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NOTE: Credit to my sister for coming up with the name. Meet Rivera, the Toa of Water for Toa Team Alpha. She bears the Kanohi Faxon, wields a hook-spear-thing, and can control most forms of water. ^Click for LARGER picture!^ The torso is 100% custom! :) EDIT: Once I am done with Part 1 of my epic, I will make a short story for her.
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Just a random MOC I made yesterday for fun. Front Side Other side Back Alternate pose(for fun)
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Yet another comedy of mine being taken out of the mothballs, so to speak. Here is the link to the old topic. Chapter 4: Budget Cuts On the island of Daxia, in the Order of Mata Nui headquarters, Helryx sat in her comfortably heated chambers, pouring over a pile of tablets two feet high. Being head of the Order of Mata Nui had its perks, hence said comfortably heated chambers, but it also entailed an enormous amount of tablet work. Helryx's desk phone buzzed, and she picked it up, saying, "Yes, Claire?" Her secretary was on the other end, and she said, "Mr. Naad is here to talk to you about the budget, Helryx. He says it's important." Helryx groaned in exhaustion, and said, "Alright, send him in." Naad came in through the wooden double doors of Helryx's chambers, carrying a brief case. Naad was a tall, green armored being with a Great Kanohi Rau, the mask of translation. He said to her, "Good evening, Ms. Helryx. How are you today?" "As fine as can be, what with our little Destiny War going on," said Helrxy, peering past the stack of tablets on her desk. "What can I do for you, Mr. Naad?" "A word on the budget," said Naad, taking a seat in a chair in front of Helryx's desk. "Accounting just finished our most recent audit, and found that our current budget for the surveillance division greatly exceeds the budget for all other departments." "Of course," said Helryx. "We're the Order of Mata Nui. Surveillance is our primary function." "I understand that," said Naad, pulling a tablet out of his briefcase. "But the board made it clear to me that they think that when planning for the coming fiscal year, we ought to consider reallocating resources to other departments, such as R&D." Helryx examined the figures carved into the tablet, and set it down, saying, "Alright. How did the board vote on this proposal?" "It was a vote of nine for, three against," said Naad. "The board is hard set on trimming the fat, as it were." Helryx rested her elbows on the desk, holding her chin in her hands. She said, "Alright, I understand. I approve the board's decision. Good night, Mr. Naad." "Good night, Ms. Helryx," said Naad. He took up his brief case and went out the door, thinking, This briefcase could be used as an exercise weight. Stupid tablets. With luck, this new budget should bring us more paper to use. After Naad had left, Helryx took the phone from her desk and said, "Claire? Get me board member Jend on the line." "Yes, ma'am. Just a moment," responded Claire. There was a moment of silence, before another voice came on with a click, saying, "Jend here." "Mr. Jend, this is Helryx," said the Toa of water. "Since when is the board allowed to convene without my knowledge?" "Well, it's clearly written in the bylaws-" "Bother the bylaws. Naad was just in my office, and he told me that the board just voted on next year's budget, which involved heavy reallocation of resources from the Surveillance department. Who was the muffin head who wrote up that proposal?" There was a brief silence, and Jend said, "That... muffin head.... would be me, ma'am." "Oh. Well, in that case, I'd like you to know that my recommendation is to convene the board for an emergency meeting to discuss the budget. From what I understand, the new budget for the surveillance department is just over nine thousand widgets." "That's nine million, ma'am." "Really? Darn dyslexia. Well, anyhow, I want to meet with the board pronto to discuss this. I'm not the director of the Order of Mata Nui for nothing!" * * * Several days later, on the island of Nynrah, Order of Mata Nui agents Trinuma and Joe were on a stake out of the Brotherhood of Makuta building on that island. Trinuma could barely fit in the car, his knees scrunched up to his chin. Joe had a little easier time of it, being smaller, and kept a sharp eye on the building's entrance. Their objective? To keep an eye on the area and to report any activity of interest. Joe was using his binoculars to watch various people going in and out of the building. Unfortunately, it was night out, so he couldn't see much of anything. "Drat this device," he said. "Just a few weeks ago, we would have had a decent car and a pair of night vision goggles. Now all we've got is a junked up Dodge, a pair of binoculars from the Fourth Street Second Hand store, and some stale doughnuts." "Don't forget the kanoka disk launchers," said Trinuma, feeling just as grumpy as Joe was. "Man, I used to have a pair of ghost blasters, and now all I've got are these disk launchers! They're soooo 2004." "You said it," said Joe, peering into the darkness. They were currently parked in the parking lot of the McKyry's across the street from the Brotherhood of Makuta building. He reached down into the darkness of the van and pulled up the doughnut box, and said to his partner, "Want a doughnut?" "No thanks. They're too fattening." "Can we even gain weight? We're robots, right?" "Biomechanical beings, Joe. Wait, what's that?" Joe lifted up his binoculars and saw two Matoran walking out of the building. "What do you think they're up to?" asked Joe. "I mean, this late at night and all." Trinuma buckled his seat belt and said to Joe, "I say we follow them. They might be running some top secret errand for the Brotherhood." "You've been watching too much Law and Order," said Joe. "The Brotherhood doesn't assign important tasks to mere Matoran." "We'll see," said Trinuma. "We'll see." * * * Katax and Praket walked down the street to Praket's car, silent. "I can't believe your boss wanted us to meet with this organization," said Katax. "I know, right?" said Praket, opening the door to his car. "It's all about PR, though. The average Matoran is scared of the Brotherhood, so the higher ups wanted to show that we care a little about their well being." "That's... somewhat comforting," said Katax as he got in the front seat. "But I take it they don't want the masses to know just yet, do they?" "Exactly," said Praket, starting the car's engine. "That's why we have to meet them at night, just in case it goes bad, you know?" "Yes, sir," said Katax, buckling his seat belt. If there was one thing he had learned while working for the Brotherhood of Makuta, it was to always agree with the boss. The two drove downtown to a dilapidated parking garage, where they parked on the third floor. They got out of Praket's Prius, and approached a white van. About a quarter of the way there, the doors of the van opened, and two Matoran, a Toa, and a Turaga got out. They met halfway between their respective vehicles. "I'm Turaga Smith," said the Turaga, a Turaga of Stone. "And these are my fellow representatives from the Letty Gord Center for Toa. I see you got our message." "We did," said Praket coolly, which was ironic, as he was a Ta-Matoran. "We are here to accept your request for Brotherhood support. In the interest of PR, our boss said yes. All you have to do is sign some tablets, and it should be fine." "Yes, sir," said the Toa of Ice. "We'll send a Matoran representative down to do that. You can even start organizing the press release." He stuck out his hand to shake with Praket, who reciprocated by offering his own hand. "It's a done deal," declared the Ta-Matoran. "We'll be able to organize a public announcement soon." Little did these meeting persons know, however, that just across the street, Trinuma and Joe sat listening with their state of the art eavesdropping device. After the meeting was over, and the two parties went their separate ways, Trinuma said to Joe, "You thinking what I'm thinking?" "What are you thinking?" said Joe, confused. "I'm thinking," said Trinuma, "That we ought to report this to the boss." "I'm thinking the same thing," said Joe. To be continued... X-Ray
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A semi-setstyle Tahu inspired mostly by the D'Anda comics. His right arm is a bit messed up but I'd like to say it was twisted out of shape by a Bohrok or a lava surfing accident or something of the sort. I don't know why I neglected to put in the flame sword.
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The Last Guardian Written by, Grant-Sud Walking on the barren desert sands, the three Matoran trekked onward in complete darkness. There wasn’t a light to be found in the land and the sky held no stars or moon. The sun hadn’t set on the world in the last five hundred years, and the rivers had long ago dried up. Despite that, the air was damp and warm.Toreck stopped, and glanced over his shoulder with a worried expression on his face as he casted his gaze upon the far sands behind him. His two friends came to a halt, their backpacks clanging with equipment. The Onu-Matoran, Retra, spoke first after a short moment of stillness.“Do you see them?” she asked. In these surroundings her black armor made her appear almost invisible to the naked eye. Only her green eyes were noticeable.“No.”Toreck continued to watch in silence, his Ruru activated to reveal what was in the darkness around him.“Do you think they are still following us?”“Yes.”They watched the lifeless sands below, riding the wind in waves, fluid in motion and colorless, as their Ruru’s didn’t allow color while in use of its power. They could see no other movement. But that didn’t mean they were alone, and that’s why the light feature of their masks were being unused.Retra slipped the pack from her shoulders and placed it on to the ground. Toreck intensified his own mask of night vision’s power to full, trying to get a better view of things. Shifting through her gear, she checked the rations they had left. About a week’s worth, more than enough time to reach their destination and head home. Inside she also found three lightstones covered in cloth and a Hau. Sighing, she zipped up the pack.“You didn’t bring weapons either, did you Moru?” she asked the quiet Le-Matoran who carried the lightest bags.“Besides a few disks, no,” he replied simply. “I felt that if we encountered Rahkshi threats out here, no weapon at our disposal would be efficient enough.”He sounded cold, but was only naturally so in speech. His face was also filled with slight disappointment at what Toreck had told them.“I … I think we should just continue on,” Toreck decided. He was a Ta-Matoran, the leader of this small group. And though Retra and Moru could always detect a small amount of nervousness in his voice, which was his nature, they knew the Ta-Matoran’s loyalty and determination always overcame his frightfulness. “If we find what we’re looking for, we’ll make it through no problem.” He finished that last statement with a reassuring smile.“If we find him,” Moru added quietly.Then Toreck shouted in sudden surprise as his sight was filled with a harsh light. He yanked his mask off and threw it to the ground. His vision blurred as he took in the brightness surrounding him. Moru and Retra, who had their masks set on a lower level, squinted and deactivated their masks entirely.On normal vision, the three Matoran looked upward to the sky above where one large square of light shined on the land. Toreck rubbed his eyes and looked out over the expanse. He could see everything, and his heart sank at the sight of the endless wasteland. Only sand and rocks.The light above flickered.“I don’t know why …” Retra started, but hesitated as she sought the right choice of words. “I wish I could have seen this place when it was worth fighting over. I can’t understand why no one minded living and fighting for a cage.”“It was a place meant for us, they used to say. It was a home.” Toreck explained to her, though he himself couldn’t truly understand the sentimentality of this world.“We should keep moving,” Moru interrupted, unsympathetic to what he saw. “Our home means much more to me and I want to see it again. I don’t ever want to come back to this empty shell of Mata Nui.”With that the Le-Matoran turned and continued down the lit way, not bothering see if his friends were following. He knew they were. It was only a good minute later that the giant lantern in the sky short-circuited, a sharp pop echoing across the land. Glowing sparks rained from the once again darkened sky, falling as mixture of ash and sand around them. And though they couldn’t fully understand why, their equipment and hearts, felt much heavier.***The tent flapped as the wind blew against it, shuddering and threatening to blow away at a given moment. Retra was confident though that the spikes she had placed into the tent would hold despite the softer surface.A small heatstone was placed in the center of the three Matoran. Moru was wide awake and staring into it, as was Toreck who took in the warmth like a long lost friend. Retra rested in her sleeping bag, eyes half closed. There hadn’t been much discussion, which was rare for them, but not necessarily unexpected. It had been a long journey into the old Matoran Universe. The three of them had been close at their Koro and knew each other well. And talking about their falling conditions and predicament was just… something they didn’t want to spend their last conversation on, if it happened to be so.Not only that, but the Matoran Universe was such a quiet world, so unlike Spherus Magna.Moru however, was not a Matoran to let difficult subjects get in the way of his questions and answers.