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This article was written by Invader39. Please do not add to it without the writer's permission.
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| Pushing Back the Dark | |
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| Story | |
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| Date Set |
The Time of Heroes
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| Media Information | |
| Released |
January 13, 2015-July 24, 2016
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| Written by | |
| Timeline | |
| Previous | |
| Concurrent |
Revenge of the Skull Spiders
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| Next | |
Pushing Back the Dark is a story written by Invader39. It serves as an expansion of the 2015 BIONICLE story. The plot centers around the arrival of the Toa on Okoto and documents their quest to find the Mask of Creation and awaken Ekimu, aided by the Protectors. They are faced by the Skull Creatures, who seek the mask for themselves.
It is the first installment in The Dark Trilogy.
Story[]
Prologue: The Legend[]
A long time ago on the mythical island of Okoto. The islanders all lived in harmony. It was a place of great wonders and beautiful landscapes.
Out of the island's six elemental forces: Fire, Water, Jungle, Stone, Earth and Ice, two brothers, known as the Mask Makers, created Masks of Power.
Each brother bore a special mask: Makuta owned the Mask of Control, and Ekimu the Mask of Creation.
The brothers gave the islanders many masks, but Ekimu's were the most prized and treasured. Makuta became envious and forged an evil plan.
It was a sacred law that a Mask could never contain the power of more than one element, lest it become too strong and dangerous. But Makuta wanted to create the strongest Mask of all time; the Mask of Ultimate Power.
When Makuta put it on, it took control over him, and the island began to shake and crumble. Realizing what his brother had done, Ekimu managed to knock the Mask from Makuta's face. A shockwave rolled across the land, sending both brothers into an endless sleep.
The Masks were scattered across the island,
Waiting for a time when someone would come looking for them...
Book I: Light Among Darkness[]
Chapter 1: Prophecy of Heroes[]
On the mythical island of Okoto, ancient Masks of Power were hidden away for only the strongest to find and claim. But, evil was rising, growing stronger by the minute, searching for the Masks.
The Region of Stone, thousands of years ago.
The island had begun to shake and crumble. A shockwave had then rolled across Okoto, turning the skies sour, and rain began to pour down. As they ran, they could still hear the echo of the shockwave, like a giant had clapped his hands together.
The Protectors of the time ran to where they had heard the blast come from. Their weapons clanging and their feet thumping against the ground. They came to a giant crater in the ground, and they saw the nearly lifeless body of Ekimu laying in the center of it, no Mask on his face, no movement.
There was, however, a voice. It was like a whisper, and it was coming from Ekimu. How this was possible, they did not know, but they listened, they listened to his words...
After they heard Ekimu cease to speak, Owa, the Protector of Water, spoke. “We need to bury him. But we have to do it in the City.”
The Protectors nodded in agreement.
They climbed down into and crater and lifted Ekimu and carried him out of the hole in the ground. They traveled through Okoto for several hours, eventually coming to the ancient city of Okoto, the City of the Mask Makers. The bridge to the city had been damaged by the shockwave, and the villagers had been evacuated. The city had become unstable, and was not safe for them. The ground had been soaked by the heavy rainfall just hours ago, making it even more dangerous to cross into the city.
“Alright, we're going to need to be careful here,” Epolim, the Protector of Earth, said.
They began to walk across the bridge slowly and steadily. They made sure to take small steps to prevent themselves from slipping and falling to their deaths. After what seemed like hours, they finally made it across the bridge and into the city. They carried him towards a graveyard.
The rest of the city was like a ghost town, with buildings broken and their fragments scattered everywhere.
They came into the graveyard, which looked like a place where evil hid. They came to a large mausoleum with a sculpture of the Mask of Creation over it. They pulled the door open and carried the unconscious Mask Maker inside. They brought him in and the end of the building laid a golden sarcophagus that was craved loosely in the shape of the Mask Maker, retaining the obvious shape of the Mask of Creation.
Mamuk, the Protector of Fire went over to the casket and slid the lid off. The other Protectors hoisted Ekimu's body into the coffin and stared at their former leader. Agarak, the Protector of Jungle went over to a carving on the wall that was shaped like one of their Elemental Masks that had been handed down to them from their fathers and from their fathers before them. The Protector pushed the carving inwards, revealing a secret hatch.
The carving lifted itself out of the way and revealed a blended gold and blue Mask just like the one of the carving. The Protector took out the Mask and walked over to the open casket, and the Protectors stood on either side of the the sarcophagus. The Protector of Jungle held the Mask above the Mask Maker's face. Kerato, the Protector of Stone reached out and grabbed the other side of the Mask, and together they placed the Mask on Ekimu's face.
The Protector of Fire pressed a carving-shaped button on the casket the the lid slide closed, their Mask Maker being laid to rest.
As they left the city that had once been the home of the two Mask Makers: Makuta and Ekimu and various Islanders. The Protectors looked back at their city as they stepped off the damaged bridge, several emotions flooding them.
But they remembered what Ekimu had spoken to them, the Prophecy of Heroes, and passed it down to their children, as a beacon of hope for them.
As a light in the dark.
Okoto, present day.
Lava bubbled and burped in the Region of Fire. Hot air ascended from the flames and up through the houses in the village. They had built their houses above the lake of lava, along with pretty much everything else. The houses themselves were built into the large rocks that jutted out from the ground. Nobody knew why, but the Fire Tribe Villagers loved being next to boiling lava.
The Protector of Fire looked down over the village, his blue eyes watching for any Skull Spiders that would attack their village. They had invaded the island in search of the three Legendary Masks of Power; the Mask of Control, the Mask of Ultimate Power, and the Mask of Creation.
Black clouds covered the skies above the Region, most of them caused by the three massive volcanoes that inhabited the island. The eruptions of these volcanoes shook the whole island, and even caused evacuations of villages if the lava flowed close enough.
The Protector hopped down from his perch and onto a bridge that spanned over over the lake of lava. Villagers who were walking on the bridge turned at his sudden arrival and he nodded to them and they kept walking.
He looked and saw his son running towards him, his blue eyes glowing bright. Narmoto, the Protector of Fire, knelt down to meet his son, embracing him in a hug. With the threat of Skull Spiders, he could barely get home at night. He often spent the nights either in the watch tower or just staying up all night, which wasn't good for him. For now, it was good to be reunited with his family.
“Are there any Skull Spiders going to attack, father?”
“Not that I know of, my son, but they will come.”
Worry filled his son's eyes. Narmoto saw this and comforted his son.
“Do not worry, my son. You are strong, you are brave, and you are loyal to your land. You will someday, after I pass from this world, make an excellent Protector. But for now, you must protect your mother from these beasts-.”
He was cut off by the sound several villagers screaming. He turned to see many villagers running in their direction, and behind them were about six dozen green Skull Spiders. The Protector stood up and said to his son.
“Get back to the house and protect your mother. I will get rid of these monsters.” His son looked up at him, fear over him. “Don't worry, my son, I will push them back into the dark from which they came.”
His son turned and ran with the other villagers and towards his house, glancing back at his father as he ran. The Protector turned back towards the Skull Spiders. His Elemental Fire Blaster came from his back and rested on his shoulder. He ignited his two Flame Swords. As the Spiders got closer, Narmoto's blaster began to spin. He smiled and unleashed hell upon the beasts.
The red beams of Fire energy destroyed the Skull Spiders, blasting them off of the bridge and into the lava below their feet. A few Skull Spiders survived his blasts and jumped at the Protector. He lifted his twin Flame Sword and knocked the Spiders away, leaving burn marks on their backs.
He turned to see Skull Spiders all over the village, looking for the Masks again. They kept raiding this village in search of the three Masks, every time they failed in their quest. He saw Skull Spiders crawling on his home. A rage suddenly filled him.
“The Masks of Power you seek are not here, Lord of Skull Spiders! Would the Protectors of Old be stupid enough to hide the most powerful Masks on Okoto in one of their villages? That would be putting their people in harm's way. Now leave, you wretched beasts!”
The Spiders turned to look at him, their red eyes glowing brightly. Far across Okoto, six eyes watched the Protector through a Golden Mask. It gritted its teeth in anger and ordered the Skull Spiders to abandon the village, because deep down, it knew that the Masks of Power were not there.
Narmoto watched as the Spiders abandoned the village, leaving the Islanders unharmed. The villagers came out from their huts and looked around the village. His son ran over to him and gave him another hug. He looked and saw his wife coming towards him as well. Together they embraced as a family, but it was not to last.
“I'm sorry, my wife, but I need to leave again. I need to gather the other Protectors and we must summon the heroes.”
“Do you what you have to do to rid our island of these beasts, Narmoto.”
“Thank you, my love.”
He turned towards the villagers.
“I need five volunteers to go and send word to the other Protectors to gather at the Temple of Time.”
After a lot of glances and murmurs, five villagers stepped out from the crowd.
“Good. Tell the Protectors that the time to summon the heroes and awaken the Mask Maker has come.”
The five villagers then left that place in search of the other five Protectors of Okoto to tell them that it was time to summon the Toa...
The young villager walked through one of the several villages in the Region of Stone. He looked around at the other villagers who looked slightly worried. He didn't know why, but his guess was that it was related to those big blue scorpions that came to the village and made everyone run in fear. But not him, when he grew up, he wanted to be like his father, who protected the village when they came.
His father was walking beside him, holding his hand. He looked at his father's Elemental Mask of Power, which was different from the other villager's masks, because it had lime on it. It was very pretty, and he had always wanted to wear it someday.
But the duty of a Protector was a heavy burden and tough job. The battles were fierce and dangerous. He had seen his father fight, and he always had nightmares of his father fighting, and never coming back home to him.
He didn't like to think about this, so he cast his young mind to other things. He looked around and saw something move fast out of the corner of his eye. He looked around and saw nothing. Again, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, and when he looked, he saw nothing.
He tugged at his father's robes, concern engulfing him. “Dad... I think I saw something-.” He couldn't finish his sentence. A flash of navy blue soared through the air at the young villager. The youngling brought his hands up to cover his face and waited for impact.
Which never came.
In its place was a flash of bright light, the scream of a Skull Spider, and it falling to the ground. The young villager uncovered his face and saw that his father had removed his robe and was standing with his Sandstone Blaster in hand. He looked down at his son.
“Get out of here. Get everyone out of here.”
“Yes sir!” his son ran and gathered other villagers and got them inside the buildings. The village went from an inhabited place to a ghost town.
He scanned his surroundings, waiting for another Skull Spider to pounce. The current Protector of Stone was ready to once again defend his home and his villagers.
“Alright, you damn spiders. I am the Protector of Stone, and this is my home,” he said with confidence. He heard the hissing of a few Skull Spiders.
“These are my people, and I will protect them even if it means giving up my life for them. Now go back to whatever hell you emerged from!”
The Protector stood in the middle of the street for some time, waiting for either the Spiders to attack or to simply flee. After moments of listening to the wind howl through the desert, the Skull Spiders attacked.
The first of the pests came flying at his face, obviously trying to take him over. The Protector knocked the spider away into the sand. Another spider came flying at the Protector of Stone and he fired a blast of Stone at it and made it fly back about thirty yards. Several Skull Spiders came out of hiding and gathered about fifteen feet from the Protector.
“Right, I'll give you one more chance. Get out of my village... now.”
The Skull Spiders hissed again and jumped at the Protector. He was able to fend off the first few Skull Spiders, but it became too much for the older Protector. He tried to knock them away with his staff, but they began to cover him. They tackled him to the ground and consumed him, not a part of the Protector to be seen.
His son looked out the window of his hut to see his father consumed by the Spiders.
“NO!” he screamed. The Spiders looked up to the hut and saw the villager. One of the dark blue spiders screamed and the others who weren't attacking the Protector were about to invade the house when a massive amount of sand began swirling around them. The foul beasts looked at the sand, their tiny minds puzzled.
After a few moments of the sand swirling magically in the air, a huge blast erupting from underneath the Skull Spiders that consumed his father. A bright light shone for a minute or two and then faded to reveal all the Skull Spiders laying unconscious on the ground, and his father standing victoriously above them, the ends of his Sandstone Blaster glowing brightly.
“I warned you,” he muttered to himself.
The villagers came out from their houses and gathered around the Protector. Some were congratulating him, others were thanking him, and some just remained silent, in awe of what their Protector had done. He looked around at the villagers and smiled, but that smile quickly faded as he realized that this was just a minor victory in the war against the Skull Spiders, a very small victory.
His son came up to him from the crowd and said to him: “What will you do now, father?”
“I don't know, Ralack. I'm waiting for Narmoto, the Protector of Fire's word-,” he was stopped by the arrival of a villager from the Region of Fire who cut through the crowd and came up to the Protector.
“Nilkuu, Protector of Stone! The Protector of Fire has summoned you and the other Protectors to the Temple of Time to use the Prophecy of Heroes!”
“Thank you...?”
“Helos, sir.”
“Thank you, Helos. You can rest here from your journey,” Nilkuu said as he put his weapon on his back and walked through the crowd towards the end of the village. As he walked his son came running up to him. They both stopped and looked at each other. The wise Protector saw what his son's eyes held: worry and fear.
The Protector smiled. “I'll come back. I will always come back to you,” he said and walked out of the village to the Temple of Time.
The Region of Water.
The dark clouds overhead promised rain. The mossy ground squished underneath his feet. Nothing had been the same since the fall of Ekimu, the Mask Maker, their wise leader. And it wasn't the fact that they didn't have new replacement Masks for ones that broke. It was they didn't have his leadership, his ever-so-wise judgment. He was a beacon when times were dark, acting as a light in the shadows.
He stopped when he heard a sound to his left. Any other day he would just a assume it was a child playing, but now he knew for a fact that it wasn't a child.
It was a Skull Spider.
The nasty little beast jumped out from behind a small slope and attacked the Protector of Water. The new Protector rolled out of the way of the Skull Spider. He landed and grabbed his Elemental Torpedo Blaster and located the Skull Spider. Firing several blasts of condensed Water at the beast, it managed to dodge a few of them, but got hit by the fourth one and was sent flying backwards, hitting a rock and being knocked out.
He waited a moment for any sign of another Skull Spider. For a while nothing happened, but about two dozen Skull Spiders jumped out of nowhere and approached him. The Protector lifted his weapon and fired at the Skull Spiders, hitting several of them. But they jumped at the Protector and he nearly dodged them before they got onto his face and took control of him.
The Protector dove into the water and towards the bottom. He landed on the ocean floor and looked up at the surface of the water. For several moments nothing happened. But then, the Skull Spiders jumped into the water after him and descended towards Kivoda. He opened fire on them again and hit several of them, their limp bodies floating to the surface.
He thought he was going to win this battle, but he spoke too soon because about four dozen of the creatures rose from under the ocean floor behind him and came at the Protector. The instant he saw them he knew that he couldn't fight them off. All he could do was run, or more accurately; swim.
He activated the twin yellow turbines on his shoulders and the propellers spun around and around, propelling him forward just as the Skull Spiders got to him. The Protector of Water cut through the silver Skull Spiders and went through the water towards the closest village. Skull Spiders usually distracted the region's Protector and then attacked the closest village.
An interesting tactic, yes, but not for their side.
A trail of bubbles were left by his turbines as they twirled around. He looked back as he sped through the waters of the Region to see about four dozen of the gunmetal-silver Skull Spiders chasing him. He fired a few stray projectiles from his blaster back at the spiders, but it was no use because the Skull Spiders just dodged the attack.
The wise Protector saw land up ahead and knew that he was close to a village. Just as he was about to hit the land, he jumped out of the water and onto the mossy ground. He glanced down and saw that a few of the Skull Spiders had hit the land and were knocked down. As he saw the rest of the Spiders ascending towards him, he quickly ran towards the village as fast as he legs could carry him. He was fortunate that his turbines were virtually weightless.
He saw a village begin to come into view, and he ran faster. Skull Spiders began to jump at him from behind. They were fast little beasts. He entered the village and looked around. All the villagers halted what they had been doing and looked at the Protector.
“Hide, now! They're coming!” the Protector yelled to them.
They all glanced at each other and quickly ran into their homes. This was one of the few above-ground villages in the Region. Their houses, however, had a section that was consumed by water, and allowed them to go into the sea below their feet.
Once the villagers had cleared, the Protector pulled out his Elemental Torpedo Blaster again and turned to fire upon the Skull Spiders. He knocked a few away, but they dodged his attacks again. One jumped right at him and he launched one of his two torpedoes. It cut straight through the little beast, killing it instantly.
The Spiders began to overwhelm the Protector, surrounding him. He fired some more blasts but his weapon ran out of ammo. His eyes suddenly filled with fear as the Spiders were about to jump at him. But suddenly all their eyes flashed red and it seemed like they were in a trance. He looked around, trying to figure out what was happening.
They then snapped out of the trace and left the village, not even knocking over the food stands. The villagers slowly came out of their homes as the Spiders left. A child villager walked up to the Protector.
“Why are they leaving?”
“I think their master, the Lord of Skull Spiders, called them away. Why? I don't know.”
A Fire Tribe villager came into the village and ran up to the Protector of Water.
“Kivoda, the Protector of Water! Narmoto, the Protector of Fire has summoned you to the Temple of Time.”
“It's about time, too. Thank you. Stay hidden, stay safe,” the Protector said and he walked away from the village. He jumped into the water and swam towards the Region of Jungle.
Hopefully he didn't run into any more water-dwellers along the way.
Wind rustled the leaves of the tall trees in the Region of Jungle. Long vines reached down to the forest floor and some into the swampy waters of the region. The young villagers walked through the forest, sticks in hand. They were explorers, walking in their ancestor's footsteps. A lot of Okoto had been explored in the past, but they were heading for the unexplored swamps that divided the Region of Jungle from the Region of Water.
They knew the swamps were dangerous, but they wanted to explore their homeland, and maybe make a safer route for travel between the Regions that was now hard to have.
As they left the woodlands they came into a large field, tall grass consuming it. The grass was taller than any of the five villagers and they would surely get lost in there, either that or get possessed by a Skull Spider, or both. One of the five grabbed a blade off his back, a farming tool, and began to cut down the grass, making a way for the others.
The stomped down the grass to the ground as they walked. The other four were tense and had their weapons ready to fend off any Skull Spiders that wanted to jump out at them. After several minutes of walking through the tall, dense grass, they finally made it out the other side and were met by the outskirts of a swamp.
Now that the easy part was over, came the hard part. There were various insects, creatures and deadly plants in there. And that was just the first forty feet in. There had been explorers in the past, but they didn't make it very far, and very few of them came back out.
Admittedly, they were taking a huge risk by going into these swamps, but for the past few thousand years after Ekimu's fall, the bonds between the villagers had been falling apart and better connecting them would help their broken relations repair. The only real force keeping the villages together were the Protectors. But as the rise of the next generation of Protectors grew closer, the villages grew even further apart. Balance had to be restored.
They were ready to enter the swamp when they heard something behind them. They turned with their weapons at the ready. The young villagers' eyes surveyed the area, watching for any movement. For several moments they heard nothing, but they heard the sound of a twig snap, the screeching of a Skull Spider, and then the scream of one of the villagers as the Skull Spider latched itself onto his face.
The others tried to stab the Spider with their spears, trying to kill it before it possessed their friend. But before they could get a clean shot, several more, about six, Skull Spiders jumped from the trees and surrounded the villagers, their pincers snapping open and close, drool foaming at their mouths.
The beasts closed in on the villagers, their end drawing nearer. Their friend was also walking towards them, weapon in hand and controlled by a Skull Spider. The villagers closed their eyes and waited for the Skull Spiders to attack.
Nothing happened.
They suddenly heard the sound of energy being discharged from a weapon, and green flashes through their eyelids. They opened their eyes and saw that several of the Skull Spiders were now laying on the ground, unconscious. One of the villagers looked up and saw hanging on the large trunk of the tree, Vizuna, the Protector of Jungle.
The Protector jumped down and a Skull Spider jumped at him. He knocked the Spider away with one of the flames on the side of his Elemental Flame Bow and burned it. The possessed villager ran at the Protector and swung at him, and the Protector nearly dodged it.
The Skull Spider had probably only been on the villager for about a minute, so that meant it was going to be fairly easy to knock off. But the hard part was trying not to harm the villager in the process. The villager lunged at Vizuna with his staff again, chipping off a piece of the Protector's armor. The Protector readied his weapon and aimed at the Skull Spider on the child's face. His weapon was extremely accurate. All he needed to do was shoot.
The villager charged at him with the staff in hand. The Protector pulled back on his weapon, it glowing brightly. He let go and a neon beam of energy flew through the air and hit the Skull Spider in the center of it's face. The child fell backwards and hit the ground hard, the Skull Spider getting launched off his face and into the air. The Protector quickly fired another blast of Air at the Spider, launching it backwards into a pool of swamp water. Bubbles formed as it sank below the surface, never to be seen again.
The Protector came over to the villager and helped him up, the child holding his head with his hand.
“I am never doing that again... ever...”
“It's okay, little one. I'm sure none of us want that.”
“So what now?” one of the villagers asked the Protector.
Vizuna turned towards them. “I believe it's time to summon the heroes.”
The Protector of Jungle began to walk there, and the villagers followed at a distance. The Protector figured Narmoto, the Protector of Fire, would probably have sent a messenger to find him and tell him to assemble at the Temple of Time.
By now Narmoto should know I don't need messengers. the Protector smiled as he headed towards the Temple.
Large purple crystals hung from the ceiling and jutted out from the ground in the Region of Earth. Rocks also jutted from both these places, and the villagers of Earth had built their homes into the sturdiest of these stalactites. A large crevice in the side of the mountain the village rested in, about thirty-feet wide, let natural light in. This light was yellow as it was the early morning.
The Protector of Earth looked out her window at the subterranean village. She grabbed her star drill and throwing knives. She attached the knives to her side and picked up her Rapid Fire Shooter, and attached it to her chest. She walked to the door to leave when she heard something moving behind her. The Protector turned around to see a small child villager standing there; her daughter.
