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Unseen Chapter 7


bonesiii

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Today the Bones Blog brings you Chapter Seven of this Bionicle Paracosmos blog-exclusive "Adventure Mystery" short epic, which serves as a slow-reveal of the winner of the Monster Mystery Art contest.

Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Chapter 7


In a tunnel near the apparent lair of the Unseen monster, I was barely conscious in a strange state similar to shock and moments away from certain defeat…

Hujo lapsed in and out of consciousness as the blue energy bubble of the Songsphere carried him back towards the cavern. The unstoppable sphere was pushing the Unseen monster out of the way.

If the Ta-Matoran had been fully awake, he could have beheld the monster's true form. But he was laying on his back, almost knocked out from the sudden impact with the bubble’s inside wall when it formed and took off.

I MUST be awake when it’s time!

Hujo willed his eyes to open all the way. The sphere would drop the impenetrable bubbleshield the moment it arrived at the cavern – that was simply how it worked. And with the dampening field having taken away all his powers, the Jahurungi had only one chance.

Trying to wake up fully worked… for a second.

Then his eyelids bounced back like a pendulum. Closed.

He felt like his consciousness was a ball of gelatin that was being pressed and rolled back by a massive hand, distorting it and rearranging it mercilessly. Somewhere deep inside, he still wanted to survive, but he just lacked the willpower.

I’ve never come this close to sheer panic, Hujo thought.

And yet…

His mind continued to work at a mile a minute, like lightning sizzling through the squished geletinous mass. He thought through every detail of what he would do next in a split second. So fast he couldn’t even remember the thoughts a moment later.

The next moment, he was standing next to a lava flow.

The torches of Ta-Koro, his old home on Mata Nui Island, scented the air with a pleasant aroma. Hints of lurking infected Rahi – or worse – peeked through the trees. Then he saw it as a wasteland, leveled by a volcanic eruption.

At the slightest whim, he was flying through the air, wearing a strange suit. And he flew into space. Looked down upon the planet.

The planet became the Songsphere, and he his own ghost, looking upon his dead body thrown like litter on the ground next to it.

The doom he was about to suffer.

Hujo jerked awake.

Blue light faded.

Songsphere bubble disappeared.

He stood up, swinging the dead Blue Fire staff like a club. Bounced it clumsily off a stone column.

The downward-facing ‘flower petals’ of the Songsphere folded up, and the globe hovered down to float next to him.

Instantly, he tapped the Song of Ta-Metru – almost Ta-Koro by mistake.

A shadow loomed near him. The Unseen.

Sphere hovered higher.

Unfolded. Seemed to take hours.

Blue energy radiated…

And a bubble formed around him!

Once again, he clumsily bounced off the inside of the energy wall, and slipped onto his back. This time, he tried to sit back up in time to twist around and see the monster…

The Songsphere flitted through the cavern and into the exit cave like it was nothing. All Hujo saw was a silhouette.

But at least I know the size and overall shape, he thought.

As the sphere continued out into the trees of Le-Wahi, past the Destral Rock, and into the air towards Ta-Metru, Hujo’s trance-state mind ran through what he’d read in the tablets. He just barely remembered to cloak the Songsphere in flight.

There had been a kind of Unseen once that hovered by windows at night and reached a long tongue in to cause damage, then fled the scene before witnesses arrived.

He could rule that out.

A snake Unseen that shot Rhotuka from a distance. Ruled out.

Down the list of known Unseen, and monstrous creatures that Jorthoa the Unknown zoocraft owner had catalogued as possible future Unseen, his mind ran, eliminating.

The Unseen was not humanoid. That cut out a lot of candidates. Was of a certain size. Four legs, a wolf, lizard, or other beastlike quadrupedal design. Did it have a tail? He wasn’t sure.

Five candidates stood out most to him. One especially, though he couldn’t pin down why, beyond one obvious fact.

There had once been an Unseen in Metru Nui that had attacked only in Le and Ga-Metru.

It had stayed hidden among the thick foliage for a very simple reason – but a reason that was so strange to the Metru Nui Matoran and the Unknown that it had eluded Turaga Dume’s assigned investigators, including Volitaos, for months. It had killed over thirty Matoran before it was caught.

The reason? It had green fur.

That combined with its woody mechanical components had made it blend in exceptionally well in the forests.

The attacks of today happened in Le-Metru.

Hujo tried to continue reviewing the other possibilities, but his mind just kept on running faster and faster, while his body got more and more tired.

His last thought was that he needed to stock up on tons of weapons -- ones that would work without powers, like bombfruit launchers. He'd once routinely carried such weapons, but had been relying on his staff for a long time. And he'd have to keep them materialized; he could no longer rely on the energy pack.

Then he fell asleep.

In the Coliseum, Turaga Dume had vehemently insisted the two Freers delay their mission to free the Unseen monster's captives, claiming the Unseen was merely a distraction for the Trickster's true motives... then the elder took his insistence into shocking action...

