The Outside

[King_Serperior]

Hey all! This is my first short story and my first one in general. The story for this was in my mind for ages and it first sprang up when I thought of Lesovikk, Sarda, and Idris, thinking how they were all best buds who had to survive a storm, which, in their case was Karzahni and the other terrors of the Pit. I originally tried to enter the 1st chapter in SS Contest 8, Title Twisters, but the story evolved from much more than that. _______Chapter 1 Who would have thought that they of would come here, of all places, thought Toa Reezo. A few days ago, Reezo, Aria, and Darmon were just 3 rookie Toa trying to defend an island that was merely a rest stop from small Rahi attacks. Now, they were trying to save the civilians and themselves from squadrons of Rahkshi. Reezo had struck his Sky Scythe down into a Panrahk's armor, the kraata slug trying to writhe and contort its body away from the wreckage. A few bio away, Darmon used his control over heat to superheat a wave emitted from Aria, scalding many of the armored monstrosities. The battle was won, albeit at the cost of a small inn and a few shops. Which was to say that not everything was bad, as all three Toa survived with the knowledge that the Order of Mata Nui would assign a veteran Toa to them. Reezo was unsure what to make of it, a reclusive organization that had recently revealed itself in the wake of the Makuta's occupation of the universe. Although, Reezo was smart enough to not look a gift horse in the mouth. "Will it be a Toa of Ice, or Stone, Maybe even Lightning?" mused Aria, who wanted the mystery Toa to teach her how to handle her salvaged Ice Blade better. Darmon, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than a tale of the world outside keeping Rahi in check. He had grown a bit weary of his life on the island and wanted to explore the mysteries of the universe destiny had shielded him from. Reezo felt that he needed whatever help this Toa would give them, like leadership skills and bravery. Out of the three, he was chosen as leader, but the reserved Toa of Air was unsure of himself and dreamed of being the brave and bold leader his friends expected. "Hello, I am Toa Pari, and judging by the smug face the Toa of Water has, she knows I am a Toa of Ice. I was assigned by the Order to help you cross the seas to what is called the Extraction Point. Rumour has it that there is another world on the other side of it, where a battle of good and evil takes place. Now, who is the leader of this little...pack?"

[King_Serperior]

Chapter 2__________ "I am," Reezo announced. "I also don't like this tone you have with my team, my friends." "Spark. A good quality in a leader." Pari responded. The rest of the day brought about little surprise from the three Toa's new guide, as he had refused Darmon's request for stories yet accepted Aria's query for swordsmanship help. "The main thing about working with a sword, is that you have to look for holes in your opponent's armor while trying to cover up your own weak spots." Pari preached while he tried to jab Aria with her own blade, to which she had dodged gracefully. “If you follow that one piece of advice, there would be little chance you will die out in battle.” he said. The next day, the group set sail on a small boat headed south. “I never thought I’d see the day I would leave that little spit of sand.” Darmon said. “But what really lies out there, both in this universe and the other, I want to see it all.” What stories have you heard, fire-spitter? Don’t you know how many dangers lie out there? And it’s even worse due to the fact that Makuta Teridax has taken over! Why don’t you open your eyes to the real danger present?” If it had not been for Reezo’s mediation, the ship would have gone up in flames. They had sailed for a week and a half until they had found land. What came as a shock to Reezo, Aria and Darmon was a large green dragon; and what made it even stranger was that it had spoken to them telepathically. "Tahtorak," Pari whispered to the other Toa. "Either they can help us get to the Extraction Point, or they're gonna trample us" “Greetings, Toa. Have you come to help us? Strange robots has come here in search of a treasure that has something to do with the way this universe works. It is hidden in a lost temple.” “Yes, maybe the treasure has something to do with shutting down Makuta Teridax. Now in which direction were the large robots headed?”

[King_Serperior]

Chapter 3

_______

The first thing that popped into Aria’s mind was amazement. The jungle was filled with overgrown leaves and plants, and birds of all kinds flew overhead. On the trek, Pari had recognized the trail they were following to be Exo-Toa prints. Reezo wanted to fly with them, so he tapped his Scythe to the ground. The blade had turned up, pointing to the sky; and from the sides of the shaft sprung up two silver wings, with a handle bar under each wing. Reezo was simply ecstatic. Flying among the birds, and in a stature not unlike them, no doubt, he thought. He also knew with Teridax’s control, this was simply a luxury that was almost unaffordable. The flight wasn’t all for Reezo’s enjoyment, as it served an ulterior purpose as one of two ways to find the Exo-Toa, along with following the trail. Meanwhile, Darmon was almost completely silent, only pausing once or twice to practice using his twin Extendable Flame Crooks on a few trees, which, much to her chagrin, Aria had to douse soon after with water. “Guys, I found the temple, and it’s just over this hill!” Right after he had yelled this, Reezo had landed, due to the coming thunder. “The Exo-Toa aren’t far, either. Let’s jet.” “We shouldn’t,” Darmon replied. “The thunder is coming, and there’s a chance the bots might have seen you. We should hide for a while to see if they haven’t spotted you, Reezo.” With Pari’s help and expertise in camouflage in all environments and Darmon’s Huna, the group hid under leaves, in the hollows of trees, and underground, waiting for any sign of Exo-Toa. They had waited for a half hour until Aria started moving, whispering “Maybe they’re trying to decode some ancient message or something.” “Fine, Pari, we are leaving. Care to join us?” Reezo stated.