Ruby stared with quivering silver eyes at the dozen figures that emerged from the depths of Naho Bay, looming over the furthest edge of Ga-Koro. Each one resembled a cross between an eel and a heavyweight boxing champion, with the long serpentine body and toothy mouths of the former and the broad shoulders and powerful upper arm muscles of the latter. Some had mottled metallic scales that were the same shade of blue as the ocean, while others were teal and turquoise like the rotting seaweed that clung to their biomechanical frames. Glowing red and yellow eyes peered over the village with malice in every gaze, and each monster wore a rusted mask on their snouts that dripped a sickly bluish-green fluid. The underside of their bellies were lined with caterpillar tracks, forming long flexible segments of tank treads perfect for scaling rough terrain. This feature, combined with the pistons in their lower arms and the array of gears behind their jaws, gave the creatures a nightmarish appearance - a twisted amalgamation of flesh and metal, one that made the silver-eyed Huntress sick to her stomach just to look at.
Compared to these creatures, the Grimm almost looked cuddly.
"What… are those things?" she asked in a sharp whisper.
"The Tarakava," breathed Hahli beside her. "They're massive lizards that dwell in rivers and open water. Makuta has gotten most of these Rahi under his thrall, but they were already plenty dangerous before he drove them mad. They usually hunt in pairs, and lie in wait under the surface to ambush their prey. One punch from their forearms is enough to shatter a mask right off a Matoran's face - a second blow can leave them in a daze that lasts for weeks."
She gulped. "And what if you get hit three times?"
Hahli's silence was answer enough.
The Huntress nervously watched as the Tarakava shrieked in unison, half of them diving under the surface while the rest slithered across the waves towards the village. She reached behind her for Crescent Rose - but she found only empty air. Gritting her teeth, she watched as the blue-masked villagers yelled and took up arms, settling into defensive formation with spears and harpoons while others ran and looked for shelter.
Nokama emerged from her hut with widened eyes and began barking orders. At her command some of the Ga-Matoran pulled disks off their back and flung them at the attacking creatures, but the eel-like Rahi merely let the projectiles bounce off their armored hide. The way the Tarakava held their front forearms close to their face reminded Ruby of how Yang often charged with her own fists in a defensive stance - and when one such beast punched with enough force to shatter a flying disk into splinters, she was reminded a little too much of her blonde brawling sister.
Her own hand trembled at her side, before she finally balled it up into a fist.
Ruby, come on! she mentally yelled at herself, You can't just stand there and let these people get hurt! Sure, you don't have much Aura, or Crescent Rose…but you have to do something!
In this one case, she listened to the voice in her head, because for once it was right.
She was a Huntress.
And despite how she felt, she was not helpless.
Ruby scattered into a burst of rose petals, rushing past Hahli and scooping up her remaining gear and still-drying clothes. By the time she reformed she was fully dressed and equipped as best as she could, her crimson cloak billowing behind her as she ran to the rescue. Her silver eyes zeroed in on a Tarakava that latched onto a lily pad and started crawling out of the water to get at a pair of Ga-Matoran that huddled together in fear; Ruby fished a crystal of Electric Dust out of her pouch and pulsed her Semblance again, infusing the rushing red spiral with the power of lightning as she zipped towards the Rahi.
BZZZZZZZZAPPPT!
The hyperballistic Huntress crashed right into the lead Tarakava, smashing against its chest and delivering a nasty shock in the process. To her delight the serpentine creature seized up as electricity coursed through its waterlogged body, locking up its muscles and overloading its servos in showers of sparks. Ruby was quick to take advantage of the vulnerable state, reforming in mid-air in front of the monster's face and drop kicking it right in the jaw. The force of both feet slamming against the Rahi made it topple backwards into the water with a splash, releasing its hold on the platform as it eventually recovered and slithered away.
Ruby landed on her feet in front of the pair of Matoran. "You okay?"
The navy-masked villager nodded. "Y-yeah. Thanks, weird fish."
She pouted. "I'm not a - oh, whatever. Do you have anywhere safe you can go?"
"The Tidebreaker!" Nokama called from nearby as she directed Ga-Matoran to one very large green hut at the center of the village. "It is where we always gather in the worst ocean storms. Its walls are thicker and heavier than most of the other huts; when it is sealed, not even the Tarakava will be able to breach it!"
