Tahu was not having a good day.
In the last few hours he'd woken up on a beach in pieces, with no memory of who or where he was save for his name and the fact that he had power over heat and flame. Then he'd wandered across flows of lava and into a blackened forest, glaring daggers at any sudden sounds as he got himself hopelessly lost. To add insult to injury, his wandering had gotten him trapped in a primitive wooden cage woven out of branches, one created by the smaller beings that carried spears and wore masks like his. While one slash of his fiery sword had freed him, the indignity of being trapped by such tiny creatures still weighed heavily on him, stoking the rage that built up inside him like a mighty blaze.
And right now, to top it all off, another figure half his height was leaping at him with a raging yell.
A fist of metal and unfamiliar energy crashed against his mask, nearly knocking it off his face and sending him stumbling back. With a roar of his own he swung his sword in retaliation, only to hit empty air as his new opponent suddenly dropped to the ground. Tahu followed up with numerous flaming slashes that left arcs of fire in their wake, but the figure was evasive and kept their arms close to an oddly-shaped chest as they easily dodged the heated blade. Strange sounds he couldn't quite describe rang out whenever his opponent delivered punches to his legs and lower torso, assaulting his frame with some kind of exploding shower of steel. While the blows barely penetrated his armor, the constant barrage that slipped through his defenses stoked his anger until it felt like a raging inferno about to erupt.
After a moment of the yellow figure darting around him in a circle, he growled and swung his sword straight down to create a burning ring of fire. His opponent at least had enough common sense to leap back to avoid the flames, retreating from combat for a brief moment to catch their breath. The defensive move gave him a reprieve he didn't realize he'd needed as well - had the stranger really worn him down so easily? Who were they? What were they?
Then they spoke in a confident female voice.
"What's the matter, big guy? Afraid to pick on someone your own size?" She - at least, Tahu assumed they were a she - wiped her brow. "I doubt the little folks over there would give you much of a challenge. So why not give someone who can actually fight back a try?"
Tahu's piercing crimson eyes glared at the small figure who dared - dared! - to attack him, taking in her appearance and trying to gauge the danger she presented. Not that she looked all that threatening; her only metallic parts appeared to be an armored gauntlet over the left fist and a mechanical right arm, with the rest of her soft sand-colored body covered only in loose-fitting orange and brown fabrics. Unlike him and everything else on the island, his opponent didn't wear a mask - instead he could fully see red eyes that burned in anger, with a cloak of what looked like yellow flames extending from the back of her head. Smoke rose from barrels on her wrists, which Tahu quickly realized were weapons mounted directly to her body.
So it seems this strange attacker wields the power of fire as I do, mused Tahu as he narrowed his own eyes. Perhaps it would do well to remind her that she is merely an ember...and that I am the inferno.
The intensity of his burning sword flared up as he dismissed his defenses with a wave of his hand, his weapon glowing with fury as he pointed the tip at the stranger. By his will alone a spiral of cinders sparked along the length of the blade, which erupted into a massive ball of heat and flame that surged towards the figure. Her eyes widened for a moment before she ducked to avoid the blast, tucking and rolling out of the way and letting the attack incinerate a small group of blackened trees near the edge of the clearing.
With a growl, Tahu shifted his footing and fired another blast of his power, frustration building as each failed hit widened the battlefield by removing more charred trunks. The fire-headed figure seemed to openly enjoy dodging his attacks, if the confident smirk on her strange maskless face was anything to gauge by. After four missed shots in a row, he roared and split his focus into twin beams of pure flame on either side of his opponent, pushing the streams together and pinning her between two encroaching walls of fire. His opponent looked left, then right, then back again before she finally braced herself, crossing her gauntlets to take the blast head on. When they actually made contact she let out a yell but held her ground, glowing like a star as the flames scattered and flowed around her.
It should have been enough to burn away anything that moved.
Yet even when he finally cut the attack before he himself blacked out from the strain, she was still standing there.
"Heh...not bad, Red," she said in a harsh pant as the flames faded and spiraled away. "I'm almost impressed. But you're not the first fire-spewing maniac I've had to fight today. Hell, you're not even the hottest."
He raised an eyebrow under his mask. This stranger...first she dared to attack him, and now she was taunting him openly? Was there no end to her arrogance?
"The name is Tahu," he growled. "You would do well to remember it, loud one - it will be the last name you take with you to the void."
His opponent just laughed again. "Tahu, huh? Nice name - I'll make sure they spell it right on your tombstone. Now are you gonna be a gentleman and invite me to dance? Or do I have to be all un-ladylike and make the first move?"
She put up her fists in an aggressive stance, beckoning him to come forward even as she bounced on her feet. Tahu narrowed his eyes and surged forward with his sword roaring in flame, opening up with sweeping slashes that left arcs of fire in their wake.
"How kind of you! And they say chivalry is dead."
His attacker openly smirked as she rushed to meet him, sidestepping his vertical slashes and ducking under his lateral strikes. Tahu kept his blade in motion and leaned with each movement, focusing on overwhelming the stranger and keeping her on the defensive with the sheer number of attacks. He got a few grazing hits in, which the stranger deflected with her gauntlets and some rippling yellow field of energy that flowed over her body. If the burning blaze bothered them, they made a good show of hiding it.
She must have some kind of shielding power, much like the one afforded me by my mask, he pondered as the being blocked a downward slash with both gauntlets. Though I doubt hers is as strong as mine.
In the seconds between the stranger pinning down his sword and leaping up to strike his blind spot, Tahu mentally triggered the power of his mask. Immediately a violet field of pure energy formed around him, an invulnerable barrier that easily ate the force of the attacker's blow. He smirked under his mask as the opponent's eyes widened, momentarily taken aback as they landed back on their feet. She followed up with two more punches to the same result, then narrowed her gaze as she let loose a flurry of ineffectual blows against the barrier before leaping back.
That's right, loud one, he mentally boasted as he dispelled the shield to prepare a blast of flame. Cower in fear of me, for I am invincible -
A sudden rapid beeping caught his attention, and he looked down to see a half-dozen flashing red objects laying at his feet.
What madness - ?!
BOOM!
Tahu yelled in pain as the little devices suddenly exploded, knocking him backwards across the clearing. While the flames didn't hurt, the burst of pressure certainly did, and it knocked the wind out of him as he collapsed to the ground. His opponent was quick to capitalize on the opening, launching herself back into the fray and aiming to bring her fists down in a two-handed blow.
He growled and rolled to the side to dodge the attack, then scrambled to his feet. His grip on the flaming sword shifted, and he raised it high above his head -
"Enough!"
A voice, one loud and clear and dripping with wisdom and authority, got the attention of both Tahu and his opponent. They turned their heads and caught sight of another figure, this one slightly taller than the beings that had tried to trap him, with orange and black robes flowing from his hunched-over torso and amber eyes glowing with reverence. He had a mask on like the others, this one with a narrow base and an oval-shaped top, and he held a long staff that faintly glowed with embers on the tip of it. Whoever this new arrival was, he was clearly respected among the others, as they moved out of his way to allow him to approach the clearing.
"Turaga Vakama!" shouted one of the smaller creatures, snapping a salute. "What are you doing all the way out here? It's dangerous."
The newcomer - the one evidently named "Vakama" - chuckled lightly. "Everywhere is dangerous now, Captain Jaller. Even the walls of Ta-Koro are not as safe as you hope them to be. But I believe that is why he has come…to change that." He gestured at Tahu, who narrowed his gaze in annoyance.
Jaller nodded, though he didn't seem convinced enough to lower his weapon. "And what about the other one? It attacked him without provocation and they started fighting, like feral Rahi fighting over territory. Seems like it's just as dangerous."
"Not to mention how hideous it is!" said one of the other guards.
"Yeah, I mean look at it! It doesn't even wear a mask!" exclaimed another.
