Chapter 9
Ta-Koro, the Village of Fire
It was now a little before mid-morning. After finishing their breakfast, the gang met up with Takua to begin visiting the Matoran villages. The first village they would visit would be Takua's home village, Ta-Koro. Everyone wanted to know what that place was like, so Takua briefly described it as something that resembled a fortress built on a tall, rocky island in the middle of a lake of lava. They weren't sure about it, but knowing that it had been Takua's home for nearly a thousand years assured them that it might not be that dangerous.
They were now walking through a forest of burnt trees. A recent lava flow had set these trees on fire a few days ago, but at least the fire hadn't spread much further. This place reminded Takua of the Charred Forest that was just outside of Ta-Koro, back on Mata Nui.
As they walked, Littlefoot noticed something. He looked to his right and saw a Matoran. "Hey, look! There's a Matoran over there!" he exclaimed. Everyone turned to see what he was looking at. This Matoran's armor was bright red on all parts of his body, indicating that he was a Ta-Matoran. The strange thing about this Matoran was that he was pacing back and forth very slowly. Everyone decided to walk up to this Matoran to find out why he was doing this.
At yesterday's meeting, the gang had learned that the different mask shapes had their own names. Takua's mask was called a Pakari. The mask this Matoran wore was a Ruru, which was bright red like the rest of his armor. Despite everyone nearby, the Ta-Matoran continued his strangely slow pacing. "Who are you?" asked Littlefoot, hoping to get his attention.
"I am Kapura," he replied. He didn't stop his slow pacing, but just continued. He didn't even look in a different direction as he said this.
Curious about Kapura's slow pacing, Cera asked, "What are you doing?"
"I am practicing."
"Practicing? Practicing what?"
"Vakama says that although I am slow, I may be faster than all the others, and travel very far. He says I must practice. The others think I am just being silly. I practice often."
"What are you talking about?" Cera was starting to get confused and annoyed.
"You are where you are. If I practice, I can be where I am not. I think I can feel it. It is hot where I am, but where I am not is cold, and I think I can feel it. I must practice more."
"Okay... can we go to Ta-Koro now?" asked Cera to Takua. Kapura seemed very weird to Cera, and she didn't want to be near him anymore.
For an obviously different reason, Takua agreed, and headed in the direction of Ta-Koro. The others followed him.
After walking a good distance, Cera said, "That guy is so weird. He says he's slow, but also fast. I don't see how that's possible."
"He does seem unusual for a Ta-Matoran, but Turaga Vakama has great confidence in him, for some reason." said Takua.
"How do you know that?"
"He is entitled Vakama's Left Hand, the second-highest honor any Matoran of Ta-Koro can have."
"Second-highest? Then what's the highest honor?"
"Being entitled Vakama's Right Hand. That title belongs to Jala, who I know very well. He's the closest I've ever had to a friend, before I met you guys. I'll introduce you to him when we get to Ta-Koro."
After walking further through the burnt forest, they reached the base of the Smoking Mountain. There was an open gateway in the side of the mountain. They entered the gateway and saw a giant lake of lava inside the volcanic mountain. In the middle of the lava lake was an island that was as high above the lava as the pathway they stood on. Built on that island was a fortress-like village.
"There it is, Ta-Koro," announced Takua.
Everyone looked around, but they couldn't see a way to actually get into the village. "How do we get over there?" asked Littlefoot. "I don't see a safe way across."
"Don't worry, there's a bridge that can be lowered into or raised up out of the lava. They should be raising the bridge any time now."
A few seconds passed. The gang then heard a low rumbling. Then they saw large columns of rock rise up out of the fire-lake, one by one. The columns were in such positions that, at full height, they formed a rocky bridge with no gaps straight to the main gate.
"Come on, let's go," said Takua, gesturing them to follow him into the village.
The gang followed him across the bridge and through the main gate. As they entered the village, they were amazed at all the activity. Some Ta-Matoran stood on guard atop the walls that surrounded the village. Other Ta-Matoran were hauling carts full of cooled lava to various places in the village. The gang was very curious about what the Ta-Matoran were doing.
"What are all these Matoran doing?" asked Littlefoot.
"Everyone has a job to do." replied Takua. "The Ta-Matoran are always dedicated to their duty, and for most of them, it's doing their job. Turaga Vakama should tell you more about the jobs they do. I'll take you to him." Takua led them to a large hut. Inside stood Turaga Vakama, who was looking into the giant fire in the middle of the hut. "Turaga Vakama, my new friends here would like to know more about this village."
Vakama turned to them. They saw his mask, the orange Noble Huna, and the Firestaff he held. He bowed in respect and said, "Welcome, fellow visitors, to Ta-Koro. If there is anything you wish to ask me, feel free to do so."
"Turaga, they would like to know what the various jobs of the Ta-Matoran are."
