"Testing, testing…"

Zaekura looked up to flip a switch on the radio. "Hear you loud and clear. Can you read me?"

"Copy. Alright, we'll get this one ready for transport."

She paused to rub her eyes before turning back to the microscope. Studying the way the sample moved, she flipped through one of the three open notebooks laid out around her, read over a snippet of text, and then reached for a rack of droppers filled with various solutions.

"Testing, testing…"

"Back at you."

"Copy. Packing now."

Keeping her eye firmly on the lens, Zaekura mixed one tiny droplet into the sample. As it began to react, she quickly switched the dropper to her other hand and began writing down the results, slowing only when the reaction appeared to stabilize. "No way…"

"Is everything alright?"

With a minor start, Zaekura turned to see Charla there. "Oh! Sorry, didn't hear you come in."

The radio buzzed. "Testing."

Zaekura flipped the switch. "Yeah, you're good."

"Testing?"

"Yeah, copy, I can—"

"Testing?"

"...But, you can't hear me."

"Alright, so this one's busted…"

Zaekura put away the dropper and scribbled something down before turning back to Charla. "Sorry."

"I just wanted to check on you," Charla said. "You shouldn't work yourself too hard, Zaekura."

"I'm not, really."

Charla crossed her arms.

"Come on, testing the radios is mindless, I have to do something else in the meanwhile." She went back to the microscope. "Plus, I think I…"

The sight that greeted her was unrecognizable.

"...Nevermind. It's degraded."

Zaekura sighed loudly as she sank into her chair. Charla drew closer, placing her hands on her shoulders and saying, "One of the blood samples from the mutated Vorox? Are you any closer to curing it?"

"Closer...yes. Done...no. I've tried a few different ways to revert the mutation, but they keep spiraling out of control and wrecking the entire sample. It's a really delicate balance I've got to find, and even with the notes from the Great Beings' lab, I just can't find it…"

The radio buzzed. "Testing, testing."

Zaekura started to reach, but Charla hit the switch for her. "Ah, thanks. I read."

"Copy. Back on track. Could you hear me before?"

"Yeah, I could."

"So it must be the receiver..."

Zaekura leaned her head back, now able to look up at Charla. "Alright, maybe I should take a break."

"I agree," Charla said. "Even genius minds need rest."

"Pff, genius…"

"Well, you are."

"Depends on how technical you want to get."

"And if I don't want to get technical at all?"

"Then I guess I'm a freaking genius."

"Hehehe…"

They sat in silence for a moment, broken by another radio test. After a few more moments of thought, Zaekura said, "Hey, Charla...was it wrong of me to send Hewkii to Civitas Magna?"

Charla tilted her head. "He agreed to go. In fact, I recall him being quite fond of the idea."

"Yeah, but with how dangerous it is, part of me kinda feels like I shouldn't have mentioned it to him in the first place. Like maybe I planted an idea I shouldn't have even considered." She averted her gaze. "I was thinking...tactically. Realizing that scares the heck out of me. Putting someone's life in danger—the lives of that whole team—shouldn't just be a tactical decision."

Charla waited a moment. "You're being too hard on yourself, Zaekura. I—"

The radio cut her off. "Testing, testing."

She flipped the switch, Zaekura saying, "Uh, yeah, copy."

"And copy. Alright, that's all of them. I'll get to work repairing the defects."

"Okay. Thanks, Nuparu."

As Charla turned the radio off, the chamber door opened to allow Krika inside.

"Oh, Krika," Zaekura said, craning her neck. "What—"

"Vamprah's in Civitas Magna," he said.

Zaekura's eyes shot wide. Scrambling out of her chair, she said, "Bad, that's bad, that's really bad, is everyone ready?"

"Currently marching—I hope you don't mind."

"Nope. Come on, fill me in on the way. Charla, uh…"

The Rahkshi nodded. "I will see to it."

"You're the best." She rushed out the door right on Krika's heels. "Oh, I really hope there's a chance to stop this all from going horribly, horribly wrong…"


Dekar locked the door behind him, immediately checking through the blinds. Hewkii flopped onto one of the beds, saying, "Ah, excellent job today, team! We made it to the finals!"

"So we should start preparing for whatever comes next," Dekar said.

"First, we rest. No point in exhausting ourselves further."

"I'd argue there's a point to it."

"Just a little rest, Dekar," Hahli said. "It'll make it a lot easier for us to think."

