ThingthatmeansthatIstatethatI'mnothteownerofBionicle: I don't own Bionicle.
Ticking the Battle Away
Lewa swerved brusquely to bring himself close to Awel, who in turn changed direction so that the two Toa were nearly face to face. Closer and closer they came, until at the last second, Awel swerved to the right, Lewa to the left, avoiding collision by a matter of millimeters.
"Give up, Lewa!" Awel called. "I'm the better windflyer!"
Lewa smiled at this and shot at him again, so fast that Awel could just get away. A sudden blow from the side hit him as he passed the Leehar of Air, but he easily regained his balance and then turned to face Awel again.
"Might be, but you aren't any nearcloser to have me smashdashed than at the beginning of this battle fight!" he called while whizzing through the air.
"We'll see that!" Awel said, and shot at him, summoning a strong gust of air that sent Lewa flying half a bio to the right before he could counteract it. He was about to turn around and face Awel, but found the Leehar of Air flying along with him, only inches away, wearing an odd smile on his face.
Lewa tried to swerve at him, but another strong gust pushed him back, and he felt his right hand grate against the wall. He turned his head in alarm, he hadn't expected that.
Another gust, and Lewa could just avoid smashing against the wall. Then another, another and another, forcing Lewa to pull out all his abilities as a windrider and skill as a Toa in to avoid crashing and toppling to the ground. Annoyed, Awel flew right at him, with the intention of pushing him against the wall. Without thinking twice, Lewa let himself drop below the Leehar of Air, leaving Awel to do a half loop to avoid flying headfirst into the wall.
Lewa slowed down and waited for Awel. He wasn't sure who really was the better windflyer, but he knew who was the most tired one.
And that's me, he thought. It wasn't only him, he could see it on his Toa brothers too. Most of them had started to stumble more than run, and more of their opponent's blows struck home. Only Vakama conserved most of his initial strength, but he was too worried about hurting his own brothers to really be much of a help. He couldn't blame him, but still...
He swerved again as Awel came flying from the top, trying to hit him from above this time. This was not going to work. Both of them had known it from the beginning, but it was much more fun this way. Still, he had to think up of something new if he wanted to defeat Awel.
Suddenly, he saw Toa Kopaka jump through the air, trying to reach a Turaga-Hordika that was straying off into Tahu's direction. As he jumped, Lewa saw him lose his balance in midair as a gust caught him, and land much further than he had meant to. On his face, what was more.
Ooops, Lewa thought. Looked like they had lost control of the strength of their winds, if they could already half-lift a Toa. He couldn't afford speeding up his winds any more,.
Or could he? A sudden idea formed in his mind. If he could get the winds to become strong enough to lift him without his katanas as gliders, then he would have two new weapons on his side! A smile stretched on his face.
Awel was coming again. Lewa avoided once again the attack, and then shot at the twelve-faced walls that surrounded the chamber they were in, flying along them so fast he was barely more than a blur, summoning winds to blow parallel to the walls as he went, just strong enough to carry him. Normally, he could've created them in a matter of seconds, but he didn't want one of his brothers to get sucked in by accident.
Awel observed the flying Toa for a couple of seconds, then smiled as if he had understood the idea and dived into the howling winds.
Lewa laughed in delight as his speed reached levels so high that everything blurred together. A bit more, and he would be able to take his katanas out of place and let himself be carried by the winds. He searched around for Awel, but couldn't see him anywhere. Where had the air Leehar gone?
And then he saw him, out of the corner of his eye, dashing along the same currents as he, on the opposite side of the room. He was catching up with him, fast. Lewa smiled, he was going to have a surprise.
And then Awel was just a few bios behind him, and Lewa's smile faded away.
Awel had had the same idea as him, with an extra: he already was flying without his gliders and he had switched his weapons to resemble those of a Lehrak, the Rahkshi with the power of poison.
And the winds still weren't strong enough to carry Lewa.
"Surprised, Toa-hero?" Awel shouted at him. "Didn't you know that I'm verymuch featherlighter than you? I was builtmade for airsoaring! You are a heavyclumsy groundwalker to me!"
He was moving in,fast, staff at the ready. Lewa tried to speed up the winds to carry him away, but Awel was faster. He tried to fly out of the storm he had created by realised with horror that he was moving to fast to do so. He looked back at Awel. Only three bios away. He was doomed...
Unless...
The idea scared him, but it was his only way out. The wind would keep him up for a second, and he could try and stab Awel during that time. He readied his katana-wings so that they could be pulled out of place with a snap, and let the wind carry him, waiting for Awel.
Two bios.
