A/N - I'm back! Finally got past my writer's block. Though that did involve starting another series… if any of you guys like Transformers Animated or Wheeljack, maybe consider checking it out (I have the prologue plus the first three chapters already posted). But now I'll probably be going back and forth between this series and that one, as the plot bunnies for one apparently are desperate enough to give me writer's block on the other. Joy.
Now I have introduced a new measurement in this chapter. Given "centi" means "one hundredth", I have used the term "centi-bio(s)" to describe smaller measurements, akin to inches or centimeters, but keeping to the lore-based measurements. Given a bio is approximately 1.37 meters, then a centi-bio is approximately 1.37 centimeters. A bio is also about 4.5 feet, or 54 inches, meaning a centi-bio is about 0.54 inches.
As well, things are going to be getting… intense. I may have to up the rating. My first M rating… oh boy. Hope you guys are all over the age of sixteen. Then again, it's not like this site/app age checks, but rather advises…
Fair warning: I hope ya'll ain't squeamish. This chapter is only a taste of what's to come. And as most of y'all know… it ain't gonna be pretty.
Anyways, onto the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only my OC Emma and some 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', or any novelizations. That's LEGO's. Please note that I have added some creative liberty to this chapter, so if it isn't in the canon in any way, it's MINE. No stealy.
The Toa stood around the ash bear, ready to enact the plan to attempt to heal the poor creature. Nokama knelt by the head of the ash bear, her hands cupped above its face. Matau knelt by the Rahi's feet. Two Toa were on each side, Toa tools extended and crossing each other; Whenua and Nuju on one side, Onewa and Vakama on the other. "We have to all act as one." Nokama spoke softly. "Concentrate. We have grown so used to using our powers to fight… maybe we have ignored their ability to heal."
One by one, the Toa summoned their unique elemental energies. The outflow of power had to be tightly controlled; it would not do to burn, freeze, or encase the innocent rahi in stone. As Nokama formed a sphere of water in midair, the other five Toa Metru focused miniscule amounts of their raw energy into it through their tools. When it was fully charged, Nokama released the glowing sphere and let the liquid wash over the ash bear.
The Toa watched, questions racing through their minds. Would this treatment cure the poor rahi, or kill her? What effect would surrendering even a small amount of their Toa power have on them, especially after already having given a small amount away? None of them knew whether Toa energy reconstituted itself over time, or whether any amount expended was gone for good.
The water soon receded, seeping away into the ground, and soon the ash bear twitched, trying to raise her head. It took her a few tries, but once she had fully revived, the rahi let out a roar and rolled onto her feet. The Toa Metru instinctively took a step back, but the bear made no move to attack. She simply regarded each of them in turn, meeting their eyes but not making a sound. Then she gently pushed past Whenua and Nokama and lumbered into the darkness.
"That… was amazing." The Toa of Water murmured, staring at where the bear had gone.
"Now she has to find a place of safety." The Toa of Earth added softly. "And I am not so sure there are any on Metru Nui these days."
"She will be fine." Matau assured, though, whether it was his own opinion or to placate Nokama was unknown. "One day, she will be quick-bounding out of the trees on the island up above, scaring the masks off of Matoran. Wait and see."
"There won't be any Matoran there if we don't get moving." Vakama stated, barely withholding his impatience. "Whenua, lead the way. Take us to the Le-Metru hatch closest to the Coliseum."
"I still say this is a mistake." Onewa grunted as they started moving again. "We could be walking right into an ambush."
"My visions would have warned me." The Toa of Fire said calmly, surely. "And they haven't." The only memory of a vision like this was one depicting webbing and cocoons, but they had faced the Makuta; Vakama was certain it had represented the convoluted conspiracy going on in Metru Nui and their confrontation with him. That was why all these spiders and webs would have a hard time scaring him. "You'll see, Onewa; before you know it we will be safely back on the island with our friends." He looked at his Toa brother. "We are Toa, after all; a few spiders aren't going to stop us."
An aged pair of eyes watched the Toa depart. The heroes never saw the being who watched them, for he did not wish to be seen; at least, not yet. There would be time enough for a proper meeting later. He darted through the darkness as if it were bright sunlight, surefooted and swift. Pouks would see to the ash bear's safety, while Iruini led the Suukorak who had been hunting the Toa on a wild pokawi chase deep into the Archives. He knew those winding, twisted halls better than any being currently alive or awake. The Visorak would have no hope of catching him.
Norik's current task was to keep watch over the Toa Metru. They were walking into danger, and worse, doing it with their eyes wide open. He could not fathom the depths of their recklessness. Did they not have eyes? Could they not see what had taken hold of their city?
The red armoured Rahaga's mind flashed back to times past. How many lands had he seen fall to the Visorak? How many thousands of living beings had been brought low by their insatiable hunger for conquest? And all the while, the faces of Sidorak and Roodaka loomed over all, laughing as lives were ruined and great works ground into dust. His brothers and sister feeling powerless against the relentless scourge.
He picked up the pace. The Toa Metru were moving very quickly, as if in a hurry to meet their doom. And if Norik did not catch them in time, their lives and all hope for this dreaded City of Shadows would be lost forever.
Gaaki sighed as she left the nook Emma was resting in. She didn't see Bomonga anywhere, but that didn't bother her. He was likely watching out for their brothers' return or any Visorak.
Hopping over to the fountain, she knelt beside it and set down the basket she carried. The Rahaga of Water started to wash the soiled towels from tending to the sick child, though her mind wandered. The venom was still spreading through the young one… it was only a matter of time before the inevitable. And that broke Gaaki's heart. She's too innocent to go through that horror…
Once the towels were washed she carried them over to a spot to hang them to dry. As she was laying them over a warm pipe that siphoned steam, a sound came from behind her. Spinning around, the Rahaga gasped. "Child!"
Emma was limping out of the nook, sweaty and unsteady, but eyes focused ahead. She had to get up… had to…to…
The girl collapsed, and Gaaki rushed to her side. "Child please! You must rest…" the Rahaga murmured, gently helping the thirteen year old to her knees. Green veins covered every centi-bio of exposed skin, and the strange white colour of the child's eyes were now green, the once blue parts with black centers now a whitish colour. "Please…"
Emma whined softly, tears trickling from her eyes. Her body felt detached from her, both hot and cold, sending shivers through her, and her bead felt like it was full of bricks, yet also empty and hollow. Even still, the urge to move, to do something, pulled hard at her heart.
Gaaki was able to lead the child back into the nook, helping her to lay down. Sighing, she turned away for a moment…
"G-Gaaki…!" The child weakly gasped, tears falling as her body began to convulse.
The Rahaga spun around, and horrified watched as the green veins forking across the thirteen year old's hide began to glow. "No…"
Crying, the human's body spasmed violently, her body in agony. "M-Make it stop! St-Stop!"
