Zaekura glanced about, trying not to look as nervous as she felt. She could feel at least a hundred pairs of eyes on her, and she could swear there were more with every step. She stumbled; righting herself very quickly, she mumbled an apology to their escorts, but none of the nine Vorox circled around them said a word.

Antroz faced forward as they were led deeper into the cavern. She could sense that it extended quite a bit farther, but to her surprise the lead Vorox ordered a halt. Zaekura peered over Antroz's shoulder. The tunnel ahead looked no different from what lay behind them: rock walls lined with lightstones and many curious Vorox, an unobstructed sandy path laid out ahead. She was about to speak when the sand began to shift. Slowly, the sediment twisted together into a solid form, rising gradually until it towered above them. The mountain of grains formed into a lean, muscular-looking body, its head a smoothed out helmet outlined in tiny spikes and broken only by two glowing yellow eyes that regarded the visitors with unclear intent. Antroz and the Vorox bowed immediately, Zaekura catching on a second later. They received no response.

"It has been some time, Sand Lord," Antroz greeted. "I hope you are doing well."

The Sand Lord spoke, her voice sounding like a harsh desert wind: "I fail to see why you maintain such hollow niceties, Makuta. You shall find no loving audience here."

Straightening herself, Antroz replied, "My respect is genuine. I apologize if I've given you reason to doubt that."

The Sand Lord's gaze focused on Zaekura. "I find it most curious you came here. Most curious that you brought this girl with you. Is she not the one the Great Beings are searching for? They may reward even those lowly as us were we to turn her over."

"Uh, hello, Sand Lord," Zaekura said. "Honor to meet you."

"We wish to negotiate with you, Sand Lord," Antroz said. "We wish to offer you a chance to join in our battle against the rule of the Great Beings."

The hushed chatter of a hundred Vorox filled the chamber, swiftly becoming deafening. The Sand Lord turned to look at Antroz for a few moments, eventually raising a hand to silence her followers, and then took a few slow steps forward, her feet melding into the sand beneath them at each footfall.

"Then the tales are true," she said. "The noble Antroz has truly turned against the Great Beings. I wonder, what could bring about such a complete change in one as…committed as you?"

"I have learned that the Great Beings are not as benevolent as I once believed," Antroz replied.

A chuckle like shifting sand interrupted her. "Oh. Now you've learned that?"

Unsure how to respond, Antroz went on, "This girl is innocent, yet they wish to see her dead. Such rulers are unfit to rule, and I would see them removed, if it is possible. I thought that perhaps we could convince you to join our cause."

The Sand Lord stared at her in silence at first. Leaning down until she was mere inches from Antroz's mask, she said, "And why did you think that?"

"You and the Vorox must tire of your servitude to the Great Beings. We are offering you an opportunity to be free of that."

An angry growl came from the Sand Lord. "Is that so? Then tell me this, Makuta: why should we believe you?"

Antroz's response was delayed. "We have long worked together, you and I. I have done what I could to assist the Vorox in meeting their work quotas, and arranging additional freedoms for them. Have I not proven myself your ally?"

At her words, sand began to whip violently all through the cavern. The Sand Lord stood tall, roaring, "Loathsome creature! Done all you could, have you? Then why is it we are still in chains?"

A puzzled look came across Antroz's face. "…Sand Lord, I—"

"You think inconsequential gestures are enough for us to sing your praises?" the Sand Lord said, jabbing a finger at Antroz. "What difference should it make that you tried to make our slavery more comfortable for us? You still chose to condone it! Never once did you think twice about it! You accepted that we were beneath you, that this way was natural, and only now that you see us as convenient to your own ends do you say you will change it? I ask you once more, Makuta: why should we believe your words? Why should we believe that one who never truly cared for us will grant us freedom, rather than simply chaining us to a new master?"

As Antroz fumbled with her words, Zaekura slowly stepped forward. "Um, excuse me, Sand Lord?"

