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This article was written by DarthVorath. Please do not add to it without the writer's permission.
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| A World of Darkness | |
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| Story | |
| Setting | |
| Date Set |
7-8 months AGC
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| Media Information | |
| Released |
March 18, 2020
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| Timeline | |
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A World of Darkness is a story by DarthVorath and the fifth and final installment in the Empire of Makuta Saga.
Story[]
Chapter One[]
“You better have a good reason for summoning me, brother,” Makuta Spiriah growled as he landed on the black sands of Artidax.
“If I didn’t, would I be risking my life to meet you here?” Makuta Krika retorted sharply.
It had been several years since Krika had last seen Spiriah. After the disastrous results of his tampering with the Skakdi species, Spiriah had gone into hiding after the Brotherhood had declared him a rogue agent. Krika had to admit he was surprised Spiriah had even responded to his call, though it was possible the Makuta of Zakaz considered Krika more forgiving than most Makuta. After all, Krika had been the one who decided to spare Makuta Miserix.
When Teridax seized control of the Brotherhood, Krika had been one of the last to join him. Having reservations about the Plan, Krika had spared Miserix rather than kill him as ordered, in case the former Makuta leader was needed should Teridax’s plan turn out for the worse. For better or for worse, it seemed that Krika had been right in his judgment.
“I must admit,” Spiriah said as he walked up to his fellow Makuta. “I would have thought you’d be back at Destral, invading Metru Nui.”
Krika frowned. He had not been to Destral since the Hand of Artakha had attacked. He had hoped leading Mallake and his followers to Destral would have impeded the Empire’s conquest at least somewhat. Clearly that was not the case if they were already taking back Metru Nui.
Noticing his brother’s hesitation, Spiriah tilted his head. “Unless... you are no longer on speaking terms with the rest of the Brotherhood.”
“You could say that,” Krika murmured. “You do realize where we are, correct?”
“Of course I do. It’s where we brought Miserix. Where you decided to do the stupidest thing a Makuta could do.”
“If you knew of my treachery, why didn’t you do anything about it?”
Spiriah snorted. “And just who would’ve believed me? You outrank me whereas I’ve always been the laughing stock of the Brotherhood. I would’ve only made more of a fool of myself had I told anyone.”
“Perhaps you have a point.” Krika fell silent for a moment, casting his gaze to the active volcanoes of Artidax. Finally, in a low whisper, he said, “You realize why we’re here.”
Spiriah frowned. “Do you actually think it will work?”
“No. But it’s all I can think to do. Teridax must be stopped and Miserix may very well be the only one who can stop him.”
“He won’t be pleased to see us.”
“I know,” was all Krika said as he began making his way towards the central volcano.
Macku held her breath as she watched the squad of Rahkshi and Vahki Zadakh march past her. Behind them trailed over a dozen Po-Matoran, all held in shackles as they were taken to the prison in the Canyon of Unending Whispers. She scanned the group to see if Hafu was among them but did not spot the carver.
Once the entourage had passed, Macku made a dash for the hideout, quickly squeezing herself into the alleyway and crawling through the crack in the wall, just big enough for a Matoran to fit through. As soon as she had gotten through to the other side, she was greeted with an armful of Po-Matoran.
“Thank Mata Nui you made it,” Hewkii said as he tightened the hug.
Macku managed a grin despite her insides being crushed. “Those... Vahki... wouldn’t know what.... Okay, you can let go now.”
Hewkii apologized as he released her. Once Macku had recomposed herself, she looked around at the other Matoran in the former Toa Metru hideout. Nuparu was huddled in a corner, tinkering with some kind of machinery. In another corner, a red Ta-Matoran was moving slowly in one place, though Macku had no idea what he was trying to accomplish. Finally, standing in the center of the room was the Ko-Matoran Matoro, studying some kind of tablet in his hands. He lifted his head to give Macku a nod of acknowledgment before returning his attention to the tablet.
Turning back to Hewkii, Macku said, “Have you heard word from the others? I already know Nokama won’t be able to leave her occupation....”
Hewkii shook his head. “Nothing. Matau was supposed to be here by now, but he obviously hasn’t made it yet. Matoro tells me that the Vahki in his Metru have Nuju in their thrall. Great Spirit knows where Vakama is....”
Macku gestured to the slow-moving Ta-Matoran. “Wouldn’t he know? He’s a Ta-Matoran, isn’t he?”
“His name’s Kapura, and he says he hasn’t seen Vakama since the invasion began.”
Macku slowly nodded as she regarded Kapura carefully. After a moment, she glanced back at Hewkii. “Do you know why he’s...?”
“No,” he muttered. “I’ve been too afraid to ask.”
She let out a sigh. So far, this resistance wasn’t shaping up to be as strong as the one she was a part of back when they first rose against Makuta. It didn’t help that they now had the entire Brotherhood on their shores, with endless hordes of Rahkshi, Vahki, and Visorak at their disposal. It was honestly a miracle that enough of them had escaped capture so far given how swift the takeover had been.
Shifting her attention to Nuparu, she walked over to the Onu-Matoran and took a moment to regard the machine he was working on. It looked like some kind of walker with long arms ending in hooks and a small cockpit for a Matoran to fit inside.
At this point, Macku was well-aware of Nuparu’s history with mobile machines. Between the Kralhi, the Vahki, and the short-lived Kralik, the inventor had not had a good track record for machines that didn’t turn out bad for the Matoran. She could only imagine the amount of pressure he had weighing on his shoulders at this very moment.
As Macku struggled to think of something to say, Nuparu spoke to her without even looking up from his work. “Don’t worry. This one won’t have a mind of its own.”
“Come again?” Macku asked.
“This one can be operated by a Matoran. It won’t be like the Kralhi or the Vahki or the—”
“Nuparu.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Stop beating yourself up over those things. You know that none of us blame you, right? Especially not for the Vahki; that’s all Makuta’s doing.”
“You did, once,” Nuparu replied.
Macku closed her eyes as she exhaled deeply. “That was before I realized how big this situation really was. This is... this is bigger than any of us. And we all need to stick together if we want to have any hope of getting through this.”
“Dang, that’s pretty deep,” said Kapura, appearing right behind Macku.
The Ga-Matoran let out a yell, nearly falling into Nuparu and his work. “Mata Nui! How did you— I didn’t even hear you walk up to me! You were way over there!”
Kapura beamed. “You mean it worked? My stealth technique was successful?”
“If by ‘stealth technique’ you mean ‘scare the living daylights out of me,’ then yeah, it was really successful.” Macku rolled her eyes. “Seriously, don’t ever do that again.”
Kapura was still smiling as he walked back to his corner. Shaking her head, Macku turned back to Nuparu to see him staring at the Ta-Matoran with a curious expression.
“What is it?” she asked him.
“Nothing,” he murmured, rubbing his chin. “Just thought I had an idea....”
“Well, we’re going to need some kind of plan if we want to move forward,” chimed in Hewkii. “I’m having Matoro try and decipher tablets Kodan left behind when he was Chronicler.”
Macku tilted her head at the Ko-Matoran. “Why do you need to decipher them?”
“Kodan always wrote in a special language he made up so that no one could read his work and copy it,” Hewkii explained. “Kodan was strange like that.”
“And Matoro can translate it?”
“I’ve always had an interest in different languages,” said Matoro. “Whenever I visit the Onu-Metru Archives, I like to study how the Rahi communicate with their kin.”
“And what exactly is it that Kodan’s written that could be of use to us?” Macku asked.
“Toa Mangai battle plans.”
Macku blinked, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Kodan followed the Toa Mangai wherever they went,” Matoro went on. “He would observe how they operated as a team and how Toa Lhikan would plan out their missions.”
“And... you really think we would be able to pull them off? We don’t even have elemental or mask powers like Toa do.”
“Obviously we would have to modify them to account for our limitations,” said Hewkii. “Think of it like an Akilini game; different matches call for different strategies.”
Macku frowned. “Except we’re not going up against another team of Matoran. We’re going up against the entire Brotherhood of Makuta.”
“Hey, since when did the Toa Mangai ever go up against another team of Toa?” Hewkii pointed out. “If they could bring down the Kanohi Dragon, then we can take down the Makuta.”
Macku did not feel quite as optimistic as Hewkii was, but she couldn’t bring herself to argue with the Po-Matoran. “I suppose any form of action is better than inaction,” she admitted. “So long as we’re all in this together.”
“Agreed,” said Kapura, appearing right behind her.
Macku didn’t even bother stopping her fist from flying into the Ta-Matoran’s face.
Chapter Two[]
“Does anyone else feel like there’s something fishy about this whole thing?”
Standing at the bow of their ship, Lesovikk did not turn to look at Seldaan who had just spoken out. None of the other Toa Tenebrae said anything at first until Zaria quietly cleared his throat.
“Why do you say that?” asked the Toa of Iron.
“Just think about it,” Seldaan replied. “This secret organization, whom nobody’s ever heard of, gathers a bunch of Toa who nobody likes to send to an island where no one’s ever returned from to bring down a tyrant who is the subject of legend. They have a Saevta who can teleport to anywhere in the universe and snap you in half just by glaring at you... yet they send us to deal with Karzahni. Does no one else see the flaw in that logic?”
“To be fair, it sounds like they’ve got plenty of other issues to deal with,” said Chiara. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Makuta are kind of in control at the moment.”
“Still, they’ve got a Saevta. They should already have Karzahni in the bag by now.”
“Maybe this is a test for us,” Zaria said. “Like you said, we’re all — well, except for Varian — Toa who nobody’s really fond of. This could be our chance to prove ourselves.”
Seldaan snorted. “Justify it all you want. I still think there’s some ulterior motive to all this.”
“Well, I think you’re being paranoid,” said Chiara. “Right, Lesovikk?”
Lesovikk grunted in response. “Sure.”
Without looking at them, he could tell that the others were staring at him, exchanging uncertain expressions. He could also tell that both Orde and Varian were trying to get a read on him.
As if on cue, Orde said, “Are we nearing Karzahni?”
“We just passed through Zakaz’ sea gate,” Arctur said before Lesovikk could answer. “Karzahni’s should be next.”
“That’s only if they gave us the proper directions,” Seldaan muttered.
Lesovikk’s grip tightened over the edge of the boat. His heart beat the rhythm of a war drum against his chest. Already he could hear the dying screams of Matoran, the maniacal laughter of a deranged tyrant....
“Is he all right?” He could barely hear Varian through the noise of his own thoughts.
Orde slowly rose and stepped over to Lesovikk, resting a hand on his shoulder. The Toa of Air did not so much as flinch or budge, keeping his gaze on the destination ahead.
“Don’t let yourself be blinded by revenge,” Orde said quietly. “It won’t lead you anywhere good.”
“He needs to be brought to justice,” Lesovikk said under his breath.
“To justice, yes. In one piece. I don’t think the people who recruited us want him dead.”
“You think I’m going to try to kill him?”
“I mean... if you don’t keep your anger in check—”
“Don’t talk to me about anger!” Lesovikk snapped, swatting Orde’s hand away as he spun around to face the Toa of Psionics. “Not after what you did to the Zyglak!”
A dark cloud fell over Orde’s face as he stepped back. “You know that it was not my intention to—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Lesovikk growled. “Point is, you and I have both made severe mistakes. Everyone here has. We are not heroes; just failures. Failures who are expendable.”
“That’s a way to boost morale,” Arctur muttered.
Without warning, Lesovikk stormed up to him. “You’re a Toa of Gravity, aren’t you?”
Arctur let out a startled yelp. “Uh-um, yeah?”
“If I were to give you the order to crush Karzahni with your powers — if it were to come to that — would you do it?”
“Uh....” Arctur’s eyes darted to the others, making eye contact with anyone but the irate Toa standing in front of him. “Maybe...?”
“What do you mean maybe?”
“I mean, it would depend on the situation—”
“Listen here,” Lesovikk said quietly, leaning in closer to the Toa of Gravity. “This being — this demon — that we’re dealing with dedicates his life to torturing Matoran and rebuilding them into broken, lackluster bodies. If we bring him down, no matter the cost, think of all the Matoran we would be sparing from that fate.”
Zaria coughed. “Kind of a moot point, given the Makuta are—ow!” He was silenced by Chiara elbowing him in the gut.
Ignoring the exchange, Lesovikk kept his gaze locked on the nervous Arctur. “I don’t know how long you’ve been a Toa, but in case you’ve forgotten, it is our duty to defend the Matoran. All of them. If we don’t stop Karzahni, how many more are going to suffer at his hands?”
Arctur didn’t answer him nor did he meet his gaze. Grunting with annoyance, Lesovikk turned and returned to the bow of the ship.
“I failed to save the Matoran of my homeland from being sent to a terrible fate,” he muttered. “This is my only chance to make up for my failure.”
“But if you break the Toa Code in the process, can you really say you’ve redeemed yourself?” asked Varian.
Lesovikk sighed as he lowered his head, staring at the silvery sea as it carried them to their destination. “I stopped being a true Toa a long time ago....”
A large gust of wind sent the Manas crab flying over Takua’s head, causing the Chronicler to duck to avoid getting hit. He felt someone grab his arm as Rahaga Norik pulled him away, activating his back rotor to fly away from the chaos of the action.
A second Manas advanced towards Toa Orkahm, its claws snapping viciously. The Toa of Air brandished his arm blades and assumed a defensive position, waiting for the right moment to strike. Once the Manas was less than a few feet away from him, Orkahm jumped and landed onto the back of the crab’s carapace. As the Manas began to spin wildly, searching for its opponent, Orkahm extended one of his blades and plunged it into the Rahi’s head. It let out a blood-curdling scream as it hurtled aimlessly towards a cliff edge. Orkahm jumped off just as the Manas drove itself off the cliff and into the raging seas below.
Takua heard Norik make a disgusted sound as they watched the battle from above. “Barbaric,” he muttered.
Having heard him, Orkahm shot the red Rahaga a nasty glare. “The Toa Code doesn’t extend to Rahi when it comes to killing,” said the Toa of Air. “Besides, what would you have us do? Let them kill us?”
“There’s more than one way to tame a Rahi,” said Rahaga Iruini as he launched a Rhotuka spinner from his back. It made its way to a Manas that Toa Vhisola was dealing with and conjured an energy net that snagged around the crab’s legs. As the Manas fumbled around, Vhisola created a wave of water that launched the Rahi up into the sky and sent it flying into the distance.
This did little to even the odds, however. More Manas were coming up from the canyon, replacing their fallen brothers. Vhisola attempted to create another blast of water but succeeded in only creating a few droplets. Her damaged mask, leftover from their fight with Umarak, was starting to take its toll on her.
As if noticing her weakened state, one of the Manas advanced towards Vhisola and swung its claw into her chest, throwing her back. Orkahm cried out her name just as Rahaga Bomonga fired his Rhotuka spinner, freezing the Manas where it stood. Orkahm then activated his Mask of Telekinesis and lifted the paralyzed Rahi off the ground before throwing it into the path of three others. They all scuttled to avoid being hit, though the center one still ended up being smashed upon impact.
Still, the Rahi were not deterred. The Manas pressed on their attack, dodging the Rahaga’s Rhotuka spinners and Orkahm’s elemental attacks. As the Toa of Air clashed with one of the crabs, another came up to attack him from behind. Takua’s verbal warning came too late as the Manas struck Orkahm in the back and sent him sprawling to the ground. Despite the Rahaga’s efforts to impede the Rahi, the Manas proceeded to surround the defeated Toa and lift him off the ground. Others did the same with Vhisola before turning to carry the Toa back into the canyon whence they came.
“Where are they taking them?” Gaaki asked as she launched another spinner at the retreating Rahi.
“Great Spirit knows,” said Kualus. “But we have to stop them!”
“There is no stopping the inevitable.”
The voice had come from a lone figure that had suddenly appeared at the top of a slope up ahead. The size of a Matoran, his body was warped and twisted. His arms were long and thin while his legs were short and looked almost like stumps. Adorning his face was a haunting mask that obscured his eyes in darkness while the mouthpiece made it seem like he was hallowing in pain. He carefully regarded Takua and the six Rahaga from where he stood, making no move to greet them.
“Do you know where they’re taking them?” Norik called out to the newcomer.
The strange Matoran ignored the question as he said, “Follow me. Our master awaits.”
“We have no interest to meet with Karzahni,” said Pouks. “Tell us how to save our friends so that we can leave!”
“There is no leaving Karzahni. If you are wise, you will follow me.”
“And if we refuse to do as you say?” asked Iruini.
The Matoran shook his head. “You have no choice.”
As if on cue, a new horde of Manas crabs appeared behind him. They dispersed until they had the Rahaga and Takua surrounded, leaving no room for escape.
“This is your home now. Our home.”
Chapter Three[]
Krika had made sure to disable or remove all of the traps he had set up to prevent anyone who visited Artidax from finding Miserix, as well as to prevent Miserix himself from escaping. As such, the trek from the shore of the island into the volcano that contained Miserix was uneventful. Still, he could sense that Spiriah was at unease, as if he suspected Krika of leading him into a trap. After all, most of the Brotherhood wanted him dead. This would have been the perfect opportunity to kill him.
But Krika was in no mood to kill a fellow Makuta. If he was, neither of them would be here now, doing what they were about to do.
The pathway Krika had created thousands of years ago led them deep underground through a winding maze of caverns. After bypassing the dormant traps, they soon reached the vast chamber that contained Makuta Miserix, former leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta.
Yet all they found instead was a massive red dragon.
Krika froze in his steps, Spiriah stopping right behind him. The latter Makuta looked over his brother’s shoulder to regard the reptilian monstrosity. Standing forty feet tall and surrounded by small Klakk bats, it wore the red and silver armor that he associated with Miserix, but he certainly didn’t recall their former leader being this large. If that had been the case 78,000 years ago, then Teridax never would have dared attempt dethroning him.
“I can see why you were afraid to kill him,” he said wryly.
Krika ignored the remark, staring in astonishment at the sight before him. He watched as a shadow hand shot out from the dragon’s chest and grabbed a Klakk circling above its head, absorbing the small Rahi into its body. That was all the proof Krika needed that this was indeed Miserix... after thousands of years’ worth of body augmentation.
“At this point, Teridax doesn’t stand a chance,” Krika said quietly to himself.
Suddenly, the dragon shifted and the two Makuta were soon recipient to its baleful gaze. Its eyes flashed red as they landed on Krika.
“You....” The ground seemed to tremble when Miserix spoke, like an avalanche waiting to happen.
Krika cleared his throat, bowing his head slightly. “Makuta Miserix. It’s... it’s been too long.”
Miserix snarled in disgust. “You are a bold one for showing your face here after so long.”
“My liege, please understand. What I did was for the sake of protecting you from the wrath of Teridax—”
“I would have rather died than suffer the fate you subjected me to!” Miserix bellowed, causing Krika and Spiriah to shrink away. “Give me an honorable death, not this mockery of a life!”
“I told you he wouldn’t be happy to see us,” Spiriah muttered.
Krika stepped closer to the dragon, flinching only slightly when the larger Makuta growled. “We need your help,” he began.
