Ehrye watched out the window in horror as the drones swept through the streets like a flood of metal and plasma. He wished he could freeze just a few of them, offer at least some small help to their terrified targets, but he knew that wouldn't work: comfortable as the makeshift prison was, it had still been outfitted with the necessary means to block his elemental powers, a must-have for any place intended to hold Toa. He tore himself away from the window and looked at Ackar, the Glatorian staring squarely at his prosthetic arm as he picked futilely at its restraining band.
"...Um," the Toa said, "so, what do you think is gonna happen? I mean…"
"The rebels will be destroyed," Ackar said.
"You think so?"
Ackar looked up. "I was told that if I should fail, then Lord Velika would lead Atero's forces in a second attack a few days later. They will not fail."
Ehrye shivered. "Lord Velika, huh? But, hasn't Zaekura already repelled him once?"
"He's had time to plan, and he's backed by the might of Atero. This time will be different."
"Oh." Ehrye paused, looking out the window for a moment. "And...what about Xia?"
Ackar returned to his arm. "Things'll go back to the way they were. You'll be safe again."
Ehrye looked at the floor, fidgeting with one hand as he debated something in his head. Before he reached an answer, the door suddenly opened, and in walked Emsar.
"Afternoon," the Vortixx greeted, twirling a keyring around one finger. "I've decided to break out, and I was wondering if you two might like to join me."
"W-what?!" Ehrye said, jumping backwards. "Are you serious?"
"Of course. I for one have had enough time to reflect, and would like very much to return to action. If circumstances differ for you that's fine, I just thought it'd be rude not to offer."
Ackar flexed the fingers of his prosthetic. "Who are you siding with?"
Smirking at him, Emsar replied, "Need you know?"
He turned away with a huff, so Emsar looked back to Ehrye. Again, the Toa of Ice stared out the window, lost in thought, so the Vortixx readied to leave.
"Wait," Ehrye said. "T...take me with you."
Stepping next to him, Emsar unlocked his bindings in a flash. Ackar said, "Toa. Do you know what you're doing?"
"Not really. But for now, at least...I can't sit by when people are in danger."
"The only ones in danger are the rebels. They've earned it."
Emsar rolled her eyes. "Perhaps you should take a look."
Ackar grunted. Feeling a jolt of annoyance, Emsar grabbed him by his chest plate and slammed him into the window, forcing him to see what was happening down below. The entire city was in chaos: screams rang out as buildings crumbled, the unrelenting drones continuing their blind rampage at the tail of a fleeing mob. An Agori tripped and fell, saved from being vaporized only by a quick-moving Rahkshi.
"All of those screaming innocents are rebels, then?" Emsar asked. "They've all earned their terror? Their death?"
Ackar's fury quickly gave way to bewilderment. Now pressing against the window himself, he said, "What…? This can't be right...the drones must be malfunctioning!"
"Explain it however you must. My question is: are you going to act?"
Ackar clenched his teeth. Slowly looking over his shoulder, he said, "...Unshackle me. I may want those rebels to burn, but I can't let civilian lives be lost."
Emsar stepped back, waving the restraining band at him. "Already done. We're counting on you, General."
Ackar pushed his way past her. Chuckling to herself, Emsar beckoned to Ehrye and went into the hall.
"I'll be stopping at the armory, if you don't mind. No point in doing this if I'm not equipped to do it properly."
Bitil dashed across the sands, keeping both his Dodge and Molecular Density powers active. The hordes of drones fired at him near-constantly, but whenever a beam approached him he would tumble out of the way without losing momentum, phasing through any drone in his way and taking some of their internal circuitry with him as he emerged. At the rear of the group stood one form that towered above the mechanical infantry: nine feet tall with limbs so thick they resembled industrial pipes, its whole frame coated in a copper-colored metal and accented with short but elegantly curved spikes. Its face held nothing but eyes, empty white receptors that fixed a frigid, piercing glare at Bitil as he came to a stop not far away. The titan raised its hand to signal the drones to leave them be.
"Finally," the machine said, its voice sounding nothing like an automaton but still incomparably cold. "Here I thought I would need to slaughter your precious spawn to draw you out, Bitil."
Bitil's heart was ablaze with rage and sadness, but he knew he could not let it get the best of him. "Velika! I will ask you once to leave this place!"
"Hah! Taking lessons from Antroz, is that it? A shame she's not here to speak her words herself."
