A/N - …Well. So apparently I somehow pissed off a manchild who left a rather… distasteful review. I answered his question honestly, and then explained that I cannot always answer right away (the last week of January and first week of February were 100% dedicated to studying for my Calculus Midterm) as I have priorities outside of FFNet…
Well, you guys can read the review. Also, he blocked me. Not a huge loss. For a supposedly 27 year old, he just came off extremely immature. Oh well. All he's doing is making himself look bad with his tantrum. Maybe someday he'll learn that the world does not revolve around him. Or he'll just be a lonely spoiled manchild who I pray never procreates. We got enough people like that in the world as is. And I'm leaving the review up because at the end of the day, the only one he made an ass out of is himself; he even deleted the account, or the site did. Either way, I am not cleaning up his mess.
As for myself, when I mentally got better in late March… I caught a nasty virus that put me out of commission for WEEKS. Like, I was going to the hospital and x-rays were showing some seriously inflamed lungs, sick. There were times I was unable to sleep from how hard I was coughing, to the point where I had to take cough meds to suppress the cough. Normally I would not do something to suppress symptoms as they help fight viral infections, but I had to choose; sleep or hacking my lungs out.
Thankfully I have recovered, and I hopefully have snagged a job opportunity this summer doing field work. Hopefully.
EDIT/UPDATE: Turns out that the placement didn't involve… want… a junior… I guess I won't have a field placement this summer… Hopefully I can at least work at Spirit Halloween this fall… though given my luck I won't hold much hope. No one wants a broken woman to work for them even with her knowledge and educational experience.
Also, I can't seem to edit this chapter any further. So if you guys notice anything, any inconsistency, error, mistake, please let me know and I'll update as best I can.
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 'Web of Shadows'. 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 (ie. some scenes), it's MINE. No stealy.
Emma groaned as she felt herself come around. The ground squelched beneath her, wet and sticky, yet also hard and pointy. Confused, the girl lifted her head, looking around and blinking to try and clear her blurry vision. A cough suddenly erupted from her mouth, fluid moving up her throat and out of her lungs, before she was suddenly throwing up. Whining, Emma forced herself to roll onto her side, her breaths coming in heaving gasps as she tried to get her bearings. Her lungs felt heavy as well, making her breathing raspy.
Rain lightly pelted her sky-turned side, and Emma felt something cold and wet lapping over her ankles, her feet soaked in her sneakers. W-What happened…?
The human just lay there for she had no clue how long, feeling cold, weak, and exhausted. She didn't even notice her eyes had closed until they were blinking open hearing… something.
Slowly, Emma lifted her head, her mind fuzzy with confusion. It sounded like… chittering… familiar…
The image of a giant metal spider-thing popped into her mind, and terror seized the thirteen year old's slowly racing heart. Looking around, she couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean that something didn't see her.
Trying to even her heavy breathing, Emma forced herself to roll back onto her front and drag her soaking wet body up the muddy and rocky shore. She needed to get somewhere covered and out of sight quickly.
The rocks scraped against her exposed skin as she moved, drawing blood which streaked the shore. The human's legs felt cold and numb, though the pain from the scrapes told her she hadn't suffered any spinal damage. Pulling herself with her arms as her legs refused to listen to her, Emma did her best to try to drag herself to safety. Somehow, she managed to pull herself up under some metal debris from some sort of building, maybe a warehouse, and she curled up. Coughing, she weakly shivered, cold, her eyes beginning to feel heavy. The girl whimpered, staring out at the waves crashing on the rocky shore… and then her world went dark.
Emma groaned softly in pain as she came back to consciousness, her body aching something fierce. Sitting up, she grimaced… wait when had she dozed off?
Looking around, the girl wasn't sure whether or not she should be relieved that she was still under the rubble by the beach. Pulling her legs up, Emma grimaced in pain, inspecting the muddy scrapes and cuts on her with a twisting stomach. Oh I hope these don't get infected…
A thought struck her then, and the young teen snapped her head around. Where were the Toa?!
Her nauseous stomach twisted more. What if they were…?
No! Don't think like that! Emma told herself, though she shivered. If it was from being cold or scared she didn't know. T-They have to be okay! I-I survived, a-and I have no a-armour so-!
The thirteen year old suddenly felt nauseous, and threw up. Tears spilled down her face as the cuts on her legs stung from the bile, and she fought crying. No! I can't cry like a little girl! I-I'm not weak!
Emma wiped the tears from her eyes, grimacing as she realized she was smearing mud across her face. Grabbing the front collar of her t-shirt she pulled it up, wiping her face with the inside of her shirt. It wasn't like it wasn't covered in gross, icky mud anyways…
The tears continued to trickle down, and the human wanted to break down crying. She wanted to just start crying like a little girl; cry and scream and just-!
The thirteen year old buried her face into her knees. I wanna go home! I want my mommy! I-!
Emma froze hearing something scrape the debris above her, her heart leaping into her throat. Terror made said heart race, pounding in her rib cage. She didn't dare to breathe, to move, to make even a sound…
A set of fanged mandibles suddenly dropped down over the edge of of her shelter, sickly green venom dripping down and splashing the rocky ground. Crimson red eyes, solid and almond shaped, narrowed with pure evil, stared right into her terrified blue ones.
The Visorak chittered at her, clicking its mandibles in dark glee.
Emma screamed.
A hunched, cloaked form snapped his head up upon hearing a scream. Without hesitation he took off in a run, being fast and nimble despite his hunch and need for a staff. The Turaga-sized form reached the area the screaming was coming from in less than a click, seeing a heart-stopping sight.
A Visorak, the Boggarak breed to be specific, had its mandibles wrapped tightly around a familiar organic child's leg. Said child was thrashing and screaming in panic, kicking at the spider's head with her free leg. It was a desperate attempt to get it to let go, while her arms scrambled to either keep herself upright or find purchase.
The hunched form leaped into action, ripping his cloak off and activating the spinner that sat over the rotors on his back. The Boggarak didn't even have a chance to react before a black spinner slammed into it, the impact knocking it away from the child. In seconds the spinner's power kicked in, the energies seizing the creature and immobilizing it.
With the arachnid rahi dealt with, he rushed over to the sobbing organic child. His heart stopped seeing the bite wound on her leg, before he looked at her face. The pale hide of her exposed cheeks were flushed red, tears streaming down her face from puffy eyes.
"Oh little one…" he reached slowly towards her, though he was concerned that she might be too terrified of his… appearance, and freak out…
The child looked at him for a long moment, her blue eyes staring into his red ones… and then the being stumbled back a step as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The organic buried her face into his chest, shaking as she sobbed hysterically.
