(A/N): Welcome back to Destiny's Divide! This week, we're speed-running Onu-Koro! Yes, I know, in the past I've dedicated multiple chapters to the individual adventures that Penny and Takua have in each village. However, I'm of the opinion that the Onu-Koro section of the original Mata Nui Online Game is where the experience really starts to drag, and I didn't want to write multiple chapters where it's just "Penny and Takua solve this problem, then they go solve this problem, then they go do that, etc." There's also some cool stuff that comes up after this chapter - stuff that might not be entirely canon-compliant, whoops - so I also wanted the Onu-Koro stuff done and out of the way so I can get to that.
Despite all that, I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you enjoy reading!
(And yes, the chapter title IS a reference to one of the 2004 Bionicle Books. I like using the titles of official works or songs for both RWBY and Bionicle as chapter titles in this fic, in case you hadn't noticed.)
"Toa Onua, Huntress Blake…it's an honor to welcome you to the Great Mine."
Blake couldn't conceal her gasp as Onepu once more led them into a massive structure, though this one absolutely dwarfed Onu-Koro in terms of size and scale. A far cry from the fifteen-foot-wide circular tunnels that crisscrossed under the island in mazelike pathways, the Great Mine was an enormous spherical chasm that stretched so far she couldn't even see the distant edges. Hundreds of lightstones and other light sources twinkled in the distance like stars in the night sky, and the air was abuzz with the sound of far-off machinery drilling through rock and stone for the treasures within. If Blake didn't know any better, she could have almost forgotten they were still underground.
Beside her, the Toa of Earth stood speechless, in absolute awe of what his people had created. Onepu sat on a purple Ussal crab in front of them both, looking back at their reactions with a satisfied smile. He was clearly proud of the works of the Onu-Matoran - and why wouldn't he be? The Great Mine outclassed just about every structure Blake had seen on Remnant.
Still, Penny didn't message me asking Onua and I to come here just for sightseeing, she thought after staring for another moment. Something's stopping them from digging down at the bottom - and she wants us to find a way past it.
She shifted her focus to the Ussalry Captain. "It's certainly amazing, but our friend told us that there's a problem here. Something big enough that it's worth putting the quest for the masks on hold. What's the situation?"
Onepu sighed. "Ah…yes, the situation. One of many that plagues us, I fear. The prospectors have come upon a layer of odd stone that they can't penetrate, and that obstacle is keeping us from finding more underground protodermis deposits. You're familiar with what protodermis is, yes?"
"The fundamental building block of life on Mata Nui," intoned Onua with a nod. "It can take on many different forms, from solid stone and metal to liquid and gaseous states of matter. Our bodies, everything from our mechanical servos to our organic muscles, from our heartstones to our Kanohi…they are all made from protodermis."
Blake listened carefully and nodded. "Sounds a bit like our Dust back home. It has a lot of different forms, too, mostly in regards to what element it holds and whether it's a powder or a crystal. The main difference is that we only use it as an energy propellant, or as weapons to fight the Grimm. We don't really build things out of Dust - it's hard to use it for construction when it can explode into fireballs or thunderstorms if you hit it wrong."
Onua chuckled. "Yes, I imagine that would be quite anxiety-inducing. Fortunately, protodermis does not have that issue."
"Then I'm sure you don't need me to tell you why not being able to mine for protodermis is a problem," said Onepu. "Nuparu's the one trying to figure out a way through the strata; take the elevator to the bottom or Shaft B, it's the second car on your right. It'll take you right down to where he's set up shop…I'd wager his curiosity would keep him down there for at least a few moons without rest."
The pair of tall heroes nodded and went to the specified vehicle, which seemed to resemble a collection of coal-black girders and steel beams suspended on a network of cables. Despite being sized for regular Matoran use, Blake was relieved to find that both she and Onua fit, and though the car lurched under their weight it seemed to hold well enough. With one pull of a lever the elevator car rumbled and descended on its pulleys, plunging into the darkness below as Onepu saluted them farewell.
