ULTIMATE BIONICLE
Chapter 35: The Battles of Stone and Fire
High atop the building, Whenua lay stirring restlessly in his sleep. He tossed and turned uncomfortably, making concerned groans. He rolled over onto his stomach. "...mrmrmrm…stop…grrrr…why can't I…mrmrmrm…" He mumbled lowly.
Suddenly Whenua let out an enraged roar and smashed his right fist through the roof of the building. Whenua immediately woke up and pushed himself back into a sitting position. His heart was pounding so loud he almost couldn't hear, and he had a confused and disturbed look on his face. He slowly collected himself and he began to remember his nightmare vividly. He was so panicked and bothered by it that his hands were shaking as well.
"It was only a dream…just a nightmare…" Whenua said to himself reassuringly. "But why did I just dream that? Why of all things, did that enter my mind?" He fell back onto his back with relief. "It was only a nightmare…" He repeated. "But why did it feel so real? And why did I…?"
Whenua stopped as he stared up at the sky; they were covered with thick black clouds. He rose to his feet with suspicion. "How long have I been sleeping?" He wondered aloud. He looked off to the southeast, towards Ta-Metru; it looked like there was a huge gathering over there and dust and buildings were smashing, as if a huge a fight was taking place.
"What the heck is going on?" His attention was then drawn to the west, towards Po-Metru. An explosion of dark purple energy had occurred off in the distance, causing the ground the shake, even as far away as he was. Whenua's eyes widened with awe when he saw it. "Where are the others?" He immediately wondered.
Whenua leapt off the tower and landed with a crash onto the roof below and began to run across the buildings towards Nokama's home. He reached the edge of one building and leapt forward through the hole he had made earlier in Nokama's wall.
"Vakama! Gali! Onewa! Anybody?" He called out urgently as he searched through the rooms. He ran out of the room and up the stairs to the roof. He jumped on top of a bunker and surveyed the area; there was no sign of any of the other Toa.
Whenua then frowned angrily. "Why would they go fight without me!" He turned his head towards the battle that was going on in Po-Metru. "That one's closer." He decided.
Whenua started leaping from rooftop to rooftop. As he looked down at the streets he noticed many Matoran were fleeing in the opposite direction frantically. He reached one of the bridges that connected Ga-Metru to Po-Metru. He landed at the beginning of the bridge.
Dozens of Matoran were running across the bridge, escaping Po-Metru. "Hey! What's going on?" He tried to ask the Po-Matoran. Most of them ignored him however. Whenua grabbed the arm of one with his left hand. The Matoran wore a dark grey mask that Whenua could not identify. "What the heck is going on?" Whenua asked him.
The Po-Matoran had a fearful expression and struggled frantically to be free of Whenua's grasp. Whenua crouched down next to him. "Hey, calm down okay? I know I may not look it, but I'm a Toa. My name is Whenua." The Po-Matoran started to calm down. "You got a name?" Whenua asked.
"P-Pohtao." The Matoran stuttered nervously, a look of panic in his eyes.
"Okay, Pohtao. What the heck is going on?" Whenua asked insistently. There was suddenly another explosion of dark purple energy on the other side of the bridge, destroying several buildings. Whenua and Pohtao turned their heads towards it then looked back at each other. "Well?" Whenua asked impatiently.
"I-I don't know. It was clear out, and then suddenly the sky became covered with ominous black clouds. Then out of nowhere all these Vahki and Bohrok swarmed the streets and began to attack us. They were lead by some black Rahkshi with a robotic arm." Pohtao explained.
"That's probably Vorak…" Whenua said, making a low growl. "Are there any Toa there?"
"Y-yeah I think I saw a stone Toa because now that I think about it he looked a lot like you. There was also another stone Toa, water Toa, ice Toa and an earth Toa. The earth Toa started fighting with the Rahkshi leader. Can I go now?" Pohtao asked anxiously.
