Spirit Shadows: Bloodshed

Bloodshed is a part of Spirit Shadows, as the only written portion of Act 3.

Chapter 1
The island of Archiledes was blanketed in a darkness. Not a peaceful, starry night, although it was shortly after dusk, but a thick, choking darkness, like a magic smoke. Elemental methods of producing light did allow one to make out the vast rocks and canyon walls around one, but much of it would still be encased in a strange black smoke.

The source of this unearthly smoke was a distance from the eight Toa as they made their way towards it. They could not yet hear the din of the battle they were on the path towards, but on occasion they heard an eerie screech, indicated the unnatural nature of the foes they were about to face. Their walk was silent, and would be peaceful if the strange darkness had not fallen on the place.

The somber march was interrupted by the sound of an impact, and bits of rock falling before them. As if on command, the entire company looked up at the crag from which the rock fell, and then backwards. Although not all of them could see, an indication by Therina, the Master of Spirit whose senses were aided by a strange awareness of the people and forces acting around her, set them all straight.

“We’re under fire!” she said.

“I hate fire,” Mokatu, the Master of Wind, muttered under his breath.

The group scattered for cover behind the rocks, as a shower of projectiles fell around them, coming from the direction from which they had come. Fortunately, it seemed as if their enemies were as blind as they were, as they made no attempt to fire over the rocky shields to hit their targets.

“What are we dealing with?” Emekal, the Toa of Iron, commanded.

“They are coming at us from behind,” Therina said. “They seek to close in the army and crush it to pieces.”

“Hm,” Emekal said. Then he turned his head to the dimly visible figure of Zerkah, Master of Fire. “I have done what I can, but you are the master of the Toa Vihagu. You decide what to do.”

“Oh. Well…” Zerkah stammered. Although he was born to be a leader, as the heir of the noble house of Kihanu, the position of command was still foreign to him. “Do we know what their strength is?”

“It is not great,” Therina responded. “It seems as if their goal is to surprise, rather than overpower.”

“In that case,” Zerkah commanded, “Let us turn around and finish them off.

“Are you mad?” questioned Drainu, Master of Stone. How can we reach them before they have pierced us all with their arrows? There’s no possibility…”

“Drainu.” A single word by Ayen, Master of Jungle, silenced the rowdy Stone Toa.

Jetera, the Master of Storms, had been silent the whole time. Hiding behind a large outcropping to the left of the path, he had been squinting to see a short ledge and a more shallow edge of the canyon wall, as well as a sizable outcropping on top of the canyon, large enough for many Toa to stand behind. With the opportunity now presented, he said, “It seems like they are aiming only for the path, not on the plateaus. If we can climb up that ledge and get on the plateaus, we’ll be out of the way of their fire, and might be able to cover the distance without them knowing.”

A silence fell on the company, until Therina added, “Jetera’s words are true. The enemy does not expect anyone to come from the plateau.”

“Hmph,” Drainu returned. “And how exactly do we get up there?”

“A little bit of teamwork,” Jetera said, the corners of a smile forming under his mask.

Chapter 2
“You’re sure this is going to work?” Emekal asked, for the third time.

“I’ve done this a dozen times,” Jetera assured. “I can take it.”

“If you say so,” the Master of Iron replied. Then, he lifted his arms back, and with all his might hurled Jetera up in the air, to the top of the short precipice. He had no fear of being hit by one of the shadowy arrows that had been bombarding the company, as Shaju, Master of Water, had raised a shield of water to protect the entire team. The main concern was whether or not Jetera would end up crashing headfirst into the precipice without reaching the top. Fortunately, Emekal was strong enough, and Jetera was light enough, to allow him to fly up over the rocks. He landed hands first, allowing his Steel Gauntlets to take the brunt of the impact. Quickly getting up, he waved back to the others to tell them he had survived.

“Alright. Ayen next.” he said.

In a few seconds, Ayen came flying up after Jetera. She did not have as much experience in landings, and Jetera’s attempt to grab her out of the air ended up as her using the Master of Storms to cushion her fall.

“That didn’t go according to plan,” Jetera muttered.

Taking the sarcastic response as a cue that Jetera was alright, Ayen lifted herself up — pushing her living pillow further into the ground in the process - and turned back to the ledge. Jetera could see the tendrils on her back begin to turn bright green, and bits of green energy sparkling out of her right hand. Suddenly she whipped her arm around, and a rope made out of vines formed around the trail of her hand. She threw this rope down to her companions.