Tahu's opponent scoffed and rolled her red eyes. "First off, I'm not an 'it,' I'm a 'she.' Second off, you little guys don't have a lot of room to judge, considering you're all wearing masks that look like they came out of a novelty gift shop. And finally, that's a really funny way of saying 'Oh wow Yang, thanks for saving us from the ten-foot-tall giant with a huge flaming sword and anger management issues! How can we ever repay you?'"
Several of the smaller beings spoke up in protest, but Vakama silenced them with a wave of his hand. He slowly approached both Tahu and this "Yang" person, regarding them both with wise gazes.
"...you fought to protect my Matoran?" said the Turaga with a tilt of his head.
Yang stiffened, her eyes shifting from red to a shade of lilac. "Y-yeah…I mean, yes. Yes I did."
Vakama nodded slowly. "I see. May I ask why?"
"Because I'm a Huntress," she said, puffing her chest. "Protecting helpless people from monsters is what I do."
"I am no monster," growled Tahu.
"And we're not helpless!" protested Jaller.
Another wave of Vakama's hand silenced the latter, and the way he bowed before them placated the former.
"Then Mata Nui is honored to welcome two heroes to her fiery shores this day, instead of just one," intoned the Turaga. "You are unfamiliar to us, Yang, but anyone who fights to protect my people has a place in my village. And as for the other…you show all the signs of being the one we have anticipated, one of six prophesied to bring deliverance to our island home. Long have we waited for your coming, hoping you would arrive to save us in our darkest hour. And so it pleases me to finally welcome you…Toa Tahu, our spirit of Fire."
The smaller creatures - the Matoran - all looked at each other before raising their spears not to attack, but in solidarity. Tahu just stared at them, pondering the meaning of Vakama's words. Toa? What was a Toa? The word sounded vaguely familiar, like a memory that clung to his mind after a long sleep, but the meaning slipped through his grasp as though it were a fleeting dream. And how did Vakama know his name? For that matter, how did he know more about him than he did about himself?
As though he sensed the questions building in his mind, Vakama rose back to his feet, leaning on his staff for support. Though he too wore a mask, Tahu could sense a smile underneath that radiated warmth and comfort, setting his nerves at ease and filling him with peace.
"Come, all of you. Let us leave this twisted scar of land behind, and take shelter in the warm lights of Ta-Koro. No doubt you have many questions about this place, and your destinies within. I will do what I can to answer such things."
Yang let out a chuckle and retracted her weapons back into her arms. "Mister Vakama sir, that's the best idea I've heard all day. Lead the way."
Tahu still wasn't sure about the figure that had picked a fight with him, but he would tolerate her presence if it meant answers.
Maybe.
The cold wind of the mountain bit into the joints of Kopaka's armor as he trundled to the top of a craggy pass, though to him it felt as mild as a cool autumn breeze. He wasn't sure why he felt drawn to the tundra and its snowy slopes; perhaps it had something to do with his ability to spontaneously generate and control ice and frost, or maybe it was something far more instinctual. Whatever the reason, one thing was for certain - the cold had no power over him, and he felt at home here.
Behind him, his strange organic "ally" huffed and grunted as she trailed behind him. He didn't bother checking over his shoulder to see if Weiss was still following - the sound of her breathing and panting was loud enough for him to know she was there. He let out a small sigh, wondering why he'd even agreed to this arrangement. This Weiss was stubborn and made way too much noise, but she also seemed quick-witted and determined. And she was certainly strong. Anyone who chose to follow him into such icy terrain for so long had to be, to say nothing of how she was able to summon several large boulders' worth of stone with one wave of her strange sword.
She's either extremely brave or extremely foolish to willingly seek out my company, he mused. Probably both.
He reached a large stony clearing along the mountain path, one that was decorated in a light blanket of snow and a collection of blue-leaved bushes that thrived in the cold. His human follower was still a fair dozen or so paces behind him, so he took a quick chance to turn around and trigger the power of his mask, turning its penetrating gaze onto Weiss. The world around him flickered green, black, gray, and pure white before he finally settled on purple to pick out sources of elemental energy against the inert backdrop of the island - just one of the many vision options afforded him by activating his mask power.
The lenses of Kopaka's mask whirred and clicked as they spun in place, focusing on the so-called heiress that lagged behind him. He could see a heart beating inside her chest with so much energy it picked up on his elemental scans, but he didn't concern himself with trying to puzzle out organic biology. No, he was far more focused on the weapon that hung from her side - specifically, the six vials of powder inside that glowed like stars and seemed to grow brighter just by looking at them. Red fire, yellow lightning, white ice, blue water, brown stone, and purple gravity radiated from within the chambers of the sword's revolving core, and when he tracked his gaze to the belt that hugged her waist, he saw other elements that ranged from simple ones like green wind to more complex energies he didn't have names for. None of it seemed to come from the girl herself; it all flowed out of the strange substance she carried.
This mineral...I have not seen any like it on the island thus far, he observed. It feels as though it contains the very essence of the elements themselves. But why? Did she come expecting trouble?
It was only now that he noticed that Weiss had stopped walking, breathing heavily and bending forward to rest her hands on her knees. That odd curtain of white fibers hung in front of her face as she panted for a short moment, before she brushed it out of her face with her hand and shot a glare at Kopaka that he could see even before he deactivated his mask power.
"I know my hair doesn't look great right now," she said with a breathless pout, "but it's still rude to stare."
He tilted his head. "Hair?"
"Yes, hair." Weiss pointed to the bundle of white fibers. "That's what this is. Have you ever even seen a human before?"
No. And if they're all as annoying as you, then I do not wish to.
He chose to leave his real thought unspoken, merely opting for shaking his head.
"Well then I'll let you in on a little secret," huffed Weiss. "Humans - people like me - don't do well with cold. Or high elevations, where the air is thinner. Or walking for hours at a time without food or water. Those things might not bother you, but they're all pretty dangerous to me. So maybe now might be a good time to ask if you have a destination in mind, and how long it would take to get there. Unless, of course, you're just wandering aimlessly with no idea where to go."
Kopaka narrowed his gaze. Of course he knew where he was going! He was going…he was heading for…
Huh.
Where was he going?
The thought was interrupted by the sound of something rustling in the bushes, clearly trying to stay quiet. Instinctively, he spun on the spot and drew his sword, cold energy channeling into the sword and preparing to unleash it in an icy blast. Just before he was about to release the energy stored within, Weiss grabbed his arm and pushed it up and away, letting the bolt of ice and snow sail harmlessly over the foliage. A loud yelp gave away the stalker's position - a quick glance with his lenses spotted what looked like a tiny version of himself lying prone in the bush.
He glared at the human who'd ruined his shot. "What are you doing?" he snapped.
"What are you doing?!" Weiss snapped back. "Seriously, is it your first instinct to shoot ice at anyone you've just met?!
"I don't know," Kopaka retorted icily. "Do you always greet potential allies by dropping a mountain on them?"
Weiss opened her mouth to counter, but evidently decided it wasn't worth it as she grumbled under her breath. She let go of Kopaka's sword arm.
"Just…let me handle this," she said with a sigh. "If it was gonna attack, it would have done so when your back was turned. So I don't think this is a wild animal or something dangerous - maybe I can talk to it."
Kopaka raised an eyebrow under his mask, but nevertheless stashed his sword. No use wasting energy arguing, anyways. He gave a sigh that roughly translated to "do whatever you want." Weiss seemed to take that as an endorsement, because she shifted her gaze from him to the small figure that was still lying low in the bramble, one that was staring cautiously and staying as still and quiet as death.
"You can come out now," she said in a soft voice. "Promise we won't hurt you. Or at least, I promise not to hurt you." She shot a pointed glare at Kopaka with that last phrase.
