Too Easy

Too Easy is a story about the talented Toa Varkon, an assassin who is handed an assignment to eliminate one of the most notorious villains in the Matoran Universe.

Prologue
The Toa extinguished the flames he held in his hand, shaking off the embers that fell loosely between his fingers. He needed to remind himself that he shouldn’t tempt the fate of melting his own hand off with his rather impressive shows of power, but then again there were very few quick ways of actually breaching metal doors aside from explosives or those who controlled either metal or magnetism. Perhaps he should’ve recruited someone to help him--

No, he did jobs alone. Next time he would bring the explosives.

The Toa slowly inserted his hand through the melted door, the overwise overwhelming heat barely warming his resistant armour as his fingers spread out to find a release for the door that was holding him back from his objective. His fingers brushed against something, and so he hastily grabbed toward it and tried pressing down. Nothing. Frantically he reached around again, finding what he assumed was a lever before he tugged on it. The bar fell down on his hand, the Toa reflexively pulling back in order to try break free, but the trap was nonetheless sprung. Nothing he could do at that time would save him.

He really should have just brought the explosives.

“You’ll have to forgive me for the rather unsavoury means by which I have contacted you, Toa Varkon.” A voice said. Varkon immediately whipped his head in the direction of the figure that stood casually by, arms folded with a mockingly sly expression. Varkon swore under his breath, trying desperately to reach for something he could draw on his target, but realised he only had his rifle with him… and no matter how much he flattered himself on being able to aim and fire with just one hand, that wasn’t going to happen.

“Cut me out!” Varkon said, trying to heat his hand to break free… but forgot that he expended all that energy on getting through the door in the first place. He wrestled quietly for a bit, before giving up. He looked back at the being with furious eyes, “You really don’t want to play with fire, stranger…”

“I thought I wouldn’t, but I’m liking my chances now.” The being responded, “I was told you’re quite the assassin, Toa Varkon… I heard that you killed hundreds--"

“Millions!” Varkon corrected, “And it’s not Toa! Not anymore!”

“Right,” the voice sneered, “I must have forgotten that… point is, I couldn’t just risk myself in some… ‘fight,’ with you. And it seems as if you only listen to widgets.”

“You done gloating?”

“I figure I’ve been polite, hothead. And besides, I’m offering you a deal.”

“You locked my arm in a door!”

“You did that to yourself.”

Varkon blinked.

“Look, you’re either ‘in’ or you are ‘out.’ I’m offering you a bounty. It’s your choice to accept or to decline it.”

“Make it worth my while and we’ll talk!”

“How does 100,000 widgets sound?” That immediately raised the attention of the rogue Toa of Fire, but if he was wise, he could possibly get more.

“I was offered 50,000 widgets to take your head. What’s stopping me from doing that after I’m done with you little job?”

“Little?” The being chuckled, “I guess you’re bad at listening… I brought you here. You’ll get your 50,000 widgets atop the 100,000 widgets I’m offering you. Fail to comply, and you’re not getting either cut. You understanding now?”

“I understood in the first place,” Varkon growled, “just making sure I’m still getting my due… and you still haven’t told me what you’re bounty is.”

“Thought it wouldn’t matter. After all, you just care about being paid…”

“What is the bounty?”

“I’ll tell you… it’s not going to be easy, not for a price like 100,000.” The being shrugged, gesturing to someone or something outside of Varkon’s field of view. Varkon thrashed his arm a little more, trying once more to break free, but when he looked back all he earned was an amused blink: “You’ve ever heard of the ‘Lykos?”

Varkon tilted his head to one side.

“What is a Lykos?” He asked.

Chapter 1
Varkon hated the sea. Who would in their right minds want to travel on it?

More water splashed into his boat, his anxious hands springing to action to collect the water in the rusted metal bucket before he tossed the water back over the side. A rolling wave of water broke across the hull of the wooden boat, splashing his kanohi with the salt water. He spat out the water.

He hated the sea.

Varkon made a mental note that he would kill the being after he got his pay. He was promised it would only be a few days travel. He had been on the ocean for a month now. His boat ever made travel around the northern island chains, it never went beyond that. Not because he was inexperienced, as far as he was aware, he was the most experienced assassin. Not to mention, why would he need to get any different boat? They all travel the same anyways.

The being asked if he could read the stars. How was that related to boating? Varkon scoffed to himself. He’d get to this little whatever-the-hell-it-was-called island.

Someday.

There was a flashing light in the distance, circling around. Light didn’t do that.

Light didn’t do that!

Varkon immediately snapped to attention, yanking at the tiller as the rudder squeaked toward the direction he was taking. The Toa looked up at the sail that stood crookedly, realising that it would potentially give away his position. He didn’t know how to set it down, he hadn’t ever needed to approach stealthily to an island before. Swearing under his breath, Varkon pulled uselessly at the sail.

It erupted in flames. The boat was on fire.

“They’re shooting at me!” Varkon exclaimed to no one.

He looked around frantically, taking his rifle in his arms before he stared at the great distance that separated him from where his objective was. Varkon drew in a deep breath, praying to Mata Nui and leapt into the silvery water.

arkon clawed at the sand under his hands. O, he really was going to kill that being now. This stupid job cost him his only boat, and now he was stranded on one of the many islands that he was told no being ever wanted to set foot. But he was not just any being, he was the best assassin in the universe. He was going to kill whatever-his-name-was and steal a boat. Apparently these things had some of the best war technology on the world, or so the being said… but Varkon wasn’t going to trust the being anymore.

Not after he lied about how long it would take to get here!

And that’s just beside trapping his arm.

Varkon now vomited out salt water onto the black shoreline, cursing with every gag the name of the being that dragged him out to this Mata Nui forsaken place. The Toa of Fire stood upright as best as he could, looking with groggy vision at the island… why were the trees glowing? And made of metal? And who was--

Something was walking up to him. Had he been seen?