Could he really do this? A moment of hesitation would mean his doom. He clutched his gliders tighter.
One bio.
Suddenly, the image of Kishro, mutilated, unable to climb, run, see or breath properly anymore, planted itself in his mind. He could do it. He gripped his katana's even tighter.
Half a bio...
And suddenly, Awel was on him. With a shout, Lewa snapped his Katana's out of place and stabbed out.
The green flash of the Rahkshi staff.
The red of the blood.
A sharp pain in his shoulder.
Lewa cried out as something bore into his body. He didn't see where he was going, he couldn't stop themselves from crashing against the wall.
Both Toa toppled to the ground, spinning as they fell. The crash came incredibly hard, and then darkness overtook them.
On the ground, the wind that had been thrashing till that moment stopped so suddenly that the Toa nearly lost their balance at the sudden change. Kopaka paused a moment to steady his footing, then ran after the Hordika again, trying to freeze the ground at its feet to stop it, but without success. He tried creating a wall of ice in front of the fugitive, but the Hordika just shattered it. Well, what had he expected? After all he was chasing after Nuju.
Until the Ihar had been there, the two species had let them alone, fighting against each other and ignoring the fights around them.
But now...
Kopaka had taken over the role of keeping the Hordika from annoying the other Toa, but realized now that he should have asked Lewa do do his part too. His legs felt heavier with every step he took. His breath came in short gasps.
Another earthquake cut the chase short. A rumble, and the ground beneath them suddenly stopped existing. The mound crumbled and then sank into the crevasse that had just formed, dragging Kopaka and Nuju along with the falling earth, unable to do anything against it.
Kopaka saw the edge whiz by and over him, and the air become solid wall. Thinking fast, he yanked his sword into the wall before him. Pebbles and earth rained over him, but his blade held and his fall was cut short.
He looked around to see what had happened with Nuju. The Hordika of Ice had somehow managed to cling to the opposite wall, but seemed to be stuck there. Ah well, that wasn't a problem. As far as it concerned Kopaka, he could stay there until he got his right state of mind back.
"Auno! I want you to close that crevasse now!"
Maybe not.
Auno's face appeared over the edge, grinning at them. Cursing, Kopaka pulled his blade out of the earth and started climbing back up the wall. He'd take care of Nuju once above.
He raised his hand to dig his sword into the earth above himself, and struck metal.
His eyes went wide. The floor of that room must be than two bios thick!
And then the walls started moving against each other, Kopaka and Nuju trapped in the middle. Kopaka tried to create handholds of ice, but what he had already experienced happened again: those walls couldn't be attacked by elemental powers. He tried to create an ice ramp, but Akapok blasted it.
"NO!"
A rumble, and the walls started moving away from each other again. Onua counteracting Auno's powers with his own, but that wouldn't do any good if he couldn't get out.
"Get away you!" came Auno's voice, and once again the walls started moving against each other. And then away again. Beneath the strain, the walls started cracking, huge pieces of earth raining down towards the bottom. Nuju looked around madly, fear written in his animalesque eyes. Ironically, the solution on how to get out was there, in his mask of telekinesis. Pity he couldn't use it, and wouldn't help him anyway.
And then he didn't have anymore time to think about it, because in that moment, Kopaka saw clearly Akapok raise his Rahkshi staff, aiming at where Onua stood.
And then the walls started closing on each other at an alarming speed.
"NO! No I'm still in here!" Nuju cried. As if the Leehar would care. Perhaps now he would review his decision of choosing the Leehar's side. Too bad it was too late anyway.
And then, as if to remind him he was there, the Heerole around Kopaka's neck became so cold that it burned. Kopaka clutched at it. He had completely forgotten that he still had the four Ilsao. A sudden idea blazed in his mind. If he could turn Nuju into a Toa...
He started to calculate the probabilities of this idea to work, but stopped himself. It was all or nothing. Without giving himself time to think otherwise, he pushed himself off the wall, aiming at Nuju's back.
For a second, he feared he wouldn't make it. Tired as he was, he hadn't managed to propel himself as far as he wanted. And here it was the approaching walls that saved him, literally bringing Nuju at his reach. Kopaka grasped at the Hordika, the rest of his body dangling in midair.
"What are you doing? Get off me!" Nuju tried to shake him off, clawing viciously at the Toa of Ice, who was fumbling with something around his neck. Damn, the idiot was going to drag both of them to the depths of the crevasse! He clawed at the Toa again, but Kopaka had found what he was looking for, and slammed the Ilsao onto Nuju's heartlight, willing it to turn Nuju back into a Toa.