"What?!" the elemental replied, turning her fierce glare upon the Glatorian.

Swallowing hard, Zaekura stepped in front of Antroz. "I-I just…I wanted to…"

The Sand Lord leaned towards her. "I suppose you're going to tell me that you are different. That you have always loved the Vorox, and are far more deserving of our trust."

Zaekura met her gaze for a few moments, but ultimately looked down. "…No. Honestly, I never really gave much thought to the Vorox's situation. I get why you don't feel you can trust us."

The Sand Lord tilted her head at this. Soon, Zaekura looked up again.

"It was wrong—I won't ask you to forgive me or anything. But, I do want to ask you to give us a chance to earn your trust. This is an opportunity for things to change for the better: we'll learn to respect the Vorox, and if we actually manage to overthrow the Great Beings, we'll reshape the world so you can all be free, so that future generations won't think twice about respecting you. Please, give us an opportunity to prove our commitment to making that change."

Slowly, the winds died down, leaving only silence in their wake. The Vorox all stared intently at the Sand Lord, who in turn gazed at Zaekura. Eventually, she quietly asked, "What is your name?"

"Zaekura."

Standing tall, the Sand Lord said, "Zaekura…your offer is intriguing. But there are two issues that need resolved before I can entertain it: the matter of trust, of course, but also the matter of success. The two of you seem quite unconvinced of your chances of victory, thus you stand no chance of convincing me."

Antroz started to speak, but Zaekura put a hand on her arm to stop her. With a sigh, the Glatorian said, "That's fair. It is still kind of hard to wrap our heads around the idea of actually winning a fight with the Great Beings—maybe it was too soon to approach you like this. Sorry, I'm figuring this out as I go."

The Sand Lord hummed to herself, a sound like a gentle breeze. When she turned back to Zaekura, she said, "You ask for a chance. Such a future for my people is too tempting to simply ignore, thus I will give you what you seek."

Zaekura grinned. "Great! I mean, thank you, Sand Lord, for, um…"

Before she could figure out what an eloquent response might sound like, the Sand Lord continued, "I require proof that you stand a chance in this war you seek to start, as well as proof that you will learn to value the lives of the Vorox as equal to that of your own peoples. I will ask one thing of you, and if you succeed, then we can negotiate." She paused, glancing to Antroz. "I ask that you conquer Xia."

The Makuta inclined her head, her wings twitching. "What…? You are asking us to attack them unprovoked?"

"If you are here, then I imagine your base of operations is not far away, correct?" the Sand Lord said. "Close as we are to Xia, you must be within its grasp as well—if you do not attack them, they will most certainly attack you. Be the defender, and they will only attack again, and again if necessary. But if you can claim the city for your cause, then it would provide the perfect foothold to begin your climb."

Antroz bristled. "…There is truth in what you speak…but what of the citizens? Surely—"

"I do not expect you to harm them? No, Makuta, I do not. I am sure you have already elected to favor non-lethal means of combat in any encounter with your precious Matoran and Agori and whatnot. And that is precisely why this task will provide all the proof I need." She leaned forward again. "Conquer Xia…without killing a single Vorox."

"The Vorox will be fighting for Xia?" Zaekura asked.

The Sand Lord nodded. "We have no choice. Though I am forbidden from using my power within express permission from the Great Beings, the Vorox are required to fight and die should any city they inhabit come under attack. And, being the main source of industry and demand for disposable labor in the Great Desert…quite a few Vorox inhabit Xia."

Zaekura turned to Antroz. The Makuta hesitated, so Zaekura lightly elbowed her and jerked her head in the direction of the Sand Lord. Taking a deep breath, Antroz said, "It will be done, Sand Lord. Xia shall soon be ours, and we swear to you, not a single Vorox shall be lost in the process."

The Sand Lord's body began to shrink away, vanishing back into the blanket of grains she came from. "I await it eagerly. And though I still harbor doubts…it is my dearest wish that your promises shall not be empty ones."

