The Noble Tasks: The Dark Sides of Us All



The Dark Sides of Us All is the final part of The Noble Tasks series, and also very short. This story also leads to Henkka's final task.

Chapter 1
Jinu awoke at the beach of Henkka Island. He saw Lah and Taum next to him, unconscious. The others were nowhere to be found.

“Taum! Lah! Wake up!” he shouted, shaking his friends. Slowly, both opened their eyes.

“Jinu... Jinu!” Lah exclaimed and rose to hug him. Taum woke up too, but decided to leave hugging behind.

“What has happened?” Taum asked.

“I-I don’t know”, Jinu answered.

“Hey, remember those odd cannons at Henkka Island when we returned... they... they shot us!” Lah said.

“And we all fainted”, Taum continued.

“And now we’re here... but where are the others?” Jinu wondered.

Meanwhile, Leraj, Newhu and Nowah were chained on a wall in Henkka’s Castle. Only this time, Henkka wasn’t in charge for this. Who, they soon found out.

“Greetings, Toa”, a large being said. He looked disgusting and twisted. His face was like the face of a dragon, his hands looked like Karzahni’s and his voice was deep and gloomy. His body was all rusted and his smile was incredibly ugly.

“Who are you? Where are he others?” Leraj asked.

“The others... I have no clue where they are... and you are going to help me with that subject”, the being replied.

“What? How? And who are you, anyway?” asked Newhu.

“My name is Gezex”, the being replied. And how you’re going to help me... you’ll find out.

Then Gezex turned and called: “Gazotan!” Three odd, insect like creatures stepped into the rooms. They were very skinny with the eyes of a fly. They had two arms, each carrying some sort of a weapon in them. They made odd sounds as they walked into the room.

“These Toa want to know how they are going to help us find the missing Toa”, Gezex started.

“Show them.”

The Gazotan fired the cannon-like weapons in their left arms at the Toa. They struckt them, and the Toa started to feel extreme pain, as their whole body seemd to twist and morph into something protesque and disgusting. They fel t their energy being sapped away, only to be replaced by a sick feeling of darkness.

When it was done, the Toa rose again. Only this time, they felt no need to serve Mata Nui, or to prtoect anyone. They only felt one need... kill Jinu, Lah and Taum.

Chapter 2
The Toa Mahri were travelling in an airship towards an unknown island. Why, you ask?

Few days earlier, Turaga Vakama of Ta-Metru had received an odd vision. It told him to send the Toa Mahri to an island of a servant and help the beings in trouble there. Of course, Vakama didn’t know what this place was. But he had received information of how to get there.

Get a Rahi named Hakka from the Archives and put it inside an airship. The airship will automatically fly to the island.

So Vakama had requested Whenua to get the Rahi and bring it to him. After this, it was put in an airship with the Toa Mahri. The ship then started flying towards an unknown destination.

The Hakka seemed to know where they were going. It looked out of the window of the airship. The Toa Mahri stared at it. Soon, they arrived in an area full of fog.

“What is this?” Hewkii wondered. Soon they got out of the fog cloud and the ship landed in the middle of an open area surrounded by forest. Far away, they could see a huge castle. The Mahri got out and looked at the Hakka as it ran away into the forest.

“Was it supposed to do that?” Hewkii wondered.

“I – I don’t know...”, Nuparu said.

Meanwhile Jinu, Taum and Lah were walking up a hill. On that hill, stood the castle of Henkka, the center of this whole island. And there, they thought, they would find answers.

But before they could reach the top, three figures suddnely jumped in front of them. They looked horrible and ugly.

“So, Jinu... Lah... Taum. Here you are“, said one of the creatures, a dark red one.

“Le... Leraj?” Lah knew this being’s voice, even if it was now much darker and deeper.

“Well, you recognized me fast”, Leraj responded. “Maybe this one will make me a littlebit more distant to you.”

Leraj picked up a rock from the ground and placed it into his mutated blaster. He then shot the rock at Lah’s face, knocking her mask off.

Taum responded by trapping Leraj in vines. However, Leraj just swang his mutated sword with spikes and cut the vines.

“You are weak... as we once were too. But now... now we’re powerful”, Leraj said. “Powerful through the darkness.”

Chapter 3
Jinu shot Juice at Nowah’s eyes. He just wiped it off and swung Jinu with his spiked club. It hit Jinu and he fell on the ground, badly damaged from the hit.

As Lah had lost her mask and Jinu was laying on the ground, Taum was alone, against three of his friends... former friends.

Taum tried to wrap Newhu in a vine. He sliced it into little pieces with his Electric Harpoon. He then tried to harpoon Taum with it. Taum dodged and created some rubber beneath Newhu. Newhu bounced in the air and fell on his back.

