the white armored being had attacked him. Rising slowly to his feet, he turned and faced the white armored being. Sarkanian was standing still, breathing heavily. Somehow, Shardak realized, the Blade of Arcturas had wounded him far worse then any normal weapon would, and that Sarkanian was finding it harder to move, as though his entire body was turning to stone. "Lava." whispered the white-armored being, as though she'd read his thoughts. Her voice was calm, but her green eyes betrayed her rage. "When you struck him with the Sword of Fire, you caused lava crust to harden beneath his scales, wounding him further. "The Ix have offered a substantial reward for you alive." whispered the being. Shardak saw she was stepping closer, both weapons raised in a combat form he recognized as Guotke. "And while Sarkanian will recover, but not in time to destroy you." The being smiled, a cold smile devoid of all pity and warmth. "This will only take a minute." Shardak felt her mace strike the Blade of Arcturas, nearly knocking the weapon from his hands. While he was distracted, she lunged forward, aiming to run him through with her dagger. Reacting quickly, he brought his weapon around, blocking the attack narrowly, but unable to block a strike from her mace. The pain flashed through him, but by now Shardak was barely aware of the pain. His entire body burned from his earlier battle with Sarkanian, and the white-armored being's attack with the icy lightning had felt like daggers driving through him. The Toa raised his weapon again, deflecting his attacker's next two blows, but with one swift slash, the being tore the Blade of Arcturas from his hands. The green-eyed being smiled. "Easy. Too easy. A legendary sword does not make you a master swordsman. How could you think you could stand against one of the greatest bounty hunters in all of the planes? This battle is over." *** Valkyria blocked one of the violet-eyed Sharidir's thrusts, then slashed open the second's shoulder. The Sharidir snarled in pain, but both were slowly forcing her back. They were some of the best fighters Valkyria had ever encountered, second only, perhaps, to the Toa known as Melnox, who she'd tracked down and killed after he'd fled the Circle. Valkyria knew these beings weren't aura users, but they were certainly water Elementalists. Quicker then Valkyria would have thought the beings could move, a flash of silver slipped through the shadows, tearing open her shoulder wound from the fight with the Makuta and the Shadow soldiers. Before she could even turn and face her attacker, the second Sharidir closed in on her. "This is over." snarled the blue-eyed Sharidir. Valkyria turned, and saw that the blue-eyed Sharidir had raised her massive broadsword and tore Silverblade from Valkyria's hand. While the Ix warrior was still carrying a second dagger, she knew she'd be killed long before she was able to come within striking distance. Before the Sharidir could move again, however, there was a flash of darkness. Valkyria watched as the blue-eyed Sharidir was flung to the ground, slammed against the walls of the cliff. The Ix warrior watched as the Sharidir, bleeding badly, fell to the ground, unconsious. Valkyria and the violet-eyed Sharidir turned as one to face the attacker, and Valkyria realized it was the Makuta, his mask and body shrouded in darkness so that only his long claws and eyes could be seen. The violet-eyed Sharidir said nothing, merely charged toward the Makuta, blue-white lightning forming in the palm of her hand. Neither Sharidir nor Makuta noticed as Valkyria slipped into the shadows, Silverblade in hand, to find Shardak. *** "Shardak!" For one moment, the Sharidir wavered, and both she and Shardak turned toward the speaker. Shardak had just enough time to recognize Valkyria before she knocked an arrow to her bow and fired it at the Sharidir. Two more followed, both of them striking the Sharidir in the left shoulder. "Shardak, run!" yelled Valkyria, and Shardak turned just as Sarkanian's jaws snapped shut, inches behind him. Knowing he had no time to look back and find out if the Sharidir were even following them, but he could hear Sarkanian's roar as the badly wounded serpent continued its persuit. Turning a street corner, Valkyria stopped. Shardak saw her shoulder was bleeding badly, and she had many burns from the corrosive acid poison. "Where were you?" Shardak hissed under his breath. "The white-armored being and Sarkanian had me cornered." "The Sharidir." said the Ix warrior. "The white-armored beings are called Sharidir. I ran into two more of them, but they were attacked by the Makuta before I could finish either of them off." "So either way our enemies will be after us." said Shardak. "Can the Sharidir defeat the Makuta?" "Probably not." hissed Valkyria. "One of them was already unconsious when I left." Shardak quickly told her about his fight with the green-eyed Sharidir and Sarkanian, leaving out the detail that they were working for the Ix. He didn't know if she would ally with them instead if he did tell her, and didn't want to risk it. He hoped that she didn't sense what he hadn't told her in the aura field, and was relieved when she did not seem to notice. "We can't wait any longer." she said. "Any minute now, Sarkanian will be after us." "Where should we go?" Shardak asked, wondering if there was a location here that Sarkanian could not enter. "The heart of the city." said Valkyria. "The city circle." The next few moments were a blur for Shardak. All he remembered was racing through the city, Sarkanian roaring in pain and rage as the fire continued to burn beneath its scales. He couldn't tell if the Sharidir was after him, nor did they encounter any more of the Shadow of Ages soldiers. Shardak could see green light flowing from the center of the city, and recognized it as the same light he'd encountered when he'd fought the enigmatic zombie-beings controlled by the green energy. He wanted to call a warning to Valkyria, but had no idea how to without giving their positions away to the Sharidir, or even worse, slowing down and allowing Sarkanian to catch them. Turning one last block, Shardak gasped in shock as he saw what stood before them. Here, he could tell, was where the Ix in the Circle had based their massive spire-city on. The entire central hub of the city was based around an impossibly intricate spire of pure glass shot through with gold. Nearby, massive buildings, all domed and interconnected with the main spire, made up the city's central command. A massive glass barrier barred the central hub from the rest of the city. The only hint of the mysterious green light were the tendrils wrapped around the spire. Shardak raised the Blade of Arcturas and attempted to smash through the glass, but to his surprise, it did no damage whatsoever. He tried again, but the glass was far harder then he anticipated, and he realized how powerful Sarkanian must be to have smashed through the massive buildings and spires. "Here." said Valkyria, and the Ix girl pressed both hands against the glass. Dark tendrils of power began to spread across the wall, and within moments it shattered, leaving a large gateway into the heart of the Nameless City. The entire central hub seemed completely empty. Shardak could see the wall formed a massive circle within the rest of the city, reminding him once again of the Ix's Circle. However, the entire circle seemed forbidding, as though a storm was about to break. Climbing a massive flight of stairs, Shardak and Valkyria arrived at the top of a massive platform, overlooking the city below. A massive bridge of glass connected this platform to the spire. Far below, Shardak could hear the clashes of weapons from farther away, and Sarkanian's hiss echoed throughout the eerie silence of the city. Shardak looked down, and saw that the platform overlooked a dizzying drop of more then one hundred feet. It even made the massive glass domes below look small. "And so it ends." whispered a ragged voice in the gloom. Shardak and Valkyria were both so startled that they almost dropped their weapons. Out of the darkness strode a being unlike any Shardak had ever seen before. He was tall, and his skin was dead gray, and his body glistened with chilled slime. He was wearing a cloak with a hood, but was unable to conceal the prehensile tentacle-like weapon that hung above his hideous, fanged mouth. His breathing was horribly irregular, and in one hand he carried a long staff covered in runic markings that throbbed with green light. "The last beings in the Nameless City have arrived. The others said they would. Now I will complete the cleansing that my brethren began, but never completed. Soon, this universe will be cleansed of all life..." "Who are you?" asked Shardak. "What are you?" breathed Valkyria. Both Toa and Ix could sense his presence in the aura field, a cold gray spear of pure intent hatred. "I am the ruler of the city once known as Seruamaera." hissed the being, raising his staff. "I am the last of the Mindeaters." *** Shardak had no idea what to say, so shocked was he he nearly fell to the ground. This hideous being was a Mindeater? "There are no more Mindeaters." said Valkyria. "They vanished millennia ago." "I am the last..." whispered the being. "The last of my race." "What...happened?" asked Shardak. "We were a great people." snarled the Mindeater. "We were, perhaps, the greatest Empire these planes of existance have ever known. We wrested this city from its previous rulers and made it Seruamaera, the heart of our Empire. Our people cleansed the world of inferior beings, until the Shadowdark was free of them completely. "Then came the plague. It destroyed almost all of us, and Seruamaera was forgotten, sealed away. Many other beings began to venture once more into the Shadowdark, and our numbers were too few for us to complete our great cleansing. Eventually, they were all slain, all of the lords and eventually the Emperor himself. Only I survived, Karizdun, the last lord of our Empire. But I completed the cleansing, at last, the plague was stemmed. Now, I will finish the task my brethren began, and rid this great city of the last of the inferiors who polluted it." "You mean you didn't build the Name...Seruamaera?" asked Shardak. "No more questions!" snapped Karizdun. Shardak could see his eyes were gleaming the same green as the zombies he'd fought earlier that day. "You both must die for your crimes against our great Empire. I will destroy you, in the name of the Emperor!" He's insane. thought Shardak, as a bolt of green energy materialized from his staff and flew toward them. Valkyria deflected it easily, sending it ricocheting off the glass floor and into the darkness beyond. Karizdun snarled, a hideous sound which chilled Shardak's heartlight, and fired more bolts of green fire at them. "Don't let them touch you!" yelled Shardak to Valkyria. She nodded grimly, then lept away from one with amazing agility and dodged two more easily. The three blasts aimed at Shardak missed as well, two slamming against the glass staircase and the other vanishing into the darkness beyond. "You cannot dodge forever, inferior beings!" hissed the Mindeater. With those words, blue flames flew from his hand. Shardak dodged them easily, but Karizdun raised his staff, three massive bolts of lightning and many other smaller bolts exploding from the tip of his staff. One exploded at Shardak's feet, sending him flying backward, where he slammed against the staircase. Valkyria was faster, and dodged them all, before reaching out to Karizdun in the aura field and telekinetically forcing him to his knees. As Shardak rose to his feet, he saw that Karizdun, while breathing slightly from his furious series of attacks, was recovering quickly. As he rose to his feet, he attacked Valkyria back in the aura field, this time forcing the Ix girl back several steps. However, he quickly attacked again, and the green energy struck Valkyria directly, flinging her to the ground. "No!" Shardak yelled, but Karizdun strode toward her. "Now, to finish her off with the same disease that destroyed our Empire." Shardak realized that the green bolts Karizdun had used to strike Valkyria were not poisoned the way the zombies had been, they were simply lightning bolts shot through with the green energy. More sparks began to gather in his hands, and this time Shardak saw that they were eating away slightly at the palm of his hand. While he could tell Valkyria was alive, she still didn't move. Shardak raced toward Karizdun, but the Mindeater simply flung him to the ground telekinetically, then turned once more on Valkyria. His staff was held as though it was a spear, and the fatal poison crackled at its tip. Karizdun raised the staff- There was a roar and a hiss as a massive streak of dark armor and lightning slammed into Karizdun, knocking him off his feet and flinging him onto the bridge. Shardak looked around to see Sarkanian's massive form in the half-light, the green-eyed Sharidir by his side. The Sharidir was now fighting Valkyria, both of them fighting with their long daggers. Sarkanian was charging toward the prone Karizdun. As the massive serpent-being charged toward the Mindeater, Shardak saw Karizdun rise to his knees. The cold light in his eyes had returned. "Hello, serpent." Karizdun hissed, and aimed a bolt of the green lightning directly at Sarkanian's eye. The charging creature had no way of anticipating the attack and was struck dead-on, blinded in that eye instantly. Sarkanian turned away from Karizdun as he saw more lightning gathering in the Mindeater's hand, his one remaining eye fixed on Shardak. This time, however, Shardak was ready. As Sarkanian charged toward him, Shardak lashed out wildly with the Blade of Arcturas, tearing at Sarkanian's horribly bloodied face and mouth. The hideous being's blood splashed against Shardak, who winced in pain. Sarkanian's blood burned like acid. With one swipe of his massive, bladelike fins, he nearly tore the Blade of Arcturas from Shardak's hands. Shardak swung backward to block a strike from his tailblade, but Sarkanian was faster, and the Blade of Arcturas clattered to the