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[SPIRIT]

Chapter 42

Three brown Pahrak burst into tiny bits of metallic protodermis; shrouded in the smoke rising from their remains stood Toa Tahu. A rumbling sound nearby signalled that more Bohrok were on their way. Tahu advanced over the crest of the gravel covered southern Po-Wahi hill to find a colourful swarm of nearly one hundred Bohrok rolling up toward him. Cracking his neck and taking a deep breath, he heated up his Magma Swords and charged.

A fireball here, a blast of heat there, and when he felt like it, an explosion in the centre of a large cluster. Despite the number of Bohrok he had destroyed so far, there were still scores more advancing up the hill. As the day went on, Tahu started becoming less able to dodge their attacks or block them with his Hau. His armour was pitted in many places from when an unseen Lehvak had managed to spray acid at him and some of his organic parts had received severe frostbite from a squad of Kohrak that had attacked him from behind. Regardless of the injuries he incurred as well as overwhelming odds, he pressed on his attack.

While he was fending off twelve Gahlok by turning their water blasts directly into steam, Tahu felt the ground start to shake all around him. As the tiny bits of grey gravel started to dance, Tahu threw up a shield with his mask and spun around in preparation for a Nuhvok attack, only to see Onua running toward him with his Quake Breakers attached to his feat. He drew up beside Tahu and shot two streams of elemental energy. The first created a giant pit underneath the Gahlok, dropping them nearly twenty bio; the second caused a thick wall of earth to spring up from the ground to block off the remaining Bohrok.

"Thanks, Onua," panted Tahu, "but I've got these ones under control."

"Tahu," replied the Toa of Earth bluntly, "you've been out here for nearly sixteen hours- these Bohrok are not under control."

"I can do it!" insisted Tahu, pushing Onua out of the way and aiming his Magma Swords at the Gahlok down in the pit. As swift as a striking Muaka, Onua slapped the blades out of his hands, causing Tahu to nearly fall over.

"No, Tahu, you need to rest," he said. "Look at your armour! Come with me back to base camp. We'll get you a nice piece of Vuata Maca fruit."

"Not yet, not yet," muttered Tahu, reaching for his swords. "I've gotta do this!"

"Stop this," said Onua, taking a firm grip on Tahu's silver armoured shoulders. "What are you trying to prove by practically killing yourself out here?"

"I have to make up for it- I have to make up for the deaths I caused! I need to be forgiven."

"Tahu," said Onua, shaking his head. "The fact that you're fighting against Vakama proves that you are more than worthy of forgiveness."

"It's not enough though," said Tahu. "I have to make it right!"

"You could kill six billion Bohrok and it still wouldn't change anything!" cried Onua in exasperation. "Everyone on this island has already forgiven you- all except one person: yourself. So you killed Turaga Nokama and an Onu-Matoran named Nuparu; beating yourself up about it won't solve that. Now stop this foolishness and come with me back to camp."

"You don't understand!" insisted Tahu. "I need to fix this!"

"I don't understand?" said Onua, in an oddly quiet voice. "You forget that we were both working for Nokama and Onewa. I nearly went against destiny itself! You were the only one wise enough to see the truth."

"I'm not wise, Onua," said Tahu dejectedly. "If I was, I wouldn't have these deaths on my hands."

"You are wise," Onua persisted. "They say I'm the wisest of the Toa, but you, Tahu, have a different sort of wisdom that I do not have: the wisdom to act. In fact, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be leading this assault. Now come back to camp with me."

Tahu nodded weakly, but his knees gave an ungainly wriggle and he passed out onto the ground. He awoke under the green canopy of a small tent made from leaves. He sat up, feeling much better, and made his way outside. Makani, Hewkii, and Vohon were all listening to another Le-Matoran, who stood beside a large Gukko bird. As Tahu approached, the Le-Matoran had finished speaking and started to lead his mount down to a nearby stream.

"That was our scout, Vira," said Vohon, noticing Tahu. "He doesn't have very good news though, I'm afraid."

"Vakama is battle-using many clever-dark strategies," explained Makani. "He air-sends Gukko pilots with Bohrok vine-tied to their bellies, which are then quick-dropped on us before we can defend ourselves!"

"Not only that," said Hewkii, "but he's done this to Kini-Nui and Leva Bay, killing Whenua, Onewa, Ahkmou, and the Matoran who were still loyal to the Turaga we had imprisoned there."

