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Of Rahi and Toa (Lesovikk contest)


Pikiru

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Here is my entry for the Lesovikk hiatus contest!

 

In total the story has 14,338 words in it (although a few of those could be dashes that I missed).

 

Have fun reading it, and feel free to post any comments or reviews here. ^_^

 

 

 

 

Of Rahi and Toa

By Pikiru

 

 

Chapter: 1

 

 

Lesovikk rowed across a seemingly endless sea of Liquid Protodermis, rapidly losing his patience. Every stroke of the oars in his small craft made him feel more frustrated. Where can these islands be, he thought, starting to wonder if the information he had gotten was wrong. He tried his best to push these thoughts aside. He needed to check every island, every possibility. There could still be some way to get them back, he thought as he did another stroke of the oars for what felt like the thousandth time. I need to keep going.

 

After that band of monstrous Zyglak had killed his team around 23 thousand years ago, he had gone back to his home village, stricken with grief. However when he got there he found that his Turaga had gone insane, and all the Matoran who had lived there were gone. All of his friends who he had talked with, explored with, and laughed with, were now gone to… he knew not where. When he asked the now-mad Turaga about their absence, he learned that all the Matoran had been sent to the realm of Karzahni.

 

It was almost too much for him. First his entire team was killed before his eyes, and now his entire village was gone. But he found the will to continue. Despite his grief he went on, because he needed to rescue his friends.

 

After his team was killed, he had lost all purpose. He felt that he was not worthy to be a Toa. A real Toa would not have hesitated, he thought, a real Toa would have acted sooner. He still felt that way, but now he had a purpose. He would get his friends back, no matter what it took.

 

So Lesovikk set off for the realm of Karzahni. On his journey there he traveled far, saw many lands, and encountered many things. He had also set himself one other task while he travelled: to redeem himself. In his mind he felt that he was to blame for his teammates’ deaths as much as the Zyglak. So he helped out whenever he could. Not just because he felt he needed to make up for his failure, but because now there were seven less Toa in the world, and he was trying to make up for that. On his journey he saved countless Matoran, helped a wounded Tahtorak, and drove off a swarm of Kinloka. He also met a Toa of Magnetism, who taught him some very important lessons.

 

Eventually, after much travel, he came to the land of Karzahni. But he could not get in. Every time he tried he was pushed out, or worse, by the hordes of Manas that guarded the area. After days of failing to get in he decided to go to the lands nearby to get help, or better weapons than just a sword.

 

The Skakdi of Zakaz had no interest in helping. The Xiaians were more than happy to give him weapons, provided he could pay for them. As a wandering Toa with nothing more than a sword he didn’t have anything of much worth. The island of Selt was not much better.

 

So he kept wandering, still helping out wherever he could, and trying to find any way of getting past the Manas. The Toa of Magnetism, Jovan was his name, had taught Lesovikk many things, but one of the most important was that knowledge was a sharper weapon than a sword. So at every village he came across he asked about the Manas. Not many beings knew much about them. Only that they were too powerful for a single Toa to defeat.

 

That was not good enough for Lesovikk. So he kept on searching. He went to every place he heard about, to see if anyone knew anything about them. After a while he learned of two chains of unexplored islands to the south of the southern continent. Barely anyone knew about these islands, and anyone that did had never set foot on them. What if someone on one of those islands, if there was anyone there, knew something about the Manas? The possibility was good enough for him.

 

The main problem then was getting a boat. Most traders Lesovikk encountered would not give him a boat to make such a journey, fearing that their boat would be lost, and the ones that did asked a very large sum.

 

Eventually, after he saved a village of Matoran from a group of rampaging Tarakava, their Turaga gave him a boat to use for his journey. It was small; it could barely fit two Matoran, let alone a Toa. This was the boat he sat in now.

 

Lesovikk cursed and put down the oars. He had been traveling for what felt like days. What I would give for a larger craft, he thought, maybe some sort of sky board or sea sled, or even just a larger boat. He chuckled sadly, yeah, like that’s ever going to happen. His arms ached and he seemed no closer to anywhere.

 

What I would give for just a simple sail. He hadn’t thought to ask for a sail, thinking that the journey would not have been this long. With one he could command the air to move the boat, but without one his power was useless. Or maybe I could, he thought, a smile coming to his lips for the first time in the day. He put down the oars and concentrated, telling the air over the water to move forward. After a little while his plan worked. The Silver Sea started to ripple as waves ran across it, slowly edging the boat forward. Lesovikk increased the wind speed and soon the boat was moving faster and faster, being pushed by the waves. This is the way to travel, he thought as his boat rushed forward. It wasn’t as efficient as a sail, but it worked.

 

Then he saw it. Away to his left, creeping into view, was an island. It didn’t look very large, but it was an island nonetheless.

 

Lesovikk grabbed one of the oars and used it as a rudder, slowly changing the boat’s direction. He shifted the wind as well, pushing his craft on its new course. He was gaining on the island fast, his boat still riding the waves. As he got closer he released his grip on the winds, gently slowing the boat down. Once the boat was close to shore he jumped out and pulled it onto a tan-colored beach.

 

Up close the island actually looked quite big. Just past the sandy beach was a large row of hills. They were misshapen and looked as if there might be paths running through them. To the right of the hills was a large wooded region, draped in moss. To the left the hills continued and at their end, on top of the largest hill, rose a tall structure made of rock. Less of a mountain, more of a stone obelisk that went up and up and looked like it could touch the sky. It seemed as if it had been there for centuries, which was surprising because it looked like it could fall at any moment.

 

When Lesovikk took a closer look he saw that there was indeed a path that wound up into the hills. So I am not alone here, he thought. Someone made this path.

 

As Lesovikk clambered up it he realized that the path was made for Matoran-sized beings, though he could still walk in it with ease. As he reached the top he saw that the row of hills curved around, forming a giant C shape, with the forest at the mouth and the stone pillar across from it. The inside of the hills was quite steep and there seemed to be only a handful of paths down to the center.

 

But what really caught Lesovikk’s eye was a village in the center of the hills, what looked like a Matoran village. It was small and seemed to have no more than twenty huts. It was surrounded on every side by a ring of walls, with only a few openings.

 

What caught his attention even more than the village, though, was what was crawling inside it. The village was infested with fearsome spider-like creatures. They had four legs and a pair of large vicious mandibles. There were six types, each which a different color, and they all seemed to have a Rhotuka launcher on their backs.

 

Lesovikk had seen his share of spider-like Rahi, but he hadn’t seen anything like these before. Though he did not know their name, that three-syllable word would come to be known with fear: Visorak.

 

There were Matoran in the village as well, but they looked like they were being held captive by the creatures. To Lesovikk, these Rahi seemed to be organized, not just your run-of-the-mill group of beasts. They also seemed restless, unsure of what to do.

 

Then, as Lesovikk watched, one Ta-Matoran attempted to escape. He ran towards one of the openings in the village wall, but never made it. Three Visorak were on him in a second, and that was the last sight he ever saw. The other Visorak shrieked in response, in a way Lesovikk took to mean encouragement.

 

That’s it, Lesovikk thought. He would not see a village of Matoran treated this way. He scanned his surroundings, looking for the best spot from which to attack. As he looked around a fight broke out in the Visorak ranks. They must be fighting over who can make the next kill, Lesovikk thought darkly.

 

Then one of the blue Visorak saw him and launched a Rhotuka spinner in his direction. Lesovikk highly doubted it was a Naming Day gift, and quickly jumped out of the way. It struck a plant nearby on the hills, and turned it to dust. Lesovikk looked at the dust for a moment, then back at the creature. All right, thought Lesovikk as he unlimbered his Air Sword, now it’s my turn.

 

The battle had begun.

Edited by Pikiru
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Chapter: 2

 

 

Several hours ago:

 

A large group of nearly thirty Visorak moved across the Silver Sea of Protodermis. Most were on small rafts, while the Boggarak simply skated across the water. For the other five breeds it was hard not to be a bit jealous. They were all heading for one place: a relatively small island to the south of the southern continent, quite far from any other inhabited land.

 

They had been instructed to head to the island in secret, which meant that they had stayed well away from any continent, island or other sea-going vessels, and had kept silent. Even now when they were far from land, the Visorak were silent. They dared not speak, lest they betray their presence.

 

It was not that the Visorak were scared of anything they might come across, it was that they were afraid of what their mistress would do to them if they failed. They hadn’t encountered any ships and had managed to stay clear of all continents and islands, which was an impressive feat because Visorak are not very good at manning boats or steering them.

