User blog:Toa Jalokim/Knightmare- A short story by Jalokim

Sir Jalokim walked through the corridors of King Sekatala's castle in New Atero. He had been awoken from his slumber by his fellow Knights, being told that there was an intruder in the castle. According to Tamaru, head scout of the Knights of New Atero, it was one of the rebels that the Knights had been defending the King from for about 500 years.



These fools just don't know when to quit.



It took Jalokim a while to realize that it was awfully quiet in the castle. He thought he ordered Nylehsa to sound the alarm, but even his memory was being affected by age. Jalokim had lived a long life by now, even for a Toa.



The old Knight heard a sound. Probably nothing, he thought, as even he knew he had hallucinations from time to time. Jalokim decided just to make sure. Being cautious is what kept him alive for 100 000 years.



The Toa of earth turned the corner where he heard the sound come from. What met him made his heartlight stop.



It was a giant mask. Not just any mask, a giant blue Noble Huna. The same mask belonging to Toa Seerah, someone he thought he had buried in his mind forever.



Jalokim stood there as the mask stared at him with large, empty eyeholes. The mask was judging him. It forced Jalokim to remember all the choices he made, everything that others would have been too afraid to do.



Jalokim forced himself to turn around, only to see another Huna. Everywhere he looked, he saw the “face” of the Toa he trusted the most, looking at him as if he were worthless.



<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">The Knight dropped his sword and collapsed. The Toa of earth was taking large, quick breaths. His heartlight flashed like a strobe light.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">His mind raced. He kept on apologizing to the masks, but they seemed to press closer, as if Jalokim had just proved his guilt.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">After a while, the faces disappeared. A blue and white Toa of water wearing a blue Huna steps up from where the faces were. She unlimbered her crossbow and took aim at Jalokim.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">She fired. The projectile struck Jalokim in the gut, blasting a hole in him. Jalokim writhed on the floor in agony. Two cloaked figures appeared with blasters and shot Jalokim in different parts of his body.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">“That's what you deserve for not helping me, 'Sir' Jalokim.” said the Toa of Water.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Everyone disappeared. Jalokim, still being in extreme pain, checked his wounds. The projectiles had lodged themselves into the holes they made in his body. It wouldn't exactly be pretty if they got dislodged.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Jalokim slowly rose to his feet. Pain coursed through his body. He nearly passed out right there, but something kept him going. He needed to find the other Knights, alert the King even.

<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">As he made his way to the throne room, Jalokim reflected on his life so far. He was created by the Great Beings as one of the protectors of Mata Nui while he was still being constructed. In the early days, Jalokim helped found the Hand of Artahka, acting as the head of intelligence in the group.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">After the Hand of Artahka was disbanded, Jalokim travelled the Matoran Universe. During his travels, he ran into several Toa, and eventually they banded together to form the Toa Rozo. Each member wasn't like your average Toa in the Matoran universe, each had been created by the Great Beings as Toa from the start. Each Toa had something else which separated them from the rest.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Eventually, the Hand of Artahka returned as the Order of Mata Nui, and recruited the Toa Rozo as a black ops subgroup. The Toa Rozo would guard the Dimensional borders from inter-dimensional threats as well as execute covert tasks for the Order.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Jalokim and his Toa Rozo had many adventures in alternate universes, but unfortunately, not everyone survived to see tell the tale. Only Three members of the Toa Rozo remain, the three being Jalokim, Seerah, and Dranoel.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">The Toa Rozo inspired the birth of another Order of Mata Nui subgroup, the Chronicler's Company, with the Rozo's former Chronicler leading them. When the Red Star was destroyed, leaving Mata Nui stranded on a distant planet he was studying, the Toa Rozo aided the Chronicler's company in finding resources to upgrade Mata Nui's propulsion systems to escape the planet's orbit.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Eventually, Mata Nui succeeded in his mission of restoring Spherus Magna, only to discover that a Makuta had ruled the planet in Mata Nui's absence. Normally, the Makuta would have been detained, but this Makuta was not corrupt like his brethren from his native dimension. In fact, this Makuta had saved Mata Nui from falling asleep in his dimension.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">The Makuta had welcomed the Matoran Universe inhabitants, and Turaga Dume of Metru Nui, representing all species of the Matoran Universe, agreed to joining the Commonwealth of Spherus Magna. Thus, the Makuta ruled all species as King Sekatala. The King formed a group of legendary warriors known as the “Knights of New Atero” to serve as the protectors of his Kingdom. Jalokim was knighted and appointed as leader of the Knights.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Not everyone liked the idea of having one being to rule over all, so Seerah formed the rebellion. Jalokim never heard from her until this night.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Jalokim made a mental note to let someone else take command of the Knights. He was getting old, and his mental illnesses were starting to get worse. He was worried he would lead the Knights to their demise if he continued leading. He would still serve as a Knight, but he would rather have someone more capable to lead.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">The pain Jalokim felt started to get the better of him. He stumbled forward and fell. When he hit the ground, he noticed that his midsection was getting cold...

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">To his horror, the projectiles had dislodged themselves. The hole was massive.... and his organic components were spilling out of it. Jalokim's heart sank. This was the end. There was no way he could survive his internal organs exiting his torso from his wound for long.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Jalokim went limp. He couldn't feel anything. Then, everything slowly went dark...

<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Jalokim woke in his quarters with a start. His heartlight flashed rapidly, his breathing ragged. It had all been a dream. Or was it? How could he be so sure? After all, without the Red Star, no one knew what happened after death.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Jalokim heard a knock at his door.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">“Enter.”

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Nylehsa, weapons specialist of the Knights of New Atero and former leader of the Chronicler's Company, stepped in.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">“Jalokim, his majesty would like to see you about a personal matter you brought to his attention.”

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">Jalokim rose, wondering what it could be.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">“Did he say what it was?”

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">“Something about your mental health, that's all I know. Hey, are you alright?”

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">“Am I ever?”

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal">With that, Jalokim pushed Nylesha aside and left for the throne room. Hopefully, this would all be sorted out soon.

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<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom:0cm;font-style:normal"> The End