A/N - Hey everyone! So I noticed the last chapter didn't get a lot of views. As such, I really, REALLY wish that you read it before reading this chapter to understand a few things going on. But other than that, we're getting back into the main story. Also, please don't ask if I'm ending the story here. I can't update regularly due to personal issues which often result in writer's block. Also, this is the FINAL version of this story as I am finally happy with where it's going. IF I do stop posting for a very prolonged time (i.e longer than I expect), I will let you guys know. I am going back to uni in September, so it'll be slow then. I've also been getting outside a lot this summer, working to get back in shape. Hate to admit it, but I became a depressed couch potato over the pandemic T-T.
I do have some other news. So I was able to redo the field course… and it was another disaster mentally for me. The professors didn't want me there and actively worked to separate myself from social events, working with other students… and then forced me to do a group assignment by myself, while they had a BBQ directly outside my cabin for the other students, who were already done because they were in groups. Not to mention I was babysat the entire time…
Thankfully these students had more of a consciousness than the previous year's, and they all saw how fricked up the way I was being treated was. They actually ditched the party when they realized it, and then joined me when I said "Screw it" and went out to socialize. They even blocked the profs and TAs from isolating me. But yeah… so it's back to the department head, and likely the Dean, followed by MORE legal action… All I wanted was to be treated like a person…
Of course finding out the decision makers behind all the issues from last year is someone who doesn't even know me outside of a sheet of paper isn't cool. Hopefully I'll be able to plead my case to get things resolved…
There's also some other, other news. This was supposed to be happy, but now… sigh. I was accepted into an exclusive field course out in Newfoundland, and was supposed to fly out mid-August. Unfortunately… some students just dropped out, lowering enrollment to the point it was too expensive to transport out less than 8 students.
So I'm going through a depressive phase right now. I'm not sure when this chapter will come out or the next one, because I don't want my emotions to take away from the plot I've got in place. Things are crummy enough for my OC and the Toa without me making it worse to vent.
On another note, I've been thinking… I know in the first chapter I've established that Emma's from essentially a Marvel Universe… but now I'm not so sure I want to stick with that anymore. When I do eventually post the revamped first chapter of arc 1, it'll be without that piece. But I want your opinions; do you guys want me to keep it, change over to another world like DC, or forgo anything like that all together? Because honestly I'm not sure what I'm gonna do down the line anymore.
Also note that I am working on this story in the middle of the night. Why? Because I got woken up at 3am by my sister to deal with a GIANT HONKING BROWN SPIDER. Here in Canada, the biggest house spiders I've encountered so far are the size of a dime, MAYBE a nickel. This thing? As big as a quarter and with a thorax the size of a large pea. May seem small to some of you guys, but to me with severe arachnophobia? NO THANK YOU! I am now wide awake at night and sleepy during the day. So hopefully this doesn't come out weird…
Oh, and I had to smack that thing off the ceiling myself with a slipper over the stairs. I understand why my parents didn't want to get up to deal with it - sis and I are adults after all… but yeah. Spiders. UGH!
…Emma isn't going to do well with the Visorak when we get to that point. I know I wouldn't.
Anyways, onto the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only my OC Emma and little portions of the plot. Credit to MakutaMutran for letting me use his novelizations of the overall canon as the basis for my plot (as in what's going on canonically). Also, don't own the movie 'Legends of Metru Nui', or the novel 'Voyage of Fear'. That's LEGO's. Please note that I have added some creative liberty to this chapter, so if it isn't in the canon in any way, it's MINE. No stealy.
Emma huddled on the ground, terrified of the six forms that prowled around her. Eyes sickly green with glowing vertical slit pupils glared down at her, filled with rage and betrayal.
"Why didn't you tell ussssss?"
"We trussssted you…"
"Decccccceiver…"
The human whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "P-Please! I-I didn't mean for this to happen!"
"Liar!" Fangs snapped close to her face, getting a shriek of terror.
"You are jusssssssst like Makuta!"
"Monsssssssster!"
Emma burst into tears, sobbing and crying as the words hit deep. She tried to speak but the words were choked, leaving only blubbered sounds to escape her throat.
Hisses and growls surrounded her, before claws raked her back, dragging out a pained scream-!
Emma gasped, shooting awake as tears spilled down her cheeks. She took several deep, sharp breaths, her eyes snapping about as her brain tried to analyze what just happened.
When the girl realized she was in the tent, on her makeshift bed of moss and leaves… she curled up, shaking from repressed sobs as the memories of the nightmare haunted her. Eventually she was able to calm herself as much as she could, however Emma still felt pain in her heart. I'm a monster…
Sitting up, realizing that she was not going to be able to fall back asleep anytime soon, she slipped out of the tent. Above her billions of stars blazed overhead, wisps of purple nebulae arcing across the sky. Over the ocean the green moon glowed, splashes of other bright colours across its surface. Emma took in a deep breath of air, sitting in the sand and taking in the alien sky.
The waves of the ocean lapping against the beach added a somewhat soothing sound to the air, allowing the human to finally let herself relax. After staring at the sky for what felt like hours, Emma finally realized how cold she was. Sighing, she stood, stretched, and went back into the tent to sleep. As she settled down, the human shivered a little, feeling cold from the proximity to the ocean.
Eventually she began to doze off, still shivering… before feeling something being laid over her. Something warm…
Looking up, Emma saw kind blue eyes, and snuggled under the blanket before falling asleep. Nokama was so nice…
A large hand gently stroked the now-sleeping human's head, before the form glanced at the six Toa and one Matoran sleeping. The form smiled softly, before he faded away.
The next few days passed slowly for the group. Nokama tended to Mavrah as he started to recover from his illness, while the other Toa continued to explore the island or train separately with their elemental and mask powers. Emma was relegated to helping Nokama, though the Toa of Water took the time to indulge the human in Matoran culture. Some of the other Toa did as well, though both Vakama and Onewa kept their distance from the human.
Emma, in return, avoided them both, as if sensing that they didn't want her around. She also became mostly silent, only speaking if asked a question or spoken to. The four Toa who did interact with the human teenager were concerned about her, but she brushed them off. Vakama also started to feel concerned as he noticed, but he didn't approach.
On the fifth day of their stay on the island, Mavrah recovered enough to be able to get up and move around. That evening, Vakama gathered the other Toa, and started to discuss how they were going to return to Metru Nui.
Emma however had to stay by the Matoran's side, making sure he was able to actually keep down his food. Mavrah thankfully was able to get the fruit down, and smiled at the human. "I am feeling much better." He reassured her.
The girl nodded, but otherwise didn't answer. Worried, the Onu-Matoran went to speak, when the Toa returned. "Mavrah, we have decided to attempt a return to Metru Nui. Would you be alright staying here to monitor the camp and pods?" Vakama asked.
The Matoran nodded. "Of course. I'll watch over the camp until your return." He then went to say something more, but the Toa of Fire had already turned away to the human. "Emma, you are coming with."
The thirteen year old nodded, standing up. "When are we leaving?" She asked softly.
"Now."
The trip to the desert region of the island took the rest of the day, and that night they set up camp until a rocky overhang in a canyon.
Emma watched the flickering flames of the fire, feeling exhausted from all the walking. At least the path followed a river of fresh water, so they had a drinking source. However during the latter half Nokama had had to carry her, creating a cooling mist to keep the human from overheating.
This would be a great time to have marshmallows… The human thought to herself tiredly, staring into the fire. Or at least a hot dog…
Despite having had some jerky and fruit for dinner, the human was still hungry. Or maybe it was just the fact that she was tired and craving something other than the same food over and over.
Ugh, now I want waffles… or spaghetti… hell I'll take broccoli at this point! She sighed to herself, looking away from the fire. The Toa were all working, either securing the final parts of their shelter for the night, or getting their makeshift cots set up. All except for Nuju, who was resting in the stream to recover from heat exhaustion. Looking up at the sky, Emma stared at the stars, her eyes wandering over to the visible Toa constellation. It also made her wonder how many of the stars that she could see were Toa stars as well…
"Emma?" Nokama's voice softly broke through the human's thoughts, the Toa of Water kneeling beside her. "It's time to rest."
Nodding, the girl got up and went over into the shelter, leaving the fire to be put out by one of the Toa. The Toa of Water wrapped her arm gently around the girl, leading her to her spot in what Matau nicknamed a "nest". Though given it was made out of dug up dirt and the bedding from their coastal tent, it seemed accurate.
As she tucked the human in to rest, Nokama couldn't help but feel concerned for the young one. Emma was just a child, not even from their world… forced to stay with them for survival.