The smaller figure carefully emerged from the bush, walking over on stubby little legs in an almost comical fashion. It didn't escape Kopaka's notice that it wore a mask that mirrored his own, complete with an array of telescoping lenses along the one side - though the version worn by the newcomer was a deep, steely shade of blue that matched its legs. When it was about five paces away from Kopaka, it rested one of its pearl-white fists in the snow and bowed its head in reverence, servos whirring as muscle and metal moved in sync.
"Apologies for startling you, Toa Kopaka," said the biomechanical being in an awed voice. "I am Matoro, a Ko-Matoran Trapper and right hand of Turaga Nuju. I saw your canister wash ashore while I was coming out of the Drifts and...well, I wished to confirm your arrival for myself, and to see if the legends were true. I have no doubt now - you are the one we have been waiting for."
Matoro lifted his mask slightly to focus the lenses on the white-haired human that trailed behind. "Although...the legends said nothing about how the Toa would arrive with organic allies. But I guess not even the Seeking would be able to predict everything."
Organic allies? More like organic annoyances, Kopaka thought to himself as he studied his smaller counterpart. Out loud, he voiced more pressing questions.
"What is a Toa? And what legend?"
The so-called Ko-Matoran hummed and tilted his head. "...ah. You don't remember. The Wall of Prophecies warned that this may be the case. You must have been sleeping a long time - spending that long in dreams tends to have that effect. Nuju may be able to answer your questions, Toa Kopaka, if you and your companion were to grace our village with a visit."
Weiss huffed out a cloud of cold air and stepped forward. "A village? That sounds lovely. Can you take us there?"
"It would be my honor, friend of the Toa," said Matoro as he rose back up to his full height (which wasn't much taller than his deep bow) and moved back to the bushes to retrieve a large canvas backpack. "It's not very far, and I know this area of Mount Ihu like the back of my own mask. Follow me."
Kopaka had a number of reservations about this plan - and about how Weiss could trust someone so easily - but the burning desire for knowledge for once outweighed his caution. He followed the Ko-Matoran along the mountain paths, watching as Matoro gave some kind of black-skinned fruit to Weiss. The heiress stared at the gift for a moment before she shrugged and bit into it, making disgusting moaning noises as she devoured the offered fruit.
This is twice in the last hour that I've been forced into the company of others, he thought to himself with a frown. Let's just hope that it won't keep happening.
Dig, pull, scrape, push. Dig, pull, scrape, push.
The hardened stone and dirt crumbled before his mighty claws, allowing them to easily be raked aside and cleared out of the way. This felt right to Onua, being underground - for reasons he couldn't completely explain why. He knew that the ebony-black mask he wore granted him massive strength, that his glowing green eyes could see every detail of the dark tunnels without a source of light, and he knew that the earth itself seemed to beckon him deeper as he tunneled. Everything else seemed to float just out of reach.
Was he missing memories of his time before darkness and silence? Or had they simply never existed at all, and his life had truly begun with blinding sunlight? Onua wasn't sure, but one thing he was sure about was that he felt at home here, in the comfortable rhythm of digging out a new tunnel. So he chose to do just that, and let the unknown worry about itself.
The only other thing he knew was that he was not alone.
"I know you are back there," he finally said in a low, gravely voice as he paused his tunneling. "There is little use trying to hide from me, nor is there any need. So long as you have no intent to harm, neither do I. Come out, so that we may speak freely."
He felt, rather than heard, the sound of soft footsteps tentatively coming closer. Onua turned to face the stranger that had been tailing him ever since he assembled himself - a purely organic being that was roughly half his height, dressed in black and white fabrics to cover her soft, tanned skin. Her hands brushed against the mass of short-cropped organic fibers that fell around her maskless face, amber eyes regarding him warily as she approached. Those very eyes didn't squint or strain to see him in the low light, which likely meant that she could see in the dark just like him - and judging by the odd triangles on her head and the way they twitched and turned with every sound, he guessed that her hearing was just as potent as his own.
"And here I thought I was being quiet," she said with a small pout. "How'd you know I was there?"
"Your footsteps," answered Onua truthfully, "Every time you make contact with the ground, you send vibrations through the earth itself no matter how lightly you tread. To most others, such vibrations may have gone unnoticed...but I suspect we are not like most others, are we?"
The stranger folded her arms over her oddly-shaped chest, leaning against the wall of the newly-carved tunnel. "In more ways than one, probably. So what are you, exactly?"
He sighed, bursts of steam hissing through the side vents of his masks. "That, I cannot say for certain. I awoke not long ago with little knowledge and few memories, learning only of my power and abilities as I began digging. Beyond that, all I know is my name - Onua."
She nodded tightly. "Blake. You can probably guess, but I'm not exactly from around here."
Onua gave a nod of his own. "I believe that applies to both of us, Blake. Do you at least remember what brought you to the island?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Blake sighed as she pushed off the wall. "My friends and I were fighting in some kind of void outside our world, trying to save people...but it all went wrong. We ended up falling into a magical abyss, and the next thing we knew we were here. Separated, but alive. Hopefully."
He tilted his head as he watched the otherworldly warrior begin pacing relentlessly, green eyes tracking every anxious step she tried to hide. In truth, he already assumed that Blake heralded from a world beyond this one - the soil and soot that clung to her clothes felt different than the rubble that lay around him on the floor. Yet he could also sense that there was something deeper to her story, something she struggled with internally that she wasn't quite ready to share, and he did not wish to uncover it against her will.
Onua hummed thoughtfully as he put a massive claw against the wall, feeling the pulse of the land as though the island itself had a beating heart. "Word travels quickly through stone and earth," he mused. "It carries secrets of the island within its walls, and so long as something touches the ground, it will know of it. I believe I can use this to help you find your friends, Blake - if you would be willing to help me find my purpose."
The young stranger's eyes brightened, the fuzzy triangles on her head perking up. She thought for all of five seconds before she put up an emotional mask of her own, muting her enthusiasm with a wry smirk.
"I think I can get behind that," answered Blake. "Though I'll warn you, I'm not much of a digger."
A hearty chuckle escaped Onua's metallic lips. "I believe I can dig for both of us, traveler. Though I would not oppose having a second pair of eyes to keep watch behind me while I continue tunneling. I can better focus my attention on what lies ahead, if I know that our back is guarded well."
Blake nodded and drew the coal-black blade off its resting place, standing back-to-back with him and peering into the darkness of the tunnel behind them. She barely came up to the massive gear mounted between his shoulders, yet her stance showed that she was ready to leap into action at a moment's notice.
"Then I'll be sure to keep a lookout," she said with resolve in her voice. "Ready when you are."
Onua nodded and returned to the repetitive rhythm of digging, though he took care not to throw rubble into the backside of his new ally. Not that it got much of a reaction out of Blake whenever she was showered in soil every now and then - her gaze was focused on what was behind them, just as she promised it would be. He could see without even looking at her that she had the stance and air of a warrior about her - her stance was wide and light, her entire body snapped into new directions to face threatening noises, and her heartbeat showed that she was alert and ready to fight at a moment's notice.
I wonder what kind of world she hails from, where she would feel the need to be on guard at all times, he wondered idly.
His thoughts were interrupted when his three-fingered claw tore through the back of the tunnel's stone, only to find empty air on the other side.
Curious, he thought with a small hum. There must be an opening on the other side.
With a slow focused sigh he pulled the remains of the wall apart, letting it crumble into rubble that scattered at his feet as he stepped into the new area. He found himself at the bottom of an underground ravine, one where the walls stretched so high he couldn't even see the ceiling if he squinted. Not that it was completely dark - he took note of a number of glimmering stones an arm's length above his head, along with markers and circular symbols that he somehow knew how to read.
So there are others underground, he thought to himself. Perhaps they will hold the answers I seek.
Blake stepped into the ravine just behind him, watching as he ran a claw over the smooth stone walls. "What is it?" she asked. "What is this place?"
"I do not know," rumbled Onua, humming in thought. "What I do know is that this cavern is not natural - not entirely, at least. The ravine was here before, but the space around it, here at the bottom…this was carved away, not formed. With a tool of some sorts."