Dekar shook his head. Before he could voice his thoughts, something began to shimmer in the corner of the room. The three Toa leapt to their feet and grouped together, and soon the light faded, revealing two new beings standing there: one a Rahkshi with blue and green armor, the other…

"Onewa!" Hewkii came forward to embrace the newly-arrived Toa. "It's so good to see you! How have your carvings been coming along?"

"There's no time for that, Hewkii," Onewa said, gently pushing him back. "We need to be quick."

"Wait, you know him?" Hahli asked.

"I apologize if I startled you all, but this was the only way to speak with you safely. I'm from Nynrah—I'm here as part of a strategy to further Zaekura's cause. This is Nik, one of Bitil's Rahkshi."

Nik nodded in greeting. Hewkii said, "Ah, I'm relieved to hear you're on our side, elder."

"Of course! They destroyed my home, killed my neighbors, all for…" Onewa sighed. "No, now's not the time. Listen: there's at least one more Makuta here than we were expecting to find, so we came to be sure you have a way out if things get dangerous. All of you, hold out your hands."

The three of them complied, Nik stepping forward to drop a pellet into each of their palms. Dekar turned it around in his fingers, saying, "I guess they really want to be sure we don't talk…"

Onewa smacked the side of his head. "Oh, just listen! Nik has the power to create these—if you're in danger, crush it, and you'll be teleported to his side. We'll move out of the city, get as far as we can, and hopefully we'll all be able to make it to Ga-Koro before anyone can catch up to us."

Hewkii grinned. "Don't worry, Onewa: Zaekura isn't far away. Worst comes to worst, we'll be able to fight our way out."

"Hmm...I certainly hope so. Just be careful, Hewkii. All of you. I hope to see you again."

With that, Onewa and Nik vanished. Tucking away his pellet, Hewkii said, "There we go: a plan! I knew things would work out."

"They haven't worked out yet," Dekar said. "But, I guess this is better than anything we could have reasonably expected…"

Hahli stared at her pellet. "I didn't want to interrupt, but...isn't he the one from the footage? The one Vamprah attacked?"

Hewkii looked up. "...What?"

"You haven't seen? Just a bit ago, while we were playing, footage began to circulate of Vamprah attacking a Toa of Stone—I'm fairly certain it was Onewa."

Hewkii took a moment to process this. "I see...but he looked fine, though."

"I suppose," Hahli mumbled. "It's just…"

Dekar stepped forward. "Even if it worked out, it still happened, Hewkii. Even if we succeed in broad terms, that old Toa got hurt to get us there—and plenty more might still get hurt in the process. I won't argue whether the end justifies the means or not. But at the very least, you should acknowledge those means for what they are."

Hewkii stared at him. Turning to Hahli, he said, "Sorry, what were you going to say?"

She fidgeted. "Well...I was wondering how the people are going to respond to that footage. When I looked into it, it seemed like it was already getting a lot of attention; at a certain point, the Makuta and the Great Beings will have to respond to it somehow…"

"As if we weren't already standing in a powder keg…" Dekar said. He jumped as the roof creaked.

Hewkii said, "It...it's going to be alright. Preparations are in place—the plan will work. Worrying will get us nowhere."

Dekar shook his head. "You just can't stop being optimistic, can you?"

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"Not always. But at a certain point, you're just turning a blind eye to what's in front of you." Dekar headed for his bed. "I'm tired of trying to convince you. When it does finally hit you, all I ask is that you learn from it."

The conversation ended, leaving the room quiet as the other Toa also sat down to rest. Hewkii tried to relax, but there was something nagging at him, something that just wouldn't let go.

Will our success...be built on sacrifice after all?

Up above, the roof creaked again as some invisible body leapt off from it. It flew to the center of the city, phasing through the wall of Yarion's tower and finding its way to a chamber that had been fashioned into a forge. Once inside, Vamprah finally allowed himself to be seen, and waited patiently as Ekimu hammered away at his anvil. When he finally stopped, Vamprah telepathically communicated all he had heard.

"I see," Ekimu said. He then turned back to his work.

At his side, Ahkmou said, "I knew those Nynrahns were up to no good. We have to take care of them at once!"

"No," Ekimu said. "What if someone records it again? It'd just put more fuel on the fire. The finals are tomorrow—once those are done, you can do what you want with this city."

"O-Of course, Lord Ekimu."

The Great Being paused briefly. "Hate to admit it...but it might already be too late. I guess we'll just have to see what happens."

Ahkmou shifted as Ekimu continued working. "Um, if I may, my lord...I find the news that Zaekura is closer than we expect to be rather troubling. Should we prepare our forces?"