Personally I would have her stay with Mavrah, and not risk her on the return journey. Even if there are no threats… The Toa of Water thought to herself, sitting by the human's side and rubbing her back, trying to help the child fall into a comfortable sleep. Why would Vakama insist on her coming with us? Does he feel that he needs to keep a constant eye on her?
Sighing, Nokama laid next to the now sleeping human, holding her close. No matter what happens, I'll protect her. My little sister…
The next morning, the group set out again at dawn, following the river towards the cave Onewa had found a few days prior. Hopefully, if rahi were able to come through to this deserted land, they could use it to return to their world.
By late morning the group had reached the ridge the cave sat up on. They knew it was the right one due to the dead Nui Jaga laying on the ground at the bottom of the ridge. Emma grimaced at the sight of it, a little grossed out.
After climbing the ridge to the cave, Whenua was put out front for the journey, since his Mask of Night Vision could light the way best. He paused for a moment at the cave's mouth, gloomily surveying the rock walls within. "Tunnels. It's always tunnels." Despite his love of the underground, there was something unnerving about this passage in particular.
"Tell you what," Matau smiled, wrapping an arm around his larger brother's shoulders, "l will wear the torch-mask and explore the tunnels from now on, and you can live in the mud-swamp. What do you say?"
"l say there's nothing like a good tunnel." The Toa of Earth replied, leading the way inside.
They had been journeying only a short while when the Toa of Earth called for a halt. "There's a cavern up ahead, and I thought I saw…" his voice trailed off as the light from his mask played across the cave. Arrayed against the walls were hundreds of cylinders, each containing a sleeping round creature.
Emma shivered at the sight of them, unnerved. "Umm… what are those?"
"Bohrok." Whenua had seen the creatures before in the Metru Nui Archives, but only Onu-Matoran miners had ever seen them in their nest. The sight managed to be fascinating and deeply disturbing at the same time. "Creatures whose purpose is written in legend and results in the most dire of circumstances; the destruction of the ecosystem."
Emma swallowed thickly, regretting asking. "Oh."
"I never liked those things." Matau added with a shudder. "Let's move quick-fast and not wake them up."
In response, Whenua walked up to one of the canisters and slammed his earthshock drill against it. The resulting clang echoed throughout the tunnels, making everyone else flinch… but that was the only effect. The Bohrok inside never stirred. "l don't think they can awaken, at least not in the sense you mean." The Toa of Earth stated. "Miners have transported them up several levels to the Archives and they have never flickered to life."
"So they are dead?" Nokama asked, keeping her distance from the nest, blue eyes wide with wariness.
"Sleeping." Nuju corrected, holding a lightstone up to a cylinder to reveal the creature within. "Waiting for the day they will be needed, though I cannot imagine what crisis beyond the sleeping of the Great Spirit would require their services." He was referring to the disaster that they had just escaped from, yet which had not awakened these creatures.
"It's funny." Vakama commented humorlessly, approaching one of the canisters. "These remind me of the spheres the Matoran are trapped in down below, sleeping their dreamless sleep. Do you think that perhaps-?"
The rest of his question was never voiced. No sooner had his hand brushed the cylinder than a vision exploded in his head. He saw hundreds, thousands of Bohrok rampaging across the island above, destroying forests, mountains, and rivers. Natural features that had seemingly stood for ages were swept away in an instant. When the swarms were done, they left behind a ravaged and barren wasteland.
"No…No…" The Toa of Fire slid to his knees, holding his head. "It must not be…"
"What is it?" Nokama asked urgently, kneeling next to her Toa brother. "Speak to us."
"The Bohrok." Vakama's voice shook as he answered, his eyes staring forwards, wide and panicked. "One day, they will awaken and the island will fall before them… I saw it!"
"These things?" Onewa scoffed, laughing and leaning against one of the pods. "They do nothing but sleep! What are they going to do, snore Mata Nui to death?"
"Vakama's visions have been correct before." Nokama reminded him, scowling.
"Vakama's visions should be carved onto a tablet and titled, 'Tales to Frighten Matoran'." The Toa of Stone shot back, crossing his arms. "Just because he accurately guessed that a rampaging plant might be a bad thing in Metru Nui doesn't mean- oww!"
Onewa jumped back from the wall of pods. He had been struck on the arm by a drop of liquid that had fallen from the ceiling. Now it sizzled on the surface of his armor. "Makuta's eyes, what was that?!"
Whenua turned to look. The light from his mask revealed a rivulet of shimmering, silver liquid flowing from the tunnel ceiling down to a small pool at the base of the wall near where the Toa of Stone had been standing. At first, he thought it was simply liquid protodermis, but the color and texture seemed slightly off. It seemed to shimmer even without light, and rippled even without being disturbed. The Toa of Earth leaned down to touch the substance, but Nuju stopped him.
"Not a good idea, librarian." The Toa of Ice stated. "If that is what I think it is, touching it is the last thing you want to do. It's a miracle our Stone Brother was only stung." Nuju knelt down to examine the pool. The other Toa and the small human crowded around him. "Nokama. You know as well, don't you? The labs in Ga-Metru were trying to produce this based on ancient records in the Knowledge Towers."
"Energized protodermis." The Toa of Water murmured, morbid awe in her voice. "Yes, some were trying to reproduce it, but with no success. I never thought I would see the real thing."
"What is it?" Vakama asked, kneeling next to his Icy brother. "An acidic form of protodermis?"
"More than that." Nuju replied as Nokama carefully examined a somewhat spooked Onewa's arm. "If the tablets are to be believed, energized protodermis can produce mutations of the most bizarre kinds. Under the right circumstances, and according to legends, destiny, a being exposed to it could be physically changed, granted new powers, or possibly turned into some sort of monster." He shook his head. "There's no way to predict its effects."
"So what will happen to me?" Onewa asked, barely hiding the fright in his voice.
Nokama smiled softly and patted his shoulder. "Thankfully nothing more than an armour burn brother. So long as it touches nothing organic, in a small amount it will only burn your armour." She made no comment as Emma shuffled away from the puddle, the human spooked.
Matau blinked, and looked at the puddle with an idea. "So if I took a quick-swim. I could come out as a new kind of Toa?" He asked, excited at the thought of emerging more powerful and stronger.
"If it was your destiny." Nuju stated. "If not–"
There was a sudden shriek, Emma jumping back and clinging to Whenua as a stone rat scurried across the tunnel floor from behind her. It paused for an instant at the sight of the Toa, then darted around them and right into the puddle.
What happened next could have only come from a horror movie. There was a horrible hissing sound at the moment of contact, like acid eating through metal. The small creature struggled to free itself from the liquid, but the protodermis clung to it like a second skin, as though it were… alive. Then the rat spasmed, smoke rising from its body. Before the horrified eyes of the group, the small creature dissolved, leaving no trace it had ever been there.
"The secret of energized protodermis." The Toa of Ice spoke quietly after a moment. "What it doesn't transform…it destroys."
No one spoke for a long time, however a few of them felt rather ill.
As for Emma, the human knew she was going to have nightmares from that, her stomach churning. Traumatized, she refused to release the Toa of Earth from her shaking grip.
Recovering from the grisly scene, Whenua scooped up the human and let her hide her face into his neck. That was something no one should've seen…
Nokama walked beside Vakama. The Toa of Fire's expression was grim. He had already prevented Whenua from investigating two new species of Rahi, snapped at Matau for lagging behind, and had to endure a few more shrieks of fear from Emma, much to his annoyance. The Water Toa had never seen him act quite this way, at least until they had arrived on the island.
"Is anything the matter?" She asked gently, concerned about the change in behaviour. Despite her displeasure at her brother's previous actions, she was starting to worry. This change in personality wasn't normal…
"We are not making this trip for pleasure." The Toa of Fire replied curtly. "But it seems some of us don't realize that. The longer it takes us to reach the city, the greater the chance that some new danger will threaten the Matoran."
"You mean Makuta might free himself?" The Toa Metru had left their nemesis trapped in solid protodermis marked with a Toa seal. In theory, only the powers of the six Toa could release him.
"He might." Vakama acknowledged. "Or there might be worse things than Makuta. I don't know." His voice hardened slightly. "But it seems obvious we will never get there without someone acting as leader."
This made the female Toa raise a surprised brow. "You always said you didn't want that role."
"l didn't want to see my friends and my Turaga trapped, or my city wrecked, either." The Fire Toa responded, never taking his eyes from the path ahead. "But I did."