The young woman looked around. "So you think something dug this place out?"
"Or someone." He stepped forward and heard a crunch underfoot. Lifting one coal-black foot slowly, he saw what looked like a pickaxe of some kind snapped in half, though the tool itself was already dulled to the point of uselessness.
Blake retrieved one of the broken halves and examined it. "This was a mining tunnel," she realized. "Whoever dug it was looking for something…and when they didn't find it, they moved on."
"But what were they searching for?" Onua wondered aloud. "And why was it not found here?"
As if on cue, he felt a vibration in the floor beneath him. He crouched low, resting his claws on the earth and focusing. He could feel something moving in a hurry, something…small yet heavy on their feet…something…behind him?
The source of the footsteps came to a screeching halt as they emerged from a side tunnel - a tiny little figure with a mask like his own, albeit theirs was purple to better match the color of their legs. Their gaze darted back and forth, clutching a towering armload of minerals, ores, and tools tightly to their coal-black chest.
"Excuse me, little one," called Onua. "Do you have a moment to speak?"
Blake immediately readied her weapon, but a claw that lowered in front of her bade her to stay her hand. The newcomer took one look at him, froze, dropped everything they were carrying, and blinked their glowing green eyes several times in that order.
"Oh. Oh! Oh oh!"
He frowned. Perhaps this being didn't speak the same language as him and Blake. He cleared his throat and tried a different approach. "Hel-lo," he said slowly, pointing to himself. "Me - Onua. Who - you?" Now to the figure. "Do - you - understand - me?"
"Yes! Yes, I understand you very well!" The small newcomer cleared his own throat, bending over to scoop up his fallen materials. "Apologies. You merely startled me, is all. Usually it takes far more than that to startle Onepu, captain of the Ussalry - that's me, by the way - but…well, let's just say that the Onu-Matoran have all been rather on edge as of late. But your arrival should help soothe their nerves, great Onua!"
"You know each other?" asked Blake. Onua shook his head.
"No, but I imagine we soon will!" said Onepu with a laugh as he gathered his things. "As I imagine we will, um…you…er…"
"Blake."
"Blake! Pleased to make your acquaintance, fair Blake. You must be a hero of equal renown, if you travel with the Toa of Earth himself."
Onua tilted his head. "Toa…of Earth?"
"Ah, you've forgotten things in the darkness of dreams," Onepu gave another laugh as he tried and failed to stack a few large chunks of ore in his arms. "Fret not, great one! Turaga Whenua shall answer any questions you may have - assuming that Zemya can stop bothering him about the Trade Guild for all of five minutes. Now please, come with me. I must deliver these supplies to the runners for the Le-Koro Highway team, and then I'll take you straight to the village myself!"
And with that, Onepu took a few shaky steps forward, only to collapse under the weight of his gathered things. Blake and Onua gave each other a look, then nodded before stepping forward to aid the fallen Onu-Matoran.
"Here," said the amber-eyed woman as she grabbed a bundle of pickaxes. "Why don't we help you with those?"
Onepu looked up at Blake with incredulity. "Oh, no, it's quite alright. I couldn't ask such heroes of such renown to carry a few ores and tools. It's not why you came here."
"On the contrary," said Onua as he gathered up the treasures of the earth in his claws. "I believe that helping those in need is exactly why I am here."
Despite Onepu's smile being hidden behind his mask, it was nearly bright enough to light up the entire cavern, and Onua felt like he was one step closer to finding his purpose.
Emerald decided very quickly that she hated the jungle.
It was hot, it was muggy, it was sticky, and it was full of bugs. If it was up to her, she would have been content with just splashing around in the shallow waters of the beach she'd touched down in, chilling in the cold sea until she got found by the others. But her growling stomach and dry cracked lips had other plans, forcing her into the thick tangle of massive trees and vines in search of clean water and some kind of food.
She used the sickle form of Thief's Gambit to slice through vines and branches as she ventured deeper, trying to curb at least a little bit of the foliage to make her life a little easier. Her black and white checkered coat was wrapped around her waist in the face of the humidity, leaving her mint green crop top and darkened skin visible for the world to see. Hundreds of biomechanical creatures watched her from the treetops and the undergrowth with glowing eyes, but she did her best to ignore them and push them out of her mind. None of them seemed eager to approach her, so she figured if she paid no attention to them, they would return the favor and let her be. Nevertheless, she kept her head on a swivel, watching for movement just in case one of those creatures decided to turn her into a Huntress-flavored snack.
How she wished she had both her weapons. Too bad Cinder had thrown the other copy of the revolver-sickle into the void during their final fight for Atlas. And given how spread out she, Weiss, and Penny had been upon arrival, who knew where it was now? For all she knew, it could have fallen into the ocean, far out of reach and collecting rust as it sat at the bottom of the sea.
Don't miss what's gone. Focus on what you have, and what you need.
She grit her teeth and hacked at a stubborn vine. Right. Keep moving forward, keep looking for food and water. How bitterly ironic that the words floating into her mind came from the very bitch who had put them all here. Cause right now she really needed that plaguing her conscience.
Existential misgivings aside, it was a thoroughly miserable trek. The heels of her black ankle boots kept catching on foliage that tripped her more than once, eventually forcing her to ditch them in favor of the brown flat shoes she kept for emergencies. While her older choice of footwear kept her from stumbling as she navigated, it didn't protect her from the thorns and exposed roots that poked through the soles - a trade-off she painfully accepted in favor of being able to actually walk. She abandoned the leather chaps that hung over her legs and rolled up the cuffs of her white skinny jeans to help with the heat, but that just gave the branches and bramble more surfaces to scratch as she passed by. Her Aura did its best to mend the gashes before they could dig too deep, but there was only so much it could do when every new step brought at least two new sources of pain.
And the bugs…oh gods the bugs.
That filled her with more rage and frustration than everything else on her journey. It felt like every single flying little nuisance on the island was drawn to her like flies to honey, buzzing loudly in her ear and plunging stingers into her skin to get just a little sip of her blood - and getting flattened or swatted away for their greed. If Emerald wasn't so focused on basic survival at the moment, she would have declared a one-woman war against all insect species right there on the spot. Even the cute ones. There would be no survivors.
Still, she pressed on. She didn't have a choice, she needed to find food and water.
An eternity and several hundred curse words later, she found both.
Emerald stumbled out of a forest of reeds into the muddy shore of a small watering hole, one with several fruit-bearing vines dangling generously overhead. A flock of metallic gray and red ducks floated in the water and regarded the new arrival with a cautious eye, but once it became clear she wasn't a threat they went back to pecking at the soil and roots growing along the shore. The thieving teenager collapsed to her knees with a gasp and practically dunked her face into the dark brown water, gurgling and groaning and greedily gulping down the stuff even as it burned her throat and splashed into her nose. Once her thirst was quenched she drew back and panted, water and sweat dripping from her mint-green hair and relief flooding into her muscles.
Okay, completed step one - don't die of thirst, she thought to herself with a heavy cough. Now for step two - don't starve.
She wiped mud off her face and looked up at the dangling fruits overhead, examining them with squinting eyes. The food was as strange and metallic as everything else on the island, resembling massive deformed limes that hung like pears off a lush verdant vine. Emerald watched as a robotic duck flew up and started digging into one of the fruits with its beak; when it didn't immediately keel over and die, she concluded it wasn't poisonous and unhooked the chain of Thief's Gambit. With one expertly-aimed whip of the blade she cut through two of the stems, dropping the pair of melons into the watering hole and watching them float to the surface.
Satisfied, she retrieved her prize and studied the strange food for a moment, debating the best way to eat it before throwing caution to the wind and biting deep into the soft, thin surface. The flesh of the fruit was bitter and tangy, reminding her of the texture and taste of dried apricots. Juice practically oozed out of the fruit despite its firmness, dribbling down her chin and staining her lips. She paid no mind to manners as she hungrily devoured the first half of her meal, her teeth only stopping when they made contact with the metallic core and compacted seeds.