“Oh, isn’t that rich,” Miserix said. “Only now, when it best suits your needs, do you realize the error of your ways.”
“Teridax’s plan is accelerating faster than anticipated,” Krika went on. “The Brotherhood has seized control of Metru Nui and already has nearly half the universe under its rule. Teridax has grown mad with power.”
“And it’s only taken you this long to realize this?”
“At the very least, it’s taken me this long to realize that his plan will do more bad than good. That’s why we need you. The Toa have failed and the Matoran are helpless; you are the last resort.”
“Oh, I am so honored,” Miserix said snidely. “And just how do I know that this isn’t some kind of ploy to kill me?”
“Search our minds,” Krika said. “You will find no deception.”
“Also, have you looked in a mirror recently?” Spiriah asked. “You’ve become a bit harder to kill in the last several centuries.”
Miserix stared intently at the two Makuta and Krika could feel the larger Makuta’s mind probing his. After a few minutes, the dragon let out a snort.
“You may still be naive and foolish,” the former Brotherhood leader said. “But at least you are honest about it.”
Satisfied with this response, Krika raised an arm and fired a bolt of energy at the dragon’s chains, shattering them. Miserix let out a triumphant roar as he burst free from his constraints, flexing his limbs after nearly 80,000 years of disuse. He then cast his gaze back down at the other two Makuta, a wicked grin displaying itself across his monstrous visage.
“Now then... where is Teridax?”
Vakama stood nervously before the doors to the Coliseum’s throne room, feeling the cold glares of the two Vahki Nuurakh standing behind him. Next to him stood his fellow Ta-Matoran Jaller, the newly-appointed Captain of the Metru Nui Guard. Even under the Makuta’s rule Jaller remained in the position Turaga Dume had given him weeks ago, though Vakama could tell from the dour expression on his mask that he was not particularly happy about that fact. Still, neither of them could say a word on the subject while in the presence of the Vahki, let alone being so close to the Makuta himself.
Behind the doors, Vakama could hear voices. One of them sounded like Turaga Lhikan’s while the other spoke with a terrifying voice. It sounded like they were debating over some sort of matter; whatever it was, Lhikan’s desperate tone indicated that he was not a fan of the subject at hand.
Vakama had lost track of how long he had been standing here. He was too afraid to ask Jaller for fear of the Vahki reacting negatively. He spared a glance at his fellow Ta-Matoran and the Captain briefly met his gaze. An undetectable shrug was all he could convey to the mask maker.
At that moment, the voices beyond the doors went silent as they swung open without warning. Before Vakama had a chance to react, the Vahki Nuurakh began ushering him into the chamber.
“Thank you for your service, Captain,” rumbled the terrifying voice he had heard earlier, coming from a dark figure sitting upon the throne of Metru Nui. “That will be all.”
With that, the doors slammed shut, sealing Jaller outside. As the two Vahki took up flanking positions on either side of Vakama, the mask maker took a moment to take in the scene before him. To either side of the throne, he saw Turaga Dume and Lhikan standing there, no longer carrying the Firestaffs that had been their badges of office. Both of them wore fearful expressions behind their masks though neither spoke a word.
On the throne itself was a large figure clad in black and gold armor, with red energy seeping through its cracks. Adorning his face was an ornate Kanohi mask of a design that even Vakama did not recognize; it had a long crest extending from its top while two ridges flayed out on either side. Red eyes glowed from behind the ebony shape and Vakama was instantly filled with a feeling of fear.
“It is an honor to be in your presence, mask maker,” said the Makuta of Metru Nui.
Vakama swallowed hard, frozen in place and unable to divert his eyes from the Dark Lord’s intense gaze. “I... I beg your pardon?”
A sinister grin stretched itself across Makuta’s horrible visage. “Are you not the most proficient mask maker in all of Metru Nui?”
Vakama did not have an answer for that, nor was he sure if answering either way would incite Makuta’s wrath. Not waiting for a response, Makuta gestured with a clawed hand and Vakama found himself stepping closer to the throne, against his will.
“I would like to make a humble request.”
Vakama gulped, his heartbeat quickening. “A... a request?”
“I am sure you are familiar with the legend of the Mask of Time,” said Makuta.
Vakama’s eyes widened. In his peripheral vision he noticed the two Turaga shift uncomfortably but still he could not move his eyes to them. Somehow Makuta was forcing the mask maker to look at him and only him.
“I have heard of the legends, yes,” he said quietly.
Makuta chuckled, a sound that made Vakama sick to his stomach. “Then I am sure you can guess what it is I desire from you.”
“Makuta, with... with all due respect, no mask maker has ever successfully crafted such a powerful mask. Even mask makers better than me.”
“But you are the best mask maker left in Metru Nui. Your dear friend Nuhrii is no longer with us, and the other Ta-Matoran... their skills simply do not compare to yours.”
Such compliments coming from a being as horrible as Makuta served only to make Vakama feel dirty inside. Still, Makuta’s request was clear and it would be suicidal of him to decline it.
“I... I will see to it that it is done, my liege,” Vakama murmured, his head dropping to his chest as if weighed a ton.
“Most excellent,” rumbled Makuta. “And fortunately for you, I have all the materials you will need.”
Vakama’s head snapped up as a group of six Vahki entered the room and marched up to him. In their hands was a Kanoka disk, each representing one of the six Metru. To Vakama’s surprise, all the disks had a power level of nine; the highest he had ever seen on a Kanoka.
“These are the Great Disks,” said Makuta. “The most powerful Kanoka in all of existence. I am sure you will find them to be most useful in crafting the Mask of Time.”
As the Vahki handed the disks to Vakama, Turaga Lhikan spoke up. “Vakama... you don’t have to do this.”
“Oh, but he does,” Makuta said. “If he values his life, of course.”
“You won’t get what you want,” growled Turaga Dume. “The Mask of Time is a myth, nothing more.”
“I suppose we will all find out for ourselves in due time.” Makuta kept his gaze on Vakama as he spoke, filling the Ta-Matoran with the unshakable sense of fear once more. “And if it is... you will all suffer the price of failure.”
Chapter Four[]
The smoke exuding from the factories choked the atmosphere. In the distance, one could hear the clashing of metal and sizzling of iron as the Vortixx endlessly toiled away with their labors. The island of Xia knew no rest; to be inactive was to die, as the saying went.
Whether anyone was aware of the meeting that was taking place on Xia’s shores, Toa Helryx was not certain; nor, for that matter, did she care. With everything that was happening in the universe at the moment, she was no longer concerned with maintaining secrecy. Lives were at stake and this meeting was either going to make or break the future of the universe.
She stood patient and vigilant as the four Dark Hunters made the journey from their ship to where she and her party awaited them. To her left, Tobduk shifted uneasily, toying with the dagger sheathed on his hip. Johmak, on her right, was not quite as restless but was nonetheless regarding the Dark Hunters with a careful eye. Behind the three of them, unseen by all but acknowledged only by them, was the invisible Jerbraz. Although she couldn’t see him, Helryx knew he was as anxious about this meeting as the others were.
The Shadowed One moved across the beach with an air of confidence befitting the leader of the Dark Hunters. He was flanked by two of his most trusted servants: Sentrakh his bodyguard and Ancient his confidant. The latter, of course, Helryx knew to be the Order of Mata Nui’s mole within the Dark Hunters, though of course she would not acknowledge that fact in the presence of his leader. Trailing close behind the other three Dark Hunters was the Shadowed One’s living shadow Darkness. Whether the Shadowed One had brought Darkness along or Darkness had simply followed him here was anyone’s guess. In any case, whether the Shadowed One knew it or not, they were equal in terms of numbers.
The Dark Hunters soon came to a stop, standing within seven feet away from the four Order members. For a moment, each group regarded the other warily, as if waiting for the other to make a move. Eventually, the Shadowed One seized the opportunity to speak first.
“You must be the ‘contacts’ Ancient has spoken of.”
“And you must be the one they call ‘the Shadowed One,’” Helryx replied. “We would like to thank you for agreeing to meet with us.”
The Shadowed One chuckled darkly. “You Toa are as cordial as ever. Shall we cut to the chase?”
“I’m sure you already know why we are offering to form an alliance with you.”
“I suppose it has something to do with the Brotherhood of Makuta gaining dominance over the universe,” the Shadowed One said. “Unless you’re here to discuss the weather.”
Ancient glanced at him. “There is no need to be facetious, my liege,” the blue-and-gold Dark Hunter said quietly. “I assure you that this will not be a waste of your time.”
The Shadowed One sniffed. “So you say.” He then motioned to Helryx. “Go on, then. What is your offer?”
Helryx eyed him carefully as she spoke. “The Brotherhood has taken over Metru Nui. The island of Destral itself has teleported into the dome of the Great City.”
“Metru Nui.” The Shadowed One spoke the name with a spiteful tone. “That place has been a thorn in my side on more than one occasion. I have no love for it. Let Makuta do what he wills with it.”
Helryx frowned. “If the Makuta continue to reign over Metru Nui, the rest of the universe will suffer for it. The Dark Hunters will be no exception. Join forces with us and together we can repel the threat Makuta and his Brotherhood poses.”
“In exchange for what?”
“Your survival.”
The Shadowed One let out a bitter laugh. “And then what? The Dark Hunters continue to be regarded and hated by all as a band of thieves and murderers?”
“That is what you are,” muttered Johmak.
Helryx motioned her to be silent before turning back to the Dark Hunters. “We can discuss your organization’s status in the universe after the fact. Right now, we must ensure there is a universe for us to be in after all is said and done.”
The Shadowed One tapped his chin thoughtfully. “You talk a big talk, Toa. I’m almost convinced that you know what you’re talking about.”
Helryx sighed, slowly losing her patience. “Are you with us or not?”
The leader of the Dark Hunters was silent as he seemed to consider the Toa of Water’s words. He glanced at Ancient who met his gaze but said nothing, his face a blank slate. Turning back to Helryx, the Shadowed One regarded her for a moment before dipping his head slightly.
“You make a sound argument,” he said. “While I do not care much for the Matoran, I despise Makuta even more so. If invading Metru Nui means seeing to his end, then I will gladly lend my Dark Hunters to the fight.”
Helryx was about to let exhale in relief when the Shadowed One added, “I do, however, have one condition.”
The Toa of Water narrowed her eyes at him. “And what would that be?”
The Shadowed One’s face became a grim one as his eyes glowed red. “You and your friends are free to kill as many of Makuta’s ilk as you like… but Makuta himself is mine to kill.”
Helryx was slightly taken aback at first but did not show it. Although she found the idea of the Shadowed One surviving a clash with Makuta Teridax to be a highly dubious one, she nonetheless nodded in agreement, if only for the sake of this alliance.
“We have a deal then,” she said. “And, hopefully, you might just get your wish.”
The Shadowed One laughed. “Oh, my Toa friend. Dark Hunters always get what they wish.”
No one spoke a word as Takua and the six Rahaga followed the mysterious Matoran into the realm of Karzahni, escorted by Manas crabs. With each step they took, Takua heard screaming though he couldn’t tell if the screams were coming from somewhere else... or from the ground itself.
The land truly was a manifestation of the terrifying legends Takua was accustomed to. In the distance, searing ice spewed from volcanoes while dust poured down from waterfalls. Lightning flashed in the sky while the gentle cool breeze was accompanied by the sound of thunder. It was hard for him to imagine that anyone could live in such a nightmarish location. Evidently though, some people already did.
They eventually reached the heart of the island, where Takua began to see more Matoran at work. Like the one guiding him and the Rahaga, they were all in varying states of despair, wearing unfitting masks with hollow expressions. Up ahead laid a dark fortress that loomed over the toiling Matoran. As the party of eight grew closer, the front gates opened and a large figure stepped out. Standing far taller than the average Toa, the being had a twisted and battered appearance. Chains cascaded from his green-and-purple clad body while a tattered cape flowed behind him. His mask was unlike any Takua had seen before and it bore a horrible grin that made his stomach twist into knots.
“Visitors,” the being said, his voice sounding like blades grinding together. “Such a glorious sight.”
It was Norik who spoke the monster’s name, though it sounded no louder than a whisper. “Karzahni.”
“You know my name,” Karzahni said, fixing his gaze on the red Rahaga. “And yet I do not believe we have met.”
“I am familiar with the legends,” Norik replied. “We have all heard the tales of Turaga sending Matoran to your land for repairs, only for them never to return.”
“My reputation precedes me then.” Karzahni then took a moment to regard the six Rahaga. “Tell me... what kind of Matoran are you? You have no masks that I recognize....”
“We are the Rahaga,” said Gaaki. “We were once Toa in a previous life, but—”
“Toa!” Karzahni threw his head back as he let out a wicked laugh. “You are the heroes Matoran think so highly of? Reduced into such puny forms?”
“Our bodies may have changed but our spirits have not,” declared Kualus. “Toa or Rahaga, we remain strong and are not afraid of tyrants like you.”
Karzahni tilted his head. “You think me a tyrant? You’ve only known me for no more than a minute. Don’t let the legends deceive you; they are exaggerated to a great extent.”
“Then how do you explain this?” asked Pouks, gesturing to the working Matoran. “Why do you have innocent Matoran slaving away in your realm rather than having them returned to their homes?”
“They were sent to my land because they were no longer wanted,” snarled Karzahni, his mood abruptly turning sour. “I am giving them a home. A purpose.”
“Yet you give them bodies that are less than subpar. How is that—”
“Enough!” Stormed forward, Karzahni swung his arm and sent Pouks flying back. The other Rahaga reacted in alarm before readying their Rhotuka spinners, targeting the mad ruler.
Karzahni sneered. “Your pathetic little toys will do you no good.”
“Let’s test that theory, shall we?” said Kualus.
Before the Rahaga could fire their spinners, Karzahni’s mask flashed and all six of them instantly froze, their expressions becoming vacant. It was as if they had suddenly been placed in a trance. As Takua looked worriedly at them, the Matoran guide stepped over to him and grabbed his arm, unperturbed by everything that had just happened.
“This way,” the Matoran said as he started to drag Takua away from Karzahni and the entranced Rahaga.
“No.” Takua wrenched his arm free. “I’m not leaving them. This isn’t right. What’s going on?”
The Matoran frowned slightly, showing the first shred of emotion Takua had seen from him thus far. “You do not ask questions. You must simply do what is told of you.”
“Well, I didn’t agree to this. We didn’t even want to come to this place. Let us leave so that we can find the Toa of Light!”
A shadow fell over Takua, filling his heart once more with dread. “There is no escape for you, little one,” growled Karzahni. “Only death if you continue to defy me.”
Mustering all his courage, Takua turned around to look up at the mad ruler, meeting his cold eyes. “I’m not afraid of you,” he said quietly.
Karzahni chuckled, though his laugh lacked any sense of mirth or cordiality. “In time, you will be. After all, your stay has only just begun.”
Chapter Five[]
- 100,000 years ago
“Where are they? Where have you sent them?”
“Karzahni. They will find much happiness in Karzahni.”
Toa Lesovikk stared at the blabbering mess in front of him. Once, not so long ago, he had seen Turaga Orlan as one of if not the wisest being in the universe. Always ready with a few words of wisdom to impart on the Matoran of Kangaro, Orlan was someone many had looked up to, including Lesovikk. To see him like this, muttering incoherent nonsense, was a surreal sight. Having already lost his teammates and now his friends, Lesovikk was ready to wake up from this bad dream.
But it wasn’t a dream. No matter how much he wished it so, the scene was not going to change.
Shock and grief were washed away by a sudden wave of anger. Clenching his fists, Lesovikk stormed over to Orlan and grabbed him by his ceremonial robes, hoisting him to his feet. He stared into the eyes behind the Turaga’s brown Mask of Telekinesis, searching for a shred of sanity.
“Why did you do it?” the Toa of Air growled.
The Turaga threw his head back and laughed. Lesovikk’s rage only increased as he started to shake the elder.
“WHY DID YOU DO IT?!”
Laughter was his only response. It echoed all around the hut they were in, ringing in Lesovikk’s ears.
He threw Orlan to the ground, looking down at him with anger and disgust. Still the Turaga laughed, as if this was all some big joke he had pulled off.
Realizing that he was not going to get anything from the elder, Lesovikk turned and stormed out of the hut. The mad Turaga’s cackling followed him all the way to the shore. He could still hear it in the distance even as he boarded his boat and set off into the Silver Sea.
- Present day
“Let’s see… what mask would best suit you?”
Takua sat slumped against the wall of a dark chamber, too weak to move. A few feet away, his blue Kanohi Pakari laid shattered on the ground, having been stepped on by Karzahni after the mad tyrant had forcibly removed it from Takua’s face. Already he could feel his energy quickly slipping away, threatening to throw him into a deep coma.
“Ah! Here we go.”
Just as darkness began to envelop his vision, Takua felt something fall over his face, filling him with energy once more. He looked up to see Karzahni standing over him, regarding him with the look of a proud craftsman.
“There. Now your new life can begin.”
Takua ran a hand over his new mask, feeling its sharp edges. It was not a design he recognized; it certainly wasn’t something Vakama or Nuhrii would have made. Whatever type of mask it was, it didn’t at all feel right on his face. Whereas his original mask felt like a natural part of his body (even though it never really fit properly), this one felt like an obstruction. His body screamed for him to take it off, but he knew doing so would only upset Karzahni and more than likely earn him a swift death. He would have to grin and bear it if he wanted to find a way off this cursed island.
First, however, he would need to rescue the Rahaga (and the Toa Metru, if they were still alive). To do that, he would have to wait until Karzahni wasn’t paying any attention to him....
“Now then, off to work with you,” Karzahni said, opening a door that led back out into the hellish landscape. “The forges require attendance. Go.”
Figuring that the best tactic for now was to feign obedience, Takua dutifully marched out of the chamber. He could feel Karzahni’s gaze on him as he made his way towards an open forge, where dozens of Matoran were hard at work. The moment he picked up a hammer, he heard the door slam and turned to see that Karzahni was gone. Knowing it would be foolish to make a move now, he joined the other Matoran and began striking his hammer against a piece of heated metal.
Not paying much attention to whatever he was making, Takua spared a moment to regard his coworkers. The one standing next to him was a green Le-Matoran with a strange mask and haunted red eyes. Their movements seemed almost robotic as they repeatedly banged their tool against metal. Never once did they stop to gather their strength or do anything other than the task at hand. It was as if they were trapped in an eternal loop, doomed to work for the rest of their lives.
Takua grimaced as he realized that that was most likely the idea. For all he knew, these Matoran could have been here for thousands of years.
He cleared his throat, hoping to get the Le-Matoran to stop and look up at him. This did nothing, so Takua decided to speak up instead. “So, what’s your name?”
The Le-Matoran glanced at him for the briefest of seconds but just as quickly returned to work, remaining silent. Takua frowned and looked over at the others. He was surprised to see the one that had “greeted” him and the Rahaga earlier among them, hard at work as all of the others were.
“Hey, you!” Takua called over to him.
