Chapter III

Nidhiki slowly opened his eyes to find Reymar kneeling over him. She wasn't wearing her Kanohi and he was soon aware that he wasn't either. "Thank the Great Beings you're awake," said Reymar.

Nidhiki sat up to see that he was in a cell with the other Toa, all maskless and all missing their Toa tools. It was also morning now. He was getting sick of missing so much time whenever he got knocked out. "What happened?"

"We lost," said Lhikan. "And they captured us."

Nidhiki looked to see other cages holding the Rahaga and Matoran. He was relieved to see that not all had been captured. The majority of the Matoran on Nahi Nui were still out there somewhere. But how long would that last?

He was suddenly aware of a being standing next to him and looked up to see Dartick standing outside of the cage. The other Shadow Hunters were behind him, attending to their weapons or looking at the Toa menacingly. "Oh how the mighty have fallen," Dartick said. "Well, to be fair, you were never really that mighty so it's not too surprising."

"Just keep gloating," said Potan. "We'll see how you're feeling when we get out of here."

Dartick chuckled. "How cute. You think you're going to get out."

"Don't worry, we will," said Gravon. "You should know better than to underestimate Toa."

"Oh, I'm not," said Dartick. "That's why we took your weapons and masks and placed you in those cages. We found them in the temple as we have in similar structures elsewhere in the universe. The bars are made of a metal that is resistant to elemental powers. So, no, I don't think you will be escaping, considering we'll be keeping the keys out of your reach." He handed a set of keys to Hunjul who placed them on his belt.

"So what now?" Takanuva asked. "Do you kill us all in increasingly sadistic fashion?"

"Not exactly, that wouldn't be very profitable." Dartick walked over to one of the cages with the Matoran in it. "The Matoran shall be sold into slavery. They'll fetch a fair price on the black market… even the scrawny ones." He snarled at Velika and Balta. "The Rahaga won't be worth anything so they shall be killed and you twelve shall be as well. Toa are not worth the trouble as slaves, no one will buy one. Your Kanohi and weapons, however, will go for very high prices. There are collectors who will pay good money for them."

"Tools," said Reymar.

"What?" Dartick asked.

"They're tools, not weapons," Reymar corrected. "Their primary purpose is to help others, not hurt others."

"Right. Because swords are well known for saving Matoran lives."

Reymar shrugged. "It all depends on how you use one."

"I'll keep that in mind." Dartick turned back to Nidhiki. "So, what's your secret? How did you manage to survive your mission to Metru Nui?"

Nidhiki stood up. "I didn't. I was killed. Makuta killed me."

Hunjul shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. People don't just come back to life."

"There was a time anomaly eight years ago, surely you are aware of it," said Nidhiki. Some of the Shadow Hunters nodded. "That brought a bunch of beings back to life, all across the universe from what we have learned. Lhikan and I were among them."

"And poor Krekka wasn't chosen?" said Arrouick in mock sadness.

Nidhiki shrugged. "Not as far as I know. I don't know why some did and some didn't… but I think it was fate giving me another chance."

"To do what?" asked Dartick.

"To be a hero."

All of the Shadow Hunters except Lariska burst out laughing. "You? A hero?" laughed Hunjul, holding his sides. "That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time."

"I can't breathe, I can't breathe!" Garsh wheezed. "That's rich."

"You stopped being a hero long before we met you, Nidhiki!" chortled Arrouick.

"Your kill count puts some Tranthorn to shame," boomed Zike.

"How do you ever think you can be a hero again?" Dartick guffawed. "Your hands are just as filthy as ours."

"He's serious," said Lariska as she sharpened her dagger.

"Then he's a bigger fool than I thought he was." Dartick turned to look at Takanuva and Lhikan. "What have you convinced yourselves that Nidhiki did in that two thousand years? Just steal weapons and treasure? Maybe intimidate the odd Turaga? No, he murdered Matoran, Toa, Turaga, anyone he was told to, just like the rest of us. He is every bit the monster he looked like. He is far from a hero."

