KROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAA.
The ear-piercing cry of the oily dragon rang out like thunder in the ash-gray sky, deafening the ears of those in Ta-Koro far, far below. Blake's Faunus ears pressed flat against her head while her amber eyes watched the hundred-foot-long creature of fire and steel swim and slither through the air, snaking its armored body like a serpent and dropping hot cinders in its wake. Everything about this beast, from its four powerful claws to the smoke billowing from its whisker-laden snout, gave off an aura of menace and might - and if every mask along its scales did indeed belong to a prior victim, then the monster flying overhead truly had a long and storied history of violence.
For Blake, the feeling of Yang's hand in her own was the only thing that kept her grounded.
Turaga Vakama could barely speak as his own terrified eyes tracked the Kanohi Dragon, trembling as painful memories clearly washed over him. "I had no idea such a beast as this still slumbered beneath our island. To think that it would appear now, after a thousand years…this can only be the machinations of Makuta…"
Gali, the Toa of Water, moved to stand just a little closer to Ruby. "Nokama warned me that older, powerful Rahi lingered in the waters surrounding Mata Nui. Perhaps creatures like this wait in every Wahi, to be awakened by their master?"
Tahu furrowed his brow in annoyance, clearly not interested in the mythology behind the new arrival. "It is just another Rahi, Turaga. It will fall before me, just as the rest have."
Vakama snapped up his gaze. "This beast will not yield to your flames, Tahu, nor will it fear the waters of Gali or the tremors of Onua. There is only one thing that can quell the fury of the Kanohi Dragon - the bitter chill of ice and snow."
Onua hummed thoughtfully. "Then perhaps we should have our Huntress allies reach out to the one who travels with Kopaka. His mastery over his element may give us a chance to -"
"I do not need more help saving my own village," growled the Toa, shifting his mask to that of the Pakari. "If it will not fall to my fire, then it will submit to my strength!"
And with that, Tahu took a strength-enhanced leap off the wall and charged into the fray, yelling a furious challenge to the serpentine Rahi. The Kanohi Dragon let out another deafening roar before diving down to face its opponent, snarling as eyes of angry crimson narrowed in anticipation. Onua and Gali balked at their brother's foolhardiness for a moment, then narrowed their gazes as they too leapt to face the dragon. Blake, meanwhile, held back a moment with her teammates, staring blankly at where the Toa used to be before looking at each other.
"...yeah, I'm definitely pinging Weiss for this," said Ruby as she started furiously tapping on her Scroll.
"Good idea, Rubes," agreed Yang with a nod. "Between her Dust and Kopaka's frostiness, we should have all the ice we need to make this guy chill out. Literally."
Blake suppressed a smirk, then looked at Vakama with determination. "You said this thing's vulnerable to cold. Any other weaknesses we should know about?"
The Turaga furrowed his own brow as he hummed deep in thought. "If memory serves…there is a narrow chink in the armor located on the back of its neck, a scar from earlier battles. It may be possible to deliver a killing blow there, but trying to reach it without first immobilizing it with freezing temperatures would be a fool's errand."
Ruby nodded, folding her Scroll back up and stowing it on her hip. "Alright, I sent the message to Weiss and Kopaka, so hopefully they'll be here soon. Keep a lookout for them, and let me know when they get close. We'll keep the Kanohi Dragon busy for as long as we can."
Vakama bowed respectfully. "May Mata Nui shield you all, girls. Be careful - the Kanohi Dragon is no ordinary Rahi."
"Oh, I'll bet," said Yang with a confident smirk. "But don't worry - we're no ordinary Huntresses, either."
Wishing she had a tenth of the confidence her girlfriend pretended to have, Blake nonetheless took a deep breath to steel her nerves, then leapt with her teammates to face the floating serpent.
This wasn't her first time fighting a dragon, but this Rahi made the Sea Feilong of her home world look like an oversized shrimp.
Massive dragon attacking Takoro! Need ice! Have water, earth, and fire, but not enough! Come here ASAP! Team RWBY needs you! Pretty please, with cake on top?
Weiss's gaze narrowed as she examined her Scroll, oblivious to the harsh desert sunlight or the impassive stare of Kopaka as he fitted a silvery-white Kakama over his existing mask. The Toa of Ice must have realized something was wrong, because he walked over and peered over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes and quickly explained what she'd read. (One day, she would teach her towering companion how to read the Remnant alphabet.)
Once she finished reading, she looked up to gauge his reaction. Kopaka said nothing at first, but he also didn't need to. The annoyance in his icy-blue eyes was answer enough - to join the defense of Ta-Koro would mean working with the other Toa, and right now that was the last thing he wanted.
"Look, if you're not going to help them, then I am," said Weiss with a frustrated sigh, already pulling up the mask wheel on her Scroll to channel the newly-gained Kakama. "Those are my friends, and I'm not going to abandon them. Not without a fight."
She was just about to press the button when she felt a cold hand clamp around her wrist. Weiss whirled around and prepared to really ream into the Toa of Ice for not even letting her leave, only for her own pale blue eyes to widen as Kopaka picked her up and tucked her under his shoulder. The ivory titan didn't throw down his shield or channel his element this time - with the Mask of Speed in his possession, sledding everywhere on a path of ice was no longer necessary.
"Save your strength," he said icily. "Using the masks like that drains your Aura, and you'll need as much as possible for the fight. I'll get you there - get us both there."
Despite the embarrassment at being carried around like a piece of luggage, Weiss nonetheless smiled with pride as the Toa of Ice triggered his new mask and took off in a silvery-white blur.
The first time Yang came to Mata Nui, she didn't think it was possible for the Charred Forest to burn twice.
Yet as she ran towards the site of battle (alongside her sister and her partner) she watched one blackened tree after another burst into flames, lit by the ink-black fire that spewed from the mouth of the airborne Kanohi Dragon. She caught glimpses of the other Toa moving and attacking through the trees - Onua dug up massive chunks of earth and hurled them with all his might, while Gali fired blasts of water from her palms - but the oily serpent in the sky weaved its way through everyone's attempts to knock it down. It retaliated with another ground-shaking roar and a wide blast of hellfire, making the Toa of Water seek cover as her brother quickly burrowed for safety.
Only Tahu stood his ground against the dragon's rage, extending one hand to keep the flames at bay with his elemental power.
"Your fires are nothing compared to mine, monster!" he roared as he reached for a fallen log with his gauntlet. "If you mean to fight us, then come down here and do so already!"
The Toa of Fire's challenge was punctuated by a forceful throw of the charred trunk, the Mask of Strength allowing him to toss the enormous fallen tree like it was nothing. The Kanohi Dragon paused its fiery assault just long enough to snatch up the hurled object before it could hit, shattering the log with one powerful snap of its jaws. Another deafening roar followed as it plunged down to meet Tahu's challenge head-on, slamming its front claws into the ground with enough force to make the horizon itself tremble. Leaping to avoid the impact, Tahu struck back with both fists, pummeling the dragon's face with a series of jabs and hooks.
"Is…is he actually punching the dragon?!" groaned Ruby as they continued running.
"...look I never said that my Toa was the smartest one of the bunch," admitted Yang sheepishly.
"At least his form is on point," noted Blake. She looked at her girlfriend with a wry smile. "Wonder where he learned that?"
"Hey, punching dragons wasn't supposed to be covered until next week," quipped the blonde brawler.
"Then let's help him out to make sure he can have those lessons," retorted the feline Faunus as she collapsed Gambol Shroud into a pistol. "Ice Dust bullets are loaded and ready."