Korgot, the Protector of Earth smiled and came over to her only child. She picked her up held her up to her Mask of Earth.
“I'm sorry, did I wake you, Hali?”
The small child rubbed her eyes. “Kind of, mom. I was half-sleeping, and half-awake.”
Her mother chuckled. “I hate when that happens. You know what I do?”
“What?”
“I think of you and dad.”
“So... I think of you and dad?”
“Exactly, Hali. Now you can go try that. Trust me, it works like a charm.”
“Okay, mommy.”
Korgot set the toddler down and the future Protector of Earth walked towards her room, smiling back at her mother as she went. When she heard the small child close her bedroom door and climb back into bed, the Protector of Earth turned around and walked out the door into the cavernous village.
She turned and walked down a flight of stairs to a bridge where the Crystal Miners were heading to work, still groggy from their early awakening. They had been doing this for years now, but the nightly attacks of Skull Spiders caused them to stay awake well past midnight. They usually only got three, maybe five hours of sleep if they were lucky.
Day after day, things just kept on tumbling down.
She came to the large crack in the mountain side and looked out on the barren, rocky wasteland that was the Region of Earth. She sighed. The Protector turned when she heard a hissing behind her. Korgot only knew that sound too well.
The Protector of Earth grabbed her Star Drill and turned to meet a flying green Skull Spider. The sharp edges of her weapon met with the hard shell of the beast and shattered it. The dead creature fell to the ground. She looked up to see about two dozen Spiders crawling towards the village.
Instead of at night, they were now attacking by day. She really hated these things. Korgot readied her throwing knives and her Rapid Fire Shooter began to spin, glowing with purple energy. She waited for the Spiders to grow a little closer and then opened fire upon them.
Purple balls of energy came from her chest and struck the oncoming Skull Spiders, blasting them in every which direction. She knocked away about a dozen and a half of the beasts when she ran out of ammo on her weapon. She backed away as the Spiders noticed that she was out of ammo and ran for the village. The Protector once again readied her melee weapons and fought off the Spiders as they came.
Three Skull Spiders jumped at her at once and she ducked out of the way. When she got back up she threw both her knives into two of the Spiders, killing them instantly. The third one came at her and she smashed it with her Star Drill, killing it.
The remaining three saw that their comrades were defeated, and that the Protector would surely kill them. They just turned and ran for their lives, not caring what their master would say.
Korgot sat down on a rock and breathed in and out. She had won another battle, but how many more could she? The Spider's attacks were getting deadlier every time. How long could she keep this up?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a Fire Tribe Villager.
“Korgot, Protector of Earth. Narmoto, the Protector of Fire has requested your presence at the Temple of Time.”
“Finally. Finally it's time to summon them.”
She got up and thanked the villager and left the village, and as she walked across the rocky terrain of the Region, she looked back at her village, and hoped her daughter would be safe while she was gone.
A large icicle fell from it's base on the top of the tunnel opening. It fell into the snow just in front of the being's feet. He looked up at where it had fallen from and used his Elemental Powers over Ice to put it back to where it had fallen from.
He continued walking through the Region of Ice. Ahead of him was a mostly-clear field of snow, with a few hills and mountains in the distance, reaching up and into the gray clouds. Flakes of snow flew through the air, being swept along by the fierce wind. Snow drifts dragged across the ground, leaving marks in the fluffy frozen rain for only a few moments, as it was soon covered back up by newly-fallen snow.
It was also extremely cold. Any other being would be shivering and trying to warm themselves up, but not members of the Ice Tribe. They had a natural resistance to the cold climate of the Region. Izotor, the Protector of Ice, was thankful for that.
He saw the Ancient Ruins of Okoto in the distance. The Protector continued walking as closed in on the ruins. They had been hit by the shockwave, nearly a direct hit. It was a miracle that they hadn't been obliterated by it. It was like Ekimu had somehow protected their heritage...
Izotor came into the ruins and looked around. The ruins were tall pillars, either still standing, or leaning to the side, or even on the ground. Most were cracked, some were shattered. On them was inscribed ancient histories in the Okoto dialect. Many of these texts dating back to the early days of Okoto History.
All the pillars were covered in snow and ice, some of it had been there for thousands of years. A being came out from behind one of the pillars, clad in white armor and wearing a sacred Mask that had been passed down to him from his father who had unfortunately lost his life to the Skull Spiders. He wielded a Bo Staff and a sword that could conduct an electrical charge that could stun a Skull Spider for hours.
“Protector,” Arker said. “Good to see you.”
“How much have you been able to translate of the ancient text?”
“Not much, but I was able to get the origins of Okoto down.”
“May I be able to see them?” Izotor asked.
“Indeed, Protector of Ice.” Arker ran behind the pillar again and opened his bag. He pulled out a scroll and was about to go back to the Protector when a Skull Spider jumped at him and knocked him over, his weapons sliding away on the snow.
Izotor quickly grabbed his shield and Elemental Ice Blaster and both began to spin; one with its razor blades, and the other with elemental energy. About two dozen Skull Spiders emerged and began to close in on the Protector.
He aimed and opened fire on the little silver beasts. Several of them were frozen in place, a few of them suspended in mid-air. One came right at his face, but he managed to use his Saw Shield to cut off a few of its legs. It landed in the white snow and quickly turned the area around it dark red. He turned to see a Skull Spider right in his face. Izotor didn't have enough time to react as the Spider latched onto his face.
The villager used his staff to smash the Skull Spider attacking him and he got up to aid the Protector. He turned the corner to see the Protector struggling with a Skull Spider that was trying to take his mind. Around them were about six more Spiders watching the scene. Arker pulled out his Shock Blade and ran at them. They turned to see the villager and took up the defensive.
Arker reached down and fried the first of the Skull Spiders in his way. Its smoking, burnt corpse rolled away. The other jumped at him and he dodged and struck them with his two weapons. He defeated five of them, and only two remained: the one standing between him and the Protector, and the one taking control of Izotor.
The two narrowed their eyes and ran at each other. Silver Skull Spiders were the fastest of the species. It jumped and Arker ducked underneath it, sliding through the snow. He got back up and threw his blade, charged with electricity, at the Spider. It hit it right between its eyes, covering it in blue lightning. The beast burnt to a crisp. It dropped dead in the snow.
Arker quickly ran over and grabbed the weapon and ran towards the Protector, who was almost under full possession of the Lord of Skull Spiders. He charged his blade, the two prongs at the end sparking. The villager had to be careful and try not to electrocute the Protector, or worse.
He took a deep breath, and deciding it was now or never, touched the blade to the Spider. Electricity quickly consumed the little beast, frying it. It fell away from the Protector's sacred Mask of Ice. Arker pulled away the blade so he didn't shock the Protector.
Izotor fell to the ground gasping. “...Thanks... Arker...”
“No problem, Protector,” Arker said, leaning against a rock.
Suddenly a red-armored being, a Fire Tribe Villager, approached the two. He was shivering from the cold. He was used to the hot, volcanic climate of the Region of Fire. This was his natural enemy.
Izotor arose to his feet to meet the villager.
“Izotor, Protector of Ice. The Protector of Fire, Narmoto has summoned you to the Temple of Time.”
“About time,” he muttered under his breath. “Thank you. Arker, make this poor fellow a campfire. I think he's going to lose a finger, or an arm.”
“Yes, Protector.”
Izotor left the ruins and headed towards the Temple. He'd have to cross through the Region of Water and over the mountains in the Region of Jungle. It was going to be a long and hard journey, so he had to hurry.
He disappeared into the blizzard.
Above Okoto, the bright stars burned in the night sky. Close celestial bodies filled the sky with color. The moonlight cast a pale glow on a hill with a large clearing on it. In the center of this clearing a massive structure. It was an ancient and sacred place.
The Temple of Time.
The Temple of Time was built in the shape of a large metronome, with a large pendulum swaying side to side, creating a rhythmic ticking as it went. A staircase was laid in front of it and up into the structure. Blue light poured from the building, illuminating the area around it.
Inside was a circular platform, with six staircases leading up to it. At the top of these were six beings, the Protectors, all standing around the outer-ring of the platform.
“Are we ready?” Vizuna, the Protector of Jungle asked.
“Yes,” Narmoto, the Protector of Fire replied. “It is time to summon the heroes.”
Korgot, the Protector of Earth walked down from the platform and to the base of it. A carving of a Mask of Power was there, illuminated by orange light that outlined its appearance. She pressed inwards on this and channeled some elemental power into it. She heard a lock click and the door slid to the side to reveal one of their most sacred Masks: The Mask of Time.
The Protector retrieved the Mask from the vault and brought it up to the platform. She set it down in the center, on top of clear glass orb. She backed away and joined her brothers in the outer circle. They all looked anxiously at one another, because this was the first time in centuries that the Mask had been used for anything.
They stretched out their hands, glowing with sheer Elemental Energy and channeled it into the Mask of Time, causing it to glow. They then began to speak, an ancient prophecy whispered to the Protectors by Ekimu a long time ago. They recited the Prophecy of Heroes, speaking in perfect unison.
“When times are dark and all hope seems lost, the Protectors must unite, one from each tribe. Evoke the power of past and future, and look to the skies for an answer. When the stars align, six comets will bring timeless heroes to claim the Masks of Power and find the Mask Maker. United, the elements hold the power to defeat evil. United, but not one.”
The center of the circle began to glow brighter than the sun, causing the Protectors to look away. Elemental energy swirling around it faster than an tornado in the desert. Suddenly the Mask exploded with energy and sent a huge beam of energy up into the sky. Light consumed the temple.
After a few moments, the light vanished, and the Protectors looked around, blinking.
“I think... I think it worked...” Izotor, Protector of Ice said.
“If it didn't we might have just failed the whole island,” Nilkuu, Protector of Stone said.
As they left, they returned the Mask of Time to its vault. They came out into the clearing on the hilltop. They looked to the stars above.
“When do you think they'll come?” Kivoda, Protector of Water asked.
“Soon, I hope. My village has been ambushed by Skull Spiders every night,” Korgot, Protector of Earth replied.
“According to the Prophecy, they will come when the stars align,” Narmoto, Protector of Fire said.
“We all know the Prophecy, brother. According the astronomical movements, the stars align every hundred years, and we're in that hundredth year. The stars are close now,” Vizuna, Protector of Jungle said.
“Then we wait for the heroes to come,” Narmoto answered.
They all then left the hilltop, back to their homes, their families. Hopefully the Prophecy was true, and that it had actually worked. Hopefully, the heroes will come, and defeat the Skull Spiders, awake the Mask Maker Ekimu, and bring balance to the world.
They could only hope.
Two weeks later...
The Jungle Tribe villager known as Bingzak sat in the sand of the Region of Stone. Nilkuu had rescued him from Skull Spiders. He had guided the Protector to the Temple of Time after he had gotten lost (Nilkuu didn't like that word). He saw a brilliant beam of energy come from the Temple and into the sky above Okoto. He knew the Protectors had summoned the ancient heroes.
As he looked towards the sky, he saw something flicker oddly. He squinted to see what it was when he saw another, and another, and another... six of them... all different colors. They were comets, and they were heading straight towards the island. As they closed in, he saw their colors: red, blue, green, brown, purple and white.
He suddenly realized what they were. Bingzak hopped up and ran as fast as he could to the Protector. He had to tell everyone, tell everyone that they were coming.
Tell everyone that the heroes were coming.
Chapter 2: The Arrival[]
Bright lights burned high above the island of Okoto. They were an array of colors: red, blue, green, brown, purple and white. They fell towards the island, like meteors. One crashed into each region of the land.
Region of Stone
It was night, the deep blue sky was full of stars, planets and nebulae. The Protector climbed the stairs towards his house. He had just returned from the Region of Ice, where he had assisted the Protector of Ice in the building of a giant wall around a village. Apparently, the Skull Spider attacks were increasingly worsening there.
Well, the Skull Spider attacks were growing worse all over the island, but they seemed to concentrate their attacks there. Perhaps they believed with all their little hearts that one of the Legendary Masks of Power were hidden there.
The Protector sighed. He came to the door of his home and decided that he'd worry about that later. Nilkuu was about to open the door when the Protector looked up to the sky and saw a bright brown light coming down towards the Region. It crashed somewhere west of the village and the sound echoed through the village like a small shockwave. He looked around as the villagers emerged from their homes to find out what had happened.
He jumped down from his balcony and into the sand. The Protector of Stone ran through the village towards the crash site, his cloak flapping behind him. They had arrived...
The sound of amazed villagers filled the streets of the village in the Region of Earth. A bright purple comet had come crashing down onto the island. The light had come in through the large crack that was the entrance to their village, illuminating them in purple light. The Protector of Earth looked out her window and ran through the front door. She jumped off the balcony and onto a bridge below her home.
After all this time, the heroes have arrived. She thought to herself.
Korgot ran down the bridge and towards the crash site, several villagers, including her daughter, Hali, followed her. They ran out of the village and through a large road cut out of a hill, letting them view the various sedimentary layers of rock, dating back thousands of years. The path curved up ahead of them, but a new road streaked across the ground feet from the path.
The villagers came to the end of their path and to the new one. They looked down it and saw a crater of purple fire, smoke ascending into the skies.
The Protector turned towards the villagers. “The time of heroes is upon us. The end of the Skull Spider's reign is about to come to an end.”
They approached the crater.
Darkness surrounded him. He heard whispers of things that were strange to him, yells of beings that he did not know.
The white and gold armored being arose from the large snow-filled crater. He looked around at the impossible white and blue flames that surrounded him. When he looked at them it seems to cause them to go out in a whisp of steam. He turned around until all the flames had vanished.
The being looked down and saw what appeared to be a shield and a long spear. He reached down and grabbed the spear with his right hand and the shield with his left. He looked around, his telescopic lens glowing brightly.
The white armored figure turned at the sound of snow crunching and saw several smaller beings approaching him. He readied his weapons.
“We have been expecting you, Toa,” said one of the beings who was wearing a cloak.
“Who am I?” Lewa, Master of Jungle asked the Protector.
“You mean, you don't know your duty?”
“Define duty. Do you mean duty has in 'I have a duty to something', or doodie as in-. ”
“The first one, Toa. The Lord of Skull Spiders is controlling an army of Skull Spiders to ravage our island in search of the three Legendary Masks of Power.”
“What are these Masks?”
“The Mask of Creation, formerly worn by our leader, Ekimu. The Mask of Control, formerly worn by his brother Makuta. And the Mask of Ultimate Power, the forbidden Mask of Power forged by Makuta after he grew jealous of his brother.”
“And these Masks are lost to the world?”
“Yes. But that doesn't mean they can't be found.”
“Why does this 'Lord of Skull Spiders' want these Masks?”
“We don't know, maybe to awake Makuta the Mask Hoarder so he can bring darkness back into the world.”
“Tell me more about this 'Makuta' and my duty.”
“Very well, Toa...”
“Long ago, Ekimu and Makuta, the Mask Makers, created Masks of Power for us islanders,” the Protector of Water told Gali, Master of Water as they floated under the sea.
“Everyone lived in harmony for years. But, the islanders began to prize Ekimu's Masks more than Makuta's. This made him envious of his brother's honors and forged an evil plan.
“It was a sacred law that a Mask could not contain the power of more than one element, otherwise it would become too strong and dangerous. But Makuta ignored this rules and created the strongest Mask to ever exist on the island of Okoto: the Mask of Ultimate Power.”
Kivoda breathed out heavily, a jet of bubbles coming from his mouth and up towards the water's surface. “He put on the Mask and the sheer elemental force caused the island to begin to shake and crumble.”
“Ekimu fought his brother and managed to knock the Mask from his face, but detaching the Mask from him caused a massive shockwave that rolled across the entire island, destroying structures. It threw the whole island out of balance.”
“And what of Ekimu and Makuta? Did they die?” Gali asked.
“No, but something much worse.”
“Like what? What could be worse than dying?”
“Still being alive.”
The Toa's eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“The blast knocked them asleep... an endless sleep. That's worse than being dead, still alive during it.”
“So what am I supposed to do? What is my duty?” The Toa asked, wanting to help these people.
“Before the Protectors of Old buried Ekimu, they found that he was whispering something to them. It spoke of six timeless heroes, the Toa. It said that they would go on a quest to find the Masks of Power, and awaken the Mask Maker,” the Protector of Fire said to the tall red and golden armored hero standing before them.
“Are these Masks of Power the same as the ones you spoke of?” Tahu, the Master of Fire asked.
“No. It is said that Ekimu forged six Golden Masks of Power for the six Elemental Toa of Okoto and hid them for the Toa to find.”
“There are other heroes?”
“Yes. To defeat evil, you six must unite.”
“Why haven't we united yet?”
“Because it is not your time yet. You must first collect the Masks of Power because they will give you strength to defeat the Skull Spiders.”
“How do you know we're-.”
The villagers were suddenly gripped with fear, them backing away from the Toa slowly. Tahu looked around them.
“What? Was it something I said?”
“No, it's those Skull Spiders behind you!” Narmoto, the Protector of Fire pointed behind the Toa.
Tahu began to turn as a Skull Spider flew through the air at him. He managed to accidentally knock the Spider with his shield that he had tucked under his arm. It flew into the dirt and was knocked out. Another came from his left and he knocked it away. And then one of the beast from his right and he bashed it into a large rock.
He turned back towards the villagers as one came from behind him. He lifted up his right hand and the Spider impacted with his hand, knocking it out. The villagers, as one, bowed before the Toa, seeing him truly as the hero that was foretold. The Protector looked around at the villagers, and back at the Toa's confused face.
“Do you still doubt your Destiny, Tahu? Quickly, we must hurry,”
He threw down his staff and tore off his cloak to reveal red and silver armor. He had had a hump on his back, but he now saw that it was a large cannon. It came from his back and rested on his shoulder. The Protector ignited two flame swords from his hands.
“We have no time to lose.” He ran off through the crowd of villagers and Tahu followed, but stopped at the sight of a strange carving on a rock. It looked kind of like half of a Mask, with three holes on either side.
“Come, Tahu. We must not delay.” Narmoto called after him. The Toa turned from the carving and ran after the Protector toward his Destiny.
Lightning flashed above the Ancient City. The old bridge was cracked and damaged. Large cocoons of fallen villagers hung from underneath it in a spider's web. The large form of the Lord of Skull Spiders crawled past the bodies, trying to decide who would make the best meal. He found one near the end of the bridge and was about to grab it when one of his Skull Spiders crawled up behind him.
“What do you wanttt?” He said telepathically to the small creature.
“The Toa have arriveddd.” It replied back.
The Lord of Skull Spiders hissed. “Very welllll. Do not let them get their Masks of Power. They must not awaken the Mask Maker.”
The Spider bowed upside down and crawled to the top of the to ready the troops. Since the Spiders were all telepathically linked, telling one Spider to do something meant telling all the Spiders what to do. It just depended on what the command was.
He turned back towards the body and snatched it from where it hung, the thread breaking like a twig. The great beast walked away with the body, ready for a meal.
He would need his strength to defeat the legendary heroes.
Chapter 3: Quest for the Golden Masks[]
Legend told that one day six heroes would make it through dangerous parts of the island to claim Golden Masks to unlock their true powers.
The Region of Jungle.
The Master of Jungle used his sword to cut another vine, the plant falling to the ground, dead. He walked past it, the Protector of Jungle following close behind him.
“How far are we from the Shrine?” Lewa, Toa of Jungle asked Vizuna.
“Pretty far. It's on the other side of the Region from where you landed.”
“Are you serious?”
“I wouldn't joke about this, Toa. The fate of the entire island, my children, are hanging in the balance.”
They continued to walk on, but in dead silence, the only sound being the grass crunching underneath their feet. Lewa found the silence from his Protector guide unbearable. Vizuna probably found comfort in the silence, but Lewa hated it.
“So do you have any idea where the three Legendary Masks of Power are?”
“That is not your quest right now, Toa.”
“Alright-,” Lewa was interrupted by the sound of bushes rustling behind them. They both turned, weapons in hand.
“Was that...?”
“A Skull Spider? Yes, and it sounds like it brought friends,” The Protector of Jungle replied.
The Protector's Elemental Flame Bow glowed bright green, charged with energy, while the Toa's swords glistened in the sunlight.
They waited for several long moments with no movement from anything, not even the trees. Then suddenly, they attacked. Six Skull Spiders came from all around them, flying at them.
“DUCK!” Vizuna shouted as the Skull Spiders closed on them. Lewa didn't need to be told twice and he crashed to the ground. The Skull Spiders all collided in mid-air and were all knocked out. Their unconscious bodies fell on the two travelers, but Lewa quickly got rid of them.
The Toa and Protector got back up and looked around for more Skull Spiders. Three more jumped from their left, but the Protector acted fast and fired several blasts of green flame energy to meet them, knocking them back into the brush.
“Run!” Vizuna shouted to the Toa of Jungle. Lewa didn't hesitate to do so and both ran from that place through the jungles of Okoto. The Master of Jungle could hear the screeches of Skull Spiders behind them, the little pests crawling through the bushes after them.
As they ran, Lewa looked around to see if any Skull Spiders were coming from their sides, and there weren't any, but, there was a pair of crimson red eyes staring at him from behind a tree, the figure's face shrouded in darkness. Lewa could see some green, similar to his own armor color, on the being, but also what seemed like... antlers. He blinked and they were gone, disappeared into the vast jungle.
The Toa didn't know if it was a figment of his imagination or if their really was a being watching them.
“Vizuna, do you know of any beings with antlers, green armor and red eyes around these parts?” Lewa asked as they ran.
“The Hunter... I thought he was just a myth,” The Protector muttered.
“What did you say? I couldn't hear,”
“Oh, nothing, Toa. Nothing you need to worry about right now. Let's get out of this jungle,”
“Yes Protector,” Lewa replied, his mind still on the mysterious figure, and that the Protector seemed hesitant to answer the Toa.
