Pikiru

One thing I am surprised no one mentioned is a Toa of Air's ability to control air pressure. For example you could increase the air pressure around a foe to knock them out (I think Kongu used this against Avak once), or decrease the air pressure in just the right way to cause the water in the air to condense into a cloud (for cover or something).

This is a great short story! Its a simple plot, but you explained it quite well and it progressed smoothly. I have always liked Kualus as a character and you portrayed him very well. Also you did a very good job portraying Ouna with adaptive armour, with it constantly shifting to suit his needs. All in all, I think it is a fantastic short story! Keep up the good work Pahrak #0579!

A green Miru on a black background, with "the soaring champion" below it. It obviously relates with Phantom Terror's member title, but to me it looks also like some award you would get it you got first place in a soaring championship.

All right, at long last (as in it took me longer them I expected) my story is done! Username: Pikiru Entry: Of Rahi and Toa Word count: 14,338

Unfortunately (as far as I know) we have no idea how much an airship weighs, or how powerful increase weight/levitation Kanoka can be (though we could try to estimate an airships weight based on its size and what its made of). Also on Biosector01 it says that the Kanoka were activated via a pulley system, not a hammer system, so is Biosector01 wrong? Regardless, that is a lot of motors! Not all of them would go to boats though (whatever technology is in the Onu-Koro mine probably uses some of the motors), but still they would have all the boat motors they could need. If I may go slightly off topic (if its not ok then just forget about this section), how did the airship chute system work? If it’s a caped off chute section, the airship must get refueled sometime. And I take it its capped with a magnetic force field, so do they open the force field a bit when they want the ship to go forward (I know that it gets opened a bit but I don’t know how)? Also (if I may ask) does the liquid protodermis that is let out stay liquid, or does it turn to vaporized protodermis? The reason I think my island is more like Voya Nui then Mata Nui or metru Nui is because it is quite small (maybe around the size of Naho bay), so it does not have a lot of resources, and has no contact with any other island or continent in the Matoran Universe, so it its Matoran population doesn’t have access to any of the hi-tech Metru Nui style boat making techniques. So in both ways it is similar to Voya Nui (though my island is inside the Mata Nui robot). About the Ga-Koro pump I have a theory. What if the stalks under each of the huts are sturdy enough to support the huts without any extra support, but when the Tarakava attacked Ga-Koro it broke the stalk under that hut, causing it the sink. If this is the case then maybe the pump that Takua activated is the village’s master pump, that when activated tries to raise every hut. It could fill cavities under the huts (just like you theorized) with air, keeping those still afloat from sinking and bringing any hut that sank to the surface. Though this is just my theory, and since I still haven’t really played MNOG it could have many holes in it.

Thank you very much bonesiii, you two widgets is definitely helpful. I hadn’t considered the fact that the entire Matoran Universe is made of protodermis. So I guess my original question needs to be changed to: “Wooden protodermis? Metallic protodermis? Giant protodermis leaves?” I suspected that Metru Nui boats would be made of metallic protodermis, because it makes much more sense then any other material given how technologically advanced the city is. Though you never see boat making factories in the city, but I think that is because there was no need to include them in the story. That’s a good point about the Mata Nui boats, if they decided to use the limited metal from the airships on their boats instead of in their villages, then its probably the norm in the Matoran Universe for boats to be made of metal. And that's another good point about how they would all know how to make a boat on some level, I never considered that before now. And you are right that they are likely powered by motors from the airships, I just saw one of the old animations from the Bohrok era in which the population of Po-Koro arrives at Ga-Koro on boats and they look to be driven by motors (though does that mean that there were only six boats on Mata Nui, or do airships have more then one engine component?). My question was mostly about Voya Nui styled boats, because the island that I made up for my story is similar to Voya Nui, but since there was not much information on boats I thought I would ask about every type of boat/boat construction. The only reason I thought that they might use leaves is that Ga-Koro is made of giant lily pads which seem to be able to support a fare amount of weight, so they might have though to use them in boats (though now that I think about it the pads may have been supported from below, and they needed a pump to keep one hut afloat (although that could just be because the hut was damaged)). And you are right; Lewa is not made of leaves (however joking aside you are probably right about the boats coloring being for camouflage). And again, thank you very much; I really appreciate your help. P.S. I will defiantly play MNOG sometime in my life, from what I have heard it is totally awesome! Unfortunately other stuff just keeps getting in the way.

