Legends Poll: Tuyet

[Velox]

Vote here for your favorite Legends of Lhii story; entries have been randomized. Please MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL ENTRIES BEFORE VOTING.Voting begins now and will end on June 2nd at 11:59 PM EST. Entries that do well will move on to the Legends of Lhii Final Poll, which will be posted at the conclusion of the 12th round preliminary poll.

• [*]There once was a matoran with yellow hands, yellow feet and a yellow mask. Yes, yellow appeared to be his signature color. This matoran loved many things, but the thing he loved most was the thrill of surfing. The wind in his face, the heat of fire over his body and the speed, oh the speed! How he loved it all. He turned his board sharply to the left as the next wave approached. Moving with the flow of the surf, he began to accelerate. The only thought in this matoran’s head was speed. Yes, he had to move faster, faster. Soon the matoran was a mere blur to the world and the world was a spectacular blur to the matoran so much so that he could no longer see clearly. It was in this carelessness that the matoran fell with a grim splash. --- Cough. Cough. Wheeze. “Easy there, fire-spitter. You may be fast, but not even you can breathe water like Toa Gali.” Jaller tried to clear his eyes of the sea-water and looked toward Naho bay. His companion was not ten feet from him bobbing on a surfboard; her voice was all too familiar. “Haha, you’re one to talk, Hahli. You’ve had quite a few wipe-outs yourself.” Jaller raised a brow at the ga-matoran. --- A sharp sting burst through the matoran’s side. It was followed by another sting in his shoulder and one on his leg. The pain was immense, yet it had to be endured at all costs. Faster… I need to move faster. The thought was the only hope the matoran had to forget his pain. A dark buzzing filled the air with the sound of impending doom. The distance he had covered from his home was great indeed. He knew his duty; he had to keep moving. A blur of lava was the last sight the matoran would realize. --- The sun was setting on the beach as Jaller and Hahli collapsed, exhausted. “You know, you’re normally not that reckless. What came over you today?” The blue matoran looked to her friend with a cheeky smile. “… Well, today just seemed too good to waste…” Jaller looked off into the distance almost in a trance. A dark cloud loomed over his head as he spoke. “Hmm? … Jaller… What’s on your mind?” Hahli’s eyes grew concerned. “…Hahli, have you ever heard of a matoran named Lhii?” The words he spoke sounded mournful and grey. “…I can’t say I have.” Hahli looked down at the sand. “Lhi was a ta-matoran. He was the Captain of the Guard before me. There are many stories of him in Ta-koro. He was a legend; he could surf through lava like it was water! Turaga Vakama said he would be second only to Tahu even today.” Jaller spoke with a mixed sense of pride and wistfulness. “What happened to him?” “Hoto. There was a swarm of hoto plaguing Ta-Koro. According to Turaga Vakama, Lhii managed to find the swarm’s queen. He picked it up with a kohli stick and attempted to lure the swarm out of the village through the lava. Lhii managed to save the village, but the swarm was too much for him, and he… fell…” Jaller’s words had a certain rising and falling as he spoke. “…I never knew there was a matoran like that on Mata Nui.” Hahli shared Jaller’s mood as they both looked up towards the night sky. “… I’ve got some big shoes to fill, Hahli…” Hahli gave a soft smile and rested a hand on his shoulder. “We all do.” -----[*]A Tale of Uncommon Courage Matoran await, anticipating, as the Turaga begins. "Today, I would like to share with you a side of Lhii you have never heard of. We all know about Lhii the brave, adventurous, skillful, and hardworking Matoran. Today I will tell you of Lhii, the kind and generous." "Of everything Lhii owned, of all his lava surfing trophies and medals, only one possession truly mattered to him: his first lava board, moulded from protosteel, hung on his wall for all to see, but for none to touch. Every month, he would retrieve that board from his wall, walk down to the lava flow, and ride. Matoran would put aside their duties to watch him ride, more graceful than a Rahi whale. I have stood, on occasion, at the banks of the lava flow to watch him, his perfect balance, precise body movements. After some time spent riding, he would return to his home and polish his