Antroz stepped just inside the compound, closing the doors as a precaution; she remained standing in the entryway, using her telepathy to sense what was going on outside. Krika had centered the majority of his forces at Nynrah's gate, with a few smaller pockets taking cover in more strategic locations and a single Chameleon Rahkshi stationed next to the line of fleeing citizens.

He thinks that if they don't see anyone guarding the escapees, they won't suspect their target is among them.

The army was closing in now. At this range, Antroz could sense them better, and found that there was something familiar about them, though she could not place what exactly. They halted their march, and Krika walked out to meet them.

"My, more visitors already?" the Makuta said. "We're becoming quite the hotspot. Tell me, what brings you all to Nynrah?"

The forces remained silent for a time. Eventually, one stepped forward, and in a harsh, metallic voice, it barked, "Identified: Makuta Krika. Command: Release prisoner 'Zaekura' into our custody. Failure to comply will not be tolerated."

Krika rubbed his chin. "Zaekura? Hm, Zaekura…apologies, friend, but I haven't the foggiest who you're referring to."

"Failure to comply will not be tolerated. Final warning has been issued."

"Oh come now, don't be like that," Krika said. Turning slightly in the direction of the compound, he half-heartedly added, "Can't we just talk this out like reasonable beings?"

Antroz grunted to herself, thinking, This is hardly the time for mockery, you oaf.

"Compliance absent. Directive: Seize prisoner by force."

Krika raised a hand over his mouth and gasped. "Oh my! What a surprising turn of events!"

The army began to march forward again.

"Are you certain you don't simply want to talk? I think you look quite reasonable."

Krika pointed at one of the soldiers, but it didn't react.

"No? Pity."

In an instant, a long, thin spike extended from Krika's fingertip, reaching over the few dozen unoccupied yards to impale the attacker.

"I know some consider fighting an art form, but to be honest it doesn't really suit my preferences."

The army raised their weapons and began to fire. As they charged forward, Krika retracted his spike, and the soldiers finally came close enough that Antroz could sense them in greater detail: they were machines of roughly humanoid design, with long, spindly limbs and small torsos, their hands fused with tube-like cannons, and aerodynamic heads with vaguely insectoid faces. They were a new type of security drone, Antroz recognized, designed by Velika and tested extensively over the past several months. She hadn't realized that he was so far along, or that so many models had already been made.

So then…Velika is simply eager to test his new inventions. Yes, that's all. And I know that these machines possess non-lethal weaponry, and will only strike to kill if absolutely necessary. Krika's worry was unfounded.

The main Rahkshi force scattered as energy shots came in fast. Rahkshi of Heat and Laser Vision unleashed the first counter, making sweeping attacks with their powers that toppled huge swaths of the enemy forces. However, when the machines fell down, their limbs twisted and swiveled, instantly putting them upright again, and they continued their march as if nothing had happened. Krika snapped his fingers—a cyclone kicked up amidst the drones, yanking many off the ground and tossing them about the sky, and when Krika pointed down they were all flung directly into the ground and pinned there by intense gravity. Rahkshi of Electricity made the next attempt to thin the enemy lines. The drones were stunned by the electric blasts, but they recovered quickly and managed to land a few hits of their own in return. The Rahkshi in question stumbled a bit, but then resumed their offensive.

I remember hearing that the drones use some sort of stun weapon, Antroz thought. Whatever the specifics, it seems they are not properly calibrated to be used against Rahkshi.

Drones and Rahkshi were trading blows now. The machines had an edge in agility, allowing them to outmaneuver most of the Rahkshi's attacks and slowly batter away at them; the lone Rahkshi of Accuracy present seemed to be doing the best, although their attacks did not cause much apparent damage to their targets. A Rahkshi of Density Control lunged at a stumbling drone, making their staff a hundred times heavier in mid-swing. The drone's torso shattered on impact. This first casualty drew the drones attention, and while they were all looking at the same spot, Krika hurled a blinding orb of light, though it didn't seem to hinder the advanced machines much at all. At this signal, however, a Power Scream Rahkshi leapt out from behind a nearby crag, unleashing their shriek from the drones' left flank and catching them by surprise. The Rahkshi with vision powers took advantage of the confusion and were able to sear the limbs off several drones.

"I'm almost insulted," Krika declared, standing tall so the drones could see him. "The Great Beings believe a few inept robots can overrun Nynrah? I knew they thought little of me, but this is truly absurd!"

Suddenly, the drones all froze. Feeling nervous, Krika commanded his Rahkshi not to exploit the opening.

