Edit: 03/04/2015 Oops, thanks guest violet. It's fixed now.
'italics'=thoughts
Chapter 7
(Chapter Sources: Tale of the Toa by C.A. Hapka)
He trudged through the inferno of Ta-Wahi, muttering curses under his breath. What he thought were pathways on the map were just gullies dug out by the flow of the lava, but it did not matter whether he walked on the ridges or in the ditch. It was still horribly hot. As a Toa of Ice, he was immune to the cold, but that did not mean he was also resistant to heat.
Another wave of heat hit him and he staggered. He laid his sword across his shoulders and sent his power through it, cooling his neck and head. Then he kept walking. The sooner he found that Pakai the sooner he could leave this hell. He kicked at a smoldering piece of wood and listened in satisfaction as it sizzled and went out. He could not imagine how anyone could live here – would even choose to live here. The Toa of Fire came to his mind, and Kopaka scowled. Tahu would probably die with laughter.
'Of course, I'd like to see Tahu trying to get along in Ko-Wahi. He'd probably melt a hole in a glacier and spend so much energy yelling at the ice that he couldn't climb out.' Kopaka found the thought so entertaining he chuckled at the imagery.
As he got closer to the spot marked on the map, the terrain became rougher and steeper. Climbing was difficult since his perspiring body made the rocky ground slick. His frustration grew as he continued slipping and nearly falling back down the slope. He growled, determined not to allow his body to overheat in exchange for better footing.
He finally reached the top and found a large plateau that was surrounded by rough ridges that connected to the volcano. Taking up most of the flat terrain was a lava pool. This was the spot marked on the map. Kopaka searched for the Kanohi, hoping that his trip was not a Ko-Matoroan's mistaken sighting. He found a small islet in the lava pool, nearly hidden by the excessive steam and smoke. There was a small, petrified tree poking out of the island, and next to it was a diamond shaped Great Kanohi.
He groaned, wishing that his obstacle were a dozen Rahi instead. 'Makuta showed quite a sense of humor when he hid these Masks,' he thought bitterly. 'But I'll have the last laugh – no matter what it takes.'
Without a lot of options, he pointed his ice blade at the glowing pool of lava and froze a section. A burst of steam from that spot clouded his vision for a moment. When he could see again, he caught a glimpse of a rock, not his ice, sinking under the hot liquid. He tried again, and was met with the same result. Altering the heat in the lava so quickly caused the lava to solidify. This did not help him though, since the solid chunks only sank while getting slowly re-melted.
'Time for a new plan. If I can't go straight across, maybe I can go over it.'
After creating a base for the bridge, Kopaka lifted his sword above his head but kept it parallel with the ground. He would need to keep the ice as far away from the molten rock as he could. It took a few minutes to create a bridge from the shore to the island that would be sturdy enough to walk across. By the time he was done, he felt drained. The oppressive heat and extensive elemental usage took its toll on him.
The ice bridge seemed to be holding, and Kopaka quickly began making his way across. Even though the bridge seemed to be holding, he knew that it would inevitably melt. He had taken only a dozen steps before he heard a new sound. His stomach sank as he looked down at the source of the dripping and angry hissing. The bridge was rapidly melting, dropping the super cooled water into the red-orange lava.
"No!" he yelled in frustration and desperation. He refroze the melting parts, but his power was too weak to keep up with the ever increasing damage. Then the entire middle of the bridge broke off and splashed into the lava. As the ice beneath his feet started cracking and bending without its support, Kopaka leaped backward, spinning around so he could race back to land. He made it right before the lava breathed in the rest of his frozen bridge. Going across was not an option. Going over was not an option either now.
He sat down, taking a breather while turning the problem over in his mind. 'If Tahu were here, he would have no trouble retrieving that Mask.' The thought shocked him. Though he was tired and weary, it was pointless to consider a plan that was not usable. 'Why would I need anyone's assistance? I have claimed all of my Masks so far without assistance. Why should this one be any different?'
He paced, searching his mind for a solution. While walking around, he noticed a trail of pure steam rising to the sky from behind some boulders. All the steam from the lava was accompanied by choking smoke. Upon investigation, he found a hot water spring bubbling away from the warmth of this region.
"Interesting," he mused. His mind began processing what this could mean for his situation. While lava was as incompatible with his power as could be, Kopaka believed that water could be the answer to his puzzle. Glancing at the lava and the hot spring, he measured the distance with his eyes. He examined the depth and width of the boiling pool through his Akaku. A plan was beginning to form in his mind, but the failure of his other plans made him uncertain. He tried to consider all the possibilities, difficulties, and outcomes that could affect his plan.
He stood still for a length of time, pondering. He was almost certain it was a sound idea, but he had been so certain of his bridge idea before this. Kopaka suddenly envisioned how the other Toa would interpret his patient calculations. They would probably think it was funny. Tahu would no doubt call him a coward for being so cautious. He doubted any of his teammates would waste time worrying over possibilities like this.
'Perhaps, just this once, I should live by their example.' He was constantly being weakened by the heat and was wasting time. Spending more time here than what was necessary was a poor choice. 'Besides, it's this or nothing.'
With that, he pointed his blade at the hot spring and froze it solid, creating a small iceberg. He counted to ten, the length of time it took for the ice bridge to start melting, and his iceberg stood firm. He smiled briefly, pleased that his assumption was correct. He then began the task of levering the iceberg out of its hole and dragging it to the lava. Kopaka groaned inwardly at the irony of dragging the large chunk of ice over to the lava lagoon. The Mask of Strength would have been very useful at this point.
After shoving it into the lava, he leapt onboard and swiftly paddled to his destination. This was his only chance, and there was a short time frame in which to use it. He tried not to think how his precious sword was being exposed to the infernal lava as he used it to row out to the island. He tried not to pay attention to the sizzling of his melting boat. He kept his eyes focused on the nearing island.
Once there, he leaped onto the island, keeping a hand on the iceberg to keep it from floating away, and quickly snatched up the Pakari. Placing it on his face, he looked at the now much smaller ice block. It was nearly half its original size and rapidly shrinking.
'More than half. It's still more than half there,' Kopaka told himself, torn between hope and despair. 'That will be enough – especially with the added strength of my new Kanohi to help me row.'
But even after he started rowing back to land, his doubts continued to grow. He was moving faster now with his Mask, but the smaller the iceberg got the faster it shrank. He tried to ignore the woeful voice in his head calling him an idiot for being too reckless.
'I'll make it,' he firmly assured himself, paddling as fast as he could. 'Whatever it takes, I'll do it. If the floe melts away too soon, maybe I can freeze enough of the lava to hop across the rest of the way a step at a time. Or – '
He had been so distracted by his worries and planning that he misjudged his next swing. With the added strength of the Pakari, he struck his sword into the ice so hard it sent chunks flying. Startled, Kopaka couldn't dodge as a broken part hit him on the side of his head. He saw bright flashes of light and fell to his hands and knees, dizzy, as his vision began to fade.
