The drones trudged onward, sand whipping violently around them. One of many squads currently searching the areas around Nynrah, this particular unit had already combed over several sectors without finding a single sign of their targets, and so were expanding their search eastward while their allies had gone either up or down the coastline. It would take more than a sudden sandstorm to turn them away, but the automata had engaged a somewhat cautious protocol. While such storms certainly weren't uncommon in the Great Desert, the data provided on their targets made note of weather-altering abilities, meaning there was at least a chance that they were closing in on their mark.

One drone looked up. Several of the others turned as it transmitted its observation to them: for a moment, it had seemed that something was going against the wind just above the squad, but it had been quick enough that none of the units could fully register what it was. This was taken as an increase in the probability of battle, prompting the drones to pre-emptively arm their weaponry. One drone pulled ahead of the rest—according to their navigational data, a settlement was just ahead, and it would need to deliver a statement of intention upon arrival. The statement was compiled in a matter of seconds. An instant afterward, the leader went offline and collapsed.

The army stopped in their tracks. Analysis of the slain leader revealed a protosteel-tipped arrow lodged in its cranial unit, having fatally punctured the drone's processor. The threat was deemed severe, and as the drones took another step forward, their weapon locks were disabled.

A signal from the back caused them to halt again: something had attacked several of the rear units from behind before retreating, though drones in visual range had not registered anything visible. Before sense could be made of the event, a loud thunderclap came from nearby, and a bolt of lightning struck one of the forward units, frying it and those closest to it. Another drone was struck down with an arrow. It was apparent that combat had begun, and so one of the remaining drones assumed command.

The horde was split into two groups, one of which continued to march forward as the other made an about-face and opened fire. The sandstorm quieted with unnatural swiftness, and a large wall came into view not far ahead: dozens of Rahkshi could be seen perched atop it, and roughly a hundred stood before its sealed gate. Aiming at the nearest guards, many of the drones fired. One Rahkshi stepped forward, hands outstretched—a distortion filled the air in front of her, and the blasts suddenly froze as they entered it, being sealed in stasis until the Rahkshi reached up to redirect them into the sky. A large Rahkshi with an even larger shield came next. Not a single blast could get through his guard, and several actually ricocheted and struck down drones instead. The lead drone moved to rush at him. Another arrow smote it before it had the chance. The stasis Rahkshi moved to catch more blasts, but more curious to the drones, they registered a steep increase in temperature in their immediate vicinity. The wave of heat quickly focused upon three drones in particular, causing them to burst into flames. Four Rahkshi were coming out to meet them now, each carrying different weapons but all with aquamarine coloration in their armor; the drones readied to engage, just as the heat began to rise again.

The rear squad was not faring much better. Their blind shots had yet to strike their imperceptible foe, yet their forces continued to be picked off one or two at a time by their devastating blows. As they looked about for any indication of where the next attack might come from, two Rahkshi suddenly appeared at their flank: one with blue and green armor, the other clad in red and orange. The latter had four long eyestalks that each twitched in different directions, and a moment later, each spawned a laser beam that carved deeply into the drones' ranks, and they were gone before a counterattack could be made. Another physical blow demolished drones not far away—but at the same time, a drone in the back had its head sliced clean off. The Laser Vision Rahkshi reappeared in the space between the two squads, attacking both, while at the rear of the invading force there now appeared a Cyclone Rahkshi with a second Rahkshi of Teleportation. A large chunk of the squad was soon scattered through the air.