His heart clenching, he gently wrapped his arms around her, gently rubbing her back through her cloth armour. "Shh… it's okay child. You are safe… you are safe…"
Carefully, he scooped the little one up, strong despite his shorter size, and activated his rotors, taking to the air. He needed to get her somewhere safe, and quickly.
Emma groaned softly as she woke up, her body feeling like it had gone through a blender while a hammer seemed to think her head was a nail. She tried to open her eyes, only to squeeze them shut with a whine as it was too bright for her. A whimper rose from her throat as the girl felt around with shaky, weak fingers. There was something soft under her… over her…
A metallic hand carefully grasped her organic one. "Easy little one…" a familiar voice spoke softly, "lay still… hush…" another hand stroked her head, and the girl cracked her eyes open a little. A black blur was in front of her, the form hunched and the head a rounded wedge shape. Said head then turned away. "Sister, the little one is awake."
A similar shaped blue blur hobbled into Emma's field of vision. "How are you feeling little one?" Her voice was soft, and she gently brushed some of the girl's bangs away from her eyes.
The thirteen year old opened her mouth, a raspy, "Like I went through the spin cycle…" coming out, before she groaned.
The two 'blurs' looked at each other, before the female chuckled softly. "I meant to describe your symptoms, child." She said softly. "What hurts?"
"Everything…" Emma croaked out, a few tears trickling from her eyes. "M-My leg…" oh god, her leg…
"I know little one…" the female soothed softly, gently rubbing her cheek with a thumb. "You were bitten… we need to make sure you weren't…" she stopped, and the human whimpered, scared.
The blue 'blur' turned to the black one. "Brother, go grab some soup broth. Kaulus should still be keeping it warm."
The black 'blur' nodded, hobbling off until he was just a smudge in the blurry distance. The blue one then leaned over, warm orange and yellow eyes gazing at the human. She then gently inspected the girl's eyes, before vanishing from Emma's field of view. A warm, damp cloth was then rested on the thirteen year old's forehead as the blue 'blur' reappeared. "What's your name little one?"
"…Emma…" the girl rasped.
What looked like a small smile appeared on the blue one's face. "I am Gaaki. You are safe here child. We Rahaga will protect you."
The girl blinked, her eyes conveying her confusion. "Ra…haga…?"
Gaaki chuckled softly, stroking Emma's cheek. "Yes. I'll explain our name later." She then turned as the black 'blur', or Rahaga, returned with a bowl in hand. "Bomonga."
"Here sister." The black Rahaga passed Gaaki the bowl, which she then gently place the lip against Emma's mouth. "Drink child. The broth will help." The blue Rahaga soothed.
The thirteen year old weakly sipped the broth, surprised by the rich, meaty flavour. It reminded her of her mother's homemade soup stock…
The human passed out not long after finishing half the bowl. Gaaki gently pulled it away, her heart aching as she passed the bowl back to Bomonga. The Rahaga then carefully tucked the blanket more over the child, adjusting the folded blanket cushioning the young one's head. "Poor child… dragged into a fight she never should have been part of…"
The black Rahaga gently rested a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Destiny often puts one in danger before providing answers." He said softly.
"I know, brother." Gaaki gently squeezed her brother's hand. "But it doesn't ease the ache of seeing an innocent child in this state." She then moved away from Bomonga, kneeling next to the human's legs. The blue Rahaga carefully pulled the blanket away, revealing the bandaged skin. Her focus was on the large bite wound, to which she carefully peeled the bandage away to look at it.
The Rahaga's heart sank seeing the green veins spreading out from the bite. "Venom…" she whispered softly, bowing her head. Gaaki then redressed the wound and tucked the blankets back over, before looking at the child's face. She was sleeping, weakly breathing… I pray that the venom will not affect you little one.
Letting out a deep sigh, the blue Rahaga felt her heart ache. There was nothing more she could do…
"How is she?"
Gaaki looked up as she stepped out of the nook under rubble. Before her were three other Rahaga, each of them sitting around the fire. A cooking pot with a lid was set over it, keeping the soup inside warm.
The female Rahaga sighed as she went over to the pot, picking up a bowl sitting next to it. "Stable, for now." She answered softly, taking the lid off the pot and using the ladle to scoop out some soup. "But…"
The green Rahaga stood, making his way over to his sister. "Gaaki?"
The blue Rahaga turned to look at him, her eyes showing pain. "Venom…" she whispered softly. "So far, she's shown no signs of mutating, however…"
The other Rahaga bowed their heads. "Some rahi take longer to be… affected… than others." The white Rahaga murmured softly, while the green one guided their sister over to a seat. "Hopefully her unique makeup will protect her."
"I hope so, Kaluas." Gaaki murmured softly. "She's so young… so innocent…"
"I know, sister." The slightly taller Rahaga wrapped his arm around her as he sat beside her. "We must pray that we will find Keetongu, and reverse this curse."
"And that the Toa don't befall it as well." Bomonga added softly. He then looked at the green Rahaga. "Any word from Pouks or Norik?"
"Not yet." He answered, shaking his head. "They are still out looking for the Toa."
"I hope they are fruitful Iruni." Gaaki said softly, looking into the small fire. "Should the Visorak find the Toa first… all hope may be lost."
Matau walked slowly through the Moto-Hub's central area, surrounded by his fellow Toa yet still feeling very much alone. Gone were the sounds of Matoran at work and play, replaced by the cries of strange Rahi. All around them, visible through cracks and gouges in the Hub's outer wall, were neighboring buildings damaged by the quake. Places Matau had visited countless times when he was a Matoran.
Places once filled with talk and laughter. Noise.
All empty of city life.
This city no longer felt like a home, but rather a place out of a night-terror.
The Toa had already caught glimpses of some of Metru Nui's newest inhabitants, the makers of the webs: vicious spider-like creatures that seemed to be hunting down anything that moved. Now as they traveled through a city shrouded in webs and fog, Matau struggled to keep his spirits up. "What's with all the fog?" He asked for the fourth time in as many clicks, just trying to make sound to fill the unnatural silence. "It's not exactly encouraging my Toa-hero spirit."
The Air Toa suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, nearly making Onewa walk into him. "Hey! Watch where-!" He stopped, seeing what his brother was seeing.
In the distance, through the openings in the broken wall, the skyline of Metru Nui had become visible through the mist. The lights of the city were largely extinguished, leaving only dark outlines. Translucent webs glowed in the moonlight, swaying in the harsh breeze.
