Chapter 11: New Foes
A week or so had passed since the clone incident. The team had found five of the six remaining clusters without too much trouble. Keika decided to use her light abilities more frequently, her golden aura serving as a natural flashlight. Also, the light would reflect off the last gem… wherever that was.
"Keika, if you keep that up, you'll wear out your power," warned Vakama.
"Since when were you worried?"
"Light is also an element, and since us Toa need time to recharge their elemental powers…" His light green eyes met Keika's emerald ones, searching for a sign that the occasionally stubborn humanoid would get the hint.
"My aura doesn't use much power… but you have a point." Keika dimmed the golden glow that surrounded her body, until it was completely gone. Within seconds, Ronin let out a piercing scream.
"Tin staffs, Ronin, what the hell was that for?" Nuju covered his audio receptors.
Whenua cuffed Nuju on the back of the head. "Shut up, stargazer! He's afraid of the dark!" Whenua hissed.
Matau didn't want to hear another scream, let alone drain Keika's abilities. So he turned on his own glow that he had picked up during the "power share."
"I never thought I'd be thanking Matau," said Vakama, "but here I go - thank you, Matau."
Matau grinned and sang, "What can I say, except you're welcome!" This earned a collective eye roll from the rest of the Toa.
"Wow, this place has great acoustics." Keyok noted. "Kinda wish Nuhrii was here to play his trumpet."
Keika scoffed, "Bringing a musical instrument on a mission is the height of stupidity." She looked around at Laney, who was holding Shane like she was about to lose him. And that was when Vakama's eyes glazed over.
"No no no…" he mumbled over and over again, "don't throw yourself into danger…"
"Vakama!" Cairos shook the Fire Toa's shoulder, bringing him back to reality. "What happened?"
"I can't, it's too painful, and I'm not even attached to her like some others are…"
"Who is it?"
That was when they heard a distinctive hiss, and saw a pair of unblinking blood-red eyes burning in the darkness around them. The pairs seemed to multiply until there were three.
Laney's face hardened. "Rahkshi are no match for us."
"Laney, there are three this time…" warned Keika, "...and is it me, or have we never seen this kind?"
The first one to emerge was brown and built like a runner, leaving cracks on the ground with each step as it charged towards the Toa. The second one was blue with a swimmer's build, leaping out from a pool at Haidie. The third one was green and slim, with poison dripping from the ends of its double-bladed staff as it stalked towards Keika.
"OK we've definitely never seen these before." said Nokama, swinging one hydro blade and tripping the blue one. Before it hit the ground, it twisted and planted its staff. This fragmented the stone into dust. Then the Rahkshi used the momentum from the fall to spin around the staff and get back up!
Then something made the seven young Vahki freeze.
Panrahk, whose Staff of Power causes objects to shatter.
"Haidie, did you say something?" Keyok raised an eyebrow as he dodged a blow from the brown Rahkshi - Panrahk.
"No way!" Haidie countered. "I'm not wasting my telepathy on…"
Lerahk, whose power poisons all it touches.
"OK definitely not Haidie," said Keika, who temporarily distracted the green one - Lerahk - with a small neon green light and then zapping it with her staffs.
Guurahk, able to reduce the mightiest stone to mere fragments.
Haidie combined her two staffs and began to fight with the blue Rahkshi - Guurahk. The sounds of metal striking metal clashed through the air.
And who will dare to oppose them? These children… sworn to protect their city before knowing what that truly entailed!
"Whatever bad guy is monologuing, cut it out!" Onewa yelled. "And you'll have to get past us first!"
"So much for taking it easy on your leg…" Shane grumbled, flipping over his staff and kicking Panrahk in the face. Whenua started a small quake and Onewa picked up the rocks, burying Guurahk and Panrahk in rubble. Vakama sealed it with fire, partially melting the rock. Nokama, Matau, and Nuju combined their powers to cool the molten rocks, fusing them together and trapping the Rahkshi.
"Nice!" Onewa and Shane clanked fists. But their celebration didn't last. Guurahk fragmented the stone.
"Uh, maybe not so nice?" Ronin suggested, before punching Lerahk in the gut. Lerahk hissed in pain, and swung its staff at Ronin's ankles.
"You missed!" Ronin taunted, alternating ducking and jumping. Lerahk grew impatient and pushed its staff forward, knocking Ronin down. At that moment, Keika created a burst of light, disorienting the three Rahkshi for a minute.
"Nuju! Freeze them!" Laney yelled. Nuju acted quickly, encasing his fists in ice. The minute he landed a blow on each one, they were trapped in a solid prison of ice.
"Great strategy, Laney-khi." Shane hugged her, breathless from the fight.
Laney grinned. "I'm just really good at thinking on my feet."
"Come on, let's get out of here." said Cairos. "We're so close to our goal, and we have to keep moving."