Beastmaster

Beatsmaster is a story serial by FYI following the story of the mutant exile, Horror, his crab Pirian and a ramshackle pack of Rahi allies.

Chapter 1
Across the sandy plains of the island of Marun Nui, a lone Steed crab skittered idly across the dunes. Although the size of a Boxor vehicle and double armored, the only though going through the Rahi’s head was Food! The same could not be said for the being riding it. Reptilian green and the size of a Toa, another Rahi, this one a Pygmy Tahtorak, sat contentedly on the Steed crab’s bright red faceplate, looking up at the blue sky. This Rahi’s name was Horror. It was amazing that he even had a name, could talk, red, write, or, well, do anything a Matoran could do at all. And he could not forget it.

Horror’s destination was the area known as the Airship Graveyard by many, a place where the bizarre magnetic field generated in the desert claimed anything metal that happened to be flying over it. Sadly, this included many ships. When a ship was at the mercy of the field, all machinery was deactivated. Then the ship would fall to the sands. Most of the passengers died on impact. Those that survived were left to the native Rahi. Horror saw it as a place where he could spend time with the natural world, leave the burdens of sentience behind. The Rahi that used the crashed ships as home accepted him there.

When he reached the area, he climbed off of Pirian’s back and lay in the sand. Pirian yipped, unsatisfied. Grinning, Horror pulled a vial from his belt and fed some water to the Rahi. Satisfied, Pirian lay down on his back next to him, snuffling. Horror watched the Rahi. A relatively new arrival, a Ta-Matoran Cargo Hauler, had been dragged face first into a crater. A few Rahi, cautious of the vehicle, as always with new crashes, gripped the glassy, mirror like sheen over the hull of the craft.

The Rahi were an interesting pack – a single orange Forloper, a jet black Harpier, an Inika Spider, and a Flame Cobra. An interesting sort, given the differences between the different species. He had encountered them many times before. They were more wary of him than other packs, except for the Forloper. Horror pulled a small stone tablet from the bag strapped to Pirian’s underside, along with a crystalline pen. Made out of a knowledge tower crystal, the pen contained a small amount of molten protodermis, which engraved letters onto the stone better and more accurately than a chisel. Watching the Rahi with interest he began to write.

1.	Forloper. Orange, standard one eye, strong arms, weak back limbs. Smallest of the pack, seems to be next-to-oldest. Friendly disposition. Seems to like playing with the levitation disks.

Indeed the Forloper was idly playing with the levitation and increase weight disks built into the airship, hovering a few meters above the dunes, then falling and rolling down them.

2.	Harpier. Black, red eyes, bipedal. No arms. Oldest of the pack, relatively large. Seems to be wary, but not hostile. Does not like the Forloper – it is annoying him.

The Forloper, finished playing with the disks, was now stumbling after the Halpier, mewling and prodding it’s powerfully muscled legs.

3.	Flame cobra. Red and black, long tale. Seems wary, bordering on hostile.

The Flame Cobra was a bit of a mystery. Horror could not tell much about him, only that it seemed to have a great dislike of:

4.	Inika Spider. White and blue, electrified limbs. Leader of the pack. Big boss. All shall bow down to the zap-y spider.

Horror completed today’s notes, pleased with himself.