A/N - Finally at the last chapter of this arc, as the epilogue… I should have arc up in hopefully less than a month, but no promises.
UPDATE: So… there will be a delay in the posting of Arc 3, just like there was in posting this chapter. There's been a lot of turmoil in my life recently, mainly emotional but also financial. I've been trying to find a part time job for a while now… Not to mention still dealing with the issues caused by a certain trip that I am still dealing with.
…
I'm gonna spare you guys the rant. It's not worth it.
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 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.
The Toa of Water could feel the "eyes" of the Karzahni upon her as they made their way back to its subterranean dwelling place. She could practically sense its anticipation as they drew nearer with the energized protodermis; the moss on the walls was practically vibrating. Right then, as she tightened her grip on the human youth in her arms, she decided that she would not allow the others to bargain with that evil creature. Not even if it meant her own death. Nokama tried not to show it, but she could already feel weakness spreading through her. Her vision blurred slightly, and she shook her head to try and clear it as her ears rung…
"…Nokama…NOKAMA!"
The Water Toa lifted her head, confused, and blearily blinked at the brown form kneeled in front of her. Wait… "O-Onewa…?"
The Toa of Stone looked at his Toa sister worriedly; her blue armour was dull and her eyes were pale. Already the temporary antidote was starting to wear off.
Onewa carefully picked Nokama up, carrying her in his arms. "We don't have much time." He said softly, beginning to pick up the pace and making the others follow.
Emma clung tightly to Matau's hand as the Toa of Air pulled her along, stumbling a little at the pace. She didn't complain however, more concerned about the Toa of Water.
They soon approached the entrance to the Karzahni, and the plant-thing's branches opened as if in welcome as they entered the cave. "l am amazed to see you have all survived." The creature whispered. "Though one may not for much longer…"
Onewa scowled and stepped back, clutching Nokama's limp and weakly breathing body close.
"Enough Karzahni." Vakama snapped, producing the vial. "We have what you asked for. Now keep your word and cure Nokama."
The myriad parts of the Karzahni rustled. A vine reached out to snatch the vial away, but the Toa of Fire pulled his hand back. "l gave you no word to keep." The creature hissed. "And I must test what you have brought me, mustn't l? Let me have it, or know that you have doomed your dying friend."
"As you're doomed?" Nuju asked, watching as the branches stilled. "This journey has not been what it seemed, from the beginning. We fought creatures we thought meant to harm us, but who only sought escape." The Toa of Ice crossed his arms. "And you, so sure of your power… you have little time left, isn't that right, Karzahni?"
The plant's appendages drew closer to the trunk, as if preparing for an attack. "You are very clever, Nuju. You should have been a Vahki."
"You said it yourself." The Ice Toa replied. "Everything here is dying. Makuta designs his creations with a limited lifespan, doesn't he, so they can never be a threat to him."
The Karzahni laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "No, Toa of Ice. He simply does not want to be confronted by and reminded of his 'failures' on and on, throughout the centuries. But with what is in that vial, I will surpass him. I will do all that he could not, and in the end, I will be the master and he the slave. Now give me that vial!"
Vakama lifted the tube of energized protodermis into the air and away from the vine that reached to snatch it. He tilted it slightly, as if intending to pour it out on the ground. "I will test it for you."
"You wouldn't." The Karzahni hissed, though even the plant sounded unsure.
The Toa of Fire's smile sent a chill even through the other Toa. "Karzahni, after what I have been through these past couple eight-days… there is very little I wouldn't do."
A portion of the ground erupted at Onewa's feet. A small root forced its way up through the stone, a curled yet surprisingly healthy looking thing. "Have her eat of that," the Karzahni said, "and she will be healed. What one of Makuta's creations can do, another can undo."
Onewa hesitated. Perhaps this thing meant to poison her? But no, then its hold over the Toa Metru would be gone and they could safely flee with the vial. Nokama moaned in his arms, her eyes weakly opening.
Making a decision, the Toa of Stone knelt down, plucked the root, and placed it by his sister's mouth. "Sister… eat this. It should heal you."
