Chapter Five

Gelu and Orde were not the only ones who had seen the fortress erupt in flames.

In the shadowy canopy of the tree branches, a humanoid figure was perched high in the trees, scanning the region with hardened resolve. Its heightened senses perceived a source of immense Toa power, hurrying away from the explosion.

Marendar leaped gracefully to the mossy floor and rose to his full height.

Salvation was at hand.

✴        ✴        ✴

At that moment, Zaria found himself ushered along a narrow mudbank beside a low creek. The Agori scarcely spoke, only communicating with sharp whistles and hand gestures. All told, it was a grim procession. Zaria didn’t know what they were communicating, but he could wager a guess.

Just then, the leader signaled to the right, at a path through the reeds that Zaria would have overlooked if it hadn’t been pointed out. Without hesitation, the Agori shuffled into it, emerging again in the brush of the forest. Ducking low, the Toa followed.

These villagers were like no Agori he had met on his travels, or Matoran for that matter.

So focused was Zaria on his own musings that he almost did not notice the bodies strewn amongst the battlefield. Most were Vorox and Zesk, as well as warriors from other tribes. They seemed to have been killed recently, their carcasses studded with arrows, Given the absence of a reaction from the Agori, Zaria could guess who had done it.

The leader of the Agori caught his gaze and laughed.

“We do what we must to survive. Wouldn’t you do the same?”

✴        ✴        ✴

As it happened, Orde was beginning to wonder the same thing.

With his powers and Gelu’s speed, the pair had managed to swiftly subdue the guards on a side entrance to Kabrua’s quarters in the Vorox city. The city’s entrance was marked by a grand archway adorned with trophies and armor, including a Skrall shield on each side and a green Agori helmet sitting atop the structure’s curve. The plaza square had four diverging paths, each leading to different districts. At the center of the intersection was a grand statue sitting atop a large stone fountain depicting what appeared to be a Glatorian, whose helmet featured Vorox mandibles. The figure was kneeling with a large tail arcing over its shoulders.

But none of this was what caught his eye. No, as Orde peered over the high balcony of the inner chamber of Kabrua’s office, his eyes were drawn to the dozens of Vorox marching in tight formation.

“Gelu, come look at this,” he hissed.

The Ice Glatorian put down the writings he was studying and crawled over to the edge. Upon seeing the scene below, his heart sank.

“There has to be at least a hundred of them,” he groaned. “All well-fed and well-armed. If they marched now, they could easily overrun the tribes to the south.”

“Maybe even the beings from our universe too,” Orde added, glancing at him.

“Yes,” Gelu affirmed, almost as an afterthought. “Them too.”

Standing, he stepped back over to the charts and maps that lined Kabrua’s desk.

“These charts, these documents — they all speak of numerous correspondences with ‘the Grand Forger,’ but list no name associated with the title.”

“What about the weapons?”

“That’s the interesting part,” Gelu mused. “They speak of a ‘Spirit Forge.’ A lab of the Great Beings where they were directed… and where they obtained their weapons and the elemental inhibitor. And where—”

He inhaled sharply.

“‘Where Vorox, and the creatures of Spherus Magna, received their most extensive modifications.’ I heard about this place, Orde. Surel told me it’s where his whole wasteland wolf pack was originally upgraded into iron wolves. I can’t believe it. That place… it may lead me to Surel.”

Orde frowned. “What other creatures received these ‘upgrades?’”

Gelu shrugged. “Oh… Skopio, giant forest beasts — all sorts of biomechanical creatures, really.”

“Biomechanical, huh.”

“Yeah, that’s what those creatures were considered. Probably predecessors to you and all the other species from your universe.”

The Toa of Psionics rolled up the maps and retrieved the team’s stolen weapons from the corner of the room. “If we’re going to find the Great Beings, that place will be our best bet.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Orde winked. “I know.”

✴        ✴        ✴

Arriving at the base of a large tree, one of the Agori scouts produced a flute from her satchel and began whistling a short tune. As the notes reverberated through the evening air, Zaria was struck in the shoulder by a rope ladder tossed from the treetops. Startled, he watched as the Agori stowed their weapons and ascended into the canopy above.

No wonder they keep this place secret, he thought as he heaved his way up one of the ladders. If the Le-Matoran ever come looking for real estate, they’ll have some lousy neighbors.

Hauling his way into the treeline, Zaria found himself on a sturdy wooden ledge camouflaged above the branches. In the distance, he could see other platforms that housed more iron Agori still. There were modest tents strung together from a thousand pieces of patchwork fabric, held together by ropes and pulleys. Pinned down beneath tarps, he could see piles of scrap salvaged from the earth below, all in various stages of disassembly, as though the village were a junkyard floating among the trees. It was simple but he gathered resources were scarce in these parts.

“Welcome to the Brackish Spire, brave Zaria,” the leader of the iron Agori gestured. “We do what we must to avoid detection. The soil in these parts can be most… unwelcoming. So we have made our home in the treetops.”

“So it would seem.”

The Agori around him chuckled.

