(A/N): Well, after that big revelation last week…time to see the aftermath of the first fight with the Bohrok over on Mata Nui! Apologies for how short this one ended up being - originally it was part of the same chapter as the big Bohrok battle, but I think it works best as its own, easily digestible chapter. There's a lot of important stuff being discussed, so pay attention folks!
(Oh, and some Schnee angst at the start, because being Winter is suffering.)
Klein Sieben was in the middle of cleaning out Albus's litter box (under the growing kitten's suspicious stare) when the front door was forced open by a powerful gust of wind. He and his fluffy little friend were both instantly on guard, but they both relaxed as they saw Winter stomp down the entrance hall - only to be alarmed again at the sight of tattered fabrics and lots of sand falling behind her in her wake. While the old house the Schnee family tepidly called "home" wasn't the prettiest of buildings, the former butler still prided himself on keeping it clean and tidy for its residents…and right now the chilly Winter Maiden was leaving quite a mess in her wake.
But that wasn't as concerning to him as the expression on his charge's face.
Or rather, the lack thereof.
"A-ah!" stammered Klein, eyes shifting to magenta and bashfully looking everywhere except to meet the icy-blue glare. "Mistress W-Winter! I hadn't expected you to return home this early!"
The eldest Schnee child was silent as she passed him and made a beeline for her room. That wasn't too surprising.
"S-shall I call you when dinner's ready?" he offered. "I-it's still a few hours away, but -"
"I'm not staying for dinner, Klein."
He blinked several more times in confusion, his irises cycling between every color imaginable. "Mistress Winter?…"
She finally fixed a stare at him just before opening the door to her sanctuary. "My services have been requested by the Bara Magna Outreach Committee. Oscar and Theodore are holding an emergency meeting with the Vacuo City Council regarding the situation with the Glatorians and Agori, so in the meantime our guests want me to show them around the city. As if I'm some sort of tour guide…"
The old butler frowned. Bara Magna? Glatorians? Agori? What on earth was the Maiden talking about? If there was an explanation, she didn't give one - she just took a deep breath and pulled the sand-encrusted band out of her hair, letting the tight bun of white fibers fall loosely around her neck and shoulders.
"…in any case, my uniform was damaged in battle. I'm just here for a change of clothes, nothing more. Tell Mother and Whitley that I'll see them tomorrow."
Ah. Right. Of course. Due to just how often Winter was throwing herself into battle, she'd gone to great lengths to procure several identical sets of Huntress attire, and cycle through them as needed. Klein wasn't much of a seamster, but his skill with a needle and thread had grown considerably in the last few months - he'd had a lot of chances to practice, as the one mending the Maiden's spare garments.
"Of course," he said with golden eyes and a snappy salute. "I'll be sure to keep some leftovers for you. It is pasta surprise, after all."
"If you want."
With that final remark and a slam of her door, Winter disappeared into her room.
Klein sighed as he looked down at Albus, who was currently pawing at a pile of sand and circling it with a curious gaze. He was just about to stop the ivory-furred cat from claiming it as a new toilet when new sounds reached his ears and demanded his attention, all coming from Winter's room. Several loud crashes. A muffled scream. And finally, a crackle of ice.
Normally he respected the privacy of his charges and knocked before entering their private rooms.
Not this time.
"Mistress Winter!" called Klein in concern as he pushed open the door. "Are you alright? What -?"
His words died in his throat as his brain processed what his eyes were seeing. Winter Schnee, the strongest Huntress he knew - the strongest woman he knew - was kneeling on the floor in a circle of frozen floorboards, sobbing violently while clutching a pillow. A vanity lay on its side in the corner of the room with a shattered mirror. A bed was turned upside-down. And half of the tattered outfit was flung against the wall, pinned to the plaster by icy spears.
"…Mistress Winter?"
"She went back, Klein." The half-dressed Huntress looked up from her tear-stained pillow, eyes burning with both magic and tears. "She went back to…to that damn island…and she didn't…I wasn't there to stop her from leaving…"
The old butler knew who she was talking about instantly.
"Oh, Winter…" he whispered, dropping all formalities and marching over to give her a much-needed hug. She buried her face into his vest with another shuddering breath, squeezing him around the waist with enough force to crush a man's spine. He endured it for her. For the Winter Maiden succumbing to her raging storm of emotions, if only for long enough to pull herself together. There were few in the world that Winter Schnee trusted like this, few that she'd allow herself to unravel in front of, and Klein counted himself blessed to be one of those people.
That didn't make the sight of her falling apart - or the news that had set her off - hurt any less, however.
After a moment of silent comfort, Winter withdrew with a sniffle and one more choked sob, wiping her eyes in a vain attempt to clear them. Klein knelt down and offered her a handkerchief with practiced ease, which she accepted with a tight nod. Albus sauntered inside and sniffed the ice cautiously, then carefully made his way over to the Maiden's lap and climbed onto her thighs. A low purring sound came seconds later.
"Thank you…" whispered Winter to both her comforters. Then she looked down at the ring of frosty floor around her with a guilty expression. "I…should probably unfreeze those now. This house has enough problems without water damage being one of them."
That got a gentle laugh out of the butler, who reached out a hand and patted her on the head gently. "Oh, don't worry about that, my sweet little snow-cone," he said with golden eyes. "You just do your duty - I'll do mine."
A rare smile graced Winter's lips, followed by a faint blush as she ran her hand down Albus's spine. "Klein, please…I'm twenty-five years old, I'm not a child anymore."
"Mrow," countered Albus.