The next moment, a herd of massive beasts stampeded across the Toa's line of vision outside and vanished into the darkness, leaving the group staring after them.
A pair of Rahkshi could be heard stalking through darkness not far away, their hisses echoing eerily.
A roar bellowed in the distance.
"Whoa…" Matau took a step back towards his brothers, away from the opening, eyes darting about warily. "What was that?"
"The Archives must have been breached, shattered by the quake." Whenua answered; his tone of voice was enough to say that this was a Very Bad Thing.
"What did you have in there?" Onewa asked rhetorically, unconsciously pulling out his Toa Tools. He knew the answer, of course, but Po-Matoran traditionally liked to pretend that the Archives either didn't exist or were too unimportant to worry about. Now he was starting to regret that, though he'd never admit it aloud.
"Everything." Whenua replied, too worried to be annoyed with his brother. "Most of it dangerous." A shrill screech echoed faintly from somewhere above. "And now it is all free to roam the night."
"Rahi?" Vakama asked in confirmation, as if somehow the others might have forgotten what the Archives had been created to contain.
Whenua began to recite the opening lines of the Archives tour he had given a hundred times as a young Matoran. "'The Onu-Metru Archives house a specimen of every Rahi beast ever discovered-'" his speech was cut off by a growl coming from somewhere off in the shadows, "-or at least, it used to." He finished, eyeing the darkness.
Their talk had brought the Toa to their destination. The Le-Metru test track was designed to determine the performance capability of new vehicles. Designers from different Metru would bring their plans to Le-Matoran builders, who would decide what was worth testing and what was not. Then a crude prototype would be built and run on the test track by drivers like Matau. If the vehicle survived the high speeds, steep ascents, and rapid descents, it might be considered for mass production in the Moto-Hub, after more testing. If it failed, well, depending on how the driver came out, it would either go back to the drawing board or be scrapped. As for the pilots, depending on whether or not they made it out of the test, they got paid high sums for their dangerous work. And out of all of them… only Matau had made being a test pilot a full career.
Now, the test track was dark and deserted. As the Toa climbed the ladder that led up through the archway to the nearest emergency hatch, no one spoke. They were all aware of the good memories that Matau had of this place. He had spent most of his time here, and had even been on the track when Toa Lhikan gave him his Toa Stone. None wanted to say anything that could potentially upset him further.
The Toa of Air wrenched open the hatch, intended for quick escapes by drivers should their vehicles burst into flame. It was wide enough for two Toa to climb through at a time and he and Nuju were first to exit. They stood on top of the archway, looking up at the sky. Through the perpetual mist, thousands of glittering points of light could be seen.
"Look, brother." Matau said, smiling. "Even in this dark-time, the stars keep shining. I don't think I have ever seen so many, even from Po-Metru. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Get back inside!" Nuju snapped, practically shoving the other Toa back through the hatch.
"Wha-?" Matau stumbled upon landing, and looked back up, confused.
"Those aren't thousands of stars looking down upon us, brother." The Toa of Ice leaped in after him, closing the hatch behind him. "Those are eyes!" A faint thump came from outside the hatch, prompting Nuju to freeze it to keep whatever was outside out.
"Gukko birds?" The Toa of Air asked, hopefully.
"No." Whenua replied. He was focusing the power of his mask on the wall of the archway, seeing through the metal to the crowd of strange creatures up above.
"Stone Rats? Ussal crabs? Really, really big protodites?" Matau was almost pleading.
"No, no…" the Earth Toa gave his brother a weird look, "and what are you thinking?"
"Then what are they?" Vakama demanded, shoving his way forwards, wanting to know what they had to deal with now. "Why are they up there, watching this place?"
Whenua turned to the Toa of Fire, but then looked away, as if he could not meet his friend's eyes. "Visorak… they are Visorak. They are sitting on the webs they created, waiting, knowing we have to come out sometime."
"What?" Onewa asked, voicing everyone else's confusion.
"'Visorak'?" Vakama repeated, before he remembered. "Wait, Onewa used that term on our journey back to the city, when his mind was controlled or entranced by that strange parasite." He gave his brother Toa a hard look. "If you knew the name, why didn't you say so then?"
"I…I didn't make the connection before." Whenua responded quietly, feeling a mixture of frustration and embarrassment; as an archivist, forgetting something like that was like forgetting one's Kanohi. "I saw a portion of a carving once in the Archives, long ago, that contained the name in a brief mentioning. It was such an obscure reference I didn't put much thought in it at the time. It took actually seeing them and their webs to make me remember." Whenua looked down, but that still wasn't enough remorse for the Toa of Fire.
"You're an archivist!" Vakama exploded, making the Earth Toa step back, startled. "It's nice of you to finally tell us this, Whenua. You are supposed to be able to identify the Rahi we run up against! I would think an archivist would be faster to remember things like that! Otherwise, what good are you?!"
The others stared at the Toa of Fire, shocked at the outburst. Whenua, stunned and hurt, said nothing, only looked down. Despite being the largest of the Toa, he now felt like the smallest.
"Vakama!" Nokama finally snapped, finding her voice. "How can you say such a thing?!"
Onewa jumped to his friend's defense, as well. "If we had turned back when the storm started, or sent a scouting party – like I suggested – we wouldn't be in this mess." He shoved a finger at the other Toa's chest. "But you were in such a hurry to get back here so we could leave again that-!"
"l am in a hurry: to save the Matoran! As you should be!" Vakama shot back, swatting the hand away. "l made a promise to Toa Lhi-!" His voice cracked slightly, and he shook his head, before saying, "-to protect the Matoran! And I intend to keep it."
"Oh! Did you make that promise when you let Lhikan get captured? Or when he died saving your mask? Or how about when we lost the kid?!" The Toa of Stone shot back callously, turning away and crossing his arms. "l am starting to think it is not very healthy to be your friend." He finished his sentence with venom.
The Toa of Fire clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing. "Far healthier than being my enemy." Vakama threatened, a nimbus of flames surrounding his hands. "If you have a problem with me or my leadership, carver, let's hear it."
Onewa spun on his heel, took three long strides forward, and thrust his mask right up to Vakama's. "I have a problem with you; your leadership, your attitude, and your Akilini-headed idea that only you have to live up to the legacy of Lhikan!" He snapped. "We all do! We all have friends and family lying in Makuta-sleep under the Coliseum, and we all want to save them! We all know the price of failure! So get down off your Toa statue before I knock you down!"
"I'll give you a Toa statue, you stone-headed-!"