The Toa of Water looked at him weakly, before taking a bite of the root. Its taste was bitter, yet she could already feel the strength flooding her limbs again. Nokama managed to eat the entire root, sighing as she felt the poison fade from her system.
Onewa let out a breath of relief, then he looked up at Vakama and nodded. The Toa of Fire extended the vial.
"Are you cross-wired?" Matau argued. "You can't give that kind of strength-power to this thing!"
"Toa keep their word." The Toa of Fire replied, his voice steady yet his expression hard. "Otherwise, we are no better than the things we fight."
The Karzahni's vine grabbed the vial and brought it close to the trunk. "Yes, it is the stuff of life." The plant creature purred, its mental voice bubbling with dark pleasure, tilting the vial. "It will transform me into more than what I am. I will be free to walk, to grow, to conquer in ways my creator could only dream. Just a few drops…"
The Toa and human stood transfixed as the silver liquid splashed upon a branch of the Karzahni. For a moment, the entire plant seemed to sway as if caught in a gale wind. Then, the vial was flung to the ground as the Karzahni screamed and thrashed. "It burns! It buuuuuurrrrnnnns!"
Chaos seized hold of the plant-thing, its limbs spasming as the power of the energized protodermis coursed through it. Unlike the stone rat and the mutated insect, the Karzahni did not dissolve, but was instead ravaged by fires within, some of which managed to crack through the bark and flicker out. An acrid smell of dying plant flesh filled the air as, one by one, the monster's limbs decayed and dropped to the ground.
"This isn't what it thought-wished for, is it?" Matau asked softly, somewhat horrified but unable to look away.
"It was not the Karzahni's destiny to transform." Nuju answered, his voice slightly stiff. "That left only one other choice."
"This…This is horrible. Isn't there something we can do?" Emma asked softly from behind Whenua, eyes wide.
Nuju shook his head, while the Toa of Earth gently shielded the girl's eyes from the carnage. The Toa of Ice turned his attention back to the dying plant; this was not a fate he would have wished even on Makuta, but the Karzahni had made its choice. It valued power even more than life, and so had lost both.
Then it was over. The withered, blackened form of the Karzahni sagged, with only its root structure embedded in the wall keeping it from hitting the ground. "Makuta's final jest." It croaked weakly, barely clinging to life. "The promise of eternal power masking the reality of doom…"
"Yes." Vakama said softly, watching the root before him begin to decay. "Makuta has a fondness for… masks."
"l could still muster enough strength, somehow, to defeat you all." The Karzahni whispered, though they all knew its words were a hollow threat. "But… I will not. Hear my words, Toa: you have not stopped Makuta… only slowed him. You return to a Metru Nui much changed… and for the worse. Only fear and… disaster wait for you there. But I…will let you go… for only Toa can hope to… bring an end to my creator. And… he must be… ended…"
Then the Karzahni spoke no more. Nuju inspected the creature for a moment, before turning to the others. "The power of the protodermis has consumed it." He stated after a moment, speaking aloud what they had seen. "Like Ahkmou, like too many others… all victims of the darkness within them."
Vakama knew he should say something. Wise and reassuring words were what were needed, but none came to him. Instead, he felt a great weariness. Being a Toa, it seemed, meant facing the darkness and overcoming it, time after time.
But what of the ones of whom Nuju spoke? He wondered. What must it be like to fall before the darkness inside yourself?
The Toa of Fire hoped and prayed that none of them would ever find out.
After a while, the Toa turned and began to move down the tunnel to continue to Metru Nui. They had a duty to fulfil…
Emma looked up, blinking tiredly. Wait, hadn't she been walking next to Whenua…?
Looking around, the human realized she was resting against a rock, however she could hear the sound of waves lapping against the shore. Confused, she looked around, and blinked as a familiar blue form knelt before her. "N-Nokama?"
"How are you feeling, little one?" The Toa of Water asked softly.
"M-Me? Y-You were unconscious a-and-!" Emma's rambling was stopped as Nokama placed a hand over her lips. "And I woke up." The Toa finished softly. "I'm all better now."
The thirteen year old nodded, before looking around as Nokama pulled her hand back. "Where are we?" The girl asked softly.