"Same here!" chimed in Ruby, slotting a magazine marked with a snowflake into Crescent Rose.
Yang pumped her arms to unload the shells in Ember Celica, replacing them with two belts of cyan-colored slugs into the gauntlet on her left wrist and the cannon in her right. "Then let's bring the cold wave, ladies!"
"...Yang why are you like this."
"You love it, sis!"
And with that the Huntresses surged into the clearing where Tahu and the Kanohi Dragon struggled against each other, opening fire with their weapons and pelting the hundred-foot-long lizard's hide with icy bullets. Gali and Onua landed on either side of them and added their own elements to the mix, their blasts striking true now that the mighty Rahi had landed and was an easy target. The Kanohi Dragon barely even flinched under the onslaught of the attacks - if anything, it seemed more annoyed at the tiny creatures that kept shooting it and trying to stop it. So it merely settled for swinging its tail around and swiping at them, before swatting the Toa of Fire into their group and knocking everyone over like bowling pins.
They all had just enough time to disentangle themselves from the pile of limbs before the dragon moved to squash its foes, bringing its claws to bear in mighty swipes and leaving burning cinders with each mark in the ground. Scattered in different directions, they all tried to attack the mighty Rahi from every angle, only to find themselves falling one by one. Onua switched to his Hau to block a downward strike, only to be knocked aside by a swipe from his blind spot. Blake left frozen clones of herself to dodge the slashes, but left herself open for a swinging tail to knock her into - and through - a dozen dead trees. Ruby and Gali flipped and ducked and fired off attacks while moving, only for the former to be batted away while the latter was doused in searing hellfire. And Yang's hair burst into flames as she triggered her Semblance, channeled all the damage she'd taken into one powerful attack on the beast's unguarded flank; the Kanohi Dragon took it easily, and responded with an even stronger blow that shattered what was left of her Aura - along with what felt like every bone in her body.
"YANG!"
The blonde brawler fell to her knees as the golden field of energy fizzled away, taking her strength with it. She was vaguely aware of Blake's desperate cry as the Kanohi Dragon slammed its claws down on either side of her, opening its jaw and lowering its teeth to bite her head right off her shoulders…
But the sound of whirring servos snapped the world back into focus, as she caught sight of Tahu - empowered by the Mask of Strength - standing over her while prying the jaws of the Rahi apart with his bare hands.
"You will not harm the Matoran or the humans!" snarled the Toa of Fire. "Not while the power of Mata Nui still flows through my being!"
Awww. He does care about me, thought Yang, although her mouth was too full of blood to comment.
She felt a ribbon wrap around her waist and yank her back into the trees, pulling her roughly into the arms of her girlfriend. The feline Faunus took off in a sprint, carrying her partner bridal-style and panting heavily. Yang smiled up at Blake as thanks for the save and the lift back into the fight, then blinked in confusion as she noticed that the battlefield wasn't getting closer - it was getting farther away.
"Blake," she coughed, "did you get lost? The fight's back that way."
"I know, but Ta-Koro is this way," countered her partner between heavy breaths.
"You're just grabbing me and running away? Blake, come on, we talked about this. You can't just run away from problems - "
"But I can't lose you again, either!" Blake shrieked, looking back with amber eyes full of tears.
Yang was about to prepare a counter argument when the notification sound for both their Scrolls suddenly rang out. She pulled her device out of a scorched pocket, scanned the two-word message, and let out a small laugh.
You won't.
A silvery-white blur suddenly rushed past the two of them, one that left a trail of frost in its wake. Icicles sprouted up from the ground and shot into the sky, joining the dozens of razor-sharp frozen spears that floated and followed the new arrival. Several dozen glyphs appeared in a spiral around the Kanohi Dragon and gave the speeding warriors a path to run along, slash their swords at the armored Rahi as they passed by. When Weiss and Kopaka left the loop and skidded to a halt they made one final swing with their weapons, combining the icicles and the glyphs into one mighty lance of ice that crashed against the beast's head and shattered into trillions of pieces.
"Weissssss!" Ruby cried excitedly as she pushed a fallen tree off herself. "You came!"
"Of course I came!" The former heiress rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same as she brandished Myrtenaster.
Onua chuckled as he rose to his feet. "It would seem you have a knack for dramatic entrances, brother," he rumbled with a smile behind his mask.
Kopaka merely grunted in response, narrowing his gaze as he watched the Kanohi Dragon stagger from the impact of the frozen strike. While it wavered on its legs for a moment, it eventually shook its head and let out a deafening roar at the new arrival.
"Well that didn't work as well as we hoped," noted Weiss as she looked up at her Toa. "Plan B?"
"Plan B," agreed the Toa of Ice, plunging his sword into the ground to summon a cold mist across the battlefield. The Kanohi Dragon was enveloped in a cloud of white, snarling impotently and swiping uselessly at empty air. A pair of glyphs appeared in thin air and fired frozen arrows into its eyes, blinding it even further and drawing another deafening roar. Before it could unleash a fiery blast on its breath, Kopaka twisted his blade and snap-froze the mist into one solid block that trapped the creature in a thick layer of ice.
Yang had to admit, she was impressed.
Although given how hard Kopaka tried to hide his slumped shoulders and buckling knees, she could only guess it was a hard trick to pull off even for a Toa of Ice. Weiss retreated with her taller companion, running over to Blake and Yang while keeping one eye on the trapped dragon. Ruby rushed over with a gasp and a burst of rose petals, and soon Tahu, Gali, and Onua came over to join the improvised meeting.
"That should buy us all a few minutes, but it won't hold forever," said Weiss with a small pant. "Is everyone okay?"
Yang groaned as Blake set her back on her feet, doing her best to avoid dropping to her knees. "Oh, we're doing just swell. I mean, sure, my Aura's completely gone, every part of me hurts, Ruby and Blake are in the red, and the Toa are getting their shiny metal asses handed to them…but other than that, I think we got this!"
Ruby's eyes softened, then she reached into her pockets. "I might be able to help with some of those problems. Here."
She pulled out some weird cross between a blackberry and a metal motor, unscrewing two of the big bulbous seeds and passing them to the Bumblebee duo. Then she let her silver eyes fall onto the last seed, pausing momentarily before biting into it with a shrug. Yang stared at the strange berry she'd been handed, feeling the weight and firmness of the fruit against her palm. What was this thing?
Onua answered the unasked question. "Ah…a Vuata Maca berry. A rare fruit, but a very potent one all the same. I was not aware humans could benefit from its energizing juices."
"I've had this one since Macku and I went to go look for help in Ga-Koro," said Ruby, her face puckered up like she'd bitten into the world's most sour lemon. "It's the only one I've seen, though, so don't expect any more from me."
Blake regarded the Vuata Maca berry curiously. "…is now really the time for a snack break?" she asked, casting a glance back at the thrashing terror behind them.
"Just eat it, trust me. It'll bring your Aura back to full in just a few moments."
With a shrug, Yang bit into her fruit - and almost choked on the acidic juice that shot out. Yet by the time she finished eating she could already already feel her strength returning, the golden glow of her Aura slowly rippling and reforming over her skin. She winced as the protective field of energy immediately went to work on healing her, knitting together torn flesh and setting fractured bones back into place. A slight cough next to her told her that Blake had polished off her berry as well, her own Aura flaring up in a flash of violet.
"Hah…man, that beats Oobleck's coffee any day!" Yang said with a laugh.
Weiss nodded. "Great. So while you two recover, let's talk strategy. What's the plan?"