They ran faster.
The sun beat down on the two figures that strode through the desert of Okoto. A trail of foot prints lay in their wake. The Protector of Stone sheltered his eyes with his hand to keep the sun out. His Toa companion, however, didn't show any sign of pain from the scorching sun. He just kept on trudging through the desert wastelands of the Region of Stone.
In some ways, Nilkuu admired the Toa, but he also thought he was foolish pretending to act like a solid rock.
“Aren't you hot, Toa?” Nilkuu panted.
The Master of Stone said nothing, his eyes fixed on the desert ahead of him.
The Protector sighed. “Acting like the sun isn't burning you is just going to get you killed, Master of Stone.”
“Why does Okoto have to have such treacherous deserts?” The Toa finally asked.
“It wasn't always this way.”
“Was it different before the Mask Makers fell?”
“Yes, very different.”
“I can't really imagine a 'calm' desert-.”
“Quiet, Toa,” Nilkuu said, cutting him off.
“What is it?”
“I said quiet!”
The Toa shut his mouth and waited for the Protector to give him a reason. In the silence he heard something rumbling, like a huge gust of wind. He looked around and saw a massive sand-strom coming from the west of them.
“We can't stop it. Run!” Nilkuu yelled to the Toa.
The two ran the exact opposite from the storm. It drew closer every second. They were now running at a large mountain that stretched far and wide across the Region of Stone. Pohatu knew that they weren't going to be able to climb it before the storm caught up with them.
“There!” The Protector pointed to a small cave in the base of the mountain. They changed their direction in an instant and kept on running. They jumped in through the opening and rolled across the stone floor. Nilkuu quickly made a wall of rock on the entrance to block the storm, plunging them into darkness.
Pohatu got up and tried to look around look around the cave, but the only light was coming from their eyes and the tip of Nilkuu's weapon.
“Such a shame Narmoto isn't here. He'd have a small bonfire lit for us in no-time.”
“So what do we do now?”
“We wait out the storm,” The Protector's blue eyes flashed.
The Toa sighed and slumped to the ground and laid against the wall and began to wait out the storm.
Two hours later...
The Master of Stone had gotten tired of waiting and was ready to bash the wall down himself, but the Protector of Stone got up before the Toa could do anything and lowered the rock wall, sun light flooding into the cave, blinding both of them.
Once their eyes had gotten adjusted to the light of the outside world, they started making for the desert once again, but as they left, Pohatu noticed several carvings on one of the walls. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at them. Nilkuu noticed this and joined the Toa.
“What are these carving off?” Pohatu asked him.
“Many ancient things. This carving here,” he pointed to an island-shaped carving with what appeared to be a large volcano in the center of it on the far right of the wall. “That is of a mythical land from legends old. Oh, and that,” he pointed to a carving of a being that vaguely resembled a Protector, but was very different. “That's what the kids call a Tohunga.”
“What's this one? It's another one of them. Only this one has a name... Ahkmou...” Pohatu said. “Who is this Ahkmou? He sounds like a traitor.”
“Interesting. Anyways, we must be off, shouldn't we? In search of the Golden Mask that will unlock your true potential.”
The Protector left the cave, the Toa making to follow him when he saw a strange Mask carved on the wall. It appeared like it was only half a Mask, with three holes on either side and a vent-like part in the middle.
“Toa, hurry!” The Protector called from the desert.
The Toa looked away from the carving and walked out to join the Protector of Stone. Pohatu looked back into the cave as they both left towards the Shrine.
The blizzard raged across the Region of Ice. Two figures, one tall, the other short, fought their way across the frozen tundra. The Protector of Ice had his Ice Saw Shield up in front of his face blocking the flying snow, while the Master of Ice walking beside him trudged his way through the snow like it was nothing.
The wind howled into their ears, deafening them. Kopaka, the Master of Ice turned to the Protector at his side.
“How much longer until the Shrine?” He yelled over the wind.
“I don't know! Might be a few hours, might be a few weeks! Who knows?”
“This blizzard's getting worse!” The Toa of Ice called through the storm.
“Yes! We can try and lighten it, but without the Golden Mask of Ice we can't stop it! We have to seek refuge, and I know just the place!”
The Protector turned about fifty degrees to his right and walked forward. The blizzard raged the entire time. About twenty minutes later Kopaka saw several pillars in the distance, which were similar to ones he had seen near where he had crashed on the island of Okoto. This must be where the Protector of Ice wanted to seek refuge.
They arrived at the ruins and walked into the forest of frozen stone pillars. The blizzard wasn't as bad as it was out in the valley, but the snow was still intense. Kopaka looked around at the ruins, and saw that there were runes engraved on them, what they said the Toa did not know, but it was sure mysterious.
Something shuffled behind one of the pillar and the Master of Ice pulled out his spear and aimed it in the direction of the sound. A villager of Ice came out from behind a pillar with a spear in hand.
“Protector? And who is-? Wait... are you...” The Islander stuttered when he saw the white and gold armored being standing beside Izotor.
Izotor chuckled to himself. “Yes, Arker. This is Kopaka, Master of Ice.”
“What're you doing here?”
“Seeking refuge from the storm. Got room here?”
The Islander looked at the various spaces in-between the pillars of stone throughout the ruins. “Yeah.”
“Alright then,” he set down his shield and his gun up against a ruin and sat down beside them, gesturing to the tall Toa to do the same. Kopaka just stood there, but he did put his spear on his back again. The Toa looked around at the runes carved on the pillars and saw that they were like nothing he'd ever seen. Well, he couldn't really remember anything from his past so that wasn't saying much.
The Islander approached Kopaka. The Toa turned his head at the little one's approach.
“My name's Arker, by the way. And I know your name, obviously,” the Islander said. He was obviously very excited about the arrival of the Toa, and hoped that he could defeat the evil Skull Spiders and save the island from darkness.
“What do you do here, Arker?” The Toa asked the Islander.
“I study the ruins,” he gestured to the various stone pillars that surrounded them. “Trying to decipher the ancient texts engraved on them.”
“What have you found so far?” Kopaka asked.
“Most of it isn't coherent and is incomplete, lost to time, but I have been able to find at least twenty passages, such as the arrival of the Toa, the Prophecy of Heroes, the Elemental Crea-.”
“The Prophecy of Heroes? The one that brought me here?” Kopaka interrupted.
“Yes, Master of Ice. You see, everyone on Okoto knows it by heart. It's a beacon of hope to them, a light in the dark.”
“Then I will do my best to fulfill that Prophecy, to be the light in the dark,” Kopaka said proudly.
“All of you Toa will fulfill the Prophecy,” Izotor interrupted. “The Masters together will be enough to combat the dark, but only if you have unity.”
“So I must work with the other Masters? Ugh, I hate working with others,” Kopaka grumbled.
“You didn't at one time.”
“What does that mean?”
“Before you came here, you worked with the other Toa. They were your best friends, probably. But you have forgotten about it.”
“Well if we need to work together, I hope they listen to my lead.”
The Protector of Ice sighed and decided to stop arguing. He leaned against the rock again and listened to howling wind.
Hopefully they can work together.
One thing was for sure: Gali loved water.
Of course it made sense because she was the Master of Water, but there was something about the sea that just comforted her. Gali looked around at all the reefs under the sea, as well as the small fish that swam past, just minding their own.
Gali looked over to the Protector of Water, Kivoda, floating next to her. “Where's the Shrine from here?”
Kivoda pointed to their northeast. “That way, about maybe thirty miles.”
“Thirty miles?!” The Toa of Water gasped, bubbles of air coming from her mouth and ascending to the surface.
“Well yes. You crashed about thirty-five miles from the Shrine.”
“Why couldn't I have crashed closer to the Shrine?”
“Because you didn't. I don't think you can control yourself while you're falling unconsciously towards the ground.”
Gali sighed and turned to the northwest, where she could only see for about a mile before the seafloor disappeared into darkness.
“Alright, let's get moving. The sooner we get there, the sooner the other Toa and I can save your island.”
“I couldn't agree more, Master of Water.”
The both of them swam forward, Kivoda activating his turbines and Gali using her shark fins to cut through the water. They swam for about five miles before Gali noticed a large shipwreck to her right. She stopped almost instantly in the water. The Protector noticed this and stopped alongside the Master. Kivoda followed Gali's eyes and saw the boat.
His eyes widen. “That's... that's the Baranus... the ship that my... my father died on...”
Gali turned to Kivoda. “Your father?”
“Yeah, the Protector of Water before me,” He paused for a moment, the memory obviously bringing him pain.
“Should we leave?”
“Yeah,” The Protector said simply.
They began to swim forward again when Kivoda saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned toward the boat and saw what looked like a Skull Spider in the shadows. He narrowed his eyes and activated his twin turbines and pushed forward through the water to the boat. Gali saw this and turned and followed the Protector, her spear in hand.
Kivoda came to an entrance in the hull of the ship, made by an impact with a large rock. He looked into the darkness of the ship and saw the Skull Spider skitter past again. The Protector fired several compact blasts of water at the Spider as it disappeared again into the ship, none of them making contact. Without a moment's hesitation, the Protector of Water swam into the boat after the Spider.
The Toa of Water saw the Elder of the Region disappear into the hull of the boat and followed him, hoping not to lose her guide to the Shrine. She entered the boat and looked around for the Protector, but could only see darkness.
She suddenly heard Kivoda yell to her right and went down the passage into darkness. She came out into another hole in the ship which lead out into a large underwater cave that was illuminated by several glowing stones staggered around the cavern. Coral and other underwater plants grew here, giving it less of a depressing feel and more of a natural one.
Gali looked up and saw Kivoda floating a foot off the sea floor, Torpedo Blaster in hand and pointed in front of him. She turned her eyes to where the Protector was pointing his weapon and saw a figure floating in front of him, about the same size of Kivoda, only he seemed... dead. The figure was missing armor and looked like a skeleton.
“Hello, Kivoda, my heir,” the skeletal figure said.
“You're not my father! My father's dead!” Kivoda shouted at the figure.
“Don't say that, Kivoda.”
The Protector shot off a blast of Water at the being, but instead of impacting, it went straight through, hitting the wall behind it.
“Why would you shoot me? Don't you still care about me?”
“SHUT UP.”
Kivoda shot several more blasts of Water at the figure claiming to be his father, but they all just went straight through and hit the rock wall behind.
“I'm disappointed in you.”
He thrust his staff forward at the Protector, a jet of water coming from the end and pushing Kivoda back. He lifted up his left hand, which was a claw, and fired a condense blast of water and struck his son again, knocking him against one of the cave walls. The Protector floated to the sea floor, nearly unconscious.
“Stop believing in him! The more you think he's real, the more real he'll become!” Gali shouted from the cave entrance.
Kivoda looked up at his father approaching him, another blast of water ready in his hand. He had to believe that this being wasn't real, that his father was dead for good, a hero. It was painful, but he had to, otherwise it would tear him apart, from the inside out.
“You're not real. My father died seventy years ago, and passed on the mantle of Protector to me. He was a hero, and would never attack me. You're a fool for believing you could destroy me. Makuta must be getting desperate.”
The being suddenly started to fade into the dark which it had come from. Before it disappeared completely, it whispered something to the Protector.
“I was always proud of you.”
The figure disappeared, never to be seen again.
Kivoda just stared at the seafloor, not saying a word to the Master of Water that came to him.
I hate this job. He thought to himself.
“Just keep digging.”
Korgot, the Protector of Earth had been telling Onua, Master of Earth, that for the past hour. He had his Turbo Shovelers in hand and was clawing his way through a mountain towards the center, where Korgot had said was the Golden Mask of Earth's Shrine.
“How much longer until we get to the Shrine?” Onua asked while continuing to dig through the dirt wall.
“Oh, I don't know. Maybe twenty miles?”
The Toa stopped digging and turned around to the Protector of Earth. “What?!”
“Well it's not easy to get to it!”
“Do I have to dig the whole way?”
“No, there are several caverns in the mountain,” she took a step back, chambered her leg, and stomped on the ground. After a moment she got up and turned to Onua. “There's a cavern beyond this wall.” She pointed to the wall the Toa had been digging through.
“Really? How do you know?”
“I used vibrations when I hit the ground to sense the layout of the mountain, and I saw that there was a cavern just beyond this wall.”
“Impressive,” Onua said simply.
He turned back to the wall and readied his claws and began digging again. He threw aside one rock after another after another until the Toa crashed through into a large hollowed-out cave in the mountain. It was huge and had purple crystals coming from the walls and ceiling, all glowing and illuminating the cavern in a magenta light.
“Wow,” the large Toa of Earth simply said at the sight.
The Protector walked forward into the room past the Toa and looked around. “There are many of these around the Region, underground of course, but it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful they are.”
The Master of Earth strode forward after the Protector of Earth and marveled at the purple crystals. Korgot ran up to the wall across from the hole that Onua had carved and turned back to the large being. “This is it. We must keep going.”
Onua sighed as the Protector said that, meaning he had to dig another tunnel through the mountain. The Toa was walking over to Korgot when something struck him, sending him across the room.
The Toa recovered and sat up and looks for his attacker. He saw where he had been standing, some kind of scorpion moving towards him, its tail moving like a giant pair of clippers.
“Scorpio!” Korgot shouted as she jumped forward and fired several blasts of Earth from her chest-mounted gun. They hit the beast and simply bounced off. The creature turned instantly and struck at the Protector. She rolled out of the way as the tail chopped a rock behind where she had been standing in half.
The Protector of Earth rolled over to Onua and helped him up. He readied his Turbo Shovelers and charged at the Scorpio. It snapped its tail at the Toa but he, just barely, jumped out of the way of the tail and swung one of his claws at the beast's back. The tips dug into the beast's skin, making it scream in agony. It spun around and launched Onua off, but as the Scorpio tried to shake the Toa off, it made Onua move around and drag his claws across its back, making it cry in even more pain.
The Master of Earth flew across the cavern and crashed into on of the walls and fell to the floor, shaking the whole cave and leaving a huge dent in the wall. The beast was screaming and stumbling around in pain, crashing into the walls, making the cavern shake even more. The combined force of Onua's crashing into the wall and the Scorpio's caused and earthquake that made the cavern to start to fall apart, rocks coming from the ceiling to crush them.
One large rock fell from the roof and fell right onto the Scorpio, relieving of its agony... forever. Korgot managed to get to her feet and helped the Toa up again.
“We must get out of here! The whole cavern's coming down on us!” They ran to the wall Korgot had said was the way out and Onua wasted no time and started clawing his way through the rock.
Behind them more and more of the cave fell, daring to crush them.
“Hurry!” The female Protector urged the Toa on.
Never before had Onua had such motivation to dig through solid rock. After a few moments the Toa had made a ten-foot-deep hole and saved them from being crushed. The entire ceiling of the cavern caved in and fell, but the some of the rocks almost tumbled into the tunnel, but Korgot made a wall of Earth to block it. It worked, but it also plunged them into totally darkness.
“How am I supposed to dig now?” Onua asked through the darkness.
“Here,” Korgot said, reaching into her bag and pulling out one of the glowing purple crystals. She held it up to the wall and illuminated it for the Toa.
“Thanks,” and Onua started digging once more, once more towards his Destiny.
The Toa of Fire cut through another green Skull Spider with his Golden Blades, the remains falling to the floor. The Protector of the Region of Fire stabbed through a spider with one of his flame blades, leaving a burnt hole in the back of the creature.
He turned to his Toa companion, Tahu. “We must get out of here if we want to reach the Shrine!” Narmoto cut the legs off of another Skull Spider as it flew at him, its body falling into the flowing lava.
“I couldn't agree more, Protector of Fire,” Tahu said. He cut another Spider in half and ran forward, Narmoto running after him.
Tahu jumped over a small lump in the ground and kept on running. The remaining Skull Spiders began to follow them, their master desperate to keep them from the Shrine. As they ran Narmoto fired blasts of Fire backwards at the Skull Spiders in a desperate attempt to slow them down.
They came to a steep hill in their path. They stopped at it and looked back at the incoming Skull Spiders. They had no choice but to climb it. Narmoto jumped on Tahu's back and the Toa of Fire began to scale the hill. He grabbed onto every rocky ledge he could reach, desperate to get away from the vicious creatures. The Master of Fire looked back down and saw that the Skull Spiders were slowly making their way up the side of the hill as well. It only gave the Toa more motivation he needed to climb faster up the rock wall.
He came up on top of the hill and was blinded by the sun, now setting directly ahead of him. The Toa looked up and saw the stars and planets shining above them. The Protector jumped off and started running down the hill, the Toa going after him.
“What're we trying to do?” Tahu asked as they ran down the steep hill, their armor and weapons clanking against themselves.
“Trying to put as much distance between us and them!” Narmoto yelled back.
“So we're just running? I thought heroes never ran!”
“Not without a reason!”
They were coming up on a stream of lava flowing with the mountain. Lava bubbled at the top, it popping and sizzling away. The Toa's eyes widened as they approached, realizing that the Protector was really going to jump it. He sighed and braced himself to jump over the fire. He got ready to jump and did when he hit the end of the land. The Toa felt like he was in the air for minutes as opposed to seconds.
The unrealness of it all was dispersed as he hit the ground on the other side and kept running. As they ran Tahu looked back and saw the Skull Spiders stop at the stream. The Toa grinned as the Skull Spiders were now trapped on the other side, but it was short-lived as they backed up and then jumped over the lava after them.
“These Skull Spiders never let up, don't they?” Tahu shouted to his guide.
“It's not their fault!” Narmoto called back. “The Lord of Skull Spiders is literally controlling them through a Golden Mask!”
“Are you sure?”
“Very sure,” the Protector of Fire said grimly.
“How're we going to lose them?”
Narmoto waited for a moment and then responded. “I've got a plan.”
“What?”
“Just follow me.”
The Protector made a sharp turn to the right, catching the Master by surprise. Tahu did his best to follow the Protector, which was a little hard because Narmoto moved swiftly across the rocky terrain. The Toa actually almost fell a few times, but never admitted it to the Elder of Fire.
The Protector of Fire climbed over a large fold in the land, once part of the lake of lava but had been hardened by a previous Protector.
Tahu followed suit and jumped over the fold, landing on the other side. But as he did, a green Skull Spider came out of nowhere and landed on his chest, knocking him backwards.
“Argh!” Tahu yelled as he fell to the ground.
Narmoto turned on a dime at the sound of the Toa clattering to the ground. The Skull Spider was almost on the Toa's face, attaching itself to take over the Master of Fire. The Protector ignited one of his flame blades and jumped over to Tahu and cut off one of the Skull Spider's legs, causing it to scream in pain. He didn't want to stab it in the back, which risked the Toa's face getting burnt. The pest momentarily came up to cry in agony, and Narmoto took his window.
The Protector of Fire readied his shoulder-mounted cannon and fired several blasts the Skull Spider, hitting it and causing the pest to fly off the Toa and into the lava, it burning away into nothing.
Narmoto came over to the Toa and helped him up off the ground. The Toa was panting from the attack.
“That... was... not nice... at all...” he said.
“I've seen many villagers get taken by these... things,” Narmoto said. “It's fortunate that you were not taken, otherwise all hope would be lost.”
The Toa looked around and saw the Skull Spiders down the hill. “We should start moving.”
“Agreed.”
They ran off across the scorched earth. After a while they came to another hill. Tahu sighed at the sight of it, tired of climbing them. But suddenly he heard something explode behind the hill, and saw a great light come over the top.
“What was that?” Tahu asked Narmoto.
“Come and see,” the Protector said, starting to climb.
The Toa of Fire followed the Protector up the side of the hill, eventually coming out on top of it. He climbed onto the solid ground and looked up to see a massive volcano before him, fresh lava bubbling over the top.
“Tahu, Toa of Fire. This is Okoto's greatest volcano. You are close now.”
Narmoto pointed to a steep staircase leading up to a platform coming out the side of the flaming mountain, leading to a hole going into the volcano itself. The entrance to the Shrine.
“But reaching your goal does not mean the end of danger; far from it. Know this, Tahu, the shadows of the Shrine hold stronger enemies than you could ever imagine-.”
Across Okoto the Toa and their Protectors looked upon their goals.
“Be brave, be strong. Believe in your Destiny.”
Chapter 4: The Protectors Fight Back[]
They traveled for weeks through dangerous lands. Now the six heroes and their Protectors could finally see their goals. Six secret Shrines, six Golden Masks, waiting to be found...
The Region of Ice.
They emerged from the dark tunnel, Kopaka and Izotor, the Master of Ice and the Protector of Ice. They had fought across valleys in blizzards, made their way across frozen rivers, and, of course, fought off countless Skull Spiders.
The journey had taken a toll on them, especially Kopaka, but he never admitted it. They came to the top of a staircase, a massive staircase. His eyes trailed down it, which sloped down the hill and back up again to the top of a mountain. Where the staircase stopped was a glittering golden object, like a star in the night sky. But it was something more: the Golden Mask of Ice.
After nearly a month, they had finally arrived at the Shrine.
“You are close, Kopaka. Your Destiny is ahead,” Izotor said.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get the Mask!”
Kopaka began to stride forward towards the staircase, the Protector following him. The Toa of Ice walked down the steps, stepping over several patches of ice that littered the ancient stone steps of the Shrine, not wanting to slip... again.
“Be alert, Toa. I sense Skull Spiders here, lurking deep inside the dark,” Izotor said, arming his gun and his saw shield and covering all his sides.
“Let's hurry then,” Kopaka said, beginning to move faster.
“My thoughts exactly, Master of Ice,” Izotor responded.
“So what? I just have to slide across that super-spiky vine and just grab the Mask as I swing past?” Lewa asked his Protector guide as he stared at the vine.
“Pretty much,” Vizuna replied.
“Sounds easy enough,”
“It is until the Skull Spiders start jumping at you.”
“What?”
“Well of course there are going to be Skull Spiders! They're not going to make it easy for you to beat them!”