Nidhiki looked down in shame. Lhikan stepped up next to him and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know full well the heinous things Nidhiki has done. That's why he has a long way to go to redeem himself. That's why I will keep an eye on him and make sure he stays on the path. But I don't believe anyone is too far from the light. An old friend taught me that."

Takanuva stepped up next to Lhikan. "I agree. Nidhiki's crimes are terrible, but he is making up for them, even if he has to spend the next five thousand years doing it."

Nidhiki smiled while Dartick rolled his eyes. "This is why I can't stand Toa," he said. "Their morals are so nauseating."

"Light has always been your kind's weakness," said Iruini. "That's why you always skulk in the shadows."

"Shut up, short stack," said Arrouick. "No one is interested in listening to a talking beast's opinions."

"I may be a twisted freak now, but at least my heart is still in the right place. I would rather that any day than be in your position."

"Seriously, shut up, Rahaga," growled Dartick.

"I think that's why you hate us so much," Iruini continued. "Because no matter what you try, you can't turn us from the light. And it reminds you of a being that you used to be a lifetime ago."

Dartick's eyes flashed with anger. "Cut it out," he said, darkly serious.

"Iruini, knock it off, he's not joking around," said Nidhiki.

But Iruini didn't. "Why? I'm supposed to be scared of this lot?" He scoffed. "Some elite team. If you were actually on Destral when we raided it, you did a pretty terrible job of stopping one Toa team."

Dartick stalked over to the cell. "Go ahead, creature. Push me just a little further."

"Stop it, Iruini," Gaaki begged.

"You're just a soulless monster that looks at us with envy," continued Iruini. "Jealous that you couldn't hold onto that innocent part of yourself that you let go of long ago. You know that deep down, you are a failure."

"That's it!" Dartick bellowed. He caught the keys Hunjul already threw to him and unlocked the cell. He threw the door open and dragged Iruini out. The other Rahaga tried to stop him but Dartick already slammed the door shut. He tossed Iruini to the ground. "Garsh!" he barked. "Make an example of this trash!"

Garsh smiled sadistically. "I'd love to." He walked toward the downed Rahaga. "Trust me, freak. This is going to hurt." He brought his fist down on Iruini who let out a pained cry. The other Rahaga made a mixture of threats and pleas for mercy. Garsh savagely brought his fist down over and over, laughing the whole time. Most of the other Shadow Hunters watched with amused expressions but Dartick viewed the display with grim satisfaction.

"Tell him to stop, Dartick!" Takanuva shouted. "You're going to kill him!"

"You bastard!" shouted Malohi.

Dartick raised his hand. "That's enough, Garsh." The Toa of Shadow backed away, leaving Iruini a bloody and beaten mess. He breathed raggedly as his heartlight flashed rapidly. Dartick hauled him back to the cell and tossed him in.

"Iruini!" Norik cried as he knelt beside his friend. He jumped to his feet and rushed to the cell bars. "Nobody dares hurt my teammate and gets away with it!"

Dartick turned to look back at Norik. "If you want to join him, feel free to annoy me." Then he turned to all the prisoners. "Now I think we understand each other. Step out of line and we make you regret it. You'll be lucky if you only end up like your smart-mouthed friend. Now, Toa of Light, I know you must have other Matoran on this island. Where are they?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Takanuva lied. "What you see is what you get. There's no other Matoran here."

"I usually am amused by Toa lying," said Dartick as he handed the keys back to Hunjul. "But today I'm not in the mood. I know they're here somewhere and if you won't help me find them, I'll do it myself. Hunjul, guard the prisoners, if you run into trouble, send up a flare. Everyone else, follow me." The five Shadow Hunters walked into the woods as Hunjul sat down on a tree stump, facing away from the cages.

"So, now what?" asked Gravon. "We seem pretty screwed."

Lhikan grabbed the bars and heated up his hands. No matter what he tried, he couldn't bend the bars. "No luck. Looks like Dartick was telling the truth about these cages being elemental energy resistant."

"How is that even possible?" Reymar asked as she futilely pulled on the bars. "How is there something so advanced and yet so ancient?"

