The Ways Entwine

The Ways Entwine is the first book in The Agori Kal Saga. It chronicles the events just before the Agori Kal's entrance into the Matoran Universe.

Author's Note
This book has problems, I'll admit it. I would probably have re-written most of the chapters, only I didn't really want to. Therefore, you must read with an open mind and notice the passages that I am proud of, not the ones that displease me. Just remember, the next book is much better.

Part I
Prologue

The date was 98,998 years ago, and the Core War was well under way.

Far to the north, in the place known as the Northern Frost, the Ice Tribe set defenses to protect the resource that had sparked the war, a powerful substance known in the soon-to-be Matoran Universe as "Energized Protodermis". From other regions the other Tribes sent forth raiding parties to fight each other over the powerful liquid. Many great battles and decisive skirmishes were fought, and many brave warriors lost their lives. In horror, the Great Beings attempted to stop the war, but in vain.

The Great Beings had built a gigantic robot intended to survey the universe, and into this body they had placed the Great Spirit, Mata Nui, who entered the robot's controlling systems and took the place of its mind, and many species, including the Matoran, who, by their work within the robot, kept the Great Spirit alive and healthy. The races native to Spherus Magna paid little, if any, attention to these proceedings. Nearly all were too involved in the war to have much interest in giant, space-surveying robots.

But, as in every world and time, there are the few that are the misfits of their kind.

Chapter 1: Survival of the Fittest

The black-armored being lay beneath the curtain of leaves that covered him from hostile eyes. He was sprawled close to an overhang that dropped sharply downward into green treetops and mist that hid the many dangers of the jungle, natural and unnatural.

A circling bird cawed loudly, and the figure shifted slightly, exposing the hilt of a razor-sharp blade that lay beside him, ready for instant use. Gradually, night fell, but he remained motionless, for to move was to invite death, and at the moment, he did not feel like dying. Not until blackness had settled on the landscape did he move cautiously to his feet.

He stood with his back to the cliff edge, waiting for a sound, a movement, something that would tell him that danger was near. Nothing happened, and he moved silently to a nearby clearing on the edge of of the desert, where the remains of several Skrall warriors and a charred wagon lay in a heap. He paused a moment, to impale the warrior's razor-edged shields in the ground in the Skrall gesture of victory, and then moved on.

Morning found him in the desert, within sight of a large river that flowed from the north. He paused a moment, to look behind him for pursuers, and trudged forward. He reached the river, and slid down the bank into the water. The water was cool, and the bottom was sandy. He removed his carved black helmet, and drank deeply of the life-giving fluid. Then he rubbed his face wearily, and closed his eyes. He was asleep within moments.

He awoke with a start, springing to his feet in the knee-deep water, and drawing his blade as he did so. He cursed himself silently for a fool. Why, he thought angrily, had he let himself fall asleep? Well, no matter, he was still alive. He scanned the bank for the thing that had awakened him.

A clicking noise sounded from behind him. Instantly, he slid under water, just as a spiked object blasted into the water where he had been, moments before. The object exploded in a cloud of bubbles and tan, spiky, finger-size fragments that shot through the water in all directions, some barely missing his unarmored head. The current spun him around into the center of the river, where the bank fell away beneath him. He surfaced for air, and dived again. Behind him, several more of the explosive objects blew holes in the surface of the water, sending fragments glancing off the helmet in his hand. He kicked hard and fast, forcing himself downwards, to safety. Too late, however.

A spiked spear cut through the water and flipped him unto the bank like a fish. He landed in a heap at the feet of a seven foot warrior with green armor and an evil grin. The warrior spoke.

"Well, look at this, Tarduk! Our fishing has proved successful!" An ape-like figure standing next to him made a face. "Wonderful joke, Vastus. I'm so impressed. So, who's the big fish?"

"A Rock Agori, obviously," replied Vastus. "Or a Bone Hunter. See the helmet? It looks like Skrall carvings, and it is."

"I know what Skrall hemets look like, Vastus," said Tarduk, rolling his eyes. "And if I may say so, it's not the hardest thing to learn. Probably the easiest, actually. Enough talking, let's get some answers out of him!"

Tarduk scrambled forward, placed his sharp green claws on the Bone Hunter's chest, and proceeded to interrogate him.

