Chapter Six -- Bohrok Boxing, 2nd Part
Authoress' Notes: This was a little later coming out than I planned, but ah well. You can't rush art. The fraying continues in this chapter, but I have my reasons. The next chapter is going to be LONG.
"Are the Onu-Matoran here?" asked Taipu. "And are they okay?"
"Onu-Matoran are safesound, Taipu." replied Tamaru. "They are in leafhut next door to us."
"That is a relief, but I think we should keep watch on them anyway, Taipu, Nuparu. They might be worried about us." said Onepu.
Takua nodded. "Sounds like a good idea, but I'm going to need to borrow Nuparu for awhile. However Onepu, you and Taipu should keep an eye on the Onu-Koronans, and notify us if anything's wrong. If there are any Matoran awake that are good with tools, please send them over. Whatever we do, we have to work fast."
"I read you, Chronicler. Be careful." replied Onepu, and left without another word, Taipu at his heels.
Takua turned to Kongu, and looked at him steadily. "You're hiding something, Kongu. Where are your people?"
Kongu hung his head. "Lateknowing Matoran krana-ed, Chronicler. They were krana-ed, and are being forced to work for Nuhvok. Lehvak do krane-ing and Nuhvok command the krana-ed... even Great Turaga Matau krana-ed..."
Krana-ed, krana-ed, krana-ed. The words tumbled over and out the Kahu rider's mouth, disjointed and sometimes incoherent. Yet still...the adventurer got the general idea, and felt as if the wind were knocked out of him. He had expected to find some trouble in Le-Koro, especially since there had been no news whatsoever for at least two weeks, but what Kongu was going on about was just unheard of. An entire village krana-ed! Slaves to the Nuhvok Swarm! Takua forced himself to continue, he had to know more.
"How many are left?"
"None. Tamaru and I alone escaped." There was a choking sort of desperateness to his tone, and Takua realized he was talking with a much different Kongu than he remembered. The recent attacks on Le-Koro seemed to have damaged a great deal of his optimism, and Tamaru's as well. "Le-Koro is lost. Mighty Toa Lewa has fallen."
"No...I don't believe that." said Takua, slowly. He had to say something to get the Le-Matoran's minds on the right track, but he didn't know what. Takua didn't like to lie, but there was no hope for getting anything done if everyone was depressed. He needed all the help he could get. "It's not true at all, Kongu. Lewa is okay. Onua saved him."
"You sure?" gasped Nuparu.
Takua turned towards Nuparu and glared at him, but then turned back toTamaru. "Yes, I'm sure of it. Lewa will be fine. And I think I have an idea to help us..."
-*-*-*-
The sultry, tropical air did little to soothe Takua's nerves about tomorrow's upcoming battle. Normally, he would have found it relaxing, but there was something unsettling about the atmosphere. Either that or the fact that he lied to the Le-Koronans was a little bit more unnerving than he thought it would be.
Reaching up, Takua clutched the little scarab around his neck. What was he going to do? He hadn't seen a single sign of the scarab's missing fragment, and the nightmare that was taking control of him had only gotten worse. Kapura, generous kid that he was, had offered to take Takua's shift as well as his own, but Takua could not allow it, despite the fact he felt ill.
"Your shift is over, Takua."
Takua jumped and came face to face with a red Pakari. "Mata Nui, Kapura, you have got to stop doing that to me." He looked over at the Matoran building outside. "How's the work going by the way? How many Boxors have been built? Are we on schedule?"
Kapura coughed violently. "We have three made so far, Chronicler." Takua started to reply, but Kapura gestured for him to be quiet. "We are moving much faster now though, as a lot of the Onu-Matorans are helping. It seems as if nobody can sleep."
Takua nodded. "Not terribly surprising. How many of the holes have been dug?"
"Taipu and Onepu have dug two together already, they're on their third. The others have dug about four, so we're pretty much done with those. Kongu and Tamaru are asleep though. Out of all of us, they need to be rested the most, as they're acting as bait. I'm thinking we can get a bit of sleep before daybreak once we're in the pits…"
"Why can't you speak like this to me more often, Kapura?"
Kapura blinked. "Like what?"
Takua felt his face grow hot. "You know...like...a normal Matoran would speak to me and not in riddles? When you gave me the report on how everything was going, I understood every part of it."
"To understand, one has only to listen, Chronicler."
"You're impossible." said Takua, exasperated. "Never mind about my request. I'm going to go help finish up the holes. Keep a close eye out for Nuhvok or Lehvak...they're hard to see in this forest. Also, makes sure the Matoran building the Boxors get to the holes with plenty of time. Tamaru said he and Kongu would be starting the baiting at daybreak."