*SPIT TAKE* In the game Macku's canoe looks pretty much like a smaller version of the boat she has at the beach in the beginning. You only see it for a few seconds as the Chronicler's Company sail into the waterfall, so I guess they didn't care to draw an entirely new boat.It looks very metallic like all boats in the MNOG, but I believe it's meant to be a more traditional boat made out of wood and palm leaves. Still, the Matoran had some mechanical stuff such as water and steam pumps, and I recall a few animated scenes where no one appears to row or paddle yet the boat still moves forward at high speed. Yeah I know, shame on me for not playing MNOG yet. Despite me not having played it I have seen the boat she had at the beginning. They probably made all the boats look like they were made of technic pieces so it could better relate to the actual sets (like the Rahi), but I think you are right in saying that they are most likely made of leaves and wood. No one paddling could be because there is some kind of engine, but more likely its just because they didn’t want to animate a Matoran rowing. Thanks for the screenshot, it helps a lot. It does seem like it is made of technic pieces, but the colour suggests its made of leaves.

From what I have heard, the Bionicle Universe and our universe are separate, so a human could never meet a Bionicle character (though they could meet in a non-canon fan-made universe).

It does (somewhat) help. I suspected they were made of wood mostly, but I wasn’t entirely sure (in some of the early Bohrok flash animations the boats look like they are made of Technic pieces, which look more like Protodermis (same with Bionicle Heroes, though that may not be canon)). I have never played MNOG, so I have never seen Macku’s canoe, but I guess that confirms that some boats are made with leaves. That’s actually a good theory, I may use it if you don’t mind. Again thats what I imagined. My story takes place on more of a Voya Nui ish island, so my boats would probably be just wood. Ah a few days, thanks. Though that really wasn't the answer I was hoping for (It would work in my story so much better if it was something like a day).

I am doing a story for the Lesovikk Contest and in it Matoran boats are used a few times (mostly just small fishing boats). So I went to Biosector01 to see what it says about Matoran boats. Unfortunately the page on boats is not very informative. So I have three questions about Matoran boats (all of which relate to Mata Nui style boats, Metru Nui style boats and Voya Nui style boats): 1) What are Matoran boats made of? (On Mata Nui, Metru Nui and Voya Nui.) I know that the materials would differ depending on the location, but what types of materials? Wood? Protodermis? Giant leaves? 2) How are they made? (On Mata Nui, Metru Nui and Voya Nui.) Is it similar to the way we make boats, or is it different because the Matoran Universe does not exactly work the same as ours (and has different technology)? 3) How long would it take to make a boat? (On Mata Nui, Metru Nui and Voya Nui.) In our world boat making is a time intensive process, but is it the same in the Matoran Universe (and how long did it take to make the fleet of boats that traveled to Metru Nui)? I would be most grateful for any answers/theories/speculation.

Huh, thats an interesting question. I am not really sure, Bioniclesector01 doesn't say. I would think yes because they are both spirits, but that is just my theory based on what sounds cool.

It could be like pumice, but there would have to be a lot of caves. It could also be that the Ignika somehow kept it afloat, maybe its a combination of the two? Thats too bad. I really wanted to see the topic. Oh well, maybe when the Archives become active again I will be able to find it.

Does any one know actually how Voya Nui floated in the first place? Its an island sized chunk of rock, I would think it would sink. Aside from just 'Bionicle physics is different', is there a reason. Is Voya Nui somehow lighter then the water of Aqua Magna? P.S. Bonesiii could you give me the link to your old 'wacky physics topic' (I am not entirely sure how to get to it and it sounds really cool)?

Thanks Takua you are actually one of the few people to say that.

Very nice. I realy like the idea behind the story. However I do have a few points. One, I think it could be built up more. It is not too short, but I think you could add a little more depth to make it more interesting. Two, I dont think that Lhikan would shout for help. Its just my opinion but I dont think it is in his character as a veteran Toa. Maybe if he tried to use his elemental power and found that it didn't work, then he would shout as a last resort. And Three, I am pretty sure that Kestora (which actulay only has one r) speak Matoran, or something close to it. In The Powers That Be Kopaka and Pohatu could both understand them. Unless what Lhikan heard was a previously unknown language, you might want to change that line. Aside for those I found nothing that jumped out at me. I cant wait to here the next chapter. Keep up the good work Dual Matrix!

