Tales of Aoris Nui

[SnowyAegis]

Hey yall! I've attempted a Bionicle story before, but this one I actually have a (very rough and vague)summary of what happens, so hopefully it'll go on a while!

 

Not a whole lot happens in Chapter One, but I assure you things will get going in Chapter Two. Which I am currently writing.

 

Here is the review topic! Do not post comments here, but here:

http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/20309-reviewtales-of-aoris-nui/

 

Anyways, the chapter!:

 

-1-

Eryen watched the path just beyond the gate half-lidded, a beaten road leading deep into Aoris Nui's jungle, which spanned most of the landmass, her spear sat against her shoulder with her arm wrapped around it. Another guard, a Fa-Matoran, approached.

"Eryen! Anything come up the road?" He barked from beneath his Komau.

"No, nothing...you know Veda-Koro is the main travel hub, not this place..."she sighed, leaning her weight on her spear.

"Trade still exists, you know." He pointed out as he stood next to her, leaning against the wall.

"I know, it's just usually it comes from the other gate. Business here is rare." She shrugged.

"True. Just keep an eye out, Eh? I need to go talk to the Sergeant." He stood straight again.

"Yeah, like usual." She sat her head in her hands, elbows on the battlements. After a pause, the Fa-Matoran left, the creaking of his feet on the wooden steps audible even when he reached the bottom.

Her eyes slowly drifted back to the road.

 

Less than a minute later, her attention was drawn to the sound of an Ussal crab, the rapid clicking of feet closing on the gate. Two Matoran, one on the crab, and one clad in armor and wielding a sword, appeared from their concealment in the trees, approaching the gate. Eryen stood straight, holding her spear straight up as they stopped.

"State your names and business!" She called. The armored one, obviously a bodyguard, noticed her first, before his better-dressed client looked up.

"Koryr, of Seda-Koro! I have a message from my village's leader, Lorig!" He called. True enough, Lorig was Seda-Koro's leader, and true enough on second look this man did bear the northern village's symbol.

"Hold, I'll talk to the others." She called back. She turned, opening the door to the small guard cabin built into the wall's battlements. She gave the other guard, a sleeping Ta-Matoran, a shake. He woke with a start.

"Huh, what?!" Rapidly escaped his mouth before noticing everything was fine.

"What is it, Eryen?" He asked.

"Some people at the gate. Message from Lorig." She explained.

"I heard Lorig was ill, hasn't said anything for a couple of weeks." He grunted as he stood up.

"Perhaps it's news that he's recovered." The Vo-Matoran shrugged.

"Perhaps. It'd be welcome, Lorig's a good man. Talks way too fast, but good." He walked to the small slit in the wall, observing the two.

"Let the others know to be on alert." Was all he said. Nodding, Eryen rolled up a pre-written message, placing it in the narrow slippery tube leading to the guard house. It traveled down with speed, before the Ta-Matoran, Jedaros, pulled a lever. The iron portcullis started with a jolt, rising with a series of clanks.

"Better go take a look, Eh?" Jedaros suggested, picking up his spear.

"Yup." Eryen sighed, turning and leading the way back out the door.

 

---

 

The Le-Matoran lowered his binoculars again. The other Le-Matoran behind him sighed, arms crossed.

"You've been watching that thing for hours now. It's nothing, Orius, now come on back."

"How can you be sure?" Orius turned, his feet making a crunching sound on the rock.

"Nothing with intent just bobs around. And even if it was something important, the guard could handle it. And last I checked, we aren't guards, just port workers, so come on." His friend walked up, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah? Shouldn't people working at a port know if something is about to, you know, arrive at port?"

"That's not our job, Orius, now for the last time, come on!" His friend pulled at him. Orius turned and jerked his shoulder away, clearing it of his friend's grasp. There was a pause, and Orius sighed.

"Fine, I'll just be a minute." He gestured in the direction of the stony path back to the break house. His friend gave a deep, gravely sigh, shaking his head before walking down. Orius' gaze turned back to the black, sodden rock bobbing not far off shore. For the past few hours he had seen it getting slowly closer, and he was sure it would wash itself up. Something, though, seemed off about it, but Orius couldn't put his finger on what.