"Threat assessed as 'severe'. Releasing weapon locks."

Krika's eyes widened. He threw a massive blast of light, incinerating several of the drones, meanwhile his Rahkshi all joined in the attack with renewed vigor. Despite all this, they only took down an infinitesimal percentage of the overall force, and the rest soon raised their weapons and returned fire. The next blast that hit a Rahkshi punched a hole clean through it. Krika shouted.

This is less than ideal…but, they are only doing this in response to his attack.

Some of the drones were within range of Krika now. He was sure to keep his Dodge power active, expertly dancing around each blast. When he saw a chance, he threw a punch with his Elasticity powers, though his foes easily avoided the blow. What they could not avoid, however, were the twenty spikes that spontaneously grew from Krika's long arm, severing their cranial units before retreating back into the Makuta's limb. Krika reeled his arm in and then slashed the air with it: a repulsive magnetic force flung the decapitated drones backwards into their comrades, sending many stumbling back into the ongoing power scream from the flank. They tried their best to destroy that Rahkshi, but the oppressive sound waves were just enough to deflect their blasts by a few degrees and leave it unscathed. Unfortunately, many of the other Rahkshi were not faring as well. Krika teleported into the mass of enemies with his arms out—nearly a hundred spikes lashed out from his arms and back, each slaying a different foe, but a hundred more stepped into their place. Narrowly escaping, Krika took to the skies and reduced the density of his body to stay there a moment while a Rahkshi of Plant Control made itself known by commanding vines to rise from beneath the sands to entangle the invaders.

"What's going on?"

Antroz jumped. She had been so focused on the battle that she hadn't even sensed Zaekura's approach. Facing the Glatorian, she said, "I was under the impression you would remain in that room?"

Zaekura scowled. "I can hear something going on, so I came to see just how bad it is. Can you blame me for being curious who they sent to kill me?"

"There's no need to overreact. I'm sure that once Krika stops being aggressive, they will stand down and resume their search peacefully."

"Yeah, happy thought there. Again: what did they send?"

Antroz briefly relayed what she knew about the drones, as well as how the Rahkshi were faring against them. As she talked, she could sense that a great many drones were being destroyed, but at the rate the Rahkshi were falling it was still just a matter of time until they overwhelmed Krika. Antroz thought it best not to mention that part to Zaekura.

"Drones, huh?" Zaekura said. "Well that's better than what I was expecting. Should be easier to sneak around those…"

"We are staying right here," Antroz said. "When this skirmish is over, we can negotiate properly."

Zaekura didn't say anything. Antroz turned her mind back to the battle, though she was sure to keep a few thoughts on Zaekura lest she try to escape. She came back at about the same time a drone finally managed to get behind the Power Scream Rahkshi, disintegrating its head and neck in a single shot.

"Wretched machines!" Krika yelled as he loosed another light blast. "You're proving quite the inconvenience, you know!"

He quickly activated his Invulnerability power to defend against an oncoming blast. When that was done, he extended both hands and triggered his Slow power, the effect gradually spreading over more and more drones the longer he focused. The remaining Rahkshi were quick to press their advantage and began mowing down row after row of machines, though they still had to deal with a few blasts from the drones that remained outside the range of Krika's power.

"I think we might've finally made it through a third of them," Krika mumbled. "Good grief, this is really trying my patience."

"Makuta Krika!"

He looked over his shoulder to see almost a dozen of his citizens running towards him. Each was holding some kind of weapon, though most could be best described as makeshift. Krika's focus was gone.

"What are you doing?!" he cried. "I told you to get out of here!"

"We're not going to abandon you!" Kirbold said, hefting a length of pipe. "You're our Guardian—if anything happens to you, who would protect us?"

"I can't protect you in this fight! That's why I told you to—"

He was cut off as he heard a Rahkshi die. One had tried to reduce their density to survive a blast, but the energy was so intense it was still enough to vaporize the nearly-intangible armor it struck.

"Darn," Krika said, trying to refocus his power. "Please, I'm begging you: get out of here! You see what these things can do, don't you?"

"It'll take more than some fancy ray guns to scare us off!" said a Glatorian. "We've got something to protect, so we aren't backing down!"

They let out a battle cry and charged to meet the enemy. Krika quickly tried to adjust the energy he was projecting so that it would move around them, but that caused the entire energy field to waver to the point where it was useless. The Makuta teleported in front of the group and grabbed as many as he could.

"I said get back!" he shouted. "This isn't your fight!"

The Glatorian was upon the drones now. "I beg to differ!"