 

Whether it was destiny or luck, they were now coming up on the island. This made them more excited and a few Keelerak and Vohtarak even shouted their enthusiasm. This action was met with little resistance from the lead Suukorak. Now that they were close to the island, it didn’t matter very much. After all, it thought, with the island’s inhabitants soon to be cocooned, what was the harm in letting them hear us coming.

 

But not cocooned yet, the Suukorak remembered, nothing must be done to the island’s inhabitants until later.

 

As they reached the island the small fleet of rafts veered to the right. The Suukorak had been briefed on what to do. They were to land in the island’s forested area, then capture the village and its Matoran occupants. The Suukorak had never actually seen a Matoran before, but had been told that they were small and timid. Not a match for a Visorak, it had thought. When the rafts reached the shore the Boggarak pulled them up. As the Suukorak disembarked it noticed a small boat that had been dragged to the edge of the forest. Good, thought the Suukorak. For one small boat had been mentioned in the briefing, and it signified that this was the right spot.

 

Once all of the rafts had been secured and the Visorak had disembarked, they advanced. How to capture the village was up to the Suukorak. It had been shown what the village and the surrounding hills looked like, and theorized that the best way to attack was to surround the village. So the Visorak split into three groups. One would take the left side, one would take the right side, and the third would go straight down the middle.

 

It had already been daylight for a few hours before the Visorak arrived on the island, so most Matoran were not asleep. An Onu-Matoran was the first to see them, and promptly ran yelling back to the village. It took all of the Suukorak’s commanding skills to get some of the Visorak not to go charging after him.

 

Due to the Onu-Matoran’s frantic tale of what he saw, the Matoran were already aware of the Visorak when they entered the village and tried to make a stand against them. They threw tools, rocks, anything they could get their hands on as their village was surrounded. This effort did not hinder the Visorak, but one Vohtarak was infuriated enough to attempt to charge them and had to be restrained by two others.

 

Then they closed in, corralling the Matoran, forcing them into the village center. In a short time, all of the Matoran were in one spot, completely defenseless. The Suukorak ordered a few Roporak to search the hills to see if any Matoran had not been in the village. Then it turned its attention to the assembled Matoran.

 

The group of Visorak could just have cocooned all of the Matoran with very little effort, and most of them really wanted to do that. But they did not. The Suukorak and all of the other Visorak had their orders, not that they made much sense to them. They were supposed to keep the Matoran in the village and not let them escape. And most important of all, they were not to do anything to them yet. They were to wait for two days, and then they could wrap them up in webbing. The Suukorak knew the orders better than any other Visorak and tried to follow them to the letter, but it too found the temptation hard to resist.

 

This was like torture for the Visorak. To let small helpless creatures be free, and not in cocoons, felt just wrong. But they didn’t do anything, for they feared the consequences if they disobeyed their orders. True, their mistress was not here right now, but she was very powerful and no Visorak knew the extent of her abilities. What if she could somehow know what they were doing right now? Most Visorak agreed that it was not worth the risk.

 

The Roporak returned with three Matoran in tow, who were soon in with the rest. Now came the hardest part of all for the Visorak, the waiting. They had to wait for a whole two days before they could get their mandibles on the Matoran, and they quickly got restless. With nothing to do they resorted to patrolling, then idly wandering, then fighting to see who was stronger. This distracted them for a while, but not completely. The Matoran were still there, just begging to be webbed up.

 

Then one of the Boggarak suggested that they just cocoon the Matoran now and say that they waited. This idea went over quite well with most of the Visorak. The Suukorak could almost not believe it. How could they consider abandoning their orders? it thought. But deep down, it felt the same way. Why don’t we just web up the Matoran now? said a voice in its head. No, we have to follow our orders! thought the Suukorak.

 

Just then a Ta-Matoran decided to test his luck and tried to make a break for one of the exits. For the already unstable Visorak, this was too much of a temptation. A Keelerak bounded after the Matoran, followed closely by a Vohtarak and an Oohnorak. They got him before he could escape, and made sure he would never try anything ever again.

 

The Suukorak and a few other Visorak shrieked in anger. How could they just ignore their orders like that? the Suukorak thought as it went to confront the Keelerak. Within a few seconds the two were fighting. It was vicious, but it didn’t last long, because a new element had entered the picture. One of the Boggarak shot a spinner at an emerald and lime armored being up on the hills, who jumped out of the way.

 

This was the beginning of the end for this group of Visorak.

Edited by Pikiru
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Chapter: 3

 

 

Lesovikk jumped and started to slide down the side of the hills as the rest of the Visorak noticed him and began launching more Rhotuka spinners.

 

He knew that his old mentor Jovan would not approve of this course of action. Sliding down the side of a hill towards a group of enemies, enemies that he knew nothing about, was not a very good plan, if it was a plan at all.

 

But Lesovikk had just seen a Matoran killed, and had learned the hard way that if you hesitate for too long, you pay the price. So he jumped into the fray, dodging spinners as he went.

 

When he was halfway down the hill he leaped upwards and blasted a column of air beneath him to get more lift. At the peak of his leap, Lesovikk unleashed a hurricane force wind toward the Visorak that surrounded the Matoran. In his years traveling the universe Lesovikk had honed his skills and learned to manipulate his powers well. As he fell he directed his gust of wind around the Matoran, missing them, but hitting the Visorak like a piledriver, knocking them back into the Matoran huts.

 

The gust also slowed Lesovikk’s fall and he landed beside the Matoran, sword at his side, and yelled to the assembled crowd “Get out of the village! Get yourselves to safety!”

 

Most of the Matoran just stood there, too stunned to move. They had been captured, held in their own village, and had just seen one of their number killed. They had a right to be stunned.

 

But one of the Matoran, a Ko-Matoran judging by his armor, said, “We can’t get out, they are blocking all the exits!” Lesovikk didn’t have time for this, the Visorak that he had hit were starting to stir. He looked towards the nearest exit and saw that two Visorak were guarding it. He willed a cyclone to form, sucking them up and sending them flying into the air. A few seconds later they came back to the ground with a thud.

 

“There’s your exit!” said Lesovikk, gesturing at the now Visorak-free passage, “Now go!”

 

Some of the Matoran still did not budge, but the Ko-Matoran yelled, “Do what he says, move!” They then all sprinted towards the exit.

 

And just in time, because the Visorak that had been blasted were on their feet again. The Visorak who hadn’t had been hanging back, unsure of what to do, but now that they had regained their numbers they seemed ready for battle.

 

One Vohtarak charged at Lesovikk. The latter waited until the Rahi was almost on top of him, then quickly sidestepped out of the way. With nothing to stop its charge, the Vohtarak careened into one of the Matoran huts and lay still.

 

Then the rest of the Visorak attacked, charging at Lesovikk with their mandibles snapping open and shut, shooting a barrage of spinners into the air. It was not that they were very organized, or had much of a strategy at this time. None of the Visorak had actually seen a Toa before, or seen anyone control the wind. But this newcomer was a threat, and nobody had told them not to attack this being.

 

A Boggarak was next to attack, jumping on Lesovikk and pinning him down, while emitting a loud humming sound. He was able to push it off him with his legs and brought his sword down upon his attacker. Lesovikk then increased the air pressure on one side of a Matoran hut, while dodging several spinners, causing it to topple over onto a small group of Visorak, burying them. He ducked out of the way of another spinner, and jumped to avoid the next one, which burnt a hole in one of the dwellings.

 

As he was fighting, Lesovikk saw out of the corner of his eye that one Keelerak had veered off and was heading in the direction of the Matoran. He willed a powerful updraft to form, launching the Visorak onto the waiting edge of his sword.

 

Lesovikk then noticed, to his surprise, that one of the Matoran had stayed behind. This blue-armored Ga-Matoran was peering out from behind one of the buildings, watching the battle with interest.

 

“Get out of here!” Lesovikk shouted as he stabbed another Visorak and deflected a spinner with his sword. The Matoran shot him a look of surprise, then quickly headed out of the village. However one of the Oohnorak had noticed her and went in pursuit. Lesovikk had just been assaulted by a volley of Rhotuka, and did not see it following her.

 

The Oohnorak caught up with her just outside the village and pounced. It was the last thing this Visorak ever did.

 

Then another Keelerak jumped from one of the roofs and spun at Lesovikk, trying to use its razor-sharp legs. In response he used his power over air to send the Visorak flying into two others, piling them in a heap. Lesovikk was on them in a flash and ensured they would never get up again.

 

Just then he heard a voice. “Lesovikk, stop fighting!” This made him stop short. It was Nikila’s voice. How could she be here, he thought, she was killed along with the rest of my team.

