Jump to content
  • entries
    275
  • comments
    3,435
  • views
    213,733

Unseen -- Chapter 2 -- Monster Mystery Results


bonesiii

387 views

unseenbigbnr.png


Today the Bones Blog brings you Chapter Two 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 Chapter: 1

Chapter 2


I, Hujo, got the call moments after the most important mission in recent Paracosmos history began, so important we dare not inscribe the nature of it in this record. Metru Nui was in trouble -- and there was a mystery I needed to solve...

The Ta-Matoran with red arms and an orange mask waved as the six Toa Nuva and an army of strange creatures disappeared in a wave of intense purple-white light. One of the creatures was a little different from the others, and it carried a tablet with fiery letters glowing across its surface.

The Matoran looked on for a moment, taking in the scene of Voya Nui’s volcano looming over a landscape of barren rock.

Then Hujo turned and smiled at the six Toa Inika. “The Paracosmos has a chance now,” he said.

"Taureko will be overjoyed," Toa Matoro said. Indeed, Taureko the Ko-Matoran translator had risked everything to get that unique tablet, which made this mission possible.

“Will you stay on Voya Nui?” a Turaga standing by the Inika asked.

“No, I must begin the other half of the same mission the Nuva are on. I need to return to my Xia basecamp for a while, organize help… I’m not sure when I’ll return. You,” he indicated the six Toa, “might be Toa Mahri by then, if events follow the original Cosmos.”

“Can the Blue Fire work in water?” Toa Hahli wondered. “It sure came in handy against those Nektann back there – we’d love to have your help against these ‘Barraki” we’re supposed to face then.”

“Oh, yes,” Hujo said, tapping the Blue Fire staff in his hand. This was a silver and orange two-pronged staff, with three tiny balls of blue flames whirling around in a trailing circle pattern between the prongs. It gave him Toa-like control over blue fire, and it also had a more psychological power in that it helped him unravel mysteries.

“Well, I gotta get going.”

Hujo climbed towards a clearing in some especially tall rock spikes. He was halfway there when the voice came.

”Hujo, can you hear me?” It was Turaga Vakama. The elder was thousands of miles to the north in the underground city of Metru Nui, but he was using a mask of telecommunication.

“You’re a little quiet,” Hujo said, “But yeah. Is something wrong?”

“This morning, two Matoran were attacked in Le-Metru,” Vakama said, speaking louder this time. He summed up what he'd been told by Surkahi.

“Alright, well, have everybody work in groups of at least five and stay armed. And, please contact my Xia team, let them know of the delay. Some of the Nynrah Ghosts can begin right away, but only in the local area.”

“Granted. Hurry.”

Hujo agreed, and continued to the clearing in the taller rocks. The Piraka were still powerful on this island; he didn’t want any witnesses to his unique and top-secret method of travel.

When he reached the clearing, he took a moment to slow his breathing and close his eyes. His heart rate slowed, and his mind tapped into the Blue Fire Staff’s more unusual powers.

In return, his mind was given a deep sense of peace.

He pulled himself out of the trancelike state. Yes, this spot was secure.

Then he reached out his hand, and materialized a dark gray metal sphere from his energy pack. When he let go of it, it hovered on its own. He tapped a musical pattern onto it, and it unfolded, hovering higher.

Then it enveloped him a bubble of blue energy and flew away, carrying him over the ocean. He used an extra power of his staff to project an illusion around it, making it invisible.

As he flew, he mulled over the account Vakama had given.

Surkahi had been hit by something he didn't see coming. It couldn't be a Rhotuka or anything else that gave off much light, or made much sound. Lightstone rifle was out of the question. It didn't sound like a mindblast. And since Surkahi was watching the area where the Unseen was hiding, it couldn't have come from the monster.

Which meant the monster wasn't working alone.

On Nhoakrus...

"So I was thinking," Taureko continued -- he was telling Mohrook his first plan for the new Freers organization -- "since the Unknown aren't using these teleporting outposts anymore, or at least not most of them, why not have one taken into the Field of Shadow?"

"It's a great plan," Mohrook said. "Do you know for sure that the teleportation would work out of the Field?"

"Not for sure, but there's only one way to find out."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Mohrook got up and opened the door. But he didn't say anything -- just looked around.

"Who is it?" Taureko asked.

Mohrook closed the door and looked back at him. "There's nobody there."

The Ko-Matoran just blinked. "What's that mean?"

"It means we have to go out into the jungle."

"What? Why?"

"Just come. You'll see."

"Does this have to do with the voices?"

"No."

So the two Matoran walked out, and got into the blimp. Taureko untied the ropes, while Mohrook started the engine. Fanblades began spinning, and the blimp pulled away.

They flew deep into the jungle, past several other blimps, walkways, and huts, until they reached an area where nobody else was.

Mohrook brought the blimp into a clearing, in the exact center of the island.

Here was a strange sight -- one of the other big mysteries of Nhoakrus. It was a single stump, bigger than the entire boat he'd come here on, yet apparently cleaved off by a single swipe of some unimaginably massive blade.

Stranger still, the tree itself was still alive, laying on its side without a root. The massive trunk, wider by a lot than any of the others, was laying across the other half of the island, where no Matoran lived.

No Matoran, that is, except the Jungledweller.

This brown and green Le-Matoran, named Ito, was standing atop the stump, looking at them. Waiting for them.

Standing next to him was a blue and silver female being. She looked like a Matoran, except her armor design was fancier. Now Taureko understood why they had to come out here, away from everybody, although he didn't understand how Mohrook knew that. This was Caroha -- the leader of the Unknown.