"Somewhere along the Silver Sea by the Great Barrier." The Water Toa answered softly. "The others are out looking for a way back given we do not currently have a transport currently."
"Oh." Emma looked down, fumbling with her fingers. Nokama rested a hand on her clothed shoulder. "It's okay. You fell asleep in Whenua's arms." She chuckled softly, recalling how adorable the sleeping human had looked. "We all agreed that since I am still recovering, that I would stay with you."
The human only nodded, before blushing as her stomach growled loudly. Nokama blinked, before noticing how the human wrapped her hands around her belly. "Hungry?" The Toa asked softly, pulling out a container.
At the embarrassed but hopeful nod, she opened the container and gave it to the girl. Emma eagerly started to pull out the dried meat slices and started tearing in, starved.
Nokama smiled softly, before looking around. Her brothers had left some time ago in an attempt to figure out a way back across the sea given their lack of a transport vehicle. Matau had volunteered to look for old chutes that might traverse the bottom of the sea, and if they were still intact. Onewa and Whenua were going to try to build a craft, if they could find the right raw materials. Nuju was convinced that there was some ancient vessel hidden nearby, left by whoever had carved the tunnels to the surface. As for Vakama, he had gone off on his own to explore.
"Nokama?"
The Toa of Water turned at Emma's voice."Yes?"
The human squirmed a little in place. "Do you think Mavrah is okay?"
Nokama blinked, before smiling softly. "I'm certain he's alright. He knows how to survive on his own." She chuckled softly, rubbing Emma's head playfully and getting a squeak. "Besides, he's probably enjoying the solitude."
Mavrah, was, in fact, not enjoying the solitude.
Currently, he was hiding up a tree, trying to avoid the starving predator rahi stalking below him. I should've gone with them. Those pods are completely rahi-proof, but I'm not!
He curled back as the predator attempted to climb the tree again, before thankfully being distracted by a smaller rahi darting by, The Onu-Matoran sighed in relief, and began making his way across the thick branches. I hope the Toa return soon… Huh. Never thought I'd think like that again…
Nokama looked up, hearing footsteps approaching, and saw Matau and Nuju returning together. The two were arguing over what sounded like something to do with their respective Toa Tools, which made the Toa of Water sigh. She then looked down at the sleeping human, whose head was resting in her lap.
The two Toa kept going back and forth, at least until Nuju noticed Nokama's disapproving stare. The Toa of Ice stopped in his tracks, making Matau stop. "Nuju what-?"
The Ice Toa shushed him, before pointing. The Toa of Air turned, blinking… and made an "oh" seeing the look on his Toa sister's Kanohi, as well as the sleeping human.
The two Toa quietly moved to the side, to prevent their conversation from disturbing their sister and the napping child. Nokama shook her head at them, before smiling as she gently stroked the side of Emma's head. The human youth sighed softly in her sleep, snuggling closer, a small smile on her pale pink organic face.
Time passed, with Onewa and Whenua returning emptyhanded. The two were muddied and had a few dead branches stuck to them, which the Toa of Stone was desperately trying to scrape off himself. Nokama stood and moved to help wash the mud off, chuckling as Onewa slumped when she started to use water to wash his armour.
Emma was sitting next to Nuju, the Toa of Ice having decided to try and teach the human the Matoran Alphabet. They were drawing the letters in the gravelly sand, comparing alphabets to try and translate the difference between languages.
Matau had gone for a flight, to try and figure out where they were relative to Metru Nui.
"There, that should be the last of it." Nokama said softly, pulling the muddied water bubble away from the now clean Toa of Stone.
Onewa grumbled out a thanks, shaking an arm, before turning his head as a wet black hand rested on his shoulder. Whenua smiled at him, fresh from a dip in the sea. The Stone Toa scowled, and lifted his brother's wet hand away.
"Apologies Nokama, but we had no luck in finding suitable materials to craft a vessel." The Toa of Earth said, not put off by his brother's actions.
The Toa of Water only smiled. "It's alright. I'm certain-" whatever she was going to say cut off as the ground rumbled, the distant sound of an explosion echoing through the ground. Everyone snapped their head over, eyes wide.