"Then get everyone in there!" said Ruby as the two Ga-Matoran she saved scrambled away. "I'll buy you some time and keep the Tarakava off your back." She looked around. "You wouldn't happen to have a weapon I can borrow, do you?"
The Turaga looked to a Matoran wearing a similar mask as her, but in a shade of blue that matched the Tarakava she was blocking attacks from. "Kotu! Fall back and give Ruby your staff!"
Kotu, as Ruby assumed her name was, leapt away from her opponent and just barely dodged a punch that shattered the lily pad where she once stood. She nodded to Nokama and tossed the sturdy bamboo pole to the Huntress, who nodded in thanks. It wasn't the most complex weapon, with a sharpened spear point on one end and a blunt club on the other, but once she infused her Aura into it Ruby was certain it would serve her well.
"Alright, you overgrown shrimps!" Ruby taunted as she spun the weapon in her hands. "Let me show you how we danced back on Remnant!"
The swarm of Tarakava shrieked as they lunged at her with flying fists, only to strike empty air and rose petals as she darted and dashed around them. Ruby stayed in the air and on the move as much as possible, opting to either evade the mighty punches or deflect them with the staff instead of blocking them head-on. She twirled and leapt as she lanced the sides of the giant lizards, poking and prodding for weak points before moving out of the way to strike from another angle. Her supply of Dust crystals helped turn her Semblance-infused bursts of speed into more effective attacks; a pinch of Ice Dust turned a Tarakava's entire arm into a frozen statue, a piece of Fire Dust left searing flames that ignited the eyes of another, and a little bit of Wind and Gravity Dust was more than enough to lift a third mighty machine into the air and slam it back down into the water.
As she fought, she caught a glimpse of the Ga-Matoran rushing into the so-called Tidebreaker, which was a huge green dome that could easily hold four times the amount of villagers already huddling inside. Three separate layers of dried seaweed reinforced with bamboo formed a sturdy wall, and Ruby could see compacted layers of black tar slathered between the different tiers to add weight and protection from pouring rain and raging waves. Windows like the portholes of a great ship lined the four sides of the hut, with reinforced glass and stamped metal forming a powerful watertight seal. Her engineering mind quickly realized that something that big and heavy couldn't stay floating on its own, which was probably what that teal-blue cord that trailed from the bottom of its platform to a smaller nearby hut was for - it must have connected to some kind of external pump, one that kept the shelter above the waves in a non-obvious way. She wanted to study the design more, but kept her main focus on the Rahi.
She could always find out more later, after everyone was safe.
Despite her mobility and reflexes, Ruby quickly realized she lacked the power to effectively end the fight. Her elementally-charged attacks were better suited for opening up opponents for finishing moves, which she lacked the ability to do here. The spear-staff was a good lightweight weapon for her fighting style, but it just didn't have the penetrating power to pierce the thick armor of the Tarakava. Worse still, she could feel her limited Aura pool - which was already low due to being broken several times during Salem's siege - dwindle even further with each burst of speed she called on, sapping her strength and slowing her movements as fatigue threatened to overtake her.
Even so, she didn't need to finish off the Tarakava. She just needed to keep them occupied.
And when she saw Turaga Nokama usher the last Ga-Matoran into the Tidebreaker, she knew she'd done her job well - even as a sand-green Tarakava leapt out of the water and lunged at her from behind, knocking her off her feet.
"Ruby!" Hahli's eyes widened as she saw her friend trapped.
"Close the hut!" she cried as she rolled over and jammed the length of her staff against the Tarakava's fanged maw, pushing back against the beast that pinned her to the lily pad. "Seal it! Now!"
Hahli almost ran out of the Tidebreaker, and it was only Nokama's hand that kept her back. "No! What about you?"
"I'll be fine!" she shouted back, narrowly avoiding a sucker punch from the lizard on top of her. "I'll find a way to drive them off! Just keep yourselves safe!"
The Ga-Matoran clearly wanted to argue further, but a pair of Tarakava with eyes leering at her from just above the water's surface convinced her otherwise. Nokama and two dozen villagers disappeared behind a thick green door, one that slammed shut just as the predators leapt and threw their fists ineffectually against the reinforced seaweed. The outer coating was left with dents and scuffs but held firm, making the Rahi hiss and swim away to look for other, less-armored targets.
Good, they're safe, thought Ruby with a mental sigh of relief. Her brow furrowed as she stared up at the Tarakava bearing down on her. And now to deal with you!