"Okay, first question," snapped Tarduk. "What are you doing here, and where is the rest of your force?" "Well," said the Bone Hunter.

"Seein' as how I'm not on your side, I'm thinkin' maybe I'll just not answer that first question and let you puzzle it over in your tiny mind, and as for minds, well, I'm thinkin' yours has got to be the smallest one I've seen in a long while, and further more-" At this point Tarduk gave him a whack alongside the skull and Vastus continued the interrogation, but with a firmer hand.

"Speak or die."

"Ahem. Well, the reason I'm here is 'cause I was the scout for the Skrall unit you destroyed and that answers the part of the question about the whereabouts of my force. So there, and make somethin' of it."

"Okay, second question. Who are you?"

"Me, I'm Roden. Occupation: Bone Hunter."

Vastus's eyes narrowed. He had heard stories of a certain Bone Hunter who was said to be the key of the Bone Hunters's success in raids, a dashing warrior with daring recklessness. Of course, thought Vastus, stories often contained little truth, if any. Yet if this was the infamous Roden, they had indeed caught a "big fish".

"Get up," growled Vastus. "And don't try any funny stuff. We have a long walk ahead of us."

Chapter 2: Fire and Ice

Far to the north, under a black velvet sky studded with silver stars, lay an icy mountain ridge, its frigid backbone reaching through the crystal night air towards the distant specks of light. At its base, a campfire winked coyly at the vast stretch of mountain slope.

At the fire, an Agori piled wood on the blazing mound. The fire flared up and cast flickering shadows on the sleeping figures clustered around it.

At the outer edge of the cluster, a solitary sentry prowled amongst the boulders. The Agori moved toward the sentry, carrying something in a bowl. The sentry took it, and said something.

"Don't we have anything better than dried fish to eat? If I see another-" The sentry did not finish the sentence. Instead, he scowled into the bowl at its contents. Then he gloomily picked up a dried fish and ate it in silence. The Agori nodded in satisfaction and walked back to the fire, where he stood staring into the flames.

Many days had past since the unit had left Vulcanus. They had been sent to stage a decoy raid on the Ice Tribe at the Northern Frost while the main force attacked in a flanking maneuver. Their guide had betrayed them in the desert and the small force had suffered severe losses in a skirmish with Sand Tribe forces. They had struggled out of the desert and headed northwest, only to find their path blocked by the mountain range ahead. They had subsisted on dried fish and melted snow for several weeks as they searched for a pass through the looming mountains. Now, it seemed, they had found one. It was a narrow path that clung like moss to the edge of a cliff that wound up and around a particularly forbidding slope covered with ice and snow. The soldiers had grumbled, but, faced with the prospect of returning home to scorn and disgrace, had agreed to follow the dangerous trail up the ice-covered slopes. Now they were resting and preparing for the grueling climb ahead.

As the Agori pondered this, he thought he heard a foot scrape briefly on a stone. He stiffened and his ears, honed to bat-like keenness by months of battle, filtered the sounds of the fire and sleeping warriors, searching for the sound... Nothing happened, and the sound was not repeated.

The Agori drifted into the welcome peace of sleep, and he did not wake until the bright rays of Solis Magna flooded the camp. As the Agori rose and stretched, a tall, lean warrior approached and spoke to him.

"Rise and shine, Priduk! Ready to challenge the mountains?"

"Personally, Ackar, I prefer challenging flesh-and-blood enemies. Think we'll see any action?"

"I don't think we will, if you mean fighting."

After an exchange of more small talk, Priduk began to serve food to the soldiers, and the tall warrior went to scout the trail ahead.

An hour later, the unit had de-camped and was marching, single-file, through the knee-deep snow that blanketed the pass. There was little sound, only the chink of armor and the creak of leather. Priduk, bringing up the rear with the food wagon, was struck with a sudden feeling of dread. The path suddenly seemed a long way from where he ought to be at this moment. With a start, he remembered the sound he had heard, or thought he had heard, the night before. He glanced nervously behind him. Was it only his over-active imagination, or did something duck quickly behind a ice-covered rock?

Three hours and five miles later, the party stopped to eat their sparse meal. Several of the soldiers, Priduk noticed, seemed ill-at-ease.