"You realize that you can't stay there, right?"
"Mrow…" The little cat just curled up into a ball as a form of protest, nestling deeper into her lap.
Moments later, Winter ushered both Klein and Albus out of her room so that she could get changed in peace, a request that both man and cat reluctantly honored. The butler was halfway through sweeping up the trail of sand when she emerged from the door yet again, wearing a fresh set of clothes alongside the emotionless mask of the Winter Maiden. After giving a nod to Klein, who returned it, and a scratch behind the ears to Albus, who purred contentedly, the eldest Schnee set off as though she'd never left - and as far as the world was concerned, she hadn't had a breakdown at all.
It was one of Winter's most admirable traits, her ability to soldier on, but it was a double-edged sword.
And she seemed to have no regard for how much she cut herself while wielding it.
When the front door was closed - far more gently this time - Klein allowed himself a moment to lean his forehead against the broom handle. "Oh, Weiss…" he lamented with a heavy heart. "If only you could see how much you meant to this family…how much you mean to your sister. To your mother. To your brother. To me."
"Mrow." A furry little white chin rubbed against his pants leg, then looked up at the butler with blue-green eyes.
"…oh, and how much you mean to Albus, of course." He laughed humorlessly, then sighed. "I trust your decision to go back to that Mata Nui place…but please. For your sake, and ours…be careful. And come home soon."
Klein Sieben allowed a single tear to slip down his face as he set about the rest of his daily duties, praying to whatever god was listening for his happy little snowflake's safe return.
The battle for Ta-Koro may have ended, but Ruby's heart wasn't done racing yet.
As the creatures retreated and the storm calmed down, she finally dared to lower her hands and pull her thumbs out of her ears. Silver eyes scanned the courtyard, a small pit forming in her stomach as she saw just how many wrecked Bohrok littered the floor - and how many chunks of stone were missing from the entire village. Dark thoughts of not being good enough to save everything rose to her mind, only for her to push them back as best she could. She'd fought too hard to win this fight, only to lose the one raging inside her.
The once-chaotic battlefield grew quiet for a long moment, long enough for the little rose to wonder if she'd gone deaf from the thunderstorm…
"Saaaaalutations!"
…until the most wonderful sound pierced the silence.
Ruby finally grinned and whirled to face the Maiden flying towards her, opening her arms to accept the supersonic snuggles that swept her off her feet. The pair of redheads giggled as they tumbled across wrecked cobblestone paths, refusing to let go even as they rolled to a stop. Pure joy sang in the little rose's heart as, after three long months, she finally got to hug her very special friend once more…and the force of the embrace made it very clear that the feeling was mutual.
"Penny!" gasped Ruby as bare arms squeezed her midsection like a vice grip. "It's you!" Wow she's gotten a lot stronger since the last time I saw her…and she was already really strong! She must have one heck of a workout routine here…
"It is me!" The freckled teenager giggled and nuzzled her chin into the nape of her neck. "Ruby, my friend…it is so wonderful to see you again! I have missed you so very much…well, I have missed everyone, but I have missed you most of all."
"Hah…aw…Penny…" Silver eyes welled up with tears as Ruby cradled her head protectively. "I missed you too. Remnant's a lot colder without you and your hugs."
"And the nights of Mata Nui feel so dark without you shining like a star," mumbled the Maiden with misting eyes. "But you are here now…so everything will be okay. I am certain of it."
Eventually, after a quiet moment of embracing and drinking in each other's warmth, Ruby peered through the curtain of burnt-orange that obscured half her vision. "…I think there's a queue forming for hugs, though. Wouldn't be very fair if I monopolized them, right Penny?"
The bare arms around her waist squeezed tighter. "Mmmmngh…"
"Ghk! R-right, Penny?" she repeated, a little more forcefully - mostly due to a need for air.
"Hmm? Oh! Yes, I suppose. I am sorry, Ruby! I will give you many more hugs later!"
With that the magical Maiden finally withdrew and hopped back to her bare feet, leaving Ruby on the ground and running while giggling. The little rose gasped and rolled into an upright sitting position, content to watch Penny from a distance as she greeted her other friends in turn. Neopolitan practically leapt into her strong, bare arms. Weiss gently wrapped her own wiry arms around a sundress-clad waist. Nora let out a shriek of delight as Penny lifted her off her feet and spun her around, the translucent overskirt twirling around them both. Even Ren opened his arms and embraced the eager Maiden, coming away with a small smile and holding delicate hands in his own for a moment.
She's grown so much in the last few months, thought Ruby to herself as she smiled. But she's still just as full of life and joy as I remember her…despite everything that's happened, she's Penny down to her very soul. Just like always.
"So that's what she looks like in the flesh, huh?"
Ruby looked over her shoulder to see Qrow suddenly appear behind her, watching as the Maiden made the rounds. "Oh right, this is your first time seeing her new form in person. Pretty cool, huh?"
The grizzled Huntsman nodded. "Looking at her now…you'd never be able to tell she was anything other than human just a few months ago. I can see why you worked so hard to save her - she's a very special girl."
"Yeah…she is," said the little rose wistfully as she watched Penny approach her father to give a soft kiss to his balding forehead.
"We are all agreed on this fact, little one."
Her heart sang for joy at the sound of another familiar voice.
Ruby spun around and faced the Toa of Water approaching from behind, leaping and grabbing onto one biomechanical arm and hugging it tightly. Gali chuckled and raised her captured appendage with a smile, pulling the little rose higher in the process. She giggled and rubbed her face against the cobalt-blue armor plating, sighing contentedly and letting herself hang from the ten-foot-tall warrior's bicep.
