Author's Note: Fitting the Noble Masks into the canon storyline is frustrating. The Toa are shown using the Noble Masks in the Mata Nui Online Game, but they were only tasked with collecting the Great Masks. I've borrowed a method used by BZP author Galigee (whose Bionicle fanfictions I read often) which involves the Toa collecting the Noble Masks; then those Masks are "copied" into their systems instead of transferred to the Suva, and the Toa return the Noble Mask to their respective Turaga who is able to use the Noble Mask like the Toa do the Great Masks.

Edit: 08/31/2014

'italics'=thoughts

Chapter 6

The Rahi charged as soon as they spotted him. Kopaka braced himself, focusing on the Mask's energies. He had never tested the Hau's power and began to have second thoughts as the large cats got closer. Then a nearly transparent dome lined with symbols appeared in front of him. The Rahi ran head first into the shield and bounced back. Kopaka expected there to be some backlash, but the shield absorbed the impact completely.

The Toa of Ice wasted no more time disabling the Rahi. He froze their legs to the sand, which turned out to be not as effective as he thought it would be. With their feet wrapped in icy sand blocks, the infected animals still tried to continue attacking. Next, Kopaka created ice between their legs, effectively stopping them this time. With their heads still free, the large cats roared and snarled and struggled.

Kopaka approached them, trying to get a closer look at their infected Kanohi. The next moment, he was grateful he had not deactivated his Mask of Shielding. The Rahi, it appeared, had extendable necks. Now that he was in range, they snapped their heads forward repeatedly, pounding harmlessly against the shield.

He backed out of range, but they kept trying, becoming more frenzied the longer they were trapped. Switching to the Akaku, he examined the Kanohi from a safer distance. He had not had a chance to examine the Kanohi on the other Rahi he had encountered so far. Kopaka frowned. The mounts for the Kanohi did not appear to be part of the Rahi's natural body. Connecting the Kanohi to the Rahi was a rod jammed straight through its armor. The crack in the armor plus leaking fluid led strengthened his opinion that it did not belong on the Rahi.

Kopaka circled around the Rahi. He activated the Hau again even though he was staying a safe distance away. He also believed that the Rahi could not turn their heads completely around, but it was better to be prepared. Hoping that he was right, he leaped onto one's back. The infected Rahi became all the more frantic now and the ice started cracking. Kopaka worked quickly, grabbing one of the rods and pulling. It was jammed tightly and took both hands, but he got it off. He removed the rod on the other shoulder only a second before the Rahi broke free. Leaping away, Kopaka pointed his sword out and lifted his shield defensively. He internally smacked himself when he remembered that the Hau was already shielding him.

The Rahi looked stunned and was ignoring Kopaka. It rubbed its shoulders on the ground, like scratching an itch. It looked at the still imprisoned Rahi, who had stopped struggling to snarl at the free one. It looked at the Toa next. Then it hissed and loped away.

Kopaka did not have much time to pat himself on the back for discovering how to free the animal from the Makuta. The second big cat began struggling violently again. After reinforcing the ice around its legs, he performed the same act on it. Like the one before it, the Rahi stopped its aggressive behavior, though it still did not appear to like the Toa. He shattered the newly made ice allowing the Rahi to leave. The Rahi "thanked" Kopaka by spontaneously head punching him in the shield one last time before running away.

Working on his earlier hunch, Kopaka began scanning the area for a Great Mask. He found that he did not actually need the Mask of X-Ray Vision to find it. The sun light bounced off the metallic Kanohi as it was swirled around by the waves only a few feet in the water. He waded through the shallows to reach it. Once it was in his hands, he recognized it as the Kanohi that Toa Gali wore.

'A Great Mask of Underwater Breathing would be an ideal Kanohi for a Toa of Water. This must be the Kaukau.'