Tahu furrowed his brow. "The plan is to bring this beast down before it can harm my people."
Kopaka scoffed. "If that's your idea of a plan, then no wonder you're struggling. To think that our 'fearless leader' cannot take a beast of fire on his own…"
"And what would you propose we do, brother?" growled the Toa of Fire. "Pelt it with snowballs and dazzle it with tricks?"
"It would certainly be more effective than trying to punch it into submission," snapped the Toa of Ice.
Yang scowled and grunted as she grabbed her newly-healed ribs. "Hey, guys? Is there any chance we can save this new episode of 'Whose Crankshaft is Bigger' until after we deal with the giant dragon?!"
"Yang is correct," said Gali with a harshness in her yellow eyes. "We must work together to bring down this beast. We need to - ngh…"
The Toa of Water sank to her knees, planting her hands against the ground as she wavered on unsteady joints. Ruby was by her side in an instant, looking over her in concern. Onua was next to come to her side, and even Tahu and Kopaka watched in worry.
"Gali, are you okay?" asked the silver-eyed Huntress. "Are you hurt?"
"Not physically, no," rasped Gali. "However, the heat of Ta-Wahi saps my strength, and the blasts of flame I have taken from the Kanohi Dragon only accelerates my fatigue. I fear my stores of elemental energy are running dry, and there is not enough moisture in the air here to replenish it."
Ruby looked at the half-eaten Vuata Maca berry, then offered it to Gali. "Here, will this help?"
She waved off the gift. "Very kind of you, little one, but you need it more than I. It will not help with the heat, in any case."
"There is a beach nearby," said Onua. "Perhaps if I were to take you there, you could absorb the waters of the sea to recharge?"
"That will suffice," said Gali, looking sorrowfully at Ruby. "I am sorry to leave you, when you need me most…"
"Don't be sorry," consoled Ruby, resting a hand on her mask. "We can handle things here. I don't want you to push yourself against this thing - we all need to be at our best to beat it. Go with Onua to charge up, and don't come back until you're completely ready. Alright?"
The Toa of Water nodded reluctantly, then hissed in pain as Onua slung her over his shoulder while switching to the Mask of Speed. A black and blue blur raced away from the battlefield, leaving everyone else behind to stare at the half-shattered prison of ice.
"That thing's gonna break out any minute now," said Blake pointedly, "and we're down two Toa with still no plan. What do we do now?"
"Remember what Vakama said?" Ruby piped up. "The Kanohi Dragon doesn't like ice or frost, and it has a weak point in its armor on the back of its head. We've got two of the best masters of that element now - we just need to keep hitting it with cold attacks to slow it down long enough to strike."
"That still isn't a plan," Kopaka said icily. "This beast shrugged off one of my most powerful blasts, and even now it's clawing its way out of my strongest trap. It'll take more than just a Toa of Ice to slow it down enough to weaken its armor."
Ruby looked down at her feet. "Well, then maybe we could - "
"Perhaps a mountain, then?"
Everyone turned to face the source of the new voice, puzzled by the sudden appearance of a Matoran who almost certainly wasn't there before. The newcomer was clad in red metal from mask to toe, gazing up at them curiously through the eye holes of his powerless Pakari. Kopaka raised his sword by instinct, Tahu groaned, and three-fourths of Team RWBY tilted their heads in confusion.
Only Yang didn't seem all that surprised, laughing softly as she waved at her first "friend" on Mata Nui. "Sup, Kapura?" she said nonchalantly. "How's the practice going?"
"It is going quite well, Yang, thank you." Kapura smiled under his mask, then gestured with his hand. "I have actually just returned from Mount Ihu. It is several times larger than even our own Mangai. The mountain has layers upon layers of ice and snow, and even one small shift of a snowflake can bring down a mighty avalanche."
Tahu glared at the strange little Ta-Matoran. "This is hardly the time for riddles, slow one."
"It's not a riddle. It's an idea." Ruby looked back at the Kanohi Dragon as it continued to claw at its icy bonds, the gears in her head spinning and clicking into place. "If we can keep that thing's attention on us, we can lure it away from here and draw it out to Ko-Wahi - "
" - where we bring down the mountain right on top of it," finished Blake with a nod. "Now that sounds like a plan to me."
Kopaka cast an icy glare on the Huntresses. "You're suggesting you drive the beast towards my people?"
"Not your people. Your element." Weiss met her ally's gaze with a resolute stare of her own. "You said it yourself - one Toa of Ice isn't going to be enough to stop this thing. But an avalanche? A huge mound of ice and snow just waiting to fall and crush anything underneath? That might be exactly what we need."
"Using the terrain of Mata Nui to our advantage…" Tahu furrowed his brow as he hummed thoughtfully. "A bold and resourceful plan indeed, but it will require time to set up a controlled disaster of that scale. I doubt the Kanohi Dragon will grant it willingly."
"Which is why my team and I will hold it off while you go on ahead of us," declared Ruby as she handed her Scroll over to Kopaka. "Do you know how to use this?"
"I have studied Weiss when she used hers, yes."
"Perfect." The silver-eyed reaper readied her scythe. "When you're ready, send a message to the group chat and we'll bring it over there. Once we get the dragon into position, you two will trigger the avalanche and bring it down. You're going to have to work together to make this happen - can you do that? Not for yourselves, but for the Matoran. And for us."
The pair of elementally-opposed Toa looked at each other with disgust for a moment, and Yang briefly wondered if the silver-eyed Huntress would have had an easier time convincing Salem to hug a puppy. But eventually Kopaka turned to face Ruby with a tight, if reluctant, nod. Not wanting to be outdone, Tahu did the same - although he was clearly holding back another insult as he looked at the icy warrior.
"Judging by your entrance, I take it you have found the Mask of Speed?" he asked as his Hau shifted to the Kanohi in question.
"I have," answered Kopaka as his mask changed as well. "Watch your step once we reach Ko-Wahi - you may struggle to find traction in my element."
"Hmph. We shall see about that."
And with that, the Toa disappeared in red and white blurs.
"Think they'll actually work together?" asked Blake.
"They have to," said Ruby with a sigh. "This whole plan will fall apart if they don't...but for now, let's focus on this thing. Blake, you attack from the left while I go right. Weiss, Yang, you two take point. We'll be right behind you."
Yang snapped a salute to her sister. "You got it, Rubes. And thanks, Kapura - "
But when she turned to face the unusual Ta-Matoran, he was already gone.
"...dang, he has been practicing."
Weiss just stared in disbelief, then shook her head and readied her sword. The blonde brawler and the white-haired scion leapt back into the fray, watching as the mighty lizard finally clawed through at what was left of its prison. It looked down at them with a mighty roar, focusing its burning gaze on them and them alone.
"I'm already regretting this idea," groaned Weiss dryly as she looked to her teammate. "I suppose you have a plan?"
"Something like that," said Yang with a wink. "Start with a little Freezerburn, then you can bring out one of your summons while I get his attention. Think you can do that?"
"What do you think?"
"I'll take that as a 'yes,' ice queen."
Vakama watched the distant battle from the walls of Ta-Koro, hands gripping tightly to his firestaff while his knees trembled. As proud as he was of the Toa and the Huntresses bravely holding their own, this development worried him greatly. The Kanohi Dragon was something that not even his own visions had warned him about, and although it appeared to be greatly weakened, it was still clearly powerful enough to challenge warriors from two different worlds.
And yet, the physical danger it presented paled in comparison to the existential one.