Raising his axe, he bellowed and lunged at the nearest target. It tumbled back to avoid his swing. He moved to follow up, but the next thing he knew, the barrel of its cannon was right in his face.

Krika's scream could be heard all the way at the compound. Zaekura took a step back, saying, "That…doesn't sound good…"

Antroz didn't respond. She couldn't. Her mind was lost in the mix of confusion, fear, and failure that had been the Glatorian's last thoughts.

Krika teleported with the citizens he had stopped over to his Chameleon Rahkshi, who took custody of them as he returned to the fight. Kirbold, a Toa of Fire, and a De-Matoran were still following through with their attack, either unaware of what had just befallen their friend or worse, emboldened by it. The De-Matoran was closest, so Krika went to them first. He commanded his Rahkshi to defend the others, but they were too busy dealing with their own opponents, and Kirbold was soon sent flying back into Nynrah's wall. Thankfully the Toa of Fire seemed to be alright at the moment, smothering a drone with a flamethrower, so Krika teleported to Kribold's side and gently picked him up.

"Urgh…I'm sorry…Makuta," the Agori croaked.

"Stop talking," Krika said. He turned to the De-Matoran. "Take him and get out of here—and don't you dare come back! Use whatever medical supplies you have, but don't stop moving unless you absolutely have to!"

The Matoran was stunned for a moment, but then nodded and took the Agori. Krika turned around, trying desperately to spot the Toa, but he was the shortest combatant on the field by far, and there were fires burning everywhere. The Makuta ran forward blindly, shooting light at every drone he saw.

"Jaller!" he called. "Jaller, where are you?"

A jolt of pain brought him to his knees. One of the drones advanced upon him, cannon still smoking. Krika put a hand over the new hole in his armor, but antidermis continued to pour out of it. Before the drone could attack again, however, a fireball struck it in the head, and then the Toa sprang up onto its back and set the entire machine ablaze.

"You worry too much, Makuta," Jaller said, walking forward. "I've got this area covered, so why don't you—"

He stopped mid-sentence as a blast tore open his stomach. Krika roared, starting forward to catch the falling Toa while also obliterating the drone that hit him with a plasma bolt. He set his citizen down and tried to examine his wound, but more drones were moving in, and they demanded his attention. Krika dispatched them as quickly as he could, but they just kept coming.

"Y-You…can't stay here," Jaller groaned.

"Well I can't exactly move you in your condition!" Krika said. "I'm going to put you in a stasis field for now, and then—" He yelled as a drone destroyed a piece of his essence.

"No...you can't afford…to waste that much…"

Krika turned and hurled an endless stream of chain lightning, carving a line straight through the enemy ranks. "Excuse me? I'm a Makuta! I've got energy to spare, dear Toa! Now save your strength, so I…"

He released his power and looked back at Jaller. Though he was trying to keep a straight face, the small being was weeping uncontrollably.

"M-Makuta…please," he whispered. "It's too late…for me…you must know it…too…"

Another drone fired. Krika bent over the Toa to shield him, barely able to make himself Invulnerable in time.

"Don't talk like that," Krika said as he destroyed the drone. "I can still save you! You've much more to do, don't you, Toa Jaller?"

"Makuta," Jaller said. "I know…I know…I'm going to die…I don't want to…but there's no way to stop it…now…"

Krika just kept attacking.

"I don't want you…to waste power…trying to save me…b-but…if it isn't too much to ask…" He sobbed. "I'm afraid…I'm so afraid to die…can you…"

As he blasted away another line of enemies, Krika grunted, and knew he had to admit defeat. His hand shone with red light as he waved it over Jaller.

"It's alright, Jaller," he whispered. "You can face your death with Courage."

In seconds, Jaller grew calm, his expression turning into one of acceptance. He looked up at Krika and said, "Thank you. Even if it's borrowed bravery, it's better than nothing."

Krika smirked. "That's not how our powers work, Toa. We just bring out what's already there, and you've given me more than enough to work with."

"Heh…thanks…for saying so…"

Krika turned around to blow away an attacker. By the time he turned back, Jaller had stopped breathing. He stared at the Toa for a moment, and then surveyed the battle, realizing that he had only four Rahkshi remaining. The drones kept coming. Krika chuckled to himself.

"So I am a completely worthless Guardian."

He threw back his head and laughed. Several drones began to circle him, but spikes shot out from his body before they could aim their weapons. Krika faced the oncoming horde and slowly walked towards them.

Antroz could take no more. She reached out to Krika's mind, taken aback for a moment by the rage swelling within it. She righted herself quickly, and said, Krika, do not be foolish. You must not give into this anger.