"Galiii!" she cheered excitedly, a mile-wide grin spreading across her face. "Hi! Augh it's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me?!"
Qrow crossed his arms and put on a mock pout. "Hey…I thought that was our thing…"
The Toa of Water laughed softly, reaching with her other hand to ruffle her hair. "I missed you dearly, Ruby Rose. It is wonderful to see you again…and to see that you are well. Thank you for your aid in this battle."
She leaned into the headpats with another small giggle, feeling warmth and relief flow through her entire body. Gali watched her for a moment longer, then let her gaze fall on the aloof man standing nearby.
"I presume that this is a human male, then?" At the sight of Ruby nodding, Gali continued. "I see. Forgive me for assuming, but are you the one known as Qrow Branwen?"
"The one and only," said the grizzled Huntsman with a smug grin. "I take it you're Gali, then? Thanks for watching over this little rascal during the whole…you know. I know she can be a handful sometimes."
"Who're you calling 'little?'" Ruby pouted as she used Gali's outstretched arm as a pull-up bar. "See? I'm the one that's taller than you now!"
"Mm-hmm." Qrow gave an unamused smirk. "Oh no, I'm shaking in my pants."
Gali chuckled softly at the family banter, which triggered a giggle from Ruby and a suppressed snort from Qrow. It felt…nice, laughing and swapping quips and joking around like this. The threat to the island, the friction between her and her uncle, even all those months of being in dusty dry Vacuo…they all faded from the little rose's mind for just a moment, filling her heart with a warmth she'd wanted for so long.
Of course, the moment of peace couldn't last forever.
The Toa of Water looked over to the growing crowd in the middle of the courtyard. "Much as I would love to spend all day hearing stories of Ruby in her youth, time is a luxury we do not have. Come - it seems that Tahu wishes to call a meeting. Let us discuss this threat, these…Bohrok, and how best to stop them."
With a heavy heart and a soft sigh Ruby dropped back to the ground, walking between Qrow and Gali as the trio made their way across the courtyard. Though she smiled at seeing Neopolitan cling to Pohatu's leg, at seeing Penny and her father holding hands, and at seeing Weiss and Kopaka give meaningful nods to each other, her attention was more focused on the carnage they passed along the way. Every shattered Bohrok…every crater and wrecked building…every Matoran huddled in fear or emerging from the shelter warily…they all weighed heavily on her, dragging her heart down into old familiar depths.
We might've won…but it sure doesn't feel like it.
As if she could sense the unease building up within her smaller friend, Gali gently tapped her shoulder and pointed to a large crimson-plated dome. "Ruby. Look there, next to Tahu's Suva shrine."
Silver eyes flitted over to where the Toa of Water was pointing, shimmering slightly at the sight. Two statues stood on opposite sides of the Suva like honor guards, one far taller than the other yet both looking ready for battle. One statue was carved from reddish volcanic stone, and resembled a ten-foot-tall armored warrior with a flaming sword and a helmet-like mask. The other, which looked like it was cast out of solid gold, depicted a human woman with long flowing hair, two raised fists, and a molded smirk that radiated confidence and strength. It didn't surprise Ruby at all that the Matoran had already erected a tribute to Tahu, but the other one was far more surprising…and just as heartwarming.
"Yang," she whispered, letting a single emotional tear escape her eyes. Surprised that it didn't get destroyed…heh. Even when you're not here, sis, the Bohrok know not to mess with you.
Qrow looked over with a pensive hum, and a nod of approval. "Damn. You guys must've really made an impression on the folks here, if they're already building statues in your honor."
"That is an understatement," intoned Gali with a warm smile. "From what my brothers have said, the Matoran have done more than just rebuild their villages in the moons since Makuta's defeat - they have all constructed tributes to both their patron Toa and the Huntress who helped them defeat Makuta and save the island." Glowing yellow optics looked down proudly at Ruby. "Our statues are not in Ga-Koro proper, but in a nearby grove within the forests that border Lake Naho…where your likeness and mine watch over the Vuata Maca saplings as they grow."
That made Ruby's heart soar above the clouds, dispelling the darkness of her mind for just a little longer.
By the time the trio finally reunited with the others, she felt ready to make sure that these Bohrok didn't get a chance to destroy anything else.
She stepped over and gave Penny one more hug for good measure, then pulled Weiss into a gentle embrace that recharged them both. "You doing okay, sweetie? Those things were tough, huh?"
"Tougher than the Rahi, that's for sure," panted Weiss as she leaned into the mutual embrace. "I'm fine for now, but…this is a lot more intense than we thought it'd be. Where did these Bohrok come from? Why were they trying to destroy the village? And why were there so many of them?"
"All excellent questions, Weiss," said Tahu with a sigh. "Sadly, it would seem even this bitterly-won victory has given us nothing in the way of answers."
"True, but it did give us plenty of salvage to study." Pohatu stomped over the bed of lifeless husks to stand in front of a bronze-shelled Bohrok, one that kept flailing its last remaining limb uselessly. "Seems they've left behind a wounded prisoner in their hasty retreat, as well. What's that in its head, behind the front shell? It almost looks like a mask, but…smaller."
Now that she had a chance to look at a Bohrok up-close, Ruby noticed several key details she hadn't before. While each one was only a little taller than Qrow, their bulkiness and curved torsos made them seem larger than they actually were. Most of the design's complexity lay in the head, which was covered by a thick glassy shell nestled between dagger-like eyes and twin ivory fangs. If she peered closely enough, she could see that there was indeed something green behind the cloudy brown faceplate…something small, rubbery, and vaguely face-shaped, barely larger than her own head.
