Zaekura stumbled a bit as she leapt to the ground, but was quickly able to steady herself. Looking back up at the ledge, she saw Charla preparing to jump next and got out of her way, stopping next to Tamaru a short distance ahead.

"So," she said breathlessly, "Nuparu really doesn't want to be found, huh?"

Tamaru hummed and nodded. "He was pretty well-known before he left. I think he's still nervous someone might come looking for him. We don't get to see him all that much—I've been wanting to visit him for a while, actually!"

Charla landed and made her way over, saying, "That doesn't bode well for our chances of convincing him, I think. Would he not wish to remain here?"

The party proceeded into a lush ravine, Tamaru saying, "I wouldn't worry too much. Nuparu's an engineer at heart: he salvages what machines he can to have something to work with, but that's nothing compared to the kind of resources in Xia. Well, from what I've heard about it, at least."

"I see. He must have had a very good reason for leaving it behind, then."

"Definitely. But, you can ask him about that—it's not far now."

Zaekura tried to see ahead, but a web of branches obscured her vision. "Huh…so, Tamaru, where did you live before coming here? Just curious."

"Me? I lived in Atero's trading district!"

"Trading? You're a merchant?"

"Well, not really; I was hired on by one of the larger stores to keep up with their rising demand. Stocking shelves, greeting customers, a little of everything."

"Oh, okay. How was that?"

"It could get rough, but I did my best to stay positive. My friends would come in all the time to say hi, so I could always look forward to that…it was like they always knew when I needed them most." Tamaru's smile faded suddenly, her gaze dropping as a subtle shadow passed over her. "I wonder how they're doing now…I didn't get a chance to say good-bye when I left. It happened so suddenly. I had to hurry and give an answer to—"

"Tamaru," Takua quietly interrupted.

She snapped to attention. "O-Oh, right, um…that is…"

Zaekura nodded. "I get it: you don't want to say too much when you're not sure where that information will go."

"Sorry. It's not that we don't trust you, really!"

Takua glanced back at the Makuta, muttering, "For the most part."

"Oh I'm quite good at keeping secrets," Krika said. "Nynrah was a city of art—do you think no one there explored identity outside of the Great Being's borders?"

"I'm sure plenty did. But I don't seem to recall ever hearing about you defending them to your leaders."

"True. I am a coward, after all."

Kiina, who up until this point had walked in silence, now stopped in her tracks to face Krika. Despite his powers of Cold Resistance, the look she gave still chilled him to his core. "Not everyone has the luxury of cowardice."

The Makuta had no response. Tamaru rubbed her neck, eyes wandering, but perked up when she spotted something. Pointing, she said, "There! Just ahead!"

The ravine opened up into a great clearing, protected from overhead by a thin canopy that dressed the area with intricate shadows. Scattered about were scraps of metal, discarded containers, bundles of wiring, and a vast array of well-worn tools that looked ready to fall apart at the slightest touch. Kiina took up a position at the edge of the clearing, meanwhile Tamaru rushed towards the cave opening on the far side.

"Nuparu!" she called. "Are you home? There's some people here to see—"

A tremor cut her off. The ground lurched, splitting open between Tamaru and the rest of the group, lowering her down while lifting the rest of them up slightly. A Toa of Earth then appeared, leaping onto the elevated land and brandishing a pick at the visitors.

"Leave them alone, Makuta!" he warned. "I promise you, I won't allow any of my friends to be hurt!"

Takua came forward, saying, "It's okay, Taipu. I know it's weird, but they're not here to hurt us."

Taipu kept his eyes fixed on Antroz and Krika. "A likely story! They've got you under some kind of mind control, don't they Takua? Don't worry, I'll free you!"

He prepared to charge, but Tamaru, having leapt up to his side, held him back by his arm. She said, "Taipu, it's really okay! Honest!"

"Huh? What?"

"Listen: do you remember that Zaekura girl I was talking about before?"

"Uh, yeah."

