Trial and Terror

Trial and Terror is short story set in the Kryptos Magna Arc. It was written by DeltaStriker for Halloween.

Story
Warron looked around his prison. Its walls were made of stone, and there were no windows. The only light came from the lantern that hung outside the door. Warron himself was hanging from the wall, suspended by thick metal chains.

As Warron hung, he reflected on how he had got into this predicament. There really wasn’t much to reflect on. He had been kidnapped from the camp while sleeping, and had woken up here.

A creaking sound broke his chain of thought, and he lifted his head towards the door.

Walking through was a despicable looking being. His armor was black, and his heartlight shone a dark red. He carried no weapons, but his claws looked sharp enough to slice a ripe thornax fruit. The being’s feet made a loud ‘clang’ whenever they hit the ground.

The being walked up to Warron and pointed a finger at him.

“You,” he rasped. “You will tell me what I want to know.”

Warron snorted. “Really? I doubt you can make me talk.”

The being ran his claw along the side of Warron’s Kanohi, making a high-pitched screech that caused the Matoran to flinch.

“Don’t test me,” the being snarled. “I have little patience for you Matoran. Now, tell me where the being known a Rikta is.”

“How should I know? I’m just a Matoran soldier,” Warron said.

The being tore the mask from Warron’s face. “I warned you not to test me. Now, where is Rikta?”

“G-go to Krall,” Warron gasped.

Instead of punishing Warron for the remark, the being chuckled. “Why, I can’t do that,” he rasped. “We’re already there.”

***

Two hours later, the questioning had ended. Warron hung from the wall, battered and maskless. His every breath was heavy, and caused him great pain.

He didn’t have the strength to lift his head when the door creaked open.

“What, you haven’t tortured me enough?” he muttered.

To his surprise, the voice that answered back did not belong to the being who had tortured him. “No, you’ve got the wrong person, Warron,” she said.

Warron managed to lift his head to look for the source of the voice. “Meela, is that you?” he croaked.

“Yes,” the female Ko-Matoran said. “And I’m getting you out of here.”

Warron felt the first chain loosen, followed by the second. He collapsed to the floor.

Meela rushed over to Warron, slinging his arm over here shoulder. Together they began to walk towards the door. Then Warron remembered something.

“My mask, where is it?” he said in hoarse whisper.

“It wasn’t here,” Meela replied. “The being who tortured you must have taken it.”

The two continued, down the hall and towards a faint light. Then, from their left, came a soft ‘clank’. Warron’s eyes widened.

“He’s coming!” Warron whispered.

“Who?” asked Meela.

Warron shook his head. “I…I’m not sure,” he said. “All I know is that he’s the one who interrogated me.”

Meela nodded, and sped up the pace. The clanking became louder. Warron and Meela turned a corner, only to find the being standing in their path, with two guards standing behind him.

“You cannot hide from me,” he said. “I am Daemon, and there is no escaping me.”

Warren looked up, and saw his mask in Daemon’s claw. He lunged.

Daemon took a step back and laughed. “So you want this back? To bad.”

He threw the mask to the side, and it bounced into a deep crevice.

“NO!” Warron yelled, lunging for the crevice. Meela grabbed him from behind and yanked him back from the edge.

After making sure Warron was safe, Meela turned, drawing her blade as she did so. Then she charged.

Her first swing was blocked, and Daemon knocked her back with a simple flick of his wrist. “Your sword cannot pierce my armor, puny Matoran,” he rasped.

Meela attacked again, hammering Daemon with multiple strikes. He blocked each one, and then lunged at Meela. The Ko-Matoran stepped backwards, bringing her blade up to block the attack.

The attack never came.

While Meela and Daemon were battling, Warron had noticed a Kanohi Hau sitting on the ground to his left. He crawled over to it and placed it on his face. Instantly, power surged .through his body and he climbed to his feet.

Warron snuck up to one of the guards and easily dispatched him. He then took the guard’s launcher, aimed, and fired.

Meela watched in stunned silence as Daemon collapsed, a gapping whole in his chest.

“Take that, you son of a Piraka,” Warron said with venom in his voice.

The remaining guard drew his weapon and charged.

“Come on!” yelled Warron. “Let’s get out of here!”

Meela ran towards him, and they headed for the light.

Neither saw Daemon rise to his feet, fully healed. And neither heard him utter a prophecy of doom.

“I shall return, and all who stand in the way of my vengeance will fall!”

***

The two Matoran walked through the wilderness. A day had passed since their escape from Krall, and they were trying to find there way to camp.

Warron glanced at his comrade. She walked at his side, looking forwards.

“So,” he asked. “How did you find me?”

Meela glanced in his direction. “I simply followed your kidnappers into the Underworld,” She said. “From then on, it was a simple task to find you.”

Warron locked eyes with Meela, and for the first time, he realized how he truly felt about her.

“Meela, I-” Warron was interrupted when Meela pressed a finger over his mouth.

“I know,” she said.

As he stared into her eyes, Warron new, in his heart, that everything would be alright.

Characters

 * Warron
 * Daemon
 * Meela
 * Unnamed Guard 1 (Deceased)
 * Unnamed Guard 2