Queen's Notes: This chapter was co-written with In The Light, most of the chapters in this story are.
Fire From The Past
Walking toward the elevator Lhikan couldn't help but blush slightly, before shaking it off. It still amazed him how the Le-Matoran could actually jump from net to net in a village so high off the ground. "Hey, how long have the Matoran been living on Mata Nui?" he asked out of the blue.
"Aaahh...well, most of us can only remember back about a thousand years." Takua admitted, "I can't remember most of that time, though everyone says I was here, as a toolmaker."
"The Makuta did something..." Macku frowned and then shivered, "It's dark trying to remember past that point, I was really little back then."
Lhikan bowed his head. To think, all this time the Makuta were... wait, a thousand years ago? "The Makuta did something a thousand years ago?" he said.
Now that was wrong, he knew it. A thousand years ago the Makuta weren't doing anything dark at all. They were helping out with the Rahi and creating more creatures. There were even special Toa trained to protect some of the Makuta!
Something is not right at all... it's like I'm in a different reality, Lhikan thought with a deep frown.
"About that," Takua shrugged, "Like I said I don't remember any of it. The older Matoran don't really talk about it either."
"Hmm," was all Lhikan said in return, in deep thought, "Have any of you ever heard of an island city called Metru Nui?"
The other two blue-masked Matoran considered this, Macku slightly confused and Takua's interest visibly spiked up. "No." They said as one.
"No wait," Takua added frowning, "I heard the Turaga sometimes mention it, and Matoro once!"
"It does kinda sound familiar..." Macku hazarded, still confused.
Lhikan watched them for a moment, clearly seeing the confusion on their masks. Metru Nui was a well-known city. It was the heart of plentiful work, it was a strong city, and Dark Hunters had been trying to sneak in and settle if not for Toa being sent over to 'deal' with them.
To have his new friends not know about Metru Nui was... very odd to the taller Ta-Matoran to say the least.
"A lot of cargo is shipped from the city to Miko Nui," Lhikan said for explanation of his question. "I thought maybe the same happened here."
"...The Makuta cut Mata Nui off." Takua said looking away as he stepped into a free elevator, "The Ga-Matoran can't even go too far out into the sea, beyond the coral shelf because of the infected monsters out there."
"Cut off?" Lhikan repeated. Now when did a Makuta get the power to do something like that? He finally just sighed, deciding to think about all of this later. "So Takua, why don't you tell me about Lava Boarding? I'd like to try it. Who came up with the idea of such a sport?"
Takua took a deep breath, first to clear his mind and heart of dark thoughts, as Toa Gali had shown him, and then again to ready himself. Though grateful for the chance of subject, "Lava boarding's been around since before the first dark time." The story keeper started, and slipped into the roll easily, "It started with Jaller's clan actually."
"Could you explain about Jaller's clan, then?" Lhikan asked. He wouldn't mind knowing a little about this look-alike he had.
"Jaller's clan was one of those that helped build the foundations of Ta-Koro, and the Guard." Takua smiled as he settled down, the elevator on a low gear to give them a nice slow ride going down. Mostly since it unnerved even some Le-Matoran going top speed down, "They along with other clans such as Kapura's, help defend the Koro. But to Lava Boarding, it was one member, Lhii, who started it as a fun-sport. Not just away to travel safe- er, semi safely on the lavas rivers of the Mangai."
"Did you say... Mangai?" Lhikan asked, blinking with a tilt of his head. He had been hearing that word a lot back home. There were rumors that several chosen Matoran were being picked up from their island homes and becoming Toa in preparation for what just might turn into war with the Dark Hunters. He had heard someone mention that name as a team of Toa yet to be... or something along those lines. Dume was supposed to explain more once he arrived back home.
"Yeah, Mangai is the volcano Ta-Koro lives under and is protected by its flowing lava." Takua nodded, "Don't know where the name came from, should find out. Hmm, I think I know where a chamber is that would have that information if it's not flooded this time of season..."
"Takua stay focused." Macku interrupted, poking the male that was her size. Lhikan smirked at that before going back to wondering about the oddity that places on Mata Nui were named after things he had heard of, knew of back home.
"Right," Takua nodded and kept going with his story, "Anyways, Lhii became the head of his clan, and like I said before he made a sport of Lava boarding. We have a tournament to honor of him at the core of the volcano. Because that's where Lhii died, protecting Ta-Koro on his own from the gathering, or rather breeding army of lava swimmers- taunotas- that the Makuta was making."