"That's her!"

Taipu looked at the Glatorian, who waved slightly. Lowering his weapon, the Toa said, "Oh…wait, so then does that mean…"

"Yes, exactly!" Tamaru said. "They just wanna talk. It's all okay!"

Taipu paused a moment. Then, he reared back and gave a loud laugh. "Well, that's a relief! Sorry for the rude welcome, then! Hold on a sec…"

Twisting his arms, Taipu exerted his elemental power to restore the ground to its former state. He took a moment to survey the area, making sure none of the miscellaneous items strewn about had been disturbed from their resting places, and then smiled brightly at the group.

"Right then! What can I do for you?"

Takua shook his head, but smiled nonetheless. "Is Nuparu here?"

"Sure is! He's working on something inside, so I came out to gather some berries when I saw you coming."

Just as he turned, another Toa of Earth began to emerge from the cave. Raising a hand over his eyes, he called, "Taipu? What's going on? Is something…"

He trailed off, going completely stiff the second he spotted Antroz. Taipu said, "There he is! Hey, so—"

Nuparu bolted back inside, sealing the entryway behind him. Tamaru sighed, saying, "I, uh, guess we should've thought this through a little more…Taipu, why don't you and I go explain? The rest of you should probably stay back for now."

It took quite some time, but eventually, Taipu and Tamaru returned with Nuparu in tow. Still staring at Antroz, he grumbled, "I'd heard the rumors, but never for a second did I actually believe them. You're the last person I ever expected to turn on the Great Beings, Makuta."

"I can understand why," Antroz said. "It is good to know that you are well, Nuparu. We were quite worried when you disappeared."

The engineer took a step back. "…You're…really not here to capture me? This isn't all just some elaborate scheme to force me back into working for the Great Beings?"

"I assure you it is not. I am here only to assist Zaekura, nothing more."

Hesitantly, Nuparu turned to Zaekura. She said, "Nice to meet you, Nuparu. I see you've been keeping yourself busy."

"Yeah, well, I would've cleaned up if I knew I was going to have guests."

"No worries—I'm not a stickler for that sort of thing."

Nuparu crossed his arms. "…So. The same genetic mutation as the Great Beings. If you've survived opposing them this long, then I suppose I have to believe that. Let me guess: you want me to make weapons for you? Can't see why else you'd track me down."

"Not necessarily. We just want to negotiate for whatever help you might be willing to offer us. There's plenty more you can do than just make weapons, I'm sure: I bet you're the reason why Fangs and Charla couldn't sense anyone telepathically?"

Tugging at his necklace, Nuparu said, "Psionic cloaking pendants. How else am I going to run away from someone who instantly knows exactly where you are as soon as you're in range?"

"And you made this many using salvaged material? That's pretty impressive."

"It'll take more than flattery to convince me."

Taipu drew closer, setting his hands on Nuparu's shoulders. "But it is impressive! You're always inventing such amazing things, Nuparu!"

Nuparu paused to smile at him. Frowning back at Zaekura, he said, "Alright…I'm still not sure I trust you, but let's say I was able to put that aside. Why would I do something as dangerous and stupid as openly opposing the Great Beings?"

"It wouldn't have to be openly," Zaekura said. "We can keep your involvement a secret if that's what you want."

"Hm…still, there's a good chance this all goes wrong and I end up dead. What's worth that risk?"

Taipu, seemingly unconsciously, wrapped his arms around Nuparu. Zaekura said, "What we can offer you now is our support, and access to any territory under our control. That includes Xia."

Nuparu raised an eyebrow.

"You'll be free to use any resources we can spare however you like. We'll want to consult with you from time to time, maybe make some requests, but for the most part you'll be left to your own devices."

Putting a hand to his mask, Nuparu said, "I see…it's not much, but I have to admit it is tempting." He glanced back at Taipu. "…But. I have more to think about than just my own interest."

