It was a dark night in Ta-Koro. Fire crackled, and tiny red, yellow, and orange metal beings surrounded a single hut. The Matoran whispered excitedly; tonight the Turaga would tell more legends, which only happened once every twenty five years. Of course, it also served to take their minds off of the constant attacks by Rahi, but no one brought that up. Behind the Matoran, their parents and older siblings watched carefully, a Glatorian occasionally herding a Matoran back to the crowd. Three Glatorians were walking towards the fire.
"We're wasting time," growled the one on the left. He was rather bulky, with a large chestplate and a pair of large shoulder pads. Attached to his arms were two fiery claws, and he wore a mask with two small horns resembling flames - the Noble version of the Kanohi Atahu, also known as the Mask of Charisma. "We should just get our squad and go do something important, like patrolling for Muaka."
The Glatorian to the right sighed. His armor was more streamlined, not counting the spikes on his shoulders, and he carried a sword designed like a flame on his back. He wore a mask that curved over his head and stuck out like a flame; a modified Noble Kanohi Turapa, also known as the Mask of Rebounding. "You seem to forget that the majority of our guard happen to be Matoran, Malum. Hearing the legends is good for morale. Let them enjoy it, and then we can get to work."
Malum snorted. "And of course you would know that, Ackar, you old-timer. Do you want to tuck them in bed, too? Tell them stories to make the scary Rahi go away?"
Ackar sent a sharp glare at Malum that would have had lesser foes begging on their knees. Naturally, Malum was completely unaffected. In fact, he opened his mouth to say some more, only to be interrupted by the Glatorian in the middle.
"I agree with Ackar. Let the storytelling run it's course, and then we can go on patrol." The Glatorian was rather tall, with a red chest plate that curved, arching over her armored shoulders.
She carried a large shield on her back, which had a visage of her mask - a yellow, boxy thing, with three vents on each side on it's face, the eyes formed into a determined expression. The Great version of the Kanohi Hau, otherwise known as the Mask of Shielding.
In fact, the fact that he could wield a Great Kanohi at all was one of the reasons why Jala was the captain of the guard. Sure, she usually fell unconscious for a few hours after he used it, but that was better than going into a coma, or dying. The other reason was because of her diplomatic skills, which she was utilizing right now in a way that Malum had grown familiar with: the look. Or, as Malum liked to call it, the look that said "please shut up before someone tries to kill you."
Malum obliged. He figured that, at the very least, he would reserve the right to say "I told you so" when the Rahi attacked while everyone's guard was down.
The group of Glatorian joined the crowd surrounding the small hut. Soon enough, an orange mask poked out of the hut, followed by the rest of the elderly Agori. Turaga Vakama smiled.
"It would appear I have quite the audience tonight! Well, I suppose it is that time...shall we begin?" The Turaga was met with dozens of loud cheers. "Alright, alright...now, for the first legend, let's start at the beginning...of everything. Of the Matoran, the Glatorian, the Agori, the Toa, and the world..."
In a time before time, the world was empty. There were no islands, no Rahi, nothing. All there was was a vast ocean...and then they arrived.
The Great Beings.
Six powerful beings, each with a legendary mask of their own, saw the emptiness of this world and decided to fill it with something.
First, Angonce, wielder of the Mask of Elements, brought five more elements onto our planet, thus completing the group of elements necessary for life - Fire, Earth, Iron, Water, Nature, and Lightning.
Then, Artahka, wielder of the Mask of Creation, took the elements and formed the islands that make up our world, giving the Great Beings room to create.
Karzahni, wielder of the Mask of Space, made sure that the world was big enough for things to live on, and allowed the light of the sun, moon, and stars to shine upon our world.
Ekimu, wielder of the Mask of Life, created the Matoran, Agori, Glatorian, Toa, Vortixx, Skadiki, Skrall, Zyglak, Kohiwi, Vorox, Bone Hunters, Waiwika, Uaua, Rahi, and many others.
Makuta, wielder of the Mask of Control, gave certain species sapience, to allow them to build societies and rule the lands.
