Author's Note: Heeere it is folks. The long awaited next installment of Kit's adventures in the Bionicle world. Sorry it took so long (part of the problem was my editor took a long time to get it done). Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only Kit.


Somewhere, in the emptiness of space, a planet with two neighboring moons hovered. A planet that was a dry, dusty, charred shell of what it used to be, a planet that had seen better centuries, a planet that was shattered and still not whole. It was on this planet that small blue lights materialized. They rotated around a figure and vanished. Kit surveyed her surroundings. 'Nice place,' she said sarcastically to herself. She was now not only on another planet, but she was, apparently, in the middle of a desert. However, this desert was different from the ones on Mata Nui and Metru Nui. Whereas those deserts, though harsh environments, still gave off a sense of natural beauty and the capability to support life, this desert had none of that—only evidence of terrible, costly destruction, barely suitable to sustain even the hardiest of life forms. "Ok, where do I go from here?" she asked no one in particular, unless one counted the desert itself, since that was all that lay before her. Tehreisha mentioned that she would transport her to where the main focus of the story was to be, and where the Mask of Life, and thus the Great Spirit himself, Mata Nui, could be found. But how was she supposed to find the kanohi in this vast landscape? She didn't even have a clue as to where to begin. Just then, she heard some strange cries—like that of an animal and decided to investigate.

The sounds were coming from a crater and she could hear the sounds of a struggle. She slid down into the trench and peeked around the corner, inside the hollow of the crater. Needless to say, she couldn't believe her eyes. Before her were two humanoid beings, one screeching and lunging at the other on the ground with its scorpion-like tail, the other trying to defend itself by rolling side-to-side. What really caught Kit's attention was the figure on the ground. It was wearing the Kanohi Ignika; it was Mata Nui. Seeing both that he needed help and her chance, the girl fired a low-powered energy ball. The sphere hit the scorpion creature in the back, stinging it enough to get its attention. It turned and faced Kit, screeching at her. It eyed her as if it was getting ready to defend its claim. Kit shifted a little but stood her ground, showing the creature she wasn't backing down. She fired energy balls at it, now fully charged, but it proved to be faster than she calculated. She kept it at bay this way for a few minutes before it suddenly lunged at her. Its head rammed into her midsection and she skidded on the ground. Badly winded and wheezing for air, she tried to sit up, hand to her stomach. The creature, meanwhile, had turned its attention back to Mata Nui and thrust its tail at him once more. Mata Nui, however, brought a shield up to protect himself and there was a loud crack—the creature's tail had broken off. It screeched in disbelief, regarded Mata Nui with fear and uncertainty, and scrambled up and out of the crater like its life depended on it.

Mata Nui sighed in relief and gazed at Kit. For some reason, he felt like he had felt the aura of power she radiated before; it felt so familiar. As he walked up to her, Kit couldn't help but look upon him in awe. She could scarcely believe it. She had heard so many things, so many stories, about Mata Nui, even fought tooth and nail to help save him, and now he was standing right in front of her. 'Though, somehow, I thought he'd be . . . different,' she said to herself; the guy was the same size as a Toa. He offered his hand, "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," Kit answered, accepting it.

"You're Kit, aren't you?"

"How did you know?"

After thinking about it, all Mata Nui could say was, "I'm not sure." The shield he carried then began to glow. Before Kit could ask what was happening, it flashed a bright light and in its place was a little beetle. Mata Nui looked to it and then to the girl, "Before this day I never needed help from anyone, or anything. Thank you, both of you."

"I didn't do much," said Kit, scratching the back of her head in a shy manner. "All I did was get the wind knocked out of me."

"But, it was your distraction that enabled me to have a chance to raise up my shield and defend myself," assured Mata Nui, hand on her shoulder. The beetle clicked its mandibles in agreement. Mata Nui knelt down to one knee. "Well little one, I spared your life and you saved mine," he said to the insect, and he lowered his arm closer to the ground. "Shall we call it even and go our separate ways?"

The beetle, instead of leaving, crawled right back up his arm, all the way to his shoulder, and clicked rapidly in protest. "Looks like he likes you," said Kit, smiling at the sight.

Mata Nui chuckled, "Hey, easy. It was just a-"

Suddenly, the two heard a sound like a motor. They found a vehicle coming their way being driven by a figure in white armor. Not wanting to take any chances that this could be another attack, they ran to meet it, Mata Nui grabbing the stinger tail as he did. The driver skid his vehicle to a stop and regarded the two before grabbing a small blade.

"State your business," he demanded, pointing the weapon at them.

Mata Nui considered the blade and the driver, who narrowed his eyes at him and Kit, and replied, "Just a couple of travelers looking for the nearest city."