She was gone, then, the sand mere sand once more. The Vorox parted. Zaekura and Antroz made their way out of the cave, the former blinking as she emerged into the desert sun, and then they started their walk back towards the outpost.

"You knew we were gonna have to deal with Xia sooner or later, Fangs," Zaekura said after they had walked some distance.

"Forgive me for preferring it to be later," Antroz muttered. "This is quite an adjustment—I was hoping to settle into our situation more before launching an attack upon my home."

"She's right, though, about everything. If we control Xia, we'll be able to mass produce weapons and armor for our troops, not to mention stop our enemy from making more of their own."

"I'm certain Atero would convert its factories to fill the vacuum…though, they would be far less suited to the task."

Zaekura's pace quickened unconsciously as she thought this over, leaving Antroz behind. The Makuta found her feet felt heavy, weighed down by the thought of having to storm the gates she once defended, of how she would inevitably have to meet friends she'd known for millennia on the field of battle.

To herself, she said, "Difficult as it may be, this is the right thing to do."

"Are you really so sure about that?"

Shock instantly filled her. Whirling, Antroz focused her thoughts upon her immediate surroundings, trying to determine the source of the voice she had heard, but she sensed nothing there. Up ahead, Zaekura turned back and raised an eyebrow.

"…What are you doing?" she called.

Antroz did her best to recompose herself. "Ah, nothing. I thought that I heard a voice."

Zaekura glanced left and right. "I don't see anyone. Must've imagined it."

"…Perhaps I did."

She focused one more time, trying to pick up any entity or object that was close enough she could hear it. But again, she found nothing. She did her best to shrug it off, moving to catch up to Zaekura, but the unsettling feeling left from the experience followed her without missing a step.


Charla slowed down as she approached the watchtower. Gazing up, she thought she could see the glint of Bitil's armor, but he remained largely hidden from view. She looked to her side as several other Rahkshi walked past. A shudder ran through her. Charla stopped at the tower door and took a deep breath, rubbing her neck as she prepared to enter.

Once she made her way to the top floor, she found Bitil standing near the railing with his arms crossed. With a bow, she said, "Pardon the intrusion, Lord Bitil, but I have the updates you requested."

Bitil didn't respond.

"Surja tells me that all the Rahkshi's wounds have been fully healed—she will however require some time to rest and regain the energy she expended accomplishing this, therefore I have been recommending additional caution to those still engaged in heavy work."

Still, Bitil said nothing. Charla fidgeted.

"Cleanup squads have finished removing the debris between here and the newly-discovered lab, and are very nearly done sorting and disposing of the drones' waste. We've yet to see to the minor damage the walls sustained, but I have received assurances that once the remaining scrap is dealt with, the patchwork will take mere hours to complete."

Charla dragged the pause out, but to no avail.

"…And, I have compiled several reports from our reconnaissance teams. No other drone squadrons have been sighted within considerable distance of here. One team also spotted Lady Zaekura and Makuta Antroz returning, saying that they should be arriving shortly. We've yet to receive word from Makuta Krika, however, though I doubt we will until he is on his way back as well."

The silence held for about a minute. Finally, Charla decided it was enough.

"Lord Bitil…please, say something."

Bitil turned slowly. "What would you have me say? Things are going smoothly, that's excellent. Maybe we'll have just enough borrowed time to get back in fighting shape before the next skirmish. Wonderful. We don't have any new information to work with, not until Zaekura and Antroz return at least. Come get me then."

Charla was about to leave, but she hesitated. "Lord Bitil, you know that I can sense your pain. Why do you seek to hide it from me?"

"Because there's nothing to be done with it, Charla," Bitil hissed. "There's no way to change what's happened, and we don't have the time to dwell on it. All we can do is push forward."

Charla shook her head. "Forgive me…but it was recklessly charging forward that brought about this tragedy."

Bitil's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"Lord Bitil—"

"How dare you! Perhaps I haven't had opportunity to teach it to you, but you should still know better than to speak ill of the dead! Aren't you at all upset about what happened to Virban?"