Taureko stormed out of the Turaga meeting hall, Mohrook following. “How DARE he smash that mask like that!”

“Come back here!” Turaga Dume’s voice called down the hall. “The city needs you!”

The Ko-Matoran ignored the fiery elder. All he’d wanted to do was quickly tell Hujo that the two victims of the Unseen monster were still alive. But Dume had been obsessed with his personal mission… whatever it was – the elder refused to explain – and smashed Turaga Vakama’s Rikaori Mask of Telecommunication.

Enough was enough. Hujo and the two captives needed the Freers’ help. So help they would bring. Forget the insane Turaga.

“Maybe he has a point,” Mohrook said quietly as they neared the Gukko nests. “This enemy they call ‘the Trickster’… if Dume is right about what he wants, whatever it is, then we’re playing right into his hands by walking away.”

Taureko wanted to lash out angrily against this logic.

But he respected Mohrook far too much for that. “All I know is, Caroha herself, and the Jungledweller, told us what we’re here to do, and that it’s urgent. It didn’t involve being Dume’s delivery Matoran.”

The Onu-Matoran shrugged. “I can’t argue with that.”

Taureko stopped halfway to the Gukko nests. “You know, we should think this through, though. Where are we going to go? We don’t know where Hujo is by now.”

“We know what tunnel he ventured into.”

“Doesn’t this city have a telecommunications system, though?”

Mohrook nodded. “Let’s ask someone.”

As it turned out, that wasn’t hard. A group of guards was running towards them. “You two should not be alone!” one of them exclaimed. “Hujo instituted a five-mininum group rule during this crisis!”

Taureko gave a small smile, and willed himself to hover off the ground.

The five guards all stopped, their eyes wide.

“That’s just one power the Makuta gave me when I was their lab Lefeiru Rat,” Taureko said. “Mohrook is safer alone with me than any of you are without me here.”

They walked closer.

“Where can we broadcast a citywide message?” Mohrook asked them.

One of them spoke up. “This way. The systems don’t seem to be working properly, but the basic citywide function is working – our news broadcaster has been giving what updates he knows of.”

They followed this Ta-Matoran, who introduced himself as Tiribomba. He explained that normally, the city’s wirenet system enabled two-way calls or even one-way localized transmissions to specific videoscreens in the city, and recorded video footage of most of what went on.

Those functions had been damaged in the Great Cataclysm, and until the return of the Matoran, only fixed for a few buildings including the Coliseum. For about two-thirds of the city they were now fixed... But just a minute ago, they suddenly went offline again.

“It’s the Trickster’s doing,” another guard said. “He’s cutting off our communication, slowing down the solving of the Unseen mystery.”

Taureko didn’t really care at the moment. Hujo could be anywhere – a citywide broadcast was all he needed.

They entered a news studio with a decorative stone desk in front of a huge window that showcased the skyline. To the left were some wooden desks with a handful of Matoran working on news script tablets.

A particular Po-Matoran who wore a brown Matatu looked up at them when they entered. Taureko recognized him as Jofo, a storyteller, Kolhii player, and overall a high-energy guy whom the Turaga had agreed would fill well the foot armor of a news broadcaster.

“Do you have news?” Jofo asked, smiling cautiously. “We’ve got a lot going on and not much to report right now. City’s restless.”

“I…” Taureko paused. Telling the whole city the captives were alive might put their lives in more jeopardy. “I’m afraid I can’t reveal much. Look, we just need to use your citywide broadcast system real quick. We’ve been sent here to help Hujo.”

Jofo’s eyes brightened (literally). “THAT is news! Fahofa, write it up,” he said hurriedly to a Le-Matoran.

“You don’t understand,” Taureko said, trying to be patient. “We have to broadcast our own message. Now. Lives are at stake.”

Jofo clasped his hands together. “Well… this is highly irregular… but I suppose it’s an emergency. Come.”

The Po-Matoran sat them down behind the stone desk, and went to fiddle with a camera device.

“What will we say?” Mohrook asked.

“Nothing about… what Ito said,” Taureko replied, unsure when the cameras would turn on. “Just how to meet up. I have a plan.”

“Alright.”

“Your face is citywide on my cue!” Jofo said. He held up his left hand, and with his right, pressed a button. A lid flipped up off of a tiny lightstone. Left hand pointed at them.

“Hujo,” Taureko said. “This is Taureko. Mohrook and I have come to help you with the Unseen mystery. We need to meet up. Wherever you are, wait about ten minutes, then shoot Blue Fire into the sky.”

He paused, trying to form the words. Staring at the round black eye of the camera was more disconcerting than he’d expected. “We’ll be… well, our friend from Nhoakrus lent us a… transportation method that… you know, shares a power in common with your flight method… transportation method… anyways, we’ll fly… go to your spot.”