"Shame," Lhikan said. "He sounds like a very brave Matoran. Would have liked to meet him..." He suddenly remembered that he would be seeing more of the island, and smiled to himself. "So, I've got some kind of quest to go on it looks like."
"Yeah," Takua grinned, "We get some of those now and again."
"You should know firespitter," Macku laughed, nudging the Chronicler as the elevator settled down on ground level.
Lhikan lifted a mask ridge as they stepped out. "I suppose the Chronicler embarks on quite a few quests himself. Do you think... since I'm new and all that you might help me out?"
"I wasn't planning on being left behind Lhikan!" Takua laughed as he bounded ahead of the other two and into the area used for housing ground-based Rahi. Putting two fingers in his mouth the short Ta-Matoran gave a high, piercing whistle. Not a moment later a trill answered him from one of the stalls and a few Le-Matoran leaped away from something out of sight.
Lhikan blinked and watched as the Rahi bounded closer, and saw that it was a ussal crab. A very happy one at that. Noticing the actions of the Le-Matoran, Lhikan stepped to the side-just in case- and watched as the Rahi came closer, heading straight for the Chronicler. Macku, shameless, bounced herself right into Lhikan's arms just before the large ussal crab ran over Takua, trilling and licking the laughing Ta-Matoran in the joy of seeing her master again. Its large claws closed as it helped Takua up, but still somehow snuggled up to him despite being a crab.
"Pewku! There's my big, good girl! Miss me? Huh? That's my great big shell head yes you are!"
Lhikan blinked, mostly because of Macku in his arms again, but he grinned at Takua and Pewku. The crab clearly loved her master. A lot. "Is this your noble steed then, Takua?" Lhikan joked, grinning.
"You bet ya!" Takua said, roughly, but affectionately scratching the edges of crab's shell, "She's saved me a lot of times and always finds me when I'm lost. Pewku probably knows the island as good, if not better, than me."
"Then you've got yourself something better than a noble steed," Lhikan grinned. "Ah, Macku, do you think you could let me use my arms again...?"
"Eep! Sorry!" The Ga-Matoran got down, humming in a blush.
Lhikan felt himself blushing slightly as well, though he tried to hide it by turning his attention back to Takua and Pewku. He stepped toward them. "Is she friendly to strangers?"
"Oh yeah," Takua nodded, patting the Rahi in a cretin spot that was an unspoken trained command. It had the crab shifted and lowering herself to settle down, purring and trilling softly but in a 'at ease' pose. "Pewku here wasn't a part of the Onu-Koro defense force, but a transport Rahi. I got her after she hurt her legs and couldn't haul mining equipment any more. But she can still carry a few Matoran!"
"Is that so?" Lhikan bent downward and gave the ussal a few good scratches on her shell. The Rahi tilted up a little into the scratching before dipping her front down with an encouraging mumble. Takua chuckled, holding his hand out to Macku, and helped her up onto one of Pewku's claws that had been moved to act like a step. The gold-masked Matoran gave Pewku one final scratch before moving and climbing up onto the ussal's shell with Macku with a smile.
Takua hopped on last, sitting in the middle behind Pewku's head, grabbing onto ridges in her armor as the Rahi stood, awaiting a command. But the blue masked Ta-Matoran looked around, only to yelped and nearly fall off with Macku as Tamaru dropped down, seemingly from nowhere between them all.
"Got it!" The Le-Matoran beamed, holding something over his head.
Lhikan pulled himself up from nearly falling off on the other side of Pewku's shell, blinking at the Le-Matoran who came out of nowhere... except maybe above. "Got it?" He spotted the object he was holding, a spear. "Ah, yes."
"It's a long spear," Tamaru carefully, so not to hit one of his friends in the head, moved the spear so it was across his lap as he sat down. Then offered it to Lhikan and made sure the bigger Matoran was watching
as he collapsed the spear to half its size. "But is of greatgood make Lhikanfriend."
"Thank you," Lhikan replied, taking it and stashing it away. It felt good to have some sort of weapon on him, he didn't like that utterly defenseless feeling one gets without one. Thank Mata Nui for Kora Tala, he thought, remembering the previous day.
"We all set?" Macku asked, grinning at Lhikan and then the other two, "Since it seems the Chronicler's Company, or part of it, is going to help Lhikan here on his quest!"
"I have finegood food," Tamaru pitched in, shifting so the four of them were better balanced on Pewku's shell.
"Well then I guess we're all set," Lhikan said with a smile, not bothering to hide his excitement. If anyone had told him that he would be on a quest like this, he would have thought that person crazy. After all, he was just a simple crafter, right?