He didn't like the odds that were stacked against him. Even if his Hordika side was more aware of how to fight, eight Visorak against one nineteen year old wasn't exactly a fair fight. But Onua also knew that he couldn't just abandon the two men below, especially when one of them seemed to be a Hordika as well.
"You should have just told her what she wanted to know." The man named Sidorak snapped as he and the pale one were hung like targets on the wall.
The pale one snorted a laugh. "Oh yeah? And what good would that have done? We'd still be doomed, and she'd be more capable to eliminate my friends. Do you want her to win or not? I'd think about that answer carefully, considering she betrayed you."
"Shut up, Toa." The sickly one grumbled, clearly dodging the question. "This whole mess is your fault anyway."
"My fault?" The Hordika spluttered. "My fault?!"
"Yes, your fault!" Sidorak growled hotly. "If you hadn't tried pulling a jailbreak to get that idiot leader of yours to freedom, we wouldn't have overheard Roodaka plotting, and then only you would be down here instead of both of us!"
"She would have killed you eventually anyway." The Hordika snarled, his tail lashing in annoyance. "You heard what she said; she was going to kill you off once you were no longer useful to her, and now you're useless."
"I said shut up, Toa!"
The Visorak were starting to click and chitter angrily now, drawing the attention of their captives as well as Onua. Eight glowing, disk-like shapes hovered ominously at the ready, the firing squad clearly about to off the prisoners in front of them. If Onua was going to be saving anyone, he had to act, and act fast. With nothing for it, the Hordika side of him in control, the nineteen year old launched off the platform, claws poised and ready to strike.
The Visorak never saw him coming. By the time they were aware of it, Onua had successfully dive-bombed one – impaling it with his claws – and slashed at the one beside it. The arachnoid Rahi launched into pandemonium, Rhotuka flying everywhere but at their original targets, one even hitting one of the Visorak and flipping it onto its shell-like back. The chamber echoed with screeching and angry clicking as Onua lunged for the upside-down Visorak, claws slicing easily into its soft underbelly as he vaulted for the next, his body twisting with an unnatural, inhuman grace to avoid a few more Rhotuka as they whizzed past. The third Visorak was hit with the force of a charging Kikanalo, rolling across the floor several feet before lying still. Were the situation not so dire, Onua would likely have taken a moment to marvel at the speed and strength that being a Hordika bestowed, not to mention the sheer agility. He knew he never could have moved like that as a normal Toa.
With the count now at five to one, and the uncontrolled panic dying out, the Visorak had managed to regroup. They were now shooting off their Rhotuka at intervals, giving Onua very little chance to throw a counter-attack. They were also staying out of arm's reach; it seemed that they had learned he wasn't using any means of ranged attack and had decided to take advantage of it. Darting and diving to avoid getting shot, the Hordika growled in annoyed frustration, his feral green eyes darting all over the room to try and find a way around his new predicament.
"Hey newblood!" The trapped Hordika piped up. "Try lobbing one of those old crates!"
"I would if I could get a good window of opportunity!" Onua remarked grumpily, hissing loudly as a Rhotuka grazed his tail, spreading a numbing, tingling sensation through it. "Any other grand plans you want to share?!"
"Yeah; duck!"
Onua dropped instinctively, his timing just fast enough to avoid a flurry of knife-like ice shard, which hurtled past him and pelted the remaining Visorak hard enough to, at the very least, force them onto the defensive side of the fight. Not willing to waste this chance, Onua surged forward, ramming full tilt into the closest of the hostile Rahi, which had been stumbling and screeching while it tried to get the ice out of its eyes. The impact alone was enough to shatter part of its carapace, the force of the blow knocking it backwards and into a second as Onua's shoulder charge threw it and the attacking Hordika against the wall. With three Visorak remaining, and the two death-row prisoners now whole-heartedly fighting against the webs that held them at bay, it was looking severely grim for the Rahi. Panic-stricken, the Visorak fled down the passage they had come through. Even as they did, however, the veins in Onua's hands and arms began to glow pale teal, bright enough to shine through the pebbled scales he now bore. His eyes flashed with power as he brought his fists down, slamming them against the ground and sending tremors through the tunnel. Cracks split the floor and parts of the ceiling caved, the screeches of the doomed Visorak drowned by the crash of falling rocks and splitting stones.
By the time the chaos stopped, all that was left of the tunnel was a pile of rubble and settling cloud of dust. Satisfied with the results, Onua turned his gaze to the two prisoners, the feral gleam leaving them as he regained control of himself. "Are you two alright?" He asked, grimacing as he hurried over and set about cutting them loose.