Gaaki wished she could grant Emma's plea, but she couldn't. Instead, all she could do was watch, helpless to do anything as the venom finally fully activated.
Whenua opened the hatch above him, slowly and carefully. He looked from side to side, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just your usual quake-ravaged, blacked out City of Legends. He said to himself. "It's as safe as it's going to be." The Toa of Earth whispered back down the hatch, hopping out. "Come on."
One by one, the Toa Metru climbed out of the Archives and onto the street. The Coliseum loomed over them, its shadow engulfing the area they stood in. None of the heroes could look upon that imposing edifice and not remember the horrible sight of Matoran being loaded into stasis spheres while Makuta stole the power of an entire city. The bioquake had followed hard upon that moment, but far more than the city was shattered. Something in the Toa Metru had crumbled as well, and was still crumbling away.
Nuju looked at the others. "What is our plan?" He asked.
"Get to the Coliseum, down any Vahki guards there, and get the spheres," Vakama answered confidently, straightforwardly. "Then we get them out of the city before the Visorak find us."
The Toa of Ice blinked. "How? There are hundreds- thousands of Matoran Spheres. We barely got away with the few we did last time." The thought of 'and we lost one' still weighed heavy on their hearts.
The response was a just as confident, but somewhat straightforward, "We could lash together Vahki transports and sail back the way we came. Then we can carry the spheres overland through the Karzahni's lair and back to the island."
"Where do I begin to list the reasons that won't work?" Nuju exhaled, shaking his head.
"Forget it." Vakama muttered, scowling. "We will worry about getting them to the island once they are safely in our hands. Follow me."
As they moved out behind the Toa of Fire, Matau was again struck by the utter silence. He had never heard Le-Metru so quiet, especially the area closest to the Coliseum. It wasn't just the absence of Matoran voices – of vendors shouting out about their wares, news-Matoran trying to sell the latest edition of news tablets, of Matorlings laughing and playing – though that lack of sound was eerie in itself.
It was the lack of flier-song.
Ordinarily, nests of Rahi flyers could be found in the tangle of cables, singing their tunes in chirps and warbles; but now, they were all gone. He wanted to think they had simply fled after the earthquake to a more hospitable home, but the Toa of Air knew better. The Visorak had been here, and nothing had been left behind.
Up ahead, Vakama was marching confidently as if he owned the Metru. He had not bothered to send a scout ahead or even have Matau keep watch from the air. Behind the Fire Toa, Onewa and Nuju were so tired of protesting that they were now just going along with whatever the Toa of Fire said.
Next to him, Nokama was lost in her own thoughts. She felt she knew Vakama as well or better than any of the Toa, but his actions as of recently mystified her. He had been so dedicated to living up to Lhikan's memory, yet now he was ignoring every lesson the Toa had taught. Where Lhikan was cautious, Vakama had become reckless; where Lhikan valued the wisdom of others, Vakama was ignoring the other Toa to pursue his own course. He was even avoiding saying the older Toa of Fire's name.
Now it felt as if events were rushing to a conclusion, as water rushed over the protodermis falls. Every part of the Water Toa's being screamed they should stop, turn back, run away. Something was closing in on them, something ancient and evil beyond measure. It would seize them, twist them, and taint them with its touch. But when she opened her mouth to speak, the words would not come. Vakama would not turn back on the strength of her bad feeling. He would lead them into a fire pit if it meant fulfilling his promise to rescue the Matoran.
"Almost there." The Toa of Fire stated confidently, eyes on the Coliseum up the street. "When we get there, Whenua, you and Onewa can begin digging passages into the storage chamber. The more openings we have, the faster we can get the job done. The rest of us will try to awaken some of the Matoran so they can help us move the spheres."
"I will high-fly and keep watch while you work." Matau said, already pulling out his aero slicers. "That way, no dark-crawlers can sneak up on us."
"We need every pair of hands below." Vakama rebuffed, stopping to scowl at the Toa of Air. "The faster we move, the less chance of any problems."
"I will high-fly and keep watch." The green armoured Toa repeated, narrowing his eyes angrily. "I don't want to back-walk into a Visorak, thank you, and neither should you."
The Fire Toa looked like he wanted to snap something, before he scoffed and shrugged. There was no point in arguing. When they got there, Matau would see they had nothing to worry about and agree to work like the others.
The Keelerak watched the Toa Metru pass below. As predicted, they were on their way to the tall structure that now served as the spawning grounds. Given the opportunity, they would damage the cocoons and delay the fall of Metru Nui.
The spider creatures began to scuttle across their webs. It was their job to make sure the six Toa did not get the opportunity to oppose the will of the horde. The rahi moved as silently as a shadow stealing across the wall. Each member of this squad was a veteran, instincts and skills honed in a thousand marches. Each had savored the fruits of victory countless times, gloating over the sight of foes trapped forever in the center of their webs. It would be no different with these Toa. If anything, the Keelerak found themselves wishing for a greater challenge than these novice fools.
"Why?" Nuju murmured to himself, loud enough for Onewa to hear. "Why what, librarian?" The Toa of Stone questioned.
The Toa of Ice turned to look at him. "Why did the Visorak allow us to escape through the Archives? If Whenua is right, and they chose to withdraw, they could have summoned others to strike at us." He gestured to the open space, empty of rahi, around them. "Yet they let us depart and make our way to our goal."
Onewa scoffed. "Like I said before… not too bright." Even with his sureness, something nagged at him.
"I wish I had your confidence, brother." Nuju sighed, looking ahead. "But I cannot help but feel that there are more webs than the ones above us and around us. I think we are walking on one even now, and just when we think we have escaped, it will snap shut around us."
"Amazing." The Toa of Ice looked at his brother confused, the Stone Toa shaking his head. "l have finally found it."
"What?" Nuju asked, somewhat confused. "Found what?"
Onewa smirked. "Someone who makes Whenua sound cheerful."
The Ice Toa scowled, opening his mouth to retort, when another voice cut him off.
"Quiet!" Vakama snapped from ahead of them, scowling. "Watch for Vahki. Maybe we will be lucky and there won't be any around." He gestured to Metru Nui's tallest building, which was now just before them. "But you see? I told you we would make it here without any problem. All the way to the Coliseum, and not a Visorak in sight." The structure looked strange, drained of power and strung up with webbing either down its sides or connecting to other buildings. It was a shadow of its former self. Even the Spire, once a symbol of Unity, where the Turaga of Metru Nui had lived, now felt like a looming pillar of darkness.
Matau, sitting on a piece of debris to rest his feet somewhat ahead of the stopped group, turned to face Vakama. "Sure…" He said, voice rich with sarcasm. "It was one big happy-walk since we got back…" he muttered something else, too low for the others to hear.