"Let's ask those kinds of questions later," said Potan. "There's only one out there. Surely we can take him."

"How do you suggest we do that?" asked Lhikan. "In our weakened state, we'll probably annoy him more than anything. And even if we succeed in incapacitating him, we'll have a Karzahni of a time getting the keys."

"If Dartick finds the others, Takanuva," said Nidhiki, "they're doomed."

"Remember, Nidhiki, most of them are veterans of the Great War," replied the Toa of Light. "We fought Makuta's Rahi for almost a thousand years, not to mention the Bohrok swarms and Bohrok-Kal. They can take care of themselves." He glanced up at the darkening skies. A storm was coming. "And we have to trust that they will come up with a way to get us out of here. Before it's too late."

Nuhrii ran through the rain and mud, splashing it up all over his legs. He was nearing his target, a nondescript cave, when he slipped and fell into the mud. He pushed himself back to his feet and, undeterred, continued running toward the cave. He stopped at the mouth, breathing heavily as lightning flashed.

Garan looked up from the makeshift table he was standing at. "Nuhrii! Thank Mata Nui you're all right!"

"We thought you had been captured," said Taipu.

"No, but the Toa, Rahaga, Jaller, and the rest were," said Nuhrii. "They were captured by six creatures, I think they called themselves Shadow Hunters."

"So what do we do?" asked Takua.

"Save them obviously!" said Kapura. "That's why Takanuva had us all go into hiding, so we could make a counterattack if necessary."

"I agree but we have to do it smart," said Garan. "We may outnumber them but they easily overpower us if we just rush in with no plan." He looked to Piruk. "Get whatever scouts together that you can and begin searching for Madu Cabolo. Bring whatever you can find back here and to the other hiding spots."

Piruk scratched his claws together nervously and nodded. "All right, I'll get looking." He ran out of the cave, followed by three other Matoran.

"What do you mean by creatures, Nuhrii?" Nobua, an Onu-Matoran, asked nervously.

"I don't know what they were but they were evil-looking."

"Dark Hunters?" asked Kazi.

Nuhrii shrugged. "That would be my guess."

"Nobua, get the Boxor squads ready," said Garan. "Takua, go find Kongu, we'll need Gukko. Kotu, find Macku and get some fishing boats together."

"What do you expect us to do with those?" asked Kotu.

"I've got some plans, just gather them up and I'll let everyone in on them when I get back."

"Where are you going?" asked Nobua.

"I want to see these Shadow Hunters for myself," said Garan. "Nuhrii, where were they going?"

"Last I saw, they were heading for the central carver's village."

"Oh, Mata Nui, no," Hafu groaned. "I don't even want to know what they're going to do to the statues."

"Come on, Taipu, you're with us," said Garan. "Nuhrii, lead us there."

"All right, I need to know," said Hafu. "Tell me if they broke anything."

Taipu got to his feet and walked over to Garan. "Very well, Hafu, but you might not like the answer."

"Watch the mud, it's slick out there," said Nuhrii.

"We'll be fine," said Garan. "Let's go."

"I changed my mind," said Hafu. "Don't tell me."

"Fine, whatever," said Taipu. "Let's just go before you change your mind again."

The three Matoran crept onto a small ridge overlooking the carver's village, using the brush as cover. Down below, they could see five beings prowling through the village, probably searching for Matoran. They knocked over statues, workbenches, and other small items without any regard. "There they are," said Nuhrii.

"Search that hut, Zike," said the black-armored being that seemed to be in charge.

The one known as Zike smashed his huge fist through a hut and stuck his head in the hole. "Nothing here."

"Look at these stupid statues, Dartick," said a being that looked like a Toa. "I bet some stupid Po-Matoran spent a whole month working on it." He pushed it over, breaking it into multiple pieces.

"Yikes," whispered Taipu. "We definitely shouldn't tell Hafu about this."

Dartick looked back at the Toa, unamused. "Cut it out, Garsh and do some actual work. Lariska, do you smell anything?"

"Nothing," said the dark teal Toa-like creature. She had vaguely feline features and a completely mechanical left arm. "Wait… there's a faint smell of some."

