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This article was written by Logan Woerner. Please do not add to it without the writer's permission.
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| The Nameless Toa | |
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 by BionicleKid
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| Story | |
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5 AGC-20 AGC
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The Nameless Toa is the first story in the Niha: Artificial Toa line, describing AT001's early days in the Order of Mata Nui.
Story[]
Chapter One[]
A soft blue flame illuminated the forrest clearing with an artificial glow, tinting everything a shade of cyan. There was no noise; it was a windless day and most of the rahi had gone into hibernation. The frozen ground was a muddy green, littered with half-dead pine needles that had fallen from the trees. Only the silhouette of a female Toa stirred, putting out the synthetic fire.
The ghostly figure that was Niha stood up and looked to the heavens; the night sky had changed from a shadowy shade of amethyst to a murky blue as dawn began. She pulled out a piece of parchment from her pack and glanced at the detailed map of the Northern Continent that was scrawled upon it. She wasn't far from her destination now; only a few hundred meters of forest separated her from the village watchtowers.
She walked among the trees at a slow pace, conserving her energy for later use. If she was spotted, she would have to get away quickly, and she wouldn't be able to if she sprinted now.
After a few minutes, Niha reached the edge of the forest. A short way away were the watchtowers, joined by a wall that kept intruders at bay. She guessed that she qualified as an intruder, so she would need to enter with caution.
The towers were guarded by a few Matoran, so Niha watched them for several minutes to get a feel for how quickly she would need to move. She waited until the Ta-Matoran guarding the portion of wall nearest her left the tower, and then she sprinted the hundred-meter stretch to the tower's base. Niha climbed the up the wall like a spider, her hands and feet searching the virtical stone surface for imperfections she could use to pull herself higher up the tower. She was ten feet from the tower window...eight feet, six, four...
She quietly leapt into the tower room, and she started when she saw a second Matoran was stationed inside. Before the startled guard could get out a warning, Niha swug her fist into his windpipe. The Po-Matoran lost consciousness before he hit the floor.
Niha knew that if she wanted to get in and out of the village quietly, she would have to take out the other Matoran outside. She pulled a weighted metal cylinder—it was called a striker— from her belt, and waited until the guard returned to the tower. As the Ta-Matoran walked through the door, Niha brought the heavy weapon down hard on his skull.
As the Matoran crumpled to the ground, Niha placed the striker back on her belt. She never enjoyed hurting innocent beings, but her devotion to the Order demanded it. We go, we do what we must, and disappear again, Niha reminded herself. She exited the tower and walked out onto the wall, and leapt off it. She risked using her propulsion boots to slow her fall, grimmacing at the noise, and landed on the hard-packed ground feet-first.
The village was quite small, with the larger buildings placed close together at the center, with only a few dozen houses clustered around the outer edges. Niha decided to go straight through the heart of the village to get to the archives building. She took another look at her map, and then entered the town, using narrow roads and backalleys to her advantage.
Niha rounded a corner and was surprised to find a young Ko-Matoran fiddling with some sort of machine. Sighing inwardly, she bashed the starled matoran's head against the wall. The concussion would last for days, Niha thought.
After traversing a few more backalleys, she arrived at the village square, and directly across from her were the archives. The building was quite large, with three stories to hold all of the village's history. She ran as quickly as she could while still making minimal noise, knowing that some people would be awake at this hour, and scaled the archives building, hoping there would be a way to enter through the top. There would most likely be some sort of ventilation shaft.
Niha's assumptions were confirmed when she reached the top of the building; a square hole covered by crisscrossing metal bars was certainly an opening to let air flow into and out of the archives. She knelt over the hole and pressed a button on her wrist, and a black device popped out from under her armor. She aimed it at the grate, and a concentrated beam of electric green light was emitted from the device, cutting the metal. Niha caught the grate before it could fall down the shaft, which would have been undesirable.
Niha jumped through the hole in the roof and landed with a soft whump as her boots hit the stone floor. The third floor must have been some sort of memorial room, because all she saw were busts, statues, and various items that must have been possesions of the deceased. She walked over to the bust of a Ga-Matoran that was inscribed with Kemlar—archaeologist and explorer. Lost at sea during a trip to the Southern Islands. A diary was on a pedestal in front of the statue. It must have been the Ga-Matoran's. Niha flipped through the diary, reading a few entries, and set it back down. She had a job to do, and time was running out. She looked out a nearby window; the sun had just crept over the horizon.
