CHAPTER SEVEN
Five on one, Myrax thought grimly.
"Could be worse," Mutran said with a smile, reading Myrax's mind. "Could be every Makuta here against you."
Myrax knew Fedru was about to fire his bow at him. Fedru fired an electric arrow. Myrax dodged it. Mutran took the hit instead, and spasms coursed through his body. He nearly toppled over had Vican not been there to help him.
Myrax showed no mercy. He trapped Fedru in a stasis field and ducked one of Hira's daggers. He swung his right blade at Hira and cut his leg armor. Chirox fired a shadow bolt. Myrax decided to use his teleportation power in a way he hasn't before. He concentrated on the bolt and teleported it over Hira. It struck him and he went down. Chirox used gravity to push Myrax down. Myrax fired his skyblaster at him. Chirox dodged the shot and charged. Myrax fired another sphere of light, this one scorching the left arm armor. It lagged Chirox long enough for Myrax to strike him with his blades. The shadow Matoran fired a shadow blast at Myrax, who deflected it. Mutran used a shattering attack. Myrax opened a portal and the other end opened over Vican. Mutran opened a portal to consume it and opened the other end from under Myrax. Myrax jumped back. Mutran saw opening and used his spear to try to impale Myrax. Myrax used a shatter attack on it and Mutran's spear broke until a million pieces. He followed it up with a sphere of light that nearly took Mutran's head clean off.
Myrax felt a surge of pain in his right shoulder. He turned to see a knife in it, and saw a dagger about to sever his head off. He used his shatter power to shatter the dagger before firing a sphere of light into Hira. It destroyed his left hand and chestpiece, and his essence leaked out. Fedru broke free and fired three shatter arrows at Myrax, who dodged them. He caught Fedru's hands with his chains and pulled him forward and head-butt him, stunning The Marksman. Myrax gave no quarter and hurled a few spheres of light at him, destroying his armor, and his essence leaked out.
Two down, he thought with satisfaction. He took a shadow bolt to the side. He staggered back to see it had come from Kirop, who fired another bolt. Myrax blocked it with his blades, and then another, and then another, and then one more. He stared down at the shadow Matoran.
"Go ahead, puny one," Myrax dared. He leaned forward. "Fire another. Give me your best shot, 'cause I can do this all day, and then cut you in half." He aimed his skyblaster at Kirop. "Or, I can destroy you with your weakness: light. It's ironic, isn't it? Here you have a being of shadow using light to defeat other beings of shadow."
Kirop didn't know what to do and panicked. Vican was worthless, Mutran was trying to gather his bearings, and Chirox had retreated to repair his armor.
Myrax smiled. "Go ahead. Panic all you want." He stood back. "Now, I will go. If any of you try to attack me again, you'll regret it." With that he flew out of the cave.
Myrax sensed the powers here and thought, Several other Makuta were here, along with the Toa Nuva. The Mask of Life was up in the skies, moving on its own-
That made Myrax paused. The Mask of Life? Moving? I've heard it's powerful enough to act on its own, but to be able to move on its own was a new one. Then that meant it could think-
His thoughts were interrupted by a low-tone scream. It didn't sound like any of the Toa's. It couldn't be-
So many hard-to-believe thoughts cycled through Myrax's mind. He flew towards the mask. He demanded answers.
His answers were answered right away. Before him on a piece of rock were a defeated Makuta Icarax and a Toa on a hover board of sort. Judging by the shape of the mask, it was the Mask of Life, but given a Toa body.
So it if is possible of creating a body for itself, then it must think! Myrax realized.
The Mask- no, Toa of Life; or Toa Ignika, noticed him. But it didn't attack. Instead it stared at Myrax with a curious expression (that was worse than anger or aggression to Myrax).
"Interesting," Myrax said to Toa Ignika. "You can think, and create a body for yourself." He decided to get its thought about him. He used his telepathy to see.
At first he read the mask's thoughts that were about him, and he wasn't considered a threat. Then a jumble of images appeared in his mind, from its creation, the curse of a Great Being, being put under Voya Nui, its use long ago, with a cowardly Toa being sacrificed for using it, its return under Voya Nui, the meeting and donning of a strange Skakdi, the Piraka, and the other Toa from Voya Nui, its flight out of its chamber and into the depths of Mahri Nui and the Pit, it's constant exchange of hands (Kyrehx, Decan, Pridak, Nocturn, Gadunka, Hyraxon, Matoro), the sacrifice of Matoro, the saving of Mata Nui, falling into the swamp, creating a body and vehicle, flying up, meeting Pohatu, Kopaka, and Lewa, a fight in Mutran's lab and its fall, and the confrontation of Icarax. Myrax had to put it all this together without going mad.
"Perhaps you can help me, then?" Myrax decided to say. Let's see if I can befriend this being…and then the other Makuta will have a new fear. With Teridax gone, who is leading? Me and this being can!
