Far to the west, in the port city of Zeriger, Onric, Koth, and Lestra entered through the eastern gate.
Onric approached the customs office and upon entering, said to the Matoran secretary, "We need to know if there's a ship leaving for Tedra Nui," said Onric.
"Slow down, fire-spitter," said Koth, "let's find an inn first, I think we could all use a rest."
"For once, you're right, Koth," said Onric. He turned to the secretary again and said, "Are there any inns with available rooms?"
The Ga-Matoran secretary turned to the board that sat behind her. After consulting the inscriptions, she turned back and said, "There are three rooms available at the Galloping Gafna, or would you prefer something closer to the harbor?"
Koth shook his head. "The Galloping Gafna sounds fine." He turned to the other two. "Shall we?"
The streets of Zeriger were crowded with races of all kinds. Vortixx jostled for space with Matoran. Aviena flew overhead, while Aquaton squirmed through the masses. Toa and Steltians pushed past each other, as they tried to reach their destinations.
The Toa made their way to the Galloping Gafna, which was locating near the center of the city. As they entered, they saw the main room was bustling with beings of all races. They approached the front desk and were greeted by a female Aviena. Her wings flapped lazily as her bird-like face bent into a pleasant smile.
"And how can I help you three Toa?" she asked.
"We're looking for some rooms for the night," said Onric.
"Well, we have three available, would you like one for the lady and one for you two males?" asked the Avniena.
"That would be fine," replied Onric.
"Then, let me have your names, please."
As the secretary jotted down their names, she produced a pair of keys from under her desk.
"Thank you, your rooms are on the second story," she said.
The Toa walked up the stairs and down the hall, finding their rooms at the end of the hallway. Lestra took her key and entered her room. Onric and Koth entered their own room, which was directly across the hall.
Onric placed his sword on the table and sat down on one of the beds. Koth peered out the window, looking out over the city. Zeriger's skyline looked much like its population: haphazard. Buildings of all shapes and sizes stretched towards the sky. Cables and shafts stretched between the buildings making the city look like some gigantic, chaotic spider web. Airships and flying beings crisscrossed the sky, like Nui-Rama buzzing around their hive.
Koth turned back to Onric and said, "I'm going to see if Lestra's okay."
Onric simply nodded as his brother left the room. Koth crossed the hall and knocked on Lestra's door, as he said, "Lestra, it's Koth. Can I come it?"
After a moment, the door unlatched and opened, and Koth stepped inside.
Lestra closed the door behind him. "Well, what do you want?" she asked, sullenly.
Koth sighed as he said, "Lestra, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry that Onric hurt you and I did nothing to stop him." He sighed, "I'm sorry that we had to find you at that exact moment. Maybe if, if we'd come across you at some other point, we could have talked Onric out of it."
Lestra began to sob. "Oh Koth, why did this have to happen?"
The Stone Toa wrapped her in a hug as she buried her head in his shoulder. "I don't know, Lestra. But you're my sister, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you, but you know how Onric is."
Lestra smiled, "I do. Do you remember the time he walked into a Burnak trap?"
Koth laughed, "He almost burned down the half the forest trying to get out."
He thought for a moment. Placing his hands on her shoulder, he said, "I can't possibly know what you're going through, Lestra, but I do know that sitting up here and moping isn't going to help it. You know what? I think I saw some entertainers in the common room."
He looked down at his sister, "Care to come with me?"
"Sure, Koth, lead on."
Dawn was just breaking over the mountains while a Skakdi and two Matoran emerged from the woodlands. Before them, the southern continent's coastal plain stretched out before them, and right on the horizon, they could see a glimpse of the ocean.
"Hey guys," said Cedrak, "can you see that over there?"
The two Matoran looked where their friend was pointing.
"I see a white blur near the ocean," said Trell. "What is it?"
"That's the port city of Zeriger," said Cedrak, setting his monkey on his shoulder, "made famous for its giant beacon. It's one of the few places I've been where I don't need to be worried about being seen."
"Why's that?" asked Zorkek as they began to trek over the plain.
"Zeriger has an aggression code, meaning you can't be arrested just because you look suspicious. You have to have actually done something."
"Sounds like you could get away with anything as long as no one saw you," said Trell.
"Well, they have ways of seeing you even when they're not around," said Cedrak. "No one's sure how, but some say it has to do with the beacon."
"How does that work?" asked Zorkek, as the road turned down a steep hill.
"Well," replied Cedrak, trying to keep his footing, "the Zeriger Beacon does pretty much what its name suggests; it warns ships of the rocky cliffs in foggy weather. But, the beacon was there long before the city was built. And even before this area was settled, it shone, without anyone to manage it. Legend has it that it was built by an ancient race called the Vehle. But the beacon seems to be almost sentient in nature and can tell people where a crime is being committed. They describe it as a sudden urge to go somewhere, and the population learned long ago to listen to those urges, as they are almost always right. For this reason, it's also called the Beacon of Truth."
"Wow," said Trell, "that's quite impressive."
"Sure is," Cedrak replied. "Hey, once we're inside," he continued, "I've got someone I want you to meet."