The first Bionicle set I got for myself (I had gotten others beforehand but I wasn't really into them) was Toa Mahri Jaller (I actually got him for the Hahnah Crab, before I realized how awesome he was).

Wow those are the best Bionicle Minecraft skins I have ever seen! Is there any way I can get them?

The BBC Sherlock background soundtrack (most of the stuff I listen to is background music)

Botany is the study of plants

I liked the review, but I did find it a bit on the small side. Theres no harm in bulking up the number of words, I think it would give the review a little more depth.

Hello to everyone in the Epic Critics Club If one of you has time I would most appreciate it if you could review my epic. 1) Its called "Of Rahi and Toa" and it is for the Lesovikk hiatus contest. Here is the topic link. 2) Here is the review topic link. 3) The story has 10 chapters.

Thanks! I am glad you though it was interesting What words did you think could be reworded?

Chapter: 10 Gorast walked through the many corridors of Destral, heading for the throne room where Teridax sat. When she reached its doors she flung them open and gave a small bow. “Teridax,” said Gorast, “I request permission to go after Toa Lesovikk and the Matoran.” “Permission denied,” he replied, “you are to stay here.” “But why not!” said Gorast, daring to yell in the throne room. “Because it is not necessary,” said Teridax, “and because you need to rest. You managed to teleport yourself and my creation all the way here to Destral. It was an impressive feat, but you still need to recover your strength.” “But aren’t they a threat?” she asked. “Not much of one. If the Matoran tell the story of what happened on the island, it is all the better for us. They would tell of the monstrous Visorak, and of the large Rahi fusion, and the Toa that saved them from both. They would spread the fear the Visorak gave them, and when they see the Brotherhood in control of such creatures, the Matoran will both respect and fear us more. And they would spread the word about how one Toa had saved them all, and reinforce the belief that Toa are undefeatable, which would make our coming victory over them all the more impressive. As for Lesovikk, he cannot escape us; why not let him live a little longer. We can kill him at our leisure.” “If you feel it is best,” Gorast said with traces of disappointment in her voice, “I will respect your wishes.” With that she headed for the doorway, but stopped inside it. “What will happen to the Rahi Nui?” she inquired. “It will need to be modified, since it proved ineffective. All my creation needs is a little more power at its disposal. Perhaps the powers of Kanoka disks, they would be relatively easy to graft to its form. After that we will keep it here, and use it whenever the need arises. If it would serve our ends, we could give it to the newly created Dark Hunters. It would strengthen any deal we might make with them, and could be used to take out Toa without the Brotherhood being suspected.” Gorast nodded and left the throne room, leaving Teridax to think of the next steps in his grand scheme, which would one day win him the universe. **************** Lesovikk stood on the top of the hills, keeping watch over the Matoran as they worked on the beach below, constructing a large fleet of boats. After they had seen what had happened to the Rahi Nui and the village, most of the Matoran were not too keen on rebuilding. Lesovikk had suggested that everyone on the island could move to the southern continent. “There are lots of other Matoran there, as well as Toa and Turaga,” he had said, “You would be much more safe.” The general consensus was to move, so they started constructing a fleet of boats. They only had experience making small fishing boats, so they decided on attaching two boats together and putting a platform on top, to form a twin-hulled ship. Most of the wood from the village was unusable, but thankfully they already had some pre-cut wood that had been stored outside of the village. Though the wood was unusable, some of the village supplies had remained intact. After just over a week of solid boat building, their small fleet was ready. As they prepared to leave, Lesovikk briefed the Matoran who would be leading the boats. “If you keep heading due north you can’t miss it. It is a huge continent. The waters from here to there are not very turbulent, but it’s best to be careful. When we arrive, there are lots of Matoran villages along the shore to dock in.” When they were sure that they had gathered enough supplies, and double-checked that their boats actually floated, they set off. Lesovikk stationed himself in the rear of the fleet, so he could best protect them if there was any danger. However their journey was uneventful. The Silver Sea was calm and easy to navigate. They left the small island in the early hours of the morning and reached the shoreline of the southern continent at dusk. After a little searching they found a Matoran village that could accommodate them for a few days. At dawn the next morning, Lesovikk prepared to set off again on one of the twin-hulled boats. He had no idea how far away the two chains of islands would be, so he felt it best to leave early. As Lesovikk packed his supplies into the ship, he heard someone coming up behind him. He turned to see Kualus walking towards him, one hand behind his back. “You are up early,” said Lesovikk. “I wanted to see you off,” Kualus replied. “Now, we have already said goodbye once, so there is not much need to say it again. Except I do want to say this: I really have no doubt that you will be able to get your friends back. Judging from how you defeated both the spider-creatures and that, well, big walking zoo, no Rahi can beat you forever.” “I hope you’re right,” said Lesovikk with a half smile. “Goodbye, Kualus.” “Goodbye, not-Toa Lesovikk,” Kualus replied smiling. Then he pulled his hand out from behind his back and tossed Lesovikk a small bag. “Thought you might need this as well as your other supplies.” Lesovikk caught the bag and opened it. Inside was a small amount of bula berries. Lesovikk smiled again as got into the boat. He waved back once, then started to row out into the vast expanse of the Silver Sea. Kualus waved back, then walked back up to the village, a new life ahead of him. When Lesovikk had gotten away from shore he put down the oars and rummaged through his supplies. A moment later he pulled out a large white cloth. He got up and tied its corners to a wooden framework, then attached it firmly in the middle of the boat. This time he had a sail. Lesovikk sat down and concentrated, telling the air to move forward. After a bit, the cloth started to catch the wind. He smiled as the boat started to move. Now this -- this is the way to travel, Lesovikk thought as his boat surged ahead, into the unknown. The End. (I hope you enjoyed reading my story)