board, gently caressing it with a soft cloth until it shone like a lightstone. "One such day, while Lhii Was cleaning his lava board, a Matoran knocked at his door. He greeted a Ta-Matoran, formerly part of the Guard, Ferna was his name, who sustained an injured leg from a battle with an agitated Kikanalo. Lhii welcomed his friend into his house, and they walked past various trophies and prized lava boards, into his sitting space. "Ferna wanted to take lava boarding lessons with him. Lhii was doubtful at first, "Your leg won't pain you?" But agreed to do his best to help an old friend. He soon found that this would be no easy task. "He first thought to use a balance-board, designed for stability, however Ferna would have to lean most of his weight on his injured leg. The slalom board lacked stability, and no other boards were found to fit Ferna's leg. The disabled Matoran hid his disappointment as he returned home. He had hoped, with all his heart, that he could experience some freedom from his handicap through lava surfing. "Lhii had fitted countless Matoran with the perfect lava boards such that he could find the perfect match for a Matoran within minutes. Although Ferna posed a challenge with his injury, Lhii knew there was a match for him. It wasn’t a matter of finding the match, it was a matter of finding the courage to suggest such a match. He sat down on a stool, and gazed at the opposite wall, where his lava board hung, like a painting, radiant as a lightstone. Flawlessly moulded, unrivaled balance, while maintaining a perfect speed. Adjustable foot grips made it fit for anyone to ride. "It was the perfect match, and he knew it. Could he give it up, the board on which it all began, which he spent hours every day polishing, fine tuning. As he thought about his friend, limping toward his home, how he had valiantly stepped into the kikanalo’s path, saving his life, Lhii realized that he must do it; he would hate himself for all eternity if he didn’t. "The next day, Lhii watched and instructed Ferna through the motions. “Lean to the side as if you intend to touch the lava...that’s it...now the other side...” Ta-Matoran stopped to watch this extraordinary sight, eyes darted from the legendary lava board that this disabled Ta-Matoran rode so gracefully, to the yellow Matoran observing from the bank. Lhii smiled and waved; never had he felt so satisfied.” Matoran smile as Vakama concludes his tale of uncommon courage and kindness. -----[*]Lhii, the Rama, the Maiden and the Mountain Lhii was the strongest Of Ta-Koro’s guards And the greatest fire-surfer to live He fought off Makutas beasts Rode through a bitter heat And his skills, he used only to give. For Lhii was a gentle soul Kind at heart stone Who judged many a matorans fate. With many tales for him And honours adorn him The greatest I now relate Word spread of a lady From Ga-Koro’s navy Who’d been lost near Ko-Wahi’s cold Lhii packed up his broadsword And always his surfboard To set off for the mountains of old From bio, to kio, To mio he travelled Atop a Vako beasts back He walked by instinct Tracing no footsteps He was given no such thing to track On the banks of the Hura Mafa He found his first clue The wreck of the boat she had used Only few signs of a struggle Saw Lhii the great hunter Who was quickly growing more confused Still no footsteps remained From when she had surely Left behind her wrecked watercraft So Lhii the warrior noted The claw-stroke torn into The inside of the large raft Rahi, he knew, and it took Not long to note The beast that struck must have flown away ‘A Nui Rama!’ He decided And set off to find This villager who’d been forced astray So into the mountain Lhii continued to ride Forcing his way through the snow He cared not for it But he would endure it Though his pace grew ever more slow Fatigue began to claim The great heroes mind Though his honour kept him in pursuit He would not return Until he’d saved this maiden Or his duty to protect would be moot. Luck struck upon him Or otherwise so At the bottom of a narrow mountain pass When two Rama set upon him And with sword in hand He fought back to their great flying mass. In moments he struck down The first of his foes But the second still buzzed overhead Thinking fast as he could Lhii dropped his sword And was dragged off (to his poor Vako’s dread) Was it madness or weakness? That compelled such a hero To perform such a foolhardy feat? Neither, for in his hand Lhii still