She triggered her Semblance once again, this time splitting into four separate balls of crimson petals that flowed around the lizard and rejoined overhead into one Ruby Rose. With a mighty yell she slammed her spear into the Tarakava's nostril, rupturing one of the coolant tubes and spraying green-blue liquid under high pressure everywhere. It wasn't a killing blow - far from it - but it still sent the Rahi into an agonized frenzy. The mighty lizard let out a pained screech as it reared back while balancing on its tracked tail, revving back and forth forcefully while shaking violently. She held onto the spear for dear life, her eyes scanning the head and looking for another weak point before finally settling on the triangular piece of corroded metal just above the monster's jaw.
It looks like everything on this island wears a mask of some kind, she realized. I wonder what happens if you pry it off?
Ruby waited until the Tarakava was done trying to buck her off before making her move, grabbing the rusted mask on its snout with both hands and pulling with all her might. It felt like trying to pull the hood off an old automobile, one left to the elements for over twenty years, but she kept yanking all the same. If the mighty lizard hated having its nose suddenly pierced, it liked having its mask pulled off even less; it responded by zooming across the lily pad on its caterpillar tracks, never stopping until it plunged back into the water.
SPLAAAAAAASHHHH!
Bubbles poured in front of the Huntress's face as she and the Tarakava descended into the bay, her eyes and nose burning from the salt and seawater bearing down on her. She'd managed to get half a breath before the monster dove, but she didn't let go or try to break for the surface - she kept pulling and straining against the mask even as air escaped through her grit teeth. The magnetic forces that kept the mask glued in place fought back, as did the Tarakava who thrashed and spun like a crocodile in a death roll. Ruby refused to relent, determined not to let go until one of two things gave out: the bonds holding the mask, or her own lungs.
"Mmmmn!" she groaned into the water with each tug, her face taut with concentration. "Nnnngh! Hrrrrrng… GLUB!"
Unfortunately for her, the latter caved first.
With a burbling grunt of disappointment Ruby abandoned the mask, kicking off the massive lizard and darting for the surface in another burst of rose petals. She soared out of the water with a shrill gasp, filling her chest with a deep breath of fresh air -
WHAM!
- only to have it immediately knocked out of her by a massive fist that slammed into her, sending her flying and crashing into the side of the massive shelter. Her Aura flared up one more time as she made contact with the wall of seaweed, and by the time she slid down to the surrounding platform, it vanished in a shower of scarlet petals.
The world spun around her. It hurt to move, it hurt to stand, it even hurt to breathe. Yet Ruby still kept herself between the Ga-Matoran shelter and the massive blue Tarakava that had broken her Aura, staring it down and pointing the business end of her spear even as it rose out of the water.
"I don't care what you do to me," she coughed out, "I am not letting you touch one mask of these people. You will not have them!"
Her opponent blinked once, then twice, then three times, before lowering its head and gazing at something below the water's surface. At first Ruby thought her attempt to intimidate the Tarakava had actually worked…until she realized exactly what the giant lizard was eyeing up.
The pump cord.
"Don't you dare!"
The Tarakava did not heed her warning, instead choosing to screech and pivot on the spot to wind up a massive punch. In her fatigued, Auraless state, all she could do was lunge forward pitifully as the beast drove its fist into - and through - the connected hut.
CRASHHHHHH.
Ruby's heart felt like it stopped beating entirely as she saw the thin walls of the pumphouse get ripped away, revealing the guts of the machine inside. Gears and pieces were sent scattering in the wake of the rupturing blow, disappearing into the water and sinking out of sight. But the worst part was what happened to the shelter itself - it lurched one way, then another, before finally tilting on its side and sinking under the surface.
And with it went every single villager in Ga-Koro.
"NO!" screamed the Huntress, throwing her spear ineffectually at the Tarakava before plunging into the bay with a deep gasp of air.
The water rushed past her face as she dove faster than she ever did before, kicking and clawing with all her might to pursue the sinking shelter. Rather than drop straight down, the Tidebreaker leveled out somewhat as it descended, swaying back and forth as it fell into minute currents like a crab dropping into the ocean. Without her Aura or her Semblance, Ruby was forced to swim far slower than she wanted - than she needed - but she still somehow managed to quickly dive deep enough to grab the edge of the glass window, letting herself be pulled along by the hut and holding on tightly as she saw the grainy gray floor rush to meet them.
