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Showing results for tags 'Trial by Fire'.
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Make it stop. It was a simple phrase, one he had heard uttered time and time again. Never before had he realized how desperate a remark it truly was. “MAKE IT STOP!!” The agony ceased. Gasping, the Toa relaxed his body and fell forward. The chains connecting him to the wall stopped him before he fell far. “I’m sorry, what was that?” He looked up, glaring hatefully at the gold and blue armored Skakdi before him. The creature sneered at him, putting forth not even the slightest effort to hide just how much it was enjoying the Toa’s pain. With a chuckle, the Ce-Skakdi added, “I can make it stop, you know. Just give me the password. That’s all you have to do.” His tone was gentle with an undertone of menace, though such details were lost on the battered Toa. All he wanted was relief. Maybe he should give up the password—none of his brothers were coming to save him, so why should he protect them? At least this way he could save himself from— “No,” he choked, shaking his head. “No, I won’t betray them!” From across the room, another Skakdi, this one with red armor, groaned in frustration. “Can’t we just kill him?” she asked. “He’s not gonna crack. If his friends are so important to him, let’s ship him back to them piece by piece.” The Ce-Skakdi turned to her and growled, “And how will we get in then? You want to charge headfirst into a Toa stronghold?” “Yes! Don’t you want to go smash something? Besides, even if we get this mysterious password, there’s no way they’ll actually let us through!” “Listen to me, you—“ Suddenly feeling heavy, the Ce-Skakdi paused and whirled on the Toa, delivering a blow to his maskless face. As the pressure went away, the Ce-Skakdi shook his head and grinned. “Getting your strength back, I see,” he said. “But it’ll take more than a little extra gravity to save you.” Both Skakdi extended their arms. Instantly the Toa’s mind was filled with a burning sensation, as if every thought was slowly smoldering away into nothing more than ash. The searing pain drowned out everything else, leaving him with nothing but slow, endless suffering that threatened to drive him mad. “NO!!” he screamed. “NO, PLEASE! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!” The Ce-Skakdi lowered his arms and the Toa went limp again. Angered, the Ta-Skakdi snapped, “If you let up every time he begs for mercy—“ “He will feel grateful,” the Ce-Skakdi finished. “Remember that I’ve been at this much longer than you. Ugh, this would be so much easier if your predecessor was still here. I almost regret killing that oaf…” The Ta-Skakdi narrowed her eyes. “Would you like to join him?” “Let’s not forget why we’re here.” He turned back to the Toa and grabbed his head, lifting it so that he could look into the eyes of his prisoner. “N…no…” the Toa mumbled. “You…I can’t let you enter the stronghold…you won’t get your hands on those weapons!” “So you won’t help us?” the Ce-Skakdi asked. “That’s all we want, Toa—just a little bit of help. With those weapons, we can free ourselves from Nektann’s tyranny. Won’t you help us fight for our freedom?” The Toa looked directly into the Skakdi’s eyes, his gaze filling with a resilience that should have been stripped away long ago. “Skakdi don’t fight for freedom. If you defeat Nektann, you’ll just take over Zakaz yourself…and then, a few months later, some other warlord will overthrow you. I have no love for you wretched creatures, but I refuse to have your blood on my hands.” The Ce-Skakdi frowned. After staring at his captive a bit longer, he stood up and took a few steps back. Waving to his partner, he said, “Very well then. Your blood will be on her hands.” With savage glee, the Ta-Skakdi advanced towards the Toa. The hero merely closed his eyes and waited for it all to stop.