 

The Visorak used his distraction to their advantage. One shot a paralyzing spinner, while another spat a stream of webbing. Lesovikk narrowly dodged the Rhotuka, but was left unprepared for the webbing. It struck his right arm, pinning down his sword. Lesovikk just barely managed to twist his sword and cut through the web as another Visorak charged, though it quickly regretted doing so.

 

Then he heard her again, “Lesovikk, please, stop fighting,” -- but this time he noticed its source. One of the black creatures was on a nearby roof, and was talking in her voice. This filled Lesovikk with a terrible rage. For one brief second he had thought that she could be alive, but then that was taken away.

 

With a yell that scared even some of the Visorak, he increased the air pressure around the Oohnorak 10-fold, crushing the creature to death. Lesovikk then charged forward. Two more Visorak fell to his sword, while another was slammed into the hillside by a well-placed gust of wind.

 

The lead Suukorak watched all this happening from afar. This being, this tall Matoran who could control the air, was proving to be quite a fearsome enemy. What’s required here, it thought, as Lesovikk sent another Visorak flying into a building, is speed and strength. While Lesovikk dodged another barrage of spinners, the Suukorak screeched commands to four Oohnorak and two Vohtarak.

 

The Vohtarak charged at Lesovikk. As he fought them off, the Oohnorak jumped on him from behind, forcing him down and secreting webbing in an attempt to smother him. The Suukorak had watched Lesovikk fight, and deduced that the best tactic was to strike fast, and strike hard. The Oohnorak were keeping him too pinned down to use his elemental power.

 

But one thing the Suukorak didn’t take into account was Lesovikk’s mask. He called upon the power of a Lava Eel, heating his body up 400 degrees in a second. The web evaporated instantly and the Oohnorak shrieked in response, quickly leaping away. Lesovikk followed up with a blast of air that sent the Visorak flying.

 

Then Lesovikk turned his eyes towards the Suukorak. He had noticed how it seemed to be commanding the others. That’s the leader, he thought, that’s the one I need to get.

 

Lesovikk was tired and his muscles ached. He wanted to end this quickly. The Suukorak was on one of the taller Matoran buildings, overlooking the battlefield. Using his last reserves of strength, Lesovikk bolted forward. He jumped and grabbed onto the roof of one of the huts, using his momentum to fling himself on top of the building. He then ran across the roof, dodging and deflecting spinners as he went, and leaped towards the Suukorak, blasting another jet of air behind him. As he did so the Suukorak tried to let off a spinner. Lesovikk responded by pushing the air around the Suukorak down, slamming it into the roof with enough force to stun it. He landed beside the Visorak and pointed his sword at its head.

 

“Stop attacking or this one dies!” Lesovikk shouted to the remaining Visorak. They did not understand the words, but they understood the tone and the meaning. The Visorak hesitated, analyzing the situation. They were not fearful of this tall Matoran, nor did they hold much obligation to the Suukorak. But this newcomer had just taken down over two thirds of the Visorak squad in a matter of minutes. They didn’t have the numbers, or enough knowledge about this enemy to know how to defeat him. So the remaining Visorak stood down.

 

The battle was over.

Edited by Pikiru
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Chapter: 4

 

 

Lesovikk watched as the Visorak floated away on one of their rafts, drifting away into the horizon, until they were lost from sight. He hoped they would never come back, but suspected that they would.

 

A sudden movement in the sky caught Lesovikk’s attention, but it was only a lone Rahi hawk, a Nivawk by the look of it, swooping around above him. Probably looking for an easy meal, thought Lesovikk as he headed back towards the village, a battleground is always a good spot to find carrion.

 

The village was in terrible shape. Five huts were destroyed completely, and several more were badly damaged. The outer wall had been broken in two places, and all around lay the carcasses of Visorak.

 

The Matoran were just now coming back into the village. Lesovikk hadn’t needed to tell them it was safe; they could see that the battle was over.

 

Some of them were almost too stunned to move. Some were sad that their village had been destroyed, while others were glad it had not been destroyed even more, and some were devastated by the loss of their friend. Aside from the death of one very brave Ta-Matoran, and some minor injuries, the Matoran had escaped relatively unscathed.

 

When they saw Lesovikk some of them cheered and clapped, whereas others stepped back a few steps, afraid.

 

Lesovikk stood before the assembled crowd for a few moments and then said, “I am going to check to see if any more of the creatures are still in the hills. Are there any caves on this island?” A few Matoran shook their heads. “Good, I will be back as soon as I can. Stay here and don’t leave the village!”

 

With that he started walking towards one of the openings in the village wall which led to a gravel path into the hills.

 

After a while, he stopped to catch his breath. His journey in the hills had so far been uneventful, but tedious. He hadn’t found any more of the creatures, but there was still a lot of ground to cover. The paths in the hills zigzagged and split into many smaller side paths, like some great gravel river.

 

Lesovikk was just about to set off again when something brushed against his mind. It was barely perceptible, but was there, worming its way into his head. A long time ago Lesovikk might not have noticed, but Jovan had taught him how to push back and try to find the cause of any disturbance. As soon as Lesovikk tried, though, it went away. Puzzled, he looked around for its cause, but saw no living creature except for the same Nivawk circling in the sky.

 

Lesovikk pondered this for a minute, but stopped as he heard a sound coming from the path behind him, the sound of metal against rock. He quietly took out his Air Sword and listened. The sound came again, closer than before. He braced for an attack, ready to face whatever came.

 

A snow-white mask popped out from behind a rock.

 

Lesovikk visibly relaxed as a Ko-Matoran clambered up the path, but his expression remained stern.

 

“I told you all to stay in the village!” Lesovikk said harshly.

 

“Well, I thought you might need some help” said the Ko-Matoran as he walked up to Lesovikk.

 

“I don’t need any help,” said Lesovikk, already starting to walk away. “Go back.”

 

“But you don’t know this island as well as I do,” said the Ko-Matoran, “I could help you look.”

 

“You wouldn’t be helping,” Lesovikk replied, turning back to the Matoran, “You would be a liability, slowing me down. What if you got hurt?”

 

“I wouldn’t get hurt,” the Ko-Matoran responded, “you would be here to protect me. And if you think about it, this job would go quicker if I helped.”

 

“Fine,” said Lesovikk with a sigh, “you can stick with me, but stay behind me and stay safe.”

 

The Ko-Matoran nodded his approval, and Lesovikk continued along the path, with the Matoran walking behind him. After a few minutes the Ko-Matoran spoke up again.

 

“Thank you for saving us, it was quite impressive.”

 

“You’re welcome,” said Lesovikk.

 

“What’s your name?” asked the Ko-Matoran.

 

“Lesovikk.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Lesovikk, my name is Kualus.”

 

“Nice to meet you too,” said Lesovikk, and left it at that.

 

“So, I have to ask,” said Kualus after another minute, “are you a Toa?”

 

“No,” said Lesovikk quickly.

 

“Oh. Ok, but you look so much like what a Toa-”

 

“I’m not,” said Lesovikk, cutting him off.

 

Kualus felt that it was best to change the subject.

 

“So, where did you come from?”

 

“Far away.”

 

“Are there Matoran where you came from?”

 

“There once were,” said Lesovikk sadly.

 

Kualus could sense that this was also a touchy subject, so he shifted the conversation again.

 

“So, what brought you to the island? Did you know we were in danger?”

 

“No,” said Lesovikk, “I was just… wandering.” Kualus could tell that this entire conversation was making Lesovikk more downcast, so he stopped talking and just followed behind him. After a little while they came to a spot that overlooked the beach where Lesovikk had first arrived.

 

“Is that your boat?” Kualus asked, pointing to a small craft on the sand.

 

“Yes,” said Lesovikk, looking around.

 

“It’s a bit small.”

 

Then Lesovikk’s eyes caught sight of another boat on the shoreline of the forest. It was smaller than his boat and was certainly not one of the creatures’ rafts.

 

“Is that a boat from your village?”

 

“Oh, no that’s a Ga-Matoran’s boat,” said Kualus. “I forget her name. She came just yesterday. Said her boat had been blown off course by a storm.” Lesovikk looked at the boat while Kualus continued.

 

“It was actually quite exciting when she came, because she was the first Matoran not from our village we had seen in a very long time.”

 

“Where did she come from?”

 

“Some continent to the north of here.”

 

That’s a long way for a Matoran to row, Lesovikk thought. Kualus then gasped as he realized something.

 

“When everybody was leaving the village to escape the Rahi, I didn’t see her in the crowd! Do you think she’s ok?”

 

“What kind of Kanohi was she wearing?” said Lesovikk.

 

“I think she was wearing a Mahiki.”