"Only one way to find out," she mused as she withdrew from Weiss and reached for her pocket-sized tool kit. "Let's pry open the shell and take a look inside the -"
CHIIIIIIYIYIYIYIYIYIIII!
A shrill, piercing wail rang out from the wounded Bohrok before the glass faceplate flipped forward, revealing just how twisted and ugly the rubbery mask truly was. The smaller creature let out a cry of its own as it leapt out of its holding tray, sprouting over a dozen wiry tentacles from its back that trailed behind it like ribbons in the wind. Pohatu yelped and ducked to avoid the incoming…thing, only to watch it hit the ground and start scuttling around with frantic speed. It almost reminded Ruby of the Kraata that once infected the Rahi of Mata Nui - except unlike those shadowy slugs, which slithered like snakes and screamed like souls of the damned, the living mask moved like an unholy combination between a spider and an octopus while somehow sounding even worse.
And despite not knowing what it wanted to do - or even what it could do - Ruby felt her gut twist into knots as it started crawling around on its tentacles.
Crawling towards her.
"Holy sh-" Qrow drew Harbinger and aimed both barrels at the scampering nightmare. "Ruby! Get back!"
The little rose did just that as twin buckshot loads boomed like thunder, intent on tearing the creature apart with shrapnel and fire. But the living mask was faster and more agile than it looked - it leapt to one side just before the shots struck, then course-corrected and started charging towards Qrow. Other attempts to strike or contain it weren't much more effective. It dodged blades, hammer heads, bullets, magic lasers, and icy blasts alike. It rolled under waves of fire and water while sidestepping chunks of stone and earth. Even a small tornado summoned by Lewa didn't do much except launch it into the air…which gave it the perfect vantage point to leap towards the Toa of Air with tentacles outstretched.
"LEWA!"
SHNK.
A two-pronged spear sailed through the air and intercepted the mask-like creature, pinning it to the ground through two empty holes where a face's eyes should have been. Half a heartbeat later she saw an orange-robed figure - one that stood taller than a Matoran, yet nowhere near as tall as a Toa - suddenly materialize out of thin air, whose glowing amber eyes narrowed as he hobbled over with more speed than his hunched frame would suggest was possible. Vakama approached the pinned creature without a trace of fear in his expression; even when it warbled and wailed and screamed for mercy, he simply used his firestaff like a cutting torch and burned off the tentacles at their stems.
The creature went still and silent a moment later.
"Whoa…" breathed Ruby. "How'd he do that?"
"The Turaga have mask powers of their own, unlike the Matoran," explained Penny with a relieved smile. "Though they are not as powerful as the Toa's own Great Kanohi, they still serve as useful tools in an emergency. Vakama's Noble Huna, for example, allows him to turn invisible for a brief period of time…as you have just witnessed."
"There are more power-masks than the ones we collected, after all," added Lewa, checking to make sure his golden Miru hadn't been knocked loose by the critter. "A pity that the Huna wasn't one of them - Emerald surely would've loved turning invisible…"
"Six masks are plenty, brother," intoned Gali with a small chuckle. "Thank you, Turaga…are you well?"
Satisfied with his work, the village elder cast his gaze from his pinned prey to the collection of Toa and Hunters. "I am well enough, Toa Gali…though very soon, none may be able to stay the same. I know the answers you seek, my gathered friends, much as I desperately wish that I did not."
Tahu seemed halfway between impressed and irritated. "The Matoran. Are they secure and safe?"
"They are now, due in no small part to you." The chief of Ta-Koro gave a grateful bow to the Toa of Fire, then a weary smile to the silver-eyed Huntress. "Thank you, Toa, for coming to our village's aid so quickly. I am glad that Kapura was able to find you…and that he was able to warn of the danger despite his fear. And I must extend my thanks to you as well, Ruby Rose of Remnant. It brings me joy to know that you and your friends were able to return to your world - just as it pains me to petition your aid on ours once more."
"It's good to see you again too, Vakama," said Ruby with a slight bow of her own head. "And don't worry about calling us back here…this world's important to us, and we want to protect it however we can."
"And if it's important to Ruby, then it's important to us as well," intoned Ren with a bow. "As Huntsmen and Huntresses, we'll fight to protect it."
"Yeah!" Nora raised her fist with a determined grin. "We're here to break legs and eat pancakes! And we're all outta pancakes!"
Ruby and Penny giggled. Doctor Polendina chortled. Weiss rolled her eyes. Neo laughed silently. Qrow pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. The Toa tilted their heads in confusion. Turaga Vakama chuckled softly.
"Ah…greetings to you as well, new warriors of Remnant." He smiled behind his orange mask for a moment, before a worried frown overtook it. "Truly, you will find no shortage of legs in need of breaking…now that the Bohrok are out in force."
"You said you knew what these things are?" Weiss asked as she leaned against her girlfriend for support once more. "What exactly are we up against this time? What are the Bohrok?"
"It is said in legend that the Bohrok slumber deep beneath the island in a form of stasis, waiting for their moment to rise up." The Turaga of Fire spoke in the tone of a storyteller, a darkening expression forming behind his mask. "Once awakened, the swarms become a nearly-unstoppable force that sweeps from shore to shore, purging the environments and destroying all in sight. In full force like this they reduce mountains to rubble, flatten entire forests and jungles, and turn life-giving rivers as dry as desert sands. They move as if guided by one mind, wiping out all that stands in their path…and worse still, they do not carry out their dutiful destruction alone."