Matau landed, having heard the explosion. "Uh… was that Vakama-brother's doing?"
He wasn't answered, the others already taking off, following Whenua as the Toa of Earth followed the vibrations through the ground below his feet.
When they found the Toa of Fire, he was still lying unconscious among the rubble, the walls wet with melting condensation. Though one wall was completely melted through, and then some. Nokama used cooling water to revive him as the others looked around.
"Hey, take a look at this." Onewa said, kneeling next to a pile of parts near the center of the chamber. "These look like part of a transport of sorts."
"I found Vahki-Transport parts over her." Matau added, picking up one of the mechanical legs.
"It seems that Makuta was keeping pieces of a Vahki transport." Nuju murmured, looking over the parts. "Let's gather them up and build a new transport." The others nodded. It would take some effort to repair the parts and put the vehicle back together, but it seemed their only option. And it didn't matter what the monster who had dwelled here had once wanted them for.
Nokama glanced over as her brothers gathered up the parts, Emma doing her best to help by carrying the smaller pieces, before focusing on Vakama. She'd managed to bring him around, though the Toa of Fire was extremely weakened. "Brother, what happened?"
"You wouldn't believe me…" Vakama groaned, letting his sister help him sit up.
"Try me." Nokama said softly. "I doubt that after everything we've been through, anything will surprise me."
"…I was ambushed by a being made of pure fire."
The Toa of Water blinked, eyes wide. "Oh."
The Toa of Fire rubbed his head to try and ease the still pounding headache. "I had to absorb all the heat from the room… and then unleash it in a controlled blast."
"So you made that hole in the wall." Onewa chuckled, coming over to help his Toa brother up. "I guess Makuta left more than rahi to protect his lair."
"And I hope that is the last of the surprises we face." Nokama added, supporting Vakama on his other side. "That now we can now focus on working to bring the Matoran to the safe haven above."
With that, the group of six Toa and one young human made their way back to the beach, with Nuju and Whenua going back to retrieve the rest of the parts. Matau and Onewa took the parts and started to put them together, with Vakama recovered enough to use his flame to weld the pieces together.
By the time the sky was starting to darken, the vessel was complete, and looked almost exactly like the one they had left Metru Nui in. Onewa even carved a name into the craft: Lhikan II. However, once completed the Toa realized that left them with only one problem. "It won't swim-float." Matau pointed out, arms crossed in annoyance. "The other transport stayed afloat for maybe a moment-click before we lash-tied the pods to the bottom. And we have no Matoran-pods to use this time."
"No, but we might have something that can replace them." Onewa answered with a smirk. "Come with me. And bring your aero-slicers."
Everyone watched them go, curious. About an hour later, the two Toa returned, both of them carrying armloads of blackened logs. They didn't have to explain where they had gotten them. The Toa had only recently witnessed the death of the Karzahni, a plant creature created by Makuta with an appetite for conquest. The Toa of Stone had decided to put the trunk and branches to good use. Wood, even burned, floated, after all.
If the idea of using the remains of the Karzahni to help them make it back home bothered any of the Toa, they didn't say anything. Vakama welded the parts of the transport together while Onewa, Matau and Whenua turned the logs into a crude raft. When they were done, they lashed the raft to the bottom of the Vahki Transport and pushed it into the water. It wasn't the most seaworthy vessel ever to ride the waves, but when it didn't sink, they knew it was their best shot.
Nokama went to get Emma, who had been looking worriedly out over the sea for the past few hours while the craft was being built. "Emma?" She asked softly, while the others boarded the craft.
The thirteen year old looked back at the Toa of Water, before looking back over the sea. "We should wait." She said softly.
"Why?" Nokama asked, standing beside her younger companion.
Emma pointed over the sea. "Those clouds. A storm is forming." She stated.
The Toa of Water looked over the Silver Sea, and saw the gray clouds the girl was pointing to. They were thick, puffy…
"Yes… but that's fairly far off." She said softly. "It's closer to the island. We should be fine."
"I guess…" the girl didn't sound sure in her answer.
Nokama gently wrapped an arm around the human, and guided her to the boat. Emma noticed a small green shoot on one of the logs of the raft as she was helped on by Whenua, but didn't think much of it.