 

“I might have seen her,” said Lesovikk, still looking out at the boat. “In the battle I saw a Ga-Matoran wearing a Mahiki. She had stayed behind in the village. I don’t know what happened to her.”

 

Then Lesovikk continued walking, with Kualus following behind.

 

****************

 

Makuta Gorast, mistress of the Visorak hordes, watched the Toa and Matoran walk along the hill, and thought back to what had happened. The plan had gone relatively well until this Toa had interrupted it. Her disguise as a Ga-Matoran had been perfect. She had been in the best position to observe the Visorak up close. Even her boat she had used as a marker.

 

Gorast chuckled inside as she remembered her Kanohi mask. She could have picked anything, but a Mahiki just fit so well.

 

So much of the plan had fallen into place. However, it was clear that the Visorak were too restless, and she believed they would have disobeyed their orders eventually. If so, they would have had to be killed – not that she minded.

 

But then this Toa of Air had come into the picture. Gorast had suspected that a Toa would be no match for thirty Visorak, but in this case she had been wrong.

 

She had gotten so caught up in the battle that she had forgotten to leave with the other Matoran, and the Toa had seen her. As she went out of the village a Visorak saw her as well. It dared to attack and paid in full with its life.

 

Gorast absorbed its body, used its energy to shapeshift into a Nivawk hawk, and flew up to see the battle from the sky. This Toa had defeated the Visorak with skill and ferocity she had not suspected they were capable of.

 

After watching him head into the hills, she tried to scan his mind, but surprisingly he had noticed, and she had to withdraw. Gorast was not very skilled at reading minds, preferring to get information in other ways, but only the most experienced beings could tell when she did so.

 

She had, however, learned some information from a conversation between this Toa and the Matoran who walked behind him. They had even talked about her for a bit, but hadn’t guessed at her true form.

 

Now, however, Gorast thought about her next move. This Lesovikk could pose a problem. He was a very skilled fighter, though certainly not up to her standards, and now he knew about the Visorak. Logic dictated that he should never leave the island alive.

 

But before she did anything she needed to contact Teridax. Gorast had always respected his ability to take anything that might seem like a setback or a problem, and turn it to his advantage. While she saw Lesovikk as just another being to be killed, Teridax might have a use for him.

 

As she flew over the island she spotted just the location she needed. It was a small clearing that was hidden from sight behind the spire of rock.

 

Gorast flew down to the clearing and sat in the center. She closed her eyes and concentrated, reaching out with her mind. Gorast was not a very good telepath, but Destral was not very far away and she knew that Teridax would be there. After what felt like an eternity she found him.

 

Teridax, she thought towards him, I have news for you.

 

Gorast, you were not supposed to contact me for another two days, he replied. Did the test fail?

 

The test did fail, although it started out well. The Visorak found the island and captured the village efficiently, but within two hours they had gotten quite impatient. They still need work. However, they didn’t kill the Matoran, they didn’t have the chance.

 

Teridax’s silence urged her to continue.

 

A Toa intervened. One Toa defeated the group of Visorak and sent the survivors fleeing off the island.

 

Did you kill the Toa or the Matoran yet?

 

No.

 

Who is he?

 

He is a Toa of air named Lesovikk. Very experienced. He was able to dodge or deflect all of the Rhotuka the Visorak sent at him, and he defeated them in only a few dozen minutes. I tried to scan his mind, but he noticed, and I had to withdraw. I did gain some information, however, from his conversation with a Matoran. He had not known about the Visorak until he arrived.

 

Gorast waited for a response. After about a minute Teridax answered. Do not kill him or the Matoran yet. Don’t let them leave the island, and keep a close watch. Whenever you feel it would be safe to do so, hunt down the Visorak that survived. I will contact you again soon.

 

Then he was gone. Gorast cursed as she got up. She didn’t see why they should keep this Toa or the Matoran alive any longer, but knew that Teridax must have a good reason. She would follow her orders.

 

She flew off to destroy all the boats on the island, and tried to look on the bright side. At least I can still hunt the Visorak.

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Chapter: 5

 

 

Makuta Teridax, now leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta, sat on his throne, brooding. He had only recently gotten this throne from Makuta Miserix around 500 years ago, and so far his grand plan was going as well as could be expected. Icarax and Gorast had already hunted down all of the Makuta that had objected to his plans. The virus that would be used to put Mata Nui to sleep was already being perfected.

 

However, the news that Gorast had told him was… intriguing. The entire squad of Visorak, defeated by a single Toa. Even though this group of Visorak had never seen one before, Teridax had expected that they could have taken out one Toa.

 

As he sat there in the darkened room, Teridax thought back to how the Visorak fitted into his grand plan.

 

Early on, he had realized that the lands to the south of Metru Nui might object to his plan. In the event that he needed to take the rest of this universe by force, he needed an army. He already had hordes of Rahkshi, but he needed something else. Some other force that he could use if the Rahkshi were not an option.

 

The answer came to him in the form of a Rahi. One of the many interesting creations of Makuta Chirox, they were a race of creatures that Chirox had named ‘Visorak’. Teridax had already seen what they were capable of. Chirox had unleashed his new creations on a village that was home to a race of tall, strong warriors with the ability to use Kanohi. The Visorak had decimated it, sending its survivors fleeing.

 

Not only were they a delightfully ravenous horde that wanted to cocoon all other species, but they also had mutagenic venom, webs with an amazing tensile strength, natural Rhotuka launchers, and even their own language, so that they could be given orders with ease.

 

The next step was forming them into an army. The Visorak were eager to join, seeing as they benefited from the arrangement as well, but they were still too rebellious. It was Gorast who fixed this, using only her charm and her willingness to ruthlessly kill any Visorak that would disobey. It was more the second that made them fall in line, and soon they were obedient to the Brotherhood.

 

Now the Makuta of Metru Nui had another army alongside the Rahkshi, another force that would gladly ravage lands, turn beautiful areas into lifeless wastelands.

 

The next thing to do was test them. Teridax had already seen how formidable they could be, but an army must also follow orders, and learn restraint. After all, he wanted to rule Metru Nui and its Matoran, not have them all cocooned. So he devised a simple test to see if a small group of Visorak could be patient.

 

He found an island that was just right for the task. Located on the eastern side of Bitil’s realm, it had a small village of Matoran on it, and was far away from any other inhabited lands. Almost no one knew of this island, and the ones who did knew very little. No one would miss the Matoran if they vanished.

 

So he sent a small squad of Visorak to the island, telling them to head there in secret and capture its Matoran population. Most importantly, they were not to do anything to the Matoran for two days time. In this way Teridax would see if the Visorak could show restraint, and stick with their orders when faced with something almost irresistible.

 

The question was, now that the test was over, how could he turn the situation to his advantage.

 

The Visorak‘s impatience was not much of a problem. The Matoran would have been killed either way. It just meant that they needed more training. He was certain that, given time, the Visorak would even surpass the Rahkshi as a horde.

 

But this Lesovikk complicated matters. Teridax had always underestimated Toa. Would-be heroes with minimal power in comparison to a Makuta, who were always too compassionate to get anything major done. But if they were capable of this level of ferocity, they could pose a problem.

 

Now for the first time Teridax felt they were an actual threat. A small threat perhaps, but still there, and still potentially dangerous. What he needed was something or someone which could deal with the threat of Toa, and could eliminate them whenever the need arose.

 

Teridax could hire someone for the task -- he had recently heard of a new organization called the Dark Hunters that might take the job. But he had found that intelligent beings usually turned out to be too willful, and either wanted more money or more power. He could send out a Makuta whenever necessary, but that would be like using a Tahtorak to crush a Fireflyer, and, for a little while longer, he needed to keep the image of the Brotherhood as benevolent protectors. If they suddenly started killing the guardians of the Matoran, it would go over just as well as another Archives Massacre. No, he needed something that would blindly carry out orders and hunt down any Toa in its vicinity.

 

Then the answer came to him, worming its way into his head like a Troller after a meal. A Rahi. Teridax got up from his throne and walked out into one of the many halls of Destral, a plan already forming in his mind. A Rahi would not be too willful and could be trained to follow orders. Toa could even be the creature’s preferred prey.

 

But as he walked towards the biggest of Destral’s virus vats, a lingering doubt crept into his mind. Almost every Rahi that the Brotherhood had created could be beaten by a Toa. Some, of course, could be beaten more easily than others, but even with the best, there was always the small possibility of them being defeated.

 

However a split second later Teridax had the answer. What if he combined Rahi? What if he mixed together the best parts of some of the best Rahi the Brotherhood had ever made? When Teridax got to the vat room he flung open the metal doors and immediately got to work, the smile of an idea on his lips.