"Right," said Lewa with a sharp nod. "They have these…sprout-leaves of their own. Their little ones have tools and bodies like the Matoran-folk, but heads like the shield-hands of a Bohrok. Rather dark-nasty little things - some of the white ones nearly buried me under a Rahi-pile of themselves."
"The ones with chisels tried to do the same with me," groaned Pohatu. "Loud little pests, as well."
"You speak of the Bohrok Va, who primarily serve as couriers and scouts for their larger counterparts," intoned Vakama. "Though frail and timid, they are capable of attacking when provoked…and while they are not strong individually, numbers serve them well just like the Bohrok themselves. But that is not what I was referring to. I speak of something far more dangerous. I speak…of this."
He gestured to the rubbery green face-creature that sat listlessly beneath the stuck spear, his gaze darkening behind his mask. "Each Bohrok carries within its shell a smaller organism that guides and controls it, known as a Krana. These vile parasites serve as the brains of each Bohrok unit, relaying instructions from their hidden nest deep beneath Mata Nui. This is how they receive commands to carry out, through a form of species-wide telepathy - and they have been conditioned to do so with ruthless efficiency."
"Like the Infected Kanohi that Makuta once used to enthrall the Rahi," mused Onua.
Vakama nodded, not taking his eyes off the Krana that squirmed beneath his spear. "But unlike those dark masks you have encountered before, the Krana are living, thinking, entirely organic entities. They are the Bohrok's greatest strength, but also their greatest weakness; even the mightiest of Bohrok can be humbled, if parted from its Krana. As you have seen, however, they are far from defenseless on their own. If a Krana is cornered or launched from its carrier, it will seek out others and attempt to supplant their Kanohi…or seize any other means of control that it can possibly attain."
The Turaga finally looked up at the elemental warriors with a deathly glare. "If you heed no other advice from me this day, heed this: do not let that happen. When worn in place of a mask, a Krana can and will steal the mind of its new host, effectively turning the wearer into a puppet for the Bohrok. Matoran, Turaga, and Rahi alike will bend to this new mental presence for as long as the Krana remains in place…and even a Toa might not be able to resist its commands."
Lewa shifted uncomfortably, his restlessness stemmed only by Onua's claw on his shoulder.
"Oh my…" breathed Penny, her fingers curling around her father's palms.
"Mata Nui protect us," whispered Gali fearfully.
"So not only are these Krana things the pilots for giant murder bugs, they can also brainwash anything that tries to wear 'em?" Qrow furrowed his brow. "Jeez. You weren't joking, kiddo - the wildlife here makes the Grimm look like defenseless puppies."
Just when I thought this island couldn't get any weirder, signed Neopolitan with a visibly disgusted expression. And here I was looking forward to coming back.
"So wait, they can launch their brains at people?" Nora snorted. "That doesn't sound like a very smart way to attack."
"Not if they manage to hit their target," countered Ren. "And depending on who the new host is…it just might be an upgrade."
Weiss frowned. "Doctor, you don't think…these Krana couldn't control us, could they?"
"I wouldn't completely rule it out," intoned the elder Polendina gravely. "May I come closer, Turaga Vakama? I'd like to get a read on this thing's molecular structure."
The Turaga nodded and stepped off of his prey, which prompted Pietro to give his daughter's hands one more squeeze before letting go and guiding his robochair forward. While the older Polendina approached the Krana with curiosity, his daughter did the opposite - the Maiden of Mata Nui took several steps back away from the others. Away from her father. Away from the parasite. Much as Ruby wanted to rush over and hold her close, she knew that as a Huntress she needed to be here and pay attention…and she also understood that her friend wanted - needed - space.
Especially space from anything that could steal her body away from her mind again.
"Hmm…" Doctor Polendina hummed as he took a few pictures with an aperture-mounted camera and studied the resulting 3D model of light in his hands. "Getting traces of both silicon and carbon in the material analyzer, along with some other elements I don't recognize. Probably that protodermis stuff you girls talked about, if I had to guess. Whatever it is, it's entirely organic somehow…no metal parts to speak of, unlike pretty much everything else here. If the Krana were just mechanical like the masks Onua mentioned, then there's no way they'd be able to take over a human. But if these things have a way to overcome the biochemical barriers between species…if they target the minds of their victims, not just the bodies…well. Let's just say it's not a hypothesis I'm very keen on testing out."
Ruby felt her stomach rise into her throat, and only Weiss's fingers squeezing her palm kept her calm. Penny took even more steps back, putting everyone else in the group between herself and the brain-stealing parasite. Nora, in turn, took a few protective steps forward.
Pohatu hummed, then gestured to one of the white-shelled wrecks nearby. "Let's discuss something a little…less unpleasant for now. I noticed during the attack that these ones had elemental powers like Kopaka, while the other kind could shatter stone nearly as well as I could. Are there, perhaps, Bohrok that wield the other elements? Our elements?"
"You intuit correctly, Pohatu." Vakama nodded sagely. "Two breeds of Bohrok took part in this battle: the Kohrak, with their icy blasts and whirling blades, and the Pahrak, who would turn the mountains into crumbling stone." He pointed his firestaff at each respective Toa as he continued. "There are also the treacherous Gahlok, masters of the flood and tide…"
Gali grimaced.
"…the fiery Tahnok, fearsome fighters capable of melting through any substance and leaving little more than ash behind…"
Tahu furrowed his brow.
"…the powerful and relentless Nuhvok, who lurk below in tunnels of their own sinister design…"
Onua narrowed his eyes.