The group pressed steadily on, slogging through the thick snow. As they reached higher and higher altitudes, the breathing became harder.

Then they reached the snow field, a mile-wide patch of ice clinging to the mountain slope.

The first soldiers were nearly half-way across when a puff of snow rose from the upper end of the snow field. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a small chunk of the crusted snow broke away, and slid towards the warriors below. As the slab gathered momentum, more lumps broke away in a chain reaction until the whole upper end of the snow field was hurtling downwards toward the horror-struck beings below! Priduk gasped in fear, then started back, plunging headlong through the drifts. A great roaring sound enveloped him, and flying snow swirled around him, tugging him downwards. He gulped air into his lungs and threw himself forwards, toward the edge of the snow field. His head struck a rock, and he felt himself sinking into blackness. His last impressions were of whiteness all around him, and then he was falling, sinking below the waves of consciousness into darkness...

Chapter 3: The Medic

Priduk's mind stirred feebly. Something had happened, but what? Who was he, anyway? Then his memories came rushing back. His name, his past, all that made him who he was, clicked into place. With a start, he remembered the avalanche, the doomed party of warriors. I have to help, he thought, there might be survivors!

He struggled to open his eyes, but it was hard, very hard. He gathered his small amount of energy, and, with a great effort, his eyelids slid partly open. The first thing he saw was a pair of ice-blue eyes staring into his. The figure spoke.

"I thought you'd never wake up! You've been unconscious for ages and ages! Here, drink this. It'll warm you up."

The Agori shoved Priduk into a sitting position and poured a bowl of warm liquid down his throat. Priduk, in his weakened state, was powerless to resist. As the strange liquid settled into his stomach, he suddenly began to feel warmer and a strange sense of well-being came upon him. The watching Agori grinned and spoke again.

"Funny, isn't it? It's a good cure for hypothermia." Priduk struggled to speak. He managed it, finally, and spoke.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the medic from the group that started the avalanche on your unit."

Anger gave Priduk new strength. He spoke sharply. "That was a dirty trick!"

The grin faded from the Agori's face. "All we meant to do was block the pass. We didn't mean to destroy your whole unit, but it just happened. I'm sorry about it."

The whole unit? It couldn't be. All the warriors that he had marched with, camped with, and fed. Gone. All but him. He fell back onto the cot, where he slipped into a sleep filled with unpleasant dreams. The medic watched understandingly, then slipped out of the tent.

She hurried past rows of small brown tents to a large one at the center of the camp. Nearby, a bonfire crackled loudly. A tall warrior moved from the fire towards her with the flowing gait of a panther, the gait that can explode into deadly action at any given moment. He spoke with a sharp, intent voice.

"How's the prisoner, medic?"

"Alive. He's suffering from exposure and cold, but give him a few days and he'll be fine."

"Good. We need some answers from him."

"Don't be too rough on him, Gelu. He can't take much yet. Besides, I like him. He seems like a decent fellow."

"Don't worry. I've handled prisoners before and I haven't lost one yet."

"Very funny. Just remember what I said, okay?"

Gelu nodded and walked back to the fire. The medic stared after him for a moment, then walked into the large tent.

Inside, piles of boxes reached to the ceiling. She looked at the labels for some time before selecting one. She pulled the box from the stack and removed the lid. Inside, dried plants of different kinds were arranged in small, labeled sacks. She replaced the lid, hefted the box, and carried it out the door.

On the way back to the tent where the prisoner lay, another Agori fell into step beside her.

"Here, I'll carry that for you." he offered.

"Thanks, Metus," she replied gratefully. "What brings you here? I hadn't seen you on this expedition."

"Oh, I was just passing through and thought I'd see what was going on."

The medic said nothing, though she wondered what Metus had been doing that had brought him close enough to this out-of-the-way place to "see what was going on."

At the tent they parted, and the medic went in. Priduk was stirring, and she lit a candle. She then opened the box and removed several sacks of medicinal plants, with which she began making a ointment.

Priduk said something, and she walked over to him. "Yes?"

"Where are we?"

"We're about a mile from where we found you. We're still in the mountains. Why do you ask?"

"I just wondered, that's all."

