Learn To Fly, an alternate serial of Takanuva Options

[ToM Dracone]

Helloo everyone. Very simply, I'm not fond of the alternate universe of Dark Mirror, so this is an alternative serial to that, chronicling my own way that Takanuva got to Karda Nui. This is also largely inspired by the prologue of BL10, which I liked better than Dark Mirror or whole the rest of the book – the first chapter has no spoilers in it (but it does hint at them), but the second one definitely will. Enjoy!

:: Learn to Fly ::

Chapter 1

Takanuva was walking along the coastline of Onu-Metru, much as he had done every day for the past month. His eyes rarely left the horizon. He was searching, endlessly, for some sign of the Toa Nuva’s return, for some sign that they had succeeded at last in their quest, and would perhaps be returning with tidings to quench Takanuva’s desire for news.

It had been a week since the Jaller and his team, without Matoro, had returned to Metru Nui. The new Toa had brought news both shocking and tragic to the city and Takanuva, but only the vaguest concerning the Toa Nuva. All they could say was that the Nuva were pursuing a new quest, one that Tahu had said the Mahri could not join them on.

At first Takanuva had thought that his restlessness would have been cured by the return of the Toa Mahri, not least because it would mean that he was no longer the sole guardian of Metru Nui. But their tales and his happiness at seeing them alive had sated him for only a few days, and by now his thirst for something, though he did not know what that something was, had returned.

He thought, as he walked a path now too familiar for him to pay attention to his feet, that it was because at heart he was still Takua, even in the form and name of Takanuva. He wanted to be out doing something, traveling with the Toa like he had used to do, instead of being stuck in one place. He had been training daily with the Mahri and learning more subtle skills from the Turaga, but those were hardly enough.

Something brushed against the back of his mind. It was something more than a stray thought, and Takanuva latched onto it immediately. From what Onewa had told him, it was the sensation of another mind trying to break into his own. Takanuva willed his mind shut and focused on the intruder, momentarily losing sight of the shore as a confused image swam through his mind. It was dark, and he glimpsed lightstones and a corridor and a silver-and-grey figure – the Archives.

Takanuva turned without a thought and broke into a run. He pushed the thing out of his mind as strongly as he could, but hung on to it enough for him to be able to feel where his attacker was. He used this strange sense to guide him more than his eyes, and he barely saw anything as he ran through the streets of the Metru.

He raced past piles of debris and empty buildings, jumping over crates and cracks in his way. The area was completely empty of Matoran, but all this registered with him for only moments. His sight was blurred as he ran, skidding at turns due to his speed, focusing on the location his mind gave him rather than how he was getting there —

And then, all of a sudden, his sense of his attacker vanished. Takanuva stumbled and stopped still, his eyesight and hearing sharp and clear as ever now. The street he was on was clear but dirty, with rubble pushed to the sides. All of the buildings around him were dark inside, the exteriors in varying states of disrepair. He recognized nothing around him, and there was no way for him to reestablish the connection. He would have had to have a Komau or Suletu for that.

He knew he had to get to the Archives, and that he had to keep going in roughly the same direction. If he remembered the tour Whenua had given him correctly, and was where he thought he was, there was an old entrance to the Archives somewhere nearby. He started off at a jog again, keeping an eye out for anything he could remember seeing with Whenua. Finally, after some minutes, he caught sight of an old Ussal shell propped against a corner, and remembered Whenua leading him past it weeks ago.

He turned the corner and pain exploded in his mind.

Intense, searing pain like nothing he had ever felt before — he fell to his knees, clutching his head, all his senses gone, replaced with swirling images and excruciating pain. What little of his thoughts remained rational told him this was another assault on his mind, and he tried desperately to will his conscious self back —

He forced his eyes open. Standing above him was the armored figure he had seen in his vision. He swung his staff at it reflexively, cringing from the pain, and his own blade met one held by the thing. The pain lessened and Takanuva kicked at his attacker and jumped to his feet.

He felt the thing attack his mind again, with another wave of pain, and he struggled to block it as the same time as the being jumped at him. Takanuva responded with an explosion of pure light. The force of it threw the two apart, hurling Takanuva into the wall of the street. He scrambled to his feet and ducked to the right to gain room as the being attacked him again.

Their blades clashed once again, and as they fought Takanuva let himself shine as brightly as the sun, hoping to blind his attacker. It seemed to work, but the being switched to a mental assault again, and Takanuva jumped back again as he tried to shield his mind. He could not use his element, fight, and block a telepathic attack all at once – especially since the thing was attacking him with all the moves he had not mastered how to counter.

He made a punching motion and a beam of light left his fist and slammed into the Dark Hunter – as he guessed the thing was now. It backed off and Takanuva concentrated the beam into a fine point, attempting to burn a hole through the silver plating.

But the Hunter lashed back with a devastating mental attack. Nightmares and fears and immobilizing pain filled Takanuva’s mind and he fell to the ground again. Through hazy vision he saw the Hunter walk towards him, blade raised to strike, then —

“No!” shouted a female voice.