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“Yep,” Kualus commented, “it’s definitely been through here.” He dismounted the Thornatus and waited for Onua to climb out of the cockpit. The Toa Nuva’s adaptive armor shifted as he did so, reverting to a form identical to his original armor. Before them lay the Valley of the Maze—or rather, its ruins. The once intimidating labyrinth was now nothing but a shattered wreck, with twisted walls and scrap metal jutting out at random. A layer of soot covered the rubble, leaving a dark trail running directly to the massive volcano at the heart of the mess. “Guess the Great Beings didn’t do as good a job fortifying the place as they thought,” Kualus said. “Or they never expected a fiery dragon to come charging in.” In the confusion around the destruction of the Matoran Universe, a massive Rahi known as the Kanohi Dragon had escaped its prison on the island of Xia and flown off over the plains of Spherus Magna. It was difficult to suppress the panic that followed. The Kanohi Dragon was infamous for the destruction it had caused on Metru-Nui, and for the effort and time it took for the Toa Mangai to eventually defeat it. The thought of battling it while the evacuation was in progress was an unpleasant one. Luckily, word had arrived—a nomad has spotted the Dragon flying towards the Valley of the Maze, a cryptic location that had once been home to the Great Beings. At its center was the Great Volcano, a massive source of heat that must have drawn the creature’s attention. Kualus and Onua had been dispatched immediately to subdue it once more. Onua summoned his Kanohi Kakama Nuva and activated its power, reaching out with his mind to share the burst of speed with his companion. The two Toa rocketed through the ruins in a matter of minutes, coming to a halt at the base of the volcano. “You are sure that your Mask of Rahi Control will not work on it?” Onua asked. Kualus shook his head. “My team fought this thing before, remember? It’s an old and powerful Rahi—too strong to be controlled. Might have a chance once it’s weakened, but I didn’t try last time.” “I will draw its attention, then,” the Toa of Earth said. “You attack from another angle with ice blasts. If you see an opportunity where the mask might work, take it.” His armor changed again, this time sprouting jet boosters at his shoulders and ankles. Grabbing Kualus by the arms, Onua mentally activated the equipment and rose into the air, soon reaching the top of the Great Volcano and depositing the Toa of Ice on its edge. Kualus used his Sub-Zero Spear to steady himself. The heat is more intense than I expected…where’s the Dragon? Carefully, he peered over the edge. Pipes and tubes ran down the interior of the Volcano, some sticking out of the walls and forming ledges with what appeared to be maintenance consoles. Stretched across three of these ledges was the Kanohi Dragon, its wings folded in and its eyes closed. It’s asleep? Hardly looks like an engine of destruction when it’s like this. Kualus furrowed his brow. In fact…it actually looks peaceful. This volcano has become its nest, hasn’t it? It’s found a place where it can thrive without the annoyance of intrusions. Judging by the state of the Maze, it had to work pretty hard to find it. Onua floated down and landed next to Kualus. His armor maintained its jets, but it had now morphed into a thicker, larger shell to protect its wearer from the heat. Freeze cannons were mounted on its wrists, and his Kanohi had taken the shape of a bulbous helmet with a transparent visor over his eyes. “Are you ready?” Hesitantly, Kualus replied, “This may sound crazy, but…maybe we should just leave it here.” Onua turned to his fellow Toa. Most companions would probably berate Kualus for his statement, claiming the heat was getting to him and preventing him from thinking clearly. Onua merely waited for him to explain. “During my time as a Rahaga, I developed a real bond with Rahi—flyers, especially. You can’t imagine the bliss they feel when they find the perfect nest, or the agony when a hunter takes that away from them. It may be more reptile than flyer, but I think this Dragon has found his perfect nest. All the heat he could ever want is right here, perpetually generated by the Great Beings’ technology, and there’s nothing for kio around that he has to compete with.” Kualus turned to the Dragon. “He’s not hurting anyone by staying here. What real reason do we have for evicting him?” Onua silently regarded the Rahi and considered Kualus’s proposal. He was right, of course: the only living things they had passed in their journey had been a few Vorox and handful of other creatures he could not identify, none of which had ventured anywhere near the volcano. The Kanohi Dragon had to be captured because it was dangerous…but here, there was no one for it to pose a danger too. “How do you want to explain this to Tahu?” Onua asked. Kualus shrugged. “Spherus Magna is a big place. The Dragon was here before, but it’s moved on, and we have no idea where to start looking.” Onua chuckled. “He won’t be happy, but it’ll probably go over better than saying we just let it go.” Placing a hand on Kualus’s shoulder, he added, “A wise call, brother. We shall leave this Rahi in peace.” “Thank you,” Kualus said. “…Can we get out of here now? This heat is awful!”