 

It would be a great Rahi, possibly the greatest Rahi ever made. And this Lesovikk would be the perfect Toa to test it on. As he began to mix in numerous viruses into the already churning vat of Liquid Protodermis, Teridax decided that that would be a perfect name for his new creation and christened it: Rahi Nui.

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Chapter: 6

 

 

The rest of Lesovikk’s and Kualus’s journey was uneventful. No Visorak were hiding in the hills. Apparently they had all been in the village or had come down when the battle had started. When they both returned to the village the daylight was starting to fade. The repairs to the huts were slowly coming along, but were nowhere near to being finished.

 

“What are you going to do now?” Kualus asked as they walked through one of the openings in the wall.

 

“I am going to call a meeting,” Lesovikk said, and then walked towards the center of the village again. Most of the Visorak had been cleared away, but you could still see the signs of the battle.

 

“Could all Matoran please come to the center of the village,” Lesovikk shouted. At once a few Matoran came, followed by the rest. A few stragglers came in last, but no one wanted to miss this. Once they were all assembled Lesovikk spoke again.

 

“Thank you. Now I know that you all must have some questions, and I have some of my own. So I will answer any of your questions if you answer mine.” As soon as he said this the center of the village erupted with noise.

 

“One at a time!” Lesovikk shouted over the clamor. This brought the questions to a halt and everyone quieted down.

 

”Now, let’s try this again,” Lesovikk said and waited. One of the Matoran raised his hand.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Are you a Toa?”

 

“I-” Lesovikk started, then looked at the ground. After a while he looked back up and said “yes”. The whole crowd of Matoran erupted in murmur. Kualus didn’t say anything, but stared at Lesovikk, who ignored him.

 

“Am I the first Toa you have ever seen?” Lesovikk asked. The crowd nodded. “Well, don’t call me ‘Toa Lesovikk’.”

 

“Are you a Toa of air?” said one Matoran in the crowd.

 

“Yes.”

 

“What is your mask power?” said another.

 

“It allows me to copy the powers of Rahi,” Lesovikk replied, getting slightly annoyed with the conversation.

 

“Where did you come from?” said a Ga-Matoran.

 

“Far away.”

 

“Did you come from the legendary city of Metru Nui?” said a Le-Matoran in the back.

 

“No.”

 

“Did you know we were in danger?” said a Po-Matoran.

 

“No, I didn’t.”

 

“How did you defeat those creatures?”

 

“With lots of training, and luck,” replied Lesovikk.

 

“Why didn’t you save my friend?” said a Ko-Matoran, referring to the Ta-Matoran who was killed.

 

“Because there wasn’t time,” said Lesovikk. “I am sorry.”

 

“Are you going to stay and help us?” said an Onu-Matoran.

 

“Not for long.” This did not go over well with the Matoran.

 

“Why not?” “How long?” “Where are you going?”

 

“Look, I will tell you when this meeting is over,” said Lesovikk. “Now, are there any other questions aside from that?” No one raised their hand. “Right, now-”

 

“Wait!” said a Ga-Matoran.

 

“What is it?” Lesovikk said.

 

“I just wanted to say that if you hadn’t come, who knows what would have happened to us. So thank you. Thank you for saving us.” The rest of the Matoran nodded in agreement.

 

“You’re welcome,” said Lesovikk. “Now it is my turn. Do you know what those creatures were?”

 

“No, we had never seen them before,” said a Ta-Matoran, as the rest shook their heads.

 

“When did they come here?”

 

“Just today,” said an Onu-Matoran, “I was the first to see them. I think it had been daylight for maybe two hours when they arrived.”

 

“Though we heard them before we saw them,” piped up another.

 

“What happened before I got here?”

 

“They just kept us here,” said a Ko-Matoran, “in the village center. They did not attack us, though they seemed like they wanted to. They only went crazy after-” the Ko-Matoran held back a sob, “after my friend made a run for it.” Then he couldn’t hold back any longer and broke down. Lesovikk knew the feeling, and waited before continuing, while two Matoran comforted their friend.

 

After a while he said, “Have any Matoran gone missing?”

 

“Just a Ga-Matoran who arrived yesterday,” said a Po-Matoran, “when we went looking we couldn’t find her.”

 

“You left the village even when I told you not to!” said Lesovikk.

 

“We couldn’t just leave her,” said the Po-Matoran defiantly, “what if she had been hurt.”

 

Lesovikk sighed. “Just don’t go out anymore tonight. You can check again for her tomorrow.”

 

The Po-Matoran nodded.

 

After a bit Lesovikk said tentatively “Do any of you know anything about the Manas?” The Matoran crowd shook their heads. Lesovikk let out a sigh of despair.

 

“What are they?” asked a Le-Matoran.

 

“They are vicious, crab-like Rahi,” said Lesovikk. “They are guarding my friends, and stopping me from reaching them.”

 

Lesovikk stood, lost in thought, for a minute. Then, realizing that the crowd was still there, he spoke up again.

 

“Now, to answer your last question, I will be staying for one more day, then leaving the next morning.”

 

“Do you have to leave so soon,” said a Ta-Matoran, “we have never met a Toa before. Can’t you stay with us?”

 

“I am sorry,” said Lesovikk, “but I must move on. Now everybody should get some rest. I will keep watch overnight, and in the morning I will scout the island again and check the coast to see if the Rahi have come back.”

 

Lesovikk then walked off towards the western part of the island, which faced the opening of the hills. When he was about halfway there he heard someone following. Lesovikk turned to see Kualus coming up behind him.

 

“Go back, Kualus, get some sleep.”

 

“But you need help,” said Kualus as he walked up to Lesovikk.

 

“Not now, get some sleep”

 

“But if you are watching the western side of the island, what happens if those creatures attack from the northern side, or the southern?”

 

“I think I will manage to look in all four directions,” said Lesovikk. He then knelt beside the Ko-Matoran and looked Kualus right in the eye. “Now please, get some sleep.”

 

Kualus looked at Lesovikk for a few seconds, then nodded his head and started walking back into the village. Lesovikk watched him until he was inside one of the huts, then turned his attention back to the dark expanse of the hills, the small forest and the spire of rock.

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Chapter: 7

 

 

Lesovikk watched as the first rays of light returned to the world. He had kept watch over the village all night and had seen and heard nothing except for the calls of small Rahi, but that was no guarantee that the creatures were not coming back. He turned his attention back to the village as the Matoran began to wake up. Once they were awake, Lesovikk called another meeting in the village center.

 

“Right now I am going to go scout the shore of the island to see if any of the creatures came back in the night. I am not sure when I will be back, so if there is a problem you will need to contact me. Do you have any kind of horn that is loud enough to reach all of the island?”

 

“We have a shell horn,” said a Ga-Matoran, who then ran into one of the nearby huts. She returned a minute later carrying a large spiral shell. She gave it a blow, and it produced a low-pitched, but very loud, call.

 

“Excellent,” said Lesovikk when the noise subsided, “blow that in case there is any trouble. From wherever I am on the island I will come back as fast as I can. If you leave the village travel in pairs or groups. I will be back later.” With that he left and started walking towards the main western exit that led to the forest and the coast.

 

“Wait!” said a voice behind him. Lesovikk sighed, and didn’t even bother looking back. He knew who it was.

 

“I don’t need help, Kualus,” he said as the Ko-Matoran ran towards him. “I don’t want help.”

 

“Yes, I kind of got that idea,” said Kualus, panting slightly, “but where are you going?”

 

“I just told you. I am going to check the shore to see if the creatures came back.”

 

“But why are you going this way?”

 

“Because this is the easiest way to get to the shore,” said Lesovikk, rapidly losing his patience.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Kualus as he realized his mistake, “I forgot that you don’t know this island. There is a much easer way to check the shore than walking all around. Come with me, Ill show you!”

 

With that Kualus started walking back towards the village, and beckoned him to follow. Lesovikk sighed again and followed Kualus. They passed many of the side passages up into the hills that Lesovikk had thought they might take, and continued further into the village. When they were almost at the back Kualus stopped short and looked back at Lesovikk.

 

“Have you actually had any food since you first got here?”

 

“Uh, no,” said Lesovikk, slightly taken aback by the question, “but I’m-”

 

“I’ll be right back,” Kualus interrupted, and started to run towards one of the huts. “Stay there!”

 

Lesovikk looked on in disbelief as Kualus disappeared into one of the huts. He returned a moment later carrying a small bag. When he reached Lesovikk he rummaged in it and pulled out a small green berry.