Using his tongs, Ekimu picked up what he was working on: a mask of some kind, similar in shape to a Hau but stretched back, and with additional ridges to its design. "That's what I'm working on."

Ahkmou shuffled back, trying to get as far away as possible from the red-hot mask. "Oh! I, um, I see..."

Ekimu turned. "Eliminator."

The Odinan's face appeared from the shadows. "Yes, my lord?"

"I'll set up a teleportation jammer. You just focus on your targets."

"Thank you, my lord."

"Ahkmou."

The Toa jumped. "Y-Yes?"

"There's a stasis pen on sublevel 15. Take its readings and report back."

"Right away, my lord!" He was gone in seconds.

"Vamprah." He examined the still-searing mask, confident the mute Makuta was listening. "Go get Yarion."


An army at their backs, Zaekura, Krika, and Bitil approached the gates of Civitas Magna flying the flag of Peace. Clicking his claws together, Krika said, "Must we waste time like this?"

"You're the one always going on about our public image," Zaekura said.

"Hrm...I suppose…"

"Don't lose your nerve now, Krika," Bitil said. "The escort we sent will surely keep your artistic followers safe."

Krika grumbled. Gesturing to the flag, Zaekura said, "Guys. Come on."

They stopped some distance before the wall. A few guards could be seen poking around, so Zaekura cleared her throat to address them. She had barely formed a syllable when she saw an Eccentric Boulder being flung over the rampart. Bitil carried Zaekura back while Krika dealt with the incoming projectile, and with a sigh, the Glatorian nodded.

"Let him know."

Bitil nodded, turning briefly to the west. Then, setting Zaekura down, he raised his sword, gave a shout, and led the army in a charge.

Up ahead, Krika vaulted over the wall and fired a spread of light bolts, breaking as many of the defensive weapons setup there as possible before dashing further in. He cut through the streets blindingly fast, making a beeline straight for Yarion's tower, stopping only to dodge as something swooped down at him. Vamprah shattered the concrete where he landed.

"Oh, good—just who I was hoping to see," Krika said as he took up a battle stance. "I hear you've been harming my citizens, Vamprah. Did you really think I would permit that?"

Vamprah bounded forward a short distance. When he landed, his long tail whipped forward, forcing Krika to dodge low as Vamprah rushed him. Krika extended spikes from his fingers, interlocking Vamprah's own talons, and then grabbed his tail as it retracted, keeping him in place for a point-blank Power Scream. Vamprah flitted back and shook his head, gliding circles above Krika as the other Makuta watched him closely.

"Nothing to say for yourself? I suppose I can talk enough for two. There's no shortage of things I can say about a monster who preys on the weak and defenseless, twisting it into some game for his own sick pleasure!"

Vamprah scattered small plasma spheres as he circled. Upon hitting the ground, each sphere expanded exponentially—Krika had to move carefully to weave through the blasts, leaving him little room to dodge as Vamprah sniped him with bursts of laser vision. He rapidly extended two spikes in an attempt to puncture Vamprah's wings, but his foe turned intangible at the last second.

"Even if I felt up to it at the moment, trying to reason with you would be a waste of time. You've always loved the hunt, haven't you—the thrill of violence? You'd never turn down the chance to hunt new prey!"

Vamprah flapped his wings, amplifying the resulting gust with his Vacuum powers. Krika flung himself clear, raised his hands to fire back, and then realized Vamprah was already on top of him. The flying Makuta wrapped his claws around Krika's head, slamming him into the nearest building, dragging him up its surface as he flew higher; it took Krika a moment to clear his mind enough to magnetize Vamprah's wings closed. Vamprah angled his fall so that Krika would hit the ground first, and Krika focused his Elasticity powers into his fist. The impact hurt, but his affected hand bounced up with just as much force, injecting it into Vamprah's neck and successfully knocking him back. Krika was too dazed to aim, so he released a volley of Light bolts where he guessed Vamprah would be.

"You know, Gorast may have the worse reputation, but I've always felt you were secretly the most cruel of us all. How eager were you to tear citizens asunder? I'll bet you jumped at the order!"

Clarity returned to him. Vamprah, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Phenomenal."

Krika quickly scanned the surrounding area. It was then he noticed the familiar form of Makuta Yarion approaching the battle. "Ah, Yarion. Lovely to see you again—it's been too long. I wish to have a word with you as well, but…"

He trailed off as Yarion came closer. Scuffs and grime covered their usually-pristine armor, and in place of their Kakama they wore a mask that looked almost like a Hau yet subtly different. They carried two identical weapons, multibarrel firearms that resembled miniaturized Cordak Blasters, but Krika realized in horror that the guns had been grafted directly into their arms.