"Ah," Charla said, "so that's it. The two of you left because the Great Beings forbid Toa to partake in romance?"

Nuparu looked up. "…A talking Rahkshi? Wait, this is a Telepathy type, so it's probably not spoken…still, proper speech, I've never heard that from a Rahkshi…"

Taipu chuckled. "You're pretty easy to distract sometimes, you know?"

Clearing his throat, Nuparu said, "Er, um, anyway. That's right. The Great Beings didn't program any of their creations with romantic love—they didn't think it necessary. But, Taipu and I…well, it's hard to describe. After spending so much time together, we just sort of realized that we had outgrown that particular limitation."

"Yep. Sure took us a while to figure it out, though! One of our Agori friends had to sit us down and spell it out."

"Boy, that was embarrassing…"

Taipu hugged Nuparu close. "But I'm glad. Now I know that this is love! Putting a name to it just made it so much simpler."

"I love you too, Taipu," Nuparu said, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, his expression stiffened. "So that's why we had to leave. Eventually, someone would have found out, and there was no telling what the Great Beings would have done to us. And that's why I can't go back just for the chance to tinker more. Something like that could never be worth risking Taipu's safety."

Zaekura nodded. "I understand. I can't ask that of you."

Taipu stepped forward then. "Say, Zaekura? If you beat the Great Beings, does that mean you'll be in charge of Spherus Magna?"

"Uh…we haven't worked out the specifics, but we're definitely going to make some changes."

"Okay. When that happens, what'll it mean for people like me and Nuparu? You don't seem to have a problem with us, so I was wondering if that meant…"

"Of course. We want to make a world where no one has to hide who they are. It isn't exactly the same for me, but I've spent most of my life being scared just because of the way I am…I don't want others to have to go through that feeling."

Taipu grinned. Turning back to Nuparu, he said, "Nuparu, I think we should help her."

Nuparu's eyes shot wide. "What?!"

"You heard her! If we win, then things'll get way better for everybody! I want to make that happen."

"Taipu, it isn't that simple. Our chances of winning are next to nothing! And when we lose, we…" He shook his head.

Stepping closer, Taipu took Nuparu's hand. "I know you want to keep me safe. You've already given up so much for me, and I can't tell you how much that means. But, I want you to be happy…and the jungle isn't where you belong."

"I'm happy as long as I'm with you," Nuparu said, placing a hand on Taipu's cheek. "I don't need anything else, Taipu."

"It's okay, Nuparu. I know you love me! But I know you love inventing too. I mean, that amazing creativity is part of what I love about you! Really…I've been thinking for a while, trying to come up with a way we could be together without that creativity being held back. And honestly, this sounds like it's the only way."

At a loss for words, Nuparu lowered his head. Taipu leaned forward to press their foreheads together.

"I understand the risk. I think it's worth it. So, don't let worrying about me change your decision, okay? I'll stay by your side no matter what."

Nuparu sighed. Before he could give an answer, a flock of birds flew by overhead, cawing loudly as they went. Craning her neck, Tamaru whistled up at them, and one broke away from the flock to flutter down and land on her arm. Her Rau shimmered as she made a series of clicks and whistles, the bird responding in kind; after a moment of this, her eyes widened, and she rushed over to Zaekura.

"This is bad!" Tamaru said. "Xia's under attack! From the sound of it, they're not off to a great start."

Zaekura started. "What? Now?! Of all the…" Spinning around, she said, "We've gotta go. Can you teleport us there?"

"I can teleport us closer," Antroz said, "but without knowing the exact formation of our enemies it would not be wise to materialize too close."

"Good enough." She turned back to Tamaru. "Thanks for the tip. Sorry to run, but—"

"Hold on," Nuparu interrupted. "There's…there's something I want to give you before you go."

"Huh? Really?"

"This doesn't mean I've decided anything! But, it's not seeing any use here, so…may as well give it a proper field test."