 

---

 

Jedaros followed his friend and fellow guard as they approached the two travelers passing beneath the gate. Further ahead, a number of other guards stumbled out of the guard house, pulling on their jackets or trying to get their shield straps straight, before hurriedly approaching the group.

"A message from Lorig, eh?" Jedaros called up.

"Uh, yes, for Oren-Koro's guard captain. Iros, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's the one. What's the message?" Eryen asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you, it's for Iros and Iros only."

"Awful secretive. Iros doesn't hide things from us, no point."

"Once he has seen it he can tell you, if he likes. But until then, I can only--"

"Okay, we get it. Alright." Eryen raised her hands, sighing before glancing at Jedaros, gesturing to the other guards with her eyes. Jedaros took a step back, leaning back to look at the guard group.

"You lot! Escort these men to the main base, yeah?" He called. They nodded, one calling 'Yes sir!' before they approached further. Eryen turned again to Jedaros.

"Wanna go see what this is about? More interesting than standing around on the wall all day."

"True enough. I'll go close the gate. Wait for me." Jedaros nodded.

 

---

 

Anar brought his pick down again, smashing a rock clean in half, before pulling the rock out with a long grunt. For several days they had dug into the large rocky plateau close to the north shore. It was a new project set up by Seda-Koro. Nobody in the site new why it was being dug, or what the stone was being used for, but it was providing Anar and everyone else there with a pay, and he could deal with the conditions, so the Su-Matoran didn't complain. His friend, Hodar, chuckled.

"Anar! Strength of a Toa, there! Not every day you see someone crack a rock in two."

"And you'd know how strong a Toa was how? They haven't been seen here since before the villages were built." Anar looked up.

"Or are you secretly really old?" He grinned. Hodar laughed.

"You'd think so, when you see me run."

"Any word on what this is all for?"

"Nope. They're insisting its for the benefit of everyone though. Maybe it's some secret project."

"Well, it's benefiting my widget pouch."

"True enough. Need a hand there? Rock looks mighty tough. Couple others have come across the same thing." Hodar slung his own pick over his shoulder.

"Sure thing, man." Anar took a step to the side.

 

---

 

Iros sat in his office, squaring up the man silently. Looked legitimate enough.

"Message, eh? Put it here, then." He gestured to the desk. Nodding, the man placed the paper down. Iros leaned forward, arms opening up as he grabbed and opened the roll.

'Captain Iros,

An unknown object has been spotted off the northern coast. The exact nature of this object is unknown, but we cannot risk it being dangerous, as it is close to Seda-Koro, and with the village the Quarry Project is at risk. I ask of you that you send a detachment of your men to Seda-Koro as soon as possible to bolster Seda-Koro's own guard forces. Compensation will be provided for this inconvenience and in the event any of your men are injured. I hope you are able to accept my request as soon as you are able.

Lorig'

Iros took a moment to fully register the message. Not that it was anything groundbreaking or shocking, Iros just took a moment to think things over.

"Seems reasonable to me. Most of my guards do so little they've become professional slackers." He sighed, eyes drifting to the guards stood outside. The embarrassment emanating from them was palpable. He placed the message down and returned his gaze to the messenger.

"Yeah, I'll send some men. Go on back home. Did he mention any specific time?"

"Today, preferably." The messenger nodded. "Thank you." He added, before turning and shuffling out as fast as he could.

"Are we going north, sir?" One of the guards asked.

"Yeah. And you're not going to sit around once you get there, you do enough of that here." He circled his desk, walking out, faced with about 10 guards, most still rather inexperienced. Except for two of them. The Vo-Toa and they Ta-Toa posted at the north gate, they had some idea what they were doing.

"You two. Jed...ara? And Enyra."

"Jedaros. And Eryen." Jedaros politely corrected.

"Right. You two'll go with this lot. Acting commanders for them, yeah? When you reach Seda-Koro, go find their guard captain. Tell them you're a detachment to bolster the guard for the time being." Iros ordered. The two Matoran saluted.

"Yes sir!" They both nodded. There was a pause.

"Go on then! He said today! And it's already starting to go gray!" He roughly gestured to the door. The bustle of troops, visibly unsure of their own actions, brought a smile to his face. They were all rookies, but rookies could be the best, in his experience. Room to learn.

 

---

 

Orius heaved as he lifted the heavy crate off the boat, one foot thumping hard in front of the other as he hauled it to the cart.

