Aeolus walked through the streets of Shi Nui, a smile on his mask as he breathed in the sweet morning air. Crowds of Matoran filled the streets in this time of rush hour, most pulling carts and cases of food and supplies to transfer from place to place. Due to the islands location as opposed to the regions of Metru Nui, a lot of different-class Matoran lived in Shi Nui than Aeolus was familiar to. There were Matoran of Lightning, Matoran of Iron, Matoran of Magnetism, and even Matoran of Plasma
Aeolus had heard of them in very few legends, but doubted they existed. Now the orange Matoran swarmed around him, exchanging friendly smiles with him.
Aeolus sighed and stretched his arms out, happy that he was able to take some time out of Metru Nui to go out and explore. He loved to explore. So long as it wasn't by sea. He grimaced as he remembered the time he'd sailed to the Southern Continent for many weeks on a ship. He'd gotten seasick. Luckily he'd come to Shi Nui via airship. He couldn't think of anything worse than having his adventures ruined by a stupid ship.
Aeolus looked down to his satchel as he walked and flipped open the Rahi-armor flap. He reached inside and grabbed a handful of widgets, counting his change. "Fifty... 'hundred... two-hundred... three hun-"
He staggered and looked up.
The Toa of Water he'd bumped into looked like she'd just woken from a trance and glared at him.
"Toa!" he cried. "Watch where you're groundwalking!"
"You're the one who should be watching where you're "groundwalking"!" she snapped. "If you could find it among the cyclones in your brain to look up while you walk through a busy street, maybe I wouldn't have to be scolding you right now!"
"You don't have to be yell-scolding me right now period!" Aeolus retorted. "It looked like you weren't give-paying much attention to where you were groundwalking either! Why is it all my fault?"
.
The Toa of Water hissed, "I don't have time for this stupid argument. I've got somewhere to be."
"As long as it's far away from me," Aeolus grumbled, and walked off. Without bothering to recount, he fisted the metal coins back into his sack and shut it. If he had more than two-hundred widgets, then he'd have enough to get something at least worth looking at.
He gave a low-whistle when he saw the large stone banner held up on two thick wooden posts, reading "Proto Gardens Market". Snapping his fingers, he jogged in and found himself in a dense swarm of Matoran, streaks of orange, grey, red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, brown, and silver undulating like a bowl of Madu-crust flakes. A grin spread across his lips. This was why he liked markets.
"Excuse me, Matoran-brothers, Toa-hero coming through," Aeolus shouted, weaving his way through the Matoran who seemed oblivious to his presence. One or two would occasionally shoot him a glance, but other than that it was like he didn't even exist. He found half-empty spots in the wide courtyard where stalls and stands were, shaded by the heavy sun, their shelves and planks holding all sorts of items. He bought himself a Bula berry as a snack, and then went into the area of the market where they sold smelt objects: masks, armor, tools, accessories – the likes. Aeolus wasn't particularly interested in tools or accessories, he was looking to buy himself some nice, Shi Nui armor to take back home, and maybe a mask or two. That was, if they sold powered masks. There was an island not too far from here that had a mine of special minerals that could be used to make a Level-8 and Level-7 Kanoka Disk. Surely Shi Nui would be able to trade equipment to that island for these precious minerals. Other than saving masks from deceased Toa, or getting masks from Toa who had too much or didn't want an extra one they had, that was the only way to acquire Great Masks that Aeolus knew of.
Aeolus picked out a nice, exotic-looking set of magenta torso armor and held it in the air to examine it. He turned it over both sides, looked into the soft inside, and traced every fine pattern with his finger. He then turned to the Matoran by the stall and asked, "Does this come in a Mata green?" Mata green - Spirit green was what it meant really. A common figure of speech – Mata colors were usually soft and light, Metru ones dark, and Pira ones medium. Karda colors featured a separation of very bright and very dark under the same brand.
"Why yes," the Xi-Matoran said, smiling as she reached under the table and retrieved a shiny, soft green duplicate of the torso armor. Aeolus set the magenta one down and took it from her hands. "I'll quick-take it."
"Fifty widgets and seventy two dunes, please."
Aeolus pulled out a palm-sized, gear-like coin – a cenn, which was fifty widgets – and four blackbeads, which were each twenty a quarter of ten widgets.
Dunes were one widget. Vons ten. Blackbeads twenty. Then there were Cenns, the big coins which were each worth fifty widgets.
