A faint smile crossed Pohatu's face when he heard Tahu's answer. He liked the sounds of this already. "Sounds like fun. What do you want me to do?"
"See that chunk of rock in front of you?" Tahu asked quietly. The brunette nodded. "You're going to kick that into the side of that old Toa Lhikan monument near those spider things in front of you. Try to hit low." He then glanced at Gali. "I need you to blast that stone pillar in front of you. See if you can knock it down." She nodded, paused, and then asked.
"What are you going to do?" He grinned.
"I'm going to start some fires. Hopefully Onua will be back by then to give us some help with whatever's still alive. Gali looked worried.
"And if he doesn't come back?" He grimaced as he thought it over. Finally he replied.
"We run. He said to stay together, and running might be the only chance we have if there's still some left over from the chaos. I don't think he'd want us to wait for him after an attack. Besides, he's strong enough to hold is own until we meet up again somewhere." Pohatu looked sketchy on his plan's 'what if' part.
"I hope you're right Tahu. I don't want to leave him unless we have no other choice. Anyway, let's get this party started, shall we?" He ran forward, kicking the piece of rubble as hard as he could, launching it towards the statue at incredible speed, and taking out at least one spider-like creature in the process. With a tremendous crack, the monument was hit with the force of an oversized cannonball, and began to crack before toppling forward and crushing everything in its path, narrowly missing Pohatu by mere centimetres as he took a step back.
Gali on the other hand had opened fire on the pillar with every drop of water that she could muster. Rocks chipped and split under the amount of pressure the unleashed liquid was exerting, and after several shots, the pillar collapsed, rocks and other bits of debris showering down on the arachnid Rahi like massive hailstones, effectively squashing a good portion of those that'd been in range. The ones that survived were launched into a frenzied panic, crawling over each other to try and get out of the way before they met the same fate.
Seeing the panic that Pohatu and Gali had stirred up, Tahu took this chance to set fire to several strands of web that trailed along the buildings around them. Fog was replaced by acrid smelling smoke as the flames licked and scorched their new-found fuel, spreading up the crumbling ruins and onto the webs above. The spiders scattered, trying to outrun the raging inferno that had formed. Only now did Tahu realize his mistake. With nothing else to hold some of the buildings up, they began to crumble and collapse, raining down rubble and debris on the three Toa Mata. With nothing else he could do, Tahu took hold of their hands and started running.
"Effective move." Pohatu said awkwardly as he and Gali hurried along-side the Toa of Fire. "But now there's nothing to stop them from falling on us too!" Tahu shivered a little, gasping as a large segment of wall hit the ground just a foot or two in front of them. Nearly tripping over it instead of jumping onto it, the panicking Toa of Fire managed to regain enough of his composure to stammer out.
"I didn't know everything would try to fall down on us! The buildings seemed a little sturdier than that!" Gali glanced up and let out a panic-filled scream. Falling down over top of the trio was a huge section of wall, which appeared to have torn a few other parts down with it. Looking up as well, Tahu's eyes widened with shock and fear. There was no way they could avoid it in time, and his mask power only formed a shield around one person! Pohatu tripped when he looked up, pulling Tahu and Gali down with him by accident… but when they hit the ground, a black, swirling mass engulfed them, spitting them out on the roof of a sturdier building a decent distance away from their previous location. Groaning as he pushed himself into a sitting position, Tahu asked dazedly, a curious and highly confused expression on his face.
"What happened?" Gali whimpered, huddling up close to her Brothers as she looked around.
"I don't know, b-but he might…" Hand trembling, she pointed out a tall figure in a black cloak, standing near the edge of the roof and seemingly watching the fire as it spread destruction through the district. Tahu grimaced.
"I don't know, Sis. He, she, whatever it is, doesn't look like the sort of person we want to associate with…" The figure apparently heard him, because he laughed and said, his voice a little deeper than normal, and slightly smoky in sound.
"Like it or not, kid, you're already stuck with me. Besides, I'm your only safe way off the roof. So why don't you start off with your name. Who are you?"
"His name is Tahu." A female's voice said from a makeshift shelter closer to the center of the roof. "His companions are Gali and Pohatu." The three teenagers blinked, each one staring at the shelter with surprise. Just barely visible from behind the curtain-like door, they could make out the frame of another cloaked person who seemed to be watching them closely. The man in the black robe hesitated and turned, striding towards them and asking.