"Big load today, eh?" His friend called as he put another one down with a loud metal thud onto the cart.

"It's that time of year again! More fish!" Orius called back, placing his own down. His friend tried to lift the last one, but couldn't get it off the boat. Orius hurried over, grabbing the far side and hoisting it into the air.

"Yeah, but not all of this is fish! Did the north forest take a growth spurt or something?"

"Perhaps. Maybe someone got a little over-enthusiastic with wood-chopping!" Orius suggested. His friend grinned, as the two placed the large box on the top, his friend grabbing a pair of straps and throwing them over the cart, Orius grabbing them and latching them down, holding the crates down. His friend walked around, grabbing the handle.

"I'll take this over to the warehouse. That's about all for now, I think. Go lie down or something."

"Yeah, I'll see you then, eh?" Orius gave his friend a pat on the back as he started pushing the cart down the pier. Orius turned, his eyes squinting as his vision locked once more onto the strange object. It was most certainly closer than before. His eyes went upwards. It was late. He sighed. He'd go back to the worker's house for a drink before going home for the night.

 

---

 

Eryen's gaze didn't leave the pole of her staff as the large wagon, pulled by two Ussal crabs, rolled down the road north. She wondered what it was that had caused Seda-Koro to ask for backup. What was the object? What were they so concerned about? She was snapped from her thoughts by an elbow from Jedaros.

"What is it? You're staring at that staff like it holds the secrets of the universe. I'm telling you now, it's just a pole." He smiled.

"Nothing, just thinking."

"'Bout?"

"Whatever it is that's got us going there." She gestured to the direction of Seda-Koro.

"No idea. But it's getting dark, so we'll have to find out tomorrow morning, eh?" He smiled, giving her a pat on the back.

"Yeah, I could use some sleep." She rubbed her eyes with the side of her finger.

"You look it. Don't worry, Seda-Koro's not far." Jedaros' gaze returned to the road ahead.

 

---

 

Time flies by when you're having fun, as they say. Apparently it also flies by when you're digging through hard rock and cracking bad jokes with your friend, as Anar had recently discovered. Recently as in, that day. The past hour. They hadn't noticed it had gotten dark until another worker had gone past and told them it was time to pack up. As they walked down the gravely path to the workers cabin, Anar could see several were already going home.

"You got anyone back home?" His friend asked.

"Nope."

"So you're staying in the cabin?"

"Hey, if it means I don't have to walk as far, I'm good." He smiled. His friend shrugged.

"If you insist." His friend sighed before looking up, listening to the just audible conversations of the people around them.

"What?"

"Nothing. Hearing lots about this tough rock we found, though."

"That's what happens when you dig deep enough, isn't it?"

"Yeah, usually. But generally not this deep. I'll see if I can find that geologist I met a couple days ago."

"Yeah. Ask him if he can come here, maybe he can figure out what it is." Anar shrugged. The two stopped in front of the wooden cabin. It was mostly a dormitory for the workers who didn't have to go back home immediately, with a storage for equipment attached.

"Well, see you tomorrow, man." His friend waved as he continued, up the road to Seda-Koro proper.

"Yeah, see ya." Anar exhaled sharply as he pushed through the door, dropping his lantern and pick in the storage, pushing open the door to a dorm room and rolling into a bunk, pulling the curtain shut. A few minutes later, the lights went out.

 

---

 

Half-lidded, Eryen led the detachment of guardsmen into the Seda-Koro guard HQ, immediately spotting the guard captain reading a book. Jedaros, noting how half-awake his friend was, stepped forward and cleared his throat. The captain's gaze, after a moment, slowly lifted to meet his.

"Someone asked for a detachment." He stated bluntly.

"Mhm. Yeah." The captain mumbled, turning and banging his fist on the wall.

"Kera! The guys from Halu-Koro are here!" He called. After a pause and a thump, the next door on opened and a Seda-Koro guardsman stepped out.

"R-Right. Uh, the dorm on the far end isn't used, if you want it." He pointed. Jedaros nodded. The guardsman swallowed, and stepped back through, closing the door. The captain sighed and shook his head. Jedaros grabbed Eryen's arm and pulled her along.