Chapter: 9 Lesovikk and Kualus walked down the narrow pathway leading back to the village, as light slowly came back to the world. They had stayed up on the platform all night and had taken turns to watch, though Kualus had slept a bit more then Lesovikk. When they arrived at the village, Lesovikk went to look over his new boat. The two woodcutters, a Le-Matoran and an Onu-Matoran, had obviously only made small fishing boats before, but had tried their best to widen the design to accommodate a Toa. The boat was bent and warped, but looked seaworthy. Lesovikk then went back to the village center and spoke to all the Matoran one last time. “Now, the Rahi don’t look like they’re coming back,” he said to the assembled crowd, “but there could be other dangers someday. I would recommend that some of you train as fighters to defend your village against anything that might threaten it. Goodbye, and best of luck to you all.” “Please, can’t you stay any longer,” said a Ko-Matoran, “you could help to train us to defend the village.” “I am sorry, but I am not going to change my decision,” Lesovikk replied. “Well, best of luck with whatever you are going to do,” said a Le-Matoran. “Thank you,” said Lesovikk. With that he turned away from the crowd of Matoran and left the village center. He grabbed his boat along with a small amount of supplies and walked to the southern part of the island. Despite its rocky shore this was where the island’s small dock was located. Kualus followed him down and watched as he placed his boat in the water. “Well, this is it. Goodbye Kualus,” said Lesovikk as he turned to look at the Matoran. “Goodbye Lesovikk, and thank you, for everything.” “No, thank you,” Lesovikk replied, “thank you for believing in me when I didn’t.” Kualus smiled and gestured at the boat, “You are wasting valuable wandering time.” Lesovikk gave him a half smile and clambered into the boat. He pushed off with the oars and started rowing out into the Silver Sea. Kualus waved behind him and started walking back up the hill. That was when Lesovikk heard the sound. A low-pitched buzzing, as if some Nui-Kopen were nearby, getting louder and louder. Then it stopped, and Lesovikk heard a roar. A powerful, terrible, roar that sent chills through him. Next came the sounds of rock crumbling, the screams of Matoran, and the low call of a shell horn. The Rahi Nui had come. Lesovikk turned his boat around as the horn sounded again. Feeling that it would take him too long to row back, he instead released a huge blast of air behind him. The sea sprayed up as the boat was sent flying forward. When he got close to shore Lesovikk jumped from the small craft and landed skillfully on the rocks. The boat was smashed to pieces, but Lesovikk didn’t notice as he bolted up the hill. Kualus was already on the hilltop, a look of horror on his face. One glance told Lesovikk why. On the ridge of hills across from them was an enormous Rahi, which was now sliding down towards the village. It had the large head of a Kane Ra bull, with horns just as sharp. Its body and hind legs were those of the swift Muaka cat, and its strong front arms were those of a Tarakava. On its back were the wings of a Nui Rama, only much larger, and its tail was that of a Nui Jaga scorpion. An inexperienced being might have just stood there in shock, but Lesovikk was not inexperienced. He turned to Kualus. “I need you to get everyone out of the village. Lead them through the west passage. Once you get to the forest, turn right and head for the beach. Got it?” “Yes,” said Kualus, looking Lesovikk straight in the eye. “Then hang on tight!” With that Lesovikk picked Kualus up and hoisted him onto his back, then jumped and started to slide down the side of the hill. When they were halfway down, Lesovikk released a powerful blast of air beneath their feet, sending them flying up. Kualus for his part didn’t yell, but gripped Lesovikk as tight as he could. As they fell, Lesovikk released a second blast downwards to slow their fall. He landed on his feet and shouted to the Matoran, “Get out of here!” Kualus jumped off his back and started to lead everyone out of the village as Lesovikk ran towards the creature. The Rahi Nui was now at the bottom of the hills and had smashed its way through the village wall. As it barged into the village, it shattered two of