"Yeah," Whenua said, letting go of his arm. "Get somewhere safe and fast." He ordered. Pohtao nodded respectfully and ran off quickly. As Whenua watched Pohtao run off, he felt a strange feeling of familiarity, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Where have I seen that mask before?" He wondered aloud.
Whenua forgot about it and turned his attention to the battle ahead. He started to run across the bridge. As he ran he made a small leap, and then a bigger one, and a bigger one, until he leapt high enough to reach the side of a building. He grasped the side and began to climb. When he got to the top Whenua ran towards the edge and looked down at the war zone before him.
Everything was pure chaos. A couple hundred Vahki and Bohrok were rampaging through the streets, destroying everything and anyone in their path. It took Whenua a while to notice where all the other Toa were in the shuffle of bodies.
Whenua noticed Gali; watching her swing one of her Aqua Axes in the head of a Vahki. They were slowly closing in on her, but she was fighting back courageously. Whenua leapt into the fray, and landed beside Gali, smashing away a few Bohrok with one of his Jackhammers.
Gali turned around in surprise. Whenua scowled down at her. "You couldn't have woken me up for this!" Gali shrugged her shoulders awkwardly. Whenua shook his head with frustration and quickly turned back to the battle at hand.
Whenua ran into the crowd of Bohrok and Vahki. He kicked a Bohrok in the face and sent it crashing into a group of others. He struck a Vahki in the head with a Jackhammer, denting it in. He then kneed it in the chest.
A Bordakh thrust its staff towards Whenua's chest, but Whenua managed to block it by crossing his Jackhammers. He then pushed it back and jabbed his right Jackhammer into its face and pinned it to the ground. The Jackhammer then started up with a roar smashed the Bordakh's head to pieces.
Whenua turned around, swiping his left Jackhammer through a few Bohrok. As he watched them break apart he noticed something strange. "Since when are Bohrok mechanical? That Nuhvok wasn't…" Whenua then snapped out of thought and swiftly bent backwards, dodging a blast of fire that a Tahnok had shot out of its claw.
A number of Bohrok then leapt above Whenua, about to pounce onto him. He lifted his legs into the air quickly and kicked them away; falling onto his back. Three Rorzakh stabbed there staffs down towards Whenua's chest. Whenua swung his Jackhammers outward, smashing all six staffs.
Whenua did a kick-up and kicked a Vorzakh flying backwards, and smashing into the side of a building. Whenua jumped high into the air and landed crashing down on a Vahki's head. Whenua then uppercut a Bohrok with his right Jackhammer; propelling it vertically into the air. The impact smashed its shell-like face. He then jabbed his left one into it as it fell back down, sending it flying.
Several Vahki lunged at Whenua, pulling back their staffs. He dodged and evaded each attack with instinctual reflexes. A Nuurakh suddenly leapt forward and kicked at Whenua. He grabbed its leg and smashed it to the ground, breaking it in half.
Suddenly Whenua was struck from behind and off his feet by a Zadakh. He fell onto his hands and knees as dozens of Bohrok started to pile up onto his back, clawing and biting at him from all sides.
Whenua struggled to break free but there were far too many. More and more kept crushing down upon him, and he started to feel a burn as a Lehvak released acid from its claw. "I'm not…finished yet…" Whenua growled lowly. "I'm just getting started!" He started to resist against the mound of Bohrok with all his might, rage beginning to fuel his strength. His arms were starting to shake from the strain.
With a sudden burst of strength Whenua broke off most of the Bohrok. He smashed off a Pahrak that was latched onto his arm and pulled off a Nuhvok on his back and threw it onto the floor in front of him. Then, he pulled his weapons behind his head and smashed them down into the Nuhvok, destroying it.
A Nuurakh suddenly clamped the ends of its staffs on Whenua's arms. Several others joined, in order to hold back Whenua's great strength. He struggled to break free, but the number of Vahki holding him proved too strong to overpower. Many Vahki stood in front of him; their mouths glowing, ready to fire Kanoka blasts.