 

The room was dusty. Considerably so. Nothing too much to handle to really hazardous, more unappealing than anything. Apparently paying this no mind, Eryen was out like a log in moments, the other guards following suit within mere minutes.

Edited September 29, 2015 by SnowyAegis

[SnowyAegis]

-2-

Orius walked down the stone path to the pier where he worked. He remembered, there was a boat carrying smelting equipment today. Soon, however, he spotted a pair of guards blocking several of the other workers from going further on. He approached, listening.

"What do you mean we can't go down there? Are you telling us not to do our jobs?"

"I'm sorry sir, it's off-limits today. I'm sure everything is fine, the port will be open again tomorrow."

"Can you at least tell us why it's off-limits?!" The port worker threw his arms in the air as Orius came close.

"It wasn't that black object off the coast by any chance, was it?" He asked. The guard nodded. The other man turned and gave him the same look he was giving the guards.

"What? What do you know about this?"

"Not much. I was watching it yesterday, it was slowly closing in on the coast. It probably washed ashore last night. The guards are just being cautious."

"Yes sir, it grounded early this morning. For now all shipments are going to the far port." The guard gestured. The other workers snarled, turning and walking up the path. As Orius started to follow, one of the guards called out.

"Uh, sir? You said you saw it yesterday?" Orius stopped, turning.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Can you come with me, to confirm its the same object?" There was a slight pause.

"Yeah, sure."

 

---

 

Anar woke with a yawn and the shaking from another worker, a Ba-Matoran he knew as Yrae.

"Hey, get up. We ain't paid to lie about."

"I know." He said, sitting up and rubbing his eye. "Has Hodar come through yet?"

"Nope. Probably will though. Now come on. They want us to break through that rock layer today." Yrae shoved a lantern into his arms, already having left a pick by his bunk.

"Why, you need a hand?" He asked. She shrugged.

"Perhaps." She responded, waking out the door. Anar sat up, sitting the pick on his shoulder and picking up the lantern, before standing up and walking out. From inside the very roughly cone-shaped dig site, one wouldn't think they were as close to the shore as they were, but the sea birds and salty ocean smell gave it away. In his opinion, it was refreshing. Wasn't every day you met a Su-Matoran who liked being near the sea, but there were exceptions to the rule.

 

---

 

Eryen and Jedaros had found themselves following a group of Seda-Koro's green-armored guards down to the shore. Their own detachment had kind of dissolved, only two others followed behind them now, the rest making their own way to the shore. As the group passed by the shoreline trees a large, black rocky object came into view, dripping wet with seaweed hanging off it, gently rocking back and forth slightly in the tide, but otherwise thoroughly beached. From the guards already stood next to it, she could tell it was easily over twice a Matoran's height. The group dropped a sharp step, feet landing in the sand. The guards had already set up various tents for shade. Not far away, the guards led a civilian Le-Matoran there, and upon spotting the object, nodded and said something to one of them.

 

"This is what they brought us up here for?" Jedaros raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, at least we get some sea air."

"That's for Ga-Matoran and the such."

"Oh, right, smelt-head." Eryen grinned, giving Jedaros a playful bap on the back of the head. Jedaros elbowed her in response.

"Fry-skull." He retorted.

"Hm? Oh, you think I'm smoking, do ya?" She giggled, placing a hand on her hip. Jedaros gave a huff in response. A guard stepped in front of the light crowd.

"Who here is in charge of the detachment?!" He called.

"Come on. They want us for something." Jedaros sighed.

 

---

 

Orius observed the object from a distance. He wasn't a soldier, if it was dangerous he was the least prepared here.

"So you're sure it's the same one?" A guard asked him.

"Yup, looks like it." He scratched the back of his head. "Can I take a closer look?" He asked. The guard thought for a moment.

"Quickly. You're technically not supposed to be here." The guard gestured. Nodding, Orius stepped forward, approaching the object, examining the texture, how the water on it dropped down its surface. He reached a hand out to touch it. The guard stepped forward. "Sir!" She called, but Orius' hand placed itself flat against the surface. Orius' face changed immediately, to a look of confusion and deep thought. The guard approached further.

"Sir, please, you're--w...what is it?" She asked, gaze switching between Orius and the object. There was a pause.

"Sir?"

"There's something wrong here."

"What? Why?" The guard asked. Several others had their attention on them.