Leraj used his mutated blaster to shoot solidified air at Taum. It hit him and Taum fell. Nowah came to finish the job, but Taum jumped out of the way and took Lah’s mask of adaption. He put it on.

Using the powers of that mask, Taum transformed into a being with very heavy armor. Now, when Leraj shot him again with solidified air, it didn’t do any damage.

Taum then transformed into a flight mode of himself, as Lah had done many times with the mask. He then grabbed and attached the unconscious Lah on his back and flew over his former teammates. On the way, he launched his Vine Gun at Jinu, grabbing him along. Taum then few away, with his friends.

“He’s escaping!” Nowah shouted.

“After him!” Newhu screamed.

“Calm down, fools! They cannot get far away. This island is small! And besides, we have the Gazotan aiding us! We’ll find them in no time!” Leraj exclaimed.

Chapter 4
The Toa Mahri were at the open area in the middle of the forest when Taum arrived, with two other Toa, his fallen friends.

“Look! Three other Toa!” Nuparu shouted and pointed in the sky.

Taum fell on the ground in front of them, exhausted. The two Toa with him, Jinu and Lah, were unconscious.

“Who are you?” Jaller asked Taum.

“Jaller! How can you ask that question from him now?! Can’t you see that they need help!” Hahli said. She then went to the Toa and used her water powers to try and heal them.

“The blue one doesn’t have a Kanohi”, Hahli said, looking at Lah’s maskless face.

“Oh, of course, here”, Taum said, putting the Mask of Adaption back on Lah’s face and the Mask of Routes on his. Lah woke up slowly.

“Ohh... what happened... no... Leraj, Nowah and... Newhu... not the same.”

“It’s allright”, Hahli said. “You’re safe now.

“No... we are not safe. Three of us have already fallen to darkness... and who knows what has happened to Henkka!”

Meanwhile, in the castle, Gezex looked at statis tube. In this statis tube, rested a silver and green Toa, known as Henkka.

Once the ruler of this island, now a prisoner in his own castle. He was in statis. Gezex looked at him.

“I now have you, and three of your precious little “Holy Toa”... and soon I’ll have the rest three. And when I do, the Matoran Universe will belong to me...

Chapter 5
The Toa Mahri and three Holy Toa were in battle, on an open area surrounded by forest. Their opponents? Three transformed and evil Holy Toa and lots of Gazotan.

While they fought, Nuparu used his Mask of Stealth to sneak behind Newhu. He then striked him with his Aqua Blaster Blade. Newhu fell on the ground. He turnedand fired his Electric Harpoon at Nuparu. It struckt him and Nuparu fell down from the electricity. Just then Taum wrapped Newhu into a vine and threw him on some Gazotan.

Leraj came to aid Newhu and fired some fireballs at Taum, taken from Jaller’s elemental energies. Taum dodged.

The battle was hard. Even though there were eight Toa battling against three, it wasn’t easy. For the Gazotan were powerful... and there were many of them.

Kongu decided to summon a Rahi using his mask. This, he did.

Soon the ground beneath trembled and a gigantic Rahi rose. It was bigger than anything the Toa Mahri or the Holy Toa had ever seen. It growled, furiously.

“Oh great, first the Ancient Sea Behemoth and now this... I’ll never use this mask again”, Kongu sighed.

“Quick! Into the airship!” Hahli cried. The Toa Mahri and Holy Toa ran into the airship that the Toa Mahri had used to come to Henkka Island and flew from the battlefield, leaving their enemies to deal with the Rahi.

“To the castle! Drive to the castle!” Taum yelled at Kongu, who was piloting the ship. They crashed on the roof of the castle.

“Wow...”, Kongu sighed.

The Toa got out of the damaged ship and looked around. They could see the Rahi in the forest, destroying everything in it’s way.

“Let’s get in the castle!” Jinu shouted. The Toa broke in and found themselves in the room where Henkka had lived. They saw a statis tube containing Henkka and his former throne beside it. In the middle of the room was the Henkka Suva, the thing that had turned the Holy Toa into Toa. In the Suva was a dark symbol. Also, in the room, stood a scary, dark being. Gezex.

“Ah, it seems I found you before the others...”, Gezex began.

“Others?” Hewkii asked.

“Yes, Leraj, Newhu and Nowah...”

“YOU turned them into... whatever they now are?!” Lah asked.

“No, not me. They did”, Gezex said, pointing to the door leading to the room. Suddenly, several Gazotan came in and started firing at the Toa.

A battle began.

Chapter 6
The battle was enoromus. The infected Holy Toa had also arrived, battling their former friends. It was a great struggle in one sinlge room.

Gezex stood out of the battle, looking as the Gazotan were winning.

As soon as Jinu got out of the battle, he went to the statis tube containing Henkka. And with his propellers, he smashed the glass, unleashing Henkka.

Gezex saw all this, but even his expression didn’t change. He just looked.

