Twisted Shadows

Twisted Shadows is a story, featuring a great war between a rebellion and Shadowmaster, who has successfully taken control of Spherus Magna. The story also features Marendar as a major villain.

Prologue 1
Darkness. A word with many uses. But at this moment, it could be used to describe that which spread over the skies of Spherus Magna.

As beings fall, others come to take power, and start a new regime. This day, it would be a being known by the title of Shadowmaster.

If one looked to the blackened skies, they might have believed a storm was coming. But the darkness that blotted out the sun, the darkness that shielded the planet from light, was much more. It was alive. It was Shadowmaster. The dark one was the sky, just as he was the land, and the sea...and the void. He saw all. He was all.

Heavily-armored, powerful disciples of the darkness prowled through the streets, ready to enforce their master's will, no matter the cost. Their lives didn't matter. The Agori's lives didn't matter. Nor did the Matoran's, or the Glatorian's, or any others. No life mattered. None but the master mattered.

One might have been satisfied by simply ruling a planet. But Shadowmaster was not. He would expand. He wouldn't stop until everything, living, dead, and beyond was under his power. First, though, he had much business to take care of.

As he looked down upon the ruins of what once could have been considered a great, rich civilization, he called out to his minions. The machine must be constructed. The mask must be found. The interlopers must be eliminated. Though the messages were vague, Shadowmaster knew his followers would interpret the commands. It was their job to do so. They didn't forget the fates of the others who "failed to understand". They wouldn't suffer the same fate. They would rather choose death, but they knew their master would not allow that.

With a diabolical grin, Shadowmaster watched as his servants departed to enforce his will. The eye of Shadowmaster saw all, and with it, he would ensure that he was granted his every wish, even at the expense of his allies. But if there was one thing the dark one could not see, it was the impending spark of rebellion that would end his dark regime once and for all.

History had quite an interesting way of progressing in this universe. To a casual observer, with no further knowledge of the universe's inner workings, Shadowmaster would only appear to be a dark being who emerged from the dust falls of Karzahni or arose from the ruins of the Matoran Universe to seek vengeance - any old "scare tale" would fit one's view of the dark one's origins. But in truth, his origins extended far beyond. In a time and place forgotten by all, dating back to the very beginning of existence.

A simple spark began existence, a presence that contained the forces that would work and maintain the universe. Time. Life. Space. Shadow and Chaos. Light and order. And a separate force, acting as a negative for all positives. Each developed into their own being, inadvertently creating portions of the universe that, divided, acted as representations of their elements. But Shadowmaster was left independent, isolated. Through some unknown process over the years, Shadowmaster began to grow rebellious and rather somewhat insane. He eventually started a conflict that placed himself in the middle of all of his brothers. Though, with ease, he could take one or perhaps two of them down, the sheer force of the universe's energies itself, embodied in his 5 brothers, was too much. He was overpowered and defeated, and sentenced to execution. However, Enthydenius, Godly One of Order, had mercy, and simply exiled him into an empty parallel universe where Shadowmaster could bring harm to none others.

But, of course, Shadowmaster found a way, as always. He focused his own energies, and brought forth 5 deities who would aid him in maintaining the corrupt universe that he was to plan. There were setbacks, however. The beings rebelled, all but Coronus, Deity of Twilight. The rebels were lead by the Deity of Creation, who focused his powers to create a universe free of Shadowmaster's control. Shadowmaster was defeated and forced back, but not before mortally wounding the rest of the deities.

Even as Shadowmaster was outcast and his right-hand man, Coronus, fled, the universe had not seen the last of their wrath....

Prologue 2
The cloaked being paced through the halls of the mysterious cavern. This whole universe was new to him. But he was not new to this place. In this hellish dimension, his name was told in tales to scare lazy workers into submission. If anyone was there to meet his crimson gaze, they would immediately know his identity, and utter his name in fear. "The Dark Lord", for his true name is lost throughout time.

The Dark Lord paused as he arrived at his destination. It was a circular room, small, but still enough to hold a dozen or so beings. Several candles lined the chamber, emitting a mysterious black flame. As the dark figure scanned the room, he realized that he was not alone. 8 other beings inhabited the chamber as well. Some, such as Sovnoron and Benjarmin, he knew, while others were complete strangers to him. But all shared the knowledge that they had been summoned here, by some unknown force.

A chilling voice reverberated through the chamber, with a hint of demonic origin. "I see...that all of you have arrived," hissed the voice. Two new beings emerged from the shadows. One was smaller, with black and white armor and a long, insectoid head. Spikes protruded from his crest and shoulders. The other, source of the voice, was about 10 feet tall and lean, carrying a silver staff.

A large table, lined with 11 chairs, appeared from thin air. The taller apparition spoke once more, his tone now more welcoming, yet cruelly sarcastic. "Please, have a seat."

All 11 beings sat down, the air filled with tension. "Now...you all may be wondering why I have summoned you. Some of you may know my identity. Others may not. For the latter, you may address me as Shadowmaster." A dark grin spread across Shadowmaster's face as he continued. "I have summoned you for one reason. I rule a universe, as some of you may or may not be aware of. However, as with many, or rather, most empires, a rebellion exists as well. I have gathered you so you may help me wipe this rebellion from history. To destroy them."

A hiss of disbelief and anger spread throughout the room. At once, the dark one's grin vanished. One Makuta in the chamber, by the name of Malok, spoke. "What!? You summoned us to help you? What kind of deal is this? I get taken from my empire just so I can help a complete stranger?" growled the Makuta.

There was no response from Shadowmaster. He had now completely disappeared from his chair, nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, the dark entity appeared behind Malok and telekinetically hurled him across the room. Before the Makuta could move, he felt his antidermis slowly become solid, taking the form of organic tissue once more. He attempted to gasp as his newly recreated organs begin to strangle him, and his blood begin to burst from his veins. He tried to scream, but no air escaped from his lungs.

Shadowmaster ignored the disturbing and bloody sight, and continued. "I know, all of you enjoy killing. You enjoy cruelty. You enjoy death. I offer you all of this." He turned back to Malok, and with a simple glance, reverted his organs back into antidermis. The pain-stricken Makuta limped back to his chair.

Shadowmaster laughed at the horrible display, the terrifying sound threatening to crack the walls of the chamber. "And none of you will have to worry about a so-called "waste of time". The time flow of this universe is different from that of your own universe, a year here is equivalent to a millisecond in your realms. Not only that...but if you help me destroy the rebellion...I will grant you your greatest desire."

The smaller being at Shadowmaster's side, Coronus, spoke with a higher-pitched, yet threatening, tone. "So...is it a deal? Or must we resort to...a more convincing explanation?"

The answer was written in the fearful eyes of all but a few such as Millenium, Benjarmin, and The Dark Lord, who simply nodded. The devilish king smiled once more. "Very well. You are all dismissed."

The figures turned to exit the room. The Dark Lord followed, but Shadowmaster's order interrupted him. "Not you. Stay here."

Time passed, as Shadowmaster's blood-red eyes met The Dark Lord's. Silence overtook the room, as both analyzed each other's strengths and weaknesses. Finally, Shadowmaster spoke.

"Well, well, well. We finally meet, Dark Lord. I've waited long for this day. They all dismissed you as a simple myth, a legend...but I know what you are," he hissed.

The Dark Lord did not reply. Shadowmaster spoke again. "I brought you here for a reason. You are more powerful than the others, this I know and admit."

"If you're so powerful as you believe, why not contain the rebels yourself?" interrupted the Dark Lord.

Shadowmaster's grin did not fade. Instead, a goblet materialized within his hand. He took a sip, then turned back to his visitor. "Why? Honestly, I have no time for all of this killing. Perhaps, later. But I still have brothers to kill, and such."

"And what does this have to do with me?" inquired the Dark Lord.

"You and I are much the same, you know. Both dark beings, trying to grasp at ultimate power and universal rule...isn't that right? But what use is it to fight? Why not ally?"

"Because I know what you will do," the Dark Lord replied. His gaze never wavered, and his eyes narrowed at the sight of Shadowmaster's response.

"And how do you know that you will not betray me as well? We both know that one of us will betray the other, eventually. But wouldn't it be great to get an opportunity at the upper hand? Who knows, you might actually get lucky and kill me. And when we're not trying to kill each other...the Empire of Shadows and the Fallen Empire will make a formidable attack force. We could conquer universes!" bellowed Shadowmaster.

The Dark Lord persisted. "Nothing I haven't done before."

"Then I shall bid you good day," the dark one hissed in response. He pointed, with a clawed finger, towards the doorway. "Just throw another opportunity in the trash, if you wish."

"Fine. I will ally with you...for now. But know that you cannot order me."

Shadowmaster hurled his goblet onto the ground. It shattered, and the content, a red liquid, spilled out and onto the ground. "I've never had anyone say that to me before. Very well, I shall accept your terms. But know to make sure that none of the rebels, or the others I have gathered, will escape. If you fail..."

"Oh, please. Remember who I am. I'm not another one of your servants. I told you not to order me around," hissed the Dark Lord.

"Sorry. I 'forgot'. Either way...ensure that. I may not be able to give you orders, but if you make a move that opposes my will - know that I am in power here. I can, and will crush you if I must."

The Dark Lord simply ignored him. He turned away, and departed the chamber.

Shadowmaster growled, and taunted The Dark Lord in his dark, twisted mind. ''There will be no need to listen to orders after your use has expired. Once the rebellion is wiped out, I can continue my master plan. You will interfere no more.''. Shadowmaster chuckled, and spoke to himself out loud, a true display of his instability. "It begins."

The fortress of the Great Beings was a great sight. A massive maze of an intricate design that spanned miles wide, and a volcano which highlighted the very center. A newcomer would think only a madman could design such a thing. And, considering the Great Beings, it was likely, too.