the smaller huts into pieces. When he was sure the beast had noticed him, Lesovikk ran to his right, away from the Matoran. As he ran he heard Kualus shouting, “Everyone get out of the huts! Come this way!” Lesovikk’s plan seemed to have worked. The Rahi Nui was no longer interested in the Matoran. It had spotted its preferred prey. Unfortunately, this meant that the Rahi was now barreling down on him. It smashed its way through another hut and extended its neck towards Lesovikk, its mouth open wide. He jumped out of the way, whirled around, and struck its neck with his sword. The beast roared with pain, but would not be so easily defeated. It whipped its head towards Lesovikk and barely missed stabbing him with its horns. What it did manage to do was fling him towards one of the huts. Lesovikk hit it hard, causing its wooden construction to break apart. He staggered to his feet as the building collapsed behind him. And not a moment too soon, because the Rahi Nui flew up, its wings buzzing, and dived at him. Lesovikk didn’t have time to roll out of the way, so he willed the air to push him aside, just barely getting out of its path. The Rahi Nui landed a millisecond later, its sheer weight shaking the whole area. Lesovikk was up on his feet before the dust had settled and held his sword before him, willing a cyclone to form around the creature. Yet the Rahi Nui did not budge. Lesovikk increased the cyclone’s power, but still the Rahi didn’t move. The cyclone did have the effect, however, of grabbing two of the huts and bashing them against the creature. Lesovikk thanked the Great Beings that Kualus had managed to get all of the Matoran out safely. The broken pieces of the huts did little damage to the Rahi Nui, but did manage to annoy it. Then something clicked in its small brain that this bothersome prey might be the cause of the swirling wind. The Rahi Nui charged ahead. Lesovikk tried to dodge, but was hit with a solid blow from one of its front arms, sending him flying. The wind was knocked out of him, and he barely held on to his sword. He landed on one of the huts and broke through its roof, falling to the floor below. Lesovikk wanted to stay down and rest, but knew he had to move quickly. He flung himself through the door as the Rahi Nui smashed through the building. Lesovikk landed hard on the ground. He looked up to see the beast’s stinger barreling down towards him. Lesovikk rolled out of the way and blindly struck with his sword. It connected with something and the Rahi screamed in pain. Lesovikk managed to get onto his feet and held his sword at his side. The Rahi Nui tried to lunge at him again, ready this time if its prey sidestepped. However, Lesovikk grabbed onto one of the Rahi’s horns and flung himself onto its back. The creature responded by jumping and spinning, trying to dislodge him. When this did not work to knock Lesovikk off, the Rahi Nui slammed itself into one of the larger huts. Lesovikk lost his balance and started to tumble off the Rahi, but managed to slash its back with the edge of his sword. The Rahi Nui howled and spun its body. As Lesovikk fell he was caught by the beast’s tail. By sheer chance he wasn’t stabbed by its stinger, but was flung high into the air and flew almost the length of the village. Lesovikk managed to create a cushion of air to slow his fall, but he still hit the ground hard. He stood up, though his muscles protested, and ducked behind one of the huts. He was tired and sore. He didn’t think he could fight much longer. If it hadn’t been for Kualus taking some of the night shift, he would not have lasted this long. If he fell, the beast would probably go after the Matoran. Lesovikk needed to finish this quickly. He could try to starve the Rahi of air, but he guessed that the creature could find him before it lost consciousness. Lesovikk scanned his surroundings. Hills, smashed and damaged huts; none of these could help him. Then his eyes fell upon the tallest structure in the area. That might work, he thought as a plan formed in his mind. It required a lot of luck, was quite risky for himself, and would completely destroy the village. The village is mostly destroyed already, he though grimly as he looked around. The Rahi had not yet figured out where he was, but it would soon. The time to act was now. However Lesovikk needed some