Up front, the drones had managed to beat back the few melee fighters who had approached them, but as they retreated a new presence made itself known. As arrows and lightning continued to fly and more drones succumbed to the heat, a massive Rahkshi the size of a small building could be seen moving through the gate of the outpost, the treads on its feet groaning as they pulled the behemoth forward. Many of the drones focused their fire on this newcomer. The Rahkshi with the shield got in front of him, keeping careful watch so he could move and jump to block all shots aimed at his brother. The armored giant, a Rahkshi of Plasma from the look of it, sluggishly raised his arms—they ended in cannons the size of an average Rahkshi, and a faint orange glow soon came from their barrels. A deep hiss came from his mouth. The shield-bearer signaled when it was safe to reach forward, and then two intense blasts of raw energy collided with the enemy ranks, annihilating all caught in their wake and kicking up a huge cloud of sand afterward. One shot grazed the Plasma Rahkshi's cannon. He recoiled, hugging the injured limb close, but was relieved to see the wound was not severe. Energy started to build up again, and he prepared himself to make another shot as soon as he could.

Antroz stood in a small guardhouse just above the gate, mere steps away from the Accuracy Rahkshi firing arrows. She turned to the others and said, "Their forces are in disarray. We have yet to suffer any casualties."

Bitil nodded, though he continued to grind his fingers into his palm.

"As expected, the attack from the rear has led to the drones separating into two forces. The teleporters and chameleons are carrying out things on their end."

Zaekura hummed. She glanced down the wall at a Rahkshi of Heat Vision with a rounded protrusion atop their head that glowed bright orange. "Should we have Serk quit so we can send in more melee fighters than just the Heat Resistance Rahkshi?"

"I think it's too soon for that," Antroz said. "While things are going smoothly at the moment, we are still outnumbered. We should have the main forces wait until their numbers have been reduced further."

A bright flash signaled another attack from the giant Plasma Rahkshi. Krika rubbed his chin, saying, "Shouldn't be too much longer with Artil tearing them apart like that. I must say, Bitil, it's scary to think you've had such a destructive creature so close this whole time."

"Have some respect," Bitil snapped. "Artil's down there risking his life while you sit safely up here! You don't exactly have good standing to jest, Krika."

"I meant it as a compliment. Besides, I've done my part: the effects of my Prosperity powers are holding strong, and I'm alert and ready to top off any who need it."

Bitil grunted. Stepping forward, Charla said, "Please, Lord Bitil, we must remain calm. The others will be fine. You did your best to equip us for the day we would march in battle, and I am certain it will be enough."

Antroz turned sharply. Bitil asked, "What is it?"

"It would seem one of them has injured Azin."

"What? How?!"

"It was a lucky shot. He's being brought in now."

A Rahkshi of Teleportation appeared just long enough to deposit a cloaked red and gold Rahkshi, two daggers at his belt as he clutched a wound on his arm. Bitil knelt and grabbed him by the shoulder, saying, "Azin! Are you alright?"

The Rahkshi turned his head, making a short hiss.

"This doesn't look like something you should brush off so casually! Where's Surja?"

A black and brown Rahkshi came rushing over. Once she was at Azin's side, she gripped his arm with both hands and stared at the wound intently, and slowly it began to mend. She hissed something, and Bitil stood and sighed.

"She says he'll be fine," he muttered. "He'll be fine…"

Krika glanced at Zaekura. The Glatorian had her arms crossed, one finger tapping incessantly. Looking back at the battle, he commented, "It's really going quite well."

Zaekura's finger froze. Turning her back, she grumbled, "Don't patronize me."

"No, I'm being genuine. I'd already lost several Rahkshi this far into the battle when I went against these machines. You've put together an excellent strategy, Zaekura—it's only a matter of time until victory is ours."

Zaekura turned around, but stopped when she saw Charla. The Rahkshi was staring forward blankly in a way that seemed vaguely nervous, and that made her nervous too. "What's up?"

Charla jumped a bit. "Oh, forgive me, I was just…" She hesitated.

"Is something wrong, Charla?" Bitil asked.

"I don't know that I'd say that. I'm just sensing something unusual."

Antroz cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

It took a few moments for Charla to reply. "The drones are emitting some type of energy. It's not psychic energy, but it's…similar, somehow. Makuta Antroz, do you sense it as well?"

Reaching out again, Antroz picked one specific drone to focus on as she tried to feel what Charla was describing. Slowly, she became aware of a very strange feeling that spawned from the being every few seconds, always passing very quickly but continually returning without fail.