"Of course I am!" Charla said. "We all are, my lord! But when you insist on carrying on without acknowledging it, the rest of us follow that example, and now this entire outpost is filled to the brim with nothing but pent-up grief!" She wrapped her arms around herself. "No matter where I go, it's all I can feel. It's enough to make me sick. If this wound isn't treated, then the infection will cripple everyone here, and rob us of any chance of a second victory! Can't you see that?"

Bitil turned away, clenching his fists.

"…I'm sorry, my lord, but I can bear this no longer. Something must be done. We may not have as much time as we'd like, but we need to make use of the time we do have."

After a very, very long wait, Bitil quietly asked, "What would you suggest?"

Charla walked up next to him. "You may not agree, but…I think you should visit Ga-Koro."

Bitil squinted. "Ga-Koro? Why would I go there?"

"Makuta Kojol may be the only one with the answers to the questions plaguing you. At the very least, I think her expertise in these matters means she has the best chance of soothing you. I wish I could be of greater help, my lord, but…" She sighed. "…I…don't know the answers either…"

Bitil glanced over the outpost. "I can't just leave you all. What if there's some kind of surprise attack—who will be here to defend you?"

"As I said, Lady Zaekura and Makuta Antroz will be returning shortly. And even that aside, we are somewhat capable of defending ourselves, miserable though we may be at present. We will remain safe until you return."

A grunt was all she got at first. However, as Bitil mulled it over, she could sense him slowly coming about, albeit only due to the loss of having any alternative to propose.

"Fine," Bitil said. "I shall see what Kojol has to say, and then I will return immediately." He waited a moment before asking, "Would it be a burden if I put you in command during my absence?"

"One that I will gladly bear, Lord Bitil."

Bitil turned towards her. Gently setting a hand on her shoulder, he silently nodded. Charla nodded in return.

"I hope you find peace," she said. "…Enough for all of us."


"This has already gone much too far, Heremus," Velika said. "We must kill the girl the next time we see her."

Angonce crossed the chamber, arguing, "Velika, that's absurdly rash. You know we always learn more from these cases when they're brought in alive—would you really want to sacrifice that knowledge?"

"The choice is not ours any longer! Her mind has begun to develop, and if she is not stopped then she will become exactly what we have always feared these recurrences could be! Preserving our rule must take priority over some superfluous data!"

"What do you mean 'superfluous'?"

"We've examined dozens of these cases over the years, Angonce, surely you don't think we'll stumble across some grand new secret with this one in particular!"

They both turned as another Great Being, one wearing a golden cloak, slowly stepped towards them. In a subdued tone, he said, "I believe we will, Velika. Assuming your assertion that she has begun to develop is true, that is. We have never had opportunity to study someone at this stage before. Thus, studying Zaekura will without a doubt provide us with information we currently lack."

Velika huffed. "Heremus…all due respect, but I think you are underestimating the danger she poses."

"She has foiled us once. Twice, if we count Nynrah. I believe you to be overestimating her."

"Besides, isn't it kind of fun in a way?" Angonce said. "There's an element of risk involved that we haven't had in so long—why not indulge a little? I heard you saying you were glad to be curious again, Velika."

"Yes, but not…" Velika turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Your emotions cloud your judgment, friend," Heremus said. "So attached are you to these drones you have created, that you have leapt at the chance to smite those few who have bested them. It would behoove you to take a more rational approach."

"As I said, my true concern lies in the threat posed to our rule," Velika said. "How can we be complacent in the face of our first true danger?"

"You worry too much, Velika," Angonce said. "We've spent plenty of time preparing for cases like this. It may take a while, but all it requires is a bit of patience, and things will inevitably return to normal."

"Yes, patience," Velika said, "you're simply a beacon of that particular virtue, Angonce."