"ENOUGH!" Nokama stepped in between them, only to have Onewa take a step back and unlimber his proto pitons. "l will fight alongside anyone: Toa, Rahi, Vahki, even the Dark Hunters themselves to save the Matoran." The Toa of Stone snarled, pushing his Toa sister aside to get back in Vakama's face. "But Makuta take me if I will be a sidekick to a fire-spitter who couldn't find his way out of a forge!"
Matau's aero-slicer flew through the air and plunged into the ground between the Toa of Stone and Toa of Fire. "Stop the loud-shouting! Now! The enemy is out there, not in here!" The Toa of Air snapped, stepping forwards with his other slicer out. "And we cannot win a Toa-victory if we are traveling in six different chutes." He looked between his Toa siblings. "Someone has to lead-guide."
Nuju glanced at his fellow Toa. This was very bad. How could they save the Matoran, let alone build a new life on the new island up above, if they persisted in behaving like squabbling Ice Bats? He made a mental note that, if they survived to see the island again, he would impress upon his Matoran the virtue of self-reliance. Other beings are just… annoying. He decided. Never before has so much been spoken and so little of worth said. It makes one question the point of having a language at all…
"Alright…" Onewa relented after a click, slowly lowering his tools. "This is a bad time for an election. We have a mission to perform, so let's just do it." He turned to the Toa of Fire. "If you're going to lead, Vakama, then lead; but do it without treating us like we're your little fire drones. If you can't do that," he narrowed his eyes, "then get out of the way."
"And you, Onewa; if you are going to follow, then do it without constant argument." Vakama replied, glaring back. "Otherwise, stay here. We will come back for you."
"You two are forgetting that we may all be staying here, for a very long time," Nuju stated, glancing at the frozen hatch. His scope picked up the body heat of the thousands of rahi waiting outside for them.
"No. No, we won't." Nokama replied stiffly, already heading down the corridor. The other Toa followed quickly behind her. "You have all forgotten that there is another way out of this building. If we cannot go up, we will go-"
"-Down." Whenua finished for her, catching on to her train of thought. "And through the Archives."
Vakama quickly took the lead, walking further ahead without so much as checking his corners for threats. "Alright. Then let's go, regardless of Visorak, Vahki, or Rahi." He stated, before glancing back at Whenua. "And I want to hear more about these Visorak on the way. We're Toa, aren't we?" Even as dozens of Visorak zeroed in on their location via webs, hidden high above through the mist and darkness of the city, the Toa of Fire finished, "Nothing in this city can hurt us."
When Emma woke again, she felt cold; it was as though she was covered in a layer of frost. Whimpering and shivering, she rolled over, trying to snuggle more into the blankets. Unfortunately moving alerted her to the fact her body felt like it was on fire internally, making the girl cry weakly from pain.
Gentle hands were on her within moments, carefully moving her onto her back again. "Easy young one… easy…" Gaaki murmured softly. "You must rest… please."
Emma whimpered, before feeling the lip of a bowl be pressed against her lips. Cool, sweet tasting water touched her tongue, and the thirteen year old weakly sipped at it. Drowsiness overcame her, and her world went black again.
Gaaki watched as the child dozed off back into slumber, her heart clenching. I'm sorry little one… but you must rest. Give your systems a chance to fight back… She turned, placing the bowl down and going back to organizing the herbs gathered. Your unique organic nature is fighting the venom… by the Great Spirit, please do not let the venom taint you as well.
"Sister?" The blue Rahaga lifted her head. Bomonga stood just outside the makeshift shelter, and he saw dark marks on the hide visible under her bioluminescent eyes.
Gaaki stood, meeting her brother's gaze. "Has something happened?" Worry coated her voice, along with exhaustion.
The black armoured Rahaga shook his head. "Nothing bad sister." He said softly, catching the unspoken concern. "Kualus and Iruni have left to join Norik and Pouks."
"Ah… I see." The female Rahaga knelt back down, going back to her organizing. "That…That is good."
A hand rested on her shoulder. "Everything will be well sister. Have faith." Bomonga said softly, before helping her to stand again. "Now come and rest. You need it."
Gaaki pulled against him. "Brother I can't! The child-!"
"I will watch over her and get you should you be needed." He said softly, guiding her out of the small nook, past the empty fire pit, and into another nook that was lined with moss and blankets. "You need rest sister."
"1…" the female Rahaga sighed, relenting as her brother helped her lay down. "Very well."
Bomonga smiled a little, and once he was sure his sister was asleep he went back to where the child was laying. The smile fell as he moved… what he didn't tell Gaaki was that Norik had returned with bad news.
The Toa were walking into a trap and didn't seem to care.
There was little more for Whenua to share about the Visorak. The carving he had seen had been indescribably ancient and far from intact. What legible writing left had been translated; it described a "poisonous scourge" that ravaged entire domains, imprisoning living beings in its webs. The lucky ones stayed wrapped in the cocoons forever. Those less fortunate emerged from the webs mutated into monsters beyond all imagining, slowly losing their minds.
The image of a four-legged spider with two large, flexible mandibles came to the Earth Toa's mind as he described the carving. The one he pictured was red with tints of orange, but there were many breeds of the species: this was just one. Its green eyes lit brightly in the darkness of Whenua's recollection, and a spinner-like projectile on its back was ready for launching. Around it, webs and cocoons of its prey marked it as a Visorak.
"Legend says they have overrun hundreds of lands, wrapping the inhabitants up inside web cocoons." The former archivist continued, his mind now imagining one of the cocoons finally breaking as the mutant inside struggled to get out. "And when the victims emerge, they have become…" He shuddered, rubbing at his scratched palm. "Well, you don't want to know what they've become." There was the unspoken "we've already seen one example", given their encounter with the mutated Lohrak.
Vakama kept walking into the darkness, using all his willpower to keep his body from mimicking the worry in his voice. "Another threat to the safety of the Matoran." He determined. Apparently that was all that was on his mind. "That's all the more reason for us to keep going." He thought for a second as Whenua walked with him in silence, the latter using his mask to look through the walls. "Why have we never heard of these things before?" The Toa of Fire asked, looking at their resident archivist. "If they were in Metru Nui, surely the Vahki would have caught one or two."
"That's just it." Whenua answered. He then stopped, stooping down and peeling back a section of flooring, opening a shaft for the Toa to climb down. "They shouldn't be here." He stood up, stepping back so the others could start descending while he continued the conversation. "Remember, a year before the quake, Turaga Dume ordered all the gateways to other lands sealed off. For protection…" The Toa of Earth paused in thought. "At least, we thought it was Dume… we could not know Makuta had replaced him." Or for how long. He shuddered at that thought. He could have taken control centuries ago… and no one noticed.