Oh come on! Even the food is metal at the center? Her brow furrowed. Do I wanna know what this is gonna do to my insides later on?
Her stomach continued to growl, and Emerald made a snap decision that ignorance was bliss when it came to what she was eating. She tossed the newly-cored fruit into the trees, and was just about to bite down on her second fruit when a small chitter rang out beside her.
Emerald looked down, teeth hovering mid-bite in annoyance at the tiny brown-and-black creature that crawled shyly up next to her, with big beady black eyes and tiny little forepaws. It reminded her of a cross between a mole and a hedgehog, with the hunched frame of the former and the spikes along the spine of the latter. The little critter had metal plates around its skin, giving it a muddy muted appearance as it tilted its head and repeated its cry while eyeing up the fruit in her hands.
"No," she hissed. "Go away. This is my food."
"Kriiiiii." The little creature did not budge. If anything, it only seemed to beg harder.
"I mean it, I'm not giving you anything."
"Kriiiiii." Now it was pawing at the air, like a cat who wanted attention.
"Don't look at me like that," she groaned. "This is the jungle, isn't it? The place where you either eat or get eaten? Acting cute isn't gonna save you."
Believe me, I should know.
That thought rose to the front of her mind, unbidden, and for a moment she saw herself reflected in the eyes of the tiny little creature. A dirty, downtrodden little street urchin with no shoes, begging the throngs of people passing by for something, anything to make the pain in her stomach stop for just a little bit. At best, she was ignored. At worst, she was pushed or shoved aside. At the very worst, she was picked up by the police and thrown into the nearest river. It was a prelude to a lesson that had defined her whole life: those who had everything would never willingly give to those who had nothing. If she wanted to survive, she would have to take what she needed, whatever it might be.
It was part of why, when Cinder promised her she'd never go hungry again, she had been so eager to believe it. After an entire lifetime of being told she didn't matter, the fact that someone pretended to care about her - even a random stranger with a menacing aura - felt world-changing.
Yet…how different would her life have been if just one person before then had shown her kindness?
Would she still be where she was right now?
With a loud sigh Emerald drew Thief's Respite once again, slicing the fruit in half and setting the smaller part down in front of the tiny mole-like creature. It chittered in thanks and eagerly dove into its meal, bringing a small smile to her lips as she sheathed her weapon and bit into what was left of her own fruit.
Ugh…look at what being around that little silver-eyed kid for one evening has done to me, she thought bitterly as she ate. I'm already turning into a goddamn cartoon princess. Next I'll be talking to the birds and stashing squirrels in my pants all while singing about how nice and pretty and happy I am.
Still…the little critter did look pretty cute as it gnawed on its half of the melon.
Maybe that was enough for now.
Her moment of personal growth - or at least something resembling it - was rudely interrupted when something stirred in the underbrush. The little creature yelped and ran away, leaving its half-eaten fruit behind as the ducks all flapped their wings to take flight and flee. A moment after the rest of the creatures scattered, the new arrival emerged from the shadows of the trees - a massive black and purple scorpion, easily thirty feet long from head to stinger, with a huge piston-powered tail and yellow eyes that seemed to glow with murderous intent.
Emerald slowly chewed the bit of fruit already in her mouth, carefully swallowing before extending the rest of her meal to the dangerous-looking creature. "...let me guess. You want a bite of this too, right?"
The scorpion's razor-sharp mandibles clicked together for a moment, before it let loose an unholy shriek and plunged its tail into where she had been sitting a moment earlier.
"Could've just said 'no, I want a bite of you instead,'" huffed Emerald as she slid to a stop. "Asshole."
Thief's Respite flew into her hand once again as she prepared to fight. The monster staring her down would have intimidated most people, but she was a former street urchin with an Aura and Huntress training. She could handle a Deathstalker - she was pretty sure she could handle whatever this thing was.
Emerald took off in a sprint and moved in a serpentine pattern across the watering hole, anticipating where the stinger would strike next and making sure she wasn't there. The tail plunged into the soft earth over and over again, scattering soil and water with each missed strike. After the third such whiffed attack, Emerald hooked her blade into the base of the stinger itself, letting the scorpion's limb pull her up as it drew its main weapon back. A pulse of her Semblance cast an illusion of herself in the mind of the creature, a mirror image of the Huntress once again dodging and weaving right in front of its face - too close for it to attack with its stinger.
That should keep it busy for a few seconds, she thought as she unhooked the chain of her weapon once more. This thing's fast, but it's not too bright. If I can lash its tail to one of those tree trunks, I might be able to -
But her planning was cut short as the scorpion let out another screech that sounded like the screams of the damned, whipping its tail back and forth and trying to shake off the Huntress. Emerald's eyes widened as she tried to maintain her grip, but the force of each snapping swing was enough to rip her free, leaving her open for the stinger to drive itself into her gut while she was still in mid-air. The impact sent her flying across the clearing and crashing into a tree, hitting the bark hard as she painfully slid down to the ground with a groan. Her Aura held firm, if only just - one more hit like that, and her story of redemption would end here.
That wasn't what Emerald was worried about, though. There was something far more concerning on her mind.
It…saw right through my illusion? She gasped and clutched her side with her unarmed hand, her other hand fumbling to turn Thief's Gambit into a revolver. How? Not even the Grimm can do that…what makes this thing so special?
Unfortunately, it seemed like it would be a mystery that would go unsolved, as the scorpion shrieked and closed in…
CRAAAAAAAACK…CRUNCH!
She wasn't even sure when she'd closed her eyes, but when Emerald opened them she was shocked to find the beast that was menacing her buried under a pile of chopped logs. Her crimson eyes scanned the area, looking for whatever felled so many trees in such a short amount of time. Eventually, she spotted a massive figure in sparkling green armor emerge from the undergrowth and perch on top of one of the fallen trunks, giving the squirming scorpion underneath a few kicks to the back of the head before finally bringing his axe down executioner-style. The beast stopped struggling a moment later.
With a satisfied grunt, the figure pulled his emerald weapon back and studied the blade with glowing lime-green eyes, presumably checking for beastly blood. Finding none, he slung it back over his shoulders, kicking the corpse one more time before turning to stare at her with a slight tilt of his head. The Huntress stared back for a long moment, unsure how to act. When it was clear that this new arrival wouldn't attack her, she pulled herself back to her feet with a small scowl and watched as the figure hopped down off the pipe and lumbered over to her.
The figure had clearly saved her, but despite his face being covered by a mask that matched his armor, she could tell just how smug he was being about it. His posture, his gaze, his seeming inability to remain still for more than five seconds...it reminded the thieving teenager a little too much of Mercury, and if he was anything like the silver-haired smartass back home she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of admitting the need for help. She'd seen enough obnoxious self-assured goofballs back on Remnant - the type of person she got along with the least - and unfortunately she could immediately tell she was looking at another one right now.
"I had it handled, you know," grumbled Emerald as she snapped the chain back into her weapon. "I didn't need your help."
"Oh, I could see-guess that," said the green armored figure with a chuckle, further confirming her suspicions about his personality. "Just thought I would assist-help anyway, in case you did need it. The jungle can be a dangerous place when you travel alone, sprout-leaf."
Emerald's annoyance gave way to confusion. "...sprout-leaf? What's that mean?"
"Seed-root," clarified the figure unhelpfully. "Vine-blossom. Branch-twig." Seeing how the girl still stared in confusion, he brought a massive hand to the top of his green, bird-like mask.
"Tree-leaf," he said with a clear grin. Then he brought his hand down to Emerald's head. "Sprout-leaf."
Her annoyance came right back like the flip of a switch as she pushed his hand away. "Are you calling me short?!" she protested.