The strange Matoran affixed his shadowed eyes upon him, his expression unreadable as ever. “Don’t speak,” he said in a deadly whisper. “Just work.”
“I never got your name. You do have a name, don’t you?”
“Don’t speak. Just work.”
Takua was starting to grow impatient. What had Karzahni done to these Matoran to reduce them to such a state?
“This is ridiculous,” he said, making sure he was loud enough to be heard over the clanking of metal. “No Matoran should be forced to live like this. Why would a Turaga send anyone to a horrible place like this?”
“Quiet,” the Matoran with the haunted mask said. “He will hear you.”
“Good! Let him hear me. It’s about time someone finally spoke up and gave him a piece of their mind.”
“You wouldn’t be the first,” murmured the other Matoran. “It won’t end well for you.”
“We’ll see about that,” Takua said.
“Yes, we shall.”
A hand grabbed Takua by the shoulder and turned him around, bringing him face-to-face with Karzahni. The green and purple tyrant glared down at him, a nasty scowl on his hideous mask. It flashed with energy and Takua was sent spiraling into another world.
Metru Nui laid in ruins. The Coliseum, once the proud centerpiece of the City of Legends, had been reduced to rubble.
Matoran mindlessly marched to the orders of Makuta and his Rahkshi enforcers. Vahki patrolled every corner of each Metru, ensuring that its denizens were hard at work.
The Toa and Turaga were all dead. Anyone who dared to defy Makuta were granted the same fate. Jaller, Hewkii, Nokama… they tried to resist, but were killed for their efforts. Their bodies were taken to the furnaces of Ta-Metru and melted down for raw materials.
The rest of the universe was no better off. The Brotherhood of Makuta were in complete dominance of the universe, turning it into a world of darkness.
Prayers to the Great Spirit went unanswered. No one, not even Mata Nui, could save them now.
The vision ended as soon as it had began. Takua stumbled back, nearly falling into the forge. His heart pounded against his chest as he tried to catch his breath. He tried to convince himself that it wasn’t real; that it was just a trick Karzahni was pulling on him.
But the very prospect of what he had just witnessed had sufficiently chilled him. The fire of defiance that he had felt just minutes ago had been extinguished, leaving an empty feeling of dread in its place.
Karzahni grinned sadistically. “Now that you have been properly disciplined, perhaps now you would like to return to work.”
It wasn’t so much a suggestion as it was an order. Takua’s body seemed to act on its own as he picked up his hammer again and turned back to the forge. The fires of the furnace danced as a chilly breeze passed over them.
In the distance, he heard the screech of a Rahi beast. It sounded not unlike the Manas crabs that had assailed him and the others earlier, except it sounded as if it was in pain.
Karzahni went still as he listened to these sounds, which were already becoming louder and more numerous. His eyes roamed the landscape of his realm as he scanned it with his mind. The wind started to pick up, causing his cape to billow behind him.
There were new arrivals to his land, Karzahni could tell. Yet none of them were Matoran.
Takua looked up to see a tornado raging across the land of Karzahni, carrying dozens of Manas crabs in its throes. As the Rahi were thrown in various directions, the tornado tore through the buildings and sculptures that dominated the land, reducing them to rubble. As the vortex continued its rampage, a green-armored figure descended from it and landed atop Karzahni’s fortress. At first, Takua thought it was Toa Orkahm, but the figure’s mask and armor were unlike any he had seen before. As the Toa of Air brandished a silver blade, his red eyes flashed behind his lime-green mask, regarding Karzahni with a look of utter hatred.
“Karzahni,” the Toa cried, his voice as loud as the raging tornado. “You will pay for what you have done.”
“I don’t even know who you are,” Karzahni replied, sounding genuinely perplexed.
“You will.”
With that, Toa Lesovikk jumped from the top of the fortress and prepared to deliver his vengeance.
Chapter Six[]
“Tsk, tsk. Another letdown.”
Onepu withheld a grimace as he looked upon the twisted monstrosity in front of him. What had once been an innocent Ash Bear had been mutated into a horrifying beast with a disfigured face and a malformed left arm, ending in a series of blade-like fingers. He had never seen such a horrible creation… yet the black-and-green Makuta standing beside him treated it as if it was an everyday sight for him.
“I can never seem to get the proportions just right,” Mutran murmured to himself, tapping his mask with sharp fingers. “One arm is always different than the other. Such a shame; it was turning out so well.”
He made a small gesture with his hand and the mutated Ash Bear returned to its stasis tube. As the two layers of glass fell over the Rahi, subduing it with gases, Mutran directed his gaze to Onepu. The Onu-Matoran archivist instantly tensed, apprehensive for what the Makuta had to say to him.
“Stay here while I go fetch some more supplies,” Mutran said as he strode past Onepu. “If you touch anything, I’ll have you be my next test subject.”
Before Onepu could even say a word, Mutran was already gone. The Onu-Matoran let out the breath that he didn’t realize he had been holding in. Ever since the Makuta’s takeover of Metru Nui, life in the Archives had taken a complete turn for the worst. Rather than study Rahi, the archivists were expected to bring them to their new Makuta overseers, Mutran and Chirox, so that they could be experimented on and transformed into war beasts, thought the results were anything but pleasing. It sickened Onepu to his very core, but of course the price for voicing his disapproval would be a fate worse than death.
“Mata Nui,” he heard a voice murmur behind him. “Not Graalok....”
Onepu frowned as he turned to see his fellow archivist Whenua standing there with an aghast expression on his mask. Of all the Rahi in the archives, Whenua had formed a personal connection with the particular Ash Bear specimen Mutran had just mutated. Onepu wasn’t sure why Whenua was so close with Graalok, though he suppose he was one to talk considering his affinity for Ussal Crabs.
“He didn’t hurt her much, if that’s any comfort,” Onepu said quietly, knowing deep down that it wasn’t. “She’s a tough girl; she can handle a lot.”
Whenua was silent as he stepped over to Graalok’s stasis tube, putting his hand on the glass. The mutated Ash Bear slept peacefully in stasis; Onepu could only hope that she felt no pain while in that state.
After a tender moment, Whenua let out a sigh as he turned to face Onepu. “We’ve got new orders from Makuta Chirox,” he said grimly. “He wants us to find a rare Rahi hiding somewhere here on Metru Nui.”
A look of confusion crossed Onepu’s mask. “A rare Rahi? Here?”
“Somewhere,” Whenua replied. “He said he would provide us with more details once we were all gathered.”
“Wait, who’s we? Just you and me?”
“You, me, Taipu, and the Chief Archivist. I don’t know why he wants the four of us specifically, but you know I’m not going to be the one to question him.”
Onepu frowned as he looked towards the door. “But Makuta Mutran told me to stay here. Should I wait until he comes back before telling him?”
“I don’t know, Chirox made it sound like he wanted to see us all in the shortest time possible. I don’t think he’s too keen on waiting.”
“Great,” Onepu muttered. “If only Mavrah was still around; then I could just ask him to be my decoy, just like the Kinloka Incident.”
“Uh-huh.” Whenua tugged on his arm. “Come on, we should go. I’m sure Mutran would understand, especially if it’s an order from another Makuta.”
“I don’t know,” Onepu said as he followed his fellow archivist out. “Have you seen the two of them work together? It’s like watching a Ta-Matoran and a Po-Matoran try to screw in a lightstone....”
“You want us to go to the Great Temple?”
Makuta Chirox glared at Chief Archivist Pavua, who immediately shrank from his gaze. “Do you have difficulty hearing, Archivist? Because I can easily amend that.”
“No, Makuta,” Pavua murmured, the three scopes of his mask retracting. “Please, continue.”
Onepu and Whenua exchanged glances as Chirox resumed speaking. “You are to travel to the Great Temple, where you will find information regarding the location of the Rahi you call ‘Keetongu.’”
Onepu perked up at the name but did not dare interrupt. He had heard of Keetongu before — every Onu-Matoran had — but most of the Archivists had dismissed him to be nothing more than a myth. He wasn’t sure what he was the most surprised about; that Chirox seemed to be confirming Keetongu’s existence, or that the Makuta even knew about Keetongu in the first place.
As if reading Onepu’s mind (which he probably was), Chirox said, “Yes, the legends you have heard are true… to an extent. We know that Keetongu is somewhere here on Metru Nui, and we need you to find him.”
Pavua cleared his throat. “Um, with all due respect, Makuta, but why can you not find him yourself?”
“Pavua!” Whenua hissed at him. “Don’t ask questions!”
“Yes, listen to your friend,” Chirox said dryly. “Even if I had an answer to your question, you do not need to know it; my will is final. You will go to the Great Temple and you will find Keetongu. The price for failure will be… well, just look in Mutran’s lab and you will figure it out for yourselves.”
All three Onu-Matoran bowed their heads, not daring to look the Makuta in the eyes. “By you will, it shall be done, Makuta Chirox,” said Pavua. “Are we allowed to bring our equipment with us?”
“Take whatever you need,” Chirox said dismissively, already turning his back to the trio. “Just don’t keep me waiting.”
With that, the black and silver Makuta spread his wings and took off, ascending to the upper levels of the Archives. Once he was gone, Whenua turned to look at the other two Matoran.
“I can’t be the only one who thinks he’s leading us into a trap, right?”
Onepu shrugged. “I mean, if he wanted us dead, Pavua gave him more than enough reason to kill us,” he said with a glare to the Chief Archivist.
“H-hey!” Pavua retorted, his voice still shaky. “That’s no way to talk to your superior.”
“I’m sorry, Pavua, but your rank doesn’t matter much these days. Not since the Makuta took over and made themselves all our bosses. Chirox even referred to you as just an Archivist and not a ‘Chief Archivist.’”
“Even so—”
“Even so, we should get a move on,” Whenua interjected. “Chirox could be back any second and we’ll have less than a microsecond to explain ourselves before he eats us or whatever.”
“Let’s get our equipment, then,” said Onepu. “And let’s just pray we’ll able to take the chutes to Ga-Metru instead of taking the long way….”
Macku had full confidence that this plan was not going to work.
Making it into Ga-Metru had been the easy part; she was a Ga-Matoran, so of course it would have been. But the issue was that she wasn’t supposed to have left in the first place. Under the Makuta’s rule, no Matoran was allowed to leave their designated district unless permitted to do so. Hopefully no one had noticed her absence, or else this rebellion had failed before it had even begun.
Fortunately for her, the regularly scheduled classes for the day had already ended and the streets of Ga-Metru were populated with Matoran. If a patrolling Bordakh had spotted her when they were empty, then she would have had a lot to answer for. As she navigated her way through the crowd of Ga-Matoran, Macku spotted Nokama walking out of her class room, arms full with supplies. She hurried over to the teacher and called her name, prompting Nokama to turn around, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Macku?” Nokama said as the other Ga-Matoran reached her. “By the two suns, I thought something had happened to you. You weren’t in today’s class.”
“I accidentally attended Amaya’s class by mistake,” Macku lied, conscious that there were most like prying audio sensors nearby. “Anyway, I was wondering if I could talk to you. Somewhere private, preferably.”
“Well, I have a meeting with the Ga-Metru Board coming up soon,” Nokama replied. “If you want, you could walk with me there and talk.”
Macku shifted uneasily. “Uh, it would be much better if we found somewhere private. Someplace where no one can hear us.”
“Why is that so important?” Nokama asked. Her eyes then dilated briefly before narrowing, her voice dropping lower. “You met with the others, didn’t you?”
“Not so loud!” Macku hissed, glancing around furtively. “I need you to come with me, right now. It’s very important.”
“Have you been plotting against the will of the Makuta?”
Macku took a step back from Nokama, her mouth hanging open. “What… what did you just say?”
It was at that moment that she noticed the Vahki Bordakh standing in the doorway behind Nokama, its Staff of Loyalty sparking at the tips. Realizing what was happening, and knowing that there was nothing she could do about it at this point, Macku turned to run away just as Nokama pointed after her.
“Arrest that traitor!”
From all directions, Bordakh units sprung out from behind the school buildings, moving briskly to converge on Macku. Thinking quickly, she headed for the Protodermis Fountains that spanned the school yards, recalling an entrance to the sewers that she and Hahli would sometimes sneak down into while ditching class years and years ago. Of course, that was well before Turaga Dume implemented his strict labor policies (and the Vahki that were chasing her), so who knew if someone had already done something about that little oversight.
Reaching the fountains, she spotted the grate and ran over to it, pulling on it with all of her might. It didn’t budge and Macku saw that it had been bolted securely into the ground. Cursing to herself, she moved to run a different direction only to be sent flying off her feet by a Kanoka disk launched from one of the Bordakh’s launchers. She landed mask-first onto the ground; she didn’t need to get up to know that the Vahki already had her surrounded.
“All right,” she grumbled, sitting up but keeping her eyes to the ground. “You’ve caught me. Do your worst, you stupid machines.”
The Bordakh units did nothing, remaining still and silent. Macku heard the flapping of wings above her and she looked up to a freakish figure circling over her. As it descended, she was able to make out its bat-like appearance, with blue and black armor covering its warped form. Both its arms and legs ended in sharp points and its claws were curved, looking almost like hooks. The mask it wore on its face was not like any she had seen before; certainly not on any Matoran she knew, nor would she ever associate it with a Toa. That left only one possibility on who the nightmarish newcomer could be.
Landing gracefully within the circle of Vahki, Makuta Vamprah crept over to Macku, red eyes from the slits of his mask. Macku mustered all of her courage to meet his gaze, trying to desperately ignore the fact that her body was shaking. She expected Vamprah to say something; to coax the fear growing inside of her heart; to give her some spiel about how there was no escape for her, no hope, nothing but darkness.
But he did not do any of those things. Instead, he grabbed her with one of his claws and took off into the air, ignoring her screams as he flew further and further away from the ground.
Chapter Seven[]
“Norik, wake up! Norik!”
Rahaga Norik groaned as he awoke to Gaaki’s gentle shaking. Lifting his head from the cold stone floor, he looked up to see the other five Rahaga standing around him. The six of them were all cramped together in a small — even for a Matoran-sized being — cell, with thick iron bars preventing them from being able to escape. If Norik had still been a Toa of Fire, he would have easily been able to melt the bars, or even use his Mask of Diminishment to squeeze his way out. Alas, those days were long behind him....
“Are we still in Karzahni?” he asked, rubbing his eyes to clear them.
“Yes,” Gaaki said quietly. “He must have locked us up after… distracting us with that... that—”
“Nightmare?” Iruini supplied. “I mean, I’m guessing you guys saw the same thing I did.”
“The Great Spirit dying as the shadows of the Makuta tear the universe asunder?” asked Kualus.
“Yeah, something like that.”
Norik allowed Gaaki to take his hand and pull him to his feet, before noticing a very major absence. “Where’s Takua?”
“Karzahni must have put him to work with the rest of the Matoran,” said Bomonga. “As much as I hate to say it, I hope he’s just doing what he’s told. I’ve heard stories about what Karzahni does to those who refuse to work for him, and… I wouldn’t wish such fates on my worst enemy.”
Norik frowned as he walked past the others and up to the cell bars, gripping them tightly. “There must be a way out of here,” he murmured. “Perhaps we could use our Rhotuka spinners to—”
Before he could finish, he heard a loud bang come from outside, just down the hallway. What sounded like the screech of a Manas crab followed, accompanied by flashes of lightning that lit up the corridor. In the matter of seconds, the Manas’ screams were silenced and the faint aroma of smoke filled the air.
“There were less extreme ways you could have handled that,” a female voice spoke up; a voice that sounded very familiar to Norik’s ears.
“What did you think I should have done?” retorted another. “Stealthily walk past them? Besides, they’re just going to get in the way after we free the prisoners.”
“Are you sure there are prisoners down here? I mean… wait a minute.”
Footsteps quickly approached the cell the Rahaga were in and, before long, a blue and gold figure appeared behind the bars of the door. A look of confusion crossed the Toa of Psionics’ expression as she gazed upon the small Rahkshi-like beings.
“Wow. I’ve heard that Karzahni did shoddy repair jobs, but I didn’t know they were that bad.”
“Varian?” Norik said, gazing up at the Toa. “Is that you?”
“How do you know my… wait. Norik?” Toa Varian’s eyes widened as they met those of the red Rahaga. “Is that... is that really you?”
“Come on, Varian,” Norik said, chuckling slightly. “You know you don’t need me to answer that.”
A wide grin replaced the perplexed expression on the Psionics Toa’s mask. “You know, to be honest, this is exactly the kind of predicament I always expected you to wind up in.”
“Yeah, nice to meet you, too,” Iruini interjected. “Say, how about you break us out of here before you two get cutesy with each other.”
While Norik glared at Iruini, Varian looked over to the blue and white Toa of Lightning that had accompanied her. “Chiara, do you think you could call Zaria over? I’ve got something for him to do.”
“I thought he was right behind me.” Toa Chiara looked over her shoulder just as another Manas crab — one with its carapace misshapen and warped — was thrown on top of the one she and Varian had taken down. Zaria himself then stepped down into the dungeon, dusting off his hands.
“Did somebody say my name?” the Toa of Iron asked.
“Get over here, metal-head,” said Chiara. “We’ve got some… weird Rahkshi-Matoran to break out.”
“We’re not Rahkshi!” Pouks piped up. “Or Matoran! We used to be Toa, just like you!”
“You guys must have had a pretty bad day, then.”
Kualus cleared his throat. “I mean, you’re not wrong.”
While Varian and Chiara stepped away from the cell, Zaria approached the door and used his elemental powers to bend the metal bars apart, creating a large enough opening for the six Rahaga to get through. As Norik and the others filed out of the cell, a distant crash could be heard through the walls of the dungeon, followed by what sounded like very strong winds tearing the land outside asunder.
“Sounds like me on a bad day,” Iruini muttered.
“Well,” Varian said quietly, “that’s one way of putting it....”
“WHERE ARE THEY?!”
Lesovikk’s cries were carried by the winds of his storm as they tore through the realm of Karzahni. The crazed ruler and namesake of the realm itself stood in the center of the storm, staring at the enraged Toa of Air as if he was curious specimen rather than the destroyer of his land.
“ANSWER ME!” Lesovikk cried as he aimed his sword and sent a blast of wind in Karzahni’s direction.
The mad ruler crossed his arms and braced himself through the powerful gust, barely maintaining his stance. Once it had passed, he unfurled a set of chains from his hand and lashed them at Lesovikk. The Toa of Air raised his sword to block them only to cry out as they brushed against his arm, sending an intense blast of heat through his armor. This caused him to lose concentration of the cyclone he had been controlling and the winds slowly began to settle.
As Lesovikk tried to shrug off the pain, Karzahni started to approach him, holding his flaming chains in his hands.
“I do wish I could provide you with an answer,” the tyrant said. “But I simply have no idea who you are talking about.”
Lesovikk glared at Karzahni, his eyes burning with hatred. “My friends. Sarda and Idris. Defilak and Dekar. The Turaga of my homeland sent everyone to your realm while I was away. I have spent so many years searching for them, trying to get into your land. I swore to myself that I would find them and free them from your cruelty.”