The Great Beings had a long history. They were creators. They had brought life to millions. They created that which would eventually save their planet. They were heroes. At least, that was how one native to the Matoran Universe would describe it. If one spoke to an Agori, Glatorian, or perhaps even a Great Being themself, they would call them destroyers. For it was they who had let a planet die. It was they who nearly brought death to an entire race with the use of their own creations. And it was they who were about to bring death to another.

Marendar had been created to kill all Toa, in the event of an attempted takeover. It would be activated when it sensed too many Toa at one location. As they poured onto Spherus Magna now, it knew it was time to rise.

The robot activated, the hue of its single eye shifting from dormant black to a blazing crimson. It clenched its fist, and smashed through three feet of solid protodermis with brute strength. The door splintered open. Marendar activated its sensors. It could sense them. The Toa. Their very presence was enough to drive the machine insane. It needed to eliminate them. Now.

Chapter 1
A massive fortress of stone stood in the cover of the jungle trees. It was a sight to behold. Giant pillars held up the upper half of the construction. From behind a large, protosteel door was a beautiful courtyard, beneath which was a vast system of tunnel structures that was home to hundreds. All in all, a masterpiece.

Anyone would be surprised to discover to whom this establishment belonged, though. Any bypasser would believe it to be some kind of property owned by Shadowmaster, but this belonged to a much more unexpected force. The rebellion. This faction of the rebellion was only around 200 strong, the forces of which stood no chance against the dark one's forces. Even some of the Paladin rebellion members themselves wondered how their leader, Toa Jareroden, could have found this place, and they asked an even better question: "Who built this?". Of course, there were much more solemn things on the Paladin leaders' minds to be wondering such a thing. More likely, the question to be asked was, "Will we survive through the next day?"

Things were looking even worse for the rebellion than normal. The base of the fellow rebellion factions, the Frost Wolves, had been discovered, and most of the inhabitants killed or taken captive. The Enlightened were still staying out of the battle, and refused to give aid to either of the fellow factions. A team of Paladin rebels had also disappeared on a mission to aid the Matoran villagers in the captive cities. By now, Jareroden knew they would not return.

But faith that the dark lord could be obliterated was enough to drive this Toa to complete his mission. Shadowmaster had taken everything away from him as he had kidnapped him and Galika, and placed them in his own universe. Wherever his beloved was, he would find her, and put a stop to the master of shadows' treachery forever.

A loud voice echoed through the halls, and seconds later, Jareroden's chamber door burst open. A being stood in the doorway, his armor battered and bruised. He wore a distinctive flame-shaped helmet, and his battered armor was a hue of red and yellow. He leaned against a wall while trying to catch his breath. Jareroden recognized him as one of the members of the squad that had disappeared, Flardrek. Was it possible that they had survived?

After a minute or so, Flardrek finally gained the composure to speak. "We...tried....to rescue the villagers...but they caught us by surprise..." he panted. "They...captured us. They made us watch the villagers die, and then...they let me go."

Jareroden's eyes widened with surprise. "They let you go?"

"But...they took my weapons and armor," said Flardrek. As Jareroden eyed the Glatorian, he did notice how different he looked. He was far thinner than before, and parts of organic tissue that had been not visible at all before were now completely visible. Shadowmaster's forces obviously did not want any further damage to be done to them, so they stripped away everything the warrior had to fight them. But what bothered the Toa was the fact that Flardrek had been released. What motive did these dark beings have?

This was no time for pondering, though. Shadowmaster's forces were growing, and it was time to strike them down before any further harm could be done. He sat back in his chair, and pressed a small button. Within an instant, two beings entered the chamber. One was much smaller, a Toa. The other was lean, clad in gold armor and stood about 12 feet tall. The air around him still crackled with energy, as if he had defied the laws of reality to get here. Perhaps he had.

"Escort Flardrek to the medicinal chambers, and try to contact the Enlightened and the remainders of the Frost Wolves. We are going to war," said Jareroden. The dark one's days were numbered now. It was time to fight.

Despirax growled. He had just watched a number of his own minions be obliterated within the blink of an eye. Their murderer was a massive being with a single mechanical eye. Its armor was a hue of shining silver, and it glowed with power. Its crimson eye gazed upon the fallen Toa of Shadows at its feet. Then, it turned. Despirax watched with surprise as the machine ignored him. Something was wrong here...

Jareroden stood at the apex of a large stairway, his faithful right hand, Mersery, at his side. A small raised platform and the stairway were the only things that separated him from a crowd of likely 200 strong. He could have been amazed by this number if he had not already seen millions of horrible creatures come in and overtake Spherus Magna with his very own eyes. Was it a day of faith or a day of worry for the time to come? Jareroden would have picked the latter. He kept within him the mourning of the deaths that were to come. He was very sure he would not even keep his own life during the battle, but as one would say, "It's worth a try." Or was it? The impending days would determine this war's worth.

After what seemed like hours of only bickering within the crowd, Jareroden finally raised his hand for silence. The crowd was immediately still. "For a century of terror...for constant months of war, death, and mourning, we have suffered by the hand of the dark ruler that has seized Spherus Magna. We have lost our number, as have our once-allies, and even our enemies who oppose him. But this will go on no longer. I have pondered, and I have made my decision. To lose our lives in battle is even a greater fate than the lives we live now. We shall go to war!" Screams of cheer and celebration erupted within the crowd, shattering the grim silence that overshadowed it. For the first time in a century, Jareroden smiled. "And although all of us may not live to see the final outcome - even I believe I shall fall before those hours...we will succeed! We may not win today, but we shall press on. We shall overcome the shadows!"

So the stage had been set.

A mysterious being clad in gold armor, glowing with power, watched grimly as the dark event ensued. They were giving themselves false hope, and even he could not stop it. After centuries of torture, it was nature that they would fight back. He could only hope he could prevent the deaths before the battle would begin, but he had already failed. He would have to stop the Fallen One himself, no matter the cost. He would have to face his brother. And only one would survive. But who?

Chapter 2
"Are you experiencing fear right now, 'Great Being'? How great are you now? Your title has forsaken you. You are nothing more than my captive now. But, I can free you. All you must do is tell me everything you know. And do it quick."

A dark grin spread across the master of shadow's face as his captive gazed into his eyes, boiling with rage. "I will tell you nothing. You are not worthy of knowing the secrets we hold! Go back to the dark pits from whence you came and rot, vile fool!" growled the Great Being as he clenched his fists together.

"I seem to have angered you, am I correct? Now the great observer is a pitiful beast rattling his chains because he knows he cannot escape. He knows I will not let him. Not until he gives me the information I want. The information I need," hissed the dark one with demented glee.

"I said what I meant. I will tell you nothing," said the Great Being, his eyes blazing with rage.

"You know what I want to know! Tell me everything you know about the machine. Everything you know."

"What are you talking about?"

"Haha. You claim to not even know what I'm talking about, yet you still refuse to tell me. As if you can fool me. The machine, you insolent pest! The machine you built to reform Spherus Magna long ago, or have you forgotten?" Shadowmaster bellowed.

"I will reveal nothing about the structure of the machine, especially to a foul creature such as you. Go ahead and kill me, I will not say a thing. No secret will escape into this place of shadows," snarled the being. "Better to lose my life than to let millions die by your hand."

"And what if I were to tell you something? What if I were to tell you...that explosives are planted directly under a village of 2,000 Matoran? Would you tell me then? Or would you rather them die? I see what you are doing now. You know I will not kill you, because you have information that I need. And you would let thousands die for your own good? How pathetic. You are not even worthy of your title," taunted the dark one. The Great Being did not reply. He only looked into the shadowy ruler's eyes with fury. Shadowmaster continued. "Well, you are wrong. I don't need you alive. You simply happened to be...the closest source of information. I have many other resources to use. Just one to cross off of the list." With the wave of a hand, several brutes, emotionless and cold, stood within the doorway of the foreboding, misty chamber. "Take this one into the dungeon and probe his brain. Perhaps it hides the secrets that he is too stubborn to reveal."

As the brutes dragged the being away, he looked into Shadowmaster's eyes once more and spoke. "Hypocrite. You are pathetic. You will not get away with your crimes. You are a monster, and one day, if not today, but one day, you will feel all that you have done come back to you."

"I know," replied the master of shadows. "And I'll bring everyone down with me."

Jareroden growled as his Rock Steed collapsed, starved and angered as the desert winds engulfed him. So far, the squad of Paladin warriors were not faring too well. One warrior had died of starvation already. Another was picked off by a wild Nui-Jaga. Yet another disappeared. He had brought only 30 warriors along with him, to prevent a large blow to his forces. Now it was only 27, in less than 6 hours. At this rate, he would have around 10 to fight an entire army. He had to speed things up.

He was not so confident that the Paladins would be so successful as he had been before. 27 warriors, 20 Rock Steeds, 2 Muaka, and a war wagon, against a massive, 300-kio long, 100-kio wide establishment filled with machinery of death. He did not like those odds. With luck, they would manage to take down a building. Mersery had suggested that they attack from the southwest, the opposite side of the jungle, the move that Shadowmaster would not expect. From there, they could free as many villagers as possible and flee. So far, it was not going as planned.

A shout of agony erupted from within the crowd of warriors. A large, centipede-like creature burst from the ground, swiftly killing at least 6 of the Paladin's number. Another few were pulled downwards into the pit from which the beast came. They would not emerge again. The serpentine, insectoid monster reared backwards and plunged into the herd of Paladins. They fought at the creature, attacking it with all forms of weaponry, but it did not even flinch. It only roared, and...

Jareroden widened his eyes as several knights of different sizes, all clad in black-and-white armor, emerged from both sides of the centipede, their crimson eyes locked upon the small group of Paladin warriors. With that, the creature came to a halt, seemingly dead. Or perhaps... A vehicle!? inquired Jareroden.