"Rock doesn't float." Orius stated.

 

---

 

As if in response to the Le-Matoran's discovery, the rock cracked. A crack running the length of the object, a small rush of air leaving from inside. Everybody took a step back. Several coughed.

"Gosh, that air's foul!" One guard called.

"What's in there?" Another asked. The guard grabbed Orius' arm, pulling him away back to the guard line. After a mere minute, an eternity to the anxious group, there was another loud, gravely crack. The top half dropped back down. There was a deep, rumbling growl. After a brief zap, the middle of the rocky top exploded, the two halves and surviving debris flying off, everyone shielding their faces or ducking behind something. Silence. Everyone's eyes was on the object. After what felt like another eternity, a metallic hand gripped the edge. A moment later, the hand's grip tensed, and it pulled up a large, hunchbacked, snake-like creature, in its other hand a long staff ending in two wide, sharp blades. Then another. And a third. More were either just visible, or audible inside the rock. The first one took a step forward after observing the group, landing with a crunch in the sand. It took another step forward, by no means uncaring but still intimidating...and almost...authoritative.

 

The creature's gaze dropped to the guard closest to it, spear held firmly in both hands. It made a rumbling, clicking noise, before gripping its spear with its other hand too. After a mere second, it's hand slid down to the other end, before rearing its tool back like a bat. Before the guardsman could even finish his first step back, it had swung, the blade smashing into the smaller being and propelling him far into distance. The other guards responded with a roar, several charging, shields raised and spears poised to strike. The creature hissed, swinging its staff again and sending several guards into the sand. One of the creatures pointed its staff at the Matoran, a long arc of energy crackling from the tip to the sand, exploding on contact, the boom marred by the screams of those caught in the blast. The creatures begun leaping from the rock, joining the fray. The fight immediately turned. The guards were fleeing.

 

---

 

Anar and Yrae had dug hard, Anar putting all his arm strength into smashing stone, but even so progress was slow. Everybody had come across a layer of hard rock and everywhere the digging had slowed to a crawl, and Hodar still hadn't shown up. Thankfully no picks had broken yet.

"Did you hear what was going on at the beach?" Yrae asked.

"No? What's going on?"

"Wow, you really don't get out. Some object washed up there. Real big, apparently."

"Huh. Sure the guards have got it covered."

"Yeah, even called in some from south to make sure."

 

---

 

Not far west, the guards most certainly didn't have it covered. As they ran, some did turn and throw spears, but the creatures either swatted them aside, or they clashed off their armor. Eryen had lost track of Jedaros in the chaos. She hoped he was alright. She had reached the tree line, and being clear of the sand she could run faster, but she had no intent on stopping. The sizzling and thunderous booms of whatever those creatures were doing continued, and continued to sound like they were right at her heels. Indeed, not far to her left, the base of a tree exploded. She reached the street, feet impacting the stone hard. She turned to look. The creatures had reached the top of the hill, firing at the fleeing guards and villagers, stone and clay blasting in every direction. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, under the stone wall serving to help block the wind. She spun to face whoever the arm belonged to. Jedaros! He gestured for her to follow.

"Where are we going?"

"There's a dig site not far from here. We can hide there. Real deep, lots of tunnels."

"We're hiding?"

"Look at those things, Eryen, do you think we can fight them? Everyone else is already running. Look." He pointed to the streets. He was right. Most of them, anyway. Several people lay in the streets, still. The duo continued, clearing the wall. They were almost out of sight now. Jedaros continued to lead, the pair of guards sprinting down the path. Thankfully, no energy bolts or green acid blobs followed them.

 

---

 

Orius was already far ahead, sprinting up the hill. The creatures had gone directly south, following the body of the guards into Seda-Koro. He could already hear screams and explosions. What were those things? What did they want? These questions were in and out of his head as quickly as his feet went. The guardsman, a Ga-Matoran called Deria, followed close behind. Several signs surrounded the site, all warning of the sharp drop and that it was a work site. Orius ignored them, although he slowed as he reached the edge, turning to face Deria.

"Come on, we can hide in here!" He gestured, lowering himself down before letting go, sliding down and stopping on the sandy ground. Deria followed, losing balance when she hit the ground. Several of the workers were headed for the exit, some already leaving the site.

