Chapter 5 – Execution

Lewa swung himself into the air using a nearby, low hanging vine. He swung onto a tree branch and quickly used his ax to block the weapons being thrown at him. Several Matoran had gathered and were quickly overcoming the Toa. Lewa was being as cautious as the situation would permit not to hurt the Matoran. He knew they were unable to control their bodies and should not have to suffer for their actions under a foreign influence. Unfortunately, the situation was becoming urgent and Lewa feared he would have to use violent force.

The Matoran had obviously been preparing for Lewa's visit as a huge net had been placed under the brush that stopped Lewa from escaping. Now he saw a small hole, one with which he could escape with relative ease. He quickly dashed for the hole when he felt a sharp pain on his right arm. He dropped his ax from the reflex and turned to see three Lehvak charging him. His right arm was covered in a thick, green goo. It sizzled as it lightly burned his arm. He shook his arm and removed the slime but didn't move quickly enough to evade the Lehvak. The first attacker knocked him off his feet. The other two drew back and watched. Lewa stood up and tried to move but one of the Lehvak knocked him over again, this time knocking his Kanohi off too. The Lehvak begin circling the Toa, making menacing growling noises as they moved. Their eyes were intent and unforgiving. Lewa could hear the light snapping noise as their claws clamped shut and slowly opened at random moments. The Lehvak were toying with him. They were trying to scare him. He couldn't figure out why. He looked over to his left gently as saw a Matoran with a Krana attached. He quickly realized the Bohrok were waiting for him to lift his head from the ground. He put his head down and laid it on the floor gently. Using only one side of his head to see, he could see the Lehvak circling him, growling more loudly. He laughed loudly and yelled, "You see what a superior intellect can do now! You can't get one of those on me unless I want it to be on me!"

Lewa laughed again but then heard a familiar voice in his head, "Intruder..."

Lewa quickly shot up at the sound of the voice, it was the same one he had heard in the tunnel. He cocked his head to one side, then turned just in time to see the large red object flying at him.

Lewa felt the Krana begin to tightly grasp his face. It began to twist and turn until it aligned itself properly to attach itself to him. He felt a thousand tiny needle-like pains on his face. He threw his arms up and tried to pry the parasite off. The Krana grasped even tighter and began to cause extreme pain. Lewa began to yell loudly as the creature wrapped itself around him tighter and tighter. The Krana created a disgusting slime that began to bond to Lewa's face. He could smell the liquid and it made him nauseous. He could feel that the liquid was like an adhesive to help the Krana stay attached, but he didn't realize the smell was actually designed to make the victim lose concentration and pass out, making the Krana infection process far easier. Lewa ignored the smell and kept pulling the parasite. Every time he touched it the sharp pains became twice as worse. His face began to burn and hurt worse than any part of his structure ever had. Lewa screamed as loudly as he could as the pain became overwhelming. The Krana sensed the moment of conclusion was approaching and it quickly used all its strength at once. Lewa's face went numb as the Krana squeezed too tight for the Toa too bear. The pain became too much and Lewa passed out. The Krana held its tight grip for several moments then released the pressure when it was certain Lewa was no longer a threat.

A collapsed Lehvak nearby was treated to a replacement Krana as a small Lehvak Va gave it another. The Lehvak rose up and looked down at its fallen victim. The Lehvak let out a quick barking noise that signaled all the Matoran and Lehvak to return to their duties.

Lewa's eyes slowly opened, but they were not the eyes of a hero. His eyes shown with pure evil. He looked up and saw a large blue creature begin to move away from the village of Le-Koro. It walked gently but with all the mass to it, it didn't move through the thick jungle gradually. Lewa heard voices in his head, too many to distinguish one from another. All the voices stopped as the familiar voice returned, "We will return Mata Nui to the Before Time. Go and return to your duties."

Lewa smirked formed an evil smirk and lifted himself up. He picked up his ax and awaited the arrival of the next Toa. A lone Lehvak Va picked up the fallen hero's Kanohi and returned to a small pack of the Va. They went into the safety of the hive and watched as the drones all worked.

Tahu furiously clawed at the rocky side of the volcano, attempting to get to the top as quickly as possible. He could hear the battle taking place up above in the night sky. He heard the screech of the Bohrok, the yells of courage and pain from the Matoran, and he could scarcely make out the deep voice of Kopaka. Time was running short for the Toa of fFire, his friends desperately needed his help. He yelled out, "Curse this volcano! I will never reach the summit in enough time."