"Making him the last Turaga," muttered Tahu to no one in particular. "What about the Ko-Matoran, has there been any success with them?"

"Vira speak-told us that Kopeke and Toudu managed to good-turn Matoro two days ago. He battle-led the Ko-Matoran against the Bohrok in their village and retook it. Then, at leafdawn today, they invaded the Ta-Matoran's unfinished village in Le-Wahi."

"But Vakama still has more than enough Bohrok to fight both us and them at the same time," said Hewkii angrily.

"Not to mention our navy," sighed Vohon. "Practically the entire Ga-Matoran armada has been wiped out by Vakama's Gahlok. We're fighting a losing war here."

"What about the Toa?" asked Tahu.

"They're all up at the front except us two," said Kopaka, startling everyone as no one had heard his approach. "Onua sent me to check on you," he explained.

"You had better quick-hurry back, then," said Makani. "If we ever wish to battle-storm the Mangai we must hard-fight now!"

Tahu's eyes sudden snapped open wide with realisation. "The volcano!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, Tahu, the Mangai is a volcano," said Kopaka, rolling his eyes.

"No, that's the key! If we can get the volcano to erupt, it'll be the end of Vakama, Ta-Koro, and his Bohrok," explained Tahu excitedly.

"I suppose it's possible..." said Kopaka thoughtfully.

"And there are no villagers there now," piped in Vohon. "Well, except Vakama's elite officers."

"What about Jaller and Takua?" asked Hewkii. "What if they already made it into the village?"

"We will give them until sundown," said Makani. "Then we will burn-raze the village."

"I'll lead a charge to raid Vakama's supply of Madu Cabolo," said Tahu. "The war ends tonight!"

***

Sitting on the black shore of the Great Barrier, Toa Vakama took inventory of the many masks he was carrying. He had five Matoran level masks, should any villagers lose theirs; Turaga Lhikan's Noble Hau; the Great Vahi, Mask of Time, which he had just recovered from the sea; and a special golden mask the Rahaga had left him called the Avohkii, the Mask of Light. When he had gotten this last mask, it gave off so much light that Onewa had been forced to encase it in stone to prevent the Visorak from finding it. Giving his collection one final count, he placed the masks into a cloth sack he had taken from an abandoned merchant's shop in Ga-Metru.

Hoisting the bag onto his back, he set off along the Great Barrier to make the long journey to the island above. It was not long, though, until he came upon the crystalline prison of the Makuta. He looked at the former master of shadows and could not help but smirk as he saw him trapped in eternal anguish. It was then, though, that Vakama heard a voice inside his head.

It's not too late, it whispered. All I need is Fire and then I am free.

"I don't think so," said Vakama out loud, turning from the Makuta with a slight shudder.

I would make you a king- no, an emperor. You would be second only to me in the universe.

"I'll pass, thanks for the offer," said Vakama, giving Makuta a mock wave and walking away.

Don't defy me, Vakama! said Makuta angrily. You will not stop the plan!

"Won't I?" asked Vakama, turning back. "The way I see it, you're trapped in there until the end of time. Why don't you try to stop me?"

A low chuckle filled Vakama's mind and he heard loud shrieks off in the distance. Looking toward the mainland, Vakama saw several hundred colourful Rahkshi flying right at him. Checking that his bag was secure, he set out on a mad dash for the only remaining tunnel out of the city. A red and orange Rahkshi landed behind him and shot two beams of intense light right at his head. Tucking into a roll, Vakama barely managed to dodge them. A blue and yellow one came and hit him with a beam of energy that completely sapped all his speed. As more Rahkshi began to close in, Vakama activated his Huna, temporarily disorienting them and allowing him to dive through the glowing tunnel.

Already charged with the powers of the other five Toa Metru, all it took was one stream of elemental energy from Vakama to seal the Rahkshi inside the city forever. Some of the Rahkshi tried to break the seal with their staffs, but they soon gave up and flew off. Allowing himself a small smile, Vakama made his way up the tunnel to what would be his new home.

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This post has been edited by SPIRIT: Sep 13 2008, 01:57 PM

[SPIRIT]

Chapter 43

Takua and Jaller pressed their backs right up against the rock. Pewku was wisely hiding in her shell, but on the whole, it looked like they were going to be there for a while. Jaller chanced a peek around the other side and nearly had his blue Kaukau blown clean off his face by a jet of water.

"You can't hide behind there forever!" called a voice from the other side of the rock.