The pain vanished instantly and Takanuva looked up to see a half-dozen daggers of water fly above him and strike the Dark Hunter. It flinched and staggered back, clawing at the row of holes in its armor, but still it made no sound. Takanuva leapt up and grabbed his staff, glancing toward the voice – a Toa in dark blue armor was running towards them from the end of the street.

He turned from her and attempted to trap the Hunter in a column of light, but as he did it seized hold of his mind again, breaking his concentration —

“Krakua!”

There was an enormous BANG behind the Dark Hunter. Takanuva and his attacker were hurled backwards; their blades flew out of their hands; every window around them shattered; fragments of the walls exploded into dust and a hail of pebbles.

Takanuva landed in a heap of debris, bruised and aching. His head was swimming as he tried to get up again, but the Dark Hunter had recovered faster, and with a single movement it dragged Takanuva to his feet and threw him headfirst at the opposite wall.

The voice screamed and Takanuva heard rapid footsteps and the sound of rushing water, and then he lost consciousness.

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This post has been edited by -Soundwave-: Jun 24 2008, 10:19 PM

[ToM Dracone]

Now that BL10 spoilers are allowed, I can finally post this next chapter...

Chapter 2

When Takanuva awoke, he was lying on a hard metal table. The room around him was lit by dim lightstones hanging from the ceiling, by whose light he could faintly see strange instruments and more tables pushed against the walls. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his back and neck forced him to lie still.

Where am I?

“A place of the dead.”

It was a female voice, the same voice he had heard earlier, though it spoke more softly now.

Takanuva lifted his head slightly. A figure was rising from a seat at the foot his makeshift bed. A portion of his power lit the room more brightly, and he saw that she was small for a Toa, but heavily armored. Her body was covered in strange, midnight blue armor, shaped and decorated like none he had seen before. Black spikes rimmed the plates on her shoulders and thighs, and her body underneath seemed to be glittering in the light. She wore a mask with no mouth hole, its wedge-shaped front unbroken, and there was an odd mesh-like cover over her left eye.

“Who are you? And what is this place?” he asked.

“I am Helryx, Leader of the Order of Mata Nui.”

Takanuva blinked. “I have never heard of it, or you.”

“Good,” she said. “If you had, we would have more problems than we already do. As for where we are, this chamber is used by the Onu-Matoran to examine the carcasses of any Rahi that have died in the Archives.”

Takanuva shivered. He remembered Whenua telling him about this, but the Turaga had not shown him inside. Had this Toa brought him here because she had thought he was dead?

“No.” Helryx shook her head. “If I had, I would not have healed your wounds. I am very pleased that you are alive, and you may consider yourself very fortunate to be so. If Krakua and I had not arrived in time, you might not be.”

“Krakua?”

“A Toa of Sonics.” Helryx looked behind her, and Takanuva noticed for the first time a heavy door and the grey-and-black Toa standing beside it. Krakua nodded at him, and Takanuva saw that he was wearing a Suletu, Mask of Telepathy. That explained things.

“Is he part of this … Order?” asked Takanuva.

“No,” said Helryx. “But he serves us as a courier, one who can ferry messages between members or to others not part of the Order, all without revealing our existence. For the past few weeks he has been stationed in the Archives, watching over both you and also Dweller, lest he finally make a move against you.”

“Dweller?”

Helryx looked at him sternly. “The Dark Hunter who attacked you! He has great telepathic power and is much stronger than Krakua, which is why we did not assign Krakua to eliminate him. When he attacked you, Krakua was aware immediately, and it was lucky I was in the city at the same time. Right now we have locked him, unconscious, in the next chamber, and Krakua is guarding him mentally.”

Takanuva nodded blankly.

“But as for you, you must come with us. We have need of someone to carry vital information to Karda Nui, information that the Toa must have if they are to survive —“

“What?” exclaimed Takanuva. “Why me? Why not Krakua?”

“He has other messages to bear. And more importantly, you are the Toa of Light – you are uniquely powerful against the Brotherhood of Makuta and can match their abilities as few else can.”

Takanuva swallowed. Battling Makuta alone had been enough for him. “And what if I refuse?”

“That is not an option!” shouted Helryx, her eyes flashing furiously. “As we speak, the Toa Nuva train in Artakha and the Brotherhood prepares an attack on Karda Nui to prevent them from awakening Mata Nui. None can enter Artakha except by teleportation, and he does not take kindly to uninvited guests, so we – you – have no choice but to go to Karda Nui yourself if you wish to save them.”

She stared at Takanuva. Her mask’s lack of a mouth was unnerving him, but what she had just said had caught both Takanuva’s attention and imagination. He had the chance to be with the Toa again, not just tagging along as a Matoran but fighting as one of them… He looked away from Helryx. A small part of him warned him that he would be facing things he had barely heard of, all far more powerful than him. But the adventurous rest of his mind pushed that aside. The alternative was staying in Metru Nui, waiting for something to happen that might never come to pass, while the Toa fought without him.

He took a deep breath. “I will.”

“Good,” Helryx said quickly. “Can you stand?”