"…Curious," Antroz said. "It's so faint I hadn't noticed it at first. I'm afraid I can't identify it—I've never encountered this particular sort of energy before."

"Is it dangerous?" Bitil asked.

"Calm down," Krika said. "If this energy becomes a concern, we shall deal with it then. Right now we've nothing to worry about."

"Easy for you to say…"

Zaekura walked up next to the archer, peeking over the wall at the forces below. "Maybe…we should speed things up, just to be safe."

"Acting with haste can often make things more dangerous," Antroz advised.

"I'm not saying we get sloppy. I just think we can send the heavy hitters without it causing any problems." She turned to Bitil. "Yes? No? What do you think?"

Bitil surveyed the battle himself, looking very uncertain. "…Perhaps sending one to the rear would be beneficial…I just don't like the idea of sending them out front right now. The ranged assault is working, and it's far safer for them all—let's keep that going as long as we possibly can."

"Alright, who do we send?"

Suddenly, a look of shock swept over Antroz's face. Charla shivered as well, saying, "What is that…?"

Bitil whirled. "What? What is what?"

"Oh no," Antroz said.

"What do you mean? What's going on, Antroz?!"

Charla closed her eyes. "I've never felt a mind like this…where did it come from? It's so foreign, it's…indescribable…"

Bitil's eyes widened. He slowly turned to Antroz. She nodded once, and he felt his antidermis thin.

"That," Antroz said solemnly, "is the mind of a Great Being."

Krika was on his feet. "Where?"

"Somewhere down there," Antroz said, making a sweeping gesture. "I can't determine exactly, but it's somewhere in that flock of drones; it just appeared a second ago."

Thinking quickly, Krika said, "That energy you were sensing…it must be some kind of beacon, linked back to the Maze. And Velika, I'm sure he's keeping a close eye on those signals: if many of them start dropping at once, he can guess that we're demolishing more of his prized inventions. Of course that slippery eel would outfit them all to receive a remote consciousness upload. After I broke the first batch, he wanted to be able to see my demise personally."

Zaekura looked about frantically. "Not to complain, but uh, why isn't he just blasting down the doors already?"

"These are all just standard drone bodies," Krika said as he gently pulled her back from the wall, "probably not as strong as the special one I found in Ga-Koro. He's just as vulnerable as any of them right now…but knowing Velika, it won't stay that way for long."

Antroz leapt onto the side of the wall. "We must act. Eradicating all drones before Velika can make a plan to turn this in his favor is our only hope."

"I'm afraid I agree," Krika said. He waved one hand out. "After you."

Antroz grunted as she took off, shooting through the air over the assembled drones. Bitil turned and shouted, "Charla, find Kameter and call him back—our snipers here are going to need all the advantages they can get! Advise everyone to be extremely careful, and to see if they can break up the forces any further! If any drone is acting unusual, it becomes top priority to dismantle it immediately!"

Charla went to work at once. Zaekura watched as Antroz reached out both hands, sending beams of white light down to pulverize the unfortunate drones below. Krika jumped over the wall and landed on Artil's back. He glared at the approaching drones, exerting his gravity powers to slow them down, and with a laugh, Artil destroyed them easily. The Rahkshi all seemed to double their efforts, and the number of drones only continued to dwindle. For some reason, despite all of this, the sense of dread Zaekura was feeling just kept growing.

"So…those heavy hitters…"

Bitil nodded. "I'll have them form up at once. Serk, focus your power on the south flank! We're about to fully engage!"

Serk hissed in affirmation. Bitil used his powers of teleportation to make a quick exit, and Zaekura turned back to the fight, hoping there was a way they could still win this battle.