Karzahni laughed, a harsh sound on the Toa’s ears. “Then you have wasted your time. I sent many of the Matoran I had repaired to the Southern Continent long ago, before I was shunned by the rest of the universe. Whether your friends were among them, I cannot say. I’m not very good with names or faces… especially since I love replacing them.”
Lesovikk’s eyes went wide, staring at Karzahni in disbelief. “You mean… they’re not here.”
“Or they’re dead. Any Matoran who refuses to work gets turned into a statue, and you’ve already destroyed a fair amount of them.” The mad ruler chuckled, a cruel grin twisting across his mask. “That would be painfully tragic, wouldn’t it? For you to come so far, after so long, only to kill the ones you vowed to rescue.”
Lesovikk suddenly found it difficult to breathe. He dropped to his knees, feeling exhausted, as his Air Sword clattered to the ground.
“Imagine that,” Karzahni said quietly, his voice as quiet and cold as the wind. “A Toa murdering Matoran. What would the world think?”
Unable to bring himself to speak, or even to think clearly, Lesovikk said nothing, staring at the ground as painful memories of guilt and sorrow began to wrack his mind.
Suddenly, Karzahni let out a sharp cry of pain and he whirled around to find Toa Arctur and Seldaan, the latter’s hands glowing with superheated gas.
“Ooh,” the Toa of Plasma said, grinning widely. “Somebody didn’t like that.”
Snarling, Karzahni lashed his chains at the two Toa. Seldaan was able to avoid the attack by jumping to the side while Arctur was struck across the mask. While the Toa of Gravity stumbled back, Seldaan came running back towards Karzahni, unleashing blasts of plasma from his hands. Withstanding the attacks, Karzahni pulled his chains taut and swung them at Seldaan. They locked onto the Toa’s armor and began to coil around his arms as he came closer to the mad ruler. As Seldaan skidded to a halt, Karzahni pulled on the chains and drew a long, agonized scream from the Toa of Plasma as the chains burned through his armor. Despite his natural resistance to heat, the sensation was too much for him and he fell to his knees, quickly losing control of his senses.
“No!” Arctur cried out as he charged towards Karzahni, energy blade raised high above his head. He jumped onto Karzahni’s back and drove his blade into the tyrant’s arm, causing him to lose his grip on the chains. By then, however, it was too late as Seldaan had already passed out from the pain and now laid unconscious on the ground.
“Insolent pest,” Karzahni growled as he grabbed Arctur and hurled him off his back. The Toa of Gravity landed where Lesovikk was and the Toa of Air lifted his heavy head to lock eyes with him.
“Arctur.” Lesovikk’s voice was quiet, almost raspy. “Do it.”
“What?” The Toa of Gravity looked at him in confusion before realization set into his eyes. “No. No, Lesovikk, I can’t… I can’t do that. It’s against the—”
“The code doesn’t matter,” Lesovikk snarled. “If it means letting depraved beings like him live, then the Toa Code doesn’t mean Muaka dung. Do it!”
Arctur shook his head, even as Karzahni approached him from behind. “We can beat him, Lesovikk. Without resorting to murder. The Order wants him alive, so we’re going to bring him in alive.”
“I don’t care what the Order wants. They don’t know what he’s done to the Matoran. They don’t know just how dangerous he is.”
“Oh, but you do.” Karzahni cackled as he spun his chains in his hands. “Question is: will any of you live to tell the tale?”
The mad tyrant positioned himself to throw his chains at the Toa… only for his arms to suddenly go slack. His chains clinked together as they fell to the ground before their owner followed suit, landing with a loud thud. The two Toa stared slack-jawed at the immobile form of Karzahni before turning around to see Toa Orde standing nearby, swaying uneasily on his feet.
“Ow,” the Toa of Psionics muttered, clutching his head. “My head….”
With that, he fell to the ground just as Karzahni had. Arctur quickly scrambled to his feet and rushed over to his comrade’s side, leaving Lesovikk alone to gaze upon Karzahni in his comatose state. His eyes slowly drifted to his Air Sword, just within reach. Before he could move to retrieve it and do what he was about to do, he caught movement in the corner of his eye and turned to see the other Toa emerge from Karzahni’s fortress, followed by a group that consisted of freed Matoran and six Rahkshi-like beings that Lesovikk did not recognize.
“By the Great Spirit,” said a blue member of the latter group as she gazed upon the wreckage of what had once been Karzahni’s realm.
“This one is injured,” said a brown one, rushing over to an injured Seldaan. “Gaaki, Bomonga, could you help me with him?”
While the two Rahaga joined their comrade, the remaining three approached Lesovikk and the others along with their Toa rescuers and the Matoran. Noticing Orde’s predicament, Varian rushed over to him while Chiara and Zaria stared down at the comatose Karzahni.
“Huh,” the latter grunted. “I didn’t think it would be that easy.”
“It wasn’t,” Lesovikk muttered, slowly rising to his feet, if a bit unsteadily. “He won’t be like this forever. Could you create some restraints for him?”
Zaria nodded and conjured metal bars around Karzahni, wrapping them tightly around the mad tyrant’s body. Once he was at least slightly confident that Karzahni wouldn’t be breaking out of them any time soon, Lesovikk directed his attention to Orde and walked over to where the Toa of Psionics laid. Varian had used her powers to help him regain consciousness, though he still appeared to be incredibly tired and weak.
“Good work,” Lesovikk said to him with a curt nod. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Toa of Psionics use their powers like that.”
“I had to muster the strength to do so,” Orde muttered. “Kinda hard to concentrate when all hell was breaking loose.”
“I would strongly recommend that you not do something like that again,” Varian said. “At least, not anytime soon. It’s going to be a while before you’re back to full strength.”
“Has anyone seen Takua?” asked one of the Rahkshi-like beings, scanning the ruined land of Karzahni. “He’s a red and blue Ta-Matoran with—”
“Over here!” A blue hand poked out from beneath a pile of rubble. “I’m still alive! At least, I think so....”
Arctur used his gravity powers to lift the rubble off of Takua, freeing the Matoran. After dusting himself off, Takua looked up to see the Rahaga and Toa staring at him strangely.
“What did I do?” he asked.
“Your mask, Takua,” said the red Rahaga.
“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Takua raised a hand to his fearsome-looking mask, carefully tracing its rough edges. “Karzahni replaced it and broke my old one. I don’t suppose there’s a more… normal mask lying around, is there?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have time to look for one,” said Lesovikk. “We have to bring Karzahni back to the Order before he regains his strength.”
“Uh, one problem with that,” said Arctur. “Our boat was barely large enough to fit the seven of us. How are we going to fit Karzahni and all these Matoran… and whatever those Rahkshi things are.”
“We were also accompanied by two Toa,” said the blue Rahaga. “They were taken away by the Manas.”
Lesovikk looked to Chiara. “You didn’t find them in the fortress?”
Chiara shook her head. “I mean, we didn’t look that thoroughly because you guys were causing so much havoc. I suppose we could go back in and do another check.”
“Okay, so that would be two more we’d have to fit on the boat,” Arctur said. “I’m not sure if I’m making myself clear, but we’re going to need a lot bigger boat if we want to take everyone with us back to the Order.”
“What about that Botar fellow?” asked Zaria. “He was able to teleport us around, so I don’t see why he can’t do the same here.”
“And just how are we supposed to call him here?” Chiara questioned.
“I don’t know. I guess we just call his name.” Zaria cupped his hands over his mouth as he hollered to the sky. “BOTAR!”
A minute passed and nothing happened. A heavy sigh escaped Lesovikk’s mouth as he dropped himself to the ground, drawing his knees up to his chest and lowering his head.
“I am not having a good day....”
Chapter Eight[]
As a Ga-Matoran, Macku had no right to be afraid of water. But when she was being flown over the Silver Sea from several feet in the air within the clutches of a Makuta, she couldn’t help but feel an intense feeling of fear as she screamed for her life.
She shuttered her eyes, praying that when she opened them again, she would be back in Ga-Metru safe and sound. Instead, Makuta Vamprah took a dive and released his grip on her, sending her plummeting toward her certain doom.
Rather than plunge into water like she was expecting, Macku instead hit solid ground, grunting as she rolled from the momentum. She stopped with her back flat on the ground and, through her dizziness, she was able to make out two tall figures standing over her. One appeared to be a Makuta, clad in red and purple armor, while the other was a tall Vortixx in black and silver.
“Another one?” the former growled, exasperation prevalent in his voice. “The ones we have are already taking up enough space.”
“Clearly Makuta Vamprah sees value in this one,” said the Vortixx. “Of course, if you don’t want her, then I will gladly bring her to my Visorak.”
“That won’t be necessary, Roodaka,” the Makuta said as he seized Macku’s arm and pulled her up. “The last thing I need is to see your rabid mutations running around and messing with things.”
As the Makuta dragged Macku away, the Ga-Matoran looked up to see Vamprah flying back in the direction of Metru Nui. Dread set into her heart as she realized where she was. Clearly drowning her in the Silver Sea wasn’t a good enough punishment and she loathed to think what the Makuta had in store for her instead.
The Makuta brought her to the central fortress that presided over the island of Destral and descended the stairwell that led into the dungeons. Darkness began to envelop Macku’s vision and she could barely see the path her captor was taking her on. The further the went, she better she could hear the rattling of chains and the groans of misery. She then heard the creak of a cell door before being roughly shoved inside. The door slammed shut behind her and the footsteps of the Makuta quickly receded away.
“Fantastic,” Macku grumbled as she massaged her arm, feeling sore from the Makuta’s tight grip. “This sure is shaping up to be a great plan.”
“Hello?” A voice weakly called out to her from the darkness. “Is someone there?”
Macku turned in the direction of the voice, barely able to make out the outline of another Matoran. “I take it I’m not the first one to be abducted,” she replied.
“I’m afraid not,” the other Matoran said grimly. “My name is Kongu.”
“Kongu,” Macku repeated the name. “I think I’ve heard of you. You’re a friend of Matau’s, aren’t you?”
“You know Matau? Is he all right?”
Macku shook his head. “No one’s seen him in some time. He was supposed to meet with me and other members of the resistance in Po-Metru, but he wasn’t there last time I was there.”
“It’s possible the Vahki Vorzakh got to him,” Kongu said quietly. “I’d been seeing lots of Le-Matoran ‘shamblers’ ever since Makuta Gorast took charge; lots more than usual.”
“How did you end up here?”
“I was heading for a rendezvous with Tamaru when Gorast swooped in and picked me up, bringing me here. She didn’t say anything to me or even to the Makuta outside.”
“Yeah, same with me,” Macku muttered. “The red Makuta outside even said there were others here, ‘taking up space’ as he put it.”
“Well, you’re the first I’ve seen so far,” said Kongu. “Great Spirit knows who or where the others are… or what the Makuta have planned for us.”
“I don’t think I want to find out. We need to get out of here.”
“Uh, and just how are we going to do that? There aren’t any windows or anything here. Just a big metal door, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t think either of us can open that thing.”
“Then we should have a plan for when the Makuta come back for us,” said Macku. “I’m not going to just sit around and wait for the Makuta to turn us into horrible freaks or... or whatever.”
“Well, I’m open to any ideas you may have because—”
Before Kongu could finish speaking, the ground shook violently, knocking both Matoran off their feet. As the ground continued to rumble, Macku grabbed onto the bars of the cell door to pull herself up, only for its rusted hinges to snap off from the violent quakes, allowing the door to swing open and fling Macku outside.
“Well,” Kongu said as he crawled out of the cell after her. “That’s one way to escape.”
Makuta Tridax grunted as sharp claws pressed down into his shoulders, pushing him deeper into the ground. He could feel the breath of the forty-foot tall dragon as it lowered its head to be face-to-mask with the Makuta of Nynrah, its fearsome maw stretching back to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth.
“Where,” the red beast growled, “is Makuta Teridax?”
It was a voice Tridax had not heard in nearly 80,000 years, yet he recognized it all the same. “M-Miserix?”
“Answer me!” bellowed the former leader of the Brotherhood, pressing his claw further down onto Tridax’s chest.
“He-he’s not here!” Tridax gasped. “He’s… he’s in Metru Nui. You’ll probably find him at the Coliseum. That’s all I know, I swear!”
Miserix sneered at him. “You better be telling the truth, or else—”
He was cut off as he was struck in the back by a Rhotuka spinner, drawing out an annoyed roar from the Makuta. Pulling away from Tridax, Miserix turned to see Roodaka standing there with an army of Visorak spiders, all positioned to fire their spinners at him.
“You are not welcomed here, Rahi,” said Roodaka, holding her Catcher Claws aloft in her hands. “Stand down now before we are forced to domesticate you.”
“I am no Rahi!” Miserix called upon his power of chain lightning to electrocute several of the Visorak, startling the others and prompting them to scatter. Roodaka attempted to summon them back to her only for Miserix to grab her by the neck and lift her up, pulling him close to his face.
“I could incinerate you here and now with no more than a single thought,” the dragon Makuta snarled to the Vortixx. “But, seeing as how you do not know me, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and spare you… for now. Once I am through with Teridax, you and your Makuta masters will be forced to decide whether to side with me or against me. Whatever you choose, your choice will forever seal your fate.”
With that, he tossed Roodaka back to the ground before spreading his wings and taking off into the sky. Tridax watched as the massive dragon flew in the direction of Metru Nui before slowly rising from the pit Miserix had dug him into. The former Brotherhood leader’s arrival had dealt some damage to Destral, with portions of the main fortress having collapsed. He wouldn’t have been surprised if some of the prisoners had managed to get out.
But Tridax was not concerned about prisoners at the moment. He had more pressing matters to attend to.
As much as he hated to admit it, he needed to find Icarax.
“Mata Nui, where’s a lightstone when you need one?” Macku muttered as she fumbled around in the dark. Although she and Kongu had managed to break out (if only thanks to sheer luck), they were still stuck in the dungeons with hardly any light source nearby to illuminate their path. She tried retracing the path on which Makuta Tridax had taken her on to bring her here, but that simply resulted in her bumping into walls or into Kongu.
“What I would do to be an Onu-Matoran right about now,” she said quietly to herself.
She heard Kongu trip and fall over something, letting out a loud “Oof!” The Le-Matoran then said, “I think I’ve found the stairs!”
He grabbed Macku’s hand and pulled her in his direction. They walked up a few steps only for the stairs to stop right there. Macku could have sworn that there had been more when she had been brought down here.
Feeling around in the darkness, her hand fell into a crevice in the wall, where she found some kind of knob. Without thinking, she turned it and a row of lightstones lit up on either side of the room they had found themselves in. The light from the stones wasn’t strong, but it was enough for her and Kongu to finally see where they were.
In front of them was a small pedestal with six glowing colored stones placed on top of it. Kongu walked up to the pedestal and picked up a green stone, marveling it as he rolled it around in his hands.
“Toa stones,” he whispered. “Why would the Makuta be keeping Toa stones?”
Macku frowned as she stepped up to join him, retrieving a blue-colored stone from the pedestal. She was aware of the nature of these stones from what Toa Vhisola had once told her some time ago. Vhisola, Nuhrii, and the other Toa Metru had been given stones like these by Toa Lhikan, with directions to the Great Temple and instructions to place the stones within the Suva. This process was what had transformed Vhisola and the others into Toa… for all the good that had done.
Macku had never thought to ask how Lhikan had created those Toa stones, leaving her clueless as to how — or even why — the Makuta had their own on hand. Whatever their reasons were, though, they could not have been for anything good.
“Let’s take these,” Macku said, taking two of the other stones from the pedestal.
Kongu looked at her. “What good will these do for us?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure they’re better off in our hands than in the Makuta’s.”
“Fair point,” Kongu said as he took the remaining two Toa stones. He then reached up and broke off a lightstone from the wall, holding it in one hand while he carried the three Toa stones in his other arm. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Icarax!”
Tridax’s voice echoed throughout the Forbidden Section. The library of the Destral Fortress was a vast chamber filled with ancient carvings and stone tablets containing forbidden knowledge, typically involving sciences that went against the nature of the Great Spirit. The room was frequently visited by the likes of Mutran and Chirox, while the other Makuta — including Tridax himself — didn’t care much for immersing themselves with such things. Icarax, especially, loathed the library and considered it the most frivolous extension of the Brotherhood’s fortress.
Which was exactly why Makuta Teridax had assigned him to be the library’s keeper upon his return to power.
It was a petty move, which was probably the intention. Had it been any other Makuta who had betrayed him and usurped power, Teridax would have obliterated them without hesitation. But considering it had been Icarax of all people — someone who the other Makuta considered to be nothing more than an arrogant bully — then confining him to a fate he considered to be a fate worse than death was exactly the kind of punishment Icarax deserved for his actions. Even the Mask of Shadows, which Teridax had bestowed to him after acquiring the Kanohi Nui, did him little good in his present conditions.
Of course, Icarax’s possession of the Kanohi Kraahkan was the only reason Tridax was seeking him out in the first place. Otherwise, he would not have been giving him a single thought.
“Icarax!” Tridax called out again, stepping over broken tablets that had fallen from their shelves. “Where are you?”
A winged figure in crimson and black armor emerged from one of the aisles, stepping through the wreckage of the library as if it had always been in this state. His tired eyes glowed from the narrowed slits of the Mask of Shadows, regarding Tridax as if he was an obnoxious nuisance.
“What do you want?” the Makuta of Karzahni asked, his voice quiet and raspy.
“I need your help,” Tridax said. “Or, more specifically, I need your mask.”
“Ah. Of course,” Icarax said dryly. “Why else would you have come for me?”
“Miserix has returned,” Tridax went on. “He’s going after Teridax. I’m not sure how well that new mask of his is going to serve him.”
“And you think the Kraahkan will do him any good?” asked Icarax.
“I don’t know what I think,” Tridax snarled. “All I know is that we should make some kind of effort to aid Teridax lest he punishes us for not doing so.”
“And just why would Teridax accept my help? Or, better yet, why should I help him?”
“Think of it this way: If you help Teridax, then maybe — just maybe — he’ll give you a position that’s more dignifying than being a bookkeeper. If you don’t, then you’ll either remain a bookkeeper or be executed. The choice is yours.”
Icarax stared at Tridax for a moment. Then, a smile slowly crept onto the features of the Mask of Shadows.
“You know,” the Makuta of Karzahni said, “it would be nice to finally put this mask to good use.”
Chapter Nine[]
- The island of Saevta
“Are you nervous, Krakua?”
Wide green eyes met Viraka’s blue ones. “No,” the De-Matoran whispered.
A loud roar pierced the air, causing Krakua to jump and clamp his hands over his ears. Viraka sighed quietly as she shook her head. She knew it would have been a mistake to bring a sound-sensitive Matoran to an island as noisy as Saevta. But Helryx had given her this task and Krakua had been brought along as part of his training. If he couldn’t handle a little noise, then what hope was there that he would be an effective agent of the Order?
“Come on,” she said, stepping around the large rock they had been hiding behind. “I think they’re done fighting.”