For a thousand years the Makuta had toyed with them, tormented them, threatened them using the natural flora and fauna of their island home. He had brought down lightning from the skies and tsunamis from the depths of the sea, and ravaged the land with quakes and famine. Many of the Rahi on this island served him and him alone, launching raids on the villages as they clung tenuously to survival. Yet this was the first time he had called on resources beyond what the island provided - the Kanohi Dragon had never been on Mata Nui before, of this he was certain.
How was this possible, he wondered? Had Makuta truly gone to the lengths to find and release one of the most dangerous Rahi in existence? Had he opened new pathways between the worlds above and below, and lured the great beast to the surface? Or was this even truly the Kanohi Dragon he was familiar with? Perhaps it was a machine that mimicked its appearance and powers? Another member of its species? The village elder had no answers, and that worried him more than anything.
As far as the Matoran knew, Mata Nui had always been their home. But Vakama and the other Turaga knew better; they knew that a once-glistening city lay in ruins far beneath them, abandoned and broken in the wake of Makuta's prior bid for power. Even after a thousand years the village elders still had dreams of a time lost to them, a time where they were nothing more than teachers and archivists and other common jobs that didn't involve keeping the darkness at bay. Those days had long passed, and for the Master of Shadows to bring a reminder of that time to their island…to threaten them now with a secret of the past that should have stayed buried…it sent a clear message to the former mask-maker.
Makuta, on some instinctive level, feared the Huntresses.
To their shadowy adversary, the arrival of warriors from another world was a threat to his idea of order and control, a rogue Nui-Rama that flew into his carefully-constructed webs - and threatened to them down just in their struggle to survive. Makuta had once told him that even his setbacks were planned, so that no matter what happened he would emerge the victor, yet he suspected that none of those contingencies included seven powerful human girls appearing alongside the Toa and aiding them in their quest. Part of Vakama took pride in the crumbling confidence of the Master of Shadows, yet the rest of him grew only more worried. A desperate and scared Makuta was far more dangerous than a calm and methodical Makuta, and he doubted that the horrors from the past would cease at just the Kanohi Dragon.
"Turaga Vakama? Isn't there anything we can do?"
The elder looked down at Jaller by his side, standing at attention as usual. Though the Captain's eyes shone with fear, he did his best to conceal it behind the yellow Hau he always wore - the one that brought a fresh wave of pain and regret every time Vakama lay his gaze at it. He shook his head slowly, resting his hand on the brave little Ta-Matoran's head.
"Against a beast like this, even the finest guards will be nothing more than insects," he intoned gently. "And while the heavy weapons saved our village from the horde, they will do nothing against the Kanohi Dragon. The best we can do for now is pray that Mata Nui will deliver victory to the Toa and their allies...for if the dragon does not fall here, darker days lie on the horizon for our island home."
Jaller grunted, then nodded. "I suppose you're right, Turaga. I just…hate feeling helpless like this."
Now there was a sentiment Vakama understood all too well.
"Weiss, go right and target the joints! Bumblebee on point! Keep the pressure on this thing, don't let it fly off!"
Ruby could barely hear her own words over the sounds of gunfire and draconic snarling. She yelped as she ducked under another sweeping claw, firing with Crescent Rose and hitting the Kanohi Dragon in its left shoulder. Across from her Weiss dodged the Rahi's slams and stomps with acrobatic leaps and jumps, each graceful movement accompanied by a swing of Myrtenaster and a blast of Dust-induced glyphs. While the seeking spirals and ice-laced bullets didn't do much but irritate the beast, that was all Team RWBY needed right now. Keep its focus on them, and not on the dozens of vulnerable Matoran or the two Toa working to set up a frosty trap.
While Ruby and her partner kept launching hit-and-run attacks against the Kanohi Dragon's unguarded sides, the other half of their team worked to draw its focus. Blake and Yang practically danced around each other as they fired their weapons at the dragon's snout, constantly reminding the massive Rahi that they were there and ready for a fight. It snarled and met their challenge with snaps of its jaws and quick jets of flame, but both Huntresses were quick and evasive. Blake knew when to run, and Yang knew when to stand their ground; working together, they were untouchable.
"Ruby!" Weiss called out, backflipping to avoid a swipe of its tail. "Shoot the eye on your side! It's less armored than the rest of its face, and it should give Blake and Yang a chance to do some real damage!"
"On it!" Ruby called back, using her Semblance to shoot straight up and avoid the low sweeps of dragon claws. She brought up her weapon, looked down the sights at a crimson eye as tall as she was, breathed out, and fired. A single bullet ripped through the glowing biomechanical flesh, drawing out another scream as the Rahi's head sank low to the ground.
"Nice shot sis! Come on, Blake!"
And with that the blonde brawler tossed up her partner with all her strength, giving the agile Huntress leverage to deliver a series of aerial slashes with her cleaver. A long black ribbon kept the two tethered together as they launched their dual assaults, striking from the air and firing icy rockets from the ground. Blake hopped between Shadows like they were floating platforms as she hacked and shot the scales around the dragon's eyes; when the Rahi growled and raised its head back up to attack, she pulled on the ribbon of Gambol Shroud and flung her partner at the Rahi's snout to grab a handful of long whiskers and pull with all her might.
It did not like that at all.
The Kanohi Dragon roared and screamed at the Huntress hanging by the sensitive hairs on its face, plumes of smoke and ash billowing with its breath as it whipped its head around in an attempt to shake her off. Blake found herself slammed into the ground hard enough to lose her grip on her partner, bouncing and grunting and rolling across the battlefield. Yang just responded by wrapping the sinewy tube around her arm and planted her feet against the tip of its jaw, firing blasts of ice dust from Ember Celica into its gaping maw while it raged. As explosions of frost tore apart the flesh within, and as Weiss and Ruby kept pelting the armor on its neck, the dragon snapped its teeth together and tried to bite down on the most immediate threat. It was all Yang could do but jump while still suspended to make sure she didn't lose her other arm, too - or a leg, or a head, or (worst of all) a lock of hair.
"Ugh, seriously dude?" she yelled as she switched tactics, repeatedly punching the nearest exposed dragon tooth. "I'm trying to make your breath a little more palatable and minty-fresh, and this is the thanks I get?"
Another ear-splitting roar told the team that the massive reptilian Rahi was not amused.
"Sheesh, dentists get no respect." The blonde brawler took a leap of faith off the dragon, winking as she flipped in mid-air. "But hey, since you've been such a good patient…I left a little something for you in your fangs."
She pumped her arm back and twisted her wrist before landing on her feet, and soon the air was filled with the sound of rapid beeping. The half-dozen or so red explosive charges detonated with explosive fury, weakening the roots of the fang they stuck to and blowing loose centuries of dried protodermis-based fluids. The Kanohi Dragon screamed in fury, slamming down on all fours and releasing another torrent of pitch-black flame from deep within its gullet. This time, instead of quick bursts of fire, it swept its burning breath across the battlefield in the hopes of incinerating any Huntress caught in its path.
Blake and Yang, who both had the Mask of Shielding on their Scrolls, quickly pressed the right buttons to fortify their Auras just before the river of flame washed over them. Yellow and violet orbs of energy encompassed them, reducing the burning fire from "flesh-melting" to just "agonizing."
Ruby didn't have that luxury.
