Edit: 08/31/2014
'italics'=thoughts, or emphasis
Chapter 5
(Chapter Sources: Tale of the Toa by C.A. Hapka; Mata Nui Online Game)
Everything was deathly silent. All the clouds vanished save for the usual gentle puffs. The wind was all but gone. The only remaining evidence of the freak storm was the hole in the ground, smoking trees, and melting chunks of ice.
Pohatu cautiously approached the black hole and peered down. "Eerie," he remarked with a shudder before moving away from the pit.
Tahu nodded with a somber expression. "Clearly, Makuta knows we're here. There is no time to lose. We need to find those Masks - now."
"Then why don't we split-go alone?" Lewa persisted. Unlike the others, he was not afraid of heights or deep, evil canyons. He stood dangerously close to the very edge, teetering with his arms out. "If we all stay together-grouped, then the evil will find-crush us all at once."
"So, we should split up, and let the Evil Spirit take us down one by one?" the Toa of Stone remarked with a frown, crossing his arms.
"This is why we should split into pairs," Tahu reiterated. "We still get more accomplished, but can also gain strength from each other."
The arguments escalated from there, although Tahu, Lewa, and Pohatu were the only ones getting angry. Onua kept silent, as did Kopaka, though probably for different reasons. Gali also kept oddly silent. Kopaka noted that she appeared distracted after the weird attack. She was actually siding with Lewa this time around.
Finally, Tahu gave up in a fit of anger and stormed off. Lewa shrugged flippantly and leaped into a nearby tree. Soon, he was gone from view too. Pohatu shook his head in frustration.
Gali approached him and put one of her hooks comfortingly on the Toa of Stone's shoulder. "Working together does have its benefits, and I believe that we will need to learn teamwork before this is all over. But for the moment, I can see wisdom in returning to our villages and continuing the search on our own." She smiled mischievously. "Besides, I think that some time facing the Makuta alone will show Lewa his folly."
Pohatu sighed. "Perhaps you are right. Well, I'll see you all later."
Kopaka was already starting back toward Ko-Wahi when the last three started to part ways. He felt that his entire day was a waste and he was tired. Even thinking about returning to the quiet solitude of Ko-Wahi made him sleepy. He was pleasantly surprised when the tag-along Toa of Stone did not pester him.
With both directions and his Akaku, Kopaka had no trouble finding the village, but he did experience some frustration trying to get in. Ko-Koro was under a thick, icy ceiling and surrounded by stone walls, protected from the harsh weather and from prying eyes. The only entrance was a tunnel that was clearly made for Matoran. While he admired the wisdom of its location, Kopaka wished there were a Toa entrance. The Toa of Ice almost had to climb on all fours to get past. He made up his mind to talk to Nuju about this. There had to be a better way for someone his size to get in.
Halfway through the tunnels, he was met with a locked gate. There was no keyhole in the door itself, but there were eighteen cube niches in three rows around the door. The bottom row was filled with immovable cubes, each bearing a different symbol. Twelve other cubes were scattered on the floor. Kopaka inspected these cubes and found that each had a picture of a different Kanohi on one of its faces. He found one block with an Akaku, and five more that matched the other Toa. Out of the remaining six blocks, he recognized Turaga Nuju's Kanohi.
'It cannot be a coincidence,' he surmised. 'This lock is a puzzle, it would seem. Impressive.'
Any simple creature could shove blocks in holes, but it took someone smarter to pass through here. Though he could just break through the door with his powers, the tired Toa of Ice set to work solving the puzzle to earn his right to enter the village. He deduced that the symbols stood for the six elements and that he was to match the Kanohi of the corresponding Turaga and Toa to each element. Since he did not know the other Turaga, he had to complete the puzzle through trial and error.
Finally, after nearly a dozen tries, the gate slid open. Kopaka quickly memorized the order and walked through. Though he already saw the village through the Mask of X-Ray Vision, he appreciated it more in person. He had to cross a narrow, ice bridge spanning a deep crevasse before he was actually in the village. There were two spear wielding guards on the other side who saluted him and let him pass.
He walked past several, small abodes toward the biggest building in the far back. He could see Nuju inside along with several Ko-Koronans. The building was an impressive ice sculpture in comparison to the Matoran houses. It was artistically simple, but still appealed to Toa Kopaka.
Upon entering, Kopaka was met with pleasant music. The walls of this building were covered in writing from top to bottom. A handful of Ko-Matoran were scattered about silently reading. No one looked at him, but he did catch a few sneaking glances out of the corner of his eye. Even Nuju and Matoro ignored him until he was right behind them. The Turaga spoke first.
"Welcome to Ko-Koro, Toa Kopaka. You have found the Hau, the Great Mask of Shielding already," Matoro translated.