"I've never heard of Visorak before now." Nokama commented, more to herself than anyone else. It had been nagging at her ever since they had come here.
Whenua, who was beside her, turned to look at his sister. "Most haven't." He explained, glancing at Vakama. "They're not from around here… originally."
"Well, there goes the ol' neighborhood," Matau muttered, standing and dusting off his armor.
The Toa of Water looked at her friends; their discussion had caused more doubt, bringing them to a halt. She could not recall ever seeing them looking so uncertain in their course of action. All except Vakama, of course, who had been impatient to keep moving since they arrived back in the city. Even now, the Toa of Fire looked annoyed that they had stopped again. "This has been an unexpected and unwelcome turn of events." She agreed, before asking, "But what does it change?"
"Nothing." Vakama snapped, more irritated than surprised they were having this conversation again. "We go to the Coliseum. We rescue the Matoran. We leave." He put his hands on his hips confidently, proudly taking the stance of a hero. To the others, he looked like he was full of his ego.
"Or get pulverized." Whenua interjected, causing the Fire Toa's arms to slump back down.
No one spoke for a moment. Then Nuju said quietly, "It is a possibility."
"We've faced the Makuta and won!" Vakama reminded them, trying to remain confident. "I really doubt a few crusty relics are going to give us much trouble," He looked to the others expectantly. "Agreed?"
The others considered his words, but when no one said anything, the Fire Toa decided to finally pull out a painful trump card. "Can we at least do this so Emma's death will not be in vain?" Even saying the human's name was painful, the memory of her death at the hands of that storm. A reason why he had been reluctant to say it until now.
Sure enough, the words made most of the others look down or away from the painful reminder, before, one by one, they nodded. He was right, as much as none of them wanted to admit. And really, what choice did they have, after all? Turning back now would not only make their young charge's death pointless, but also mean dooming the Matoran to the mercies of the Visorak; and they all doubted the Visorak had any mercy in their hearts, if they even had any.
"Alright." Vakama nodded, turning back towards the Coliseum. "Follow me."
The Toa of Fire had taken only a single step when a swirling, rotating wheel of energy flew from the shadows to strike him squarely in the back. Instantly, Vakama stopped dead in his tracks, paralyzed by the spinner's force as a numbness flooded his limbs. "Can't… move…" he gasped out, even his mouth had become immobile, frozen slightly open from the shock.
Before the other Toa could even process what had just happened, they too were struck and all movement frozen; forward movement anyway. Off-balance when he was struck, Whenua barely gasped out a "Can't stop!" before he toppled over and struck his fellow Toa, causing them all to fall hard to the ground in a pile like a Matorling game of toppling stones.
"Is everyone okay?" Vakama croaked from the bottom of the pile, the weight of the other five somewhat crushing him.
"Paralyzed." Nuju replied from the top, laying on top of Whenua. "But otherwise unharmed."
"Yeah, we're right behind you, fearless leader." Matau snarled from between Nokama and Onewa, his words slightly distorted from his frozen open mouth, making no effort to hide his sarcasm. "Literally."
"Bickering won't get us out of this, Matau." Nokama admonished from above him.
"Nooo, but think-talking before charging straight into a trap might have!" Came the snapped response.
"If you have something to say, Matau, say it." Vakama snarled, his armour slightly heating up from his anger and making Onewa curse from the heat.
"Forget it." Matau grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I've got bigger problems."
Any further argument was cut off by the sound of multiple figures approaching as noises came out of the darkness, scuttling noises that sent chills through the Toa. It sounded like a legion on the march, coming to surround the helpless heroes.
"W-What's that?" Onewa looked around wildly, trying to find the source.
Everything went silent, and not in a good way.
"We'll soon find out." Nuju replied, unable to hide the fear in his voice.
The silence was broken by shrill whirring sounds that grated on the ears. Ill-defined shapes in the mist moved closer and closer, finally emerging from the fog. Keelerak, the green-hued breed of Visorak spider, crawled into the clearing, their mandibles gnashing. Launchers mounted on their backs held spinning wheels of energy. Everything about them was revolting, as if they sent out some psychic poison that churned up every dark emotion in those who saw them; mainly fear, despair, and terror.
The Toa could do nothing but wait and watch the creatures approach, and soon, they were surrounded. The Visorak bristled with power, mandibles gnashing and slimy webbing and venom oozed from their mouths. As the Toa watched, an energy spinner formed inside the launcher of one of the green Visorak and then was fired high into the air. A swarm of bat rahi scattered at its approach. But the spinner was not meant as an attack. It was rather a signal that the battle had been won.
Unable to move his head to see them clearly, Matau squeaked, "Let me guess: Visorak?"
"Yeah…" Whenua answered, his voice weak with fear. "Or in their tongue, 'the stealers of life.'"
"Do they even have tongues?" Onewa asked rhetorically. A Keelerak gnashed its fangs in his face, venom and webbing splattering across the Stone Toa's Kanohi. "All I see are teeth!"
Seeing that the Toa were no longer any threat, the Keelerak began to close in. The hunt had ended in the only way it could.
Nokama wanted to scream as the very presence of the spiders filled her with an emotion beyond horror. Instead, she glanced down at the Toa of Fire. "Vakama, what do we do?" She whispered, her voice trembling. Surely there was something they could do to escape this?!
But Vakama had no answer. All he could think of was that he had led his team into a situation from which they could not think or fight their way out. His failure meant that not only they, but all the Matoran trapped beneath the Coliseum, were doomed.
"I…I don't know." The Toa of Fire said at last, in a voice so low she could barely hear it. As Vakama's motionless head lay there, he glanced up as the nearing Keelerak reflected dimly off of his eyes.
One by one, each of the Toa were grabbed by the pincers of a Visorak, and they were carted off into the Coliseum.
Emma woke slowly, whimpering. Her body ached something fierce, and yet she also felt numb outside. A faint whimper escaped her lips, while she tried to open her eyes.
There was the sound of movement to her right, before a blue blur was leaning over her. "Child?" Gaaki whispered, her voice filled with concern.
The thirteen year old whined. "'appen'…?"
A cool, wet cloth was dabbed against her forehead. "Shh… you passed out. Just rest…"
Emma whimpered, before exhaustion washed over her, and she slipped back into painless sleep.
Gaaki weakly smiled until the child was back unconscious, before letting out a shaky breath. The venom had activated, yet… the child thankfully remained unmutated. At least externally. Mata Nui knows what was going on internally…
Please have mercy on this innocent child… The female Rahaga prayed softly. Please…
"Sister?"
The voice made Gaaki turn, and she smiled a little. "Pouks, it's just you." She then noticed the expression on his face, and became concerned. "What happened?"
The brown Rahaga lowered his head. "The Visorak have them. The Toa."
"No…" Her knees buckled slightly. Their last hope…
Pouks gently grabbed his sister's arm, supporting her. "There's still a chance. Quickly, come with me."