Angonce rolled his eyes and took a few steps away. Heremus faced Velika and said, "He is right. While Zaekura does have the potential to threaten us, this is a threat we are ready to deal with. In fact, its resolution may already be in motion."

Velika eyed him warily. "…What do you mean by that?"

"I have sent word to the Odinans. Two of them are currently en route to the mainland to find and apprehend Zaekura."

Velika's eyes widened. Angonce looked over his shoulder. Before either could say anything, a new voice called, "Is that truly the best we can do, Heremus? I'm positive there's a quicker way to get results."

The three turned to see another Great Being enter the room. Her cloak was a dark shade of gray and trailed across the floor behind her, and lacked sleeves for the simple reason that its wearer did not have arms. Angonce grimaced as she came up to them.

"Your 'quick solutions' always make me nervous, Seldoa," he muttered. "I'm afraid to ask, but if you prove me right it'll be worth it, so go on, tell us."

"She is at the outpost, is she not?" Seldoa said. "Simply annihilate the outpost."

"What do you think it is I was trying to accomplish?" Velika asked. "She fought back, and through some fluke managed to—"

"Not attack it with drones, Velika. I mean annihilate it. Wipe it off the face of the planet. A weapon capable of that should be a simple task to create."

Angonce laughed. "And there it is! I always love talking to you Seldoa, really a treat. 'Let's make something capable of atomizing cities, the masses are sure to celebrate us for it and not cower in fear.' Such wondrous humor."

Seldoa scoffed. "What of it? Those mites could always use a reminder of just where it is they stand."

"I must say I agree," Velika said. "Unrefined as it may be, I offer my support for Seldoa's proposal."

Heremus shook his head. "No."

"And why not?" Seldoa asked.

"It would seem Zaekura has already found some support. If we eradicate her so hastily, then the public would indeed come to fear us, and the next time someone with the gift appears, they will likely find much more support, and far more easily. We would solve our current problem only to make the next impossible."

"Then just wipe them all out. Or at least the Glatorian, then we won't have to worry about recurrences ever again."

"…Perhaps that is a bit much," Velika said.

"It is most certainly too much," Angonce said. "Honestly Seldoa, after so many failed petitions for extinction a logical being would've learned by now."

Seldoa closed her eyes and thought a moment. Looking then to Heremus, she said, "Very well. But I still lack confidence in the Odinans' ability to handle this crisis. Allow me to make some preparations, arrange some fallbacks for if they should fail."

Heremus rubbed his chin. Leaning towards him, Angonce said, "Would it be wise to leave her in charge of a war effort? I mean, that's basically what we're talking about here."

Seldoa glared at him, but Heremus nodded. "Quite right. Therefore, should the Odinans fail, I will entrust the bulk of these affairs to both Seldoa and Velika."

Angonce scratched the side of his face. "…That's, er, not what I had in mind, Heremus…"

Raising an eyebrow, Velika said, "She and I? Truly?"

"Yes. You care for the citizens enough that you should be able to keep Seldoa's zealousness in check, whilst still ensuring that our goals will be achieved."

Velika glanced at Seldoa. Both of them smirked.

"I will of course remain informed," Heremus said, "and have the ability to reject your plans or even remove you from this position should I feel your personal feelings are obstructing your performance."

"I can abide by that," Seldoa said. "Thank you, Heremus. We shall not disappoint you."

"Indeed, Heremus," Velika said. "You will not regret this decision. Come with me, Seldoa: let us begin work immediately."

Seldoa nodded, and the two of them exited the chamber. Angonce sighed.

"You doubt my choice, Angonce?" Heremus said.

"Frankly, Heremus, yes. But for now it's sort of a moot point, I suppose. I'll wait quietly and see how the Odinans perform for now."

Heremus nodded and headed back across the chamber.

"It's sort of interesting, though," Angonce mumbled.

Heremus turned. "Beg pardon?"

"Oh, nothing, just…the Odinans. Already. You were telling Velika he's overestimating her, but the Odinans are usually sort of a last resort, so to go straight to them just seems…" Angonce gestured vaguely.

