Wt notes.
Hi guys! 'Ducks attack fruit' Hey, hey I'm sorry! But summer time is really busy for me with summer homework and birthday and graduation parties and library things and shopping and etc that it was hard just getting the lines for this. I would promise to move faster next time, but I can't see the future and I rather not make promises I end up not keeping.
Thank You's
Thanks MasterrangerABR, amber, and Species Unknown for your reviews on here :) And Thank you Sailor Shinzo and biolaj1998 for your PM's. You guys all helped me work real hard on writing this chapter :) And biolaj? I hope you like how you are in here.
NOTE! Roxie is now 14 instead of 16. I just don't see her as that age through my writing anymore.
Chapter 7
The rest of the drive was silent. We soon went down a slope and drove between high rocks. Kina parked right inside, jumped off and ran ahead. The rest of us quickly ran after her. We soon saw the reason for the smoke. The round houses were on fire, some smoldering. I covered my month with the cape as I walked closer to a frantic Kiina.
"Well looks like the Agori got away." Acker said, trying to sound positive. Kiina was having none of that though.
"The village! Our homes! This is my fault!" Kiina shouted upset. "I should have been here to help. Where's Tarix? And Gresh? We had a training session today. He's just a rookie. He wouldn't have been prepared for-"
"There!" Acker pointed behind Kiina and she turned and gasped. A dark shadowy figure walked out of the smoke, leaning forward and holding his right shoulder.
"Gresh! He's hurt." Kiina said and the three Glatorions walked to him. I started too but two things stopped me dead in my tracks. One, Gresh might not like my appearance, injured or not. And two…I heard a low moan coming from the round house next to me. It was one of the few that weren't smoking or on fire. I carefully peeked my head into a hole I'm guessing was a window. And gasp.
Sitting there, leaning up against the wall, was a human guy! He was tan skinned, had golden hair, and was dressed in smooth armor like me, only obviously male type. His cape was longer and I could see he had muscles. I quickly climbed in through a lower entrance and after side-stepping the coals I knelt in front of him. I slowly put my hand on his shoulder and shake him. "Hey, hello? Wake up,"
He didn't move right away but after I shook him again his eyes popped open. I yelped surprised and almost fell on my back. He looked around then his eyes stopped on me. "Who are you? And where am i?" he started getting up and noticed his armor. "And what am I wearing?"
"In the order you asked," I said once I was sure he was listening and was over how his accent sounded different but familiar. "My name is Gabrielle Roxie, but you can call me Roxie. It fits better here. We're on the planet Bara Magna and you are wearing armor."
He looked at me funny and opened his mouth to say something but I held up a hand. "We can talk later, but right now we need to make sure my friends haven't left us yet." I said then moved my hand in the 'help-you-up' position. He looked at me for a moment then took my hand and I pulled him up. "Come on," I said and slipped out of the hole. He followed and we ran over to the Glatorion.
In the nick of time too, since right after a tall dark being walked out of the smoke. "Tuma? Leader of the Skrall?" Kiina asked sounding surprised.
"What the boy says is true." Ackar said in a tone I couldn't quite place. "Bone Hunters have teamed up with the Skrall." Mata Nui took one more look then he moved to help carry-drag Gresh. No one spoke as we hurried away though I and my new friend did look back.
Kiina lead us down a tunnel then when it opened up we were boxed in again by huge walls of stone. As the Glatorions walked ahead I moved to walk with the new guy. "Soo…"
"I didn't introduce myself." He said and I blinked. That's not what I expected him to say. Not that I really had anything else in mind. We stopped and he turned to me. He held out his hand and I took it and as we shook hands he looked me straight in the eyes. "My name is Nikolaj, Nikolaj Steffensen." He said with a smile.
I smiled brightly back. "It's a pleasure, Nikolaj. I'm Gabrielle Roxie, though I already said that." I add rubbing the back of my head chuckling. We started walking again then ran to catch up with the others.
We finally came to a dead end and Kiina stopped at the wall. "They won't find us in here." She said. She pushed in a piece of the wall and right before our eyes the wall turned into a door and slid to the side. "Cool," I said, Nikolaj nodding in agreement then everyone followed Kiina inside. As we walked deeper in it got dark quickly and it took a minute for my eyes to get used to it. After a bit it started getting brighter and I could make out details again.
Hmm? I guess even alien robot warriors write hieroglyphics. I mussed as I looked at the walls and noticed symbols etched in. Mata Nui noticed to and stopped. "Wait. These glyphs. I…" he said, like he was remembering something.
"Later." Kiina cut in gently. "First we have to take care of Gresh. The cavern is just ahead." As we followed into the bright white light I wondered what'd it look like but I can tell you I seriously did not expect what I saw when we walked in.
"Look at this," Ackar said.
"Incredible." Mata Nui said at the same time. I have no words to say; the place is amazing. We walk down stairs carved into the wall for about the same length of time it takes to walk up or down a sports stadium. As we walked I took in the room, my eyes moving this way and that.