Looks like Onu-Koro's got a ton of problems these days, thought Blake on the ride into the depths. Let's hope that Penny and this Takua of hers can handle the rest.
"You can't dig what you can't see!"
"No more torches! No more torches!"
"We can't see, we won't work! We can't see, we won't work!"
Penny cast a sympathetic glance to the group of miners as she passed them by, her eyes straining to pick out the details in the low torchlight. Not that she could see any better - in the flickering flames all she could see were the miners' overall frames, as everything from mask shape to colors were obscured by the shadows. Takua similarly kept blinking blearily as he tried to focus on the surrounding tunnels, but as a Ta-Matoran he was almost as blind as the freckled human at his side.
Even so, she could see at least a half-dozen Matoran carrying signs in their hands as they marched in protest, old torches mounted on their masks as they burned down to the wicks. A dozen more were lying in beds that sat in near complete darkness, groaning softly as their emerald eyes pulsed dimly. In contrast to the joy and purpose the miners who worked in the main village showed as they dug to expand the walls, these Matoran looked absolutely miserable. There was no hope, no joy, nothing but emptiness in the stares of the sick and hopelessness in the glares of the peaceful protesters.
Something tells me that using the lightstone would be seen as an insult to the miners deprived of one, thought Penny, once again feeling vaguely nostalgic for her robotic features. Or worse, they may demand that we give it to them…and while I would gladly give them what they need, they cannot have ours.
At least her ears worked well, because she could very clearly hear the sound of a chisel striking stone over and over. She and Takua followed the constant stream of noise, carefully stepping over loose rubble and tools as they made their way across the dig site. When they reached the far wall she was barely able to make out the frame of another Matoran, one that was diligently digging despite the darkness.
"Taipu, I presume?" asked Takua with a tilt of his head.
The digger paused and turned to face them. "Oh, hello. Yes, that's me." His glowing green eyes looked up at Penny. "Are you one of those Toa that Onepu said came this week?"
"Ah…no, I am a human," said Penny with a faint blush. "A girl. My name is Penny Polendina, and this is Takua the Chronicler. We are here to help, however we can."
Taipu blinked twice, then slammed his pick into the stone again. "Sorry. You looked as tall and strong as a Toa, so that's why I asked. It's very nice to meet you, Penny and Takua. Stay close - if the Rahi attack, I will protect you."
Casting a glance at Penny's weapons, Takua cleared his throat. "So, why are you the only one digging?"
"We are building a highway to Le-Koro," said Taipu without a moment's hesitation. "Whenua says I am the strongest of the Onu-Matoran, so I'm leading the way. No one else is working because it's hard to see…they want lightstones instead of torches."
"That hasn't stopped you?" asked the Chronicler.
"It's hard to dig when there is almost no light," admitted the young Onu-Matoran. "But Onepu says I have to try anyway. Nothing will happen if I don't."
"Onepu?" Penny asked with a tilt of her head.
"The Captain of the Ussalry," said Taipu with stars in his eyes. "He's also my best friend in all of Onu-Koro! Onepu is very brave and smart, and he knows a lot about fighting Rahi and riding on Ussal Crabs. He's supposed to be digging too, but he showed me how I can do both of our digging at the same time. That's how smart he is!"
The two travelers shared a skeptical look, then turned guiltily back to the young digger.
"Taipu…I think that Onepu may be taking advantage of you," said the former maiden with a frown. "And if he does that, then I do not think he would be your friend."
"Oh, thank you for the concern, but it's not like that," he answered with a shake of his head. "He is just very busy right now, helping organize village defenses and keeping the tunnels safe. Onu-Koro has a lot of problems right now, and he is helping Whenua resolve as many of them as he can. He is smart like that. I am not smart, but I am very strong. I know how to dig, so that is what I will do. Someday we will reach Le-Koro, even if I am the only one working on the highway…and then there will be one less problem for the Turaga to worry about."
On the one hand, Penny found it admirable that Taipu would continue working even when no one else was, purely out of dedication and duty. On the other hand, she knew that there was no possible way that one Matoran could dig a path all the way to Le-Koro. If things did not change, then Taipu was going to be digging for a very, very long time…assuming he was not simply wasting his energy, of course.