“What do you think they are doing here?” Moru asked Toreck. The Le-Matoran then winced at his question but couldn’t help but slightly smile. Why was it that people, including him, were so drawn to his Ta-Matoran friend? They looked to him for confidence even though he seemed to have no real sustenance for his faith.“I’m not sure. Rahkshi are rare… and to be honest I wasn’t expecting any to be around here.”“They were sent after us,” Moru explained, already knowing the answer, just wondering what Toreck thought of it.Toreck raised his hands up to the heatstone, and rubbed them together after a minute. He struggled with his words for a second, but only muttered one.“Yeah.”“Maybe they know about it,” Retra said quietly. She was a strong Onu-Matoran, an excellent miner and construction expert. But though she had these skills, she was the youngest out of the three of them and often expressed either high confidence or worry. “We just need to find him before they do, that’s all,” she added with a smile, shutting her eyes again.“I agree,” Toreck told her as he fell on to his back, ready for sleep himself.Moru stayed in his sitting position.“And once we find the Toa, all our problems will be over.”The Le-Matoran glanced over at his friend, who spoke too joyfully.“What makes you so sure? Why do you think that this Toa will solve everything? That he’ll even be here, all the way out in the middle of nowhere?”Frowning in response, Toreck didn’t meet his gaze and shifted against his makeshift bed.“I don’t know for sure if the Toa will be here. But I hope he is. And if he is, I know he’ll start something, he’ll prove that we stand a chance.” Toreck shifted upward then, somewhat excited as he finally met his friend’s eyes. “Haven’t you ever thought about that? It’s what we all dream to be one day, a guardian. And this person might make that dream come true. It’s worth this journey, because it’s the only way our people are going to make it. And we will.”Moru didn’t say anything in response, but considered. Retra’s eyes were wide open once again, and she took in Toreck’s words like a revelation she hadn’t acknowledged before. “And tomorrow, we’re going to find him,” she finished, a smile on her face.Snuggling back into her covers, she tried falling asleep again, as did Toreck who felt safer and didn’t worry about the Rahkshi for now.Moru was the only one who couldn’t sleep so easily.***“Are we close?” Toreck asked, turning to Moru. The Le-Matoran’s vision was limited to what he saw ahead, but his own Ruru could make out the lines and notes in his stone map. He placed a finger to the tablet and scrolled it slowly upward, murmuring to himself before looking upward and giving a definite nod.“Very. Just a few more miles and we’ll reach the fortress.”Step after the step the group took in the darkness, occasionally glancing over their shoulder for the Rahkshi they could only assume weren’t around. Perhaps they had given up days ago, which would explain their absence for so long. Retra had commented that from the stories she had been told, Rahkshi rarely gave up a hunt, which worried the three even more. If they were still looking, wouldn’t they have caught up by now?The sheer cliff appeared abruptly in their path, a giant wall of rock upward miles high. They had had plenty of time to notice it through their masks, but still the magnitude of such an obstacle surprised them. They hadn’t seen much of anything besides desert since they had begun their journey into the robot’s shell.“It’s somewhere along this wall,” Moru said disappointingly. “I’m not sure which direction for sure.”“Just estimate the best you can, my friend,” Toreck encouraged. “And what are we looking for exactly?”Moru smiled and laughed halfheartedly. “You know what we’re looking for, the entrance into this Dark Hunter Fortress. It should be marked by a large black stone...” Scratching the back of his head in thought, he pointed to the left. “I’m going to say it’s in this direction, if my calculations are correct. But there’s no way of knowing which part of the wall we’re at, and it goes on for miles.”“I’ll try to pick up anything that’s hallow in the rock,” Retra added, walking close to the cliff-face and pressing a hand against the stone, a natural ability granted to Onu-Matoran.Making their way along the wall, Toreck and Moru kept a sharp eye for any color difference in the stone, which was difficult while seeing through night vision. Retra kept her eyes closed, feeling out for any abnormalities.“I feel it!” Retra opened her eyes and pressed both hands to the rock. It had only been a good ten minutes, much better time in locating the entrance than they had expected. “It’s nearby, there’s an opening inside, no doubt.”Toreck quickly ran ahead searching for any kind of col-And then a large boulder in the cliff, volcanic black in color was before him.It took a few minutes for Retra to locate the secret hatch buried in the sand underneath it. With a sharp pull, she removed the latch and the bolder slowly slid out from the cliff, revealing a square opening that reached far into the mountain’s side. The entire opening was built of steel with sand spreading across the floor. Toreck took a quick look inside, and slowly entered, followed by his friends.The stone closed shut behind them, leaving them in perpetual darkness. Assured of being alone now, the three Matoran removed their masks and retrieved their lightstones. Toreck placed on his Mask of Flight, Moru his Mask of Accuracy and Retra her Mask of Strength.Now immersed in regular light, they made their way through the long and abandon corridor.***“If Lariska was right about everything…” Moru started.“It’s here?” Toreck asked, awed by what could be beyond the steel hatch. The door was hexagon shaped and glowing at the edges was a white light. His excitement was evident by the way his fingers twitched at his sides. This was it.“Yes. Trapped in the Shadowed One’s Throne Room, is where we’ll find the Toa. This should be the chamber. Now when the Toa wakes up, we’ll need to be easy with him. He’s not going to understand a lot right away.”“Retra,” Toreck turned to her. “Do your stuff.”“On it,” she said, grinning from the edge of her mask to the other. Quickly, she slid down to her knees on the right side of the steel hatch. There, she began to study the code construct, riddled with an old Matoran Language and other odd symbols.“Set up the lightstones around me?” she requested, and the two did as they were told. Placing one right beside her, she quickly located another stone tablet from her own pack. Notes and sketches were written across it. Lariska had theorized at the code word when she had told the legend years back, so they had a good idea of what it was. But the translation from the Spherus Magna Language to the Matoran Language was a difficult one. If anyone could do it, Retra could, having studied up on the history of the Matoran Universe as much as Moru.“Okay…” she pressed a button and then another on the panel. “Yes! This is it!”With a sudden lurch, the door’s hinges unhooked and a dust cloud formed around them. The door slowly rose upward, descending-And then it stopped.“Hold on,” Retra said, activating her mask. “I think it’s just caught.”She moved to the hatch and held on to the underside of it. She started to lift with a heavy grunt.“Toreck,” Moru tapped on his friend’s shoulder. He had a distant look in his eye, the Ta-Matoran. It was as though he was in a dream and wanting to live it. “Toreck… listen.”Blinking, his friend concentrated on Moru.“I know what you think, that this Toa will be the start of something great, and yes I think it will change everything too…” he looked a little saddened. “But don’t ever think that we’re not worth-”“Got it!”Another roar of the steel grinding against stone, and the door automatically lifted, with Retra standing in its opening. She didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything at the sight before her.Inside was a large dark room of polished stone, to the far left a massive throne and around the room along the walls were shelves and shelves of masks and weapons. The weapons looked personal, not powerful but having significant value to them. All the masks were scarred, as though their owners had all perished at the marks long ago. But it was how she was seeing these things, from the light source at the far end of the room right across from the doorway that had stopped her in her tracks. There was a large container, cylinder shaped, transparent with a tall figure standing upward and frozen inside. The cylinder emitted a light like one from the heavens, light blue and pure, which revealed the features of the being. There was no room for doubt in the Matoran’s heart. And though she had never seen one before, she still knew what she saw.It was a Toa.And then abruptly, the placed lightstone beside her shattered into pieces. Retra, half dazed and half surprised by the sudden disruption, slowly turned to look over her shoulder.The heat from the laser as it made its way across the ground before them seemed to come in slow motion to her. She could only watch it frame by frame, unable to move in a sudden fear that had taken hold of her. Only one word came to mind as the beam swiftly moved upward and cut into her armor, body and mask.‘Rahkshi.’Struck down without mercy, Retra fell to her knees, her body smoking from the new scar that was etched into her. Her eyes seemed dead and she collapsed on her side.“Retra!” Toreck cried out in devastation, not fully taken in by what had happened. The next beam cut across the wall and toward the two Matoran left standing.“Move!” Moru grabbed a hold of Toreck’s arm and pulled him into the chamber the laser slicing above their heads.Moru glanced upward, seeing the attack barely miss striking the Statis Tube where the Toa was held.Quickly, he reached behind his back, activating his mask on full power and swung out with his acquired disk. A level three teleport disk, which soared directly at the body of the orange colored Rahkshi. The creature fired another stream of heat which missed the disk and instead struck the right arm of Moru. The Le-Matoran cried out in pain as the Rahkshi immediately disappeared by the disk’s effects.“They’re…” Moru sucked in his air. “Trying to kill the Toa.”Toreck’s eyes widened as he turned to find two more Rahkshi right outside the hatch. A red and brown one, evil looks to their eyes which were said to be that of a dreaded Makuta’s. He lost track of his breathing as the events unfolded far too quickly for him. Moru rushed forward, shoving Toreck out of the way and outstretched his arms as a wave of power erupted from the brown Rahkshi’s staff. Uplifting dirt in its wake, the Le-Matoran took the energy in full, stopping it from reaching the Toa.A saddened look to his face, the Le-Matoran fell backward, armor scarred and marked and ripped apart. His mask had been half disintegrated from the attack. Toreck shouted out his name but Moru couldn’t even hear it and only witnessed his friend by fading vision as he took him in his arms and leaned over him.“I… I… I protected … for you… make sure, they… they can’t be allowed … the last…” he didn’t have any more control of his lungs after that, but he strangely felt no pain, and just watched his friend as he screamed deafly. He gave a prayer that’d Toreck could make it through this. That he wouldn’t see his friend on the other side so soon.And then he passed away.Toreck cried, unable to fight back and unprepared for the sudden loss of his companions. He was supposed to be stronger than this. He was supposed to fight, like Tahu had taught the Matoran long ago. A reason to exist was what they needed to live, as the Great Toa had said. But Toreck couldn’t remember why he was living right then, not when everything had been taken from him.On the outside, as the Rahkshi of Fear began to move into the chamber with its brother, Retra slowly reached upward with her arm, and retyped in the code she had punched in. She didn’t think about what was next, only the present. After she was done, the Onu-Matoran fell back into the ground, eyes dimming as the hatch began to seal shut. The Rahkshi hissed in anger and turned to her, seeing the smirk on her face.“Tell the Toa, I said hi … okay Toreck?”Then she died before the sons of Makuta could kill her.***Erratic breaths were pitifully drawn from Toreck as he watched the hatch close and seal. Tears in his eyes, he realized he had been given a chance. There was still an opportunity to finish the mission and retrieve the prize. And he was wasting it.Moving slowly past the corpse of Moru, not barring to watch his friend any longer, Toreck approached the Statis Tube. He placed a hand against the glass, and slowly slid it across the container until it reached the smooth stone wall. There, a single lever waited.He pulled on it, and the prison’s glow faded away. The glass opened, steam filling out across the room. When it cleared, there the Toa of Psionics stood leaning slightly against the wall with unlit eyes.