"Uh oh," said Garan, finding himself crouching lower.

"It's probably just their stench coming off these ridiculous huts," said a green version of Dartick that smashed a chunk out of one of the Matoran dwellings in question.

"You're doing it wrong, Arrouick," said Garsh. "Try this." He unleashed a blast of shadow energy from his sword, completely obliterating a hut. The three Matoran had to duck as chunks of stone came flying at them. Arrouick just rolled his eyes as Zike roared in apparent triumph over Garsh's accomplishment, simultaneously smashing another hut to smithereens.

"Would you two knock it off?" Dartick roared. "How are we supposed to find the Matoran when you keep scaring them off?"

"If there are even any other Matoran here," said Arrouick. "Maybe that Toa was telling the truth. He's probably too stupid to even know how to lie."

"Nah, there's more here," said Garsh. "With all the structures we've seen on this island, there are at least a hundred of the creeps here."

"I agree with Garsh," said Lariska. "They're probably just cowering in some caves somewhere."

"I will crush caves," growled Zike.

"We don't have time to search the whole island," Dartick said. "We're already pushing our luck staying here this long. I have no interest in ending up in one of the Shadowed One's torture chambers."

"What are these things?" asked Taipu.

"I think one of them is a Toa, hard as that is to believe," said Nuhrii.

"The female is a Mormua," said Garan. "They have very acute senses and are extremely agile. Their reputation as hunters is unquestioned. I have no idea what the white thing is but I believe the other two are Karzahni Bulls. I've never seen one for myself but I'm almost certain of it."

"Karzahni Bulls?" asked Taipu. "Are those related to Artakha bulls?"

"Maybe distantly but the Karzahni Bulls are completely sapient," said Garan.

"Well the Artakha bulls have intelligence beyond Matoran levels," said Nuhrii.

"That's just a myth," said Taipu.

"No it's not!" said Nuhrii indignantly. "Malohi told me!"

"You know better than to trust Malohi," Taipu shot back.

"No, it's the truth!" Nuhrii protested. "He told me he had a conversation with one."

"Well that I do believe," admitted Taipu. "But that doesn't speak to the intelligence of Artakha bulls."

"I don't care about the myths and science of Artakha bulls!" Garan said. "What I care about is stopping these creeps."

"So what do we do?" Arrouick was asking Dartick. "There's clearly no one here."

"They're somewhere on this island," said Dartick as he walked back to the group. "We just have to find—ah!" He suddenly slipped in the mud and fell face-first onto the ground. The other Shadow Hunters burst out laughing. Dartick's pride appeared more wounded than his body and he growled as he got to his feet. "All right, knock it off! We're moving on!"

"I think we better as well," said Garan. "I assume the sixth member of the team is guarding Takanuva and the others?"

"I assume," said Nuhrii.

"Where are they being kept?"

"By the temple."

"Then let's go."

About fifteen minutes later, Garan and his two companions found the last member of the Shadow Hunters standing guard over their friends. "It looks like he's got the keys," Taipu observed. "And there are their masks and tools over by those trees."

"You have a plan, Garan?" asked Nuhrii.

"I'm coming up with one. Let's go meet up with the others and get it finalized. I fear we don't have much time."

Several hours later, Takanuva looked up to see Dartick and the other four Shadow Hunters stomping into the clearing. All of their armor was caked in mud and none of them looked happy. The rain had stopped and the sun was setting, giving the trees a fiery glow. It made Dartick's furious features even more frightening. "I'm done traipsing all over this Mata Nui forsaken island looking for a few short creeps," he said as he approached Takanuva. "Tell me where they are hiding or you will soon regret it."

Takanuva shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dartick. There isn't anyone else here. We're a really small group."

Dartick grabbed the bars and looked angry enough to snap them in half. "Do not play with me, Toa! I know you are lying! I can smell it!"

"Are you sure that's not you?" asked Nidhiki.