“True,” the Toa of Jungle said simply.
Lewa stepped to the ledge and looked down at the curved vine which ran all the way past the Shrine, which was a Stone pillar engraved with ancient symbols that came all the way from the distant jungle floor. The Golden Mask of Jungle floated on top of the pillar, energy crackling around it. Green flames hovered mysteriously over several of the vines.
The Toa of Jungle was about to jump when he heard Skull Spiders scream from inside the forest. He turned around and readied his weapons to fend off the Skull Spiders.
“No, Toa. Get the Mask! I will hold them off!” The Protector of Jungle yelled to him, readying his flame bow.
The Master wanted to help the Protector but knew it was his Duty, his Destiny to get the Mask to save Okoto. He turned around, and reluctantly, readied to jump.
And he did.
Gali's trident cut straight through a silver Skull Spider's back, killing it. She knocked it away, the corpse floating to the sea floor. Kivoda fired another water projectile at a Spider, knocking it away into the darkness.
“Let's get out of here! More are coming!” The Protector of Water called to the Toa. The Master of Water bashed another one of the creatures away and turned to the Protector. “Finally.”
Kivoda started up his turbines and sped forward, while his Toa companion scissored through the water with her Shark Fins. They swam under a large underwater bridge. Gali looked back and saw that more silver Skull Spiders were swimming after them.
The Protector of Water noticed them too and spun around, turning his turbines to face where he had come from and fired several blasts of water at the Spiders, hitting a few of them. He spun back around and swam forward again.
“Where's the Shrine?” Gali called to the Protector.
He pointed to Gali's right. “That way. We're close by.”
They turned and went under a large reef, the Skull Spiders following behind.
“These things don't know when to quit, do they?” Gali asked as they swam.
“The Lord of Skull Spiders is a cold mistress that will not shake off no matter how hard you try,” Kivoda said.
“What?”
“Their master never lets go of his control of them.”
“Ah,” Gali said.
They kept on swimming.
After three weeks of walking through the desert, making their way across dunes, through sandstorms, camping in caves with the only light being the planets and moons above. And not to mention having to fight off maybe hundreds of Skull Spiders, and even a Scorpio, leaving Pohatu with a hatred of their species. But above all, they had finally made it to the Shrine.
The Shrine was at the end of an extremely long channel in between two walls that went on forever in both directions. It seemed as if it had been carved out of a mountain by an ancient Protector of Stone on Ekimu's orders.
At the end was the Golden Mask of Stone, floating above a high pedestal, crackling with energy. Two large stone statues stood on either side of wall, facing outwards, like they were going to stop an enemy. Above the Mask were three pairs of stone scorpion tails, two and two and two, growing bigger each row back.
“Let's go,” Pohatu said to his Protector guide.
“I wouldn't have it any other way, my friend.”
The two strode forward, no Skull Spiders in sight... yet. The Master of Stone looked to the walls of the Shrine, seeing several runes on them. What they said the Toa wouldn't know. They were ancient. Nilkuu probably couldn't even read them.
“Beware, Pohatu. The shadows of the Shrines will hold more enemies than before.”
“Skull Spiders?”
“Skull Spiders. Perhaps hundreds of them,” the Protector of Stone said grimmly.
“If the Skull Spiders are hiding here,” the Toa covered all his sides, waiting for one of the little blue pests to jump out. “Why don't they just take the Mask and hide it so we can't?”
“Because they cannot touch the Mask, lest they be destroyed by its power. Not even I can take it down from the Shrine. Only the being who is destined for it can take it down from the Shrine,” Nilkuu paused momentarily. “Also because the Lord of Skull Spiders is only searching for the three Legendary Masks of Power.”
“Let's get that Mask down then before the Skull Spiders take us.”
“Agreed.”
“This doesn't look safe,” Onua said, looking at the mystical floating crystals that lead to the Shrine of Earth.
“It's the only way, Toa,” Korgot said, looking back down the corridor they had come from, the screeches of Skull Spiders coming from deep inside the dark. “There's no time, Onua! Get the Mask!”
“What about you?” The Master of Earth readied his claws.
“No! My duty is to get you to the Mask. Your duty is to get the Mask and bring balance to this island! Now go!”
After all they had been through together, after all their teamwork, Onua now had to abandon Korgot, the Protector of Earth, his friend, to fulfill his Destiny.
It had only been three weeks since he had crash-landed on the island of Okoto. Now, he was standing before his goal, his quest's end just ahead of him. It was so unreal, he could hardly believe that he was there.
Behind them green Skull Spiders emerged from the hole Onua had dug, hundreds of them, at least. Korgot opened fire from her chest-mounted cannon, purple energy striking at the Skull Spiders.
“I'll keep them away! Get the Mask!”
Onua wished he could help, but she was right. He had to get the Mask. The Toa of Earth turned around and looked at the floating crystals with hesitation. He looked back and saw Korgot fighting off the Skull Spiders.
The Master of Earth readied himself.
And then he jumped.
The Master of Fire hit the lava, the impact jerking his whole being. Lava splashed away as his board cut through it. He had never actually ridden on the magma before. It was so unreal, but it seemed so familiar to him at the same time.
Tahu took control of his surfing and went down the stream of lava he had been riding with almost expert skill. Whoever he had been before he had crashed on the island of Okoto, he had apparently been good at lava surfing. Which is a really odd skill to have.
Above him the Protector of Fire was holding off the Skull Spiders from entering the Shrine and stopping the Toa of Fire from reaching his goal. The Lord of Skull Spiders wanted to keep the Toa from getting their Masks and fulfilling their Destiny, which was to bring balance to the island.
Tahu hit the end of the lava flow and curved, heading straight for the Shrine that was placed in the center of the volcano. A beam of blue energy shot upwards from the Golden Mask of Fire.
The Toa of Fire narrowed his eyes on the Mask, feeling the power of the Mask as he approached.
“I can feel... the POWER!” He yelled as he got closer to the Mask.
Above Narmoto's elemental gun began to run low, then completely emptying of his power. He tried to fire it, but only got clicks in response, telling him was out. The Skull Spiders got closer and closer, ready to take him. He turned to look at Tahu.
Tahu got closer to the Shrine, reaching out for the Mask...
The six red eyes glowed brightly as they looked into the Golden Mask of Skull Spiders. The Mask allowed him to see through the eyes of the Skull Spiders and control them. It had been crafted ages ago by an unidentified Mask Maker. It then was lost and eventually found its way into the Lord of Skull Spiders' possession.
He then used it to enact Makuta's plan to find all the Legendary Masks of Power and become the most powerful being on the island.
The Lord of Skull Spiders had his doubts about the former Mask Maker, seeing him as a deranged psychopath. But who was he to mess with the dark lord himself?
Now back to the matter at hand, or claw: his Skull Spiders had let all six Toa get to their Shrines and go for the Masks. If the Toa got a hold of their Masks... the Skull Spiders would not stand a chance against them. He had to get the Skull Spiders to push past the silly Protectors and take out the Toa.
The Lord of Skull Spiders also didn't want the full wrath of the Skull Grinder and Makuta on him if he failed...
He told the Spiders to press on... and leave no survivors...
Chapter 5: The Power of the Golden Masks[]
The heroes had all reached their Shrines: Pohatu, Kopaka, Lewa, Gali, Onua and Tahu. The Protectors had guided them wisely, but time was running out. Skull Spiders launched their attacks, and the Protectors would not stand a chance against them.
The Protector of Jungle watched as the Master of Jungle swung past the Golden Mask of Jungle, scooping it up in his arm. Vizuna smiled, but it was short-lived, as he heard Skull Spiders scurry behind him. He quickly turned around and readied his Elemental Flame Bow and fired into the brush, hitting a few Skull Spiders.
There are worse ways to go, aren't there? The Protector thought to himself. Too bad I'll still be alive after this...
Suddenly maybe a hundred or so blue Skull Spiders crawled from the forest, their razor-tipped claws digging into the ground. Their red eyes were glowing brightly and were coming right at the Protector of Jungle.
Here we go... Vizuna thought to himself.
The Protector readied his bow again, elemental flames shooting out the sides. He wasn't getting anything from his Sensory Tails, so they couldn't tell him if he was going to survive or not, but he didn't need his tails to figure that out...
She blasted the first Skull Spiders that jumped at her out of the air. The unconscious pest fell to the ground. That was just one out of the hundred Skull Spiders crawling towards her. They were all over the place. She couldn't fight them alone.
Korgot stepped one foot forward and opened fire from her chest-mounted elemental cannon, clearing away several more of the little beasts. She continued to fire, but for every Skull Spiders defeated, it seemed like another took it's place.
The Protector of Earth looked behind her at Onua, Master of Earth, who was climbing up the crystal Shrine of Earth with his Turbo Shovelers. He was so close to the Mask, so close...
She came back to the Skull Spiders once her gun began to click a little, meaning she was running out of ammo. A few moments later her gun ran out completely, leaving her with only her melee weapons.
This is going to be fun... she thought to herself as the Spiders closed in.
He had left Kopaka, Master of Ice, halfway to the Shrine to go guard the staircase leading up to it from the Skull Spiders that were going to come.
Well, they had just come in and were now heading straight at Izotor, Protector of Ice. He raised his Saw Shield and Elemental Ice Blaster to combat the Skull Spiders. The tip of his blaster swirled with elemental energy as he readied to fire on the silver Skull Spiders.
As they entered the top of the staircase, Izotor opened fire. Blasts of nice struck the Skull Spiders, freezing them where they stood. A few jumped over the blasts and right at the Protector. Izotor started his saw shield and raised to cut the Spiders in one sweeping motions, their bodies going off the side.
He continued to shoot at the Spiders, being mostly successful. But a few more jumped over again and he sawed their legs off. One did, however, manage to sneak behind him and climb on the Protector's back. Izotor instantly fell on his back, smashing the Skull Spider.
But this move was a two-edged sword, the other edge cutting him already. Skull Spiders took advantage of him behind down and crawled all over him, shrouding him in darkness.
Nilkuu, Protector of Stone, was not having a good time. Not only were the Skull Spiders coming from the front, but they were jumping down from the sides of the Shrine to attack him. He had spent most of his ammo on the ones coming at him from the front, so he had resorted to either using the stones lying around or striking them with his staff.
He didn't have many options left, and Pohatu was very close to the Mask. If the Protector failed now, the Spiders would quickly overwhelm the Toa of Stone and keep the Prophecy of Heroes from being fulfilled.
A few Skull Spiders jumped at him and he used his Sandstone Blaster to knock them away. More and more of the pests came at him, relentlessly trying to get to the Master of Stone. Several more jumped at him. The Protector stuck the end of his staff into the sand and dug up, launching sand into the air and into the Skull Spider's eyes, blinding them.
The little pests screamed in agony as their eyes burned as the little tiny grains of sand sunk into their sockets. They retreated back into the group, only to be replaced by more Skull Spiders.
Nilkuu smiled at this. “I can do this all day,” He said as he raised his staff.
He needed more time. Much more time.
Gali was fighting off Skull Spiders that surrounded the Shrine. They had come out and up from cracks under the Shrine. Plus there were more coming from where Kivoda and the Toa had come from. He only had one harpoon left and about twenty rounds of ammo.
He looked back at Gali, and saw that the Toa of Water was close to the Mask. Almost there. Almost there. A silver Skull Spider suddenly came out of nowhere and knocked the Protector backwards through the water. Kivoda lost grip of his Elemental Torpedo Blaster and it floated to the seafloor.
The Skull Spider came back and clamped onto his chest. He grabbed its sides, holding it back from taking him over. As small as the Skull Spiders were, as big as a Mask of Power, they were very strong. He pushed it over to the side, towards his left turbine. He got the jump on the Skull Spider and pushed it into the rotating blades, killing it. Red fluid trailed from the spinning turbine.
“Gross,” Kivoda said.
He looked back up and saw a few dozen more Skull Spiders coming at him.
Great. He thought to himself.
Narmoto, Protector of Fire, had just run out of ammo. The clicking of his gun still echoing in his head. The Skull Spiders were still coming, and he had no way to fight them except with his dual flame swords. But there were too many and he was on a small bridge that dropped off a few feet from where he was standing. He would either get taken by the Skull Spiders or fall off into the lava to his death.
Not many options showed themselves to the Protector. He looked back at Tahu, Master of Fire, who was standing on the Shrine staring up at the Protector, Golden Mask in hand. He looked to the Spiders again. They were coming down the long corridor now, ready to take him.
He turned to Tahu and shouted. “Fulfill the Prophecy! The time has come!”
Tahu looked down at the Mask in his hand, and readied to put it on, knowing it was his Destiny.
At the six Shrines of the Golden Masks of Power on the island of Okoto, the six elemental heroes, the Toa, had all claimed the Masks. Now, they needed to don them to fulfill the Prophecy of Heroes.
They reached to their colored Masks, detaching them from their faces. As they lowered the old one, they brought the Golden one up, and attached it.
Fulfilling the Prophecy.
Elemental energy exploded in Tahu's body. He could feel the fire inside him. Raw elemental power circled around him. He clenched his fist, fire shooting from his hand.
Water began to swirl around Gali after she had put on the Mask. Her Shark Fins began to move, suddenly detaching themselves from her feet and attached themselves to the top of her staff, a brilliant light exploding from it.
The vines seemed to follow Lewa now that he had the Mask. His X Glider had become twin axes which could be used to slash through vines or Skull Spiders. He had never felt more alive. Energy filled him.
Sand flew around Pohatu, blocking him from sight. Energy swirled around him. His Jetarangs suddenly detached themselves from his feet and flew into his hands, became his Stormerangs, large gunmetal boomerangs, the tips glowing brightly.
Several of the large purple crystals suddenly broke off from the walls and began circling Onua, who was glowing bright with energy. His Turbo Shovelers had combined to make the Earthquake Hammer. It flew into his hand, a loud clapping noise echoing through the cavern.
The snow swirled around Kopaka at his command. His staff glowed brightly. His twin skis that he had been carrying since his arrival suddenly connected and became a large shield, glowing with Elemental energy. He had never before experienced such power.
Tahu looked up at Narmoto, where Skull Spiders were in front of the Protector. The Master of Fire readied his lavaboard to go and help the Protector.
“Go, Tahu! It's too late for me!”
Skull Spiders then consumed the Protector of Fire, covering him from sight. The Toa of Fire threw his board into the lava and jumped on it, lava splashing around him. He suddenly forced the lava upwards, throwing him to the sky.
“No, it is not too late!” He exclaimed.
He landed on the small balcony and knocked all the Skull Spiders off the Protector. All the spiders had stopped at his arrival, looking at him with red eyes. Tahu then began to glow with raw Elemental energy.
“For I am the Master of Fire!”
The Toa split his board apart into two Flame Blades and exploded with Elemental energy so bright, it looked like day in the night.
The only thing the Protector heard were the screams of the Skull Spiders.
A Skull Spider had begun attaching itself to Kivoda's face, and without his Elemental Torpedo Blaster, he wasn't going to be able to get it off by himself. He then saw a bright light come from the Shrine out of the corner of his eye, meaning either Gali had exploded or she had done it.
The Protector of Water suddenly heard the screams of Skull Spiders in the water, and then the Skull Spider on his face was knocked off and floated to the seafloor. He recovered from his experience and looked to see Gali, Master of Water, wearing the Golden Mask of Water, glowing with raw Elemental power.
“You've done it,” he gasped. “you've fulfilled the Prophecy! After all these centuries, it's finally happened!”
“I feel... I feel... powerful.”
“You better. You have control over the Element of Water. It is surging through you.”
She looked around and saw a few dozen more Skull Spiders swimming towards them.
“Take cover. I will get rid of them.” She said, readying her Elemental Trident. Kivoda didn't hesitate and went and took cover.
The Skull Spiders surrounded the Toa, but she was ready for them. She then glowed brighter than the sun, lighting up every dark corner in the sea.
This was the end of him. This was where Vizuna died.
Well, not died, more like lost himself. The Skull Spiders would probably take him over. Skull Spiders rarely killed. They only did if the Lord of Skull Spiders told them to. They needed more troops. Always more troops.
He came out of his head and looked at the Skull Spiders crawling towards him from all around.
“Alright, pals. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way-,” he was cut off by a Skull Spider jumping at his Mask. He moved out the way quickly, the pest passing him by. Vizuna then shot it with a bolt of energy.
“Right then, you want the hard way. Here we go, then.”
The Protector of Jungle readied his Elemental Flame Bow and opened fire on the Skull Spiders. He didn't have much ammo left, but he needed to give Lewa a bit more time.
Or did he?
A blast of light came from the Shrine, blinding the Skull Spiders and the Protector. Suddenly, a bolt of Elemental energy came from the light and struck several Skull Spiders, blasting them away.
“He did it,” Vizuna said. “he's fulfilled the Prophecy of Heroes!”
Lewa jumped off the Shrine, his twin axes in hand, crackling with Elemental Energy.
Nilkuu thought he was going to lose. He thought he was going to get taken by the Skull Spiders. He thought he was never going to be able to see his son ever again. Anyone would think that, really. With a hoard of some of the most dangerous creatures on the island coming at you, anyone would think they wouldn't make it out of this.
That all changed when a burst of light came from the Shrine. He turned to it, and even the Skull Spiders turned to see what was going on. Suddenly a jet of sand came forward and struck several of the spiders, knocking them back.
Then, Pohatu, the Master of Stone, jumped forward, legendary Stormerangs in hand. He used them to knock away the several Skull Spiders that kept jumping at him. Their unconscious bodies fell into the sand.
“You've done it, Pohatu! You've become the Master of Stone!” The Protector exclaimed.
“Nilkuu, get down!” Pohatu said, his weapons beginning to glow with Elemental energy.
The Protector did what the Toa had asked and hit the dirt... well... sand. Pohatu then jumped forward and threw one of his Stormerangs at the hoard of Skull Spiders, knocking at least two dozen of them away. The weapon then came back to him and he grabbed it and spun around. Suddenly a tornado of Stone came up his waist, lifting him least ten feet into the air.
A burst of sand came from him and knocked away all the Skull Spiders.
Nilkuu had never seen anything so amazing.
She used her Star Drill to ram a Skull Spider into the ground. Korgot had just run out of ammo and was now forced to use melee combat to save her life. The Protector of Earth never thought she would go out like this. She always thought she would die from natural causes, maybe be able to pass on her Mask to her daughter herself. Not have some elder give it to her after she had died from a Skull Spider draining the life out of her.
But that's life. It never goes the way you plan. She had accepted that fact a long time ago, but always hoped that it wasn't true. That she was wrong. But Destiny is a cruel thing. Maybe her death would motivate her daughter, Hali, to be a hero on Okoto. Maybe she would inspire her to be like the Toa.
Suddenly a burst of light came from the Shrine. Then a large purple crystal came flying from it and struck a group of the Skull Spiders, either killing them or knocking them out.
Korgot turned to see Onua jumping forth, bearing the Golden Mask of Earth. He landed in front of the Protector, Earthquake Hammer in hand.
“You made the Earthquake Hammer!” Korgot exclaimed.
“Get ready to jump!” Onua said as he raised the legendary weapon above his head.
“Three... two... ONE!” The Master of Earth let the hammer fall through the air and hit the ground. Just as it hit Korgot jumped into the air. The hammer caused a shockwave that knocked all the Skull Spiders away towards the walls, knocking them all out.
“You truly are worthy, Toa!” The Protector of Earth said to the Toa.
They had swarmed over Izotor. He couldn't see any light. Darkness had covered him. He tried to fight his way out, but there were too many of them.
Just take me already. He thought to himself.
But then he heard some other Skull Spiders screech. He didn't know why, but there could only be one answer. The Skull Spiders that had been covering him left to go and fight whatever was attacking them. The Protector got up and looked to the top of the staircase and saw something shining like a star riding down it, knocking away all the Skull Spiders in his path.
“He's done it,” Izotor gasped. “he's actually done it!”
All the spiders that were attacking them were now climbing the stairs to try and defeat the Master of Ice. But what they did not know was that now that Kopaka had the Golden Mask of Ice, he couldn't be stopped by these little beasts.
The Toa plowed through them using his Avalanche Skis. Izotor smiled but realized that the Toa was not slowing down, even though he was heading straight for the Protector. He was about to move out of the way when Kopaka moved and passed by the Protector, but grabbed onto Izotor and pulled him next to himself.
Kopaka jumped off the staircase and landed at the bottom. His skis turned into the Frost Shield as they landed. The Toa then created a shield of ice around them to protect them from the Skull Spiders.
After the shock from what had happened passed, Izotor turned to the Toa.
“Truly you are worthy. Truly you are here to save us from the darkness. Truly you are the Toa!”
Chapter 6: Quest for the Mask Maker[]
The heroes had proven themselves worthy, and were now filled with the power of their Elements: Fire, Water, Jungle, Stone, Earth and Ice.
Tahu and Narmoto emerged from the Shrine onto the platform, looking out over the Region of Fire. The Toa seemed so much more... connected to the Region now, unlike he had before. Power surged through him, crackling within.
“This power... it is incredible! I feel like I can defeat three hoards of Skull Spiders at once!”
“Don't get ahead of yourself, Toa. The true quest still lies ahead of you, and you will need all your strength to complete it.”
“Wait, I think this Mask even lets me hear distant voices!” Tahu said.
“No, it can't. It must be the voice of Ekimu, the Mask Maker, calling you,” Narmoto said, almost astonished.
“How? I thought he had been asleep for thousands of years?” Tahu asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, but his spirit is still connected to the Golden Masks of Power, his creations. What is he saying?”
“He's... he's saying my name...” Tahu said, listening hard to the voice inside his head.
“Just your name? That is odd...”
“Wait! There is more than a voice. I... I can see something...”
Through the eyes of his Mask he saw a magnificent city, with hundreds of buildings. It seemed to be rested on a large island in the mountains, with an ancient bridge connecting it to the rest of Okoto. But there was something wrong about this city.