Matau got himself comfortable in the cockpit. He was just about to start the transport's insectoid legs moving when he noticed Nuju's disapproving gaze. "What?" He asked as his brother crossed his arms.
"l think I should drive." The Toa of Ice stated.
"You?" The Toa of Air snorted. "A Ko-Metru librarian, steer-piloting a machine like this? Why?"
The answer was a dry, "Because I remember what happened the last time you drove."
"Yes, we only found a beautiful home-island, Nuju. Nothing very important or special." Matau replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The Toa of Ice shook his head. "How is it that you manage to remember only the good things, never the bad?"
The Toa of Air grinned as he started up the transport. "Practice, ice-brother. Lots and lots of practice."
Onewa crouched at the bow of the vessel, his eyes locked on the silhouette of Metru Nui across the Silver Sea. He expected the city to be dark, and it was, nor was he surprised that only one sun now shone weakly in the heavens through the thin clouds. Makuta had drawn upon great and terrible forces when they fought him in Metru Nui. There was no telling what damage might have been done to the City of Legends or the universe itself during that conflict.
Still, something about the look of the city was nagging at him. He might not have spent his life in crystal towers like Nuju, or soaring through chutes like Matau, but he knew Metru Nui. He knew its rhythms, its feel, almost as if it were an old and trusted friend. Even stripped of its population, there were things that could not change about Metru Nui.
And yet they had…
"What do you see?" Whenua asked, coming up beside him.
"Mist, everywhere, shrouding the city… can't you spot it yourself?"
The Toa of Earth gave him a flat look through squinted eyes. "You know my eyes are not strong in the light." He stated flatly. "Maybe that is why I can't see what you do."
"Or maybe you just don't want to." The Toa of Stone scoffed, before sighing. Then, more gently, Onewa asked. "You really didn't want to leave, did you?"
"Of course not. It's our home. Battered, bruised, but still the only place we have ever known. We could have stayed and rebuilt." Whenua sighed wistfully, adding softly, "We still could."
Onewa said nothing in return. The same thoughts had occurred to him many times over the past few days. It had been Vakama's visions that told them they must move on to a new land, beyond the Great Barrier, a place where Matoran could live in peace. What if the Toa of Fire was wrong? What if we are leading the Matoran to someplace worse?
He pushed the idea out of his mind. True, the Toa of Stone had doubted Vakama from the beginning, but each time he had been proven wrong. It was too late to begin regretting the course of action they had all agreed upon. More than that, it was simply too painful to consider the possibility that they were abandoning Metru Nui for nothing.
His eye was drawn to movement in the city. With all the Matoran trapped in slumber, nothing should have been darting across the rooftops. Could Makuta already be free? Are we sailing into a trap?
"Nuju!" He called. "l have need of your vision."
The Toa of Ice climbed down from the cockpit to stand beside him. Onewa pointed to the southern tip of the city. Nuju focused the telescopic lens of his mask on that point. He stared straight ahead for a long minute, never speaking, until the Toa of Stone could no longer contain his impatience. "What is it? What do you see?"
"Something is preparing to welcome us home." Nuju answered quietly, truthfully unsure of what it was he saw. He had seen Rahkshi on the rooftops… as creatures he had never seen before, scuttling around. There had also been stuff between buildings that he knew for certain had never been there before. Unfortunately, he had only seen their silhouettes for a brief moment before they had vanished into the fog. "We should make certain we do not attend the celebration empty-handed."
Emma watched the sky nervously as she sat just inside the hold, wringing her hands nervously. Should she warn them? Prevent them from going through the horrors of the Hordika?
What's the point? Tears trickled down her cheeks. They'd find out I know everything… including… M-Makuta… the pods… L-Lhikan…. B-Besides… everything's g-gonna turn out-
"Emma?" The human jumped when Nokama poked her head in. "W-What?"
The Toa of Water looked at her concerned. "Are you alright?" She asked softly, supporting herself against the hull wall as the transport rocked a little, before sitting next to the thirteen year old.