Then, just like that, the stranger's eyes lit up as he laughed. "Well then, you may as well start digging. Here on Bara Magna you're bound to find the ruins of one or another."

Kit and Mata Nui glanced at each other, wondering what this guy was talking about. "That's a joke," the stranger explained, but the two remained silent. "Let me guess. Not big laughers?"

"Uh . . ," Kit uttered uncertainly; of course she could be a laugher, but this guy's sense of humor didn't even tickle her funny bone. 'At least he's not like Jester, thank goodness,' she thought to herself.

"Right," said the stranger, seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere. "Well, to answer your question, the nearest village is Vulcanus. I've got some business there if you want a ride, that is unless you'd rather wind up captured by a pack of Bone Hunters or worse, Skrall."

"What are Bone Hunters and Skrall?" Kit asked with an inquisitively cocked eyebrow.

"No one you ever want to meet," the stranger answered as he climbed out of the vehicle. He then noticed the beetle on Mata Nui's shoulder and moved to swipe it away, "Hey, you've got a-" However, he immediately stepped back when Mata Nui, thinking the stranger meant to attack him, brought up the stinger tail. "Relax, you've got a filthy scarabax on your back," he said, hands up. "I was just trying to knock the disgusting thing off."

'So, that's what they're called,' Kit thought to herself as she peered at the insect. Though she was not a fan of bugs, she didn't see what was 'disgusting' or 'filthy' about this one.

"Thanks, but I like him right where he is," said Mata Nui. The scarabax clicked its approval.

"Alright, whatever," said the stranger. "To each his own, I guess."

Kit and Mata Nui approached the vehicle as the stranger climbed into the driver's seat. "I'm Metus," he introduced, extending his hand.

"I'm Mata Nui," Mata Nui said as he grasped Metus' hand, unsurely at first.

"And, I'm Kit," the girl introduced herself as she, too, shook hands.

Mata Nui and Kit, with no other seats available, grabbed hold of the bars that formed the frame. "Hold on," Metus told them, and the vehicle took off at full speed over the ridge of the crater. Kit couldn't hold back a yell as they flew through the air and came to a landing on the ground. As they rode, she and Mata Nui scanned the surrounding empty landscape.

"Metus, what happened here?" Kit asked.

"Who knows?" Metus answered. "Been like this since anyone can remember. But, if I had to make a guess, I'd probably say it was-"

"Evil," Mata Nui cut in.

"I was going to say 'earthquake', maybe 'volcanic eruption', but 'evil' works."

Metus gazed at his two passengers, especially at Kit. He was rather intrigued that she didn't seem to have any noticeable mechanical implants. As for Mata Nui, the guy didn't even know what Bone Hunters and Skrall were. This left only one conclusion. "Neither of you are from around here, are you?" he asked.

"No," Mata Nui responded.

"I figured. It's clear you can fight if you can defeat a Vorox, and there aren't many Agori who can do that."

"Agori?" Kit inquired.

"Me. I'm an Agori. Although, most are not as good looking as I am."

The Agori chuckled, but when he didn't hear anything from his riders, he pointed out, "That's another joke."

"Sorry," Kit apologized.

Deciding to give the humor a rest, since his passengers either didn't have a sense for it or weren't in the mood, Metus continued. "Truth is we're just peaceful villagers trying to survive. Not like the Bone Hunters, cutthroats who steal what little we got left—when they're not fighting with the Skrall."


The three travelers continued on the path, encountering a little trouble on the way, until they came to the entrance of a canyon. As Metus drove through, Kit noticed how it seemed to get warmer the further in they went. The canyon then opened up into a courtyard of sorts surrounded by what looked like little housings. Cheering echoed from up ahead.

"Ah, good! Sounds like we're just in time," Metus smiled.

"For what?" Kit asked.

"You'll see," was all Metus said with a broad smile, making her wonder if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

She and Mata Nui followed their Agori guide through a passageway. With him next to her, it was then that Kit realized that Metus was almost as tall as her, just short of two to two-and-a-half feet.

"Back in the day, the villages settled disputes the old fashioned way by destroying each other," Metus explained. "Very messy. A lot of clean up. So, we came up with a solution."

Kit silently gasped in astonishment. Before her was laid out an arena—and there were two figures fighting each other. A crowd of red Agori were calling, "Ackar!" over and over again. "You Agori use your best warriors for sport," Mata Nui asked, not bothering to keep the contempt out of his tone; this was most unlike how things were in his world.