Nuju let out a shriek of pain as the energy of the Ilsao invaded him, and lost his grip on the wall. Furiously, Kopaka willed the transformation to happen faster, even faster. He didn't think of what could happen. All he cared of was that if he didn't turn Nuju back into a Toa fast, they were both going to crash at the bottom of the crevasse... if the walls didn't close on the first.
"Come on..." he grumbled. Nuju was already more than half himself. But they were falling too fast, and the gap between the walls was too narrow...
And then finally...
"Kopaka?"
Nuju was gazing down at him, looking lost.
"Get us out of here!" Kopaka shouted. Nuju quickly grasped the situation and concentrated, making them speed towards the opening above like a cork that whizzes to the surface when released underwater.
And yet they were still too slow. Rocks kept raining on them, so that Nuju had to concentrate to his maximum to avoid them all, slowing them down. Kopaka could already feel the earth grate on this side, telling him that it was late. Too late.
He scanned the surface, looking for Akapok. He had to release Onua from Akapok's power, they didn't have enough time to reach the surface without help!
Kopaka spotted the Leehar of Ice and, clinging to Nuju with one hand, trapped him in a huge block of ice with a flick of his sword. It didn't last much longer than it had for himself, but at least Onua was free of Akapok's power. Kopaka saw Onua's expression of dismay, and the Toa of Earth quickly concentrated to enlarge the gap again.
Akapok tried to zap Onua again, but Kopaka was quick to place an ice wall between the two, so that the curse simply rebounded.
A cry of pain, and Kopaka shifted his view to see Utahop beat the living daylight out of Tahu. Then, a powerful kick sent the red Toa flying to the edge of the crevasse. Utahop was on him in a split second, thanks to his Mask of Speed, and started pounding on him again, not giving the red Toa a chance to react.
"Deflect those!" Nuju yelled in panic. A rain of icicles was falling on them. Kopaka willed some away, but by then they were out of the gap and rocketing in the room.
The sound of gurgling water reached Kopaka's ears. It was coming from the crevasse.
"Close it!" he shouted at Onua. He needn't have, the Toa of Earth had heard it long before him and was already closing the gap.
With a grunt, Tahu pulled up his legs and kicked Utahop as hard as he could. His legs shook from the shock, but he managed to heave the Leehar nonetheless. He caught a glimpse of Utahop's surprised face as he passed over him, and then the Leehar disappeared in the crevasse.
Tahu rolled back on his feet, clutching his left arm. "Close that damned crevasse!" He yelled at Onua. The Toa of Earth shot him a glance redoubled his efforts to seal the crevasse. Within seconds, it wasn't there anymore.
The Toa Nuva and the Toa Metru of Ice landed, but they didn't get a chance to rest, because at that moment, Auno attacked them, trying to raise a huge amount of earth and then let it fall on the Toa. At the same time, the two remaining Hordika appeared out of nowhere.
Onua jumped in action to stop Auno, using his own power to counteract the earth Leehar's, but the ground beneath his feet was suddenly frozen, making him slip and lose concentration. The earth toppled over him, burying him alive.
Kopaka had darted to face the two Hordika, leaving behind a shocked Nuju. Two disks shot at him. One he dodged, the other he froze in midair.
A glint behind him. Kopaka spun around and saw Onewa aiming for his flank, teeth bared. He spun again, and his shield made contact with Onewa's head. The Leehar sank to the ground. Another movement. Matau trying to pounce on him. Kopaka made to spin his sword around but stopped a split second before impaling the Turaga of Air. Luckily. But he had lost time and now Matau was on him, ready to launch his spinner, a maniacal smile on his face.
A thick column slammed into the Hordika, sending him flying through the air. He landed on his feet, but Nuju seized him again with the Mask of Telekinesis and tossed him away. Then he held a hand out for Kopaka to grab.
And Kopaka would've taken it, hadn't one of Makuta's tendrils come down in that moment, hitting the Toa Metru of Ice square in his stomach and pulling him away. Seeing Takanuva jump towards his Turaga, Kopaka turned back to things nearer to him.
Tahu was battling Auno, waving his left magma sword like mad to create walls of fire to surround the black Leehar. But his attack were imprecise, and Auno always found a gap out. Kopaka frowned. What was the idiot trying to prove using only one hand?
Suddenly, Auno cane thrashing through the newest flame walls, having abandoned his powers and resolving with brute strength. He slammed against Tahu, slamming the Toa against the ground. Tahu grunted, and his face contorted to a single mask of pain. He didn't react when Auno hit him hard in the stomach, and the proceeded to hit him with a quakebreaker.