Several bolts of light from the war wagon's mounted Midak Skyblasters were hurled into the approaching wave of dark knights, but they were not fazed. The dark wave pressed on, and tackled the Paladin squad with all of their might. One such warrior, the largest, charged at Jareroden, knocking him to the ground. He followed up the attack with a flurry of swift punches. Just as he raised his blade in triumph, the Toa's dark adversary slammed face-first into the ground, knocked off of the ground by an unknown assailant. The warrior regained his senses to discern the new being standing before him, side-by-side with Jareroden. He was about 2 bio tall, and temporal energy radiated from the silver and black armor he adorned. He held the head of his staff at the dark one's throat.

Meanwhile, Flardrek was having troubles of his own. A large, mace-wielding brute charged at the former Glatorian as he felled his opponent, eyes glazing with hatred. He swiped clumsily at Flardrek, missing. Flardrek countered with a swift blow to the head, knocking the dark barbarian to the ground. He responded with a kick to Flardrek's legs, dealing a bloody wound as several barbs on his feet plunged into the veteran warrior's ankle. The brutish knight gained his footing once more, and dealt another blow with his mace. This time, it hit Flardrek's shoulder. The Paladin warrior screamed as a piercing pain rushed through his shoulder and the rest of his arm. Some kind of poison was spreading through his body, given contact through the deadly spikes of the mace. He collapsed, limp and lifeless as the poison took hold.

At the same time, Mersery and Jareroden turned, to aid in the trouble of their ally. Mersery gathered his focus and prepared to manipulate the battlefield to bury Flardrek's assaulter in a flurry of sand, but he was too late. A sudden bolt of nebulous power engulfed both him and Jareroden, stunning both of them. Mersery struggled under the darkness, but it was too powerful. It all went black as the bararian warriors cackled triumphantly.

The "Great Being" examined the walls of his prison. Even if he had not known Shadowmaster before, he would have known that the grim fiend would not make it easy to escape, even for one of his caliber. He was not a true Great Being either, no expert at creation. All he was truly good at, he realized, was keeping the dark ruler at bay. And he would continue to do that, as soon as he breached the bars of this prison. He was in Shadowmaster's base now, and from here, he could wreck his plans from the inside out. All he needed was time. Something he certainly did not have.

Chapter 3
1,001,200 years ago...

The mountaintop that was eventually to be the sight of the vast, amazing labyrinth of the Great Beings was, right now, a warground.

"You have betrayed me, you pathetic wretch. I created you, I brought you life. And this is how you repay me? You are not worthy of life. I shall revel in your agony for the next eternity!" Shadowmaster growled, looking down upon his fallen foe. "You have weakened me, and turned your own brothers against me! You have been the first to draw my blood. You shall be the last."

Koratak looked up, into the once-empty, crimson eyes that now blazed with hatred and anger. He had just witnessed his own brothers killed before his eyes. Shadowmaster was intent towards ensuring that Koratak would have the same, if not a worse, fate. But he would not go down without a fight. He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the matter warp around him...and success! A fist of pure energy erupted from underneath Shadowmaster, knocking him off of his feet and sending him flying straight into the air. Seconds later, he came plunging back towards the ground, and through it. The Deity of Creation unsheathed his sword and prepared any second for his enemy to come leaping towards him.

"Where are you looking?" hissed a voice from behind him. Chains made of burning shadow materialized from thin air, and wrapped around Koratak's neck. The Deity of Creation struggled to breathe as the chains tightened. With a last burst of strength, the Deity hurled his sword at Shadowmaster, so swiftly that even the dark one could not dodge. The blade plunged into Shadowmaster's leg. With the lack of concentration, the hold on Koratak was released. Quickly, the Deity regained his footing and lunged at Shadowmaster with his fist. The dark one simply caught his fist and hurled him across the mountain cave's expanse.

Koratak regained his footing right before impact with the cavern wall, and, concentrating, created another sword. He charged, swinging directly at his dark rival's chest. The blade cut in to his chest, shredding open a barely visible scar in Shadowmaster's armor. Shadowmaster growled and conjured a scythe-like weapon, swinging it wildly around Koratak's head. The Deity of Creation leaped backwards, and kicked at the shaft of the scythe. The impact sent it scaling across the chamber. Shadowmaster responded with a hard blow to the deity's head, knocking him to the ground. The collision forced him to drop his sword, leaving him defenseless.

"Traitorous worm. Now you see the punishment inflicted upon your kind. I made an example of your brothers, but you are to suffer a far worse fate. And you are ready to accept it, it seems...I had expected more from the Deity of Creation. Have you finally lost hope? Do you no longer care about the people you had sworn to protect?" Shadowmaster droned. With a gesture of his hand, the Fallen One's scythe lifted off of the ground, and levitated back towards its master. He twirled the blade above his head and reared back, preparing for the final blow.

Koratak closed his eyes. He was the Deity of Creation, and he could only hope that he was as effective at destruction. Pointing all of his focus at the rock ceiling, he felt the atoms deteriorate, and...

The cavern ceiling began to shake and shudder. Small fragments began to dislodge, followed by large blocks of rock, raining upon the ground as the cavern collapsed. One such fragment pierced through Shadowmaster's chest, sending a demented screech reverberating through the mountains. Koratak took advantage of the distraction, and grabbed his sword, prepared to make the last blow. Shadowmaster bellowed as he grabbed hold of the large rock that had impaled him. Mustering all of his strength, he pulled, tearing the fragment out of his chest and leaving a large, gaping wound.

Koratak thrust his sword at the dark one, a blow that Shadowmaster parried with a swing of his scythe. The Deity of Creation took another swing, this one aimed at Shadowmaster's wound. Before he could make contact, the dark lord clenched his fists, and hurled the raining boulders at Koratak. The Deity dodged, but not before a smaller rock impaled his foot. He cried out in pain, but still managed to retaliate. Maintaining a standing position, he lunged, barely missing Shadowmaster's shoulder. The two traded blows for what felt like hours, until, finally, Koratak made the last strike.

With a swift-as-lightning swing, the Deity beheaded Shadowmaster. The dark one's body collapsed and dissipated into a puddle of some black, unknown substance. Suddenly, Koratak collapsed, stunned by immense amounts of nebular energy. From behind him, his assaulter stood with pride. It was...Shadowmaster?

Shadowmaster laughed. "Thought it would be that easy?" Koratak did not reply, and simply struck out with his foot at the dark entity's leg. His foot simply passed through, as the Shadowmaster clone faded away. He turned to face several more duplicates of the fallen one, all filled with darkness and rage. All spoke in unison, with the voice of only one. "I can do this all day, my friend. You are mortal, but I am not. I have yet another advantage."

As Koratak shook his head in confusion, he saw his fourth brother standing among them, his eyes glowing blood red. They showed of the same rage within the eyes of Shadowmaster. One of the dark entities stepped forward. "Goodbye, old friend." He conjured a spear, and ran it through his rival's chest. The Deity of Creation would not rise again.

A thin ray of light penetrated the cavern's ceiling. This place was once what had been called "Karda Nui". Over the years, however, much had changed. From what had once been a paradise to a wrecked wasteland ravaged by a deathly storm, to a deadly, flooded cave, and more, this place had a dark history. Scorched remnants of what had once been rocks and Matoran huts poked out from the deadly waters that engulfed the cavern. After the destruction of the Matoran Universe, it was a miracle that anything had survived. But, before the robot could fully flood, it had been salvaged. Of course, this came with complications as well. By now, this place was not livable by any normal being. Any sources of life were wiped out. As the Great Spirit robot had been destroyed, all gravitational regulation had been lost. As so, the villages and huts were all pushed into a watery abyss. This did not mean that there was nothing but "normal beings" in this universe, though.

From a small corner of shadows inside of a honeycomb-like cavern shined a pair of crimson eyes. Another being stood before the entity, balancing on a small, broken stalactite. His armor was of a brown hue, scarred, pitted, and showed years of exposure to mutagen, rusted and twisted. He had once been a Matoran, but both his physical and inward appearance had betrayed that past. He was something else now, something much worse. A fierce growl erupted from the darkness and reverberated through the vast cavern.

A robed figure emerged from the darkness and stood on the edge of the cavern ground. One more step was a plunge to the death. The figure eyed the traitor with disgust. "What has brought you here?"

"I wish for your assistance," hissed the Matoran.

"Assistance? Ha. I know of your ways, Ahkmou. You have betrayed many, even of your own kind. You have pledged your allegiance to only a single being. How do I know I can trust you?" the robed figure snarled.

A grin spread across Ahkmou's face. "You don't. That's the fun of it."

The dark figure cackled, and moved closer out of the shadows. Ahkmou could now see a disfigured mask under his hood, illuminated by his blood-red gaze. "Go on."

"Teridax. The Makuta. I wish for his return, and I know you are capable of pulling off such a task," said Ahkmou.

The hooded figure scoffed. "Ha! I have no need to do such a thing. My own powers are gathering as the powers that be have been eliminated, and I have no need to give rise to yet another pest to be eliminated."

Ahkmou gazed into the eyes of the dark manifestation of hatred. He saw the eyes of several beings before him. In them, he saw the eyes of Makuta, Skakdi, and Toa alike. He saw their souls, screaming in desperation. "I see...that you hunger, creature."

"What do you speak of?" the being croaked. As he moved forwards, a small whisper began to echo through Ahkmou's mind, growing louder as the moments passed.

"You feed off of the souls of others, am I correct?"

"Indeed...indeed you are. Go on, lest you wish to become my next meal," the being bellowed.

"If I were to provide you with...'food'...would you aid me in return?" Ahkmou's grin returned as the shadowy entity pondered.

"Perhaps. But to do such a thing is a serious matter. Were you to provide, say...100 beings?" hissed the apparition with devious anticipation.

Ahkmou's grin faded. "That is a lot...but I may be able to perform the task. I will provide you with 100 beings or perhaps more, and you, in return, will bring Teridax back to this world?"

"Hmph. It's a deal."