floor. Karizdun, now, was fighting both Valkyria and the green-eyed Sharidir simultaneously. His attacks were having little effect, but he was keeping both of them from fighting while more lightning crackled at the ends of his staff. Sarkanian, seeing that Shardak was once again undefended, charged toward him, all of his weapons, tails, claws, and teeth slashing downward. Shardak felt pain once again burn through him as Sarkanian battered at him, rage at Shardak's continued escapes making him reckless. Shardak slipped away from Sarkanian's lashing tail, then reached down to grab the Blade of Arcturas. However, it wasn't there. Shardak looked around in panic, and saw Valkyria, the weapon in her hand, plunge it into Sarkanian's massive body. Blood sprayed across the glass floor as Sarkanian screamed in pain. Using the aura field, Valkyria threw the Blade of Arcturas to Shardak, and he reached out and caught it. Seeing Valkyria distracted, Karizdun closed in on her, readying to aim a bolt of the poison acid from his staff. However, at that moment, Sarkanian's tailblade struck the Mindeater dead-on, the impact flinging him back several yards. Shardak, however, could not tell he was still alive, for Sarkanian, his single eye gleaming with hatred, charged toward him. However, Shardak raised the Blade, and drove it into Sarkanian's mouth. With a high-pitched screech, Sarkanian turned away from the Toa, and, seeing Karizdun once again rising to his knees, charged toward the Mindeater. Karizdun waited until Sarkanian was inches away- then struck. A massive blast of pure acidic poison exploded, striking Sarkanian directly in the face. The serpent snarled, then roared as fragments of its teeth sprayed everywhere, blood pouring from its open mouth. Sarkanian's facial scales had also been shattered, and they were disintegrating before Shardak's eyes. The serpent's jaw had been completely shattered, and its horribly bloodied mouth hung open. Using the last of his strength, Shardak lunged forward- and speared Sarkanian directly through his one remaining eye. Now completely blind as well as broken, Sarkanian writhed and thrashed desperately, trying to drag his massive, broken body away from Karizdun. However, the Mindeater was quicker, and a second, more powerful blast of the energy struck Sarkanian in the chest, Shardak heard ribs shatter as the impact lifted Sarkanian off the ground- and dragged him over the edge of the platform. The horribly wounded being gave one final broken scream that seemed to last for an eternity. Then came the sound of shattering glass far below, followed by complete silence. For one moment, the Sharidir, Karizdun, Shardak, and Valkyria all stood frozen, as though they could all still hear the echoes of Sarkanian's final screams. Then Karizdun charged toward Shardak, weapon raised once more. "Let the purge continue!" snarled Karizdun, punctuating every word with a thrust or block at Shardak. The Mindeater did not seem to be using the energy, however, on the contrary, it was as though he was trying to hold back the green sparks that usually trailed behind him like a cloak. "The disease that killed the rest of the Mindeaters is within you, Karizdun!" yelled Shardak over the clash of weapons. Valkyria and the Sharidir were once again fighting, their weapons moving so quickly that Shardak couldn't tell who had the upper hand. "You're a carrier!" "I am the lord of the Mindeaters!" snarled Karizdun. "Do not defy me, Toa!" "It's over!" yelled Shardak. "Can't you see? There are no more Mindeaters. No more purges. Your Empire is gone!" "My Empire will rise again once I have cleansed Seruamaera!" screamed Karizdun, the dark energy dancing at his fingertips as he forced Shardak backward, toward the ledge. "Soon, my brethren will return, and this city will once again be the capital of the multiverse!" Shardak saw there was no way to convince this Mindeater that his world had ended millennia ago. Nearly tearing the staff from Karizdun's hands, he began to force Karizdun backward, toward the edge of the platform where the Sharidir and Valkyria were fighting. Karizdun continued attacking relentlessly with lightning, but to no effect. His attacks were also growing weaker, and as he was forced backward, toward the cliff's edge, his cold gray-green eyes darted from place to place nervously. Suddenly, Shardak felt himself falling backward, toward the edge of the cliff. Karizdun screamed in pain as white lightning struck him dead-on, and Shardak saw the Sharidir, her green eyes gleaming with triumph, standing above him. He looked around for Valkyria, and saw that the Ix girl was rising to her feet, racing toward the Sharidir. However, before she could reach the bounty hunter, the Sharidir raised her hand and shot a bolt of ice laced with lightning directly at the Ix warrior. Valkyria lept aside, but this time she wasn't quick enough. The lightning struck her directly in the shoulder. The Ix girl staggered backward and fell to the ground, stunned. The Sharidir raised her long dagger, easily blocking Shardak's attacks. "This battle is over." she hissed, her eyes dancing with hatred as she attempted to tear the weapon from his hands. This time, however, Shardak was ready, and dodged easily. Seeing he'd left his defenses open, the Sharidir lunged forward. However, before she could attack, a massive wave of green energy struck her directly, flinging her backward. The Sharidir slammed against the ground, her armor charred and disintegrating, her body beginning to turn to ash as the disease took hold. Shardak saw Karizdun, looking tired now, stagger toward the Sharidir. The wounded being began to stagger to her feet, her face charred by ash. She was wounded badly, but still alive, and she charged toward the Mindeater, tearing the weapon from his hands. At that moment, Valkyria struck. The Ix girl, now standing once more, tore the dagger from the Sharidir's hands. The Sharidir raised her second weapon, a mace, and brought it down on the green staff. Karizdun screamed in rage as Valkyria and the Sharidir lept aside as the green energy exploded in Karizdun's face, flinging him backward, where the Mindeater landed in a crumbled heap on the bridge. This time, he did not get up. The Sharidir staggered backward, blocking attacks from both Shardak and Valkyria. Slowly, she regained her offensive, and telekinetically forced Valkyria to the ground. Shardak charged toward her, but she forced him back, forcing the Blade of Arcturas toward the ground. She raised her mace- Suddenly the expression on her face changed from triumph to horror. A crackling ray of dark energy struck the Sharidir, flinging her backward. There was a jarring snap as her neck struck the bridge, and her body fell limply to the ground. "This battle is over." said a new voice. Shardak and Valkyria turned to face their new attackers, and saw the Makuta commander, standing next to a phalanx of twelve armored Galtorian. The Vortixx was standing there as well, a bestial grin on his face. Shardak could make out seven beings with them, all surrounded by a second group of soldiers. Four of the five he did not recognize, they were Glatorian or Toa. However, the others he knew, and he gasped in shock. "Kyhrex? Ion? Blast?" "Surrender, Spirit Toa." snarled the Makuta coldly. "Surrender, or they all die."

Chapter 14 The chase through the Nameless City was a blur to Shardak. All he remembered was racing past stunned Shadow of Ages soldiers, cutting any down who attempted to block his way. The clash of weapons and the massive serpent's roar as it relentlessly pursued them, making no distinction between Toa and Ix, Glatorian, or Vortixx. All were being hunted now. Racing down a fiendishly twisted alleyway strewn with broken glass, Shardak and Valkyria had no time to pause or look back to see if the Shadow soldiers were still chasing them. Only the shattering of glass as Sarkanian smashed through the beautiful, delicate structures told them that the serpent was still following them. Turning a corner again, he nearly slammed into two armored Shadow soldiers, who seemed as surprised as he was. Shardak, however, was faster then they were, and felt the Blade of Arcturas drive through armor. The soldier fell to the ground as Shardak tore his weapon free. The second soldier was a little faster, but Shardak was so frantic to escape the massive serpent-being that desperation lent him speed. In one move he disarmed the soldier, and, bringing his sword around, slashed open his neck. He fell, and Shardak raced away from the two soldiers before he could even register whether he'd killed them or not. "Shardak!" he whirled around to see Valkyria fighting a Shadow Glatorian in hand-to-hand combat, and he could see where she was looking. The massive serpent-being smashed through a massive dome of glass, scattering shards of the once-magnificent building across the obsidian floors of the city. Its mouth was still bloodied by Valkyria's arrows, and its tongue was bloodied and mangled by Shardak's attack. Seeing the Glatorian, Toa, and Ix all frozen into stillness at his appearance, he charged toward Valkyria and the Glatorian. Shardak opened to call out a warning as the serpent's jaws snapped shut, but the Ix girl escaped decapitation by inches. The Glatorian was not so lucky, however, and was crushed to death and swallowed whole. Shardak attempted to warn the Ix girl again, remembering the creature's fiery breath weapon. However, Valkyria was already racing toward him. For one brief moment, the serpent paused, confused by Valkyria's disappearance. Then it spotted them racing down the twisted streets and, uncoiling its massive, winding body, slithered after them faster then lightning. Shardak could hear the serpent right behind them, and dared not open his mouth to speak with Valkyria for fear it would distract them and slow them down. With a roar, Sarkanian smashed an impossibly intricate spiraled tower to shards of glass with its bladed tail and tore through a glass dome with its teeth, causing its blood to stain the shattered building red. The pain merely seemed to drive the creature into further rage, however, and with a sweep of its tail, tore apart a fleeing Shadow soldier within seconds before focusing once more upon Shardak and Valkyria. The eternal night dissolved once more into a cacophony of sounds as more Shadow of Ages soldiers charged them. Shardak was dimly aware of the Blade of Arcturas' weight in his hands as he hacked in wild desperation at any being who came too close to him. The next thing Shardak was aware of was the serpent-being closing in on him, and the massive black cliff that barred them from escape. Shardak realized that they'd now been forced into a trap. If they tried to scale the cliffs, the serpent would simply rear up and tear them off the cliff and into its massive mouth. He looked at Valkyria, and he could see she was just as fearful as he was. Then he knew that if they were about to die, he should at least try as hard as he could to help them both survive as long as possible. Looking at Valkyria, who had knocked an arrow to her bow in a last, desperate defense against the colossal predator, he nodded once. The Ix girl raced toward the cliff, using her aura powers to allow her to leap far higher then any normal being. Valkyria reached out with both hands, grabbing onto a cliff jutting out into the darkness. Shardak heard Sarkanian's jaws snap behind him, and the sheer terror he felt gave him strength to reach out into the aura field. Mata Nui help us. thought Shardak, before leaping into the air, willing the field surrounding him to bend, to allow him to grab onto the cliff's edge. Seeing that it barely drained his energy at all, he followed Valkyria up the cliffs, the massive predator snapping its jaws behind them. As Shardak and Valkyria looked back, and saw the massive serpent rearing up to tear Valkyria from the cliff and into his mouth. Shardak, on the ledge above her, saw her grasp falter for a brief moment, and screamed a warning as Sarkanian opened his mouth. However, rather then tear her from the cliffs, the massive serpent opened its mouth, a cone of green vapor spraying from its mouth. Valkyria had no way to dodge or deflect the breath weapon, and the corrosive acid began to burn her. Then her grip on the cliff loosened further, and Shardak grabbed her hands, attempting to pull her onto the ledge. However, Shardak knew the breath weapon was poisonous, for Valkyria's eyes were half closed and the desperation was beginning to fade from them. Seeing his prey weakened, the serpent-being lunged forward, and Shardak realized that unless he let Valkyria go, they would both be pulled into the serpent's maw. As the beast's tongue reached out to drag Valkyria into its mouth, Shardak swung the Blade of Arcturas downward, aiming to drive the weapon through the roof of the massive predator's maw. However, at the last moment, the serpent lunged to one side, and the Blade tore through the thick skin just below the creature's eye. Shardak drove the Blade deeper, and the massive being screamed in rage and pain, letting go of Valkyria as the Toa tore his weapon free. Then, suddenly, flashes of another place, another time appeared within Shardak's mind, like the visions of the past he'd seen at the edge of the Void. A dark, barren realm, entire cities razed to the ground by his apocalyptic might... Small, two-legged beings in armor and masks cowering before him as he tore through their city, destroying it and all his inhabitants as he had done to so many other cities... Entire worlds devoured by his unquenchable hunger, entire demiplanes made forever barren by his rage... He was...he was... Sarkanian. The name tore through Shardak's mind like a bullet, returning him to the present. He was half-dragging Valkyria up the slope, away from the serpent-- from Sarkanian's cavernous mouth. The Ix girl seemed to be recovering quickly from the poison, and her eyes were alert once more as she let go of Shardak's hand and climbed onto the ledge. "Are you okay?" he asked Valkyria, and he nodded slightly. Shardak could hear Sarkanian raging below, and knew that soon the