He turned to see Taipu grinning, then headed off with an exasperated shake of his head. Tamaru said, "Good luck, Zaekura. We'll talk to the other Le-Koronans like we said—hopefully we'll have some good news when you come back!"

"Thanks," Zaekura said. She took a moment to breathe before facing her allies again. "We have no idea what they're going to throw at us this time. Whatever happens, be sure to stay on your guard."


Just as Xia's scars had nearly healed, new wounds were being torn. A legion of drones advanced upon it, recognizable as Velika's pride but larger, sturdier-looking than the ones that had attacked Nynrah. The city's defenders did their best to keep them at bay, but the devastating lethality of the automatons' weapons complicated their efforts greatly, and several had already breached the walls, firing indiscriminately at whoever they found inside.

Amidst this chaos ran a Panrahk, clad in dull gray robes and carrying a rod tipped with a faintly-glowing green crystal. She looked over her shoulder and immediately ducked, tripping as she narrowly avoided a blast from the drone pursuing her. Spinning around, she pointed her rod at it. The crystal flickered briefly, but ultimately went dim; the Panrahk crawled backward, staring up at the drone as it raised its weapon once more. Just as it was about to fire, Bitil appeared in a blur of gold, ripping the drone in two and melting the pieces with a quick burst of Plasma energy. The Panrahk sighed.

"Clera!" he shouted, rushing over to help her up. "Are you okay?"

Shakily, she nodded, hissing a reply.

"Don't apologize. Is something wrong with your weapon?"

Averting her gaze, Clera shook her head and shrugged.

"For the time being, I want you to fall back. Follow me, and—"

He stopped abruptly and covered Clera, pulling her out of the way of more blasts. Bitil stepped forward to sneer at the two drones advancing towards them.

"Don't worry, dear: I won't let them hurt you."

As the drones moved to attack again, they instead began to slump forward, their movements slowing as if they lacked the strength to lift their own feet. A moment later, two large stone spikes erupted from the ground beneath them. Neton and Hewkii moved onto the street to examine the remains of the drones, and then went to join Bitil and Clera.

"Excellent timing," Bitil said. "We're getting Clera out of here. After that, we'll come up with a counterattack strategy."

Neton and Clera hissed back and forth for a moment. Hewkii said, "What if we disable their leader? Surely that would be a step in the right direction."

Bitil grunted. "I've spotted the leader. Stopping him won't be easy." Neton hissed a question. "Yes. Velika's made a new body for himself, and it's looking far more dangerous than these stock. We're employing the jamming signal Lady Zaekura developed, but it hasn't terminated his connection."

A thunderclap was heard as a portion of Xia's wall began to crumble. Hewkii said, "It sounds like you're needed on the front lines, Makuta. We shall see to it that Clera gets to safety."

Bitil eyed the Toa warily before shifting his gaze to Neton. The Rahkshi nodded. With a sigh, Bitil said, "Very well. Just be careful, all of you."

With that, he made his way towards the wall. Clera stared at the ground, wringing her hands around her rod, until Neton set a hand on her shoulder and quietly grumbled something.

"Sorry," Hewkii said, "but we should get going. The city's already crawling with drones, and I'm sure more are getting in by the second."

When the two Rahkshi were ready, they advanced quickly but cautiously down Xia's back roads, sights set on the central tower. The streets were clear of enemies, but soon they led straight to an open square; the trio pressed against a corner building as Hewkii surveyed the area. All seemed clear, so he turned to motion the Rahkshi forward. Just then, he heard footsteps.

"Can't you be still for a minute?"

Three Toa walked into the square. At the rear of the line was a Toa of Fire with a Noble Hau, and Hewkii nearly started at the sight of him: his limbs were long and gangly, and he lurched forward on his hands as he walked. His armor seemed to have grown askew somehow, and in the gaps, patches of black fur poked out.

"Shut up!" snapped the monstrous Toa. "I don't think this thing is done working yet…Lord Velika must've given me too strong a dose!"

