After more hours of traveling, the outline of a village finally appeared up ahead. Night was falling once again. Mata Nui could hear the faint sound of a crowd cheering.

"Ah, good…sounds like we're arriving just in time," said Metus.

"For what?" Mata Nui inquired.

Metus' answer was a broad smile. "You'll see." He drove their vehicle into the outskirts of the village, which, to Mata Nui's surprise, seemed to be empty. From where, then, was all the cheering coming?

The answer came a moment later. The settlement was crude, built near an obviously active volcano. Light came from torches planted in the ground and red-hot magma oozed from cracks in the surface. In the center of the village was a poorly constructed arena. The citizens were clustered together in stands cheering, watching as two warriors—one in red armor, one in white—fought ferociously.

Metus halted the vehicle and got out. Mata Nui followed. "Back in the day, villages settled disputes the old-fashioned way—by trying to destroy one another," explained Metus. "Very messy. Lots of clean-up. So we came up with a solution. Representatives from each village fight one-on-one…."

Mata Nui could hardly believe what he was seeing. In his home universe, the beings that were most like what he saw before him were called Toa, who fought for justice, to save lives and protect the innocent. But this arena was something different, something disturbing. "You Agori use your best warriors…for…sport?" he asked, unable to keep the distaste out of his voice.

"Not sport—problem solving. This is how disputes are settled—Glatorian compete as representatives, rather than entire villages going to war. Much more honorable than slaughtering each other for resources…and considerably more profitable." Seeing Mata Nui's cold expression, Metus added hastily, "Errr…not that I care about that sort of thing."

The white warrior wielding an axe jumped back to avoid the slash of the red figure's sword. He parried the blade using the curve of his axe's head, then roughly thrust his shoulder into his opponent's midsection, driving him back.

The system may be easier on the villages, but it seems pretty hard on the Glatorian, Mata Nui reflected.

"C'mon, Ackar! Take him down!" yelled someone in the crowd.

"Get him, Strakk!" responded another.

Metus pointed to the fighters. "The red warrior, Ackar, used to be the greatest warrior in all of Bara Magna. The white one is Strakk, from the ice village of Iconox."

An Agori, also in red armor, rose to greet Metus. "Ah, Metus. Glad you're here. Look at Ackar. I'm telling you, his days are numbered. I practically had to beg him to fight."

"Mata Nui, meet Raanu, he's the leader of this village," Metus introduced. "Raanu, Mata Nui's new in town."

Raanu nodded at Mata Nui, then returned his attention to the fight. After a few minutes, he turned to Mata Nui and said, "What do you think?"

Mata Nui gestured toward Ackar. "He fights without fear. That is a rare quality."

"True enough. But he's lost his taste for battle," said Raanu. "And once a Glatorian loses heart, it's not long before he meets defeat after defeat and must be banished. No doubt that is why Metus brought you here tonight."

"l don't understand—"

"Ha, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Raanu," Metus said, cutting off Mata Nui. "There's plenty of time to find a new First Glatorian to take Ackar's place."

In the arena, Ackar was pressing his attack. He dodged a wild swing of Strakk's ice axe and responded with a blow from his own fire sword. The impact rocked Strakk and sent his shield flying out of his hand.

"This red warrior fights with the courage of a true Toa…" commented Mata Nui quietly. Metus and Raanu both looked briefly at him, wondering what in the world a Toa was. However, neither really cared to ask, either. A lot of Agori had been waiting for this match-up between Glatorian, and things were getting interesting.

Strakk swung his axe again, but once more Ackar dodged. Seeing an opening, the red-armored warrior slammed his shield into his opponent's midsection, sending Strakk flying into the arena wall. His weapon dropped from his hand as he crumpled to his knees hard; his axe was out of reach.

The crowd exploded. "He's done it! Ackar! Ackar!"

Ackar stood over his now unarmed opponent. "Concede, Strakk." He pointed his sword at the fallen warrior. "Yield to me, and this goes no further."

Strakk looked at Ackar with undisguised hatred. Then he slowly lowered his eyes, muttering, "Alright, Ackar. You win."

Mata Nui's eyes narrowed doubtfully. Something in the fallen one's tone does not sound right to me….

Satisfied, Ackar turned away and went to retrieve Strakk's fallen shield. "You leave with your honor intact…and I with your shield, in victory!"

Sure enough, behind him, Strakk grabbed his ice axe and hurled it at Ackar's back.

"Watch out!"

The shout of warning from the crowd came too late. The attack was as devastating as it was treacherous. Ackar spun and managed to catch the brunt of the blow on his shield, but the impact knocked him backward into a rock. The blow was so great it threw his own sword and both shields from his form. He hit the ground, stunned. Weakly, he tried to lift himself, only to fall again.

Strakk, grinning, stalked toward Ackar and picked up his axe.

"You call this honor?" Mata Nui said to Raanu, angrily. "He was clearly defeated!"

"We're just Agori. We're not going to take on a Glatorian," Raanu replied. "The leader of his village will decide what needs to be done later."