So they know Zaekura and the others have left? Bitil thought. That leaves me little to bluff with.
Velika craned his neck. "I sense you're trying to sever my connection to this body. Yes, I expected she wouldn't simply give up on the fluke that won her safety last time...that is why I came prepared. This body has been specifically outfitted with cutting-edge encryption technology, making it impossible to purge me from it! Perhaps I spread myself too thin previously...but now, my entire genius has been focused into a single point!"
"So that's what's going on. But why are your drones attacking the people of Xia? Do you really think you can keep your people's trust once they see how ready you are to kill them yourself?"
"Stalling for time, are we?"
Bitil said nothing.
"Haha...oh, I may as well indulge you. I will admit this is less than ideal-as I told Krika, the weak are a precious resource that must be preserved. Yet, now that you rebels hold this city, how am I to tell which of them have been infected by your ideology? Should even one slip through the net, this heresy would continue to spread, and Xia would fall yet again, possibly corrupting other cities in the process. No, the safest thing to do is to simply throw out the entire batch. A shame, truly a waste, but a loss I have deemed acceptable in the end."
Before Bitil could mold his disgust into words, Velika pointed one finger in his direction. A bolt of Shadow grazed his mask as he tried to dodge. The burning pain shocked him, drawing out a quick hiss before he could compose himself, at which point he retaliated with a burst of Laser Vision. His attack bounced harmlessly off of Velika's body.
"You know," Velika said, "it really was fortuitous that you Makuta were so willing to turn yourselves into beings of Light. Now that you're all going rogue, it gives us a weakness so very easy to exploit."
Bitil dodged the next bolt. He shot a beam of plasma to no effect, and Velika laughed at his failure. The Makuta said, "I don't believe it...what's this thing made of?"
A hint of irritation crept into Velika's voice as he answered. "Yes, well...my designs aim for efficiency, which unfortunately seems to not translate entirely into combat prowess. As such, I accepted assistance from Seldoa in crafting this latest body, and she forged its armor from a new metal she recently created. There was only enough for one...but that will more than suffice."
Velika opened his hand, shooting Shadow from every finger. Bitil managed to get out of the way, but then Velika dashed forward, tackling him shoulder-first, a handful of spikes puncturing his armor with ease.
"This metal, seldite, is five times as durable as protosteel, and has also been treated to have phenomenal resistance to non-physical means of attack. While I would rather have invented it myself, I cannot deny Seldoa's genius: she has allowed me to craft a body that is completely invulnerable!"
Bitil bounced when he hit the ground. Immediately backing away, he stopped to assess the damage, but swiftly abandoned the task when he saw a compartment open in Velika's chest. Though Bitil managed to move his body, his leaked antidermis remained where it was; a gigantic blast of raw energy poured out of Velika, obliterating the wisps of Bitil's essence and carving a trench that carried all the way to Xia's wall, tearing a new section of it asunder. Bitil shuddered at the sight.
"Be it a touch more destructive than I would have preferred," Velika said. "In any event, the point remains the same, Bitil. This desert will be your grave."
Bitil grunted. Using his magnetism powers, he ripped away a small piece of the blade he carried, dividing it up before using it to patch the holes in his armor. "My children are fighting for a deathless victory...one we can all celebrate together. I have no intention of letting them down."
Velika gave a harsh laugh. "You think that feeble sentiment will be enough to shield you from death?"
"Not by itself. But I'm ready to put in the work."
Bitil charged. Velika swatted, dispelling the illusion, and then fired a bolt at the real Bitil who stood concealed to his other side. He twisted around the attack, keeping a close eye on Velika, but the Great Being did not press his advantage. Deactivating his invisibility, Bitil cast his powers of Slow at his enemy; they had some effect, if not as much as he had hoped, so he dashed in and struck Velika's back with his blade, releasing a short burst of electrical energy to see what would happen. Sparks danced along Velika's armor, traveling straight to the ground without finding their way inside. Velika whirled and lashed out with his elbow-the blow connected, but Bitil became elastic just before, his body bending around the attack and taking minimal damage. Bitil teleported clear as Velika threw a follow-up punch, keeping his distance once more.
I have a few more things I want to try, he thought, but this armor just might be impenetrable. I'll play defensively for now...hopefully some opportunity will present itself.
