Updated: 2/27/08 (Took a bit longer than I wanted, but still not that bad.)
Author's notes: This arc is shorter than the last one. But because of that, I was able to put the whole arc into this chapter—I didn't split it up like arcs 4 and 6. Then again, do you prefer it when I split the arc into pieces? Either way, the arc after this one will be much longer, so it'll be split into at least two parts (plot-wise, it's split into two parts anyway). But before we get ahead of ourselves, I hope you enjoy THIS arc.
Summary of Arc 7--Cromilis
(After their adventure in Mara Utha, the Toa thought they wouldn't have to deal with Brotherhood members for a while. Well, they were half-right.)
Lerahk had been in the body of a Rahaga ever since Prote destroyed his original body. Hordika had been working in his spare time ever since then to create a new, better body for Lerahk, and after returning from Mara Utha, he completed a dark-blue Toa Hordika-like body and transferred Lerahk's mind Kraata to it.
Shortly after, a stranger appeared on the shores of the city. The Toa confronted him, and he introduced himself as Cromilis, an ex-member of the Brotherhood of Makuta. Cromilis claimed he wasn't there to cause trouble, he was simply passing through. He explained that he joined the Brotherhood with his brother Dyuma four thousand years ago, but Cromilis couldn't stand how vain and prideful Dyuma was becoming, so he quit. The Toa were worried for how he'd react, but they told Cromilis that Dyuma died while trying to kill them and Mata Nui. Cromilis didn't seem surprised, and he left the city soon after.
A few days later, Toa Onua found a portal inside the Archives. He, Pohatu, and Takanuva went through the portal and appeared in a city called Una Nara. The three explored the city and became acquainted with its leader, a Rahaga named Kala.
Kala explained that the city was being harassed by a shapeshifter who called itself Krakaka. Krakaka stole money and valuable items but no one could capture it because no one knew what it really looked like. The three Toa volunteered to help capture the shapeshifter.
The three returned to Metru Nui and talked with the other Toa (plus Hordika, Lerahk, and Alakor). They wondered if Krakaka and Krahka were actually the same person. Onua looked through the Archives until he found Krahka. Krahka said she didn't know about the portal, and didn't have any interest in money. Onua believed her, and left. The Toa's group decided to go through the portal and explore the city again, but Kopaka was busy, and Alakor didn't want to, so the group went without them.
After arriving in Una Nara, the group split up and searched for clues. But Krakaka, in the "form" of normal villagers, tried to attack each of them with traps and wild animals. The Toa survived each attack, of course. They regrouped, and they eventually realized that Krakaka wasn't a shapeshifter at all. It was just a gang of villagers pretending to be the same person in order to commit crimes. Working with Kala, the Toa's group was able to capture each one of the fake shapeshifters.
The Toa's group returned to Metru Nui and explained what happened to Kopaka and Alakor. The next day, Kopaka decided to go with the Toa and see Una Nara for himself. But when they arrived, Kopaka's Mask of X-Ray Vision revealed something shocking. Everything in Una Nara, including the people, was an illusion.
The Toa Nuva all activated their Masks of Vision and searched through the town looking for anything that's real. They soon noticed a gate that even the Great Masks couldn't see through. The "villagers" explained that gate lead to the Land of Time, a mysterious place no one in the city dared to go. The Toa's group ignored their warnings and went through the gate.
The Land of Time was a frozen wasteland. Inside they met a villager who called herself Vahinohagah, or the Guardian of Time. She explained that the people were Legerdemains: living illusions that could think for themselves, but Vahinohagah was the only one aware that she was an illusion. The entire city was created by Cromilis. Cromilis created an adventure in Una Nara, in hopes that the Toa would become attached to the city and the people. Eventually, Cromilis would threaten to destroy all the people he created, unless the Toa gave him both the Mask of Time and the Crystal Mask (the one Mata Nui gave them, which made the group go back in time). Cromilis wanted to alter the past.
The Toa came up with a plan. They gave the Mask of Time to Vahinohagah, since she clearly wasn't loyal to Cromilis. Vahinohagah used the mask's power along with her own power to freeze Una Nara's "time." This way, even if Cromilis stopped maintaining the illusion, it wouldn't disappear immediately.
From where he was hiding, Cromilis realized what happened and that his plan backfired. Enraged by his creation's betrayal, he tried to erase the city. The city's disappearance would be a slow process thanks to the mask, but it would still happen eventually.
Due to Cromilis' efforts, some people in Una Nara "broke"—they lost parts of their bodies, or they started speaking nonsense. The Toa realized the city wouldn't last much longer, but before they could do anything about it, Cromilis came to the Land of Time and tried to steal the mask directly.
Cromilis attacked Vahinohagah and killed her. Without her power working with the Mask of Time, all of Una Nara ceased to exist, and the group was sent back to the Archives. The Toa Nuva combined their powers and trapped Cromilis in a Protodermis cage.
The Toa wondered why Cromilis wanted to alter the past in the first place…
Original characters:
Lerahk:
Since he has a new body now, I figured I should update his profile. Lerahk is now a dark blue Toa Hordika (but he stesses that he's NOT a Toa). This is the body that he uses for the rest of The Story. He has very weak power over shadows, but his best feature is his Healing Rhotukas. Lerahk's still a coward so he hardly ever fights anyway, but his Rhotukas have helped the Toa more than once.
Cromilis:
He is Dyuma's brother. Dyuma's power was creating matter, and Cromilis' power is creating illusions. He quit the Brotherhood when Dyuma turned into an overconfident jerk (Could this change have something to do with the "them" Dyuma mentioned? Ooh, foreshadowing). Ever since then, Cromilis became listless and just wandered the world. Cromilis looks like a green and silver Toa Metru. His power over illusion was inspired by Gorm's power, from the TV show "Galidor."
Krakaka:
They're extremely minor villains. I just wanted to mention the idea of a group of people pretending to be a master of disguise was taken from 'John Smith' of the anime "R.O.D. the TV."
Vahinohagah:
The only Legerdemain in Una Nara who knew the city's true nature. Cromilis created her to help him use the Mask of Time once he obtained it, but he didn't expect her to turn against him. "Vahi" and "hagah" are Bionicle words meaning "time" and "guardian," I think. She's a black Matoran who wears a replica of the Mask of Time. She was inspired by the Second Hand of Time, from the anime "D.N.Angel."
More author's notes:
My arcs often seem to end so abruptly. I wonder why? Oh, well.
I've also noticed my stories feature a lot of people dying, especially after their first introduction (They weren't real people in this case, but still). I should probably cut down on that.