Vakama nodded in agreement and began speaking. "Most Ta-Matoran are Lava Farmers. They farm the lava fields and bring in the cooled lava to be crafted into tools or used to build structures in this village. Many others are Lava Surfers, who ride the lava rapids for sport. The more well-known Ta-Matoran are the ones in the Ta-Koro Guard. You may speak with the Captain, Jala, if you wish to know about the Guard. Is there anything more you would like to ask me?"
"Tell them of Toa Tahu." The others were a little confused as Takua said this.
"As you all know, legends foretell the arrival of the six Toa to our island home. Each of them represent the six elements. Tahu is the Toa of Fire, protector of the Ta-Matoran. He is the leader of the Toa, and is the most courageous of them all. He possesses the ability to control heat and flame. The Fire Sword he wields allows him to send forth fire at his opponents. He wears the Great Kanohi Hau, the Great Mask of Shielding, which protects him from any physical attack."
Most of the gang was awed by the description of this legendary hero. Cera, however, wasn't believing in it as much. She thought it was nothing more than just a legend, but she knew it was probably best to say nothing of this.
"Thank you for your wisdom, Turaga." said Takua, bowing before him in respect. "We shall speak with Jala before we leave." Takua left the hut with the others following him. Vakama turned back towards the fire.
Takua knew where to find Jala, so the others simply had to follow him. As they walked, two Lava Farmers walked by and noticed Takua. "What are you doing here?" asked one of them. "I thought you decided to live with those friends of yours."
"Forget about it, he's just one of the visitors," said the other. They both continued on with their work.
"What was that all about?" asked Cera.
"Most of the Matoran in this village don't trust me." replied Takua.
"Why not? Did you do something bad?" asked Ducky.
"No, it's just who I am. I like to travel a lot, and they don't. I guess such a difference has persisted for so long that they've been losing trust in me." The gang wasn't sure if this was true, but they accepted it. "At least Jala is one of few Ta-Matoran who actually accepts having me here."
They soon arrived at an open doorway in one of the village walls, with a large room inside. They walked inside and saw two Ta-Matoran talking to each other. One of them was another guardsman, who held a two-pronged spear like the other guards did. The second seemed more important-looking. He had bright red armor on his arms and torso, and yellow armor on his feet and legs. The mask he wore was a yellow Hau.
"Captain, many of us are restless about this," said the guardsman. "We ask for permission to establish a patrol to see how dangerous the so-called 'Mysterious Beyond' really is."
"You heard the Turaga's orders," said the Captain. "No Matoran is to leave the valley for any reason. We have no idea how great the dangers out there truly are."
"That's what the Turaga said about everything outside of Ta-Koro about two days ago."
"I know, but this time it's different. The Turaga gathered information from the residents of this valley, and they confirm that the land outside the valley is very dangerous. I'm not sure how dangerous, but I'm not going to take any chances. I'll only grant permission for such a patrol when I believe it becomes necessary. Now return to your post, guardsman."
"Yes, Captain," said the guardsman, saluting him. He then walked past the gang and left the room.
The Captain sighed and shook his head. "Some guardsmen know nothing but bravery. They don't understand that a good plan is just as necessary as courage." He then noticed Takua and the others. "These must be your new friends, Takua. I assume they're visiting to learn more about this village."
"Yes, we already spoke with Vakama," replied Takua. "Perhaps you could introduce yourself to them and tell them what you do."
"That's just what I was planning to do." He turned his attention to Littlefoot and the others. "I am Jala, Captain of the Guard, and Right Hand of Turaga Vakama. As Captain of the Guard, it is my duty to defend Ta-Koro, as well as the other villages when necessary. Due to recent events, my duty of protection now extends to everyone inside the Great Valley. If any threat or danger ever arrives, the Guard will be there to fight it off, and we are not afraid to challenge anything."
The gang was very pleased to hear that there were some Matoran who would always be willing to defend their home. The fact that the Ta-Koro Guard was fearless and had faced far greater dangers only encouraged the feeling of protection they now had.
"Currently, I've sent most of my patrols to survey every square-bio of the Great Valley, so that I can be familiar with the terrain and therefore organize my patrols more effectively. Once that is done, I'll establish a few patrols along the Great Wall. I might even send a few to survey the land outside the valley, just to see how great the dangers out there truly are."
"You seem very determined to follow your duty," commented Littlefoot.
"Yes, I am very dedicated to my duty. Of the three virtues, Ta-Matoran value duty the most. Everyone has a duty, you just need to know what yours is. Anyway, I need to get back to my duty, so you may leave now."
"Thanks, Jala," said Takua. "Let's go." He led them out of the room and headed for the main gate.
"Is there anything more to see here?" asked Chomper.
"I could show you how skilled I am at lava surfing," replied Takua. "But I don't think we have time for that today. We'll visit another village."
"Which village will that be?" asked Ducky.
"Ga-Koro, the village of water. It's near the waterfall that you call the Thundering Falls." The gang followed Takua out of Ta-Koro and across the rocky bridge. They then began heading north towards Ga-Koro.