Takanuva circled Tehutti's crypt for a moment when he stopped at a dead Matoran's corpse, noticing the large battered book in its cold clammy dead hands. He turned to Macku and handed her his staff then lent down to take the book, opened it near the back, flinching slightly at the bloody musty pages.
Lewa turned to Tahu in warning, his senses warning of hidden danger. "We must move on, we cannot linger!" Tahu nodded in agreement also sensing danger but before he could start shepherding the group out, Takanuva's grave voice made him pause.
They have taken the bridge… and the second hall.
Hearing the tone in the Wise Toa's voice, Onua stopped crying and raised his head, looking blank at him. Everyone turned to their leader, all wondering what he was reading that made him so uneasy.
We have barred the gates…but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes…
Macku, feeling fear rising in her chest, started to back away from Takanuva.
Drums…drums…in the deep.
The gold and silver Toa looked up slowly then quickly turned the smudged, bloodstained page. The Fellowship began to glance around uncomfortably and Lewa's warning senses flared wildly though he didn't know why.
We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark.
Macku kept backing away, looking around uncomfortably. She didn't even notice the corpse with an arrow in its chest sitting by a stone well behind her. She wanted Takanuva to stop reading!
We cannot get out.
Takanuva glanced at the last, single line, a scrawl fading out at the bottom of the page and looks up in the uncomfortable silence…
They're coming!
For long uncomfortable moments, the room was silent, taking in the text that Takanuva had just read. Tahu opened his mouth to order everyone out of the room but was once again he was cut off but this time it was a loud sharp resounding crash near Macku.
Takanuva whipped around to the Ga-Matoran. Macku had crashed into the corpse and the skull had fallen off into the well. Frightened by the cold and clamminess feel of the corpse, she jumped out of the way with a cry and the rest of the corpse slipped into the well, dragging with it a chain and bucket. The banging noise echoed from hall to hall far below with Macku wincing at each wave of noise.
As the noise faded, Takanuva's temper rose. He slammed the book shut and marched over to the startled/frightened Macku and jerked his staff from her hands before shouting, "Fool of a Ga-Matoran! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"
The Wise Toa turned away from her. Macku stood still, awkwardly and felt very guilty. Ever since they left Le-Koro she had always panicked and did something wrong that had Takanuva screaming at her face. She had started to wonder why she had even come at all. She was not brave or practically good with a sword (or any weapon) despite Kopaka's lessons and her Matoran friends' encouragement. She really was, as Takanuva had so loudly (and without regret) put it, a fool of a Ga-Matoran.
……boom……
Takanuva froze and so did everyone else. The Wise Toa turned slowly as did Macku, looking at the well where the noise seemed to have come from.
……boom……boom…boom…boom boom…boom boom boom…BOOM… boom…BOOM…BOOM…boom…
Jaller glanced nervously over to Takua and his eyes widened, seeing something glowing blue from under his friend's cloak. "Takua!" he whispered urgently
Takua grabbed the hilt of Sting and pulled it out a little to see the blade glowing a sharp light blue!
Lewa's ears rang at hearing the cries of creatures he knew of. "Bohrok!" he said in warning.
At the warning, Kopaka rushed to the doors to have a look and nearly missed getting hit face on with a thin long black arrow. He pulled his head back as he heard Tahu shouting to the Matoran, "Get back! You stay close to Takanuva!"
Together, Tahu and Kopaka pulled the doors shut just as they heard a loud bellow outside. With sarcastic relief, Kopaka reported what he had just seen before nearly getting hit by that arrow. "They have a Cave Piraka."
Lewa started tossing disused weapons to the two Potency Toa so they could blockade the door then they fell back and drew out their weapons. Takanuva raised his staff and, as one, the Matoran brandished their short swords with Sting quivering and still glowing blue but more tensely. Onua, now in a sense of rage, leapt on top of his dead cousin's crypt and brandished his sharpened claws. "Let them come!" he growled, "There is one Drafts Toa yet in Onu-Koro who still draws breath!"