The medic's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Don't be thinking about escaping, okay? You wouldn't stand a chance. Besides, you can't even walk yet."

Priduk flushed. "How'd you know I was thinking about that?" he demanded.

She laughed, a cheerful sound in the cold gloom of the tent. "I've had experience in learning what people are thinking. Besides, you didn't disguise your intentions very well."

"Oh. Well, is there any soup left?"

"Yes, there is. Hold on, I'll get some."

She brought him the soup. Priduk ate it, and as he did, he pondered the possibility of escape. He knew what the medic said was true, yet he still wondered.

Suddenly, he wanted his sword beside him.

Chapter 4: Law of the Jungle

The Bone Hunter named Roden chuckled as he ran.

He was thinking of the look that would appear on Vastus's face when he found his assistant unconscious and his prisoner gone. They had stopped to rest and Vastus had left Tarduk to guard the prisoner. Then Vastus had fallen asleep, and Roden had knocked Tarduk unconscious and faded into the jungle.

He prefered the open desert and the dusty plain, but, he reflected, the jungle was not too bad. It gave one lots of cover, which he would need. Vastus was no tenderfoot tracker. The trail he was on led into a dark, dangerous section of the jungle known as the Shadow's Lair. Why it had the name was obvious. The gnarled, soaring trees blocked the light, and pools of black, stagnant water filled the area. A large snake slithered away into the ominous shadows around the little-traveled, muddy trail.

Roden proceeded quickly, but with the caution that came of years of experience. Far behind him, there were voices. He grinned.

"They're comin' faster then I thought they would. Well, I'll make this interestin' for 'em." He grabbed at an overhanging vine and swung himself up into the branches, where he settled himself into a crotch of the tree, and waited.

He did not have to wait long. Vastus and Tarduk came walking slowly along the path, Vastus watching the tracks and Tarduk keeping an eye out for possible traps. They came to where he had swung himself into the tree, and halted. Vastus spoke.

"See, Tarduk, here's where he swung himself into the trees. If my guess is correct, he continued along this path, only above it. So, if we keep going along this trail, we should find where he came down."

Above their heads, Roden grinned.

When they were out of earshot, he slid to the ground and backtracked along the path he had just traversed.

By the morning of the next day, Roden was far to the north and, he hoped, far from capture. He rested near the spot where he had been captured and then moved into the desert with the long, easy lope of the experienced traveler. The hot sun shone fiercely down, and as Roden pulled the hot, dry air into his lungs, he felt a sudden, savage joy. It was good to be back in the desert. It was good to be hunted. It was good to fight. It was good to match one's wits and endurance with another, and win. He was hunted. He knew this, and as he knew, he knew also that he would not want it any other way. He hoped Vastus wouldn't be too disappointed when he couldn't catch him.

Night fell, and he walked on through the coolness, his blade shifting slightly with his movements.

Chapter 5: Blue Ice

After a day or two of rest, Priduk had recovered enough from his ordeal to walk slowly about the camp with a guard. The guard said little, and Priduk came to the conclusion that not all members of the Ice Tribe were as outgoing as the medic.

Near the large supply tent in the center of camp, a tall, dangerous looking Glatorian joined them. He spoke to the guard. "I'll take him now. I need to ask him some questions."

The guard agreed, and the tall warrior led Priduk into the supply tent, where he then began to question the prisoner.

"So, tell me your name."

"Priduk."

"Indeed? A solid sounding name. My name is Gelu."

"Uh, okay."

"How is the food?"

"Um, it's fine."

"Glad to hear it. Now, to the point: what was your unit doing in the mountains?"

Priduk decided it would not hurt to answer this question truthfully. "We got lost."

"I see. What was your original mission?" Priduk thought he had better lie about this one. "I don't now. I was just the cook."

Gelu accepted the answer, then continued. "Were there any notable warriors in the party?"

"Um, no."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. I thought I had seen Ackar in your party."

Priduk said nothing. Gelu looked at him closely for a moment. "Do you have any special talents?"

Priduk was taken aback by this unusual question. He thought for a moment. "Not that I know of. I'm not a very good fighter."

Gelu frowned, as if disappointed. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Well, no, how could I be?"

"I suppose so. What do you think of our medic?"

"Uh, she's very nice. Pretty, too."