The panel on Velika's chest opened once again. Bitil turned invulnerable to endure the blast that came next, but it didn't entirely stop the pain. Stunned by the sensation, he allowed Velika to close the gap; the Great Being fired a spread of Shadow bolts to fence him in, so when he came in for a punch, all Bitil could do was reactivate his invulnerability and hope it would hold. Velika punched again and again and again, none of the strikes piercing Bitil's armor but each jolting his body stiff to make escape impossible. Slowly but surely, his defensive power was waning.
"You certainly tried, Bitil," Velika said as he continued to chip away at the Makuta's guard. "But your fate was inevitable!"
Just as Bitil could bear it no longer, a shrill cry rang out. One of Velika's drones collapsed, then a second, then a third. Distracted by this, Velika faltered in his assault-Bitil teleported away and finally released his invulnerability power, crumpling in a heap for a few moments.
"What's this…?" Velika mumbled.
Bitil looked up. Sand blown by the wind obscured them somewhat, but there were definitely several new shapes moving about at the edges of the horde of drones. Bitil continued to stare until he could see clearly. Another drone was felled, and a Vorox ran from the scene to rejoin its pack, three more separating from the group at the same time.
"Filthy beasts," Velika said, outstretching his arm. "You dare damage my property?"
Bitil tried to leap forward, but his energy hadn't recovered quite yet. Velika shot a giant blast of Shadow at the Vorox, yet it never reached them: a dense wall of sand suddenly sprang into being between him and the pack, blocking the shot and then collapsing away. A sandy hand entered Bitil's field of vision to help him up.
"We came as quickly as we were able," said the Sand Lord. "It is fortunate you survived until our arrival, Makuta."
"Sand Lord!" Velika yelled, voice booming out over the desert. "What is the meaning of this? Are you pathetic Vorox truly so stupid-when we ordered you to defend Xia, we did not mean from our reclamation of it!"
The Sand Lord faced Velika, drawing more and more sand into her body to steadily grow in size. "We are aware, Lord Velika. Just as we are aware of what you have done to our brethren who once lived here. My people have suffered through countless injustices at the hands of you so-called 'Great Beings', enduring silently for thousands of years. But this? This unspeakable violation?" She beat her fists, now each the size of immense boulders, into the ground, her scream carried on the winds of the fiercest sandstorm. "NO MORE!"
Several of the drones were blown away, others staggering but finding some way to maintain their footing. Velika himself did not budge an inch.
"The Vorox are no longer your slaves, Velika! All these years, I have sat and endured because I saw no way to challenge you, no way to rescue my people from your clutches. Zaekura may be only the first to stand against you and live to tell of it, but even if I am eager, even if I am reckless, I cannot simply tell my people to endure you any longer!"
For a time, the only sound was that of the wind. Then, Velika raised his hand, pointed, and said, "Very well. Then allow me to make all of your people one with the sands."
The ground beneath Velika opened up, swallowing him before he could fire. The Vorox continued to shred apart drones with their hit and run tactics, while the Sand Lord herself slowly shrank back to her regular size, putting more and more of her focus into trying to keep Velika underground. Bitil put his hand out, trying to aid her by forming a stasis field around Velika. Between the two of them, they were able to hold Velika at bay, but they knew that if they lost focus for even a second it would be over.
"Where is Zaekura?" the Sand Lord asked.
"She went to Bota Magna," Bitil said. "It wasn't a long walk-I'm sure she'll find out about this. Hopefully once she gets back, she'll be able to think of something."
"Hmm. In the meantime, my Vorox will assist your forces in dismantling these vile machines. On that front, at least, our prospects are bright."
Glancing at the clashing armies, Bitil caught sight of three drones regrouping. Suddenly, the trio lurched, and their bodies began to twist in a horrifying fashion.
There's more, he thought. Of course there's something more.
Ackar punched through the cranial unit of another drone, immediately pulling back and taking stock of the rest of them. An imposing line stood to either side of him with their weapons armed. Feeling a chill from behind, he leapt forward, ripping an arm off of the nearest drone and using it to bludgeon the rest. The other line was frozen in an instant by Ehrye, who then stepped back to let Emsar take the lead. The Vortixx threw her rebounding dagger to shatter the frozen machines, and when it came back she struck it with her Matatu dagger to telekinetically redirect it to cut down several of Ackar's foes. Ignoring her assistance, Ackar launched a Thornax from his arm to pick off one enemy at the edge of the street. Ehrye bounded forward to skewer the last one with an icicle, and then leaned against the wall to catch his breath.