The Fellowship watched the poorly barricaded door begin to break down with teeth and claws. They could already see their deadly green eyes and black bodies. At some moments they could also see a flash of electric orange eyes and dark blue.
Lewa stood poised, ready to shoot. When the first clear gap was gashed in the door and he shot and hit one of the dark blue creatures between the eyes. It responded with a shrill cry. The Noble Toa was quick to notch another arrow and shoot it hitting it again, but this time, in the higher regions of the head where it collapsed backwards.
Just moments after the dead Bohrok fell, the beasts broke through and the battle began…
Lewa brandished his axe and gave a battle cry as he along with the Potency Toa rushed forward to meet the first wave. Lewa hacked deeply into the creatures and Tahu and Kopaka smashed with their swords and Onua clawed those who got by them. With a roar, Takanuva launched himself into the fray, the Matoran fallowing with their own battle cries.
The battle was wildly and intense. The Matoran quickly learned that if you hit the Bohrok near the top of their heads, they would die quickly. Macku, as frightened as she was, seemed to be holding out pretty good though Hewkii stayed near her out of habit and they often attacked the same Bohrok together. Takua with Sting whistling loudly as he spun it had already downed five Bohrok on his own. Jaller nearly gotten pinned by one of the black Bohrok and had only just barely managed to evade and stab it in the back of the head. Tahu often found himself beheading the Bohrok with his sword aflame. Kopaka managed to freeze some of them when he had the time to concentrate long enough. Onua clawed at them to death with his anger still burning hot. Takanuva fired beams of light energy that down several and Lewa hacked wildly.
Jaller suddenly paused in the head of battle, hearing the thumping of footsteps. He glanced upward along with Tahu to see a huge red creature—taller then the Toa— smashing through the doorway, chains leading from its wrists to a small blue creature's—a Borhok Va—claw. The Borhok Va let go to the chains and scurried out of the room before anyone could stop it.
Without wasting any time, Lewa pulled his bow off his band, notched an arrow and fired at Piraka, hitting it in the shoulder. The beast let out a growl and clapped a hand to the wound. Jaller continued to stare, frozen, as the Piraka swung its mace down at him. The Ta-Matoran barely managed to dive under the creature's legs and crawled away as it turns, and sighted him again.
Corned, Jaller cringed as the Piraka raised its arm to strike him but it suddenly fell back a few steps. Looking behind it, Jaller saw Tahu and Kopaka pulling on the chains attached to the Piraka's wrists and the Matoran ran away.
Angered that it lost it's target, the Piraka let out a roar and with twist of it's arm, Kopaka was sent flying across the room and landed in a daze by a wall. He barely managed to avoid being hit by a black Bohrok when he was down.
Still standing atop his cousin's crypt, Onua swiped at the Piraka, tearing into its shoulder. The Piraka swung its mace again, the Drafts Toa leapt and the mace shattered the tomb on the stop where Onua was just seconds ago standing.
Ever since the arrival of the red Piraka, Takua, Macku and Hewkii fought their away to a corner of the tomb where there was more cover and hiding places. They pushed themselves behind a pillar and peaked around it. They watched Onua claw at another Bohrok as the Piraka swung the mace again at him. The Drafts Toa ducked this time and the mace hit the Bohrok instead and then another that was nearby.
They saw Lewa with his bow appeared from a nearby corner and fired two arrows into the Piraka. They also saw Takanuva knock a Bohrok down with a heavy but fast swing with his staff. Their attention was turned to the Piraka again. They gasped at the same time as they saw it swinging its chain above its head. It swings at the Noble Toa, but Lewa dodged it and the chain wraps around a pillar. With light feet, Lewa ran along the chain onto the Piraka's shoulders. He managed to shoot and arrow into the back of the Piraka's head and leap off. But since it was not a Bohrok, it didn't die quickly but instead cringed and stumbled.
Somehow the Piraka managed to spot the three on watching Matoran and made it's way to them. The three ran but the Piraka's mace landed in between Takua and Macku and Hewkii. Not able to fallow his friends, Takua ran back the way they had came and hid behind the pillar.