Something was definitely wrong, it hit Kopaka. Tahu was the last one to show pain, or let himself be treated like that. Kopaka made to step towards him, when a wall of ice suddenly barred his way. Kopaka willed it away, just to find another, and then another and another. And even through they didn't stop the ice Toa for long, they slowed him down considerably.
And distracted him.
Had the walls been anything but ice, it would've worked. But this way, Kopaka saw the tendril in the reflection of the ice before it reached him. Annoyed, Kopaka jumped aside at the last second and froze the tendril solid. Then he sent a huge block of ice crashing on Akapok, willed the rest of the walls away, and finally reached Tahu.
Auno had discovered a new game. He had one of his quakebreakers running, and was about to use it on Tahu like it was a huge motor saw. Kopaka made to use his powers, but Tahu preceded him. Raising his left arm, he sent flames lunging at Auno's face, burning his eyes. Auno howled in pain and jumped away, and Kopaka finished the job. Then, once Auno frozen, he turned back to Tahu, who was slowly standing up, panting.
And Kopaka finally saw why Tahu had been fighting with only one hand, and been unable to react. His right arm was badly broken. Kopaka could see splinters of his bone structure through the red Toa's armor. Tahu hand probably fallen on it during the fight, and that also explained the cry of pain he had heard while in the crevasse. Tahu had probably had it snapped in two by Utahop.
"Utahop?" Kopaka asked, just to be sure.
"Yes, in a moment when I was distracted by Onewa," Tahu said, grimacing. "That damned Mask of Speed of him..."
A rock next to them moved and rolled away, and seconds later, Onua burst out of the earth mound Auno had trapped him under.
"Where's Auno?" he asked.
"That statue," Tahu answered, pointing at the frozen Leehar of Earth. Loud creaks could already be heard. It seemed as if the Leehar was trying to free himself with brute force.
"We'd better finish him," Onua pointed out. Tahu nodded.
"I might temporarily not be in charge, but I have an idea," the red Toa stated. "Onua, pack as much earth as you can on him. Kopaka, get ready to come into action after I melt it. Ready? Then go!"
"Hold it!" Kopaka brusquely stopped him before he could charge in. He placed a palm over Tahu's wounded arm, and froze it solid, keeping it firm and protecting it from more damage. He also cooled down Tahu's arm as much as he could without really freezing it, literally numbing the pain out. Tahu looked at his new "ice glove" with the expression of someone who doesn't know what to think.
Kopaka completed his work with a dry: "Try not to heat it too much."
Tahu muttered something that sounded pretty much like a "Thanks".
"Was that Utahop?" Onua asked.
"Yes," Tahu snapped, irritated at being asked the same question twice. "Will we go before Auno frees himself?"
Onua nodded, and commanded the earth to envelope Auno from head to toe. When nothing more of the black Leehar could be seen, Tahu heated the earth with his one hand, until it became lava. Then he stepped back and let Kopaka freeze it, turning it into stone, material that Auno could not control.
"He's not getting out of that," Tahu said.
"No, he'll run out of air long before that," Onua said.
"He already has," Kopaka stated. "I froze his lungs."
Nobody said a thing, and Kopaka turned back to the battle between Takanuva and Makuta behind him.
"We need to bring him down, we can't have that much time left," Kopaka stated.
"But how?" Onua asked.
"We'll need all six our powers," Kopaka explained. "We have to... watch it!"
Makuta had suddenly shifted his attention towards them, sending five tendrils shooting in their direction. The three Toa jumped to the side, seeking protection behind rocks or small slopes.
"We'll have to each stand for our element!" Kopaka shouted, to make himself be heard over the thrashing of Makuta's tentacles. "I'll stand for ice. Onua, you'll have to stand for earth, go and tell Nuju that we need Onewa and Nokama on our side and..."
He jumped to the side as the tendrils attacked him again, their tips digging into the floor where he had been standing a second before. He rolled on his feet and went on giving orders.
"...and Matau too, possibly!"
"Shortly, I have to tell him to snap the Turaga back to themselves," Onua answered, looking over his shoulder to make sure Makuta wasn't attacking him again.
"Yes, now go!" Kopaka turned towards Tahu. "Tahu, you..."
"I'll stand for fire, no problems," Tahu interrupted, sending a flame at a tendril that was passing over him.
"No!" Kopaka saw Tahu's head spin towards him in surprise, as if he had said the unspeakable. And in a way, he had, or was about to say it. "No, I'll have Vakama do that!" Tahu's expression changed from a surprised to and enraged one as he said this. Checking over his shoulder that nothing was coming, Kopaka brought himself nearer to the Toa of Fire.
"If it's because of my arm..." Tahu started.
"You can't fight," Kopaka cut him short.