Yes, you did. Nokama thought as the Fire Toa walked ahead of her. And it has changed you. But for the better… or for the worse?
Emma kept her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she walked beside Nuju. She felt cold, but more than just in the normal cool temperature wise. It was something else, something deeper… it left her with goosebumps.
"Cold?" The Toa beside her asked softly, making the human jump. "Y-Yeah…" The thirteen year old swallowed thickly. It didn't help that it was mostly dark except for the light from Whenua's Kanohi and the few lightstones they had.
The Toa of Ice looked at the human silently, before turning and pulling something out. "Here." He handed her a cylindrical container.
Emma blinked, before twisting the lid off. Inside was a glowing stone that radiated heat.
"It's called a heatstone." Nuju said softly. "It provides both heat and light. But do not touch the stone itself."
"Okay." The human nodded, holding the container carefully. She couldn't help but smile, feeling more relaxed from the light and heat the stone provided her. "Thank you."
It could've been a trick of the light, but Emma could've sworn the Toa of Ice smiled.
Matau whistled softly as he walked next to Whenua, the two Toa in the lead. Bored, the Toa of Air was using his Mask of Power to shapeshift into whatever came to mind, much to his friend's annoyance. "So how did you like the island?" Matau asked while in the shape of a Kikanalo beast.
"Good, deep soil and rock." Whenua answered, keeping his gaze averted. "Perfect for digging."
"Yes, that's what I look for in a home, too." The Toa of Air answered, wondering if perhaps Onu-Matoran had something wrong behind their masks. Why would anyone want to live underground when they could have the sky?
"How about you?" His brother asked.
The 'Kikanalo' shrugged, shifting to a copy of the late Dark Hunter Krekka. "Mud-swamp. Thorn-vines. Too much mud for quick-riding, too many trees for high-flying. It needs work."
"l am sure the Le-Matoran will manage." Whenua answered, grimacing at the shape his brother took and the memories it brought up. "If you can't build chutes, you can always swing from the vines."
"Right." Matau snorted, thankfully reverting back to his normal form. "Good happy-joke." His voice was thick with sarcasm.
The Toa of Earth went to respond, only for his foot to slip on something. He stuck a hand out barely in time to keep from falling, grabbing at the tunnel wall. Looking down at his feet, the beam from his mask illuminated a coating of fine-grained sand on the tunnel floor. "That's odd. We are a long way from any beach. How did sand get here?"
There was a blur of motion. The 'sand' suddenly whipped itself into a storm in the narrow passage. For a moment, Matau thought he spotted a shape in the center of the cyclone. Then both he and Whenua were sent flying by hammer-like blows.
The Toa of Air struck the tunnel wall hard enough to rattle his mask. He decided the impact was making him see things. There couldn't really be a Kranua, armor gleaming in the dim light of the now darkened tunnel, blocking their path… could there?
Further back, the other Toa and Emma were startled when the light of Whenua's Kanohi went out, followed by two deep thuds. Instantly the four Toa rushed forwards, the passage twisting somewhat and blocking their view until they came into a straight area.
At that moment the two Toa Metru who had been ahead of them crashed to earth at the feet of Nuju. "Travel by telekinesis; a new method even for you, Matau." The Toa of Ice stated dryly, before snapping his head up hearing the robotic sounds.
"You need long-work on your landings." Matau groaned as he referred to his brother's 'joke', dazed.
Vakama and Onewa stood side by side, watching the form of what could only be a Kranua coalesce. "l worked on one of those things, once." The Toa of Stone commented. "It's slow, but a lot stronger than your average Vahki."
"That's alright." The Toa of Fire said. "So are we. So let's give it something to think about, Onewa."
Concentrating his power on the rock wall, the Stone Toa tore a stone loose by force of elemental power and sent it hurtling at the Kranua. Spotting the danger, the complex machine transformed itself to soft 'sand' to let the object pass through. As soon as it did, Vakama sent an intense blast of flame into the tunnel, so hot and bright it sent Onewa stumbling backwards.
When the Toa of Stone could see clearly again, an incredible sight greeted his eyes. The Kranua, caught in mid-transformation by Vakama's fires, had been fused into a statue of crystalline protodermis. Now it stood, unmoving, looking like some sculptor's nightmare. The other Toa moved in closely to examine it, but Vakama was already moving deeper into the tunnel.
"Leave it." He said. "It's not going anywhere."
Whenua watched him go, still sitting as he recovered, muttering to no one in particular, "Ever wonder why he needs us?"
"Perhaps he no longer thinks he does," Nuju answered, helping his brother to his feet. "We had best keep moving, before he saves the Matoran, builds the new Koros, and awakens Mata Nui all by himself."
At that moment, Emma ran up to them, almost out of breath. "You guys… run… way too fast!" She panted, before making a squeaking sound seeing the 'statue'. "What is that?"
"That was a Kranua." Nokama said softly, gently moving the human around the now-disabled Vahki.
"A what?"
The Toa of Water sighed, before she explained.
As it turned out, the Kranua were a special model of Vahki, built in secret by the unnamed designer of the Vahki, along with a select crew of Po-Matoran engineers. They and another kind of elite Vahki, the Kraahu, were rare enforcers of the city. The Kranua's intended purpose was riot control, in particular containing mass Rahi breakouts from the Archives. Their designers had given them the ability to reduce their forms to a mass of 'sandy protodermis grains', or in reality tiny nano bots, and then reform into their larger form at will, or sometimes other shapes as needed. This allowed them to slip through tiny cracks, vanish through gratings, and then suddenly reappear when least expected. The Kraahu, on the other hand, was a huge six-legged machine that could split into independent functioning parts and fight all at once.
In practice, the Kranua were used against Matoran smuggling rings and other organized groups of lawbreakers.
"Oh…" Emma looked at the now-crystallized Vahki. "But… what's it doing here then?"
"I don't know." Nokama said softly, carefully guiding the human past the Kranua. "But it likely followed the rahi…" she didn't actually know for certain, but the Toa of Water feared what its presence could indicate.
One by one, the Toa walked past the crystalline form of the Kranua. Matau was the last in line, and he stopped to gaze at the machine that had almost killed him and Whenua. "l will tell you a dark secret," he whispered to the crystalline Vahki enforcer, "but only if you promise not to share."
Matau took a step to follow the others, then turned around and gave the Kranua a gentle shove. It fell over and smashed into thousands of tiny fragments of crystal. "Surrender and run aren't the only choices anymore." He stated, before walking away.
The tunnel widened as the Toa Metru plus one marched on. The air grew warmer and more humid, which only seemed to quicken Vakama's pace. It was only when he reached what resembled a Matoran-made archway that he stopped. Here the tunnel ceased to be enclosed for a distance, instead becoming a ledge that led to a stone bridge over a chasm that led to another tunnel. Down below, scores of insectiod Rahi scuttled among the rocks, so many that it was almost impossible to see the ground beneath them.
"Scorpions." The Toa of Fire stated as Nuju came up beside him. "Thousands of them. I never imagined there were so many different species."
"And some of them are quite unique." The Toa of Ice commented, pointing out a few. "The red-gold one on the far right ledge has three stingers. The black one fighting off his companions to the left has no legs. Many of them are dead, though I can see no signs of violence on their bodies."
"l always forget about that telescopic lens in your mask." Vakama admitted, having taken a moment to try to see for himself in the faint light of the lightstones.
"Ironic, considering you were the one who helped install it in my Kanohi." Nuju replied. "l never forget it. Being able to see clearly is so important, don't you agree?"
Before Vakama could answer, the Toa of Ice was using his Mask of Telekinesis to lift a small specimen of the dead Rahi into the air. He deposited it on the bridge and knelt to examine it, while the Toa of Fire watched impatiently.
"l was right." Nuju said after a moment. "This rahi didn't die in combat. It suffocated. See here?" He pointed to the side of the rahi's neck. "It has no lungs; rather, it has gills."
"You mean it's a sea rahi?" The Fire Toa asked, perplexed. "Then how…?"
"I am not sure how answered got here, what it is, or what the rest of those beasts are." The Ice Toa said, using his powers to lower the scorpion gently to a ledge within the chasm. "And that troubles me."
Behind them, Matau grimaced as he watched Vakama and Nuju inspecting a bug. After all the hurry-rush, now they are blocking the path with an Onu-Matoran science project. Well, Mata Nui take this, I want to keep moving.