And Velika, wielder of the Mask of Time, caused centuries upon centuries to pass, allowing the newly formed races to build their own societies.
And as they grew, some turned to Ekimu, who had created them all, and worshiped him. Ekimu was flattered. Most of the Great Beings were indifferent, being busy doing their own duties.
But Makuta grew envious and bitter of what Ekimu had. He had given these creatures sapience in the first place - the ability to think freely, move beyond instinct! Why didn't he get any credit? Why didn't he get worshipped?
So Makuta went to master the Mask of Control, testing it on those who weren't worshipping Ekimu, in order to avoid detection. He learned how to manipulate the mind, causing some to become as wild and feral as Rahi, others going mad. And so, Makuta came back, and he used this ability on some of his fellow Great Beings.
First, Makuta drove Angonce mad, causing him to split into six separate beings - Ikir, Terak, Ketar, Akida, Uxar, and Melum, the elemental Rahi. This split caused a massive shift in the islands. Where there was once balance between the elements, it was torn apart, with different areas becoming home to one element alone.
This caught Ekimu's attention. He went to confront Makuta, but this is exactly what Makuta wanted. With his power over the mind, he caused Ekimu to go into a deep sleep. This also caused a massive shift across the islands, as an earthquake that spanned the worlds rumbled as Ekimu went to sleep.
Artahka and Karzahni were outraged, but they did not dare attack Makuta after seeing how he managed to split up Angonce and put Ekimu to sleep with the power of his mask. Velika simply disappeared.
And now, Makuta simply lies in wait, plotting to take over what was once the shared creation of the Great Beings as his own.
The Matoran sat in silence as Vakama finished his story. Eventually, one insightful Matoran asked,
"Is that why the other islands don't visit us?"
Turaga Vakama nodded. "This island contains the spirit of Ekimu. Makuta has been controlling the Rahi in the sea to attack any vessel that gets close. And it's worked to keep any Toa away from Mata Nui."
The questioning Matoran processed this for a moment. "...Has Makuta been manipulating the other Rahi, too?"
Every Glatorian in the Ta-Koro guard flinched. The Matoran was spot on. While the Matoran, Agori, and other Glatorian hadn't been told, the Turaga had quietly pulled the older Glatorian aside and told them that the attacks were being coordinated by Makuta, and to avoid telling the civilians at all costs. Jala cleared her throat to try to deflect the question, but for some reason, Vakama shook his head. Jala froze. Why was he telling them now, when the recent Rahi attacks were worse than ever before?
"...Yes. Yes, he has." That one statement killed the mood faster than a swarm of angry Nui-Rama. The Matoran looked uneasy, whispering to each other and looking nervous. The Agori were in a mix of shock and outrage. The Glatorian seemed to have trouble processing the fact that Makuta himself had been causing the supposedly random attacks. Then Vakama smiled.
"But there is a reason why I tell you this now. Look at the stars." Everyone glanced up. Jala noticed that six stars in particular were brighter than the rest - unusually bright, actually.
"I have been talking with my fellow Turaga, and they agree...the stars say that six Toa will come very soon. In a few days, our protectors will arrive, and they will save us from Makuta's Rahi attacks. And after that, they will take the first steps towards awakening Ekimu, and return the universe to order." Vakama explained. And, while that was good news, Jala was slightly annoyed that she and the other guards weren't informed of this.
At this point, the inquisitive Matoran stepped out of the crowd. Now Jaller recognized him - a young chronicler; Takua, if he remembered correctly, on the verge of becoming a Glatorian. His blue and red armor stood out from the red, orange, and yellow that surrounded him. "But if Makuta controls the waters, then how will any Toa get here?"
Vakama grinned. "Ah, an excellent question. While Makuta may have control over the sea...he does not rule over the sky."
And then, a red streak of light flew into the dead forest and landed with a loud crash. The Turaga turned around, bewildered. Smoke billowed from the far-away crash site.
"And that would be our cue to investigate." Malum cracked his knuckles and clapped his hands. "Guards, get in line. We need to investigate the crash area, now."