The second floor held weapons and tools, so Niha continued down the stairs to the first floor, which contained several hundred tablets. She searched the room a few moments before finding the "Prophecies" section, and scanned the shelf for the prophecy she needed. She pulled out a large, dusty stone tablet titled The Prophecy of the Lost Thousand. It was chipped and cracked in many places, and most of the lower half was missing.
As Niha put the tablet in her pack, the front door flew open, revealing a Toa of Stone.
"Hey! She's in here!" the Toa shouted. "She's a Toa!" Niha jumped up. They must have found one of the injured Matoran. Without thinking, she charged the Toa, pulling her short sword from her belt. Startled, the Toa raised his hammer in defense, blocking her blade. Niha had never fought a Toa before, but she quickly realised she was more than a match for this one. She grabbed the Toa's wrist before his hammer could reach her mask, and threw a flying punch to his stomach. Bent over in pain, the Toa of Stone couldn't keep Niha from escaping the archives.
"Revan, get her!" he shouted, and a Toa of Fire outside who must have been Revan ran after Niha. She sprinted away as fast as her legs would take her, but her pursuer must have had a Great Mask of Quick-Travel, because no matter where she went, Revan was only feet behind her. She would just have to fight him. So, the next time he appeared, she turned, raising her sword in a ready stance.
"We don't have to fight!" Revan called out. "Just hand over the tablet, and tell us why you stole it."
Niha shook her head. "I'm not giving it up. You'll have to kill me before you get it."
"So be it." The Toa of Fire pointed his sword in Niha's direction, and a burst of superheated gas shot towards her. She leapt over the flames, feeling their heat, and landed with a kick to Revan's chest. He staggered, but managed to swing his fiery blade towards Niha's exposed left side. Niha blocked the sword with difficulty, but it cost her her balance. She fell to the ground, landing on her back. Before she could get up, Revan drove his white-hot sword into her left shoulder.
Niha howled, pain erupting from her shoulder and spreading throughout her body in pulsing bursts. Revan was ready to strike again, an grin forming on his face. He was no ordinary Toa; he was a killer.
Niha barely rolled away as the Toa of Fire brought his blade down again. Her shoulder screamed in protest as she pushed herself up off the ground, but she had to move if she wanted to live. A tongue of fire leapt from Revan's blade, setting Niha's pack on fire. As she struggled to pull out the tablet trapped inside, the Toa of Fire rushed her, sword in hand. Niha put up her good arm in front of her to shield herself and activated her wristblades.
Revan was unable to slow himself. He ran straight into the three wicked blades that protruded from Niha's forearm, impaling himself. Within seconds he was dead. Niha stood up and pushed the Toa off her arm, his lifeless body toppling to the ground. She knelt beside him, mourning quietly for the loss of life.
As she left the village, it began to snow, coming down in light flurries. Revan's blood froze onto Niha's armor, reminding her that she was his killer. But the will of Mata Nui must be done.
Her mission was complete. Now she could go home.
Chapter Two[]
"Why did you have to make me feel pain?" Niha implored through gritted teeth. Her friends Mersery and Tanreaa watched as Vantelic repaired her damaged shoulder. The pain was real, and she waited for Mersery to answer her question.
"Like I have said before," the chemist said patiently, "I wanted you to experience every aspect of life, and pain is one of them. Besides, pain can be useful." Niha was very annoyed at Mersery. He always answered the same way. How could pain be usefull? It got in the way, and it hurt.
"How can—ouch!" Vantelic removed a melted wire from Niha's exposed inner shoulder. "How can pain be useful? All it does is weigh you down. If there was no pain, I could do anything!"
Tanreaa piped up. The sturdy Vahki had gone with Niha on almost all of her missions, and they had formed a close friendship. "Niha, If you didn't have any pain, you wouldn't know if you were hurt. You know, sometimes you're pretty stupid." Niha tried to laugh, but it made her shoulder ache, so the playful laugh turned into a pained yelp. Tanreaa chuckled. "You'd better stop, sis'. Vantelic's gonna mess your shoulder up more if you don't stay still."
Niha aggreed, "You're probably—ouch—right." Vantelic grunted a warning, so Mersery, Niha, and Tanreaa all were quiet for the rest of the operation, save a few yelps from Niha.
Once the operation was done, Niha headed to her room, Tanreaa following her. Her friend wanted to know everything about the mission. It was Niha's first solo job, after all.
"So what happened after you were found?" Tanreaa asked. Niha had just detailed how she was putting the artifact in her pack just as a Toa walked in on her.