Krika turned his fingers on one hand into spikes, extending them and impaling a line of drones from the safety of his perch. He pulled them to the side, sweeping several still-functioning units off by themselves, and then used his Stasis powers to keep them isolated as he shook his hand clean. Artil spared one blast to eradicate them. With that done, Krika leapt forward and activated his Chameleon powers, becoming undetectable as he rushed into the enemy ranks. He looked up: Antroz was still mowing them down with her light powers. However, in a few seconds a number of drones suddenly looked up and began firing straight at her, only a quick application of her Dodge ability allowing her to evade. The blasts all seemed to come from the same area, so Krika headed there as Antroz continued maneuver. He took a moment to just observe when he was close enough. Aside from changing their targets, nothing seemed particularly out of place about these drones, so he lunged past them and swept both hands, rending them into shreds with his claw spikes.

Above him, Antroz leveled out and scanned the area with her mind. Krika had yet to receive any retaliation for his interference, so she guessed Velika wasn't actually in proximity to the drones he had sent after her—turning sharply, she made for the opposite flank, using only a spray of light bolts as she went to make it easier to sense incoming attacks. She reached her destination with no further trouble, but still, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Where are you…?" she mumbled.

Her mind swept over the battlefield once again. This time, as she passed over a particularly dense cluster of drones, she realized that they weren't firing wildly like the others were. Rather, they would wait until one of Bitil's Rahkshi appeared and then react to it. Antroz focused upon them and discovered why: one drone was in the middle of the unit, hunched over a deactivated automaton and busily working on something with a set of spindly, claw-like arms that had extended from openings in its torso.

"There!"

Antroz created a ball of dense light energy in her hand, taking aim at the cluster of drones. She threw the attack with all her might, and it soared through the air like a bullet—the drones took notice and raised their arms to block, while the one in the center grabbed something and scuttled away. The blast detonated, wiping out those that blocked it and producing a shockwave that reached out to the one that fled. While its limbs twisted to prevent in from falling down, it slowed enough that Antroz could teleport directly to its side, and she reached out to try to grab hold of her target. Her claws just nicked its armor.

"Lord Velika!" she said. "Stand down at once!"

A scoff came from the drone. Adjusting the bundle of parts it carried in its hands, it said, "You've no right to order me, Makuta. I remember your place even if you no longer do."

Antroz grabbed the hilt of her sword. "I shall give you one last chance. Call off your army, and leave this place. Otherwise, I will be forced to defend myself."

"Leave? I only just arrived. And it is here I plan to stay, until I've eradicated you traitors and seized that wretched girl! It is you who should stand aside, ignorant fool…or shall I show you the level of intellect you are dealing with?"

Antroz shook her head. She slowly drew her sword from its sheath, the pure white blade gleaming in the sunlight, shining as brightly as if it were brand new. Antroz gripped the weapon with both hands, held it in front of herself, and bared her fangs. "You were warned."

The drone tumbled to the side. Antroz had teleported behind it before she was even finished speaking, swinging the blade and just narrowly missing. She teleported again before it completed its arc. The drone hopped back to avoid a cut and pointed one cannon, firing a counter blast, but Antroz was gone before it hit. She came from above next, forcing the drone to roll away on its cannons—as soon as it was upright, it was immediately manipulating the mess of parts in its hands.

"Come now," Velika laughed, "you really think you can best a Great Being? And here I had hoped the Makuta had rid themselves of their arrogance."

Antroz rapidly teleported in a circle around the drone, executing seven feints before thrusting her sword at its torso. It crouched and prepared to fire, but then realized the blade was glowing orange, and scampered away as plasma burst outward from it. The attack singed the machine, missing all vital components.

As he continued to work, Velika said, "We are inherently your betters! No matter what competition you engage us in, you are bound by fact to fail every time! Yet you think you can challenge a device of my own making, one that I have assumed direct control over, and somehow overcome this total manifestation of my brilliance?"