"Stop me!" Tahu growled back. Kopaka grabbed his injured arm, breaking the ice in one point and squeezing it. Tahu yelled out in pain, and Kopaka quickly froze that part again.
"I'm your leader," he hissed. Tahu shot him a loath filled glance. "And I'm asking you to go look for Lewa. The wind has stopped for too long, have you though of what that meant?"
The hateful stare died away as quickly as it had come, and Kopaka saw that Tahu was fighting between the urge to get back into the fight and looking for Lewa. Finally, the red Toa seemed to decide himself.
"I'm only doing it for Lewa," he said. Kopaka nodded and let go of him, then spun around to slash at an incoming tendril.
XXXXX
Pohatu heard the river long before they reached it. It was always so. It was the rumbling of the water that distinguished the river. The sound of gallons and gallons of water thrashing down a steep, narrow canyon, dragging down the occasional trunks as they went. As for seeing it... well, one almost never saw it until they were right above it, or already inside it.
The Ihar were taking their time to march through the jungle. They weren't exactly slow, but they could have already reached the river if they had wanted to. It made Pohatu nervous. He could tell that the sun was slowly drifting towards the horizon, a clear sign that nightfall was coming.
"How much longer till the sun goes down?" he asked urgently. Nobody answered him.
"PLEASE! I have to know! The complex that was the Toa Leehars' base is about to collapse and be reclaimed by the ocean! When nightfall comes..."
-Stop chattalking nonsense- a limping Le-Ihar to his left said. -Why should the complexmaze be buriedsunk by the ocean?-
"The Leehar did this ritual inside it," Pohatu explained. "It involved the six Ilsao, six kups and..."
That was exactly the wrong thing to say. The Ihar all turned around to stare at him hatefully, and Pohatu had the feeling that the ropes that bound him tightened under some influence.
-Six kups you say? Who were they? What did you do to them?- a female asked him, baring her teeth menacingly.
-If something happened to our kin...- another one said, eyes flashing dangerously.
"No! No it's not like you think! We were trapped in that ritual too. We..." Pohatu started.
-Yeah right. Go and tell that someone else. We know your lies!- a Ta-Ihar said. -We know who you are. You are those who gave Kishro, Hoti, and the other four those collars. As a sign of 'friendship'!- He spoke the word out scathingly, as if it were just a lie. -And then, after they saved you from the Leehar, after their families died for you. What do you do? You come back here and kill them! One by one. And those who you can't kill you avenge yourself on your families. And in the meanwhile, you kill off another few just for fun!-
"NO!" Pohatu bellowed. "No, we did none of this!"
-If they were really your friends, why didn't you come to help them?- the female Ihar said. -Why didn't you come and prove that you and the others were two completely different people?-
"We didn't know any of this!" Pohatu yelled. "Nobody warned us!"
-If you were really their friends,- the female Ihar continued. -Why didn't you come to visit them or check if everything was okay time by time? Since you knew that the Leehar were still loose?-
Pohatu felt like they had hit him. He didn't have an answer to that.
-Tsk- the second female said.
For a while, they walked without saying a word, Pohatu staring at the ground thinking the Ihar's words over. She was right, sadly. She was totally right. They had known that the Leehar were still loose, and still had a count to seal with the Ihar. They had known that sealing Miko Nui away from help meant an opportunity for the Leehar to finish what they had started, over a thousand years ago.
So why had they not gone to check if everything was alright? Mata Nui wasn't that far, after all!
The truth was that they had thought only of the Matoran and themselves for those last 25 years, only of rebuilding the city and having fun. They had assumed that their friends would tell them if there was any trouble. They hadn't though that perhaps they could not warn them as easily as that, just by sending them a message in thought speak.
After all, they had only seen long-distance telepathy be used between Ihar.
"Look," he said softly. "I know that we didn't act like we should have, but this is a totally different matter. Four of my brothers are inside that complex, determined to defeat the Leehar once and for all if it kills them. There are also our five Turaga in there, and they're... not in their normal state. I know you don't give a whiff about all of this, but that's not all that matters. Hoti and Sirkul..."
-Hoti is dead- the limping Ihar said bitterly.
"No, he's not. I believed so too though, at first. But if you don't want to believe it, then don't. Anyway, Sirkul is there, and he knows his way around the complex and how to outsmart the traps there. Those six kups I mentioned before... they're with him. And a Rahaga called Norik."
The fact that six kups could still be alive seemed to interest the Ihar, though they didn't really believe him, and Pohatu saw a glint of desperate hope in the first female's eyes.