"How do you know this already?" Kopaka asked quietly. He did not want to break the tranquility of this place. He was also surprised that news traveled so fast. Had Pohatu passed through here?
"The Hau appeared on your Suva not too long ago. Every time you collect a Kanohi, it will appear there," Nuju explained through Matoro. The Turaga pointed left. "Follow the stairs outside to the top of the Sanctum, and you will find it."
A yawn from Kopaka interrupted their discussion. He was already exhausted from his first day's adventures, and the meditative music was further lulling him. However involuntarily, he was still embarrassed to have yawned during a conversation with the Turaga.
"Perhaps we should continue this in the morning." Neither Nuju nor Matoro seemed offended by his gesture. Nuju gestured to the space around them. "You may sleep here in the temple for tonight."
Kopaka nodded his thanks and strode to an unoccupied corner. He leaned his sword and shield against the wall and sat down cross-legged. With his hands in his lap and back against the two walls, he closed his eyes and was asleep in seconds.
When he woke, everything was dark and silent. All the glowing stones had been covered up, leaving the temple in near pitch blackness. The Matoran were all gone, along with the Turaga. Kopaka activated his Akaku and discovered that the village was asleep, with the exception of two guards – different ones now – near the entrance. There was no noise except for the patrolling Ko-Matoran and the distant whistling of the outside wind.
Thanks to the Mask of X-Ray Vision, he was able to leave the unlit building without a problem. With Nuju still asleep, Kopaka could not continue his quest. He walked around the village, studying it. All the domed huts were carved from ice. Upon closer inspection, he found that the houses were not originally one solid block of ice. Several smaller blocks had been fused together to make these igloos. The ice was also murky, giving the sleeping Matoran privacy in their homes.
After wandering around the confines of the village, Kopaka returned to the temple. Curiously, he approached one of the script-laden walls. At first, he found it difficult to make any sense of the writings. There was no beginning, and the sentences did not seem to have any unity. Most of it was cryptic one-liners; some of it was prose; and the rest were just numbers that had no meaning to him. He tried reading it but it was too confusing. Fortunately, he heard someone approaching before he got a headache from the non sequiters. Turning, he found the Turaga and his translator entering the temple.
"You seek knowledge from the Wall of Prophecy, Toa?"
"I seek the Masks," Kopaka replied. He was relieved that it was not his fault he didn't understand the inscriptions. "Can these prophecies lead me to more?"
Nuju nodded, making more bird-like noises. "These prophecies led you to your Hau. We have been watching the stars and finding their meaning while we waited for your future arrival. You will find the Kaukau, Great Mask of Underwater Breathing, in the place of the highest low."
'"The highest low",' Kopaka growled to himself. 'Great. More riddles.'
Despite his annoyance, he nodded respectfully and left. He stopped off at the Suva before leaving. There were stairs tucked away behind one of the massive corner pillars outside the Suva. The large dome Suva was not the only thing here. There were a few telescopes, one being used by a Matoran. Quickly scribbling on a piece of paper before looking through the lens again, the Ko-Matoran was so engrossed in his work that he did not notice Toa Kopaka.
The Suva had six niches on the rounded sides and a circular platform covering the top. Two of these Kanohi-sized holes were occupied by an Akaku and a Hau. Kopaka reached out to touch the Akaku and found that it was not solid. Curious, he tried to touch his newest Kanohi. It was solid. He frowned, puzzled by this Suva. He mentally swapped his Akaku for the Hau. The Suva's Kanohi shimmered for a brief moment. Kopaka touched the Suva's Masks again. This time, the Hau was a hologram and the Akaku was not.
'These Masks are not within me. If something were to happen to the Suva…' He had a sudden admiration for the Ko-Matoran. As a Toa, he was supposed to defend them, yet they were helping him defend them by protecting this shrine. 'We help each other for a common goal. Unity.'
The Toa of Ice turned away from the Suva and started for the gate. 'I will not let them down.'
He walked through the snowy pathways. The more time passed without solving the oxymoron clue, the more rocks Kopaka kicked at walls or over ledges out of frustration. He kept his Akaku peeled for dangers or Masks.
After walking for hours, he found himself on a beach. Unlike the one he landed on, this part of the shoreline stretched out a mile before being interrupted by cliffs. Two large, cat-like Rahi were prowling aggressively in the warm sand on the opposite end of the beach. Zooming in on the pair, Kopaka observed a set of infected Hau on both of them, one on each shoulder like the bull he faced with Pohatu.
'"Guarded by nightmare creatures",' Kopaka recalled. Switching to his Hau and grabbing his sword, he strode toward the Rahi. 'I'm willing to guess that there is a Mask of Power around here.'