Not saying a word, Antroz simply exerted her powers of magnetism. The drone was pulled through the air towards her, pushing off the ground just as she swung to tumble over her head; she flexed her wing, sending it spinning, and then whirled to make another slash. Her sword was blocked by a well-placed cannon. She opened her mouth and let out a power scream, flinging the machine away, and then teleported forward. Unfortunately, Velika had anticipated where she would reappear, and a blast grazed her leg, disrupting her balance. He laughed as the drone readied another attack. That was when Krika, in the shape of a giant snake, leapt up and wrapped himself around the drone, restraining its movements and slowly crushing it.

"Pardon me," Krika said. "It dawned on me that I'd yet to properly greet you, my lord. Allow me to rectify that offense."

The drone turned, Velika murmuring, "You insolent…"

As its body began to break, the drone held forth the device it was working on. Antroz moved to claim it, but withdrew immediately—a blast came from behind her, and before she could move to counter, another drone rushed forward, snatched the device, and hurled it through the air.

"You truly don't comprehend, do you?" Velika said as Krika tackled this new drone to the ground, overloading its circuits with electricity.

Antroz teleported in an attempt to intercept the device. Searing pain was all that met her, as yet another drone blasted her away to catch the small machine.

"All of these drones are equipped to receive me!" Velika said, ripping a few extra pieces out of a fallen drone. "I am here, and it here I shall stay. For here…I can be everywhere!"

Krika threw a punch, implementing his Elasticity and Accuracy powers—his fist chased Velika's drone as it danced away, and though Antroz tried to aid him, another blast was soon sent towards her. She pressed herself against the ground and cursed silently. When she looked up, she saw that Krika had grabbed the drone by the neck, and hoped for one moment…but then another drone shot Krika's arm, forcing him to retract it on reflex. The new drone approached the old and gave the device a once-over.

"Yes, flawless at last," Velika mused. "This is the end of your little rebellion, Makuta. But not your lives—no, net yet. I'll be taking you to Karzahni myself, so that I can personally oversee your suffering…though I'm afraid I don't know how many eons it will take to accumulate all that you have earned."

The drone squeezed the device, and it lit up with bright light. A familiar, terrible feeling washed over Antroz and Krika, and they both sank into the sand. Velika laughed as his drone approached Krika.

"I may not have had time to install flight capabilities, but your suggestion of disarmament was easy to take into consideration. It's really a very simple mechanism, if you have the parts…and I thought incorporating suitable components into my drones would be a reasonable back-up plan. One can never be too careful. Now then…"

The drone turned to face the walls of the outpost. As it walked forward, the other drones parted to make way for it, save those that threw themselves forward to block any attacks aimed at Velika. He looked up at the wall and spotted Zaekura standing there. Handing the device off to another drone, he switched his weapon to stun and raised the barrel. Zaekura just stared down at him, an uneasy defiance in her eyes.

"Heremus was insistent I show mercy," Velika muttered. "Although…I wonder if his definition is accurate?"

A loud roar was all he heard in the next second. A massive wave of plasma washed over him and many of the other drones, severing his link to his current body. When he arrived in another, he looked to see the source: it was Antroz, on her feet with her blade in one hand, while Krika was just starting to unleash a volley of light blasts on the rear unit. Velika ran a quick check to ensure the drone's sensors were functioning properly.

"How…can they be standing?" he asked. "The disarmament mechanism worked perfectly—I built it! And it can't be the same as when they fooled Angonce, otherwise…"

It struck him then. Glaring back at the wall, he continued, "The lure…transmitted back the data it received…and that vile Glatorian…!"

His current body suddenly went stiff. Antroz appeared behind it to run it through, and as Krika released his magnetic hold he said, "If it's any consolation, the experience is still nauseating. I'd be quite ill right now if I had a stomach."

Jumping to another body, Velika whirled back and fired at Zaekura. Unfortunately, she was gone by the time he turned around, and Velika groaned as he was forced to switch bodies once again.

"So what now, milord?" Krika said, readying more light blasts. "Your current body isn't quite up to the task of taking on two Makuta. And we're not the only things you need to worry about."