"…and most dangerous of all, the Lehvak. Though they do not wield the element of Air, they have no need for it - their acidic venom can dissolve everything, from solid rock to verdant plant life, and reduce all in their path to a steaming, toxic slurry."
Lewa did his best to keep his composure, even in the face of the unsettling information. "There…there must be a way to stop-halt them, right? Like how the Rahi-beasts became easier to tame-free with Makuta's defeat. What must we do to safe-guard our home?"
"Now that the swarms have awakened, only one hope remains." Vakama pulled the spear loose and scooped up the Krana, hobbling over to Ruby while hugging his prize close to his chest. "You must venture across the island and intercept the swarms during their rampage, collecting the eight types of Krana from each breed of Bohrok in the process. Remove their tentacles, as you have seen me do, and they will return to a dormant state like this - though they are no less dangerous when worn, even in their slumber. Together, the Krana will unlock the secret to the Bohrok's defeat…but it will only be revealed when all are gathered."
Ruby looked down at the Krana as the Turaga passed it to her, feeling its spongy skin pulse faintly against her hands like an uneven heartbeat. The creature was warm and squishy, slightly heavier than she expected, and occasionally squirmed even in its "dormant" state. She braced herself just in case it tried to lunge at her again, but it made no move to attack - not physically at least. Something…tickled at the edge of her mind, a whisper barely loud enough to make her ears ring, and its empty eyes seemed to bore into her soul with understanding in its abyssal stare -
"Ruby."
Weiss's hand on her shoulder snapped her back to attention with a sharp gasp and a shudder. "H-huh? Oh…right. So…we need to hunt down the Bohrok, collect their Krana, without letting them hug our faces. Do I have that right?'
Vakama nodded sagely.
"Okay…okay." She took a breath to steady herself, then nodded firmly. "I think we can do that. We will do that."
Nora instinctively started counting on her fingers. "Soooo…let's see here. If there's eight kinds of Krana and six different breeds of Bohrok, then um…hmm…carry the four, nine times three…we'd need to find -"
"Forty-eight Krana in total," said Pietro, frowning as he removed his tiny glasses.
The thunderous teenager pouted. "Aw. Your math was faster…I don't have that many fingers."
Weiss groaned and buried her face into Ruby's shoulder. "Why do we always have to go and collect stuff to save the island? First it was the Masks of Power. Then it was the Makoki stones. Now it's weird robot brains that look like tiny faces."
"It could be worse, ice-flake," said Lewa glibly. "We could have needed to collect those ugly-gross Kraata from the Rahi-beasts. Remember-know those?"
"Please don't remind me."
Ren looked at Vakama with a determined expression. "Is there anything else we need to look for while we're collecting these…Krana? I'm assuming that the more Bohrok we take down during our hunt, the safer the villages will be."
"If only it were that simple," intoned the Turaga. "However, you bring up a salient point. I suspect that these monsters come from somewhere underground - a nest, of some sort. If you can find it during your hunt, you may save yourself time later, for you will only be able to stem the endless tide of evil at its source."
"Then we will keep an eye out for an entrance to their nest in our travels," said Tahu. He looked to his fellow Toa as Ruby passed her Krana over to him. "I understand that we are stronger together…but perhaps it may be best that we split up and return to our home Wahi, each taking a Hunter to travel with. If these creatures are raging across the entire island, then I fear that speed is the only thing that will save it. Even traveling in pairs of Toa, as we once did during our quest for the masks, may not be quick enough to stop the Bohrok threat. Are you all in assent?"
If the Toa of Fire had made the suggestion three months ago, there would have been instant protest from everybody, Ruby included. Hell, less than an hour ago she'd grappled with the pain of separating from half her team and most of her friends on Remnant, and now Tahu was proposing that they do the exact same thing again to divide them even further. But as much as she wanted to stay with her girlfriend, and Penny, and all the Toa…she wanted to see Mata Nui saved even more, and that meant companionship was a luxury nobody could afford. She stepped forward with a nod, followed by Kopaka, Weiss, and the rest until all were in agreement - even Gali, though she was the last to do so.
"There is wisdom in this plan, even if I am ill fond of it," intoned the blue-armored warrior with a heavy sigh, then a hopeful smile. "I will venture back to Lake Naho with Ruby at my side, then, if she wishes to join me."
Silver eyes lit up as she moved to hug her favorite Toa of Water around the waist. "I'd go anywhere with you, Gali. We'll keep your people and the oceans safe, don't worry."
"Then I guess this means Kopaka and I are going to Mount Ihu," said Weiss as she placed herself alongside the Toa of Ice. "His charming personality might be too much for anyone else to handle."
Though Kopaka said nothing, Ruby caught a glimpse of a smile beneath his golden Akaku all the same.
"Hopefully nobody would mind if Pebble and I race back to the Motara Desert," said Pohatu, already laying a hand on Neo's shoulder (who leaned against him gratefully). "That begs the question, however - which of our new friends shall travel with the other Toa?"
Ruby hummed thoughtfully as she pondered potential pairs between human and Toa. Each of her friends had their specific strengths and weaknesses; Nora was an overwhelming powerhouse of pure strength, Ren was an adept and agile fighter who was skilled in stealth, and Qrow was a seasoned Huntsman who straddled the line between both extremes. On the other hand, Nora had a habit of being reckless and endangering herself, Ren tended to be prickly and struggled with being emotionally open these days, and Qrow was…
Well. Qrow's issues were a can of worms in the best of times. Right now he was the entire cannery all on his own, if not the worm-packing industry itself.