The shockwave from its claws knocked the red reaper off her feet, leaving her defenseless and unable to escape the black blaze that threatened to consume her. Before it could, a woman in blue and white put herself between Ruby and the dragon, slamming her sword into the ground to create a pillar of earth that suddenly towered over them. Weiss pressed her back to the wall she created and pulled her partner into the makeshift cover, holding her tightly as heat and fury surged around them. Tongues of flame scorched her clothes and her Aura, but Ruby felt protected by her partner…in more than just a physical sense.
"Th-thanks…" she gasped, squeezing the heiress just as tightly.
Weiss nodded firmly as she cast a glance to their earthen barrier, which was already starting to glow as the heat melted it into magma. "That's not going to hold forever, and when it's gone we'll be next. If you have a crazy idea, Ruby Rose, now would be an excellent time."
The silver-eyed Huntress leaned as far as she dared to look over their cover, and grinned as she spotted one of the dragon's teeth dangling by a literal thread. A clear point of pain, judging by its reactions, and one that was ripe for exploiting. Only problem was that the wall of flames around them would need to stop, if only for a moment, and neither of them were in a good position to attack. Not without losing their only source of protection.
Unless…
"Hey Weiss," said Ruby with a grin. "Remember how you and Kopaka met?"
"You're bringing that up now?!" Weiss snapped, then her eyes widened. "Ohhhh…"
Her grin only widened as she unfolded Crescent Rose. "On my signal. One…two…now!"
With a mighty yell Weiss swung Myrtenaster and its amber blade, sending the wall of stone and rocks flying forward with incredible force. The Kanohi Dragon's fiery onslaught was cut off by the barrage of earth battering against its face, and while it was the briefest of pauses, it was all Ruby needed. She surged forward in a burst of rose petals and spun with her scythe, her blade effortlessly cleaving through the weakened muscle fibers. Another pained howl assaulted her ears as the dragon tooth went flying out of its mouth alongside her; she fired two more frost-covered bullets into the holes she was pretty sure the flames came from, plugging it shut with two thick layers of ice before she hit the ground.
Blake immediately rushed over to help her fallen leader back to her feet. "Nice work, you two."
"Yeah, great job finishing what I started," agreed Yang as she joined her sister, grinning as she glanced at the stolen fang. "And you even got us a souvenir, too! Wonder if anyone on the island knows how to work with…whatever Kanohi Dragon teeth are made of."
"Let's worry about that kind of stuff after we're done here!" Weiss shouted as she backpedaled away from the writhing dragon while launching icy blasts from her glyphs. "Even if it can't use its fire breath now, it still has claws and teeth and a nasty attitude! And once it adapts to the new pain, it won't hesitate to use them!"
Ruby nodded and readied her rifle once more. "Then let's hope that Tahu and Kopaka get into position soon!"
BWOOP.
Yang pulled out her Scroll to reveal…a message containing a bunch of random letters and numbers. "Speaking of which…I think this is their way of confirming that," she said with a soft chuckle. "So let's get this guy's big scaly butt over to the mountain already!"
Weiss nodded. "Give me some cover while I get us some wings!"
"You got it, partner! Ladybug!"
With that simple command the red and black-clad Huntresses opened fire and went to work, diving once more into melee while peppering the armored dragon with frost-coated bullets. The myriad scratches and patches of ice began to build across the Rahi's scales, and though none of their attacks penetrated the armor, it annoyed and insulted the furious beast all the same. Yang fired a few more salvos of ice-tipped missiles from Ember Celica over their heads, exploding into frozen flames that blinded and enraged the Kanohi Dragon even further. Finally, Weiss conjured up what could only be described as a massive mechanical hawk, which took flight with jet-like engines as soon as all four girls leapt onto its back. The dragon took a running leap into the air to pursue them, slithering through the sky like an oily serpent.
Blake looked down at Weiss's choice of summon with a raised eyebrow. "I thought the Kahu were peaceful Rahi, with none of them under Makuta's control. Why do you have one as a summon?"
The heiress blushed. "That's, uh…that's a long story."
"Feel free to tell us later!" shouted Ruby as she fired at the dragon behind them, egging it on with more shots from Crescent Rose. "For now, let's keep this thing following us! Feel free to switch to normal Dust bullets - I think we have its attention no matter what we do!"
Yang pumped her shotgun gauntlets and slapped in her usual shells. "Good, cause I was almost out of ice Dust anyways. Time to show this overgrown lizard what Team RWBY can really do!"
And as the spectral bird soared in the sky, the booming chorus of the Huntress's projectiles rang out like thunder and struck their prey like lightning. The dragon blasted quick jets of smoky-black flame from its maw to purge the ice clogging its channels, then let out another fierce roar as it followed them with blazing lances and lunging bites. Weiss guided her summon with precision and grace, Yang and Blake kept pouring on the Dust and calling out incoming attacks, and Ruby's eye barely left the scope of her rifle as Crescent Rose sang her battle song.
Looks like we've got our part well in hand, thought the silver-eyed leader to herself. Hopefully Tahu and Kopaka are doing alright with theirs.
"You are certain the message was sent?"
"I'm sure of it."
"Can you see them?"
"Not yet, but I will as soon as they leave the shadow of Mangai."
"How soon will they be here?"
"I don't know. Have patience. And try not to blow so much hot air around - you'll fog up my lenses."
Tahu furrowed his brow as he sat on the snow-covered edge of Mount Ihu, gripping his fiery sword anxiously and swinging his legs tensely. Next to him the sleek white armor of Kopaka nearly blended into the surrounding environment, appearing invisible even though he knew his brother was standing right next to him. The Toa of Ice was currently using the scope built into his mask to scan the horizon for the monstrous Kanohi Dragon; while he was tempted to summon his own Akaku to check for himself, he didn't want to give Kopaka the satisfaction of seeing him struggle.
So the Toa of Fire busied himself by looking down at the trap they'd thrown together, running through the plan again in his mind. Thanks to their combined elements, entire sections of a huge chunk of ice and snow had been melted by his heat and flame, only to be hastily refrozen in a more fragile pattern by Kopaka's master of frost. The entire structure sagged and groaned under the weight of what felt like half the mountain itself - all Tahu had to do when the time came was unleash a wave of fire at the base of the supports, and the entire thing would come tumbling down on top of whatever was unlucky enough to be underneath.
Which, hopefully, would include the Kanohi Dragon, and would not include himself, the Huntresses, or even his own brother.
"Here they come."
Kopaka's words snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see a speck of white on the horizon followed by what could only be described as an oily black serpent streaking across the sky. Though he couldn't make out the details himself, Tahu could see that the shapes were approaching very quickly - and they were coming directly towards them and their trap. As they closed in he could see with his naked eye that the four colored figures on the giant bird were fighting in perfect tandem alongside each other, firing their strange weapons at the Kanohi Dragon and leaning in unison to avoid the Rahi's counterattacks.
They come from many walks of life, even on their own world, mused the Toa of Fire, yet it is as Yang said - they work together not in spite of their differences, but because of them. If they can achieve such Unity…why, then, would we not be able to do the same?
He pushed those thoughts aside for the moment, rising to his feet as he raised his sword of fire. "Tell me when, brother."
"On my mark," Kopaka responded with a nod. "We must time this carefully - we only have one chance at this."
Tahu nodded as well, pouring elemental energy into his sword while the Toa of Ice did the same. Eyes of crimson and cobalt watched the flying mount of Team RWBY carefully, tracking its flight as it led the Kanohi Dragon into the valley below. The spectral Kahu disappeared as the Huntresses dismounted and hit the ground with rolls; a series of black runes appeared when Weiss swung her sword, which imbued Yang's projectiles with some form of strange energy that forced the dragon to the ground with a mighty slam.