In any case, she and Takua had learned all that they could just by visiting the dig site. It was time to go and think of a solution.
"Thank you for your time," Penny said with a bow. "We will not bother you any longer."
"It's no bother at all making new friends," said Taipu with a smile under his mask. "Goodbye."
And with that, he turned and went right back to digging, splitting stones from the wall and casting them to the side. The travelers shared another look, then carefully made their way back past the protesting workers and into the main tunnels. While it was still difficult to see, the primary passageways had dim, faintly-flickering lightstones mounted along the walls, so the lighting in those pathways was slightly better. Slightly.
"This is terrible," said Penny sorrowfully. "All these miners...they are working and fighting so hard, even when they get sick or tired or hurt. They all seem so sad…"
"Yeah," agreed Takua with a nod. "It all stems from the torches. There's too much smoke underground, it's making them ill and weak. Plus it's not keeping the Rahi away."
"Perhaps if they had their lightstones, it would clean the air and help them work more quickly?"
"Not a bad idea," said the Chronicler, "but you heard what Whenua said. They can't get to their lightstone mine - something about a lava spillage blocking the way."
"Mm." Penny sighed. "If only there was a way to get across the lava."
"Yeah...if only…"
After another moment of hemming and humming, two pairs of eyes - one human, one Matoran - lit up with inspiration. They gasped and turned to each other with excitement etched into their faces, and spoke almost at the exact same time.
"The lavaboard!"
After a short but uncomfortable elevator ride, Blake and Onua found themselves in the deepest Matoran-made part of the island. Old flickering and fading lightstones lit up the area, giving them just enough light to see and nothing more. In the dim glow the Huntress could see that they were standing on a sheet of bedrock, the topmost layers of which were chipped off and peeled back to reveal a dull-gray surface as smooth as soap and as cold as steel. Some of the miners and prospectors down here were either digging side tunnels or taking measurements, others were gathering up the many, many broken tools that had tried and failed to pierce the stone strata, and one curious-looking Matoran was examining what looked to be a giant metal dais with great intensity.
That particular Onu-Matoran caught her attention as she and the Toa approached. She recognized him and his strange colors - his orange Pakari, his coal-black torso and arms, and his legs as gray as the stone around him. Beyond that, Blake also recognized his reaction to the pair…or rather, his lack thereof. While most of the other villagers bowed in reverence whenever Onua passed by, this one barely even looked up from his work. His focus was entirely consumed by the symbol-laden metal disk in front of him, staring at it pensively and humming thoughtfully.
I'll bet that this guy and Ruby would have a lot to talk about, thought Blake, smiling wryly at the mental image of Remnant's best weaponsmith talking shop with Mata Nui's greatest engineer.
She walked up and cleared her throat. "Hello again, Nuparu."
"Yes, hello again - oh." The engineer blinked and looked up at her in recognition. "Ah, the offworlder. Blake, right? Glad to see that you and our Toa could spare the time to help us." He tilted his head as he stared at the weapons slung across her back. "Strange…you didn't have that other sword when we last met in Onu-Koro. It looks far more mechanically complex than its sheath…any chance I could take a closer look at it sometime?"
Her hand clutched protectively to the hilt of Gambol Shroud. "I wouldn't hold my breath."
"Fair enough." Nuparu shrugged, then looked up to Onua. "And you're just the Toa I was hoping to see, actually. Your elemental power should be perfect for figuring out this strange layer."
The Toa of Earth nodded. "What would you have me do?"
"Let's start with the obvious question. Can you break through it?"
Onua hummed and knelt down, placing the tips of his claw against the ground with three light taps. Although Blake couldn't see any obvious effects, she knew that her taller friend was sending vibrations through the strata, listening closely for a response. After a brief moment of silent sensing, Onua activated his Mask of Strength with a hiss of steam, drew his arm back, and slammed his claw down with every ounce of might he had.
Nothing.