Jala would've reminded Malum that she gave the orders, but she was currently as shocked as everyone else at the moment, trying to figure out what just happened. So, she just nodded and got into his position at the front.
"D-do you think it's the Toa?" a Matoran asked.
Malum snorted. "If there's anything I've learned in my life, it's that coincidence is either incredibly rare or nonexistent. Of course it's the Toa. Now, come on, troops. I need to yell at the guy for being late."
And so, several Glatorian and Matoran walked out of the camp and into the forest, swords, spears, and other weapons ready in case they ran into a wild Rahi. Eventually, they made camp deep in the forest. It was ideal, since they seemed to be somewhat close to the crash site.
"Now...I'm going to be heading out to see the crash site. Ackar, you have the most experience. You come with me. Malum, you come with me too." Jala ordered. There were a few protests by the Matoran, but Jala pressed a finger to her mask, and they went silent.
Malum raised an eyebrow. "I get why the old-timer gets to go, but why me?"
"Rahi bait." Jala replied. It was actually because Malum had an uncanny knowledge of the bodily systems in certain Rahi and knew how to shut them down completely just by touching a few joints, but the less people knew about that, the better.
Malum clapped slowly. "Well done, my apprentice; you've learned the ways of the snark well. Carry on."
The three Glatorian walked together once again, but instead of heading for a fire with the prospect of legends and good times, they were heading for a crash site with the prospect of Toa and wild Rahi attacks. Needless to say, they didn't bother talking as much.
Until they came across the Nui-Jaga.
Jala never thought she'd ever feel sorry for one of the scorpion Rahi. Nui-Jaga were strong, aggressive, and incredibly stupid. As far as she could tell, Makuta had been using the things as fodder for the more dangerous Rahi. Usually, they deserved whatever trouble they got, because usually, they brought it on themselves.
That was not the case here. The thing was severely burnt, and covered in dents and slashes that leaked a yellow liquid Jala didn't want to identify, making it hard to tell that it was originally purple. It was trying to crawl away from its attacker, but the attacker wasn't having it. He radiated heat like a forest fire, scorching the already burnt earth below him as he whaled on the Nui-Jaga with twin flaming swords. Although it was hard to see his features, he appeared to be covered in red, orange, and gold armor, incredibly muscular, and incredibly angry.
"Give them back!" he roared towards the sky. "GIVE THEM BACK!"
Then he stopped, his body tensing. He turned towards the Glatorian. And as he did, Jala saw that he was wearing a familiar mask - a Great Kanohi Hau, the red twin to her own. He gazed at them with red eyes that seemed to burn like a roaring fire.
"...Well, our Toa's gone insane." Malum said. "Think we could trade him for one of the others?"
And with that, the Toa, or whoever he was, charged at them, swords blazing. And at that moment, Malum wished he kept his mouth shut.
~~~Brother…~~~
Author's Note: And thus begins The Biological Chronicle! What in Karzahni is Tahu doing? How are the other Toa? This and more, coming soon!
So, yeah, even though it's an AU, I bet that I didn't provide enough context in some areas, so…let me just answer some questions before they get asked!
...Key word being some, not all.
1. Much like in Gen 2, love is a thing here, being a Matoran/Glatorian/Agori of one element does not limit you to one gender, and you can have children. So, Matoran, Glatorian, and Agori have been made the same species, only at different stages of growth. Where Toa fit in will be revealed later.
2. Air and Plantlife have been fused into Nature, Water and Ice have been mixed into Water, and Earth and Stone have been mixed into Earth. So, uh, yeah. I changed up the elements a bit. Don't lynch me.
3. Ekimu is basically just Mata Nui with a different name. This is mainly for convenience and nothing else.
4. Kohiwi are essentially the skeleton warriors from G2, only expanded to be a sapient species here; Waiwika are the species that all of the Barraki belong to in this AU (because A.), I never really understood the point of making them different species, and B.), I thought that the pit mutagen should cause...y'know...more drastic changes. And not be the same for every individual. I'm looking at you, Piraka sea snakes.); and Uaua are the species that Axonn, Brutaka, and Krekka belong to in this AU.