"Now!"
He didn't need to be told twice. With a mighty roar Tahu unleashed the energy he'd been storing in his blade, creating a wave of fire that surged through the air and sheared through the icy supports. Kopaka swung his own weapon as well, channeling his power over ice and snow to shatter the beams into showers of frozen shards. The mountainside lurched and rumbled and nearly drowned out the sound of similar structures snapping under the sudden shift in weight, and before long the simple shockwave cascaded into a full-on collapse.
The avalanche had begun.
"It is time we left!" said the Toa of Fire as he tried and failed to steady himself.
Kopaka nodded and threw down his shield. "The Mask of Speed won't help us while the ground itself is shifting. Hop on!"
Tahu did as instructed, standing behind the Toa of Ice and mirroring his movements as the two slid down the collapsing mountainside. Mounds of shifting snow and crumbling hills passed by at high speeds, though as fast as they were going he could tell it wasn't fast enough. Not when a literal wave of icy boulders was tumbling down behind them crushing anything in their path, and he doubted even Toa armor could withstand such an impact.
But perhaps, if I were to combine my power with his once more…
He narrowed his gaze and shifted his footing to press his back against the Toa of Ice, pooling his energy into his sword and unleashing it in a hot flame. The Toa of Fire had seen Yang control her momentum and propel herself using the recoil of her gauntlet-mounted weapons, which themselves seemed to function off the rapidly-expanding gasses of a controlled explosion. Perhaps he could do something similar with his own power? It wouldn't hurt to try, at least.
Sure enough, he must have been doing something, because the wave of death seemed to grow smaller and smaller with each passing moment. It wasn't anything Kopaka did either, because he looked over his shoulder in confusion at the burst of speed.
"What are you doing?" he asked, barely audible over the crumbling world around him.
"Giving us thrust!" Tahu shouted back. "We need it to outrun the mountain! Steer us well brother - our survival depends on it!"
Rather than argue, the Toa of Ice merely nodded and turned back to the task at hand, leaning from left to right to avoid the glaciers that seemed to emerge out of the churning sea of snow. Every element of the collapsing mountain seemed determined to bring them down with it: the chunks of ice at their back, the splashes of frost on their sides, even the wind itself seemed to push against them and their desperate escape. Tahu furrowed his brow and poured more energy into his flame to heat the air around them, ignoring the building mental strain and the cold death that conspired around him.
Despite the danger, Kopaka was as cool as his surroundings during the entire descent. He barely even flinched as flakes of frost flew at speeds fast enough to scratch his armor, only tilting his head or his shoulder just enough to avoid the larger chunks. His eyes seemed to track obstacles before they even appeared, and often when they did he was already swerving to the side and avoiding them. When there came walls of snow and ice that were too large to avoid he simply smashed through with one swing of his sword, clearing a way forward while hardly even expending elemental energy. It was clear to even the Toa of Fire that his brother was in his element - in every sense of the word.
I suppose even he has things to teach one such as me, he reluctantly admitted to himself. Things that he can do which I cannot. Perhaps this is what Yang meant when she said that just because our elements oppose each other, we do not have to?
After what felt like an eternity of outrunning death itself, their speed eventually exceeded that of the collapsing mountain. It was a split second of relief, but it was all that Kopaka needed to create an icy ramp that diverted them into the air and sent them sailing high above the battlefield. Tahu watched as their escape platform was swept up in the wall of white, disappearing into the wild untamed power of the avalanche as it crashed into the valley below.
The Huntresses, quick and alert, were fast enough to escape the worst of the falling snow.
The Kanohi Dragon, large and distracted, was not.
A piercing scream escaped the Rahi's throat as it realized too late the danger coming its way. It let out bursts of jet-black flames from its maw to fight back against the natural disaster, but no amount of fire in its belly could have conquered the ice that fell around it - and no amount of fury in its heart could compare to the rage of the mountain. Waves of snow crashed and flowed like the swells of a churning sea, glaciers slammed against each other and shattered like glass with every impact, and chunks of frozen stone rained down and crushed anything that tried to withstand the full force of the mighty avalanche.
After a solid minute of relentless noise like thunder, the frosty barrage finally ended in a deafening silence.
Tahu kept a close eye on the enormous mound of ice and rubble that covered the Kanohi Dragon, cutting the flow of energy to his sword and allowing gravity to take them once again. Kopaka steered their sled back to the ground, sliding down the result of their hard work before finally skidding to a halt in front of several suspicious bumps of snow. The two Toa shared a begrudging nod of respect, then stepped off the shield and scanned the area around them.
"Is everyone alright?" asked the Toa of Ice as he picked up his shield.
A pile of snow shifted slightly to reveal a length of red fabric underneath, as Ruby emerged from the avalanche's aftermath with her signature cloak drawn over her and Weiss's heads. "All good here! That was probably the coolest thing I've ever seen…did it work?"
"I sure hope so," said a muffled-sounding Blake as her topmost ears popped out of a snowbank and twitched to shake off the light dusting, followed by the rest of her. "Cause that's yet another thing that I don't ever wanna do again. Where's Yang?"
"Right here!" laughed the blonde brawler as she pulled herself down from the tree that the shockwave had launched her into. "Totally fine! Thanks for worrying about me, though."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Oh sure, you worry about her more than you do your teammates, now that you're dating. Fine, I see how it is…"
"Says the girl who still hasn't let go of my waist," said Ruby glibly.
The heiress's face grew red as her arms withdrew. "O-oh. Was I? I didn't realize I had even - "
Ruby cut her off by pulling her back in. "Hey, I never said it bothered me. Hold on for as long as you want. You won't hear me complaining."
"Right…thanks…"
Blake and Yang just shared a knowing glance. Tahu tilted his head. Kopaka narrowed his eyes as he turned his gaze back to the mound of fallen snow, raising his sword suddenly.
"Don't get too comfortable," he said. "I can see the dragon still moving around under the rubble. It's been weakened, and wounded…but it's not dead yet."
"A problem easily remedied," said Tahu as his sword came alive once more. "Huntresses, ready yourselves!"
Despite their fatigue Team RWBY nodded and drew their own weapons, standing at the ready for the moment the Kanohi Dragon would dramatically burst from the aftermath of the avalanche. They didn't have to wait very long - the top half of the serpentine Rahi soon erupted from the pile of ice and snow, scattering ash-white powder and red-hot cinders in its wake. Cracks and sparks lined its armored frame as burning oil dripped from its joints, boiling away the frozen water with sheer heat alone. While its eyes still blazed with hatred, the crimson lights had dimmed somewhat, and the smoke that wafted out of its nostrils no longer choked the air with pungent fumes. The cold had taken its toll on the beast, but rather than free its lower body and potentially escape, the dragon instead slammed its claws on the ground and issued a final challenging roar to the assembled Toa and Huntresses.
KROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
And just like that, its fate was sealed.
The six warriors fought and acted like one unified whole. Ruby pulsed her Semblance and swept up Blake to swirl around the dragon's head, pelting it with bullets from Crescent Rose and Gambol Shroud. Kopaka and Weiss launched barrages of frost from their blades, while Tahu donned the Mask of Strength to assault the Rahi's claws alongside Yang. Each powerful punch, each piercing shot, and each frosty blast robbed the beast of a little more strength, eroding its armor and its dwindling energy stores with every attack they landed.