"Not sport—problem solving," Metus corrected. "Much more honorable than slaughtering each other, and considerably more profitable." Kit and Mata Nui stopped and looked at each other at that statement. Metus noticed, "Err . . . not that I care about that kind of thing." 'Riiight,' Kit said to herself; she could tell by the fast and charmful way he talked that Metus was the businessman type. As they walked along the path, opposite cheers could be heard from the stands.

"Ackar! Ackar!"

"Take him down! Get him, Strakk!"

"The red warrior, Ackar, used to be the greatest Glatorian in all of Bara Magna," Metus pointed out about one of the fighters.

"'Used to be'?" Kit inquired.

"Uh . . let's just say he's not the fighter he once was."

While Mata Nui observed this Ackar a moment longer, Kit noted the presence of lava around the area and a thought came to her.

"Metus, are we near a volcano?"

"Sort of. We're inside a volcano."

Seeing the girl's nervous expression, Metus chuckled, "Don't worry, kid. It's pretty much inactive and, for the few times it does act up, there are conduits underneath that direct the lava elsewhere." After Kit breathed a sigh of relief, the Agori led the two to a few others of different colors sitting apart from the crowd.

"Ah, Metus, good you're here," a red Agori in dented up and scratched armor greeted. "Look at Ackar. I tell you, his days are numbered. I practically had to beg him to fight."

"Mata Nui, Kit, meet Raanu," Metus introduced them. "He's the leader of this village. These two are new in town."

Kit offered a small, polite bow, which Raanu reciprocated. The Agori gazed with curiosity at the girl and with interest at Mata Nui. He turned back to the match down below before returning his attention to Mata Nui. "What do you think?"

"He fights without fear," Mata Nui replied. "That is a rare quality."

"True enough," Raanu nodded. "But, he's lost his taste for battle, and once a Glatorian loses heart, it's not long 'til he meets defeat and must be banished." 'Banished?' Kit thought, surprised. But before she could inquire further, Raanu spoke again, "No doubt, that is why Metus brought you here tonight."

Metus gasped and looked nervous, like he got caught in something that wasn't supposed to be discovered. "I don't understand," said Mata Nui.

"Metus, is there something you neglected to tell us?" Kit asked in a playfully suspicious tone.

"Heh, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Raanu," said Metus. "There's plenty of time to find a new First Glatorian to take Ackar's place. By the way, did I mention that I recruit Glatorian?"

"Uh . . no, you didn't," Kit replied.

"Oh, my bad."

"So, you're a promoter, then?"

Metus nodded with pride, and he and Kit and Mata Nui watched the fight. On her end, Kit couldn't help but see a similarity between this world and her own. "I feel like I've gone back in time," she said with fascination.

"You have Glatorian where you come from?" asked Raanu.

"In a way, but we called them Gladiators. Centuries ago, during the time of the Roman Empire, these gladiatorial matches were held. However, the matches weren't for settling disputes. They were just entertainment for the public and nobility, plain and simple. Plus, they were fights to the death, so they were very graphic. And, the gladiators were not warriors. They were criminals or prisoners of war that were trained to fight."

Seeing the Agori's somber expressions, she quickly added, "But, that's all ancient history. That gladiatorial combat hasn't happened in hundreds of years."

The two Agori nodded relievingly and turned their attention back to the match in the arena. By now, Ackar was advancing on Strakk, who just lost his shield. With his main means of defense gone, the white Glatorian had no choice but to keep his distance from his opponent's sword. "This red warrior fights with the courage of a true Toa," Mata Nui said to himself, admiring Ackar's prowess.

The tide of the match seemed to have turned at that moment. Now, Strakk was the one pressing Ackar back as he just kept swinging his axe at him. Ackar blocked a strike and, with Strakk fully focused on forcing his weapon through, punched his shield into his challenger's torso, sending him flying into a boulder and causing him to lose hold of his weapon. Strakk collapsed to the ground, exhausted. 'Heck, they both look exhausted,' Kit thought to herself; both Glatorian were panting. Both sides of the crowd of Agori cheered, one of victory, the other encouragement, as the village leaders either stood up or leaned forward in anticipation. Ackar approached Strakk, pointing the tip of his blade in front of his face. A moment passed, and Strakk nodded, apparently accepting defeat. Ackar then turned and picked up Strakk's shield, claiming it in victory.

However, behind him, Strakk grabbed his axe.

"Watch out!" a spectator shouted.

"Behind you!" Kit called.

But, the combined warning came too late and Strakk threw his weapon. Ackar managed to block the brunt of the attack with the shield, but the force was still great enough to send him crashing into another boulder in the arena. He tried to get up, but weakness from the shock of the collision overcame him. Strakk, meanwhile, collected his axe as he stalked towards him.