-Who?- the second female Ihar asked. -Who were the kups, what was their names?-
"I don't know," Pohatu admitted, calling himself stupid for not asking Gali. "Gali found them, she should know."
-Gali? The one we caught with you?- the same female asked.
"Yes, that's her. But..."
But by then the Ihar had disappeared, probably in the direction where they had brought Gali. Pohatu looked after her sadly, hoping for her that Gali had indeed spotted one of her kups in that maze.
-What else were you saying?- the limping Ihar asked, now turning towards Pohatu. Pohatu now noticed that one of his eyes had a scar running through it. The light from it had gone. He also noticed that he had trouble breathing.
"Sirkul is going with the kups and the Rahaga to free the other Ihar," Pohatu quickly explained. "He knows where they are and how to get there. If he can't get out by nightfall..."
-Then we'll never discoverknow if you're lying or not- the limping Ihar said.
"Not only, but Nairof is trapped too! And Hoti!" Pohatu insisted. "They'll die among the others inside if they can't manage to get out! That's why I have to know how much time is left for them!"
The Le-Ihar seemed to think about it for a while, then he hissed something at his friends. Immediately, the seven Ihar that were escorting him stopped, but they did not untie him, and they made sure to place themselves all around him to make sure he didn't escape. The Le-Ihar trotted up to him.
Wasn't he limping a second ago? Pohatu thought.
-Pohatu, I trustbelieve you- he said, and from the tone Pohatu knew it was private thought-speak. -And I never mindthought for a quickmoment that you guys could be behind all this. But the others saw a light-Toa, and six different Toa-heroes. If Sirkul doesn't turn up by tonight, you'll either have to run very quickfast or swim very hardstrong, because I won't be able to save you.- The Ihar smiled. -I never was an ashra.-
-You have till nightfall- he added then, loudly. -If Sirkul and Hoti don't turn up by then, you'll be submitted to your destiny.-
-And Kal won't speaktalk up for you- he added privately.
"And Gali?" Pohatu asked.
-She's on her own- the Le-Ihar said darkly. Then he limped away.
"You were not limping a second ago," Pohatu pointed out. The Ihar grinned.
-I do have the Power of Illusion- he said.
"Wait a minute..." Pohatu suddenly remembered something the Po-Ihar they had first met had told them. His eyes flicked to the symbol on the top of the Ihar's head. No, this can't be... or can it?
"Kishro?" he asked in disbelief. He couldn't believe that the tree-loving, hyperactive green Ihar was the same on that was limping at his side right now.
-Tsk. You can't even recognize you once friend,- he said angrily, but Pohatu saw him wink at him.
-It's ten minutes till nightfall, by the way.-
Ten minutes.
Pohatu's head spun towards the direction of the complex, now hidden by the jungle from his view.
XXXXX
Vakama backflipped to avoid being flattened by one of Makuta's tendrils, the dove to the side before a stray spinner collided with his head.
He spun around to see who had launched the spinner at him, and spotted Nokama at barely a bio from him, wearing such a savage expression that he barely recognized her. He felt his heart sink. He found it impossible to believe that Nokama was actually attacking him. She, Nokama, that had always been the one with the least problems with her Hordika side, the one that had kept them all together even through those times.
Damn it. She didn't deserve it! She hadn't been the one to give in to her Hordika side, when they had been transformed a thousand years before. He had! He was the one supposed to be standing in her place, as a twisted monster capable only of killing! Not her!
Another of Makuta's tendrils straight at him. He dodged it. He couldn't go on like this! He was trying to avoid Makuta, hit Makuta, battle Nokama, and not hurt Nokama at the same time.
The Toa Nuva – and Nuju too -- thought he was being very stupid indeed. And he himself thought that too.
But he couldn't do otherwise. He had realised it during the split second he had seen her as a Toa, and even the fact that she was now a hideous monster couldn't change what he thought he had forgotten.
Even after all this time, he still loved her.
And so now he was trying to bring her back to sanity, though it appeared completely pointless. Whoever had spun this web in her mind had done a much better work then they had with him.
"Nokama!" He shouted at her. "Nokama it's me! Vakama!"
A glint of her own self seemed to pass through Nokama's eyes as she heard the name 'Vakama', but it was gone before Vakama could be sure of it. The blue Hordika pounced at him.
"Please Nokama. You already went through this! We all already went through this!" he cried, avoiding the attack. "Remember? We had just come back to Metru Nui... please tell me you remember about Metru Nui!"
Nokama laughed harshly, encircling him as she did so. "Of course I remember about Metru Nui! It's the island the Master of Shadows is planning to take control of! And you will not stop him!"
Vakama was growing desperate. He didn't know what to say any more. He had already tried everything, the Matoran, the Rahaga, the Toa... Nothing had worked.