A loud roar from underneath him answered his yell. He looked down to see the giant face of Muaka. Tahu smiled and said, "Why, you're back Old Girl? What brings you to these parts?"

Muaka slowly shifted her weight and began climbing the mountain. Tahu watched as the giant beast moved with relative ease up the slippery side of the volcano. She held her weight slow and forward on her body to prevent her from slipping. Tahu saw as she used her giant claws to dig right into the rock and create her own system of steps. He back tread slowly forced her up. She reached Tahu with very little effort in little time. She stopped and purred loudly at him. He replied, "Go on, Old Girl, they killed your mate, not mine. Avenge him. Go as fast as..."

He stopped talking when he saw the other small creature with them. A small Muaka clung to the far side of the adult creature. Tahu glanced quickly in surprise from the baby to the Muaka he had come to know. He smiled as he said, "I see. Taking the little one for his first hunt? You're a good mother and his father was strong indeed."

The adult Muaka purred loudly and slowly moved closer to Tahu. She bumped her big nose into him and gently lifted him up, causing him to lose his footing for a brief moment. He yelled in anger, "Careful! I'm not nearly as skilled at this as you."

Muaka's eyes blinked as she growled and again forced him away from the wall with her nose. This time, however, she forced him on top of her head. Tahu hung on with all his might as the giant creature shifted her body around to give him the best placement possible. She slowly began to climb up the rocky wall again. Tahu realized he had just been 'offered' a ride. Not one thought in his mind encouraged him to reject the offer. Instead he smiled and allowed the gentle creature to carry him up the mountain. He heard the yells get louder and louder as they got closer to the top. It was only a matter of minutes before they reached his friendshis comrades now.

Gali could see the Matoran gradually losing faith in their battle. Although she had no justifiable proof, she was sure some of the poor villagers had lost their lives already. Many lay unconscious on the rocky floor, with just as many being carried away by their friends for medical attention. Bohrok carcasses littered the ground as small Bohrok Va ran about replacing Krana in the fallen beasts. The depressing state of the battle hit Gali as she realized that a Bohrok was capable of simply getting back up and moving on in the battle once its Krana was replaced. The Matoran weren't so lucky. This thought filled the Toa of Water with rage. Her entire structure tightened up as her emotions go the better of her. She shot giant streams of water out of her arms and pulverized not only the attacking Bohrok, but also several of the wounded ones. She watched as many were forced into the mouth of the volcano with no chance of living again. She felt no regret as she took the lives of these creatures anymore. She felt no remorse for her actions, only bitterness and anger.

Kopaka had no time to notice the Toa of Water's reaction to the battle. He fought as carefully and efficiently as always. His emotions rarely controlled his actions: this battle would be no exception. He swung his sword at every Bohrok he saw, active or fallen. It didn't matter. They were all enemies.

Onua was yelling loudly at every enemy he defeated. Every Bohrok that fell to his monstrous hands was an outlet for the anger Onua had built up recently. He attacked quickly and aggressively. Most of the Bohrok that attempted to attack him never made it within half a bio of him. The ones that managed to come within physical reach of him suffered a fate their primitive minds were incapable of comprehending. He lifted up three Bohrok at once and tossed them straight into the air. Using his Kakama, Onua quickly lifted two more of the bugs and held them in each hand. As the three airborne Bohrok fell, Onua swung the Bohrok he held at each one like a ball in a Matoran game. When he had dispatched the three Bohrok, he threw one that he held at an approaching group, knocking them over like pebbles. He took the other and held it up as he made brief eye contact with the Toa of ice.

Kopaka noticed the gleam in Onua's eye as he raised his sword straight into the air. Onua hurled the frightened Bohrok at Kopaka. Onua watched as the drone was destroyed instantly as it hit Kopeck's powerful weapon. "Excellent throw, my friend," Kopaka proclaimed.

Onua smiled and replied, "Beats Koli any day."

Kopaka returned his attention to the battle and fought even more bravely.