held the surfboard And in his mind his plan grew complete To the top of a mountain Lhii was taken. To a cave that served as a nest There he found the poor lady Of the Ga-Koro navy Who had served as the subject of his quest. From the moment he was dropped To the floor of the cave Lhii acted as no other would He called to the Matoran To run toward him To escape her entrapment if she could With all the force he could muster Lhii hefted his board To batter the Rama who took him. He threw down his the tool Took the maiden in his arms And over the cave edge he did skim To the horror of his passenger Lhii did glide Along the steep mountainside Off the ridges he bounced On the ice he slipped up But unfalteringly he went on to ride. At the foot of the mountain His Vako now waited For his master to return to his saddle Lhii skidded to a stop Let down the Ga-Matoran Who was most understandably rattled This has been the tale of Lhii Who journeyed off far To save someone he knew not Through the songs of the air-folk And the tales of the Turaga His deeds will main un-forgot *Musician Sanso’s musical adaptation of Vakama’s tale. -----[*] The Lava Breaks It was another ordainary day on Mata Nui, and the work of lava farming was going well. Lhli, our valiant Matoran and good friend, was taking a minute of rest from the dangerous work, as it was his turn to keep watch for fiendish beasts down by the lava breaks. But this time, not all was peace and quiet as we thought it would be. Dark shapes appeared over the side of the crater, accompanied by ferocious, tiny insects, goading them on. Lhli sounded the alarm, but there was one Matoran who refused to leave. It would only take a moment, he said, to finish his work. Lhli wasn’t about to leave his Matoran friend behind. But the Rahi were coming closer, and closer, so close that he could hear the buzz of the fireflyers and see the glint of the Kofo-Jaga’s stingers. And yet his friend was absorbed in his work, never noticing the approaching danger. The fireflyers were inches from his armor…the Kofo-Jaga were tensed and ready to strike…when, at the last second, the Matoran was knocked off his feet, swept down the channel by Lhli and his lava surfboard! The Kofo-Jaga gave chase, but they could not keep up with our valiant hero, who flew down the lava breaks faster then a speeding Mahi. Oh, he was faster even than the fireflyers that day. Lhli went through various tunnels, going faster and faster, trying to lose the Kofo-Jaga, but they stayed right on his tail. He was going his fastest yet, almost back to the village, when he realized he was on the path to the lava falls! Lhli had just one chance – the safety stones in front of the falls. And yet – the Matoran whom he had saved would plunge to his death. The Rahi were coming… At the last second, Lhli took his brother and set him on the stones. The lava current ripped him away. The Rahi, blind beasts that they were, followed him, plunging into the depths below. And that is how Lhli, the bravest and strongest of Matoran, met his end. No Matoran has laid eyes on him since. The price for our village’s safety that day was one of our finest warriors. There will never be another like him. * * * “Turaga” a Matoran asked, “who was Lhli’s friend?” Vakama shook his head. “It is not wise to speak ill of your brothers. The Matoran I speak of is among you. Best to put it aside.” -----[*]Who Is Your Hero? “Turaga Vakama?” A small voice called out in the street. “Yes, little one?” Turning from the doorway of the building he was exiting, the Turaga saw a young mask of a Matoran child, and across the street, on the opposite sidewalk, a small throng of Matoran. “My little sister, she wants to tell you that you’re her biggest hero ever.” The spokes-Matoran pointed to his group of friends to a hidden Kanohi Akaku in the back of the group, ducking away shyly. “But she’s too scared to tell you,” He added in a whisper. The Turaga of Fire smiled beneath his mask. He began crossing the street towards the group. There were at least half a dozen of them wandering around in the empty mid-morning square, since all their parents were working this time of day. “But, uhh, Turaga?” The child hastened to catch up to his elder. “We also wanted to hear a story, if you have time.” As they reached the cluster of Matoran, their little masks bobbed up and down in agreement. “I’ll always have time for you,” Vakama asured them, offering his beaten-armored hand to