That's not good enough, thought Mata Nui. The one called Ackar is down, and now Strakk stands ready to deliver a final blow. But not if I have anything to say about it. He leapt over the railing into the arena, a bright flash heralding the transformation of the Scarabax into an awesome shield once more. The sight startled the crowd. No one had ever seen a shield appear from thin air before.

"Interesting," Metus said to himself. "No wonder he's so fond of that bug…"

Strakk hadn't noticed the new arrival. He was standing over the fallen Ackar, axe in hand, ready to deliver the final blow. "You're finished, old—"

Mata Nui dove, tackling Strakk. Strakk's sentence transformed into a gruff exertion when Mata Nui roughly tackled him. "What—? Unnnghhh!"

Both hit the ground, but the experienced Glatorian was faster than Mata Nui and recovered quickly. He made it to his feet first, axe at the ready. "I'll cut you down for that, outsider!" Strakk growled. He struck a heavy, two-handed swing. Mata Nui brought his shield up, but the blow knocked him right off his feet.

"Stay down, stranger, trainee, whoever you are, and I'll make it quick, if not painless," Strakk's voice intimidated. The Ice Glatorian pressed his attack, as Mata Nui desperately tried to block his strikes.

From the stands, Metus and Raanu watched, involuntary flinching and grimacing at every wrong move made by Mata Nui during the fight. It was like he wanted to get hit. Metus shook his head. "Too bad. I'd hoped he'd bring a decent price…."

Mata Nui was on the ground yet again. Strakk stood ready to finish him off. Ackar had revived enough to see what was happening. "Strakk, no! Your fight is with me!" Ackar shouted, pushing himself up.

Strakk smiled and pointed his axe at the Fire Glatorian. "You're next, Ackar," Strakk answered. He lifted the weapon overhead. "He asked for it, and now he's going to get it."

Worse, he has the power to do what he threatens! Mata Nui thought.

Mata Nui brought out the stinger tail, hoping to somehow parry the coming blow. He managed to block the blow, but the force pushed the tail closer to his head each time. How long can this last against cold, hardened iron? Mata Nui wondered.

Another blow came.

Not long, it seems, as Strakk's power forces it toward…my mask? Mata Nui thought back to the way his body had been created and the way the beetle had transformed with its powers. Yes, my mask, indeed.

Strakk forced the axe closer to Mata Nui, pressing his small singer tail closer to his own face. Finally, the crude weapon touched his mask, and again, there was a bright flash of light, forcing Strakk back with wonder.

"Hey!"

In the next moment, Mata Nui no longer wielded a broken stinger, but a bright, gleaming, beautiful, curved longsword. The blade possessed the same reach as Strakk's axe, but was obviously made of a newer metal and characterized by a greater ergonomic balance. The elegant pommel sent two guards parallel to the blade—a longer one on the front of the blade and a smaller one along the rear. Between the two aggressive crossguards, a wickedly curved knife edge emerged to complete the sword. It was both beautiful and imposing.

Now, let's try this again, Mata Nui thought.

The crowd gasped and Metus' eyes widened in shock. Strakk staggered back. This new being could make swords and shields appear? "How in—?"

Mata Nui seized the moment. Using the shock of the bright light, he lashed out with a sweeping kick that brought Strakk down. Mata Nui leaped to his feet. With a casual swipe, he batted the axe out of Strakk's hand. Then he held the blade of his new weapon at Strakk's throat.

"Concede," said Mata Nui coldly.

"Fine…." Strakk muttered.

"For all to hear!" snapped Mata Nui, forcing the blade closer.

Strakk glared at Mata Nui for a moment before shouting begrudgingly, "l…concede!"

The crowd went wild, their cheers shaking the arena. Blue, white, green, and red-armored forms could be seen all over. Despite that, Mata Nui barely heard their cheers. He didn't come here to be a hero, but simply to find the fastest way back home.

Ackar walked unsteadily to Mata Nui's side. Spotting Strakk's hand inching toward his axe, Ackar stepped on the weapon, saying, "Don't." The Ice Glatorian rose and limped out of the arena.

"What will happen to him?" asked Mata Nui, watching his hunched frame exit the Vulcanus arena.

"For attacking after he had conceded? Banishment. Iconox can't afford to send Glatorian without honor into the arena. Strakk will be reduced to living in the wastelands before the week is out. The villages are running out of main fighters—Vulcanus, due to the exile of Malum, and Iconox, due to the retirement from the arena of a Glatorian named Gelu and now this. Both settlements will be seeking to recruit new Glatorian." Ackar offered Mata Nui the ice warrior's shield. "Here. This is yours."

Mata Nui shook his head in refusal. "You won honorably. The prize of victory is yours."

"Oh. Well, in that case…." Ackar tossed the shield aside as if it were garbage. It clanged loudly against the surrounding molten rock. "I've got plenty of shields."

Ackar turned to look at the crowd. Most of the Agori were already filing out of the arena, not even looking in his direction. "How quickly they forget," he said softly. "I am already an outcast."

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

Ackar shrugged. "Perhaps…. But for now, I am in your debt, stranger. Come. We'll talk about you…and that trick with the sword."

Mata Nui said nothing. But he wondered if he had just found the most valuable treasure that might exist on this world: an ally.