Ahkmou chuckled as he turned away, diving into the mutagen water that had engulfed this land, to which he was now immune after years of exposure. He had a useful tool to his advantage now. One that could destroy a world.

A pair of light blue eyes flashed open. The being looked around, to no avail. It was all black. Nothingness. He struggled to lift his hand, but it was locked firmly in soil. Focusing his energy and strength, he moved the soil around him, and pushed forwards with his arm. Air! He struggled, and emerged from the ground, gasping for air. He was in a dark tomb now. Bones were littered around the ground. He had escaped from his prison now. Now he had questions to answer. Mainly, who was he, and why was he here?

His arms felt stiff, as if his muscles had been turned to stone. He felt his torso, which bore a deep scar. Something was wrong here. Had he died before? What was going on here? He needed answers. He needed to find them, now. His mind had been engulfed by dark dreams, nightmares, which he could not explain. He felt as if he had a mission now, a job to accomplish. The being grabbed a bone from the ground to examine it. To his amazement, it erupted in a blaze. As the fires cleared, it was now...a sword?

Amazing! thought the figure. He pointed it at a firm, sealed iron door at the head of the chamber, and with but little concentration, a beam of pure energy erupted from its blade and splintered the door into several fragments. He had a mission to accomplish, and he had made the first step towards achieving that gain. But fear took hold of him. Whatever he had been meant to face was not a force to be reckoned with.

Chapter 4
A sharp pain coursed through Jareroden's head as he collided with the wall, swiftly awakening him. He was now in a rattling, moving chamber, which resembled the innards of some kind of insect. He was within the beast. He tried to summon his elemental powers, but nothing happened. He was cuffed to the wall with some sort of bounds that drained his own powers. He turned his head. The other surviving Paladin rebels were lined up in the same fashion, all unconscious, and no trace of their weapons.

The Toa pondered, thinking of how to escape. His powers had been stripped. He was too weak to break his bounds alone. Even if he was certain he could use his mask powers, which he was certain he couldn't, they would be useless anyway. His only hope would be to awaken his allies. He opened his mouth, but within a flash, a dark figure materialized from thin air. He was different from the brutes the Paladin leader had encountered before. He was clad in ebony and gold armor, and floated above the ground as a transparent wisp.

"What are you doing?" hissed the creature. As he spoke, the voices of several beings spoke with him, entwined together into a horrific voice that made all shudder. Jareroden did not reply, simply gazing into the demonic apparition's eyes with defiance. "I see...that you have encountered my...allies," said the being. "My name is Kinyami. I am...an associate of the one you call 'Shadowmaster'."

"What are you planning?" growled Jareroden.

"You are a fool to think that I would tell a mere mortal such as you of any plans I have in mind. However, I will give you a hint," Kinyami snarled in reply. He gestured towards a banner on the wall. It had an insignia printed on it. Although Jareroden did not recognize it, it brought memories to mind. Specifically, those of Galika. A sudden dark pain pierced his mind as the memories flowed through. Still, he could not put his finger on this. What was this insignia?

"They have seen the greater option, the greater potential. They have seen the truth, the truth that you cannot even begin to comprehend. While you stood there, caring and plotting to save the weak, they found bigger things," boasted Kinyami. He conjured a spectral sword, and pointed the shaft of the blade at Jareroden's throat. "But it's too late for you, I'm afraid."

Before Kinyami could do anything, Jareroden kicked out his legs, landing a blow on Kinyami's wrist and forcing him to drop the blade. It came flying through the air, and plunged straight through Jareroden's bounds, freeing him. He grabbed the sword and, with a swift swing, sliced Kinyami in half. As he looked around, his allies were regaining consciousness. He shattered their bounds, and turned back to Kinyami. The Demon King had managed to heal his wounds, and generated another sword. Quickly, he rushed behind the Toa and held him in a headlock with one arm, pointing his sword at his neck with the other. Mersery was the one to attack, as he charged at Kinyami from behind, knocking both to the ground.

Startled by the sound of battle, several black-armored brutes burst into the chamber, but they were quickly overtaken by rebels. Even as the Paladin forces rose, however, they were beaten down as several more barbarians rushed in, overpowering them. The vehicle came to a startling halt as the Paladin rebels were knocked back to the ground and unconscious. They were led out of the vehicle in line and into a harsh, desert dune. Jareroden struggled to keep his senses as he was led into the sands. As it all faded, he could make out a character standing in a cave opening, though. The figure gazed at the rebels with eyes the hue of fresh blood.

Shardak shook his head. One moment, he had been in a desert. The next, a living vehicle. Now, a cavern littered with bones and skulls of those who had inhabited this hellish place before. He was locked within a cell, unable to escape, or so it seemed. No doors. No windows. Nothing but uneven walls of black stone and bones, and a few scattered corpses. However, whoever had imprisoned him before had made the mistake of leaving him with his elemental powers intact. As he gazed at the walls, he saw a flash. Something was off. He rushed towards the wall, almost expecting impact, yet simply passed through it. His elemental powers had not lied to him. It was an illusion!

He walked slowly through the subterranean halls. He saw several statues shattered across the ground. They resembled some sort of alien creature, with a long helmet that extended to a spike at the back of the helmet. It almost resembled a Skrall. Although he had never encountered one on his time in Spherus Magna, Shardak had heard tales of the Skrall. They had originated from the north of Spherus Magna, and then migrated to the Black Spike Mountains. Whoever had seized the rebels had occupied the mountains. Or did they? He had recognized seeing a new being within the cavern and he saw no trace of the barbarians he had fought here. As he padded through the halls, he saw something else. It was the emblem of Shadowmaster's forces. It all made sense now. The brutes had been an outside force, dealing with Shadowmaster's own minions. But who were they? The time for questions was later. Now, he had to find his allies and aid them.

Eventually, the thin hallways opened out to a massive, vast chamber. A statue resembling Shadowmaster's likeness stood in the center. Crimson gems had been planted within the ground beside it. They spelled something in Matoran lettering, but the shapes were jumbled and strayed from the known alphabet, almost in another language, as it seemed. There was no doorway, and even with use of his elemental powers, Shardak could see no way out. No illusions. He reached to feel the hilt of his blade, but the memory of his weapon's confiscation flashed to him. He could attempt to find another way out through what had been his illusionary prison, but it was doubtful.

A stream of water trickled across the ground, but thinned out as it met the statue. A thought occurred in Shardak's mind. An unlikely notion, but enough to resort to, with his predicaments. He felt the statue, and with all of his strength, pushed as hard as he could. To his surprise, it moved several feet. He could see, now, some kind of device beneath the stone figure. He pushed again, and with ease, the statue slid across the ground and toppled. It shattered upon impact with the ground, splintering into hundreds of shards. The stream flooded into the device, promptly activating it. The whole floor began to shudder, sinking into an abyss. It came to an abrupt halt, startling Shardak and knocking him off of his feet.

Before the Toa of Aura stood a dark entity. He wore what appeared to be a great Ruru, behind which shined the same pair of eyes that had belonged to the being within the cave entrance. This had to be one of Shadowmaster's affiliates.

"Well done, my friend, well done. I wasn't quite expecting anyone to arrive so...abruptly," remarked the figure. "My name is Shale. I am what you could call a Makuta. One of the last of my kind."

"Where are they?" growled Shardak.

"Where are who?" hissed the amused Shale.

"You know who. My friends. The Paladin. Where are they!? Where have they been imprisoned?"

"Ah, the pests...I believe you'll be glad to know that they are safe and sound...for now. Unfortunately, that offer is for a limited time. Their original captors told me to ensure that it was so...as did my master," the Makuta proclaimed.

"And who are these 'original captors'?" inquired the Toa of Aura.

"Those who claimed to side against Shadowmaster. But, you see, in truth, they are very much allied with him. They called themselves rebels. But they are not. They have embraced his regime, and pledge to serve him in return for guarantee of their own safety. Don't you see?" Shale answered.

Shardak wondered, which group of rebels could this be? Before he could deduce the answer, Shale waved his claw, unleashing a bolt of energy and knocking the Toa of Aura to the ground, stunning him. As Shardak regained his footing, Shale gathered the darkness around him, and released a mass of shadow intertwined with blue energy, which eventually opened out into a hand. Shardak bolted for the now-visible exit, hoping to escape the Makuta's deadly shadow hand, but to no avail. The Makuta concentrated, and, exploiting his control over the powers of gravity with a swift hand gesture, he brought forth a hail of stones, blocking off the single visible exit. The Toa of Aura leaped out of the Makuta's way as his shadow hand nearly enveloped him. He closed his eyes and focused. He was about to regret what was about to happen, for he did not know what the result would be. Within instants, his Kanohi Ignika flashed, and, lightning-quick, unleashed a spike of golden energy from its face. It engulfed the Makuta, and a loud scream echoed through the cavern as it drained his energy. Shardak watched in horror as Shale coiled in pain, glowing with power that penetrated his armor, cracking, folding, and chipping it away. As Shardak retracted his powers, he looked down at what was now a half-dead Shale, aged at least 10,000 years via the Mask of Life's power. His armor was now a useless hull, cracked and rusted beyond repair. Green energy leaked from his armor, floating away to search for a new form to occupy.

Shardak walked over to the Makuta's shell, and salvaged his staff. Directing it at the now-sealed opening, he let loose its energies. A massive beam of shadow, intertwined with Shardak's own elemental powers, burst outwards and disintegrated the pile of stones.

The Toa of Aura found himself in an ascending hallway now, unaware of the crippled yet alive Makuta crawling from behind him. Shale crouched and pranced, armored fists lifted into the air, ready to pummel this pest to a swift death. Before he could make contact, a blade from an unknown assailant found itself impaled in the Makuta's neck. He collapsed, what had been left of his armored shell now useless. Shardak turned to face Mersery, second-in-command of the Paladin rebellion.

