Mythos: Encounter

Writer|Stormjay Rider}}

Encounter is a story in 's Mythos series. Told as a journal entry made by Toa Donakh, it describes the first meeting between him and Jethryn.

Chapter 1
Running away. The signature of cowards and weaklings. It means to make your way with all speed away from a danger, instead of going at all speed towards it, like a real person would.

I, Toa Donakh, should never be caught running away.

But, that day, I found myself running. And the reason why?

I had to go back and get a stupid hammer.

Someday, I need to get that hammer redone so that I can travel with it. Jethryn could probably fix that up, he's good with mechanics. Come on, Donakh, you're digressing again. You haven't even told them who Jethryn is yet.

Not that anyone besides me is ever going to read this journal anyway. But what better thing does one do marooned on a hostile island? Come on, Donakh, back to the story.

I was running back to my camp in the jungle. I've been living on a Karzahni of an island called Daxia for about five thousand years now. If you haven't heard of Daxia, then too bad, because it's supposed to be a secret. Part of why they want to kill me or drag me back into their fortress, so I don't let anyone know where I've been. Probably explains why I've never tried an all-or-nothing escape attempt as well -- They'll give it their all so I get nothing.

That and the Shallows Cats. Mighty dangerous Rahi.

Donakh, you're doing it again.

My little camp is located a good way into the jungle, and so far as I know the Order has never found it out. The possessions I have on this island are small -- this journal, a few clumps of materials that could somehow help my escape, a pair of protosteel swords, and the hammer. The hammer is my most prized possession, for not only is it a weapon through which I use my Toa power, but it includes my own crafted head, carved into the shape that serves as a reminder of what happened there.

Dang it, Donakh, you're bad at writing a narrative.

Chapter 2
I think I've got most of the necessary fill-ins out of the way, so I'll just get on with telling you how we first met.

I had grabbed my hammer and ran back -- towards the danger -- to the road, to await whoever was pursuing me. The sky was grey and cloudy, and what light there was behind the clouds was beginning to fade. I could see some lights coming from the fortress in the distance, ahead of the clouds, but not bright enough to change the sky. I also saw a blue glow, not a part of the fortress's lights -- my prey.

I wasn't quite sure who he was. Although I am one of the universe's most powerful Toa -- a result of not following the other Toa's stupid code -- I've learned never to underestimate these Order members. That was why I wanted my hammer in hand, although I am perfectly capable of fighting without it. Have I mentioned that Toa of Stone are the best Toa in the universe at channeling their elemental power through their feet?

I waited on the edge of the road as my quarry came closer to me. Eventually, I should see its silhouette -- about Toa-sized, with armor that was large but flexible.

When he was almost in front of me, I lifted my foot up, felt the power of stone filling me leg, and brought it down.

I could see the products easily -- the ground in front of me surged up and down, like an ocean wave, but painful. The mass of bulging stone obscured the stranger from my view for a second, but when it subsided I saw that he had been knocked away.

Easy prey.

I traveled down the road, where the stones had come down from the stonewave in irregular pattern, to my enemy, who was laying faceup on the ground. He -- for I saw that it was a he -- was clad all in black, except for some silver patches which were now covered with mud and dirt. He had no Kanohi that I had ever known -- instead, he wore a smaller mask covering his mouth but leaving his eyes and forehead exposed. His head was covered in a black cloak. I had no reason for keeping him alive, so I came up to him, preparing to impale him on my stone power.

Before I could do that, however, he kicked me in the waist, pushing me back a ways. Recovering from the initial stun, I scrambled to my hands and knees, but saw that the stranger was standing above me. His eyes, which glowed blue, were furrowed, but he did not speak. I saw that he was holding, in his right hand, something between a spear and a blade -- it had a long handle, and a sharp point, but two equally sharp blades on each side.

I looked around for my hammer, and saw it laying to my right. After a second of hesitation, I leaped out of the range of his blade to the hammer. He pursued me, and pulled back his blade to strike, but I grabbed my hammer and rolled out of the path of the oncoming blade, which struck the stones of the road. I got back on my feet and pulled back my hammer, preparing to strike him with elemental power in its head. However, he blocked the oncoming hammer with his blade, and the strike of stone dissipated into the air.

I pulled back my hammer and took a step away, then brought it down on him again. He blocked the attack again, but while he held his blade up to keep the hammer away I drew it back and then brought the top of the hammer, horizontally, into his face, stunning him. While he was stunned I pulled back the hammer and brought it down on his head full force. He fell lifeless before my eyes.

I stood over him, examining the results -- and noticed something was wrong. His heartlight still glowed strong, not the characteristic flashing of one near death.

Suddenly, he sprang up from his prostrate position out of my sight, and before I could turn around I beheld two blades in front of me, one drawn across my neck and another pointing at my heartlight.

Muaka dung, I muttered. It had appeared that, for whatever their foolishness, the Matoran legends might have been right about something.

''Never underestimate someone in a black cloak. They always have hidden knives.''

Chapter 3
So there I was, on a road used by my greatest enemies in the middle of the night, taken prisoner by a black-cloaked assassin pointing a pair of knives at me.

He had his tricks -- who said I didn't have mine?

I slowly turned my head to the right, until I could get a glimpse of my assailant in the corner of my eye. I looked at his head, searching for pure information -- something people who don't wear Komaus might not understand. To my surprise and delight, I could see into his mind clearly -- he wasn't mind shielded.

Still looking into his mind, I enunciated, "Drop the blades."

I heard the clatter of metal against stone, proof that my Komau had done his work.

"Back away", I said.

I heard footsteps behind me. I turned myself around fully and got a good glimpse at him. He glowed with a yellow tinge -- another sign that the mind-control was working. His obscure mask still intrigued me, so I followed up with "Take off your mask."

He stood still. One of the weaknesses of the Komau -- it never can make anyone do something against their will, and this being's will was strong enough that would not refuse to take his mask off.

Still, my curiosity got the better of me, so I repeated again, "Take off your mask."

He didn't move. Frustrated, I surged forward and slapped him across the mask. I could hear the cracking sound of the mask's inner circuits breaking. However, in doing this I broke the mental connection of the Komau, allowing him to move against me. Within a few seconds, I had been slammed against the ground, with my own Komau in the hands of the broken-masked stranger, who was now standing over me.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said.

"You knew what was out here," I spat back.

"Actually, no," he replied. "But if this outside world is too dangerous, I suppose I must return to die in that base."

"Coward," I returned.

He responded with a quick burst of lightning, which landed less than a tenth of a bio away from my face.

"Fortunately," he said, "'Too dangerous' is not enough of a reason for me to turn back.

"When will your masters learn that I don't intend to go back with you, except as a dead body?"

"What?" he said. A look of confusion entered his face. It was then that that reason set back into my mind, replacing the fury of the fight -- he couldn't be one of the Order, because he wasn't mind-shielded like the rest of them. I decided, for a second, to see where I got by believing him.

"Pardon," I said. "I thought you were one of them."

"The inhabitants of that fortress I just got out of?

"Exactly. So it appears I'm not the only one who escaped captivity."

"What is your name?"

"Donakh."

"Donakh..." he repeated. "I've heard that name before, but I don't quite remember who it belonged to... I'm Jethryn."

"Don't believe I've heard of you." I said.

"Never heard?" He said, in mild surprise. Not heard of the Strike of Lightning? The Shadow Outcast? The Flash in the Night?"

"Never", I returned.

"There's one other name you might know me by -- The Stormhawk."

Cast of Characters

 * Donakh
 * Jethryn
 * Several Order of Mata Nui agents