"Well," Niha sighed, "I just kind of charged at him. I think he was kind of inexperienced, because it was pretty easy to knock him down. I sort of grabbed his wrist and hit him in the stomach. Then he called for another Toa, and that one was pretty tough. It took really long to kill him, and—"
"You killed him?"
"Yeah. I didn't want to, but he was crazy! I fought him for a little bit, and then I fell over, and he stabbed me." Niha winced and rubbed her shoulder at the thought of the wound. "Then he smiled, and tried to get me again. My wristblades saved me in the end."
"So that's how you got him?" Tanreaa asked, lowering her voice.
Niha shuddered. "Yep. Ugh, his blood is still on me. I'll need to wash off, if you don't mind." The two had arrived at their room, Tanreaa going in first and flopping down on her bunk. Niha went over to the small shower that was in the back corner and stepped in, grateful for the cool water that would wash away the grit that had accumulated during the mission.
"I've gotten quite a bit done here at the headquarters," Tanreaa said as Niha listened from the wash room. "I got bored while you were away, so I went to the training room to test out a few new moves. And about twenty minutes later I had smashed a lot of bots. It was awesome. And you know how Helryx uses a mace?"
Niha grinned as she scraped off some dried blood from her armor. Tanreaa idolized Helryx, who was the leader of their Order. "Oh? I guess I might have picked that up when you went on and on about her last week."
Tanreaa laughed. "You know I look up to her. Come on, she's not the leader for no reason! But as I was saying, I saw a mace lying around in the training room, so I decided I'd give it a try. And guess what?"
"Were you terrible at it?" Niha smirked.
"No, actually quite the opposite. I was great at it." Tanreaa continued. "Just think! I could be smashing enemies left and right with one of those!"
Niha poked her head out from the wash room, a bit of concern in her voice. "You know, the Order doesn't glorify violence like you do. Do you see Helryx walking around, talking about the last time she smeared a Dark Hunter's guts on the wall? I don't think so."
Tanreaa looked embarrased. "Sorry, Niha. You know how I am about action, though. I love it!"
"The world could use a little less action," Niha said, rinsing some soap out of her silver hair. Somebody was knocking on the door.
"Come in!" Tanreaa shouted.
Niha interjected,"No, don't come in!" but it was too late. She hurriedly closed the door to the wash room as Mersery entered.
"Hello, Tanreaa, I just wanted to let you and Niha know that we're ready to take a look at the prophecy." The mersion looked around. "Where is Niha, if I might ask?"
As she dried off, Niha could hear Tanreaa's dismissive voice through the door. "Oh, you know how she is about 'keeping covered'. She used to be washing up, but now she's hiding."
"I'll be out in a minute!" Niha said.
"Take your time," Mersery called back, "we'll be at Helryx's office looking at that prophecy you found."
Niha could practically see the excited grin forming on Tanreaa's face.
Niha entered Helryx's office to find Mersery, Tanreaa, and the leader of the Order herself bent over the prophecy that sat on the marble desk at the back end of the room. She had only been to this room twice before; once when she was introduced to Helryx, and once after she had gotten into a fight with another member. The office was mostly the same as Niha remembered it. The same paintings hung on the walls, Niha's favorite being the one of the Shallows Cat on the right. The same copper Hau was on display on a pedestal in front of the desk. The only major difference she could see was that the stack of paperwork sitting on Helryx's desk might have been a bit taller, due to the revolt of the Makuta against Mata Nui and the ensuing war between the Brotherhood and the Dark Hunters.
The old Toa of Water beckoned for Niha to come over to her desk. "Come," Helryx's strong, authoritative voice showed no sign of age. "Read this out loud, please," she said, gesturing to the half of the prophecy that Niha had recovered.
"Yes, ma'am," Niha replied respectfully. She strode dutifully over to desk and joined the three who were already standing at the desk. "It's called 'The Prophecy of the Lost Thousand'. What are the lost thousand?"
"I know!" Tanreaa said. "The lost thousand were the last of a dying race called the Zothak. I think I've heard people say they didn't go extinct, they were just taken out of our universe."
"Right you are, Tanreaa," Mersery said. "So, Niha, can you read us the prophecy?" Once again Niha cleared her throat, and read.
"'The Zothak were a thriving race
with knowledge of the sword,
Filled with boundless loyalty
none go back on their word.
'Many died against warlords
until they were very few,
They disappeared no sign of return
with only one small clue.'"