Mersery pulled out the sword, a weapon that had originally belonged to one of Shadowmaster's soldiers, a soldier who had found himself at the jaws of a Muaka...a tale Mersery wished not to tell. "Any clue of the Paladins' location?" the Mersion inquired.

Shardak shook his head. "Unfortunately not. However, I may have discovered some information on the attackers that captured us."

Mersery nodded, intrigued. "By all means, continue."

"The Makuta...Shale, he said that they were once rebels, allied with Shadowmaster now," explained Shardak.

"What?" Mersery was shocked.

"I'm very sure that they are one of the other rebel groups...the one lead by Despirax, I'm sure," stated the Toa of Aura.

"Despirax? An ideal ally of Shadowmaster, yes...but why would he do such a thing? He is a being of power. Surely he would try to seize control for himself, instead of aiding Shadowmaster?"

"Let's find out. Our first step is finding our friends and getting out of here."

Shardak and Mersery pressed on. Eventually, as the scenery spanned from a cavern to actual hallways, the duo was lead into an even more massive chamber, at least 50 feet tall and illuminated by torches. In the center was a bubbling cauldron of some kind of mutagenous liquid. Above it hung the surviving members of the Paladin squad, now only ten strong, suspended in the air via chains. Their weapons were strewn across the wall, nails shoved deep into their hilts to keep them hanging, as a reminder of the fates of those who opposed the Fallen Empire.

The horror that bored into the minds of Shardak and Mersery was interrupted as another being entered the chamber. He clapped his hands in amusement. "Bravo, my friends, bravo. I see that you have found my...collection."

Mersery examined the calamitous entity with caution. He stood at least 3 bio tall, and his face was that of a skull. He was adorned in black and silver armor, just like that of Shale's, but much more intimidating. The Mersion even thought he could make out the silhouette of wings within the frame of the dark entity. No doubt, this was the legendary master of shadows.

"Set them free at once!" Mersery exclaimed, no spark of fear in his eyes.

"To be fair, Mersion, I would set them free. However, the great difference here is that I'm not being fair, nor am I ever going to be. So, in short, your answer is 'no'," sneered Shadowmaster.

"I will not hesitate to fight you if I must," said the defiant Shardak.

"Are you actually considering the notion of mercy, Toa? The only affiliation mercy has ever had with me is the begging for mercy from my opponents. Go ahead, strike me. As if it makes a difference. Besides, even if you tried to make one move," a lever materialized beside Shadowmaster, "...your friends would have a rather...rude awakening."

Shardak backed off, and glanced at the weapons littered across the wall. The knowledge that he was now in possession of Shale's staff had entered his awareness, but he did not reach for it. Not yet.

Shadowmaster waved an armored hand. The Blade of Arcturas and Mersery's Chronal Staff unhinged themselves and levitated to the dark being, landing softly within his hands. "You won't be needing these, will you?"

Shardak grinned. "No...I won't." Shardak reached for the hilt of the staff, but Shadowmaster had anticipated. He lifted the Chronal Staff, and slammed it into the ground, knocking both Shardak and Mersery off of their feet. They hit the ground hard, forcing Shardak to drop the staff and Mersery his looted sword. Shardak got to his feet first, and in a swift move, reached for the staff and unleashed its energy. A beam of shadow energy erupted from the shaft of the blade. Shadowmaster barely dodged the blast, leaping into the air with lightning speed. He retaliated with a beam of light from the Blade of Arcturas upon landing, laced with large amounts of nebular energy. Shardak shielded the blow with Shale's staff and leaped towards the master of shadows. He was too late, though, as the evil entity reached for the lever beside him. He pulled, and above him, the rebels were lowered into the pit of mutagen.

Shardak rushed to reach the lever and save his allies, but he never even reached the target. Through his own powers, Shadowmaster generated a mass of dark energy. It entered the Chronal Staff, and was conjured as a Rhotuka spinner. It flew through the air, and upon impact with Shardak, the Toa of Aura doubled over in pain. He covered his ears. Darkness had engulfed his eyesight, and he could hear nothing but the high-pitched screams of dark forces surrounding him.

Mersery felt a presence within his mind as he regained his footing. His staff was alerting him. A being other than him had made use of it's power. He scowled and glanced over to the wall to which the weapons were attached. Focusing his telekinetic powers, he brought fourth his Midak Skyblaster. Leaping to grasp it, he let loose a barrage of light bolts at Shadowmaster. The dark one grasped his chest in pain as the light bolts passed through his body. Mersery took advantage of the distraction, and lunged. With a blow to the head, Shadowmaster was knocked to the ground. The hold of his Rhotuka diminished as he lost concentration. The Mersion grabbed hold of the lever at the last second, and pulled it back. The descent of the rebels into the mutagen ended with an abrupt halt, right before contact. Shardak, regaining his senses, kept a cautious eye on Shadowmaster, while Mersery toppled the pit of mutation-inducing water. It spilled across the chamber, seeping through the cavern halls as it went on.

"Well done, I must say. But you are still at a loss. My rule still stands, and you have not even a victory! You have even lost several of your number!" taunted Shadowmaster. The dark one brushed Shardak aside with the Chronal Staff, and landed a blow straight to Mersery's head with the staff's shaft. The Mersion regained his footing almost immediately and elbowed Shadowmaster twice, in the head and the chest. He let loose a wheezing cackle as he faltered to the ground.

Shardak ignored the dark being's jeer, and grabbed hold of the Blade of Arcturas. The Toa of Aura felt comfort in finally feeling the hilt of his blade rest in his hand once more. He pointed the blade directly at the chains that bound the rebels, and fired a thin beam of light. The Paladin allies dropped, caught safely by Mersery.

Shardak growled. "This game is over, Shadowmaster. Surrender at once." He pointed the blade at Shadowmaster, ready to strike at any moment.

"Is it?" the dark one hissed. Almost as if in reply, several beings materialized behind him. Shardak recognized one of them as Shale, now outfitted in a shining suit of armor, identical to the old. One of the others was humanoid, with the head of a Vahki. He beared vicious claws and held twin daggers. His armor was crimson in hue, and stained in blood of the same color. Another was clad in white, black, and red armor, and held a shield with spiked protrusions. The final being was a female, and wore ebony armor. A fierce grin showed behind her black Kaukau, Mask of Water Breathing.

The remaining Paladin warriors, regaining consciousness, stood poised for battle, boring into the eyes of Shadowmaster and the beings who had come to his aid. Shadowmaster and his colleagues could easily take down this assemblage of pathetic mortals, but he had no time to waste. He pommeled Mersery's Chronal Staff into the ground and teleported away. The others followed.

Mersery shook his head. The mission had ended in horrible failure. 20 beings had died in this short a journey, and others injured. He had suffered a wound himself, robbed of his Chronal Staff. As well, now they weren't even close to Shadowmaster's establishment. Looking around, the Mersion pondered, and an idea came to mind. They were in one of Shadowmaster's establishments, even though not the main one. If the rebellion was to take this out, a blow would be dealt to Shadowmaster's forces.

Mersery turned to Jareroden, and seeing the look in the Paladin leader's eyes, he could see that the idea had been reflected in his mind as well. He turned to the remainder of the squad. "Gather your weapons and get ready to take everything that you can see down through whatever means possible. And then...run."

Chapter 5
Koden, Toa of Sand, was quite impressed by the plans to destroy Roxtus. Flardrek had, in his years on Spherus Magna in the Fire Tribe training camp, experimented with the Thornax plant. While experimenting, he had accidentally placed a rare Todari vine next to an explosive Thornax fruit. The results were...very surprising. To say the least, the Fire Tribe spent the next month performing maintenance repairs.

To his surprise, Koden, only a mere rookie, had been assigned to locate the Todari vines, which supposedly grew along the cliffs of the Black Spikes. Of course, this was a dangerous task, so Jareroden had decided to go along with him.

Koden dug his feet into the rocky surface of the mountain. Nearly every step had found itself lodged in some form of skeleton of a Rahi, Skrall, or some other creature native to Spherus Magna, grinding it into a fine powder and releasing it into the air. The Toa of Sand coughed as the shattered bone product entered his eyes and lungs, but he pressed on. There was absolutely no sight of any form of plantlife here. All that was visible was the black, rocky ground, the long-deceased corpses of whatever creatures had lived here, and the vast desert dune that stretched out below. At last, he saw what appeared to be a bluish-gray vine, wrapped at the pinnacle of a massive pillar of stone.

"Leave this to me," said Jareroden. The Toa raised his hand, and materialized a large block of solid iron, which reflected the glint of the sun beating down upon its surface. Waving his hand in an overhead gesture, the block was hurled into the pillar. Both the block and the pillar's base splintered into several fragments which bounced across the mountaintop and over the edge. The top of the spire fell to the ground, landing at Jareroden's feet. The Paladin leader leaned down to reap the rewards, but before he could, a strong hand landed a blow straight on his mask, cracking it and sending him flying across the mountaintop. He landed barely on the ledge, and pushed himself to his feet to face a nightmare. It was a being that stood taller than the average being at about 2 bio tall, clad in black and green armor that shined, illuminated by the barely-visible sun. His armor showed the signs of intense battle, scarred and pitted, worn through thousands of years of existence.

The malevolent Makuta leaned down and pried the vine off of the fallen spire, holding it outwards with his claw. "Looking for this, old friend? How unfortunate for you that I will not allow you to have it."

Jareroden's visual receptors reflected shock at the sight of his arch-enemy. "You are with Shadowmaster!?"

Benjarmin chuckled. "Oh, so you're onto me? Indeed, I have allied myself with Shadowmaster, for my own purposes. And I will not allow you to hinder his forces."

"Too late," Jareroden hissed, the shock in his mind fading away, replaced by hatred that burned hotter than a thousand suns. He raised his blade and charged, but the Makuta phased out of existence before the Toa could even reach him, disappearing in a blue glow and leaving no trace. He reappeared behind Koden, and unsheathed his blade. He held it at the Toa of Sand's throat.