Gaaki nodded, before she stopped and looked at the unconscious child. For a moment she wanted to refuse, but then realized that she may be needed to save the Toa's lives. "Very well brother." She said, and together the two exited the nook. The rotors on their backs activated, moving into position, and the two Rahaga took off into the air to join their brothers.
A lone Visorak crawled swiftly through the Coliseum. It struggled not to surrender to a run, for that might be seen by other members of the horde as a sign of weakness. Instead, it did its best to look purposeful but not panicked.
It scuttled through a massive hallway lined with silver spheres. The Visorak had discovered these in the vaults below shortly after taking possession of this structure. The spider creatures were at first unsure of what they were, but the Horde King, had instructed they be treated with care. Now some were scattered throughout the tower, to make room in the vaults for other prizes.
The title reminded the rahi of just why it was in such a rush. If the king learned the news from some other source, he would be sure to take it out on his unfortunate courier for being late. Or worse, he might turn the offending Visorak to Roodaka for her amusement. The thought alone was enough to make the spider pick up its pace.
The Visorak soon reached its destination. It was a decorative room, with a large throne that sat at the top of a raised circular dias. Two torches illuminated the room, along with two trapezoidal windows, which flanked the dias. The spider stopped before the stairs leading up to the throne, and bowed with a soft whirr.
Slowly, the throne rotated, revealing a red armoured form just taller than a Toa, his face cloaked in shadow except for two glowing red eyes. "Keelerak…" the shadowed form of the Horde King rumbled, "It's nothing important, I hope. Seeing as you're late." That last word was spat out as the figure leaned forwards, revealing the horns on his head while steam erupted from vents on either side of his twisted, Kanohiless face. He leaned back again. "This had better be good."
The Visorak courier bowed and began to gnash its mandibles together, conveying in its native language the news to share. The spider creature then took a breath and made a single, sharp sound. It was enough to get the Horde King's undivided attention.
"Toa?" The king purred, leaning forwards with an eye ridge raised and another puff of steam released.
The Keelerak nodded rapidly, eager that its master was not angry anymore.
"So they have returned for the Matoran…" the demonic male chuckled darkly, standing and making the Visorak take an unintentional step back, "Matoran that now belong to me!" He looked down at the spider, walking down a few steps with his hands now behind his back. "I assume your telling me this without twitching uncontrollably means the Toa have already been captured?"
The Keelerak nodded in the direction of the great window that dominated one wall of the room. The king followed, both to look out over the city he now commanded, and to see what his messenger had to show him. His eyes immediately focused upwards on a new element that had been added to the scene: six cocoons, hanging suspended from web lines far above the streets of Metru Nui.
Smirking, the Horde King gestured for the Visorak to follow him. The spider bowed, and followed its master towards the elevator. A ride up soon led the two to a balcony, where the king was able to better examine the new cocoons. Each one held a struggling Toa inside, trapped in unbreakable webbing, with Visorak crawling all over them.
The male chuckled darkly, and looked to his messenger. "Drop them." He ordered.
The Visorak nodded again and turned, happy both to follow the order and to have an excuse to leave the Horde King. The spider had almost made it to the exit when a foot came down on its head.
"Is it to be so simple, Sidorak?" A female voice purred, making the king turn. A feminine figure as tall as he, clad in silver armour and with a snake-like appearance had stopped his messenger. She tilted her head at him, blinking her slitted blue eyes.
"Ah, Roodaka." The Horde King grinned, reverence in his voice. "My queen."
"No, not your queen." Roodaka corrected gently, removing her foot from the spooked Keelerak, who took the chance to flee. "Not yet." She smiled.
"Of course. Formalities." Sidorak quickly composed himself, crossing his arms. "You have something to say?"
"Only that leaders are judged by the quality of their enemies." Roodaka purred, sauntering up to her king. "History teaches us this."
It took Sidorak only a moment to realize to whom she was referring. "The Toa?" He asked for clarification, looking down towards the trapped "heroes".
"A fantastic adversary, my king," Roodaka smiled, giving a small bow as she stopped before the Horde King, gesturing to where the six hung helplessly, watched by Visorak on every web. "Worthy of your rule," she finished crossing the small distance to her king, stroking his chin before going around to stand behind him, laying a manicured hand on his shoulder, "and therefore worthy of a demise that will be known for all time." She smiled cruelly, purring in his ear, "The Toa are powerful enemies indeed, and their deaths should be… memorable."
Sidorak considered his viceroy's opinion. Where he ruled through might and intimidation, Roodaka embodied the more subtle qualities that fueled conquest. She understood fear, dread, and the power of symbols to evoke both. Her advice was always welcomed by him, not the least because he hoped she would one day be far more than just an aide in his campaigns. Most of all, Sidorak trusted Roodaka, as her advice had not led him astray so far.
"l suppose I could allow a situation to make their deaths more…" he took a few steps away, placing his arms behind his back, "legendary."
"I have always admired your judgment." Roodaka hissed approvingly, smiling at her king. "Only be sure your method allows for some proof," she examined her claw-like nails, "for posterity's sake…"
Sidorak raised an eye ridge. "Proof?"
Roodaka's answer came in a voice as cold as the ice that capped Ko-Metru Knowledge Towers. "Bring me their bodiesssssss…"
With that, she stepped to the edge of the balcony and looked down to see the Toa in their cocoons, hanging from a Visorak web. Her eyes devoured the sight of them struggling helplessly to free themselves. There was nothing quite so pleasant, she decided, as weak, pitiful creatures striving to avoid their inevitable doom.
The six Toa Metru hung in cocoons high above the city streets, to the point that they couldn't even see them through the mists and fog far below. All around them, hordes of Visorak spiders were assembled to watch their demise. The cocoons were connected to the webs above and below, with Visorak crawling all over.
Atop the Coliseum, more of the spiders jostled for position. After days of capturing nothing but Rahi, finally there was to be a sight worth watching. Toa were a rare prize; most were too smart to walk into a Visorak trap, or strong enough to fight their way out of them. Fortunately, for all their victories, these Toa Metru were evidently still new to their roles and prone to making mistakes. Fatal, rookie mistakes.
One too many Boggarak tried to secure a good viewing position. When the Oohnorak next to it refused to move, it gave a shove and sent the spider creature tumbling into space and through the mist below. Some Visorak clacked their pincers, as if excited about watching something, even one of their own, fall to its death.
Toa Whenua watched this happen from his unique vantage point. He would have gladly given up his place for a Visorak. But it was unlikely any of the horde would want to be hanging kios above the city in a web cocoon, as he and his fellow Toa now were. The Earth Toa watched the Visorak fall through a narrow gap in the webbing until the creature was lost from sight into the mists and fog. "That's encouraging." He muttered, before looking upwards hearing complaining.