Gelu grinned. "I know that was the truth, Priduk! Well, that's all, I think. You can go now."

Priduk limped to the door, his mind working. Why, he wondered, had his talents, or absents of them, been so important? He had been expecting the questions about his unit and mission and had answered them, he thought, wisely. No, he had not been expecting the question about his talents. Of course, the questions about his name, the food, and the medic, had just been meant to put him at ease.

He stepped out of the tent, where the guard waited for him. He was led back to the hospital tent, where the medic was asleep on a cot. The guard left, and he spent a long time looking at her. Yes, he decided, she was pretty, very much so.

The medic stirred, and opened her eyes. She noticed Priduk, and smiled. "How was your walk?"

"Oh, all right. Somebody called Gelu asked me some questions."

She frowned. "Oh? What did he ask?"

"He asked me about what my unit was doing here. He also asked me if I had any special talents, which was odd."

The medic turned pale, and her eyes widened.

"Is something wrong?" asked Priduk, anxiously.

"N-no, there's nothing wrong. It's just... Well, do you have any?"

"Any what?"

"Special talents."

"I don't think so."

She relaxed visibly. "Oh, good! You don't know how lucky you are!"

"Why does having no talents make me lucky?"

"I can't tell you. I would be punished." She changed the subject quickly. "So, now that you are all better, tell me your name."

"Priduk."

"I'm Zora. Did you see Metus when you were out?"

"Who's Metus?"

"Well, he wears a helmet like mine, and he carries a snowflake shield and a silver blade."

"No, I didn't see him."

"Hmm. Well, tell me more about the questions Gelu asked you."

"Well, first he asked me what my name was, so I told him, and then he asked me how the food was, and I said it was good, and then he asked me what my unit was doing in the mountains, and I said we were lost, and he asked me what our original mission was, and I said I was just the cook and didn't know, and then he asked me if I had any special talents, and I said no, I didn't think so, and he asked me what I..."

Here Priduk hesitated, and Zora urged him to continue. "Go on. I'm listening."

Priduk flushed. "That's the problem."

"Pretend I'm not here."

"Well, okay. He asked me what I thought about the medic and I said you were very nice, and pretty, too, and he said I wasn't lying about that, and then he said I could go."

Zora smiled, and her eyes twinkled. "Well, were you lying about it?"

"No."

She laughed and began smashing herbs into a fine powder, using a mallet. Priduk watched her for a moment, then spoke again. "Do you know how to fight?"

"A little."

"Will you teach me? I know I'm a prisoner, and it might be against the rules, but I don't think I'm very important. Gelu might let you." She thought a moment, then nodded.

"Yes. I will ask him."

Priduk smiled in satisfaction.

Chapter 6: Desert Duel

Roden tripped on a small stone and fell, sprawling in the hot desert sand. He pushed himself slowly to his feet and spat dust out of his mouth, wishing he had a waterstone, or at least a puddle. He forced himself onwards.

About midday, he was barely moving. Even a Bone Hunter, adapted to life in the broiling sun, cannot survive long without water or shade. Roden was stumbling forward in a daze, when a deep gorge opened up in front of him and he fell in. He rolled as he hit, but the canyon floor was not hard and he suffered no injuries in the fall. He blinked wearily and his mind, in a daze born of heat and dehydration, began to work again.

The canyon was about thirty feet deep. It was a box canyon that opened into a bowl-like, dust-filled crater. At the other end, an overhanging rock formed a natural sunshade over a pure desert well.

Roden walked slowly to the well, and took several large gulps of the ice-cold water. Then he stopped, and rested for a while. He knew that drinking too much water when one is dying of thirst can be lethal. After a few minutes, he took another drink, then rested some more.

He was sitting in the shade, resting, when there was a sudden movement, and an Agori appeared in front of him. Roden rose, and drew his blade as he did so. "

Where'd you come from?"

The figure, a tan and black figure with a strange helmet, pointed silently to the side of the canyon.

"You are from the Sand Tribe, right?"

The figure shook his head, then spoke. "I was, until I refused to torture a prisoner. Then they decided I must be a traitor, and came to eliminate me. I fought them off, then ran. I found this place, and I've lived here for quite awhile."

"Don't you ever get lonely?"