"He sent most of the Toa Mangai to close the passages." Vakama said grimly, not noticing the other's shudder. "None ever returned."
"They must not have closed them all." Whenua answered, looking over his shoulder as Matau slid down the opening. "Visorak do not come from our region. If they are here now, they have to have migrated from elsewhere."
Nuju, lost in thought from the others' conversation, had to be reminded by Nokama to start climbing down. Their destination was the lower level vehicle assembly plant, from which the Archives could be accessed via floor hatches. But the Toa of Ice could not stop thinking about the image of a horde of dangerous creatures sweeping toward Metru Nui, overrunning everything in their path, or… "Driving them to Metru Nui." He whispered, realization dawning.
"What?" Nokama asked, glancing down at him.
Nuju stopped descending. "It all makes sense now. All of those Rahi we encountered on our way back to the city, the ones who were fleeing in terror from the city." He shook his head, the revelation making his brain hurt. "They were running away from the Visorak."
"Isn't that a little hard to think-believe?" Matau asked from below. "So many creatures, big and small, afraid of these… well, whatever they are."
Vakama was having no trouble believing it to be true, his mind going back to the rahi he had seen in the tunnels. "Whenua," he asked softly, "how many of the Rahi in the Archives are native to Metru Nui?"
There was a long silence as the archivist below him did some mental calculations. Then he realized it as well. "Hardly any. Do you mean to say-?"
"He does." Nokama said quietly, coming to the same conclusion. "All of the Rahi who have attacked our city over time… the ones we built Vahki to defend ourselves against… they were all fleeing something worse than themselves." She looked both down and up the ladder at her brother Toa. "They ran from the Visorak until they could run no farther, and wound up here."
"We won't run." Vakama stated from his position above them on the ladder, an intensity in his voice that was almost frightening. "If the Visorak stand between us and the Matoran, it will be too bad for them."
Nuju glanced upward, wanting to retort, only to tense. Something was blocking the top of the shaft above them. Then that same something was power diving toward the Toa, screaming as it flew. The sound of its cry tore through the ladder just above Nuju. Freed from the wall, the segment of ladder bent from the Toa's weight, leaving Nuju hanging over empty space, his legs kicking wildly. His attacker had already flown past, diving down. A sweep of its long tail knocked Matau and Onewa off the ladder, before it twisted and flew upwards with another scream. Vakama, Whenua, and Nokama flattened themselves against the wall to keep from being torn loose themselves, and watched as the creature dove down, towards the ground below.
The Rahi slowed as it reached the bottom, then turned and started another pass. The Fire Toa quickly hurled a fireball as much for the light as to ward off the creature. The bright flare revealed a beast far too familiar to the Toa Metru.
Matau, hovering in the air and hanging onto Onewa, was closest to the beast when the fireball illuminated it. "It's a Lohrak!" The winged serpents had almost overwhelmed the Toa the last time the heroes were in Metru Nui. It had taken a combination of their Toa powers to seal up the colony.
The beast screamed and rushed towards the Toa of Air, making him and his passenger yelp as they had to drop down to dodge it. That let them get a second look that revealed this was no ordinary Lohrak. The creatures were nasty, but not particularly large. This one was just over two bios from serpentine head to tip of tail, with a wingspan easily twice that. Only the narrow confines of the shaft were keeping it from flying rings around the Toa Metru, instead forcing it to fly in tight, constricting spirals up and down the shaft.
The Lohrak screamed again as it flew downwards, this time shattering a portion of the ladder below Vakama into dust, and making him jump up a rung in startlement. That, too, was new; Lohrak had always been more than happy just to squeeze the life out of prey. Sonic powers were not part of their natural tools.
Nuju had already guessed there was a connection between the sound creature that had assailed them above and the Lohrak's new and more dangerous abilities. Before he could share his conclusion, he lost his grip on the ladder and plunged toward the ground below.
Twisting in midair, Nuju fired a blast of ice from his crystal spikes. The ice block cut off the Lohrak from the Toa, also forming a safe, if not comfortable landing for Nuju. The Toa of Ice landed hard and lay there stunned. Beneath him, the ice began to crack.
"Matau! Grab Nuju!" Vakama shouted, while trying to figure out how to get down to the next intact part of the ladder.
"l can't lift-carry two Toa!" The Toa of Air protested, adjusting his grip on Onewa. "We'll all hard-fall!"
"Then drop me!" The Toa of Stone suggested, looking down. "I'll be alright."
Matau hesitated for only a few seconds, before hearing Nokama speak up. "Do what he says. And Matau; I would guess that Lohrak has a hard time making friends. What do you think?"
The indistinct shape of the Lohrak drew closer and closer to the layer of ice. Matau wished for help from the Great Spirit. Then he dropped the Toa of Stone and flew as fast as possible toward where Nuju lay dazed on said ice.
Everything happened at once. Onewa hurled one of his proto pitons, digging it into the wall and bringing his fall to a halt, while the Toa of Air grabbed Nuju and strained to regain altitude quickly. The Lohrak screamed, smashing the ice block to pieces. A hail of jagged ice crystals temporarily blinded the creature, hindering its pursuit of Matau.
The Toa of Air put the delay to good use, using his Mask of Illusion to take on the appearance of the Lohrak. If Nokama was right, this thing had seen precious few others like it. The winged serpent paused in mid-flight. Above it was what looked like another of its kind, with a squirming Toa clutched in its claws. But something was not quite right… the scent, the way the wings moved, conveyed a sense of something "other".
Whenua peered at the creature, now close enough to him to touch. "Vakama, look." He whispered to the Toa of Fire who had managed to climb down enough to be just above him. "Those little wounds on its side… they're in the same positions as the barbs inside the cocoon we found. I think this thing came out of there."
The Fire Toa was startled, looking down at his brother. "But that cocoon was nowhere near this size."
"Then the Lohrak grew." Whenua stated, not taking his eyes off the rahi. "And it grew quickly."
"Can we measure it later?" Onewa snapped from below. "Less archiving, more action, Whenua!"
"Oh, go chew on a rock." The Toa of Earth muttered as he revved up his drills, bracing himself against the ladder and facing the creature. "Vakama, I have an idea. Maybe if we-?"
But the Toa of Fire wasn't listening. He had already jumped from the ladder to grab the Lohrak's tail. The Rahi screamed in protest, sending a devastating shock wave up the shaft. The sheer sonic force blew the Lohrak/Matau and Nuju back up through the hole.
