Sorry about the delay, I've had writer's block like you wouldn't believe…Anyway, this is the second to last chapter of The Mask of Presence. Hope you like it.
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The Dark Hunters' ships knifed through the water, quickly slipping into the Ga-Metru docks. Unaware that these were Dark Hunter ships, the dock workers, though surprised, began walking toward the ships to unload what ever cargo they held. Sutler, a seasoned sailor, felt a bit uneasy. She knew there were no ships scheduled for launch or docking, and yet here were these mysterious boats. Suddenly, she saw an arm reach out and close a porthole. That was no Toa, Matoran, or Turaga arm, nor the arm of anything in the Archives. That looked like the arm of- and then it hit her.
"Leave the ships alone! There are Dark Hunters on board! RUN!" she shouted as loudly as she could.
Her suspicions were instantly confirmed. Large doors swung out on either side of the ships with amazing speed, and Dark Hunters poured from the openings, storming the docks. Over it all, Lariska was shouting, "Kill none of them! They are harmless! We're here for the Toa! Just don't let these runts get in the way!"
Of all the workers on the dock that day, only Sutler escaped capture. She sprinted to the nearest chute and started swimming with the current to speed herself across Ga-Metru to the Coliseum.
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Takanuva's mind woke. Makutanuva stopped, feeling the disturbance. Takanuva knew what had happened, and concentrated all his willpower toward his arms, trying to remove the Kraakhan. Before Makuta's mind could stop him, he had ripped the mask off, and around him all the Matoran he had absorbed materialized, dazed, but fine. He remember the Krakana, and, after crushing the Kraakhan beneath his foot, mentally summoned the Ussanui, flipping backwards onto it and racing to the location of this powerful Kanohi.
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The Toa had finally met up with Takanuva as he rounded a corner, the mask in his hand. He quickly threw it to Vakama and explained what Sutler had told him.
"Oh no, not the Dark Hunters!" said Vakama. "All right, my fellow Toa, it looks like we've a job to do. We have to cut them off. Each of you, pair up with your elemental counterpart and block the exits of Ga-Metru. From what Takanuva said, it sounds like they aren't harming the Matoran…yet."
The Toa each readied their respective methods of transportation and raced for Ga-Metru.
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The Toa arrived just in time. The Dark Hunters had nearly reached the chutes when the Toa got there. The Toa began using their tools and elemental powers to swiftly kill Dark Hunters. Vakama, Lhikan, and Nokama ended up running into each other, and saw that while most of the Dark Hunters had already been killed or were being beaten back, one female Hunter made it to a chute. The three of them ran for the chute and followed this unknown Hunter, whom Sutler had said was the leader.
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They emerged from the chute in Ta-Metru and saw the Dark Hunter sprinting toward the Great Furnace.
"She's going to blow it up!" shouted Vakama. This is a rather drastic revenge tactic she's using. I guess she'd take both sides out rather than accept defeat. We have to stop her!"
The trio followed hot on the Hunters heels.
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Lariska entered the furnace, trying to find anything that looked vital. Suddenly, three Toa entered behind her. She cursed herself out loud for allowing herself to be followed, and quickly dealt a swift kick to the head of the water Toa, knocking her unconsciously. Quite a pity, as she did seem rather pretty. The bronze one attempted to hit her with his swords, but she grabbed him by the wrists and flung him into the nearest lava vat. He grabbed a cable, holding on for dear life above the pit. She moved around to the other side of the pit, and the red one stood opposite her. When he moved to go around the pit, she circled it in the same direction, keeping the pit between her and the Toa.
"You must be Vakama," she said, with a seductive tone. "The Shadowed One has told us a lot about you. He always said he wanted to be the one to finally kill you."
"Then why isn't he here now, to do it himself?" Vakama replied.
"My master is, fortunately for me, no longer with us. He died on the voyage, of…a rather interesting cause," she smirked.
"I don't care about that, I care about whether you'll be defeated slowly or quickly," he said, with a threatening undertone, firing a disk at her. She dodged it so quickly it seemed to pass right through her. In the blink of an eye, she had run around the pit's edge and knocked his launcher out of his hands into the corner.
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Nokama recovered to see the situation. The Dark Hunter and Vakama were now fighting hand-to-hand. She prayed to Mata Nui that he would be okay.
She noticed an odd vapor float in front of her face. It solidified into a lava eel which fell to the ground in front of her and morphed to have the mouth of Vakama. It whispered a plan to her, and she nodded.
Krahka knew exactly what she was doing.
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Cliff-hanger! What do you think? The final battle comes next chapter.
Also, I'm thinking of adding a prologue chapter, sort of like Vakama's little narrations at the beginning of the movies. The epilogue thing will be uploaded as a chapter after the final chapter, but at the same time.
Also, something I never mentioned, but which is mentioned in Time Trap (sorry, I forgot about it) Lariska's arm (can't remember which) is purely mechanical (as opposed to the usual biomechanical-a result of one of the Shadowed One's "lessons". The Shadowed One's body was greatly aged by accidental contact with Voporak. Voporak's time shield made thousands of years pass in an instant for the Shadowed One, and since one thousand years passed between the Great Rescue and the Advent of the Toa of Light, he would be very old, and therefore would not have the reflexes to defend himself against Lariska though he could before.).