massive world-eating serpent would recover and come after them, more vengeful then ever. His fears were proved correct when he saw the massive beast haul its way up the ledge, toward them. Both Shardak and Valkyria rose to their feet, knowing they had nowhere to go and ready to fight Sarkanian with the few weapons they had left. Sarkanian charged toward them, fire and poison frothing at his bloodied mouth. As the serpent charged, Valkyria continued shooting arrows at the massive being, one striking Sarkanian directly in the eye. Blinded for a moment, the serpent roared in pain. Turning, the two warriors fled across the cliffs, toward the Nameless City once more. As he leapt off the cliff, Shardak used his limited control over the aura field to slow his fall. Seeing they were escaping, Sarkanian whipped his head around, lowering it to the ground and charging after them. Shardak could see a being charging toward him, but he couldn't tell whether it was a Toa or an Ix or a Glatorian. He could see Valkyria, who he was struggling to keep up with now. His Stalker bite throbbed for the first time since Meilo had treated it, and the burns he'd suffered from his earlier battle with Sarkanian were still burning. Racing down the alleyways within the city, which were now strewn with the glass from hundreds of shattered buildings, Shardak suddenly realized, though Sarkanian was still persuing him, he could no longer see Valkyria. He turned, looking for any sign of the Ix girl, but he couldn't see her anywhere. His first thought was to go and search for her. Then he remembered Sarkanian was directly behind him, chasing him through the city. For one moment, Valkyria was no longer merely the Ix warrior who had been sent to kill him, but his ally, and he hoped, as he turned to face Sarkanian once more, that she was safe. *** Valkyria raced through the Nameless City, Shardak close behind her. She could hear Sarkanian's roars of pain and rage as he smashed through the citadel of glass, the pain only serving to further his rage. As an Ix warrior, she had faced down many beings, often to the death. However, she had never faced anything as deadly as this massive serpent. She'd almost died there, on the cliffs. Caught completely unaware by his poison breath weapon, she'd have fallen to her death and been devoured by Sarkanian had not Shardak rescued her. Only one thought plagued her as she fled the massive snake-being chasing them- Why? Had their positions been reversed, she'd have left him to die, rather then risk her life for that of a being who had tried to kill her more then once. And she'd been sure he'd known that, when they'd made their alliance against the Shadow of Ages. So why had he saved her life, when he could have simply let her die? I have the Shadow Orb. Valkyria thought. Maybe he wanted to make sure it wasn't eaten by the serpent-being. But inside, Valkyria knew it went beyond self-interest, probably for some bizarre, noble Toa reason. For a moment, the thought unsettled her, but she couldn't quite figure out what bothered her about it. Suddenly, there was another explosion of glass, and Valkyria lept aside as Sarkanian's tail lashed toward her like a whip. The being was fast, faster then she was, but he was also clumsy because of his massive size. Looking around her, Valkyria saw that Sarkanian was charging toward Shardak. Before she could race after the snake-being, Valkyria saw a flash of lightning, an ice-white bolt of electricity that missed her by inches. Whirling around, she recognized her attackers, two female beings armored heavily in ice-white armor. Seeing her, they fired two more bolts of icy lightning at her, but she dodged them both easily. Seeing that their elemental attacks were ineffective, the two beings charged toward Valkyria, weapons raised. One of them threw back her hand, a spear poised to throw- With one swift strike from within the aura field, Valkyria reached out and crushed the spear. With a savage hiss, her attacker flung the shattered weapon aside, then drew a long, mirrorlike scimitar and charged toward her. The second being was still firing bolts of lightning at her, but she was still dodging them all easily. As the being charged toward her, weapon raised, Valkyria raised her hand, willing her aura to redirect the lightning the other being was firing at her. As the attacker bore down on the seemingly defenseless Ix warrior, the lightning bolts the second being was aiming at her struck Valkyria's attacker instead. However, while the being seemed surprised, the lightning did not seem to affect her at all. Valkyria changed tactics quickly, however. Before the first being could recover and resume her attack, she lashed out in the aura field, fire materializing at her fingertips and splashing across the being's body. With an hideous snarl that would have chilled the heart of any being save an Ix, the white-armored warrior staggered and fell to her knees. Valkyria raised Silverblade, ready to decapitate the being with a single slash of the blade. However, before she could move, the being rose to her feet. Her silver and white chainmail was singed badly, but her cold blue eyes gleamed with unspoken words of vengeance.

Chapter 13 Fairon felt the pull of the shadows begin to relax, coupled with the sudden flow of emotions as he became solid once more. The relief, however, quickly turned to horror as he realized what must have happened. Somehow, they’d been taken prisoner. Looking around him, Fairon saw nothing out of the ordinary; it was merely another ledge overlooking the Void. Finally, the lantern he carried broke through the oppressive darkness, illuminating the helmet of a massive male Vortixx. He was carrying twin curved knives, still stained with blood. His eyes gleamed with triumph as he stared at Fairon, Sayna, Treedaka, Flardrek, and Galika. "Four Toa and a Glatorian." hissed the Vortixx. "Just as our master reported." "Who is your master?" asked Flardrek angrily. "The Ix?" The Vortixx smiled and shook his head. Unexpectedly, he turned to Fairon. "Oh, I think the Toa of Light knows. You know him quite well." Fairon felt his heartlight freeze within his chest. His first thought was that the Vortixx meant Iruka. Then he remembered Iruka was dead. Running over the names of all the contestants who had fallen into the Void, Fairon was about to ask another question when the Vortixx cut him off. "The commander is coming. He will take you to the Nameless City, where you will meet our master yourselves." "The commander—" Fairon began, but he saw a chill mist begin to form within the chamber. A massive being, formed of smoke, began to shift, his clawed hands visible first, then his ebony-armored body, which gleamed coldly in the shadows, and lastly, the Kanohi Salek, scarred by years of war, with two cold red eyes burning behind the mask. "So nice to see you again, Toa Fairon." rasped Makuta Dredzek, and Fairon felt the last of the defenses he’d created since he’d left the arena fall and the memories rage through him as the Makuta raised his claw, darkness forming within his clawed hand. *** Leaving the bodies of the slain Glatorian who had attempted to pursue her, Valkyria tossed her head contemptuously. It had almost been too easy to defeat them, and when the Vortixx saw what had happened to the attackers, he’d abruptly changed targets, chasing after the Spirit Toa. However, the Ix warrior knew that this had been merely a temporary escape. It would not help her escape the Ix forever, nor would it allow her time to rest. Slowly, against her will, Valkyria was growing tired. She’d lost nearly all of her allies, and those who had survived were probably imprisoned within the Sanctum of the Mind now, along with the foolish Turaga. Turning toward the massive towers that, while damaged, were still beautiful, Valkyria saw something else that caught her eye. A tall, heavily armored female warrior in ice-white chainmail was racing toward the tower, and Valkyria could see two other beings standing guard behind the first, so alike that they could only be differentiated by their eyes: blue, violet, and green. Then Valkyria saw something else, a tall being, one of the soldiers who’d assaulted the Ix strike team two days ago. He rushed toward the beings, his weapon raised, shouting angrily. The green eyed being did not even move, merely raised her hand. A pure bolt of ice-white lightning flew from her armored palm, striking the soldier head-on. He screamed, a horrible sound that seemed to go on for ages before vanishing as he fell to the ground. Valkyria watched this in horror, and realized she could hear more of the soldiers racing toward the sound of the scream. She and Shardak were both trapped between the Shadow of Ages soldiers, whose intent to kill them both could not have been plainer, and the three warriors, whose motives were completely unknown. Valkyria knew she needed an ally. Someone powerful enough not to be slain immediately by the Sharidir, but a sacrifice she could abandon if the battle turned against them. She was completely trapped on all sides, with no way to rest without assuredly being found and killed. Unbidden, an idea began to form within her mind, an idea that was so risky, daring, and deadly that any Ix commander would praise her for completing it. Or would they, she thought uneasily. If she was unable to eliminate him when the escape was done, she would be punished severely by the rest of the Ix. She would not fail. She could not fail. She'd been trained for this all her life, could the Spirit Toa defeat her without help from the other Toa, Ion, or the two Glatorian if it came to that? It was impossible. But what if he didn't agree... Valkyria smiled. He was just as trapped as she was, with no hope of escape from the soldiers or the ice-armored beings. And he wanted desperately to survive, so he could recover the Shadow Orb from her. He would not dare to attack her immediately. But still...she might lose any chance of ever returning the Shadow Orb. But if she did not choose to act, both of them would be killed by the soldiers, and their mysterious plans would never be known. Steeling herself against the inevitable, and hoping desperately that this was not the end for both of them, Valkyria stepped out of the shadows to meet the Spirit Toa, Shardak. *** Shardak sat beside a burning fire, probably created by another of the enigmatic soldiers. After defeating the strange undead beings, Shardak had attempted to locate the Ix girl or the one surviving soldier, the Vortixx. Neither were near, both seemed to have vanished. However, there was no shortage of his soldiers, they'd virtually pinned him beside the fire, and Shardak thought it was amazing that they hadn't killed him yet. Still, Shardak knew while he'd been lucky so far, he would eventually be found and killed. There was no chance that he'd remain free for much longer, not while he was so totally trapped. Suddenly, he felt someone touch him in the aura field, and he recoiled, whirling around just as the Ix girl stepped out of the darkness, and finally Shardak was able to make out her features without violence or attempted murder getting in the way. She was tall and slender, and wore mottled green and brown camouflage that somehow blended even better with the darkness then a black cloak. She carried a long, silver knife in one hand, and another was sheathed on her thigh. Her bow and quiver were slung over one shoulder, and she would have been quite beautiful were it not for the cold, slightly arrogant look in her blue-green eyes. "Toa Shardak?" the Ix girl asked. "You!" Shardak snarled, the Blade of Arcturas immediately drawn as he met her gaze, trying to figure out what she wanted. Surely she could have already killed him if she'd wanted to. "Who are you? What do you want?" "I am Valkyria Rhai." said the Ix girl. She seemed uneasy, and did not answer his second question immediately. "The soldiers have us both surrounded." "So?" asked Shardak. "Surely you can finish them off, and then we can fight for the Shadow Orb?" The anger in his voice was palpable. All the anger over everything the Ix had done to him, from killing Arcturas to the Circle and then to the Void he focused on her, and he told her so in the aura field. "We could fight now." said Valkyria. "But we'd both be killed. The Shadow of Ages soldiers are not the only threat here." "So that's what they're called?" asked Shardak. "The Shadow of Ages?" Then he remembered who he was talking to, and asked again, "What do you want?" "We could fight now, and you may even defeat me." said Valkyria. "But we'd be sealing our own deaths as well. The soldiers would follow the sounds of battle, and neither of us could stand against a Vortixx, or worse, the Makuta." "They have a Makuta?" asked Shardak, shocked for a moment into silence. "Yes." said Valkyria. "And it controls far too many elemental powers for either of us to defeat. But if we could work together to defeat the Shadow and find a way out of the city, we could continue our battles over the Orb." Valkyria opened her hand so the red glow bled between her fingers. Beyond anything that Valkyria had said so far, beyond anything that anyone had told him in the past three weeks, nothing shocked Shardak like this. At first, he was almost ready to accept the alliance immediately, then he remembered exactly who this girl was and what she had done. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that you'd accept an alliance with a Toa?" Shardak said, slightly angry now. "I know how you Ix operate, and I'd much rather finish you here and now and take my chances with the soldiers." For the first time since he'd met her, Valkyria smiled, but it was as cold as the glaciers in Ko-Metru. "If it was my intention to kill you, you would be dead now." Shardak paused, knowing it was true. Then another possibility, more frightening, occured to him. "Then you want my Kanohi, or information about my allies. I won't give either to you." "Again, I have the only thing we were sent to take from you: the Shadow Orb." argued Valkyria. Shardak realized Valkyria was right; they were both trapped. They could not finish their battle without both of them being killed by the Shadow of Ages soldiers. But she was an Ix...not to be trusted. Everything she could have said could have been a lie. Valkyria seemed to understand this. "I know you don't trust me, and I don't ask you to. But I know that you don't want to die at the hands of the Shadow of Ages, and neither do I. We can settle our battle over the Orb when the Shadow has been destroyed." Shardak knew she was right now. Neither of them had any hope of surviving without an alliance, and while he still harbored reservations about trusting the Ix girl, he knew now he had no choice. "Agreed." he said, relaxing a little now. Valkyria seemed more relaxed as well, and Shardak realized that she must have been just as frightened that he would instead choose to attack her. "So, where are the Shadow soldiers now?" asked Shardak, trying to relieve the uncomfortable silence that followed. "They have this area surrounded, and there are about ten of them altogether." said Valkyria. "Not counting the Makuta or the Vortixx. I haven't seen any of them since yesturday...if you can count days and nights here." Shardak knew now she wasn't lying. The Shadow did have them surrounded, and there were around ten of them. "Are there any other threats?" he asked. "Yes. Three heavily armored warriors I do not recognize have attacked and killed one of the Shadow soldiers with a white bolt of lightning." Shardak thought this over for a few minutes, and wondered how powerful these beings were. He could sense very little true emotion in Valkyria's voice, so he could not tell whether she considered them dangerous or weak. However, he realized, if their presence could drive Valkyria into an alliance with her mortal enemy, he suspected they were far more dangerous then herself. Shardak nodded slowly, then said, "So should we fight our way out, or at least figure out what the Shadow's plans are and who their leader is?" "All of the soldiers defer to the Makuta, and seem to consider him their "commander". However, I do not know if he is their leader." Worried now, Shardak wondered exactly what this Shadow of Ages had planend within the Void. They'd attacked him twice, both times seperating him from Ion, Blast, and Kyhrex. Not for the first time, he wondered if Ion had survived the second attack or if all of his friends and the Turaga were now dead. "Do you know what happened to my friends?" asked Shardak. For a moment, a shadow of unease passed over Valkyria's face, but it was gone so quickly Shardak wondered if he'd imagined it. "No. How were you seperated?" "The Shadow of Ages soldiers attacked us." answered Shardak. "After we left the Sanctum of the Mind." Valkyria nodded once, and Shardak noticed how tired she was for the first time. She was dangerously good at cloaking her emotions, something he'd have to watch out for. "Then shall we finish this?" asked Shardak, raising the Blade of Arcturas. "The Shadow will be here soon." "I'm ready." confirmed the Ix girl, her daggers both drawn. For one moment, Shardak wondered what Valkyria was thinking, what motivated her beyond service to the Empire. Then they were ready, and Shardak prepared himself, once more, to fight. He could see the Shadow soldiers even in the darkness of the Abyss, their torches gleaming in the darkness. Of the Vortixx or the Makuta there was no sign, but there were six altogether. "There are more, currently scouting the area." whispered Valkyria, and Shardak nodded grimly. Before the soldiers could even react, Valkyria's dagger took him between the shoulder blades, and he fell to the ground, dead. Shardak raced forward, parrying his first assailant's blow and disarming him within seconds. Before the Glatorian could react, Shardak slammed the sword's hilt against the attacker's head, knocking him unconsious. Valkyria, meanwhile, had slain three of the soldiers, their bodies lying at her feet as she fought a tall, heavily armored insectlike being weilding a massive scimitar. Shardak wanted to protest, but realized that Valkyria had to have killed them, or be killed herself. As another being, this one tall and cloaked, charged toward him, Shardak realized there was no hope for him to simply stun these beings, as he had the Glatorian pikemen. Like the fight with the Stalker and the Ix and Kranr, it was kill or be killed, fight or die. Then, suddenly, the tide turned against them. Valkyria was battling four different foes at once, all of them stronger then she was, and despite the speed of her attacks, they were slowly weakening her. Shardak was suddenly battling three Glatorian, not one, and more pikemen and other beings Shardak did not recognize were charging toward them. This is the end. thought Shardak. Valkyria had managed to fell two of her Glatorian attackers, but three more beings, all armored in grayish black, raced toward her, weapons ready. He was barely even dodging death now, for they were overmatching him. Then, suddenly, it was over. For one irrational moment, Shardak thought he'd died, then he realized that the soldiers had retreated, staring at something. For one moment, Shardak heard nothing, the next a horrible hissing rasp and the sound of shattering glass. Shardak, Valkyria, and the remaining soldiers all turned, shocked, to see the massive serpentlike being strike the nearest Shadow soldier like a lightning bolt. In one second, the being had vanished, then the massive snake's tail whipped from side to side. Valkyria leapt out of the way just in time, but the soldiers were flung into the air, their bones snapping with a sickening crunch as they all slammed against the rocks. The three remaining Shadow soldiers drew back to stand beside Shardak and Valkyria, their battle forgotten in the face of this massive monster. Shardak had one moment to realize how much danger they were all in now before the massive serpent uncoiled its massive, whiplike tail and charged toward him. Shardak slashed the Blade of Arcturas over and over again at the massive creature's throat, but every blow failed to penetrate his armorlike scales. He could see Valkyria, firing arrow after arrow at the serpent, and the three Shadow soldiers hacking at the scales in vain. Shardak watched as the massive creature's gnashing teeth descended toward him, and at the last moment possible, he slashed upward with the Blade of Arcturas. The weapon struck home, tearing through the creature's massive tongue and tearing out a tooth the double the size of the Blade. The serpent recoiled, its tail slashing from side to side, decapitating two of the Shadow of Ages soldiers. The third soldier charged toward the beast, aiming to slash open the mouth, but before he could even reach the craeture, it snapped its prehensile tail and slashed the Glatorian in half at the waist. Shardak stabbed upward, aiming toward the being's throat, but before he could even touch the weapon to his throat, the massive creature turned on Valkyria, its tail snapping at Shardak, who only narrowly managed to escape suffering the same fate as the Glatorian soldier. Valkyria, however, was too quick to be easily killed by the creature, and managed to fire three arrows into the attacker's cavernous maw before leaping out of the way to avoid the being's tail and gnashing jaws. These attacks only affected the being like stings, however, and merely enraged it further. As its tail slashed from side to side, Shardak felt it wrap around his leg, knocking him to the ground. For one moment, he thought the massive creature would whip him from side to side until he was killed, but to his surprise, the creature released him, his blade-like tail slashing upward at Valkyria at blinding speed. However, the Ix girl was quicker. Dodging near certain death once again, Valkyria raced toward Shardak, as the monstrous serpent reoriented itself, slithering toward them. "Shardak! Run!" yelled Valkyria, as the creature snarled and Shardak deflected the bladelike tail with the Blade of Arcturas. The being turned to face them, and suddenly a cone of fire burst from his jaws, aimed directly at the two warriors. Valkyria easily evaded he attack, but Shardak felt pain race through him as fire splashed against his armor. Sarkanian gnashed his bloodied maw, more flames gathering within. Shardak needed no further urging, and both Toa and Ix raced through the Nameless City, now united by the horrible threat of the World-Eating Serpent, Sarkanian.

Chapter 12 Fairon was standing on the edge of the cliff, facing Iruka. He held his weapon, a long dagger, in one hand; the other held the only way to escape the area: the teleporter. Iruka roared in fury, his weapon, a massive broadsword, held above his head as he charged. The arena was burning all around him, the world had turned to ash as trees and the rest of the world vanished around him, until only Iruka remained, a massive armored warrior standing, like a conquering general, in the midst of the raging inferno. Fairon felt himself falling; they were both over the edge of the cliff now, and the flames were all around them. He was conscious of every detail, saw the myriad shades of orange and red burning all around him as he fell… With a start, Fairon awoke, the flames still burning behind his eyes. He’d had this dream before, the one that ended as Iruka charged toward him, a crazed, maniacal look in his eyes as he tried to wrench the teleporter from Fairon’s hands. It’s over. The Eternal Game is over. Iruka is dead. Fairon told himself. But the truth was, the Game was not over. He’d been playing the Game ever since he’d left the arena, since the rebellion had contacted him. The most dangerous part of the Eternal Game had begun, the Ix knew he was affiliated with the rebellion, and he would be marked as a criminal, just as Iruka had been marked once. "Fairon?" a voice broke through the silence. The Toa turned, and saw Flardrek on his feet, weapon raised. All around him, the Toa were waking, ready to continue their search for Xatax and Jareroden. Fairon had begun to believe, against his will, that they would not be found here. Whoever had captured the Toa had left no trace, not even a single footprint. "Yes?" he asked. "We can’t afford to continue searching for Jareroden. We need to complete the task that he assigned us: recover the Ignika. We’ve been searching for nearly two days now, and we’ve lost eight more hours resting." There was regret in the Fire Glatorian’s voice, but also steely resolve. "It’s what Jareroden would have wanted." said Galika. Fairon nodded at last in agreement. While he did not want to leave Jareroden and Xatax alone and lost in the Void, they could simply not waste any more time if they wanted to find the Ignika. "Okay." he said. Flardrek grimaced slightly, but said, "Okay. The mask is obviously nowhere on this plain. We need to continue our search deeper in the Void." "Agreed." said Treedaka. "The mask is not hidden-kept here." "Sayna, what did your team find while you were searching two days ago? Are there any safe ways of descending deeper into the Void?" asked the Glatorian "I don’t know." Sayna answered. "We were searching for a pathway leading downward when we were attacked by the Ix." "It’s still a place to start-begin." said Treedaka. "There may be a pathway leading ever-deeper into the dark-Void that we have not search-looked yet." Gathering their Toa tools, the group of warriors began to search the Void, retracing Sayna's path to the edge of the plain. It quickly became obvious, however, there was no way deeper into the Void that was safe. The cliffs were sheer, and in some places, nearly impossible to climb. Fairon saw that the place where they'd fought the Ix was completely abandoned, whatever had happened to Vorral, the Ix had cleaned up after themselves. It also ended in a dead end. Fairon cursed inwardly, remembering how the Ix had backed him up against the cliff during the battle. There was no safe way down the cliff. Then he remembered, and turning to Treedaka, said, "Could you and Sayna use your elemental powers to lower us into the Void?" "No." said Treedaka, surprising Fairon. "We could use our powers to lower us into the Void, but we simply can't lower you, Flardrek, and Galika as well." Fairon was about to reply, when suddenly he felt a strange pulling sensation. Instantly reminded of the teleporter in the arena, his initial thought was to fight it, but he simply could not, and could see that none of his companions could as well. He saw Sayna's body dissolve completely, then Treedaka's, then Galika's, then Flardrek's. Finally, only Fairon remained, and though he tried to fight, he vanished into the shadows. *** The city was vast, built into a cliff in a similar fashion to the Ix Citadel in the Circle. However, unlike the Circle, this city was vast, a massive landscape of damaged towers, smashed glass domes, and ruined buildings. Much of the city glowed with faint green light, though for what reason Shardak could not guess. It was as though the ghoulish green light of the Circle, despite the absence of any lanterns or light crystals, continued lighting the streets of the ghostly city. Now Shardak could see where much of the Circle's architecture had come from. While the buildings' meterials were different, made of glass shot through with streams of gold and bronze, the lampposts were very similar to those within the Circle. Shardak could see many of the buildings resembled those of the Circle, despite the meterial's differences. The Gates, though damaged, also strongly resembled the Circle's. It was all true. thought Shardak, awed in spite of the damage. Everything that Silencer believed, about the lost city of the Mindeaters...it's real, just as the Void's prison was real. "He's there!" a voice jerked Shardak back to reality as he saw the flash of weapons in the pale green light. "Kill him!" Shardak saw more of the soldiers racing through the city streets, their bright orange and red torches contrasting starkly with the cold green light. Shardak knew that in his weakened state he could not hold off the soldiers again. He'd be killed within minutes. Racing down the streets made of smooth obsidian, the Toa flung his Circle lantern