Onua lost control as several Bohrok managed to overtake him as his attention had drifted from the matters at hand. Four Bohrok managed to pin down his limbs easily. Onua was surprised at the weight these creatures were capable of applying. Normally he found it so easy to lift them, but with so many of them attacking, his power was failing him. He turned his head as he saw out of the corner of his eye a giant fireball flying towards him. The flame trickled across his head as he felt a light stinging from the heat. Onua closed his eyes tightly at the feeling, noticing his mistake far too late. As his eyes closed, the Tahnok that had fired upon him launched forward and managed to strike his mask off. Onua opened his mouth to scream in protest as he watched a Pahrak on top of his chest rear its head back. The Pahrak prepared to launch its parasitic Krana at the Toa of earth when a giant roar echoed through the air. The sound resonated throughout the soul of every creature present. The Pahrak on top of Onua turned to see what had created the noise, giving Onua plenty of time and opportunity to throw the Bohrok from his structure. Onua stood up and saw the monstrous Muaka standing at the edge of the volcano. A shadowed figure stood up on top of the giant tiger and yelled out, "The days of yesterday echo the days of tomorrow! I fight for the days of tomorrow. And nNone of you will echo sound in the days of tomorrow!"

Tahu's mask switched to the Kakama, as did all the other Toa's. The Toa attacked as a team. They moved swiftly and efficiently, striking down the key Bohrok. The battle had raged on with three of the heroes. With four, the Bohrok stood no chance. The added presence of Muaka only added to the Toa's advantage. For every Bohrok the Toa took down, the enraged Muaka struck down two.

High above the volcano, a Kewa flew by, carrying two Matoran upon it. The Ta-Matoran looked down and smiled as one said to the other, "We must tell Vakama! The battle will not be lost today!"

The sun rose brightly that day. The Bohrok had long since fled into the night, and the Toa were now carrying any wounded Matoran to a makeshift medical encampment. Several Ga-Matoran were tending to the wounded. The villagers had counted their losses. Surprisingly, only eight Matoran had lost their lives to the Bohrok swarms. As tragic as the losses were, everyone counted their blessings for having not lost more. Tahu surveyed the damaged volcano top and spoke proudly, "We have fought a great battle this day! The Bohrok swarms have fallen to the unified might of Mata Nui's people! We now know that we can win this war once and for all!"

Tahu looked around and noticed that every Matoran now stared at him. He saw a great sense of hope in their eyes. He smiled as he saw Kopaka come forward and speak to the crowd, a rare occurrence for the Toa of ice.

"The battle we have all fought this night has given us the courage and confidence we need to wage the final battle." Kopaka looked at his friends and saw their nods of approval, "The loss of the Matoran who have given their lives will never be forgotten. We will stop this chaos and end the swarms once and for all! Mata Nui will be free!"

Muaka returned to the jungle after some final good-byes to her friends. The volcano had been completely stripped of all signs of battle. The wounded Matoran were moved to their villages and were being tended to. The Toa had all left except for Kopaka. Kopaka stood up tall and looked into the bright morning sun. He took his mask off and placed his sword on his back. He walked to the edge of the giant mountain and looked down upon the entire island. He let out a loud sigh as he spoke outloud in an almost spiritual way, "I do not know what surprises this island has in store for my friends and me. We cannot beat the swarms as we are today. Something must bring the balance of power back to our side. This island holds many secrets I can only dream of... but my dreams have become so cold. I do not know if we will win this war... I try to assure the Matoran, but I cannot be sure of our victory. I am worried, Great Spirits. I cannot fail my people. Help us!"

Kopaka turned sharply as he heard a loud footstep behind him. Gali approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She smiled, realizing how uncomfortable it made Kopaka when his insecurities were apparent to others. She chose to avoid words, and instead looked into the sun. Kopaka looked to the ground in embarrassment at first, but then he also looked back to the sun. Gali looked to him and said, "Come Kopaka, the Matoran wish for us to be present at a victory party."

Kopaka and Gali joined the party celebration and remembered what it was like to have fun again. The Toa agreed to finally sit down and plan out their attack on the source of the Bohrok, whatever it may be. They remained together for that night and decided to wait until the following day to make any action.

Kopaka fell asleep last among his friends. He watched them and realized how truly great their cause was. He remembered the Matoran, Ruka, and Onua's reaction to his death. He remembered the kinship between his comrades. Friends, yet the Toa were so much more, they were his sister and his brothers. They were family. A warm sensation tingled Kopaka's heart, a feeling that disturbed the master of sub-zerofrozen temperatures. The feeling quickly enveloped his whole structure as he understood that hope was finally within him. He fell asleep quickly. For the first time in several months Kopaka's dreams were not cold. He knew it was only a matter of time before Mata Nui would be free once more.Kopaka battles Bohrok that killed muaka