It was in ruins.
“I see an ancient city, but in ruins...”
“That must be the City of the Mask Makers. All the peoples of Okoto used to live there until the Great Cataclysm,” Narmoto said. “it was where the Mask Makers made their Masks and lived. But when the shockwave hit, it ruined it, and we were forced to leave. We then spread out and made our own villages in the elemental regions.”
“What does this vision mean? I thought the Prophecy was fulfilled?”
“You have completed half of the Prophecy. The rest states that the heroes must unite and find the Mask Maker.”
“So I and the other heroes need to find the Mask Maker?”
“Yes. The Protectors of Old buried him in the ancient city thousands of years ago. You must find him and awaken him. United, the Elements hold the power.”
“So I must leave? Farewell, Narmoto, Protector of Fire. It was an honor fighting by your side,” the Toa of Fire reached out his hand and shook the Protector's.
“It has been an honor serving with the hero that I have been told about since I was a child. Thank you, Tahu, Master of Fire.”
Tahu began to climb down the steep staircase when Narmoto called after him. “Please, awaken the Mask Maker and defeat the Skull Spiders.”
“Yes, Protector of Fire,” Tahu said.
“Thank you, Kivoda. For all your guidance through this quest,” Gali said to the Protector of Water floating feet from her.
“It has been an honor serving with the hero of my childhood. And really, I should be thanking you. You saved my life.”
The Toa of Water looked around at the defeated Skull Spiders that littered the seafloor. “My quest is not yet finished, is it?” Gali said, dissatisfied. “The Prophecy of Heroes states that the Toa need to find the Mask Maker and defeat evil. And I feel the Skull Spiders were only the tip of the iceberg. And the vision showed me an ancient city.”
“You must travel to the City of the Mask Makers where you will need to defeat the Lord of Skull Spiders, the worst of the spiders. After that you must venture into the Ancient City where you will face dangers even more treacherous than the Lord of Skull Spiders himself.”
“Then I must leave, must I?” Gali said.
“I'm afraid so, Toa,” he said. The Protector pointed to the southeast. “Go that direction until you hit land. And then keep walking. If you go up the mountain you are bound to find the city. Let the Mask guide you.”
“Thank you, Protector,” The Master of Water bowed. The Protector of Water bowed in return.
Gali looked to the surface of the water and readied her trident. It glowed with Elemental Energy and then she launched upwards through the water, a huge splash surrounding her. She landed on the water, creating a small spout to keep her above the sea. She looked to the southeast and readied her trident again.
“The City of the Mask Makers, here I come,” She said. Her weapon sparked with Elemental energy and she lunged it forward, the spout following it. Gali rode across the water. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It felt incredible. The power surged through her.
She went faster.
Lewa soared through the air like a bird. He literally glided on the wind. It didn't make much sense because he was the Master of Jungle, not the Master of Air. He had always had some strange connection with air ever since his arrival on Okoto, but he wasn't sure how, or why.
Nonetheless, he was glad he could fly. It made traveling much easier. He flew over the jungle below him, heading for the mountains. Vizuna, and the voice of Ekimu, had told him that the City of the Mask Makers was in the mountains in the Region of Jungle. Vizuna told him that the Ancient City was once home to all the peoples of Okoto, but then Ekimu and Makuta fought and fell, and the shockwave destroyed a lot of the city, making it unstable and forced them to leave.
The only living things in the city now were Ekimu and the Lord of Skull Spiders and his minions... as far as they knew. Now he had to meet up with the other Toa who had also probably gotten the same vision and were now heading for the city themselves. What were the other Toa like? Were they as daring as Lewa? Or were they the exact opposite? Or were they all conflicting personalities?
He knocked out of his thoughts by the sound of screaming in the forest below. The Master of Jungle instantly changed his direction and descended into the jungle. Lewa hit the ground and readied his twin axes, charged with Elemental energy.
He landed on the jungle floor and looked around.
“Who here be screaming all alone in the forest?” Lewa called out.
The Toa didn't get an answer.
“Hellooooooo? Where are you at? I could hear you from the sky-,” he was cut off when a Skull Spider jumped on his back. The Master quickly spun up into the air, moving so fast the spider lost its grip and fell to the ground. Lewa landed and wrapped the Skull Spider in vines that he brought up from the dirt and trapped the pest.
Two more Skull Spiders came out from behind the trees and approached the Master of Jungle. Lewa turned around and saw them and an Islander laying on the ground behind them. The Toa smiled.
“You're seriously doing this, aren't you?”
The Skull Spiders hissed at the Toa.
“Alright,” he readied his axes. “let's go.”
The spiders jumped at him.
Pohatu hovered across the desert on his spout. A trail in the sand followed him. The Protector of Stone, Nilkuu, had parted ways with the Toa to go back to his village and defend it from Skull Spiders. The Master of Stone offered to help, but he had been told that his Destiny had not yet been fulfilled and that he needed to go to the City of the Mask Makers right away to meet up with the other Toa.
Frankly, Pohatu hated the idea of meeting up with the other heroes. Pohatu believed in Unity, but he didn't like working with others. The other heroes were probably all opposite of him. The Toa of Stone was rock solid and firm, but the other Toa might be reckless and childish.
The Master of Stone looked up and saw a large stone structure about thirty feet from him. It looked like some sort of fortress, with a large gate on the front with two guards by it. Along the top were villagers with spears and bows, ready for any Skull Spider attack.
Pohatu was about to turn away so he didn't have to deal with the awe of the villagers and their adoration, but he was forced to turn back towards it when he heard the yell of one of the Islanders.
“Scorpio! And it's got a Skull Spider on it!”
He looked and saw the beast approaching the gates, the large beast's tail snapping together and the Skull Spider on its face adjusting itself. the guards were readying their spears and the villagers above firing arrows at it, but they kept missing by inches.
Pohatu sighed and stepped down from his spout, readying his Stormerangs. “Fine. Let's get this over with.”
The Toa ran forward towards the fortress. He jumped forward and threw one of his boomerangs at the Scorpio. Just as it was about to snap its tail at the guards, the Toa's weapon hit it, knocking it back. It recovered and looked to Pohatu and snarled.
“Yeah, yeah. I'm a Toa big woop,” Pohatu said, picking up his other boomerang.
The Scorpio got back up and started moving towards the Toa when an arrow flew into its back. The beast screamed in pain and stumbled back. Pohatu looked up to the fortress and saw a Region of Jungle villager with a bow and arrow in hand. He nodded to the Toa and fired another arrow at the Scorpio, striking it in the tail.
It screamed again and stumbled around. Pohatu took this opportunity and threw both his Stormerangs at the beast. They both flew straight for the Skull Spider on its face and hit with extreme force. The Skull Spider was lodged off and fell to the desert floor, several pieces of its being coming off it. The Scorpio stumbled around and then fell on its back in the sand, dead.
The Skull Spider had been on it too long, and dislodging it had not only killed the pest but also the Scorpio. Pohatu personally didn't care that he had killed the beast. He hated scorpions with a passion and wanted to avoid them at all costs.
Pohatu picked up his two weapons and looked to the villagers coming to greet him. One of them was the Jungle tribe Islander that had shot the Scorpio.
“Nice shot up there. What's your name?” Pohatu asked him.
“My name's Bingzak, Master of Stone. And thank you. But really I should be thanking you, for killing that thing.”
“You're welcome, young Bingzak,” the Toa let a smile spread across his lips, but soon got rid of it.
Onua could barely believe it when he saw daylight. It had been so long since he had seen it. They had been underground for most of the journey, which was fine because Onua was the Master of Earth. But there was something about the daylight that just filled him with peace.
They exited the tunnel and came into a large cavern with a huge crack in the wall where sunlight poured in. The light illuminated the large purple crystals that were all over the cave. Ancient ruins also littered the place, with ancient bridges connecting them.
“What happened here?” Onua asked. “I meant to ask when I first saw them.”
“The Cataclysm. It shook the whole island. Nearly all the remaining ancient pillars were destroyed,” Korgot, Protector Earth, said.
“What was on them?”
“Nobody knows. They're from thousands of years ago. The language has evolved since then and no one speaks the ancient language anymore, so we can't translate them. I do think there is an Ice Villager working on translating some of the ruins in the Region of Ice, however.”
“It's a shame that history is forgotten,” Onua said.
“It is indeed, Master of Earth.”
“I suppose I should get going, then?” The Toa of Earth asked, looking to the crack in the cavern. “To the City of the Mask Makers?”
“Yes, your duty is not yet complete. You must find Ekimu the Mask Maker and awaken him, just as the Prophecy says.”
“Where is the Ancient City from here?” Onua asked.
“Across the island, unfortunately. You'd have to go through three Regions to get to it,” Korgot said.
“Then I best get going, then,” The Master of Earth said, starting to walk forward. He looked back at the Protector. The Toa then turned and bowed. “Thank you for guiding me on this quest, Korgot, Protector of Earth.”
She bowed in return. “Thank you, Toa of Earth. Let the Mask guide you towards your Destiny.”
The Master of Ice approached the long abandoned building in the Region of Ice. It had once held many villagers, but now stood empty and desolate, the only life it ever saw was the occasional Skull Spider scout, but even they weren't dumb enough to inhabit it. Having no one to curate it, the structural integrity had reduced greatly, making parts of it prone to collapse.
The telescopic lens on Kopaka's mask zoomed in on the structure, seeing several large cracks in the foundation. A large gust of wind pushed through the land and hit both the Toa and the building. The Master of Ice saw the building sway in the wind, creaking.
“This place has been forsaken for hundreds of years,” Kopaka said to himself. “It must have been hit directly by the shockwave, and nobody restored it.”
He sighed. “History's not meant to be forgotten.”
The Toa of Ice began to walk away when he heard a villager scream from inside the building. He turned around and looked at the building and saw movement inside.
“These villagers need to learn to stay out of old buildings.”
Kopaka readied his Ice Spear and Frost Shield and ran forward. A small icy stream circled around the structure, with a small bridge over it. The bridge was ancient, probably as old as the building. He ran over the bridge and ran through the ancient gate and into the structure.
He came into a courtyard-like area where stone pillars went up to the ceiling. The ceiling itself had a large hole carved in it to allow sunlight to get in. A dumb design for the Region of Ice.
The Toa of Ice looked ahead and saw a villager on the opposite side of the room where about a dozen Skull Spiders were crawling towards him, cornering him.
“Didn't your elders tell you to stay out of old buildings?” Kopaka called across to the villager.
“Kopaka, Master of Ice! Help me!” He cried out.
“Just stay calm!”
“That's going to be kinda hard!”
Kopaka sighed and threw his spear forward. It landed in the middle of the Skull Spiders. When it hit the ground it sent out a wave of ice that froze six of the twelve. The Master of Ice jumped forward as the remaining Skull Spiders turned their attention to the Toa. He landed and knocked three of them away with his Frost Shield.
The last three jumped on the Toa's back but they didn't stay there very long as the Master of Ice jumped and landed on his back, crushing the last Skull Spiders.
He recovered himself and went and retrieved his Ice Spear. Kopaka then walked over to the Islander to make sure he was alright.
“Thank you, Master of Ice. You saved me!”
“Just make sure to stay out of old buildings from now on, okay?”
“Yes, Kopaka, Master of Ice,” the villager bowed his head.
“Let's get out of here.”
The two got up and walked from that place.
All his forces had failed to subdue the Toa and prevent them from getting their Golden Masks of Power. They then proceeded to not get rid of the Protectors and let the Toa leave for the ancient city of the Mask Makers.
The Lord of Skull Spiders snarled crawled across the underside of the bridge to the city. Several webs and strands littered it. He came over to a large web with something glowing brightly in the center: the Golden Mask of the Skull Spiders.
The large beast reached out with one of his claws and snatched the golden glowing mask from its place and readied to use it. He needed to call as many Skull Spiders as he could get to come and defend the city from the Elemental Masters.
He raised it up but suddenly a large bolt of lightning came from the sky and struck the bridge, shaking it like an earthquake. The Lord of Skull Spiders lost his balance and fell, but he shot a web back up and saved himself from falling. However, he had lost his grip on the mask and it fell into the chasm, never to be seen again.
The beast roared in a fit of rage. He brought himself back up to the bridge and anchored himself on the bottom. Now that he had lost the Mask, he couldn't call the Skull Spiders, which meant he was now going to have to fight the Toa on his own. They were said to be legendary warriors who took on many foes in the past. Hopefully he was strong enough to defeat them.
The Lord of Skull Spiders prepared for the battle that was to come.
Chapter 7: Team of Heroes[]
The City of Mask Makers had been abandoned for ages. No Islander had stepped foot in it for thousands of years. It had once been the capital of Okoto, all the peoples living there. It was the home of the Mask Makers, where they forged their Masks and called their home. But it had been abandoned once the Mask Makers fell. The last time any villager had been in it was when the Protectors of Old buried Ekimu.
It had been abandoned ever since.
Until now.
A large bridge came from the city and connected to the land surrounding the city built on an island of earth. Small structures adorned the bridge, reaching up to the sky. Many had been damaged though from the thousands of years. At the entrance stood five figures, all different colors and heights. They all carried weapons that glowed with their colors. They all wore Golden Masks and were obviously skeptical of the others around them.
The Toa had arrived.
All destined to go on the same quest, the heroes saw each other for the first time.
“So,” the one in blue said, hating the awkward silence. “Did you get the vision too?”
“Of the city? Yeah I did. Weird, huh?” The one in green and keetorange armor said, leaning on his swords. “I wonder who that old guy talking was.”
“That was obviously the voice of Ekimu, the Mask Maker,” the tallest of the Toa, adorned in black and gold armor said. “That is why we are here, to free him from his eternal sleep.”
Suddenly another figure came out from behind one of the structures on the bridge, adorned in red and gold armor, holding a lava board under his arm.
“Greetings! I am Tahu, the Master of Fire. The Prophecy has brought us together under my command!” He said proudly.
“Uh...” the tall being said. “No it hasn't. I am Onua, the Master of Earth, and the Prophecy doesn't say that.”
“I am Gali, Master of Water, and I agree with Onua, that the Prophecy doesn't say that,” the blue one identified herself. “I heard it from Kivoda, the Protector of Water, and it doesn't say anything about leadership.”
“I am Lewa, Master of Jungle,” the Toa in green said.
“I'm Pohatu, Master of Stone,” the one in brown said who had been off to the side, watching.
“Did your brain catch fire?” The last one who was armored in white and gold stepped forward, stabbing his spear into the ground. “I am Kopaka, and I work under no command.”
“Well somebody's got to lead us!”
“It's certainly not going to be you!” Kopaka said. “I would make a better leader than you by a thousand years!”
“Is that a challenge, Master of Ice?” Tahu said, clenching his fist.
“Maybe it is, fire spitter.”
“That's it,” Tahu said. He threw down his lavaboard and lunged at Kopaka. The Toa of Ice dropped his spear and his shield and blocked the Toa of Fire's punch. Kopaka threw his own punch, but Tahu was ready for it and blocked it. They then started throwing random punches at each other. The Master of Fire put all his weight on the Master of Ice and brought them both to the ground. They wrestled in the dirt like two children fighting over a ball.
Gali quickly ran over and tried to wedge her trident in between the two. “Stop fighting, you idiots!” She yelled.
They didn't listen to her and continued to brawl it out until Onua reached down and used his incredible strength to grab them by their heads and lifted them off the ground.
He chuckled and smiled happily. “Don't fight.”
“We still need a leader!” Tahu said, annoyed that he was overpowered by this brute.
“The Prophecy said that the heroes are supposed to be united, but not one. That means that we need to work together, not have one above the others,” Gali said.
“I don't see any problem with that logic,” Lewa quipped.
“But who will make the hard decisions? We need a leader!” Tahu argued on.
“I am the most qualified here, spark,” Kopaka said. “I can fight, I'm smart and I look good.”
“So do I!” Tahu squirmed, trying to get out of Onua's grip.
“We all can fight, Kopaka,” Gali said.
“And we all look good,” Lewa smiled, obviously enjoying this.
“If it's so important to you, let's put it to a vote, then,” Gali said, stabbing her trident into the ground.
“I vote for Onua,” the Master of Jungle said. “He knows how to grab attention,” Lewa chuckled.
“I vote for me and me alone. We need a leader!” Tahu said, still trying to get out of Onua's grip, but it turned out the Toa was strong.
“Of course you'd vote for yourself!” Kopaka said. “I vote for me!”
“Come on, guys! Would the Protectors approve of us fighting like children over a cookie?” Onua asked.
“No they wouldn't,” Pohatu said.
“And just because they're not here right now doesn't mean that their teachings go away,” the Toa of Earth said. “We must work together. We must stand united. That's what the Prophecy of Heroes said!”
“Maybe you're right...” The two Toa in Onua's grip said.
“Quiet!” Pohatu suddenly spoke up. “We've got company!”
They all looked to the center of the bridge which was a landing, where the two halves of the bridge met. Onua turned Tahu and Kopaka's heads to see what was happening. Suddenly four black spikes came up over the side, climbing to the top. A monstrous scream echoed through the canyon.
The Protector of Jungle had been trailing Lewa ever since the Shrine. He didn't come with the intention of helping the Toa, but if he needed it he would give it. He came with the intention to see history made, to see the Prophecy fulfilled. And it wasn't like Lewa couldn't handle himself. On the way here Vizuna had come across dozens of defeated Skull Spiders in the Master's wake.
Up ahead the Protector heard voices talking to one another, and he recognized one of them very well.
Lewa had united with the other Toa.
He ran a little faster. No Protector had ventured into the ancient city since the time of Ekimu. No villager had either. Only one had reached the island, but only a cave underneath. And she had vanished shortly after. He had warned Harvali not to go in there, but she was an archeologist. It was her job.
Vizuna suddenly stopped in his tracks when he heard a fearsome scream come from the bridge to the City of the Mask Makers. He instinctively grabbed his Elemental Flame Bow and readied it in hand, green flame shooting out the sides.
He had only heard the scream from the Lord of Skull Spiders once before. No one ever survived long enough to tell what the beast looked like. But everyone on Okoto knew of the Lord of Skull Spiders. He controlled all the island's Skull Spiders through a telepathic link by using the Golden Mask of Skull Spiders which had been forged thousands of years ago.
The Toa must have had awoken him. And now they had to face him. Otherwise, all hope was lost.
Chapter 8: Lord of Skull Spiders[]
Nobody had ever lived long enough to tell others of the appearance of the creature that was now crawling up the side of the bridge to confront the legendary Toa. The large beast stuck its two front claws into the ground, the rock cracking around them. The six Toa readied their weapons to combat the creature.
“What is that thing?” Tahu asked.
The beast pulled itself up onto the platform, revealing its true form. Its face was full of eyes and teeth, drool dripping down. It reminded them of a Skull Spider, but only vaguely. This beast had six legs and was colored in red and black. It was massive, twice the size of Onua. It then roared again, the echoes going for miles.
“Lord of Skull Spiders! We can't outrun him!” Pohatu said, readying his Jeterangs.
“Don't worry, I can freeze this bug on my own!” Kopaka said.
He was interrupted by Lewa chuckling next to him. “You're too slow, Kopaka.”
The Toa of Jungle quickly ran forward at the fearsome Lord of Skull Spiders. But just as he was half-way to the beast, Gali came up behind him and knocked him out of the way with her trident, launching him back to the other Toa.
“I'll flush it away!”
But the Lord of Skull Spiders launched a large wad of webs from his mouth and it hit the Toa of Water, encasing her in sticky webs.
The other four ran forward, weapons in hand. Lewa recovered himself and jumped up onto one of the decorations of the bridge and readied to jump onto the beast's back. Below Pohatu whizzed past the other Toa on a sand spout, knocking them to the sides. Onua fell into the pillar the Toa of Jungle was on and shook it, knocking the green armored Toa off.
“Hey!” He shouted after Pohatu. “You can't do that!”
“Stay out of my way, then!”
The Master of Stone threw one of his boomerangs at the monstrous Lord of Skull Spiders. It flew at the beast so fast not even Lewa could catch it. But he didn't need to catch it. The beast simply raised one of its claws and deflected the weapon, sending it back to where the Toa had met. The Lord of Skull Spiders then shot a clump of web at the Toa's face and shot him back where he landed on Kopaka, taking them both down.
Onua threw several hard clumps of dirt at the huge beast. They hit around the Lord of Skull Spiders, but didn't make contact. He then threw more and more, but the beast batted them away like they were nothing. The beast then picked up the other ones Onua had thrown and chucked them back at the Toa. The large Toa jumped out of the way to avoid his own earth.
Kopaka fired Ice at the creature's feet, trying to get it to slip and fall off the bridge and into the chasm below. The ice covered one of the beast's claws. It looked down at it and simply lifted it up and struck it to the ground, shattering the ice. It picked up another rock and threw it at the Master of Ice. The Toa lifted his shield to block it and the impact knocked him back.
“I didn't slip,” he muttered under his breath.
The last Toa standing was Tahu. He ran forward with both his Flame Blades were ignited, fire shooting from them.
“Make way for the Master of Fire!” He yelled as he ran at the Lord of Skull Spiders.
Unlike the other five, Tahu actually made it to the beast. But that was the easy part of his fight. The Toa swung both his blades at him but the Lord of Skull Spiders was ready for his attack and lifted his two front legs to block it. Tahu pushed forward with his blades while the beast pushed back. It was a test of strength, and it looked like the Lord of Skull Spiders was the stronger of them and flicked the Toa's blades into the sky and him back to the other Toa.
Tahu flew over the pillars and was caught by Onua. “We must work together! Unity is the only way!” The large Toa said.
The Master of Earth was right. Unity was the only way to defeat the Lord of Skull Spiders and get into the city to awaken Ekimu the Mask Maker. The beast roared at them again as they readied their weapons, Tahu pulling his Golden Swords off his back.