"Nah. I never did care much for company, and I've got the lizards to talk to."

"Hmm. Well, I'm Roden. Maybe you've heard of me. I'm a Bone Hunter, and I was guide for some Skrall, till the Jungle Tribe ambushed us near the smaller jungle down south. We weren't expectin' it, since the Jungle Tribe lives in the Great Jungle, to the north. They tried to get me, too, but I got away."

"My name's Jallar."

Roden started to say more, but the words suddenly stuck in his throat.

Behind Jallar, near the end of the canyon, the sand suddenly shifted, and an enormous red body began to emerge! Jallar followed Roden's startled gaze to the spot. He gasped.

"Skopio! We're done for!" The Skopio began to advance forward, towards its victims. Roden spoke, slowly.

"Well, I've spent all my life fighting, and it'd be a shame to stop now. Let's take 'im out!"

Several minutes later, Roden was not as confident. He and Jallar had the short end of the stick, so to speak, and they were out-weighed nearly two hundred to one. The Skopio was a large one, and Roden noted that it had been heavily modified and fitted with weapons and mechanical parts. Jallar fought magnificently, using many strange battle moves that Roden had never seen before. Of course, Roden was no rookie, and was equal to anything the Skopio could put out, yet both were limited to defensive fighting.

Roden knew that a Skopio has one weak spot: its back. The only part of it that can harm something on its back is the tail, if mounted with thornax launchers. Of course, the Skopio does not like to shoot at its back, for fear of missing its target and hitting itself.

The Skopio had the advantage, as it generally does, with its massive size and enormous strength. The fight was roughly equal to several mice fighting a giant tortoise. Roden dodged a massive, tracked leg, and ran underneath the behemoth. The Skopio turned slowly to face Jallar, then lunged, and slammed its mouth-parts into what had been thick flesh and was now thin air. Jallar leapt, and used the force of the Skopio's opening jaws to send him spinning onto the monster's upper leg, then to its back. Roden mentally noted the move, then dodged a leg that slammed three feet into the dirt, just missing him.

The giant beast, deciding that its prey was made of tougher stuff then usual, abandoned its ideas of Agori pancakes and decided to settle for a diced meal. Roden dodged its jaws, as well, whereupon the Skopio unlimbered its thornax launchers and blazed away. Roden saw the missiles coming, and blocked them with his sword, although they sent him spinning backwards several feet. At this point, Jallar plunged his blade into the beast's neck, which irritated the animal immensely. The Skopio jerked his head backwards, almost crushing Jallar, who jumped clear at the last moment. The enraged animal then fired several rounds at the tan Agori, who decided that the beast's back was no longer a safe place to be. He took a running jump, and flew up and out of the canyon, where he hit the ground in a long, most ungraceful shower of sand. He picked himself up and looked down into the canyon that he had just left.

The Skopio, finding that its prey had escaped, was burying itself in the sand. Roden was nowhere in sight. Jallar turned away from the edge and saw no one. Where, he thought, was Roden?

A scuffling noise sounded from behind him, and he spun around. Roden pulled himself up over the cliff edge and collapsed.

Jallar ran to him, remembering that Roden was not wearing a water container and that the canyon was at least a day's journey from the nearest river.

When Jallar reached him, Roden was attempting to push himself to his feet. Jallar helped him up, then unbuckled his own canteen and splashed water into his face. Roden blinked, and mumbled something.

"Helmet. Take it off."

Jallar did so, then unbuckled Roden's blade, as well. After several minutes, Roden began to come out of his daze. Jallar spoke to him.

"How did you get up that cliff so fast?" he demanded.

"I dunno. I'm surprised I made it all the way up. Guess it just shows what you can do when you're scared."

"Yeah. So, got any ideas about what we do now? We need water, and now that the Skopio is in the canyon, it's gonna be a lot harder to get."

"Well, I've got an idea, but we'll need some rope, and I'll have to take a rest first. I didn't need that fight."

Roden drank more water, then fell into a deep sleep. Jallar sat near the edge of the canyon, pondering different paths that would allow them to get water without disturbing the Skopio. He could think of nothing.

Then Jallar's eyes drifted to the cliff ledge above the well, and suddenly he thought he knew what Roden's plan was.