Krakua said nothing as he followed her, humming loudly to himself as a way to calm his nerves. The vast, expansive desert surrounded them as they approached the group of Saevta warriors that had been fighting. A gold-plated one was standing triumphantly over his defeated foes, raising his arms to the sky as he released a hearty laugh from his large, fanged maw.
“Another victory for Taurrus!” the fearsome being bellowed. “The Champion of Saevta has no equal!”
The defeated Saevta all glared at Taurrus as they picked themselves up and limped away from the scene. Taurrus continued to stand there, basking in the moment, as Viraka and Krakua approached him.
“A very impressive display, mighty Taurrus,” Viraka said to the tall, horned being. “Your people are truly deserving of such a warrior.”
Taurrus laughed again, though it did not sound so mirthful this time. “These savages deserve nothing of the sort. If it weren’t for those as noble as me keeping things together, our race would have gone extinct by now thanks to centuries of infighting.”
“I see,” Viraka murmured. “Was Botar such a being?”
Taurrus glanced at her, his eyes narrowing. “I know who you are, winged one,” he growled softly. “Or, rather, I know who you represent. Is Helryx too busy to speak with me herself?”
“So to speak. You know why we’re here then.”
“I don’t believe you have come here for any other reason,” Taurrus replied. “But what purpose could you and your friends possibly have for a third Saevta? Are Botar and Shikaiju not enough?”
“Botar is dead,” Viraka said grimly. “And Shikaiju has betrayed us to the Makuta.”
At this, Taurrus’ expression became a solemn one. “That is… I am sorry to hear that,” he said quietly. “I had always carried a great amount of respect for Botar, which was why I had suggested him to Helryx in the first place. And Shikaiju… she was always a difficult one to categorize. I’m not sure if anyone trusted her; not even those who considered her a friend.”
“I’m sure they weren’t the only ones,” Viraka replied. “In any case, we are in urgent need of another Saevta, especially if we hope to gather the forces necessary in fighting the Brotherhood of Makuta.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go with those guys,” Taurrus said dryly, pointing in the direction his former opponents had gone. “They clearly don’t stand much of a fighting chance, especially if a warrior as great as Botar can be so easily slain.”
“Actually, we were hoping that you would join us.”
Taurrus looked at her in surprise. “Me? Why?”
“As you have proved just now, you are one of if not the greatest warriors of Saevta. The Order of Mata Nui could use someone with your talents.”
The gold Saevta frowned as he looked off into the distance. “But… if I leave, our society will fall apart.”
“There is more at stake than what is happening here,” said Viraka. “The fate of the universe is at stake.”
Taurrus snorted. “Oh, I’ve heard that phrase quite a few times. More often than not, it is a great exaggeration.”
Viraka sighed, folding her wings tightly against her back. “Are you with us or not?”
“How much of a say do I have in the matter?” Taurrus asked, smirking. “If I say no, will you simply choose a different Saevta? Or will Helryx herself come here and try a more… direct approach in persuading me?”
Viraka opened her mouth to reply but Taurrus cut her off. “Very well,” he said. “I will lend my talents to your Order… but only until the Makuta have been vanquished. Don’t expect me to become your ferryman after all is said and done.”
“I’m not sure there’ll even be a need for one once this is all through,” Viraka muttered. “But I thank you nonetheless, mighty Taurrus.”
The Saevta chuckled. “Thank me after I do whatever it is you need me to do. Speaking of which… do you have anything particular in mind?”
“Well,” Viraka said, “there is a team of Toa that Botar was supposed to check in on. They should be in the realm of Karzahni by now.”
“Karzahni, eh?” Taurrus laughed again as he flexed his claws. “Talk about a heavy workload on the first day of the job.”
- The island of Karzahni
“You have a name, don’t you?”
Takua stared at the Matoran that had initially brought him and the Rahaga into Karzahni, still waiting for an answer. Even when standing close to him, Takua still could not make out the mysterious Matoran’s eyes from within the shadows of their ghastly mask. It made it impossible to tell if the Matoran was even listening to him.
Just when Takua was about to ask again, the Matoran spoke a single word: “Janar.”
Takua blinked at him. “Pardon?”
“My name is Janar,” the Matoran said, his voice no louder than a whisper. “It has been… so long since someone has called me by that name, that I have almost forgotten it.”
Takua smiled as he placed a hand on the other Matoran’s shoulder. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that any more, Janar. Soon, there’ll be plenty of people around to call you by that name.”
Janar slowly nodded, though he continued to stare off into the distance as he had been for the past while. Sighing, Takua turned away from the Matoran and looked around to see how the others were doing. Toa Varian and the Rahaga were gathering the freed Matoran of Karzahni and trying to coax them out of the trance-like state that centuries of torturous labor had placed them in. Orde and Seldaan were laying nearby, still recovering from their injuries, while Lesovikk and Arctur stood over the constrained Karzahni, having removed his mask in case he woke up and tried to use it on them.
Chiara and Zaria had gone off in search of Toa Orkahm and Vhisola, although Takua couldn’t help but dread that the surviving Toa Metru would be too far gone, either mentally or physically. Even so, their earlier fight with the Manas — and Umarak before then — had proved that the Toa Metru were not qualified to defend Metru Nui. Although he had only known them for little more than an hour, Takua already had more faith in these new Toa — “Toa Tenebrae” as they called themselves — than he ever had in Nuhrii and the others.
Takua turned back to Janar, hoping to get him talking again, only to notice a giant being with fangs and claws standing next to the other Matoran. Takua let out a scream and fell onto his back, scrambling away as he gazed at the large creature in fear.
The monstrous being looked down at him and, much to the Matoran’s surprise, exhaled deeply as it sighed. “I have to admit,” it muttered, “it’s rather heartbreaking to always earn that kind of reaction.”
“Don’t move!” Toa Lesovikk and Arctur were immediately at Takua’s side, brandishing their tools at the being. “State your business, Saevta,” said the Toa of Air, “before we do to you what we just did to Karzahni.”
“My, what a warm welcome,” the Saevta said dryly. “And here I was under the impression that you needed my help.”
“Lower your weapons, Toa!” A winged female being appeared from behind the Saevta, accompanied by a De-Matoran. “My name is Viraka of the Order of Mata Nui.”
“The Order?” At this, Lesovikk lowered his blade, with Arctur following suit. He glanced up at the Saevta, noting that his armor was similar to that of Botar’s, only with red replacing blue and gold replacing silver. “I thought Botar would be picking us up.”
“I’m afraid Botar is dead,” Viraka replied. “Helryx send me to recruit another Saevta so that you and Karzahni could be brought back to Daxia.”
“Well, we’re a little wary of other Saevta,” said Arctur. “Especially after our encounter with Shikaiju.”
Viraka nodded solemnly. “Yes, I am aware of that. But Taurrus here is one of the more noble members of his species. He is more than willing to serve the will of Mata Nui.”
“Only to an extent,” Taurrus said pointedly. “I don’t want anyone to raise their expectations of me too high.”
He shifted his attention to Karzahni, who continued to lay there comatose and maskless. Walking past the Toa and Matoran, Taurrus approached the mad ruler and hoisted him up by the metal bars that restrained him.
“I’ve heard legends of this being,” Taurrus mused. “I have to say, I’m a little underwhelmed.”
“You know where to take him, yes?” asked Viraka.
Taurrus grinned at her before vanishing in a flash of light, taking Karzahni with him. Seconds later, he returned in the same fashion, with Karzahni nowhere to be seen. “It was as if he was never here,” the Saevta said with a laugh.
“I guess that’s that, then,” Arctur said as he sheathed his Energy Blades. “Is there anything the Order wants us to do now?”
Before Viraka could answer, Takua spoke up as he got back to his feet. “The Rahaga and I need to return to Metru Nui,” he said. “Turaga Dume had sent us to find the Toa of Light, but we were intercepted by some being named Umarak. He took the Mask of Light and stranded us here.”
Viraka frowned. “The Makuta have the Mask of Light? Oh, Great Beings protect us….”
“There’s no time to waste then,” said Lesovikk. “Let’s head to Metru Nui.”
Viraka shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. The Brotherhood of Makuta have taken over Metru Nui; their homeland of Destral is co-inhabiting the Great City’s dome.”
Takua’s eyes widened. “No,” he murmured in shock.
“That’s all the more reason for us to go there,” Arctur said. “As Toa, we are sworn to protect the Matoran.”
“But there are only seven of you,” Viraka said pointedly. “With two of your number being injured,” she added, nodding in the direction of Orde and Seldaan.
“What would you have us do then?” asked Lesovikk. “If we don’t do anything, then the Makuta will continue to terrorize the Matoran of Metru Nui, if not worse. I know you’re not a Toa, but surely even you must understand that that is not right.”
Viraka looked at the Toa of Air, a curious expression on her face. “Haven’t you yourself sworn yourself from ever being considered a Toa again? I am surprised you care so much about the Matoran all of a sudden.”
“I’ve always cared about the Matoran,” Lesovikk muttered. “Toa or not, that has never changed. Your Order has given me a chance to make up for my failures. Defeating Karzahni has only checked off one of those boxes. Saving Metru Nui would check off another.”
“I see. But are you only doing this for your self-conscious, or because you believe it is right?”
Lesovikk opened his mouth but could not come up with an answer. Not waiting for one, Viraka turned her attention back to Taurrus.
“Take us to Daxia, Taurrus,” she said to the Saevta. “We will discuss this further with Helryx.”
“Wait!” Takua exclaimed. “What about these Matoran? What about Toa Orkahm and Vhisola?”
“We’ll have to leave them here for now,” Viraka replied. “Don’t worry, we’ll come back for them.”
Takua severely doubted that but had no chance to speak as he was grabbed by the arm and taken away from the realm of Karzahni in a flash of light.
Chapter Ten[]
- Ta-Metru
Vakama dropped his firestaff onto the floor, exhausted. It was finally finished; after hours of endless labor, he had successfully forged the legendary Mask of Time from the six Great Disks, ready to be presented to Makuta.
However, Vakama was anything but satisfied with this accomplishment. If anything, he felt disgusted with himself for allowing himself to be an enabler for whatever diabolical things Makuta planned on doing with the Mask of Time. He knew that if he had refused the request, he would have been either killed or brainwashed by the Vahki. Perhaps he should have let one of those things happened; even if it meant the mask was still created, at least he couldn’t have said he did it willingly.
Sighing to himself, Vakama pushed such thoughts to the back of his mind and picked up the newly-forged mask. Stepping outside of his forge, he was surprised to see his fellow Ta-Matoran Kapura standing there, in place of the two Vahki Nuurakh that had been assigned to him outside.
“A-hoy, mask maker!” Kapura said with a grin. “Getting off work, I see?”
“Kapura?” Vakama asked, looking around incredulously for any sign of the Vahki. “What are you doing here? Where are—?”
“The Vahki? Their molecules are scattered around here somewhere.” Kapura patted the Disk Launcher attached to his back. “Been learning some Kanoka disk combinations lately.”
Vakama opened his mouth to ask something but thought against it. There would be time for explanations later… if there would even be a later.
“Well, we still need to get past Makuta Antroz,” he said. “He was outside when the Vahki brought me here.”
“He wasn’t when I got here,” said Kapura. “Although I did see something that looked like a winged Makuta flying off with another Ta-Matoran in his clutches….”
“Then we should probably leave before he gets back.” Vakama started to take a step forward only to stop. “Wait, where exactly are we escaping to?”
Kapura simply grabbed his hand. “Like you said, it would be best if we leave sooner rather than later. Besides, you’ll know it when you see it.”
- Ko-Metru
“If this is your idea of a good plan, then I don’t want to see what you think a bad one is!”
Matoro ignored Nuju’s griping as he sharply turned a corner, dragging the Ko-Matoran scholar with him. The Vahki Keerahk were close behind him, firing Kanoka disks from their mouths. Clearly they had not taken kindly to Matoro freeing Nuju from the effects of their Staffs of Confusion.
The Ko-Metru chutes were just up ahead, where Kopeke and Talvi were waiting for them. Both Ko-Matoran were armed with Disk Launchers which they had pointed at the Vahki, ready to fire at any given moment.
“Nuju,” Matoro said to the panicked Ko-Matoran, “do you trust me?”
The scholar gave him a dirty look. “What do you think?!”
“Because what I’m about to do is going to require a lot of trust on your part.”
“What is that supposed to mean? What are you—”
Without warning, Matoro pulled Nuju forward and pushed the scholar ahead of him. At that moment, Kopeke fired two Kanoka successively at Nuju; the combination of disks granted the Ko-Matoran the temporary ability of speed, allowing him to reach the chute station quicker.
Turning around, Matoro drew his own Disk Launcher and fired a Freeze-type Kanoka disk at one of the Vahki, freezing it in place. A disk from Talvi’s launcher scrambled another Keerakh unit’s molecules and reassembled it into a misshapen form, which some of the others tripped over. Still, the Vahki kept coming, undeterred in their mission to capture the Ko-Matoran.
Nuju had already gone through the chute once Matoro had gotten to it. As he was about to jump in, a bolt of energy from one of the Keerakh’s staffs struck Talvi, causing him to drop his disk launcher as he stood in a dazed state. Matoro moved to grab him only to be pushed into the chute by Kopeke. The silent Ko-Matoran then fired a disk at the chute’s control system as he jumped in as well, causing the hatch to close and blocking the Vahki from pursuing them. He then stored his launcher as he let the magnetized Protodermis carry him away to their destination.
- Le-Metru
“Get back here, you insolent pests!”
Makuta Gorast cursed in a multitude of languages as she flew after the pair of Le-Matoran that were quickly getting away from her on a speeder. The one piloting the vehicle — Matau, she believed he was named — wasn’t even that good at it, yet his erratic driving made it difficult to pinpoint what he was going to do next or where he was going to turn. Her Kraata powers were useless because of this, as it was nearly impossible to concentrate on the swerving vehicle. She would have gladly used a Shadow Hand against them, if it weren’t for the fact that Teridax had ordered not to kill any of the Matoran.
But was Teridax really going to notice the absence of two Le-Matoran? She could always claim it had been an accident….
The vehicle made an abrupt turn and Gorast nearly crashed into a wall as she quickly shifted directions to follow it. The temptation to use her Shadow Hand was quickly growing stronger, especially now that she realized where the Le-Matoran were headed. She knew that there were Vahki Vorzakh stationed at the Le-Metru chute station, but at the speed the two Matoran were going, she doubted the Vahki would be able to hit them with their staffs in time.
Just as she was about to resort to desperate measures, Gorast heard a voice speak into her mind; a voice so loud she thought it was coming from all around her and was enough to make her pause in the chase.
“Come to me, my brethren.”
It was the voice of Makuta Teridax. Accompanying it was an image of the Coliseum burned into her mind; in it could, she could clearly see what appeared to be a giant red dragon attacking the capitol of Metru Nui, massive claws tearing through the walls.
The Le-Matoran had made it past the Vorzakh and were already in the chutes, but Gorast no longer cared about them. Instead, she spread her wings and took off in the direction of the Coliseum.
- Ga-Metru, the Great Temple
“My head still hurts, by the way.”
“Sorry,” Hahli said as she walked alongside Nokama on the path to the Great Temple. “I was always told that hitting someone on the head was the best way of snapping them out of a Vahki’s control.”
“Well, it’s certainly effective in doing that,” Nokama muttered, rubbing her sore head.
Hahli smiled weakly at her. “I take it rescuing you isn’t enough to warrant some extra credit?”
“Ask me after we survive this rebellion.”
The two Ga-Matoran soon reached the entrance to the Great Temple. The pieces of the Vahki Bordakh that had been guarding it laid scattered around the ancient structure, having already been dealt with by Nuparu and his “Boxor Walker.” The Onu-Matoran himself was standing in the entrance to the temple, a smile on his orange mask. That smile faded when he realized that Hahli and Nokama were alone.
“Where’s Macku?” he asked.
Hahli shook her head. “She wasn’t there at the rendezvous. I also had to break Nokama out of the Bordakh’s control; maybe the Vahki have gotten to her as well.”
Nuparu sighed. “Well, in any case, the others have made it here; Hewkii and Onewa, Matau and—”
His voice trailed off as he squinted his eyes, looking at something over the two Ga-Matoran’s shoulders. “Say... is that Onepu?”
Hahli and Nokama glanced at each other before turning around. Coming across the bridge to the Great Temple was a trio of Onu-Matoran, riding on Ussal crabs that pulled carts of equipment. In the lead was an Onu-Matoran with a black Akaku mask, identifying him as the Chief Archivist Pavua. With him were Onepu and another Onu-Matoran wearing a Kanohi Ruru; Hahli believed his name was Whenua, based on what Nuparu had said about him.
Once the trio of archivists had reached the temple, Pavua dismounted from his Ussal crab and walked up to Nuparu, ignoring the two Ga-Matoran. “Nuparu!” the Chief Archivist said. “Where have you been? No one in Onu-Metru has seen you in—”
“Pavua, you really should not have come here,” Nuparu cut him off.
“Why not? We are here on the orders of Makuta Chirox himself. He wants us to find the legendary Rahi Keetongu.”
“Are you sure he wasn’t just pulling your mask? Makuta can have warped senses of humor, especially when they’re bored. And when you’ve pretty much conquered the whole universe, I imagine things can get boring very quick.”
Pavua frowned disapprovingly at him. “It doesn’t matter,” he snapped. “Once we’re done here, you can return to Onu-Metru and explain to Chirox himself why—”
As the archivist was talking, he didn’t notice Onepu sneaking up behind him with a tool in his hands. None of the other Matoran said anything as Onepu struck Pavua in the back of the head with the tool, knocking his mask off and causing him to drop to the floor, passing out.
“Oh, Mata Nui,” Onepu said as he gazed upon the unconscious Pavua. “You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that.”
“We should probably find someplace safe to keep him in the temple,” said Nokama as she picked up Pavua’s mask. “We can’t just leave him out here without a mask; he’ll die!”
“I’m sure we can find someplace,” Nuparu said as he lifted Pavua up by the arms, while Hahli took him by the legs. “Let’s just get inside before any Vahki come by.”
The five Matoran (plus one unconscious Chief Archivist) entered the Great Temple, where other members of the resistance were waiting. Many of them were looking exhausted and out of breath, having just narrowly escaped the clutches of the Makuta and their minions. Matau and Tamaru had especially been lucky to have escaped Makuta Gorast, who had for some reason abandoned the chase once they had reached the chutes. Hewkii and the other Po-Matoran members had been even luckier, as the Makuta of their metru had inexplicably abandoned them just seconds before he had been about to kill them — or worse.
Clearly something was going on with the Brotherhood, but none of them had time to speculate. This was probably the only chance they would get at formulating a proper plan to bring down the Brotherhood of Makuta once and for all. Even if most of them didn’t have much faith in being able to do so.
At the very least, they had a bargaining chip; Vakama had in his possession the newly-forged Mask of Time. If what the legends said about the Kanohi Vahi was true, then the mask had the ability to control time itself and, if broken, could bring about the very end of it. Even the Makuta of Metru Nui himself would not dare risk destroying such a powerful object. Still, that didn’t mean the Makuta lacked the means to obtain the Vahi without destroying it.
