Chapter 5

Fyxan, followed closely by Leviathos and Fyxon, strode silently through the woodlands, weapons at the ready. They were following the trail of a competitor they'd picked up, the Kodax known as Antidax. While following him into his own territory would be foolhardy and probably suicidal, they could see from his trail he was heading away from the caches of weapons where Nightwatcher and the rest of his alliance stood guard.

"This way," whispered Fyxan under his breath. His two allies, both Noctian and Kodax, followed. Leviathos looked grim, determined, while Fyxon seemed almost nervous. Fyxan wanted to ask his brother what was wrong, but finding Antidax took priority at the moment.

"I think-"Fyxan began, but before he could finish his sentence a tall, thin Kodax stepped from the shadows. Antidax was followed by two identical Kodax Fyxan didn't recognize at first, but then he realized to his shock that they were both the Kodax Valtrahk.

"How-" Fyxan began, but one of the Valtrahks laughed. "The Kanohi Mohtrek," he laughed. "The mask of time duplication." A third Valtrahk suddenly appeared in front of Fyxan. "I think that this is over. Are they in position?"

"Yes," said Fyxon. Leviathos and Fyxan turned to regard the Kodax in shock. "You betrayed us to the Kodax?" Leviathos asked, voice filled with anger.

"Sorry, brother," said Fyxon coldly. "But there can only be one victor. And I want to be on the winning side."

No sooner had the words left his mouth when Brominax flew from the clearing and slammed into Antidax like an airborne lightning bolt.

The small Lavawight leapt from the edge of the cliff face, where the earth met the volcano. He longed to be free of this accursed world and become part of the lava again. For a few days, it had been spewing ash and volcanic rock, and tomorrow, the lavawight knew, it would explode.

But the Lavawight knew this was not an ordinary Volcano. It had been made by someone. It was no more than an artificial construct, created by the Ix.

Now he'd leapt directly into the volcano, into the lava so hot it could melt a being's bones. With a crash the Lavawight struck the lava, spewing red-hot flames across his tortured body. It reminded him of the days when he'd been one with the volcano, his veins corsing through the earth's core...

...The being shook his head, clearing his mind from his once-life. He would complete a deadly act that would destroy all competition in the game. Then he would seek out the being who made him and kill him. And then he'd die. The end.

But not before he took the Fallen Six and the Brotherhood of Gigas Magna with him to the grave.

The Lavawight saw a crack in the volcano's side. He flung his bulk against the door and it swung open.

He found himself in a small, stone chamber. It was totally deserted. The lava golem turned, and saw a huge screen, showing the volcano's slopes, and a computer below it. The being sat in a chair, keying multipule codes in Lava-Speak, codes he knew would open the computer's lock. The being's eyes lit up as he found he was able to control the coming eruption.

Suddenly a voice rang through the volcano. It was the end of the second day in the arena.

"Spirak."

That was all. Only one death.

Tomarrow there would be many more.

Night had fallen over the arena. In the darkness of the caves, only one being was moving. A female Matoran adventurer, holding a pack of supplies in one hand and curved sickle in the other, strode through the caverns below the arena.

Her name was Speewaa, and she was fighting for her life within these depths.

Her friend, Jorbyy, had been killed in the huge bloodbath over the weapons. She had escaped, alone.

Later, she'd watched as the powerful Robotic Elemental, a being who she'd not seen participating in the contest, had entered these caverns, and she'd followed. By the time she'd realized it was a death trap, It was too late. The caves were filled with Torshurrr, and worse-the terrible robotic nightmares known as Baterra. Now, on her third day in the caves, she was starving

I'm going to die here, she thought. And never see light again. Then resolve built in her. But I'll take as many Baterra as I can with me before I go down. Aiming her missle launcher, she carefully crept along the passageway, igniting a torch from her pack. Spaunauh instinctively moved away from the light, crawling into the pack. Speewaa smiled. Her Scarabax was all that remained of her original life.

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, Speewaa scanned the corridor, picking out a blueish form in the distance.

Torshurrr! The word exploded in her mind. The deadly beings owned this area of the cave.

Closer...closer the Torshurrr came, still creeping forward, then-

Struck!

With lightning speed, the Torshurrr lept at her, but Speewaa was faster, firing three rounds. The first missed, the second blew apart the thing's legs, and the third smashed through the creature's skull, killing it instantly. All light gone from its eyes, the Torshurrr slumped to the ground.

"Nice shot." A new voice made Speewaa jump. But when she looked up, she saw it was a Toa. He was young and strong, but his eyes seemed to come from the distant past, and seemed to be fighting barely repressed memories within his skull.

"Who...are you?" the matoran asked in awe.

"I am Toa Crystillix, protector of Arcaea."

"I am Speewaa, Matoran of Infinity. Adventurer. Warrior."

"Do you know a way out?" Crystillix asked her.

"I wish," she said. "I've been searching for an exit, but there are none. What brought you here?"

"I followed the tall, armored being into this place, but when I did, the exit closed behind me."

"Same here."

"Then we should form an alliance. Mabye two warriors can accomplish what one cannot."

Speewaa drew her sickle.

"Let's go."

Crystillix drew a long Scythe that gleamed with power, and the two turned and walked deeper into the caves.

"A report, master," Dredzek, the powerfully built Makuta deputy of the Shadow of Ages, said silently. "Treknerrok is here. He has a small army assembled underneath these cliffs. An army that could eliminate all other contestants from the game forever."

Dredzek leaned in, and a wave of dread washed over the two other beings with him. Fear was visible on the faces of both Millennium and Benjarmin, his two allies.

"The Baterra are here."