For its part, the Kanohi Dragon did not go down without a fight. It snapped its jaws and swept its claws with intent to crush and rend, shooting quick blasts of smoky flames to incinerate distant targets. But it soon found its attacks would have no purchase; the team instinctively moved to cover the weaknesses of others. When the dragon snapped its jaws at Yang, Kopaka rushed to punish it with a slash of his icy blade. When it swatted at the Toa of Ice, Ruby and Blake swooped in and distracted it. When it opened its maw to breathe fire at the airborne Huntresses, Weiss fired glyphs infused with ice Dust to draw its attention. And when it targeted the white-haired heiress with its flames, Tahu leapt to intercept the fire with his own command of the element and catch it on his sword.
"Yang!" called the Toa of Fire, his blade coursing with smoky flame. "Your Semblance - it allows you to absorb energy and draw strength from attacks, yes?"
The blonde brawler looked over her shoulder with a grin, quickly piecing together his plan. "It sure does! Toss it here, big guy - I'm open!"
With a grunt of determination he swung his weapon and unleashed the fire he'd caught in a wide arcing wave, which passed over the yellow Huntress as her Aura flared up explosively. Her hair took on a golden glow as it too erupted into flames, lavender eyes shifting to red as she leapt and threw all her might into one mighty punch. The blow struck the dragon on the chin with enough force to make the Rahi yelp and recoil from the impact alone, stunning it long enough for Ruby and Blake to descend like hawks and slam into its crown. A low bellow escaped its throat as the Kanohi Dragon's head struck the ground hard enough to cause a tremor; Yang quickly grabbed its whiskers and pulled hard while her sister and her partner rushed to her side to join her.
"We'll keep it pinned down!" shouted Ruby as she tugged with all her might. "Weiss! Give the Toa a boost to the back of its head so they can finish it off!"
The heiress swung Myrtenaster and raised a hand. "On it!"
Two pathways made of circular runes appeared and wove around and over the neck of the fallen beast, and with a wordless nod Kopaka ran along the left path while Tahu took the right. The pair of Toa channeled all their elemental power into their swords as they sprinted with every muscle in their bodies, weapons glowing brighter and brighter until they resembled little more than blades of red and white energy. The Kanohi Dragon seemed to sense that the end was near; it struggled and snarled against the Huntresses holding it down, but Team RWBY kept it firmly in place long enough for their allies to move in for the final blow. Even when it blew out smoke and flames to scorch them, they stood their ground and let their Auras take the heat.
When the pair of Toa finally reached the ancient scar on the back of the dragon's skull they both drove their blades point-first into the weakened armor, drawing forth sprays of pitch-black blood that showered over them both like high-pressure geysers. Tahu and Kopaka paid no mind to the spray of fluid and viscera staining their frames, merely letting out mighty yells as they drove their swords deeper through layers upon layers of protodermic muscle. Only when they were stuck hilt-deep into the beast did they finally unleash the energy they had built up, allowing a combined explosion of ice and fire to tear through the Rahi's skull like a burning, freezing lance.
The Kanohi Dragon's eyes widened as it thrashed against the ground, and after one final piercing roar, it let out a low groan as its eyes finally darkened, its neck fell limp, and the fire within its belly went out for good.
At long last, the battle was over.
Silence fell over the canyon in the wake of the beast's demise. Tahu and Kopaka messily extracted their swords and leapt into the snow, their armor dripping with oily blood and their frames flooded with fatigue. All four Huntresses clutched their burns as they stepped backwards, panting heavily and keeping their eyes locked onto the fallen dragon. While they knew the fight was well and truly won, there was some primal fear that kept their weapons in hand. Just in case the massive reptilian Rahi still wasn't as dead as they all thought - and hoped - it was.
After a moment of quiet punctuated only by heavy breathing, Blake was the first to find her voice.
"You know…" she said with a small chuckle, "this is probably a bad time to bring this up, but…we should have had Weiss kill it."
Ruby stared at her black-clad teammate for a moment, then slapped her forehead. "Ugh, duh! Yeah, we should've had you deal the final blow, Weiss! Then you'd be able to summon it!"
Yang groaned. "Come on, Blake! You couldn't have said something like that sooner?! We could've gone back to Remnant with a huge freaking dragon on our side! How cool would that have been?"
"Hey, if anything I should have been the one to think of it!" countered Weiss as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "...oh well. To be honest, I'm not sure if I'd be able to summon something this big, anyways. Not without draining my entire Aura reserves in one go."
"That's a good point, yeah," said Yang, laughing softly as she hugged Blake around the shoulder. "Wouldn't want a repeat of the Battle of Haven now, would we?"
"...what's that supposed to mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean, ice queen." The blonde brawler pulled her long hair back into a ponytail. "'Oh no, I want to try and call up my big fancy knight in the middle of a fight, but this crazy bandit lady keeps getting in close and attacking me! Whatever shall I do? Oh, the humanity…if only I had a, like, a sword or something I could fight her off with…'"
Ruby giggled, while Weiss gasped. Tahu wondered briefly if an argument was about to erupt, but from the way the girls were smiling he had a feeling there was no ill will behind the remarks.
"You do not have any room to judge, you brute! You could have just pulled right out of Mercury's grip, you didn't need to leave your whole arm behind! And Ruby, don't you dare laugh at me. Do I even need to remind you of that ridiculous headbutt?"
"Well, you always were telling me back at Beacon that I needed to use my head more…" said the silver-eyed girl with a grin, nuzzling her forehead against her partner's cheek.
"That's not what I meant and you know it you dolt!"
Team RWBY erupted into a fit of giggles and laughs, all while Tahu and Kopaka just stared in confusion as they rose to their feet. Was this…normal for organics? Did their usual post-stress response involve jokes and stories and excessive physical contact? Or was this a product of their trust in one another, a testament to their bonds and experiences, that they could feel such joy and relief moments after a narrowly-averted disaster?
And if it was, could the Toa ever reach such a level of Unity?
The sound of the earth collapsing behind him reached his ears, and he instinctively turned to face the noise with his sword raised in case it was a threat. To his relief, he was greeted with the sight of two armored figures crawling out of a newly-created tunnel, one squat and wearing coal-black plates while the other was taller and slimmer and clad in blue. The Toa of Earth and Water looked at Tahu, then at Kopaka, then at the fallen Kanohi Dragon, before finally facing each other with a shrug.
"Hmm…seems we were not quick enough to rejoin the fray after all, sister," rumbled Onua, his tone slightly disappointed.
"So it would seem," mused Gali with a smile. "At least our allies did not suffer in our absence."
Blake crossed her arms and chuckled as she shifted her footing. "I was wondering if you two would show up or not. Too bad you missed all the action."
Ruby's eyes lit up as she launched herself into the arms of the Toa of Water. "Gali! Aw man, you should have seen it! It was so cool! I was all like, 'whoosh!' And Weiss was all like 'bshew bshew bshew!' And Blake was all like 'Hiiii-ya!' And Yang was all like 'Kabooooom!' And then we brought down half the mountain right on top of that big dumb dragon, and Tahu and Kopaka were all 'yaaaaaaaaargh!' And then they stabbed it in the head! At the same time!"
Gali laughed softly as she tried to follow her ally's animated recap, casting an intrigued gaze at her fellow Toa. "Really now? Is this accurate, brothers? The two of you, actually working together without quarreling?"
Kopaka cleared his throat. "It, well…strictly speaking, it isn't untrue."
Tahu huffed, then cast a glance at the icy figure. "You…you fought well today, brother. Thank you for your aid in bringing down this beast."