Immediately before him was a Toa of Air with a Kualsi, who rolled his eyes as he casually strolled on. "Oh yeah? I sure don't want to be there when you tell him that, Radiak."

The Toa of Fire bared his teeth—no, fangs—as he prepared to retort, but he stopped. He turned his head, and Hewkii ducked back just in time to avoid being spotted.

The leader, a Toa of Earth whose Ruru was trimmed in wisps of gold, soon stopped as well. "Radiak? What is it?"

"…I dunno," Radiak said, shifting uneasily. "Instinct, I guess."

The Toa of Air laughed. "Of course."

"I'm serious, Defilak! I can't shake this feeling…like someone…"

Eyes shooting wide, the leader held a finger before his mask. The other two instantly fell silent. When the Toa of Earth pointed to Radiak, the mutated Toa looked around a bit before nodding in a certain direction. At the leader's signal, Defilak unlimbered his shortsword and, in the blink of an eye, used the power of his Kanohi to put himself at the indicated corner of the square. He leaned forward, preparing to round the building. Suddenly, Hewkii's battle axe came swinging around the corner, bashing Defilak into the wall; a thick stone barrier then closed off the square exit, and Radiak shouted.

"Doesn't seem we have a choice," Hewkii said. "Any ideas, Neton?"

The Rahkshi of Gravity hissed at him.

"Hm, we really do need to find a way to communicate properly…"

The wall of rock shuddered as Radiak began to thrash against it. Neton used his power to slowly rise into the air, keeping an eye on what Hewkii was doing. Just as the Rahkshi reached the top of the wall, Hewkii willed the portion before him to explode out—Radiak dashed back, avoiding the worst of the debris and preparing to charge back in. As he did, Neton came crashing down to smack him into the pavement.

"Not bad," said a voice behind him.

He formed a well of gravity several meters away, pulling himself aside just as Defilak swiped his sword, electricity dancing down the blade. Using his Kanohi, the Toa was immediately upon him again. Neton parried the next strike with the handle of his hammer, then rotated the weapon, prompting Defilak to move behind him and try again. Reducing gravity to speed up his swing, Neton spun the hammer over his head before making it far heavier, trying to drop it on the Toa. He managed to graze Defilak as he retreated but nothing more. The Rahkshi kept his sights on his opponent, and so was blindsided when the earth beneath his feet suddenly heaved upward. Neton was able to avoid being crushed, but Defilak used the opportunity to get close and stun him with a cut.

"Much appreciated, Turaga Garan," Defilak said, turning to grin at the Toa of Earth.

"Move!" shouted his leader.

Heeding the warning, Defilak teleported a short distance away, watching as a Rhotuka soared through the space he had just occupied. The wheel of energy took aim at Garan next, but was intercepted by a small chunk of earth which quickly plummeted to the ground. Hewkii charged a few steps forward before Radiak leapt upon him—the Toa of Fire's grip was stronger than expected, dazing Hewkii long enough for him to pull back on arm and extend three long claws from his wrist. With no room to dodge, Hewkii instead bucked forward and headbutted Radiak in the face to stall his attack. No sooner had he thrown Radiak off, however, did Defilak hit him out of nowhere.

"Hah!" Hewkii said, swinging his axe to force Defilak away. "It'll take more than that to shock me!"

He turned as Radiak charged, catching his wild swipe. Defilak leaned forward, but instead of teleporting, he lost his balance and smashed into the ground. Seeing this, Garan willed the earth beneath Neton to erupt, and as the Rahkshi was tossed through the air, he drew two curved blades and crossed them in front of himself. A powerful glow emanated from the weapons, and Garan drew them apart as he walked to the spot where Neton would land. Using his power, Neton was able to keep himself aloft, but Garan moved towards him anyway, eyes fixed on his target with unnerving focus.

"So," Hewkii said as he brandished his axe, "what brings you folks to Xia?"