***…Norik…She inhaled, gasping as though life had always been across the street, waving and smiling but never rushing to meet her. Her eyes started to glow and her legs unbuckled from beneath her as she fell.Then she felt hands desperately catch her torso and hold her up for a moment before being laid to the cold ground. She couldn’t make out anyone before her, though she knew someone was there and she only couldn’t hear.Dizziness struck, her vision blurred and as her body received the air it needed she immediately felt as though she needed to sleep again.But she refused that call. Somehow, she knew she had been asleep for a long time.Movement against her side for too long, she slowly started to make out the muddled noise reaching her ears. Opening her eyes again, she noticed the small red being beside her. It looked familiar, but she couldn’t recall its name, though it was in the back of her mind, somewhere. He shook her body, pressed his mask down toward hers and started to speak.“You…” she could make out.Grudgingly, she moved her arms up and pressed her palms to the floor slowly lifting herself up. She fell, and tried again as the ringing in her ears stopped.“Who…where am I?” she asked, her voice not her own. Though she couldn’t remember exactly what she sounded like before. The room was very dark, and besides a noticeable throne at the end of the room which looked all too familiar, she couldn’t recall where she was.“You’re female!” the red being responded in surprise. “I- I’m sorry, we had just assumed, because of the legend.”For some reason that answer confused her all the more and before she could think about what she was saying, she spoke.“Of course I’m female, I’m a Toa of Psionics.”And then with that word, Toa, memories started to burst free from the dam of her mind. Too many memories; fighting … for something, living in unnamed lands, working with unnamed teammates.Except for the name, Norik. She could remember that one.“What was I thinking… you were around before the time of Spherus Magna,” the little one started to ramble on. “But that’s fine! You just said it! You’re a Toa! I … Toa I …” and then he started to tear up a little and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad …” he half finished, too emotional to end his statement correctly.“Where am I? Why can’t I remember …” she moved his hand away and pressed both her palms to her forehead as she sat up. Immediately her attention was drawn to the other side of the room. There a large door with smoke spewing out the sides, started to rumble.The red one looked frightened as he looked over as well.Matoran! He’s a Matoran! Her mind screamed.“Listen to me! I don’t have much time to explain… Toa of Psionics, you’ve been imprisoned for years, hundreds of years. You’re still suffering from the effects of Statis, but it should wear off soon. My name is Toreck, and, uh and I’ve, I mean we, have been looking for you, for a long time.”His words were jumbled together, as though he was unsure what he himself was doing there.Some of it made sense, she was a Toa, and she could remember sleeping. She didn’t remember having dreams though.“Varian…” she finally responded. “That’s my name.”“Toa Varian,” he said, firmly in a tone of kindness that made her meet his eyes. “There’s a prophecy that says you are our salvation, you’re a Toa who’s supposed to be able to defend us, and save what we lost. This is going to be hard for you to understand, and I promise I’ll explain everything soon…” he was interrupted by another rumble that struck the hatch. “You are the only Toa left, Varian. For four hundred years, they’ve been missing. That means,” he continued slowly. “You are the Toa in the prophecy. And I need your help. The Makuta’s sons are right outside.”Toa from a prophecy… she couldn’t remember ever being associated with things like that. She only remembered bits and pieces of her life before. Like how she and Norik had been betrayed by a Dark Hunter, how she had been able to negotiate her imprisonment for his life. She remembered roaming the universe, wanting to be able to grow into an accomplished Toa who lead the team, instead of the scout her powers allowed her to be. Day after day, running around in the large universe taking down the bad guys with her friends by her side had become tiring and she grew exhausted. She hadn’t been strong enough to handle the constant blows, and that had gotten her captured.She couldn’t break the hope of this Matoran, but how could she lie to him? If there were no Toa left, then experience was telling her that the world had changed for the worst.With a slight cough in her sigh, still not having fully recovered from the Statis effects, Varian answered.“And if, that prophecy was wrong and I’m not who you say I am? What if I’m not this Toa you need me to be?”Varian watched Toreck’s expression lower and his eyes dim. He looked as though he didn’t have an answer for that question.But when she looked down the floor and started to stand upright fully, he spoke.“Legends say that a Toa is someone who protects and strengthens others. They’re loyal, as strong as they need to be and put others needs ahead of their own. They choose a path,” a rumble from the door and it started to glow bright orange as the metal melted. “And stick with it, no matter what obstacles fall their way. Is that true Varian?”She laughed a little at and shook her head.“Yes. It’s never that easy, but for the most part it’s true.”Toreck smiled.“Then you’re everything I’ve been searching for. For me, you can’t be anyone else.”With a hiss and the bending of metal, the hatch door blew off the wall, clanging unto the ground before the Toa and Matoran. Three Rahkshi made their way into the chamber, watching for movement and the thirst for death on their minds. Their armor reeked of it. The red one, a Turahk, roared ferociously as it caught sight of the Matoran they were searching for. With a moment of hesitation it noticed a new creature standing beside it. Taller, lean and gold and blue in color. It had never seen anything like it before, and it felt no sense of fear from the being. That was fine though, because a Rahkshi of Fear was also never afraid. What could match its power, what could terrify fear itself?At least, that’s what it had believed, until the being before them opened its glowing, furious, light blue eyes.***The first blast of energy that struck the Rahkshi was so abrupt and forceful, that the dark creatures were pushed off their feet and into the stone behind them. The attack was transparent, but the air was noticeably pulsing as it flowed forward, tinted with blue. Dust leaped off the walls in a cloud, moving in an upward formation like a spiraling wave from the ocean.The orange colored Rahkshi pushed itself up, anger screeching from the Kraata. Its eyes started to burn like fire, a charge of heat building up.The Toa raised her hand and the head of the Rahkshi was pulled toward the left directly at its brother, Panrahk. With no way to expel its power, it fired the laser at its brother’s armor melting and cutting through to the Kraata inside.The Toa released its grip on the Rahkshi of Heat Vision, as the Turahk charged forward. Immediately it halted, seeing three of the same Toa standing before it. Growling, the creature released its negative power of fear to the Toa, watching as its essence spread to each one.“You think you can scare me? A Toa of Psionics always has her mind on the defensive,” it heard a voice say.All three Toa vanished as two strong arms reached around the body of the red Rahkshi, filling its thoughts with tiredness. The Rahkshi slowly stopped struggling and fell into sleep. But she made it start to fall deeper, until the Kraata itself wouldn’t awake for years. The Turahk fell to the floor with its armor clanging against the ground. She took a momentary look at her enemy, before turning to the last one.The Rahkshi of Heat Vision faltered in its stance as it watched the Toa, meeting her eyes. Charging its energy once more, it took a desperate shot.The beam passed through the Toa, striking her like a mirage.Two small holes were seared into the smooth wall, and a silence followed. The Rahkshi turned, and now couldn’t find the Matoran, who had been backing away since the fight began. It was alone.It could only find the dead like Turahk and sliced open Panrahk.With a whistling sound ringing in the creature’s ears, the last Rahkshi spun around at the noise. But it never caught sight of the Kanoka disk which froze it on the spot.***Varian held Retra upright in her arms while Toreck carried Moru. She had tried to take both Matoran, since she knew such a task was probably difficult for him, but he had remained stubborn. He felt partly responsible, he had said.The rest of the blame, Varian knew, was hers.Their loads included the two Matoran, three bags containing supplies such as food and masks, and one newly acquired Rahkshi staff picked up by Varian. They reached the outside of the fortress, greeted by a gust of sand which surprised the Toa. She took in her barren world, which was covered by night and dust. A lowly feeling came over her. What in Mata Nui’s name had happened to the Universe? Reaching out with telepathy, she found no source of life for miles. Everything was gone. She couldn’t even locate a Rahi.With a small push of her power, she created a proper grave large enough for both Matoran. Sand rushed around them as they moved into it, placing their friends gently down. Toreck had been the only one who knew them, and he spoke a few words. The Ta-Matoran spoke about how faithful they had been, and that their sacrifice wasn’t in vain. He said they were greatest friends he had ever had, and he’d take care of Moru’s pet ussal crab, Puki, when they returned home, and find a good place to keep Retra’s journals in the library.Varian gave a heartfelt thank you, and wished she had gotten to know the Matoran.With a wave of her hand, sand began to fill the hole and cover the bodies slowly.“Here,” Toreck said, passing her a Ruru. “You’ll need this to traverse the desert. It’s more efficient than a lightstone and less noticeable.”She took it and replaced it for her Mask of Fate. “Not that anyone is out here to watch us,” she replied.Toreck laughed a little. “Yeah, there isn’t really much here. But I guess to you, this place was home.”“What happened?” she asked suddenly, eyes stern and concern abundant. “You need to start telling me everything.”“I agree,” he replied, nodding. “Um… where to start? Well, let’s head out. Once we leave this Universe, things will get clearer.”“L-leave the Universe?” ***When she found herself outside the robot of Mata Nui, disbelief struck her.She was supposed to be prepared for it. Toreck had explained everything, starting from the Brotherhood rebellion which a lot of she had no idea about. He had explained Spherus Magna, Mata Nui’s purpose, the war between the Great Spirit and Teridax.Varian shaded her eyes with her hand, taking in the abundant plant life, the jungle that awaited them. She looked behind her, seeing the giant … which wasn’t the right word. Taking in the enormous metal shell they had walked out of and finding the sharp contrast between the two worlds. They continued their journey three days into the desert only to abruptly find life, and too much of it for her telepathic abilities to take. She reduced her elemental powers, lowering the mental radar she had activated.Walking through the jungle, she couldn’t help but be amazed at how large their Universe was. That after five hundred years, many parts of the robot hadn’t been used for supplies. That miles and miles of the complex universe remained untouched, rotting away. Karzahni, that it fit, barely took up any space on the planet of Spherus Magna at all!With the migration of Matoran, following Teridax’s fall, came a new dark age. The evil that had begun through the Matoran Universe spread to the same on Spherus Magna. Skakdi, Dark Hunters, the Brotherhood, Skrall … they all had a common enemy. Their enemy was still a new born, unsure of who to trust and how to function.In time, the Order of Mata Nui was reduced to nothing, and the Agori and Glatorian were forced to join into the society of the powers that be. Matoran and Toa were refugees, hidden and smuggled throughout the planet. With constant rebellions, power struggles, the Matoran race began to dwindle into a hand full and Toa, less than that. Years after when beings finally saw the corruption for what it was, and fought for a new peaceful world, Matoran had been long left alone.The lush bushes around them, dew dripping from the palm branches above their heads, looked too peaceful for a planet of war. But then again, there weren’t many to fight against one another any longer.The Toa had lost.Toreck had explained how a Great Toa, Tahu, had led an army against the most corrupt part of the new society. Toa had been being killed for over a hundred years since arrival, planned and assassinated by a new being who had appeared from nowhere it seemed, Marendar. The Toa had led a battle to kill this … machine, a final fight to the death.Varian still had a hard time believing that the Toa would sacrifice themselves in a fight they couldn’t win.