aside, realizing it would only distract him. Raising the Blade of Arcturas, which gave off a smouldering red light in the shadow of the massive buildings, he turned down a second alleyway, the soldiers close behind him. Suddenly, Shardak saw an arrow flash by him, then grunted in pain and shock as he felt a second strike his shoulder. He scanned the area hastily, searching for the Ix girl, but saw no sign of her. Remembering the Ix's uncanny ability to meld with the shadows, he realized that meant nothing. Shardak turned, and saw that the soldiers had nearly cought him. Karzahni. They were nearly up to him now, their spears within throwing distance. Afraid to run, for fear the Ix girl would kill him instantly, and knowing it was impossible to fight both the soldiers and the Ix girl. Before he could make a descision to run or fight, however, one of the soldiers; the most heavily armored of the three, fell to the ground, an arrow embedded in his throat. Two more of the soldiers didn't even notice anything was wrong, and were both felled by three more arrows, one striking a Glatorian in the heart, another taking an Agori in the shoulder and the third impaling him through the throat. The fourth and final remaining soldier stopped as he saw the Agori warrior fall, confused. His eyes stared at the arrows that had felled his allies, and he had just enough time to realize who had killed them before another of the Ix girl's arrows downed him as well. Shardak whirled around, expecting to die immediately. But nothing happened. There was no sign of anyone there at all. Had the Ix girl saved him? His answer came moments later. He heard a cry of pain, and the clash of weapons. The Vortixx and his patrol of soldiers must have found the Ix. Shardak's immediate sensation was relief, that he didn't have to go after her futher. He didn't want to be caught between the Ix girl and the Vortixx warrior, both were probably equally dangerous. Then he remembered the Shadow Orb. He could not let the Ix girl or the soldiers have it, if the Ix returned it to her commanders, or the Vortixx was able to keep it, everything was lost. Racing toward the sounds of battle, Shardak turned the corner of the dilapidated street, and saw the corpses of the remaining soldiers lying scattered across the alleyways. Every one of them were dead, one shot down from a distance, the rest surrounded by the green sparks that surrounded the rest of the city. Shardak wondered briefly how all of the beings had died, looking at their corpses he saw that most of them had been killed not by the Ix girl, but had somehow been simply slain, with no weapons. As he watched, the green light grew more intense, and their bodies crumbled to ash. Hardly daring to look and see what lay ahead on the street beyond, Shardak hesitated. Would he find the bodies of the Ix girl and the Vortixx soldier, both killed by the mysterious, ghoulish green sparks? Finally making up his mind, Shardak turned the corner and gasped in shock. He was standing before a massive crater, a large indentation filled with pale green light and sparks. He looked around wildly for some sign of the Shadow Orb or the Ix girl, but saw none. He realized that they must have never come this way. Turning his gaze on the massive crater, he wondered how or if the energy had destroyed the Glatorian warriors. It was certainly not at all similar to the Circle lanterns, rather, it seemed to be composed of thousands of myriad threads of green energy, winding their way through the center of the crater. All around the glowing threads, pale sparks danced, abruptly coalescing into shadowy forms, then vanishing once more. All the while, the threads moved throughout the center of the crater, twisting and changing every second, yet always remaining graceful and mesmerizing. Then, as Shardak's eyes began to lose focus, abruptly, the green mist coalesced once more into beings, this time fully solid. But Shardak could tell they were not truly alive. They were merely constructs, somehow possessed by the green energy. As one, their gaze turned to Shardak, their glassy, smoky green eyes gleaming, and the leading being, a tall, obviously long dead Glatorian, smiled at Shardak, a twisted, unreal grimace that made Shardak's blood run cold. The beings said nothing, their faces cold, expressionless. Their battered weapons, made of metal, bronze, and protosteel, suggested they were from many ages, many times. Two of the beings charged him, dented swords gleaming coldly in the pale green illumination. Shardak tensed; wondering what these beings were, and remembered something else Ion had told him. Once, according to the legends, a mysterious plague devastated the Nameless City, eventually it was completely abandoned by even the Mindeaters for this reason. Shardak knew he must not let the beings even touch him. He’d seen what had happened to the Glatorian warriors who’d tried to fight, and did not want to suffer the same death. As the attackers’ weapons flashed down toward him, each blow hammering him back, each narrow escape placing him once inch from death once more. While these beings could not equal the Ix in speed or strength, their skill far surpassed those of the Glatorian swordsmen and pikemen he’d battled earlier. Shardak felt the Blade of Arcturas strike the twisted Glatorian helmet, and the impact jarred his arm, deadening it for a moment. All four of the beings pressed in on him, the Glatorian, spider Rahi, Agori, and Matoran. He took a step back, knowing he was only prolonging the inevitable. Sooner or later, they would completely overwhelm him. Pressing their advantage, Shardak was forced even closer to the cliff, and an inexorable dread also mounted within him. In one moment, he would die, and he would never recover the Shadow Orb, never find out if Blast, Kyhrex, and Ion were alive… The thought of his friends brought Shardak back to reality, and with a sweeping arc, slashed off the heads of the undead Agori and Matoran. For one moment, their bodies merely stood there; then they dissolved into green light, becoming part of the enigmatic matrix once more. Neither of the remaining two attackers even spoke, nor did they acknowledge Shardak. The green energy within their eyes, however, burned with a malign intelligence that was not their own, but that of the mysterious plague-being. The Glatorian brought his weapon down, and Shardak nearly lost his grip on the Blade of Arcturas as their swords met in midair. For one moment, it crossed Shardak’s mind to attempt use the mysterious auric power he’d used to defeat the Glatorian, but decided against it. He didn’t even know if it would work, or if it would even affect the hideous animated corpses. Shardak felt a second jolt in his arm as their weapons met again, and the Toa seized the advantage, forcing both the Rahi and the Glatorian back toward the energy matrix. Slowly, he began to batter at the Glatorian’s armor, feeling it tear through the thick steel plates. However, as he was distracted fighting the Glatorian, the spider Rahi had not been idle. As Shardak disarmed the Glatorian, the spider pounced, massive fangs extended, the cold energy ready to end the Toa’s life. Had Shardak not taken one step forward to slash off the Glatorian’s hand as it reached for him, he would have been killed instantly. As it was, the Rahi missed by a few inches. It recovered quickly, but by then, Shardak was facing his attacker once more. As the massive scorpion-like spider raced at him, intending to haul him to the ground with its sheer strength, Shardak slashed downward, drawing blood. Turning around, the creature faced him, but Shardak easily speared it with the Blade of Arcturas, careful to not allow the Rahi’s body to touch him. Within seconds, the body of the Rahi had disintegrated. Shardak rose to his feet just as the Glatorian’s weapon descended upon him. Shardak, reacting out of instinct, speared upward with the three pikes he’d carried with him impaling the being through the heart. As he slumped to the ground, all three of the weapons disintegrated along with the Glatorian. Startled, Shardak looked at the Blade of Arcturas, but could not see any damage at all. For a moment he was puzzled, then he remembered that if this was an ordinary weapon, it would have been incinerated the moment Arcturas had used his fire elemental powers to ignite it. Suddenly angry, Shardak wanted to throw the weapon to the ground. Why hadn’t Arcturas told him of any of this? Surely he knew that even though they lived outside the Empire, one day the Ix would hunt them down? And how had Nightshade been able to fool them both, all those years? Shardak knew that many of these questions would never be answered, for even Silencer had known little of the Glatorian’s life. Most of the answers had died along with Arcturas.

Chapter 11 The glow of his Circle lantern woke Shardak. Like the rest of the days in the past three weeks since he'd entered the Circle and encountered the Ix, Ion, and Silencer, the fear that his enemies would find him kept him wide awake. Just because he was hunting the Ix girl didn't mean Asgard or more Ix weren't out there. Rising to his feet, he raised his Circle lantern to illuminate the cavern he'd chosen as his resting place. He doubted the Ix girl had gotten too far ahead, even Ix needed sleep. He'd only been resting for six hours, because he had no idea how long Ix needed to rest. Shardak briefly wondered if it was day or night in the worlds outside the Void, then his thoughts immediately turned to the Ix girl, who he was sure could not have gone far. He'd chased her for more then twelve hours, and he doubted that any being could run that long without needing rest, even an Ix. He'd soon catch her, take the Shadow Orb, and then-- Shardak realized his thoughts had been so preoccupied with finding the Ix girl, he hadn't thought about what he'd do after he'd recovered the Shadow Orb. Kill her? Imprison her? He didn't know. He certainly didn't want to kill her, but what choice did he have? He certainly couldn't let her escape after he recaptured the Shadow Orb, she'd kill him given the chance. He remembered Meilo saying that, because he had killed the Kranr guard in the Labyrinth in self-defense, he shouldn't trouble himself over it. But while it was one thing to slay a being in the heat of battle, it was quite another to hunt the Ix girl down and kill her with the Blade of Arcturas. He wondered what Silencer would have done, but realized he knew the answer. Silencer would have accepted it was his duty to kill the Ix girl, as he had accepted it was his duty to finish off the Fury. Then again, the Fury had been a revenge killing, revenge for the death of Silencer's Toa friend during the earlier war nearly eighty years ago. He turned his thoughts to Ion and Arcturas, and realized the bitter truth: he didn't know. The fact was, he didn't know Arcturas well enough to know what he would have done. The Arcturas he'd thought he'd known would have never lifted a weapon to her. You don't even know if you'll reach the point where you have to make that choice. said Shardak, trying to calm himself.There are so many things that could go wrong before I even attack her, and maybe one of the Turaga will join me and help me to decide what to do. Shardak knew that he could waste no more time, however. Putting aside his own thoughts and distractions, he began to climb down the massive cliff that descended far deeper into the Void. He climbed for nearly an hour, seeing no signs that the Ix girl had been there, then found her footprints again, this time on a small ledge leading into a cave. While he saw no other signs that she'd been here, she guessed that she'd slept here, before moving on, deeper into the Void. Shardak had no more time to search the caves, as he was nearing the base of the cliff, but he knew she wasn't there, as she'd have easily killed him with her arrows had she known he was on the cliff, virtually helpless, with way to draw his weapon to defend himself. Finally reaching the base of the cliffs, Shardak turned away from the massive cliffs. He could see, in the distance, a massive, gleaming city made entirely of glass in the distance, starkly contrasting with the dark, rocky plateau it was built on. Tall spires and massive domed complexes reminiscent of the Le-Matoran's moto-hubs in Intax rose into the dark, empty skies of the Void, and all of the glass buildings were shot through with golden metal. Many were damaged, and some had collapsed entirely, but many others were still perfectly preserved. Occasionally, Shardak noticed several flickering green lights that appeared and disappeared within the Nameless City as well, and wondered if they were simular to the Circle's light crystals, which powered the lantern he now carried. "The Nameless City." Shardak breathed, awed at the massive, decaying urban landscape before him. It seemed completely abandoned, with no sign of either the Ix girl, the Turaga, or the mysterious soldiers. \ She's probably gone into the city. thought Shardak. It's what I would do in her position. Steeling his nerves, the Toa strode toward the massive city, feeling very small in the shadow of the landscape before him. Yet another legend had been proven real; the Nameless City truly existed at the bottom of the Void, while it was decaying, and many of the buildings were completely wrecked, Shardak saw it was still a near miracle of creation. Before Shardak could take another step towards the heavily damaged city gates, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Reacting instinctively, he threw himself to the ground, just in time to see two arrows flash over his head. Rising to his feet, he saw that the helmeted Ix girl was racing toward the city, her bow once again slung over her shoulder. Shardak raced toward his quarry, he could see the red light of the Shadow Orb burning through her fingertips. All thoughts of sparing her life were forgotten, he realized it was kill or be killed now. With no way to draw her bow, the Ix girl raised her long silver dagger as Shardak charged toward her. Toa and Ix faced each other, his Kanohi gleaming in the half-light, her face