Dartick growled at him. "So you got your sense of humor back now that you're not a four-legged freak, huh? I'll make you long for those days again when I'm done with you, 'old friend.'" He addressed Takanuva again as he backed toward Hunjul. "Last chance, Takanuva. Where are the other Matoran?"

"I'm telling you the truth, there isn't anyone else!" Takanuva persisted. "I swear to Mata Nui!"

"Fine, be that way," said Dartick. He took the keys from Hunjul and marched over to one of the Matoran cages. "Just remember the blood is on your hands." He unlocked and threw open the cell door, snatching Malohi by the throat.

"Let me go, you son of a Kavinika!" shouted Malohi, pounding his fists on Dartick's arm.

"You piraka!" Vamkoda shouted, lunging forward, only to plow into the now shut door.

"Hold on a second, Dartick," said Takanuva.

"What are you going to do to him?" Lhikan demanded.

"I am showing you what happens when you cross me!" Dartick threw Malohi down onto the tree stump and planted his foot on the Matoran's chest to keep him in place. The Le-Matoran futilely struggled and clawed at Dartick's leg but the Karzahni Bull didn't budge.

"Stop it, Dartick! He's just a kid!" said Nidhiki.

"I was a kid once too before the Shadowed One destroyed my life. The universe does not care about such things." He took out a sword and held it over Malohi's leg. "Let's see how he likes going through the rest of his life crippled."

"Don't you dare touch him!" Vamkoda shouted.

"Wait, hold on!" said Takanuva. "Yes, all right, there are other Matoran on the island!"

"Too late, Toa!" said Dartick. "You should have told me what I wanted when I asked. Now this Matoran has to pay the price unless you tell me where they are hiding."

"I can't," Takanuva croaked.

"That's what I thought," said Dartick as he raised his sword over his head. "And now he will suffer the consequences."

"No!" shouted Lhikan.

"Malohi!" cried Vamkoda.

Malohi shut his eyes and Dartick brought his sword down… only to be stopped by an explosion coming from the coast. "There they are," he said. "Move out, we're going after them!" He picked up Malohi and threw him over his shoulder. "I'll be taking him as an insurance policy. Hunjul, send up a flare if they even hint at trying to escape and I'll kill this Matoran. Everyone else, follow me."

The Shadow Hunters sans Hunjul hurried toward the source of the explosion, a protesting Malohi in tow. Hunjul went back to watching the perimeter and no sooner were the others out of sight when something hit him in the back of the head. He rubbed his head as he looked down to see what looked like some kind of ball used in a sport. He heard a battle cry and turned to see a crazy red and blue Ta-Matoran riding a large Ussal crab charging him.

"That's it, Takua, go!" called Takanuva.

"Charge, Pewku!" urged Takua.

Pewku tackled Hunjul to the ground before he could react. The two struggled before the Crad finally succeeding in throwing the retired racing crab off of him. "Stupid crab," he growled. However, Takua remained on him and struggled with the Shadow Hunter as other Matoran joined the fray.

"Keep him pinned, keep him pinned!" Takua shouted. "He'll alert Dartick!"

"Get off!" Hunjul roared as he struggled against the Matoran.

Matoran burst from the trees and ran for the Toa's tools and masks. "Piruk! Keys, keys!" Kazi shouted as he put all his weight onto Hunjul's torso.

The Le-Matoran ran over to the mass of writhing limbs and took the keys from Hunjul before running for the Toa's cage. "Don't worry about us, just get our tools and Kanohi!" shouted Takanuva. Piruk quickly changed course and hurried over to one of the Matoran cages.

Hunjul managed to sit up and then make it to his knee. With a loud roar, he slowly struggled to his feet. The Matoran had a death grip on his right arm, keeping it pinned down at his side. He fired energy blasts from it uselessly, trying to score a lucky hit. "Watch your feet!" Taipu shouted.

Piruk reached the cage and fumbled with the key in the lock, hands shaking violently. "Come on, hurry up, Piruk!" Vamkoda shouted.

"I'm trying!" Piruk cried. "Damn it!"

"They can't hold him long!" said Jaller.

"Come on, get over here!" Nidhiki shouted to the Matoran carrying their equipment.