Emma didn't answer, just shrugging and curling in on herself. Nokama rubbed her back worriedly, before glancing outside. "Is it something to do with the weather?" She had noticed it had taken a turn for the worse, and recalled how the girl had reacted to the last storm that they had encountered.
Emma didn't answer verbally, only shrugged. Truthfully, storms terrified her. And knowing one was coming but unable to say anything without ruining… everything…
Nokama frowned at the lack of answer, before her eyes softened as the thirteen year old yawned despite herself. "Sleepy?"
"Yeah…" Emma leaned against her, feeling wiped. Her head also hurt, right behind her eyes, and she just wanted to sleep to make the pain go away.
The Toa of Water continued to rub the human's back, before laying her down so the pre-teen's head rested on her lap. The girl sighed softly, relaxing, before she dozed off.
Nokama felt her heart clench, her mind flashing back to her own child who was lost… seeing her little one instead of the human…
The Toa of Water shook the images away, not wanting to start crying from heartbreak again. Instead, she focused on making sure the fragile human was comfortable during her sleep. Eventually Nuju came to check on her, and invited her to spar.
Taking a moment to think, Nokama accepted. As the Toa of Ice left, the Water Toa carefully slid Emma's head off her lap, and made sure the girl remained comfortable. She stroked the child's head, feeling how thin and smooth her fragile skin was… she had to protect…
Taking a breath, Nokama stood up and headed out. The distraction would do her good…
Whenua watched, puzzled, as Nuju and Nokama practiced complicated tactical maneuvers on the deck. Using both tools and elemental powers, the two Toa engaged in mock battle with the same intensity as if they were challenging a Vahki. The Toa of Water hurled water blasts and her brother froze them; the Ice Toa swiftly tried to trip her up with his crystal spikes, but was instead felled himself by her hydro blades; and so on. Their spar was only complicated by the rocking of the vessel.
"Is this really necessary?" The Toa of Earth asked after a bit, holding onto the side of the transport to keep himself steady. "What is in Metru Nui that we can't handle?"
"It never hurts to be fully prepared." Nuju answered, narrowly evading a blow from the flat side of one of Nokama's tools.
"Nuju saw Rahkshi – lots of them – on the rooftops," Nokama added, parrying strikes from the Toa of Ice. "If they have emerged from the tunnels, it must mean the Vahki are either shut down or else too busy to challenge them." She ducked under a strike, and lashed out at her brother's torso as he dodged. "Either way, it means things could be worse there than we thought."
"I wish I could have seen more." The Toa of Ice continued, parrying a slash from a hydro blade and retaliating with a high kick followed by a blast of ice. "But the mist makes it difficult, and there was something more…" he ducked under the returned blast of water, "something I couldn't make out. It was everywhere, between the buildings and spires of the city. I fear for Metru Nui." He glanced at the cockpit, before grimacing as one of Nokama's blades grazed his shoulder armour. "And it seems Vakama is fearing it the worst."
The Toa of Fire's reaction to the news of motion in the city had been to urge Matau to increase their speed. The Toa of Air was never one to turn down a chance to make a vehicle go faster, but the rise in choppy sea waves were beginning to make even him nervous.
"The skies are getting grey-dark." The Air Toa murmured, jerking the controls as he tried to keep the craft steady. "Lots of lightning, too. Might not be the best time to cross."
"We keep going." Vakama answered, keeping his eyes ahead, on the shrouded city.
"And then there is what Nuju spotted." Onewa added in, glancing over. "We should send one or two of us ahead as a scouting party. I would volunteer. Make sure we know what we are walking into."
The Fire Toa shook his head, arms crossed until he had to grab at something as the vessel rocked, the Air Toa spitting out a curse. "We can't afford the delay. I don't want the Matoran trapped in those sleep pods any longer than they absolutely have to be." Mata Nui knows what those pods are doing to them.
"If we end up rahi-bones on the shore, they will be sleeping a good long time." Matau muttered crossly, yanking on the controls to right their course. "Modified Vahki transports are built for calm seas, not storm-tossed."
A wave washed over the deck of the transport. Vakama and Onewa held onto the railing to keep from being swept overboard, though they were both soaked. But the sea's argument made no more difference to the Toa of Fire than it did to the Toa of Air.