Eventually, after what felt like an eternity of slowly falling, the entire structure shuddered as it plowed into the sandy border between the bay and the ocean beyond.
And then it went still.
Grunting a few bubbles to clear her face, Ruby pulled herself up to the window and narrowed her eyes to peer inside. She saw several dozen blue-armored Ga-Matoran sitting in the corners of their heavy hydrophobic shelter, huddling themselves and each other as the hut settled into the bay floor, teetering between the warm waters of the gulf and the cold abyss of the sea. Turaga Nokama had her hands on a nearly-hysterical Hahli, muttering something inaudible to the panicked fisherwoman. Ruby's chest ached, both from the lack of breath and from despair. She tried to think of something, anything, that she could do to help, but nothing came to mind. Nothing useful, at any rate.
The silver-eyed Huntress kept a tight grip on the window's edge, ignoring the burning in her lungs and the sting of saltwater flooding into her nose and mouth as she tried to stay for as long as possible. A quick glance upwards revealed the shadowy forms of the Tarakava swimming away from the village overhead, returning to the darkness of open waters. She would have considered that a victory, but she knew it was anything but.
They had gotten exactly what they wanted.
Rather than waste energy trying to break into the shelter, they chose instead to just break the pump and let the elements claim the villagers. If the Tidebreaker couldn't float back to the top, the Ga-Matoran trapped inside would soon suffocate...and the reinforced construction and high pressure of the surrounding water meant that they couldn't just punch a hole in the wall and swim to the surface. Not without causing an explosive decompression and an instant flood, at least.
The pressure in her chest reached a tipping point, threatening to tear Ruby apart from the inside. She let out a quick burst of air to ease some of the tension - and almost immediately regretted it as she fought the urge to inhale. Nokama must have finally noticed that she was still holding onto the porthole, because the wise Turaga looked over and shook her head sadly, tilting her head up in a clear message.
Go. Return to the surface. There is little you can do to help us from here.
Tears welled up in Ruby's eyes and mingled with the sea as she shook her head fervently. She knew that there really was nothing she could do to save them right now - the hut had settled onto an underwater cliff, straddling the rocky ledge where the bay sharply dropped off into the sea. Unless she had the strength to actually lift the entire building and bring it back to the surface, she was just torturing herself by not leaving. But despite knowing that the Turaga was right she stayed where she was at the window, staring helplessly at the latest in a long line of people she'd failed to save.
No! I can't leave you! I couldn't save Atlas! I couldn't save Mantle! I can't abandon you, too!
But as much as she wanted to stay, the decision was made for her.
A spasm in her chest forced a ripple of bubbles through her lips, and she instinctively covered her mouth and nose with her hands to keep more water from flooding in. She squeezed her eyes shut and regretfully threw her head back, kicking and flailing with her legs to start the grueling swim back to the surface. Ruby didn't want to think about the fact that she'd have to swim at least thirty feet with little air in her lungs, nor did she notice that some of the beasts watched her ascend from the shadows. All she could focus on was that the people of Ga-Koro were trapped in the darkness and depths, and that she was powerless to save them.
Just like she was powerless to save Remnant.
I'm sorry… was all Ruby could think as she fought against the shadows looming in the corners of her vision and encroaching on her mind.
Macku was in trouble for sure this time.
That was all that could run through her mind as she coaxed a moderate speed out of her boat, carefully crossing the sea's surface in a path that she'd taken hundreds of times before. Sure, it wasn't the first time she'd snuck off to Po-Wahi, and it certainly wasn't the first time she'd left without telling anyone. But it was the first time she'd spent so much time on one of her jaunts, and it most certainly was the first time she'd taken her boat out while the legendary Toa of Water was gracing her humble village. So not only would she be in hot water for her usual antics, she'd be in boiling water for leaving during such an important event.
"I'm sorry, Turaga," she mumbled under her breath, working to memorize her plea for mercy for the scolding that was surely waiting for her. "I'm sorry I left without telling anyone, and I'm sorry I took my boat along the cliffs of Leva Bay again. I just...the arrival of Gali made me curious, and I had to see if any of the other Toa had arrived yet. So I went to Po-Koro to see if Pohatu was there...yeah. Yeah, Pohatu. In Po-Koro. That's why I was there. No other reason."
Nope. No other reason whatsoever. It certainly had nothing to do with wanting to spy on Hewkii, the star Kohlii player of the desert village. In fact, that had never even crossed her mind! She just wanted to see another Toa. Really.