X X X

I am writing this from deep within the Archives…Gali is missing…Tahu badly injured…I don't understand…how could this have happened? They're coming…we have to keep moving…Onua says he knows a place we can hide and regroup.

More later…

They're coming…

Takanuva, Toa of Light

X X X

Vezon walked between worlds.

At least, that's how he saw it. Lately, it seemed like every step he took left him somewhere completely different. One moment, he was out in the sunshine, seeing Matoran and Dark Hunters working together in perfect harmony (granted, they were building a giant cannon, but they were still getting along well). The next moment, everything had shifted and he was in a quite different place. Here, a group named the Great Beings had built a 40 million foot tall mechanical being they named Makuta. Unfortunately, his brother, Mata Nui, was plotting a rebellion against him.

How had this all begun? He tried to remember, never the easiest thing for Vezon to do. He had donned a Kanohi Olmak, the Mask of Dimensional Gates, which he had found on Destral. A portal opened up in front of him then. Eager to escape the island, he stepped through it—only to find himself facing an oncoming tidal wave. It washed over him, but he did not drown, transform, or die. Instead, he fell through another portal, winding up in the middle of a swamp. And then another, and then another…

It took him quite some time to figure out what had happened to him—that his body, his essence, as an effect of the Energized Protodermis, had fused to that of the Olmak. He was now, for all intents and purposes, a walking dimensional gateway.

There was still a lot to learn, of course. Was the effect permanent? Could he ever learn to control the power, so he could pick and choose where he went to? If he was holding something or someone, would they travel with him?

Wouldn't that be interesting? he thought. First thing I'd do is find Makuta Teridax and give him a great… big… hug.

X X X

Tahu Nuva used his elemental powers to light a small campfire while enduring a considerable amount of pain due to a large slice in his armor. The damage was so bad his side's gashed muscle tissue was slightly visible. But, if he ever needed to work through pain, now was the time. Through that pain, he summoned enough mental will to use his elemental power. It was foolish, he knew—lighting the fire. There were automated Exo-Toa robots in the area for certain and they would zero in on the heat. Then again, being a Toa of Fire, they probably couldn't miss him anyway.

He glanced around the camp at his "team." It was not a sight to inspire confidence. In the days since Teridax took over the universe, the Toa Nuva had scattered (they were too easy of a target if they stayed together). Hooking up with other fugitives as they went, they made for places of relative safety in order to regroup and plan.

This explained why Tahu was sitting in the blasted ruins of Karzahni with the Chronicler, a Ko-Matoran named Kopeke; Johmak, a female Order of Mata Nui member with the ability to shatter and reassemble her body; Krahka, the female shapeshifting Rahi; and two upper-ranking Dark Hunters, Guardian and Lariska.

Not exactly Gali, Lewa and Kopaka, thought Tahu. But they will have to do. "We'll stay here a few more hours, then move out," he said. "Onua said there were a few Order of Mata Nui agents somewhere south of here, looking for a cache of weapons and supplies. We'll rendezvous with them."

"And then what?" grumbled Guardian. "Throw rocks at the sky? Challenge the wind with Cordak Blasters? All we're doing is delaying the inevitable—and we all know it."

"And the alternative?" asked Johmak. "Bow and scrape before Makuta, begging him for one more moment of life in which to serve him? Let me die, then, as long as I do it as a free being."

"Tahu…what are we going to do?" Kopeke asked, in hardly more than a whisper. "Guardian is right. We're trying to fight the universe itself."

"No, we're not," said Tahu. "We're fighting a mad being who controls the power of a universe. And it's not like learning some new machine at a Ta-Metru forge—it takes time and practice to master a system so complex. And we're not going to give him that time…we're going to do a 'Pohatu' on him."

"A 'Pohatu'?" asked Kopeke, trembling.

Tahu smiled. "That's right. 'When in doubt, smash everything and hope you're somewhere else when it all goes boom.'"

Guardian got up and walked away from the fire. He had nothing against Tahu, but there had to be a better way. Maybe instead of running from place to place, they should be trying to find a way out of this universe. It could be this place was completely lost, and it was time to accept it and move on. It wasn't an easy choice, but those weren't the kind he was used to making anyway.

Beneath his feet, the ground opened. Bonds made of solid stone wrapped around him, yanking him down into the hole even as he screamed. Then the barren earth slammed shut again, and he was gone.

The team was on its feet. "It's Makuta," said Tahu. "He knows where we are. He's toying with us!"

"Tell us something we don't know," snapped Lariska. "Like what we do about it?"

Before Tahu could answer, a dozen Exo-Toa appeared on the rise. Their missiles were loaded and aimed at the fugitives. The lead machine spoke in the voice of Makuta Teridax. "Citizens of the Makutaverse, you are in an unauthorized area. You will accompany these Exo-Toa to Metru Nui, where you will be…retrained for new work that will benefit all my people. You will live out your lives there, in peace and prosperity, wanting for nothing…or you will die, now."

"You know what?" said Lariska, looking from one Exo-Toa to another. "This may turn out to be the shortest revolution on record."