Frostbite, I didn’t want to reveal it was flight related.

He moved on. “It’s about the status of the two captives. It might…”

The lightstone’s lid had flipped down on the word ‘status.’ He’d heard a faint crashing sound, he thought. From where?

“Standby,” Jofo said. “We’ve gone offline…”

A shadow crossed into the room.

Taureko’s eyes widened.

A whistle, and a line crossed the room. Hit Fahofa, bounced off. The Le-Matoran slumped over his desk.

Taureko saw now that another Matoran was already slumped over.

Jofo shrieked, as did the others in the room. More projectiles whirred, more Matoran dropped.

Kanoka arrows.

The dark red and yellow being standing in front of them was a Goulmaruian. As tall as a Toa, with a somewhat Tohunga-like shape of torso, short legs, and long arms. A head that resembled a Visorak’s body, but upturned so the Rhotuka-launching area was the giant round mouth, not unlike the giant round mouth of the Le-Matoran Fahofa’s Matoran Rikaori mask or the real Rikaori Turaga Dume had smashed.

In the being's left hand was a huge silver bow that doubled as a bi-blade, with a thin string of blue energy. The bow itself did not bend; the energy string instead stretched like elastic. His right hand was replaced by a sphere-like device with a single blade sticking out the front.

Raogahk the Trickster – for Taureko had no doubt who this was – had fired his first shot at a wire that the camera broadcast to. It was severed in a small explosion. His next shots took out the other Matoran in the room so fast nobody could react. Stun powers.

An arrow stretched back by a "sticky" power of the right hand's blade. Aimed at Jofo. Let go. Jofo down. Raogahk fired, reloaded, fired, reloaded, again and again in seconds

Taureko stood up fast… but felt slow. Pushed Mohrook behind him.

A yellow beetle ran intangibly through the room, picking up the shot arrows with its mandibles, and brought them back to Raogahk.

But the Trickster had plenty already; the device in place of his right hand was an energy pack. Arrows materialized as fast as they flew. Strung just as fast. His right hand was a blur, his left held steady but that arm pivoting gently to aim true at his targets.

Other weapons flew from launchers the guards had. Tiribomba landed a bombfruit blast on Raogahk’s head.

The Goulmaruian roared in anger. The sonic blast from his huge loudspeaker-mouth was visible, like a tornado of sound, and knocked the guards backwards.

Most of them didn’t stand back up. A final arrow downed the last of them.

Raogahk turned his bow on Taureko, who just stood there, waiting.

Arrow flew.

Hit him on the chest.

He stood, unaffected, armor absorbing the impact energy and the stun power. Raised his hand.

A stun beam flew out at the Trickster.

Raogahk snapped into a defensive stance with his left arm held straight out. The bow spun like a fan.

Energy beam hit the silver blur, white rays shining off of it. Raogahk stood, just as unaffected.

Taureko tried to talk sense into him. “What do you want with—”

BWAAAAAAAAAWAAAAAAAAWAAAAAAAAWAAAAAAAA! came the response, drowning out all other sound. Sonic waves filled the room, slammed into the camera, desk, and the two Matoran, and knocked it all towards the window.

Glass shattered, as the desk rammed them through the giant window. Camera slammed into Taureko’s mask. Only the absorbing power kept it from shattering, but he was still dazed.

A moment later his mind snapped into gear to feel the updraft and weightlessness of falling. Half of his mind knew he was safe thanks to his Noble Kadin power; half of him panicked.

Mohrook was lost among a cloud of broken glass.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Feel free to review, theorize, ask questions, etc. by adding a comment to this chapter blog entry, and stay tuned for the next chapter as a new blog entry.

Next Chapter: E I G H T

3 Comments


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Would this, per chance, be an April Fools joke :P ?

 

Just kidding. Good chapter. At first, I wasn't particularly interested in this story, but it's been getting more interesting to me recently.

 

Keep on writing!

 

-TNTOS-

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They followed this Ta-Matoran, who introduced himself as Tiribomba.

 

You like that guy, don't you? :P

 

I really liked the little lightstone thing on the cameras. It's little details like that that make writing above average.

 

The reason? It had green fur.

 

That combined with its woody mechanical components had made it blend in exceptionally well in the forests

 

A Thwant? :P

 

-TLhikan

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His mind continued to work at a mile a minute, like lightning sizzling through the squished geletinous mass.

I believe 'gelatinous' is spelled with one e and one a.

would fill well the foot armor of a news broadcaster.

Bahahaha.

 

Raogahk appears! I had not imagined his head that way, but it is a very creative concept. Now that I look at the Visorak body piece you mentioned, it does make an intimidating face that way. And I assume because all Goulmaru (right plural spelling?) have heads like that, sonic blasts are a standard power. Cool Kanoka arrow concept too.

 

And finally that heart-thumping scene with Hujo is over... sheesh, you did a good job on that.

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