"Is this true?" Tahu swallowed.
"Y-yes sir. That's us… but who are you? And who is your…" He stopped mid-question as the man removed his hood, revealing well tanned skin, ruby red eyes, and shoulder-length black and red hair that was pulled back into a loose ponytail. With a faint smile forming on his lips, he responded.
"Is that enough to answer your questions, Tahu?" Gali smiled weakly as she stood up, closed the gap between them, and hugged Mihkoro, tears streaming down her face and drenching the older Toa's shirt.
"Why didn't you say goodbye to us when you left? We all really missed you…" Mihkoro gently ruffled her hair as he returned her hug with one of his own.
"Because little kids really don't need to see a grown man crying. It's just embarrassing for everyone. But enough about that. Presently I've been taking care of Nuju's family since they are in rough shape. The boy was a right mess when I found him." Pohatu blinked, looking curious and somewhat excited.
"Dude, Nuju's got kids?" Mihkoro smiled a little bit and nodded.
"Yes. He has a four year old son, and probably couldn't be more proud of the fact than he already is." Gali suddenly thought of something. Looking at the shelter curiously, she asked.
"Is Toa Nuju here as well?" The darker Toa's smile faded into a slight frown. Sighing, he turned his head to look around, not wanting to answer the question. "…Mihkoro?" Finally he gave her a response.
"No, Gali. He was brought down by the Visorak a week ago, trying to save Matau and Whenua. He was the last of the Toa Metru to fall victim. Now the only one that seems to be alive is Vakama, and he went psychotic. As far as I see it, he's more demented than Xuli was when she died." He shivered as he seemed to recall the event. Shakily letting go of Gali, he moved his back to the three Toa Mata as he sighed and shook his head. "She didn't deserve what happened to her… In any case, go on into the shelter and rest. I'll keep watch." If any of the three had wanted to press the matter, they wisely decided against it, and did as they were told.
The interior of the makeshift dwelling wasn't much more appealing than the outside was. With a tarp, or what was left of one, for a roof, hastily put together walls, and musty blankets that were obviously scavenged used for bedding, the only redeeming feature was the small candle on a board in the center of the tiny abode. Sitting beside one of the beds was a woman in her late twenties. Her hair was short and poorly shaped, obvious signs of a hasty job. Her skin was a slightly pale peach, and her eyes a dull, orange-red, looking lost and near the point of losing hope. A man's grey, trench-coat sort of jacket was draped over her shoulders, and her slender, delicate fingers were fidgeting absently with a gold colored wedding ring she was wearing. AS the three teens entered, she mustered a faint smile and said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"Thank Mata Nui that you are still alive… it's nice to see slightly familiar faces after everything that's been happening." Pohatu managed a small smile of his own.
"It's good to see you too, Toa Kaidihka. I…I'm glad to see you are still okay." He quietly walked over and sat at the end of the bed she was beside, his smile growing a little as he looked at the pale skinned four year old that was in it. "He's cute, I'll admit that." Kaidihka gave a weak smile.
"Yes, he is… I can only hope that he'll get his father's courage and mind." She shook her head a little. "He still doesn't fully understand that Nuju is gone…" She sniffled quietly and wiped a few stray tears off of her very faintly glowing face. Tahu moved closer, putting a hand on one of hers.
"I promise we'll find Toa Nuju and bring him back." He said, his voice quiet, yet determined. "I won't let your son grow up fatherless. Not when I have a chance to stop it." Gali nodded her agreement.
"And I know Pohatu and I will do everything we can to make that happen." She paused, thinking a while before asking. "What's your son's name anyway?" Kaidihka smiled weakly again as she looked at the sleeping boy.
"I named him Matoro. It's funny in a way, because after I told Nuju what the name was, he said something about a person named Matoro who would eventually save the world, and that the stars had shone brighter than normal when our son was born." She was about to say more, when Mihkoro entered the shelter, looking worried.
"We have to leave. Now." Kaidihka gave a slight nod as she stood and started packing up some of the blankets. Pohatu looked curiously at Mihkoro as she did this.
"Why? What's happening out there?" The answer was grim and urgent, betraying the dark Toa's unease and fear.
"They found us."