The pale Hordika mustered up a small grin. "Considering we were otherwise supposed to be killed? Yeah, I'm just fine. Thanks for your help."
Onua smiled a little in return and nodded in acknowledgement before looking to Sidorak. "What about you? Are you hurt?"
The warlord, however, was staring at Onua in bewilderment. "You... you just defeated eight fully grown Visorak by yourself, and remain unscathed. How? Just what are you?"
"Ehm..." The nineteen year old responded, blinking in mild confusion. "I'm a Toa... Toa Hordika actually. But how does that matter?"
By now the pale Hordika was cut free, his vibrant eyes holding obvious amusement. "He's having trouble accepting that Toa can be nightmare fuel." He then looked at Sidorak. "See? I told you Roodaka was nuts to do this to us. Now do you believe me?"
Sidorak contemplated this news silently for several seconds, frowning in consideration before saying finally. "Yes, your point has been made, and anyone with that big of a death wish will get no support from me."
"Does that mean you're going to help us fight her off?" Onua asked, his tone hopeful.
"Now when did I ever imply that?" Sidorak scoffed. "No, I'm not. I'm getting out of this Spirit-forsaken pit. When you do find Roodaka though, hit her once for me, won't you?" Now the warlord was cut free too, rubbing his wrists as he sized up the two Hordika before him. "Yes, you and your cohorts will do just fine if you all fight like that. It wouldn't surprise me if Vakama had rejoined your lot by now."
"Wait," Onua said, blinking in surprise. "Vakama turned against you? I thought he was against everyone he used to care about."
"He turned on us too." Sidorak remarked dismissively. "Took Mihkoro's son and fled. Roodaka was furious about that." A sinister smirk crossed his face. "I didn't know a Toa could scream so loud... now, if you'll excuse me." And before the Hordika could say anything else, the warlord walked away, vanishing into the darkness without another word.
"That was... interesting." Onua said awkwardly. "Anyway, do you mind telling me more about what went on? What happened to Mihkoro anyway?" He paused, blinking a couple times. "And who are you?"
"Ag yes, I suppose introductions are in order." The pale one stretched before starting off down the tunnel Sidorak vanished into. "Let's walk while we talk though; I don't fancy the idea of staying in one place for too long."
Onua nodded, hurrying along after his new companion. "Who was that guy anyway? He seemed like a bit of a jerk."
The pale Hordika laughed. "He seemed like a jerk because he is one. That was Sidorak, and he's part of the reason Metru Nui is in shambles. I don't fully know what part he played in all of it, but I do know that he's not someone to take lightly. Stroking his ego can make him easier to manipulate, but Sidorak is no fool; he's powerful for a reason. At any rate, I'm just glad he's leaving. Roodaka's scary enough on her own without him around to make things worse."
"When you put it that way, I'm finding it hard to disagree." Onua remarked grimly. "And how do you, Mihkoro, and Vakama, fit into all this?"
"Well, first off I'll give you something to call me. My name's Frigus, and I'm one of the remaining members from Mihkoro's team. I don't actually know how many of us are still alive, but I do know that at least three of us have died, and that a fourth might join their number soon."
The nineteen year old looked uneasy. "Mihkoro... he isn't dead, is he?"
Frigus shook his head. "Thankfully no, though he probably wishes he was. The ones who are dead were named Hera, Bakuma, and Kajuni. I fear that Saraco might join them soon, if he hasn't already."
It wasn't hard for Onua to see that the losses were hitting Frigus really hard, probably a lot harder than he was letting on. Deciding now was probably a good time to find a new topic, the younger Hordika asked quickly. "So, any idea where to find the rest of the resistance force? They're bound to be trying to regroup, right?"
The distraction seemed to work, Frigus' expression lightening considerably. "I've been contemplating that for a while now actually." He replied, a very faint, cheery sort of tone in his voice. "Given the circumstances, I believe they might be at the Great Temple. Since it was attacked earlier, logic would generally say that going there again would be a stupid idea. However, it's for that very reason we should go there; Roodaka wouldn't expect us to be 'stupid enough' to do that."
Onua grinned. "Reversed logical tactics. Kopaka told me about that a while ago; it's an obvious tactic that frequently gets overlooked simply because of how unorthodox it seems. Because of that, predictability becomes unpredictable."
"Exactly!" Frigus piped up. "So, to the Temple?"
"Yep. To the Temple."