"...Goodness. What happened?"

Yarion silently raised their arms. The blasters spun to life, releasing a torrent of fireballs that shredded through the nearby buildings. Krika contorted his body, narrowly avoiding their attack as Vamprah came back into view. He tried to get clear, but flaming rubble was now raining all around him, making it even more difficult to find a safe place to stand for more than half a second. Vamprah's attack was precise, nailing him in the chest with laser vision. Krika stumbled back into the line of fire. The blasts were just hot enough to overpower his heat resistance, but he managed to free himself quickly...only to be knocked flat by Vamprah's tail.

As he lay there, Krika grunted. "Perhaps going ahead was hasty after all…"

While this was going on, the rebel army managed to take the city wall, incapacitating the guards there and making their way inward. A steady stream of resistance came to meet them. The Rahkshi busied themselves clearing a path while Bitil stuck close to Zaekura, keeping his eyes peeled; he said, "We just need to reach the arena. Once we have the team, we pull out."

Zaekura watched the faces of the people lining the streets. Many fled in fear, and those that remained looked similarly terrified, watching the Rahkshi march with wide eyes from as far away as they could. She felt a knot in her stomach. However, something about it alarmed her.

It's not as intense as before. I still feel sick, but not as much. Why is that? Am I getting used to this? Should I get used to this? If I do…

A large screen mounted on a building up ahead displayed a news bulletin, a De-Matoran warning citizens of their arrival and urging them to clear the way. Zaekura's next step came slower, but then she pushed it from her mind, facing forward again.

"So you're the one causing trouble."

Zaekura flinched. Looking back up at the screen, she now saw an image of Ekimu looking down on her. Her emotions began to run far deeper.

"You showed up awfully quickly. From that direction…Artidax? Is that where you were holed up?"

She said nothing, silently hoping and praying that Charla had finished the evacuation by now.

"The tournament's almost over. Can't this wait?"

Zaekura took a deep breath as discreetly as possible. "Hey, we offered to negotiate. Your guys attacked us on-sight."

"I'll take that as a no." He turned. Zaekura could see the kolhii field behind him, the Hydruka doing their best to take control of the game. "Guess that prize mask will go to waste. Unless I can find someone else to give it to."

"Please, listen to me. We don't want anyone to get hurt. We're just here to ensure that our people are safe—isn't that what we all want?"

Ekimu turned back to her. "What I wanted was to see the tournament. Looks like neither of us are leaving here happy."

Zaekura took a moment to glance at the observers: hearing Ekimu's words, they began to mutter amongst themselves, a confusion subtly taking hold of them. She snapped back as the picture changed. The camera swiveled to show a large cube of blue light, its surface wavering like a stasis field; Ahkmou stood next to it, holding a small electronic tablet. Zaekura couldn't make out what was inside.

"Open it," was all Ekimu said.

Wincing slightly, Ahkmou hit a button on his tablet. Instantly, the cube disappeared, and a horde of creatures came spilling out. She couldn't quite get a good look at them—they skittered past the camera so quickly, obscuring the lens—but soon she heard Ahkmou scream. Seconds later he came back into view. Zaekura's blood froze over.

One of the creatures had knocked his mask off, and now clung to him in its place using its four long, hook-like legs. Its body was flat and wide, covering his entire face, sporting bony ridges that formed a hideous semblance of a face, complete with two large holes that ran all the way through its body to show Ahkmou's empty eyes behind it. At his chin were the creature's own, smaller eyes, as well as sharp fangs that clicked hungrily.

"You don't want anyone to get hurt?" Ekimu said. "Let's test that. My Skull Spiders can take total control of anyone able to wear Kanohi. What'll happen if a bunch of innocent civilians go to fight your army to the death?"

The knot in Zaekura's stomach grew bigger, reaching out to the rest of her insides and twisting them all into one massive pit of disgust. "You…! That's despicable! It's bad enough you don't care about these people, but you're even willing to use them like this?!"

"You've gotta take full advantage of the tools available to you. Otherwise, you deserve to lose."

"Shut up! People aren't tools, you sack of trash! I—"

The screen shut off before she could finish. Zaekura snarled, and then turned to the Rahkshi.

"New plan! We've gotta contain these Skull Spiders! Let's go, let's go!"

The army stampeded forward. Zaekura was too focused on their goal to notice the faces of the civilians changing.