Whenua started to pull forward, but more and more Vahki began to hold him back. The Kanoka blasts were fired, hitting Whenua directly in the chest. It sent him smashing through the side of a building. The Vahki and Bohrok watched the dust settle expectantly, in order to confirm the kill.
A Rhotuka spinner was launched out of the dust, the earth erupting upwards under its path. It blasted through and tore apart many of the Vahki and Bohrok. Whenua emerged from the rubble an angered expression on his face. His Jackhammers started up and he ran at them, letting out a valiant roar.
He leapt in the air and kneed a Keerakh in the face and, still in mid air, turned his body and kicked it in the side of the head sending it hurling. Whenua landed in a crouched position and thrust his Jackhammer into the gut of a Rorzakh. He stood up and lifted it into the air. The Rorzakh slowly tore apart as the end of the Jackhammer repeatedly smashed into it. He then elbowed backwards, smashing in the shell of a Gahlok.
Whenua then turned around; about to attack what he thought was another enemy, only to see Onewa standing there. "So you finally decided to show up eh?" Onewa said, swinging one of his clubs into the head of a Tahnok.
Whenua uppercut a Vorzakh and kicked it away. "Sorry to be tardy to the party but I didn't get an invitation." Whenua said sarcastically, smashing a Kohrak in the face.
Onewa looked over at Whenua's weapons and wondered. "Have you tried holding them back and building up energy?" He asked curiously.
"Huh?" Whenua answered, having been distracted. He looked down at his right Jackhammer. He pulled it in and held it in place. Slowly he felt the tension build up inside it and it started to glow green with energy. A Bordakh leapt forward at him and he quickly pointed the Jackhammer and released the built up energy.
The energy shot out with a loud burst and spread out like a wave of green energy. It struck the Bordakh in the chest, shattering part of it and knocking it flying back. Whenua grinned with amusement. "I like that. How did you know it would do that?"
Onewa caught a Vahki on the blades of his clubs and then tossed it away. "That guy Grievous had the same weapons. He used that attack on Nokama." Onewa was suddenly knocked off his feet by Zadakh, and a bunch or Bohrok then began to swarm him.
Whenua tried to rush to his aid, but a Rorzakh knocked him off his feet with an upwards swing with its staff, striking Whenua in the chin. He was then surrounded by Vahki, who began stabbing down at him. Whenua tried to shield his face and chest as they stabbed various other parts of his body, causing his blood to pour out.
Whenua let out a painful roar and elevated the section of ground he was lying on; quickly separating himself from his assailants. Whenua staggered to his feet, panting. The Vahki and Bohrok were trying to climb the self-made platform, desperately trying to get at him.
Whenua fired Rhotuka blasts down at the ones that were coming close to the top. The resulting blast was knocking away many others as well.
Whenua looked off into the crowd. There were still many Vahki and Bohrok left. He watched as he saw Vorak flying through the air, holding Onua in his robotic claw and smashing him through a building. Onua then leapt back at him, slashing his Chainsaws at Vorak.
Whenua could also see Gali, Kopaka and Pohatu in other parts of the swarm. He also noticed that Onewa had freed himself of the Bohrok that had earlier swarmed him.
Whenua suddenly fell to his left knee, as a two foot long spear pierced his right shin. "Arrgh!" He yelled in pain. He was then hit with three more; two in his right arm and one in the chest. He stumbled backwards and scanned the area for what had fired the spears. He then noticed a small yellow robotic creature, which was no bigger than a Matoran. It fired another one at him out of a spear-gun, hitting him in the chest.
Whenua's eyes became fierce as he stared at the creature. Using a mixture of adrenaline and rage, he forgot about the pain and leapt off the platform and ran towards the yellow creature. He smashed his way through many Bohrok and Vahki, though they were beginning to slow him down.
The creature fired more spears rapid fire, hitting him in the legs, chest and arms. Whenua stopped and stumbled back and forth, trying to keep his balance. The pain became more intense and was starting to blur his vision as he saw the Vahki and Bohrok slowly closing in on him. He looked down at the spears that stuck out of his body. The wounds all continually leaked out blood.