“Alright, let's do this,” Tahu said.
The six Toa ran forward, their weapons charged with Elemental energy. This time, however, they were united in their charge. This time the six attacked as one.
The Lord of Skull Spiders saw the group coming at him and in a panicked act the beast fired several wads of webbing at the Toa. Most of them missed, but one hit Kopaka in the shield, covering it. The impact caused the Master of Ice to fall back to the end of the group.
But that didn't stop them. Lewa jumped forward and took flight. He flew forward and knocked into the Lord of Skull Spiders, flipping him on his belly. Gali fired water at him and knocked him to the middle of the bridge. Pohatu threw both his Stormerangs at the beast's face, further injuring him. Tahu ran up and delivered an uppercut to the creature's jaw, launching him into the air onto his back, just on the edge of the bridge.
“Onua, now!” Tahu shouted.
The Toa of Earth wasted no time and raised his weapon, the hammer crackling with purple energy. The large Toa grunted as he let the hammer drop and hit the ground, a massive earthquake being sent out. Cracks came from the weapon and towards the Lord of Skull Spiders. They surrounded him and suddenly the chunk of the bridge he was on broke off and fell into the chasm, taking the beast with it.
The Toa ran over and watched as the Lord of Skull Spiders disappeared into the fog below, lost in the shadows.
“We've done it!” Gali said. “It's true! United the Masks hold the power to defeat evil!”
He had watched as the Lord of Skull Spiders had challenged the Elemental Masters. He had seen them charge at him and instantly be defeated. Surely that was where they ran away. Everyone ran from the Lord of Skull Spiders. But that's not what happened. What had happened surprised him. He hated surprises.
They regrouped and attacked as one, and in their Unity they made short work of his minion and threw him into the chasm that surrounded this city. After that he turned away from the bridge and walked through the ancient City of the Mask Makers. He looked at all the buildings that were ruined from the shockwave caused by Ekimu severing Makuta's connection with the Mask of Ultimate Power. It had sent both Mask Makers into a deep sleep and lost all three Masks of Power to the island of Okoto.
Now, after thousands of years, the Toa were coming into the ancient city to awaken Ekimu the Mask Maker.
The being sighed. He was hoping that the Lord of Skull Spiders and his minions could stop the Toa from getting their Masks of Power, and by extension keep them from coming here. But alas, the Lord of Skull Spiders had failed him... for the last time. It was good that the Masters took care of the beast, because then he didn't have to get his hands dirty.
The mysterious being came to the entrance to a massive graveyard where the people of Okoto buried their dead before the Fall. It had been neglected ever since, weeds covering the tombstones and graves. The hinges of the gates at rotted away and the doors had fallen to the ground.
His red eyes scanned over the graves and then he raised his clawed hand, purple energy surrounding it. Suddenly a bolt like lightning shot out and struck several of the graves, dirt shooting up into the air. After about ten seconds of striking the graves the energy vanished and all went silent in the ancient City of the Mask Makers.
The being stood at the gate, waiting. Suddenly, the dirt of one of the graves began moving, before a clawed hand shot out of the dirt, trying to grip the grass to pull themselves up.
“Guard this city from the Toa who will try to take the Mask of Creation. Do so by any means necessary.” The mysterious being said to the now several beings crawling from their graves.
You can't defeat us that quickly, Toa. He thought to himself.
Chapter 9: The City of the Mask Makers[]
The Lord of Skull Spiders had been defeated. The Toa had won and now stood victorious looking down into the chasm where the beast had fallen.
Pohatu turned around and looked to a pedestal that was sitting in the center of the bridge. “I wonder what used to be here?”
Suddenly they all heard a voice calling out to them through their Masks. “Quiet! There's that voice again!” Tahu said.
“I am Ekimu, the Mask Maker. You have all shown great courage. You are all true heroes. But evil is not yet defeated. You must hurry and find my resting place...” the voice said.
The voice disappeared and the Toa turned their eyes to the ancient City of the Mask Makers, which was obscured by a haze, only the outlines of buildings visible, giving the city a very foreboding look.
“Well, let's go,” Tahu said.
They began to walk forward across the rest of the bridge, Lewa taking to the sky above them. As they walked across the last half of the passage, they noticed several webs littering the bridge. Gali looked over the side and saw several cocoons hanging from the underside of the bridge. She squinted and saw that they were villager-sized, with a few exceptions that looked like animals.
“Those poor villagers,” she muttered to herself.
They came to the gate to the Ancient City. It was tall and had an arch over it, with runes engraved all over.
“I wonder what these say,” Onua said, examining the symbols.
“No time for that,” Gali said. “We must find Ekimu before the forces of evil!”
After a moment's hesitation of waiting at the gate, looking into the city, they glanced at each other and crossed the threshold and into the ancient City of the Mask Makers. They were the first to step foot in the ancient city since the Protectors of Old thousands of years ago. As they entered Tahu saw his Flame Blades laying just behind the gate. He quickly ran and recovered his weapons.
The city had gone to ruin. With no one to take care of it, weeds and spiked vines had covered the streets and buildings, breaking through walls and hanging off. Trees had grown in some of the buildings and broken through the roof or the side. There was also a huge amount of rubble left over from the Great Cataclysm.
Lewa flew around the area before landing on a pillar, looking down at the wreckage. “Finding anything in this mess is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.”
“Don't worry, Lewa, the Masks will guide us!” Onua said.
They walked through the city a little further before they heard something crash in the distance.
“What was that?” Kopaka asked, readying his weapons.
“I don't know, but it can't be good,” Tahu said.
“It could have been a building collapsing. This place hasn't been tended in thousands of years. The structural integrity of everything here has probably gone down severely,” Gali said.
“I don't like this place. Something evil's hiding here,” Pohatu said, surveying the area.
“Let's just keep our guard up,” Tahu held his Flame Blades up.
They walked further into the city, going through another gate. The wind howled through the city, the arrangement of the structures creating a strange noise with the wind.
“I don't like this place just because it's creepy,” Lewa whispered to Pohatu.
Suddenly another crash echoed throughout the city.
“What is that?” Pohatu asked. “It can't just be structures collapsing. If they were this often there'd be nothing of the city left but rubble,”
Another rang out.
“They're getting closer,” Onua said.
“And how do you know?” Lewa peered at the Toa of Earth.
“I can feel it,” He replied, raising his hammer.
“Something's not right in this town,” Gali said.
“Something's not right on this island,” Pohatu corrected.
Another crash.
Suddenly a flash of purple light came from behind a building.
“What was that?” Gali asked.
“The forces of darkness are here. They're coming for us,” Onua said.
“Let's just find the Mask Maker and awaken him. He'll know what to do,” Tahu said. “The sooner we do that, the better.”
The Toa walked forward, further into the foreboding City of the Mask Makers. But little did they know what they were walking into. The forces of darkness were strong and numbered. The Toa would need their strength to combat them.
Behind them, a skeletal hand broken through the ground.
His army was now assembled. Well... resurrected... but still assembled.
They were ancient warriors of Okoto, thousands of years ago. They were even older than the Mask Makers themselves. They were the defenders of the island long ago before they fell. Now only by Makuta's dark power were they alive again.
As he looked over his army, a being with four arms came over to him. “Skull Grinder! They have entered the city and are aware that they are not alone here.”
“Are they aware because they saw you, Skull Slicer?” The being known as Skull Grinder asked.
“No. They heard you resurrecting the troops.”
“I figured they would. Did it instill fear in their hearts?”
“It appears so, my lord.”
“Good. That is what we want.” He turned back to the army of Skull Warriors.
“What do you want me to do, Skull Grinder?” Skull Slicer asked his master.
“I want you to go back and guard the Arena. I have a feeling they will investigate it. Try and get one of their Masks for me.”
“Yes, my lord,” the green-armored being ran away into the city.
Another being came up to the Skull Grinder, this time he was armored in purple and had huge horns. He wielded twin battle axes. The being bowed before his master.
“My lord Skull Grinder,” he said in a deep voice. “The troops are ready to take down the Toa. We are waiting for you command, my master.”
“Good, my lieutenant,” Skull Grinder said, his red eyes glowing. “Wait for them to get into the courtyard that is in their path. They cannot surpass it. They will most likely trigger the trap and when that happens, destroy them.”
“Yes, my lord Kulta,” the being known as Skull Basher got up and walked away towards the troops.
Soon, we will defeat the Toa. Soon the Mask of Creation is ours for sure! He thought to himself.
Book II: The Ancient City[]
Chapter 10: When Evil Rises[]
Foretold thousands of years ago by Ekimu the Mask Maker, the Prophecy of Heroes brought six elemental heroes, the Toa, to the island of Okoto to save it from the darkness of Makuta, the Mask Hoarder. And together they defeated the Lord of Skull Spiders and his minions and proceeded into the ancient City of the Mask Makers to awaken the fallen Mask Maker and fulfill their destiny.
Little did they know that the darkness was ready for their arrival.
The Toa walked through the long-abandoned City of the Mask Maker cautiously, ready for any attack. They didn't know what dangers laid within the city. Not even the Protectors knew what was in the city. It had been thousands of years.
“Keep your guard up, Toa. We don't know what could be here,” Tahu said.
“Besides Skull Spiders?” Lewa asked.
“I don't think even Skull Spiders would come to this forsaken place,” Gali said.
They walked through another archway going leading into a large courtyard. The courtyard had a few small buildings in it. Several paths weaved through it. But as with the rest of the city, rubble littered it.
“Careful. I smell a trap,” Pohatu said, looking around.
The Toa walked into the courtyard, inspecting it. Tahu walked forward towards the other opening, wanting to get out of this place and find Ekimu when he stepped onto one of the stones in the path. When he put his weight on it, it sunk into the ground, a mechanical click echoing out. Suddenly two doors came out and blocked both the exit and entrance, a series of locks going into place.
Tahu turned back to the rest of the group that was now staring at him. “No problem! I'll think of a plan!”
“That would take forever,” Kopaka stepped forth. “Follow my lead instead.”
Tahu narrowed his eyes, and Kopaka did the same. They were about to jump at each other again when Onua went between them.
“United, remember? We can't afford to keep fighting!”
“You're loud enough to wake the dead,” Pohatu said, looking around.
“Pohatu's right, be quiet! We don't know what's behind that gate!” Gali agreed.
“It could be whatever that light was,” Onua suggested.
“Enough of this! We need a leader!” Tahu finally said.
“I agree. Follow me!” Kopaka raised his staff.
“I thought we settled this outside the city?” Gali asked. “The key is Unity, not leadership!”
“We were interrupted by the Lord of Skull Spiders,” Kopaka argued. “We need leadership and Unity.”
“That's not what the Protectors taught us!” Gali said. “With Unity, we can do anything! With Unity we defeated the Lord of Skull Spiders, while without it we got defeated.”
Behind them the skeletal hand of a figure came up from a crack in the ground and sunk its claws into the dirt. It lifted itself out of the dirt and looked around and saw the six Toa standing in the middle of the courtyard.
“We should get moving. Maybe they're a button on the other side of the gate that could open it?” Gali said.
“If you ask nicely, I might go and have a look,” Lewa smiled before jumping into the air, taking flight.
The Toa were ready to wait for the Toa of Jungle to return when several energy projectiles came down upon them. Wherever they struck got covered in ice. One of the projectiles hit Tahu’s shoulder.
“Argh!” The Master of Fire exclaimed. He quickly melted the ice.
Kopaka chuckled. “How does it feel to be cooled down, Tahu?”
Tahu looked up to where the projectiles were coming from and saw several archers firing upon them. “We're under fire!”
Kopaka gave him a sideways glance. “I hate fire.”
“What are those things?” Pohatu asked, dodging an ice projectile.
“Why don't you ask them yourself? Look!” Gali pointed to the other side of the courtyard where several of the skeletal beings were crawling out from the ground. Most of them were armed with spears, but a few carried the bows the ones attacking them from above had.
“Enough of this,” Kopaka said. He quickly raised his shield and it began to glow with Elemental Energy, then suddenly a shield of Ice surrounded the Toa. The incoming blasts of ice were absorbed into the shield, making it stronger.
The Skull Warriors coming up from the ground began to walk towards the Toa, the light from the twin moons illuminating all the scratches in their ancient armor and spears.
“What're we going to do about them?” Tahu asked.
“I don't know. I think we're going to have to fight them,” Pohatu said, raising his Jeterangs.
“Alright, let's do this thing,” Tahu narrowed his eyes.
The Toa readied themselves and then Kopaka dropped the shield. The Skull Warriors quickly advanced on the Masters now that the shield was down. One swung its spear at Gali, but she used her trident to block it and she knocked the warrior away into the dirt again.
Tahu jumped forward and fired a blast of flame at three of the warriors, blasting them back to the edge of the courtyard. Pohatu threw his Jeterang at two Skull Warriors, chopping their legs off. They fell to the ground but still crawled towards the group.
“These things don't let up!” Pohatu said, annoyed.
Three of them jumped at Kopaka with their spears, trying to get him by surprise. Unfortunately for them, it didn't work. The Master of Ice struck them down with both his shield and spear, freezing the Warriors. But, behind him, a Skull Warrior trained its bow on the Toa's face, waiting for him to turn around. Another Warrior struck at Kopaka's back, but he turned to block it, pushing the skeleton away.
The archer took his window of opportunity and fired a blast of Ice at the Toa of Ice. It flew through the air at his face. And the worse thing was that he didn't see it coming until it was inches from his Mask. It impacted with great force, knocking the Toa back. The impact was also enough to detach the Golden Mask he and Izotor had risked their lives to get.
Everything seemed to slow down for Kopaka as he fell to the ground and as his Golden Mask of Ice tumbled to the floor. It rolled across the stone tiles of the path and right to the feet of the archer. The rest of the Toa turned their heads as the Skull Warrior reached down and retrieved the Golden Mask at his feet. The skeletal figure lifted the Mask too its face, putting it over its own skeletal Mask.
The Masters could only watch as the warrior began to glow with blue energy, the skeleton almost not being able to handle such power. Then half of the Mask turned almost like crystal, the blue almost see-through.
“What's happening?” Tahu said, igniting his flame swords once more.
“There's a special link between Master and Mask,” Pohatu replied.
“So that thing's stealing Kopaka's energy?” Gali readied her trident, looking down at the now unconscious Master of Ice.
“Yes, and we need to get it back before it takes all his power,” Pohatu's Jeterangs glowed with Elemental Stone energy.
“First we need to get rid of these guys,” Gali said, bashing three more Skull Warriors away. “Bury them, Onua! They're blocking the way out!”
The Toa of Earth didn't hesitate for a second. He raised his hammer above his head, it glowing with raw elemental energy. He then slammed it to the ground, causing a massive shockwave. It shook the courtyard, causing the remaining Skull Warriors to drop down back into the ground, save for a few, including the one who stole Kopaka's Mask.
That one lifted his bow, which glowed brightly with Elemental Energy. But it was interrupted by another earthquake from where the Toa had come. Suddenly the bridge collapsed upon itself, falling into the chasm where the Lord of Skull Spiders had gone. Gali turned wide-eyed at Onua.
“There is no way out,” Pohatu said grimly.
“Toa, stand united!” Tahu said.
“Where is Lewa?” Gali asked.
The Skull Warrior recovered himself and raised his bow again, the end swirling with raw Elemental Ice energy. Suddenly it opened fire, and all the Toa saw was white.
Kulta, the Skull Grinder, made his way through the ancient City of the Mask Makers. His army was now all together, guarding the important parts of the city from the Toa. Beside him, his lieutenant, Skull Basher, walked with him. He looked deep in thought.
“What is on your mind, my lieutenant?” The Skull Grinder asked with his deep voice.
“It's just that why are we working for Makuta? I thought we were warriors, not servants.”
“Without Makuta, none of us would be here. We owe our lives to him.”
“But I don't want to be someone's slave. I'm a lieutenant in your army, not Makuta's servant.”
“Makuta has promised to set us free if we get the Mask of Creation's metal to him and kill the Toa.”
“But the legends of these Toa have been told to the children of Okoto for thousands of years. They're said to be great warriors that have defeated the darkness itself.”
“Even if they have, the darkness of Makuta is stronger than anything they have ever faced,” Kulta the Skull Grinder stopped in the street, looking off into the distance. His companion stopped as well and looked where his master was.
Up upon the hill stood a massive building where water followed from the top and down into two holes to be cycled back again. The building was ancient, thousands of years old. Above the gate were two statues, two statues of the Mask Makers: Ekimu and Makuta.
The Temple of Creation.
“That is where Makuta forged his Masks, where he created the Mask of Ultimate Power which led to the balance of Okoto being destroyed,” Kulta said.
“And set the Toa on a quest to awaken Ekimu.”
They walked forward again, towards the Forge of the Mask Makers.
It was only a matter of time.
Chapter 11: The Arena[]
Tahu created a dome of Fire around the Toa to protect them from the incoming ice projectiles. It worked fairly well, but the ones coming from the Skull Warrior wearing Kopaka's Mask began to tear his shield apart.
Suddenly the shield of Fire exploded, pushing the undead Warriors that surrounded them away slightly, but their clawed feet sunk into the ground, anchoring them there. Gali then shot a stream of water at a few of them, knocking the back.
“Did Lewa run away?” Tahu asked, looking for the missing Toa.
Gali looked around before casting her eyes on the archers above them. “No, he just flew in!” She pointed up to the Skull Warriors where suddenly a streak of green flew into them, knocking them off and down into the courtyard. They recovered themselves and began to attack the Toa.
Pohatu knocked away three with his boomerangs. Onua fired his elemental power at five Skull Warriors, burying them in earth. Gali sped through several more Skull Warriors, knocking several parts off of them. Lewa jumped down and wrapped several of them in vines, strapping them to the ground like he had done to several Skull Spiders.
But the Skull Warrior bearing Kopaka's Golden Mask of Ice was still firing upon them. But unknown to him, Tahu was sneaking up behind it, his Flame Swords in hand, and readied to strike. Suddenly he crossed his swords around the warrior's neck and in one swift motion, cut off the Skull Warrior's head. It tumbled off his shoulders and rolled to the ground in the same fashion that the Mask had tumbled from Kopaka's face.
Pohatu quickly scooped up the Mask, detaching it from the Skull Warrior's head and ran over and put it on the Master of Ice's face. Suddenly, the crystal seemed to go back into the Toa, the Mask returning to its original golden state. Kopaka slowly woke up now that his power was restored.
“What... what happened?” He asked.
“A spooky scary skeleton knocked your Mask off and stole it. Then you fainted like a wuss,” the Toa of Jungle smiled.
“What took you so long, Lewa?” Kopaka asked, rubbing his head. “Did you find a way to open the gate?”
“No, but I spotted an arena. It could be fun,” The Master said, leaning on his twin swords.
“We're not looking for fun! We're looking for Ekimu!” Kopaka narrowed his eyes.
“We need to get past the gate, first,” Gali said, looking to the still closed gate.
But it seemed Pohatu was already on it. He walked across the courtyard, past several of the unconscious Skull Warriors, towards a large crack in the ground. In the crack was a large boulder. He placed both hands firmly on it and lifted it out of the crack and onto his shoulder. The Toa of Stone then walked back across the courtyard, past the other Toa who were watching him with their eyebrows raised.
He then walked over to the gate and readied the boulder in his right hand. Then he chucked it forward. It flew through the air like a pebble. It crashed through the gates with a loud... well... crash. It blew both doors away onto the street on the other side of the walls.
The Toa then walked forward past Pohatu, all three of them except Kopaka and Tahu looking at the Toa of Stone with utter awe and a little fright at how strong the Master of Stone was.
They walked out into another housing area of the city, this one, too, was destroyed.
“Will there be anything here that isn't depressing?” Gali sighed, looking at the destruction.
“Evil doesn't want you to be happy, sister,” Pohatu replied.
They walked a little further.
“So,” Lewa began. “What about the Arena?”
“We are not going to the Arena,” Kopaka said. “Follow my lead.”
“Who put you in charge?” Tahu turned his head sharply.
“I did,” Kopaka narrowed his eyes.
“But I want to be leader!” The Toa of Fire raised his blades.
“How about we let Kopaka lead for a little while? Then you can lead?” Gali said, stepping between the two Toa before they fought again.
“I suppose we could try it. But I don't want it to be permanent,” Tahu conceded.
“Well, I go where I want, freeze-brain,” Lewa said.
“Fine. You can go the Arena. We'll do what we came here to do and find Ekimu the Mask Maker!” Kopaka huffed. The rest of the Toa moved forward, leaving the Master of Jungle behind.
He pulled out his swords and took to the air. From a distance a skeletal figure watched him from the shadows. The being laughed to himself and took off into the darkness.
Lewa flew over the remains of the City of the Mask Makers. The buildings looked even worse from up there than they were on the ground. Despite being shielded by the mountains, the shockwave still did a number on the city.
The Toa of Jungle made his approach on the Arena. It was huge building, the six exterior walls designed to look like the Masks the Protectors wore. It must have been done so to honor the Protectors of the time when it was built. Now it had begun to rot away.
He landed in the courtyard outside of the building. The Toa looked around to see several statues of ancient villagers holding hammers raised above their heads. Vines covered several of the statues and walls.
“Guess no one's been around in a while,” Lewa said to himself.
The Master of Jungle walked over to a large wall that was covered in vines. Underneath them he could barely see some carvings. He raised his hand and it glowed green, then the vines also glowing green. Suddenly they retreated up and away from the wall, revealing several carvings of what the Toa assumed to be the inside of the Arena.
Lewa traced over the runes and read:
“Hammer Flush is an ancient game of Okoto played only by the strongest and the bravest of the Islanders. The goal is to beat your opponents and become the best of your Region. To do so you must survive the playing field and your opponents. You must make it to the top of the tower and hit the lever, collapsing the floor and defeating your opponents, sending them out of the city.”
“However, one false move and-.”