"That rotten, no good, heartless son of a—"

Bitil tackled her to the ground. A bolt of energy lanced through the air, narrowly missing her and blasting apart a nearby wall. Getting up slowly, Bitil stared into the shadowed alley the attack had emerged from, seeing a purple-skinned face watching him back.

"Ah, great, what now?!"

"Lady Zaekura," Bitil said, "leave this one to me. Since I'm able to use Kanohi, there's a chance I'd be more of a liability where you're headed anyway. And there's something...strange about them…"

Zaekura was back on her feet instantly. "They're all yours."

She rushed off, the face turning after her but stopping as Bitil extended his sword. "Weren't you listening? I'm your opponent. Makuta Bitil; to who do I owe the pleasure?"

"...My name is Eliminator," he said. "I'm who the Keeper sends when other Odinans fail."

Bitil tightened his grip on his sword. "Another Odinan...what terrible timing…"

"I've never failed to complete a mission, Makuta. Give up. If you turn the Glatorian over now, I can put in a good word for you."

Bitil thought for a moment.

"See? You're smart enough to know when you're beat."

"You misunderstand." Bitil got into a battle stance. "I was just thinking...the fact that you'd make such an offer must mean you're afraid to fight me." He grinned. "That bodes well."

Bitil moved to teleport up to his foe. However, the teleport failed, and he stumbled long enough for Eliminator to strike him with a bolt of energy. The attack flung him back with tremendous force, half-embedding him in the nearest wall and dazing him for a moment. When he could think clearly again, Eliminator was nowhere to be seen.

"No you don't!"

Bitil shot into the alleyway in search of his opponent. The street was unusually dark, but he was able to spot a crackle of energy up ahead that gave him a target. Throwing one hand forward, Bitil willed a wall of solid light to appear in Eliminator's path, but to his surprise, the Odinan continued to barrel forward, darkness seeming to wrap around him, and smashed through the barrier effortlessly. Bitil grunted. Activating his Kanohi, he called upon the speed of the Phase Dragon and managed to get in front of Eliminator, knocking him down with a punch wrapped in Light.

"You aren't getting away that easily, Odinan. Now-"

Eliminator bounced back with a shadow-cloaked uppercut. The blow made Bitil writhe, but he stayed on his feet somehow. Eliminator said, "You're not worth my time, Makuta. I'm here to capture the Glatorian first and foremost."

The alleyway grew darker. Eliminator took a step forward, energy dancing along his talons, and Bitil held his sword defensively.

"Then again...the shadows really want to watch you die…"

Bitil fired beams of Light from his eyes, landing a direct hit. Eliminator brushed off the attack. Dodging the retaliation, Bitil said, "This doesn't make sense...Shadow and Light are opposites: my attacks should be far more effective!"

He slashed. Eliminator held one hand out, a force field appearing at his command to block Bitil's sword. "Ah yes...that is how it works for your kind."

Eliminator kicked the instant he lowered his shield. Bitil avoided direct contact, but the shadows followed Eliminator's movement, effectively extending his range and leaving a stinging wound on Bitil's torso. Backing away slightly, the Makuta raised his sword again, keeping his eyes locked firmly on his target. He could see now that he had underestimated Eliminator. If he wanted to survive this battle, he knew he could not do so again.


ADDENDUM:

-I missed June. Darn. I'd started to accumulate a streak of getting a chapter out each month until this, so I'm gonna try to get an extra chapter done soon to even it out. Fingers crossed, because Neo: The World Ends With You releases at the end of the month, and, uh...I foresee very little writing being done the week or so following that. (I'm so freaking excited I'm so SO exCITED)

-Melding Artidax is located between Civitas Magna and the southern reaches of the Bara Magna region. Krika mentioned it back when he first visited Ga-Koro in disguise, saying that was where he came from, and I completely forgot about it until just now but man, remembering it solved a whole bunch of problems. The writing process is wild.

-Figured I should put the information on the teleportation pellets in the story proper and not just the notes. Plus, it makes sense that Onewa would want to be sure the team has an exit strategy after his run-in with Vamprah.

-Yeah, a lot of miscellaneous G2 things being packaged with Ekimu, but for a Great Being focused on masks it only makes sense he would be working on elemental masks and evil living masks. Probably. As for the blasters, I always liked the idea of the Protectors channeling the power of their masks through them; I don't think that's how it actually worked, but in my mind they're still linked, so I'm rolling with it.

-Since I'm no longer posting this on BZP I'm really, really tempted to up the rating and let some of the characters swear...I mean I know I probably shouldn't, I'm not planning to, but it is tempting. Zaekura and Carna would be thrilled.