The Toa of Air took off just as Nuju lowered the rahi corpse down, flying over the heads of his two comrades and farther into the tunnels. He could hear Vakama behind him calling for him to come back, but ignored it. The fire-spitter is getting a little too good at giving orders. He grumbled to himself.
Emma winced hearing Vakama curse as Matau disappeared in the next tunnel, before shuffling behind Nokama hearing the hissing of the living crustaceans. Why did it have to be scorpions?!
The Toa of Water glanced behind her at the girl. "Emma?"
"…I don't like scorpions." The human mumbled, clutching the heatstone container a little tighter. She had put the lid on as it was too warm now to have it out.
Nokama smiled softly in understanding, turning and wrapping an arm around the human. "Don't worry. They can't reach you up here."
Emma smiled a little, comforted. At least Nokama still cares about me…
The five Toa and human ended up waiting around by the bridge, both for Matau to return and to use the opportunity to rest and refuel. That, and Vakama wanted Matau to realize that they wouldn't follow him when he took off like that…
As they sat and passed food around, the human squirmed a little. Nokama glanced at her and asked if she was okay. Emma just smiled a little and nodded… before suddenly paling and bolting.
Nokama was on her feet in a shot as the girl darted around behind a large section of rock. "Emma?!"
When she didn't get a response, the Toa of Water moved to go over. However, once she did actually see the human, she quickly retreated back to the group.
Whenua looked at their Toa sister, confused. "Nokama?"
The Water Toa just shook her head, and grabbed Vakama's arm when the Toa of Fire moved to check. "Don't brother."
Onewa blinked. "What? What's going on?"
Nokama shook her head again, leaving the four males very confused. But after some time Emma's voice weakly called to the Toa of Water, and she rushed over.
The males looked at each other, their confusion only growing. Eventually the two came out from behind the rock, Nokama rubbing Emma's back, though the human's cheeks were red. When they both sat down, Whenua glanced over. "Are you alright Emma?"
The girl nodded, though her cheeks remained flushed and she kept her gaze averted.
Onewa frowned, and standing went to go over. Nokama scrambled to try and stop him, but the Toa of Stone moved too fast. "Brother wait-!"
The brown armoured Toa looked around the rock… then stopped, stared, and swiftly retreated. Emma just buried her face in her hands, her ears red with sheer embarrassment.
"Brother?" Nuju asked as Onewa sat back with them, but the Toa of Stone just shook his head, his face pale. He really, really wished he hadn't seen that…
The three other Toa were then left in the dark, far too nervous to see what exactly had happened.
Emma just kept her face buried in her knees, extremely mortified, embarrassed, and just uncomfortable overall. Even though Nokama had reassured her that this was natural, it was still embarrassing. Especially with Onewa having gone to look!
Natural bodily reaction to bad fruit or not, why did it have to come out like THAT?!
About an hour later, though it was hard to tell underground, Nuju, who was drinking from a canteen, spotted a flash of light down the tunnel. "l believe Matau has found something."
"Or something has found him." Onewa commented dryly, before swallowing his bite of fruit. "Do you think all Toa of Air blunder into things, or is it just him?"
"Let's find him," Vakama muttered, standing and still not impressed by the Air Toa's impulsive act, "so he can live and learn."
The group crossed the bridge, then broke into a run through the winding tunnel, Onewa in the lead. The Toa of Stone took a corner at high speed, only to smash into a Rahi, a Muaka, coming the other way. The great cat barely took notice of the figure that struck it, which flew backwards from the impact. It simply growled a warning to anyone else that might be foolish enough to do the same thing that the Stone Toa had done.
None of the other Toa Metru nor the human were in a hurry to repeat Onewa's mistake. But the former Metru Nui residents had never seen a Muaka quite like this in any Archives exhibit. It wasn't just the extra sets of fangs or even the armor plating on its back and sides. No, it was more the hard protodermis thorns growing out of its legs, the ones gouging chunks out of the tunnel walls as it moved.
Emma swallowed thickly, hiding behind Nokama. That creature reminded her of a saber tooth… only this one looked like it was on steroids!
"Do you think Matau encountered this beast?" The Water Toa asked softly, a protective arm in front of the girl.
"If he did," Nuju replied, tense, "I believe we may be short one Toa."
The Muaka lumbered forward, still ignoring the unconscious Onewa. It snarled at the Toa, but made no threatening moves. Vakama raised his hand, saying, "A burst of flame should confuse it, Nuju, and then you can ice it over."
"Wait a moment." Nokama broke in, stepping forwards. "You may be the leader of this team, Vakama, but it is still a team."
The Toa of Fire gave his sister a baffled look. "Is this really the time for a debate?"
"No." The Toa of Water said, taking a step toward the Rahi. "But it is a time for discussion."
Looking into the beast's eyes, Nokama gave a soft growl, using her Kanohi Rau to translate and communicate. The Muaka's eyes narrowed, before it sniffed the air, then let out a deafening bellow. The Water Toa was unfazed, responding with a series of growls and snarls. Completely puzzled by this little creature speaking its language, the Muaka roared.
"He's in pain." Nokama said softly after a moment, not taking her eyes from the rahi's. "I can't… I can't get it clear, but I don't think he expected to find us. And I don't think he means us harm."
"Tell that to my head…" Onewa groaned, slowly stirring and rubbing his skull. "How do we know that 'he' didn't hurt Matau? What are you suggesting, Nokama?" His voice filled with sarcasm. "That we pat it on the head and send it on its way?"
"Onewa has a point." Whenua interjected before Nokama had a chance to snap at the Stone Toa. "If we let this Rahi pass, who is to say it will not take up residence on our new island home?"
Vakama frowned. The Toa of Earth was right, but a fight against this beast in a confined space would waste time, and that was assuming the Toa would win. If this Rahi made it to the island… well, that could be dealt with later. "We let it go." He said. "Stand aside, brothers."
"What?" Onewa cried, still sitting on the ground, unwilling to admit he was too sore to move. "This thing flattens me, and we're just going to–"
"That tickles!" Everyone turned at hearing the laugh, and stared at the sight.
Emma, while she watched the Muaka, she no longer felt as scared. Especially as, while the Toa argued, she had watched it whine and lick its leg around a thorn. It was hurting…
Curious, she cautiously approached, and saw something the Toa hadn't; pieces of stone sticking out of the raw hide around the thorns, barely visible through thick white fur.
"You poor dear." The human murmured softly, kneeling next to its leg. The rahi watched her, wary, as she hovered her hand over the sore spot. "Shh… let me help you…"
Despite her nerves at being this close to the sharp fangs easily the length of her forearm, Emma's heart couldn't bear seeing the creature in pain. With careful hands, she delicately pulled out the visible pieces of rock, absently stroking the visible dark fur of the rahi. "Shh… there we go… almost done…" The rahi's fur was surprisingly soft…
The Muaka watched her, lowering its head and ignoring the larger two-legs as they bickered. This small one was different, a cub… yet it wasn't as fearful, like the blue one.
Soon, all the visible debris was pulled out, and the Muaka purred, licking around the area that now felt much better.
Emma smiled, before giggling as the rahi nuzzled her. "You're welcome." She replied, before laughing as she was licked. "That tickles!" It felt like a million tiny feathers!
"E-Emma?" The human looked at the five Toa, who openly gaped at her. She smiled sheepishly. "He had stuff in his leg that was hurting him, so I pulled them out." The thirteen year old admitted, before giggling as she was nuzzled.
The Muaka rumbled softly, and Nokama smiled. "He says thank you. The pain was making him grumpy."
"I'll say it was more than 'grumpy'." Onewa scoffed, only to freeze as the Muaka turned its head to look at him and gave a long, low growl. "I don't think he likes your attitude." The Toa of Water chuckled.
Emma giggled, before standing and stroking the Muaka's head. Leaning in, she whispered, "Ignore him. I don't think he likes anything."
The Muaka snorted as the Toa of Stone glared, before the rahi took a step forward, eyeing the Toa warily, as if they would get in his way. When no one moved to stop his progress, he kept going, giving a final growl as he went. All eyes turned to Nokama.
"What did he say?" Nuju asked.
"Two words;" Nokama replied softly, watching the Muaka vanish down the tunnel, "'Turn back'."
Vakama joined Whenua in the front of the group, using his flames to light the way so the Toa of Earth could take a rest from the mental strain of constantly using his Kanohi. Nokama had helped Onewa to his feet, but the Toa of Stone insisted he needed no assistance to walk. Nuju brought up the rear, wondering if letting the Muaka pass was a decision they would regret in the future. Perhaps it truly represented no danger to the Toa, but who could know the mind of a Rahi? Emma walked beside the Toa of Ice, still awed at the fact she'd basically petted a sabertooth. His fur had been so fluffy!
