City of the Skrall

Chapter One
Deep in the deserts of Bara Magna, Tuma walked alone. For thousands of years, he had been the Skrall people’s ruler, their guidance, their shining source of motivation and hope… now he was an outcast. Because of those heinous creatures, the baterra, he had been struck painfully in the back, because of the shapeshifters’ cowardly tricks and scheming. Because of his wound, that sand flea Mata Nui had been able to strike him down, and his people had shattered. Who would leadership pass to now?

He supposed that it would be the Skrall that he had named, but many of those, despite their prowess in battle and great loyalty to the Skrall community, were not fit to lead. He had watched his former lieutenant Stronius lead scores of his tribe to their deaths fighting the Glatorian and several hideous mechanical creatures, and he supposed that most of the rest of his people were scattered screaming through the desert, to be brought down by Vorox or worse.

Three days ago, the moons had fallen from the sky. Only hours before that, two beings of bright metal had emerged from what seemed like nowhere to fight to the death. Now, the larger one was lying dead on top of what were once mountains, and the smaller was nowhere to be seen. But Tuma thought next to nothing of it. No matter what he did, he would not be redeemed. The Glatorian hated him for doing what was best for the multitude of Skrall he had led, and would probably kill him on sight. As for his people, he had failed them. Even if he did return to them, they would probably shun him, and he did not want to return to face his shame. With a slight groan, Tuma fell to the ground, clutching his leg. He was weakening again.

“All this time out in the desert with nothing to eat but thornax and scrap metal. I don’t know how the Bone Hunters stand it.” Tuma tore out the rock from the ground that he had stubbed his toe on, hurling it into the bushes. He sat up with a start. Bushes? What bushes had ever lived here? The last time he had seen anything but creeper vines and stunted trees was on…. Bota Magna, over one hundred millennia ago. Suddenly, the full implication of what he had seen earlier hit him. The moons had fallen from the sky, so what was on the moons was now here, on Bara Magna. His back wound started to itch, which it had started doing these days when he was excited. Bota Magna was where the Skrall had lived before the Shattering, from before they had marched into the desert and never returned. There could still be Skrall in the homeland, Skrall that he could lead with what he now knew, and without the feeling of guilt and failure that would haunt him if he retook the others.

Tuma was so enthralled by his visions that he began to lose himself in them, not noticing the beings coming from behind him until one stepped up and put a blade to his shoulder. Tuma stiffened as he felt the metal dig into his armor; the only beings who would carry blades that high in quality would be… another leader.

“Well, aren’t we getting lucky!” proclaimed the pompous voice of the sword-holding Skrall. “First we get all kinds of new prisoners, then those new mechanical creatures come in bringing all kinds of new Skrall troops, and now you come along. How’s it been for the last few centuries, Tuma?” Tuma groaned, partially out of disgust at letting his guard down so close to unknown territory, and partially because he both knew and disliked the being speaking.

“Hello, Illetrii. You sound as smug as always. How many troops have you led into smoldering ruin since we parted ways?” Illetrii giggled, shaking his sword involuntarily deeper in Tuma’s armor as he did so. Tuma had always hated that giggle.

“Now that’s not something you need to know, is it, Tuma? Now, I’m under standing orders to take down any unknown I see down here and bring them to the castle. I do know you, of course, but I’m not sure if that counts, and I wouldn’t want to get Karrinus mad again. Not after that little incident last week.” Tuma’s eyes widened in shock at the implied truth behind Illetrii’s statement.

“What? You mean Karrinus is in…” Suddenly, one of Illetrii’s companions swung something at him, and Tuma felt a sharp node of pain materialize in the back of his head. Illetrii began to protest, but his words were lost to Tuma, who was slowly sinking into a dark mist that was dampening the sounds and light around him. Eventually, he gave up attempts to struggle out of it, and slipped into peaceful unconsciousness.