Suddenly an orange claw broke through the rules and latched onto the Toa's Mask. Before he could react, the claw tugged back and tore Lewa's Mask off.
The Master's strength instantly left him, like every muscle in his body had gone limp. And just like Kopaka, the Toa fell to the ground. He tried to look to who attacked him but his vision blurred and he passed out.
The darkness engulfed him.
The other five Toa made their way through the ruins of the city after leaving Lewa. They had gone past massive statues of the Mask Makers, ancient and breaking down.
After a while, Tahu felt that they were going in circles.
“This is the wrong way!” Tahu said to the Toa of Ice.
They approached a wall where a rock appeared to be loose. “No, the wrong way was the one taken by-,” He pushed down the stone which lead into the courtyard of the Arena, right where Lewa wanted to go. And next to a wall lay the Master of Jungle, maskless and unconscious.
The Toa ran over to help their fellow Toa. “Lewa!” Gali exclaimed. They helped him up but were then distracted by a bizarre laughing. They looked up a set of steps that lead to the Arena. At the top stood a skeletal figure clad in green armor. He wore a Skull Spider Mask and had four arms. In one of his hands was the Golden Mask of Jungle.
He laughed again and ran into the darkness of the Arena. His laughter echoed throughout.
The Skull Warriors had failed. How could they?
He sighed and guessed that they were just footsoldiers, meant to be plowed down in the first strike. Still it was a shame. They had been waiting thousands of years for a battle, and they got one, but he assumed they wanted to be the victors there.
Skull Grinder and Skull Basher were close to the Temple now. Only a few more blocks and they would be at the staircase to the Mask Maker's Forge.
“What if the Toa get here before we can finish our task?” His lieutenant asked.
“They will not. Skull Slicer has already stolen one of the Toa's Masks. I can feel its energy coming to me.”
“They defeated our Skull Warriors. Surely Slicer is no bigger problem?”
“They will not. And if they manage to, they will never make it to Ekimu in time.”
They walked on in silence.
He hoped he wouldn't fall before the foolish Toa.
Chapter 12: The Game[]
The Toa ran into the Arena after the mysterious being, Pohatu carrying the fallen Toa of Jungle. They came onto the playing field and saw several pillars around the room. The roof was open and showed the dark, starry sky above.
“There!” Tahu said, pointing ahead.
Directly ahead of the Toa was the being, standing on top of a pillar, Lewa's Mask in hand. He continued laughing even when he saw them, like it made him happy to see them.
“Why's he so happy to see us?” Kopaka asked. “We're going to destroy him.”
Suddenly he lifted the Mask up to his face and put it on. Then he began to glow with raw elemental energy. The Mask began to crystallize, just like Kopaka's, but only in green. It stopped about halfway down.
“What's happening?” Kopaka readied his weapons.
“Same thing that happened to you,” Gali replied. “That thing's stealing Lewa's energy!”
Suddenly the building began to shake and the pillars starting to move. Fire shot out of several places on the walls, large flames burning.
The game had begun.
“What's going on?” Tahu asked, looking around.
“He must've activated the Arena. The game has begun,” Pohatu said grimly.
“What game?” Gali asked.
“... Hammer... Flush...” The Toa in Pohatu's arms whispered.
“What'd he say?” Kopaka turned his head.
“He said 'Hammer Flush',” Pohatu answered.
“Lewa, you read the rules. What do we do?” Gali inquired.
Lewa didn't answer.
“He's too weak,” Onua said sadly.
“...Hit... the... lever...” Lewa groaned, nearly unconscious.
“The what?” Gali leaned closer.
“The lever,” Pohatu said, looking to the top of a tower of pillars. “Onua, go bash.”
“We'll help,” Tahu said, gesturing to Kopaka and Gali.
“Right. Let's go,” Onua said.
The four ran forth at the mysterious skeletal being. He grabbed three swords off his back and wielded them. In his forth hand he held a orange chain wipe with claws at the end.
“This guy looks like fun,” Tahu remarked.
“I think this guy is related to those warriors,” Gali said.
“But the question is: who's their leader?” Kopaka asked.
“We can ask that later,” Onua interrupted. “Let's get Lewa's Mask back!”
The Toa nodded and continued their charge. A large pillar came out of the ground as Tahu stepped on it, tripping him and making the Master of Fire fall on his back. Kopaka laughed at this but was quickly stopped by a vine created by the skeletal figure tripping him.
Tahu laughed the fallen Toa.
“I didn't slip.”
“No, you tripped,” Tahu chuckled.
“Come on, guys!” Gali shouted.
The Toa recovered themselves and got up and ran. As he ran, a blast of fire came from the side of Tahu. But he bent it away from him and ran through the flame.
As Onua ran, two large stone beams came at him from both sides It was too late for Onua to get out of the way and he braced for impact. He closed his eyes and waited to be squashed.
But it never happened. He opened his eyes and looked up and saw Kopaka above him, holding the beams apart with his legs.
“You're welcome.”
Onua got out of the way and kept running. Kopaka jumped up and the beams slammed together. The Toa of Ice landed on top of them and quickly jumped down to rejoin the charge. Gali was almost to the being when a pillar shot up under her feet and sent her flying all the way back to Pohatu and Lewa. She recovered herself and held her head.
“That hurt,” she said.
“Nobody beats Skull Slicer! Nobody!” The being yelled after the Toa of Water.
“Skull Slicer? Is that what he calls himself?” Kopaka asked as he ran.
“I don't care what he calls himself. Let's just get that Mask back!” Tahu said, igniting his swords.
The Toa charged again. Skull Slicer made a large vine and wiped it at the Toa, but Tahu cut through it, setting it ablaze. Skull Slicer jumped down and readied his swords. Pohatu gave Lewa to Gali, who held the Toa up over her shoulder, and readied his Jeterangs. He aimed and threw both of them at the sketal being.
They flew through the air and pinned Skull Slicer by his two lower arms to the central pillar. Now that he was pinned down, it would be easier to defeat him. But he could still whip his claw around. He shot it at Kopaka, but it grabbed onto his shield and the Toa twisted it out of the being's hand.
As he ran, a pillar shot up under the Toa of Ice's feet, launching him into the air. He lost hold of both of his weapons, the tools clattering in different places in the Arena.
Tahu reached Skull Slicer first. He swung his blades at him but he dodged and managed to grab both the Toa's arms and pin them behind his back. He tried to struggle but couldn't. Tahu looked forward and saw Kopaka lunging at him with his fist.
“Tahu you're in my way!” The Toa exclaimed.
Tahu moved his head out of the way and Kopaka's fist went past his head and struck Skull Slicer in the face. The force was enough to dislodge Lewa's Golden Mask of Jungle. It flew through the air but Kopaka jumped up and caught it. Tahu got out of the skeletal being's grip and joined Kopaka.
Suddenly they heard Onua yell: “Get off the floor!”
They turned to see the Master of Earth charging towards them with his hammer raised above his head. The Toa jumped out of the way as Onua went past. He jumped up and used Skull Slicer's head as a booster. Tahu and Koaka quickly scrambled up the tower to safety.
Onua landed on the top and brought his hammer down, hitting the lever. It went into the tower and suddenly all the tiles of the floor gave away into a huge pit of darkness.
Gravity did its work on Skull Slicer, as Pohatu's weapons could not keep him from falling. The skeletal figure disappeared into the darkness, never to be seen again.
The floor came back up and the Toa came out into the center. Kopaka had recovered his weapons while Tahu got Pohatu's. They walked over to the Masters of Water, Jungle and Stone. The Master of Ice lifted Lewa's Mask up and put it on the Toa’s face.
Instantly the crystal disappeared back into the Toa, his energy being restored.
The first thing he said was: “What happened?”
“I hit the lever!” Onua said proudly.
“Without breaking anything?” The Toa of Jungle raised an eyebrow.
As if on cue, the lever toppled off the tower and onto the floor. The Toa watched as cracks surrounded it. Suddenly the whole building began to shake, everything cracking. Then the next thing the Toa knew was that they were surrounded by falling rubble, and then darkness.
Gone into the night.
Chapter 13: Fallen Heroes[]
Deep under the remains of the once great Arena, the six Elemental Masters of Okoto were trapped under a pile of rubble, barely able to move.
The Toa of Jungle looked around at their situation and then to the Toa of Earth. “Without breaking anything, huh?”
Onua looked down ashamed.
“This is not the time to make snappy remarks, we are trapped!” Gali said.
After a moment of silence, Pohatu spoke up.
“This is ridiculous. I didn't sign up for this mission!”
“None of us did. We just fell from the stars because the Protectors used a Prophecy that foretold of us,” Tahu said. “We arrived to be told that the villagers were in danger.”
“With Skull Spiders everywhere, at every turn,” Gali added.
“Under Makuta the Mask Hoarder's control,” Pohatu said.
“Even underground evil lurked,” Onua said, remembering the countless Skull Spiders he had faced under the earth.
“The Protectors didn't give up, no matter how hopeless everything seemed. They just kept on fighting to get us to the Golden Masks of Power,” Tahu said.
Onua smiled. “They gave us purpose when it seemed we had none.”
“Our purpose, our duty is to save Okoto from the darkness of Makuta,” Kopaka said.
“I agree, but we're still stuck under these rocks,” Pohatu said, looking around as best he could from his restraints.
“Wait,” Lewa interrupted. “I feel a breeze, there must be a tunnel behind this rubble,”
Kopaka raised his eyebrow at the Toa of Jungle. “What are you, the Master of Air?”
“I've been wondering that myself,” Lewa said.
“You're right,” Onua said, feeling the rock. “Stand back!”
“We can't, silly. We're stuck,” Lewa smiled.
“Then brace yourselves!” He placed his hand on the rock wall and it began to glow with raw Elemental Energy. The light was so bright it cast them all in a purple glow.
“Incredible,” Gali awed.
Cracks of purple energy appeared all over the rubble, everything beginning to shake. Suddenly all the rocks exploded outwards with extreme force, covering them all in dust.
After the dust cleared, the Toa were now free and walked out of the hole and into an underground tunnel. Tahu ignited one of his flame swords to provide light.
“This must be where everyone who loses Hammer Flush goes,” Lewa said.
“So where does this tunnel lead?” Gali raised an eyebrow.
“The loser has to leave the city through this tunnel,” Lewa said. “Banished forever.”
“That's a pretty harsh punishment for losing a game,” Tahu added.
“Hammer Flush is a game played only by the strongest and the bravest of Okoto,” Lewa replied. “They can't just have some loser in their game.”
They then walked in silence. The only sounds were the echoes of their feet and the occasional howl of wind through the tunnels. A lot of the tunnel was collapsed and damaged as it was unkept for thousands of years and the Great Cataclysm caused a massive quake in the city.
After a little while, they walked past some carvings on the wall. They all looked at them.
“What do they say?” Lewa asked.
“This must've been written by an Okotan after the Great Cataclysm,” Onua said, beginning to read. “This depicts the battle between Ekimu and Makuta.”
“What? Why would a villager be down here?” Gali asked.
“Must've been exploring and wanted to write down his thoughts,” Onua suggested.
“Might've been just before they died,” Kopaka said.
“Could be,” Tahu said.
“It says, I will be dead long before you read this, but I needed to get this down. Long ago, when Okoto was what it was supposed to be, all of Okoto lived in harmony.
“The island of Okoto contained six main Elements: Fire, Water, Jungle, Stone, Earth and Ice. Out of these Elements the Mask Makers created Masks of Power to give to the people of Okoto.
“While both Masks were usable, Ekimu's were of better quality and were prized among the islanders, causing his brother Makuta to grow jealous and form an evil plan.
“It was forbidden to create a Mask out of more than one Element, but Makuta had done it anyway. Before he had made a combination of Earth and Jungle and Fire and Jungle. Both had lead to near-disaster.
“But Makuta pressed on and made the Mask of Ultimate Power, the third legendary mask of Okoto. He then went to display it during the opening of a museum exhibit during the Festival of Masks at the Capitol of the Region of Stone. But when he put it on, he lost control and his mutated into a taller, darker form.
Ekimu and the Protectors arrived just in time to stop him before he tore the island apart. Ekimu fought his brother and knocked the Mask from his face, causing a cataclysmic event that changed Okoto forever.
“The shockwave caused the island to become six distinct regions of the six elements. Damage was done all across Okoto. The capitol city was obliterated, while most of the cities in Okoto, excluding those in the Region of Jungle, were damaged. The City of the Mask Makers became unstable was evacuated.
“But worse, the shockwave cast both Ekimu and Makuta into an eternal sleep. All three Masks were lost in the cataclysm, scattered across the island, waiting for someone to come looking for them. The Protectors could only find Ekimu in the rubble, and they brought him into the City of the Mask Makers and put him to rest.
But before they did, Ekimu whispered the Prophecy of Heroes from his slumber to the Protectors, giving it to them so that they may one day summon the Toa that he had foreseen when he used the Mask of Time to see into the future. The Protectors remembered this Prophecy and passed it down through the generations.
The Prophecy is a beacon of hope, a light in the dark.”
“Signed, a Lone Traveler.”
“Is that it?” Gali asked, looking for more.
“That is the end of it, Gali,” he replied.
“So some villager came down here and wrote the his or her interpretation of the Great Cataclysm?” Kopaka asked.
“That's what it appears to be,” Gali said.
“Why though? What's the point? Nobody's going to come down here to read it,” Tahu asked.
“Well obviously we did, fire spitter,” Lewa chuckled. Tahu narrowed his eyes at this while Kopaka also chuckled.
“History's not meant to be forgotten, Tahu. That's why they wrote it down, to preserve history,” Gali told the Toa of Fire.
They stood in silence for a moment, before Pohatu looked up at the ceiling.
“I believe I've found our way out,” The Toa of Stone said, looking up.
The other Toa followed his eyes to a hollowed-out rectangle in the dirt, like the inside of a grave.
“Onua, you know what to do,”
The Master of Earth nodded and raised his hammer, which began to glow with purple energy. Suddenly a bolt of light blasted up and destroyed the grave above, moonlight pouring in.
“Let's go,” Tahu said, looking to his fellow Toa.
Chapter 14: Beware Their Tails[]
The City of the Mask Makers had long been a silent tomb.
The grave was quiet, not a sound coming from within. The tombstones at begun to rot away, vines crippling them. Whatever was written on them had faded away, lost to the ages. A steady fog was present, low to the ground. Some rubble lay about the place, left over from the shockwave thousands of years ago.
Suddenly something began to crackle under one of the graves, before the rock glowed purple and then shot thirty feet into the air in a blast of energy. Then six figures came up from the hole, all of different colors: the Toa.
Onua looked around at their surroundings. “A graveyard?”
Lewa inspected a few of the gravestones. “Hm... this one says Matoro,” he read. “Why do I feel so sad and sensitive about this?”
“No time for that! We must find Ekimu’s tomb!” Kopaka said.
Gali looked around at their setting. “I don’t feel like asking the neighbors for directions.”
Lewa landed on a large pillar in the graveyard. “We could just take a peek inside the building with the huge Mask Maker sign,” he pointed to a large building at the end of the graveyard with a large slab of stone on top that was engraved with the Mask of Creation.
The Toa of Water narrowed her eyes in annoyance as she had not seen that before.
“Let’s go! No stopping us now!” Tahu said. He stepped forward where his foot landed on an ancient bone and it snapped, a loud cracking noise echoing through the graveyard. All the other Toa looked at him. Gali shook her head.
Suddenly, somewhere in the fog, a roar echoed back. Pohatu’s eyes widen as he knew what that was. “Get ready,” he said.
“What is it?” Kopaka asked.
Suddenly two skeletal scorpian-like creatures emerged from the fog, their large, bladed, tails snapping.
Lewa turned to Tahu. “You just had to say ‘no stopping us now’, didn’t you?”
“I. Hate. Scorpios.” Pohatu said, readying his weapons. He had encountered a Scorpio in the desert on the way to the city, only this one was undead. Onua had also fought one underground.
They both roared again. Suddenly they ran forward at the group of Toa. Before Pohatu could react, one of their tails snapped and grabbed the Toa of Stone’s Golden Mask of Power. Energy flashed as the Mask was torn off his face.
The mighty Master of Stone fell at the loss of his power. Kopaka quickly ran over and created a shield of ice around them.
“We have to get his Mask back!” Gali shouted, readying her trident.
But to make matters worse, the Scorpio suddenly put on the Toa’s Mask. Suddenly energy surged through the creature, the Mask becoming half-crystal like Kopaka and Lewa’s had done. The Scorpio glowed with energy.
“Do you think it’ll be able to control Stone like the other two did?” Kopaka asked.
“Probably,” Lewa replied.
The Scorpio thrust its claw forward and a tombstone shot forward at the group of Toa. They all jumped out of the way of the stone.
“Yep. He totally can,” Lewa turned his head towards Kopaka. The Toa of Ice sighed irritatedly.
The other Skull Scorpio grabbed Onua’s hammer with its tail and whipped him around, throwing him at a line of three tombstones, destroying them. Gali charged her Trident with Elemental energy and shot forward at the Skull Scorpio. However it blocked her weapons with its tail. As she couldn’t get past, she quickly flipped over the beast.
Tahu ignited his flame blades and charged at the Scorpio bearing Pohatu’s Golden Mask of Power in an attempt to reclaim the Mask. But it was in vain as the Skull Scorpio shot its tail forward and hit the Toa, launching him through a few tombstones, destroying them.
Lewa jumped on top of a gravestone and used his Elemental Powers to control the various vines that grew around the tombstones and used them to whip the beasts, but the one bearing his ally’s Mask of Power used it to make the stone that surrounded the vines crush them, severing the thorny planets. Lewa lost control over them and they fell to the ground.
The second Skull Creature shot its tail at the Toa, but he quickly responded as the Scorpio used its tail to chop through the stone. As soon as Lewa landed on the next one, they were ready to snap at him again. He jumped from tombstone to tombstone, and each time the Skull Scorpio took the top off of it.
When Lewa ran out of tombstones, he jumped off and grabbed onto the giant sculpture of the Mask of Creation. He looked back and saw that the beasts were coming after him, ignoring his companions and coming straight for him. The Toa of Jungle climbed up to the roof of Ekimu’s tomb. The Skull Scorpios stopped at the steps to the tomb and looked up at the Toa.
The light from the night sky reflected off Lewa’s Mask, the beasts realizing that they could bring it to their master. They continued up the stairs after the Master of Jungle, ready to take his Mask.
Lewa saw them coming at him again and tried to figure out how to stop the monsters.
“This is going to be fun,” He said to himself.
The two figures had finally reached their destination: The Forge of the Mask Makers.
The building was ancient, having been there for thousands of years. The shape of the structure resembled a large anvil, with two statues of two figures standing above the doorway: Ekimu and his brother Makuta.
“We are here, Skull Basher,” Kulta the Skull Grinder said to his large-horned comrade.
“Our mission is near completion, my lord.”
“Yes. And we won’t have to worry about the Toa,” Skull Grinder said. “One of the Skull Scorpios guarding the Mask Maker’s tomb has stolen one of their Masks. I can feel it’s power.”
“Then we shall go uninterrupted?” Skull Basher titled his head.
“Yes. Makuta’s revenge is near, my lieutenant.”
“Excellent.”
“Indeed.”
After a few seconds of admiring the structure, they started up the steps towards the doorway of the Forge.
“Let’s start us a fire...”
Chapter 15: Tomb of Ekimu[]
The Skull Scorpios were still coming, and one of them still had Pohatu’s Golden Mask of Stone. The Toa of Jungle’s allies watched as he stood atop Ekimu’s tomb. They were covering the unconscious Toa of Stone as the Skull Scorpios went after Lewa.
Lewa saw them coming up the stairs and got an idea. He then slipped behind the statue of the Mask of Creation. Kopaka saw this and narrowed his eyes.
“Stay and fight, coward!” He shouted to the Toa of Jungle.
The beast with the Toa of Stone’s Mask began to glow with Elemental Energy as it readied to throw another tombstone at Lewa. Suddenly energy crackled behind the statue before a green streak of light went clean through the rock, splitting it in two.
The two pieces fell from where they were held. The two Scorpios didn’t have enough time to react to the slabs. The two pieces fell onto them, crushing their bones. Fortunately, however, Pohatu’s Mask was knocked off by the stone and bounced out of the way.
Lewa jumped down, his shadow falling over the two crushed beasts. He landed and scooped up his ally’s Mask and inspected it for any blemishes.
“Looks good,” he said to himself.
The Toa of Jungle looked up to see his comrades walking towards him, Kopaka carrying Pohatu. The Master of Ice looked at Lewa’s work and looked back up at his ally.
“That was… solid work, Lewa,” he said.
“Makes you wish you hadn’t doubted me, doesn’t it?” The Master of Jungle smiled.
“Guys, we need to revive Pohatu!” Gali interrupted.
“Right, let’s do this,” Kopaka agreed.
Lewa stepped forward, Pohatu’s Mask in hand. He came up to the unconscious Toa and put the Mask on his face, the Mask clamping to the Toa of Stone. Suddenly the crystal retreated back into Pohatu, the energy reviving him. He then awoke, his green eyes darting around.
“What happened?”
“Let’s just say that the Scorpios couldn’t handle the pressure,” Tahu said.
Ouna let out a laugh. “That was a good one, Tahu.”
“Alright, enough with this. Let’s go find Ekimu the Mask Maker,” Gali said.
Pohatu got out of Kopaka’s arm. “Let’s do this.”
The rest nodded in agreement and looked to the tomb. They walked over the Skull Scorpios and up the stairs to the door. The door had a symbol of a hammer striking an anvil, a Mask in between them. They all glanced at each other uncertainly. After a few moments, they all took a deep breath, and pushed the doors open.
The two doors, opened with a loud screeching, as they had not been open for thousands of years. A cloud of dust fell and flew towards them, but Pohatu used his power to blast them back into the tomb.
The first to step foot into the tomb was Lewa, and then the rest of his team followed him. Inside were several ancient relics, all belonging to the Mask Maker.