When that did not produce the desired effect – Vakama was still hanging on – the Lohrak took a more direct approach. Whipping its tail back and forth, it slammed the Fire Toa into the sides of the shaft.
Nokama reached out with the power of the Mask of Translation. She did her best to copy the Lohrak's cry, asking what it wanted and why it was trying to hurt them. The creature's answer was a cry of its own that blew a hole through the shaft and the exterior wall on the other side, sending Nokama hurtling out of the building.
"Guess it doesn't want to chat." Onewa grunted. "But I think it just made us an exit."
"We can't leave without the others." Whenua replied, glancing towards the top of the shaft, then to the Toa of Fire still clinging tightly to the Lohrak.
"Who says we're going to?" The Toa of Stone twisted to face the rahi, digging his feet into the wall for support. "Catch Vakama."
The Toa of Earth gave him a confused look. "What? He's not falling."
Onewa ignored him, instead concentrating. Pincers of stone grew from the sides of the shaft and grabbed the end of the Lohrak's tail, squeezing it hard. As a result it thrashed about violently, smashing Vakama into the wall in the process. Stunned, the Toa of Fire let go and fell right into the waiting grasp of Whenua.
"Looked like he was falling to me." The brown Toa stated, using the stone to bind the rahi to prevent it from further attacking them. "Let's go. We can grab Nokama and come back for the other two."
The three Toa made it to the gap in the wall just as the Lohrak broke free of the stone, screeching in fury. Outside, the Toa could see the darkened city: the mist hanging over it, Visorak webs everywhere… and the six flying Vahki carrying Nokama's limp form. The squad was headed right back to where she had come from, on a straight line for the other Toa.
"Or maybe we can't go that way." The Toa of Stone said slowly, startled.
The three Toa quickly scrambled out of the way as the Vahki soared through the opening: the last one was carrying the barely conscious Nokama. Whenua tapped that Vahki on the shoulder with his earthshock drill as it stopped just inside the opening. When it turned, Vakama grabbed it from behind as Onewa snatched Nokama from its grasp.
The Toa of Stone knew the shaft was going to be no place for Nokama; already it was devolving into a battlefield as the rahi and enforcers spotted each other. Holding his sister under one arm, he swung out through the hole, digging one of his proto pitons into the outside wall. Now the problem was, which way to go? Up meant running into Visorak, down meant Vahki, Rahi, and Mata Nui knew what else. Maybe it is not so much a question of where I go, as how fast I get there. He decided, adjusting his grip on the Toa of Water.
Down seemed the better option. Vahki and Rahi he knew… Visorak were something unknown. Onewa was more than willing to postpone the pleasure of meeting them until all six Toa were together and ready for a fight.
Throwing Nokama over his shoulder, the Toa of Stone began the long climb down the outside of the Moto-Hub. His attention had to be totally focused on the descent. One wrong move would doom them both to a long, fatal fall. Concentrating, he never saw the three Visorak that slipped down from their web in the shadows, and they began to climb down after him.
Matau and Nuju peered over the lip of the hole and were shocked by what they saw. In the few moments they had lain there stunned, a full-scale battle had erupted between the Toa Metru, the Lohrak, and now six Vahki. So far, the Lohrak seemed to be easily winning.
The Toa of Air had yet to change back to his normal form. Nuju glanced over and found it disturbing to be side by side with a 10 foot long serpent. "Change back."
"Why?" Matau asked, tilting his serpentine head. "Maybe I like being a giant snake. No one would dare to give me grief-trouble now!"
Nuju slowly and deliberately aimed his crystal spike right at said "serpent's" head. "I would, and it wasn't a request. Change back."
Matau-Lohrak glared. "No."
The Toa of Ice shrugged. But instead of launching a blast of ice at his disguised brother, he simply created a thin sheet so clear that it served as a mirror. Then he directed the Toa of Air to look at the reflection of his new face. One glance and Matau changed his mind. "Think I will quick-change back to handsome me."
As the Toa of Air mentally switched off the power of the Mask of Illusion, Nuju rose to his feet. "Good idea. We have to help Vakama and Whenua, and there's no point in giving the Vahki two Lohrak to worry about."
Matau tilted his head, looking at his brother Toa. "You have a thought-plan?"
Nuju scowled at him. "Don't I always? You are the transport expert; tell me, why do Le-Metru airships only fly so high?"
The Toa of Air thought for a moment, before replying, "Safety. Fly too high-sky, and then you go straight down, because…" he grinned in realization, "because ice forms."
Nuju nodded and sent waves of frost out of his Toa tools toward the Lohrak. Its wings were soon covered with a thick coating of ice. Despite the creature's great strength, it could not compensate for the added weight and keep them beating. Nor could it use its sonic scream to clear them without destroying its own wings. Sensing the trouble was confined to the shaft, the Lohrak used its powers to blow a bigger hole in the wall and forced itself out into space. Vakama saw it turn in midair and jerkily head for Ta-Metru, no doubt seeking a source of heat to melt the ice.
If Nuju was hoping the Vahki would pursue, he was disappointed. Apparently, four Toa Metru close by were worth more than a Lohrak on the wing. "I'd hoped we could avoid a fight." The Toa of Ice said, disappointed.
"We can." Matau answered. Without another word, he summoned a cyclone in the shaft. The winds swept up Vakama, Whenua, and the Vahki, lifting them higher and higher toward the opening at the top. Matau crouched down, eyes fixed on the rapidly rotating shapes in the whirlwind. At just the right moment, his hands darted into the windstorm and snatched the wrists of his brother Toa.
Seeing what he was doing, Nuju raced over to get a grip on the two Toa as well. Once certain they were both secure, Matau shut down the cyclone. Startled by the abrupt halt, the Vahki plunged down into the darkness. A few moments later, a resounding crash signaled that the machines had landed, and not reengaged their flight systems. "That's what's missing from Metru Nui these days." Matau grunted, hauling Whenua and Vakama up out of the shaft. "Not enough crash-bang."
Far down below, Onewa laid Nokama down gently, then tried to get his bearings. They were in the Archives, that much he knew, but carvers rarely bothered to visit this place. He had no clue which direction to travel in or what might be lurking nearby. Whenua would know, but the Toa of Earth was back up in the shaft. Every instinct the Toa of Stone had told him that he should go back now and help the others, but he knew that wasn't what they would want. They were counting on him to stay free, and because Nokama was with him, to keep her safe until she recovered. If anything happened, they might be the only Toa left to carry out the mission.
