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Toa of Fire


VBBN

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The smell of ash was carried along by the warm breeze. Large, blackened stalks protruded from the gray ground, and the sky was darkened.

This was the Charred Forest, at one time it had been one of the most beautiful parts of Ta-Wahi. After conflict had eventually taken its toll on the forest, all that left was this. A red figure slowly walked, his feet kicking away piles of ash and burnt leaves, and occasionally a piece of armor or weapon from the wars that had raged here before. The figure arrived to one of the black stalks, which were the mangled corpses of burnt tree trunks. He quickly turned around to the sound of footsteps behind him. He slowly began to reach up and felt the handle of one of his swords that were crossed on his back.

 

“Toa Tahu!” The voice came from the direction of the footsteps, and soon a smaller, yellow and red figure came into view. He had on a small pack that was strapped to his back, and was carrying a shield and a tool that had a cupped section on one end, and a club on the other.

 

“What are you doing here, Jaller?” The larger figure replied, releasing his grip on the handle of his weapon.

 

“I should be asking you the same thing.” The matoran replied. “There was a quarrel over the implementation of a new defense mechanism for the Ta-Koro Gate. I went out looking for you, and, well, here we are. You aren’t easy to get a hold of you know!”

 

“Unlike Lewa, I don’t respond to bird calls.” Tahu replied smugly. He turned back around to look at the burnt tree.

 

“What’s so fascinating about that?” Jaller asked, moving up next to Tahu.

 

“Before I became a Toa Nuva…before I had these swords, I crafted my on lavaboard from the wood of this tree. The same wood your shield was crafted from.” Tahu ran his hand down the smooth side of the tree, where as a Toa Mata he had sliced clean through it with his fire sword.

 

Jaller moved closer to the tree and placed his shield next to it. Such broken down material had crafted one of his most valued tools. “Most matoran get easily lost in this forest, and you find the exact tree you visited years ago. What’s the point?”

 

“I’m not one for sentiment, Matoran.” He sneered “But I have my reasons.” Before Tahu could continue, a noise in the air broke their speech. It was a quiet, low hum that quickly began to get louder, and became more distinguishable as a buzzing noise. Due to the ash in the area, seeing any distance ahead of you was near impossible. Yet as Tahu and Jaller scanned the area, a black cloud began to visualize before them.

 

“It’s a Hoto swarm!” Jaller yelled, and slammed his shield down while bracing his legs.

 

Thousands of them. Small, red and orange insects known as Hoto bugs were flying together in this mass. Hoto bugs were generally known to travel in swarms, and were destructive wherever they went. They could heat their bodies up to extreme temperatures capable of melting rock, which was their means of tunneling and creating nests in earth and rock, however they also used the ability as a weapon. One swarm of Hoto had decided to attack Le-Wahi a short while ago, and the result was described by Lewa as a second case of the Tahnok.

 

Tahu reached for his swords, and as he removed them from his back he slashed in the air, throwing a bolt of fire at the swarm. Those who were hit by it simply shrugged it off and continued to move. Jaller took his Kohlii stick and slammed it against his shield. “Come on you little pests!” He yelled with great enthusiasm. Tahu stepped in front of him, and closed his eyes, allowing a shield to engulf them both. This was the work of the Hau Nuva, Tahu’s mask. As the swarm and the front of it reached the two beings, they were disintegrated as soon as they touched the shield. It took a moment for the swarm to realize what was happening, and the Hoto bugs quickly changed their direction to going upward. As soon as they had started to go up, those in front directed themselves back down and flew like bullets to attempt an attack from the air.

 

Just as before, this attack failed, and the bugs were destroyed as they met the shield. A second change in course became more dangerous as the bugs began to fly around Tahu and Jaller, in a hurricane shaped motion. The heat from their bodies was focused inward, and soon they had created a constant heatwave that had engulfed the area inside of their flight pattern. Tahu’s shield could hold up to the heat, but the instant he dropped the shield he would need to act fast or else the inferno would be difficult to escape.

“Jaller, get down!” Tahu yelled over the buzzing of the Hoto. Jaller dropped down, and covered his head with his shield. Tahu crouched, and quickly expanded the shield to disperse the Hoto’s swarm temporarily. As they began to regroup, Tahu leaped into the air, and spread out his arms and legs, and a massive shockwave of fire emitted from his body. The swarm was not killed by the fire, however they had been knocked back from the impact. “Let’s go!” Tahu urged, and Jaller leaped up to follow him. As they ran, the swarm reformed and began to chase them. A small group caught up to Jaller, but he swiped his shield and smashed them in mid-air. Tahu, with his hands on his swords, suddenly turned around and slashed them in the air, throwing a wall of lava at the attacked. Due to their speed, the Hoto were unable to change course and became engulfed by the wall of lava.

 

The two fell silent. Tahu took his sword and sunk them into the ground, and sat down. “Another peaceful day on Mata Nui.” He stated with a smirk.

***

 

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The sound of an unknown liquid smacked against a rock floor, its echo rattling the walls of the cavern around it. The area was almost pitch black due to its location deep underground, with only the color of six, cylindrical shaped pillars in the center of the room. They were glowing a bright, luminous green, and each one had a darker shape inside of it. There were small bits of material floating in the tanks, and there was something else inside of them that vaguely resembled tall, black grass at the base. A pair of red eyes pierced the darkness, and their gaze turned to look at the pillars. It approached one of the cylinders, and placed and a large, black and red hand on it. The clear outer shell was cold to the touch.

 

“Today, my sons, begins a new age. An age where this universe will no longer have its imbalance of mistakes. An end to those who are unwilling to give in to the embraces of shadow. The end of light, and the beginning of eternal darkness.”

 

CCRRRZZZZKKKKK

 

The clawed hand scratched down the side of the pillar, and the black shape inside of it stirred. It formed a fist, and busted into the clear coating, shattering a hole into the side of it. The liquid began to pour out, and the figure inside became restless. It spread its arms and legs, causing the glass to explode around it, sending shards across the cavern as the figure dropped to the ground, surrounded in the glowing liquid. It pulled itself off of the ground and stood at full height. The liquid continued to drip off of the figure as it let out a horrific screech that echoed through the cavern.

 

“The first step is to shatter their leadership. Challenge the pride and confidence one’s leader has, and the rest will collapse underneath his team.”

 

The creature stared up at the red-eyed figure who was speaking. The larger figure held out his hand, revealing a glowing red stone. A section of the creature’s chest opened, and the stone was place inside. There was a strong, tornado-like noise as the stone was pulled into place, and a loud bang when it was secured. A red steam emitted from the stone, and the crevices along the creature’s armor glowed a bright red. With a final screech, it turned and began making its way to a large opening in the ceiling. Without warning, the creature burst into a cloud of black material, and moved upward through the opening.

 

“Go now, son of shadow. Wipe clean the virtue of leadership.”

 

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Edited by VBBN
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