The group continued to work their way through the narrow, winding tunnels as swiftly as they dared, most unwilling to run into another rahi. Especially an even less friendly one. Whenua sensed no movement in the earth, but all that meant was that enemies could be waiting in ambush up ahead. Vakama was ready to hurl a spread of fireballs in a split second if an attacker appeared.
The Toa of Fire then turned a corner before he stopped, stunned. At first, he thought he had stumbled on some strange carving in the tunnel wall. But a closer examination revealed that this was no ancient work of art; rather, it was the living form of the group's missing member, somehow fused with the rock wall. The Toa of Air could not speak, his mouth frozen open, but his eyes reached out to Vakama, pleading to be set free.
The other Toa were equally shocked, while Emma was rubbing her eyes in disbelief. Matau had become part of the stone, with only a few inches of one aero-slicer blade and one hand still protruding from the wall.
After a moment of stunned silence, Nokama weakly asked, "Can't we just pull him out, somehow?" She sounded unsure, not sure what to make of this.
Onewa shook his head, more than likely trying to get his thoughts in order. "He is of the rock, and the rock is of him now. Pull him out by physical force and you would bring down the entire tunnel." The Stone Toa glanced at his gaping Fire Brother. "No, this requires a more delicate approach. Vakama?"
The Toa of Fire blinked, before giving his head a shake and nodding. With care, he focused his flames into as narrow a jet as possible. Then, slowly and carefully, Vakama sliced through the rock around Matau, taking care to give more than enough space around his entrapped brother so as to not nick him. Whenua caught the slab as it came loose, and he gently lowered it to the ground.
Onewa then stepped forwards, knelt down before the trapped Toa, and concentrated. In his time as a Toa Metru, he had used his elemental powers to achieve some amazing things. But never had the task been so difficult or the stakes been so high: a single slip, the slightest distraction, and it would mean Matau's life.
With unrelenting force of will, the Toa of Stone commanded the stone to reject that which did not belong. He could sense that the rock had interwoven with the substance of Matau and there would be no way to rip the Toa free. The rock would have to set him free. Painfully, slowly, bit by bit, he felt the stone retreat. Driven back by the power of the Toa Metru of Stone, it at long last released its hold at last on Matau.
The Toa of Air gasped as he hit the ground, before he tried to scramble to his feet, only to hit the tunnel wall and curl up, shaking. His mind reeled from the memories of being something else; not quite Toa, not quite stone, but some immobile hybrid of the two. Trapped, unable to speak or hear, only able to watch, seeing nothing but tunnel and darkness…
Nokama instantly knelt by her brother's side, rubbing his shoulders to try and ground him. "Easy brother… easy…" she soothed gently, feeling Matua's shaking slowly calm as his mind processed the present. In a surprising move, he clung tightly to the Toa of Water, hiding his face in her shoulder. "Oh brother…" the Toa of Water could feel tears on her armour.
The other Toa looked at each other, concerned, while Emma felt her heart ache. Poor Matau… The poor Toa of Air was traumatized…
After a bit, Matau's trembling settled, and Nokama was able to coax her brother to stand. He clung to her still, orange eyes remaining wide.
"What happened?" Onewa asked, stepping forwards with a trace of anger in his voice, but not directed at his brother. "Who did… this to you?"
Matau took a shuddering breath, before saying, "I-I will do better than speak-say." He straightened up as best he could, trauma giving way to anger. "I will show you while I make it pay."
It didn't take the Toa long to pick up the trail of the Rahi that imprisoned their brother. Whenua could feel them moving along the tunnels, the vibrations of their movements reverberating through the earth. They had evidently turned the wrong way after attacking Matau and were headed deeper into the maze rather than toward the surface.
Nokama felt torn about the action they were about to undertake. True, the Rahi could have killed their Air Brother. But she was convinced from talking with the Muaka that the beasts were acting out of panic, not rage. It might be that they needed the help of the Toa Metru. That Matau had merely been imprisoned out of instinct to protect.
Her foot caught on something and she almost stumbled. Looking down, the Toa of Water blinked seeing a clump of moss growing out of a crack in the floor. Now that she noticed it, there was moss speckled all along the walls of this tunnel. She could not recall seeing any elsewhere on their journey. As a Matoran, even a teacher, she would have dismissed this as inconsequential. As a Toa, she had seen far too much to ignore anything out of the ordinary. Not only that… moisture levels were still low, not enough for her to draw any in to create even a mist. Moss shouldn't have been able to grow, even if it didn't rely on sunlight. Something had to be feeding it.
Up ahead, the tunnel forked. Whenua crouched down and tried to get a sense of which direction the Rahi had gone, laying a large hand on the ground. He sensed traces of movement both to the right and the left, but nothing substantial.
After a moment of silence as the group crowded behind the Toa of Earth, Matau spoke up. "We go right."
Whenua turned his head, curious. "Why?"
"Because I remember what bad-happened the last time we went left." The Toa of Air replied, crossing his arms as he referred to the treacherous tunnel river voyage. There was a pause… and then the group went down the right tunnel.
They soon stumbled across the first dead Rahi in this tunnel over a quarter kio down the tunnel, electing a few gasps and a couple scared squeaks. Laying splayed out on the ground, twisted as though it had fought to the death, was a winged centipede-like rahi. It was a staggering almost six feet, or 1.33 bio, long, almost as long as Nokama was tall.
Whenua felt a little ill; he didn't remember seeing anything like it during his time in the Archives. The group skirted around the deceased creature, but only some bios further down was a dead Rahkshi, its body twisted like a pretzel. A little further down were a dozen ice bats, followed by a lava eel that inexplicably had six legs, and then a Kane-Ra bull that had none. All of them were deceased, their bodies twisted horrendously.
Nuju and Whenua examined the bodies one by one as the group skirted by, realizing that something was amiss. Just as with the little scorpion, there were no marks of violence. But unlike the Ice Toa's past finds, there was no obvious reason why these creatures should be dead, other than their twisted corpses.
"It almost seems as if they just… turned off." The Toa of Ice muttered, poking the body of the Kane-Ra with one of his tools. "They appear to have been fighting, yet there are no marks of that. But that makes no sense."
"Nothing else does." Onewa grumbled, warily poking the corpse with his foot as he stopped by his brothers. "Why should this be any different? Let's just hope whatever 'turned them off' doesn't decide to do the same to us."
Nokama quickly scooted past, carrying a very pale Emma. The girl had gotten sick at the sight of the corpses, and after being sick behind a rock nearly fainted. As such, the Toa of Water was trying to get the human past quickly so she could help her recover to continue on. Upon sight of the Kane-Ra, she vomited bile, making Nokama wince as it ran down her back. Unable to summon enough water to wash it off, she pulled out a canteen and poured some water out. She let it run down her back, before she encouraged the young human to drink from the canteen, doing her best to shield Emma's gaze.
After a bit of time, Vakama signaled for the Toa to keep moving. The group did their best to not think about the corpses, instead trying to stay focused on the task at hand. Perhaps that was why none of them noticed a portion of the slate gray tunnel wall detach, uncoil itself to its full length, and shift colors to the bright red of a Rahi serpent.
With the pale, dead eyes of a born hunter, it slithered after the Toa Metru.
Even further down the tunnel, Onewa cleared away some of the gray-green moss and inspected the walls of the tunnel. "Nokama, what do you make of this?" He had noticed something under the vegetation.
The Toa of Water looked up from the human pressed to her side, clinging tightly as a bur, to where her brother was pointing. A carving had been made in the wall, perhaps thousands of years ago judging by the dialect used and the erosion of the words. Curious, Nokama focused the power of her Great Mask of Translation to try and read the text.
"It's in ancient Tohunga…" She murmured, narrowing her gaze. "It says 'Bohrok'… and below that, 'Krana'… and there's more." Nokama reported, moving closer and scraping away more of the moss. Strangely, the plant growth seemed to move aside just before she could tear it free from the wall. "There are pictures. Two monstrous creatures… identical in size and shape, putting something into a pool…" she narrowed her eyes, "I cannot make out what however… and then they are drawing forth Krana from its depths."
"You said that when we were sailing to the island, you spotted carvings on the walls beneath the water, didn't you?" The Toa of Stone asked.
The Toa of Water nodded, adjusting her grip on the human. "l couldn't read those, however. The water had washed them away over time."