Subconsciously the Toa of Stone tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for the others to arrive. Nokama stirred after a moment, causing Onewa to go to help her to her feet. "Easy. You took the brunt of quite a blast."
"I'm alright." The Water Toa said softly, waving him off gently even though her head pounded a little. "Where are the others?" She asked, looking around.
Onewa heard the hatch open up above. "That must be them now. I guess they finished off that overgrown rock worm."
The Toa of Stone turned to greet his friends. Instead, he found himself face to face with a white and light-blue four-legged spider about half his height. Its light-blue eyes rested on top of two large mandibles that clanked together in an almost excited fashion.
Before Onewa could react, a spinning wheel of energy erupted from the creature's back and struck him square in the chest. Instantly, a field of electrical force surrounded the Toa like a cage. It did no damage, but moved with him wherever he went. Worse, the more the Toa tried to break away from it, the faster it began to shrink around him, beginning to pin his arms to his sides. Even worse, two more like it emerged from the hatch, clanking their pincers.
Onewa could see the creatures' true plan taking shape through the jagged bolts of lightning. Rather than challenge two Toa, they locked one up inside a prison of electricity so they could focus on the other, weaker one. As he watched, they spat streams of webbing at Nokama, which she barely blocked with her hydro blades.
Inevitably, despite her skill, some got through. The webbing wrapped around the Toa of Water's ankles, toppling her to the ground. The spiders chittered gleefully, moving in to snatch up the Toa.
Then they suddenly stopped dead. An instant later, Onewa heard familiar voices; it was the other Toa! He glanced up toward the hatchway for only an instant, trying to see if he could spot the others. When he brought his eyes back to Nokama, all three of the spiders were gone as if they had never been there. It left an unsettling feeling in his chest.
The electrical field faded as Vakama and the others entered, while Nokama was already struggling to rip the webbing off herself.
"What happened to you two?" Matau asked. In response, Onewa glared at him. "We met the Visorak." He grunted.
"Where are they then?" Vakama asked as Whenua helped Nokama to her feet.
"They ran off when they heard you coming." The Toa of Stone stated, crossing his arms. "Nasty, but not very brave, I guess."
"No." Whenua corrected, helping pull a few stray strands of webbing off his Toa sister. "Don't think that. First thing you learn as an archivist is you can't judge Rahi behavior by what we do. That's a good way to wind up a deceased archivist."
Nuju could see Onewa was readying a wisecrack. He spoke quickly, cutting the Toa of Stone off before he could start. "Then what do you think happened, Whenua?"
"I think they heard us coming and withdrew rather than risk a fight they might lose." The Toa of Earth answered, though he frowned. "But then, why take the chance? We're not going anywhere. They have all the time they need."
"You talk like they are making plans." Onewa retorted, scoffing. "They're just Rahi."
"Rahi who have taken over the city." The black armoured Toa said quietly. "Rahi who are powerful enough to frighten beasts five times their size." He looked his brother Toa in the eye. "Three of them almost defeated two Toa Metru, Onewa, and there are hundreds of them out there… maybe thousands."
"All the more reason to keep moving." Vakama cut in, his tone betraying his impatience. "We'll work our way through the Archives until we are close to the Coliseum. Then we can get our job done."
"What if these Visorak-rahi are in the Coliseum too?" Matau asked.
"l doubt it." The Fire Toa brushed his brother's concerns off. "My guess is that the Vahki are still guarding the place. We will deal with them and get the Matoran out before the Visorak know what we are doing."
The team headed into the Archives, with only Matau lagging a bit behind. I hope you are right, Toa-brother. He thought, looking at his brother's back. But somehow… I know you're wrong.
Bomonga felt that he had just dozed off when he heard faint sounds. Blinking open his eyes, the Rahaga jolted, startled to see the bed before him empty. Empty of one young organic.
Scrambling to his feet, he rushed out, trying to find the child before something happened. Or Gaaki found out he failed his promise to her. However, when the Rahaga of Earth burst out of the nook, the he saw the child laying by the nearby fountain, unmoving.
"No…" Bomonga hobbled quickly over to her, kneeling next to the child. She was weakly breathing, her chin and part of her right cheek wet with bile. Upon him touching her shoulder, her blue eyes weakly opened, looking up at him.
"Easy little one…" he carefully looked her over, and his heart clenched seeing green veins were now snaking up her torso. "Oh child…"
Gently, the Rahaga sat her up, pulling out a rag and tenderly wiping the dried bile away from her face. The little one whimpered softly, and all Bomonga could do was give her a sad smile. "Hush little one… you need to rest."
The child weakly shook her head, much to his surprise, and weakly reached away from them. Towards the city… "Toa…"
Realization washed over the black armoured Rahaga, and he sympathetically rubbed her back. "My brothers are watching over them. They're okay…" For the time being. He kept that last part to himself, instead helping the young organic back to her bed.
The child whimpered faintly as Bomonga laid her down, making weak eye contact. Her hand reached up to him, and he gently grasped the reaching appendage. "It will be alright little one… I…I promise." He wasn't certain he could keep that promise…however the child needed hope. Hope enough to make it…
Nokama heard the noise first. It was faint, but unmistakable; something nearby was in pain. "We need to go right up ahead." She said softly, turning to look at her Toa brothers.
"The path to the Coliseum is straight, then left." Whenua corrected, confused. "We aren't far, sister."
The Toa of Water shook her head. "l know brother, but I heard something. I think there has been trouble."
"That would be a sudden-shock." Matau grumbled, crossing his arms. "No trouble on this ground-walk so far. "
Nokama turned to the others. "Go on ahead, if you wish. I will catch up. I have to check on this."
"It is too dangerous to be alone down here just now." Nuju replied, making eye contact with his Toa sister. "So we will all go."
Vakama immediately started to protest, stepping towards them, only to stop as the Ice Toa silenced him with a glare. "It is possible what you heard, Nokama, may be a Visorak trap," the Toa of Ice continued, "in which case, it makes sense for all of us to investigate."
With that said, Nokama turned and led the way, Whenua following close behind her. "What's down here?" The Toa of Water asked the former archivist. "I mean, what was down here before…"
"Isolation ward. Rahi that were constantly attacking archivists and each other were sent down here. If it seemed their behavior wouldn't change, they were moved down to the deeper sublevels where security was better." The former archivist answered, not looking at the surroundings.
The Toa of Water blinked. "So anything on this level is dangerous?"
Whenua chuckled, his gaze moving to her. "No more dangerous than laying down in front of a Kikanalo stampede. There's a reason that only the real Akilini-heads on the staff were assigned here; no point in risking good workers being hurt."