“It wasn’t so much that the Toa wanted things the way they used to be,” Toreck explained while they walked. “Things were too far gone for that. Tahu put it best, and his words are in writing still, which we’ll see when we get home. He said that, “We all have a reason to live. We just need to find it ourselves. And though Spherus Magna has no place for us, I refuse to be treated so unjustly. If Spherus Magna won’t remove the evil of Marendar and the Kings who now rule with darkness over the planet, then we Toa should stand against it. Because that’s what Toa do, believe and put faith in what’s right, even to the point of surrendering our own lives.”Toreck stopped at the end of a steep cliff where the tree line ended and an open expanse was revealed to them. Varian looked out to the world and gasped at its sight. There were tall mountains that were covered by light fog and jungles, reaching far into the clouds. Rivers poured out from its cliffs and throughout the land. She saw giant bird Rahi, soaring above them in clear skies. It was nothing like she had ever seen before; the world fascinated and terrified her.Her Ta-Matoran companion didn’t even give it a second glance, and leaped off the slope, gliding down with his mask power. She stared at him, still slightly dumbfounded by the Matoran ability to use masks, and followed.Marendar was killed in Tahu’s final assault. They said that a Legendary Toa, one of no name, but with a destiny that was meant for no other, struck the final blow to the monster. The battle field was said to have been lit by a bright light, so intense that some said the stars in the sky now burned twice as brightly in admiration.However, from then after, no Toa had ever returned and none had ever been found again.That battle held great significance. Beings began to view Toa as a lost race, and held respect for them. The long disbanded members of the Order of Mata Nui, was reorganized with beings of all kinds. The few Matoran populations that were in hiding and slowly reducing in number were contacted and joined together by the New Order of Light. It was run by a former Dark Hunter known as Lariska. Her organization was sponsored from her old ties to the Shadowed One’s disbanded crime syndicate. Lariska and her people found the Matoran; smuggled supplies from their universe so that construction of new Matoran could be made. It was a rough process, and the calculations that were made by the Great Spirit no longer were placed into the formula. It resulted with new born Matoran having no connection with the old universe. Genders were random for every element type. Mental inhibitors were unlocked which allowed mask use. And destinies were no longer obtained.While the Matoran population grew, Toa were extinct. There wasn’t a source of Toa power left to be found.“That is, until she remembered you,” Toreck continued. Varian swiftly cut through a thick vine with her staff, allowing them to pass through the foliage.“Are we almost there?” Varian asked. She wasn’t sure how to ask, ‘Why am I so important?’ It sounded pompous. Though it was important she got an answer.“We’re almost there. We’re living inside a mountain based fortress. No one suspects that we’re so close to the body of the Great Spirit and no one has found us yet. Only a few of the Order members know where we are. But that’s all about to change.”“How?” she asked.“Lariska prophesied before her death, that it would take a Toa to lead the people back into civilization. She died about two hundred years ago, and at the time not all of Spherus Magna was ready for Matoran to reappear. Our existence is well known, now. They don’t know where we are, we have numerous hidden cities. But they do know we are still alive. Some don’t want us to return, as you could see by the Rahkshi. But many do want us around. That’s why I’ve been searching for you. I believe a Toa is the final piece that truly will bring the Matoran back to what we once were.”“You placed a lot of faith in me.”“Lariska believed in it. It’s taken time to find your location, and there have been so many pressing matters to attend to… but I was able to get a small team and approval for a search. Once you meet everyone, I’m sure it’ll be the final push we need for our return.”Toreck looked excited as he turned around.“And won’t it be amazing! Finally, being able to work with the people on the planet and not living in a cage! I’ve never been anywhere else but these mountains. I hear the cities are amazing now, skyscrapers that reach up into space! Transport vehicles that fly at the speed of light!”Varian smiled, thinking of how similar this world might be to Metru Nui. But inside, her thoughts started to plague her. Matoran were exiled now, shunned from society. Did Toreck really believe that a return of Toa would change everything? She hadn’t lived here long, and didn’t understand all of what was going on… but things were rarely so simple.And being the last Toa… Was that a sign from Mata Nui? What if that meant, they shouldn’t return or that they were unneeded now? If the entire world seemed at peace, but only Matoran weren’t fitting into the mold, should they force themselves into it?She didn’t have an answer. And not only that, there was too much responsibility on her shoulders. Varian was the last of her kind. How could she protect them all or lead them, if she had no idea who they truly were or what they had gone through? What encouragement could she give?She couldn’t.“Would I make a good Toa, Varian?” Toreck suddenly asked, stopping. Dirt picked up from under his feet and the sun lit down on his body, slightly covered by the shade of the lush trees above. “They say only Toa can choose the next Toa. Do you think I can be one? Maybe someday?”Varian smiled, she could answer this one easy.“Well, let take a look at you,” she walked around him, studying his body, though that didn’t mean anything. “You have the right posture … I know you’re loyal, a friend. I think you can be, one day. You have the potential.”Toreck laughed, beside himself. “Don’t tease me now, you give me the chance and I’ll take being a Toa in a heartflash.”“It’ll probably have to happen,” Varian replied, a little more seriously. “We’ll need more Toa around to unsure they don’t disappear again.” Toreck nodded at that. “But it’s not the greatest thing, to be one of the last…”The Ta-Matoran looked her square in the eye, no longer cheerful.“Varian, you aren’t one of the last. You’re the…”And then with a sudden snap-hiss a projectile soared in their direction. Varian immediately leaped forward and shoved Toreck to the ground. The small green sphere hit a near tree, exploding an acid substance across it which burned through the wood in seconds. The tree sizzled and started to crack before tumbling down. Leaves and branches fell around them as Varian covered herself and Toreck in a telekinetic shield.Slowly picking herself up, Varian focused her eyes toward the direction of the projectile, finding a tall brutish and black Skakdi standing before them in plain sight. His grin was full of malice and tinted with insanity, as most Skakdi were portrayed. He reloaded the Zamor Launcher and with a smile aimed it to her chest. His head gear was distinctly unique but Varian felt like there was a hint of familiarity to it.“I haven’t seen a Toa in a long time,” the Skakdi stated, a look of excitement in his eyes. “And I honestly didn’t believe the rumors. Who knew we had missed one?”“He sent the Rakhshi after us,” Toreck whispered to her. “It makes sense, considering he knew you were out here.”Varian nodded. She had dealt with this type of monster before. Skakdi had a greater mindset and harshness to them than most villains. But they all had weaknesses with a personality like animals.“So you were around during my time?” Varian called out.The Skakdi’s grin deepened.“Oh, I was there. You remember it all, right? The constant wars, struggles, all that death; I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”“Again?” Varian asked, raising her staff to the level his gun.“That Toa don’t return, of course. They were the cause of all of all our troubles.”She hesitated, just as he charged forward, firing a shot from his Zamor launcher. Varian acted on instinct, reaching out with her powers and redirecting the sphere back at the Skakdi. But he was already on the move to the right, firing a laser beam from his eyes. Varian shouted in surprise and felt the beam cut into her left arm.Varian grasped her arm which throbbed in pain, the metal of her armor having melted against her flesh. Quickly she gave a sharp look to Toreck and sent him a message.‘I need you to get going. I’ll catch up with you, and take your pack. We’ll need it for later.’Toreck looked conflicted, as if unwilling to leave her.She fired a blast of telekinesis at him, shoving him to near foliage. Scrambling upward, he ran into the jungle.Varian smiled and then turned to the Skakdi with a frown. She concentrated fully, confident that Toreck was gone. Suddenly there were four of her on the battle field, all with a healed arm and staff’s raised.The black Skakdi snarled.“You think I’m wrong, do you?” he asked, as he stepped right into the center of Toa illusions. “Well, I can’t be wrong. You see this mask on my face?” he directed a sharp talon like finger toward his headgear. “Years ago, a Skakdi had found a way to fuse masks to our faces. We implemented the same idea. I wear the Mask of Truth.”All the Toa suddenly showed surprise in their eyes.“You’ve been asleep for too long!” He thundered in a confident voice as he lashed out to the right, grabbing the real Varian by the throat. “And your people are long dead. Did you know that’s what we discovered? Not the dead part, but the peacefulness?”The Toa struggled against her bounds, losing air as his grip tightened and he lifted her up from the ground, feet dangling.“Years and years after the absence of Toa, things started to get better. There was no one to fight against, no one to rebel against our rulers. Everyone just obeyed, and you know what? Now, there are no struggles. We make it work.”With a swift toss, the Toa was thrown to the ground with force. Varian cried out as she gasped for air.“Why would I lie? It’s not in me.” That grin, that grin he had on his face, filled Varian with discontentment. She tried to push herself up from the soft grass and dirt. It was too beautiful of a day for violence.It’s not true. I know it’s not true. She reasoned with herself.But was it? Toa had been a part of every battle in her day. There weren’t fights they could stop, only ones they could end. If the people were truly happy, why should she interfere?Mata Nui, you aren’t around anymore are you? She asked the heavens, though she had recently learned that he wasn’t up there somewhere, just living behind a curtain. She had never asked Toreck what had happened to the Great Spirit. Was that something you understood, that Toa weren’t needed anymore? That there shouldn’t be protectors, because there’s no need to protect?Unable to push herself up with her bad arm, she huffed in agitation as she blasted the ground with a telekinetic force, launching herself in the air. She back flipped and landed on a high branch reaching out for another to stable herself. Breathing quickly, she leaped from one tree to the next. A beam of energy shot from under her, cleaving the large branch in two.“Agh!” she shouted, leaping upward to the next tree, missing the laser.It started to follow her, and she leapt down into multiple palms which covered her for a moment. She hit the ground, rolled, and moved behind a large tree which reached upward in a vine like shape, erratic. She took a deep breath, trying to get a mental lock on the Skakdi’s location, while figuring out a course of action. As long as the Skakdi had that mask on, all of her mental illusions wouldn’t work. And Skakdi won’t go down with simple energy blasts. She needed something powerful.A vision of alarm struck her mind, and she instantly dropped to the ground as a laser cut horizontally through the tree’s trunk. She didn’t hesitate this time. Activating her mask of Fate, she leaped high into the air spinning around with her staff in hand. She landed far behind the Skakdi and rushed forward, attempting a strike on the right side. He had armored spikes along his arms and caught the staff’s bladed edge with them, grinning. He pushed forward and kept pushing, driving Varian back with his strength until she pushed him back with a mental blast.He shook his head at the attack, the effects weakened by his Mask’s power. Varian backed up into another tree.“You keep fighting, but you have nothing to live for. Do you see my point?”Varian hesitated, but not at his words. Of others, spoken long ago.“We all have a reason to live. We just need to find it ourselves… I refuse to be treated so unjustly … we should stand against it… putting faith in what’s right, even surrendering our own lives for it.”Norik had been there, listening, when Tahu had said those words. He had placed his trust in the Toa, and agreed with it.“You’re scared of us,” she answered back. The Skakdi didn’t say anything, but narrowed his eyes slightly. “Terrified, that if the Toa ever return, we’ll start the fighting again.” Varian took a step forward, staring the mask of truth square in the eyes.“But we fought and struggled because of the evil we lived in. No one would make the change, and so we would be the ones to take the first steps. And you’re afraid that once the Toa return, that’ll we’ll start speaking for the ones who can’t.” Her voice grew in confidence and assurance as she spoke. “That I’ll come into your Empire, look at your messy and dirt ridden hands right before all your people and say…”She paused, before giving a small smirk.