“Alright, let’s not break anything in here,” Lewa said, aimed at Onua. The Toa of Earth looked around nervously.
As they walked through the old relics, which comprised of tools, scrolls, a few statues, some carving, several Masks that must have been of value to the Mask Maker, and several chests, the locks so rusted and old, pulling on them would snap them.
Suddenly a voice called the Toa through their Masks.
“You are close...”
“At least we’re in the right place,” Lewa joked.
“When times are dark and all hope seems lost, evoke the power of past and future...”
At the end of the tomb was a large sarcophagus, engraved on it was what they assumed was Ekimu, or close to it, wearing the Mask of Creation. After thousands of years, it had rotted and chipped away. Several cracks ran through the coffin. Cob webs also surrounded it.
The Toa all gathered around the sarcophagus and looked at it.
“Well here goes nothing,” Tahu said.
Together, they all pushed the lid out of the way, revealing the body of the Mask Maker inside. Never before had they seen him, but they all carried clear memories of him. His gold and blue armor had rusted away, now gray and silver. Only specks of gold remained of his original glory.
“Now what?” Pohatu asked.
“United the Elements hold the power...” The voice called again.
“Now what is that supposed to mean?” Kopaka asked.
“That’s in the Prophecy of Heroes too,” Gali said. “Ekimu’s been quoting the Prophecy that brought us here!”
“So what?” Kopaka asked. “That doesn’t help us!”
“But it does!” Gali protested. “When the Protectors united their Elements in the Temple of Time, it brought us here.”
“So,” Tahu began. “We unite all our powers to bring Ekimu back?”
“I think so,” Gali replied.
“Let’s do this, then,” Lewa said.
Together, the six heroes put their hands above the body of the Mask Maker, Elemental Power surging through them.
“Here goes nothing...” Gali mumbled.
Collectively, they all channeled their Elemental Power into Ekimu, his body beginning to glow bright with energy. Suddenly the building began to shake and a beam of energy shot out of the sarcophagus and through the roof.
After a moment the Toa stopped, but the bright energy remained. Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the light.
“Toa, you have arrived!” Ekimu the Mask Maker said.
Chapter 16: Unity. Duty. Destiny.[]
It had been thousands of years since the battle between Ekimu and Makuta forever changed the island of Okoto and sent both Mask Makers into an endless sleep. However, Ekimu managed to give the Protectors of Old a beacon of hope, a light in the dark. This Prophecy of Heroes would be used to summon the legendary Toa, who, united, would awaken the Mask Maker. It was there Duty, it was there Destiny.
And awaken him, they did.
The Masters had bowed down before Ekimu, now awoken from his slumber. The bright energy was fading away as Ekimu stood above them on his coffin.
“Brave Toa, you are… you are late,” he said.
This came as a shock to the heroes, as they had fought their way across Okoto, fending off Skull Spiders, the Lord of Skull Spiders, Skull Warriors, Skull Slicer and the Skull Scorpios just to get here and awaken him.
Kopaka quickly stood up. “Well, if you had called for an army of real warriors like me, this would have taken no time!”
“Your power comes not from numbers, your power comes from Unity. But Duty awaits us. We must hurry,” Ekimu said, quickly jumping down and towards the door, his ancient joints creaking loudly as he ran.
“Man and I thought this city was old,” Lewa said to his allies as they followed Ekimu. The others nodded in agreement.
They came out of the tomb and saw that it was now downpouring on the city. The Mask Maker looked around the city, as it had changed so much in the thousands of years he was asleep. Buildings were damaged and destroyed, parks and graveyards were overgrown with thorny vines.
While he was watching, a bolt of lightning struck a building and brought it down. Ekimu’s eyes were full of sadness.
“Evil has destroyed so much,” he said sadly.
Onua raised his hand. “Actually, some of it-,” his mouth was quickly covered by Lewa as he shushed him.
“So Ekimu, you spoke of Duty. What is happening?” The Toa of Jungle asked.
“He took it,” Ekimu said, stilling gazing out at the city. “Just before you arrived.”
“Who took what?” Gali asked.
“I hope he doesn’t make a habit of playing the pronoun game,” Lewa muttered.
Ekimu turned his head slightly. “They call him Skull Grinder. He is under my brother Makuta’s control. He has the Mask of Creation, my Mask. He is on his way to destroy it. If he succeeds in doing so, all hope is lost.”
“Where would this Skull Grinder go to destroy a Mask?” Pohatu asked.
“There is only one place you can destroy a Mask that powerful: My forge.”
“Let’s go,” Tahu said.
They all quickly left the graveyard, Ekimu leading the way. As they walked, they all saw an anvil-shaped building on a hill.
“Is that it?” Gali asked, pointing to it.
“Yes,” Ekimu said. “My brother and I used to forge our Masks there. We made Masks for good, but unfortunately, it was also used to create evil.”
“The Mask of Ultimate Power?” Onua asked.
“Yes. He used our forge to create the thing that set everything out of balance,” Ekimu began. “That Mask sent us both into a deep slumber, it caused a cataclysm that forever changed the island of Okoto. It let Makuta’s spirit run free, letting him take control over Skull Grinder and him creating all the creatures you have faced so far on your journey.”
“Wait, this Skull Grinder created the Skull Spiders?” Kopaka asked.
“Indeed,” Ekimu replied. “He made them to please Makuta, and to spread darkness over the land. This is all my fault.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Gali tried to comfort the Mask Maker.
“But it is. If I had seen that Makuta was serious about making Masks of multiple elements early on, I could’ve stopped him from ever creating that cursed Mask, but I failed.”
“You stopped him from destroying all of Okoto,” Pohatu said.
“Did I?” He asked, looking around at the destruction. “Did I really stop him from destroying Okoto?”
They then walked in silence, no one saying a word.
It was the most painful silence they had ever experienced.
The fire burned brightly. The flames were reflected in the evil eyes of Skull Grinder, who smiled darkly at it.
In his hand was a golden Mask; the Mask of Creation.
He looked down at it, the runes being illuminated by the flickering light of Ekimu’s forge. They were beautifully engraved in the Mask, so expertly made.
“It would be almost a crime to destroy a Mask this beautiful,” Kulta said to himself.
“Almost.”
He was still waiting for the fire to warm up enough to melt the Mask when the ground began to shake, several ancient tools falling to the ground. Suddenly bright blue light flooded in through the windows, illuminated the place. He quickly ran over and saw a beam of energy coming out the top of Ekimu’s tomb.
“No. No. No!” Skull Grinder slammed his fist against the window, cracking it slightly. “This is not supposed to happen!”
The light faded and suddenly seven figures came from the tomb, six tall of all different colors, and one small, Protector-sized being, his armor gray and silver.
Ekimu.
The Toa had done it. They had awoken Ekimu. The Skull Scorpios had failed. Hopefully for the last time. He quickly walked over to the flame and started mumbling to himself.
“Makuta will not be pleased if I fail.”
Chapter 17: Forge of the Mask Maker[]
The six heroes, the Toa, had made their way through the ancient City of the Mask Makers, fighting monstrous creatures under the control of Makuta the Mask Hoarder. Now they had completed their duty and brought Ekimu the Mask Maker back to life, but it was not over yet. Now they had to reclaim the Mask of Creation from Makuta’s most evil servant: the Skull Grinder. Empowered by Makuta’s dark energy, he was the Mask Hoarder’s most powerful foe.
May the Toa in their Unity be able to overcome him…
The seven beings ascended the steps of the Forge of the Mask Makers, where the Brothers, thousands of years ago, created the Masks of Power that the Okotans wore. It was also where Makuta forged the most dangerous Mask of all time: the Mask of Ultimate Power.
As the Masters walked up the steps, they noticed something different than when they first arrived in the City. When the Toa had come into the city, the forge had been dark, not having been used for thousands of years. But now, now it was lit up like it had never gone asleep.
“He’s started my furnace!” Ekimu said, stopping on the stairs and looking at the top windows.
“Allow me to cool things down,” Kopaka stepped forward.
“Hey!” Tahu stopped him. “Fire is my Element!”
The two stared each other down before both ran at the door to the Forge. As they both went into the door a the same time, they collided and got stuck in the frame. They tried to wiggle out, but were stuck.
Suddenly a tall, dark figure appeared in front of them, huge horns on his head. He produced two giant axes and used them to launch the two Toa back down the stairs to the group. As they recovered themselves, Onua quickly ran forward, his hammer raised above his head.
But when he got there and readied to strike, the being used his horns to block the Toa by his face. Suddenly he jerked his head upwards, the horns pulling Onua’s Mask of Earth from his face. Purple energy streaked from the Mask as Onua fell down the stairs.
Ekimu looked back at the Toa, on the verge of anger. “Have you learned nothing?” He pointed to the being. “Skull Basher will defeat you one by one!”
“Wait, that’s not Skull Grinder?” Gali looked to him.
“That is Skull Grinder’s lieutenant. And one of his most dangerous allies.”
Above, Skull Basher took the Mask from between his horns and attached it to his face. Suddenly purple energy surrounded him as Onua’s Mask fueled him. Like all the others, the top half of the Mask turned to crystal, only purple this time.
“They must all have that ability,” Pohatu said.
“Let’s give him a taste of Unity,” Tahu said, igniting his swords.
The rest of the Toa ignited their weapons with their Elemental Energy and ran forward at Skull Basher. The being used his new-found power over Earth to launch clumps of dirt from his weapons. The Toa dodged them and continued their charge.
Tahu was the first to reach him and swung his swords down at Skull Basher, but he blocked them and kicked Tahu back down the stairs. Lewa used his axes to fire several sharp thorns at the skeletal being, but he used Onua’s Elemental Power to block them. Gali quickly came forward and blasted water at the wall, dissolving it and blasting Skull Basher back into the Forge.
The Toa advanced forward after him, Ekimu watching from a distance. Kopaka shot ice at Skull Basher, who was knocked back further. Pohatu bent the stone underneath his feet, uprooting him and making him fall to the ground.
Gali shot another blast of water at him, knocking him even further backwards. As he got back up, the Toa all combined their Elemental Powers, sending a massive blast of raw Elemental energy at Skull Basher, blasting him through a wall, the Mask of Earth getting detached and bouncing back to the Toa.
Lewa quickly picked it up and tossed it down the stairs to Ekimu, who was waiting by Onua’s body. The Mask Maker caught it and put it on the Toa of Earth’s face. Suddenly the crystal retreated back into the Master, his power being restored.
Onua got up and rubbed his head, Ekimu doing his best to help the massive Toa up.
“Next time, don’t attack by yourself,” Ekimu said.
“Yes, Ekimu,” Onua responded.
“Now we must go and stop Skull Grinder.”
The two ran up the stairs and joined the Toa. The Mask Maker looked around at the damage the Toa had caused and sighed.
“Up the stairs, we must hurry,” Ekimu pointed to the set of stairs leading up into the unknown.
The seven ran up them and came into Ekimu’s Forge. Around the outside were several tables and crates with tools and materials on them. Several windows lined the place, looking out over the city. In the center was a massive pit with flames coming out of it; Ekimu’s furnace.
Standing next to the furnace was a tall lanky figure, taller than anyone they had faced yet. He turned towards them, his red eyes glowing and in his hand was what they came here for: the Mask of Creation.
“Greetings, Toa. Ah, Ekimu, you’re looking… well,” he smiled under his skeletal Mask.
“Too late, Skull Grinder! We’ll defeat you and get the Mask long before it melts!”
“I will have plenty of time, Ekimu,” he said, raising the Mask to his face, putting it over his skeleton Mask. “Once I have destroyed you.”
“Not good,” Ekimu said.
Suddenly red energy surrounded Skull Grinder, the power surging through him. Unlike the Toa’s Masks, the Mask of Creation didn’t become half crystal. Instead, the runes on the Mask became like red crystal.
Ekimu quickly ran over to a pile of crates and began digging through them.
“What is the plan?” Lewa asked, as red lightning began to shoot from Skull Grinder.
“Keep him occupied!” The Mask Maker said.
“Is that it?” Gali asked.
“Just keep on fighting, as long as you can!” Ekimu shouted.
The Toa all looked at each other, knowing that this wasn’t going to be an easy fight.
Chapter 18: The Mask of Creation[]
Red energy continued to shoot from Skull Grinder like lightning. The Toa stared at him, weapons raised, uncertain what to do.
“United,” Tahu said, trying to reassure his team.
Igniting their weapons, the Toa ran forward at Skull Grinder. Unity had worked before, so why wouldn’t it work now?
The dark figure chuckled to himself as they approached. “Too easy.”
He raised his Mask Stealer Staff above his head, red energy surging through it. He swung it around and struck all six Toa in one hit. A massive explosion erupted as all six Master’s Masks were knocked from their faces, a blast of elemental energy exploding from them.. The Masks fell to the ground cracked and broken. As their Masks were destroyed, all their energy was drained. The six Toa also fell to the ground, defeated.
The skeletal figure laughed darkly at the failure of the Toa. The six could only lay on the ground as Skull Grinder began to walk forward towards Ekimu.
“You know, when I heard the Prophecy of Heroes for the first time, I thought that they would actually be a threat to me,” he looked around at the fallen heroes. “But this is pathetic. I didn’t even try.”
“You’re using my Mask, Kulta,” Ekimu said, still digging through crates. He pulled out a large stick from one.
“How… how do you know that name?” Kulta asked, stopping in his tracks.
“You really think I don’t remember you?” The Mask Maker replied. “You think I’d forget one of the last battles I fought alongside my brother Makuta?”
“It’s been thousands of years...”
“Yes it has, and I defeated you then and I will defeat you now,” Ekimu grabbed a large round piece and attached it to the stick.
Kulta tipped his head back and laughed hard. “You are weak, old man, and I have your Mask. I will destroy you.”
He began walking forward again, past the Toa. Kopaka tried to look up and saw the huge being go past him.
“It’s our Duty... to stop him,” he said weakly.
“How? We lost… we lost our Masks...” Gali replied.
Suddenly Onua managed to grab onto Skull Grinder’s leg, trying to hold him down.
“We keep on fighting… as long as we can...”
The giant figure looked down at the Toa and quickly kicked the large Master of Earth off his leg, throwing him into a wall.
The rest of the Toa followed Onua’s lead, using as much strength as they could muster to throw themselves onto Skull Grinder, trying to slow him down. However, he kept going. In front of him, however, Tahu used all his strength to stand up, wielding one of his golden swords in an attempt to stop Kulta.
“Fool,” Skull Grinder laughed. Ekimu looked back at the Toa. Kulta raised his staff again and swung it down knocking the sword out of his hand and bringing Tahu to his knees.
Kulta was about to destroy Tahu when Ekimu raised something above his head, a large hammer.
The Hammer of Power.
Energy exploded from it and flowed through the Mask Maker, his rotted armor chipping away to reveal his original blue and gold armor. Kulta looked up in shock at the sight. In Ekimu’s other hand was a large shield.
Ekimu stepped forward and pointed the head of the hammer at Skull Grinder and several energy projectiles shot out, it working much like one of the Protector’s guns. They hit Skull Grinder, knocking him backwards, The Toa got out of the way of Ekimu as he ran at the skeletal figure.
Kulta pulled out his sword and prepared to fight the newly-empowered Mask Maker.
“Come on, old man. Let’s go,” Skull Grinder said.
Kulta swung his staff at Ekimu, but he dodged it and fired more projectiles at him, but Skull Grinder blocked them with his hand. He then shot red energy at the Mask Maker, but he blocked it with his shield. The energy exploded off the spinning saw shield, sparks flying everywhere.
Skull Grinder kept firing the energy in a desperate attempt to kill the Mask Maker.
“Die already, old man!” Kulta shouted.
“Already did that once. Don’t want to do it again anytime soon,” Ekimu muttered to himself.
The Mask Maker jumped out of the way of the blast, the energy striking a wall. He rolled across the floor and shot more projectiles at Kulta knocking him back. Tahu had managed to crawl out of the way of the energy, but was now between Ekimu and Skull Grinder.
Ekimu quickly ran forward, using Tahu as a stepping stone and launched through the air at Kulta. Skull Grinder was still recovering from the projectiles when the Mask Maker swung his hammer at him. Ekimu upper-cut Kulta with the hammer, dislodging the Mask of Creation from his face.
A massive explosion erupted from the Mask and launched Kulta backwards. Ekimu grabbed the Mask from the air and quickly discarded his replacement Mask and, after thousands of years, finally put on his Mask of Creation again.
The burst of energy that came from was brighter than the sun. An echo rung out through the city, a sign that the Mask Maker had returned.
This was the last thing Tahu saw before he lost consciousness.
An unknown location on Okoto.
The tall, dark figure walked through the desolate building, long abandoned after the Great Cataclysm. His footsteps echoed throughout the building. He entered a large room at the heart of the structure. He looked around and saw that a few torches were lit. That wasn’t a huge surprise as he was meeting someone here. Maybe they had gotten there before he had.
Suddenly he heard a voice from behind him.
“Greetings, Umarak the Hunter,” It said.
Umarak quickly turned around, drawing his bow and pointing it in front of him. However, as opposed to being met with a figure, he was met with a shadowy flame. On top of the flame was a pair of red eyes.
“Who are you?” Umarak asked.
“I am Makuta, the Mask Maker. I am brother to Ekimu. Or was, until he betrayed me.”
“From the legends, I’ve heard that you betrayed him.”
“I created the Mask of Ultimate Power to help the people of Okoto. I was going to use it create new continents for the people, grow crops ten times faster. And he took it all away, even my Mask of Control.”
“So what do you want me to do?” Umarak asked.
“I want you to find my Mask of Control,” Makuta responded darkly.
“And what’s in it for me?” Umarak stepped away, lowering his bow.
“I hear you’re destined to search for the Elemental Creatures for eternity, am I correct?”
“Until I capture them all and drain them of their power.”
“And how’s that been working out?” Makuta smiled.
Umarak said nothing to this.
“Anyway, after the Mask of Control was blasted away in the cataclysm, it was the Elemental Creatures that found it and hid it away,”
“So what, you want me to find where they hid it?”
“No. To find it, you must capture a Creature, and Unite with it to gain the knowledge you seek. So by helping me, you get to capture a Creature,”
Umarak thought about this for a moment. Makuta waited impatiently.
“Well?” Makuta asked.
“When do I start?” Umarak said.
Makuta smiled.
“And if you encounter the Toa, don’t be afraid to end them. They’ve already defeated my Skull army,”
“Yes, Makuta,”
Umarak then put his bow away and using his Mask of Shadows, disappeared into the dark.
“The Mask of Control will be mine again,” Makuta said, and disappeared into the shadows also, from which he came.
He had small flashes in between consciousness and slumber, most of them off Ekimu in front of his forge. He heard clanking and hammering, but didn’t stay awake long enough to truly identify what he was experiencing.
Suddenly, from the darkness, he heard a voice.
“Toa, wake up.” The voice called.
Suddenly Tahu awoke from his sleep and looked around to see Ekimu standing in front of him. He put his hand on his face and felt his Golden Mask of Power returned to him. The Mask Maker must’ve reforged it after Skull Grinder had destroyed it.
“Never before have I seen such bravery. You are all worthy,” Ekimu said proudly.
Tahu looked around and saw his fellow Toa standing next to him, their Masks also restored. He looked to the other side of the room and saw the Protectors standing in awe. On one of the tables lay a small Jungle Tribe villager, asleep.
“You defeated Kulta,” Gali asked.
“No, we defeated Kulta,” the old man said. “If you hadn’t slowed him down, he would have surely destroyed me. You saved Okoto.”
Having defeated the countless enemies that Makuta had sent at them, the Toa had proven themselves worthy, now Ekimu had reclaimed his Mask of Creation and brought balance back to Okoto. The Toa, however, knew that their true fate was ahead of them.
Waiting deep inside the darkness.
Characters[]
- Masters
- Protectors
- Ekimu, the Mask Maker
- Makuta, the Mask Hoarder
- Kulta, the Skull Grinder
- Skull Scorpio
- Skull Basher
- Skull Slicer
- Lord of Skull Spiders
- Skull Warrior
- Skull Spiders
- Arker
- Narmoto's son
- Hali
- Ralack
- Bingzak
- Helos
- Several Islanders
- Umarak
Gallery[]
Reviews[]
- "Taking canon-compliancy to a whole new level, invader39’s Pushing Back the Dark challenges the boundaries of established G2 canon, offering a wholesome and imaginative rendition of the 2015 storyline. What better way to mourn the discontinuation of BIONICLE’s second iteration than with a story so heart-warming and meticulously crafted as this one.
Delving deep into the lives of each of the six Protectors, Pushing Back the Dark begins with an insightful and vivid description of the six regions of Okoto, before delving into a retelling of the Toa’s journey to the City of the Mask Makers, ultimately filling in the blanks of the story’s first year with supplementary content. Invader39 goes to great lengths to incorporate the Skull Raiders into his writing with careful precision and providing them with meaningful roles. With the absence of the Golden Mask of Skull Spiders explained and Bingzak afforded a more profound part to play, one can only marvel at the meticulous detail lovingly crafted into each chapter.
Far exceeding the animations and opening up an entirely new realm of possibilities for Okotan storytelling, Pushing Back the Dark is truly a testament of the unexplored potential of G2 and boundless dedication of its fans." - ―Pushing Back the Dark's featured spotlight, written by BobTheDoctor27.
Trivia[]
- This is Invader39's first story set in the Nuvaverse.
- Each chapter is an expanded version of each of the BIONICLE 2015 Story Animations, covering the same material but in greater detail.
- Additionally, the title of each chapter corresponds to that of the animated episodes.
- Pushing Back the Dark is currently the thirty-third longest page on the wiki.
| The Dark Trilogy (v|e) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Story | Pushing Back the Dark | Lost in the Dark | Light in the Dark | ||
| Short Stories | Web of Shadows | ||
| Related | Lies in the Light | ||