"You're far bolder than the Jareroden I knew. He cowered in the shadows, but you face me with no fear. Fear this, Toa." Benjarmin dug his claws deep into Koden's neck and prepared to make the killing blow. Swiftly, Jareroden summoned all of his power. To the shock of his Makuta foe, his opponent's sword flew out of his hand, influenced by Jareroden's elemental magnetic force. Taking advantage of the distraction, Koden let forth a kick aimed at Benjarmin's chest. Instead, it turned into a sweep, knocking the Makuta off of his feet and dazing him. Jareroden rushed towards Benjarmin and raised his blade above his head, only to be stopped by Koden.

"Remember the Toa code. It may have dissolved politically, but it remains in our spirits. Respect it, or you are no better than him," Koden remarked, gesturing towards the fallen Makuta. Benjarmin simply replied with a menacing laugh, and unleashed a powerful wave of sonic energy, followed up by a massive cyclone that tore apart the ground as it hovered towards the duo. The power of the two attacks together disabled the two Toa as they doubled over.

Koden slowly regained his footing, and unleashed his own power upon the land surrounding. Sand from the dunes below floated into the air, called upon by Koden's elemental forces, and wildly flew around, blinding Benjarmin. The Makuta lashed out, unleashing numerous bolts of lightning. The Toa of Sand narrowly dodged each one, but a single bolt struck home, streaming energy through his body. He screamed, feeling the tentacles of pain wrap around him and engulf him. Numbed and unconscious, the Toa collapsed, defeated. Benjarmin stood triumphant over the unconscious body of Koden, but his expression hardened as he glanced around. Jareroden was nowhere to be seen. He turned, but his opponent was gone. Pain thrashed through his body as something struck him from behind. A massive block of iron collided with his body, applying pressure and cracking his armor at several points. His antidermis leaked out of his body and floated into the dust-filled air.

Jareroden followed up with a headlock and slammed the Makuta into the ground. Benjarmin elbowed him, and snatched his sword. He swung, but Jareroden ducked, and kicked out to the Makuta's chest. He ignored the blow and parried with a heated beam of shadow from his dark energy rifle. The pulsating, black stream of nebulous energy headed towards its target, aimed precisely for the kill. Jareroden called forth his mental strength, and his mask glowed with power. A deflective shield emerged in front of him, and as the beam of darkness collided, it headed straight back to Benjarmin. The Makuta tried to duck out of the way, but was too late. His chestplate disintegrated upon contact, releasing more of his energies into the air. He screamed in agony as very parts of his consciousness slipped away, floating and dissipating, out of his control.

Jareroden stared down at the screaming Makuta, with no pity. Benjarmin turned his head to look at the Toa, rage highlighting his emerald eyes. He raised his hand and gathered a large amount of molecules to form the shape of a chain. The weapon coiled with electricity. The Makuta swung it around and aimed directly for Jareroden. The Toa held out his sword, and grinned as the chain wrapped itself around the blade. Gathering his focus into the Electro Blade, he channeled its electric powers and released them, all at once. The galvanic forces coursed through the shaft of the blade and into the chain, bringing along the energy of the chains as well. All struck Benjarmin at once, flowing into his body at an alarming rate. He screamed as electricity engulfed him, wrapping around him in a coat of bluish energy. By the time it had left his body, his armor was but a scorched husk of useless metal. A white flash of power blinded Jareroden, and the Makuta was gone, the stolen Todari vine the only trace of his presence.

Koden awakened, still stunned, but alive. Jareroden had reaped the rewards of this fight, and held the Todari vine, victorious. Still, the Toa was bothered that Benjarmin, his arch-nemesis, had managed to escape. Either way, the battle had been won, and he had a mission to complete now.

Flardrek snarled. His left arm hung useless at his side now, having been rendered numb from the mysterious attackers' poison. He had been forced to set his blade aside, as the most important aspect of the plan he had devised required use of his Thornax Launcher. Still, he worried that the plot would never even take affect now, as Jareroden and Koden had not returned yet. As soon as he prepared to call off the plan, two panting beings, their armor rugged and damaged, burst through the doorway. Jareroden carried a blue vine in one of his hands.

Flardrek gestured to the pile of Thornax at the center of the chamber. "We've planted Thornax at every accessible floor of the cavern. We'll plant the Todari here, at a safe enough distance that only a Thornax aimed directly at the vine would set it off. My experimenting has proved that the explosions set off a chain reaction. The small explosion will activate the other Thornax, and so on, laying ruin to every floor and destroying anything here. Nothing could survive through that. That's why we need to ensure that we can get out safe."

"And what if we can't?" inquired Mersery.

"We will," Flardrek assured him. He gestured towards the pile of Thornax. Jareroden slowly walked over to it, and gently placed it beside the Thornax, then ran. "Go, now!" Flardrek exclaimed. The rebels rushed towards the cavern exit as Flardrek followed behind. He gripped his launcher firmly in his hand and pulled a Thornax fruit from his pack. He loaded and fired. The golden sphere hurtled through the air, and landed directly on the Todari vine. The following events could be described as...amazing.

A burst of energy erupted through the subterranean realm. Flames engulfed the cavern chamber, and a cloud of fire-covered, uprooted earth spiraled upwards, punching a hole in the cave roof. Massive rocks rained upon the chamber, burying any vestiges of life, but were destroyed as newly-provoked explosions rocked the ground and disintegrated the fallen boulders. As the Paladin rebels escaped the cavern, they watched the event unfold before them. Rock from the mountains above fell down onto the ground, but were destroyed as flames burst upwards, and so on as rocks fell again until the rocking explosions came to a halt. The small assemblage of Toa and other beings viewed what now stood before them in amazement. The wonder that had once been a towering mountain range was now a land of ruin. The mountains had collapsed, and the cavern mouth was invisible, covered by the wall of fallen boulders.

Their deed was done.

"The Dark Lord" gazed at the vast, deserted land below in amusement from the spiraling tower that held his personal chambers. For miles, dunes stretched out, creating a tan blanket over the earth. Through the sandstorms, the only structures that he could make out were the ancient ruins of the natives' work, enveloped in a coat of dead vines that wrapped themselves around it as if they were snakes. So much potential...wasted, he thought.

"What generosity of our guests, hm?" an ancient, high-pitched voice hissed from behind. The Dark Lord turned and faced the being, who was adorned in white and black armor. "This is not suiting enough for you? Perhaps my master could install a new...more fitting appearance to this land."

"You worship that being? That abomination that actually believes he is my superior?" the Dark Lord growled.

"Always better to be on the winning side, I say," Coronus chuckled.

"I am the winning side. It's but a matter of time, before I take complete power. And your 'master' will not hold it for long. If you wish to be on the winning side - "

Within an instant, Coronus sprung off of his feet and was at the Dark Lord's throat. He held a vicious, dual-bladed sword at his neck. "You're speaking to the wrong person. Perhaps my master will find a better use for you...such as his "pet's" next meal."

The Dark Lord scoffed and landed a blow on Coronus' skeletal crest with a strong, armored fist. The deity of twilight flinched and regained his balance before he fell. Coronus spoke again, this time in a low snarl. "You will serve your purpose, the reason you were brought here, and you will not interfere. Is that clear?"

A horrible grin appeared behind the Dark Lord's pitted mask, and his crimson eyes flashed as he sat back into his own, personally-made onyx throne. Then, he disappeared, his long cloak the only sense of his former presence. Within moments, he reappeared behind Coronus, his arms wrapped around the deity's neck. "I take orders from nobody. Must I say that again? I will do as I please here." He released his hold over Coronus, and the deity turned to face him again. He was gone, back in his throne, the grin still plastered upon his face, as if it had never even happened.

"My master...has sensed something. In sight of the future, he has witnessed the rise of a new power, one that could devastate both the rebellion and our own forces. And, it may interest you, 'Dark Lord', that he holds quite a power, one that could bring forth the power of a thousand Toa and put it to the wielder's own use. We will ensure that he manages to crush the rebellion, then take his power for our own. One of our agents has been dispatched to watch over the turn of events and make sure it is so. Meanwhile, we've already managed to crush the Paladin. Although they brought upon...an unfortunate turn of events, they will be shocked when we see the surprise we left them."

The Dark Lord rolled his eyes, instead intent upon the rise of this new force. Still, he nodded his head, pretending to listen as Coronus rambled on. The deity's babbling came to a halt as an alarm screeched through the chamber, reverberating through the walls. There was an intruder.

Chapter 6
Shardak trekked through the desert edge, alongside the remaining members of the Paladin squad. The operation had met in slight success, but he still felt as if something was...off. He felt like something was waiting. He continued to ponder as the sands surrounding him eventually faded and were replaced by the greenery of the jungle and the compact dirt of the jungle floor. It was...quiet. Too quiet.

Suddenly, a booming noise erupted through the lush realm, halting the journey of the rebels. A beam of red light flashed through the air and came into quick collision with a tree. It sliced the plant clean in half, the insides charred black and coursing with energy. It collapsed and came into contact with another tree, and so on, opening a hole in the canopy which covered the area. In the now-visible sky, Shardak could see several birds soaring frantically away.

The squad rushed towards the source of the commotion. Shardak stopped, able to hear the slightest noise, almost a screech. It was coming from where the beam of light erupted. The sight that was beheld was a horror. The Paladin fortress was in ruin. Bright orange flames wrapped around the splintered fragments of what were once the walls. The masks and helmets of Matoran and Agori were mounted on poles outside, cracked and burnt. As Shardak focused, he could see a string of flames, which marked words in the Matoran alphabet. Though he was slightly lacking in knowledge of the language, he could understand the gist of the message. "Oppose us and die." He didn't even have to ask who had written this threat, it was obvious what had happened.