“’Clean them.’ ”The grin turned into a frown, a deep one that was filled with hatred at the one before him.“It’s why you don’t want me back, right?” Varian grinned, finally, starting to feel like her old self. “Come on, you have the mask of truth. What’s the point of pretending to lie to you?”He lunged forward in fury, firing another laser in her direction. This time Varian jumped to the left and hurled her staff at the Skakdi, slipping right passed the beam. Repulsing it with a wave of kinetic energy, the blade cut against her enemy’s mask leaving a large mark.Varian suddenly tripped in surprise and just before hitting the ground, the Skakdi caught her. He lifted her up under the arms and slammed her into a thick tree, his arms outstretched.“You’ll die and rot in death forever! Just like all the ones before you…” he seemed conflicted, as though he wasn’t sure of his own reasoning. And the Toa’s smile just made it all the worse. There was something she knew and wasn’t pretending to hide… what was it!?“Mata Nui says it’s time to return. I’m already here, you failed to stop my awakening and my power is going to spread.” Her grin just grew. “You’ll see. It’s all started, and it’ll start with that Matoran you let loose.”He ignored all of it. “You’re nothing! Just an ancient piece of metal that’s been unburied from a tomb. You hear me Toa!” His eyes started to glow, dangerously. They aimed for her mask. “You’re just a memory. A defender of the dead. The last guardian!”“No…” And the Toa closed her eyes, her voice dropping like she was ready to sleep. “I’m the first of many.”And then a light flickered around her form, and her body vanished from the grasp of the Skakdi, leaving that smile of hers implanted on his mind to haunt him for a while.He looked around, searching… searching… it wasn’t possible. How did she…The Skakdi reached up and felt the mark on his mask. It was cut… and that would dampen its power. Maybe even cause it to dysfunction entirely. Was that true for fused masks?When he finally realized he didn’t know the answer, he received it. His mask was broken. He had been fighting an illusion since the strike.Despite it all, the Skakdi smiled. That little spawn of Mata Nui had done it, she’d come back from the dead. The Toa were on their way.It was all starting now, the beginning of their end. The people were going to see things differently, and would have to choose all over again. Resistance to their way of things, just what the Makuta had tried to stop for so long.He could try to catch up with her… but somehow he realized this was a rockslide he couldn’t stop right now. The mountain was too large for just one person.***Toreck sat at the entrance of BZ-Koro, waiting. The one of many fortresses had been his home for as long as he could remember. Out of them all, it was the most prominent and important. It held the largest remnant of lost Matoran. He stared out over the long expanse in silence. He just took in the world. All the promises it seemed to make and the future it could have, but just hadn’t arrived yet.He shouldn’t have left her.Even after finding what he assumed was a Toa Stone in his pack, and making his way through the jungle until he reached one of the many passages in the mountain side, he had had no urgency to walk through the opening and meet his people.What was he supposed to say? That his friends were murdered on his quest? That he found their hope, and let her die out there? That he came back with a source of her power, and they could all start from that?That last one was technically true. But … Toreck wasn’t feeling grateful for it. He felt cheated.He had relied so heavily on a dream, and it had been torn to pieces. Varian was dead, and he couldn’t show the last generation that they were strong too. But he supposed that was the problem. He never believed Matoran alone they were good enough, without a Toa around. He needed something to prove it, he needed Varian.And even after this Toa Power was used, it wouldn’t be the same. He’d feel like a Matoran in a Toa’s body.He thought about how much importance Varian had found in him, that even though he was just a Matoran, that he existed too. Why couldn’t he lead his people into the world? Why did they have to have a Toa? She seemed to think they could have done it themselves.Was he that afraid to stand up and say, “No, this is wrong.”?Those last words that Moru was going to say, he’d never hear them. But he could guess, and it was what Varian showed him. She fought for their freedom. He had too as well.Standing he made his way into the cave. All the while he silently gathered the courage he didn’t completely feel, to face the others and tell them the truth. For Varian, Retra and Moru. For himself.“And you’re going to tell them all that, alone?”Toreck stopped. He couldn’t move at first, disbelief overcoming any hope he had.But his relief and excitement overcame that disbelief.He turned. He saw her at a distance, walking out the jungle. She was injured, but he could tell she was happy.“I - I can do it,” he called back. “You can come along if you’d like, but I … I don’t need you.”“I know,” she replied. Her smile remained, and her eyes were filled with pride in her friend.“You don’t have to join us. But, I,” he paused, not letting his determination slip. “Regardless, I do want you to be there.”They stared at each other for a long a moment, both unsure of what was going to happen next. What events would occur in their future? Could they repair what they had lost in this world and how long would it take?In the end, as Varian started to step toward him, Toreck decided he didn’t care.They would start to rebuild their pieces, regardless if they could only for a thousand years or a hundred, or even just a day. For now, at the very least for right now, the Toa had returned. His friend was here to watch him.Varian had come home._____This is my longest short story to date. I do hope you enjoyed it, but I feel like the story lasted for a little too long and the ending was rushed. =/ My idea was that BZ-Koro, or the Matoran population represented what we are since Bionicle ended. Likewise, Toa Varian making her reappearance represented having it return. Hopefully this fits within the borders of the contest rules and I had a blast writing it! =DFor all those who don't make it through this story, I understand. For all those who did, wow you guy are great. Please leave any comments you'd like below!
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Meet Nukovac, the Toa of Earth in the Toa team Alpha. He bears the Kanohi Ruru, wields a mace, and can control most forms of earth. ^Click for LARGER picture!^ NOTE: He has appeared in my epic: The Adventures of Sandstorm! EDIT: After I am done with Part 1 of my Epic, I will make a short story of him!
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Redeemed and transformed. ^ CLICK FOR GALLERY ^ Yes, I know that this doesn't make sense canonically. But it doesn't need to. :PThe arms aren't that great, but I was aiming for flexibility rather than bulkiness. The knees, ankles, and elbows have sand blue sockets, not grey. ;)Feedback is appreciated. Make sure to check out Agnavar and Karda! More MOCs coming soon.
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Coming in at 794 words, my second entry (here's my first) to this contest actually made it under 800 for once! For some reason, I felt that I could write something else for this contest, and I've been wanting to write a short story with a reason to be Steampunkish for Bionicle. I think I might use this same island in a Lesovikk's Hiatus entry (which you should also enter because it's no fun being in a contest with five entries so far). So, I'll just let you read now. Please leave reviews though! If you do, I'll review yours! New Beginnings By: Click We've been here a long time. I remember when our little island home far South of anything had been safe, protected by at least a Toa of the Green, that is, until he took off. Botharix said he was going to the North of the island to check for perimeter leaks that Rahi got through into our village, but when he failed to reappear for the next week, we went to check on him. Turns out the coward had taken an old rowboat and split. Not that we blame him. We're not exactly living in paradise here. You see, our island has a particular problem. When the first settlers came here with a steady flow of supplies from the Southern Continent, we had no idea we just walked into a Makuta playground. Half of our number was quickly killed by Rahi unlike anything we had ever seen. Our Turaga was killed by some kind of giant burrowing snake-like creature lined with tiny sharp legs and lots of needle-like teeth. Then, our last Toa gave his energies to create a new line of protectors, but even those were killed off (except for the aforementioned Botharix) by everything from a stout, round creature covered in fur-like metal spikes to tiny creatures the size of a Madu Fruit that are just as explosive. Those of us that are left could only watch behind our wall as our supplies dwindled away with our numbers. Without those supplies, and with the constant sieges by creatures I can't even describe, many of us were forced to use the island's bountiful supply of protobrass and other materials to build ourselves defense machines, appliances, and the occasional replacement limb. Our woefully inadequate knowledge of building left us starting from the beginning, clockwork. None of this fancy electronic stuff that many of our luckier brethren got to live with. And that would be the lovely situation I woke up to this morning, with my mechanical hand whirring and pumping as I sat up and gazed around. From the smell, I could tell some of the large fire-breathing Brakas had found another way in, as well as some food to feed their internal furnaces. Rations would be cut short again I guess. There goes my dream of having some nice Bula Berry juice for breakfast. With this in mind, I began my usual chores for the day: clean up last night's mess, make my threadbare bed, shoo away the acid-coated avian Rahi, sweep up ashes in the backyard, the usual stuff. The storm last night definitely made my job a lot harder, but the rain was refreshing. I gathered up my downfall collection bucket and began to filter it. It was about that time that I suddenly looked up to hear shouting. Not that shouting was unusual in this Karzahni, but this almost sounded...joyful. Something I hadn't heard in a long time. I nearly dropped the precious water in my haste to see what was in Mata Nui's name was going on. I was followed by about half the village, including our Turaga, limping on his clockwork peg-leg and cane. A Matoran of Air was shouting and pointing, something about the beach. As I got closer, I could tell he was saying something about a Canister. Could it be Botharix coming back to us? Or some new threat? Either way, a stir swept through the crowd in a wave of optimistic whispers. As one, everyone pushed forwards to see for themselves something that would inevitably change everything about how we lived on this island. I ran forwards after the Matoran to avoid being trampled, and we soon came across a large metal cylinder with rounded ends laying in the surf. Yellow lights on its extremities pulsed slowly on and off. A good portion of the crowd took off to do their best to open it like a Naming Day present with knocks, rocking, and yanking on what they judged was the lip of the top. Our Turaga slowly limped forwards, and the crowd respectfully divided for him. He rapped his cane on the nearest light, and the lid twisted open with a hiss of steam. We all peered in over each other's shoulders and heads to see two orange eyes peering out of the blackness. They came closer, and the early light shined off a silver Mask of Rahi Control and blue armor. The Toa of Water stretched outwards, and we all stepped back, many fearful of the same betrayal exhibited by Botharix, but all of us in awe of the new Toa. "Who...who are you?" asked the Toa tentatively. I think that all of us could feel her honesty. This was the start of something new. A new life for all of us. ----- Hope you enjoyed, please review if you did! I'd gladly take the time to review yours if you even just leave a quick comment. Thanks!
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Well, I decided it's about time I post him so I did. He's definetly cool. He's even got a "cross"bow. Why "cross" you'll soon find out. (Pictures) http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_1.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_2.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_3.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_4.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_5.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_6.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_7.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_8.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_9.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_10.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_11.png http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/pic_12.png (LDD File) http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SKAKDI/LEGO/BIONICLE/BIONICLEMOCS/Letsu/toa_letsu.lxf (Gallery (It's public)) http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=523257 Enjoy!