Glowing cobalt eyes stared back, and for a moment Tahu wondered if he'd broken his fellow Toa. His fears were unfounded, as Kopaka eventually nodded.
"The feeling is mutual…brother," he finally said. Then with a sigh and a glance from Weiss, he added, "And I would like to…formally apologize to you all for my behavior in our last meeting. It was not conducive to the spirit of Unity our sister was working so hard to instill, and it resulted in a rift that threatened to tear our team apart."
Tahu shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for, brother. The fault was primarily mine."
"No, I'm the one at fault."
"I insist, I was the one in the wrong."
"You're not making it easy to apologize."
"Because no apology is needed from - "
"Oh my gods, you two!" groaned Weiss, burying her face into her hands and dragging her fingers down her cheeks. "Can't you two even say you're sorry without making it into another fight?! It's so exhausting!"
The Toa of Fire and Ice looked at the Huntress, then at each other, and chuckled nervously before shrugging awkwardly.
"Nicely handled, ice queen," said Yang with a laugh, holding her hand out for a fist bump that was immediately reciprocated.
"So it seems we are united now," Onua rumbled proudly. "Shall we gather the rest of the Toa and join forces to find the remaining masks, as our sister suggested at Kini-Nui?"
Gali hummed thoughtfully, and was about to speak when Ruby piped up.
"Actually…I've been doing some thinking, and maybe Tahu was onto something with the whole 'splitting into pairs' idea."
The Toa of Water looked down in surprise. "What makes you say that, little one? I was under the impression that you wished to continue fighting alongside your team."
"Of course I do," said the silver-eyed Huntress as she fiddled with her cloak. "It's just, well…today proved that by working together we can do incredible things, sure. But it's also a pretty good sign that Makuta's done playing around. It's getting more dangerous for everyone now, not just us - he pulled Rahi from all over Mata Nui to attack a single village without anyone noticing, and there's no telling how soon he'd be able to do it again somewhere else. Not to mention the Kanohi Dragon showing up at all...even Vakama seemed worried. If something like this happens on one end of the island while all of us are on the other side…"
"You worry that a larger group will make us slower to respond to new threats," said Tahu with a nod of understanding.
"Pretty much, yeah," answered Ruby. "But if we're spread out across Mata Nui in smaller teams, we can more easily protect the villages if they need us. And if the groups themselves run into trouble, we have working Scrolls now - we can just contact each other if we need help. But the important thing is that we find the rest of the masks as fast as we can, before Makuta tries something even more dangerous. The Rahi are usually easy enough for us to handle…but they'll always be a threat to the Matoran, until we finish this."
The others in the group hummed thoughtfully, before eventually nodding in unison. Yang grinned as she walked over and slung an arm over her sister's shoulders, pulling her in for a side hug that was eagerly returned.
"Aww, look at my little sis, all grown up and making big decisions," she said with a soft laugh. "And you're sure it's not just because you don't want your older sister embarrassing you while you and Weiss make doe-eyes at each other?"
Ruby seemingly froze, then bit her lip. "...mmmmaybe? I mean, if Gali and Kopaka are fine with traveling together, then um…it, uh, it might be nice…"
Gali laughed softly at the way her human ally turned as red as her namesake. "I believe that can be arranged. What do you say, brother? Shall we form an alliance?"
"That works for me," said the Toa of Ice with a nod. "Weiss and I have already found most of my masks, so we should be able to help you find the rest of yours."
Tahu nodded. "Then that leaves you and me, Onua - "
"Hold that thought," said Blake as she peered at her Scroll. "Um…we might have to take a rain check on that team-up. Just got a message from Penny, and…it looks like there's big trouble with Lewa."
"Uh oh," said Yang as she let go of Ruby.
Gali tilted her head at the news. "Should we not all aid him then, as we helped Tahu in need?"
"Your energies are all expended from the battles today," said Onua, "and you could not tunnel fast enough to keep up with me even at your strongest. This is a matter that calls for both speed and power - as well as discretion. We will explain more later…but for now, leave it to us. We will join forces with Lewa after the situation is resolved."
Blake nodded, going over to take Yang's hands in hers. "Sorry…I'm sure you were looking forward to running around the island with your girlfriend."
"Eh, we'll have other dates in the future," said the blonde brawler with a soft laugh. "Just be careful out there, alright? Try not to land in the fire when you jump out of the frying pan."
The raven-haired Huntress chuckled. "Same to you. See you soon?"
Yang quickly pressed her lips against Blake's, lingering for a moment before drawing back. "Looking forward to it."
And with that, the Toa of Earth dug himself another tunnel and sank beneath the earth, Blake quickly leaping back to follow him. Gali and Kopaka bid farewell to Tahu, before they too turned and left with their blushing Huntresses in tow. The Toa of Fire saw his allies depart, then looked down at Yang…who seemed to keep staring at her feet.
"Is all well, Yang?" he asked with a tilt of his head.
"Hm? Oh, yeah…" she answered with a sigh. "Just…if Onua and Lewa are teaming up, then that means you'd be working with Pohatu. Which, assuming that little psycho is still running scared, means I'd be the only human trying to keep up with two Toa…just feels a little lonely, you know?"
…ah. He hadn't considered that.
After thinking for a moment, Tahu stowed his sword and put his hand on the young woman's shoulder, feeling her stiffen up at the sudden contact at first before relenting. Unlike when he'd tried to comfort her by touching her hair, her stance relaxed at his touch, and she even rolled her head to rest her cheek against his metallic knuckles.
"You fought with exceptional valor and spirit today, Yang Xiao Long," he said, allowing pride to seep into his voice. "If it truly is only you, me, and Pohatu in our group, I promise you will be treated not as a burden, but as an equal. You may not be of this world, and you may not command the elements as we do…but in my eyes, you are a Toa all the same."
The blonde brawler chuckled softly, clasping his hand in both of hers. "Thanks, Tahu. And you know…based on how you acted today, I'd say you might be able to pull off this whole 'leader' thing sooner rather than later. You've come a long way, considering it's just been a couple days."
"I would not have gotten this far so quickly without a teacher of your skill."
"Aww, now you're just trying to make me blush," said Yang with a laugh. "Come on, let's get out of here and head back to Ta-Koro. I'm sure Jaller and the others are gonna want to throw a party for their heroes of the hour…plus I'm freezing my butt off over here."
With a nod between then, Tahu and Yang marched back towards the heat and warmth of Ta-Wahi, leaving the body of the Kanohi Dragon behind to be claimed by the falling snow.
Unknown to either of them, shadowy claws were already stretching from the ground to drag the fallen Rahi's body back into the depths.
(A/N): Well now…isn't that ominous? Wonder what that's all about…
Anyways, hope you enjoyed this little two-part event! It was a ton of fun to come up with ideas for, and even more fun to write! I played fast and loose with the Bionicle canon here, but I think it made for a pretty cool set piece that helps further the story and brings the Toa together! Plus, it's always fun to write Team RWBY fighting as…well, as a team.
Also! I hate to go radio silent so soon after the last big pause, but I think I'm gonna have to take another break from writing for a little while. I know, I know, and I'm sorry, but pushing out this update means that I've written about 200k words (!) in less than a year, which is nothing short of incredible but also has left me pretty exhausted. So I'll need some time to rest, recharge, and whittle away at future chapters to create another backlog of content once the creative spirit comes back. But don't worry! I will return, eventually.
We're about two-thirds of the way through the story at this point, so while we're not at the end just yet, it's getting there! See you all next time, where we find out what's been going on in Le-Koro while the last few chapters have been happening…