A tinge of guilt entered the mind of Jareroden, the Paladin leader, as he realized what had occurred. Flardrek had, earlier, been released by Shadowmaster after being imprisoned. Now he saw why. Not only were they sending the message that villagers would die if they took action, but they had followed Flardrek back and attacked when the Paladin squad had left. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of another figure. It soared through the jungle and hovered above Jareroden's head. Shardak rushed to his side, trying to comprehend its shrill whistling.

The creature wore ebony and silver armor, and several black feathers were visible from beneath. Its eyes glowed brightly in a blue hue. He could recognize this bird through texts, ancient field guides, and tales told by Mersery. This was a Versuvian Glider Owl. Shardak had never seen one up close, as Shadowmaster had outlawed them due to their use as communication between rebel groups. Despite this, he had seen many of them in the skies occupied by Shadowmaster, closely watching all. He could infer that they were feeding information to Shadowmaster, making the journeys far more difficult.

This owl was frantic and worried. It rolled out several, high-pitched quick whistles and chirps. Mersery rushed towards it. Then, he began chirping as well. The rebels stared at him as if he had gone insane, but he continued, determined. When Mersery turned back, his expression was one of worry. "Terkla has informed me of some grim news. While we were gone, two attacks were delivered to our fortress. The first were some...shadowy warriors. Then came some silver-clad robot. She explained something odd as well...the robot targeted the Matoran and Toa only."

"Did our villagers escape?" inquired Jareroden.

"Barely. Any who didn't escape were buried in the rubble or killed. As if there's a difference," replied Mersery.

"Let's go in. Maybe we can salvage our communication tools and contact the Frost Wolves. They might be able to help us, they've regained their forces," explained Shardak. The others nodded in agreement.

Shardak entered the ruined fortress. Smoke and rubble lined every inch of the now-ruined establishment. The soil on which it was built was charred, as were the stone tiles that had been placed to create the cold floor of the fortress. The Toa could still feel the cold beneath his feet, even as the flames burned around him. Had he the ability to cry, this sight could have brought tears to his eyes, if the burning hatred against the one who had done this did not prevent him from doing so. He had lived here for years, viewing it as his very home, and now the once-familiar halls lined with stone walls and often an occasional bookshelf were simply ruins that housed ash and flames. The walls had been shattered, the bricks that formed them lining the ground. Even the lush trees that surrounded had caught fire, their trunks charred and their leaves incinerated under the power.

He turned and arrived at a metal door, surprisingly still intact. He opened it to come upon the announcement chamber. Hundreds of seats were lined across the ground, before a stairway and a theatre-like stage linked to it. Even when the meetings had been held, most of the seats were vacant due to the lack of rebellion members, so it should have been no surprise to see them absolutely deserted. But still, it just seemed...alien to be seeing such a thing. Once a beautiful establishment, now a pit of fire - a death trap. Shardak looked at the damage that had been done. The stairway was ruined, a large chunk missing from one side, the other burnt and chipped. Shadowmaster's forces had definitely taken their time when they were attacking.

Now the curtain on the stage opened, to reveal the rarely-used screen. It was a variant of the telescreens used all over Spherus Magna now, able to receive transmissions via satellite, though without the implanted camera that was within Shadowmaster's own model. Surprisingly, it was not damaged at all. Odd, Shardak thought. Even if the curtain was hiding it, it makes no sense, because I can see significant damage was done to the curtain as well. The telescreen suddenly flashed on. The being that met Shardak's surprise was not one of the rebellion leaders, as he had seen on the face of the screen before. It was Shadowmaster himself.

"Well, I see you've enjoyed my little...surprise," Shadowmaster said. Shardak widened his eyes as he realized that the dark ruler was speaking directly to him. This was not a public broadcast. Even so, it seemed odd to the Toa to hear Shadowmaster speaking directly to him, even in spite of having encountered him before he destroyed the fortress. But almost every time he had seen the face of the dark one and heard the deep voice that accompanied him, he knew that he was speaking to the entirety of Spherus Magna in propaganda broadcasts, to instill a sense of false hope and even sometimes fear into the Matoran, even though he knew that they were too smart to fall for his ruse, after what he had done to them and their allies. Some of them, at least. Shardak came back to the present, and shouted back at Shadowmaster.

"Why did you do this!?" Shardak shouted, barely able to control the anger that burned as a flame within. What had been a mere candlelight of rage had now erupted into a storm of madness as Shardak faced the one who had done this once more.

"Oh, so I see you aren't exactly content with my work. I apologize for the horrendous work of my associates, they're rather lazy, I say. I mean, I'd think you'd be able to tell by seeing the status my fortress in the Black Spikes has been forced into. Oh, by the way, thanks for the organization help you gave me on that one. Rocks and metal everywhere. A good portrait for visitors, don't you think?" Shadowmaster remarked.

Shardak ignored his sarcastic statement and retaliated. "You've ruined everything. You ruined my life, and the lives of thousands, maybe millions of others more than it could possibly be. The lucky ones, you've murdered, and made their friends suffer. All you bring is agony. And you've just done one more thing you can add to the list when you face justice and reflect on your past. Your miserable past."

"Ah, quite a temper there, Toa. I thought you were trying to cut back on that. You weren't quite...rebellious last time we met. Aside from the attacking me and the destroying my fortress and all. Oh, and by the way, I give you thanks to you for the weapons you and your Mersion friend so generously dropped off for me. I'll put them to good use. Back to the important matter, I've come to bring a message to you and your little allies. One, you're going to die. That's obvious. The second point is best summed up in this little slideshow I created called 'real life'," Shadowmaster hissed.

The screen flashed and Shadowmaster's image became distorted, then it cut to a view of Spherus Magna. Matoran lined the "streets", cowering in terror. Shadowmaster's disembodied voice continued while the scene played on. "If there's one thing I love more than ever, it's killing people. Murder is an interesting word to make it a bit more entertaining. Of course, there's so many ways to murder, I can't choose. Though the easiest one to take so many people out is explosions. Explosions are caused most often by bombs or bomb-like tools, you know, like the one you used to destroy my secondary base. Another kind of interesting explosive is the mine. The land mine. I must say that those are quite entertaining. Weight-triggered and deadly. A nice way to blame someone for their own death if they accidentally step on one. My researchers looked at a mine once. They worked on it a bit, and by my order, they made it so that it could be operated by a detonator instead."

Shardak saw the horror coming. He knew what Shadowmaster meant, and he could not allow this to proceed. "No!" he shouted. He was too late, though, as he was forced to watch the shocked and agonized Matoran burnt to ashes as the mines flashed and erupted into a cloud of flames. Shadowmaster cackled at both the horrendous event and Shardak's response. The event felt like years, but it only lasted a minute. When the noise died down, the screen only displayed the wrecked and flaming buildings surrounding, several corpses lining the ground, those that were not devoured by the weapon of destruction. The screams were all gone now, as if it had never happened, as if it had always been like this. Silent. And dead.

"Silent and dead, of course," said Shadowmaster as he flickered back on the screen, having brushed against Shardak's mind and seen his thoughts. "And you won't be so lucky if you continue to oppose me. Fair is fair, I say. You lead an attack on me personally, and destroy my fortress, then I will destroy your fortress and make you watch your precious Matoran die. Now you see that you are the destroyer. You think you are doing the universe a favor by ridding of me, but in truth, you are simply endangering the lives of your pathetic allies. I'll make sure to give a broadcast of this, too. And I'll be sure that they know who brought it on. Soon, you'll be drowning in the hatred of your once friends as they mock you and berate you for having single-handedly killed their friends. Know this, Shardak. Continue your worthless mission to kill me, and more will die."

Shardak picked up a rock and tossed it at the screen as Shadowmaster convulsed in laughter. Even with the dark one's image destroyed, he could still hear his dark cackling in his mind, but he forced himself to block it out. The fires that burned now in Shardak's mind were not only an inferno, but one so powerful it could engulf Spherus Magna itself. As if his hatred at Shadowmaster was not enough, now he experienced self-hatred. Several thoughts passed his mind. Eventually, though, he thought of his allies. Those he were closest too now, the family that had been crafted after Shadowmaster's takeover. If he surrendered, they would die too, and so would he. Was it worth the risk? The death of thousands compared to the death of a small group? No, but it was the only choice. Thousands would die anyway, with the rebellion fighting or not. Shadowmaster would eventually grow bored and either conquest more or kill his own civilians, most likely both. Death was the easy way out of the torture. The difficult way was through the rebellion's efforts. Now it was time to focus on the difficult way.

Despirax sat at his twisted throne, having watched the event that just ensued with amusement on the digital screen. Then, he clicked it off. He had made quite a profit with this latest little scheme. He hated Shadowmaster, he did not need to say that again. He despised him in every way, yes. But he was a demon of opportunity. And he saw an opportunity when Shadowmaster offered him an alliance. An alliance, that would forbid the dark lord from killing them, so long as they aided him. Despirax did not think - he knew, that Shadowmaster was no fool, no matter how much he loathed him. But making an alliance with a demon with such malicious intent was pure foolery. He thought that the very moment that Shadowmaster's twisted Po-Matoran informant walked in the door, however he had made it into the fortress in the first place...

Despirax thought things out a long time ago. Very, very long ago. And what he thought was that he would pull off a betrayal. But not yet. First, he had a task to perform. Being the head of an opposing rebellion fraction, he had to seize opportunities to destroy other portions of the rebellion when he saw them. He would allow Shadowmaster's forces to damage a rebel faction, then attack himself and seize control. Then he would expand, until all the rebels were either gone or had joined his side. The winning side. With such ground, he could expand his rule and attack Shadowmaster's fortress himself. He would seize control of his massive empire and rule the universe under an iron fist.

Of course, this plan was but a dream now. Only the first part was reasonable, but eliminating Shadowmaster was another thing. For one, nobody truly knew the extent of Shadowmaster's powers, and even legend experts knew that he had only been defeated three times when it didn't suit his plans, and this was by the hand of very powerful beings. He could only focus on the present now. But he saw an advantage. The Paladin had suffered a great loss. Now with the loss of their fortress, an ambush could be pulled off with ease. He only needed to wait for the right time.