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Ignika - life. From a simple mask, it became a number of forms upon the journey to save the Great Spirit. Matoran(the one that appeared to Matoro) Front http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/matoranlife.jpg Side http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/matoranlife2.jpg Back http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/matoranlife3.jpg Toa Front http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/toalife1.jpg Side http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/toalife4.jpg Back http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/toalife3.jpg Spear-readied http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/toalife2.jpg Mata Nui (Bara Magna form) Front http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/MataNui/toamatanui.jpg Side http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/MataNui/toamatanui2.jpg Back http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/MataNui/toamatanui3.jpg Riding http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/MataNui/toamatanui4.jpg Head-on http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLife/MataNui/toamatanui5.jpg Honestly, I'll be the first to admit that the Toa form is pretty gnarly from the chest-down. I was running pretty low on spare parts to work with by the time I built him - the Matoran and Mata Nui-renditions had been done for a good while by that point - but I still wanted to get it done. I tried to show a progression through the forms here, where certain aspects were added-upon as the Mask carried on - this is mostly in the spear, the hips and legs, and the shoulders. Thanks for viewing.
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A thousand specks of green light moved all across the screen, each representing a Matoran occupying themselves somewhere in the City of Legends. It watched all of these specks with interest, sending rapid commands to the Vahki forces all across the city. Short and curt orders were issued such as "pacify" or "neutralize" and still it watched the specks--some being pursued by other specks, these marked in red. Vahki. It paused a moment, allowing itself the respite of running only a few thousand processes. It hadn't felt this way in such a long time--it 'remembered' the formation of the Vahki. Remembered when Turaga Dume had first drafted the designs for his mechanical enforcers, and remembered the groups of Matoran who dismissed the idea entirely. "This is hardly feasible, Turaga" snorted one Onu Metru engineer. "Without a central controlling processor this plan is the stuff of dreams!" It remembered the Turaga's expression that day. Not anger or even disappointment, simply a deep, thoughtful consideration, tinged with sadness. It remembered how his aged voice cracked when he spoke next. "Our city is being overrun with crime…with disease…with violence," he said slowly. "And the Toa are too busy fighting off every creature in the surrounding area to even be bothered to care!" he shouted, his aged eyes flaring with anger. "Let me ask you, all of you," he said, flinging his arms wide to indicate the entire room, "what use is saving a city when its people are already lost?" A persistent beeping brought it out of its reverie. A new colour had appeared on the screen, this one marked in the vibrant blue of a Toa. It felt something like anger welling up in it, and before could consciously send the command, hundreds of Vahki were woken from storage and sent to deal with the interloper to its city--to the Turaga's city. It--the Matoran once known as Velun--paused a moment, studying the screen carefully inside its cocoon of technology. It remembered the damage done to it by the rogue Toa; remembered the searing agony as half its body was sheared brutally in half. Remembered the looks of shock and anguish on the faces of its compatriots, remembered the face of the Turaga. It hadn't taken much work to create: a safe point inside the coliseum where the station could be set up, and some minor 'modifications'. Granted, it hardly resembled a Matoran anymore. It hardly felt like a Matoran anymore, either. Velun was a thing of the past--and the Vahki? The Vahki were the future, its future. It and the Vahki were two sides of the same coin. As if to confirm its thoughts, a second blue dot appeared to help the first escape from the torrential wave of red that swarmed it. With a single thought, more Vahki were dispatched to take care of it. One directive carried those machines to their destination: "We are the Vahki. Surrender or Run."
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So I was sifting around in my huge collection of Blender files a bit ago and I came across this cool low poly Toa Mata template I made for a game a while ago. I started playing around with it and giving it weapons, textures, etc. Eventually I started posing it. I made quite a few, but I think this is probably the coolest so far. He's a Toa of Gravity named Thurosa. Hope you like him! Link: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ANp6cqbDhYk/USqusAhnWEI/AAAAAAAAAOM/VCnAGU-iNY4/s1298/Toa+Thurosa.png Thanks! -Toa of Awesome
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The Voyager. Not sure if anybody will read it, nor do I expect much feedback, but I enjoyed writing this and wanted to share it. To those who read it, I hope you enjoy. ---- The Ta-Matoran dove to the floor, against the howls and screams of the raging storm above. Again, the boat lurched drunkenly as the currents tossed it around like a ragdoll. As he slid this way and that on the water-soaked deck, the Ta-Matoran’s hand found a loose line of rope, which he clutched desperately with slippery, blistered palms. The lightning crackled again and with it came the ear-splitting thunder. The Matoran screamed again, though the angry storm covered his terror with its own thunderous melodies. Suddenly, he heard a horrible hissing noise and he screamed even louder. Though his heart and mind told him not to, his instincts forced him to turn to confront his attacker. What he saw was something that would haunt him until the day he died. Staring back at him was a pure monstrosity, a blend of a thousand different nightmares. The skin was scaly and alien, its body, though disproportionate, was muscular and strong, and its beak-like mouth housed thousands of sharp, jagged teeth. The moonlight made the colours of its body seem oily, as if they were melting into each other. But worst of all, within its crimson-red eyes lay hate. Pure and unrestrained hatred. This thing had a name too. It was called a Zyglak,a species so terrible and hideous that its creators had dismissed them as failures and accidents. They were the embodiment of rejection and bitterness. And they made their plight known. “Sssssssleep,” it whispered eerily as its clawed hand came in to cover the Matoran’s mouth. The sailor whimpered in fear. “Sssssleeeep,” it repeated. Suddenly, as the lightning crackled furiously once again, [[sonitous|a figure]] charged at the Zyglak, battering it aside with a [[Echo Shield|mighty shield]] that forced the monster off the sailor. The two opponents made no contact as they pushed against each other's weight. The Matoran scurried and hid behind one of the nearby cargo crates, looking on as he watched the figure and the monster circle each other menacingly. The one who had saved him was a symbol of safety and protection. Warriors like him were legends of night time myth and song, legends that were very much needed in the unending darkness of today’s world. He was a Toa. The Matoran did not know him by name; the crew had simply nicknamed him ‘''The Voyager'',’ but he remembered when he had joined him. Several days ago, the captain of this ship, a veteran Ga-Matoran, had convinced him to join her crew. They were to take a shipment of goods from their island and trade them with a small village on the eastern coastline of the Southern Continent. There had been eight crew members at the beginning of the journey. Emphasis on the ‘''had''.’ The Toa had turned up shortly before they left the island and had agreed to protect their ship in exchange for safe passage to their destination. The captain had accepted without a shadow of a doubt. She was now dead. The Toa slammed his hands together and a wall of sound, one that could not be seen but heard, went flying towards the Zyglak. If the wall was meant to have any effect on its target, it certainly wasn't visually spectacular. The Zyglak's resistance of the elements was impressive. The monster then lunged forward, screaming as it swiped it claws savagely at the Toa. He responded by raising his great shield, using it to keep the monster and his claws at bay before battering it away in one move. The Zyglak snarled again and began to back off. The Toa attempted to charge at it, but as he started moving the boat lurched violently, making him stumble to the ground. Using this to its advantage, the Zyglak pounced onto the Toa, batting his shield away and gnashing its teeth nastily as it came in closer and closer. Desperate, the Toa broke his arm free and punched the Zyglak in the face. As the fight continued, with the sea and the storm as the spectator, the Matoran tried to remember how this had all happened. From what he could recall, the Zyglak had climbed out of the water at the beginning of the storm, slithering aboard like a Doom Viper. From there, it had proceeded to hunt down each individual crew member one by one until only he was left. The Toa was swiftly alerted, though the Zyglak was too quick and had knocked him out before he could stop it. It was meant to be a killing blow. The Toa dealt another fist to the Zyglak’s face, then another then another. On the fourth hit, the voyager hissed through clenched teeth. His fists weren't used to such rough work and he was definitely no Toa of Iron. Seeing its adversary’s momentary distraction, the Zyglak scrambled forward and raked the Toa across the face, who screamed in agony. Despite the dark, the moonlight clearly illuminated three deep scratches on the Toa’s left cheek. The Zyglak didn't stop there, however. Grabbing him from both sides, the Zyglak wrestled the Toa down onto the port side of the ship and began rip into him without hesitation, slashing at him with its monstrous claws. The attack was a vicious as it was inelegant. The creature itself was an oddity for its kind; each clawed attack against the Toa or the crew on the ship had been harmless. Everyone knew the legends of the Zyglak's disease, which could eat at the tissue within their victim's bodies just through physical contact. It was very strange that this one didn't have the right touch. Perhaps he was some form of degenerate, or perhaps the Toa was just a figure so righteous and benign that the plague simply could not affect such a goodly being. The Ta-Matoran froze, as if some supernatural force had locked his body in place. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to help. This was a fight between a Toa and a Zyglak. How a Matoran could stand a fighting chance was anyone’s guess. He just didn't know how he could be of aid. He had no helpful skills, no combat training and he didn't exactly have a history of luck being on his side. He was utterly useless. Suddenly, something glimmered in the dark, something that inspired a small but viable amount of hope. Lying in front of him, between him and the beaten Toa, was a glistening shield. In an instant, the Matoran knew what he had to do. Though he felt too scared to do it, the Ta-Matoran forced that fear down and made a run for it, trying his best to ignore the strength of the wind and the rain. Between the pain and the slashing, the Toa looked over and saw what the Matoran was doing, and as a sign of acknowledgement, subtly outstretched his arm. His eyes were urgent. Though the sea continued to toss the ship about, the Matoran's courage remained true and he staggered over to the Toa’s shield. Placing both hands on it, the Matoran pushed the weapon towards its owner, allowing it skid across the wooden deck and into his open palm as the port side of boat swayed downwards. When his weapon of trade slipped into his hands, the Toa called upon all his remaining strength and began batter the Zyglak off of him. Once, twice, thrice... Though the aggressor was trying its best to cling on, another violent swerve of the boat dislodged it and a fourth hit from the Toa’s shield toppled the creature off completely. The Zyglak wailed as it fell overboard, crashing down into the churning waters below as the waves claimed it for good. The storm covered its screams. ---- The Matoran didn’t sleep. How could he after all he had seen last night? He had huddled himself up at the front of the boat, curling up into a ball as he tried to banish the horrible memories of the night from his mind. When he finally moved again, he had found it was the middle of the morning. The water was calm and still, the hum of Razor Whales could be heard in the distance and there was nothing but clear blue sky for as far as the eye could see. Despite the tranquility, the Matoran of Fire did not accept it. And he knew he never would ever again. Many of the sailors on this voyage had been his friends, his brothers and sisters in arms. And by morning, they were all lying dead on the deck. The Toa had recovered all their mangled bodies, and as a sign of respect, he had cast them into the ocean. But the sea had not claimed their lives. Their fates were far worse. It was the monsters that had stolen their lives, the monsters of the cold and the dark. For all eternity, his friends would lie in watery graves. They deserved better. The Matoran looked up at the Toa, who had positioned himself in the center of the ship, next to the steering instrument. Despite his injuries, he had been commandeering the vessel since the incident with the Zyglak, and though the boat had been left an absolute wreck, he had somehow managed to navigate it through the worst of the storm. The Matoran wasn’t sure what was on his mind. He had promised to defend a crew of eight and seven of them were now victims. He had given them his word and he had failed them. But there had been at least been one small victory that night. One life had been saved. The Toa himself seemed calm, collected and in control. By contrast, the Matoran survivor was already beginning to feel the guilt of being the only one left. The Toa shot him a look. It didn’t feel pitying nor did it feel unwelcoming. Rather, it was a look that conveyed a sense of understanding, an unspoken phrase that said he could comprehend what he was going through, as if all his emotions could be condensed into a single utterance. It was compassionate. The Matoran looked at the three scratches on his mask. They would fade in time, but for now, they were deep and pronounced. But if one dared to think about it, perhaps those scratches told the Zyglak’s secrets. The Ta-Matoran had heard many stories about them and had heard many grisly tales of their abilities. Zyglak prided themselves on their ability to spread a contact-based virus that could eat through a Matoran’s organic flesh. They were plague carriers, no better than overgrown vermin. But this one seemed to lack that power. Each time it had struck at the Toa with its claws, nothing had happened to him. Each time they made contact, the Toa would still be standing. Perhaps this Zyglak was an outcast, even amongst its own people. Perhaps they viewed it as an inferior for his defection and had exiled it. After all, Zyglak usually did attack in numbers. Why would only one dare to board alone? Suddenly, the boat came to a stop. Was there a leak? Were they sinking? The Matoran looked over the side to see they had hit shallow water. They must’ve reached the continent now. He slowly brought his eyes up to see what lay in front of him and almost smiled. They had docked on a beautiful golden beach, which lay in front of a dense tropical forest. He knew this area well. They were not far from the village the crew had meant to be trading with. The Ta-Matoran turned back to look at the remnants of the vessel. Less than half of the cargo had survived the journey and he wasn’t even sure if their contents were intact. Plus, this vessel was not even remotely seaworthy; it was a miracle that the ship had not sunk yet. However, he knew the villagers around here and he knew they would be willing to help him out. They’d offer him a new ship and possibly a new crew for the return trip, if he ever dared to take the risk. The Toa jumped over the starboard side of the boat and into the water, trudging his way towards the beach as he returned to his own particular journey. He had already rummaged through the boat to find anything valuable and had placed all his findings on the main deck. He had done his part and it would be better if they both parted ways. Before he arrived on the coast, he turned back one last time and looked at the Ta-Matoran. He didn’t say anything. Were words needed to summarize what had happened during the night? The answer to that question was ‘no’ it seemed, and instead, the Toa simply nodded to him. It was a respectful gesture and one that wished the Matoran good luck. Then he turned and resumed his own journey. The Ta-Matoran hadn’t asked for his name, but he supposed that didn’t really matter. He was the sort of individual who could not easily be categorized. Toa were often described as many things at once. They weren’t always the heroes who beat the bad guys at the end of the day. This Toa was a variety of things: a hitchhiker, a warrior, a savior, and a protector. And like many before him, he defied the idolized and stereotyped image of what a great Toa should be. It would shatter any Matoran’s faith to see them so vulnerable, but at least these types of Toa were honest at heart. They didn’t hide behind bluster and bravado, they didn’t rise to meet the status quo and they didn’t try to become larger-than-life figures. And in a world as dangerous as this one, perhaps that was the kind of hero that one really needed.