The path we're on leads on to a sort of room made by the walls with five hallways leading away from it. Far off are three large rooms, glowing with light. I make a note to check each one out later. I glance to Nikolaj and see he was doing the same thing I am only without his mouth open. When we finally made it down to the walled room I saw that a large circle was also there.
"Lay him down over there." Kiina said pointing to the table. The men did so without words and I opened my mouth to ask 'what now', when there was a thud. Arkar quickly moves towards the sound and holds out his blade. "Show yourself!" he said. There was a pause. "Now!"
A blue Agori walks out quickly waving his hands in a 'hold on' pose. "Okay, okay, okay. Look, everything's okay. It's just me, Berix." He said ending with him playing with his fingers.
"You filthy little thief!" I duck to the side as Kiina ends her rushed sentence with a point lunge and Berix jerks back. "I told you if I ever caught you down here again I'd…" Berix ducks the staff swing and hides behind Mata Nui's leg.
"Oh, hey. This place doesn't belong to you. And, hey, look, I am not a thief. I am a collector." I raise an eye brow as I see him notice Mata's mask. "Ooh, I like that mask. Can I have it? I just wanna…" he started reaching for it before Mata Nui had even answered but Kiina wasn't having any of that.
"Come here, you!" The two start chasing each other and I start to giggle, seeing the funny side of this.
"You know, I have a right to collect anything I want." Berix said.
"Oh, yeah?" Kiina asks going for him again and just missing. Ackar sighs as they chase each other some more and I glance at Nikolaj who was chuckling at the show.
"You know, it's just junk no one wants anyways."
"Then why do you want it?"
"'Cause I like fixing things. And I'm really good at it, too." Here Berix starts chuckling proudly. "I mean, come on, who do you think got the lights working, huh?"
Kiina stopped and looked around muttering. "I was wondering about that."
That's when Berix noticed something else. "Hey you've got a…"
"He knows!" I, Kiina and Acker say at the same time, though I was chuckling as I did.
Mata Nui took his chance to speak. "Ever fix an injured Glatorian?"
"No way!" Kiina quickly said. "He's not touching Gresh."
"The boy needs help, Kiina." Acker said putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Well, I've had to patch myself up a few times." Berix said moving his arm. A piece fell off and he chuckled nervously. "Touchy."
"Yeah, like every time you've been punded on for stealing!" Kiina said.
Berix jumped onto the table. "'Collecting'! Maybe you should let me work on your ears next, Kiina." He said. He knelt down and started humming as he looked through his pack. He pulled out a small knife then Kiina made him jump by grabbing his arm.
"He better pull through." She said pulling him close. "You got that?"
Acker pulled her off and to the side. "Great. No pressure." Berix said then started working. Nikolaj and I walked over to closer to the Glatorain.
"What if he's the traitor?" Kiina whispered to the other Glatorains.
"Then he'll pay." Acker said and the way he did chilled me to the bone. I'd hate to be in that traitors' shoes when they find him. Mata Nui then started looking around.
"What's wrong?" Kiina asked, Berix forgotten for now.
"I don't know. There's a familiarity about this place." He answered. Acker looked around too.
"It must have been created by the old rulers of Bara Magna." He said.
"Great Beings." Kiina said scoffenly rolling her head. Nikolaj and I share a look that meant 'Who are Great beings?'
Mata Nui's lights lit up. "The Great Beings were here?" he asked.
" 'Great Destroyers' is more like it." Kiina said sounding a bit upset.
"Why do you speak against the Great Beings?" Mata Nui asked Kiina.
"Because they wrecked our world, that's why." She answered walking closer to him. She pointed her staff at the green jungle room. "This was Bara Magna before the Great Beings left us here to rot."
I look at the room and understand why Kiina wasn't happy with this place. What I've seen so far didn't look anything like that room. Maybe that's why she wants to leave.
"You have no proof of this, Kiina." Acker said with a wave of his hand. "They could've just as easily ended up buried in the ruins."
"Not very 'great' if they did." I muttered low enough not to be heard by them but Nikolaj smirked at me.
"No. The Great Beings did not fall here. That much I am sure of." Mata Nui said confidently. He turned his head to the odd slab of rock that had blocked the table from view before and walked to it. "What is beyond this?"
"No idea." Kiina said. "Never been able to get it open."
"Yeah, me neither. But I bet there's something good through there, huh?" Berix said.
"Keep dreaming!" Kiina barked. "And pay attention to what you're doing, thief."
Berix did muttering under his breath. Everyone else walked up behind Mata Nui as he walked closer to the slab. On it was a symbol that's oddly familiar… Mata stopped in front of it and raised a hand. "I recognize this symbol." He said. He moved his hand closer then stopped when his mask suddenly started glowing. He looked at his hand and then did it again, touching the stone this time. The symbol instantly glowed and the slab quickly sank into the floor. The Glatorians quickly drew their weapons as the slab reviled a secret room and a flight of stairs. Everyone looked at each other and then slowly started down the stairs.
last update: 03-25-12