way to distract the creature. Then it came to him. A long time ago he had been experimenting with changes in air pressure, and noticed that when he dropped the pressure quickly he could form a cloud. Lesovikk put his sword on his back and peered at the Rahi from behind the hut, and concentrated. He mentally yanked the air away and suddenly its head was hidden by a thick fog. Lesovikk wasted no time and bolted towards the eastern side of the village. It did not take long for the Rahi Nui to shrug off the cloud, but it was long enough. Lesovikk now had his back against the smooth rock face at the bottom of the stone spire, facing the beast directly. “Come on, you hideous collection of Rahi scraps!” he yelled. “Come and get me!” The Rahi Nui did not understand the words, but it guessed at the meaning. It was a challenge. Snarling, it charged at him. Lesovikk counted down the seconds. He would need to time this perfectly. If he had guessed the structure of the rock incorrectly, then his plan would fail. The beast was gaining on him fast. Lesovikk did not move. He just stood there with his arms at his side. The Rahi Nui was almost on top of him, and Lesovikk could feel its breath. Now was the time. Lesovikk mentally triggered his Kanohi mask and started to fade. An instant later the Rahi slammed headfirst into the tower of rock, its body crumpling behind it. A second later Lesovikk reappeared, landing face down on top of the hill that overlooked the beach. He got up and saw that his plan had succeeded. The Rahi Nui’s horns were lodged deep into the stone, and despite its best efforts it could not dislodge them. The force of its impact had also weakened the pillar of stone at its base, and caused it to start to lean towards the village and the Rahi. As Lesovikk watched, the tower of rock began to fall. **************** Makuta Gorast flew over the battle in her Nivawk form, interested by how it swayed back and forth. The Rahi Nui had arrived at the perfect time. Gorast could have stopped Lesovikk from leaving the island, but instead he went back himself and jumped into the fray. He had landed a few blows, but the Rahi Nui had been gaining the upper hand. Then she saw it strike the rock. She saw the pillar of stone teeter over and start to fall towards Teridax’s creation. Gorast didn’t think. She just acted. She went into a dive, hurtling towards the Rahi Nui. Gorast had seen Lesovikk reappear on the hills, but took no notice. She didn’t even think to use her gravity powers to slow the rock down; she just plummeted towards the creature. Gorast reached it mere seconds before the rock hit, grabbed onto the Rahi Nui, and using her last reserves of energy, exerted her power of teleportation on them both. In an instant they were gone. **************** Lesovikk, however, did not notice Gorast dive down because he was distracted by a voice. “How did you do that!” He turned to see that Kualus was also on top of the hill. Without even looking back, Lesovikk knew that the giant slab of rock was now mere seconds from hitting the ground. “Everybody get down!” he yelled as he flattened himself on the hill, while Kualus did the same. The rock hit milliseconds later with the force of a large Bio-quake, shaking the whole island. The tremors only lasted a few seconds, but the damage was done. Lesovikk got up and brushed himself off. The entire area that had once been a village was covered with broken chunks of rock and pieces of wood. None of the huts had survived. He turned back to Kualus, who was now walking towards him. “What are you doing on top of the hill?” said Lesovikk. “I came up to see what was happening,” said Kualus, “but how did you do that?” “I guessed that if the Rahi struck the rock with enough force, its horns would get stuck, and the rock would fall forward on top of it.” “But how did you get up here?” “There’s a Rahi far away from here called a Fader Bull. It has the ability to fade away from one spot and reappear in another, though it can’t do it very well. I could have ended up inside the hill.” “And you copied its power,” said Kualus, smiling. Lesovikk looked down at all the Matoran below. From what he could see, none of them had been severely hurt. “Your plan worked out,” Kualus said, gazing at the center of the hills. “The creature is buried under all that rock.” The battle was over.