He debated trying the new power out after he put it on. He did not want to admit it, but part of him was afraid to test it out. Breathing anything but the air was unnatural. What if he was wrong and this was not the Kaukau? But another part of him argued that it was better to know his abilities before he needed to use them in battle. There was a quick way to verify the Kanohi's identity without returning to Ko-Koro and looking like a fool.

Kopaka lowered himself into the shallow water. After taking a quick breath of air just in case, he submerged his head. Not being able to see or hear his surroundings as well anymore caused him to begin to panic. He could only see a limited distance underwater. What if a foe were sneaking up right now?

Pushing aside his worries, he quickly released his breath and breathed in deeply. He was relieved when he did not choke. He continued breathing through the water as easily as he would breathe the air. He swam forward. The water got deeper until it dropped off suddenly into darkness. It unnerved Kopaka whenever he could not see, and he returned to the land. The Mask of Underwater Breathing made as smooth a transition from water to air as it had from air to water.

'Only three more to go,' he thought. The quest for the Masks was a grim reminder of the battle to come. 'But how much time do I have?'

break

He had no run-ins with infected Rahi or other supernatural events, but he still made sure to watch his back to ensure he was not followed. He would never forgive himself if the Makuta found Ko-Koro because of him. The Turaga and translator were both still in the Sanctum when Kopaka returned to the village.

"Turaga Nuju asks if you have found the Kaukau already."

Kopaka nodded. "On the beach." He frowned down at Nuju. "And your riddle was no help."

The Turaga shrugged and made some noises. "Turaga Nuju says that particular prophecy's meaning was not completely understood yet even by the astrologers."

"You gave me an incomplete hint – a single, gibberish hint – to waste my time on?" he asked, irritation rising inside.

"You left before any more could be shared. Your impatience is what has failed you, not the prophecies." While Matoro's voice was monotone, Nuju's sounds and motions made it clear the Toa was being scolded. "You need to consider the future, not act out only on what is right in front of you."

"I understand," Kopaka said. He was not angry that he had been rebuked by the old, weird Turaga. He could see now that the fault was his. "But in order to plan the future, I need information. What can you tell me that will help?"

"A Ko-Koronan has reported seeing a Great Mask of Strength near a Ta-Wahi lava pool."

Kopaka blinked, perplexed. Ta-Wahi was Tahu's territory. Why would Nuju tell him about one of Tahu's Kanohi? Surely he was not expected to help the Toa of Fire get a Mask in his own region.

"The Toa of Fire does not need my help," he said bitingly, "just like I do not need his."

Nuju huffed disappointedly and shook his head before speaking again. "The Pakari is yours. The stars agree. You will also find a Ruru, Noble Mask of Night Vision, in the jungle where fire and ice meet. Though prophecies do not speak of your need of Noble Kanohi, their power may help in your future battle with the Makuta."

Kopaka tried not to sound bitter as he thanked Turaga Nuju for his help. If he went to Ta-Wahi, he was bound to run into Tahu. If he came across Tahu, the loud-mouth was bound to give him orders. He was not sure what would happen if the Toa of Fire started bossing him around, but it would not be pleasant.

When the Toa of Ice turned to leave, Matoro accompanied him. "I have some things for you," he said once they were outside the temple. The Matoran gestured to one of the huts and led Kopaka to it. He could not follow Matoro inside the Matoran-sized dwelling. Matoro came back out a few seconds later with a Mask-sized bag and another Matoran. The other Matoran bowed wordlessly. Matoro lifted the bag up for Kopaka to take.

He found that there was a book inside. He took it out and opened it, dislodging a loose folded paper which he caught before it fell. Unfolding it, he found a map of the island with various marks and words on it. One mark in Ta-Wahi was labeled "Pakari?". The question mark did not comfort Kopaka. He turned his attention back to the book, putting the folded map back in between some pages. "Rahi of Mata Nui" was written across the center of the title page with "compiled by Matoro and Toudo" written across the bottom. Flipping quickly through a few pages, Kopaka felt very grateful to have such a resource.