The Xi-Matoran took them greedily and then smiled, which Aeolus had found out by now was phony. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Aeolus said, before walking off to inspect a line of boots and leggings. He picked out a Mata green pair of boots and a Metru green set of leggings. When he headed off to the mask-selling region, he found that the stalls were fruitful. He was able to buy a Great-style Noble Kakama, and a Noble Sanok, before his satchel was near empty. He frowned as he left the market, knowing Turaga Kongu would be mad at him. The Turaga Mahri of Air had come along with him, just the two of them, to make sure the Toa didn't do anything reckless. That was the excuse he was going by. Both of them knew, though, that Kongu wanted to have a little piece of the fun too, even at his age.
While Aeolus walked across the streets, his stomach began to ache. He browsed the sides for the food stalls that were common here in Shi Nui. It seemed fate had played back at him and all his looking was coming up empty. Finally he saw one, and almost bounced with joy. He ran forward, and then stopped when he heard the voice.
"This Madu is bitter!" snapped a sour female voice. Aeolus stopped and frowned. It was a Toa of Water. "You can't expect to sell people sour fruit!" she turned the fruit over in her hand, "And look! It has a bruise! You're supposed to be selling fresh food, not old scavenges!"
The Matoran recoiled wordlessly, staring up with wide eyes at the mad Toa. Aeolus was about to intervene, when another Toa appeared, a Toa of Ice by the colorless shine of his armor. "That's enough, Amph," he said in a low voice. "I know you're mad, but please."
Aeolus exhaled sharply out of the side of his mouth, and walked over. "Hey, Toa!" he said, and both the Toa of Water and the Ga-Matoran stall keepers heads whipped to look at him – one because of the irritation of being interrupted, and the other out of surprise. The Toa of Ice brought his head up more slowly.
."You can't just go attack-harassing the poor Ga-Matoran because you picked out a wrong-bad fruit! What's your issue-problem?"
The Toa of Water's face hardened in a tight scowl but she said nothing.
"You may be mad, but that's no path-way to vent your anger. Leave the girl alone – if you don't heart-trust her food, then go pick your own!"
There was a long stillness. Finally, she turned and stepped forward. "And who are you, stiff breeze?"
"No one you would know," Aeolus said. "And it doesn't matter. I'm just walk-passing through."
The Toa of Water was quiet a long moment, then she threw her head back and laughed as if he'd made a witty joke. Without a word, she turned and threw her arm around the Toa of Ice's shoulders and grasped his arm with her free hand, as if she'd fall down without him there. "Come on, Japoro, let's go." The two walked off, with the Ice Toa giving a glance back. Aeolus let out a breath and turned to the Ga-Matoran. "Sorry about all that."
"No, no problem. Actually, thank you. Here, have a Bula. Free of charge." She handed him a plump, juicy fruit, then sighed and let her shoulders slump. "That's Amphitrite, one of the Toa here on Shi Nui. When she gets upset, there's no telling what she'll do."
"Yeah." Aeolus chortled. "I eye-noticed."
The Ga-Matoran frowned. "Most Toa of Air I've seen come around here don't talk chutespeak. Where are you from, stranger?"
"My name's Aeolus," he said. "I'm from Metru Nui. My team's not here – they're too Gukko-feathers to come out and see the big world."
The Ga-Matoran laughed. "I can imagine."
Aeolus finished the bula. "I owe you one," he said. The Ga-Matoran rolled her eyes. "You shooed off Amphitrite – believe me, that's enough payment."
Aeolus laughed. "Let's be heart-friends." He said.
"Sure. I'm Mahni."
"And I have to get quick-going. But I'll come back and talk to you later."
She laughed and nodded, and he ran away.
The streets never seemed to end, and it was sunset by the time Aeolus got to the hut he was staying in with Turaga Kongu. He hopped up the single step and opened the door, stepped in, and almost slammed into the Metru-green armored Turaga. A Noble Zatth stared up at him, glinting with mischief. "You met a girl," he said through spurts of laughter. Aeolus shut the door. "Yeah, so what? She was a Matoran, so you can't point-imply anything."
"Oh, I'm not speak-talking about Mahni."
Aeolus frowned in confusion. Who was he talking about then?
As if able to read his thoughts, Kongu said, "The Toa."
Aeolus' cheeks flushed red. "It wasn't like that, Turaga Kongu," he said, setting down his package and sinking into a chair. "She was a pest."
"Then I guess you two have a lot in common," Kongu chuckled. Aeolus frowned.
"You know, despite her attitude," Kongu continued, "she's a very nice-pretty Toa of Water."
Aeolus sighed. "How do you even know about her? I don't even know her name!"
"Ah, young one, there are many things to know. Fortunately for you, I will let you in on my secret: I've learned to control the power of the Zatth to an extent. At a close enough radius and mental focus, I can summon a Rahi, then tell it to go and spy on you. Of course, it has to be of a language I know of."