"Word spreads fast." Deria panted.

"Come on, there's probably somewhere dark and secluded. They probably won't search the whole place."

"Won't they?"

"Too big, too many small places, easier targets." Orius pointed out. It was a fairly easy assessment; as a port worker he knew it was best to go for the body of the work first, then pick up the little bits after.

"Fair enough. Come on." Deria took the lead, sliding down another short slope, deeper into the site.

 

---

 

Anar and Yrae's attention had been drawn to a growing commotion outside. They walked to the exit to their narrow tunnel, Yrae stopping another worker as they passed.

"What's going on? Where's everyone going?" She asked.

"You didn't hear? Something's attacked the Koro!"

"From where?"

"The beach, not far from here! It's too dangerous, we have to leave!" The worker pulled his arm free of Yrae's grasp and kept running.

"So much for the guards having it under control."

"How could they have known?"

"True." Yrae sighed. "What do we do?" She asked.

"Well, if the Koro's under attack, we can't go there."

"Fleeing into the jungle is a bad idea."

"We could hide here."

"What?" Yrae raised an eyebrow.

"They're likely looking for the masses. They'll take a look at this place and see it being empty." Anar pointed to the mass of workers fleeing the site. Yrae sighed, thinking.

"If this gets us killed..." She started.

"Then we'll be dead." Anar shrugged. "What other options do we have?"

"Alright. Get rid of that lantern. It'll give us away." Yrae pointed to Anar's lantern, the Lightstone inside illuminating the tunnel. Anar nodded and, rearing his arm back, hurled the container, the object flying well and clear into the middle of the site, smashing on impact, as the duo retreated into the dark tunnel.

 

---

 

The two guards stopped as they watched a device containing a Lightstone fly into the middle and break. Other survivors?

"That looks like other people. Want to go check it out?" Jedaros asked.

"Other people hiding. Probably best to stick together."

"Yeah. Come on." Jedaros took off ahead, Eryen close behind. They leapt down two slopes, Eryen sliding to a halt to avoid crashing into a Le-Matoran.

"Woah! Hey. Who are you two?" He asked.

"Eryen. This is Jedaros. We're from the guard detachment." The other Matoran, a third guard, stepped out from behind the Le-Matoran.

"The detachment? Well, at least some other guards survived then. Deria, Guard Patrol group." She nodded to them. They nodded back.

"You're hiding here as well?" Jedaros asked.

"Looking to, yeah. You saw that lantern?" Orius pointed. Jedaros nodded.

"Let's go then." They headed for the next slope, stopping at a loud screech. They turned. Nothing at the edge. Yet. They backed away, slipping and falling down one after the other.

"Agh! Can we look out for those next time?" Eryen asked.

"Little busy looking for things more likely to kill us." Orius grunted.

"Hey! You lot! Shush up and get over here!" A Su-Matoran gestured for them to follow. They scrambled to their feet, hurrying as quietly as they could as they hear a creature reach the edge of the dig site. They bustled into the tunnel, where the Su-Matoran and a Ba-Matoran were also hiding.

"Seems you aren't the only one who thought to hide here, Jed." Eryen panted.

"Aye. And you all are?" Jedaros asked.

"Orius."

"Deria."

"Yrae."

"Anar. And you?"

"Jedaros."

"Eryen."

"Look, six of us, how funny." Yrae chuckled.

"How so?" Orius asked.

"Those old tales said Toa always came in teams of six."

"Toa haven't existed on Aoris Nui for eons, they likely won't now."

"Not with that attitude they won't."

"It's a logical conclusion."

"Wow, the optimism here is palpable." Eryen dead panned, the sarcasm still audible.

"Can we all shut it? Last I checked we were hiding." Deria snarled. Everyone went quiet.

 

Eryen observed the cave. The far wall had visible damage, but was otherwise not too destroyed.

"Having trouble digging that rock?" She asked. Anar rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah. We've been at it all day, we reached it yesterday."

"Nobody's been able to break through." Yrae added.

"Interesting." Eryen walked closer. Upon close examination, it became fairly clear it wasn't regular rock. No rock had that smoothed look, like it was put there.

"Is it natural rock?"

"Don't know. Can't imagine who would put it there."Anar shrugged.

"Perhaps..." Orius stepped forward. "Perhaps it's from those 'eons ago'."