“I can try.” Takanuva tried to sit up again, forcing himself to ignore the pain along his back. He swung his legs over to pull himself upright, and found that it hurt less to sit than to lie down. He delicately slid into a standing position. At first he stumbled, but he was able to steady himself by leaning against the table.

Helryx turned away from him as soon as he could stand unassisted, and Takanuva saw her mask glow.

“There is no one outside, or anywhere near us.” She glanced back at Takanuva. “Come, we must leave immediately. Krakua, fetch Dweller.”

Krakua nodded, opened the door, and walked out. Helryx made to follow him, but stopped at the door to watch Takanuva impatiently as he limped after her. He could walk, at least, but parts of his body were still twinging.

Outside, he found they were in a tall corridor. Large doors were spaced unevenly along the walls, with turquoise lightstones at more regular intervals between them, though many of these had gone dark. There were cracks in the floor and walls here and there, and bits of the ceiling had fallen in. The door next to them was open, and Takanuva could hear movement inside it as he stood with Helryx. Further down the hallway, he thought he could see what might have been faint daylight.

Soon Krakua emerged, dragging the Dark Hunter by the scruff of the neck. Takanuva was surprised to see that he was now wearing a Pakari. Much of Dweller’s silver and iron armor had been shattered or was missing entirely, revealing white accents on his body underneath. Water was dripping off of him and forming a puddle on the floor.

Krakua nodded to Helryx and she set off down the corridor. Takanuva had no choice but to follow, and Krakua brought up the rear.

“Where are we going?” asked Takanuva. His voice echoed slightly.

“First to a larger chamber,” said Helryx. “He needs some place higher to appear…”

This intrigued Takanuva, but he felt he ought not ask more. She was leading them in the darker direction, and the sparse lightstones, rubble, and echo of their footsteps made him feel nervous. Even the sound of drops of water falling from Dweller was strangely magnified.

Helryx’s mask was glowing blue again, more brightly than before, and she was looking from wall to wall. Eventually, she stopped in front of a tall door in the center of a long bare stretch.

“This should be large enough.” She placed a hand on the door and her mask flared. “Yes, it’s empty, but locked. Krakua?”

It was now almost completely dark where they stood, absent of either lightstones or Helryx’s mask. There was the sound of the Dark Hunter being dropped on the floor and a sword being drawn, then Takanuva heard Krakua’s voice.

“I could do with some light.”

“Sorry,” Takanuva mumbled. He conjured a sphere of light into existence above them.

Krakua nodded to him and walked forward, then placed the point of his longsword into the lock. With his left arm he made a waving motion, then he placed both hands on the hilt. The blade started to vibrate, and a second later the lock shattered with an intense screech that made Takanuva flinch.

Helryx pushed open the door without delay and went in. Takanuva followed once again. She looked at him pointedly and he hurriedly let his own body shine brightly this time, until he could see all of the room around them. They were in an enormous chamber, at least four times Takanuva’s height, completely empty but for more rubble and some broken machinery. The creak of Krakua shutting the door reverberated off the walls for what felt like at least a minute.

Helryx walked to the very center. There she paced in a circle, whispered mutterings drifting back to Takanuva’s ears. Finally she took five steps back, raised her arms to the ceiling, and shouted a single word:

“Botar!”

Her voice echoed through the room a hundredfold, but Takanuva heard it in his mind as well, clear as his own thoughts against the discordant noise of her cry. The name sounded familiar to him. Krakua prodded him and jutted his head toward Helryx, and they, with Dweller, walked toward the center as well.

In seconds, Helryx’s call was answered.

A titanic being, almost as tall as the chamber itself, had appeared before her. Red and gold armor covered his blue-and-silver body; blades as long as Takanuva’s staff were strapped to his forearms; his enormous mouth was lined with golden, dagger-sized teeth. Takanuva had jumped backwards and almost fallen over. He had heard about him from the Mahri, but nothing they had said could have prepared him for meeting Botar in person.

Helryx bowed to him.

“You called, Helryx?” boomed Botar.

“I did. Takanuva and I must travel to Daxia immediately.”

“And Krakua and the other?”

“Krakua will stay here and deliver a message. The Dark Hunter called Dweller shall be imprisoned on Daxia for questioning.”

Botar nodded. He then walked around the Toa, where he picked up Dweller with a single hand and slung him over his shoulder. Helryx made a sign to Krakua, who inclined his head to her and turned to go, but then paused. He extended a hand to Takanuva.

“Take this,” he said. “You might need it.”

He was holding what appeared to be a miniature version of the sundial the Onu-Matoran had once found in the mines of Onu-Wahi, and that Takua had helped to unlock. Takanuva could only nod and take it, baffled.

“A very good idea,” said Helryx. She walked toward Botar and stood in front of him, facing the same way as he. She beckoned to Takanuva and he imitated her. There was an echoing clank as Krakua left and closed the door.

And then Takanuva felt the sensation of being lifted off his feet without leaving the ground, and the room vanished.

:: Review ::

This post has been edited by ToM Dracone: Aug 21 2008, 09:44 PM