Aeolus frowned. Kongu knew a lot of Rahi languages.
"And ever-besides," Aeolus continued, "she's with that Toa of Ice. Jappo, or whatever his name is." Without waiting to hear another word from the mischievous Turaga, Aeolus headed upstairs, and then sighed in relief that he didn't have to endure a scolding for wasting his money on excess materials. He flung himself into bed and fell fast asleep.
"It's really full-crowded there," Aeolus said. Mahni laughed. "I doubt it's as crowded as here!" she said. Aeolus stopped for a moment and thought. Then he replied, "No, no it isn't." Mahni laughed again.
"Hey Mahni!" called another voice. A pale gold-yellow Matoran came running up to them, a smile on her Hau. "Guess what? Kaanu's having a party tonight."
Mahni gasped. "Really?"
"Yeah. And Kiha and Yami want to meet you in the Silverleaf Park. Now!"
Mahni glanced to Aeolus. "Maybe we can bring this big ol' heap of green muscle to help us. I'm sure he can jump through a hoop or two."
"Not that game," the Xi-Matoran said, and Aeolus laughed. The Toa of Air shook his head. "No, I really shouldn't. I should go and speak-talk to my Turaga. You Matoran have fun."
"Bye, green guy!" the Xi-Matoran said as her and Mahni ran across the streets and disappeared. Aeolus exhaled, shut his eyes – and through his greatly acute elemental senses felt the air ripple fiercely as a blast of water came at him. With a concentrated dagger of wind, he shattered the blast and watched bits of liquid splatter the ground. He looked up, and saw the same Toa of Water standing before him. "Do you have issues?" he asked.
The Toa of Water grinned. "I challenge you, Air."
Aeolus chortled. "First off, my name's not Air. And second off, you challenge me to what?"
"A round of Vine Snag. First one to go down loses." She turned and walked away, not bothering to glance over her shoulder to see if he was following. "We're going to the Skywoods Field."
He followed her for a good half-an-hour before they were standing at the foot of a forest of massive trees, their leaves glinting sand green. The trees shot up so high that their tips might touch the sky. But Aeolus knew that was just because of the altitude on this part of the island. He'd seen better in lower parts of the universe.
The Toa of Water's mask flared and she turned into a Gukko bird with cobalt stripes, and soared up into the high trees. Aeolus didn't have and didn't need any such trick. Without even using his Mask of Flight, he leapt up twenty feet to a designated crease in the wood and made his way up the trees in an alternating method of climbing, jumping, and swinging. With a good load of experience on natural paradises surrounding Metru Nui, he was an expert at this kind of thing.
Finally Aeolus settled on a thick, sturdy branch, directly across from the Toa of Water, hundreds of feet into the air. He stared at her, now back in her Toa form. "The aim of the game," she said, "is to break the branch underneath the opponents feet and have the opponent fall with it."
"I know what the game is," Aeolus snapped. "Let's begin already."
Just as the words left his mouth, a blast of water severed the branch under his feet. He leapt up into the air, did a somersault, and caught on to another branch, swinging himself onto it and directing a tornado at the Toa. She made her own whirl of water to parry the tornado, and it sucked the liquid over its edges and threw it directly at Aeolus.
Smart, he thought, swinging behind the tree to dodge the blast. He bounded forward just when his swing was done and soared high up in to the air, and after the arc of his momentum ended, he was plummeting straight down at the branch of the Toa.
He shot out an arm and broke the branch into two, and saw her stumble, but nimbly get another safety point lower on the tree. She shot daggers of water at his branch when he landed, and he deflected them with simple blocks with his feet.
Aeolus gritted his teeth and summoned his power. The air began to whirr in a cyclone beside him, but he willed it to get bigger. Finally it was a ripping, whipping circle of white air that roared to break something. He threw it towards the Toa.
She laughed and shot a shaft of water to deflect it, but it missed and went right through the eye of the cyclone... Aeolus' eyes widened, and he saw hers did too. This was one of the very, very dangerous elemental combinations that he'd read of.
A sudden explosion of wind and water cracked, and a blast of force pinned Aeolus to the bark of the tree. He heard a deep snapping, and squinted his eyes open to see the tree the Toa of Water was standing on splintered through the middle. It's branches, devastated by the elemental clap, were shriveled and falling apart. The tree groaned and its upper half creaked to the side and began to tumble downward.