"I read you."
Authoress' Notes: This was a little later coming out than I planned, but ah well. You can't rush art. The fraying continues in this chapter, but I have my reasons. The next chapter is going to be LONG.
"Are the Onu-Matoran here?" asked Taipu. "And are they okay?"
"Onu-Matoran are safesound, Taipu." replied Tamaru. "They are in leafhut next door to us."
"That is a relief, but I think we should keep watch on them anyway, Taipu, Nuparu. They might be worried about us." said Onepu.
Takua nodded. "Sounds like a good idea, but I'm going to need to borrow Nuparu for awhile. However Onepu, you and Taipu should keep an eye on the Onu-Koronans, and notify us if anything's wrong. If there are any Matoran awake that are good with tools, please send them over. Whatever we do, we have to work fast."
"I read you, Chronicler. Be careful." replied Onepu, and left without another word, Taipu at his heels.
Takua turned to Kongu, and looked at him steadily. "You're hiding something, Kongu. Where are your people?"
Kongu hung his head. "Lateknowing Matoran krana-ed, Chronicler. They were krana-ed, and are being forced to work for Nuhvok. Lehvak do krane-ing and Nuhvok command the krana-ed... even Great Turaga Matau krana-ed..."
Krana-ed, krana-ed, krana-ed. The words tumbled over and out the Kahu rider's mouth, disjointed and sometimes incoherent. Yet still...the adventurer got the general idea, and felt as if the wind were knocked out of him. He had expected to find some trouble in Le-Koro, especially since there had been no news whatsoever for at least two weeks, but what Kongu was going on about was just unheard of. An entire village krana-ed! Slaves to the Nuhvok Swarm! Takua forced himself to continue, he had to know more.
"How many are left?"
"None. Tamaru and I alone escaped." There was a choking sort of desperateness to his tone, and Takua realized he was talking with a much different Kongu than he remembered. The recent attacks on Le-Koro seemed to have damaged a great deal of his optimism, and Tamaru's as well. "Le-Koro is lost. Mighty Toa Lewa has fallen."
"No...I don't believe that." said Takua, slowly. He had to say something to get the Le-Matoran's minds on the right track, but he didn't know what. Takua didn't like to lie, but there was no hope for getting anything done if everyone was depressed. He needed all the help he could get. "It's not true at all, Kongu. Lewa is okay. Onua saved him."
"You sure?" gasped Nuparu.
Takua turned towards Nuparu and glared at him, but then turned back toTamaru. "Yes, I'm sure of it. Lewa will be fine. And I think I have an idea to help us..."
-*-*-*-
The sultry, tropical air did little to soothe Takua's nerves about tomorrow's upcoming battle. Normally, he would have found it relaxing, but there was something unsettling about the atmosphere. Either that or the fact that he lied to the Le-Koronans was a little bit more unnerving than he thought it would be.
Reaching up, Takua clutched the little scarab around his neck. What was he going to do? He hadn't seen a single sign of the scarab's missing fragment, and the nightmare that was taking control of him had only gotten worse. Kapura, generous kid that he was, had offered to take Takua's shift as well as his own, but Takua could not allow it, despite the fact he felt ill.
"Your shift is over, Takua."
Takua jumped and came face to face with a red Pakari. "Mata Nui, Kapura, you have got to stop doing that to me." He looked over at the Matoran building outside. "How's the work going by the way? How many Boxors have been built? Are we on schedule?"
Kapura coughed violently. "We have three made so far, Chronicler." Takua started to reply, but Kapura gestured for him to be quiet. "We are moving much faster now though, as a lot of the Onu-Matorans are helping. It seems as if nobody can sleep."
Takua nodded. "Not terribly surprising. How many of the holes have been dug?"
"Taipu and Onepu have dug two together already, they're on their third. The others have dug about four, so we're pretty much done with those. Kongu and Tamaru are asleep though. Out of all of us, they need to be rested the most, as they're acting as bait. I'm thinking we can get a bit of sleep before daybreak once we're in the pits…"
"Why can't you speak like this to me more often, Kapura?"
Kapura blinked. "Like what?"
Takua felt his face grow hot. "You know...like...a normal Matoran would speak to me and not in riddles? When you gave me the report on how everything was going, I understood every part of it."
"To understand, one has only to listen, Chronicler."
"You're impossible." said Takua, exasperated. "Never mind about my request. I'm going to go help finish up the holes. Keep a close eye out for Nuhvok or Lehvak...they're hard to see in this forest. Also, makes sure the Matoran building the Boxors get to the holes with plenty of time. Tamaru said he and Kongu would be starting the baiting at daybreak."
"I read you."