shrouded in the shadow of her helmet. Shardak slashed down to parry her first attack, then countered her next two attacks easily as well. However, she recovered quickly, and nearly tore the Blade of Arcturas from his hands. Taking advantage of his confusion, the Ix girl thrust her dagger at his heartlight, and Shardak was forced to stagger backward before she could finish him off. Suddenly, there was a flash of another weapon in the darkness, and Shardak saw the Ix girl's weapon whirl around, aiming at the scythelike pike's tip and slashing it from the hilt. Shardak's eyes widened in shock as he saw the metal weapon break and wondered what type of weapon she carried, and how it had destroyed the soldier's pike so easily. Shardak's vision cleared, and he saw that the Ix girl was fighting a second pike-wielding Glatorian, while more soldiers, a Vortixx and a larger group of Glatorian, charged toward them. Shardak brought the Blade of Arcturas down on a Glatorian's pike, and blocked his assailant's next thrust, disarming him easily. In the distance, Shardak saw that the Vortixx's three Glatorian guards had fallen, and the Ix girl racing away, toward the city gates, the Vortixx and several guards following her. Four others turned to face Shardak, their weapons raised. For one moment, thoughts raced through Shardak's mind at the speed of light. Earlier in the Circle, he had escaped Flareus and the Stalker only narrowly with Kyhrex's help, and the Fury had been defeated by Silencer. In the Sanctum of the Mind, Meilo and Ion had rescued him from the Ix, and Ion had held off the mysterious soldiers twice. Now, nothing was standing between him and certain death but his own limited skills. The soldiers came charging toward him, their weapons readied. As the first to charged, Shardak dodged one pike easily and deflected the other with the Blade of Arcturas. As the Glatorian charged Shardak again, the Toa swung his weapon around, tearing the pike from the Glatorian's hands. Before any of the other attackers could move, Shardak slammed the Blade of Arcturas' hilt against his opponent's head. The Glatorian fell to the ground, unconscious. The three other Glatorian, however, showed no signs of discomfort at the fall of their companion. As Shardak whirled around to face his remaining assailants, two of the Glatorian charged forward, and Shardak felt a flash of pain in his unwounded shoulder as the pike speared through his armor. Shardak staggered back, the pike tearing itself free. Shardak knew the cut wasn't deep, but it was still painful. As the Glatorian charged him again, Shardak used the Blade of Arcturas as a spear, tearing open the Glatorian's shoulder. His opponent staggered backward, and Shardak attempted to disarm him. The Glatorian grunted, tightening his grip on the weapon. Shardak grabbed the pike with his fist, the point swinging dangerously near to his heart. Realizing this, the Glatorian attempted to impale Shardak, but the Toa's grip was too strong and the pike was torn from his hands. Whirling the weapon's blunt end around him as the Glatorian closed in, Shardak struck two of the attackers on the sides of the head with a dull metallic clang, knocking them both out. The one remaining Glatorian was smarter. After seeing how Shardak had defeated his companions, and not wanting to come in range of Shardak's pike, he cautiously probed Shardak's defenses, willing him to try to attack. Shardak, however, did not dare, for he knew the Glatorian was far more skilled then he was, and having never learned to defend against a spear, knew he would lose. As the Glatorian's spear weaved in and out of Shardak's defenses, Shardak brought the Blade of Arcturas down on his opponent's weapon, forcing him back. The Glatorian recovered quickly, and thrust forward, forcing Shardak to take a step back. As the Glatorian reached forward, Shardak brought his weapon down on the Glatorian's, and traded a series of blindingly fast thrusts with his opponent before finally forcing the Glatorian backward, toward the cliff's edge. However, the Glatorian noticed the danger. Throwing his pike aside and drawing a long, curved scimitar, he charged toward Shardak, trading blows with the Toa for a few moments before slashing his weapon down, tearing open an old wound on Shardak's leg. Shardak counterattacked furiously, fighting with both spear and blade, but the Glatorian easily knocked the pike from his hand and slashed open Shardak's shoulder. His Stalker bite burned with pain as he blocked the Glatorian's weapon, his next attack forcing the Glatorian nearly to the cliff wall. The Glatorian recovered quickly, and his next thrust nearly tore the Blade of Arcturas from Shardak's hands. The Toa parried his attacks for a few moments, regaining the upper hand as their battle began to degenerate into a furious series of slashes, parries, and strikes. Shardak was unable to keep up with his opponent's weapon, and felt pain flash through both shoulders and his side as his opponent's attacks became more and more furious. Shardak saw they were nearing the Namless City's gates, and knew his enemy was cornering him. As the solider bore down on him, Shardak thrust forward with the Blade of Arcturas, and felt it leave his hands as the pike struck it with a metallic clang. Seeing his enemy completely defenseless, the Glatorian smiled. "You put up a better defense then my master said you could." he conceded as he raised the pike. "But no Toa can stand against the future rulers of the multiverse." As he charged Shardak raised his hands, a last, desperate defense against the lethal-looking pike. As the Glatorian was about to strike, Shardak saw cold blue flame appear at his fingertips, striking the pike and shattering it into one thousand shards of Protosteel which struck the Glatorian full in the face. Stunned, the solider fell to the ground, the remains of his weapon scattered around his unconscious body. Shardak, however, could barely move, he felt as though every drop of vitality had been drained from his body. He watched for a few moments as the blue fire flickered around the body of the Glatorian before vanishing completely. Had he created Cold Fire? He'd been defenseless one moment, facing certain death...and then, the next, the Glatorian was lying unconscious on the ground, his spear shattered. Did I use the aura field to destroy the weapon? Shardak wondered. Ion said it was rare...nearly impossible for a Toa to use the aura field offensively without destroying himself. Shardak wondered if that was why he felt so tired. Focusing, he attempted to bring the Cold Fire to life once more. Nothing happened. If the soldiers returned, they would find him completely defenseless. The thought of the soldiers attacking again galvanized Shardak into action once more. As he felt his strength begin to return, Shardak rose unsteadily to his feet, grabbing the three pikes and the Blade of Arcturas. While the three weapons were cumbersome, he knew that leaving them with the Glatorian when they awakened would give them another chance to attack him. In the distance, Shardak could hear the shouts of the remaining soldiers and footsteps coming closer and closer toward him. Raising the Blade of Arcturas, Shardak entered the gates and stepped into the Nameless City. *** At the south gate of the Nameless City, the three Sharidir, armored fully in helmets and silver-white chainmail, stood before the massive runes engraved onto the cold stone outside the Nameless City. Engraved there for centuries, they had been there long before the Mindeaters had claimed the city for their own. Behind them, a phalanx of elite Ix warriors, scythes drawn, watched impassively. This location was one of the few places where the barriers between the Void and the planes were thin, allowing beings of great power to tear open the veil between dimensions and call beings forth. The mysterious beings had obviously known this, and created the runes to allow weaker beings to also call beings from the myriad planes of existence beyond the Void. "Sarkanian..." whispered the violet-eyed Sharidir, and the runes glowed with light, first blue, then red, then green, then black. The demiplane on which Sarkanian was sealed was far beyond the four Elemental Realms. Passing through planes where the Ix dwelled....and others which they ruled, the Sharidir reached deeper into a void of nothingness far blacker then the one they were currently in...and touched the consioussness of a being that had not walked the known universe for millennia. "Sarkanian..." whispered the blue-eyed Sharidir, and the runes glowed once more... The runes gleamed with light as the Sharidir's auras, cold and white, touched Sarkanian's... "Sarkanian..." whispered the green-eyed Sharidir, and the runes glowed for the third time, this time far brighter then before... ..And Sarkanian, for the first time in centuries, moved toward light, toward freedom.

PART II: The City Chapter 10 Valkyria did not stop to look back, stop to make sure the Spirit Toa and his allies were not following her. After locking eyes with the Spirit Toa once more, giving him a promise of vengeance, she'd fled, racing through the shadows. Realizing her silver chainmail would only slow her down, she replaced the armor with her mottled camouflage, allowing her to blend once more with the darkness. Immediately feeling calmer now that she'd left the Sanctum, Valkyria paused for a moment, scanning the area for any sign of pursuing Toa. While the Void would have blinded nearly any other being, Valkyria could see through the darkness, though her vision was more limited then if she'd been on the surface. Years of suppressing all but the slightest emotion prevented her from feeling sorry for Scrall Vhokyn or the other Ix warriors within the Sanctum. However, the death of Xhallin Naar had shaken her- he had not deserved to die fighting for the traitor Ivrel. Annoyed with herself for even thinking of the deaths of the Ix in the Sanctum, Valkyria decided to consider her options now. Unless she killed Shardak, the Ix Empire was forever closed to her, despite the fact she held the Shadow Orb. Thinking back to their brief battle, Valkyria knew he was a novice at best, who allowed his emotions to dictate the course his attacks took-- he'd attempted to kill her when she'd wounded the larger Toa. The Turaga and Toa protected him. thought Valkyria. If he was alone, if I could draw him away from his protection, he'd be finished. The Ix girl knew it would be suicide to attack Shardak while he was guarded by the massive Toa and the Turaga. All of the Turaga were skilled warriors, and their traps within the Sanctum of the Mind had killed many of the Ix warriors. She had to battle Shardak when he was alone, separated from the remainder of his guards. Then the plan came to her, and Valkyria almost laughed, it was so simple. Knowing none were watching her, Valkyria smiled coldly, knowing that within days, Toa Shardak would be dead. Meilo, Lilian, Duuril, and Ario strode between the bodies of slain Ix and Matoran. Most of the Ix warriors were dead, they'd either been killed by the Turaga, or by the massive bladed traps that they'd set off on the stairs. The five Ix warriors that had survived had been captured by the Turaga; only the Ix girl had escaped. The thought of the Ix who had taken the Shadow Orb, as well as the sight of Pierra's fallen form on the ground, served to galvanize Shardak once more into action. Rising to his feet, he walked over to Ion, Blast, and Kyhrex, who were wounded, but alive. "We would remain in the Sanctum of the Mind." Ion was saying to Meilo. "But we need to find that Ix girl. It's possible more of the Ix are out there, and if they are, we can't let her reach them." Meilo nodded regretfully. "I only wish I could go with you, but I must remain here, to tend to the wounded and bury the slain." he looked regretfully at Pierra's body, as well as the slain Matoran lying on the ground beside the Ix warriors. "I will, however, send Duuril and Ario with you. They have never been to the Nameless City, though they can guide you deeper into the Void." Duuril smiled, but Ario grimaced coldly. "Why should I go, and risk my life for the beings that caused Pierra's death? While it would satisfy me to take the life of the Ix girl who escaped, I would much rather simply kill all of the Toa and Glatorian now, then persue her." "No." said Meilo, firmly. "Had Toa Ion and the others come to our aid, we would have all been killed by the Ix." "Had these Toa and Glatorian never come to the Sanctum, Pierra would still be alive!" snarled Ario. "These Toa are noble beings." argued Meilo. "They are enemies of the Ix, of the demons, and our allies. Ario, you are the most skilled warrior among us save myself, you alone out of the group could take on the Ix girl and win." Meilo had done well, Shardak thought, appearing to Ario's vanity. He knew what the Turaga would say now before he said it. "I will go with them, then." "Excellent." said Meilo. Turning to Ion, he said, "So I take it you must leave immediately?" "Yes." said Ion. "I wish we could have spoken, or at least been able to discuss the Sanctum of the Mind further. However--" "You cannot let the Ix girl escape." finished Meilo. "You will catch her." said Izon confidently. Duuril is our best tracker, and both he and Ario can match the Ix girl in speed and skill. She has nearly no chance of escape." Ion nodded grimly. "For the sake of the known universe, I hope you're right, Turaga Izon." From within the Void, surrounded by shadows, Skorpix's eyes gleamed like chilled embers. Turning to one of his Ix servents, he asked in a nasal, raspy voice. "What is the status on Toa Fairon?" "The Ix have him surrounded." said the Veiled One confidently. "He has no chance of escape." "However, our attack team from Illiera has failed." said Skorpix. "And it is unlikely that the Ix warrior who escaped will be able to evade them for long, even with the Shadow Orb." The Ix touched Skorpix briefly in the aura field to show Skorpix that he understood. For a moment, both beings stood still, then Skorpix said, "Find the Shardir." "Is that wise?" "It is