Despirax's time of ponder came to an end as he rose from his throne. He looked around his chamber. A few torches mounted on the walls, held by statuesque claws that mimicked those of the Nui-Rama. The walls were lined with weapons, those that had been claimed from the people Despirax and his army had killed. Trophies. Among them were masks as well, and even a skull taken from a deceased Toa. So many had been killed by the chaotic regime that Despirax had enforced, and now that regime paled in the shadow of Shadowmaster. For now... the demon lord thought, ...but not for long.

Despirax walked over to the single door at the side of the chamber, and opened it. Now he was in an underground hallway, one of those which made a web across the catacombs under the demon establishment. On the walls were portraits of several images, several of those being depictions of the apocalypse or portraits of Despirax himself. As well, as the demon ruler ran his clawed hand across the wall, he felt the outline of statues. Truly, it was a beauty in his eyes. And soon he could only imagine the glory of Shadowmaster's fortress. Sitting at the conference table he had seen in propaganda broadcasts with his demon affiliates, Shadowmaster's very head mounted in the middle, he could only imagine. His conquests would continue. Soon, he thought, soon.

He eventually arrived in a round chamber, in which there were two other beings. One of them was stocky and clad in black-and-red armor. More notable was the long-craned helmet he wore on his head, and even more so were his four arms, each of which held blades with mysterious symbols on them, looking as if they had come from the north, from the Black Spike Mountains. The other was taller and thinner, adorned in black and silver armor. Bladed protrusions came from his shoulders, and spikes were visible on his shins. He also sported a skull-like face, on which was attached a rare Sensory Enhancement Apparatus, and a sharp, venomous tail. Even without the sight of the Plasma Launcher in his hands, anyone would know that this being - as with the one beside him - was a very deadly force.

Which was exactly why Despirax had summoned them. "Excellent. So you're here. We can proceed, then."

Skorr, the thin being, snarled. "Well, on with it. I could be making a profit elsewhere right now."

"I have a new target that must be eliminated. The Paladin is weakened. Their forces are dying out, and now they are more vulnerable than ever. The key figures must be killed. Jareroden and Mersery, the two leaders, must be eliminated, in order to proceed," said Despirax.

"And how much will this service pay?" inquired Skorr.

"You and Zwardmorder will split the reward," Despirax answered.

"You never answered me. And it's beginning to look like perhaps the Frost Wolves would be more grateful for my services," Skorr hissed with a devious grin.

"Very well. I'll give you thirty thousand widgets for this, as with Zwardmorder. No more," Despirax growled. "That aside, I also have a special weapon for use against Jareroden," Despirax replied.

Skorr growled. "I don't know about your four-armed friend here, but I have an issue with that. I am a top-class bounty hunter. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. And the sound of it suggests that this will only make my job a lot easier. If there's one thing I despise more than a scumbag who is hard to kill, it's a scumbag out in this big, empty universe who can die easy."

"You took up the offer. I'm making the job easy for you. An easier kill is an easier thirty thousand widgets, I say," Despirax persuaded.

"If you insist, maybe I'll make my argument a bit more convincing with a piece of evidence in my favor," Skorr said, gesturing towards his Plasma Launcher. After some time of thought, he spoke again. "Very well. I'll take up the mission for the reward. But don't expect my business again," he hissed.

Zwardmorder spoke at last. "I hope that you do not get too convinced that I don't have the same issues with this as him. And I don't prefer working with others. But I will take the job. I do, however, wonder what this 'special weapon' is."

"This special weapon is to be without fail. For Jareroden has a weakness - his emotions. And this is simply the pure exploitation of his emotions. Behold!" Despirax made a gesture, and out of thin air, a blue-armored female Toa appeared. "Her name...is Galika."

Shardak crossed into the trophy halls, so they were called. The statues of many historical beings lined the walls, standing majestically - or, at least, once standing majestically. Now they were all either melted, fragmented, or both. Still, Shardak was surprised that the walls were still intact here, in the deeper parts of the facility. Shadowmaster's minions had most definitely been here, but they didn't bother doing too much damage. Still, it was not to be too relaxed and not alert. Through Mersery's translation, Terkla had mentioned a silver-clad robot, and he was sure that Mersery's faithful pet would not lie. If she was indeed correct, which was most possible, then the robot could still here and waiting to pop out at any moment.

The Toa of Aura came to a half-broken door, which lead to Jareroden's quarters. He entered. The room looked almost the same as ever, with some exclusions. Shadowmaster's marauders had certainly been enthusiastic during the attack, because several of the Paladin leader's prized possessions were missing. He did not doubt that while being loyal minions to the dark one, they could be thieves as well. Then there was another difference, specifically, the massive hole in the wall. Shardak examined it more closely. It was still hot, a newly-made hole, and it had evidently been made by some kind of plasma. Perhaps he was correct about the robot still being here.

He entered the hole, which lead into a dark passage and out into the old storage chambers. Untouched, just like the previous halls, meaning that the servants of darkness probably didn't bother to go here. Then it hit him. Two other beings were in the chamber. One was a small Ta-Matoran, huddled in a shadowy corner and shaking with fear. Another was a massive, horned giant. The larger being was adorned in shining silver armor that reflected everything around it. It was about 10 feet tall, and it displayed massive forearms like that of an ape's, ending in 4 clawed fingers each. It was a hulk, in simple words.

Shardak cautiously examined the robot. He reached the front to see a single mechanical eye implanted within its head. The eye was black, colorless. It showed no signs of activity. The Toa of Aura was forced to make the conclusion that the robot was deactivated. He rushed over to the Matoran.

"Are you all right?" asked Shardak.

"I-I, they came, and made it all bad, they lit everything on fire and killed them and then they left, and then it came," the Matoran said, so quick it could be considered gibberish.

"Who is 'it'? What did that...thing do?" Shardak inquired.

"He made a hole in the wall, he chased the Toa and Matoran, and brushed aside the others," the Matoran babbled.

"Go and get to safety. Jareroden and the others are outside, at the front entrance. There, you'll be safe. I'll deal with whatever this...thing is," the Toa of Aura reassured him.

The Matoran scurried off and past the robot. Suddenly, its mechanical eye began to glow a bright crimson color, and it began to move. It examined its surroundings. Its visual perceptor immediately caught the view of the Matoran. It began to analyze. Indeed, the Matoran was a potential threat. It was best to get rid of him now. The robot lifted his mechanical arm, and generated a stream of pulsing blue energy within his fist. He lurched back and prepared to fire, but as the blast of pure power streamed through the air, Shardak leaped directly in the way, the staff he had stolen from Shale in front of him. The blast struck the staff and quickly rebounded back at the robot. It collapsed to the ground, startled, giving the Matoran enough time to flee.

The robot pulled itself to its feet again. It began to observe Shardak with its single eye, then it fired a bolt of electric energy at the Toa. He dodged, and unsheathed the Blade of Arcturas. Focusing a ray of blinding white light, he fired at the robot. It was too slow to dodge, and simply unleashed its own glowing red energy beam. The two unleashed their energies upon each other, until in a burst of light, both were knocked backwards. Shardak got up first, and readied both Shale's staff and the Blade. This time, the robot was ready, and deployed two rockets from its arms. Caught by surprise, Shardak was sent flying backwards, and into a stacked line of storage cubes. All of them collapsed on Shardak, nearly crushing him.

Marendar glared at the pile of cubes in triumph, but to its surprise, Shardak emerged again. It fired another blast of energy, knocking the staff and blade out of Shardak's hands, then moved towards him. It clenched its robotic fists and swung. Shardak ducked under the first and when Marendar threw the second, he leaped over the robot and landed behind it. With all of his strength, the Toa of Aura landed an armored elbow in the side of Marendar's chest, denting the metal. It turned and swung again, this time hitting Shardak square in the chest. He went flying again, the breath knocked out of his body. When he regained his senses, he grabbed Shale's staff, the closest weapon, and let forth a stream of black, shadowy energy. This time, Marendar was swifter, and moved to the side to avoid the blast.

The robot had tired enough. It clenched its fists, and its wrists shifted mechanically. It had produced a sword. It grabbed the large broadsword, and charged at Shardak, sword raised above its head. Shardak blocked with the staff, but the immense weight and strength of Marendar was boring down upon him, threatening to crush him. By pure accident, Shardak kicked outwards, also not only knocking the blade out of the robot's hands but damaging them as well. It reeled backwards, giving the Toa the opportunity to strike. He quickly grabbed the Blade of Arcturas and swung directly at Marendar's head. The blow cut into the robot's kneck, but became stuck before he could do any major damage. Marendar made a noise reminiscent of a growl and simply opened fire on Shardak with a wrist-mounted machine gun. The Toa of Aura ran, managing to dodge every strike. When Marendar stopped briefly, he took the chance to receive his blade.

Marendar was forced to resort to its final attack. It fired eight rockets, all of which homed at Shardak. In an amazing display of agility, Shardak leaped into the air and kicked all eight of them, somehow managing to not explode them. All went back at Marendar. Had the robot the ability to feel emotion, it would have felt shock as the rockets homed in towards it.

There was a plume of fire and smoke when the rockets made contact, acting as a grey cloak that had enveloped the robot. Shardak approached slowly and cautiously. The first thing he saw when the smoke began to fade was the single crimson eye of Marendar, still glaring at him. Then he saw the body, badly twisted and slightly melted as a result of the damage. It did nothing more than collapse as the smoke cleared, its eye changing color to dormant black. Shardak kneeled next to the mechanical monstrosity to ensure that it was at least deactivated for the time being. No signs.

Shardak had been fortunate enough to somehow defeat this robot, though its arrival and behavior only brought forth more questions to be answered later. But for the time being, there was a much more important matter to be dealt with.

To be continued in Chapter 7...