"Waiting increases the risk that Rahkshi or something else will break into the Coliseum and harm the Matoran." Vakama said firmly, attempting to shake the water off him and scowling as the sky started to let rain loose. "So we go on. If we wanted smooth seas and safety, we should never have become Toa."
Matau watched the Toa of Fire walk away, and muttered to himself, "Or one of us shouldn't have, anyway." He then cursed as the transport jolted, making him whack his head on the roll bar over his seat. "Ow!"
Ga-Matoran in Metru Nui had a special fondness for boat racing. In their off-time, they would often gather at the canals with miniature replicas of Ga-Metru vessels and sail them against each other to see which was the fastest. The truly daring would wait for those times when the channels were opened to the sea and huge tides of liquid protodermis would sweep through the canals. More than one little boat was swept up by the current in those races and smashed to shards against the walls.
Nokama was beginning to get an idea of how those vessels felt. A massive storm had converged on the Lhikan Il, hurling it this way and that. Tidal waves threatened to swamp or sink the boat, while also soaking all the passengers. Vakama had ordered Nuju, Whenua, and Onewa to join a terrified Emma below decks to lessen the chance they would be swept overboard. He remained near the cockpit, keeping watch as Matau struggled to keep the transport on course for Metru Nui. For her part, Nokama was straining her elemental powers to try to calm the raging seas. "It's no use!" She cried out, stumbling back as the vessel was rocked and a wave splashed her. "The storm is too strong for me to control! We need to turn back!"
"Nowhere to turn back to now!" Matau shouted, unable to glance at the Toa of Water. "It stretches all the way to the Great Barrier. Forward-sail or backward-sail, the end is the same!"
"If we can't outrun it, we will just have to plow through it!" Vakama ordered, having to shout over the sound of the roaring rain and thunder. "Keep on course!"
"l never knew Ta-Matoran were such ever-smart sailors!" The Toa of Air snapped sarcastically, a flash of lightning momentarily blinding him and making him curse. "What do you think I'm trying to do fire-spitter?!"
The sea ended the argument. A massive swell lifted the vessel high into the air. At the apex, a lightning bolt slammed into the bow, shearing off a large chunk of the hull, exposing the interior and the startled faces of those inside. Then the wave pitched the ship forward, sending it plunging at high speed toward a trough in the waves.
"Hang on!" Vakama shouted, though his cry was lost in the wind.
Like one of those miniature Ga-Metru toy boats, the Lhikan II slammed into the sea and essentially disintegrated on impact. The tide swept the shattered pieces of the transport and the Karzahni cuttings in every direction, but of the Toa and human there was no sign.
On top of one of the buildings in the ruins of Le-Metru, a hunched form wearing a ragged cloak stood. He watched the stormy sea, the rain pelting down on him. Leaning on his staff, which had a flame-stylized decorative end, the being let out a long sigh.
"Brother?" He turned at the voice, seeing another cloaked figure approach. "What troubles you?"
The slightly taller hunched figure sighed. "This storm sister. There's something about it. It makes me feel… uneasy."
A blue hand rested on his shoulder. "I know, brother. I feel it as well." She sighed and looked out. "We must have faith."
"Then let us pray that the Great Spirit can hear our prayers, even in slumber." Was the answer. Lightning then flashed through the stormy sky, illuminating the two forms… as well as the green webs stretched between the skyscrapers.
A/N - Aaaaaaaaand… that's it! At least for now. Next, the events of Web of Shadows… heheh…
I'll post an update when arc 3 is out. Which may be a bit given that uni is in full swing…
So I apologize in advance if updates for that one are slow as I have the life sucked out of me. T-T
Also sorry-not-sorry for leaving this on a cliffhanger. Honestly like most shows I watch, the seasons usually end in one (TFP, NCIS, Criminal Minds, etc). Both dramatic, and a great way to bring sucke- I mean loyal fans back. Totally…
(I've been reading FluffyPizzaPie's work too many times. I think her Fixit's corrupted me!)
Ahem! Well, until next time!
Also happy early Halloween! Stay safe and scare everyone!
(...that sounded so much better in my head _)