nessessary." The darkened plains, hidden from view by the Void's oppressive darkness, surrounded Toa Shardak, his Circle lantern barely penetrating the darkness beyond. They were not far behind the Ix girl; Ion had found her footprints leading away from the Sanctum almost immediately. Judging by her tracks, she was less then an hour away. But will we be able to catch her? asked Shardak. They'd lost her trail twice already, and he knew from bitter experience how cunning the Ix could be. Beside him, Duuril seemed to understand his fears, and said confidently, "We're quick-following her this happy-time. She cannot run-hide from us forever." "She doesn't have much of a lead on us." agreed Blast. "We left the Sanctum a half an hour after she did, and even Ix have to rest." "I know, but they still possess nearly twice the stamina Toa or Glatorian do." argued Shardak. "Enough of this." Ario hissed, speaking for the first time since the group of Glatorian, Toa, and Turaga had left the Sanctum of the Mind. "We will catch her, and soon. Your Orb will be recovered." "Listen." said Ion. Shardak, Blast, and Kyhrex drew in to listen. "When we reach the Nameless City, if indeed that's where the Ix girl intends to take the Shadow Orb, I'm sure that's our escape route. Silencer mentioned the city too me, and I know that there is an escape route there." "And what of the beings you told me of? Atarus and Jareroden? Who are they? Something to do with 'spirit' and 'victor'" he asked. Ion's eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Kyhrex told you of this?" "Yes." said Shardak. "You promised you would explain everything. I understand you plan to take us to the resistance?" "Initially, I was hoping to train you first, but the recent attack at the Sanctum has proven my worst fears correct: the Ix know where you are. There is a gateway from the Nameless City, but it is as firmly under the control of the Ix as the Circle was." "And the rest of the rebels are hiding there?" Shardak guessed. "Only a small group of warriors, who moniter the activity there. The Nameless City is an Ix base, but it's nowhere nearly as regimented as the Circle. Even I do not know what to expect there "With luck." said Ion. "We'll have retaken the Shadow Orb before he need to rest again." Still, Shardak felt uneasy. What if the Ix girl had allies like Asgard, or worse, more Ix then those Meilo had captured or killed in the Sanctum? She could have already met another group of Ix warriors, who had then returned the Orb to the Circle. For a moment, Shardak wondered how Silencer had acquired the ancient item of power. There was so much he'd wanted to ask him. It had crossed his mind, earlier, to ask Ion, but as they were solely fixated at the moment on tracking down the Ix girl, he knew they had no time to discuss irrelevant information. Suddenly, another light caught Shardak's eye, and for a moment, his Circle lantern illuminated a curved spear. Shardak opened his mouth to call a warning, but Ario and Duuril had already noticed the new threat. To Shardak's surprise, their assailants were not Ix, but the mysterious soldiers who had attacked a day earlier, separating him from Ion, Blast, and Kyhrex. With his weapons drawn, Ion and Ario did not hesitate to strike back, their weapons flashing in the half-light. Shardak saw Ario's weapon fall, decapitating one of their assailants. However, Shardak could already see they were here in force, at least ten of them charging Ario, with more waiting behind them. Before Shardak could even raise the Blade of Arcturas, Ion had charged their attackers, and the cavern exploded into battle once more. Duuril was standing amidst a massive group of the soldiers, his speed allowing him to stand against them all easily. However, three of the beings, a taller, black armored being, a small Matoran, and a heavily armored Glatorian, were overmatching Ario, forcing him back. Shardak had no time to see how Blast and Kyhrex were doing. He raised the Blade of Arcturas, felt the now-familiar hilt in his hands as he raised it and slashed out at a Glatorian attacker, cutting open his shoulder. The Glatorian staggered away from Shardak, dropping his weapon. Once again, Shardak wished he could use the aura field aggressively, the way the Ix did. He'd seen them telekinetically throw beings against walls and shatter weapons using the field, however, Silencer had died before he was able to train Shardak completely in his aura field skills. A second Glatorian charged Shardak, his weapon sweeping downward in a classic Lihtne attack pattern. Shardak countered it easily, but his second and third strikes were harder to dodge and the Toa was forced to take a step back. Two more beings, a Matoran and a second Glatorian, charged at Shardak, but he managed to narrowly dodge both of their attacks and disarm his original opponent. As Shardak parried his two new assailants' weapon strikes, he saw a flash of green armor, and the two beings fell to the ground, Duuril standing in their place. the Turaga was spattered with his attacker's blood, but was otherwise unharmed. Before the attackers could rise to their feet, Duuril stunned them with his Elemental powers. "Shardak!" yelled Ion over the roar of the flames. "Shardak, run! This time there's no hope for escape!" Looking around him, Shardak saw that Ion was correct. The Glatorian was completely surrounded by a massive group of the soldiers, and while Blast and Kyhrex were still alive and not surrounded entirely, they could not escape easily. He could hear Ion yelling the same thing to Blast and Kyhrex, but was unable to help them, as they were barred by a virtual wall of the soldiers, some of them Glatorian, others Vortixx, some beings that Shardak did not recognize. Shardak did not wish to leave, he felt as though history was repeating itself, that they'd been lucky once that Ion had survived, and that now they had almost no chance of escape. As Ion disappeared under a sea of attackers, and Duuril and Ario held them off barely, on the verge of being overrun, Shardak could see Blast and Kyhrex racing away, deeper into the Abyss. Shardak only hesitated for a moment, staring at the massed beings who were about to kill Ion and the Turaga. Then he turned and vanished into the Void, determined more then ever to confront the Ix girl and retake the Shadow Orb. How long the Toa of Aura wandered the inky blackness he could not say. His entire being burned for vengeance against the Ix girl, and though he knew his anger was irrational, he felt that since he could do nothing against the soldiers, the most he could do was to recover the Shadow Orb. And once again, he had failed to ask Ion about what Silencer had meant by the words Kyhrex had overheard, the words "spirit" and "victor". His only hope now was to find the Ix girl, then Atarus or Jareroden, the rebellion's agents in the Nameless City. *** Farther away from Shardak, deep within the Void, Valkyria smiled. The Ix girl was seated at the edge of a massive ledge descending even deeper into the Void, her heels against the edge of the cliff. She was resting and thinking about what she'd done to her pursuers. She'd watched as the Toa had followed her footprints directly toward the area where she knew the soldiers would be patrolling. The tallest of the beings had been taken prisoner, another had fled, and the two Turaga had been captured. One had lost an arm, the other had been wounded very badly. She hadn't seen what had happened to the ebon armored Glatorian, but suspected he'd been killed. That left only one being hunting her. The Spirit Toa, Shardak. It had worked out even better then she'd hoped. The one being she'd been sent to either capture or kill, the Toa who she'd tracked across the Great Plain, had been the only being to have escaped the Shadow of Ages. In the distance, Valkyria could already see her destination, the massive city of great domed buildings and thin spires made of pure glass shot through with golden metal. It was massive, stretching deep into the Void. Valkyria Rhai knew it was her only hope to lure her remaining pursuer here. If Shardak did not die on the cliffs or was not killed by the Shadow's soldiers, he would have to face her, this time without the Toa who had killed Scrall or the Turaga warriors by his side. Her mission that had taken her so far from Illiera, that had cost the lives of so many of her strike team, was about to be completed. Victory was so close she could almost taste it. Khazin Thaer and the other Ix would have been so proud of her. She'd taken two loose threads and brought them together. The best outcome would be that they ended up neutralizing each other, but even if they didn't she would still be there to finish off whatever remained, and return to the Ix Empire, the Shadow Orb in hand. Valkyria lay back, resting her tired body against the cavern wall. She would only be allowed a few hours of sleep, before the Toa would have caught up with her. Already her plans for returning to Illiera were being fullfilled. *** Fairon guessed that had he not spent nearly a month with no undesturbed sleep within the arena, he would have become tired by now. They'd spent nearly thirty hours alternately resting and searching for Jareroden and Xatax, but had as of yet found no sign of either. They'd found their footprints, and eventually saw they'd inexpliacably vanished. There were no signs of a struggle, the beings had simply vanished. Something about this reminded Fairon of the Eternal Game, how many contestants simply vanished off the face of the arena, either killed or captured by the former bounty hunter and Toa of Shadow known as Nightwatcher. Then, like a bolt of lightning, out of the darkness, Fairon remembered. Nightwatcher, along with his battered pet, a Gariahk Rahkshi, had both fallen into the Void, the Rahkshi dragged in by Ghost and Nightwatcher defeated by Iruka. Was it possible Nightwatcher had survived? No. Fairon decided. Nightwatcher wouldn't attack Jareroden, because nobody's paying him to. He was a bounty hunter, and there are no real employers in the Void. If he's escaped, he'll have returned as quickly as possible to the world above the abyss. "We'll have to accept they're gone." said Flardrek at last. "We have no way of finding them." Fairon realized that he was right. Whoever had captured or killed Jareroden or Xatax was as skilled as Nightwatcher himself and had obviously left no tracks to follow at all. "Fairon." said Flardrek. "You need to rest, to save your strength. We all do." Against his will, the Toa nodded. Fairon joined the group of Glatorian and Toa, who had gathered near the massive obelisk and surrounding caverns that Jareroden had said would serve as their base. After he was rested, Fairon knew, he would wonder about the fate of Jareroden and Xatax. But now, all he could think about was the death of Vorral, and how another being had been added to the death toll that had begun in the arena. *** The tall Ix warrior strode through the massive complex of an Ix Citadel, his gaze impassive. All of the other beings deferred respectfully to him, for he was one of the most powerful Ix currently stationed here. Because the only beings here were the Ix's elite warriors, none of them looked at him questioningly. The Ix strode imperiously toward the massive double doors, not even shivering as he realized the usual cold in the citadel had somehow fallen even further. Despite the uncomfortable chill, the Ix showed no pain at the cold. Pushing open the door, the tall Ix entered the chamber. Unlike the rest of the chambers in the citadel, this room was lit with Cold Fire torches taken from the Ix's outposts known as the Circle. The room was empty, save the three beings who stood before the Ix. They were female, armored in ice white and blue. Their eyes were the only way to differentiate them: one green, one dark blue, one violet. Their stares were as cold as that of the Ix. They were Sharidir. Once rulers of an Empire that followed the destruction of the Mindeater race, today some of the most deadly and reckless mercenaries in the known universe, arguably second only to Nightwatcher himself. The Ix warrior knew that if his masters were willing to employ both Nightwatcher and not one but three Sharidir, something massive must be going on, beyond the comprehension of the rank and file Ix warriors. "Greetings." said the green-eyed Sharidir. Her voice was simular to that of an Illieran's, but with an unmistakable icy edge to it. "What do you want from us?" The Ix did not bother to greet her in turn, but merely said. "A group of known rebels operating near our outpost known as the Circle have entered the Void, and are planning to escape with an object that belongs to our order. We have attempted to capture them using an Elemental Prince, a group of Eliminators, a Stalker, and several demons. All have failed, or only partially suceeded. Now, they are nearing the city, though only four survive out of the original group." "And you wish for us to destroy them?" asked the violet-eyed Sharidir. "Yes. Kill them all, except the Toa wearing the Ignika, and return the Orb and the Toa to us. We have heard you are three of the finest bounty hunters the Sharidir have to offer, and we know you know how to navigate the Nameless City and understand the perils hidden within." "They are no danger to us." said the third Sharidir. The Ix ignored her, saying, "The Toa of Aura is heavily guarded by a Toa called Ion, as well as an Elemental-sensitive being known as Kyhrex. Make sure to eliminate them both." "They will pose no threat to us." said the blue-eyed Sharidir. "We will not go alone. Our group and your Ix Empire have given us permission to unleash a being on the Toa that the universe has not seen since the Elder Times. For years, it has been trapped in a demiplane so far removed from this world its hunger burns greater then ever. It will make sure that none of our enemies save the Toa of aura will survive." "Who do you plan to unleash?" asked the Ix warrior. "The ancient World-Eating Serpent, the Devourer of Corpses, the Greatest Predator. We will unleash the being once known to the universe as Sarkanian!"