He allowed Velika to look to the outpost gate. Emerging through it were a line of figures almost as large as Artil, each armored in a rainbow of hues and looking unusual even by Bitil's standards. Velika growled in anger. Deformed as they were, he still knew how to recognize a Rahkshi Kaita.

"We shall give you one last chance to surrender," Antroz said.

"Normally I'd disagree, but I suppose we can't stop your mind from fleeing as easily as we could your body," Krika said. "You should take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity."

The drone just stood there, watching the Kaita as they advanced on the drones. One of them transformed into a living cyclone, blasts bouncing off its form like they were pebbles as it ravaged the invaders; another simply stared down a group of enemies, and when they tried to fire their weapons, the mechanisms locked and backfired, destroying their wielders. Velika watched this unfold…and began to laugh.

"You are due some credit, I suppose," Velika said as his drone turned back to the Makuta. "You cretins have managed to outdo my expectations. But do you think that's all it will take for you to claim victory?"

Antroz pointed her sword. "Whatever else you plan to do, we will stop you."

"Let us see if you can, Makuta. I'm almost grateful: for the first time in quite a while…I'm actually curious."

The drone raised both weapons. Krika froze it in stasis before it could fire, and then Antroz sliced it in two. They both looked around to see which drone Velika had taken now, but no other machines were particularly close to them, and even the closest seemed occupied with other matters.

"I suppose we'll have to hunt him down again," Krika sighed.

"I believe we should stick together," Antroz said. "We must make it as difficult as possible for him to surprise us."

Krika shook his head and began to walk away. "Just call if you need me. I'm a bit too impatient to do this your way."

With a huff, Antroz took to the skies again. Bitil could see her from the wall, but he quickly returned to the crowd below, searching frantically for Zaekura.

"Can't you sense her?" he asked.

"I am trying, my lord," Charla said, hands to the sides of her head. "The thoughts have become extremely chaotic down there, and the minds of the Kaita are the only ones that manage to stand out."

Bitil glanced at the fusions as she said this. Then he stopped suddenly, looking back and gripping the wall: one Kaita in particular stood in the scorched wake of Antroz's surprise plasma attack, resembling a very large humanoid with six arms clad in blue, black, green, and gray armor. A shimmering veil surrounded them, but now that Bitil took a closer look, he could make out another form next to him.

"Lady Zaekura!" he said, teleporting down next to the barrier. "What do you think you're doing?"

Zaekura leapt to her feet. "Yeesh, don't scare me like that! I was just checking something out is all."

She raised her hand: in it was the disarmament device Velika had constructed. Bitil paused a moment, and then asked, "Why do you want that thing?"

Before she could answer, the Rahkshi Kaita moved their hand suddenly. The veil slid open and they took a lumbering step towards Bitil; immediately, the veil closed, now around all three of them, and Bitil heard a blast fizzle against it.

"Thank you, Ramier," he said, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Look, I've got an idea," Zaekura said. "Charla told me what's going on with Velika, and—"

"Then you should know it isn't safe to simply rush out onto the battlefield!" Bitil interrupted. "Ramier, take us back at once!"

They nodded, and in the blink of an eye the three of them were back on the wall. Ramier departed immediately, leaving Zaekura to look around in bewilderment, before sighing and turning back to Bitil.

"Was that entirely necessary?" she asked. "Because my best guess would put it at about 10% necessary."

Bitil locked eyes with her. "You are their target. If any one of them catch you, this battle is lost! How can you chide Antroz for her impulsivity only to make the same mistakes yourself?!"

"I didn't just charge out there on my own! Some Rahkshi helped me get over to Ramier, and then I asked him to get me over to where this thing was!"

"But putting yourself in such great risk—"

"You were just talking about how your Rahkshi are risking their lives for us! I decide to do the same to help them, and you're still complaining?"

Bitil clenched his teeth, unsure what to say. He averted his gaze, but before he could think of a retort, something caught his eye. Several drones appeared to be running away from the fight. There were at least a dozen of them, all by themselves, all headed in different directions.