Aeolus' eyes snapped open when he realized the danger of this. The Toa could die! He ran forward and sprung off the branch, using his Mask of Flight and power over air and wind increase the speed of his fall to outpace the collapsing tree trunk and branches. The Toa of Water was reeling helplessly in the air, a scream of horror escaping her lips. She was too stunned to call on her mask, to do anything. Aeolus cursed and swooped down, hoping he'd timed his trajectory right. Impact ran through his arms as he caught her falling form and held tight, all the while turning and veering to avoid falling branches the size of huts that could crush or impale the two of them. Finally he got out of the range of the disaster and landed on the ground, covered in crunchy leaves. He looked at the Toa of Water. She looked so serene right now, more so than he'd seen her before – but than again he'd only seen her for a few minutes in all his life. He remembered what Turaga Kongu said and felt his cheeks warm, and his heartflash quickened. But he wouldn't let his embarrassment overcome the splendor of the scene. The peaceful forest, the destroyed tree now a distant rumble, and the beauty of the Toa of Water... the curve of her face, her soft lips, her cobalt blue complexion.
Suddenly, her eyes flicked open, and he almost recoiled. She smiled. "Thank you," she said in a weak voice. "For saving my life. I'm Amphitrite by the way."
"I'm Aeolus," he said, but she had already gone unconscious again. He sighed and stood up with her still in his arms. He'd bring her back to the city to get tended to.
Aeolus went through the story of the Vine Swapping challenge they'd had, the destroyed tree, and her getting knocked unconscious, and then handed the sleeping body of Amphitrite to the Toa of Ice.
"Thank you for saving her," the Toa said, and shut the door. Aeolus headed back to his and Kongu's hut for their stay and Shi Nui. When he entered, he found all his belongings and the belongings of the Turaga packed and in the lounge. "Kongu, what's occur-happening?"
"Back to Metru Nui," the Turaga of Air said as he come downstairs. "Something weird-strange is happening. Grab your stuff."
Aeolus did as told, and they headed through the city down to the dock. "Wait a minute," Aeolus said, "where's the airship?"
"Back at Metru Nui," Kongu said slyly, his tone shaky obviously from trying not to burst into laughter. "We're getting picked up by something else."
Aeolus gasped. "Not a boat!"
"Better."
The water seemed to erupt and a round, long shape emerged, that looked like a Terrain Crawler, only a bit smaller, and not organic in the least. A door to the cockpit slid open to reveal the smiling figure of Turaga Nuparu. "Hop in."
Aeolus screamed. Kongu laughed, and then the Turaga of Air shoved the Toa into the open door. They took off for Metru Nui.
* THREE YEARS LATER *
Aeolus stumbled into the Jetreh, the personal airship that he'd used to transport. He was weak already, and the pain was getting worse. He shut the door heavily, and pressed the controls, hoping he'd set out the right ones. He grabbed the control levers and manoeuvred the craft into the air, half not being able to focus because of the growing pain.
His vision became blurrier with every passing minute. The sky flew by and then just seemed to blank out all together. The feeling dropped from his arms, he slinked back into the chair, and in an amount of time – short or long, he knew not – felt a jolt of impact. The ship must've crashed or something. It should've hurt him, but nothing affected him more than this everlasting, blaring pain.
He managed to find refuge in some kind of fortress. Time passed by. The pain grew heavier. He hung on the wall. Suddenly, he saw a white figure below. How much time had passed? Enough time for the Frostelus to make it here? Wherever here was?
No matter. Aeolus dropped down and began to fly around the white figure at great speeds, until something hit him and he stumbled. Then slashes. Dagger-sharp slashes. Then a weight. Then a voice: "Amph, stop! It's a Toa!"
More voices, talking about "wrong" and "wound" and "that" and "Hiziz" and "poison" and "wash". Aeolus blinked. The name Amph reminded him of something. What, he didn't know. Suddenly, he felt liquid seep over him. The pain submitted, and then, with the slosh of water, went away altogether. He regained his full mind again, and sat up. Then he jolted and almost fell back down. Amphitrite?
Aeolus sat in the Crow's Nest of the Jaswinder.
He'd hidden his secret from the three Toa – Stiaye, Japoro, and Amphitrite – well, but a nagging feeling tugged at his heart. How could Amph not remember him? It was the fall, he reckoned, quick-caused her to get short-term amnesia, probably. I didn't tell her my name, but surely she would've ever-remembered my face. He shut his eyes. She doesn't heart-like me. She loathes me. But ever-why? I saved her life once! And Japoro... now I know he's not her partner.
He sighed and lay back in the Crow's Nest, willing to take a few minutes off to relax. But his peace was soon broken by stomping footsteps below. He leaned over. It was the Toa of Water. "Hey, Amph!" he called. "What's with the long-face?"
"I just saw Japoro put his hand on Stiaye, that's what's with the 'long-face'!" she snapped back almost instantly, and then stomped off. Aeolus tried to keep his face from screwing up to the reply, and then lay back. He sighed.