Somewhat above him and to his right, Matau glowered towards where Vakama hung, shrouded by webbing. All any of the Toa could see was a small opening in the webbing, through which they had a view of the shrouded City of Legends. "Well, fire-spitter… we can't say you didn't show us the city." The Toa of Air hissed, his voice rising in anger. "'Course, we can say that you got us bound-captured, likely poisoned…" they all were feeling the scrapes of the barbs against their armour and hides inside the cocoons, "and seeing as I don't think we've been brought up here for the view, imminently smash-dashed!"
Onewa tried to say something, but it was muffled by the webbing that covered his mouth. That was due to the Visorak, to cut off all the curses he had been spitting at the spiders.
"He agrees." Matau interpreted, ignoring the glare sent his way.
"This is not Vakama's fault!" Nokama snapped from her cocoon. When four pairs of eyes all shot skeptical looks at her, she added a bit quietly, "Well, not entirely."
Vakama struggled to think of what to say in reply. His head and body hurt all over. He could feel the barbs of the cocoon biting into his hide and the Visorak venom slowly coursing through his form. He wasn't sure why they were being allowed to experience this when they could have easily been eliminated a while ago. Somehow, that made things worse. He glanced at the other Toa, now all facing destruction because he had made the wrong decisions. "Don't bother Nokama… l tried to lead you as best I could." The Toa of Fire looked away from them. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say; l wish I had been better at it, but if I've learned one thing from all we have been through… it is that I am what I am. And no matter how much I might want to, I can't just change."
"Spectacular. Brilliant." Matau scoffed. "Let's not forget it's your fault we lost the kid! Given you were so impatient to get back here!"
Vakama flinched at the reminder. In his mind's eye he could see the terrified look on Emma's face, moments before the wave that split their vessel came down. "I know…" he admitted.
But the Toa of Air wasn't finished. Oh no. If they were going to die, he was going to get this all out of his system. "And then you went and grew an ego! And look where it got us!" He huffed. "Toa Lhikan would never have-!"
"Don't say his name!" Silence filled the area, the Toa all looking at Vakama in shock. The Toa of Fire was breathing heavily, filled with anger and fury.
"Vakama…" Nokama started to say, before gasping.
A lone red Visorak, a Vohtarak, was crawling down the webbing and onto Vakama's cocoon. Then, before their eyes, it reared back…
The Fire Toa's scream of pain echoed as fangs filled with potent venom bit into the flesh of his arm, breaking through armour. A burning pain shot through his veins, and Vakama continued to scream as it felt like molten protodermis was being pumped into him.
Spasms soon gripped the Toa of Fire's frame, and he felt a change rush through his body. His armour suddenly felt too tight, his bones were cracking, and his scream was morphing into something else. Something rahi-like.
From the balcony of the Coliseum, Sidorak and Roodaka watched as Vakama's transformation began. Smiling, the viceroy of the horde slipped a hand onto her king's shoulder, signaling her approval of the night-terror to come.
"What… is… happening… to me?!" Vakama gasped out through the pain, his voice raw.
Another scream rang out, but not his own, and despite the pain the Fire Toa forced himself to try and see the source. His heart plummeted upon seeing a Suukorak digging its fangs into Nuju's side, drawing the cry from the Ice Toa's lips. Even worse, more spiders were descending upon the other Toa, mandibles dripping with venom.
Soon four more screams of pain rang out, each of the Toa being bitten. The moment the potent venom rushed through their veins, their bodies warped and mutated, masks changing shape, muscles expanding, their very minds feeling like they were being torn apart and reassembled. They jerked and spasmed inside their cocoons as the venom of the Visorak changed their bodies and minds. Their masks were stretched and fused to their faces, their limbs grew more powerful, even as their minds were flooded with raw fury. It was a pain beyond pain, made worse by the certain knowledge that there was no way to stop whatever was happening to them.
Vakama felt the spasms finally cease, and he went limp in his cocoon, panting hard as tears blurred his vision. This was a horrible night-terror, one he wished dearly that he could wake from.
Suddenly, he felt something cool against his bitten arm. Weakly turning as best he could in the now-too-tight cocoon, he saw the webbing around where the Visorak had dug its fangs in dissolving. Venom was eating through the webbing, spreading out…
His heart sank, before another spasm ripped through him and he screamed again in pain. Only what came out sounded more like a howl.
Nokama weakly gasped through the pain spreading through her, looking up at hearing the howl. Her eyes landed on Vakama's cocoon. But instead of a familiar mask through the hole, she saw a muzzle. "Vakama!" She cried out, in between his howls and spasms of pain. "Vakama…?"
Much of his cocoon on his right side had dissolved away, leaving his limp mutated body being held up by a few threads. Though it would not be for much longer. Worse, the changes that had overcome him were now visible in the dim sunlight.
The once Toa of Fire weakly looked up, locking pained eyes with his sister. "I'm sorry I let you all down…" last of the webbing holding him up shredded, "again." Then he fell, to the sound of wild cheers from the Visorak.
"No! Vakama!" Nokama shouted, before screaming as another spasm rocked through her.
Whenua weakly felt the webbing around bitten his leg dissolving away, and he looked at the remaining Toa before feeling his mutated leg slip through. Another spasm shook him, electing a roar of pain, before he was suddenly falling through the dissolved bottom of the cocoon into the open air.
Nuju had watched the Toa of Earth tear through of the webbing and plunge into the open space. Then the once Toa of Ice felt the webbing on his left side give, and his weakened form plummeted towards the ground far below.
Matau watched as Whenua, Nuju, soon then Onewa drop, the once Toa of Stone shouting and roaring as he vanishied into the mists. It was hard to believe this would be the last moment of his existence. He looked at Nokama, who was screaming in pain. He wanted to try to comfort her, but the words never came. Instead, a roar of pain tore through him as another spasm hit, and soon he too was plummeting down.
Nokama could hear the moments each of the others fell, and slumping in her cocoon she weakly cried. Out of all the fates a Toa could expect… this was not one she could have ever imagined.
Soon, the webbing on her right side fully dissolved, and she plummeted into the air to the cheers of the Visorak.
Vakama reflected for a moment that he must have gone insane. Here he was, dropping hundreds of bios to hard, unyielding ground, and despite the pain in his body he was bracing for impact. As if that will make any difference at all. He thought sullenly. Even Toa armor cannot survive a fall from this height… and I am not even sure if I am a Toa anymore. As he fell he cried out in rage, but that quickly died out, changing into depression. This is my fault… My failure… Again. Vakama thought, staring through blurry eyes at the ground rapidly approaching. Now my friends will perish as well, and the Matoran with them. There is no hope.