"Nora, you go with Onua," she finally said, pointing first to the thunderous teenager and then to the black-armored Toa of Earth. "You'll be heading to the underground caverns that go underneath the entire island - start with the one here in Ta-Koro, and work your way up to Tiro Canyon in the north. You're good with tunnels, right?"
The young Valkyrie snapped a salute. "I'll go wherever you need me, boss lady! Onua, right? Let's go bust some Bohrok!"
Onua chuckled. "You are certainly livelier and more excitable than Blake, yet I can sense that same determination and valor within you. Your strength shall be appreciated, Nora."
Satisfied, Ruby turned to the green-clad martial artist. "Ren, you and Lewa head for the jungles around Fau Swamp and Kauae Bay, which covers the southern half of the island. Considering you grew up in the wilds of Anima, where you're going should seem pretty familiar. Is that alright with you?"
He nodded as he looked up at the Toa of Air. "I look forward to seeing how your jungles are different from Mistral's, Lewa…and to saving it."
Lewa grinned beneath his mask. "Oh, I like this sprout-leaf already!"
Ren tilted his head. "Sprout…leaf?"
"I'll quick-explain later."
Finally, the silver-eyed Huntress turned to her uncle. "And Qrow, that means you'll be going with -"
"The big red guy with the flaming sword?" he asked with a furrowed brow.
Great. He was already having an attitude. "…his name is Tahu, but yes. You guys take the Charred Forest and the area around the Mangai Volcano, and see where the rest of the swarm that attacked just now went. It's dangerous, so be careful - and mind the heat."
The Toa of Fire regarded his new ally curiously as they stepped towards each other. "You must be the 'uncle Qrow' that Yang spoke so highly of," he intoned. "I look forward to fighting with a Huntsman of such renown as yourself."
Qrow scoffed dismissively. "Don't get too excited now, hot shot. I stopped giving out autographs a long time ago."
Pietro cleared his throat as he tapped a button on his chair, expanding the built-in Scroll and generating a hard-light screen complete with keyboard in his lap. "I'll stay here in Ta-Koro with Vakama for now, to try and coordinate comms between all of you while you're out hunting," he said as he typed furiously. "It looks like there's some rudimentary copy of the CCT network on the island…I take it this is how you were able to contact each other last time you were here?"
"It only started working after we met at Kini-Nui," clarified Weiss. "But yes. Penny said that Mata Nui formed it in his slumber, allowing us to send texts no matter how far apart we were."
"Then I'll do what I can to try and improve the connection," said the old scientist. "Give me a few hours, and I should be able to link everyone else into the network for calls. Maybe with enough time…I might be able to connect the new Scrolls to whatever was allowing you to use the Toa's mask powers, if I can figure out how the program works. The only thing I can't do on my own right now is call back to Remnant - Penny, Darling, I'll need your Semblance if we're gonna ring up our friends on the Red Scroll. Can you come back over here, and show me the best place to…um, Penny?""
No response.
Silver eyes spun on the spot to see where Penny had been standing apart from the others, but all she saw was a discarded black pouch. She practically tripped over her own two feet as she stumbled to retrieve it, holding it in hands that shook with disbelief.
Ruby's shattered heart leapt into her throat. "…Penny?" she squeaked, fingers curling protectively around the sole shred of proof she had that her friend had existed.
The silence was almost deafening, and it finally got everyone's attention. Humans, Turaga, and Toa alike searched the ruined plaza for the Maiden of Mata Nui, only to find rubble and ruin and a single uncomfortable fact.
Penny was gone.
"Lfft gff ff mff!"
The cold metallic hand that clamped over her mouth may have muffled her words, but it did nothing to suppress her rage or her fighting spirit. Emerald flame burned in her eyes as she drove her elbow into her attacker's gut, only to make contact with cold unflinching steel. Something seared into her neck like a hot branding iron. Her chest strained for breath. Whoever or whatever had grabbed her from behind was incredibly strong, and kept its grip on her no matter how much she squirmed and thrashed.
Still, that mattered little to a combat-ready Maiden.
A flash-frozen chunk of ice crashed into the titan's face - if it even had one behind all those teeth - and stunned it just long enough for her to slip away and knock it back with a series of powerful spinning kicks. It roared and raised its enormous arms to ready a two-handed slam, but a blast of flame at point-blank range sent it flying with burning armor. Two more titans, one gold and blue and the other red and silver, leapt at her with blades and axes as big as they were. Penny willed a dozen glass swords into existence as she dove between the mighty sweeps, parrying their strikes and slashing at their ankles as she passed by. She whirled around to face the trio of opponents, drew a breath to conjure an icy wind to slow them down -
And almost inhaled a mouthful of icy water instead.
Penny fell to her bare knees and pressed both hands against the orb of liquid that suddenly enveloped her head, willing her magic to dispel it and turn it back into vapor. But whatever was controlling the water was skilled with elemental manipulation - far better than she was. Her throat burned as she sealed her lips; she did her best to stay conscious as she looked around wildly for whoever was trying to drown her on dry land. She did not need to search for very long.
A thin, wiry figure clad in blue armor stepped into view outside the rippling surface, one hand raised and trembling with tension as it glowed with azure light.
"Now, we can do this in one of two ways," intoned the fourth stranger in an old-sounding feminine voice, one that could clearly be heard even through the usual muted sound of water in her ears. "You can willingly tell us what and who you are…or we can find out ourselves from your autopsy. Which would be preferable to you?"