“Going to need a little help with this,” she called back to Jetera, who had now managed to get up.

Brushing the dirt off his armor, he grabbed a hold of the vine with both his hands. The organic rope was still fused to Ayen’s right hand, and she also grabbed it with her left hand. With a combination of those below climbing up and those above pulling the rope, the rest of the Toa Vihagu made their way up to the cliff. Those who came up lent their hands to the rope team - Drainu opting to pull on Ayen rather than the rope.

The final challenge occurred when they attempted to pull Shaju - who, in addition to wearing a heavy set of silver armor, was focused on creating the shield that protected the rest of the Vihagu - had to be pulled up. Despite her elemental strength, Ayen’s vine ropes all broke when attempting to pull the armored Toa up. Ultimately, they adopted a curious stratagem in which Shaju blasted himself up onto the cliff via a water jet, allowing Emekal and Drainu to grab hold of his hands and pull him up.

The company sat or lay on the stony ground as they attempted to catch their breath. Fortunately, they were out of sight and out of mind for the marksmen, as few dark arrows made it onto the plateau. The evil fog was not as prominent up on the plateau as well, allowing the Vihagu to more clearly see each other’s tired forms.

“Well, we’ve done it,” Zerkah panted. “Good thinking, Jetera.”

“What do we do now?” Drainu asked.

Zerkah looked at Emekal, who gestured back to him. He looked over his team of Toa, who, while tired, were quite ready to fight. He gestured for the other Toa to follow him to the large outcropping, and they looked over its edge to see what lay before them. Similar outcroppings and shallow trenches filled the area between them and their foes - who could only be marked by flashes of pale light that highlighted their dark forms. The Malevolent were terrors to the Matoran, but an experienced Toa, or even a semi-experienced chronicler or magus, could make short work of these creatures.

“Be careful,” Therina cautioned. “They see little, but they will know when we are close.”

“We shall find a way to distract them,” Zerkah said. “Mokatu, when I give the word, you shall send your Cyclone Arrows into the crowd. They shall not be ready for us if they are bombarded as such. You may stop once we have arrived at their company."

Mokatu said nothing, unless his disgusted sigh could be counted as speaking.

“Drainu,” Zerkah said. “You are the fleetest of foot among us. Run to one of the other paths and inform other companies of the threat behind them. But you too must wait until Mokatu has begun firing.

“Understood. Do take care,” Drainu said.

“The rest of you, on my mark, take the best way you can to the spot where our enemies are. I trust you all to fight the best you can.”

The company all responded affirmatively. Jetera put his hand on the grip of his sword nervously. He felt a spark of electricity over the surface of his gauntlet.

“Ready! Attack!"

Chapter 3
As soon as they heard the whoosh of Mokatu’s first arrow, the whole party began to make their descent down shallow slope, some leaping in between the outcroppings for cover, others taking to the trenches than ran the length of the slope. Some, once they were close enough, added their own elemental blasts to Mokatu’s, further disorganizing the enemy once they had arrived.

When Jetera made it down the slope, Therina, Zerkah, and Ayen were already in the thick of the fight. A small mob of Sapin separated them from Jetera, and they did not notice him. Feeling a grin form underneath his mask, he reached his hand behind his back and pulled on the handle of the sword mounted there. The bolts unfastened, and Faera, a steel sword with a dangerous amount of electrical energy, crackled before him. He drew it back behind him, feeling it its energy grow behind him. In a fraction of a second, the energy burst, and Jetera drew the blade in front of him, slicing through the shadowy contingent and to the sides of his comrades.

“Ready for more?” he asked no one in particular, as he pulled back on the sword and, in a downward slash, cleaved through the rusted armor of a Sapin. Behind him stood another Sapin - armed with a shield. Jetera struck the foe from the side, but the shield was strong enough to withstand Faera’s strike. The shadowy foe took a step forward, and with a bristling hand splattered part of its dark essence on Jetera. He at once felt the heat and unearthly sensation of the Malevolent energy crawling in his skin, and took a step back from the shielded enemy. It stepped ever closer, but its advance was cut short as a faintly green flash pierced through its chest, and it toppled over. Behind it stood a shorter figure, who would not be recognizable in the darkness except for the way it held two arrows with glowing tips in its hands.

“Mokatu?” called out Zerkah, who knew well who this figure was. “What are you doing down here?”

“You never told me what to do once I had finished firing,” the Master of Wind replied smugly.

“Well I sure didn’t intend for you to be in a melee!” Zerkah shouted. “You’ll get killed, or worse!”