"Maybe not, Kapura," Jaller called back, "but we'll probably last longer than your little squad of Gahlok there."

"That’s sergeant Kapura to you, traitor!"

"Well sorry," whispered Jaller to Takua mockingly, who chuckled in response. "How are you holding up?"

"Not bad," said Takua, rubbing the cracked armour of his damaged legs. "The warning totem's still here."

"Any idea why Vakama hid it in this lava cave?"

"No," said Takua, turning the cylindrical stone in his hands. "But if he didn't want anyone to find it, it's probably a good thing that we did, even if we ended up alerting Kapura in the process."

"Besides, if worst comes to worst, we can just throw it at Vakama," grinned Jaller.

"I'm giving you ten seconds to come out or I'm getting captain Keahi!" yelled Kapura.

"Oh, please don't do a countdown," muttered Jaller.

"Ten... nine..."

Jaller clapped a hand to his head in frustration.

"Three... two... one..." It then became quiet as Kapura had presumably left to get reinforcements.

"Finally," sighed Jaller. "Now then, I think there's an entrance to the village just up this tunnel."

The Ta-Matoran and Av-Matoran got onto Pewku's back and hurried off though the warm, orange lava caves. As they rounded the corner, they nearly ran right into Keahi and Kapura, who had amassed a large battalion of Lehvak.

"Well if it isn't ex-captain Jaller," said Keahi smugly. "I was so upset when I thought that Kalama had killed you, but now I have a chance to do it."

"Good to see you too," replied Jaller.

"What do we do?" asked Takua, turning back to Jaller.

Jaller said nothing for a few moments as he assessed the environment. With a bracing sigh he then said, "charge straight at them- it'll be the last thing they'll expect. Ta-Koro's just behind them, it's our only shot."

Takua clenched the warning totem tightly and then slapped Pewku's shell, yelling, "CHARGE!" The Ussal crab ran right at the two Ta-Matoran and their army of green Bohrok. Shocked by the sheer stupidity of such a move, it took them a few seconds to rally the Lehvak to attack, and by then, many of them had already been bowled over. Streams of acid flew in every direction and Takua and Jaller ducked, hoping against hope that they would not be hit.

A stray drop of acid hit Takua's warning totem, revealing that there was actually something golden hidden inside it. As he sat up a bit to examine this closer, he failed to notice the Bohrok standing right in front of him, who had already fired a stream of acid from its shields. Time appeared to slow down as Jaller caught sight of this and pushed Takua out of the way, taking the brunt of the attack himself. He flew off Pewku's back and lay on the ground moaning, his armour terribly burnt. Turning Pewku around, Takua hurried over to him and slid off her back to kneel beside him.

"Jaller! Jaller!" said Takua frantically, shaking the fallen body. With a pair of sickening smiles, Kapura and Keahi strolled over to them.

"And so ends the illustrious career of Jaller, the first captain of Ta-Koro," said Keahi, hardly able to contain his glee. "Take the Chronicler's Ussal," he said to Kapura. "They can die here together." Helplessly, Takua watched them lead Pewku away as Jaller gave a feeble moan.

"It's up to you now," said Jaller. "You have to stop Vakama."

"No, you have to help me," said Takua, trying to lift him up.

"I've helped you all I can. Good luck, Takua." Jaller's eyes then slid out of focus and he seemed to be looking at something beyond Takua's blue Pakari. "I can see her again," he whispered.

"See who?" asked Takua in a cracked voice.

"It's Hahli... she wants me to follow her..." He then closed his eyes for the last time as his heartlight faded out.

Takua sat for a few minutes in complete silence, listening to just the bubbling and crackling of the lava in the tunnel. His gaze then strayed to the golden light issuing from the warning totem. A huge crack now ran along it, stemming from where the acid had hit it. Grabbing the stone by the crack, Takua managed to pry it open, revealing an oddly shaped golden Kanohi that shone as bright as the sun.

There's so much light coming from this mask! he thought. Wait... a Mask of Light? Matoran of Light...

Deciding there was nothing else for it, Takua removed his Pakari and placed this new mask onto his face. Energy poured from the Kanohi, filling his whole body with power. His damaged armour was not only repaired, but grew thicker and longer as his limbs and torso grew as well. When the whole transformation was over, Takua stood 1.6 bio tall, clad in white and gold armour; he was a Toa now.