The black-armored Toa frowned behind his mask as his claw simply bounced off the floor. "Strange…a blow like that could have cleaved through a tectonic plate in one strike. Whatever this is, it is stronger than my claws…and stronger than me, even."
Nuparu hummed. "That is odd, that earth like this would resist even its patron Toa. Then again…maybe it's not earth at all. As I reported to Aiyetoro, this material seems to be at least partially organic, like the shell of an Ussal crab. Beyond that, and this strange disk here, the strata is completely unremarkable…except that it seems to extend under the whole island, and no one can break through it."
Blake tilted her head. "Maybe this thing here has a clue. What is it?"
"I'm not entirely sure," admitted the engineer. "I've been studying it for three days straight, and I'm no closer to figuring it out now than I was earlier this week. Based on the astrological markings and the letters carved into the surface, I would guess that it's a sundial of some kind…though why anyone would build a sundial this far underground is beyond me. I wonder if it's somehow the key to getting past this layer, and what we might find underneath it…"
With a hum of her own she pulled out her scroll and checked the cipher that Weiss sent, comparing the former heiress's notes to the circular runes inscribed on the dais. Sure enough, the different wedges seemed to mark the different hours of the day, from sunrise to sunset and midday to midnight. Various pictures and carvings seemed to adorn the empty spaces, depicting everything from tall armored figures to hideous beasts and terrifying winged giants. It was a very intricately carved sundial, to be sure…but as Nuparu said, a sundial without sunlight was less than useless. Especially one that was missing a marker of any kind in the middle.
Maybe we need to find its centerpiece and shine a light so it points to the proper time? The feline Faunus thought for a moment, then shook her head. Wait, no. Silly Blake. That kind of solution only works in those old point-and-click adventure games.
She cast a glance towards Onua, who was busy running his claws over the ground in a vain attempt to leave at least a scratch on the strange strata.
Still, there's gotta be a way to open this…but how?
In stark contrast to the pitch-black darkness of the dig site, the lava flood was harshly bright.
Penny's human eyes strained to adjust to the sudden influx of light, seeing a faint orange glow become a blinding field of white as soon as she turned the corner of a tunnel. Eventually her pupils shrank to correctly compensate, giving her a clear picture of the yellow-red hellscape that lay before her. Steam and smoke rose from where the pool of lava lapped at the tunnel edges, the sound of melting stone and churning waves flooded her ears, and the smell of burning sulfur assaulted her nose. It reminded her of Ta-Koro in all of the worst ways: all the dangers and fury of runaway fire, with none of the warmth and safety it provided when tempered.
Takua clutched the strap of his rucksack a little tighter. "Well…I can see why lava farmers are so important now."
The freckled human nodded with a hum, watching the half-dozen Onu-Matoran nearby try and fail to dig trenches, tunnels, anything that could help divert or navigate around the spill. She crouched down and pulsed with her Technopathy, her Semblance stretching out in tendrils of teal-green string to seek out mechanisms and connect with them. Within just a few moments, she had an intimate understanding of how the system around the lava flow worked…and why it currently was not working.
"It looks like there is a series of pipes that are meant to drain and divert the lava into reservoirs on either side," she reported as she withdrew her strings and stood up. "This tunnel cuts through the heart of an underground lava pool, so rather than drain the entire lake the Onu-Matoran have devised a way to keep the molten rock out of this tunnel, and use the newly-bisected magma deposits to collect geothermal energy. However, some of the lava has cooled prematurely within the pipes, creating blockages that could build up enough pressure to cause all the pipes to rupture. Explosively."
Takua's eyes widened as he followed where Penny was pointing, gazing at the half-dozen steel gray pipes that formed arches along the edges of the tunnel. "Mata Nui! Is that what happened here?"
She waved her hands frantically. "Oh, no! No, that would be the worst case scenario. This is actually the system working as intended - rather than allow the pressure to build to catastrophic levels, the automated emergency release valves have opened just before the lava can reach the blockages. This forces the entire system to flush the pipes, letting the lava flow into the tunnel itself rather than remain in the pipes to cool and harden and make things worse. However, the system is stuck in a faulty loop at this point, as no one has been able to clear the blocked sites. That is what has caused the flood to persist; the pipes continue to try and drain the lava out of the tunnel, only to release it back as soon as it is collected."