“We’re going to need a very good thought-plan if we want to accomplish this,” said Matau, resting against the Great Temple’s Suva. “We only have one shot at this.”
“Obviously we can’t simply charge into the Coliseum like gung-ho heroes,” said Matoro, holding the tablets that had Toa Mangai strategies inscribed on them. “We need to do things conspicuously.”
“It’s hard to be conspicuous when the Makuta have eyes everywhere,” muttered Hewkii. “It seems like you just can’t turn a corner without running into a Vahki or Rahkshi.”
Hahli looked to Matoro. “Do the tablets have any strategies we can use that would get us past the Vahki guarding the Coliseum?”
“It doesn’t matter,” interjected Onewa, cutting off the Ko-Matoran before he could speak. “Those strategies were made for the Toa Mangai. We’re not Toa! We don’t have elements or mask powers or anything. We’re just Matoran!”
“You don’t need to be a Toa to be a hero,” said Kapura.
“Mahi dung,” Onewa retorted. “I just don’t see how we hope to overthrow the Makuta without any of those things. We can’t do this without Toa!”
Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the main chamber of the Great Temple was filled with an addition of seventeen additional beings. One was a giant creature with horns and a fearsome maw. At his side was a winged female being, who was looking around the chamber in confusion. In front of them both were seven warriors clad in armor and masks befitting those of a Toa, along with six creatures resembling Rahkshi and two Matoran. One of the Matoran in particular was one instantly recognized by the resistance members in the room.
“Takua!” Kapura exclaimed, rushing over to the red and blue Matoran. “We’ve all been worried about you! Thank Mata Nui you’re alive!”
Takua smiled as he clanked fists with him. “It’s good to feel alive.”
“Your mask, though,” remarked Vakama. “It looks… different.”
Before Takua could reply, the winged being turned to the larger horned one with a disapproving look. “Taurrus, you were supposed to take us to Daxia!”
“I’m not an official member of the Order yet, Viraka,” Taurrus replied. “I don’t need to do as you say. Besides, these Matoran clearly look like they could use our help.”
“And they’re going to get that help,” said a green-armored Toa of Air, brandishing his sword. “Whether the Makuta expect it or not.”
As the Matoran all stared in awe at the newcomers, Matoro turned to a slack-jawed Onewa and smiled.
“I suppose these tablets will come in handy.”
Chapter Eleven[]
- Destral
By the time Macku and Kongu finally made it out of the dungeons, they stepped outside to find the Makuta Fortress under attack.
Emerging from ships that had reached the island’s coastline, a multitude of beings from various species were marching onto the shores and doing battle with the Makuta and their minions. Beams of energy zipped in every direction while glowing orbs bounced off the walls of the fortress and struck their target, whether they be Makuta, Rahkshi, or other. Many of the invaders resembled Toa, if twice as tall in some cases, while others looked like monsters just as frightening as the shadow warriors that they were crossing blades with.
For whatever reason, this assortment of beings had been brought together by a unifying desire to bring down the Empire of Makuta. And for that reason alone, Macku was in full support of them.
“Whoever called in the calvary, I’m giving a huge-big hug,” said Kongu. “Provided they aren’t covered in spikes or anything.”
Macku scanned the battlefield for a way to get off the island. As grateful as she was for these reinforcements, she knew it would not be safe for two Matoran to stick around for long. Spotting an unoccupied boat, she beckoned Kongu to follow her and the duo raced towards it, Toa stones in hand. Before they could get close to it however, a beam of energy struck the boat and caused it to explode into a million pieces. Macku and Kongu shielded their eyes as the shrapnel blew in their faces.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
Landing in front of them was a Makuta in crimson and violet armor; the same one who had taken Macku in earlier. Gripping a spear laced with acid, Makuta Tridax glared at the two Matoran from behind his fearsome mask. Seeing the Toa stones in their hands, his eyes went wide.
“Where did you get those?”
“You had them in some kind of storage closet or whatever,” Kongu said, doing his best to keep fear out of his voice. “You should probably lock things up more tightly if you don’t want people getting to them.”
But the expression on Tridax’s face seemed to be of a more perplexed nature than anything else. It was as if he hadn’t even been aware that there were Toa stones in the fortress in the first place. Before the Makuta could question them any further however, a projectile zipped over the Matoran’s heads and struck Tridax in the chest, knocking him back. A tall, horned being in red and blue stepped into view, looking down at the Matoran from behind his crimson mask.
“Is it just the two of you?” Trinuma asked.
“Uh, that we know of,” Macku replied. “There might be other Matoran back at the fortress, but—”
“We’ll take care of that, don’t worry. We just need to find a way to get you out of here.” Trinuma ducked as a beam of heat vision shot over his head. He then aimed his Nynrah Ghost Blaster at the yellow-armored Rahkshi responsible and blasted it to pieces. “A safe way,” he muttered.
At that moment, Tridax stirred and was starting to get back onto his feet. Trinuma noticed this but did not appear to be that concerned. Instead, he directed his gaze to a four-armed giant that was cutting his way through hordes of Rahkshi and Visorak with his multi-bladed ax.
“Orkosan! I don’t suppose you’ve seen Viraka anywhere?”
“She went on a mission to Saevta,” the giant growled back. “And before you ask, no, we don’t have any of them on hand.”
“Well then, how are we going to get these Matoran to safety?”
“I don’t know. Find a Dark Hunter or something.”
Trinuma grimaced. “Wonderful.”
Tridax let out a roar as he charged towards the horned warrior. He dodged another projectile from Trinuma’s blaster before lunging at the Order agent, spear raised over his head. Before he could bring his weapon down, a bladed object flew through the air and sliced right through the Makuta’s weapon arm, severing it from the rest of his body.
As Tridax howled in agony, green gases started to leak from his armor. He fell to his knees just as a ten-foot-tall being arrived on the scene and picked up his dagger from the floor.
“I’ll take it from here,” Tobduk said in a low rumble.
Trinuma sighed. “I’m really going to have to carry these two myself, aren’t I?”
Tobduk shrugged. “Helryx gave you that kinetic weaponry for a reason, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just for you to do tricks in the air.”
Rolling his eyes, Trinuma stored his weapons before kneeling down in front of Macku and Kongu. The two Matoran exchanged a glance before climbing onto the nine-foot-tall being’s back.
“You sure you’ve got this handled?” Trinuma asked Tobduk once the Matoran had settled into an appropriate position.
“Please,” Tobduk replied, grinning sadistically as Tridax tried and failed to contain his essence. “I was made for this.”
With a shrug, Trinuma activated his kinetic attachments and took off into the air, heading in the direction of Metru Nui as the combined forces of Dark Hunters and the Order of Mata Nui continued to wage their war across Destral.
- The Coliseum
“Don’t be a coward, Teridax! Come out here and fight me!”
The roar of Makuta Miserix could be heard throughout the Coliseum, which the red dragon was tearing apart piece by piece. The entire building was beginning to sway, as if the weight of the beast outside was threatening to push it down.
Turaga Lhikan wasn’t sure if such a thing was possible, and he had no desire to find out. He looked over to Turaga Dume, who stood with him by the throne of Makuta Teridax. The Makuta of Metru Nui himself was still and silence, unfazed by the chaos happening around him.
“We have to get out of here,” Lhikan whispered to his fellow Turaga. “We should find the Matoran guards and get them out of here before this building collapses on us.”
“How do you know he won’t try to stop us as soon as we make a move?” Dume retorted, gesturing at Teridax.
Lhikan glanced at the Makuta. If he was eavesdropping on the Turaga’s conversation, he was not showing any sign of being interested or concerned with it. It was as if he was off in his own little world, oblivious to everything else.
“I don’t,” Lhikan eventually admitted. “But I can’t stand by and do nothing while Matoran lose their lives. If you want to stay here and remain Makuta’s slave, be my guest.”
With that, Lhikan started to walk away from Makuta’s throne, walking briskly and with purpose. Makuta did not shift in his throne or make any move to stop him, nor did Lhikan stop to see if he or Dume were following him. By the time he got to the door, he heard footsteps behind him and looked over his shoulder to see Dume coming up behind him.
“Turaga or not,” Dume muttered, “you are still as stubborn as the Toa of Fire I once knew not so long ago.”
Lhikan allowed himself a smile. “Old habits die hard.”
Makuta Antroz hurled another bolt of shadow energy at the massive dragon that was clinging onto the Coliseum. Like all previous attacks of the sort, it did little damage to the beast and instead earned Antroz a swing of the dragon’s tail, which he narrowly avoided.
This confirmed in Antroz’s mind that this dragon was, indeed, Makuta Miserix as it had claimed. How Miserix had survived execution at the hands of Krika and Spiriah, he had no idea; in fact, the more he thought about it, the more he started to wonder if Krika had followed his orders through to begin with. But there was no time to dwell on such things as Miserix raised a hand and fired a beam of energy from his palm.
Antroz dodged the attack while Gorast and Vamprah moved in to attack the dragon from above. While they kept Miserix occupied, Antroz shifted his attention to the Coliseum itself. He wasn’t sure why Teridax had not yet emerged from hiding to handle Miserix himself, but he figured the Makuta of Metru Nui was simply biding time for the right moment to strike. Or maybe he was counting on the other Makuta to finish off the former Brotherhood leader themselves.
Either way, Antroz centered his gaze on a piece of the Coliseum that Miserix was holding onto and activated his Mask of Corruption. The solid protodermis making up the building quickly started to decompose and it disintegrated in Miserix’s hands, causing him to lose his grip and nearly fall off the side of the building. Grabbing onto another part of the Coliseum to hold onto, Miserix glared up at Antroz, even as the Makuta continued to attack him.
“You will all pay dearly for this betrayal,” the dragon growled.
“You should have stayed dead, Miserix,” Antroz said darkly. “You have only earned yourself a fate worse than death.”
Miserix laughed without mirth. “Nothing can be worse than spending an eternity on that accursed island. Do what you may to me, but only after I have destroyed Teridax once and for all!”
Antroz narrowed his eyes as he prepared to use his mask again… but something was giving him pause. What was this about an island that Miserix was talking about? Had Krika indeed failed to kill the Brotherhood leader? If so, why had Miserix been unable to escape on his own?
Unless… he had not been executed at all… but imprisoned.
As realization began to dawn on Antroz, Miserix opened his mouth and unleashed a power scream at his Makuta attackers, knocking them back. He then returned his attention to the Coliseum and resumed digging his claws through it.
“Come out, Teridax! Come out and face your doom!”
As the Makuta pressed on with their attacks, Antroz spotted a winged figure flying towards their position, coming from the direction of Destral. As they drew closer, Antroz recognized the Kanohi Kraahkan being worn on the newcomer’s face and instantly brandished his claws.
“Icarax! What are you doing here?”
“Tridax sent me to help,” Icarax replied, regarding his fellow Makuta balefully from behind the Mask of Shadows. “For whatever reason, he thinks this mask of mine will do some good against… whatever this is.” As he said this, Miserix swung his tail at Chirox and sent the bat-like Makuta flying into Vamprah. “Though I fail to see how.”
Antroz did as well but he decided it was best not to spend too long pondering the matter. “Go ahead and join in on the fight,” he said. “If anyone asks why I’m gone, tell them that I’ve gone to find Krika.”
“Oh?” Icarax raised an eyebrow. “Is he here?”
“If he is,” Antroz growled, “he won’t be for much longer.”
“Hey, Matoro?”
“Yeah, Hewkii?”
“What do those tablets say about how the Toa Mangai defeated the Kanohi Dragon?”
Matoro cleared his throat. “Well, for one thing, they had at least four Toa of Ice subduing it with their elemental powers.”
“Yeah,” Hewkii muttered. “That’s not happening here.”
The members of the Metru Nui Resistance, along with their newfound allies (Toa and otherwise), stood at the Ga-Metru entry-point to the Coliseum. The centerpiece of the Great City was being torn asunder by a massive red dragon while half a dozen Makuta flew around it, hurling their powers at the beast. According to Onepu and Whenua, the creature did not match any Rahi that had been documented in the Archives.
“Okay,” said Toa Zaria. “So do we help the Makuta in fighting this thing, or do we just wait for them to kill it? Or for it to kill them?”
“I’m perfectly fine with the latter option,” said Toa Arctur. “Who knows, maybe this beast is on our side.”
As he said this, a Shadow Hand burst from the dragon’s chest and seized one of the Makuta attacking it, pulling them towards it and absorbing the hapless Makuta into its body.
“Or maybe not,” Arctur muttered.
“None of us are qualified for something like this,” said Viraka. “Even the strongest members of the Order would not be able to handle so many Makuta at once. We need to go to Daxia and ask for reinforcements.”
“No need to, my winged friend.”
Everyone looked up to see a tall being descending from high up in the air. On his shoulders were two Matoran — a Ga-Matoran and a Le-Matoran — who quickly dismounted from the giant as soon as he had touched down.
“I am not doing that again,” Macku said as she wobbled on her feet.
“Macku!” Hewkii ran over to the Ga-Matoran and pulled her into a hug. Matau and Tamaru joined the Le-Matoran, Kongu, and clanked fists with him. Meanwhile, Viraka regarded the tall, horned being who had brought them with a look of surprise.
“Trinuma? What are you doing here?”
“Same reason as the rest of the Order,” Trinuma replied. “To bring down the Empire of Makuta once and for all.”
“I thought we didn’t have the numbers for that,” Viraka mused.
“We didn’t until Helryx managed to recruit the Dark Hunters to our side.” Trinuma then looked over to the battling Makuta. “Now then… what have we got here?”
“Too many Makuta than we know what to do with,” Toa Lesovikk said dryly.
“Ah. If only Tobduk wasn’t busy over on Destral; he’d probably be drooling from his mask.”
“Kongu and I found some Toa stones,” Macku said once she had finally broken free of Hewkii’s embrace. “I’m not sure what good they’ll do, if any.”
“We could take them back to the Suva at the Great Temple,” suggested Nokama. “Of course, the Coliseum will probably be in ruins by the time we get there.”
“Wait!” Takua pointed up ahead. “I see someone coming out of the Coliseum. I think it’s the Turaga!”
The others looked to see two hunched-over beings hobbling out of the doors to the Coliseum, flanked on either side by Matoran guards. Up above, the dragon broke off a piece of the building and sent it falling down towards them. Before the debris could crush the Turaga and the Matoran, Toa Arctur used his gravity powers to keep it suspended in mid air. Once the Turaga and Matoran had gotten out from under it, Arctur hurled the chunk of protodermis to the side, letting it crash into a nearby Vahki Transport.
“Turaga Lhikan! Turaga Dume!” Vakama rushed over to the elders. “Thank the Great Spirit you are all right.”
Turaga Lhikan smiled at the mask maker. “Likewise, Vakama. I am quite pleased to see you are safe and sound.”
“I’m not sure how long that’s going to last,” Vakama muttered, “but thank you.”
Turaga Dume stepped over to the Ta-Matoran, his expression serious. “The Mask of Time… were you successful in creating it?”
Vakama nodded. “Yes, Turaga, I was.”
“Then we have no time to waste. We must use it against the Makuta.”
“Use it how?” asked Lhikan. “We don’t know what it is capable of or whether a Toa will be strong enough to use it.”
“I guess there’s only one way to find out.” Toa Lesovikk approached Vakama and held out his hand for the Kanohi Vahi. “Give it to me.”
Dume gave him a look. “And just who might you be?”
“My name is Lesovikk. I’m—”
“I know who you are,” the Turaga interjected, his eyes blazing. “You were leader of the Toa Cordak. The same Toa Cordak who met their tragic end at the hands of the Zyglak due to a mistake on their leader’s part.”
Lesovikk glared down at the Turaga. “This really isn’t the time for this. We have a Makuta to bring down.”
“How can we be assured that you won’t make the same mistake again?” Dume asked pointedly. “How do we know that you aren’t simply leading us to your deaths.”
“Enough, Dume,” Lhikan said sternly. “These Toa may very well be our only hope in bringing an end to the Makuta once and for all. We must put our faith in them if we hope to save Metru Nui and the Matoran.” To Vakama, he said, “Give him the mask.”
Vakama hesitated for a moment before handing the Mask of Time to Lesovikk. Dume opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped himself, instead simply regarding both Lhikan and Lesovikk with a look of disapproval.
“All right, then,” Lesovikk said, turning to look up at Taurrus. “Take us into the Coliseum. The rest of you, stay out here and keep an eye on the other Makuta. Get to safety if you need to, but do not engage them for any reason.”
“And if they attack us?” asked Hahli.
Lesovikk glanced at Viraka and Trinuma. “Then I’m sure you’ll have what it takes to stand your ground.”
“Of course we do,” said Hewkii. “This is our city; we’ll do anything to defend it.”
Lesovikk offered a grim smile to the Po-Matoran before turning to join the other Toa Tenebrae. He gave a nod to Taurrus, who proceeded to wrap his arms around the seven Toa and teleport them away into the Coliseum.
Only the Great Spirit knew if any of them would be making it back.
Chapter Twelve[]
Hiding in the shadows, Krika watched from afar as his fellow Makuta attacked Miserix. The former leader of the Brotherhood had already succeeded in killing a few of them, such as Odirahk and Nimtra, while the others pressed on, heaping attack after attack as they cycled through their forty-two Kraata powers. Despite all of this, Miserix was showing no sign of stopping… and there was still no sign of Teridax.
This concerned Krika, yet at the same time it didn’t surprise him. Did Teridax truly not care for his brothers and sisters enough to save them from Miserix’s wrath? Was he simply biding his time until they had weakened Miserix enough so he could finish his predecessor off?
He knew the others were too blindly loyal to see Teridax’s selfishness for what it was. The plan was never truly about the Brotherhood of Makuta ruling the universe; just Teridax. Because at the end of the day, he was the Makuta. Why else would the Matoran constantly refer to him by that name rather than his true one? To them, he was the personification of all their fears, all of their nightmares. Few other Makuta, if any, achieved the level of fear and respect that Teridax had; not just with the people of Metru Nui, but the rest of the universe as well.
Krika could only hope that that would soon change. Out of everyone in the universe, Miserix was the only one who could match Teridax in terms of power and strength.
Returning his attention to the battle above, Krika noticed that there was no sign of Antroz and that Icarax had taken his place, wearing the Mask of Shadows. Before Krika could speculate as to where Antroz had gone to, a powerful cyclone tore through the city block and threw him out of his hiding spot. As he landed mask-first onto the ground, a black and crimson figure landed next to him, long claws extending from their arms.
“Traitor,” Makuta Antroz growled, eyes blazing behind his mask.
Krika glared at him as he got back to his feet, drawing a pair of long blades. “Antroz,” he said carefully, “I need you to listen to me.”
“And I need you to die.” A shadow hand burst from Antroz’s chest, which Krika barely avoided in time. It grabbed a piece of rubble and receded back into Antroz’s chest, forcing the Makuta to destroy the debris before it could be absorbed.