As he took one last look at Jaller's body he felt a sudden piercing sadness, but he somehow knew it was not due to the loss of his friend. He was not sure how he knew, but something instinctively told him that the attack made by the Makuta centuries ago on Mata Nui had finally caused him to die. With the Great Spirit gone, it would not be long until the rest of the world soon collapsed in his wake.

"This ends now," said Takua with clenched fists.

With that, he ran down the tunnel in the direction Kapura and Keahi had gone. A few seconds later, he caught up to them and fired beams of light haphazardly from his hands as he kept on running right past him. The beams knocked the two Ta-Matoran right off their feet, but they seemed to have little effect on the Bohrok, who merely froze as soon as there was no one left to command them.

So I guess that means I'm a Toa of Light now, he reflected. Maybe I'm just what this island needs to dispel the last bit of darkness.

As he kept running, Takua was surprised that he was starting to pick up speed- as a Matoran he had never really been that athletic. He reasoned that it must be due to his powers as a Toa.

The ground began to slope upwards and Takua could see a thick stone door ahead of him. Screwing up his concentration, he shot a searing burst of light at the door, turning it instantly into dust. When he emerged outside, he saw that the sky was a brilliant shade of orange due to an impending sunset. Getting his bearings, he saw that he was on the opposite side of the village from Vakama's hut. After checking that the coast was clear, he tore off with his enhanced speed once more.

The new Toa of Light was forced to come to a skidding halt not much later, though, as he spotted a tall figure surrounded by what looked to be Bohrok coming toward him. As they got closer, he could see that the tall one was none other than Toa Tahu.

"Stay where you are, Tahu!" cried Takua warningly, aiming an arm at him shakily. "If you're on Vakama's side, this won't end well for you!"

"Who are you?" demanded the Toa of Fire in response.

"I am Takua, Toa of Light."

"Or rather an illusion cast by Vakama's Mahiki!" said Tahu, his Magma Swords beginning to glow red.

"Wait!" said one of the Bohrok. "He might be telling the truth."

Takua gazed at the speaker in temporary shock, only to realise that Tahu's companions were actually Matoran carrying Bohrok shells. The speaker threw down his shield and revealed himself to be Hewkii.

"If you are Takua, then tell me: what happened during our fight in Onewa's hut," he said, stepping forward.

Wracking his brains, Takua thought back to that time so many weeks ago. He related how Hewkii had thrown him off balance and how he, Takua, had then managed to trip him in time to escape on the back of a Gukko.

"It's him," Hewkii concluded.

"Well, Takua," said Tahu, lowering his weapons. "You have until sunset to complete your mission and get out of here. These Matoran and I are going to make the Mangai erupt, whether you're in the village or not. Good luck."

"May Mata- I mean the Great Beings protect us both," said Takua grimly, speeding away.

Moments later, he found himself standing in front of Vakama's door. He stooped down to open it only to find that it was locked. Taking a deep breath, he kicked down the door and fired a beam of light at the figure he saw sitting inside.

He would not miss.

***

The sack of Kanohi jingled loudly in the silent caves leading away from Metru Nui. With a flame held in his hand, Vakama made his way quite easily through the darkness. As he turned a corner, though, something seemed to snuff the flame out and Vakama found that he was no longer underground.

He was now standing on top of the tallest mountain he had ever seen. Below him appeared to be every being in the universe. They were bowing to him and chanting his name. Vakama could see Matoran, Toa, Turaga, Makuta, Rahi, and countless other species he could not even begin to name.

As he turned around, he saw a large statue carved in honour of Mata Nui. Beside it, though, there was a giant statue of himself that was just as big as Mata Nui's, as though they were equals. Turning around to observe the crowd once more, Vakama saw the symbol of the three virtues floating before him. In sequence, the parts representing each virtue lit up and Matoran lettering appeared below them.

UNITY
DUTY
MANIFEST DESTINY

Just as suddenly as the vision had appeared, it vanished, leaving Vakama all alone in the cave, the flame glowing brightly in his hand.

"A vision from Mata Nui!" he said in amazement. "Manifest destiny... the Great Spirit must have charged me with conquering the universe in his glory. As my reward, he will make me his equal."

Grinning broadly, Vakama kept on his way, planning his conquest. Not too far away, another being was smiling. Though the Makuta of Metru Nui was trapped in his prison, it did not stop him from using his ability to cast illusions.

What a malleable fool Vakama is, he scoffed. While my plan may lie in ruins, I will still get my revenge!

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