"The Odinans are to be called upon when the Makuta fail," Heremus said. "Three Makuta have failed to deal with Zaekura. I feel turning now to the Odinans is entirely logical."

"…Alright, I suppose that makes sense. Pretend I never said anything."

Heremus resumed walking. Angonce crossed his arms and stared at the floor, humming to himself as he thought. A new set of footsteps soon reached his ears, and when he looked up, he saw a white and gold-clad Makuta wearing a Mask of Sensory Aptitude walk into the room.

"Is the meeting over, Lord Angonce?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, come on in, Chirox. What have you got for me?"

The Makuta held out a tablet as he came closer. "Results on that experiment you asked me to run. I'm afraid there's not much to report, but I also included some proposals to how the parameters could be altered to achieve more desirable results. We may need to request some more materials from Xia, however."

"Right, Xia, I'll send you that way…"

Angonce glanced over the tablet, and then settled his gaze on Chirox. "Say, Chirox…these experiments should be compatible with other life forms aside from the Rahi we've been using, shouldn't they?"

Humming thoughtfully, Chirox said, "I don't see why not. Did you have something in mind?"

"If you're going to be visiting Xia, then I can't help but wonder: how do you suppose this process might affect a Vorox?"


ADDENDUM:

-I think the scene in the Vorox den would've been more effective if I'd shown more of how the Vorox live/are treated over the course of the past eight chapters—I don't think that one scene in Section I is really enough. Unfortunately, the plot pushed things along without giving me the chance, since most of our time has been spent at Bitil's outpost which is specifically only inhabited by Rahkshi…maybe I could have made time when Krika was in Ga-Koro? Regardless, I'm hoping to better utilize the Vorox going forward.

-After mentioning Heremus a few times now, I figured it was time he actually made an appearance. In order to keep the personalities of the other Great Beings in check, Heremus needed to be an extremely logical individual, someone who exemplifies the scientific nature of his kind by approaching everything with absolute objectivity.

-The thing is, I've now exhausted all the Great Beings we know the names of (all three of them), so this means I have to start bringing in original ones to fill out the roster. Hence, Seldoa. I figured whoever would step forward to lead the war effort would be someone rather nasty, and giving her a disdain for the people allows me to play her off of Angonce easily and I think a crutch like that is useful for the first of this type of character to be built wholly from scratch. Her arms were lost in an experiment a very long time ago, and so she has a device that grants her very precise telekinetic abilities to compensate. I haven't settled on how many Great Beings we'll see (Greg says fewer than 20 exist, and tbh even making 20 sounds daunting), or when more will be introduced—it's something that'll just come up as needed. I don't want to plan them all out at once, I might get a really good idea later on that I can work in at the last minute!

-I also wanted to return to the passing mention of the Odinans from a few chapters ago. I figured "Dark Hunters" wouldn't really suit an organization called upon by the Great Beings, plus this group also takes inspiration from elsewhere, and approaching things the way their leader would I figured something simple and straight-forward would work. After that long arc of coming into direct conflict with the Great Beings and facing down hordes of drones, I thought it might be nice to shift focus to just two minor antagonists as a sort of breather. Well, I say breather, but…

-In Brothers in Arms, Melding Chirox did make a brief appearance inside the Valley of the Maze, so I figured it was best to have him officially stationed there. But, since it's Chirox, he's a lab assistant rather than a guard. The Mask of Sensory Aptitude is one of those fanmade Kanohi that are canon but weren't seen in action: it greatly increases the user's five senses, so I thought it would make a good antithesis to the Shelek (which robs the target of a sense), plus I kind of dig its simplistic design aesthetic.

-This chapter is a bit on the short side, and for that I apologize, but I wanted to give myself a bit of extra time to prepare Krika's next scene so I decided to bump it to Section X. I can tell you that I've found some extra potential in it already, so hopefully it'll be worth the wait!