Chapter 9 Fairon barely thought about what his next move would be, frozen in time for three seconds before he could move. The Ix wasted no such time in hesitation. Drawing his scythes, he slammed into Sayna, flinging the Toa to the ground, just as Fairon struck. The Ix snarled in recognition as Fairon brought his lance down on the Veiled One, missing him by inches. Flinging the wounded Sayna aside, he charged toward Fairon, ignoring Galika's repeated blows with her scissorlike sword. Fairon narrowly managed to avoid the Ix's first blow, then caught the Ix in the shoulder with his lance. He turned to look at Galika, who was helping Sayna to her feet. Before they could renew their attacks on the Ix, he'd slashed down his weapon at Fairon's face. Suddenly Fairon was back in the arena again, facing Malok on the cliffs alongside Blast and Tanuva. Before the Ix's weapon could slash him open, Fairon lept aside and thrust his lance at the Ix again, his weapon crackling with Elemental light. The Ix showed no discomfort at his attack, however, he merely flicked his fingers and sent Fairon flying backward against the walls of the cliff. Fairon winced as his armor struck the cliff with a dull thud, but quickly rose to his feet, ignoring the pain. As the Ix warrior brought his scythe down once more, tearing the spear from Sayna's grasp, he struck, slashing in vain against the Ix's armor. He and Galika continued to battle the Ix, but nothing they could do seemed to be able to hold him for long. The Ix drew a second scythe, forcing Galika on the defensive once more, and with one swipe of his scythe, displaced the air around them and sent both female Toa slamming into the wall where they fell, unconsious. The Ix then turned on Fairon, his weapon gleaming in the shadows. Fairon charged him, spear raised, but the Ix disarmed him easily. Fairon felt his last hope vanish as the weapon fell to the ground. Before he could even move, the Ix took a step toward him. It's over. thought Fairon as the Ix raised his weapon. After the Eternal Game, after the battle with Iruka, it ends here. Before the Ix could strike, however, there was an explosion of blood and a snarl in the Ix's language. When Fairon's vision cleared, he saw Treedaka and Vorral had appeared from nowhere and attacked the Ix, The Ix had recovered quickly, however, and he could see more of the armored and cloaked Veiled Ones appearing out of the shadows, following Treedaka. Fairon realized that, far from saving them, Treedaka and Vorral had forced them into a trap from which he saw no way out. More Ix were following him, and, backed up against a cliff, they would be slaughtered within minutes. He could see Sayna and Galika rising to their feet, saw their shock when they saw the battling Ix and Toa. Vorral turned, looked at Treedaka, and nodded once. Before they could do anything else, the Ix were upon them, and Treedaka grabbed Fairon's arm, tearing him out of the path of the Ix warriors. Momentarily distracted, the Ix whirled around, three of them charging the Toa. Before they could reach Fairon, however, Vorral screamed and lept in the path of the oncoming Ix warriors, weapon waving wildly. His sword slammed against one of the Ix's heavy armor, actually forcing the Veiled One to take a step back. The two others pressed in on him, but Fairon could see no more, as he was dragged away into the darkness by Treedaka. "Don't waste his life." whispered the Toa furiously. "You know we need to keep you alive." Fairon wanted to protest, to ask the Toa why he'd sacrificed Vorral's life, but he knew the answer already. Because they needed him, he was the victor, apparently a symbol of the only good that had ever gone on within the Eternal Game. "We need to go back. I can't let him--" "Do you think I left him?" asked Treedaka. "He wanted this. I would have done the same." "Where are Galika and Sayna." "We're here." came another voice. Both Toa emerged from the shadows, Galika supporting Sayna, who had been wounded in the side and shoulder. "Vorral's still fighting. He won't be able to hold them off much longer." Treedaka nodded grimly. "We need to find Jareroden, and warn him there are Ix down here. I hope he's safe." For a while, all of the Toa were silent, leaving Fairon to his dark recollections of Vorral's sacrifice, and the dangers that still lay ahead. *** For one moment, all was silent, the baleful red and silver light from the Ix's weapons illuminating the chamber around him. The Ix had already noticed him, and Shardak could see that they had him cornered now. There were simply too many of them to fight off this time, he counted nine of them, and could hear shouts and the sounds of battle coming from far below. "Meilo! Blast! Ix!" yelled Shardak, trying to warn them. They did not answer. "It's him!" came a voice, nasal and harsh. "The Spirit Toa, Shardak!" "Really?" came another voice. Shardak nearly recoiled in shock, this word was not spoken in the usual nasal voice of an Ix, but sounded almost musical, though cold. He could see the Ix who had spoken, a female standing in front of the other Ix. She was wearing silver chainmail, and her face was shrouded in the shadow of her helmet. She also carried a bow and quiver over one shoulder. "Yes, he's a Toa, we can easily eliminate him." confirmed the first Ix. "He has no weapons." Shardak cursed inwardly, realizing they were right. He'd left the Blade of Arcturas with Kyhrex and Blast, thinking he wouldn't need it. He remembered Silencer's comments on the first day of training, how he should always be careful and have one way to defend himself. I'm sorry, Silencer. thought Shardak desperately, as he held the Shadow Orb in his hand tightly and stared at Krost's limp, still bleeding body. I have failed. "Does he have the Ignika?" asked the female Ix, and to Shardak's surprise he realized the voice sounded young; almost his age. He wondered how she'd been put in charge of the group of Ix, they all seemed to defer to her as their leader. "Yes." said the Ix, his silvery weapon shining steel-gray illumination onto Shardak's Kanohi. "I believe he also holds the Shadow Orb." "Take it from him." ordered the Ix girl. "Shall I eliminate him?" asked the Ix, his voice cold and impassive as he reached out and grabbed the Shadow Orb. He handed it to the female Ix. "We need him alive." said the Ix girl. "At least until we can question him about this Sanctum and what he's been doing in the Void." As she spoke, she toyed idly with her silvery dagger, as though she was imagining stabbing it through Shardak's heart. The other Ix nodded, his eyes gleaming coldly beneath his skull-like mask. He raised his scythe-- And then the room exploded with the flashing green light of a Circle lantern. The Ix snarled, whirling around to face his new foe. In the pale illumination, Shardak barely made out the features of the being, who was grappling with two heavily armored Ix warriors. "Ion?" he gasped in shock. The mutated Toa nodded, and Shardak could see Kyhrex and Blast beside him, tearing through the crowd of Ix warriors. Ion felled one with a massive slash of both claws, another was slashed simultaneously by Blast and speared by Kyhrex. The other Ix, however, recovered quickly. Shardak could see Kyhrex and Blast were on the defernsive now, three Ix, scythes swinging, were forcing them back. The clash of steel on steel from below proved there were still more Ix alive down there, probably fighting some of the Turaga. What was more, the two Ix that Ion, Blast, and Kyhrex had wounded were rising to their feet once more. Then the tide of the battle changed again. Two Ix who were fighting Kyhrex fell backward as Ario struck, their bodies slamming against the wall where they collapsed, unconsious. Meilo and Duril burst into the room. Three more fell, unconsious or dying, and Ion decapitated two with his claws. That left only two Ix remaining. Shardak whirled around, looking for the remainder of the attacking group, and saw the Ix girl in silvery chainmail and another Ix, taller and masked were both still alive, and where fighting their way back, toward the stairs leading to the door. He could already see they would get away if he didn't stop them. "Shardak, stop those Ix! Finish them off!" yelled Blast, passing him the Blade of Arcturas. More Ix were slowly rising to their feet, and more reinforcements from both sides were entering, but the combined force of the Toa and Turaga was too much for the Ix. However, if the Ix girl escaped with the Shadow Orb, all was lost, and he, Ion, Kyhrex, and Blast would have failed the task they'd been given. He could see it, clenched tightly in her hand, and he charged toward her, Blade of Arcturas swinging wildly, aiming at her neck and shoulders. The Ix girl dodged narrowly, the weapon missing her by inches. Shardak raced after her as she turned and ran, the taller Ix following her. Ion broke free of the Ix he was grappling and raced down the stairs, toward where Shardak and the Ix were running. Shardak could see the corpses of most of the attackers lying dead on the stairs, slain by the many traps the Turaga had set up there. As they reached the door, both of the Ix abruptly turned around and attacked, their blades crashing against Ion's armor. Ion snarled in fury at the pain and slashed his claws at the tall Ix, but missed narrowly. At once, the Ix girl was on him, her weapon finding its mark. Ion grunted as the silver dagger tore open an old wound on his thigh, a sound which quickly changed to a roar as she continued to sink the dagger in deeper. Slowly, Ion would die if Shardak let her continue. "No!" he yelled, and, for the briefest second, his shout distracted the Ix girl. As she turned and looked at him in suprise, he lunged forward, aiming to run the Blade of Arcturas through her. That the Ix had aimed to kill had wiped all thought of mercy from Shardak's mind. The Ix girl was too fast, however, although she was forced to pull her weapon free, leaving Ion alone to continue his assault on the taller Ix. As her bloodied silver weapon met his, Shardak's blade was forced aside by three sudden blows. While he was stronger and heavier then the Ix girl, she was as fast as the others of her kind, and could land three blows in the span of time it took Toa to land one. Shardak only narrowly managed to dodge a blow that would have killed him had it landed, and he slashed out again, putting all his strength behind the thrust of his weapon. His undisguised ferocity seemed to startle the Ix girl, and for a moment, she hesitated. Shardak knew his weapon was about to strike, and felt the weapon peirce her armor, then skin below it. As he parried her next blow, he saw he'd reopened an older wound on her shoulder, but had failed to finish her off. Before either Toa or Ix could move again, Shardak saw Ion was still wrestling the larger Ix. Slowly, the Ix was gaining the upper hand. For one instant, both sides appraised each other, then struck once more. The tall Ix slammed Ion against the wall, and the Ix girl, rather then attacking Shardak once more, charged Ion. As the mutated Toa staggered away from his foe, the second Ix raised her weapon and brought it down across Ion's face. For one terrified moment, Shardak thought she'd killed him, but he soon noticed Ion had only been wounded. Blood spilling from the wound, Ion slashed wildly at his new assailant, but half-blinded he could do nothing but miss her. Shardak watched as Ion drew back his massive broadsword, whirling it all around him. Both it were forced to take a step back, and Ion refocused himself. The tall Ix engaged the Toa again, scythes sweeping blindingly fast, but Shardak was quicker. Slamming into the Ix's legs, he forced the tall Ix to take a step back. Ion took advantage of this distraction, slashing off an arm, a leg, and finally the head. The Ix warrior fell dead to the ground. Both Shardak and Ion turned, expecting the Ix girl to be on him again in an instant, but saw she was nowhere in the immediate area. She was standing near the doorway, her face still shrouded from view. Her eyes blazed a promise, however, as she stared at the Toa. For one moment, they stood there, then she vanished into the darkness. Meilo came rushing down the stairs. "Ion! Shardak! Are you okay?" he asked frantically. "I heard-" "The Ix leader is dead." said Ion. "One escaped, but we'll hunt her down. She has the Shadow Orb." "And I know exactly where she's going." murmered Shardak, remembering at last the second vision he'd seen in the Sanctum, one he had not given any thought before now. The spire-city, the cloaked figure racing toward it... "Where?" asked Meilo, surprised. "The Nameless City." he whispered.