Time seemed to slow down as Whenua fell backwards to the ground. "Vision…getting hazy…" Images of Onewa, Gali, Tehutti and all the others flashed through his mind. Then the face of Vorak appeared in his mind, a grim and evil expression on his face. Whenua frowned angrily at the memory.
"I'm…not ready to die…not yet… I'm…stronger than this!" Whenua's eyes shot open. He let out a loud roar as he made a circle of spikes shoot out of the ground and impaled all of the encircled enemies.
Whenua slowly got to his feet, breathing hard with anger. "I've been through far too much to succumb to a few spear wounds!" Whenua put his Jackhammers back onto his back and ripped out all the spears. He then held his fists up high in the air and let out a furious shout as he smashed them into the earth.
"TREMOR BLAST!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Dozens of glowing green cracks dispersed and went in all directions into the crowd of surrounding enemies. The energy erupted from the ground, destroying many of the Vahki and Bohrok. The number of enemies surrounding Whenua was now scarce.
There was still a massive cloud of dust left over, but there was a clear path to where the yellow creature stood. Whenua had purposely missed it. He pulled out a single Jackhammer with his right hand.
He ran at the creature with furious speed. It continued to fire spears rapidly, which Whenua dodged by shifted from side to side. He reached the creature and delivered a heavy kick to its chest. It fell onto its back with a crash.
Whenua grabbed it by the neck and began to continually smash it in the face with the end of his Jackhammer. Its helmet like face dented inwards more and more with each strike. He then pulled his Jackhammer back, and drove it forward with great force, finally breaking the robotic creature's face.
Whenua froze with shock as he stared at the creature. Much to his surprise, blood had begun pouring out of its face. As Whenua sniffed the air he immediately recognized its scent. "That's…Matoran blood…" Whenua gasped.
He pulled out the Jackhammer and let the body drop. He activated his X-ray vision and examined the Matoran. The mechanical exterior had merged with its body, like someone had stuck the suit to its body.
Whenua clenched his fist angrily. "Makuta used Dume's procedure on a Matoran…" He said lowly. Gali, Onewa, Kopaka, and Pohatu, appeared behind Whenua. Onua was not there however.
"Whenua, they've retreated. Vorak told them to fall back for some reason." Gali said to him, unaware of what Whenua was looking at. Whenua continued to stare down blankly at the defiled Matoran. "We need to rendezvous with the others in Ta-Metru." Gali continued.
"I'll catch up with you guys." Whenua answered. The Toa exchanged confused glances, but then started to walk away.
Whenua picked up the Matoran's body. He carried it to a suitable location and used his powers to create a hole. Whenua gently laid the Matoran in the hole and buried it. He then found a rock and placed it over the fresh earth, using it as a tombstone.
Whenua was kneeling on one knee respectfully, in front of the grave. "Your life was thrown away tragically, and because of my lack of judgement, I ended up killing you. I do not know if you were aware of what you were doing, or if you are better off this way, but I apologize for my actions and I hope that you find peace in the afterlife. Through what I have seen today, I realize that I can no longer follow the moral boundaries that hold me back as a Toa. I will reclaim my honour against Vorak, and anyone else who thrives on the pain and suffering of others. And I will do it as I see fit." He said solemnly.
A short time later, Whenua rose to his feet again and started to head towards Ta-Metru. He suddenly caught the sent of Onua nearby.
Whenua noticed a pile of rubble and moved it all out of the way, checking underneath it. He found Onua unconscious there. Whenua shook his head with frustration as he looked down at him. He then crouched down and lifted Onua onto his right shoulder. He then continued to follow after the others.
Author's Notes: The battle in Po-Metru has been fought and won, but that conflict only marks the beginning. And what events transpired in Ta-Metru? Find out what happened in the next chapter, A Fiery Showdown: Vakama vs. Nuju.