“Teridax is using us,” Krika went on, dashing to the side to avoid a bolt of lightning. “Does it not concern you that he has not yet emerged to take on Miserix himself?”
“He has his reasons,” Antroz retorted, using his disintegration powers to destroy the ground beneath Krika’s feet. “In the several millennia that he’s led us, never once has he failed us or given us improper direction, unlike with Miserix.”
“You are blinded by loyalty.” Krika activated his Mask of Repulsion to lift himself up in the air, causing nature itself to bounce off of him. “The only reason he’s kept you and the others around is because he knows you would jump off a cliff if it meant fulfilling ‘the plan.’ If you showed the slightest shred of hesitation, he would obliterate you without a second thought.”
Antroz scowled as he created an orb of plasma in his hands, but did not throw it just yet. “Is that why you spared Miserix? So that he could one day return and remove Teridax from power?”
“I knew he would be the only one with the power to stop Teridax,” Krika replied. “The combined strength of every Toa in the world would only succeed in subduing him for a time, but not destroy him. After the Brotherhood took over Metru Nui, I knew it was a matter of now or never.”
Antroz narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Why do you have so little faith in the plan?”
“Because all it is is a vehicle for Teridax to stroke his own ego. He doesn’t care about protecting the Matoran or bringing peace to the universe. It was never about that; he just wants to rule. He just wants to be the ultimate power of the universe. Even if he decides to spare us once the plan had come to fruition, we will just be pawns to be used in his little game, from now until the end of time.”
Antroz did not move, and Krika started to wonder if his words had had their desired effect on his brother. Behind the red Makuta, he spotted Spiriah approaching silently from behind, his three-pointed claw bared. Krika met Spiriah’s gaze and silently warned him to not make a move. The former Makuta of Zakaz simply gave him a sinister grin before lunging at Antroz.
Spinning around on his heel, Antroz slashed his claw across Spiriah’s chest, piercing through the protosteel armor. The exiled Makuta gasped as he staggered back, his Antidermis energies leaking out. Spiriah then looked up at his brother, eyes wide with fear, as Antroz fired a beam of heat vision from his eyes and obliterated the gaseous cloud. The Makuta of Zakaz’s armor crumpled to the ground, devoid of any life.
Antroz turned back around to face Krika, only to see that the white and black Makuta was flying in the direction of the Coliseum. With a raged roar, Antroz spread his wings and took after him.
- The Coliseum
In less than a second, the seven Toa Tenebrae had been teleported into the Coliseum’s main chamber by Taurrus. Sitting at the end of the chamber upon his throne was the Makuta of Metru Nui himself, clad in black and gold armor with a monstrous mask that did not resemble the Kanohi Kraahkan he was infamous for. Upon the Toa’s arrival, Makuta Teridax stirred in his seat but did not rise.
“Toa,” he said, his voice rumbling against the walls. “What a pleasant surprise.”
At once, the Toa Tenebrae drew their weapons. Looking over to Taurrus, Lesovikk gave him a nod and the Saevta vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the seven Toa alone with the Makuta.
“No easy way out, eh?” Teridax mused, a smirk forming on his obsidian mask. “At least you’re giving yourselves a challenge, if not setting yourselves up for failure.”
“Enough words, Makuta,” Lesovikk snarled. “This ends, here and now.”
“Does it?” Teridax chuckled, roaming his gaze across the septet of heroes one by one. “Let’s see what we have here… a Toa of Iron and Gravity; yes, I see how they can be useful. Lightning and Plasma, also impressive. Psionics, maybe not so much. And lastly, Air. The leader of the group. A leader with so much baggage weighing on his shoulders.”
Lesovikk tightened his grip around his Air Sword. “We’ve already defeated Karzahni,” he muttered. “Defeating you will be no challenge.”
“Karzahni?” Teridax laughed, which caused the room to shake. “Karzahni is nothing compared to the power I wield now. Power that you to do not understand.”
“Your powers are the same as any other Makuta,” retorted Zaria. “They don’t make you stand out from the rest of the Makuta outside.”
“No.” A wicked grin spread across Teridax’s face. “But this does.”
With that, the Makuta’s mask began to glow… and the whole world was set ablaze.
Fire sprang from the floor of the Coliseum, becoming hot to the touch. As the Toa jumped back, a strong gust of wind filled the room and blasted them into the wall. Pillars of stone erupted in front of them, creating a barricade between them and Teridax. As the fires continued to rage, the temperature quickly began to drop to freezing levels and the Coliseum swayed with the rumbling of the earth.
“Every element in existence is contained within this mask,” laughed Teridax. “Anything you throw at me, I can return in equal if not greater force.”
Seldaan dropped to the floor and used his Plasma powers to melt the pillars of stone blocking his path. His natural resistance to heat made it easier for him to withstand the flames and he proceeded to charge towards Teridax with his Heat Swords drawn. He lunged at the Makuta only to be thrown up into the ceiling by the force of gravity.
Pressed up against the wall, Chiara drew her Lightning Spear and pointed it at Makuta. A bolt of electricity zapped from its tip and headed straight for Teridax, only to bounce off his armor. Teridax chuckled before raising a hand and using his own electricity powers to shock her and the other Toa.
“We can do this all day long,” the Makuta said. “But in the end, it is impossible for you to stop me. I have become unstoppable.”
“So we can’t use our elemental powers against him,” muttered Orde. “What about our mask powers? Can we use those?”
“Don’t look at me,” grunted Lesovikk. “Unless any Rahi show up, my Faxon would be useless.”
“Not much use for stealth at this point,” remarked Chiara.
“I could use my Calix,” said Varian. “But to do what, I’m out of ideas.”
“My mask would go haywire in trying to adapt to any of this,” commented Zaria. “And I don’t think Seldaan can run from the position he’s in.”
All eyes fell to Arctur. The Toa of Gravity glanced back at his comrades, green eyes nervous behind his black mask.
“Yeah, I won’t be of any help,” he said, a bit too hastily.
“Arctur, what even is your mask power?” Zaria asked. “When we were on the Toa Xia, you had a Mask of Shielding. But ever since we disbanded, you’ve taken to wearing that strange mask. It’s not a design I’ve ever seen before.”
“Neither have I,” Arctur said quietly. “That’s why I don’t know what it is. I… I’ve been too afraid to use it.”
“A Toa afraid of his own mask!” Makuta’s laughter echoed throughout the chamber. “How pathetic.”
Chiara shot a look at Arctur. “Well, now is the time to find out what it does. Even if it turns out to be a reshaped Mask of Water Breathing, at least we’ll die knowing we had exhausted all of our options.”
Arctur looked from her to the others. He regarded them each one by one before sighing heavily. “All right,” he said. “Here goes nothing.”
The flames that had been surrounding the Toa had since relented somewhat, allowing Arctur to step towards Teridax. The Makuta of Metru Nui gazed down at him with a sadistic smirk upon his still-glowing mask.
“Go on then, Toa. Let us discover your power together.”
Arctur took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. A glowing aura began to surround the black mask upon his face. In an instant, the flames receded back into the floor as the stone barricades crumpled into dust. The earth ceased shaking as the room’s temperature returned to normal.
The mask on Teridax’s face stopped glowing. The Makuta of Metru Nui raised an eyebrow, expressing intrigue. “Interesting,” he said. “A Mask of Deactivation. Those are rare to come by.”
“What did it do?” asked Varian.
“It disabled his mask power,” said Orde. “Which also means we can’t use our mask powers, either.”
“Wonderful,” muttered Chiara. “Good thing we already decided they wouldn’t do us any good anyway.”
Arctur turned back to the others, his expression filled with sorrow. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I… I didn’t know it would have an effect on all of you.”
“It’s all right, Arctur,” Lesovikk said calmly. “At least he can’t use his mask power on us anymore.”
“Indeed,” Teridax rumbled. “However, I can still use my other powers against you.”
He flicked his hand and Seldaan came crashing back onto the floor. The Toa of Plasma let out a groan while Varian and Zaria rushed to his side.
“And you will be pleased to know,” Teridax went on, “that its effects are only temporary.”
Before any of the Toa had a chance to react, a Shadow Hand emerged from the Makuta’s chest and seized Arctur from behind. The others cried out his name as he was pulled back towards Teridax and absorbed into the Makuta’s body. The plates of Teridax’s armor shifted as it grew from the additional mass, and the red pieces of his armor slowly faded into varying shades of purple.
“Next time,” the Makuta of Metru Nui growled, “no one will be able to save you.”
Chapter Thirteen[]
Miserix’s patience was at an end.
He had given Teridax ample opportunity to come out of hiding, but the Makuta of Metru Nui had yet to emerge from the Coliseum. The other Makuta were unrelenting in their attacks against him, even after he had killed a fair share of their numbers.
Mutran was the latest to meet his end. The Makuta scientist had dove in from above, firing bolts of energy from his Shadow Spear, only to receive a blast of lightning from Miserix’s claws. Mutran howled in pain as the electricity coursed through his armor, electrocuting him. The intensity of the attack eventually incinerated his Antidermis energies within and Mutran’s lifeless body plummeted towards the ground below.
Gorast screamed in rage as she jumped onto Miserix’s back. Digging her claws into his armor, she activated her Mask of Disruption in the hope of scrambling the dragon Makuta’s powers. Before she could do so, a seismic shake shook the ground and Miserix lost his grip on the Coliseum, falling towards the ground with an anguished roar.
The ground shook again as Miserix hit the earth. Gorast had dismounted from his back in time and was now surrounding the former Brotherhood leader with the remaining Makuta — Icarax, Vamprah, and Chirox. Miserix had no idea where Antroz had gone, but that was not a pressing concern on his mind.
As Miserix tried to right himself, Icarax took a step towards him, holding his sword and Rotating Shadow Blades aloft in his hands. The Kanohi Kraahkan, the Great Mask of Shadows, adorned his face. Miserix could not fathom why Teridax would bequeath such a mask to someone as untrustworthy as Icarax, but it would not have been the first decision Miserix had questioned of his usurper.
“How the mighty have fallen,” Icarax began. “Your effort was an impressive one, Miserix. But I’m afraid the plan simply does not have room for you… and I’m not just talking about your new size,” he added dryly.
Miserix’s eyes flared at the Makuta of Karzahni. “Teridax’s plan will only result in your deaths, just as it already has.”
“So far, the only one causing deaths is you,” growled Chirox. “Once we’re through with you, that will no longer be the case.”
“Indeed,” hissed Gorast. “Let’s stop wasting time and finish him once and for all!”
“No!”
The cry came from up above and the five gathered Makuta all looked up to see Krika descending to the ground to join them. Right behind him was Antroz, who dove in to attack the white-armored Makuta only to be flung back by the latter’s Mask of Repulsion.
"You don’t realize what is happening,” Krika said. “Teridax has gone mad with power. That quake we felt… that was caused by his new mask.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Icarax.
“I have seen the mask he now wears. Though I’ve only heard stories, I know that the Kanohi Nui is one of the strongest masks in existence… and that it was never meant to exist. No being in the universe can control the power it contains for long; eventually, Teridax will end up destroying himself with it, and take us with it.”
“Impossible!” Gorast snapped. “Makuta Teridax is the strongest among us. He is more than capable of controlling such power.”
Krika glared at her. “As ever, Gorast, your fanatic loyalty to Teridax and his plan blinds you. It blinds all of you.”
“You can preach all you want, Krika,” said Antroz as he got back to his feet. “But you are outnumbered. Even if Miserix is on your side, it is two against five. I will give you one last chance to reconsider where your loyalties lie.”
“My loyalty is to the Great Spirit,” Krika said quietly. “As it should have been for all of us long ago.”
“Then you will die like all the others,” Gorast said as she brandished her claws. She moved to lunge at Krika only to be knocked back by a blast of shadow energy. To the others’ surprise, Icarax stepped over to stand beside Krika, spinning his Shadow Blades.
“Make that three against four,” the Makuta of Karzahni said.
“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Antroz muttered. “You were never in support of the Plan, were you?”
“Not so much the plan itself so much as Teridax’s methods,” Icarax replied. “If our leader has so much power in his hands, then there is no point in putting the endgame off any longer. After seventy thousand years, I am quite through with waiting.”
“It doesn’t matter!” Gorast shrieked. “All three of you will die then! If not at my hands, then at Teridax’s!”
“Enough of this,” Miserix rumbled as he rose from the ground. “I am sick of watching you squabble like kinloka over the last morsel of food.”
Before any of the other Makuta could stop him, Miserix sent them all flying back with a powerful cyclone. He then set his eyes on the base of the Coliseum and attacked, unleashing all of his powers upon it.
Time was a funny thing.
It could never be seen, never be touched, yet its effects could always be felt. Every moment — even the smallest of seconds — was crucial, especially when you were a Toa up against the most evil being in the universe.
Toa Lesovikk had learned this the hard way when he had lost his team to the Zyglak. The briefest of hesitations was all it took for the Zyglak to destroy Nikila and the others. It was from that point forward that he had sworn from ever calling himself a Toa again. But as fate would have it, here he was leading a team once more, going up against only the second power-hungry tyrant in as many hours. With the Makuta preparing to unleash all of his might on them, Lesovikk knew that he could not make the same mistake again.
He did not know if the Kanohi Vahi had been affected by Arctur’s mask power, as it was not being worn by anyone, but there was no time to dwell on that. Bringing out the Mask of Time, Lesovikk removed his own mask and replaced it with the Vahi. He could already feel its powers surging through him, giving his body a sharp jolt.
Makuta Teridax paused just as he was about to attack, his eyes narrowing. “The Mask of Time,” he growled. “So the mask maker was successful in creating it.”
“Yes,” Lesovikk replied. “And I’m sorry to disappoint you, Makuta, but you will not be using it for your diabolical plans as you had hoped.”
Teridax scoffed. “And just how do you — a mere Toa — hope to use it against me? You simply do not have the willpower necessary to control its power.”
“You underestimate me, Makuta. You underestimate all of us. That is why you will never win.”
Teridax’s face twisted into a sneer. “Prove it.”
Lesovikk closed his eyes as he activated the Mask of Time, just as a dark tendril of energy extended from Teridax’s chest. A temporal wave generated itself between the Toa and the Makuta, causing time around them to slow to a snail’s pace.
The Toa of Air tried to move only to realize that he couldn’t. The slowed passing of time was affecting not just Teridax but the six Toa Tenebrae as well. None of them would have been able to move fast enough out of the Vahi’s range to strike at Teridax before the Shadow Hand consumed them. Switching the mask itself off would have also been suicidal, as it would surely grab at least one of them and pull them into the Makuta’s body.
“No,” Lesovikk whispered to himself. He had failed his team again. He already watched Arctur die, and now the others’ fates were sealed as well, in addition to his own.
Before Lesovikk could think of what to do, he saw Makuta Teridax vanish in the blink of an eye, along with the rest of the Coliseum. Suddenly, the six Toa Tenebrae were back outside. A strong hand struck Lesovikk and knocked the Kanohi Vahi from his face. The Toa of Air looked up to see Taurrus before him, along with the Matoran, the Rahaga, and the two Order members.
“What was that for?” asked Seldaan. “Makuta is still in there!”
Taurrus said nothing as he pointed to the Coliseum. The Toa all turned in time to see the top tower of the Coliseum topple from its base, courtesy of the red dragon that had been attacking it. The remaining Makuta — now only six where there had once been many more — scattered to avoid the falling building, which crashed into the central arena. Before it fell, a large shape burst out from its walls and flew up into the air, suspending itself on giant black wings. The black, purple, and gold armored Makuta of Metru Nui glared down at the red dragon, rage filling his eyes.
“Miserix,” Teridax growled. “You should be dead.”
“And so should you, Teridax!” Miserix bellowed. “And once I’m through with you, you will be!”
With that, Miserix sprouted wings of his own and shot up towards Teridax. The two Makuta collided in midair, energies crackling from their bodies and clashing with each other.
“We have to do something about this,” said Varian. “If we don’t stop them, their sheer strength alone will destroy Metru Nui!”
“Maybe we can create a Toa Seal,” suggested Zaria. “There’s six of us, right?”
“Six of us, but only five different elemental powers,” muttered Orde. “And even then, mine haven’t fully recharged yet.”
“So we need a seventh Toa.” Zaria looked over to Viraka and Trinuma. “I don’t suppose you two know of any other Toa you can fetch?”
Before the Order agents could answer, a huge wave of water emerged from the direction of Ga-Metru, which some of the fleeing Makuta had been heading towards. A blue-armored figure could be spotted riding the wave, channeling her elemental powers via the spiked mace in her hands. As the Makuta scurried to escape the tidal wave, Toa Helryx brought the wave crashing down and flooded the area surrounding the Coliseum, submerging a number of the Makuta.
Helryx then used some of the existing water to propel over to where the Toa Tenebrae and the others were, landing in front of Lesovikk. She stopped to regard the Toa of Air before looking up to see Teridax and Miserix fighting.
“Well,” the Toa of Water muttered. “That’s an unexpected factor.”
“Helryx!” Viraka exclaimed. “I thought you were staying on Daxia?”
Helryx smiled. “And miss the fall of the Makuta? I don’t think so. Besides, someone has to keep an eye on the Shadowed One and his thugs.”
“Helryx, we need to create a Toa seal around Makuta Teridax,” Lesovikk said urgently. “It’s the only way we can stop him.”
“I find that very doubtful,” the leader of the Order said grimly. “With a mask like his, he could very well break through it.”
“Then we knock the mask off his face,” said Chiara. “How do we do that?”
Unbeknownst to the Toa, Makuta Miserix was already focusing on that part as he continued to clash with Teridax in the air above Metru Nui. Even as lightning coursed through his armor, Miserix managed to grab onto the sides of Teridax’s Kanohi Nui, though did not yet have the strength to tear it off.
“I was holding back the last time we clashed, Teridax,” the former Brotherhood leader growled. “I didn’t want to kill my greatest lieutenant; I thought for sure you would have realize the error of your ways. But then the others sided with you, leaving me outnumbered.”
Teridax said nothing, his red eyes blazing behind his obsidian mask.
“But now it’s just the two of us,” Miserix went on. “And this time, there will be no such thing as mercy!”
With a mighty roar, Miserix succeeded in ripping the Mask of Ultimate Power from Teridax’s face. The Makuta of Metru Nui lost his grip on his predecessor and he proceeded to plummet towards the ground, crashing into the fallen tower of the Coliseum.
The Toa wasted no time in making their move. The Toa Tenebrae (sans Orde), along with Helryx, quickly moved over to where Teridax laid and joined their fists together. At once, their elemental powers shot out as a single beam of energy. Makuta Teridax did not move as solid protodermis slowly formed around his giant body, encasing it within a crystal. Once the seal was complete, the six Toa broke their formation to stop the energy beam.
Lesovikk dropped himself onto the ground, exhausted. Helryx leaned on her mace to stop herself from collapsing. The other Toa stood and marveled at the Makuta’s imprisoned form.