"Make a hole!" barked Mateku as he pushed his way to the front of the cage.

Hunjul struggled to raise his left arm as two Matoran hung onto it, trying to hold it down. They succeeded and his arm fell to his side again. Matoran were all over him, pounding him and attempting to restrain him. Before long, he would be helpless. He raised his arm again, managing to get it to a horizontal position. "Hold it down!" Takua shouted.

Once again, Hunjul's arm fell to his side. The scene was growing more frantic. Hunjul raised his arm again, almost getting it to a forty-five degree angle above his head before the Matoran once more defeated him.

Mateku took his Pakari from Kapura and placed it on his face. He then grabbed the bars and easily pulled them apart. At the same time, Piruk succeeded in opening the cell door to the Matoran, causing them to spill out.

It was now or never for Hunjul. He strained as hard as he could against the Matoran, raising his left arm toward the sky. He roared in fury and exertion. "No!" cried Takua.

"Raaaaah!" yelled Hunjul as every muscle in his arm burned. Behind him, Mateku let out his own cry and jumped at him. Hunjul fired an energy blast and Mateku slammed into him. Once on the ground, the Toa took the Crad's head in his hand and smashed it into the ground. The Shadow Hunter slumped into unconsciousness and Mateku looked up to see the energy blast lighting up the darkening sky.

Vamkoda fell to his knees at the sight. "Oh no," he muttered.

On the southern coast, the rest of the Shadow Hunters emerged from the forest and found the site of the explosion: a blackened section of beach that had been partially turned to glass. Remnants of Madu Cabolo were strewn about the immediate area. But before they could even consider what it meant, Lariska's heightened senses were alerted and she looked up behind them. "Dartick!" she said, pointing.

Dartick looked at the sky and saw Hunjul's flare standing out like a sun above the treetops. "Bad news for you, Matoran," he said to Malohi. "Looks like your friends tried something." He dumped the Le-Matoran on the ground. "Zike, smash him."

The Tranthorn growled in anticipation as he moved over to Malohi and took his hammer off his back. The Le-Matoran cringed away. "You know, it might not be as much fun to smash me as you think," he said.

"No, but it will be enough," Zike said and raised his hammer. Something suddenly shot from the bushes and Zike dropped his hammer, slumping to the ground in the process.

"Zike!" shouted Garsh. "What the Karzahni happened?"

"Get up, you big oaf!" Lariska said as she shook her teammate but he didn't move.

Arrouick spied something on the ground and picked it up. It was indeed a Kanoka disk. He wasn't good at remembering the digits on disks from Metru Nui but he was pretty sure a three meant it contained the power of weakness. The last number was an eight which meant it was pretty powerful, probably powerful enough to sap Zike's strength. "Sniper!" he cried as he threw the disk to the ground and took out his weapons.

"Form a perimeter around Zike!" Dartick ordered as the other three followed his instructions. Sure, they had the ocean to one side but he wasn't going to take any chances there weren't Matoran buried in the sand, ready to ambush them. They were so focused on protecting Zike that Dartick completely forgot about Malohi. When he remembered the captive, he looked down to see him gone. A quick search found the Le-Matoran running into the bushes, screeching all the way.

And then the world exploded. Matoran popped out behind rocks and bushes, pelting the Shadow Hunters with disks, Madu, spears, and anything else they could find. Gukko birds with brave pilots swooped overhead, throwing disks as they passed by. Boats appeared behind rocks off the shore and launched their own attack. Mechs piloted by Matoran appeared from the tree line and made their way toward the Shadow Hunters. Once they were on them, Dartick knew things could go very badly for them. "Fight back!" he roared. He, Arrouick, and Garsh fired energy blasts at the projectiles and Matoran while Lariska threw her daggers with pinpoint precision.

Garsh noticed a couple of snipers launching disks from a small ridge. He activated his Kualsi and teleported up to them. The two Matoran looked up in horror. "Surprise, creeps," Garsh said before bringing his sword down on them.