Varkon seized his weapon and searched around desperately: a rock that could likely hide him. The dazed Toa of Fire set off for it, keeling over and vomiting once more, finally ridding his lungs of the burning salt water as he fell kanohi-first onto the gravel. Varkon cried out in sharp pain, curling up into a ball as he held his sniper tightly in his hands. He needed to be ready to shoot at a moments notice, any good sniper knew that--

The footsteps got closer. His heartlight flickered faster, the crunching gravel setting a terrified state echoing in his empty head. Varkon swore he could hear a voice, something that drained confidence…

He was an assassin! What had he to fear?

“Any idea why this grogoka’alarts is hiding behind a rock?” The voice sighed.

What in Mata Nui’s name was a grogoka’alarts? Varkon drew in a confident breath, it was evident he hadn’t been sighted. But he needed to start moving, and he needed to move now. Years of training kicked into action, as he crawled across the gravelly sand, rifle tight against his chest. It wasn’t the fastest mode, but it was the stealthiest. He turned his head back, confused that he didn’t hear the creatures walking away…

They were standing there. Staring at him.

Varkon stopped immediately. Perhaps they could only see if he was moving? He knew that was common across a lot of species… then again he was never caught if he didn’t do anything at all.

Varkon waited.

“Perhaps it is stranded?” A second voice asked.

“Stranded? Possibly… tell us, nuparavko, are you stranded?” The first asked.

Slowly Varkon tried to crawl away.

“Do we just… ignore it?”

“I do not know, brother… is it worth the Major Domo’s time?”

Varkon continued to crawl along, ignoring the two creatures. Obviously they weren’t talking about him, since they didn’t refer to him as ‘Toa’ or ‘assassin,’ which is what he was. They were using stupid words… evidently they weren’t educated.

The steps got closer, quickly circling around them as they stood… they were… they were pretty tall and pretty strong. But Varkon knew that looks could be deceiving, but he didn’t understand how they saw him. He stood still, testing his theory that they could only detect movement. Perhaps if he didn’t move a centimetre, he would be alright.

“Nuparavko?” One of the creatures asked, before it looked toward its companion: “Perhaps it has damage in the head, hit something on its way through the waves from the burning ship.”

Burning ship?

“Ah, damnit… they saw that…” Varkon muttered under his breath.

“Of course we saw that, it was like torch in the black!” The second creature laughed, “It is… very, very visible.”

“You shot me, though!” Varkon cried in protest.

Both creatures immediately looked toward each other in confusion, as if they were trying to play it as if they didn’t know what he was talking about. They then broke out in laughter, a mocking and relentlessly cruel laughter, as one reached down with an open hand toward the Toa of Fire. Varkon slapped it away, only earning a confused expression in response.

“You flatter us!” The creature laughed, “But no… we did not shoot you.”

“Did you set your own boat on fire, meleg’kijov?” The second asked in sincerity, “It just… boomed?”

“Who are you talking to?” Varkon demanded.

The two creatures looked at each other, puzzled once more.

“You?” They asked in unison, “Are your audio receptors broken, meleg’kijov?”

“That’s not my name!” Varkon screamed in protest.

“We… know?” The second creature shrugged, “But… you do not. Brother, this is a special case. Perhaps on next shipment out, we send this thing--”

“I am a Toa!”

“We have visual receptors, yes.”

“I am not a thing!” Varkon growled.

“Brother,” the first creature sighed, “let us just get it to shelter… it requires help.”

“You require help!” Varkon roared.

The Toa of Fire leapt to his feet, stumbled for a bit, and swung his fist for the closest creature that stood by. Varkon knew he was just as talented in hand-to-hand combat as he was in riflemanship, having disarmed and killed several thousand targets on his own with just his hands. He prided himself on the idea that he didn’t even need his Toa or kanohi powers to inflict pains and death, because he knew he was just that good. After all, when stealth fails, a louder approach was the only other option--

He wasn’t hitting anything. His fists made impact with nothing. Perhaps the creature stepped out of the way? Varkon tried to move his head to look up, but he couldn’t. It was as if it was being held in place by something… his visual receptors turned up, focusing on the beast that was holding all of Varkon’s fury back with a simple extended arm. The creature no longer looked amused, it just looked dreadfully bored and annoyed. But it underestimated him, and that would be its downfall!

Varkon tried to raise his sniper back up to fire into the exposed stomach of the creature, using only one hand as he pulled the trigger and--

“Ow!” Varkon cried as the knockback for the weapon threw his shoulder out of place, as the weapon was knocked out of his possession. He… admittedly never fired the weapon before, and he didn’t even know that it would have any form of recoil considering how strong he was.

“By the Void,” the second creature sighed, “this cannot be real!”

“Is a practical joke, yes?” The first asked, looking squarely at Varkon, “And yes, I talk to you!”

“What would you do if I said ‘no?” Varkon asked innocently, “Just a hypothetical!”

“Just…” The first groaned, “why are you come here? What are you doing?”

“I’m here to kill someone called ‘Pole mist us?” Varkon asked more than answered, “He is some dictator! Someone who is very evil!”

The two creatures looked at each other. And they laughed.

Again.

“S-stop laughing!” Varkon demanded.

“You joke!” The creatures continued to laugh, “You are here to kill Polemistis? Grand evil dictator? You are our hero! Miv kto-paravii dvy! Hero of the Lykos!”

Varkon blinked.

“Y-yes!” Varkon laughed uncomfortably, “Just show me where he is, and I will save you both!”

“Yes, yes!” The first shook his head in excitement, “We show you now! Get your gun, you save our people!”

Varkon laughed to himself.

It was almost too easy for him.