She began talking in a somewhat loud voice before the blimp even reached the giant stump.

"First," she said as they stopped the blimp and tied it to a branch of a smaller tree right next to the stump, "I know about your plans for the Freers. You are doing as I had hoped. And when the mission I'm about to send you on is over, I will help you transport a teleportation outpost into the Field. In fact, I can tell you that I've had a vision that you will soon be needed there to help one of my own people."

Hello to you too, Taureko thought as he and Mohrook walked up. Caroha wasted no time.

She smiled. "You do recall I can hear your thoughts, yes?"

Taureko grinned nervously. "Uh... yeah. You were saying?"

"Second, Metru Nui has been attacked by something we call an Unseen." She explained what this term meant. "I want you two to go there and help the Jahurungi solve this mystery."

"Why us?" Taureko asked. "We already have a plan for the Field of Shadow. You said yourself it's important. Can't we choose where to go?"

"My visions have already told me what you'll choose. And there's more to the story. Ito?"

The Jungledweller stepped forward. "Two Metru Nui Matoran are sadgone. But they yet-live."

"How do you know?" Mohrook asked.

Ito hesitated. "I have the deathsense. When anybeing dies, I fast-know. I haven't deathsensed anything from Metru Nui. They live."

Taureko would have liked to ask how Ito got that sense, but he knew it was pointless to ask the Jungledweller about his secrets. "And this monster has trapped them?"

Caroha and Ito both nodded.

Then Ito reached out a hand to his left, and suddenly he disappeared. Taureko understood how 'nobody' had knocked earlier. Ito had a loyal friend -- an invisible bird. Whoever touched this Rahi turned invisible too.

"Jhianau will take you, and help you on this mission," Ito's voice said. It seemed to be coming from all directions around them. "I'll take your blimp back."

Then Ito appeared again and lowered his hand.

"Will you go?" Caroha asked.

Taureko looked at Mohrook. The Onu-Matoran shrugged. "We're the Freers. Somebody needs freeing. Why not start today?"

So Taureko agreed, and off they went.

Over Mata Nui Island...

Hujo watched as the icy landscape of Ko-Wahi whizzed by below. Then the Journeysong sphere brought him over a giant round hole in the ground, and flew down into it.

Far below, he saw Metru Nui. The songsphere zeroed in on Le-Metru, then on the chunk of Destral rock.

The sphere traveled by tapping into the 'soulsongs' of living beings, and the traces of this telepathic energy that attached to whatever beings touched. It would travel to the location that had whatever soulsong you tapped into it. Hujo could not steer the sphere in flight, but he had grown so good now at sensing the little variations in songs that he'd targeted this spot -- by mixing the song of Destral with the song of Le-Metru.

He landed, and the songsphere folded back up. After putting it back into his energy pack, he turned off the cloaking illusion.

Waiting on the rock was Surkahi, three Matoran, and Turaga Vakama. Surkahi held a bag full of tablets -- probably records of past Unseen incidents. Vakama nodded at Hujo, and pointed to the trees below.

Five Matoran were walking among the trees. The lead of the group was a female Onu-Matoran -- Nuhuri the Rahi Tracker. Good. If this monster left tracks, she'll find it.

Hujo walked up to the others on the rock. "Have you found anything else here? Some kind of a projectile for example?"

The shook their heads.

Hujo looked around. "Alright then... I'll get started."

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


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: 3

--------------------------THIS STORY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:--------------------------

emgac_bnr.png

3 Comments


Recommended Comments

I found the first part really interesting with how they seemed to have a much greater knowledge of the Cosmos and its timeline. I suppose by that time Hujo has unravelled enough mysteries that the Unknown can share this information with more people... and Hujo having a base camp means something's happened with Nhayaka and the Third Faction too. Love all these little hints. :D

Lightstone rifle was out of the question.

As in, they don't exist anymore, or it's inconceivable for them to be used against the good guys? Coupled with Hujo's apparent domination of Xia, seems something major has happened to the Third Faction. ;)

 

I like how this ended up being timed so well with Twisted Island that one can see how the Unknown really have become more Known in a matter of (I presume) months. Looking forward to more!

Link to comment

I'm not going to fish for the exact quote, but "she looked like a matoran, but with fancier armor" just seems a bit sloppy to me, perhaps something along the lines of "she looked like a matoran, but with intricate details in her armor." would be better. You're very good at creating intricate plots and knowing when to have action or to set the scene, but you need to put as much effort into your use of words, I get really drawn in to your stories, but it does end up feeling a bit sterile and impersonal at times.

I have a... a writing experiment I did a while back which illustrates some of the things you could try, I might send it to you later if I can find the link.

Link to comment

*finally gets around to replying here*

 

Lightstone rifle was out of the question.

As in, they don't exist anymore, or it's inconceivable for them to be used against the good guys?

As in, if it was used, it would have shattered, and the pieces would have been found easily by Surkahi later. Also, it would have made a bright flash that Surkahi would have noticed before falling unconscious.

 

I'm not going to fish for the exact quote, but "she looked like a matoran, but with fancier armor" just seems a bit sloppy to me, perhaps something along the lines of "she looked like a matoran, but with intricate details in her armor." would be better.

Maybe, but there's only so many different ways to say it in different stories. :P Intricate doesn't quite describe it (I do explain in Endless Blue, because it has story purpose there), but I didn't feel it was important enough in this story to spend the time explaining it.

ou're very good at creating intricate plots and knowing when to have action or to set the scene, but you need to put as much effort into your use of words, I get really drawn in to your stories, but it does end up feeling a bit sterile and impersonal at times.

This is true.

Link to comment
Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...