"Well, these tunnels are not natural. Neither was the waterway leading from the Great Barrier to up above." Onewa stated, knocking his fist against the tunnel wall. "Someone dug them out of the stone, and I think I may know why. The Bohrok… what Vakama saw in his vision… These are the access tunnels for them to reach the surface."
"l thought you didn't believe in Vakama's visions." Nokama chuckled, smiling as she watched Emma curiously look at the markings out of the corner of her eye.
"Po-Matoran carvers don't believe in anything they cannot see, touch, and hit with a hammer." The Toa of Stone answered, easily pulling a small chunk of rock free from the wall. "And if they do… they keep it to themselves."
Up ahead in the tunnel, Whenua glanced at his brother. "What do you think will be waiting for us in Metru Nui?" He asked Vakama. It was a question that had been running through his mind for days. While he knew they had to return for the Matoran, he dreaded seeing what had become of his home.
"l don't know." The Fire Toa admitted. "With luck, the Matoran are still safe beneath the Coliseum. The power will be out and most of the chutes have probably collapsed. If the molten protodermis lines are ruptured, there is no telling what condition Ta-Metru is in, or the border areas." He looked at his Toa brother, eyes unable to hide his concern. "What about the Archives?"
"After the incident with Mavrah's Rahi years ago, they were reinforced to withstand shocks. But I am not sure the builders had such a massive quake in mind." The Earth Toa shook his head. "If the Archive gates are down… if the stasis tubes within were shattered…" Whenua looked at Vakama, his voice grim as he answered, "then there may not be a city to go back to."
Towards the back of the group, Matau walked quickly and in uncharacteristic silence. Up to now, being a Toa had been fun, even when it seemed that danger was closing in from every side. After all, he was one of a select few beings who knew the thrill of adventuring and the satisfaction of saving an entire city. He had never seriously considered the possibility that he might get killed.
But in just the past few hours, he had confronted creatures that would have been more than happy to see him dead. It was a sobering reminder of what could happen to any of the Toa Metru, one that left him feeling as vulnerable as any Matoran. Maybe even as vulnerable as a terrified child.
The Toa of Air glanced at Nuju, who walked beside him. "l am sorry for being so mouth-closed."
The Toa of Ice merely glanced at him. "Actually, I was enjoying the change. Though I am wondering about the reason for it." Nuju admitted. Matau being so silent was akin to a Stone Rat going on a fast.
"I came close to being cold-dead." The Air Toa said bluntly. "No more Toa-heroics, no more flying, no more fun, no more Matau… just the dark-sleep. Makes me hard-think."
"Another change." Nuju murmured, before meeting his brother's gaze. "You're right, Matau. Any of us could be killed at any time. It's the risk of being a Toa. It's the price we pay for acting on our destiny, rather than allowing it to act on us. But don't forget one very important fact."
"What's that?"
Nuju clanked his fist against Matau's, so quickly that the green armoured Toa thought he might have imagined it. "You're still alive." The Toa of Ice answered.
A whirl of lights and color. A sudden lurching feeling, as if the body was split apart from the spirit. Then a moment of crystal clarity, every detail of the surrounding area etched bright and clear as if bathed in sunlight.
Other senses returned quickly: the feel of hard, rough stone beneath the paws; the sound of footsteps echoing in the distance; the acrid taste of hunger; and the scents… yes, the scents of the hated ones. The aroma of raw elemental power was so strong as to be almost overwhelming. The great beast did not know where it had been taken to, but it was certain now why it had been drawn to this spot.
There were Toa near. Heroes confident in their strength, secure in the rightness of their cause, and blissfully unaware of how little time they had left. The beast roared a challenge to its intended prey, a dire warning if they had the wits to perceive it:
The Rahi Nui was coming.
And it was coming to feed.
Whenua, linked to the earth as he was, first sensed the vibrations in the ground the moment he stepped into a cavern easily the size of the Coliseum's arena. It felt as if a mighty thunderstorm was raging in the rock below their feet, a steady yet chaotic shaking. Matau and Nokama, both attuned to nature in their own way, could hear the scratching and clawing of panicked Rahi scrambling in the adjoining tunnels to get out of the way of… something.
Then the other Toa, who had spent most of their lives focused on their work and not the world around them, could sense something was wrong. It was not a feeling they could put into words, rather the sensation that the universe had shifted somehow. A new element had been introduced, one that did not belong. It set their Toa Programming on edge.
Even Emma, who was not from their world, tensed, instinctively picking up on the shift of the Toa's behaviour. She could hear the faint scratching of the panicking rahi, before the sounds of loud thudding rose in slow crescendo.
Long before the sound of the Rahi Nui's footfalls reached them, all six Toa Metru and their human companion were ready for battle.
"This time, no long-wait." Matau muttered to himself, trying not to panic. "This time, cyclone first, questions later."
"And what if whatever is coming is friendly?" Nokama asked. Then she looked around. The others were staring at her as if she had just nominated Makuta to be a seventh Toa. She shrugged. "Well, the Kikanalo were friendly, and the Muaka did not attack." She added under her breath. Matau still heard that last bit and stared at his sister with wide eyes. What?
"If one of us should be injured-" Nuju began, only to be cut off by Vakama. "We keep fighting." The Toa of Fire said. "Retreat isn't an option. The Matoran are depending on us. No one should forget that."
"l hadn't." The Ice Toa replied coldly, glaring. "l was going to say, if one of us is injured, I will make an ice barrier to shield them. It might afford a few moments of protection, at least." He poked his brother with a Crystal Spike. "And it might help if you remember you are not the only Toa in the room, Vakama."
The Fire Toa's response was drowned out by the roar of the Rahi Nui. The Toa formed a large ring with their human companion in the middle, ready for anything.
Except, as it turned out, for the Rahi Nui to suddenly materialize in said ring.
Emma shrieked and bolted at the sudden arrival of the monstrous creature, alerting the Toa who spun around. There they saw the massive rahi towering over them, one that made the things they had already encountered look like the occupants of a deranged Rahi petting zoo. Its head was that of a Kane-Ra bull, complete with razor-sharp horns. The forearms were the powerfully muscled limbs of a Tarakava. The body and hind legs belonged to a great Muaka cat, and huge insectoid Nui-Rama wings sprouted from its shoulders. The nightmarish picture was made complete by a massive version of the tail of a Nui-Jaga scorpion. So heavy was the Rahi Nui that the stone floor partially buckled and cracked beneath its feet. Every aspect of this horrible amalgamation felt like an offense to nature. The only other feature that stood out was a massive scar on the beast's side, like a giant blade had cut into it.
The Rahi Nui looked from one Toa to the next. In its long existence, the creature had rarely come across such a feast in the making. Six of the small ones, each practically aglow with energy, and each doomed to fall, as had so many before them. It then turned its gaze to the one that shrieked and fled, and drooled. It too was algow with energy, though not to the same extent as the Toa. Even still, its weak energy was something it had only tasted once before, and still craved.
Movement drew the massive beast's attention, and it's eyes went to the one glowing with the energy of flame. The rahi could see defiance in the Toa's eyes, a most pleasing sight. The brave were always the most reckless, and their energies tasted so sweet.
Vakama was seeing something quite different when he looked at the Rahi Nui. Instead of seeing the face of a Kane-Ra, he saw the features of Nidhiki and Krekka superimposed on the monster. It took the Toa of Fire a moment to realize that this was another of his visions, which he quickly shook off.
This beast is no simple Rahi. He thought to himself, eyeing the drooling beast. It served the Dark Hunters. It hunted and killed at their command. There is no fear of Toa in its heart. No, to this creature, we are only prey.
True to his word, Matau did not wait for the Rahi Nui to attack. Aiming his aero slicers, he sent twin cyclones at the beast. They struck with sufficient power to tear buildings from their foundations, and it took a lot of control to keep it contained only around the rahi. But surprisingly the Rahi Nui stood in the middle of the storm, unmoved. It merely watched them, waiting.
The other Toa acted instantly. Fire, stone, and earth rained down upon the Rahi Nui. And though there wasn't much moisture in the air for Nuju and Nokama to draw upon, they opened some canteens to make some, adding their own minor elemental energies to their brothers. To any other foe, it would've been a painful maelstrom of elements. But to this monster, it was to no effect. If anything, the creature seemed to be growing stronger. Through it all, the beast made no effort to defend itself or to stop the Toa Metru's attacks. Its beady eyes instead moved from the Toa to the small human, who was trying to cram herself in the back of a crack in the tunnel wall, terrified out of her mind.