Mokatu made no reply, but took the arrow in his hand, put a little spin on it, and sent it through three Sapin in a row, who each fell to the ground.

Jetera, by now, had recovered from the dark strike of the Sapin, and took up his position at Mokatu’s side, striking out with lightning bolts and swings of Faera at those coming behind Mokatu, as he struck down foes with point-blank bowshots and quick slashes with his arrows, the heads of which were akin to miniature swords. Within a few minutes, the entire company of Malevolent were either in rout, dead, or gravely wounded and trying to extricate themselves from their broken bodies. With a display of great strength, Ayen gathered up all these corpses with still-living beings behind, and enclosed them in a cage of living plantlife.

The Vihagu let out a few half-hearted cheers and began storing their weapons, but all their hearts were akin to Therina’s judgement: “There’s still a great enemy left here.”

And sure enough, a lone, dark figure crawled quickly towards them, its eyes glowing red. But it did not attack them first hand, instead stopping in its tracks and saying:

“Emekal? Is that you? I am your Toa brother… Eltre!”

Chapter 4
“Eltre? Can this be?” a surprised Emekal questioned.

“I fear so,” the dimly visible figure replied.

“Perhaps we should be able to see with our eyes,” Zerkah said. Pulling back his hand, he cast a ball of flame into the bodies of several Sapin, turning them into a makeshift bonfire. In the light of the fire the Toa could a humanoid figure, bent over on all fours, wearing a helmet with three spikes bent out of the back. His right arm gave off pitch-black vapors - the sign of a Malevolent. Several Vihagu tightened their grip on their weapons, expecting trouble, but Zerkah signaled with his hand for them to pause.

“What has happened to you?” Emekal demanded. “We thought you dead?”

“Nay. I am now in a place worse than death,” Eltre cried. “I have lived years with the weapons of our enemies inside of me, and have almost succumbed. I come to ask… for my death.”

The Vihagu stood silent at this request.

“We are not the slaughterers of the living,” Emekal said.

“I mean it,” Eltre said, his voice growing tenser. “Not just for my sake. But for yours.”

“There is still hope for you,” Therina said. “Cleansing is a long process, but it cannot be done.”

“There is… no hope…” Eltre grunted, crawling back a few steps. “Even now… it creeps into my soul… GRAAAAH!”

Eltre fell back onto his knees, grasping his head with both hands and screaming in pain. Suddenly, a plethora of red spikes shot out of his left arm and other parts of him that had been tainted by the Malevolent’s presence. He stared into the Vihagu with his red eyes, now glowing brightly, before running up and tackling Emekal to the ground.

The other Vihagu all ran to Emekal, attempting to knock away Eltre, but the now Malevolent-possessed creature of a Toa was able to knock them all way, using his arms and legs equally as weapons, and even calling up massive tendrils of black energy to stop his foes. After a few failed tries, Zerkah called out, “We must work together!” The Toa all turned to him, waiting for his signal. Then as one man they all rushed to Emekal’s aid, Therina and Shaju blocking Eltre’s strikes with their telekinetic powers and their shield respectively while Zerkah’s hand axe, Jetera’s sword, and Mokatu’s arrow all knocked Eltre from Emekal’s body an on to the ground. Slowly, the fire in Eltre’s eyes began to die back down, and the red spikes retracted.

“See,” Eltre gasped. “It’s almost complete… end me before I become one of them…”

“No,” Zerkah said. “We will make sure that you are cleansed of the Malevolent.”

“Cleansed of the Malevolent…” - the words echoed in Jetera’s mind. Almost as if they were the key to…

…something was wrong. Although Jetera was not commanding his own body, he could the weight of his gauntlet fall from his right hand… the building of energy in his palm… and then, in a bright flash, it all went forward. Into the path of Eltre.

Chapter 4
Jetera fell to a knee, catching his breath. He felt the charged-up electrical energy in his hand slowly cool down. He reached for the silver gauntlet, pulling it back over his hand. He pushed himself up, seeing the other Vihagu staring at him, then at the place Eltre stood, then back to him again.

“What… are you doing?” Zerkah asked, slowly.

“I…” Jetera began, before remembering how he didn’t have a clue what had just happened.

“I said we were to restore him to health, not end his life!” Zerkah said, handling his axe.

“I misunderstood,” Jetera stammered. “I had the vaguest memory…”

“That is not a justification for what you have done,” Ayen said. “This is murder, Jetera.”