Dartick grabbed Zike's hammer and with a mighty roar, managed to heft it and throw it like a javelin at a mech. It smashed into it, crushing and killing the pilot instantly.

Lariska ducked a Madu thrown by a Gukko pilot and threw two daggers at the next one coming in for an attack run. The knives dug into gaps in the Rahi's armor on its belly and sent it into a nosedive.

A Matoran tried to run up and spear Arrouick as he shot at an Ussal crab, but the Karzahni Bull quickly turned and gunned him down with extreme prejudice.

Garsh teleported back to the group and stabbed a Matoran through the back as Dartick fired electricity from his horns, killing another one. At that point, a wall of earth erupted around the Shadow Hunters, sealing them off from the Matoran. When the wall collapsed back to the ground, they found themselves surrounded by the twelve Toa and the members of the Nahi Nui Guard.

"It's over, Dartick, you have lost," said Takanuva. "Now surrender before we are forced to do something rash."

"I say we just kill them now and be done with it," said Nidhiki.

"No, we can't become like them, Nidhiki," said Lhikan. "Remember the Toa code. We will not kill them if they surrender."

Dartick did not say anything witty, apparently unsure if Nidhiki would stay his scythe. Lariska just glared at Nidhiki and he wasn't able to meet her gaze. "Now," began Takanuva, "give us back that Kanoka disk you took from the temple."

"Do you really think I would be stupid enough to bring it with us?" Dartick replied. "It's not here."

"Fine," relented Takanuva. "Then just get out of our sight and never come back."

"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Gravon. "They'll be more of a danger out there."

"And they'll be a bigger danger to us here," replied Takanuva. "Do you truly have an idea of how to hold them? I'm not confident in those cages suppressing their powers and we have nowhere else to keep them that would be sufficient."

Gravon growled. "All right, but I don't like it."

"Get back in your boat and sail back to wherever you came from," Takanuva said to the Shadow Hunters. "Once you are gone, we shall arrange for your friend to join you in a couple of days."

Dartick looked at the others. Zike was still out of it and the other three were looking weary. "You win today, Takanuva. But you have not seen the last of us, mark my words. Remember: we know where you live." Garsh and Arrouick dragged Zike back to their boat and the five Shadow Hunters got in before they began rowing out to sea. "Until next time, Nahi Nui," Dartick called. The fishing boats watched them closely, but the Shadow Hunters made no moves to attack. After a few minutes, the boat disappeared into the night.

Reymar knelt down next to Iruini and activated her Mask of Healing. "Are you all right, Iruini?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he said weakly.

"Don't ever do that again," Norik scolded. "You scared us half to death."

Iruini gave a dry chuckle. "Imagine how I felt."

Vamkoda patted Malohi on the back. "Thank the Great Beings you're all right."

"That was scary, especially the Toa," said Malohi. "I think he wanted to eat me."

"I don't know about that."

Lhikan walked up to Nidhiki and slapped his shoulder. "Hey, you hanging in there?"

"Yeah, just a lot of memories."

"Unpleasant ones?"

"Oh yeah…" Nidhiki hesitated. "And some good ones, which makes it harder."

"If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here," said Lhikan. He extended his fist to Nidhiki. "That's what brothers are for."

Nidhiki smiled and matched Lhikan's fist.

Garan walked up next to Takanuva who was still watching the horizon. "Today was a bad day," said the Onu-Matoran.

"I know," replied Takanuva.

"And it could have been a lot worse."

"I know."

"We have to make a lot of changes."

"I know." Takanuva looked around the beach at the carnage. He would never forget what happened here, as much as he may try to. "You got any ideas?"

"Yup, you?"

"Yeah. And it includes asking some war veterans for advice." Takanuva turned and looked at Lhikan and Nidhiki, as well as Jaller, Kongu, and Onepu. "Today and tomorrow, we recover and mourn the dead. But after that, we get to work."

The End

Author's Notes:

And this is the end of this particular story. I'm going to take a small break (Much shorter than the last one!) while I make sure I got enough planned out on the next story. And then the fun will begin. I hope you all enjoyed this story and hope to see you at the next one.