Prologue

Onewa tumbled uncontrollably through a deep Coliseum shaft, dimly marveling at how much deeper it seemed than he’d ever been told.

As he gathered his senses, he recognized Nuju and Whenua falling far beneath him. A glance up indicated that the other three had escaped the same fate.

Is this it, then? he wondered. Is this where our road ends?

Below, Nuju and Whenua both shouted, which was then followed by a loud thud. Both Toa had hit the ground — ground that now rushed up to meet Onewa.

The Toa of Stone landed directly on top of the other two, who grunted in pain.

“Lay off the Bula Berries, will you?” Whenua groaned.

Onewa quickly scrambled upright. Outside of the shaft above them, which was now closing, the only sources of light were lightstones embedded in the otherwise darkened ceiling. But darkness on every side prevented them from seeing far in any direction.

By now the other two had gotten to their feet as well.

“You could have softened the blow as well,” Nuju frowned. “It’s not like we’re surrounded by earth.”

“As I would have,” Whenua shot back, “if my elemental powers weren’t completely spent.”

Nuju winced. In his anger, he had temporarily forgotten that in the fights against the Morbuzakh and Krahka they had used up their internal stores of elemental energy. It would come back, in time, but it was not time they had.

“What do you see, Whenua?” Onewa asked. “You can see the best out of any of us.”

The Toa of Earth frowned, blinked, and focused. As Onewa looked at him, the Toa of Earth’s eyes widened, and he inhaled sharply.

“Oh no.”

More pinpricks of light appeared in the darkness matching those in the ceiling. And that’s when they started moving closer.

“Vahki!” Nuju shouted.

Dozens of the armored mechanical enforcers glided down from the ceiling and clattered out of the darkness. One Vorzahk stopped short and tried to swipe with its stun staff at Whenua, only for the Toa of Earth to lunge forward and tackle it to the ground, sending it flying. The powerful Toa smashed the circuitry as best as he could, but for every Vahki he and the others overpowered, there were seemingly hundreds more to take their place.

Nuju was the first to fall, getting struck by a Zadakh’s staff. Onewa was holding out well, but he stepped backward and stumbled over the inanimate Nuju.

Whenua grimaced. Knowing he could not use his brute strength to overpower the enforcers, he reached inside, calling on every last bit of elemental energy inside him. For a moment he thought he felt the earth quiver slightly. But then it was still.

The distraction cost him. One of the Vahki on the ceiling swooped down, and as the Toa of Earth attempted to run, the staff landed, causing him to trip and fall. His head hit the ground, shattering his thoughts to oblivion. In his last moments of consciousness, he could see dozens of Vahki closing in on them.

Then it all went black.