Despite her best efforts, a little bit of the sphere forced her way down her throat, drawing a pained gurgle and a ripple of bubbles. Penny wailed into the water before dropping her bare arms to her side, the magic fading from her fingertips in submission. Thankfully, the stranger kept her word; the orb of water burst as soon as she surrendered, dissolving back into the water vapor from which it came. She gasped and coughed and slowly stood up, planting her bare feet against the cold steel floor and fighting to stay upright on trembling legs and -
Wait. Cold steel floor? Mata Nui did not have anywhere with a cold steel floor.
She whirled around and searched her surroundings with wild eyes, desperately looking for something that was familiar. Instead she found an empty dome-like chamber with a radius of roughly fifty feet, gray metallic walls and a matching floor that felt like ice on her bare skin, and a singular blue lightstone flickering overhead with a faint glow. All of these were clear signs that she was no longer on the tropical island - which, for the moment, was far more worrying than the act of being abducted by strange titans.
Worse still, the pouch on her thigh that contained her Scroll was gone - likely knocked loose during her scuffle with the toothy kidnapper.
Do not panic, she thought to herself as she raised her hands and started tracing circular motions with her fingers. It will be okay. I will simply open a gateway in the Via Magna, one that leads back to the island of Mata Nui, and escape before…before…
A pit formed in her stomach as a bridge through time and space failed to materialize. No matter how deeply she looked for the seams in reality's fabric, or how much power she pooled into her hands, the world around her did not bend to her will - at least not in the way she desperately needed it to bend. Panic set in at the realization that she was trapped, alone and afraid in an unknown place, and it took every bit of willpower to keep her breathing under control.
And when the fear passed, fury rose to take its place.
"What is this place?" Penny spat as she stared down the titans, raising her fists once again with blood burning in anger. "Who are you? What do you want with me?! Take me back! My friends need me!"
"You're in no position to make demands here, little one," growled the taller gold-blue figure as he raised his double-bladed weapon. "Not after what you did to Botar."
"Easy, Brutaka," said the giant clad in red and silver. "He'll be fine, he has survived far worse. Allow me to resolve this."
"Knock yourself out." Brutaka - as Penny presumed his name was - huffed and rolled his glowing optics.
Satisfied, the wide-shouldered titan approached Penny slowly, making a show of setting his gigantic axe down and kneeling to meet her at eye level - or as close as he could get, anyways. Penny could see pistons and hoses running underneath layers of thick armor, all of which seemed necessary to move arms as big as a Le-Wahi tree and hands as big as the Maiden herself. This giant was easily twice as tall as the Toa, with strength and presence to match…yet there was something warm and gentle in his amber gaze that reassured her, something that reminded her of her own beloved father.
"I understand that you must be very scared and confused right now," intoned the titan with a deep, yet soft rumble behind his words. "Believe me, I once stood where you did, lost and confused and angry at the world. But we are not your enemy, nor do we wish to be. We have no intention of hurting you…so long as you promise not to attack again. Can you?"
She nodded tersely and lowered her fists yet again, a gesture that was met with a nod from the silvery figure.
The female figure finally stepped closer with a light scoff. "You've gone soft in your old age, Axonn. Forty thousand years ago, you would've threatened to execute it if it ever misbehaved again."
Axonn - wow that was a very on the nose name - chuckled softly as he rose back to his full height of twenty feet and picked up his two-headed axe. "Perhaps I would have…but these days I'd rather that our guest feel safe than confrontational. It's less likely to make any further escape attempts if we make it feel welcome…or at the very least, not actively threatened."
Penny furrowed her brow and folded her arms over her chest. "You realize that I can understand what you are saying, yes? And I am not an 'it.' I am a she."
"So you say," intoned the water-controlling figure. "Is there anything else you wish to tell us? Your designation, for example? And perhaps your…species?"
Annoyance filled her veins. "My name is Penny Polendina," she said tersely as she glared daggers at the towering titans. "I am a human girl; a fully organic being created not of protodermis, but of flesh and blood and living Aura. I first came to the island following my death on another world - a war-torn planet known only as Remnant - and now I live and thrive in this world as the Maiden of Mata Nui. The Toa, the Matoran, the Turaga, Ruby and her teammates…they are my friends, and I would do anything to protect them."
She paused to let her words hang in the air, then shot a pointed look at the blue-clad female. "So now you will tell me who you are, where you have taken me, and why you have dared to lay your hands on a servant of the Great Spirit himself!"
Silence fell between all four armored figures as they stared among each other.
"It is…quite interesting that you would claim such a title for yourself, Penny Polendina," said the female figure after a long moment. "For we are the Order of Mata Nui - and we, too, are tasked with upholding his will."
For the second time that day, Penny found herself completely speechless.
(A/N): One more thing for you readers here on FFNet before I leave you for the week - lately the site's been having a LOT of issues, so I'd like to gently remind you all that if this website crashes and burns (which it probably will), Dutiful Destruction chapters are ALSO going live at the same time over on Archive of Our Own. I'd link it here, but we all know how much FFNet hates hyperlinks - so if you just search "AO3 Dutiful Destruction" in a search engine of your choice, my story should be the first result that comes up. Come check it out there, if this site gives you issues and headaches! I definitely engage with folks there a lot more, and it's definitely easier to use...Destiny's Divide and all the Tales from the Via Magna one-shots are there as well, as I was cross-posting those when they were going live, and maybe someday I'll port Summer Declassified over there.
For now, I'll keep updates going live here, but if this website keeps giving me and everyone else problems I might just jump ship entirely and focus solely on AO3.