"No offense-harm meant," said the figure with a shrug. "Only pointing out the fact-truths. The tree-roots of the jungle go deep, and many uglydark things lurk in their shade. Small beings like you have the advantage of run-hiding, though sometimes hunt-fighting is necessary to stay alive. Saw you being generous with food-gift earlier, merely thought I would return the favor-act. Good deed-choices should be rewarded, after all."
Emerald's frustration with the stranger's fast, odd way of speech finally reached a boiling point as she grimaced. "...why do you keep talking like that?!"
He tilted his head in confusion. "Talk like what? What's wrong with my speech-talk?"
"That!" Emerald snapped. "That…that thing you keep doing! Where you say two words instead of one! Why are you doing that?!"
Her savior was silent for a moment, then he shrugged. "I...don't actually remember-know."
"Then do you think you could maybe stop doing it?"
He hummed thoughtfully. "...does it annoy you?"
"Yes!"
Despite wearing a mask, Emerald could feel the figure giving a cheeky smirk as he looked down at her with glowing green eyes.
"Then no, I don't think-guess I will."
Oh my gods he really is just a big green Mercury.
"That's it, I'm outta here."
The green-haired thief spun on her heels and marched deeper into the trees, ignoring the figure calling out behind her. She just had to keep walking. Just had to keep moving. The stranger would get bored eventually, and then she'd finally have a moment of peace without his constant shouting.
"Sprout-leaf, wait!" He called out, oblivious to the dirty looks she was shooting at him. "Don't take that way-path! It leads straight into the sinking - !"
SQUISH.
"...bog-marsh."
Emerald sighed as she looked down at the patch of quicksand already sticking fast to her leg, like a sentient ooze that hungered for flesh. Her weight wasted no time in pulling her down, and she now realized that in her frustrated state of mind she'd wandered right into the middle of the sinking swamp. Concluding that there was no way out on her own, she looked over at the stranger with an annoyed glance, watching him perch on a nearby fallen log. He already had a vine in his hand ready to throw to her, though at least this time he looked at her as though he was waiting for permission to help first.
Maybe following him around wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
It seemed only a marginally better fate than suffocating to death.
"Yes, fine, okay, you can save me," she relented as she rolled her eyes. He nodded and tossed the lifeline into the swamp, a small gust of wind spilling from his hand to make the vine sail farther. The lifeline landed at her feet with a wet squelch, and before she could even sink to her waist, she was already out of the marsh and back on solid ground.
"Thanks," she finally admitted through grit teeth as she wiped herself down. Then she gave a long sigh as she looked up at the much-taller figure. "I guess I could use a guide through the jungle, Mister…?"
The figure blinked. "Oh! Introductions! Please forgive my rude-fault!"
He hopped off his branch and stood to his full height, then gave a grand bow. "I am Lewa, mystery-king of know-nothingness and soaring wind-flyer of the highest trees. I may have forgotten most of my story-past...but I remember-know that much, at least."
The mint-haired thief gave a small curtsey. "Emerald Sustrai. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I'm trying to cut down on how many lies I tell a day."
Lewa laughed. "Guts and wit! I think we're going to get along quite well, sprout-leaf!"
"Don't patronize me."
Her glare seemed to bounce off Lewa's impenetrable good mood as he grabbed her arm and flung her onto his back, coiling his legs underneath him. "Now then! Foot-walking far too slow and boring! Air-flying much faster and more exciting. Hold tight, sprout-leaf - and pay attention!"
She let out a yelp of protest. "Hey! Wait! What do you think you're doiiiiiiiiiiingggg?!"
The screams of a terrified Huntress rang throughout the whole jungle as Emerald and Lewa disappeared into the treetops, the former of whom was regretting every choice she'd ever made in her entire life.
Wherever the other girls were on the island, Emerald hoped they were having a less harrowing time than her.
Ruby Rose was not a strong swimmer.
This was a fact she was suddenly and keenly reminded of as she splashed into the sea, sinking far deeper than she would have liked into the endless blue abyss. Being unconscious for the trip between Remnant and this place - wherever it was - meant that she hadn't taken a very deep breath before crashing below the surface, and the water threatened to steal away what little air remained in her lungs. With a muffled grunt and shriek she clasped her hands over her mouth, pinching her nose and pursing her lips to vainly try and stop the deluge of seawater.
Not good, she managed to think in her hazy mind. No air. Can't breathe. No Aura. Can't use my Semblance. Can't stay here. Have to go up. Which way is up?
Quelling the panic that rose in her chest - which would only waste more air - she kicked feebly around and searched the dark ocean only to find more darkness and more ocean. Silver eyes darted back and forth wildly, trying to find the shimmering light of the surface in the shadowy sea. A spasm in her throat released a burst of bubbles through her cupped hands, which hovered slowly in front of her face for a moment before finally ascending.
Bubbles go up, she remembered. Up means air. Air means not dying. So follow the bubbles…
Now that she had a rough idea of where to go, she started kicking with as much strength as her seventeen-year-old legs could muster. Slowly but surely her momentum shifted, carrying her through the endless blue as her red cloak fluttered and flowed behind her. Ruby knew it would be faster if she used her hands to help her swim, but they were currently occupied with making sure her face holes stayed unflooded. Her eyes struggled to focus as the lack of air took its toll, but she kept swimming. One kick after another, then another, then another…
A shadow darted through the waters.
Ruby let out another muted yelp and stopped moving, freezing up until she was completely still. Silvery eyes once again darted back and forth, watching for the blurry silhouette of the potential threat and trying to track it. She didn't know what was in the water with her, but she had a feeling it wasn't friendly. Whether it was a shark, a Grimm, or something even worse, the primal part of her mind told her to be still and wait for the potential predator to swim away. No matter how much her chest hurt.
Go away please… she thought desperately, I wanna breathe, please leave me alone...
Much to her dismay, the dark shape did not leave her alone.
In fact, it came closer.
A bubbly moan of despair escaped her lips. This was it, wasn't it? This was the unceremonious, unfulfilling ending to the story of Ruby Rose, the stupid little kid from Patch who thought she could save Remnant. She'd failed Atlas. She'd failed her friends. She'd failed her family. She'd failed her legacy. And now she was either going to be eaten by some otherworldly predator, or she was going to drown trying to escape. Neither option seemed particularly appealing, but if she had to choose, she'd take the monster. She'd almost drowned once before - when she was six years old and when Yang had pushed her into a lake for "swimming lessons" - and she wasn't looking to repeat the experience.
The creature approached with incredible speed, seemingly gliding through the water as though it was part of it. As it came closer Ruby caught sight of streamlined blue armor that nearly blended into the surrounding sea, distinguished only by the lighter shade of aqua that covered its arms and legs. Whatever it was, it was big - at least twice as tall as the half-drowning Huntress - yet its size barely slowed it down as its body arced and trailed through the open ocean.
It came ever closer until its face - or at least what Ruby thought was its face - hovered inches away from her own.
The pair simply floated alongside each other for a long moment, each examining the other in fascination and curiosity. Ruby's fear turned to wonder as she noticed that the stranger had mechanical parts interwoven with the armor, along with strange gears in its shoulders clicking and whirring softly and mysteriously. She also noticed that its "face" was actually a translucent blue mask, one with a prominent triangular visor and sweeping curves that reminded her of a giant waterfall. Piercing yellow eyes shone through the mask even as it glowed with faint azure light, examining the Huntress even as it was examined in turn.
Ruby didn't know what kind of creature she was looking at, but it seemed to carry a sort of ephemeral, existential peace with it, one she could have basked in forever.
And then her lungs finally gave out.
Her hands abandoned their futile attempt to seal her mouth and nose - those had already been breached by the flood of water rushing to fill the void left by the deluge of bubbles. She instead clutched her throat and tried to stop the cold, salty seawater from sliding down, but that too was a failed effort. Ruby moaned pitifully as her chest ached, kicking frantically and uselessly and going nowhere. No matter how much she fought, her body needed to breathe - and at this point, it didn't matter what was being inhaled.