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Hello. I'm the Great Matragon, long time Bionicle fan and forum lurker. Well, this has a little bit of history behind it. You see, not only am I a Bionicle and Lego fan, I'm also a Transformer Fan. I even have a Transformers-based Webcomic, called Transformers Nexus. But you may not be interested in such facts, so allow me to explain further. You see, some issues of my comic don't focus on the Transformers at all. Rather, they focus on other characters in their crazy little universe. And, for anybody who wants to know why I bring this up, that includes the Toa Mata, whom you may recognize from the first known Bionicle Saga, and are widely considered fan favorites. However, having biomechanical beings that look more like robots then anything else can be a little confusing for both the crowds that walk the streets and those readers not 100% familiar with the franchise. So, to compensate, I gave these Toa a little trick other then masks that do stuff and elemental manipulation. That trick is the ability to assume human shapes so they can fit in better with the crowds. Like Kamen Rider... in reverse, or something. Anyway, enough about that, here're the bios for these amazing redesigns (Matter of Opinion.)
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This is a story I wrote like---three years ago for NaNoWriMo. I figure I should finally post it. Enjoy or something.-JanusChapter One: The ForgeSteam billowed out from the many forges that dotted the island city, nearly obscuring the twin suns from the inhabitants' view. For their part, busy Matoran filled narrow streets and stoked blazing furnaces, each of them either selling their wares or desperately crafting more to trade off. The smell of oil and fire and the sharp sound of metal on metal filled the great city, becoming a nearly overwhelming cacophony of sight, sound, and smell all in one. It was a workman’s utopia, a haven for weapon smiths, and the home of the best armor in the world. And yet, amidst all this commotion there was a simple and efficient structure that belied the rather crude displays.The city itself was structured in three concentric rings, each ring with its own barrier wall, and each wall slowly moving inwards towards the central great forge. The rings were what separated the quality of the goods for sale; while most visitors to the city stayed within the outermost rings, those who were truly connoisseurs could be found next to the central forge, where only the finest of wares were found. The weapons and armor crafted there were forged by only the most skilled of smiths - "Toa Grade", as they liked to say.It was one of the six great cities of the great spirit Mata Nui. The city of the Forge: Tapa-Nui. It was from here that flowed the finest craftswork—not simply weapons, but elegant shields, armor, and even small trinkets made from molten slag peddled by street vendors.It was a hectic, grimy, mad dash city that was beloved by its citizens and loathed by its visitors. It was and always had been, my home.Or that’s what it was supposed to be.Instead my city lay open like a gaping wound, the streets devoid of any sign of Matoran—gone were the bustling crowds, gone was the smell of grime and heat, gone was the sounds of metal singing as it was forged anew. Now the city lay desecrated,still, and silent.I walked through the entrance gate, hardly believing what I was seeing, my mind still reeling in shock. Laying my spear beside me I crouched down upon the twisted cobblestones of one of the empty streets. Gently tracing a finger over them I felt an intense heat emanate from the stone—not a residue of the heat of the forges. No, this was something greater. Even the ceramic covering of the stone had melted away slightly.All around me I saw the signs of devastation, as my walkabout took me through the twisted paths of my once-home. All the while, thoughts whirled noisily in my mind: Had a forge malfunctioned? Had there been an attack? And most importantly of all,was anyone still alive?I continued my walk down those dead, empty streets, wandering down darkened corridors and through the shattered remnants of homes where my people once lived. It soon became apparent that an immense heat had washed across the entire city, blackening stone and turning metal into slag. The city of crafters was now nothing more than scorched earth.Still I continued to wander, hardly knowing where I was going, and yet somehow dreading what I would find.I finally came upon it, the sight that I had hoped to never see: The great forge of the city had become nothing more than a warped metal basin. Its covering was stripped from it by the blast leaving it a gaping pit. The many cranes that once dotted the workstations hung above like skeletal arms, their metal fused and twisted.And still some spark of hope yet burned in my chest. Standing proudly amidst the ruined cityscape was a tall spiraling tower. Though located close to the forge, it had not shattered—the Tower of Toa still stood and surely inside I would find my brothers.Gingerly stepping around the great chasm of the ruined forge I walked towards my home. The tower in which I lived, trained, and watched over the Matoran from. Once I was reunited with my brothers we would find the scourge that had attacked our city—and it would pay.I was almost upon the entrance of the tower when I saw it, the light of the fading sun just happening to glance across its once pristine surface. It was a mask, a jade green Kakama to be exact, or at least that was the colour it was meant to be. Heat had stripped the once brilliant colours from its form, leaving it a dull brown. A single great crack ran through the mask, splitting from the eye. I knew then that my brothers were dead.A cry like no other erupted from me, burning my throat as I screamed. My eyes flamed as I whirled around, desperately hoping that some of the invaders yet remained, praying that one of them would attack me, wishing that I could cause them one tenth of the pain they had caused me…but none came, and I was left alone in my sorrow.It was with this discovery that I truly realized my city was dead, and I was its sole keeper—the last in the once proud lineage of Tapa-Nui. With a heavy sigh I began my work, shifting heat scorched stone out of the way and slowly making my way to the tower.I found them all, my compatriots, they had clearly put up a valiant fight but were overcome. I took each in their own turn. Descending the staircase with one and then ascending again for another. With a grim finality I laid them down in front of our once-home. Clothing them in shattered masks and fractured weapons I laid them side by side.Unity, Duty, Destiny. The three virtues that we lived by, lifting my spear high above my head I let flow my element. Fire, like the fire that had so ravaged my land. It pierced the already weakened stone and allowed me to carve the symbol of those three virtues. It now stood as a monument to my land and my people, emblazoned forever in the stone of the tower. It was under the this symbol that I laboured, gathering any undamaged material from the various homes and workplaces. These I placed in the shattered gulf of the great forge. Letting them fall into the ruined pit. When I had enough material I went to the bodies of each of my fellows, showing them the honor and respect they were owed I lifted each in turn, walking slowly and surely down into the pit of the forge.Around the lip of forge I placed their weapons and masks, a marker for anyone who came to this dead place. I took one last look at the eyes of my brothers, now cold and grey, the spark of life having long since passed. Then I left to search through the city, following the winding snaking paths to different juncture points. It was here where the coolant tubes were located, here where the underground tunnels that connected the many forges of Tapa-Nui intersected. Here where my next task was.I knelt on the rough slag of what was once stone, my armor scraping noisily against the pitted material. Placing a hand on the path I felt the remnants of the heat that had scourged the city—but pushing below that, pushing deeper I felt the ghost of the heat that had once filled the canals beneath. It was this heat I tapped into, causing to warp the tunnels and seal shut the openings to the coolant tubes. This I did all across the city, through the many different junctures located in what was once my home.Exhausted and spent I returned by twilight to the place I had left my compatriots, my brothers in arms. Walking into their impromptu burial pit I gazed at each of them, their once strong bodies now limp and cold. I felt the familiar rage return, threatening to burn through my very skin—and yet I resisted, feeling something much deeper moving within me.Brotherhood.I knelt by each of them, my family, my friends, my world. From each of them I took a gift, something that I would carry with me at all times—something I would hold as I stared into the face of whoever had burned out city. I held these items as gifts—and as reminders of my failure. From my gentle sister, and stern leader, Alea I took her gemstone necklace -- A good luck charm that she wore into every battle—unfortunately it had done her no good. The sight of her shattered Hau rest atop her broadsword on the outer lip of the forge made me feel sick inside.From noble Pheos, Toa of Stone I took a piece of clay he always carried. Pheos was a jokester and a lighthearted spirit who refused to ever sculpt that single of piece of clay—because “then the possibilities were limited” I smiled sadly at his limp form and moved on.Toa Kyr was next. The sharp-tongued Toa of ice, his pure white armor shattered and split in a thousand places. Kyr was a brave Toa, and an intelligent fighter—whatever had attacked our city must have truly been a force to reckon with for him to fall in combat. From him I took his shield, nearly burnt to slag it was a symbolic gesture. Just as he had shielded us in life, I would now shield all of them in death.The dead eyes of Toa Levos unnerved me. In life he had been the Toa of air, a wise and auspicious fighter. The deadliest shot amongst us Toa—to see that spark of life so easily extinguished broke my heart. From him I took a single arrow from his quiver, removing the beautiful feather that adorned the shaft and attaching to my mask. Kneeling next to the body of Toa Jurian, the beautiful Toa of Earth I felt my heart leap into my throat. Jurian had always supported our small group, always helped us in every endeavor—and had always been there for all of us. I loved her more than any other. I felt the rage threatening to overcome me…and instead wept for the loss of such a kind soul. From her I took her gauntlets—a reminder of her to carry always.Still holding Levos’ arrow I walked out of the pit, glancing at the masks at weapons of my fellows. The crushing mace and Pakari of Pheos, the stern Hau and deadly broadsword of Alea, the cracked bow and Kakama of Levos, the now-blackened Hau and Rapier of Kyr, and of course the elegant twin blades and piercing Akaku of Jurian.I ignited the arrow, sending all my rage and sorrow through the flame. Then without turning I dropped the arrow into the pit.The blaze ignited immediately, the raw material feeding the hungry flames as they eagerly devoured everything in their path. I walked away, the sound of the crackling fire giving me some solace in the cold darkness of night. Turning my back on everything that was, I left the broken city of the forge—the fallen city of the Great Spirit and walked once more into the wilderness. At the gate I turned, affording myself one final glance. I saw the explosion tear through the city—followed by the secondary and tertiary detonations. I smiled a grim smile, my work had been successful, my flames would purge the city of the taint it had suffered. My brothers would be proud to have seen that the entire city was alight as their funeral pyre.I shed no tears at the sight of that blaze, only staring deeply into the distant flames. My city had fallen, my brothers were dead…I would avenge them. A grim resolve grew in me and I hoisted Toa Kyr’s shield high in the air, letting out a bellowing scream of anguish and commitment. Whatever had done this to my people would pay!==============================================================================Review Topic or something
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This was a series of scribbles with the theory of "What if the Toa Mata/Nuva became Turaga?" after noticing that the Phantoka Matoran wore noble versions of Pohatu, Kopaka and Lewa's masks (I've been out of the loop with Bionicle for a while, and had just gotten back into it ^^; ) So, to start off here's Lewa, Kopaka and Pohatu. Then there's Onua, Gali and Tahu. Had to do some redesigning of the masks here as they didn't get official Noble versions. Onua's is a simplified version of his Mistika mask, while Gali's is a mixture of her Mata, Nuva and Mistika masks. Tahu's was done with Turaga Lhikan in mind, with some minor elements of his Mistika form. I also gave them their Nuva Symbols and silver versions of the Turaga's mechanisms, just for that little bit of distinction.