 

“Would you like a bula berry?” he asked, holding it up. Lesovikk wanted to refuse, but he felt that Kualus would keep asking if he did. He took the berry and held it, absorbing its energy. Immediately he felt some of his strength returning. Kualus smiled as Lesovikk ate it.

 

“We are not far from the entrance,” he said as he started walking again, with Lesovikk following. As they got closer it was clear that they were heading for the spire of stone. Lesovikk had never seen it up close in the daylight before. It seemed to be a single huge structure of rock. Its surface was smooth, and exposed from top to bottom, like some giant stone building jutting out of the hills. However, Kualus instead led him to the right of the spire, to a small passage that was barely visible. It was carved into the hill, and looked like it wound up and up.

 

“After you,” said Kualus, gesturing to the path. Lesovikk started up it, with Kualus following behind. The passage was cramped, with dirt walls on both sides, and the only light came from above. It had obviously been made for Matoran-sized beings, not Toa. However, the path did indeed climb upwards in a gradual slope, and slowly turned to the left.

 

They didn’t talk for a few minutes, until Kualus broke the silence.

 

“What happened to you?”

 

“What?” said Lesovikk.

 

“When we were walking through the hills,” Kualus continued, “you said you were not a Toa. But when you were in the village you said that you were. I also asked you if there were Matoran where you came from, and you said there once were. You also said that you had been wandering, and in the village when you were talking about those crab-Rahi you said they were stopping you from getting to your friends. So, what happened to you?”

 

Lesovikk sighed, and looked at the ground. “A long time ago,” he began, “I was once part of a team.”

 

“I didn’t know that Toa work in teams,” said Kualus.

 

“We were the first,” Lesovikk continued. “We defended our home island from many threats. But one day we encountered a band of murderous creatures called Zyglak. They killed all my teammates, all because I did not act sooner.” Kualus was too shocked to respond, so Lesovikk continued. “If you thought it could not get any worse than that,” he said, his voice low and full of sadness, “you would be wrong. When I went back to my village I found that all of the Matoran that had been living there were gone, sent away to the realm of Karzahni.”

 

“I thought that was a myth,” said Kualus, even more shocked.

 

“No, it’s real, and terrible. When I tried to get my friends back from that place I was stopped by the Manas. So now I am wandering the universe, hoping to find a way to get past them.”

 

“I am so sorry,” said Kualus, “but why do you not want to be called a Toa?”

 

“Because I am not worthy of the title.”

 

“I think that what you did yesterday makes you worthy.”

 

“It’s not enough. No amount is enough.”

 

As they continued walking, the path started to open up.

 

“When you leave tomorrow, are you going to continue wandering?”

 

“Yes,” said Lesovikk.

 

“For what it’s worth,” said Kualus, “I think you will be able to get them back. Judging from what you did yesterday, no Rahi can defeat you.”

 

“You have never seen the Manas.”

 

“That’s true,” said Kualus, “but I still think you can do it.” The path had now opened up almost completely.

 

“On a different topic,” said Kualus, “we are here.” As they rounded a small bend in the path they came to a large flat platform made of wood that had been built onto the spire of rock. It was situated at the very top of the hill that the rock was embedded in. From its vantage point you could see the whole island.

 

Lesovikk walked out and surveyed his surroundings. It was quite beautiful. He could see the beach where he had first landed, the rocky shoreline that made up the southern part of the island, and even the steep hill and small grassy area that were behind the spire. Even though they were quite high up, the tower of rock still extended above them.

 

From his vantage point he could also see that there were no other islands on the horizon. If the two chains of islands really do exist, thought Lesovikk, then I still have a long way to go.

 

Then something caught Lesovikk’s eye. “My boat is gone.” It should have been resting on the beach, but it was nowhere to be seen.

 

“What?” said Kualus, walking up to Lesovikk. “Where could it have gone?”

 

“Could it have been stolen?” said Lesovikk, thinking back to how almost everyone in the village had objected to him leaving.

 

“I don’t think so,” said Kualus. “I’ll go back down and check to see if anyone has seen it. If not we will make you a new boat. I promise.” With that Kualus started down the path again, but paused.

 

“Look, I am sorry, Lesovikk, for asking about your past. I was just curious.”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

“Kualus,” Lesovikk said as the Ko-Matoran started to leave again, “could I have that bag of berries?” Kualus smiled and threw him the small bag, then turned and walked down the path.

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Chapter: 8

 

 

Lesovikk watched the light of day slowly fade from on top of the spire. He had stayed up on the wooden platform for the rest of the day, scanning the island for any sign of the spider-like Rahi. He had seen none. It did not seem as if the creatures would be coming back. He had also nearly finished off the bag of bula berries, with only two of them left. He turned back to the path as he heard Kualus coming up.

 

“Your new boat is done!” Kualus said triumphantly as he stepped onto the platform. When he had inquired about Lesovikk’s previous boat, no one had seen it around, though not many Matoran had seen it in the first place. After unsuccessfully searching for it, Kualus had convinced the village woodcutters to make him a new boat. He had then gone back to Lesovikk several times to give him updates on how the boat was going.

 

“I hope you like it,” said Kualus as he sat beside Lesovikk, “it’s not terribly big, but it should work for you.”

 

“Right now I am used to small boats,” said Lesovikk. “Have they found the missing Ga-Matoran yet?”

 

“Not yet, we are still searching. I really hope she’s okay.”

 

Just then a large Smoke Hawk swooped down and landed on the edge of the platform. Kualus’s eyes widened and he did his best to get up slowly to avoid spooking it. Once upright he started whistling and making clicking sounds, punctuated by a few hand gestures, all to the bewilderment of Lesovikk. More oddly the hawk had not moved, keeping its head cocked to one side, as if listening. Kualus kept this up for a minute and then looked at the bird. The Smoke Hawk stayed for a moment, then gave a low cry and flew up. It grabbed the bag of bula berries, and took off into the hills. Kualus watched it go, a look of disappointment on his face. Lesovikk, on the other hand, was confused.

 

“What is all the whistling and clicking in aid of?”

 

Kualus, who had still been staring after the hawk, looked back and said, “Oh, what was that?”

 

“Why were you clicking and whistling?”

 

“Well,” said Kualus as he smiled broadly, “I have always thought that flying Rahi had their own language, made up of clicks and whistles, and sometimes wing movements. So I am trying to teach it to myself. I have always loved flying Rahi and it would be amazing if I could communicate with them. Only… I haven’t had much success yet, or at all.” Kualus went and sat back down beside Lesovikk.

 

“Someday, though,” he continued, “I bet I will be able to communicate with them.” Lesovikk nodded, but did not really believe a word of it.

 

“So,” Kualus said, after another minute, “are you going to come down to the village, or are you going to stay up here all night?”

 

“This is the best lookout spot on the island,” Lesovikk replied, “so this is where I stay.”

 

“Are you going to sleep at all?” said Kualus.

 

“Not until I am sure this island is safe.”

 

“But the temperature up here drops at night,” said Kualus.

 

“I am a To-” Lesovikk started, then stopped himself. “I, I think I will be alright.”

 

“Well then, here I stay as well.”

 

“What?” said Lesovikk, “no, go back to the village.”

 

“Why not? Four eyes are better than two,” Kualus replied.

 

“But you said that the temperature drops up here.”

 

“I am a Ko-Matoran. I think I will be all right. Look, we can take shifts, one of us sleeps while the other one keeps a lookout. I will take the first shift.”

 

“No! Go back to the village,” said Lesovikk. “I will be fine up here.”

 

“Look,” said Kualus, almost standing up, “if you are going to go wandering to find a way to help your friends tomorrow, then you need some sleep! I have already made up my mind, so we can argue far into the night, or you can get some well-needed rest! Please, get some sleep. I will wake you in a bit.”

 

The Ko-Matoran then stood up and started gazing out into the rapidly growing darkness. Lesovikk wanted to argue further, but he knew that Kualus was right. He did need some sleep. So, although it was against his better judgment, he lay down and shut his eyes.

 

****************

 

Makuta Gorast flew over the Silver Sea, heading back to the small island. She had just destroyed the remaining Visorak, and was feeling generally pleased with herself. Gorast had taken care of all the boats on the island the previous night, and then waited all day until it was dusk to hunt the Visorak down. If it was getting dark, she reasoned, nobody on the island would start a sea voyage. It hadn’t taken her long to find the Visorak. They were trying to get back to Destral, the fools. She had made short work of them.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted, though, by a telepathic message from Teridax. Gorast was not expecting it and was so surprised that she almost toppled into the water, but managed to right herself and concentrated on the message.

 

Gorast, continue to keep Lesovikk and the Matoran on the island, and don’t kill them. Do not reveal your presence just yet. My newest creation is on its way. It is a combination of five species of Rahi, and Toa are its prey. I call it the Rahi Nui.