The Chronicler clearly did not understand what all those words meant. One of the nearby Onu-Matoran scoffed and slung his pick over his shoulder.
"Am I incorrect in my analysis?" she asked.
"Nah, you pretty much got it," said the villager clad in a purple Miru. "Just surprised to see an offworlder figure out one of Nuparu's inventions so quickly. Half the time, us regular villagers don't even understand how to turn them on, much less how they work."
Penny grinned. "What can I say? I am very familiar with machines."
"I guessed that much."
Takua was still lost, but he nodded all the same. "Can you fix it from here?"
"I cannot," said the Huntress with a shake of her head. "But there is a control panel for the valves on the other side of the lava flood. If we can get to that, I can force the system to purge the blockage and reseal the valves, allowing the tunnel pipes to drain normally. That should clear the tunnel within a few minutes…in theory."
"Yeah, Nuparu put the control panel on the south end of this tunnel, next to the entrance to the Cavern of Light," explained the nearby Onu-Matoran. "He said he put it there in case any Matoran got trapped on that side by a lava flow and needed to clear the flood." He let out another humorless laugh. "Of course, he failed to consider what might happen if everyone was on the north end, and if no one was over on the south side should a flood break out. I even told him as he was making it to put a panel on this side too, but did he listen? Of course not! No one listens to old Damek, he's just a guard…he's nowhere near as smart as Onu-Koro's best engineer! And of course, he's been so obsessed with that stupid sundial in the Great Mine that he hasn't even come out here to check on things…"
Penny sensed some bad blood - protodermis? - between this "Nuparu '' and "Damek", but she did not wish to probe further. Neither did Takua, who unslung his rucksack and pulled out a red-and-blue metal square. The strange object unfolded in his hands, turning into a six-foot-long board of thin steel with a pair of coal-black handles on the sides and a sloped section at the front.
"Well then it's a good thing we're here," said the Chronicler proudly as he looked up to his taller friend. "Okay, Penny. Are you ready for this?"
Damek tilted his head. "Ready? Ready for what?"
She grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. I am ready!"
"Seriously, what are you two ready for?"
"And you're sure you don't wanna just hold the lightstone and stay here while I paddle across?"
"While you what?!"
"You will need my Technopathy to fix the machinery on the other side. Besides, my Aura will protect me."
"Now hold on just a minute - !"
"It'll protect you from the fumes, Penny. It won't save you if you fall into the lava itself. If we wipe out, that'll be the end for both of us."
"That's why you shouldn't try to - !"
"Well then I trust you will not 'wipe out'! Let us go!"
"As a member of the Onu-Koro guard, I must insist that you - "
"Alright then! Follow my lead!"
"WAIT!"
Despite Damek's increasingly-frantic interjections, Takua and Penny took off running towards the lava's edge, the former throwing down the lavaboard and leaping onto it alongside the latter. Much to the Huntress's relief, the board not only floated on the molten rock, it actually blocked most of the heat - to the point where it almost felt cooler kneeling behind Takua than she'd been when she was standing near the shore. The momentum of their running jump carried them forward with surprising speed, allowing them to surge and surf across the sea of sulfur.
The Chronicler stood with his arms outstretched, leaning with his weight to bank and steer the lavaboard around the downpour from the overhead pipes. Penny chose to stay on her hands and knees, curling up as tight as she could behind Takua and following his lead when it came to steering. Despite the splashes of sulfur that threatened to burn her toes and the sweat that poured down her brow, she smiled as the pair moved through the flooded tunnel at high speeds. Surprisingly, she was enjoying herself.
He is a natural at this! Penny thought proudly as she watched Takua expertly steer and balance from behind. Even if his mind does not remember being able to surf across lava, his muscles clearly do. I wonder if he was some kind of athlete before he lost his memories?