"What is Velika doing now?" he said as he stepped forward. "Concentrate fire on those runners!"

As the Rahkshi adjusted targets, Zaekura said, "Don't suppose there's much chance he's actually taking the opportunity to surrender, do you?"

Bitil turned back to Zaekura. He stared hard at her for a long moment, before finally closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "…Tell me. What is this idea of yours?"


ADDENDUM:

-Sorry to split this battle. I'll do my best to get Section VIII out before too long.

-"Serk" is a corruption of "circle". The protrusion on his head is actually his eye, and it gives him a 360 degree field of vision that allows him to set anything around him on fire without moving. He does have to narrow his focus quite a bit to cause real damage, however. But, just in case, Bitil thought it seemed like a good idea to send only Heat Resistance Rahkshi out to meet the drones while he was focusing on their front line.

-"Artil" is derived from "artillery". I don't know that there was a specific thought process for this guy, I'm pretty sure I just thought "A Rahkshi that's basically a giant living tank would be super cool" and then went through with it. I'm quite satisfied with the results.

-Krika implies this, but to clarify: there are certain powers that a Makuta cannot use on themselves, and this extends to their Rahkshi (they can't use them on Rahkshi they've made, their Rahkshi can't use them on them, and their Rahkshi can't use them on each other). Prosperity is the big one, since it has the potential to be a bit broken if a Makuta were to spawn ten Vorahk and have them all stack major luck buffs on them, and the Great Beings thought it best to avoid that. So here, Krika has used his Prosperity to boost Bitil's Rahkshi, and Antroz may have given them a second application as well. Courage, Creation, Faith, and Peace also have this stipulation, but for now I think that's all. The Great Beings probably would have limited Kameter's time-quickening powers as well, but Bitil discovered those through his Slow powers, and the GBs didn't see a reason to prevent a Makuta from using Slow on themselves. Why would they do that in the first place?

-"Azin" is derived from "assassin". I figured it would make sense for someone as stealthy as a Chameleon Rahkshi to try to emulate the classic rogue look.

-"Surja" comes from "surgeon"; she's a Rahkshi of Quick Healing with an internal focal point for her power, making it strong enough that if she focuses she can actually share it with someone she's in physical contact with. While she can use this on anyone, it is most effective on Bitil and her siblings due to them all being offshoots of the same being.

-Velika is incredibly vain, proud of anything and everything he does, content to believe himself better than all others, and cruel in his petty revenge on those he believes have wronged him. Sure would suck to be led by a tyrant like that, right?

-Since the projection lure has such a strong link to the headset used to control it, I figured it made sense that it had registered some data on the disarmament device Angonce had used and transmitted it back, and that by analyzing those recordings, Zaekura could find a way to jam the signal and keep the Makuta on their feet. It still requires some fine-tuning, but this will prevent the GBs from being able to keep Makuta out of every fight.

-The Rahkshi Kaita are a bit of a tease here due to where the chapter ends, sorry about that. I'm sure you recognize the Kaita Za and its random living tornado powers—I don't know where those come from, but I figured I might as well leave them intact. I did, however, change up the Kaita Vo: it's the one that causes drones' weapons to misfire. When I was coming up with the effects of Prosperity, it occurred to me that the Mask of Possibilities' powers were somewhat close (Prosperity is a luck buff, but the Mask of Possibilities lets the wearer alter probability to cause one very specific thing to happen), and since Kaita Vo's original energy ray power was an extension of Vorahk's Hunger abilities, I thought this would make a suitable replacement. And rounding out the Kaita we see here, "Ramier" is a mix of "rampart" and "barrier"; they are made of Rahkshi of Invincibility, Teleportation, and Stasis Field. Their gestalt ability allows them to create an impervious shield in a small radius around themselves, one that cannot be teleported through.

-That about rounds out this Section. Next time we'll find out what Velika's up to, and bring this fight to a close one way or another!