Chapter: 8 Lesovikk watched the light of day slowly fade from on top of the spire. He had stayed up on the wooden platform for the rest of the day, scanning the island for any sign of the spider-like Rahi. He had seen none. It did not seem as if the creatures would be coming back. He had also nearly finished off the bag of bula berries, with only two of them left. He turned back to the path as he heard Kualus coming up. “Your new boat is done!” Kualus said triumphantly as he stepped onto the platform. When he had inquired about Lesovikk’s previous boat, no one had seen it around, though not many Matoran had seen it in the first place. After unsuccessfully searching for it, Kualus had convinced the village woodcutters to make him a new boat. He had then gone back to Lesovikk several times to give him updates on how the boat was going. “I hope you like it,” said Kualus as he sat beside Lesovikk, “it’s not terribly big, but it should work for you.” “Right now I am used to small boats,” said Lesovikk. “Have they found the missing Ga-Matoran yet?” “Not yet, we are still searching. I really hope she’s okay.” Just then a large Smoke Hawk swooped down and landed on the edge of the platform. Kualus’s eyes widened and he did his best to get up slowly to avoid spooking it. Once upright he started whistling and making clicking sounds, punctuated by a few hand gestures, all to the bewilderment of Lesovikk. More oddly the hawk had not moved, keeping its head cocked to one side, as if listening. Kualus kept this up for a minute and then looked at the bird. The Smoke Hawk stayed for a moment, then gave a low cry and flew up. It grabbed the bag of bula berries, and took off into the hills. Kualus watched it go, a look of disappointment on his face. Lesovikk, on the other hand, was confused. “What is all the whistling and clicking in aid of?” Kualus, who had still been staring after the hawk, looked back and said, “Oh, what was that?” “Why were you clicking and whistling?” “Well,” said Kualus as he smiled broadly, “I have always thought that flying Rahi had their own language, made up of clicks and whistles, and sometimes wing movements. So I am trying to teach it to myself. I have always loved flying Rahi and it would be amazing if I could communicate with them. Only… I haven’t had much success yet, or at all.” Kualus went and sat back down beside Lesovikk. “Someday, though,” he continued, “I bet I will be able to communicate with them.” Lesovikk nodded, but did not really believe a word of it. “So,” Kualus said, after another minute, “are you going to come down to the village, or are you going to stay up here all night?” “This is the best lookout spot on the island,” Lesovikk replied, “so this is where I stay.” “Are you going to sleep at all?” said Kualus. “Not until I am sure this island is safe.” “But the temperature up here drops at night,” said Kualus. “I am a To-” Lesovikk started, then stopped himself. “I, I think I will be alright.” “Well then, here I stay as well.” “What?” said Lesovikk, “no, go back to the village.” “Why not? Four eyes are better than two,” Kualus replied. “But you said that the temperature drops up here.” “I am a Ko-Matoran. I think I will be all right. Look, we can take shifts, one of us sleeps while the other one keeps a lookout. I will take the first shift.” “No! Go back to the village,” said Lesovikk. “I will be fine up here.” “Look,” said Kualus, almost standing up, “if you are going to go wandering to find a way to help your friends tomorrow, then you need some sleep! I have already made up my mind, so we can argue far into the night, or you can get some well-needed rest! Please, get some sleep. I will wake you in a bit.” The Ko-Matoran then stood up and started gazing out into the rapidly growing darkness. Lesovikk wanted to argue further, but he knew that Kualus was right. He did need some sleep. So, although it was against his better judgment, he lay down and shut his eyes. **************** Makuta Gorast flew over the Silver Sea, heading back to the small island. She had just destroyed the remaining Visorak, and was feeling generally pleased with herself. Gorast had taken care of all the boats on the island the previous night, and then waited all day until it was dusk to hunt the Visorak down. If it was getting dark, she reasoned, nobody on the island would start a sea voyage. It hadn’t taken her long to find the Visorak. They were trying to get back to Destral, the fools. She had made short work of them. Her thoughts were interrupted, though, by a telepathic message from Teridax. Gorast was not expecting it and was so surprised that she almost toppled into the water, but managed to right herself and concentrated on the message. Gorast, continue to keep Lesovikk and the Matoran on the island, and don’t kill them. Do not reveal your presence just yet. My newest creation is on its way. It is a combination of five species of Rahi, and Toa are its prey. I call it the Rahi Nui. Just as the Matoran were the Visorak’s test, Lesovikk will be the Rahi Nui’s. It should reach the island by morning. Observe how the battle goes, and do not interfere. After it has killed Lesovikk, you may kill the Matoran as you please. Contact me when the battle is over. The Rahi Nui was coming.