Macku sighed.
"No wonder she never buys my excuses," she grumbled as the seaweed structures came into view over the stern. "If I can't even believe my own lies, how do I expect to fool...her?"
Her non-apology and her excuses were dropped like an anchor as she saw smoke rising from the distant village.
From her village.
"Oh...oh no!"
She revved the engines and pushed as hard as she could on the throttle, making her boat come alive in a roar and a rush of speed. The Ga-Matoran sailor forced herself to ignore the sparks that leapt from the back of her craft, giving the assembly a kick when it stalled for half a second. Ga-Koro came closer at an agonizing snail's pace, and in the minutes it took to finally reach the shore, Macku's mind had already come up with a half-dozen different disasters that could explain the smoke.
All of them paled in comparison to the truth.
She hit the brakes on her boat and covered her mouth as she drifted, scanning the damage. Shattered huts, broken pathwayss, and fractured platforms littered the surface, floating on the lapping waves like driftwood after a storm. What few buildings were still intact had massive gashes torn into the sides, some of them already starting to slowly sink. And the platforms that still stayed floating had ugly black streaks running along their length - the undeniable tracks of the tank-like Tarakava and their thirst for destruction.
Worst of all, the Tidebreaker - their strongest shelter for the roughest storms - was just gone.
As Macku stood at the edge of her boat in shock, a burst of bubbles to her left suddenly got her attention. She reached for a fishing spear and pointed it at what she thought was an intruder, but she was met only with a pale maskless face, a shrill gasping sound, and silver eyes that snapped back to life as their owner tried and failed to tread water.
It was the human!
"You there! Um...Rudy!" No wait, that name wasn't right. "Ruby? What happened?"
Ruby didn't answer, preoccupied with her vain attempt to keep her head above the surface. After a few failed breaths, the stranger's silver eyes suddenly went dull as they rolled into the back of her head, and her pathetic attempts to swim stopped as she went limp.
"H-hey! Hey, stay with me!" Macku may have been a sailor and not a diver, but she still recognized the signs of a blackout. Even in a species as large and strange as Ruby, it would seem the need for oxygen remained the same. Her hand darted over the side of the boat and grabbed the silver-eyed creature's wrist, pulling her out of the water and into her craft.
The odd newcomer immediately curled up on her side and vomited seawater all over the boat's deck. Macku assumed that was how humans expressed gratitude.
"Th-thanks," panted Ruby, shivering as she sucked down much-needed air. Then her silver eyes stared up at the sailor. "You...you're...um. Malu?"
Close enough.
"What's going on?" asked Macku. "Where's everyone else?"
"At the bottom of…" the Huntress coughed up another mouthful of water. "...at the bottom of the bay."
Macku's eyes widened behind her mask as Ruby quickly told her tale between haggard gasps and shuddering coughs, explaining how the village came under attack the morning after Gali left and how all the Ga-Matoran were in a hut that sank when the Tarakava attacked the pumps. Her mind raced as she ran through all the available options, trying to decide what the best course of action was.
Eventually, she was forced to admit she had no idea what to do. Which left only one option.
"We have to get help," she said with resolve in her voice. "Let's head to Ta-Wahi - Jaller should be able to spare at least someone from his guard to assist. They know mechanisms and machines pretty well, maybe they can help fix the pump."
Ruby just sort of nodded numbly, curling up into a ball and shivering under her drenched clothes. As Macku started the boat again, she let out a sigh and looked down at the human, who was already weeping and burying her face into her arms.
"Hey," she said as gently and warmly as she could manage, "It's not your fault. You did everything you could. That's what matters."
The hurting human didn't even look up at her. "Maybe…" she said with a bitter choke, "...but does it really matter if even my best isn't enough?"
Macku didn't have an answer as the boat sailed back into the sea.
(A/N): Poor Ruby...she needs all the hugs.
Anyways, sorry about the wait with this one! I realized I was burning through my backlog of chapters too quickly, so I think instead of a "one every two days" schedule I'm gonna go for weekly uploads on Fridays. That should give me time to hammer out future chapters while making sure that the current ones are ready to go, so I'm not putting y'all in the situation where you have to wait two months for an update. That's kinda how things went for Summer Declassified (my last major story project) and I'd really rather not do that here.
In any case, thanks for being patient, hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe, stay sane, and keep being awesome!