"There's so many of them," Ehrye said between gasps. "Are battles always like this?"
"If you need to rest, then rest," Ackar said as he pressed onward. "There's no shame in that."
He stopped as three more drones appeared. They paused as well, seeming to notice the remains of their fellows and reassess the situation.
"Oh, perhaps they'll decide not to bother us?" Emsar said.
The three drones all began to spark. Their bodies abruptly twisted and folded, splitting open and reaching out to each other to lock into place. Where once three machines stood, there was now an ever-growing mountain of shifting metal, redistributing its own parts into a new, cohesive whole. The body it finally settled on was encased in a thick shell of black and gray armor, deadly claws at the end of each powerful limb-its head bore some resemblance to the original drones, but was far less elongated, framed by two great spikes that extended from its shoulders.
"Nevermind," Emsar said.
The combined drone rushed forward with unexpected speed. Ackar formed his shield just in time, blocking a swipe of its claws, but holding it back took all his strength-there was no way for him to counterattack. Ehrye launched an ice bolt out of reflex, but the tiny layer of ice it produced didn't even faze the drone. The machine spun and knocked the Toa into a nearby wall. Emsar swooped in to cut the extended claw with one of her daggers, causing the deadly blades to shrink in size, but it didn't stop the drone from sending her flying with a powerful elbow strike. Ackar jammed his drill into the drone's shoulder while it was distracted. The wound was more shallow than he expected, earning him a slash in return.
"Since when have machines been able to form Kaita?!" Ehrye asked as he picked himself up.
"Not important," Ackar said, clutching his wound. "Didn't you have a Ghost Blaster before?"
"Yeah, but it got broken when we were fighting those regular drones."
"Hrg...course it wouldn't be that easy. I'll draw its attention-you do what you can to disable it!"
Ackar threw himself at the drone, grabbing the arm with the claw that had not been shrunk and trying to flip it. The machine was able to keep its balance, only narrowly missing Ackar when it stabbed at him; he fired a Thornax in its face, but the fruit accomplished nothing. Just as Ackar prepared to attack again, a huge chunk of rubble collided with the drone, burying it temporarily. Ackar turned to see Emsar gripping her Matatu dagger with two shaking hands. The drone was quick to burst out of the building fragment, but when it did, Ehrye appeared to swing his chute blade, passing through the drone's body to administer a powerful shock to its internal systems. As it locked up, he layered it in as much ice as he could. Ackar and Emsar both moved in to attack it, but it shrugged off their blows and burst from the ice, claws now glowing with the same deadly energy its components were capable of firing.
"You know," Emsar said, "it's possible we've bitten off more than we can chew with this one."
Ehrye used his Mahiki to distract the drone, while Ackar stood back and weighed their options. He looked down the street, then back over his shoulder, and grunted under his breath. "You're right: this isn't working. Lead it back to the main battle-the Rahkshi should be able to deal with it."
"I suppose that's as good a plan as any. One of them's bound to have something that'll work. What about you?"
"I still need to find those civilians who fled earlier."
"Ah, probably for the best. Alright, I think we can manage that much. Best of luck."
Emsar caught the drone's attention with her rebounding daggers, careful to stay out of its reach. Ackar crouched behind some rubble and waited as she and Ehrye gradually led it down the street, and once it was out of sight he headed in the opposite direction. It wasn't long until he came upon a large building, virtually unscathed from the surrounding battle, with several unconscious Matoran near the entrance. Crouching over them, Ackar checked to be sure they were still alive when a popping sound from inside the building caught his attention. Keeping his claw raised, the Glatorian advanced slowly, finding more Matoran and Agori but not feeling it was safe enough to check on them as thoroughly as he would have liked. He paused as he rounded a corner. Vines snaked along the wall and floor of the corridor ahead, the vegetation growing thicker as the hall went on.
Strange, Ackar thought. Could the drones have caused this? Did one of Xia's experiments run out of control?
About halfway down the hall, Ackar stopped again. A strange feeling tugged on his mind, and as he tried to identify it, he felt his balance falter for a split-second. He steadied himself on the wall, getting a closer look at the vines in the process. Amongst them, virtually identical in color so that they blended in seamlessly as possible, were several wide, flat flower blossoms. Ackar's eyes widened. Pulling back, he whirled back towards the direction he had come from only to see a large bud growing out of the wall. With a loud popping sound, it burst open and flattened against the wall, releasing a cloud of spores that quickly dissipated, becoming impossible to see.