"These will be very useful," Kopaka told Matoro. "Thank you."

Both Matoro and the Matoran next to him nodded their heads bashfully. He had a feeling that the white and grey Matoran was this Toudo. Kopaka found that the bag came with a strap long enough to be tied around his waist. After making sure it was secured, he nodded his goodbye to the Matoran and headed for the gate.


Walking toward Ta-Wahi, he alternated between pondering the location of the Ruru and reading the book of Rahi. The book appeared to be a guide on capturing Rahi. It listed weaknesses for the different Rahi, but it also contained notes stating that these weaknesses were not always found in Makuta-controlled creatures. Even if most of the information was about uninfected Rahi, the book displayed the names and sketches of all the Rahi inside, including the ones Kopaka had encountered. Knowing about Rahi he had not come across yet made Kopaka feel more prepared.

After climbing over a particularly steep hill, Kopaka had a perfect view of all of Ta-Wahi. Well, all that was not covered by the massive, rumbling volcano. Just looking at the red, dead landscape made the Toa of Ice feel warmer. He scanned the area ahead with the Akaku. As the ground leveled out, the snow disappeared, and gray replaced the white land. Then there was greenery. Kopaka was surprised that he had not seen this strip of impossibly green area between his ice land and Tahu's desolated region. A single, infected bull Rahi prowling the forested area confirmed his suspicion.

'"The jungle where fire and ice meet",' he determined, grateful that the prophecy was not referencing a meeting with the Toa of Fire.

Kopaka crouched for a moment, observing and thinking. He could not see something as small as a Kanohi from this distance, and getting closer meant dealing with the Rahi while looking for the Ruru. The slope leading to the valley was just steep enough that a layer of ice would provide an adequate slide. There were no trees or boulders large on the nearly flat decline to hide his approach. A quick entrance was the only way to attack with the element of surprise, and with a Kane-Ra for an opponent, he would need it.

He recalled reading about this Rahi, the type that chased Pohatu and him down Mt. Ihu. It was the largest plant-eater on Mata Nui, but even uninfected it was prone to territorial violence. Infected, the Kane-Ra was a muscular powerhouse of rage. The book had little to say on dealing with this Rahi, only advising the reader to run or hide.

With hands on the ground, Kopaka imagined a pathway of thin ice leading down the hill. He found it harder than he thought it would be to keep the ice from jutting out haphazardly, but he managed to make a decent slide. After securing his shield and sword on his back, he crouched low and leaned forward. He picked up speed quickly and was upon the forest in seconds. He would not be able to stop once he hit the bottom, but that was part of his plan. A split second before the ice slide ran out, he grabbed his tools and leapt. The momentum allowed him to fly above the oblivious Rahi's head.

Switching to the Hau, he looped his shield arm around a branch as he came down and turned to face the bull with his sword outstretched. The Rahi's head and front end became a block of ice. While its hindquarters struggled, the Rahi was unable to do anything with its most powerful half disabled. Kopaka worked quickly to remove the infected Kanohi. The proximity to Ta-Wahi was negatively affecting his ice prison. He got the second shoulder implant removed as the Rahi broke free, sending ice chunks and Toa flying away. The Kane-Ra bellowed and rammed the fallen Toa. It hit Kopaka's shield, and he was surprised to find himself sliding backwards though the protective dome remained intact. Then the bull lifted its head, snorted at the Toa, and moved away to graze.

Kopaka exhaled in relief. As he stood, his hand brushed against something in the undergrowth. He found the square, dull grey Mask of Night Vision. After placing it over his Hau, he felt a buzz in his mind before the Kanohi fell back off. He recalled Nuju saying the Noble Kanohi were not necessary for his quest but could be useful, and he wondered why he could not use this one. He stowed it in his fanny pack, making a mental note to ask the Turaga how to use them.

'I can only hope that the rest of this trip will go so smoothly.'