In the air above, Makuta Miserix regarded the Kanohi Nui in his hands. Something stirred deep within his mind, whispering for him to don the mask himself. He pushed such thoughts back into the depths of his self-consciousness and dropped the mask to the ground. Just as he was about to obliterate it with heat vision, Zaria caught the mask and held his hand up to the Makuta.
“I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “Who knows what kind of destruction it would bring to destroy a mask like this.”
Miserix glared at the Toa before snorting. “Whatever. Just make sure it doesn’t fall back into the wrong hands.”
“Wait, Miserix,” Helryx weakly called out to him. “The other Makuta… we might need your help to—”
“They’re already gone,” Miserix snarled.
Indeed, the flood that Helryx had created has since receded away, revealing no sign of the six Makuta that had been submerged beneath it. When everyone looked back up, Miserix’s body was already shimmering, teleporting away before anyone could stop him.
Lesovikk released his breath as he lowered himself onto his back, staring at the darkened sky above. “This has been a very long week.”
Chapter Fourteen[]
The Battle for Metru Nui had ended, but the Great City was not the best off for it. The Coliseum laid in ruins, and the rest of the metrus were still in the ravaged state that the Great Cataclysm had wrought upon it. What little repairs had been made in the seven months since then had been undone by the battle itself, leaving Metru Nui in a near-uninhabitable state.
The island of Destral remained on the coast, having been taken over by the Order of Mata Nui. Most of the Makuta that had been stationed on the island had been swiftly executed by the likes of Tobduk, while servants like Roodaka and the Shadow Matoran had been apprehended. The Visorak hordes had scattered, with Order agents being dispatched to locate the “Heart” that controlled them and either destroy it or, at the very least, redirect them to an uninhabited island before they could invade any Matoran settlements.
The Toa Seal containing Makuta Teridax remained on the Coliseum, with the Order agents arranging plans to relocate it somewhere safe. The Shadowed One, leader of the Dark Hunters, had attempted to destroy it and obliterate Teridax, but his disintegration eye beams had no effect on the indestructible crystal, only causing him intense pain instead. Cursing the stars, the Shadowed One had taken his Dark Hunters and departed from Metru Nui, promising Helryx that she had not seen the last of them.
Helryx did not doubt that, which was why she knew Metru Nui needed to be protected in order to ward off any move made by the Dark Hunters to seize the Great City. However, the state the island was in made it impossible for the Matoran to live together in peace, especially not with any Toa protecting them. The surviving members of the Toa Tenebrae had turned down an offer to serve as the city’s new defenders, not seeing themselves fit for the job.
She was aware that a Ga-Matoran by the name of Macku had found six Toa stones while on Destral. While Helryx did not know where these stones had come from, she knew they would be useful in creating a new generation of Toa. It was simply a matter of finding the right Matoran.
As she dwelt on this matter, watching as her agents carefully removed Teridax’s Toa Seal from the Coliseum, she was approached by Turaga Lhikan, walking on his Firestaff.
“I take it you and your… friends won’t be sticking around?” the Turaga of Fire asked.
Helryx shook her head. “We have matters elsewhere to attend to. Some of the Makuta’s forces remain scattered, including the surviving Makuta themselves. As much as I would like to stay and keep an eye on Metru Nui, I simply cannot ignore my other duties.”
Turaga Lhikan nodded. It was at that moment Helryx noticed he was carrying the six Toa stones Macku had discovered. “I just wanted to make sure before I prepare our new Toa Metru.”
Helryx raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure that you can be trusted to select Toa? The last group you chose weren’t all that successful.”
“Yes, well, this time I have Dume to cross-reference with, if only to make sure my choices are suitable.”
Helryx couldn’t help but smile. “I will admit, I feel partially responsible for the failure of Nuhrii and the others.”
Lhikan looked up at her in surprise. “Pardon?”
“Were the six you chose — Nuhrii, Tehutti, Ahkmou… were they the only candidates you were considering?”
The Turaga narrowed his eyes. “I had… others in mind, yes. But the stars foretold it would be Nuhrii and the others, so—”
“The stars lied, Lhikan,” Helryx said. When the Turaga’s eyes widened in surprise, she elaborated. “The Great Spirit was aware of Makuta’s plan and rearranged the stars to hide the names of the true Toa Metru, making Makuta believe they were the false ones. Makuta was then supposed to mislead you into choosing the correct candidates, thinking they were the wrong ones… but you ended up choosing the actual wrong ones instead.”
Lhikan’s mouth fell agape. “You mean…?”
Helryx smiled at him. “You had better find Vakama and the others, Turaga. You wouldn’t want them to get away from you a second time.”
“So… what are your plans for the future?”
“I’m going back to being solo,” said Chiara, resting in front of the Suva of the Great Temple. “I was never much one for teamwork. It’s not that I don’t like you guys… I’m just better off alone.”
“Same,” said Zaria. “I might see if the Order has any spots for a Toa of Iron. They might need one if they want to get rid of the remaining Makuta.”
“I think most of us were already solo in the first place,” Toa Orde, leaning against a pillar. “Most of the universe doesn’t want us, which is probably exactly why the Order chose us for this mission in the first place.”
“I’m thinking of finding a Matoran village to protect,” Seldaan said quietly, tracing a finger along the walls. “My homeland probably won’t welcome me back, so I’ll have to find somewhere that’s never heard of me.”
“I’m still undecided,” said Varian. “I’ve been away for several thousand years now, so I have a lot to catch up on. I’ll probably stick around here with Norik and the Rahaga until I know where my destiny lies.”
“Hopefully your destiny will be better than Arctur’s,” muttered Zaria. He dropped himself to the floor, resting his head against a pillar. “He deserved better than what he got.”
“He bought us time,” Orde said softly. “If it hadn’t been for his mask, Makuta would have destroyed us with his. He saved Metru Nui, whether he knew it or not.”
Zaria sighed but said nothing further. Silence fell over the five former Toa Tenebrae, waiting for the sixth of their number to return. Lesovikk had gone off without telling the others why; he had simply asked them to meet him at the Great Temple. Orde had made some cryptic comment about knowing what the Toa of Air was doing but refused to elaborate, not matter how many times Chiara prodded him. Fortunately for him, the Toa of Lightning was too exhausted to harass him anymore than she already had.
After what felt like hours, Lesovikk finally emerged through the front gates to the Great Temple, looking more drained than he had been after they had defeated Makuta Teridax. Before anyone could question him, Taurrus appeared behind the Toa of Air, having to crouch down so that he would fit inside.
“Are we all decided on where to go?” asked the Saevta.
“I’m staying behind,” Varian said, stepping away from the rest of the group. She briefly glanced at Lesovikk, scanning his mind. She then exchanged a look with Orde and smiled slightly.
“All right then!” Taurrus beckoned for the five Toa to gather before taking a position behind them, wrapping his arms around then. “Off we go.”
In a flash of light, the five Toa and their Saevta transporter were gone, leaving Varian alone in the Great Temple. The sound of rotors prompted her to look up to see a small, red-armored figure descend from the rafters. Touching down, Rahaga Norik folded up his rotors and stepped up to his former teammate, a smile on his face.
“Now then,” he said, “where would you like me to begin?”
Varian rubbed her chin. “Hmm… try somewhere around seven thousand years ago.”
“We cannot stay here.”
Turaga Dume’s expression was grim as he regarded the ruins of Metru Nui. Turaga Lhikan stood beside him, having already delivered the Toa stones to the necessary Matoran and sent them off to the Great Temple. Although they would become known as the new Toa Metru, both Turaga knew that it would not be Metru Nui that they would be defending.
“We will need to relocate,” Dume went on. “It is too dangerous for the Matoran to live here; nothing is in operating order and there could still be servants of the Makuta roaming in the shadows. It would take a thousand years to repair the damage that has been done. We need to find someplace new for the Matoran to live.”
“I believe there is a passageway somewhere in the Great Barrier,” said Lhikan. “Not the one leading to Karzahni, but tunnels that opened up after the Cataclysm. We could perhaps travel through there to the world beyond.”
Dume gave him a look. “That will be dangerous as well. We would be treading uncharted territory.”
Lhikan nodded. “I know. But what other choice do we have?”
Dume sighed as he looked back towards the city. “You know, I hate it when you’re right,” the Turaga of Fire muttered. “Do you have any means for transportation?”
“The Order is providing us with enough airships to carry all of the Matoran.” Lhikan paused before raising an eyebrow at Dume. “Wait. Don’t you mean ‘we,’ not ‘you?’”
Dume shook his head. “I’m staying behind, old friend. Someone has to to watch over the city. The Rahaga are staying as well, along with their Toa friend.”
Lhikan frowned. “Are you sure it will be enough?”
“It will have to be.”
Lhikan opened his mouth, wanting to argue with Dume and convince him to come with them to whatever awaited beyond the Great Barrier. But he knew it would be useless; for all Dume accused him of being stubborn, the elder Turaga of Fire was no different.
Instead, all Lhikan said was, “May the Great Spirit be with you, old friend. Perhaps some day we will see each other again.”
“Yes,” Dume said quietly. “Some day.”
Off the coast of Metru Nui, on the abandoned island of Destral, agents of the Order of Mata Nui stepped through the ruins of the Makuta Fortress. They had already rescued the Matoran that the Makuta had captured, which they had been planning on converting into Shadow Matoran. Other prisoners included the former Visorak “king” Sidorak, who they whisked away to lock up with his “queen” Roodaka.
He knew what they were truly looking for, though: the Kanohi Avohkii, the Great Mask of Light. It had been reclaimed by the Brotherhood of Makuta not long before their takeover of Metru Nui, meaning it had to be on Destral. But no matter how much the Order picked through the wreckage, they would not find it, for it was now in the hands of the one prisoner they had failed to find and recapture.
Standing on a stone terrace that oversaw the Silver Sea, Mallake watched the Order agents from afar as they continued their futile search. With him were two Makuta servants — Shikaiju and Umarak — who had managed to escape in the midst of all the chaos. Mallake did not know enough about either of them to know whether he should trust them, but he figured he would find that out in due time.
Looking down at the Kanohi Avohkii in his hands, Mallake allowed a smile to cross his mask. The Toa would be looking for this, he knew. How far they would go to find it remained to be seen.
Turning back to Shikaiju and Umarak, he gave them a simple nod. Without a word, Shikaiju surrounded herself around the other two and teleported them away.
“We’re all set!”
Nuparu pulled himself out from under the airship’s controls, a wide grin on his orange mask. It was the happiest Macku had seen him in quite some time.
She supposed she couldn’t blame him. Despite being their home, Metru Nui was now the source of several bad memories for a lot of them; Nuparu especially given his responsibility for creating the Vahki and inadvertently assisting in the Makuta’s takeover. To get away from such a place was… liberating, in a way. None of them knew what was waiting for them beyond the Great Barrier, but the possibilities were endless. Macku couldn’t help but feel excited herself.
She turned around to look at the rest of the Matoran crewing the airship; one of many that the Order of Mata Nui had provided them with. Hewkii was beaming at her; Onepu was telling Kongu something about Gukko birds that the latter found very interesting; Jaller was trying very hard not to smile at a joke Hahli had made; Matoro was still reading the tablets they had ended up not using very much; and the chronicler himself, Takua, was stepping on board alongside Toa Vakama—
Wait… Toa Vakama?
Macku found herself staring slack-jawed at the freshly-armored Toa Metru of Fire as he stepped onto the airship. He exchanged a nod with Jaller and gave a friendly wave to the other Matoran. He looked slightly bothered by the fact that many of them were staring at him, but that did not deter him as he stepped up to the front of the airship. Kongu hopped over and jumped into the pilot’s seat.
“All right!” the Le-Matoran said. “Let’s go—”
“Not yet,” said Toa Vakama. “We still have to wait for Turaga Lhikan.”
“I’m here.” The Turaga of Fire hobbled onto the airship, stepping up to stand beside Vakama. “Sorry I’m late,” he said. “Had to make sure someone other than Toa Matau was piloting the airship directly behind us. Wouldn’t want an accident to happen before we were even a few kios from the city.”
“Wait… did you say ‘Toa’ Matau?” Kongu groaned as he slumped down in his seat. “We are so dead.”
“Now, now, that’s no way to talk of your new protectors,” Turaga Lhikan said with a chuckle. “Go ahead and start things up.”
As the Le-Matoran got to work, Macku looked over to see Takua carving words onto a stone tablet. “Already chronicling, eh?” she said.
Takua chuckled. “Hey, we are about to make history here. Someone has to document it.”
Macku shook her head, unable to fight the smile creeping onto her mask. She watched through the viewport as the airship began to depart from Metru Nui, heading towards the tunnel that would take them out of this world of darkness. Whatever was waiting for them on the end, she had a feeling it would make for a pretty good story.
Epilogue[]
- The island of Kangaro, 1,000 years later
“That’s not how I remember the Turaga telling it.”
Janar glared at the Le-Matoran sitting across from him. “Leran, you sometimes forget to put your mask on in the morning. Your memory is not the most trustworthiest.”
“That’s not true!” Leran protested, crossing his arms. “As a matter of fact, I did remember to put my mask on this morning! So there!”
“How do you remember the Turaga telling it then?” asked the Ga-Matoran Kota.
“Well, obviously you skipped over the part where the Toa Tenebrae had to fight the Rahi Nui!” said Leran.
“That wasn’t the Toa Tenebrae,” Janar replied. “That was the Toa Metru; the new Toa Metru.”
“Well then, what about when the Toa Tenebrae drove off those Frostelus from Kangaro? What about that part, huh?”
Janar opened his mouth to refute Leran’s claim when he noticed a tall figure approaching them. The warrior was clad in gray and black armor, with a thin sword attached to his back. A gray Kanohi mask adorned his face, with yellow eyes glowing behind it.
“Mata Nui,” he whispered. “Is that… is that Toa Krakua?”
Kota and Leran both turned to see the newcomer. “It is!” the former gasped. “I didn’t think he’d ever come back.”
“Darn it,” Leran muttered. “I left my tablet back at my hut. I was gonna have him sign it....”
Janar got to his feet and walked over to Toa Krakua, trying not to look too excited. This effort was in vain as his ‘walk’ was more like a ‘run,’ and when he spoke, his words came out as a jumbled mess without any verbal punctuation.
“Hi Toa Krakua welcome to Kangaro how can I help you you look so cool.”
The Toa of Sonics looked down at Janar, a small smile on his mask. “Hello, Janar. Kota, Leran. It’s good to see you all again.”
“Oh my goodness.” Kota covered her mouth with her hands. “He remembers our names.”
“He probably just read our minds,” said Leran. “He wears a Mask of Telepathy, remember?”
“No, he doesn’t! It’s obviously shaped like a Hau.”
Krakua smiled at the Ga-Matoran. “No, I’m afraid Leran’s correct, Kota. I had my Kanohi Suletu reshaped to resemble a Hau in honor of a friend of mine. Plus, it makes people trust me more if they don’t know I’m reading their minds with my mask.”
“That is so cool,” said Janar. “You are so cool.”
Krakua chuckled. “Well, I owe it all to your Turaga. If it wasn’t for him, I would still be a Matoran just like you guys. Speaking of which, I don’t suppose he’s around? I was hoping to speak with him.”
“I’m here, old friend.”
From behind the three Matoran approached a Turaga elder clad in bright green armor, using his Air Staff to keep himself balanced. Tired red eyes glowed behind his Noble Kanohi Faxon as he regarded Toa Krakua with a warm smile.
“Welcome back, Toa Krakua,” said Turaga Lesovikk. “How may I be of service to you?”
Krakua shook his head. “I’m not here for any favors, Turaga. Just thought I’d stop by and catch up with you.”
Janar turned to Turaga Lesovikk. “Is it true that you sacrificed your Toa power to create Toa stones? I was never clear on that part whenever you told it.”
Lesovikk chuckled. “Yes, Janar, you were on the right track. After defeating Karzahni and Makuta — all in one day, I might add — I felt that I had finally avenged my fellow Toa and achieved my destiny. Even with the Empire of Makuta defeated, I knew that the universe was going to need a lot more Toa.”
“Who were the other Toa you helped create?” asked Kota. “You didn’t just create Krakua, did you?”
The Toa of Sonics laughed. “What, am I not good enough?”
“No!” the Ga-Matoran said hastily. “That’s not— that’s not what I meant!”
Turaga Lesovikk chuckled. “Relax, Kota. I know what you meant. What say we retire to my hut and get our Toa visitor something to eat? Then perhaps I can regale you all with another story.”
“Yes!” Leran said excitedly. “I want to hear more about the Toa Tenebrae!”
“Oh, I’m afraid there’s not much more to say about them, Leran.” A twinkle gleamed in Lesovikk’s eyes. “But that’s not to say there are other heroes whose stories are worthy of legend.”
As the three Matoran and Toa Krakua followed Lesovikk, Janar ran up to walk alongside the Turaga. “For what it’s worth, Turaga,” he said quietly, “as cool as I think Krakua is, you will always be my favorite hero.”
Lesovikk chuckled again as he glanced at the Matoran. “And why is that, Janar?”
“If it wasn’t for you, I would still be living in Karzahni, along with Kota and Leran. You saved us from that horrible fate and brought us here, as well as create a new generation of Toa. I know the others and I might joke about how old you are… but that doesn’t mean we don’t respect you. Because we do, Turaga. We owe so much to you.”
Lesovikk smiled at him. Janar expected the Turaga to say something that would downplay his words, as he often did whenever someone gave him praise, but instead the elder merely patted him on the shoulder.
“Everyone is a hero to someone else,” Lesovikk said quietly. “Someday, Janar, that might even be you... if it isn’t already.”
Janar’s eyes widened behind his mask and he felt himself beginning to smile. It was easier to see his expressions ever since he abandoned the mask Karzahni had given him in favor of a Kanohi Volitak, a mask that had been worn by one of Lesovikk’s fellow Toa in his stories. Perhaps his choice of masks was more prophetic than he had first thought.
He was still smiling by the time they got to the hut, dreaming of stories of his own even as Turaga Lesovikk began his.
“Gather around, my friends. Listen again to our legend… of the BIONICLE.”
THE END — FOR NOW
Characters[]
Matoran[]
- Metru Nui
- Karzahni / Kangaro
- Others
Toa[]
Turaga[]
Rahaga[]
Order of Mata Nui[]
Makuta[]
Dark Hunters[]
Others[]
Trivia[]
- The exchange between Lesovikk and Karzahni at the end of Chapter Five is an homage to a similar one between Scarlet Witch and Thanos in the 2019 film Avengers: Endgame.
| BIONICLE Alternatives (v|e) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Matoran Universe | Hero • Defiance • A Fine Addition • Another Fine Addition • Don't Look Down • The Rescuer | ||
| Bara Magna | By Any Other Name • Communication Issues | ||
| Spherus Magna | Faux • The Greatest of Us All | ||
| Empire of Makuta Universe | The Empire of Makuta • Land of the Lost • The Hand of Artakha • The Hidden Island • A World of Darkness | ||
| G2 Universe | Expectations | ||