"You're not suggesting Toa are behind this, are you?"

"It's a possibility." Orius shrugged, reaching forward and tapping his fist on it.

"Did...did anyone else hear that?" Deria asked.

"Hear what?"

"Tap the wall again, Orius. Harder." To this, the Le-Matoran nodded and banged his fist on the wall. dunk.

"Is that...hollow?" Jedaros asked.

"Maybe. Sounds that way." Anar shrugged. Eryen picked up her spear.

"Move." She ordered rather bluntly, pushing past. Rearing back her spear, she rammed it into the deepest part of the crater Anar and Yrae had made. It dug in. Not very far, but still somewhere. She reared it back again, slamming it into the hole. It went deeper, and a crack em engaged through the wall.

"Here, let me try." Jedaros held out his hand. Eryen passed the staff to him, and he tried also, to similar effect. Yrae looked to her fellow digger.

"Give it to Anar. He can crack rocks in two." She pointed. Anar rubbed his shoulder.

"Once or twice, Yrae." He sighed. Jedaros held out the spear. Sighing, Anar took it, stepping to the middle and slamming the spear into the hole. Cracks ran through the entire rock layer as the spear jolted forward.

"I...I think we..."

"We broke through?"

"Looks that way. Let's see." Anar let go of the spear, and he pushed the base of the pole. The spear slid down, vanishing from sight. The quiet clatter of it hitting a floor resounded through the small hole.

"Yup. There's something in there." Orius crossed his arms.

"Should we see?"

"It might attract attention." Deria gestured to the cave mouth.

"We've been trying to break through a wall and nothing's happened. It's fine. And even if it did, what would we do in either situation?" Yrae gestured to the group.

"Six Matoran against...those things, whatever they are. Yrae makes a point. Maybe we can find something we use." Orius shrugged. Eryen stepped forward, kicking the wall. The chunk of rock moved back slightly. She kicked it again. More open. Jedaros joined in, kicking in another one. After a minute, the rocks fell back with a crunch, smashing on the floor.

"Who's first?"

"Who can see best in the dark?"

"Gravity is close to Earth, right?"

"We don't have the night vision." Yrae grumbled.

"I'll go first." Anar stepped towards the hole, getting down on all fours and crawling through. Sure enough, he fell through, hitting the ground with a thump and an 'Umph'.

 

Anar stood up, sure enough able to make out the entire room clearly enough.

"Nothing in here, guys!" He called. One by one the five others clambered in, some landing more gracefully than others. The circular chamber was dark, but visibly built by hand. It wasn't natural, at least. In the middle a worn, ancient sack lay on the floor. Not far away, sat against the rock, was a still figure, slumped down. Orius approached them.

"Careful man." Yrae called. Ignoring the warning, Orius knelt in front of the being, lowering his head.

"You've all seen the ancient carvings, yes?" He asked.

"Yeah." Three of them responded.

"This...this is a Toa." He turned to face them.

"A Toa? Really?" Eryen asked incredulously.

"Yes. A Toa of Stone, if his colors, or what's left of them, are anything to go by. Dead, of course. Long, long dead." Orius stood back up.

"Stone. That explains the rock layer. He made this place." Anar crossed his arms.

"But why? Why build a hard, underground chamber with no exit at all? Was this some kind of symbolic suicide?" Deria asked.

"A suicide, perhaps. But I doubt it had any symbolism behind it." Eryen thought, looking around. No exit at all, not even signs of where he had come in.

"But maybe a purpose." Jedaros approached the bag, carefully opening it. Inside, eight faint, but still glowing stones sat, the bag keeping most of the dust off them.

"What are those?" Deria asked. There was silence.

"Stones, obviously." Anar suggested.

"No, really? I thought they were cupcakes, and that dead guy had actually made a super-secret tea party that nobody showed up to." Yrae grumbled.

"Maybe because he forgot to make an entryway." Eryen joked. Anar smiled. Orius knelt next to Jedaros, picking up one of them.

"Eight. Interesting. Why eight of them?"

"No clue." Jedaros picked up one as well.

"We aren't the 'special stone we stole from a corpse' club now, are we?" Eryen asked.

"Maybe." Deria stepped forward, her curiosity getting the better of her, picking up a stone. The stone at the bottom was cracked, no longer glowing. Anar and Yrae walked over.