 

Just as the Matoran were the Visorak’s test, Lesovikk will be the Rahi Nui’s. It should reach the island by morning.

 

Observe how the battle goes, and do not interfere. After it has killed Lesovikk, you may kill the Matoran as you please. Contact me when the battle is over.

 

The Rahi Nui was coming.

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Chapter: 9

 

 

Lesovikk and Kualus walked down the narrow pathway leading back to the village, as light slowly came back to the world. They had stayed up on the platform all night and had taken turns to watch, though Kualus had slept a bit more then Lesovikk.

 

When they arrived at the village, Lesovikk went to look over his new boat. The two woodcutters, a Le-Matoran and an Onu-Matoran, had obviously only made small fishing boats before, but had tried their best to widen the design to accommodate a Toa. The boat was bent and warped, but looked seaworthy. Lesovikk then went back to the village center and spoke to all the Matoran one last time.

 

“Now, the Rahi don’t look like they’re coming back,” he said to the assembled crowd, “but there could be other dangers someday. I would recommend that some of you train as fighters to defend your village against anything that might threaten it. Goodbye, and best of luck to you all.”

 

“Please, can’t you stay any longer,” said a Ko-Matoran, “you could help to train us to defend the village.”

 

“I am sorry, but I am not going to change my decision,” Lesovikk replied.

 

“Well, best of luck with whatever you are going to do,” said a Le-Matoran.

 

“Thank you,” said Lesovikk. With that he turned away from the crowd of Matoran and left the village center.

 

He grabbed his boat along with a small amount of supplies and walked to the southern part of the island. Despite its rocky shore this was where the island’s small dock was located. Kualus followed him down and watched as he placed his boat in the water.

 

“Well, this is it. Goodbye Kualus,” said Lesovikk as he turned to look at the Matoran.

 

“Goodbye Lesovikk, and thank you, for everything.”

 

“No, thank you,” Lesovikk replied, “thank you for believing in me when I didn’t.”

 

Kualus smiled and gestured at the boat, “You are wasting valuable wandering time.”

 

Lesovikk gave him a half smile and clambered into the boat. He pushed off with the oars and started rowing out into the Silver Sea. Kualus waved behind him and started walking back up the hill.

 

That was when Lesovikk heard the sound.

 

A low-pitched buzzing, as if some Nui-Kopen were nearby, getting louder and louder. Then it stopped, and Lesovikk heard a roar. A powerful, terrible, roar that sent chills through him. Next came the sounds of rock crumbling, the screams of Matoran, and the low call of a shell horn.

 

The Rahi Nui had come.

 

Lesovikk turned his boat around as the horn sounded again. Feeling that it would take him too long to row back, he instead released a huge blast of air behind him. The sea sprayed up as the boat was sent flying forward. When he got close to shore Lesovikk jumped from the small craft and landed skillfully on the rocks. The boat was smashed to pieces, but Lesovikk didn’t notice as he bolted up the hill.

 

Kualus was already on the hilltop, a look of horror on his face. One glance told Lesovikk why. On the ridge of hills across from them was an enormous Rahi, which was now sliding down towards the village. It had the large head of a Kane Ra bull, with horns just as sharp. Its body and hind legs were those of the swift Muaka cat, and its strong front arms were those of a Tarakava. On its back were the wings of a Nui Rama, only much larger, and its tail was that of a Nui Jaga scorpion.

 

An inexperienced being might have just stood there in shock, but Lesovikk was not inexperienced. He turned to Kualus.

 

“I need you to get everyone out of the village. Lead them through the west passage. Once you get to the forest, turn right and head for the beach. Got it?”

 

“Yes,” said Kualus, looking Lesovikk straight in the eye.

 

“Then hang on tight!” With that Lesovikk picked Kualus up and hoisted him onto his back, then jumped and started to slide down the side of the hill. When they were halfway down, Lesovikk released a powerful blast of air beneath their feet, sending them flying up. Kualus for his part didn’t yell, but gripped Lesovikk as tight as he could.

 

As they fell, Lesovikk released a second blast downwards to slow their fall. He landed on his feet and shouted to the Matoran, “Get out of here!”

 

Kualus jumped off his back and started to lead everyone out of the village as Lesovikk ran towards the creature. The Rahi Nui was now at the bottom of the hills and had smashed its way through the village wall. As it barged into the village, it shattered two of the smaller huts into pieces.

 

When he was sure the beast had noticed him, Lesovikk ran to his right, away from the Matoran.

 

As he ran he heard Kualus shouting, “Everyone get out of the huts! Come this way!” Lesovikk’s plan seemed to have worked. The Rahi Nui was no longer interested in the Matoran. It had spotted its preferred prey. Unfortunately, this meant that the Rahi was now barreling down on him. It smashed its way through another hut and extended its neck towards Lesovikk, its mouth open wide. He jumped out of the way, whirled around, and struck its neck with his sword. The beast roared with pain, but would not be so easily defeated.

 

It whipped its head towards Lesovikk and barely missed stabbing him with its horns. What it did manage to do was fling him towards one of the huts. Lesovikk hit it hard, causing its wooden construction to break apart. He staggered to his feet as the building collapsed behind him.

 

And not a moment too soon, because the Rahi Nui flew up, its wings buzzing, and dived at him. Lesovikk didn’t have time to roll out of the way, so he willed the air to push him aside, just barely getting out of its path. The Rahi Nui landed a millisecond later, its sheer weight shaking the whole area.

 

Lesovikk was up on his feet before the dust had settled and held his sword before him, willing a cyclone to form around the creature. Yet the Rahi Nui did not budge. Lesovikk increased the cyclone’s power, but still the Rahi didn’t move. The cyclone did have the effect, however, of grabbing two of the huts and bashing them against the creature. Lesovikk thanked the Great Beings that Kualus had managed to get all of the Matoran out safely. The broken pieces of the huts did little damage to the Rahi Nui, but did manage to annoy it.

 

Then something clicked in its small brain that this bothersome prey might be the cause of the swirling wind. The Rahi Nui charged ahead. Lesovikk tried to dodge, but was hit with a solid blow from one of its front arms, sending him flying. The wind was knocked out of him, and he barely held on to his sword. He landed on one of the huts and broke through its roof, falling to the floor below. Lesovikk wanted to stay down and rest, but knew he had to move quickly.

 

He flung himself through the door as the Rahi Nui smashed through the building. Lesovikk landed hard on the ground. He looked up to see the beast’s stinger barreling down towards him. Lesovikk rolled out of the way and blindly struck with his sword. It connected with something and the Rahi screamed in pain.

 

Lesovikk managed to get onto his feet and held his sword at his side. The Rahi Nui tried to lunge at him again, ready this time if its prey sidestepped. However, Lesovikk grabbed onto one of the Rahi’s horns and flung himself onto its back. The creature responded by jumping and spinning, trying to dislodge him. When this did not work to knock Lesovikk off, the Rahi Nui slammed itself into one of the larger huts.

 

Lesovikk lost his balance and started to tumble off the Rahi, but managed to slash its back with the edge of his sword. The Rahi Nui howled and spun its body. As Lesovikk fell he was caught by the beast’s tail. By sheer chance he wasn’t stabbed by its stinger, but was flung high into the air and flew almost the length of the village. Lesovikk managed to create a cushion of air to slow his fall, but he still hit the ground hard.

 

He stood up, though his muscles protested, and ducked behind one of the huts. He was tired and sore. He didn’t think he could fight much longer. If it hadn’t been for Kualus taking some of the night shift, he would not have lasted this long. If he fell, the beast would probably go after the Matoran. Lesovikk needed to finish this quickly. He could try to starve the Rahi of air, but he guessed that the creature could find him before it lost consciousness. Lesovikk scanned his surroundings. Hills, smashed and damaged huts; none of these could help him.

 

Then his eyes fell upon the tallest structure in the area. That might work, he thought as a plan formed in his mind. It required a lot of luck, was quite risky for himself, and would completely destroy the village. The village is mostly destroyed already, he though grimly as he looked around. The Rahi had not yet figured out where he was, but it would soon. The time to act was now. However Lesovikk needed some way to distract the creature.

 

Then it came to him. A long time ago he had been experimenting with changes in air pressure, and noticed that when he dropped the pressure quickly he could form a cloud. Lesovikk put his sword on his back and peered at the Rahi from behind the hut, and concentrated. He mentally yanked the air away and suddenly its head was hidden by a thick fog. Lesovikk wasted no time and bolted towards the eastern side of the village. It did not take long for the Rahi Nui to shrug off the cloud, but it was long enough. Lesovikk now had his back against the smooth rock face at the bottom of the stone spire, facing the beast directly.