The figure reeled back as soon as she started coughing mouthfuls of stale air and water, looking down at her in concern. Her silver eyes started to dull, and it took all her energy to move her arms even just a tiny bit.
"...help…" she gurgled weakly, limply pointing to the surface.
Maybe it was her imagination, but the stranger nodded.
Did...did it understand me?
It was a mystery her air-starved brain would have to solve later, because at the moment she was jolted back into awareness by the figure grabbing her wrist, the feeling of cold steel digging into her sleeve. Then it took off with speed that rivaled even Ruby Rose with the full power of her Semblance, surging through the water with a powerful thrust of its legs. If she wasn't already drowning, she would have noticed that the speed at which they were traveling would have broken her neck by the sheer force of rushing water, yet no such injury occurred. It was almost like the sea itself parted to grant them passage to the surface, which shone brighter with each passing second even as her own vision faltered more and more.
Finally, the waves were breached, and the figure flung itself and Ruby into the clear sky.
The silver-eyed Huntress gasped and coughed up an alarming amount of water, wheezing and panting as fresh air filled her lungs at long last. She groaned and watched as the surface rushed back up to meet them, but her mysterious savior twisted and flipped in the air to catch her in strong metallic arms as they fell together. Ruby took a deep breath in anticipation for the sea to swallow them back up…only to take an even deeper one as she tried to process the fact that the figure was currently standing on the water, as though the ocean was nothing more than an endless pane of blue glass.
"Are you all right, little one?" asked the stranger in a wise, deeply feminine voice.
Ruby was speechless for a moment, partly due to the need to keep breathing and partly due to amazement. The stranger kept looking down at her with its - her, Ruby realized - gentle gaze, concern radiating through the transparent visor instead of the expected hunger of a predator. And the way she stood on the sea, as if the very forces of nature obeyed her command...a part of Ruby's mind told her she should fear such a being, yet the rest of her simply couldn't.
Once she was sure her burning throat was completely clear, she whispered in a small, awed voice.
"Who...who are you? What are you?" She pointed down at the ocean. "And how are you doing...that?"
Her savior looked down, giving a small embarrassed laugh. "Those are all fair questions, little one. In truth...I do not know, myself. I simply arrived here as you did, rising from a slumber with memories that are...incomplete." She let out a sigh. "I wish I could give you actual answers."
"Maybe I can help with that, Toa Gali."
The figure's gaze suddenly snapped to the side at the sound of another voice, this one also female yet lighter and filled with timidness instead of wisdom. Ruby craned her head back to catch a glimpse of a figure whose colors and mask matched the one carrying her, though the new one was far smaller and stood in a large flat green boat. Gali, as she supposed the stranger's name was, tilted her head in curiosity, though it didn't escape Ruby's notice that her new friend shifted her grip ever so slightly to better shield her in case the new arrival was hostile.
"You know my name?" Gali intoned. "I fear you have me at a disadvantage."
The smaller figure bowed. "Forgive my breach in formality, great one. My name is Hahli, and I'm a simple fisherwoman from Ga-Koro. I know your name because it's been prophesied for so long that you, our Toa of Water, would come and save us, to restore peace and prosperity to the island of Mata Nui. Please, follow me - my village is not far, and my Turaga can answer any questions you have. She is very wise like that."
Gali looked at Hahli, then at Ruby, who nodded.
"Just put me in the back of her boat," she said with one more cough. "I'll be fine by the time we get there. If that's alright with you, Hahli?"
Hahli gave a nod of her own, which prompted Gali to gently lay the little rose in the craft. Once Ruby curled a ball to make herself comfortable, the boat roared back to life and kicked up a spray of seafoam as it accelerated across the open water. She snuck a glance behind her to find that her new friend was keeping pace with the boat just by swimming, barely even looking fatigued even as Hahli put more and more power into the engines.
A perfect blend of the mechanical and the living, thought Ruby as she studied both figures with a wide smile. Penny would have loved it here.
Her smile faded as she remembered one of her dearest friends back in Remnant.
A friend she wasn't sure if she'd ever see again.
A beach.
He was sitting on a beach, shaking sand out of his mask and trying to ignore the harsh light and pounding waves that worsened his headache. He tried to think back to where he last was, tried to remember how he got here, tried to remember who he was, but all that came up in his mind was a big cloud of nothing. So either his memories were gone, or he had sprung to life on this beach. Both ideas were equally terrifying.
Alright, come on...you, he told himself, no need to panic. Get up, look around, and maybe you'll find some kind of answers.
With a grumble and a groan he pulled himself up, ignoring the servos in his joints whirring in protest. He took a few unsteady steps across the sand, using his arms to balance himself as he put one wedge-shaped foot in front of the other. After he was sure he could walk without mask-planting back to the ground, he began to explore his unfamiliar surroundings.
He soon realized that the beach was bordered not just by the shimmering sea on his left, but by a wall of black obsidian on his right. The stone was polished and smooth to the touch, with no notable features save for an ivory face in the center with a very large hole for a mouth. He nearly let out a cry of shock when he thought he saw a figure walking by him along the wall - another quick glance told him that he was being startled by his own reflection.
"Ah, jeez," he said, mostly to himself. "What happened to you? What happened to me? Who am I?"
Whoever he was, he was clearly a Matoran - not that he could explain how he knew that. He just knew that like most Matoran he was short and stocky, with long flexible arms, big chunky legs, and a small rectangular torso that connected all those parts to his head. His body and arms were a rich red color, while his legs were a golden-yellow that looked dulled and faded by time. A diamond-shaped mask sat on his face, one that was the color of a clear blue sky, and glowing yellow eyes peered through that mask and burned with questions that had no answers.
"Well, whoever I am, I'm clearly not the most handsome Matoran," he noted as he stared at worn-down mechanical parts integrated into his frame. "I look like I've taken a nasty tumble...or several."
That was when he noticed that there was a strap of blue cloth running across his chest, which upon further examination was connected to a little rucksack of the same color. After a brief tussle with the bag (which he nearly lost) he wrestled it off his back and peered at the contents, only to find it completely empty. With a disappointed huff, he nearly chucked it when he noticed something written at the bottom in golden thread, something that had clearly been stitched into the material by hand. It was a string of circles with lines marked inside, and though he wasn't sure how, he understood what it said perfectly.
PROPERTY OF TAKUA
"Takua…" he repeated, frowning behind his mask. "Sounds like a name. Is it my name? I sure hope it is, cause otherwise I have a lot of explaining to do...probably."
The name felt right, so Takua decided that it was indeed his name. He slung the rucksack back over his shoulder and was just about to keep walking when a loud splash in the ocean made him freeze up.
He spun on his feet and scrambled to hide behind a rock, waiting for whatever made the noise to pass. Every servo in his biomechanical body tensed up with anticipation, and every organic muscle trembled in terror. It suddenly occurred to him just how small and vulnerable he was - unless he had some kind of special power locked deep within his stocky frame, he had a feeling that hiding and watching the shore for danger was the wisest course of action. So that's exactly what he did, keeping only the top half of his mask visible as he stayed vigilant.
The little Matoran's survival instinct paid off moments later when a churning wave unceremoniously dropped a still, unmoving creature onto the sand.
Takua took slow careful steps towards the strange entity, observing it even as he watched for sudden movements. The figure seemed to have two arms and legs like him, but it was taller than he was - much taller - and it didn't have a single mechanical part in sight. Its legs were long and pallid and ended in disgusting shapes of ivory flesh, while its body and arms were covered in some kind of green, white, and black fabric. Curiously, it didn't have a mask of any kind, leaving its smooth face bare to the world with dull green eyes and some strange protrusion just above the open mouth. Other odd features included splotches of dark red staining the cloth around the torso, little spots all over its face and limbs, and a large collection of burnt-orange fibers growing from the back of its skull adorned by a pink weave.