But Ignika just stood there.
Anymore interaction was interrupted by a sphere of light bypassing Myrax. He looked to see Toa Lewa Nuva firing at him. He put a stasis field around the Toa, making him crash into it, get repelled to the other side, then back, and bounced back and forth a few more times before coming to a stop. A Matoran was on his back was stunned.
"I see you have new armor, Lewa, Toa Nuva of Air," said Myrax. "And, by chance, we meet."
"Who are you?" Lewa Nuva demanded. "We no sight-seen you before."
Myrax laughed. "Ah, you can say the same about my…brothers. I'll tell who I am if you promise not to attack me as soon as I drop the field." Lewa nodded in compliance. Myrax dropped the field. Lewa and his friend hovered in the air. Myrax continued. "I don't know why you're here, but it must be related to what my brothers want." He paused. "The awakening, isn't it?"
Lewa's friend fired a bolt of light at Myrax. Myrax bat it with one of his blades. Then he added, "Apparently your little friend misheard me. Again, don't attack and I'll tell you who I am. Makuta Myrax is the name. This may sound weird, though: I'm out to destroy the other Makuta."
"And you want me to believe-trust you?" Lewa growled as he used an air cyclone on Myrax. Myrax opened a portal to consume it. The other end was sent back at Chirox's lab, where the two Makuta and their Matoran were caught in the cyclone.
"You don't have to, Lewa," said Myrax. "But if I wanted you dead, you would be by now. Look, I'm a hunted Makuta, ever since the Brotherhood turned on me. It's a long story. Now I've killed three who've been after me, and more remain for whatever's going on around here; the awakening. You could use my help, you know."
"I can't believe-trust your words, Makuta!" Lewa snapped.
Another of the Toa Nuva, Kopaka Nuva, joined them.
"I see we're having a nice talk?" Kopaka Nuva said. He, too, had an Av-Matoran on his back.
"He's one of them, Kopaka," said Lewa. He aimed his skyblaster at Myrax.
"I see that, but his substance…" Kopaka's voice trailed off.
"What?" Lewa asked.
"The other Makuta, their armor contain their essence! This one, his body is still organic." He looked at Myrax suspiciously. Myrax read his mind: Are you a Makuta or a Dark Hunter or something?
"Call me what you want," said Myrax. "But who else can do this?" He concentrated on his body. Then from his armor he pulled out a kraata. He gestured to it and said, "Ta-da! Maybe I'm a magician!"
A third Toa in orange armor with an orange-armored Av-Matoran joined the group. Myrax assumed this was Pohatu Nuva.
"Well, bothers, what do we have here?" Pohatu Nuva asked.
"A Makuta," Kopaka answered.
"Makuta Myrax, is the name," Myrax introduced with a bow. "Pohatu, I take it? I've heard of you before, yet know little. And that goes for all of you."
"What do you want?" Pohatu asked.
"I'm against my brothers and their 'Plan'. I've already destroyed three who've been chasing me for my treachery. This nifty device has been doing the killing." He gestured to his skyblaster. He noticed the other Toa had skyblasters of their own.
"I don't believe you!" the orange Av-Matoran yelled. He fired a light blast at Myrax. Myrax blocked it with his blades.
"Again, I hope to be on your side with this," said Myrax as he absorbed the kraata. He continued. "From what I know, my brothers want Mata Nui to be awakened. It's part of The Plan, and I'm sure it's bad, very bad."
"So you don't want us to up-wake Mata Nui?" Lewa asked.
"It…it isn't recommended. If my…brothers…want the Great Spirit awakened, it's probably not good."
"And are they against this 'Plan' as well?" Kopaka asked, pointing at something behind Myrax.
Myrax turned around and gasped.
Hovering before him were Anaki, Hira, and Fedru, well and whole, as if they weren't killed.
"How are you three-" Myrax sputtered.
"Thanks to Mutran we were able to reach Destral and get ourselves repaired," said Anaki. He was using his shield as a hoverboard.
"With some slight tweaks, courtesy of Tridax," said Hira, riding a Fenrahk flyer. It was true; he and Fedru had what looked like exposed ribcages with orange spheres in them, similar to the ones in Tridax's lab. He had noticed Chirox, Mutran, and Icarax had the same. In those orange spheres, he noticed, something was in them. It looked like a multitude of things.
"Well that was quick," Myrax commented.
"Now, to finish you off," said Fedru. He was riding the XA3 (Xia Aircycle Model 3) Aircycle.
"One against three? Fair enough," said Anaki. He looked at the Toa Nuva and Av-Matoran and added, "And once we're done with him, then we'll destroy you."
Myrax looked over at the Toa Nuva and mouthed, "Go!" Then he turned back to the three Makuta and growled, "So…who wants to die first?"