He jabbed the weighted end of the handle at Radiak, his foe breaking free just in time to roll clear. Stalking around him, Radiak replied, "What do you think, idiot? We're taking it back from that rebel!"

Hewkii made a wide swing, catching Defilak just as he materialized. Trying to hide a smirk, he said, "Ah, that's what I thought. What a shame! Here I was hoping we could just have a friendly game of kolhii."

Defilak chuckled as he stood up, spinning his sword around in one hand. "Hey, you're the one who decided to fight for Zaekura's cause, aren't you? No complaining!"

"Hm? When did I say anything about a cause? I'm simply doing my part to rebuild Xia."

With a grunt, Radiak barreled forward at Hewkii, flames trailing his claw as he rapidly stabbed with it. Hewkii shuffled back to avoid the blows, swinging again when he lost sight of Defilak. Reappearing in a crouch, Defilak flipped his sword around, hooking the curved pommel on Hewkii's axe, and yanked it down. Radiak then connected with an uppercut to Hewkii's jaw, loosening his Kanohi and making him stumble, following up with a stab that cut a searing gash across his chest. Hewkii quickly fixed his mask, clinging tightly to his weapon despite the gale Defilak had summoned to blow him away—with new strength surging through him, he pulled himself forward and sent Defilak sprawling with a clothesline. Radiak was knocked aside by a miniature stone pillar. Hewkii leapt out from between them to plan his next move, then dropped to one knee as a bolt of energy struck him in the back. He looked over his shoulder to see Garan, one sword still glowing, the other pointed at him but no longer shining.

"So…they made you a Turaga?" Hewkii said.

"Stand down, Hewkii," Garan said. "I don't know why you've sided with the enemy, but I won't let you stop our mission."

He jumped out of the way as Neton dropped down hammer-first. Lashing out, he caught Neton's spines with his sword, eliciting a shriek as the Rahkshi repelled him with a burst of gravitic force. Garan stayed on his feet, unwilling to fall.

"Somehow I thought as much," Hewkii said. He turned to see Defilak and Radiak getting back up. "Trying to stop you when you're serious…that's just the sort of challenge I'm looking for!"


ADDENDUM:

-So much for monthly. But it's 2020, so it's not my fault.

-Honestly, the whole "love isn't canon" thing never bothered me. Recently I've taken an approach that I think serves as an interesting compromise: that the MU inhabitants weren't meant to feel romantic love, but some do nonetheless. But as discussed in regards to Tamaru last time, the Great Beings don't tolerate any deviation from their programming, so those who feel this way must be very careful. Quite a few of the Le-Koronans have fled to Bota Magna for this very reason.

-Clera was mentioned briefly a few chapters back: Panrahk in the Melding Universe are Rahkshi of Faith, so she has a cleric motif to go along with that. She's having an issue at the moment, but we should see her specialty soon—I've thought of a new direction I can try with the Rahkshi, and she's going to be how I start implementing it.

-Hewkii was meant to be something of a one-and-done minor character, but after some recent brainstorming I think he's going to become rather important in the near future.

-I mentioned it previously, but with how long this has been going on I think it bears repeating: there are no Toa or Matoran of Light in this universe, so characters who were Av-Matoran originally are represented here as Toa of the Element they disguised themselves as. (Takua and Radiak are both Toa of Fire, for example.)

-That's all for now. I will do my best not to take as long to get the next Section done, but it may not be quick either: I have a new job (that I actually rather like!) that's giving me plenty of hours right now, in my next term I'll be doing a writing workshop and that has to take priority, and I'm also coming up on a writing contest with scholarship money for prizes and I can't let that opportunity pass by. Not to mention I'm similarly well behind on updating my Mega Man fics. Again, it's 2020, everything's awful so it's only to be expected Law isn't seeing as much progress this year as I hoped it would. I think I'm finally accepting that this might just turn into another five year project even if I try to speed it up. Anyway, be safe, wear a mask, wash your hands, all that good stuff. See you next time.