It was unlike anything Takua had ever seen.
It was also very much dead.
Safe in the knowledge that this thing wouldn't suddenly rise and attack him, he allowed himself to get close enough to touch. Just as he expected from distant observation, there were no parts of the figure that were hard metal like his - everything, from its legs to its body, was rough and coarse and very very cold. He ran his hands over the strange surface, tested the range of motion on the limbs, and even examined the tears in its body. Takua may not have known much about organic creatures, but he was reasonably certain that the wounds in its torso were the cause of this figure's death.
The entity was repulsive, hideous, and smelled awful.
But there was an odd beauty about it that Takua couldn't quite describe.
"What are you?" he asked aloud, tilting its head to face him. "Or, I guess the better question is...what were you? I may not be able to remember much...but I think I'd be able to remember seeing something like you around here…"
A surge of electric energy suddenly leapt from his fingertips, arcing from warm metal to cold flesh. He tried to pull his hands away, but somehow they stayed rooted to the creature's face, as though they were held in place by very strong magnets. The energy traced across the face and gathered in the mouth, glowing through the skin as it traveled down the throat, flowed through its chest, and gathered into a spark of emerald flame that reminded Takua of his own heartlight.
Then there was a final flash of green and gold light, and the figure gasped loudly.
Takua yelled and leapt backwards away from the not-actually-dead creature, bracing himself for the former corpse to attack him for daring to touch it. But the expected attack never came, as the entity instead rolled over and rested on its palms to cough up sand, water, and some red sticky substance he couldn't identify. He watched as the figure slowly curled up into a ball, bringing its long unprotected legs and tiny hideous feet underneath its torso for a moment before standing up completely. Green light began to spread across its body like a shimmering blanket, flickering and growing in strength before finally vanishing.
Then...it spoke.
"I...am alive? How...what…"
It felt the places where red stained its cloth torso, humming in curiosity. Then it looked down at Takua, tilting its head to one side as it took a step forward. He took a step back and nearly tripped over his own heel.
"Ah! No! Please don't hurt me!" wailed Takua, shielding himself behind his rucksack. "I-I don't know what you are, but I'm pretty sure I can take a monster like you down anyways! I think!"
That was a lie, of course. He had no idea how to fight. But hopefully the entity wouldn't see through his bluff.
The entity raised one of those odd bushy lines above its eye, the corners of its unmasked mouth pulling downwards into a frown he could clearly see. He assumed it was a gesture of aggression, and wailed louder.
"Please calm down! I do not wish to hurt you." It protested. "And I am not a monster. I am a girl."
Takua slowly lowered his arms. The creature...understood him? And he understood it? This was strange, but not as strange as what it called itself.
"...what's a girl?" he asked cautiously.
The figure's expression changed to one of presumed puzzlement. "Oh, a girl is a young human female. Like me. And like my friends. Have you seen them?"
Female. He understood that word at least. But what was the other thing it - she - said? And what was that about her friends?
One mystery at a time.
"Okay...and what's a Hyu-Mahn?" asked Takua with a confused stare. "Is it some new kind of Rahi?"
Now the stranger was confused, tilting her head as she looked down at him. "...what is a Rahi? And for that matter, what are you?"
Takua blinked twice. He wasn't entirely sure what a Rahi was either, aside from a vague sense of danger and dread.
"I'm a Matoran," he said finally. "At least…I think I am. There's a lot I don't remember...and I can't remember why. How did you get here? What happened? Why were you dead just a moment ago? And how are you, you know…not dead anymore?"
The figure paused, then looked down at her hands with an expression Takua couldn't read. "I…my friends and I…we were fighting, and then…I…oh gods…Ruby…"
Water suddenly sprung from the soft, damp eyes of the girl as she dropped to her knees and buried her maskless face in her hands. Whatever words she said next were lost in some kind of strange heaving motion, one that seemed to make it difficult for her to speak.
The Matoran may not have understood everything the figure was talking about, but he could at least recognize the emotion she was feeling.
Sorrow.
No longer feeling threatened, Takua took a tentative step forward. If this was some kind of sympathy-garnering self-defense mechanism, it was a very effective one.
"Um…hey," he said softly. "It's okay. You…you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. And if you don't remember either, then that's fine too. We can find answers together…if you want, that is."
He gently laid a hand on the soft fabric that clung to the figure's arms, feeling her seize up at his touch. Takua blinked twice and looked down, suddenly afraid that he'd just breached some unspoken physical boundary. His fear was quickly dispelled when the girl slowly pulled her arms away from her face, staring at the little Matoran for a moment before grasping his hand in both of hers. The flesh was warm and soft as it clasped his mechanical plates, a stark contrast to how her skin had felt moments before - and despite the fact that her puffy eyes were still leaking clear fluid, they seemed to brighten as the corners of her mouth turned upwards.
It took Takua a moment to realize that this stranger, this otherworldly creature, was smiling at him.
"...thank you," she said with one more choked sob. She continued to hold Takua's hands for a quiet moment before she finally withdrew her own, wiped her eyes and stood back up. The girl still towered over him, but somehow her height wasn't as intimidating as it had been before.
Takua cleared his throat. "So, um...is there anything else I can do to help? You mentioned friends earlier - are there others like you?"
The girl nodded slowly. "...yes. And if I fell here, then they may be here as well. I would like to find them soon, Mister…"
Her words trailed off, and she suddenly looked down at him with a sharp gasp. "...oh my. This is embarrassing - I do not know your name!"
He chuckled and smiled back. "Well, that I know how to fix. I'm Takua. Or at least, I think that's my name - if it isn't, then someone else is gonna be very upset with me."
The girl giggled as her smile brightened again. "Salutations, Mister Takua! My name is Penny Polendina. It is a pleasure to meet you!"
Penny extended one of her arms down in front of Takua's face. He looked at it in confusion.
"...this is the part where you shake my hand," said Penny after a moment of awkward silence.
The memory-impaired Matoran tilted his head. "Why?"
"I…" Penny hummed. "I do not know, actually. Papa just told me that this is what people do when they become friends."
Takua didn't know what a "Papa" was, but he knew what a friend was at least. He gingerly took the offered hand and lightly rocked it from side to side, getting another giggle out of Penny when they kept swinging their arms together.
"So does this mean we're friends now?" he asked after he finally withdrew his hand.
"I believe it does, yes!" Penny grinned as she bobbed her head in what Takua could only assume was a joyful gesture. "Now...where should we go now?"
That was a very good question, and he wasn't sure he had an answer. He took a moment to scan the horizon, looking for something that seemed promising. On his left he found a large mountain with a seemingly-endless flight of stone stairs carved into the side, while on his right he could see a smaller mountain of black rock spewing smoke from the middle. The latter seemed to stir something within him, feelings of warmth and comfort, for reasons that he couldn't quite explain.
"Let's try that way," Takua finally said as he took Penny's hand and pointed with the other. "If we're lucky, we might find others like me…and maybe even people who look like you."
Penny's smile brightened once more as she happily followed Takua. "Then lead on, Mister Takua!"
"...you can just call me 'Takua,' you know."
"Will do, Mister Takua!"
Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, he and his new unlikely friend walked hand-in-hand towards the smoking mountain, leaving two distinct sets of footprints in the sand behind them.
(A/N): And there we go! Team RWBY (plus Emerald and Penny) have all been united with their Toa and Matoran partners for the story! Apologies again for the length of this chapter and the last one - there was a lot of ground to cover, and now that the pairs have been established, it should be a little smoother going forward. Hope you enjoyed it so far, and I hope you stick around for the rest of the story!
(For you eagle-eyed Bionicle nuts out there going "Wait, what about Pohatu?!" Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the best Toa of the original lineup - just wait and see what happens, my friends.)