"So let me guess," Niha asked, "are we looking for the clue?"
"Actually, no," Helryx answered, "We have no idea what form the the clue comes in. We need the rest of the prophecy."
"But there was no other half. I was there myself!"
It was Mersery who spoke next. "I think I know where we can find one, though."
"Where?" Niha and Tanreaa asked in unison. Mersery looked to Helryx, who gave a nod.
"There might be one in the library at the Makuta's base."
Chapter Three[]
A communicator buzzed on a small wooden table, waiting to be answered. A clawed hand picked up the device and raised it to it's owner's mouth. His voice rang with a slight Steltian accent from his time as a gladiator so many years ago.
"If you're not calling to pay me a large sum of money in return for my services, which includes, but is not limited to assassinations, retreiving valuable objects, and random acts of hostility, it would be a first." The Zeverek bounty hunter could hear a static-filled laugh from the communicator. It was a saddened sort of laugh that was feminine in nature; it belonged to a warrior that had seen better days.
"Sadly, this is not a friendly invitation to a game of Nui Chess, as surprising as that may be to hear. I am, in these troubled times, in need of your skill."
Skorr answered, "Good. I'm not fond of chess anyway. Tell me what you need. I don't like tiptoeing around the subject of my missions."
"Okay," the voice replied. "I need you to steal a prophecy from the Brotherhood of Makuta's base on Destral, and I'd like two of my operatives to accompany you."
The Zeverek was surprised that his potential employer wanted him to have helpers. He worked alone, and he wasn't fond of lugging others around with him. "Why do I need helpers?" he growled. "Do you think I am incompetent?"
"I assure you, I think you are one of the most efficient bounty hunters in the universe, and I'm sure you would be able to complete this job alone, but the two operatives in particular are in need of...field experience. Please just take them. I'm willing to pay you three hundred rubies mined from the Southern Islands if you do as I instruct you."
Skorr stayed quiet for a few minutes, his calculating mind making a cost-benefit analysis on the job. Then he answered. "Four hundred. With the Makuta at war, security must be high on Destral."
"Four hundred it is, then. I've gotten word that the Brotherhood base is only a few hundred kio from Metru Nui, so you had better get a move on."
"What of your operatives?" Skorr asked as he looked out of his window. A Toa of Water and a Vahki were battling the pair of bruisers that guarded the pub he was in, the Tahtorak's Talon.
"They should be on Stelt already," Skorr's new employer said.
"I think I see them now," the bounty hunter remarked. His new allies had already beaten the guards senseless, and now proceeded to enter the tavern.
"Well, goodbye, then," the voice said. "The gems have already been sent to you, and should be at your fortress in three days." Then there was only static.
As Skorr left his room to greet the operatives, he could only wonder how his employer knew so much.
Moments earlier
The two female figures that were Niha and Tanreaa seemed out of place in the gritty town on Stelt. Their gleaming armor and air of innocence deeply contrasted their surroundings. Even under their dark cloaks, the pair stood out against the throngs of grimy criminals and dealers that surrounded them as they made their way to their destination, a small, lopsided tavern known as the Tahtorak's Talon. Everything about the building suggested hostility, from the gnarled black wood that the pub was made of to the sounds of drunkenness and sinister laughter coming from the interior.
Niha pulled the hood of her cloak further down over her head, obscuring her features in shadow, approaching the two guards dutifully defending the entrance. Both of them were hulking monsters in blue and white armor, barring the way in.
"I'd like to enter," Niha said confidently.
The left guard smiled. "Pretty Toa can come in," he then looked past the "pretty Toa", and his stupid grin transformed into a scowl as he set eyes on Tanreaa, "but it stay out. We no like Vahki."
Niha stood her ground. "I'm sorry you feel that way. We are doing important business here, and I need my friend to come with me."
The thug on the right seemed pleased with Niha's refusal, and said smugly, "Pretty Toa is brave, but we give her a beating." They pulled out thick, heavy clubs and advanced towards Niha. She didn't stand down. She secretly glanced at Tanreaa; the Vahki had pulled out a spiked mace, favoring it over her fire swords.
"I said, my friend is coming with me." And with that, Niha and Tanreaa attacked in tandem, the Vahki swinging her weapon as Niha rolled forward in an attempt to knock the left and smaller bruizer off his feet. She was successful, and rushed over to Tanreaa to help with the larger thug, who was slowly bearing down the small Vahki. Niha pulled out her striker and threw it at the guard, hitting him square in the face. He crumpled to the ground. The smaller thug had regained his feet, but not for long; Tanreaa quickly dispatched him with a blow to the head with her mace.