A dark red blur of motion out of the corner of his eye caught the once Toa's attention. At first, he thought it was one of the other Toa passing him on the way to the pavement, before he processed the colour. Instead, he felt an impact in his side as something snatched him in midair. The jarring knocked the wind out of his lungs, and his world fell into darkness.
The ground rushed to greet Nuju; or at least, a ground. A smaller rooftop, rather than the floor of Metru Nui was in view and fast approaching. The wind made it impossible to breathe, and his one exposed eye was squinted against the wind. He shut both his eyes, bracing himself for his last moments and the coming landing.
Something impacted him, but not the kind he was expecting. Something had slammed into him, cutting off his fall. Now he was being carried away by his rescuer, the sounds of rotors whirring filling his ears.
Nuju weakly opened his eyes, looking to see what had grabbed him. The white being that held him was like none he had ever seen before. Bent and twisted, it looked like a cross between a Turaga, a Rahkshi, and some other Rahi species. Despite its small stature, it seemed to have no difficulty carrying him while flying. If Nuju's weight was a burden to the strange creature, it gave no sign. Eventually his vision darkened, and he passed out, his body still giving the occasional spasm.
High above, Nokama saw it happen. "What was-?" She began, before she, too, was grabbed and saved from a crushing death.
One by one, the other Toa followed, each saved by a mysterious rescuer. Matau was the last, and at the first sign of a motion blur, he instinctively shouted, "Easy! Better not bad-scratch my armor!"
A chuckle met his ears as he was grabbed. "Better armour-scratched than smash-dashed!"
Matau wanted to snap back, but exhaustion overcame him and his world went dark.
Vakama stirred. The ground was moving beneath him, but he was not walking across it. No, he was being carried by someone… or something. He couldn't make out quite who it was, or where they were heading. "Your destiny is not yet complete, Vakama." His saviour said, flying them through a tangle of webbing with ease.
"Who… are you?" The former Toa asked weakly, his voice raw.
"A friend." Came the reply. "One who has walked the path you walk. Your fellow Toa are safe as well. I will bring you to them, but prepare yourself; many things have changed."
Vakama held up his mutated arms, his heart sinking seeing what they had become. He looked back and forth between them before dropping them limply. "Wh-What's happened to me?" He gasped out, his mind in emotional and mental turmoil.
His rescuer said nothing, just continued putting distance between them and the Coliseum. Vakama wondered if perhaps he had fallen out of the molten protodermis vat and into the Great Furnace. What if this new "friend" was some pawn of the Visorak, carrying him off to a fate even worse than death?
"Answer me!" The former mask-maker demanded, fear in his voice, jerking from the vocal effort. "I am a Toa!"
The strange figure who carried him only chuckled sadly. "Not exactly."
Vakama blinked at the answer, before looking down. Not exactly… he was no longer a Toa. He was… was…
Exhaustion overcame him, and he passed out again, his heart broken.
When Nokama came around, the first thing she felt was something soft beneath her. Weakly blinking her eyes, she lifted her head, only for the motion to feel weird. Like her neck was longer than it should be…
Blinking, she looked around, and saw that she was resting in a nook of sorts. Slowly, she tried to get up, only for her limbs to refuse to cooperate. Eventually she was able to force them to work, only to find herself on her hands and feet, like a Kikanalo. Unsteadily, she stumbled out, blinking against the brightness of the outside.
The first thing the female noticed was a fountain, which while still working was also covered in vegetation. The parched feeling from her throat overwhelmed her, and she lurched over towards it. Without hesitation Nokama plunged her face into the water, taking big gulps, soon relaxing somewhat, feeling the coolness rush down her throat and into her stomach. In the back of her mind she noted how only her lower face was feeling wet, but she was more focused on quenching her raw throat.
Nokama gasped as she stopped drinking, taking a few, shuddering breaths. It was then that she noticed her reflection, and she felt cold horror rush through her veins.
A blue muzzled face stared back at her, instead of her normal masked face. Slowly, the former Toa of Water reached up and felt her face, seeing the reflection doing the same… only instead of a hand it was a paw with hand-like flexibility.
Tears started to trickle down her mutated face, and weakly she sobbed, laying down on her front and hiding her now-muzzle into her arms. She felt like a monster. A horrible, hideous-
A faint whimper reached her ears, and Nokama lifted her head. Some sort of instinct, which felt both achingly familiar yet also foreign, took over hearing it again, and getting up she stumbled towards the source. The sounds were coming from another nook made of rubble, and she poked her head inside…
A gasp of disbelief escaped the former Toa's muzzle, before tears fell. "E-Emma…"
The child was laying on some blankets, tucked under another, weakly whimpering as she stirred. But more than that, the thirteen year old was alive…
Without hesitation Nokama made her way inside, and curled around the girl's head. With gentle blunted fingers, she brushed the bangs away from Emma's face, feeling sobs of relief well up in her chest. "You're alive… oh little one…"
The thirteen year old whimpered softly at the touch, her eyes weakly cracking open. "…'kama…?"
Nokama shakily smiled, and before she realized it she was nuzzling the girl's cheek with her muzzle. "Yes… I'm here… It's okay… oh little one…"
The human weakly smiled, a tear slipping from her eye. "'u're o'ay…"
Nokama opened her mouth, a disagreement on her tongue, before she swallowed it back and nuzzled the child again. "I…I am. And I'm so relieved to see you again… That you're safe…"
Emma tried to move her arm, to reach up to the other, but the former teacher gently stopped her. "Just rest… It's okay now. It's okay…"
The thirteen year old weakly made a sound of agreement, before sighing and closing her eyes, resting her head against Nokama's side. The heartbeat of the mutated Toa lulled her back to sleep… along with a sound like a soft, gentle rumble.
Nokama dozed for an unknown amount of time, feeling more relaxed now that she knew Emma was alive, if unwell. But that was okay… she was here. Nothing would ever happen to her again-
The sounds of snarling and snapping made her head jerk up, and she felt Emma stir against her side. A cold fury washed through the once Toa of Water, and slowly she stood, careful to not further disturb the child.
Stalking out on all fours, her eyes narrowed seeing a white form and a brown form snarling and snapping at each other. Off to the side, a black form was trying to placate a panicking green form, which was lashing out with claws.
Instantly the anger surged. "QUIET!" Nokama roared, not realizing that she wasn't speaking in Matoran Standard, but rather in something primal.
All sounds and movements stopped, with four pairs of startled eyes turning to her. Eventually, the white form moved towards her, cautiously. "Nokama?"
The female blinked, before giving her head a shake, pushing the fury back. She knew that voice… "Nuju?"
The white… creature… sighed in relief. "It's good to see you sister." He said softly, limping over to her.
He stopped, startled as Nokama started bristling at his approach. "Sister…?"
The others were now watching as well, confused. The behavior Nokama was showing was…
The female forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to settle the protective fury that had risen back up. "I…I'm sorry. It's…" she snapped her head back hearing a whimper, and disappeared back inside the nook.