Eventually the Ta-Koronan roller coaster ride came to an end, the glowing underside of the lavaboard scraping against solid ground once again. The pair hopped off with a nod; Penny started looking around while Takua dragged the board out of the lava.
"Well, that was…almost fun," he said with a soft laugh.
"It was very fun!" Penny proclaimed. "But our job is not finished. We need to find that control panel…ah! There it is!"
Sure enough, she could see a large square block of steel and glowing lights, one that was connected to a shuddering and shaking bundle of pipes. Penny didn't need to follow the steel-gray rods to know that they lead to the rest of the lava drains - the hissing of steam and the thumping of impending cavitation was proof enough. The Huntress quickly ran up and activated her Semblance, placing both palms on the control panel and sending those same ephemeral threads deep into the mechanism.
Only when she went to find the system reset controls, she found something else alongside it.
Penny let out a small gasp as she probed into something new, something that sat waiting below the surface of the rudimentary control panel. While the Matoran machine built on top of it was easy enough to figure out, this underlying system was anything but - it felt wholly different from anything else she had encountered. It did not run off of sleek, smooth, intangible code like most Remnant devices, nor did it match the same ruggedized and clunky mechanisms used by villagers all over Mata Nui. This new system, this hidden machine…it almost felt alive. Or at least, like it had been alive at one point.
Strange… she thought to herself. Damek said that Nuparu built this machine, but the technology underneath is…old. Far older than the pipe network itself, or the lava pumps. It feels as though it is connected to…something. Something much larger and farther away. The lava draining system and the control panel must have been added later…but what was this machine's original purpose?
That curiosity made her probe deeper into this unfamiliar system, weaving threads of energy into its hardware in a vain attempt to wake it up. Unfortunately, despite her poking and prodding, no reaction occurred. Rather than disappoint her, this discovery only further piqued her fascination. What did this machine do back when it had worked? Was it some kind of terraforming device? A databank? Or maybe it was a relay for something larger…the same massive enigmatic machine that seemed to call her from far below like a proverbial song in the night…?
"Um, Penny?" Takua poked her leg. "You doing alright? The display on that Scroll of yours just went from green to orange. Is that normal?"
…oh dear. It seemed that Penny's investigation into the odd machine had quickly drained her Aura. She shook her head to clear it, and though it pained her to pivot mentally away from the mystery, she forced herself to focus on the control panel itself. Answers and secrets could wait another day. Helping people always came first.
A few seconds of pulling internal levers and manually connecting crude circuits later, the panel fully lit up with a soft ding.
The results were instantaneous. A series of loud hisses echoed across the tunnel, followed by the sound of creaking valves and grinding gears. Penny pulled back from the control panel and looked behind to see ceiling-mounted junctions along the pipes spit out chunks of semi-solid rock before sealing up, which made the dozen or so overhead lava spouts thin out and disappear altogether. The edge of the sulfur sea was already pulling back, as the pump arrays worked quickly to drain the flood. Within seconds the lava flood was half of what it was before. A minute later, less than a quarter remained. After two minutes, only cinders and embers glowing with faint red gave any indication that a spill had happened in the first place.
Withdrawing from the machine, she turned and looked with pride at her handiwork alongside Takua.
Then the Onu-Matoran came.
Even in the darkness Penny could see over two dozen pairs of glowing green eyes staring back at her and her Chronicler, growing closer with each second as they marched in unison. Some of them had shovels that they used to sweep away the burning coals in their path, while others rode on Ussal crabs carrying pickaxes over their shoulders and metal buckets in their laps. Most of them passed the pair wordlessly as they made their way through the tunnel, but one of them - the purple-masked guard who had tried to stop them - snapped a quick salute at the Huntress and the Chronicler as he stepped out of the procession.
"You travelers have got to be the craziest folks on Mata Nui to even think about doing something like that," Damek grunted. "And for that, all of Onu-Koro owes you a great debt."
Takua smiled behind his own mask. "Just glad we could help. Anything else we can do? Maybe we can help with mining."