"Why is it just standing there?" Nuju wondered aloud, stepping back to try and assess what was going on with this creature.
"Why shouldn't it?" Matau answered bitterly, moving his blades down to his sides. "We are doing nothing to pain-harm it." He shot another blast of air at the creature, who only growled… almost happily.
The Ice Toa's eyes widened in realization. "You're wrong, brother. Our attacks have been very effective… just not in the way we wanted." He looked at the others. "This isn't a fight for this monster; it's feeding time."
"What?" Vakama asked in disbelief, simultaneously as he signaled for the Toa to try and surround the beast.
"It isn't trying to stop us because we are giving it what it wants." Nuju continued, shifting his feet as the rahi turned its head to look at him. "Elemental energy. Our energy. It will soak up our powers until we are bone dry, given the opportunity."
There was wisdom in Nuju's words, Vakama knew. If this thing did feed on the powers of Toa, that would explain how it was able to hunt them. To the Rahi's trained senses, elemental energy had a scent that could be traced. "Then we use mask powers." The Toa of Fire ordered. "And let's hope it doesn't consider those dessert."
"I prefer the direct approach." Onewa countered, ripping a jagged stone from the wall. He hurled it with all his might at the Rahi Nui and his aim was on the mark. The rock clipped the creature's leg, doing visible damage. The Rahi Nui roared in anger.
"There, see?" The Toa of Stone smirked. "When Toa powers don't work, try throwing a rock."
"You may want to look again, brother." Nokama cut in, her voice shaken. Onewa turned to see that the damage to the beast's leg was healing before his eyes. He had never seen the like before, except in Metru Nui when-
The revelation went off in his mind like an imploding force sphere. Matoran work crews can make a damaged building "heal" that way, using Kanoka disks of regeneration. He remembered, having witnessed it himself. And the way it appeared in our midst without any warning… almost as if it had… teleported.
The Toa of Stone cursed.
Vakama turned to him, startled. "Did you just say-?"
"Yeah. I meant it, too." Onewa replied, keeping his voice low. "Load a disk. Pretend it's a powerhouse, and let our new friend know it."
The Fire Toa nodded, though internally he was unsure. He made a show of loading a disk into his launcher, boasting, "The rest of you better shield your eyes and brace yourselves! There may not be much of the cavern left when this hits!"
If the Rahi Nui did not understand the words, it did the tone. It snarled as Vakama took aim and fired. The disk flew on a straight course directly toward the spot between the beast's eyes, and then… the Rahi Nui was gone.
"That was some disk." Matau whistled, in wonder.
"That wasn't the disk, Matau," Onewa correncted, his eyes scanning the stone floor. "It wasn't a teleport either. Our Rahi didn't want to stay around to see what was in that disk, so it shrank out of the way."
"Shrank?" Whenua repeated in disbelief. "Something that size… it's not possible… without a Kanoka disk to…" Then the answer came to him as well. "The disks! Mata Nui, it has the powers of the disks!"
"Then it may well be unstoppable," Vakama said grimly. "Prepare, brothers and sister, for what may be our final battle."
"…And happy-cheer is here again." Matau muttered, meaning not a word of it.
The Toa Metru waited in silence. They knew the monster was still in the cavern with them, too small to see, and could strike at any moment. Whenua had suggested that Nuju simply freeze over the floor, but was reminded that the beast fed on elemental energies. Even if that revealed where it was, it would only fuel it, and they may not even have a chance to attack before it could strike again.
"Perhaps we should seek a narrower tunnel, where its bulk will work against it." Nokama suggested, her eyes darting about.
"A good thought, sister." Onewa agreed, before saying, "But then we would be unable to attack it together."
"And some of us need room to quick-move." Matau added, fake smiling. "Maybe I can dazzle it with my style; after all, it worked on you, Nokama."
"I think we need to get you back above ground." The Toa of Water replied, remaining on alert. "Your brain has frozen."
The attack, when it came, was too sudden and swift to be defended against. The Rahi Nui shot back up to full size in the midst of the Toa, sending them flying. Whenua was the first to try to rise, only to be smashed almost into unconsciousness by the Rahi Nui's powerful forearm. Matau mentally triggered his aero slicers, taking off with the intention of mounting an assault from the air. Seeing the creature moving to finish off Whenua, he dove. But the Rahi Nui's move had been a ruse to draw the Toa of Air in closer. As soon as he was near, the beast jerked its head and caught Matau on its horns, the Toa of Air crying out as the tips of the horns scraped against his armour. Then another sudden movement sent the Toa crashing to the hard ground.
Barely fighting a few seconds and we've lost a third of our number. Vakama thought grimly. In front of him, Nokama used her hydro blades to fend off the beast's blows. Onewa and Nuju were attempting to scale opposite sides of the Rahi Nui, hanging on despite the creature's efforts to shake them off. Behind him, Emma remained pressed back in her hiding spot, terrified out of her mind. And maybe she should've stayed back with Mavrah…
The Toa of Fire launched a flame blast at the ceiling above the beast's head. His fires melted through the stone, bringing a rain of red-hot magma down on the Rahi. Enraged, the beast roared and abruptly grew in size. Nuju managed to jump clear and use an ice slide to reach the ground, but Onewa had almost reached the back of the Rahi. The sudden growth caught him by surprise and he lost his grip, sending him tumbling a fair distance to the cavern floor.
Nokama spotted the danger and broke into a run. She knew she would have to time her leap perfectly, or both she and Onewa were going to wind up nothing but a pile of broken bones and armour. At just the right moment, she used her powerful legs to launch herself into the air. She caught the falling Onewa in mid-leap, then she drew in what moisture she could to hurl a blast of water at the floor. The jet of water acted as a brake, slowing them enough to land on the ground without injury.
"Next time, hang on tighter." Nokama said gently, looking over her brother for injuries as she helped him to his feet. "Or fall closer to Nuju; he would love tossing some ice your way."
Onewa went to retort, only for his eyes to widen. "Nokama, look out-!"
The Toa of Stone shoved her hard, but a split second too late. The Rahi Nui's stinger slammed into Nokama and buried itself in the armor of her back. The Toa of Water choked, eyes wide with shock and pain as she felt her armour shatter and her hide be pierced.
Onewa's power surged from him as he yelled, causing a stone vise to come forth from the floor and grip the monster's tail. Angered, the Rahi yanked hard to free itself, smashing the rock and at the same time releasing Nokama.
The Toa of Water pitched forward, her legs limp. Onewa caught her before she could hit the ground. Her eyes were dark and her heartlight was flashing erratically. She was barely breathing as the Toa of Stone laid her down, his eyes filled with worry. Beneath her, thick, purple liquid, her lifeblood, began to pool.
Onewa lifted his gaze, rage filling his heart. He triggered his mask power, but not to try to control the Rahi Nui. No, this time he sent his mental energies like a lance into the monster's brain. What I can control, I can destroy. The Stone Toa thought darkly with fury.
The Rahi Nui paused, feeling something strange coming over it. Then a pain more intense than anything it had ever known exploded in its mind. The beast bellowed and staggered as the power of the Mask of Mind Control tore through its thoughts.
"l don't know what you are, or what you have done before," Onewa snarled, "but you have never faced anything like me. Feel my power and fall!"
And, indeed, it looked as if that was about to happen. This attack was not something the Rahi Nui could defend against, and it reeled as the Toa of Stone increased the pressure, shrinking back to its normal size. But the beast had very little mind to blast, and after what seemed like forever, it suddenly realized the horrible pain would not get any worse. The creature drew strength from that thought. Forcing itself to ignore the blistering attack, the Rahi Nui charged.
Focused completely on tapping the powers, Onewa could not get out of the way in time. The horned head of the Rahi Nui smashed the Toa of Stone into the wall and sent him down into darkness.
Now only Vakama and Nuju stood against the beast. Ordinarily, there was only so much that fire and ice could accomplish when they worked together. But against a creature that could so easily demolish four Toa, what chance did they have now?
The Toa of Fire turned to try and plan something with his brother, only to see that Nuju had evidently cracked under the strain. With the menace of a massive Rahi looming over them, the Toa of Ice was busy examining the creature's pawprints in the shattered stone.
"Nuju!" He shouted, trying to snap his brother out of it. "You're not in a Knowledge Tower now! Stop analyzing and start fighting!"
"I think I have the key." The Toa of Ice replied, strangely calm. "Buy me time!"
Vakama threw up a wall of flame, cutting the Rahi Nui off for a moment. Then he raced over to Nuju, still half-convinced the Toa of Ice had simply lost his mind. "What key?"