The cry came again, this time loud enough for all of the Toa to hear. The Toa of Earth put a hand on Nokama's shoulder, keeping her in place as he slipped past her. "Better let me go first." He rumbled softly. "You have to know how to approach a wounded Rahi and gain its trust. Otherwise- oof!"
A huge paw slashed out of the darkness, hurling Whenua backwards against the wall. He slammed into the stone and toppled forward, barely getting his hands out in time to catch himself.
"Otherwise you get knocked on your mask." Onewa stated dryly, quickly pulling out his Toa Tools along with the others..
Nokama took a step into the darkness, where a harsh growl greeted her from within. "Sister, don't!" Matau yelped in concern, reaching a hand towards her.
The Toa of Water ignored him. She kept her eyes forward, trying to pierce the shadows obscuring her vision. She could just barely make out a large shape huddled on the stone floor. "Shhhh, it's alright." She crooned softly. "No one is here to hurt you. Let me help."
"Be ready." Onewa whispered to Nuju. "If that thing attacks-!"
"Give Nokama her chance." The Toa of Ice cut his brother off. "I don't claim to understand her instincts in these situations, but she seems to have a connection to the natural world that we lack."
"And she can keep it." The Toa of Stone scoffed, but stood down… somewhat.
Nokama took another careful step. The Rahi lashed out weakly, its paw never even reaching her. "It's alright. You're not alone anymore." Without turning her head away from the Rahi, she said, "Whenua, shine your light here."
The Toa of Earth did as she asked. The beam from his Mask of Night Vision revealed a young ash bear roughly the size of a Toa. Even an untrained eye could see that she was badly hurt. "Trampled." Whenua noted sadly. "She must have been caught in a rush to get out of here after the quake. I don't think she will last very long, Nokama."
The Toa of Water knelt beside the Rahi. The ash bear was too exhausted and in too much pain to fight, and could only weakly growl at her. Nokama summoned a cooling mist to comfort the beast, as well as to get a feel for the injuries. "Is there anything we can do?" She finally spoke up, looking at Whenua, voice tight with emotion. She had healed before, but the extent of the injuries along with who knew how long the bear had been laying here… "We can't just leave her here to…to die."
"We may not have a choice." Onewa stated, crossing his arms and shifting his weight onto his left leg. "Don't forget there are Visorak down here, and maybe Vahki, and Great Spirit knows what else. We can't take the time to play healer for a single Rahi."
"The Matoran need us." Vakama added, his tone conveying how important he felt that statement was. "We have to go."
"The Matoran have been asleep for eight-days, unaware of what is going on around them." Nokama shot back, looking over her shoulder to glare at her brothers. "This creature is alone and afraid… and I will not see any being die with fear in its heart."
Nuju looked over the Rahi. The ash bear's injuries were too severe to move her. Of them all, only Whenua really knew anything about taking care of Rahi, and he was ready to give up. That was all the evidence Nuju needed to know that the animal had no future.
"Let's go, sister." Onewa grasped her upper arm, impatient. "It's just a Rahi."
"Yes. Yes, it is." Nokama pulled his hand off her arm. "And to Makuta, our kind were all 'just Matoran'." She glared at her Toa Brother. "Beings that were not as smart or powerful as he, so not worth caring about. We are supposed to be better than that." The Toa of Water turned back to the injured ash bear. "Go on, if you want to. I am staying with her."
The male Toa looked at each other, before Vakama moved to leave…
"Toa-power." All eyes turned to Matau. He looked startled at first, as if not realizing he had spoken aloud. "Toa-power…" he looked at the injured rahi, "maybe that can help-heal somehow. Look what the energies did for us. A-And individually some of us are healing elements. Maybe if we all work together…"
"It's never been done." Whenua countered. "The only healing that has ever been done has been through conventional methods. Bandages, surgery…" he looked at the Toa of Air, Ice, and Water, "or minor healing from healing elements. But on the scale you are implying…"
"Ever been tried?" Matau asked, crossing his arms and raising an eye-ridge.
"Well…" Whenua shuffled a foot, trying to find a reason against but failing, "no…"
"Then that's why it's never been done." The Toa of Air stated. "If we stop loud-shouting and at least try it… and it doesn't work… I am sure Nokama will be willing to ground-walk with us again. Right?"
The Water Toa looked at them, before sighing. "Alright. If it will get the rest of you to help, I promise; if it fails, we make her as comfortable as we can and then we go."
The other Toa nodded in response.
"Good-fine! We are agreed." Matau clapped his hands together, before pausing. "So… what do we do?"
Onewa gave into the urge to smack him upside the head.
"How is she?" Bomonga looked up hearing his sister's voice, and sighed deeply, the child's hand still held between his.
Gaaki knelt next to her brother, gently feeling Emma's forehead. She hummed worriedly, feeling the fever, before looking the organic over. To her dismay, green veins were now snaking down the thin arms. "I'll be right back."
The Rahaga of Earth watched his sister leave, before looking back to the child. She was sleeping, thankfully, though Bomonga feared for her.
Gaaki soon returned, a bowl in hand, which she set next to Emma's head. The blue Rahaga pulled out a wet towel, and wrung out the excess water before laying it on the child's forehead. Emma shifted a little in her sleep, sighing feeling the coolness of the wet towel.
"She is strong." The Rahaga of Water murmured as she wrung out another wet towel, laying it over the girl's neck. "Her body is fighting the venom with all it has."
"But still it spreads." Bomonga rumbled softly, gently rubbing the back of Emma's hand, eyes on the green veins just visible under the cloth armor by her neck. "It's only a matter of time…"
Gaaki tenderly dabbled a bit of saliva from the side of Emma's mouth. "Until then, brother… we must have hope. And pray that she will make it through." She looked at the sleeping child's closed eyes, her heart breaking. "Stay strong child… you are dear to the Toa whether they say it or not. You must fight on…"
Emma moaned softly, her eyes weakly opening…
Revealing her left eye beginning to turn solid green.
A/N - Whoo. Finally got this finished. And on quite the cliffhanger as well. Welp, you know me and cliffhangers. Also just over 10,000 words, so nice and long.
Anyways, going off what I said in my earlier A/N, at least I will have time to finish my research project that I've been given a rather generous extension on. And time for this, if I can focus long enough…
Maybe that one guy was right.
It doesn't help that Wattpad removed their private messaging system. Which means I was cut off from my RP friend. Trying to find a new way to communicate has been… fun…
Until next time…
Next Chapter: Venomous