“It’s useless”, Gezex said to Jinu and Henkka. “You’ll still lose. You would never kill your former friends and the Gazotan are in too great numbers for you!”

As Gezex started to laugh, Nuparu saw the symbol in the Henkka Suva.

“Maybe there is a shortcut to end this fight...”, he thought and used his earth powers. Suddenly the symbol got knocked out of the suva. At this, Gezex reacted. He ran to the symbol and tried to put it back. He was stopped by insects Taum’s rubber.

Leraj, Newhu and Nowah started to change again. But this time they didn’t feel pain at all. Instead, the feeling wa wonderful, as they transformed back into their own selves.

Then the Gazotan started changing too. They got smaller and morphed into something else... into Matoran.

“The Holy Matoran of Henkka Island!” Lah exclaimed.

“You mean... for all the time... we’ve been battling our friends, our family?” Taum was shocked.

Gezex stood beside the suva with the symbol in his hands.

“This isn’t the end!” he said and began to place the symbol back.

“No!” Henkka shouted and attacked Gezex, knocking the symbol on the ground. He then shattered it using his protodermis powers.

“NOOO!!” Gezex shouted as dark energy surrounded him. The darkness that had once fed him, was noe destroying him. Everyone watched in horror as Gezex was destroyed by darkness. Then it was over.

Chapter 7
“This was told in legends”, Henkka told the Holy Toa. “That was why I wanted you to stay on this island when I left for Mabauto... you were to protect this island from Gezex.”

“And since we left, we caused a lot of trouble and damge for this land...” Taum muttered, full of shame.

“Yes... but we defeated him in the end”, Henkka continued. “Thanks for assistance, Toa Mahri. Now go back to Metru Nui and tell the Turaga that the legend of Vakama’s vision has been fulfilled.

“Yes, Henkka”, Jaller said and lead the Toa Mahri back into their fixed airship. They then few away.

“Now, Holy Toa, I have my last request for you”, Henkka began. “All these Holy Matoran... all the Matoran of Henkka Island must be spread into different parts of this planet. I’m asking you to do it.”

Then Henkka took out a mask.

“This mask is the Mask of Memory. I will use it to erase the Matoran’s memory of this island. They will awaken again, to a new life, as soon as you have left them into new lands.”

The Holy Toa agreed, though they did feel a bit uncomfortable with this task. As Henkka erased the memories of the Holy Matoran, the Holy Toa spread them into different parts of the planet and universe. This took days, after which they all assembled again in the Castle of Henkka.

Henkka began speaking.

“Now, prepare yourselves brothers... because now that these tasks have been fulfilled... we will leave Henkka Island... for all time.”

Epilogue
Henkka was travelling to a new location. He was to go in the Onu-Metru Archives in Metru Nui and retreave an object of power for the Guardian of the Kowa Mountains.

After he had left Henkka Island with the Holy Toa, he had made an announcement that shocked the Toa. They were to be separated across the universe as the Holy Matoran had been. It had been an emotional moment when the Toa said goodbyes to each other and departed, each to a diferent land to protect the Matoran there.

After this Henkka went to complete yet another task... bring the Kowa Stone to the Guardian of the Kowa Mountains. He was in the Archives already, looking for the stone. He found it eventually, after battling a few Rahi. He then set off to Bio-Land, to take the stone there.

After 24 hours, Henkka arrived in the Kowa Mountains. Guardian of the Kowa Mountains was already waiting for him.

“You’ve been expecting me, haven’t you?”, Henkka asked.

“I have been told”, the guradian replied and moved closer to Henkka.

“Yes... here I have the stone”, Henkka continued.

“Good, Toa of Protodermis...”, The guardian began. “You’ve walked a long road indeed, to come to this.”

“What this?” Henkka was confused.

“You only have one task left. But beware, that task is the most difficult of all... it is the ultimate task... a sacrifice for the spirit and body of Mata Nui...”

Henkka understood.

“I’m going to die, right?”

“We all are”, the Guardian of the Kowa Mountains said. “But your task is not to die, your sacrifice is not to become deceased, it’s a much greater sacrifice. Your life is nothing compared to the ultimate decision you must make.”

“I – I don’t understood.”

”Only my brother understands”, the guardian continued. “But even he doesn’t know everything. No one of us Great Spirits do.”

“You mean you...”

“I am not what you think, Henkka. But it doesn’t matter, who I am. Only your tasks matter... and the last one, especially.”

The Guardian put his hand on Henkka’s shoulder.

“All your tasks and all your decisions in life have lead to this, Henkka. There is a war raging in Bio-Land. You must go there... and eventually you’ll find out your last and ultimate task.”

Henkka nodded and turned away and started flying towards Bio-Land. The guardian of the Kowa Mountains said the last words before he went.

“Mata Nui protect you, Henkka of Mata Nui.”