"We almost broke through to this ourselves. Was this what they made this dig site for?" Yrae asked.

"Huh?" Jedaros looked up.

"Nobody told any of us what this was for. They were pretty insistent we break through the rock layer today."

"Did they know this was here?" Eryen asked.

"As stupid and unlikely as it sounds, that's the only logical conclusion we have. Perhaps they didn't want miners finding these like this. Maybe they wanted them for themselves. Maybe they're important." Orius suggested.

"If a Toa was willing to die, alone in this cavern for these, then in all probability, yeah. But, the question remains, why? Why are they important?" Jedaros asked. All six of them held a stone in their hands, save for the seventh and eighth ones.

"Are these what made Toa?" Orius asked.

"What?"

"Toa didn't just come from nowhere, they were made from Matoran. Perhaps these are what cause that."

"You seem to know a lot about these Toa." Deria raised an eyebrow.

"I do a lot of research on these things in my free time."

"Guys. A thought." Anar looked up. Everyone's gaze lifted, eyes locking on him.

"The six of us. Here. These Toa...keys, or whatever." Anar started.

"Matoran into Toa. Anar...Anar's making a good point. This isn't a coincidence, is it?" Eryen asked.

"They always said everything happens by fate." Jedaros shrugged.

 

The group jolted at a screech from outside. The creatures were close by. They stood up.

"If these really are the key to the Toa..." Deria weighed the stone in her hand. It glowed a little more. There was a pause. She did it again. Everyone watched as it started glowing brighter, theirs following close behind.

"I hope these aren't actually dangerous!" Orius called.

"Please don't tell me he hid these here because they're gonna kill us!" Yrae responded. The stones burst into light, the faint whirring-like noise marred only by the slight cries of the six Matoran as they fell to the floor. And almost instantly, the light stopped. The stones were flat now, no traces of light emanating from them.

 

Eryen was the first to open her eyes. Her hand lay flat in front of her face. Except...was that her hand? It remained the same purple-blue and gunmetal. Except...her fingertips were white. That was new. And...her fingertips were sharper. Longer. Longer. That was what was really different. Her hand was bigger than it used to be, longer. She blinked a few times. Yep. Still the same. She sat up, looking down. Not only were her hands bigger, she was bigger! Stronger. Sleeker. She slowly, cautiously, rose to her feet. She was much taller than she remembered being. So was everyone else.

"Everyone? Everyone alright?" She asked. Her voice was louder. Projected better. A couple of them groaned. Jedaros started to rise up. She hurried over, unsure of her new feet, helping him get on his own ones. He was a lot more colorful, too, with some yellow and a little bit of orange thrown into his grey and red. His mask had changed, with a large crest-like part at the top and an overall more robust, more detailed design, sat neatly in between the two rising parts of his bulky, arcing red chestplate.

"You look different." She grinned.

"You too." He groaned.

"Seems we were right, these are what make Toa." Orius had also risen to his feet, his dud Toa Stone in the palm of his hand. Orius had much broader shoulders and strong feet, with bulky armor on his forearms. He let the Stone go, the small object clinking on the floor.

"Just my luck. One minute I'm a digger hired to excavate some site, next...this." Anar was still getting steady on his feet. He had kept his above-average strength, now more muscular than anyone else in the room, a wide, round shield with a serrated edge on his back.

"Hey, now you look the part of "'Strong as a Toa' Anar"!" Yrae grinned, easily back up. Around her wrists were chains, leading to a pair of daggers on her back.

Deria groaned as she hauled herself to her feet. A sword of some description was mounted on her back, and her musculature was visibly built specifically for sword combat. That reminded Eryen. Reaching behind her, Eryen felt the handle of something, gripping it and pulling. A sword, one blade serrated, the other angled for chopping, drew out, in mint condition. There was still weight on her back, though. Reaching back with her other hand, she gripped a second handle. A round shield. Interesting. Jedaros drew his own weapon, a rifle complete with stock and laser sight.

"Seems Orius was right. We're all Toa now. We're Toa, yeah?" Anar asked.

"Yes. We're Toa." Orius confirmed. A second screech drew their attention to the entrance.

"Seems we'll have to get used to this later, we've got company." Eryen stated.