Nuju followed after, Whenua trailing after. The two poked their heads inside where their sister had vanished into, and their eyes widened seeing the young form laying inside. "Emma?" The former archivist whispered in disbelief.
Both males flinched as Nokama growled, and instinctively they backed up. The growling only stopped once they left the nook, and the female went back to comforting the sick child.
Nuju and Whenua shared looks, before they turned to the other two males. Matau was staring at his reflection in the fountain glumly, while Onewa was looking around. The brown form scowled. "Where's Vakama?" He asked, not seeing their "leader".
Matau scoffed. "Who cares. It's the fire-spitter's fault we're like this."
"Brother…" Whenua stepped back towards him, only to stop when the green form of the former Air Toa snarled. "Just stay back!" Matau snapped, before turning away to continue sulking. I'm a hideous monster-rahi now… and it's thanks to the mask-smelter!
Vakama woke slowly, groaning as his body ached all over. Opening his eyes, at first his vision was blurry, but after a few blinks it cleared.
He wished it hadn't.
Where his hands should've been were paws, and the way he was laying down suggested that his body was no longer normal, rather like that of a rahi. Forcing himself upright only confirmed that. His body was not that of a Toa, but rather elongated, with his legs now digitigrade instead of normal. A whine rose from his chest. This was all his fault…
Voices reached his ears from outside where he was, familiar voices. Slowly, he rose to his… paws… and stumbled towards the exit of the rubble-made nook. Looking outside, Vakama saw four other forms of different elemental colours, similar in shape to himself…
A blue head with familiar blue eyes poke out of another nook, grabbing a bowl of water left out before vanishing back inside.
Vakama sat on his… haunches… lowering his head. "Nokama… my brothers… oh, no…" He whispered to himself. What…What have we become? He wondered bleakly.
He must have whispered louder than he thought, as the other males all turned to look in his direction. "Vakama…" Whenua breathed in relief, taking a step towards him, only for a green form to shove past him. Matau advanced on Vakama with surprising quickness, thrusting his mutated face right up to the former Toa of Ta-Metru. "Well, look who decided to show his mask! What's the matter, smelt-head? Too busy think-planning another master plan?" The ex-Toa of Air snarled. "Maybe you can get us killed next time, instead of just turned into monster-beasts!"
Vakama stepped away, snarling with sudden rage. "I'm through making plans!" He snapped, feeling his mutated armour around his shoulder puff up and bristle.
"Well, that's the first happy-cheer thing I've heard since I turned ugly!" Matau snapped back, instinctively bearing his new fangs as his armour also puffed out.
Any further argument was stopped as Nuju shoved his mutated body between the two of them. "Enough of that!" He snapped. "Bickering won't get us anywhere." The two bristling former Toa scowled over him, before they looked away. Nuju let out a deep sigh. "Regardless of how we look, it might be better if we use our energy to find out how and why we have become… whatever it is we are."
Matau hissed. "I'd rather figure out how to return to normal!" He growled, glaring around the former Ice Toa.
"Knock it off!" Everyone turned upon hearing the snap, and saw Nokama standing in the entrance to a nook. Her eyes were narrowed at them, a snarl on her lips. "Emma's sleeping!"
Vakama's eyes widened. "E-Emma…?" He breathed, shock filling his body. I thought… could it be…?
Nokama looked over at his voice, and her eyes widened upon seeing him. Then she let out a breath, and gestured for her brother to come over. Despite her mix of emotions upon seeing him, she knew he felt extremely guilty over what had happened at sea.
Vakama stepped inside the nook, his molten orange eyes falling upon the small form laying among a nest of blankets. "Emma…"
Nokama curled back around the sleeping child's head, nuzzling her when the thirteen year old whimpered a little. "Shh… it's alright little one. Shh…"
Vakama stepped back out of the nook, feeling like he was intruding, and sat back on his now haunches. Emma was alive… had their mystery saviours rescued her as well? But if that was so why hadn't they warned them of the true terror of the Visorak sooner?
No, we had been warned, but I refused to listen. Vakama lamented, recalling the warnings Whenua had given about the species. And even if they had, I wouldn't have listened. I was a cross-wired fool…
Not looking at the others, he stumbled over to the fountain on unsteady legs, leaning down to take a quick drink. He realized what he was doing was more rahi-like than Toa-like, lapping at the water… but that's what he was now, wasn't he? They were all rahi now, and it was all his fault.
Once he had quenched his thirst, he went back to the nook he had woken up in. Laying down on his side, the former Fire Toa found himself curling into a miserable ball. Some leader I turned out to be…
Day had passed into night, though given the thick clouds and fog it was only noticed by how the light of the sky dimmed. The time was spent by most of the group learning to walk in their mutated bodies, if only so they stopped stumbling or falling flat on their mutated jaws. Matau had found a pile of fruit that had been set out for them during one practice walk, yet no sign of their mysterious saviours. Nokama had filled a bowl with some and disappeared back into the nook Emma was resting in, helping the sick human eat some of the soft fruit flesh. Whenua had tried to get close to help his sister, only to be growled at, the female protective of the child.
As darkness fell over the area, Onewa managed to start a small fire for light and warmth. He was soon joined by Whenua, who brought over more wood, then Matau. Nuju also came over, though he kept his distance as he was still sensitive to the heat. One thing that they had discovered was that they had no access to either mask powers and elemental abilities. Their Kanohi had been mutated to the point of uselessness, but the real issue was the lack of connection to their elements. Toa, by nature, were living elements. To be cut off left a part of them feeling… empty inside. They could still feel their natural adaptations to their elements, such as Nuju's intolerance to heat or Onewa and Whenua's strength, but that was all that remained. Even as Matoran, they had never felt such a disconnection.
Matau grumbled, shifting uncomfortably and scratching at his back with a hand-paw. "Anyone else feel itchy-weird?"
Onewa scoffed. "You mean besides the obvious?" He growled, though he did feel something weird with his spine. It took a lot of self control not to twist his now longer neck to bite at the offending area.
Nuju shook his head, and looked to Whenua for his opinion. To his astonishment, the dark armoured male was scratching at the side of his neck… with his back paw. "W-Whenua?"
The larger male stopped, leg raised, blinking at his brother. "What?"
Nuju just stared, before shaking his head. "It's nothing."
Whenua blinked, before he realized what he had been doing. Embarrassed, he lowered his leg, though he shifted uncomfortably, still feeling an itch.
The four sat in silence, except for the occasional grunt as they scratched an itch. Matau perked up hearing movement, and turned to see Nokama exiting the nook. The female blinked at them, before turning and poking her head back inside. There was more rustling, before she re-emerged… this time with a familiar human.
"Emma-friend!" The former test driver perked up, happy to see their young human friend up and about. This was the first good thing to see since the day had begun.
