Fifty years ago, there were two princes and one of them was destined to be king. Their father decided that the younger son, Xyrinus, would become the next king, which made the other brother, Pelmor, angry and jealous. As the eldest, he felt he had the right to be king first, and he resented his father and brother for cheating him out of his destiny. A year after that, the king died, and Pelmor made his move against Xyrinus, or at least he tried. Aware of what his brother intended to do to him, Xyrinus fought his way out of the palace and escaped the assassins hired by his brother, fleeing into the desert. Even though he believed his brother was as good as dead out in the desert, Pelmor still sent the palace's best scouts and trackers to find and kill him. The next morning, he wasted no time in assuming the throne. Many months passed, and there was still no hair or sign of Xyrinus, even the trackers couldn't track him down anymore. And so, for many, long years, the people have been forced to endure the pain, suffering, fear, and despair brought by the rule of an evil king. Soon after, Pelmor had a son, Daskus, who proved to be just as ruthless as his father. Months after the boy had grown into manhood, his father died under mysterious circumstances. While the palace guards guessed traitors in their midst, the villagers suspected the truth--Pelmor paid for his evil ways through his own son. Daskus had grown to be even more of a monster than his father and, with him gone, was free to take the throne.
"Life in the desert is never easy, though having such a kind and fair king such as Keer, Xyrinus' and Pelmor's father, somehow makes it tolerable," Manor continues, "But, when Pelmor was king, it was nearly unbearable. And, ever since Daskus assumed power, everyone's been afraid if any one day could be their last."
"The crops have not been doing as well as they use to," says Nevis, "Therefore, some people are starving and suffering from illnesses, even as we speak."
"You guys seem to be doing rather well when it comes to your food supply," comments Onewa.
"Some villages have been hit harder than others," Nevis points out.
"Manor," Nokama speaks, "you mentioned that everyone on the island is fearful of which day could be their last. Somehow I get the feeling that there's more to the meaning than that." Manor smiles.
"You're absolutely right, Nokama," and his smile's slowly replaced with a saddened frown.
"Since the days of Pelmor, once every month or two, these little 'get togethers' with relatives all over the island were arranged, where some people are pitted against either a bloodthirsty beast or each other in gladitorial combat. Usually, scouting parties were, and still are, sent to search the island for any Outlanders-"
" 'Outlanders'?" asks Nuju.
"Strangers that are not native Emorans," Manor explains, then continues, "Although, when no Outlanders can be found and captured, during Pelmor's rule, he would pick out candidates from his own army. But, when Daskus became king, he changed it so, instead of choosing out of his own men, the scouting parties would pick the contestants out of the neighboring villages."
Vakama listens with horror, 'That madman's willing to sacrifice his own people? And sees it as entertainment?' "Barbaric," he whispers under his breath.
"Everytime they do manage to find at least one Outlander, it's a mix of relief and concern all over the island," Nevis pops in, "We're grateful that Daskus is not forfeiting any of his own people, but we also feel a great sense of sorrow for the poor soul, or souls, that are forced to fight to the death."
"And, believe it or not, that was just the beginning," says Manor.
"The priest that now occupies our village, Griolus, has been trying to get us to worship this god of his. When we refused to worship this god that he keeps ranting and raving about, he started proclaiming that this god wants our children as payment for not believing in it. Flying sand, if you ask me. He's just hoping that through killing our children, he'll be able to break our spirit and get us to do what he wants."
"And Daskus actually lets this happen?" Whenua asks, horrified.
"Of course," replies Nevis, "It's said that Daskus and Griolus are old friends. In fact, it's believed that Daskus had Griolus placed here to keep an eye on things and out for Outlanders for future gatherings. Griolus just took it as an opportunity to do and preach whatever he wished, and Daskus could just care less."
"Mata Nui, I may not be the Toa-hero of fire, but this guy just burns me up," growls Matau.
"What happened to the other prince, Xyrinus?" asked Nuju.
"Nobody knows," Manor shrugs, "Some say he died, either of thirst and hunger or from being eaten by one of the beasts of the desert, others say he found his way and got lost in a far off land."
"Manor," Vakama speaks up, "one of the palace guards said something about something called a 'crystalgate'. What exactly is that?"
"A crystalgate is a teleporting device used to travel to different islands. It's said that there's at least one crystalgate on each island. The way it works is on the outer rim of the altar-piece are some symbols that are accompanied with pictures of islands that you need to touch, then you touch a symbol on the inner rim for a crystalgate location."
"That room we found back in the tunnels must have been harboring a crystalgate," says Onewa.
"And that symbol that Matau touched was on the outer rim; it was an island location," Whenua adds.
"We must've ended up in the desert because we didn't select a gate location," Nokama concludes, "Therefore, it just picked a random one."
"Is there a crystalgate we can use to get back home?" Vakama asks Manor.
"Yes," Manor replies, "but it's further southeast from here. The land's populated with dangerous beasts in that direction, and it's an at least seven to twelve day journey on animal-back from here."
"We'll take our chances," says Vakama with a look of determination, "Besides, our people are counting on us to save them."
"I understand," Manor nods.
"C'mon brothers, lets get some sleep," Nokama stretches, "If I know Vakama, we're going to be leaving first thing in the morning."
And so, after a long and eventful day, Manor and his family go back in the house as the Toa Metru get settled and fall asleep in the shed.
The Toa, Manor, and his family are up bright and early the next morning, getting everything the Toa will need ready for their journey. After Manor instructs them on the safest path to the crystalgate and gives them a map, the Toa are ready to head out. Matau suddenly feels a tug on his arm. It is Lera. "I want to thank you for saving me yesterday," she explains.
"Hey, no problem," Matau smiles as he gently pats the girl's head, "It's what I do as a Toa-hero," and he joins the others. After the door is opened, Manor approaches Vakama.
"My wife put this together for you and your friends," he hands the Toa a small bag and a canteen. "The bag has food that will stay good for weeks, and the canteen's already filled with water."
"We really appreciate your kindness, Manor," says Vakama, "But you didn't need to go through all the trouble."
"No trouble at all," says Manor with a shake of his head, "It's the most we can do for what you have done for us."
"I'm only sorry that I couldn't pack anything for Kikanalo," Nevis speaks.
"That's ok Nevis," says Whenua, "I think it would rather forage for itself anyway, right buddy?" he pats the Kikanalo's shoulder, and the Rahi rumbles with a nod of its head.
"I highly recommend that you all eat the food sparingly, ration it for as long as you can," Manor warns, "The terrain in that area's poisonous, except to the wildlife that lives there. There's no fresh water, no vegetation, nothing."
"We understand," nods Vakama, and he hops onto the Kikanalo's back with Whenua and Nokama. "Take care."
"We will, and farewell Toa," says Manor, "May the spirits of the great kings smile on you and your quest," and they all wave good-bye to each other. However, little do they know that they are being observed.