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So, I've been pondering this for a while. In one of the books, Pohatu (I believe) uses his mask of Speed to increase the motion of his molecules (atoms?) to a point where they're vibrating so rapidly that he can pass through solid objects. This made me wonder if the powers of the other Great Kanohi could be used in similar improvisational fashions. For example, could the Pakari (strength) be used to strengthen specific parts of the body, such as the legs for running? Or, could the Kaukau be utilized to breath in liquids other than water, or be used as a "gas mask" to filter the user's air intake. Improvisation probably wouldn't work so well for all masks. Nokama's is a mask of translation, and you can't do much more on that level. Just a thought.
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Here is Tahrikon a Toa of Fire and also my self MOC there is a storyline behind him but I don't have the time currently to write it all up http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=482928
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Well, it's certainly been a while since I've posted anything here. Oh well. On to the pics! Toa Duo Pakoris Magic stuffs Front (Apologies if image is sideways) Back (More apologies if needed) Leixa Front (Apology warning) Back (Yep, another one) Matoran Duo (The one on the left is Salia, right is Chibi-karo. (Mini Zakaro)) Fronts (They don't get their own pics, have to share) (Sorry for darkness) Backs C&C accepted! Zakaro
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There's a terror in the body, a hunter where Makuta fell. I present Vakhaiv: the remainder, the scourge within the shell. Click the poster, or here, to see the gallery. Name: VakhaivGender: MaleElement: IronSpecies: MatoranRace: Fe-Toa HordikaTitles: "scourge of the shell"Kanohi: Inaccesible HunaWeapons: Protosteel Drill "Grey Vandal"Alignment: Chaotic NeutralAffiliation: NonePersonality: Usually savage, angry, and very impulsive. Sometimes extremely intelligent and cunning.Vakhaiv was a Fe-Matoran from Stelt long ago, but eventually became a Toa of Iron. (Nothing of note happened to him before that time.)Soon after transforming, he was placed in stasis by the OOMN. The goal of this action was to prevent the Brotherhood from discovering Vakhaiv's existence during the purge (killing off Toa of Iron, Magnetism, Plasma, etc.). However, the location of this stasis center was overrun by Visorak. Unaware due to his slumber, Vakhaiv was mutated while still in stasis. At this point, the stasis tube was broken, and slowly began to malfunction and wear out. Those maintaining that facility on behalf of the OOMN were killed or mutated irreversibly by the Visorak horde; Vakhaiv was left on his own.Some time after that, when the Great Spirit Robot was ultimately finished off by Mata Nui and the Prototype Robot, most of the inhabitants were evacuated. Unbeknownst to them, Vakhaiv remained within the dead robot. Within a very short time, his stasis tube shattered completely and he escaped from it, disoriented and angry.Everyone had left him, forgotten about him, and he was a Hordika, a monster. The stasis tube had prevented his complete transformation, so Vakhaiv wasn't fully mindless. And so now, Vakhaiv roams the empty lands within the Great Spirit Robot, picking off the other remainders, simply surviving.At some point Vakhaiv killed an Onu-Matoran who had been using a patched-up mining drill in an attempt to escape the robot. Vakhaiv took the drill but was unable to escape, instead repurposing it for tearing apart his enemies (the list of which included everyone).Vakhaiv's current status is unknown, though he's probably standing an a corpse. He's in there. He's angry. Reviews on the MOC are greatly appreciated! Edit: Please use spoiler tags for spoilers only. -Wind- Sorry, Windy.
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As for my next wave, I have the outcasts. These people don't really belong to an organization, thus being named the outcasts. Starting from the first picture, here are there names: Lesovik, Shadow Oparuo, Jalmo, silver rahkshi, yellow rahkshi, Maxilos, Vihiron, and Barahx. My next wave will be the matoran. Link to pictures: http://upload.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=521729 Enjoy!
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For over three years, I have finally decided to post my 150+ different bionicle creations on here. I'm also in the process of making a graphic novel of the events in an alternate universe after the fall of Makuta. So I will first post the toa. In my story, there are (so far) nine different toa. There is Tahu, Gali, Lewa, Pohatu, Onua, Kopaka, Onuka (toa of time and electricity), Takanuva, and Vakara (toa of shadows/death). Here is a link to Brickshelf for all 18 photos: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=521591. This is my first topic so don't criticize me badly if I do something wrong. Anyway, enjoy!
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Author's note: I do not follow canon very closely, particularly with regards to BIONICLE anatomy. I have them about 60% biological (blood, organs, muscles, even hair) and 40% mechanical. They also have familial relationships, children and females and males in all elemental types. Matoran have an average lifespan of 250-300 years, while Toa live for nearly 5,000. Also, this is a "what if" story, although I'm not going to reveal exactly what was altered... That's something you have to discover for yourself.I rate this PG-13 for violence, death and mild romance.EDIT: Because of the length of this epic, there is a chapter index in the Review topic. Life is a Blank How do you fight a battle that has already been lost? Stave 1 Telet tried for what felt like the millionth time to slide his hands through the small gap between the chains and his skin. His chapped wrists protested against the pressure, but he ignored it, trying to work himself free. Even thin and wasted as he was, there was not enough space to get out. "I hate you." he spat at his captor. "That's your problem, not mine." the tall dark figure replied, touching his arm. For so strong a being, he was surprisingly gentle. "I think you're merely misreading what you've seen, but that's just me." "I didn't misread anything! You're not the Great Spirit, and you're not our savior! You may have everyone else thinking you are, but I know better!" A glimmer of a frown crossed the tall being's face. "Your resistance to my benevolence is growing tiresome, matoran." The touch became ever so slightly more rough. "Who else did you tell about what you found?" "No one." Telet tossed his head bravely. "I didn't have time before your Vahki grabbed me." The being stared directly into the matoran's eyes, trying to read the small one's thoughts. It did no good - whatever training this matoran had put himself through, it had included some sort of mind shielding. Which means he hasn't just been reading, the being realized. Someone has to have trained him. "Impressive. Not many can withstand my gaze. So, I must ask, who was your teacher?" The Onu-matoran never broke eye contact. "No one. I taught myself. It was useful when dealing with Vahki." "Yes, I suppose it was." The tall being removed his hand and took a few steps back, examining his captive again, searching for a weak spot. "And yet, those same Vahki managed to find you, and bring you to me. It seems you must not know everything." "I know enough to stop you." Telet smiled grimly. He could feel the pain wracking his chest now, and he choked on something. Spitting it out, a bit of blood ran down his lip. "What's the matter?" the being asked, hastening to examine his face. Telet fought against the urge to cough up more blood. "I'm not stupid. I knew if you didn't get what you wanted from my mind, you'd torture me. And I'd cave. If what the tablets said was accurate, people stronger than me have caved." Involuntarily, he gagged again. "Your Vahki-scraps weren't quick enough when they searched me." The being's face was full of suspicion now. "What have you done, matoran?" Roughly, he yanked the matoran to his feet, snapping the chains with his telekinesis. Telet merely smiled. The pain was gone now, replaced by a numbness. He knew that meant he only had a few seconds. "You... will never... win. Others... Others will find out... what I found. You can't win... You won't." Even as he grasped the knowledge that the matoran had poisoned himself, the being smiled. "Fool. I already have." He dropped the Onu-matoran to the floor carelessly, then turned to a Vahki who stood awaiting orders. "Summon the Toa. I have a few issues to discuss." Gyet, Telet willed his thoughts to reach his closest friend, he knows. They're coming. They're... looking... The tall one glanced back at the matoran as the Vahki exited the chamber. His heartlight was dark. "A noble, but pointless death." He kicked the corpse across the room. No matoran would keep that knowledge to himself, he mused. He had accomplices. And in that lies their weakness - matoran always crack when you threaten one of their own. He looked proudly at the polished silver walls which reflected his own gleaming form: ebony and gold armor buffed to a mirror-like sheen, huge wings that seemed like they belonged on a colorful rahi, and his ancient kanohi. I truly look like the Great Spirit. I am the Great Spirit, after all.Review
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Way back when Takanuva was corrupted by a shadow leach, I wanted to make my own rendition of his newly half-and-half form. I spent some time fiddling around with different concepts until I hit on my current go-to Toa design for the chest and arms. After that things fell into place pretty easily, for the most part. I've bulked up the torso/stomach a little in the last few months, as well as the back of the neck, but that's about it. So, without further ado, Takanuva - Toa of Twilight! Front http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLight/toalight.jpg Back http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLight/toalight2.jpg Right-side http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/ToaMiracles/VarsaiNui/ToaofLight/toalight3.jpg