“My name is Duluus,” observed the village chief. “You are from the Great Barren. Days ago, when we saw Bara Magna growing bigger, we could hardly believe it. After so many millennia helplessly revolving around our homeworld, we were to come crashing back down to it uncontrollably. But as our worlds collided, we stared into the eyes of a towering mechanical warrior… and they stared back. Our descent was slowed, and our moon landed safely in its ancient home.”

As Duluus spoke, some of the other Agori returned to work on their chores. Two of them found and activated a number of small, makeshift devices, which seemed intended to heat scrap metal to a semi-molten state. They then began to shape the metal with rusted hammers, although Zaria could not tell what they were making in these conditions. The treetops were no place for a forge.

“It wasn’t lost on me that we might have visitors from the Great Barren,” Duluus continued proudly, ignoring the noise. “Much has changed. Perhaps after all these years, we could seek out what few others of our tribe survived in the south.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the scene sparked a fading memory of his workbench back on Nynrah. Though he did not hail from their island, he had taken refuge among the Nynrah Ghosts while fleeing the Makuta. The Fe-Matoran had certainly not been a community, not like these Agori. Back then, the Ghosts prized their industry above all else and constantly strove to outpace their competitors. They had all the resources in the world and used them to annihilate each other. Here, the Agori used that same innovation to survive each day from blowtorches and scraps.

If only the Nynrah Ghosts had shared in the same metal as these iron Agori.

“You take this exsidian and use it to craft spears and bows,” noted Zaria, inclining his head in the direction of a nearby crafting bench. “That might be enough for the occasional Vorox patrol, but I can sense you yearn for more than that.”

Without a word, the Toa stood and pointed at the white-hot metal bar a smithy was hammering at, which spontaneously flung itself into the water bucket nearby. A second later, the metal seemed to sprout and grow before their eyes, taking on the shape of a curved blade. The villagers gasped as Zaria stalked over, and pulled the dripping weapon out.

The Toa of Iron turned back to Duluus. “On behalf of your friends to the south, allow me to introduce you to protosteel…”

“Well,” said the Agori, swallowing. “This… changes things.”

✴        ✴        ✴

Toa Tuyet drove her boot into an Agori’s face, pressing it into the riverbank. The soft organic flesh disgusted her, and yet it was quite satisfying to crush.

How nice to be rid of Helryx and the rest, she thought. I’m much more efficient without her relentless righteousness.

The moment Artakha spoke of a bomb, she’d escaped with her Mask of Intangibility. Now her sole priority was finding the one responsible. They had made an attempt on her life; she would make them an example. And right now, every hideous organic creature on this planet was a suspect.

She didn’t expect any difficulty. These Agori drowned much quicker than Matoran.

The Agori groaned beneath her boot. It was babbling something in its primitive tongue – likely begging for its life. She had hoped to question it, but it seemed no more intelligent than the robotic reptiles she had slain. Tuyet prepared to end its misery.

Then she whirled, drawing up a wall of water to catch a spray of metal bolts. Tuyet stared at the hulking biomechanical figure that emerged from the trees, trailing smoke from his launcher.

“Your bomb failed,” she spat, “and now you attack in broad daylight? You’re not very good at murder.”

“I am not a murderer,” said the newcomer. “I am Marendar. Release the Agori.”

“What a disappointment. The first real person in this jungle, and you protect these… Rahi?” Tuyet shook her head. “We’re made for better things. If you didn’t destroy the tower, tell me who did.”

Marendar pointed his weapon at Tuyet. “Release the Agori.”

“No,” said Tuyet. “Do you think yourself a hero?” She laughed. “I am the only hero this world needs.”

“This is my world,” said Marendar. “You have invaded it.”

“I have invaded countless worlds,” said Tuyet. “Yours is just the latest of my many conquests.”

“And the last,” said Marendar.

In an instant, the river raised and coiled like a giant snake. Tilting her head, Tuyet sent it crashing down on Marendar with the force to fracture mountains.

“Now,” she said to the squirming Agori, “where were we?”

Tuyet raised the Nui Stone – and it shattered in her hand. Marendar’s cannon bolt left a trail of less than dust. The energies of a thousand Toa wisped away into the air.

She stared in horror at Marendar. Her attack had pulverized ancient trees, but he stood unharmed. As the floodwaters receded, he strode slowly forwards. “Release the Agori.”

Tuyet’s mask glowed. She could pass through trees, or hide in the soil, to escape – she had done it before—

Marendar released a magnetic pulse: just enough to remove a Toa’s mask.

Tuyet moved to run, but went nowhere. She looked down. Her body had materialized around an outstretched metal claw, anchoring her to the creature it belonged to. Now Marendar raised that arm, suspending Tuyet before his cannon.

Choking on the claw in her gut, Tuyet spoke. “The Toa… will… avenge me.”

Marendar fired his weapon.

Grimly, Marendar peeled shards of blue armor from his claw. Then he lowered that claw to the Agori trembling at his feet.

“Do not fear,” said Marendar. “You have been saved.”

“Don’t hurt me!” whimpered the Agori. She stumbled to her feet and ran into the forest with a wordless scream.

The river churned as it rushed back into its bed. Marendar stood unaffected.

One Toa down. Four dozen to go.