"Look at these." Nuju pointed between two pawprints. "This footprint is from the monster at normal size… this one from when it grew larger. There's something very curious about the differences between them."
The Toa of Fire glanced at both. He still didn't see what his brother was talking about. "One's bigger than the other. So?"
"That is what's very curious." The Toa of Ice replied, rising. "They're the same depth. The larger one should be deeper, but it's not."
Beams of intense cold energy shot out from the Rahi's eyes, freezing the wall of flame. Then a single blow from a massive paw smashed it into icy shards. But the barrier had done its job, and Nuju's words had sparked an idea in Vakama's mind. Perhaps there was a way to defeat this creature, after all…
"We need to make him grow, and I know how." The Toa of Fire said. He attached his disk launcher to his back, preparing to use it as a rocket pack; it had its main feature of firing Kanoka disks, but as his Toa tool, it was also able to channel his fire energy into a jetpack.
Nuju shook his head, grabbing his arm. "You saw what happened to Matau. That thing will swat you like a fireflyer."
"Not if I get high enough, fast enough. What other choice do we have-?"
A loud shriek pierced the air, and both Toa snapped their heads over. Instead of going after them, the Rahi Nui instead went after the young human, clawing at the rock with its massive claws. Emma only screamed again, trying to press back further, but unfortunately the beast's claw hooked onto her shorts, dragging her out. The human screamed again, scrambling to escape and not even caring if her shorts were torn off.
The monstrous creature however used its other paw to pin the human, and sniffed her. To the rahi, the small one smelled both different… yet achingly familiar. Its scarred side ached with phantom pain, and it snarled in fury. This creature smelled like the only one who permanently hurt it!
The Rahi Nui roared loudly, while Emma cried from terror as the beast lunged its jaws at her.
Faster than possible Vakama activated the launcher and soared into the air, slamming into the rahi's head with a yell of anger. The beast roared and twisted its head as the Toa flew back, before it swiped at him as the Fire Toa flew by, but missed. While it was distracted, Nuju rushed in and pulled Emma away from the massive rahi, racing away as the terrified thirteen year old clung to him with a vice-like grip.
The rahi swiped at Vakama again as the Fire Toa dived past it, before noticing the Icy Toa racing away with the small one. The beast roared in fury, and tried to go after. Instead, its hind foot was stuck, and the rahi turned its head to see earth wrapped tightly around its paw, electing a bellowing roar of fury.
Taking the opportunity, Vakama aimed upwards and raced for the ceiling. Once he had reached a high enough altitude so as to be out of the creature's reach, he began tossing fireballs that burst in midair.
Below him, the Rahi Nui grew angrier. It was impatient to finish off these last two small ones and feast upon their elemental energies, then go after the smaller one and feast on it. But this one persisted in buzzing about and filling the air with bright light and heat. Although the Toa-created flames were in fact food for the creature, in its dim mind it still had the instinctive dislike of fire common to most Rahi. Again and again, it lashed out with claws and stiner, only to have Vakama dodge its blows.
On the ground, Nuju hid the spooked and crying human behind some rock dislodged during the battle, before rushing back towards the rahi. He had grasped his brother's plan – it was the only course of action that made sense, now that he thought about it – but it depended on the reactions of the beast. If the beast is too simple-minded to realize the best way to stop a flying foe. He thought grimly. Or if Vakama should fly too close…
Nuju thought he glimpsed a change, if a small one. Activating the telescopic lens in his mask, he focused on the Rahi Nui. Yes, it had begun to grow, but much more slowly than he had noticed previously. He wondered if the combat with the Toa had begun to tax its energies.
Well, we cannot have that, can we? The Toa of Ice thought to himself, readying his crystal spikes. It was time to put this monster down.
High above, Vakama had spotted the monster's size increasing as well. He gave a signal to Nuju, then launched twin streams of fire from his outstretched hands. At the same time, the Ice Toa hurled ice blast after ice blast at the massive creature. As Vakama expected, this had the same effect as tossing a torch into a Ta-Metru fire pit: it added to the Rahi Nui's already considerable power. Practically glowing with raw energy, the beast continued to grow larger and larger.
The Toa of Fire narrowly evaded another blow. The monster was so massive, it almost seemed to be half the size of the Coliseum's arena, and its growth rate showed no sign of stopping. For a moment, he wondered if he had been wrong in his guess about the beast's nature.
If I am, I won't live to regret it. Vakama thought grimly, feeling the strain of continuous elemental usage. One blow from that massive arm and I'll be a mess of shattered bones and armour.
Caught up in his questions, the airborne Fire Toa never saw the Rahi Nui's next attack. Moving incredibly fast, its tail stinger slashed through the air, aiming directly for Vakama's chest. Too late, the Toa spotted the danger and tried to jet out of the way. The stinger descended, death just inches away…
It struck…
Vakama waited for the pain and the darkness…
…But he felt nothing. The Rahi Nui's stinger had passed through his body as if its owner were a ghost. The beast, still growing from the overflow of elemental energy, looked confused. It struck again and again with its powerful arms, only to find itself unable to make contact. From the flames he was throwing at the monster, Vakama could see the creature's form wavering like a heat mirage. It roared, but the sound was a hollow one.
Diving, he continued his attack of flame as the creature continued to grow and its form grew less and less distinct, almost transparent… also revealing its now-transparent insides. Its head and shoulders soon disappeared from view, passing through the ceiling of the cave as its now unwanted growth continued. The two Toa continued to pour elemental energy into the Rahi Nui, even as it attempted to retreat. Unfortunately, it was unable to move away fast enough, continuing to grow larger and more transparent. Then, with a final, mournful wail, the beast was gone, disappearing as if it had never existed.
Nuju cut off his ice blasts and dropped to the ground, exhausted. "Let's not… do that again." He wheezed, making an effort to catch his breath.
"But it worked." Vakama replied hoarsely, unsteadily landing on the ground as his jet pack sputtered. "You were right… the footprints were the key."
The Toa of Ice ran his hand along the outline of one of the huge imprints the creature had left in the stone beside him. "Increased size… without increased weight. Its body was expanding… but not its total mass. So when we made it grow… and then fed it even more power…"
"Its growth outraced its mass…" The Fire Toa finished, sitting beside his brother to catch his breath. "It eventually got too big to retain any density, and its atoms drifted apart."
Nuju glanced around at the damage done to the cave, grimacing seeing the massive gouges the beast had left. Some ranged from as wide as his forearm… to taller than himself. "Let us hope it takes a long, long time to pull itself together." He couldn't resist an exhausted chuckle, looking around. "A thousand years would be just about right."
Behind them, Matau and Whenua had made it back to their feet, the Toa of Earth scooping up Emma's shaking form from her hiding spot. In a corner, Onewa had awakened also and was trying to rouse Nokama. Nuju didn't need his enhanced vision to see that something was very wrong with the Toa Metru of Water.
Onewa looked up at his fellow Toa, panic in his eyes. "She's dying… Nokama's dying!"
A/N - And that is it for this chapter. Yes I know, quite the cliffhanger to leave this on. However this chapter was reaching WELL over 14,000 words, and I aim to hit around 10,000. This gives a long chapter, but not overly long. Also… this was the only place that made sense to end the chapter. I mean, how many tv shows like to do this? It's a good cliffhanger, leaving you guys on the edge of your seat for more.
Now I'm not going to comment too much on this chapter. I want to see what pops out to you guys in the reviews. This feedback will help me in my writing. I want to know if I'm being too obvious, or too subtle on some points. And I do know that one point was… unique. However, as I said I am trying to be more 'realistic' with what I write (as real as a "self-insert" can get). But let's be real. We've all had that moment when we've had a change in diet. A very natural moment.
…and it sucks when camping.
Also, please don't assume I'm ending things here. I got a whole series I want to put out so at most, I'll only be able to work during break times and pump out a chapter once every 4-6 months at the most. But I am not going to give up on this story any time soon.
In other news, I have been watching monarchs lay eggs and the caterpillars grow on some milkweed in my family garden. Unfortunately I had to bring one inside because we suddenly had an influx of wasps… which will be dealt with today. But I saved one, so…
Don't worry, it's in a ventilated container that's more than big enough for a full grown monarch, with sticks for hanging from as a pupae and I will make sure he's got as many leaves as he needs. Kay I'm not sure if it's a he but it's better than calling it an it. Welp, since he's inside, do you guys have any name suggestions? I've been thinking about Charlie…
Next Chapter: Into Karzahni