the little sister. She turned her warm orange Kanohi up to look at him, still timid, and he smiled into her soft blue eyes. “What can I do for you?” The little girl giggled and grabbed his hand in both of hers, practicaly swinging from it as Vakama started to make his way to a carved bench. “Turaga Vakama, who is your hero?” She asked him. Vakama sat down slowly, surprised he didn’t literally creak with age, because he suddenly felt thousands of years older. He knew exactly who his hero was. As his troop settled in around him, he picked out his words carefully. “My hero was warrior. He was brave and strong and corageous. He saved Matoran and Turaga alike, and was loved by all. I had the privilege to meet him personally, and he showed me nothing but kindness. Unity, Duty, and Destiny were all that he lived for. I wish he was here today for you to see, he was truly great.” “What happened to him?” “Did he ever save you, Turaga Vakama?” “Can we see a picture of him?” “Did he fight off Rahi?” “What was his name?” Vakama closed his eyes. It hurt him to keep secrets, even if it was from these younglings, who wouldn’t understand the truth anyways. But, in a way, they already knew his hero. They already knew Toa Lhikan. He was there when they ran around with their miniature Lava Boards. He was there at the annual Lava Surfing competition. He was there in the mask of the brave Captain of the Guard. He was there every day, in Vakama’s gratitude, because if Lhikan hadn’t been there, so long ago, none of them would be living on their blessed Island Paradise. But none of this, they could know. And because of this, Vakama had to say, “Children, why don’t I tell you another legend of Lhii?”[*]The Death of Lhii Vakama's knees creaked as he slowly lowered himself onto the wooden log that served as his storytelling bench. Tahu's Suva dominated the dimly lighted background, the sparse burnt trees around it towering into an air mixed with ash. "Another story, Vakama?" The Turaga of Fire smiled knowingly. "Yes, Takua. Be sure to chronicle this one," he said. In the crowd, Aodhan coughed and raised his hand. Vakama paused before he began, motioning to the Lava Farmer. "I'm sorry to bother you, Turaga, but something's always been bothering me about these stories ..." Vakama felt an inner dread. If he'd screwed something up, or there was a plot hole in the continuity of his stories, the entire Lhii myth would come crashing down upon him. "... it's just that, well ... if Lhii was really so great, how come he's not around anymore?" The Turaga felt relief. "That's because he's no longer around. If you all would like, I could tell you that story, but it's ... a painful one." The gathered Matoran nodded solemnly, and Vakama began. "It was long ago, on the lava flows of Mangai, that Lhii was going along, just surfing as usual. Nothing unusual had happened for weeks before then, and it didn't feel like anything would happen that day either. A bunch of Matoran were out there, watching Lhii surf or occasionally joining him. "But Makuta was up to evil again, and he had sent two malicious Rahi after him. They had stalked him for weeks, but Lhii did not notice them. These Rahi were cunning and powerful, so they had somehow figured out how to dam the main flow. As the flow's level kept going down, Lhii eventually ground to a halt at the rock, on the bottom of where the flow had been. He was the only one down there, since it was later on into the day. The few that were out there with him were up on the shore. "Well, they all went back to Ta-Koro to see if they couldn't fetch something to haul Lhii out with, but they left no one behind. They figured that Lhii would be alright on his own. But those Rahi came back--" "Sorry, Turaga, but ... what did these Rahi look like?" Aodhan inquired. Vakama smiled. "One was large and green, and looked kind of like a spider. The other was bulky and blue. I don't remember much about them other than that. "Anyway, as I was saying, these Rahi jumped into the pit with Lhii. Lhii fought back valiantly, but he could not overcome them. However, a Matoran upflow had noticed the dam and noticed that the excess lava was going to flood the area, just completely wipe it away. So he surfed out there and began to dismantle the parts of the dam that he could. "By the time the Matoran realized what he was doing, it was much too late. The dam had already been broken and the lava was going to engulf Lhii. But Lhii saw