Jetera glanced back at the body of Eltre, which now wisped with what remained of the Malevolent controlling him, and crackled with electrical energy.

“Speak, Jetera,” Zerkah said. “You must answer for this evident crime.”

“A memory of my past came to my mind,” Jetera said, trying to construct a rational explanation for what had happened. “Evidently I have yet to figure out how that works…”

“So you act on a vague memory without testing to see whether or not it’s lethal,” Ayen commented. “Right…”

“What’s going on?” interrupted Drainu, running up and catching his breath. However, he did not wait for an answer before sizing up the situation in his own mind. He took a step towards Jetera.

“So,” he said coldly, “You’ve shown your true colors, have you.” He pulled a stone from the pouch at his side, and held it, preparing to form a weapon from it. Ayen called out for him to stop, but not before he had formed a massive sword. He pulled it back, and Jetera tensed to evade the attack, but all that came of it was a reverberating metallic sound. The Master of Storms looked up to see the metal-clad form of Shaju in front of him, shield held out.

“Infighting will not help us,” the normally quiet Toa said, his voice echoing from within his helmet. “We came here to save a city, not to prosecute each other and save our enemies the task of killing us.”

“Thank you, Shaju,” Zerkah said. “He is right. For now. We put this to the side and perform our duty.” He lowered his arm and fastened his axe to his hip. “Come on!”

The Vihagu, slowly, stored their weapons and began to climb back up the fill they had descended from. Jetera stayed where he was, still looking at the body of Eltre. He reached down to grasp Faera, which he had lost in the short struggle. He picked it up, and stood for a moment, eyeing the inscriptions upon the hilt.

Since the first hints of his supposed “destiny” had come to light - that he was to become the destructive entity known as the Stormhawk - he had distanced himself from this future, and recently, fought to prevent it from happening. Yet this event had occurred spontaneously, and he had been helpless to stop it. Did he have no power to control his own destiny?

He was interrupted by Mokatu, who stood upon the hill. The other Toa had already gone, yet he stood there, watching the Master of Storms.

“You coming?” He asked.

“Right,” Jetera replied. He pulled Faera over his shoulders - feeling it lock into place on his back - and began to ascend the hill.

Chapter 5
Jetera’s natural senses returned to him about as quickly as the floor of the ship.

Fortunately for him, the pain of the cuts and scratches left him fairly quickly. But the feeling of blunt force attacks, plus the headache of being slammed onto the floor, replaced them. He saw the sight of an attacker coming toward him from the left, and dodged the attack by rolling to his right. He braced for a second attack, but his attacker seemed to be fighting against something behind him. About the time Jetera identified his opponent as his comrade Drainu, the stone Toa fell back, his body tied up in a length of ropes - no, vines.

“And stay down!” the voice of Ayen cried. Or it might have not been Ayen, Jetera had never heard her voice that angry. But his doubts were answered when he felt a length of plantlife wrapped around him, and he was pulled off the ground until he stood uncomfortably close to the green-skinned Master of Jungle. Her eyes glowed with a pale orange light - evidence that she was channeling the dark side of her powers.

After what seemed like minutes of awkward silence, she spoke: “I’m not sure what’s gotten into you, but you have become dangerous, to all of us.”

“Wait, what have I done this time?”

Ayen was confused by his lack of knowledge, but explained anyway: “You were sleepwalking - or rather, sleepfighting. You could have walked into the ocean - or Drainu might have beaten you to death had I not heard what was going on.

Jetera glanced over Ayen’s shoulder to the tied-up form of Drainu, who was attempting to reorient himself.

“Do you care to tell us what’s going on now?” Ayen asked.

“I’m still not sure,” Jetera said. “I need some time to reason through it all.”

“Okay,” Ayen said. “But once you have, you need to tell someone. We can’t have whatever this is go unchecked.”

Ayen backed up for a second, keeping her eyes on the Master of Storms, then turned away to Drainu. She silently loosened the grip of the organic ropes tying him up, and pulled him to his feet, and they went back below the deck. Jetera was now alone on the ship’s deck - himself, the stars, and the multitude of conflicting thoughts about the day’s events.

Cast

 * Jetera
 * Zerkah
 * Mokatu
 * Emekal
 * Shaju
 * Therina
 * Ayen
 * Drainu
 * Eltre

Trivia

 * This story was originally written in 2016, after *Rematched*, but due to the "dark ages" was not published until 2018.
 * This story contains a reference to the then-current G2 BIONICLE animations.