Back up in the stands, Mata Nui and Kit couldn't believe what just happened. "You call this honor?" the former Great Spirit asked in a more-than-displeased tone. "He was clearly defeated."

"We're just Agori. We're not going to fight a Glatorian," was all Raanu said. "His village leader will decide what needs to be done."

"When?" Kit shot back. "Before or after he's committed murder?"

Mata Nui gazed at the beetle on his shoulder, which nodded, and, before anyone realized what he was doing, leaped down from the stands into the arena. The scarabax transformed into shield mode, taking the crowd's breath away. Kit could've sworn she heard someone ask if everyone saw what happened. "Interesting," mused Metus. "No wonder he's so fond of that bug." Kit grinned at him and leaned against the railing for a better look.

Mata Nui made the first move on an unsuspecting Strakk with a flying side-kick. Strakk, however, being an experienced fighter, regained his feet in an instant. Seeing his attacker, he charged and sent Mata Nui flying against a rock with a mighty swipe. Unfortunately, if anyone was expecting him to put up a good fight, they were sorely disappointed. It quickly became apparent that Mata Nui hadn't had any combat training.

"Too bad. I'd hoped he'd bring a decent price," said Metus, who Kit barely minded as she watched with concern as Mata Nui fought to keep blocking Strakk's blows.

"You can't keep defending yourself, Mata Nui. You've got to strike back," she called.

However, before Mata Nui could figure out how to implement the young human's advice, another powerful hit knocked him to the ground and, the next thing he knew, Strakk was on top of him, ready to strike the finishing blow.

Seeing that Mata Nui was tired, Kit moved to jump down to help—only to be held back. "Oh no you don't," Metus said with exertion, like it was taking all of his strength to hold her down.

"Let go," Kit said as she fought to get the Agori's grasp off of her waist. "He's going to kill him."

But, Metus held on tight. "He'll do the same to you if you interfere."

Both girl and Agori struggled against each other when a bright flash from the arena occurred. Looking down, they saw that in place of the stinger tail, Mata Nui was now wielding a bright, gleaming sword. Mata Nui took advantage of Strakk's confusion and swept his feet out from underneath him. Back on his feet and with the upper hand, he swiped the axe out of Strakk's grasp and pointed the edge of the blade at his throat. Even from their vantage point in the stands, Metus and Kit could plainly see that the Iconox Glatorian, disarmed and literally at the mercy of someone he just tried to kill, looked very nervous. After a little unheard exchange between the two, Strakk called out, "I concede!" The crowd cheered; it was over.

"Now can I get down there?" Kit asked.

"Be my guest," replied Metus.

"There's a staircase in that direction that leads down to the arena," Rannu pointed down the path.

"Thanks. Come to think of it, going that way instead of this way ought to save me a leg bone or two."

The two Agori chuckled as the girl disappeared down the mentioned staircase. Within minutes, she was down in the arena and trotted toward Mata Nui and the red Glatorian, Ackar. She reached them just as Ackar placed a foot on Strakk's axe; the white warrior was obviously trying his old trick again while Mata Nui wasn't looking. "Don't," the red Glatorian warned dangerously. Strakk snarled, got up, and glared at the two while completely ignoring Kit as he stalked away. However, getting a funny feeling about what was going on behind his back, he whipped his head around. Though there was nothing unusual, he eyed the strange small one suspiciously.

Kit noticed and glared back. "What're you lookin' at, spike-head?" she asked, daring him to respond, and he left. After flashing a mischievous grin, Kit asked Ackar, "What'll happen to him?"

"For attacking after admitting defeat? Banishment," answered the Glatorian. "No village can afford to send Glatorian without honor into the arena. A warrior like that dishonors himself and them by dishonoring his opponent and the rules. Strakk will be forced to live out in the wastelands before the week is over." He then picked up Strakk's shield and handed it to Mata Nui. "Your victory, your shield."

"You won honorably," Mata Nui declined. "The prize of victory is yours."

Ackar looked at the 'prize'. "Well, in that case . . . ," and tossed it away as if it were useless trash. "I've got plenty of shields." In the stands, the Agori were already departing and not even looking in Ackar's direction. "Oh, how quickly they forget," the Glatorian said in a quiet voice. "I'm already an outcast."

"It's never too late to win them back," Mata Nui assured him.

"Perhaps," Ackar shrugged, agreeing half-heartedly. "I am in your debt, stranger."

Mata Nui and Kit said nothing as they shared a glance with each other. No words were needed. Despite having only met one another, they could somehow tell they were both wondering if they'd just found the most precious thing they would ever find on this planet—an ally.