Drowned in Sorrows

A short story taking place after Book 3 and revolves around Navlax as a lead-up to her appearance in a future story.

''Warning: A few slightly adult themes appear in this, including drinking and implied you-know-what. This is also the first draft. Elements can and will be changed by me, or if the staff demands it.''

Story
She turned heads as she stepped through the doorway, although not for her beauty. That had been lost long ago.

Everyone's eyes grew wide at the sight of what essentially resembled a demon from the darkest nightmares, sporting clawed feet, large skeletal-like wings and most noticeably the lack of any metal or biomechanical coverage on her right arm, rather instead raw metallic bone.

She growled, her tiny pincers hissing as she limped into the nightclub, surrounding herself in neon shades of blue, pink and green while pounding electronic music blasted in the air. Many sat at the tables scattered throughout, having conversations or just having a quick drink, while some others danced in the clearing to the beats of the music.

Navlax made her way to the countertop where a Matoran was clearing multiple glass silverware, aided by two Skakdi, presumably forced into working, judging by the glares they occasionally sent the bartender.

"Be with you in a second," called out the bartender as Navlax sat on one of the near stools. She glanced around the place, as if she wanted to make sure she wasn't being trailed. The bartender came up to her from his side of the counter.

"What can I get you, er, ma'am?" he asked with a quick survey. There was a short pause before she eventually spoke, slamming her fist on the counter.

"The strongest one you've got," hissed Navlax. The bartender's red and orange arms threw up in surprise and his eyes widened nervously behind his powerless Volitak.

"A-are you sure about that?" stammered the bartender. "It's n-not exactly a pleasant expe-"

"Just give me the damn drink. I don't care what it does, I'm past that point by now," replied Navlax, her voice rising slowly, her eyes steely.

"...One second."

As he went off to mix the unholy concoction, Navlax surveyed the patrons that surrounded her. Many appeared to be Dark Hunters, a few were Matoran, while a large number of Vortixx, mostly females, danced around long slender poles to the cheers of a mix of male and female patrons. Many bodyguards, mostly Skakdi, stood around quietly but bobbed their heads to the music, all while a lone female wearing a Mask of Sound Amplification, as well as swirly-eyed goggles stood behind a table with buttons, cords and turntables surrounding her, nodding her head and occasionally pumping her fist to the drum rhythms.

The bartender, by this point, had come back, holding a glass full of a darkish red liquid which bubbled and fizzed. It also had a tiny umbrella sticking out of it as a garnish. Navlax stared into it, almost silently daring it.

"We call this 'Makuta's Blood'. It packs quite a punch. Oh, and the toiletries are behind you to the right, just in case. We've had to clean up quite a large amount of messes before," explained the bartender, shooting a knowing wink at her before heading off to clean the kitchen. Navlax's blood boiled slightly at the name of the drink, but kept her cool.

Navlax picked up the drink while the music behind her began to rise to a higher key, increasing as the glass neared her mouth. A deep, demonic voice sounded behind her.

"You wouldn't dare."

''That voice. That damn voice.''

She glared at the fiery, ghostly image of Teridax.

"You can't tell me what to do anymore. You no longer command me," snarled Navlax.

The image glared but vanished without a trace; a figment of her imagination, leaving only her and the glass in her hand to deal with, now almost at her mouth.

Oh, to hell with this, she thought as she downed the whole thing in a few rapid swallows, right as the bass note lowered.

She immediately felt a headache, as well as multiple stomach pains. Her eyes began to tear up and her mouth began to salivate, but she grimaced through the agony and shook her head. She had been through worse, a few months before, when she was denied leadership of the Makuta when news of Teridax's death spread throughout the universe. She had never felt so humiliated, so used, so betrayed.

She'd been wandering planet after planet, taking ship after ship, almost aimlessly. Nobody paid any attention to her; to them, she was just another weary traveller, looking for a destination.

All of that came flooding back to her as Navlax began to scream in pain and anger. Her bloodlust began to sweep her mind.

I could just murder everyone here, the Makuta of Water thought, a twisted smile spreading across her face, her eyes twitching rapidly, before shaking her head again and dismissing the thought. It was at this point that a black, blue and white-clad female strolled up to her with an almost flirtatious smile. What stood out about her was the large white claw that made up her left hand.

"I take it you're not feeling well?" grinned the newcomer. Navlax's only response was a mix of a growl and a groan. The newcomer giggled in sympathy before offering her hand.

"Where... are we... goin'..." slurred Navlax as her head began to spin.

"I'm taking you to lie down. Trust me, you'll need it," winked the female as the two slowly headed up the nearby wooden staircase to the upper levels.

That was when Navlax's vision went hazy and for the next few hours, everything was dark.

---

Navlax stirred, her head splitting, her stomach still reeling from the drink. She eventually pulled her senses together and realized she was in a bed. She rolled over and ended up staring into the sleeping face of someone who looked rather familiar. Navlax blinked once before she immediately crawled out of bed, panting heavily. The mysterious female slowly awoke, rubbing her eyes before glancing at Navlax.

"Oh, good, you're awake again. You're certainly fun to be with at night, you know," said the female.

"I don't understand," grumbled Navlax.

"Well, let's just say we had quite a time here."

Oh.

Ohhhhhh.

Oh, boy...

Navlax's eyes widened in realization before she looked away in shame, something she hadn't felt since he was alive.

"We didn't actually..."

"We did."

"Oh, god, I'm sorry about that. That was never my intention," said Navlax, sounding like she did legitimately regret it. The female chuckled and got out of bed, walked over to Navlax and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Whatever your intentions, I had fun. Maybe we can have more fun, Navlax," purred the female.

"Wait, how do you-"

"Aren't all Makuta supposed to know each other? Or are females exempt to that?"

"I've never seen you before in my life. Who are you?"

"Call me Makuta Vynria. My powers control lightning."

Vynria. That was a nice name, one she could definitely get used to.

"Vynria, if I may," began Navlax, a sly grin beginning to form, an idea beginning to spread. Vynria looked at Navlax curiously, an eyebrow visibly raised behind her Kanohi.

"Have you ever wanted revenge?"

Vynria laughed. "Many, many times. Why do you ask?"

"What do you say we go get some? There's a place I know where I'm sure they'd love to have us."

"What place do you have in mind?" asked Vynria, her hand crawling up to cup Navlax's mask lovingly. Navlax's fists clenched and her smile grew wicked as she spoke the name of the location she'd been dying to visit ever since she left.

"Xhio."

To be continued...

Trivia
-This is Maccy's first story centered around Navlax. -The DJ is a nod to Canadian producer Rezz, whom Maccy enjoys listening to. -Maccy had been thinking of ideas for this story for some time.

Soundtrack
For better effect, listen to the following songs while reading:
 * Imaginary Friends - deadmau5 (Navlax's entrance)
 * Edge - Rezz (Describing the club, "Rezz's" appearance)