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.

:: Review ::

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