"No need for that," answered the guard with a wave of his hand. "Now that access to the Cavern of Light has been restored, we can get fresh lightstones anywhere they're needed across the entire Wahi. I know that the Le-Koro Highway team has been digging by torchlight for several moons now - we'll send them the first batch we mine. Should arrive in a few hours or so."
"I think Taipu would greatly appreciate that," said Penny with a grin.
"You have no idea, offworlder," said Damek with a smile of his own. "Now, if you'll excuse me…there's a lot of work to catch up on. Thanks again, strangers - may Mata Nui smile on you both as you continue your travels."
Then with one final salute, Damek joined the rank and file of miners who passed them by. Eventually, the marching footsteps of the Matoran and their Ussal mounts grew quieter and their forms became dimmer, until both disappeared altogether.
"Well, it's not much of an accolade, but who has time for celebrating when everyone else is fumbling around in the dark?" Takua let out a laugh. "Nice work with the machine, Penny. That little trick of yours might just be the best thing that's happened to the island."
Penny giggled and curtseyed. "I would not have been able to use the control panel if you had not been so brave and resourceful yourself. Who knew that you were so skilled in the art of surfing on molten lava?"
"Not me, that's for sure!" said the Chronicler with another laugh. "Come on, let's head back to the highway dig site. We might as well bring the good news ourselves!"
With a laugh and a smile, Penny followed the smaller the Matoran down the tunnels. Despite the grin that clung to her face, the mystery of the machine within the machine still gnawed away at her, tainting her victory with more unanswered questions. There was still the frustration of having something so strange and foreign to her being dangled in front of her face with no way to grasp and understand it, of course, but now there was something else that bothered her.
When she had used the access panel to force the system reset…something had shifted inside the older machine.
She was not entirely sure how it had happened, especially when the ancient system did not otherwise react to her probing and prodding. Dozens of potential explanations flooded her mind, trying to understand and answer the burning questions with what little information she had. Maybe the two machines were more intertwined than she realized, and manipulating one had affected the other. Maybe she had not fully withdrawn from the older mechanism when she controlled Nuparu's invention, and her strings got snagged on something in the process. Or maybe it was just a coincidence, and she had nothing to do with it at all. Each rationalization rang more hollow than the last, and left her feeling empty and unsatisfied.
Then again…maybe it really was nothing? Maybe it really was just a broken machine, a relic of whatever civilization predated the Matoran, and it did absolutely nothing in this day and age. The earth had not opened, and the sky had not fallen, so whatever was in that mechanism had not triggered a world-shattering cataclysm. Perhaps it was enough that Takua was happy, that the Onu-Matoran had their light source back, and that one of Onu-Koro's most grave problems had been fixed.
So for now, Penny decided to keep the knowledge of the extra switch to herself.
After all…it was probably nothing important.
"Everyone! Get back!"
The earth around Blake rumbled and shook, nearly drowning out Onua's sharp call. The miners and prospectors all scrambled back as the metal dais suddenly began to shift and spin rapidly, unscrewing like the handle of a great vault and splitting neatly in half. The rest of the floor soon followed, opening up like two great sliding doors to reveal a bottomless pit.
"Mata Nui, what is that?!"
"Is this some trick of Makuta?!"
"The edge grows closer! Quick, get along the wall!"
As she and Onua shepherded the villagers away from the sudden and expanding chasm, Blake caught sight of what lay below. The steel sides of the new ravine, with what appeared to be miles and miles of circuitry etched into the metal, were a far cry from the stone walls of Onu-Wahi. Arcs of lightning danced and leapt between distant pylons, gears spun and churned with no apparent function, and a deep groan seemed to escape the depths like the humming of a great machine. Whatever was down there was not natural - even compared to the other technology she'd seen on Mata Nui, this was alien and strange.
Most of the Onu-Matoran were wise, quick, or lucky enough to back away from the ledge of the ever-growing divide.
Nuparu was none of those things.
"Whoooaaaa!"