"Nokama, please! You know that Makuta will only bring slavery and darkness..."
Matau had been snapped of it quite easily. Nuju had whacked him on the head and pointed out what he had become, as well as another few insults and a final comment about the fact that with Makuta he'd stay a monster forever, since nobody apart the Toa Nuva knew how to use the Ilsao. Or worse, they would've turned him yes, but in something even worse.
That had been enough for Matau, and the mention that the Matoran had nearly been hurt by the one who they had been tricked to believe would protect them, even if using some unorthodox methods, had done the rest.
But nothing seemed to breach Nokama's mind – or Onewa's, actually – nothing.
This time, three tendrils shot directly at Vakama. He jumped out of the way of the first, and made to flip over the second, but then Nokama was on him, clawing and biting at his body. Vakama cried out in pain.
"Nokama... Nokama please..." he pleaded, his arms raised to protect himself from Nokama's blows. He didn't try to counter her attacks. He felt broken. He loved her, and she didn't recognize him, she was even trying to kill him.
"Nokama..."
Nokama's teeth on his arm, gnawing at his armor, trying to pierce it. The claws of her twisted arm on his side. Her eyes flashing madly...
What he did next he did it out of sheer desperation, the idea had just popped up in his head. Summoning all his strength, he pushed her off himself, jumped to his feet, and pushed her against a wall. She tried to claw at him again, but he was quick to pin her arm against the hard earth behind her back.
And then he kissed her.
For a moment, he feared to have done exactly the wrong thing, for he could feel Nokama struggle against it, but then the Hordika's body relaxed and she kissed him back. And for a second, Vakama imagined being alone in the room, only him and Nokama, him bent over her and she embracing him with her free hand.
When their mouths parted, Vakama saw that the savage glow in Nokama's eyes was gone, and that a surprised expression had replaced the mad one she had worn till that point.
"Vakama?" she whispered.
He felt a jolt of excitement as he heard her call his name, but it was washed away as he remembered what he had just done, and realized that she might not be thrilled about it.
"Um, look, Nokama... what just happened..."
But Nokama was already kissing him again.
x
Kopaka dove to the side, aiming at Makuta as he did so. His attack struck home, but Akapok quickly undid it before trying to freeze Onua, and being stopped a split second before by a mini cyclone aimed at him by Matau.
Another attack, a sphere of shadows this time. Kopaka leaped away again, landed on a slope, and stumbled down. His legs had given away, he wouldn't be able to fight on for long.
Over him, he saw Nuju battling Onewa, still no further to 'converting' him than he had been at the beginning.
"Nuju!" he called. His Turaga shot him a short glance and shook his head to show that he wasn't making any progress.
Kopaka cursed. If they didn't get at least one of the two still savage Hordika on their side, the plan was going to fail miserably. And then...
"Heads up!" a voice screamed. Kopaka spun around, and saw Matau pounce on him. He raised his shield, but the Hordika was already on him and had flattened him against the floor. The incoming tendril caught Matau instead and pulled him away. Blaming himself for not keeping his guard up, Kopaka shot back up the slope to have a better view on Makuta.
He had barely reached the top of it when Takanuva dropped right in front of him, crashing to the ground and nearly sending him rolling down the slope again.
"I can't keep this up for long..." the golden Toa groaned. "Every time I cut one of those tendril, three grow back! I don't know what to do anymore!"
"Me neither," admitted Kopaka. "If Vakama fails bringing Nokama back to herself, our only chance will be to keep this fight up until the complex sinks, and drag Makuta down with us."
Takanuva smiled bitterly. He opened his mouth to ask something, but again a shadow ball came zooming at them, missing the Toa by a miracle and sending them flying through the air. Takanuva was caught by a tendril, while Kopaka crashed to the ground and was forced to roll to the side to avoid being flattened by another one. He looked up and saw it come down again. Then again and again. And all he could to was roll to one side or the other and hope that he wouldn't get hit...
"Kopaka!" Vakama and Nokama came running towards him. Vakama sent a flame at the tendril, causing it to recoil. A second later, three more came towards them, but Kopaka was on his feet already and the three Toa and Hordika could run safely behind a rock to hide.
"I'm back to myself," Nokama said hastily. "What do we have to do?"
Kopaka ignored the question and turned to Vakama. "Get into place, explain Nokama what she has to do and warn Matau. I'll tell Onua and try and do something with Onewa."
Then he jumped away from behind the boulder and sped towards the Toa of Earth. It was all or nothing, and they couldn't allow themselves to be picky.
"Onua! Get ready" he called out. The Earth Toa turned towards him and signed he had understood. Kopaka passed him and shot at Nuju.
"Nuju!" he panted. "You must get Onewa to fire a spinner at Makuta!"
"How?"
"We'll have only one chance, so it will be you to tell us when to fire. When you're ready, shout as loudly as you can and we'll fire!"
He went on, now looking for Takanuva, leaving Nuju to find a way on his own. Now it all depended on the Toa Metru of Ice and himself. If he didn't find Takanuva before Nuju's call, all would have been for nothing, and they would've found themselves without elemental powers.
He finally spotted Takanuva on top of a mound, sending spheres of light madly at the tendrils to stop these from seizing him.
"Takua!" he called, running to his side and helping him battle the tendrils. "At Nuju's signal, six of us will release all our elemental powers on Makuta. Once we have done that you must blast all light that remains inside you at Makuta. It doesn't matter what attack you choose, just do it. Clear?"
"Yes," Takanuva said shakily. He had never heard Kopaka talk that much. It made him understand how critical the situation must be.
"Go someplace where you're safe from Makuta, I'll cover you!" Kopaka continued. Takanuva nodded and ran away, leaving Kopaka to face Makuta alone.
Come on Nuju Kopaka thought, freezing a couple of tendrils. But Makuta had realized by now how he could use the ice that covered his tentacles. Without bothering to free them, he swung them at the Toa of Ice, using the frozen end like a club. Kopaka jumped in the air and the frozen tendril passed beneath him, but another got him in midair and Kopaka was rocketed against the wall. Feeling woozy and having the air knocked out of him, Kopaka scrambled to his feet, gasping as he stumbled to his position.
Hurry Nuju, hurry!
And then he heard Tahu's voice, far more alarmed than he had hoped it would be.
"Kopaka! I found him! I found Lewa!"
Kopaka turned towards the voice to signal that he had heard.
He only saw the tendril when it was too late.
It caught him square in the abdomen, leaving him sprawled on the ground, unable to breath. He tried to gasp for air, but his throat was like blocked.
And then a spinner took off, Nuju cried out-
"GO! GO NOW! NOW! GO... AAAAGH!"
Kopaka wanted to tell Nuju to attack in his place, but saw that it wouldn't be possible. Makuta had grabbed him and was crushing him with a tendril. Onewa laid on the ground below, knocked out.
A flame shot from somewhere in the room, then came a spinner charged with water and one that brought a mini cyclone with him. Makuta roared in pain and dropped Nuju, who fell to the floor, unconscious. Ignoring the oppressive feeling on his chest, Kopaka struggled to get to his feet and aim at Makuta.
A crack appeared in the earth and surrounded Makuta. Onua's power. Now the only one missing was his...
He still couldn't breath, but crawled to his position nonetheless and pointed his sword at Makuta. A blast of ice shot at the Master of Shadow, all of Kopaka's power in it.
And it was then that Kopaka saw him. Akapok was standing right in front of him, a mocking smile on his face.
No! Not him! Not him!
Black and red stars were popping in front of his eyes, but Kopaka still saw clearly how Akapok raised his shield and blocked his attack, literally absorbing it.
No... no... Kopaka tried to put more force into the blast, but his mind was hazy and his view blurred. And he still... couldn't...
BREATH!
His lungs finally filled with air, clearing his mind and view. Gasping, Kopaka pushed himself to his feet and increased the pression on his attack, trying to get past Akapok. But no matter what he did, the Leehar just stood there, the mocking smile on his face, annihilating all his efforts. Kopaka could already feel his strength wavering. Nuju, who could've helped him, was out cold. One by one, the other powers disappeared and then, his own elemental powers filed, and he collapsed to the ground, not one bit of energy left inside him.
They had failed.
He had failed.
Kopaka saw how Takanuva sped past him, staff at the ready. He wanted to tell him to stop, that it was pointless. To spare his energy to save himself, but his voice wouldn't come out.
He saw Takanuva send a huge, incredibly bright blast of light at Makuta. But they had not been six against Makuta, and so Makuta simply summoned an equally huge blast of shadow, and threw it at Takanuva's attack.
The two attacks met each other in midair and disappeared, as if they had never been there.
Takanuva fell to his knees, no more power left inside him.
Makuta laughed, ready to crush those annoying Toa once and for all.
And a huge, final earthquake shook the room.
It was nightfall.
:o
I JUST INVENTED A NEW PAIRING! Well... sort of. :o
This battle dragged on for way too much (pant) i'm so glad it's over. I hope it wasn't too boring, at least...
I'm going to spare you the blah blah since you just had an incredibly long chapter.