this, broke from the grip of the Rahi, grabbed hold of his surfboard, and caught some of the rushing lava. "But there was too much of it. Lhii could not handle the wave of lava, and got pulled under. The two Rahi, for their efforts, did not make it. "Lhii gave his life to save the life of all of you here today," Vakama concluded, a solitary tear running down his cheek. "That's the most important thing." Without a word, or indeed even a sound from anyone seated in the concentric semicircles around him, he got up and slowly ambled away. -----[*]Lhii and the Hunters of the Dark This is a tale from many, many years ago, in times more distant than any Matoran can remember, times when I myself was a Matoran. Yes, little ones, I was once a Matoran, like you. Yes, I was a Ta-Matoran. And in those days I could have taught you all a little something about staying out of trouble. But now then. I was keeping watch at the gate, with another Matoran named Nury. Yes, I was a guard. Hush now. It was a calm night. Everything was as normal. The clouds were dark and lazy, and every few moments one would drift over the moon to stanch its silver light, giving way to the deep glow of the lava river. Suddenly we heard an unusual sound. It was a high-pitched, rhythmic metallic beat: clicketty-clacketty-clicketty-clack. Steadily it got closer; clicketty-clacketty--and louder; clicketty-clack. Strange shapes flickered in the shadows. It began playing tricks on my mind. I saw ineffable horrors take shape in the dark. I daren't breathe. And still the sound got louder. Clicketty-clacketty-clicketty-clack. And then with a resounding bellow a Kane-Ra appeared from nowhere and charged us. Shocked but undazed, Nury blew his horn. We held our ground, waiting for reinforcements as the beast charged ever nearer--and nearer--and nearer. In unity we then threw our disks at the beast. Taken by surprised, it stumbled and fell, burning one foot in the river. We had bought the Guard an extra few moments. But still that sound--clicketty-clacketty-clicketty-clack. It was louder than ever. And then its terrible scream rent the air, like a dying Gukko's cry, a shrill screech tinged with malice. We looked up. It stood on the mountainside. It was bigger than an Ash Bear. It was more ferocious than a Muaka. It grinned cruelly down upon us. It was the second biggest Ussal I have ever seen. Then Nury and I fled, hoping reinforcements would arrive any moment. We soon saw this was impossible. The bridge mechanism was damaged; we could fix it, but we would need time. And as the Ussal clawed at the gate, we knew that was something we did not have. Without warning a fast disk flashed past and the Ussal staggered. When we looked out, what do you think we saw? That's right--it was the great warrior Lhii, surfing down the lava river toward us. And then he sprang out of the river, separating his special lavaboard into duel blades. The Ussal screeched and lunged, but Lhii easily deflected its claws with his swords. He retaliated with a blow that knocked the creature off its many feet. Now Nury and I cried out. The Kane-Ra was thundering up behind Lhii. With one glance over his shoulder he leapt into the air, sailing easily over the beast's head to land upon its back. He grabbed the bull by the horns and with his unsurpassed strength forced it to veer off its course, away from us and toward the Ussal. The Ussal screeched and fled. Lhii jumped off the Kane-Ra's back as it and the Ussal blundered away into the night. He hurled a valedictory disk after them to remember him by. And then he turned to Nury and I. We praised and thanked our hero, but he silenced us with a hand. "You two are the heroes tonight. You bravely stood your ground, united, and did not flinch from your attackers. You have made Ta-Koro proud." And so it was that Lhii saved me. Without a further word he sprang onto his board and surfed away toward the rising sun.

[Sumiki]

Shameless voting for my own, #6, though all of the other entries are excellent. I especially enjoyed #3 due to its poem form.

[fishers64]

As usual, self-voted.

[xccj]

I am very angry with Entry 3. Not only did it also use the poem / song form like my entry, but it did so much better at it than I did. I am very jealous of it.But I sitll voted for it because it's awesome.

[Excelsior]

I voted for 1.-Excelsior

[Ballom Nom Nom]

Voted for 5, although 6 was excellent as well.~B~

[Velox]

Polling period over; poll closed.