The girl weakly smiled at him, though her eyes were sad upon seeing their conditions. They've been mutated… just like in the movie… She did notice some difference however, like the lack of weapon-arms and how they appeared more organic in nature. But honestly, she was too exhausted to focus on that.
Nokama helped her over to the fire, settling the human against her side as she sat down by her Earth Brother. She smiled softly as the child cuddled close, nuzzling the girl's head, before looking at those who sat around the fire. To her dismay, Vakama was not among them.
Whenua lowered his mutated head to be more level with Emma's. "How are you feeling?" He asked softly, having been worried.
Emma smiled a little at the male. "Better." She whispered, leaning her head against Nokama's elongated neck.
The once Toa of Water twisted her head, careful to not dislodge the child, and smiled softly. "Just continue to rest, drink, and eat, and whatever virus ailed you shall pass in no time." She said softly, giving a gentle nuzzle.
The human nodded, closing her eyes for a moment, before opening them again. "What happened to you guys?" She asked softly, though deep down she knew. But still, a part of her wanted to hear it for herself.
The former Toa all shared looks amongst each other, before Whenua sighed, lowering his head again to be at eye-level with the thirteen year old. "It's… a long story." He started softly, unsure of how to explain the traumatic events to an innocent youth.
Onewa, however, had no such reservations. "We got bitten by venomous spiders." He spat, eyes narrowed at the child.
Nokama shot to her paws, snarling and bristling. "Brother!"
The former Stone Toa ignored her, keeping eye contact with the human. "And now we're mutated into rahi. The end."
Whenua gaped at his brother's callousness, before he was startled as a blur of blue crashed into the brown form. Snarling, pupils slitted, Nokama pounced on her brother, new fangs going instinctively for the neck. Onewa let out a startled roar in response, tumbling back, before the two were engaged in what only could be described as a rahi-fight. Previously unknown claws were unsheathed, fangs were barred, and mutated bodies twisted as the two rolled across the ground, snarling and snapping.
After a moment of startled staring Matau and Nuju jumped into the fray, trying to separate the two, while Whenua rushed to Emma's side, the human weakly laying on the ground. Her pale face was wet with tears as she stared at the fighting, at least until the dark form of the former Earth Toa curled around her, blocking her view. Previously unknown awakened instincts took over in the large male, and he started to use his tongue to lick the crying child's face, though his mind classified the motion as "grooming". The instinct told him it would calm the little one, comfort her, and Whenua accepted it, using his now-forelegs to hold the thirteen year old close to his chest.
Eventually Nuju and Matau managed to separate Onewa and Nokama from each other, with the white male having to drag the snarling female away from the badly clawed but equally snarling brown male. The former Toa of Air had to practically sit on his larger brother, using a paw to push Onewa's muzzle into the ground.
Nokama remained snarling until Nuju redirected her towards Whenua and Emma, where the female immediately focused on the child. The thirteen year old had her face pressed into the black male's chest armour, body shaking with soft sobs. Nokama quickly curled around the sobbing child's back, nuzzling the back of her head. Another rumbling sound came from her chest, though the female didn't notice it. Instead she was focused on calming Emma down with Whenua.
Nuju went back over to his other two brothers, frowning at the growling form of Onewa. "That was uncalled for, brother." The white male stated, glaring down at the pinned brown form. "Must I remind you that Emma is a child. A youngling. She is currently under our care and that includes protecting her innocence."
The brown former Toa snarled and bared his fangs, before managing to push Matau off of himself. The former Toa of Air was on his paws in a shot, snarling, but Onewa just scoffed and stalked away.
Nuju frowned as he watched his brother stalk off, before turning at hearing a noise. Vakama was emerging from where he had vanished to, after his fight with Matau, though he still looked exhausted. Despite how he had felt earlier about his fire brother, the former Ice Toa now felt nothing but pity. Moving away from the others, he grabbed a fruit in a paw-hand and brought it over to his brother. "Vakama."
The former Toa of Fire lifted his head, blinking at the other. "N-Nuju…?"
The white armoured male only pressed the fruit he carried against Vakama's chest. "Eat. You haven't eaten since we came here."
The former mask-maker sat back, taking hold of the fruit. He then looked at Nuju, who had also sat back. "I… thank you, brother."
The once scholar only nodded, then looked back over to the others. Despite what had happened, they were still alive. That had to count for something.
Nuju looked up towards the clouded sky. The future would not end with shadows reigning over all… they were the chosen Toa Metru after all… right?
The six former Toa sat around the fire, with Emma nestled between Nokama and Whenua. Vakama sat adjacent to his earth brother, with Nuju on his other side. Matau and Onewa sat opposite of them, with the former test driver next to their sister and the carver beside the former scholar. Despite their quarrels, the six former Toa did agree on one thing; they still had a duty to rescue the Matoran.
"I feel it is best that we learn about what enemies we are facing." Whenua said, looking around at his brothers. "When we were hung up, I saw two figures watching us from the upper balcony; my guess is that they are the leaders of the Visorak, or at least have some connection to them."
"Agreed." Nuju nodded, holding in the urge to itch his back. "Potentially through that, we can determine what exactly happened to us. "
"Yes. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can rescue the Matoran." Nokama agreed, looking up from where she had been nuzzling Emma's head.
Matau, who had been looking away from the group, turned to them and shrugged, unconvinced. "How are we to be-saving when we are the ones that need-saving?" He scoffed, before growling as he found himself using his back foot to scratch at an itch. "I wanna go back to being my handsome Toa-self!" He growled at his foot when he realized what he was doing, before going back to scratching as the itch became unbearable.
No one had an answer, the group just sitting in silence except for the crackling of the fire. The only other sound came from the occasional growl or scratching, or purrs from Nokama as she tended to the human.
After a time, a voice laden with age and wisdom broke the stillness, its source nearby yet unseen. "If you are wise… if you wish to be what you once were…" All six former Toa jumped at the strange voice, spinning to see six figures emerge from the shadows from behind the fountain. The beings that had saved them from their fall had reappeared, seemingly out of thin air. They regarded the group, not with fear or horror, but with sadness and resolve. The one in front was dark red and held a staff with a flame-stylized tip, aged eyes surveying the Toa one by one. "Then you will listen." He finished.
A/N - And I will leave it there on a cliffhanger, though not a crazy one. So, thoughts? Also I had this written for months, but it took forever to edit. Stupid writer's block… stupid stress… stupid samples that don't wanna cooperate and are so poor they are practically useless… stupid heat… stupid bedroom poor insulation that results in an oven in summer and freezer in winter…
And now uni will be starting up again soon. I'll (hopefully) complete the last of the courses I need for certification and graduation, and finally move onto grad school.
Welp, until next time.
Next Chapter: Diffusion