Darn…poison! he thought as he clamped a hand over his mouth. I need to get out of here, find a breath filter so I can save the others!
Fighting off the dizziness, Ackar left the vegetation behind and rounded the corner again, this time coming face to face with a creature. Its build was eerily similar to that of a Glatorian, but in place of flesh it had shrubbery, armored in weathered bark that sprouted slender branches from its shoulders. A helm of polished wood covered most of its head, with two leafy branches that began at its jawline and reached back and up. Ackar was too stunned to respond, a paralysis that only tightened its hold on him as the creature smiled, extended one hand, and spoke.
"There you are, Ackar. I knew you'd find a way to escape your imprisonment."
Ackar recognized that voice. He didn't see how it was possible, and he dearly wished he was wrong somehow, but now he could see the familiarity of the form he was looking at. "Vastus…? What have you done?"
"What have I done? Why do you sound so accusatory, brother? I know this must come as a shock-"
Vastus backed away as Ackar threw a punch. "The civilians! You've poisoned them with these flowers, haven't you?"
Frowning, Vastus said, "Yes. Lord Velika ordered all those who have joined Zaekura be killed. I thought, for them at least, the mercy of simply drifting off was best."
Ackar gaped.
"It is not a task I am proud to carry out, Ackar. But it is the will of the Great Beings. I shall see it completed."
"...And this?" Ackar said, gesturing to Vastus's body.
Looking down at himself, Vastus said, "Ah yes, this. When Makuta Miserix ordered us to join the assault team, Lord Velika expressed a lack of faith in our abilities. Even if we are two of Atero's Four Generals, we were still just Glatorian. So, in order to become more valuable assets...Tarix and I agreed to be imbued with the power of the Elements."
"Even Makuta Miserix..." Ackar shook his head. "What were you thinking, Vastus? The days we spent serving the Element Lords were the worst part of our lives. Now you're suddenly okay with becoming just like them?"
Vastus scowled, the leaves on the sides of his face rustling. "What made the Element Lords of old so vile was what they did with their power, not the power itself. Lord Velika knows this, which is why he saw fit to try again-he trusted the two of us to succeed where the last generation failed. It falls on me to prove that his trust was justified."
Ackar opened his mouth to speak, but cut himself short as the room started to spin.
"Come with me, Ackar. If you don't want to be made a Fire Lord, that's fine, but don't turn your back on the Great Beings over something so trivial."
Ackar dropped to his knees. "Vastus…you're slaughtering civilians! Is that really the way Lord Velika wants to win this war?!"
"War is just a string of atrocities, Ackar-you already know that. It's just a matter of in whose name you're committing them." Vastus extended his hand once again. "I'd rather see you live, old friend. Only your pride needs to die here."
Ackar glared up at Vastus, a gaze so deadly the Element Lord nearly thought he had caught on fire.
"...Very well." Vastus turned and left, not taking a single look back.
ADDENDUM:
-There are a few different things I want to do with the drones, and after some planning I've arranged them into a nice steady stream of upgrades to keep future confrontations more interesting. The new Kaita upgrade was a direct response to Velika seeing the Rahkshi Kaita at the outpost; visually, they're meant to resemble the Dark Hunter Prototype, since that's a design I've always really liked but I wasn't sure of a good way to incorporate him into this story.
-There's a bit of Frieza in the way Velika uses his shadow bolts here. Not my favorite DBZ villain, mind you, but it felt right so I went with it. Hm, that's two bodies taking influence from shounen anime villains…
-Since Ackar, Certavus, Vastus, and Tarix were the strongest Glatorian, constantly trading around the champion title, I liked the idea of keeping them as an important group in this world, hence the Four Generals of Atero. Well, Certavus has already died, so three...and Ackar's not liking these recent developments, so maybe only two…er, whatever the case, I knew I wanted to do something special with Tarix and Vastus as antagonists. While creating an Element Lord isn't the easiest process, the Great Beings could probably set it up for at least two elements with enough time and the extra few millennia of experience they have working with elements compared to the original attempt, and these are two accomplished warriors who are fiercely loyal to their cause even after being made aware of the "messy" side of it. They're worth the effort.