 

“Come on, you hideous collection of Rahi scraps!” he yelled. “Come and get me!” The Rahi Nui did not understand the words, but it guessed at the meaning. It was a challenge. Snarling, it charged at him.

 

Lesovikk counted down the seconds. He would need to time this perfectly. If he had guessed the structure of the rock incorrectly, then his plan would fail. The beast was gaining on him fast. Lesovikk did not move. He just stood there with his arms at his side. The Rahi Nui was almost on top of him, and Lesovikk could feel its breath. Now was the time.

 

Lesovikk mentally triggered his Kanohi mask and started to fade. An instant later the Rahi slammed headfirst into the tower of rock, its body crumpling behind it.

 

A second later Lesovikk reappeared, landing face down on top of the hill that overlooked the beach. He got up and saw that his plan had succeeded. The Rahi Nui’s horns were lodged deep into the stone, and despite its best efforts it could not dislodge them. The force of its impact had also weakened the pillar of stone at its base, and caused it to start to lean towards the village and the Rahi. As Lesovikk watched, the tower of rock began to fall.

 

****************

 

Makuta Gorast flew over the battle in her Nivawk form, interested by how it swayed back and forth.

 

The Rahi Nui had arrived at the perfect time. Gorast could have stopped Lesovikk from leaving the island, but instead he went back himself and jumped into the fray. He had landed a few blows, but the Rahi Nui had been gaining the upper hand.

 

Then she saw it strike the rock. She saw the pillar of stone teeter over and start to fall towards Teridax’s creation. Gorast didn’t think. She just acted. She went into a dive, hurtling towards the Rahi Nui.

 

Gorast had seen Lesovikk reappear on the hills, but took no notice. She didn’t even think to use her gravity powers to slow the rock down; she just plummeted towards the creature. Gorast reached it mere seconds before the rock hit, grabbed onto the Rahi Nui, and using her last reserves of energy, exerted her power of teleportation on them both. In an instant they were gone.

 

****************

 

Lesovikk, however, did not notice Gorast dive down because he was distracted by a voice.

 

“How did you do that!”

 

He turned to see that Kualus was also on top of the hill. Without even looking back, Lesovikk knew that the giant slab of rock was now mere seconds from hitting the ground.

 

“Everybody get down!” he yelled as he flattened himself on the hill, while Kualus did the same. The rock hit milliseconds later with the force of a large Bio-quake, shaking the whole island. The tremors only lasted a few seconds, but the damage was done. Lesovikk got up and brushed himself off. The entire area that had once been a village was covered with broken chunks of rock and pieces of wood. None of the huts had survived. He turned back to Kualus, who was now walking towards him.

 

“What are you doing on top of the hill?” said Lesovikk.

 

“I came up to see what was happening,” said Kualus, “but how did you do that?”

 

“I guessed that if the Rahi struck the rock with enough force, its horns would get stuck, and the rock would fall forward on top of it.”

 

“But how did you get up here?”

 

“There’s a Rahi far away from here called a Fader Bull. It has the ability to fade away from one spot and reappear in another, though it can’t do it very well. I could have ended up inside the hill.”

 

“And you copied its power,” said Kualus, smiling.

 

Lesovikk looked down at all the Matoran below. From what he could see, none of them had been severely hurt.

 

“Your plan worked out,” Kualus said, gazing at the center of the hills. “The creature is buried under all that rock.”

 

The battle was over.

Edited by Pikiru
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Chapter: 10

 

 

Gorast walked through the many corridors of Destral, heading for the throne room where Teridax sat. When she reached its doors she flung them open and gave a small bow. “Teridax,” said Gorast, “I request permission to go after Toa Lesovikk and the Matoran.”

 

“Permission denied,” he replied, “you are to stay here.”

 

“But why not!” said Gorast, daring to yell in the throne room.

 

“Because it is not necessary,” said Teridax, “and because you need to rest. You managed to teleport yourself and my creation all the way here to Destral. It was an impressive feat, but you still need to recover your strength.”

 

“But aren’t they a threat?” she asked.

 

“Not much of one. If the Matoran tell the story of what happened on the island, it is all the better for us. They would tell of the monstrous Visorak, and of the large Rahi fusion, and the Toa that saved them from both. They would spread the fear the Visorak gave them, and when they see the Brotherhood in control of such creatures, the Matoran will both respect and fear us more. And they would spread the word about how one Toa had saved them all, and reinforce the belief that Toa are undefeatable, which would make our coming victory over them all the more impressive. As for Lesovikk, he cannot escape us; why not let him live a little longer. We can kill him at our leisure.”

 

“If you feel it is best,” Gorast said with traces of disappointment in her voice, “I will respect your wishes.” With that she headed for the doorway, but stopped inside it. “What will happen to the Rahi Nui?” she inquired.

 

“It will need to be modified, since it proved ineffective. All my creation needs is a little more power at its disposal. Perhaps the powers of Kanoka disks, they would be relatively easy to graft to its form. After that we will keep it here, and use it whenever the need arises. If it would serve our ends, we could give it to the newly created Dark Hunters. It would strengthen any deal we might make with them, and could be used to take out Toa without the Brotherhood being suspected.”

 

Gorast nodded and left the throne room, leaving Teridax to think of the next steps in his grand scheme, which would one day win him the universe.

 

****************

 

Lesovikk stood on the top of the hills, keeping watch over the Matoran as they worked on the beach below, constructing a large fleet of boats. After they had seen what had happened to the Rahi Nui and the village, most of the Matoran were not too keen on rebuilding. Lesovikk had suggested that everyone on the island could move to the southern continent.

 

“There are lots of other Matoran there, as well as Toa and Turaga,” he had said, “You would be much more safe.”

 

The general consensus was to move, so they started constructing a fleet of boats. They only had experience making small fishing boats, so they decided on attaching two boats together and putting a platform on top, to form a twin-hulled ship. Most of the wood from the village was unusable, but thankfully they already had some pre-cut wood that had been stored outside of the village. Though the wood was unusable, some of the village supplies had remained intact.

 

After just over a week of solid boat building, their small fleet was ready.

 

As they prepared to leave, Lesovikk briefed the Matoran who would be leading the boats. “If you keep heading due north you can’t miss it. It is a huge continent. The waters from here to there are not very turbulent, but it’s best to be careful. When we arrive, there are lots of Matoran villages along the shore to dock in.”

 

When they were sure that they had gathered enough supplies, and double-checked that their boats actually floated, they set off.

 

Lesovikk stationed himself in the rear of the fleet, so he could best protect them if there was any danger. However their journey was uneventful. The Silver Sea was calm and easy to navigate. They left the small island in the early hours of the morning and reached the shoreline of the southern continent at dusk. After a little searching they found a Matoran village that could accommodate them for a few days.

 

At dawn the next morning, Lesovikk prepared to set off again on one of the twin-hulled boats. He had no idea how far away the two chains of islands would be, so he felt it best to leave early. As Lesovikk packed his supplies into the ship, he heard someone coming up behind him. He turned to see Kualus walking towards him, one hand behind his back.

 

“You are up early,” said Lesovikk.

 

“I wanted to see you off,” Kualus replied. “Now, we have already said goodbye once, so there is not much need to say it again. Except I do want to say this: I really have no doubt that you will be able to get your friends back. Judging from how you defeated both the spider-creatures and that, well, big walking zoo, no Rahi can beat you forever.”

 

“I hope you’re right,” said Lesovikk with a half smile. “Goodbye, Kualus.”

 

“Goodbye, not-Toa Lesovikk,” Kualus replied smiling. Then he pulled his hand out from behind his back and tossed Lesovikk a small bag. “Thought you might need this as well as your other supplies.”

 

Lesovikk caught the bag and opened it. Inside was a small amount of bula berries.

 

Lesovikk smiled again as got into the boat. He waved back once, then started to row out into the vast expanse of the Silver Sea. Kualus waved back, then walked back up to the village, a new life ahead of him.

 

When Lesovikk had gotten away from shore he put down the oars and rummaged through his supplies. A moment later he pulled out a large white cloth. He got up and tied its corners to a wooden framework, then attached it firmly in the middle of the boat. This time he had a sail.

 

Lesovikk sat down and concentrated, telling the air to move forward. After a bit, the cloth started to catch the wind. He smiled as the boat started to move. Now this -- this is the way to travel, Lesovikk thought as his boat surged ahead, into the unknown.

 

 

 

The End.

(I hope you enjoyed reading my story)

Edited by Pikiru
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