"You're one to talk," Krika laughed, stirring up another cyclone.

There is no strategic advantage to charging them head-on. These are foes that can kill you, and should that happen—

"Stop it, Antroz. I can feel you trying to use your Peace powers, but I'm not going to let you sway me."

Krika! This violence is unlike you. A victorious battle is meaningless if you lose yourself in the process—you are a Guardian, a thinker, a builder! You are a Makuta!

"I know exactly what I am, Antroz, and I'm not about to betray it," Krika said. He opened his palms, and they began to shine with blinding white light. "After all…a builder still has the power to destroy."

In the next moment, Antroz could sense nothing else through the rage. Reluctantly, she pulled away, and hung her head.

"Hey," Zaekura said. "Are you going to give me an update or what?"

"…It would seem things have taken a dire turn."

She turned and headed down the hallway. Zaekura said, "Not all that helpful. Where are you going?"

"They will spot us if we leave via the main door. We'll make our own exit and slip away while we can."

Zaekura blinked. Taking off after Antroz, she called, "Wait, are you serious? You're actually going to help me escape?"

Antroz nodded. "I…I was wrong. Again, I was wrong. These creatures have no qualms killing the innocent. Any attempts to negotiate would only meet with disaster."

Zaekura tripped. "Someone died?"

Antroz didn't answer.

"…Anyway, where are we going? The official evacuation plan is to head to Ga-Koro, but to head there we'd have to cross the warzone."

Antroz came to a wall and set her hand on it. Exerting her Plasma powers, she started to melt the rock away, carving the beginnings of a tunnel that would fit both of them. She didn't say a word.

"…Hello? Makuta? Where are we going?"

"There is no truly safe place we can get to, if Ga-Koro is out of the question," Antroz mused. "There is only one chance…one place we can escape to where we may be able to find temporary safety."

Zaekura rubbed her neck. "Well this is sounding better and better. Can't wait."

Antroz stopped what she was doing and turned to face her. "Zaekura…I know you do not trust me, but at least believe me when I saw you must tread very lightly where we are going. This is the last place I would want to take you, but if we are careful, we will be safe enough."

Zaekura narrowed her eyes. "…Hm. Might be easier to go along with if I had some more details."

"We will have to manipulate our host—appeal to his ego. He is far from an understanding being, but if you claim to understand him, he will typically give you what you want."

Zaekura barked a short laugh. "Sounds like a real winner."

Antroz sighed, resuming work on the tunnel. "I will admit…I do find him to be a rather disgraceful Makuta."


ADDENDUM:

-Told you it wouldn't be long!

-My first thought when picking a look for Melding Krika was something spiky—he's lined with spikes in his Mistika set, and even the Toa Empire Krika seen in Dark Mirror is said to have many small blades on his armor. Still, I wanted to do something unusual with it if I could, so my solution was for Krika to normally look very sleek, but to fight mainly by instantly growing spikes from his body as he attacks. I'll probably have him explain the minute details in the near future.

-The drones are a Melding equivalent of Vahki, with some small differences. They may appear later and may change in future appearances, but for now, this simplistic interpretation will get the job done. Side note, if you remember Gargoyle Knight it was mentioned that Krekka was named a criminal because he destroyed a drone Velika had made. It was a prototype of this drone. A criticism I received was that said crime had little to do with the rest of Gargoyle Knight, so I thought bringing the drone back in somehow might help tie it together more nicely.

-I really, really wish we had proper names for more than just six Rahkshi. I foresee this desire intensifying as we progress.

-To paraphrase Prime Antroz, the challenge of writing a Makuta battle is choosing which of their many powers to use.

-I wonder if using Jaller as the victim is a bit cheap, but it's only part three, I haven't had time to build the emotional tension that this death needed. Borrowing a beloved favorite from the prime universe seemed like my best bet. I'll try not to do this too much, of course—I don't want to run out of characters to use!

-To be honest, I was going to save that MNOG reference until later, where one of the Great Beings would say it. However, as I was going back over this chapter, I thought using it now might better punctuate this moment for Krika: saying one of our most beloved villainous lines makes him more morally ambiguous, and that ambiguity has always been one of our favorite things about Krika. Plus, it's just more fitting for that line to be said by a Makuta. Also don't worry about him, he's going to survive this fight, I promise.

-I can't guarantee when Section IV will be done, but I'm hoping it won't be too long—I can't wait for you to get a look at what the next Makuta can do. I think he's going to be a lot of fun to write.