With both guards out of commission, the Order members entered the tavern.
At first, Niha and Tanreaa weren't noticed as they walked over to the scruffy bartender who stood waiting for someone to place an order.
"What do you want?" he asked. "Our signature Tahtorak Stew is half-price today."
Tanreaa stepped forward, leaning in close so that she wasn't overheard. "We're not here for a meal. We want to know where we can find Skorr."
The bartender laughed. "You want to find Skorr?" and then he shouted out for everyone to hear, "Do you hear this one? These two ladies want to find Skorr!" He was about to yell something else, but before he could, Tanreaa leapt over the bar and pinned the offender up against the wall. She only whispered, but the bartender thought it would have been less frightening if she had screamed at him.
"I was speaking quietly for a reason. Now, can you tell me where Skorr is?"
"I'm right over here." Tanreaa let the bartender go and whipped around to find the Zeverek walking down the staircase on the left. All was quiet as the black-and-silver bounty hunter descended the steps, his glowing red eyes glowing with mild interest as he looked over the scene. Niha was the first to talk.
"I am Niha, and this is Tanreaa, my fellow operative. Where shall we discuss business?"
Skorr gestured up the stairs. "I think it would be best if we talked upstairs." He turned to the curious onlookers. "Mind your own business," he said calmly, and they all did. Niha and Tanreaa followed their new ally up the stairs, ready to discuss their mission.
Skorr studied the two beings standing in front of him as he sat behind his desk. The Toa—most likely a Toa of Water—was taller and wore clean silver armor with a small amount of blue. She didn't look like a fighter, but something in her eyes told him that she could be resourseful. The Vahki was red and grey, and from what he saw downstairs, was pushy and reckless. He would have to keep her in check for sure.
"I was already told a few details about the mission from your employer," he said, "but I still need some more information. What prophecy do you need?"
It was the Toa that spoke. "We need a prophecy titled 'The Prophecy of the Lost Thousand'."
"Do you know where it is on Destral?"
"No," Niha replied, "but we think it might be in the library of the Makuta's base."
Skorr chuckled cooly, "So, you're going all the way to Destral, where you probably will be killed, based on the assumption that it might be in the Makuta's library?"
"It's very important!" the Vahki interjected. "We need to follow any lead we find."
"Why is it important?" The Zeverek asked.
The Vahki faltered, looking down. "Oh...um, well, I don't...I don't really...know..."
"But even if we did," Niha stepped in to save her friend, "we wouldn't be allowed to tell you."
"That's fine," Skorr replied. "As long as I'm paid what I'm owed, I won't ask a second time."
"Good," Niha said. "Any other questions?"
Skorr shook his head, and stood up. "No. But before we go to Destral, I need to make a quick stop at my base first. Follow me."
Niha, Tanreaa, and Skorr had reached the edge of the island of Stelt, and the two females were waiting outside a garrage of some sort that was positioned by the coast.
"So what do you think of Skorr?" Tanreaa asked.
Niha was tense. "He's not to be trusted. Bounty hunters are treacherous and only care about themselves. You'd better keep an eye out for anything suspicious."
"Okay," the Vahki answered. "He's pretty cool, though. The way everyone in the inn went quiet! I wish I had that kind of respect."
Before Niha could answer, the garrage opened to reveal Skorr and a small transport of some kind.
"It's called the Kualsi X3. This thing's meant for speed, not passenger capacity, so you're going to have to hold on when we ride this."
Niha looked horrified. "W-we're all riding on that? Are you out of your mind?"
"A little bit, I guess," Skorr said. "Hop on."
"Awesome!" Tanreaa shouted as she climbed onto the Kualsi after Skorr. Niha walked stiff-legged over to the vehicle and fumbled as she tried to climb up. Skorr held out his hand and hoisted the frightened Toa up.
"If you're going to go on missions like this," he said, "you're going to have to get used to it.
And with that they flew off to Valmai's Keep, Niha feeling quite sick the whole way.
Characters[]
Trivia[]
- Throughout the story, Niha is referred to as a Toa or a Toa of Water, due to the fact that few beings outside of the Order of Mata Nui know that she is an automaton.
- The prophecy in Chapter Two makes a reference to the League of Six Kingdoms.
- The Nameless Toa was cancelled due to the LoganWoerner's lack of motivation to continue the story. Logan has considered continuing the story many times, but his plan has not come to fruition.