The Piraka seek him but Takua evaded its searches by hiding on the opposite side it was looking. He paused when he believe the Piraka had stopped searching. He pulled his cloak over his front like a shield and slowly crept to see behind the pillar.
He jumped backwards when the Piraka's head appeared bellowing into his face. He fell on his back and found himself being dragged by the leg off of the edge of a recess. He cried for Tahu as he began slashing at the Piraka's hand.
Tahu was already on his way over to Takua having seen him in danger just minutes before the Matoran shouted for him. He fought any Bohrok that was foolish enough to get in his way. The Fire Toa was becoming exhausted but he continued on. He had made an oath to always protect Takua and he'd detest himself if he failed.
Takua managed to hit the Piraka's hand in the right spot to have it let him go, landing the Matoran on the rocky pointy floor. Tahu appeared with a spear and stabbed the Piraka with it. While it did not penetrate the beast's flesh, it did hold it at bay. Nearby, Macku and Hewkii threw stones at the Piraka's head.
Annoyed at the hits from the stones, The Piraka swung its arm down and hit Tahu, sending him flying across the room, collapsing onto the floor. Takua raced after him, cloak tightly around him and tried to rouse the Potency, but Tahu was too stunned to move.
Seeing the Piraka coming up from behind him, Takua tried to run but the spear that was used on the Piraka blocked his way. The poor Matoran was thrown back and the Piraka aimed with a hard thrust stabbed Takua in the chest.
On instinct, Takanuva turned and his eyes widened in fear when he saw Takua, the spear in his chest, mouth open but no words came out. It was suddenly as it the Ta-Matoran had turned mute in just a second.
Hewkii and Macku stared in shock but after a hasty glance at each other, their faces resolved and as one, they leapt onto the beast with a loud cry, stabbing it mercilessly just as it did to their poor friend.
Jaller turned along with everyone else, hearing Hewkii and Macku cry but he saw Takua and the spear it his chest. "Takua?" he said breathlessly in shook as he saw Takua slumped forward onto the ground. Takanuva continued to stare silently across the room, stunned.
"TAKUA!" Jaller yelled rushed bravely towards his friend. Broken from their shocked trance, everyone fought madly to reach the fallen Ta-Matoran, but Lewa and Onua headed for the Piraka, who was wrestling to get Hewkii and Macku off it's back.
The Piraka finally managed to grab Hewkii and throw him off but Macku continued to hang on, continually stabbing and occasionally biting hard on its ear. Onua, when he was close enough, slashed deeply into the Piraka, drawing blood. When Macku stabbed it in the right spot in the head, the Piraka opened its mouth. Lewa saw his opening and shoot an arrow up into the brain through the mouth of the Piraka.
It stopped fighting then with a long, pained moan, the monstrous creature collapses to the ground, dead, throwing Macku against the floor.
There is a moment of silence with all enemies dead or fled.
Tahu and Takanuva rushed over to the fallen Takua as Jaller slowly walked over.
"Oh no…" Tahu whispered before he rolled him over.
Tahu nearly fell backwards when he heard Takua groan as he was rolled over. The Matoran gasped for breath as he pushed the spear away from him since it was disturbing his air passage. In relief, Jaller smiled as he reported, "He's alive."
Takanuva gave a great sigh of relief.
Takua sat up pulling his cloak away from his front. He saw Tahu moving closer to see if he was hurt. "I'm all right, I'm not hurt," he assured.
Tahu's pinkish red eyes were still wide with disbelief. "You should be dead!" he retorted, "That spear would have skewered a wild boar!"
Takanuva gave a laugh. "I think there's more to this Matoran than meets the eye."
Takua fingered the rip in his cloak that was made from the spear. He pulled it wider to reveal small sliver white rings knitted closely together that glowed, even in the faint light, hidden in his cloak.
"Mithril!" said a surprised but amused Onua, "You are full of surprises, young Takua." Takua gave a smile to Onua who surprisingly returned it.
Suddenly there were the tall-tale sounds of approaching Bohrok in the distance.
Takanuva took charge. "To the Bridge of Khazad-dum!"
Can anyone guess which kind of Bohrok, Bohrok Va or Piraka I used?