Blake was in motion before the engineer could even finish his scream. She leapt into the steel-plated ravine and dove after him, Gambol Shroud already drawn and folded with its ribbon tied around her wrist. One arm flung the bladed pistol out to hook into the lip of the chasm. The other arm wrapped around Nuparu's waist and held firmly, her body doing its best not to cry out in protest of the added weight as the tension suddenly snapped taut. The pair dangled above the endless darkness, swaying back and forth slightly yet holding firm to their lifeline.
When she was sure they were done falling, she looked down at the Onu-Matoran in her grip. "You good?"
"Y-yes, thank you Blake," gasped Nuparu, instinctively putting his arms around the one thing keeping him suspended. Then he looked down at the seemingly bottomless pit of circuitry and machinery, and chuckled humorlessly. "You know…when I said I wanted a closer look at what lies beneath that strata, this isn't quite what I had in mind."
Blake almost laughed. Almost. "Yeah…well, in any case, I don't think you're finding any more protodermis down there."
The engineer sighed. "Unfortunately, you may be right. This layer seems to be the limit of where we're meant to dig…for now, at least." After another moment of the two simply hanging there, he cleared his throat. "Err…not that I don't appreciate the rescue, but do you have a way back up?"
She was about to say she was working on that element of her plan when she felt the tension in Gambol Shroud's ribbon shift, and a single weightless moment made her worry that the blade had lost its grip on the edge. Her fears were dispelled when she looked up to see Onua picking up their lifeline, pulling them both back up to safety with his Mask of Strength. Once she had her feet back on solid ground, she nodded to the Toa of Earth gratefully. Nuparu did the same, staring back at the chasm with a sigh.
"...thank you for your help, great heroes," he said morosely. "Our resources might still be scarce, but at least now we know not to waste them on trying to get through this strata."
"I am sorry this did not yield the treasures you were hoping for," said Onua apologetically. "If you wish, I can use my Akaku to help you locate new deposits of protodermis, ones that may have escaped your survey efforts until now."
"We would be truly grateful, Toa Onua," said the engineer. "We Onu-Matoran are a resourceful bunch, so we'll likely be able to use whatever you find for us. It's a pity, though…despite all this, I'd still like to examine the depths of that chasm. It almost seems like the insides of a giant machine…perhaps I can study it in more detail someday."
Blake took one look back at the yawning abyss that now took up nearly the entire mineshaft, and prayed that a day like that wouldn't come for a very, very long time.
Now this…this was curious.
Deep in the shadows of Mangaia, he saw and felt everything. Every shift in the light. Every subtle vibration. And just now, while he was deep in thought, he felt the earth above him roar and shriek as a new opening to his lair suddenly opened.
How was this possible, he wondered? True, the island of Mata Nui had many secret passages to his domain - he used them quite extensively to channel his elemental power, after all. Yet most of them were either sealed off and locked with ancient relics, or closed and opened by his will alone. That the Matoran were suddenly able to access one all on their own was unfeasible. Impossible, even.
Unless…unless the Matoran had nothing to do with it.
He scowled in the darkness. Of course. It had to be the machinations of those foolish Huntresses, the ones who kept poking their disgusting organic noses where they did not belong. Had they not already disrupted his plans enough with their mere presence? Were they still unaware of just how aggravating it was to keep rearranging the timeline to account for their reckless actions? It would be bad enough if they were the only ones who kept messing with his perfect design. Now they were encouraging their Toa and Matoran "allies" to do the same.
It was a nuisance, to say the least.
Very well, he thought with an annoyed huff. If these children are growing bored enough to keep causing inconveniences for me, then clearly I have not done enough to keep their attention. Perhaps I should raise the stakes a bit….make my Rahi a little more dangerous, throw rarer and more powerful specimens at them, and stage some more dangerous attacks on the villages. Should they prevail, it will give me time to realign my schemes. And should they fall in battle? Well, that would solve the problem altogether. Either way…they will not disturb you, my Brother.
Still...perhaps it would be best to keep a closer eye on the Matoran themselves, and redouble his efforts to keep them in line. It was the only way to keep them safe, and to keep them controlled.
After all, he simply could not allow them to burrow into the face of their Great Spirit.
(A/N): Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat