Ballom Nom Nom

Happy birthday, Sisen! Hope it's a good one.

~B~

This is ridiculously cool. I love the integration of the silver and red; it's not traditionally layered or blocked, but it works well enough. Excellent use for the Cordak blasters as well; those things are hard to work with.

 

Good to see that you're still building!

I actually generally tried for a kind of color blocking, with red on the outside of the arms and silver on the inside, as well as red on the insides of the legs with silver on the outsides. The middle of the body is a bit messier in colors, though, I admit.

I am indeed still building, yay! College makes it difficult to find much time to do so, but I try to find time when I can.

~B~

Wow, this set looks gorgeous. Even if it didn't have all that tan it would be a great deal; with it it's a must-have. Price is a bit high, but since folks on Bricklink charge an arm and a leg for new CCBS, it's the best way to get that tan.

~B~

Chapter 26

With the new arrivals from Punt Nui lifting their spirits, the Matoran of Tai-Koro continued their fight stronger than ever. Immediately after addressing Aso, Turaga Khepera had rushed down to assist his beleaguered teammate Akito against the Queen of the Betshu; while Turaga Aritonu joined Turaga Atemu and his six pupils, the Toa Septiu, in their fight against the Betshu King. Meanwhile, Whetar had barked out orders to his fifty-odd soldiers to assemble into squads and take on the troglodytes directly, to assist the Matoran of Kemet Nui. Still, the no-nonsense Ta-Matoran had another goal in mind: along with a group of Punt Nui's finest fighters, he went to assist some old friends of his, the younger Toa Terra.

Shmau and his Nak were greatly incensed by the sudden appearance of more Matoran. While they still considered the odds of the Atukam triumphing to be completely in the Betshu's favor, they weren't getting anywhere toward defeating the Toa Terra. For the Nak, while undoubtedly Apep and Aso's finest fighters, never really congregated into groups while fighting. Usually only one, or a few at most, would defend an outpost and command the legions of Sebau and Samiu at their disposal. Only rarely did the gangly fiends ever come together under their master and mistress's cause. Such had happened millennia ago — when the Toa Sah had defeated the Betshu — back when these Nak hadn't even been transformed, and their predecessors had been killed.

This, above anything else, was the Nak's weakness. Strong as they were, they never fought as a team. It was every advanced troglodyte for themselves. Ordinarily this tactic worked for the rank-and-file Sebau or Samiu, who were so numerous that they could just mob an enemy and overwhelm them with strength in numbers. The same method had been used by Aso's Vorukan on Punt Nui. Her Vorukaia, however, had fought united. But the Nak never had helped each other out in battle before, and they were so used to the old Betshu ways by which they had conquered the island that they refused to accept any other Nak's safety as more important than their own. It would prove to be their downfall.

As the Nak continued blindly to try to best them, the Toa Terra still fought on bravely. Lyse had abandoned his shape-shifting into the Uruvena with his angular Kanohi Dayku, and returned from being a shaggy brown sloth into his nimble green Toa self. Otherwise, the Betshu warriors had gotten themselves in such a position that they were completely surrounded by the Toa; but unless something could be done to defeat them all, this struggle would continue to go on.

Matoba turned from fighting Bu and Hiq to address Heaka next to him. "We have to stop them soon!" the burly team leader said. "Otherwise, our friends may be in trouble. For instance, I don't know how long the Toa Septiu can hold out against Apep and Tekhtekh!"

"Perhaps trap them?" said the Toa of Water, still going against Shi and Shmau. It was evident to Matoba, though, that all the Toa Terra were taking a beating. While the Nak were mostly a nuisance, battling them could waste vital time needed to stop the real threat — the Atukam.

Some relief came, though, in the form of the Punt Nui Matoran. Whetar led the charge, his twin short swords held high and his red Hau showing its usual stern expression. "Hang on, mates! I'm coming to save the lot of you!" he cried, as he led the Le-Matoran Taiki, Ga-Matoran Reda, and Onu-Matoran Delan into the fray.

"Matoran?" Shmau snarled. "Let's kill them!" Leaping up into the air, he moved away from the rest of the Nak and landed in front of the Matoran, brandishing his metallic Meteor Hammer. Quick as he was, though, Shmau had underestimated his new assailants. Taiki ran at him with arms wide, silver staves at the ready, and grabbed onto the elite Betshu's left leg as Reda, with her harpoon, grabbed onto Shmau's right leg. This caused the startled Nak to topple, and he was soon set upon by all four Matoran, causing him to start screeching as he struggled to get up. Eventually, he was able to right himself, throwing off the warrior Matoran in the process and charging back into his previous fray with the Toa Terra.

Seeing this happen, however, had given Matoba an idea. Trap them! That's the answer! he thought. At first he racked his memory in search of a maneuver that might work; but then he remembered a story told to him by Turaga Akito ages ago. According to legend, the heroic Toa Nuva had imprisoned three of the Makuta's Rahkshi simply by combining their powers in a unique way. It could work. After all, the Toa Terra possessed the same elements as those near-mythical heroes of yore. So the Toa of Fire decided he'd give it a try.

"Pacha! Nuukor! Send sand and earth at the Nak, now!" Matoba yelled.

"What?" came the response from the Toa of Stone and the Toa of Earth.

"Just do it!"

Looking at each other and shrugging, the two Toa did as they were told. Using their powers to pick up the dust and black soil that was omnipresent in Tai-Koro's streets, they created a smokescreen of sand around the twelve Nak, temporarily blinding and disorienting the Betshu. Next Matoba shouted at Lyse, who had just touched down upon the ground from hovering, which the Toa of Air had been doing to avoid Nak attacks. "Now, Lyse, use a wind blast!"

"Okay, fire-spitter!" Lyse replied. Channeling his powers to create a vortex of billowing air, Lyse flung this at the Nak, which turned the earth around them into a raging dust-devil, a cyclone of sand that spun them around at a tremendous speed like a whirlpool. Once this had been accomplished, Matoba took a moment to use his own powers. During the last few minutes of fighting, he had been storing thermal energy from his surroundings with his orange Kanohi Tomaje, the Mask of Heat; and now his reserves were at full, causing his vermillion armor to shimmer as it burned red-hot from the intense temperature. He concentrated this blast of heat to where it would envelop all the Nak, and unleashed it.

What happened next was predictable, but impressive nonetheless. Immediately upon touching the whirling sand, Matoba's heat wave caused the silica compounds to solidify, forming a glowing tube of molten glass around the dozen Nak. Now the trapped Betshu were subjected to extreme heat, but this prison wouldn't last in the current state. "Heaka, use water!" Matoba cried. "And Attar, freeze this thing afterward!"

"Got it!" said Heaka, blasting the glass with a torrent of liquid as cold as she could make it. There was a hiss and crackle as thick steam rose from the glass vortex, and when it had lifted the now-cooled material had shrunk and hardened. But there was still one last thing to be done to make the effect permanent. Following Heaka, Attar thrust his freezing sword-tips into the glass, sending all the ice he could muster into his strike. Within seconds, a thick crust of frost had covered the Nak's prison, seeping through the crystallized silica and even filling the spaces between the immobilized servants of Apep.

Without air, the Nak would likely suffocate, Matoba knew. Soon, they would probably die. But the Toa of Fire also knew, as did all five of his teammates and the four Matoran who had joined them, that if the Nak hadn't been defeated more lives could have been lost among the brave defenders of Tai-Koro. Sometimes the Toa Creed had to be bypassed. In order to achieve a victory, there had to be some sacrifice.

"Well, that was impressive, eh?" Whetar said with gusto, as he and his three warriors got to their feet. "We make a good team, I do believe. Just like old times."

"Yes, indeed," replied Matoba. "Thank you, my friends, for that help. Whetar, Taiki, Reda, Delan, you go and help the Matoran of this village against the Sebau and Samiu. We Toa have bigger Ruki to fry."

As the Punt Nui Matoran hastily ran off to where the Kemet Nui villagers fought on, Attar pointed toward the Great Philae Temple. "Come. The Toa Septiu need our assistance. Apep awaits."

Nodding, the other Toa Terra left the frozen Nak, and the six heroes headed inside the vast place of worship, where the real final battle would be waged.

------

As the Matoran and Betshu hordes fought outside, the two titanic Atukam still continued forward within the Great Philae Temple. Inside the sunlit inner sanctum, light poured in through the great stained-glass windows and cast eerie shadows on the beings inside. Apep and Aso seemed relentless in their onslaught, bent on reaching the doors that would lead deeper into the temple and eventually down to where the sacred relic sat. But this onslaught had been halted, at least temporarily, by the resourceful actions of Turaga Atemu, Turaga Akito, the Toa Septiu, Chompshi, and Vrael.

Apep was furious, roaring as he attacked and waving Tekhtekh to and fro. He didn't really care about the team of Toa surrounding him; the real target of his rage was Atemu. The brunt of his brutal fighting style was aimed at the little Turaga of Plasma, who could barely dent the Scourge of Kemet Nui with his Superthermal Sickle and so had to concentrate on dodging, as best as he could, the blue energy bursts from Apep's palms.

"You defeated me once, but that will not happen again, Atemu!" thundered the Atukam. "Thousands of years of being imprisoned have taken no toll on me, and I am stronger than ever! But you are old and weak! One on one, I could step on you and win!"

"That's not going to happen, Apep!" replied the Turaga, running past the Scourge's legs and taking cover behind Ausar and Auset, both of whom had their swords at the ready and were striking at the Betshu King with fencer-style slashes. "Soon, I will have more than just seven to aid me!"

"Wait, there they are now!" Aritonu cried. He had teamed up with Nebt-het in delivering sonic bursts and other such attacks, only his fighting method involved a sawblade rather than sharp claws. True enough, as Anpu looked toward the open entrance of the Great Philae, he could see the forms of the Toa Terra running inside, weapons ready.

"Sorry we're slow-late!" Lyse said, as he and his team assembled behind the Toa Septiu. "But we had to quick-fast freeze-chill twelve popsicles out there!"

Aso, fighting Chompshi, Vrael, Akito, and Khepera nearby, understood what this meant. "Our Nak!?" she screeched. "Darling, they've gotten rid of the Nak!"

"Fine, then I will return the favor," Apep growled, clenching Tekhtekh in both clawed hands and swinging the Wand of Chaos toward the direction of the Toa of Storms, who was closest to him.

Sutekh, prior to this, had not heard any comments from his former staff since the Atukam had moved inside the temple. Now, however, he did hear something coming out of the evil silver weapon. I have a better idea, Apep, it hissed. Forget taking out the majority of them, as only one will suffice to lower their morale as they have lowered ours. Cut off a snake's head, and its body will crumple.

"What?" Sutekh yelled at Tekhtekh, momentarily confused as to what it had said. But then he came to a sudden realization, and he spoke again with fear in his voice. "You'd better not do what I think you're about to do!"

Watch me, gloated Tekhtekh. As Apep raised it above his head in a broad swing, the orb in the Wand's center began charging with power. Then, while the blow was descending and the Toa scattered to avoid it, Tekhtekh fired, releasing a vermillion beam of crackling energy straight at the assailant closest to Apep — the one who would be most vulnerable to it.

Nimble as he was, Turaga Atemu could not move out of the way. The blast hit him directly, cracking his armor and burning his robes. Glancing down at his chest, where a gaping wound had been created, Atemu could barely issue a gasp. Dropping his staff, he crumpled to the floor of the Temple and lay still.

"No!" thundered Ausar, enraged by watching this happen. Auset screamed in anguish, while Heru, Nebt-het and Sutekh glared at Apep out of hatred. Even Anpu, pacifist though he was, became furious as he saw his mentor fall. The Toa Terra, unable to believe what had just happened, could only gape in surprise, while Aritonu cast his eyes downward in dismay. Now they had all seen the true evil of Tekhtekh, a malice that nearly matched that of Apep himself. The Wand of Chaos had to be destroyed at all costs.

"You see!" Aso spat contemptuously. She and her assailants had paused momentarily to watch as the Turaga of Plasma collapsed. "That one is on the verge of death, and my mate barely lifted a finger! Now, you're next, Akito!"

The glowering Turaga Sah of Magma glanced at his fallen teammate from behind his ruby Kanohi Zalmex, barely able to keep from weeping. Then he slowly returned his gaze to Aso, banged the butt of his fire staff on the ground, and cocked his laser crossbow.

"Turaga, don't do it!" pleaded Chompshi, as he stood with Vrael and Khepera. "Revenge will not defeat Aso any better!"

"But it will put me at peace," vowed the elder of Terra Nui. "For Atemu!" he hollered, tears gushing down his face, and he ran toward Aso as fast as he could, aiming his crossbow directly at the female Atukam's mask. Aso seemed taken aback by this response, not accustomed to this seemingly-feeble Turaga attempting a last-ditch move to destroy her. Nevertheless, she swung her tail back and forth, licked her jagged lips and fangs with her serpent-like tongue, and cracked her knuckles in anticipation. Just as Akito neared her and prepared his shot, Aso let loose a blast of dark energy from her orange heartlight, intermixed with a pulsating tangerine vortex that curved around it like plasma.

Akito knew something like this was coming. Perhaps he knew that his fate would be linked to Atemu's. Yet he did not cry out in pain as the energy barrage hit him. Instead, as it singed his body and threw him through the air until he came to rest in a heap next to the Turaga of Kemet Nui, he remained stoic and collected throughout, one last determined expression still plastered on his face.

Yet, Akito had not failed in his endeavor. Aso cringed as a burning sensation shot through her green rune-tattooed forehead. A neat hole had been burned through her ebony hood, the result of the laser crossbow being fired as its wielder was catapulted backward. It was not much, this wound, but as far as giving Akito's companions vital time, it was enough.

Turaga Khepera sank to his knees in sorrow, devastated by the apparent loss of two of his beloved comrades. But Chompshi and Vrael did not look back toward their mentor, the wise sage who had taught them all he knew and had turned them into fearless warriors and accomplished Toa. To do so and grieve would be to dishonor him as he lay mortally wounded. Instead, they concentrated on the task at hand, to finally defeat this vile female Atukam that had plagued them for so long, and give Akito peace.

Apep, sneering in glee at seeing two of his hated foes felled in such quick succession, made a malice-laden suggestion to his injured Queen. "Darling, I've got a splendid idea! Why don't we make this double a triple, and finish off all three Turaga Sah at once?"

"Agreed," replied Aso, and then she turned to face her nemesis. "And now, Khepera, the final curtain. At last, you're going to die." Before the Turaga of Insect Control, Chompshi, or Vrael could respond, the Scourge of Punt Nui had leaped forward and ensnared Khepera, tightly winding her powerful tail around him and beginning to squeeze. Chompshi and Vrael struggled to take aim at Aso, but she was keeping Khepera held in front of her, and the two Toa dared not risk hitting the Turaga. Trying to figure out what Khepera wanted them to do, Chompshi triggered his Kanohi Honiara to reach out mentally and sense what the elder was thinking. Khepera must have realized the Toa of Electricity would eventually choose such an action, and was already addressing his thoughts to him.

Chompshi, thought Khepera, completely calm, although sounding slightly strained. For too long Aso has been a menace to my island and its Matoran. Do not worry about striking me with your attacks — I would gladly give my life so that Aso may be stopped. For Atemu's sake, Akito's sake, and my own — do it.

Yes, Turaga, Chompshi thought, using his Kanohi to send the statement telepathically to Khepera. Then, immediately after, he sent a telepathic message to Vrael. Vrael, Khepera . . . he wants us to attack Aso. He's giving his life so we may have this chance.

We had better make this count, then, Vrael thought back solemnly. Remember that technique we practiced?

Yes, the other Toa told Vrael, before privately thinking, Mata Nui, please forgive me for what I am about to do. He raised his electrical cannon to be perfectly level with Aso's heartlight, and blasted a beam of electricity at the Atukam. Simultaneously, Vrael raised his arms and propelled his elemental power to create a massive, polygonal sphere of crystal completely surrounding Aso and Khepera. The entire telepathic conversation and the ensuing action haven taken place in an instant at the speed of thought, Aso was caught entirely unaware, and screeched in alarm, the eerie sound muted behind the thick crystal lattice.

Not relenting, both Toa continued to channel their elemental powers into the prison. As Vrael strengthened the crystalline structure of the matrix, Chompshi altered his electricity's trajectory slightly to hit one of the crystal faces at a perfect angle, reflecting the powerful electrical beam throughout. Aso and Khepera disappeared behind yellow radiance, as the reflected bolt grew in intensity with each reflection, searing through the crystalline structure's inhabitants. Aso's screams dwindled away, and Chompshi felt Khepera's mental presence fading away to nothing — his last feelings of contentment, despite the pain.

The two elder Toa were now exhausted, but they continued to summon forth all of their elemental powers into the crystal. Vrael, then Chompshi, began to feel strange tingling sensations over their bodies, like those Turaga Akito mentioned having when creating the six Toa Stones the other Toa Terra used. The sensations eventually began to fade as the Toa kept bombarding the crystal with their elemental powers. At the same time, the elemental bursts issuing from them grew weaker and weaker, eventually fading away.

Aso's prison drew the last of the elemental energy into itself, and the aura surrounding it also grew faint, to reveal what was still inside. The crystal chamber was now empty, other than a quantity of ash at its bottom, a cloud of green vapor, and the glowing sparks infinitely reflecting inside of it and maintaining its integrity.

Their grand finale finished, Chompshi and Vrael gazed up at what they had created. It was brilliant, to be sure, but there was something odd about the crystal prison . . . it seemed taller than it had been a few moments earlier. Puzzled, the two Toa looked at each other in surprise, and could not believe what they saw. For they were no longer Toa.

Both had shrunk in power and height, becoming Turaga. Vrael's suit of armor, made to protect his critically-weak body, had originally been bulky; but now it had streamlined to accommodate a smaller form, and was draped in robes of azure and pure white. His grapple-headed spear had become a shorter Turaga staff, and his invigorating Kanohi, the Great Nektana, had adjusted to become a more wizened Noble Mask of Life Support. Likewise, Chompshi's thunder lance was about half of its former impressive height, and his electric cannon barely fit over his left hand. He too wore stately robes, of scarlet and golden hues, and his Mask of Mind Linkage was now Noble was well. The two old friends, their powers thus spent, saw each other in their new states, and smiled.

The Toa Terra and Toa Septiu, having paused to watch the spectacle along with Apep, gaped in amazement and utter disbelief as they saw what had become of the two elder Toa. "Chompshi!? Vrael!?"

"Our mission is complete. Our destiny has been fulfilled. Call us Turaga Terra now," Chompshi said, satisfied with all that he and Vrael had accomplished.

Apep, however, was not satisfied. The King of the Betshu stared with hatred at the pulsating, translucent crystal chamber that had been formed around his mate. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his eyes became bloodshot. The four wings upon his back began to thrash like they had minds of their own, his tail swung back and forth dangerously, and his clawed hands closed into fists. Then, dire madness consuming his mind, he turned and roared at the fourteen Toa and two Turaga.

"What have you done to my Aso!? You took her from me! My better half, vanished into nothingness! Our plan was working perfectly, our triumph nearly complete! But you had to ruin it! Now I can never reclaim the ultimate power!"

"But," he continued, spit flying from his draconic maw, "I can still defeat you! Since you took from me the one I loved, I shall destroy you all!" And then Apep screamed, brandishing Tekhtekh high, blue energy crackling from his palms as strongly as he could muster. But the heroes were not afraid. Chompshi threw down his cannon, unable to fire any more, and he and Vrael both took up their staffs, ready to stab as a means of attack.

When Apep attacked the Toa again, this time Chompshi and Vrael were able to fight him as well. The two Turaga Terra were less old and more spry than Akito or Atemu, however, and so this made them all the more capable of avoiding attacks, though when they were hit they could come back with plenty of strength. Nevertheless, as the fight dragged on for several more minutes it was clear that Apep had lost something when Aso had been trapped. The Scourge of Kemet Nui was still a mighty force, but it appeared that neither he nor Tekhtekh could gain the ground they needed to reach the relic. Seeing this, the Toa Septiu of Fate decided that now would be the best opportunity to defeat Apep once and for all.

"This is where it will end," Ausar said. "There are fourteen of us, each with a different elemental power. You know what that means, my friends. Together, we can prevail!"

Matoba and the other Toa Terra nodded in understanding. So did Auset and the rest of Ausar's teammates. As Apep slowly began lunging forward, bearing down upon the heroes with the last of his strength, they held their positions and summoned their powers.

Tekhtekh, though, saw what was unfolding. And for the first time in its miserable existence, the Cursed Wand of Chaos was afraid.

This cannot be! it cried, the orb in its center dimming in dread even as it was carried toward the Toa. Sutekh, this was all a misunderstanding! Yes, a simple misunderstanding! Take me back! Use me as your weapon, I beg you! Save me!

"No, Tekhtekh," said the Toa of Storms stoically. "It is all over for you now. You want to rule? Then rule — in Karzahni."

And then the two teams of Toa, having completed the requirements necessary for their ultimate attack, unleashed every ounce of elemental energy that they had summoned. Fire, water, ice, air, earth, stone, fate, plant life, storms, sonics, gravity, and magnetism all united into a brilliant and unstoppable burst that engulfed Apep and Tekhtekh. Both the gigantic Atukam and his cowering weapon were entirely caught in the blast, and driven toward the crystalline latticework, where they were utterly immobilized even as the bloodthirsty tyrant shrieked in anger and suffering.

"Impossible! You cannot defeat me! I am Apep, the invincible, the immortal! King of the Betshu! Scourge of Kemet Nui! I . . . shall . . . win! I . . . shall . . ."

But as his wrathful utterances faded, the only voices that could be heard above the deafening hurricane of power were those of the Toa Terra and the Toa Septiu.

"For Mata Nui! For unity! For duty! For destiny!"

Then, as the Great Philae Temple grew quiet and the last of the maelstrom subsided, Chompshi, Vrael, and Aritonu saw what the Toa had done. In the great tradition of the Toa Metru and the Toa Mata, the fourteen heroes had formed an impenetrable double Toa Seal. Apep, Aso, and the Wand of Chaos were permanently trapped, silenced forever within a barrier that had frozen them in place. The curse of the Atukam had passed. Tai-Koro and Kemet Nui were saved.

------

In the center of Tai-Koro, through all the struggles of the Toa and Turaga inside the Great Philae Temple, the Matoran fighting to defend their village had persevered. With new resolve upon seeing the Punt Nui fighters arrive, as well as with the assistance of these warriors themselves, the villagers led by Turaga Pelekua and Uatchet had kept the Sebau and Samiu at bay. Though many brave Matoran's lives had been lost, this was insignificant compared to the grave losses the Betshu were suffering. Out of a force of thousands, hundreds of troglodytes had been slain in the course of the battle, lying in heaps throughout Tai-Koro.

But the minions of Apep, with the tenacity of swarming insects, ignored this carnage and were now finally gaining the upper hand. Still well over twelve hundred in number, they had amassed into a writhing horde that boxed in the five hundred Matoran combatants. Yet the tenacious people of Kemet Nui, not willing to lose their beloved village to the Betshu again, were doing all they could to hold off the Sebau and Samiu until the Toa had triumphed over the Atukam.

"Uatchet, I don't know how much longer we can take this!" Nekhebet shouted to her superior Sister, whacking a Sebau with her Chronicler's staff. "Our troops are very fatigued! Soon our defenses will collapse!"

"Well, if this is indeed the end, then at least we will die together," remarked Uatchet mutely. "I would not meet my maker in any other way."

As she and the other Sisters prepared their last defensive measures, however, a sudden blinding light erupted from the Great Philae Temple. This was followed by an unearthly scream and what sounded like a massive sonic boom, which ended as quickly as it had come. Both the Matoran and the Betshu were temporarily blinded, covering their eyes and ears in response. Yet when the former group recovered from the impact of this flash, they could not believe what they saw next.

The Betshu had frozen in their tracks. Every single individual had stopped fighting, instead cowering in place in abject terror. The former evil sneers on the skull-like faces of the Sebau and Samiu had been replaced by a look of primal fear. And before the very Matoran they had previously been trying to kill, they turned — and ran.

Never in recorded history had the minions of Apep been known to move so fast, not even when on the warpath. The Betshu completely abandoned all tasks at hand, instead scrambling as fast as they could to get away from Tai-Koro. They bypassed their dead in the streets, clambering over houses and onto the village walls. Even the recently-frozen Nak did not escape this stampede: in their mad rush to escape, the Sebau and Samiu dashed at the block that contained their twelve deceased officers, knocking it to the ground and shattering it into countless glittering shards. As the stupefied Matoran watched, they managed to scale the Tai-Koro ramparts and began jumping off en masse.

"Unbelievable!" Horgah whispered, jaw slack. "The Betshu . . . they're fleeing!"

Nor did the troglodytes stop once they had landed on the black desert soil outside the walls. As one shambling, terrified, leaderless mass, they careened madly through the sand, moving as fast as their stubby legs could carry them to flee to the safety of the Hapi River, the grassy highlands, or the sparse forest farther away from Tai-Koro. Even the Vatuka did not stop them — the giant rock Rahi howled and barked at the retreating troglodytes, but it seemed to know that the Betshu had been beaten for good. Soon no traces of Apep and Aso's forces remained, for they had all fled into the wild. The army that had plagued Kemet Nui for so long was gone, never to return.

For a few moments, all was silent in the village as the Matoran glanced around the empty square. Nothing remained in it except the casualties of battle and the shards of the frozen Nak. Then, the thoughts of every single warrior were echoed in Bast's single, jubilant exclamation:

"The Betshu have gone! We're free!"

Hearing this, all the Matoran burst into cheers and applause. Uatchet, Nekhebet, Sekhet, and the rest of the Sisters of Het-hert embraced in triumph. Whetar and his warriors clanked fists and gave each other high-fives. Bast tackled Wild Fang Tooth out of pure joy, and the two beings rolled along the ground happily while Ohee and Shemsu voiced their approvals too. After thousands of years of waiting for deliverance, and so much having been lost, it was a momentous occasion for everyone to see the Atukam finally vanquished.

Only Turaga Pelekua remained solemn and not rejoicing. Instead he walked over to the open doorway of the Great Philae Temple and sighed. Soon the laughter and cheering died down as the Matoran crowd saw what he was doing. Pelekua slowly raised his hand and pointed toward the interior of the holy place, saying just one word. "Look." Then the Matoran's smiles turned to faces of sadness, their tears of joy into tears of grief, as they witnessed the true toll that the battle had taken.

Inside the holy sanctuary, the afternoon light filtered through the great stained glass windows, illuminating a stark and heart-wrenching scene within. Turaga Atemu and Turaga Akito lay prone on the floor, next to one another, and not too far away from the prison that contained Apep, Tekhtekh, and Aso. The Toa Septiu and Turaga Aritonu knelt next to the elder of Kemet Nui, while the Toa Terra, Chompshi, and Vrael were on their knees by the side of their island's leader. The third Turaga Sah was nowhere to be seen.

"Turaga Atemu, can you hear me?" Ausar asked, setting down his Kepesh and putting a hand on the Turaga of Plasma's cheek. "We did it! We defeated Apep — and Aso."

"Then it is done," said Atemu. He did his best to sit up, looking at the Toa Septiu, and his battle-scarred, craggy face seemed very tired. "I am at peace."

"Don't worry, Turaga Atemu," Anpu said, preparing to activate the healing properties of his Kanohi Senb. "You'll be all right. Everything is going to be okay."

"Indeed it will be, Anpu," Atemu replied, painfully managing a small grin, "but not for me." And then he motioned to the Turaga of Sonics next to him. "Aritonu?"

"Yes, my friend?" enquired the other elder.

"Take good care of Tai-Koro," croaked Atemu. "Lead it alongside Pelekua and rebuild Manu. I know you will do well. After all, you helped train the finest six Toa that I have ever known. They will be there to protect you."

"Don't say things like that, Turaga!" Auset cried, on the verge of tears. "We have to save you!"

"You already have, my daughter," Atemu reassured her. "You did what my team never could —  defeat Apep and Aso forever. Go forth, and bring peace to this dome. My sun is setting, but yours has only just begun to rise. Now it is your time." His eyes grew misty, and he seemed distant. "I will be with Mata Nui now."

That said, the Turaga Sah of Plasma gently laid his head back on the smooth stones. His eyes closed, his heartlight dimmed, and the grip on his Superthermal Sickle slackened. Before the Toa Septiu could do anything to help him, Atemu breathed his last, and lay still.

Anpu moved his hands, still glowing with the healing effects of his Kanohi, away from the Turaga. "His wounds were too great. I did my best."

Ausar nodded, holding onto Auset as the Toa Septiu of Plant Life sobbed against his chest. Heru and Nebt-het sat together, arms on each other's shoulders in sadness. Even Sutekh knelt in stunned silence, unable to believe that his leader was gone. But Atemu had not died in vain. Tekhtekh, and all its evil, had been stopped.

Nearby, the Toa and Turaga Terra sat around the fallen Akito. Moments after Atemu's passing, the Turaga of Magma glanced up at his friends. "Did we win?" he asked wearily.

"We won," Chompshi said assuredly. "Khepera gave his life so that Aso could be trapped. And Vrael and I gave up our powers so that she would remain there, permanently."

"I see that I have left Terra-Koro in the best of hands," Akito responded. He heaved a sigh of relief, as pleased as Atemu had been at the turn of events. But then the elder of Terra Nui pulled himself up partway, and addressed the grieving Toa Septiu of Storms nearby. "Pardon me, Sutekh?"

"Turaga Akito?" asked Sutekh quizzically. "You wish to speak with me?"

"Yes, I do. I am glad that Tekhtekh was neutralized, but the fact remains that you now have no weapon. That is why I want you to have this." And from his side, he pulled up his laser crossbow.

"Your old weapon! Oh, no, I couldn't!"

"Take it, Sutekh," Akito said. "I have no use for it any more. Use it, and keep it always as a token of the great victory we had today."

Sutekh gingerly took the crossbow into his hands. He hefted the weapon, and it felt good in his arms. Then, without warning, he cocked it, to the surprise of everyone around him. "I will cherish it always," vowed the Toa of Storms, suddenly feeling happier than he ever had before.

"But we need you, Turaga," Matoba told the Terra Nui elder. "None of us could go on without your guidance."

"My work here is done," came the reply. "All I have taught has been passed on to you. You are the true heroes. Your legends will be told by generations to come." And then the Turaga of Magma looked away from the Toa, his telescopic eye unfocused, as if he saw figures not currently present. "Is that you, Atemu?" he whispered. "Oh, I'll be there to join you and Khepera shortly. And Hakeahu! How good to see you again!"

"Please don't go, Turaga Akito!" urged Heaka. "Don't leave us!"

Akito looked at his eight pupils assembled around him, and for the first time he appeared truly sad. But despite his pain, his face was calm and serene. "It is the way of the world. Our lives are finite; we must do with them what we can. I go to a happier place, to be with those that I love. Do not despair, my friends, for mine is a peaceful rest."

Then he laid back as Atemu had, and was motionless. His heartlight faded, he let go of his fire staff, and he breathed a gentle sigh. As the Toa and Turaga Terra burst into unrestrained weeping, his eyes closed forever. The Matoran in the Kemet Nui square cried too, along with the two teams of Toa and the four Turaga. All mourned, for on this day they had won their greatest battle, but lost their greatest elders.

Thus too did Akito, Turaga of Terra Nui, die.

Review

The Primal Reversion cutscene in Alpha Sapphire, as well as the cutscene of Mega Rayquaza destroying the meteor.

Ukanlos's intro cutscene in Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

The Dundorma Apex Seregios encounter in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

The intro dialogue and subsequent battle with Nebilim in Tales of the Abyss.

First stepping into Phendrana Drifts in Metroid Prime.

~B~

Chapter 25

Hanak swung his fire swords as broadly as he could, trying to get a hit on Argentaros as the two sparred on top of the colossal mother Ariakudo. Having never fought the alpha Quntaino before, it was obvious that the silver mammalian leader was the most powerful and skilled opponent that the Sharaku of Fire had ever faced. Argentaros moved with his triple-clawed blade and whiplash as though they were part of his own body, something that not even Gamma, the best sword user out of all of Argarak's professional Captains, could lay claim to. Indeed, the only other great blade master Hanak had ever seen, the insane poison chameleon Scytale, had attacked in a wild and savage style, using rapid and unpredictable strikes to keep his foes second-guessing. But now, whereas Hanak had always felt secure taking on the hulking Daigolva, he acknowledged the very real possibility that he might lose this duel.

He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let his team and all of Terra Nui down.

Yet as he and Argentaros continued to exchange parries, a new voice entered Hanak's mind, one that had never nagged him before. It was a proud voice, one that as a Torika he had been constantly exposed to as the stern individual, sometimes kind but usually self-serving, ordered him around. Argarak.

What did I tell you all those years ago, Hanak? sneered the evil Sharaku. You honestly didn't believe you could ever fight, did you? I never trained you for that; how you and your pathetic little friends ever managed to learn is beyond me. And this silver beast, my oh my! Zakarath would be impressed by his fighting style!

Leave me alone, Argarak! thought Hanak with all his might, trying to block the malicious influence of his former master, while still fighting Argentaros. I no longer have to answer to you! You've been dead forty years, slain by Chazok's bullet! This is my fight, and I will finish it! And I will win!

If you say so, boy, said Argarak, and then his presence disappeared from Hanak's mind.

Argentaros, meanwhile, seemed to take a different view of his opponent's moves. As he stepped to the side, slowly circling on the Ariakudo's cephalothorax to match Hanak, he gave an acknowledgement of a fair fight. "We seem to be evenly matched, Sharaku. For all your misguided views, you do know your weapon well. A pity that I must defeat you."

"That still won't happen!" Hanak insisted. Making a swift sideways chop, one of his swords connected with Argentaros's side, inflicting a minor burning blow. Growling, Argentaros gritted his teeth, but kept on going, lunging forward with the razor-sharp blades on his left arm. Hanak, temporarily on the defensive, couldn't throw up his fire swords in time to deflect this attack, but instead leaned backward as much and as hard as he could. The Quntaino's weapon went right over him.

"Not too shabby," said Argentaros. "Perhaps you are indeed as strong as Daigolva told me."

"Well, he's certainly got the expertise to say that, when it comes to facing me," admitted Hanak. Out of the corner of his eye, he could actually see the vermillion brute swinging his broadsword, facing Zanta and the Green One alongside Snimurai. In fact, Hank could make out all of his Sharaku teammates in their respective zones of combat: Vukaz fighting Predacron, Thukor taking on Carcarinax, and Rieka and Kavan going against Nosfernox and Icrizahk. They were still in the same areas around the moving mother Ariakudo as they had been, still carrying on valiantly. With Argentaros occupied fighting Hanak, the Ta, Po, and Ko-Matoran could spend their time helping their friends against the Rahi running amok. Machi was taking the Zykeral and Ascipitero on a wild Gukko chase, zooming above Hanak with a rush of air as he flung Madu Cabolo at his pursuers. Elsewhere, the Acko were still battling the juvenile Ariakudo, the brood of Argentaros's steed, while the Visorak clashed with the Necrovak and Aquavak as well as those two species' Va. Only Gorgorak really seemed absent from any combat at all: the blue Visorak queen had decided to not just sit around, and was dragging herself and her sedan chair very slowly toward the rest of the spider Rahi who served her.

On the other hand, Terra-Koro hadn't looked this bad since the Battle of Terra Nui, when it had been conquered by, then freed from, and finally attacked again by, the Dark Lord's Drone army. Several huts had caved in, while a few more had their roofs on fire. The well seemed to be doing adequately, since it was being defended by a group of gallant Ga-Matoran who would periodically grab a bucket full of water to toss at the burning buildings. But otherwise, the battle was taking its toll on the peaceful village. And time was still of the essence. Hanak had to prevent Argentaros and the other Quntaino from reaching the Hakeahu statue, and this opportunity was running out.

"Nevertheless, you cannot stop me," Argentaros was saying, wagging a finger at Hanak as if to taunt him. "Sooner or later, you will tire, and I will reach my destination."

"I don't think so," replied Hanak. He was continuing to hold his ground, sending up wave after wave of flame-engulfed sword strikes at his towering nemesis. But Argentaros was very slippery a foe: while his strategy focused on being defensive, he nevertheless could surprise Hanak with blows of astounding agility. When Hanak moved to the side to avoid a lash from his opponent's whip, Argentaros responded with a punch. It hit Hanak, sending the Sharaku back a few steps, but he was still able to feint and avoid a claw swipe from Argentaros. At this point, Hanak rushed forward, hitting Argentaros with a body slam as hard as he could. This time, both beings were knocked down on top of their carapace battlefield. Still, the two of them got up again, facing each other with weapons ready while simultaneously glaring. So far neither of them had gotten the upper hand in this duel. But that was about to change.

As Hanak prepared another barrage of scorching slashes, the Quntaino leader extended his living whiplash to full length. Before the Sharaku of Fire could respond, this serpentine, worm-like creature had attached to his leg. Then Argentaros pulled, and the jerking caused Hanak to topple, falling onto his side. The mother Ariakudo was still moving, and as she lumbered onward Hanak could not get good traction. He tumbled over the side of her rounded body, barely managing to hang on tightly with his hands.

Argentaros swiveled and saw Hanak in this position of weakness below him, hanging precariously three bio above the ground. "This isn't the end of me!" shouted Hanak. "I won't let you succeed! I won't!"

"This fight is over. Goodbye, Hanak." The silver Quntaino didn't even step on Hanak's fingers to torture him. Instead he lashed out with a kick, knocking the Sharaku of Fire off of the giant arachnid and sending him tumbling onto the ground below.

Hanak wasn't hurt, but as he hit the ground he came to a sudden realization as to exactly where he was. This smooth stone was the terrace extending for several bio around the Hakeahu fountain. He was in the center of the village.

Oh no. Mata Nui, no! Looking up, he saw the mother Ariakudo finally come to a standstill, her legs brushing up against the Toa-sized podium used for important announcements by the citizens of Terra-Koro. Only a short distance away stood the statue. To make matters worse, the other six Quntaino and their Rahi cohorts had apparently dragged, or somehow caused the movement of, their Matoran, Bohrok, and Acko assailants into a cluster around the center of the village. Hank could see all the familiar landmarks: Turaga Akito and Hakeahu's house, the homes of the Toa Terra and his own team, and Sari and Takan's forge.

Though his duel with Argentaros had indeed lasted a half hour, it seemed as though an unbelievably vast distance had been crossed in that time. The Quntaino had reached their goal. It was too late.

"Hah!" crowed Argentaros jubilantly. With a mental prod, he bade the giant Ariakudo to bend down her aged head. Then he gracefully stepped down from her torso onto this armored cranium and descended onto the terrace stone. With his goal in plain sight, he turned toward the battle taking place all around him and concentrated his powers.

Suddenly, every single skirmish, every little tussle taking place between Matoran and Rahi, Bohrok and Visorak, Acko and Ariakudo, came to an end. From the alpha Quntaino's supreme presence, a powerful mental command caused all conflict to cease immediately. Terra-Koro became deathly quiet, with all parties looking toward the center of the village. Its defenders saw in shock that their home had been breached, and stared in horror, sadness, and anger. The Rahi were quiet, still under the Quntaino's control and pacified: the Rahanivika positioned themselves upright; the Zkyeral, Magraka, and Ascipitero landed; and the Thylacine sat on its haunches. Meanwhile, the Visorak started cheerily gleefully. The throne bearers returned to Gorgorak's sedan chair, where she still sat, and brought the obese monarch right up to where the six subordinate Quntaino, all assembled in a line, roared and screeched and bellowed in triumph.

Zanta, Vukaz, Kavan, Thukor, and Rieka all ran to where Hanak stood. None of them could believe what had just happened. It was as if all their efforts had been for naught.

Surveying his conquered prize with the air of a satisfied overlord, Argentaros put away his weapons and cracked his knuckles. "Desist all fighting!" he announced. When this had been achieved he gave a toothy smirk. "Thank you. That is better." Then he spoke to the six lesser Quntaino gathered before him, as well as all the Rahi scattered around the village center. "Well, my brothers and my people, today is a momentous occasion. Now, we will finish what we began after being born from the lightning strike on Mount Tongaru, at the Festival of Diamonds not so long ago. I swore then that we would find the Kanohi Zlinj, wherever it might be. And after much strife, we can finally say that our mission has become fulfilled."

Argentaros turned away from the other Quntaino and confidently strode up the stone terrace to the fountain, his smile replaced by an eerie calm. He seemed suddenly oblivious to the beings around him as he stepped over the raised stones encircling the fountain, planted his feet in the gently flowing fountain waters, and slowly took the remaining steps forward until he stood face to face with the stone likeness of Hakeahu. Idly, the alpha Quntaino flicked a few black particles of ash, which must have been born on the wind from one of Hanak's blades to land there, from the carved axe in the figure's hand. Then, he raised both of his arms to clasp the sparkling crystal Zlinj, fixed on the fountain for the last forty years.

Hanak, who had come to his feet but remained rooted in place, entranced in watching the Quntaino, suddenly realized what Argentaros intended to do. For some reason defeating the Sharaku and their allies, besting Hanak in battle, and then advancing to the almost sacred center of the village wasn't enough for Argentaros — he now was going to go one step further and desecrate the Hakeahu statue. Rage filling him, Hanak lunged forward, grabbing Argentaros's arm even as Argentaros wrapped his clawed digits around the curved, projecting sides of the Kanohi to slowly begin prying the mask away from its long resting place. The Quntaino leader whirled his entire body in surprise, and his startled turn tore the ancient mask entirely away. However, instead of its interior being coated in stone and masonry, the crystalline Zlinj's inner surface was completely smooth.

Before Hanak could look any longer at the Zlinj, the Kanohi blazed with a radiant glow, and countless visions began pouring into his mind and that of Argentaros. The alpha Quntaino's touch had triggered something within the mask, and it released to the beings nearest to it, like its Legendary counterpart had done before, all of the sights and events it had witnessed in its time on Terra Nui. Millions of images flashed into Hanak's mind instantly, and he experienced things he had never known about the island before.

Hanak saw the dim, twisting underground tunnels in which the Zlinj had rested from millennia, the rookie Toa Terra finally removing it and bringing it to Turaga Akito's hut for examination. He saw the mask being placed upon the face of the Hakeahu fountain, followed by forty years of events in the Matoran village. Matoran bringing in fishing haul, material from the mines, and rare goods traded from other islands. Muudabok wandered placidly by the Zlinj's view, Hemisva scuttled below it, tame Pikobe drank from the fountain, and Ikki flew right past on various occasions. Even Shredder, king of the Collosorahk, tunneled to the surface outside Terra-Koro one night to rest on the cool soil and yawned, a glimmer of crimson deep in his throat. An entire panorama of the Matoran existence on Terra Nui passed by, displaying every interaction the Zlinj saw. Youngsters played games and picked flowers, adults traded with Wula or bought tools, armor and masks from the forge, the Green One brought in wooden crafts to barter, and elders sat swapping stories or reminiscing about days gone by. Matoran lived, and learned, and loved, within the Zlinj's memories. Even as the visions came to encompass the events of the last few weeks, the Matoran, Torika, and their Rahi companions still remained united as one family, concerned about the arrival of the Quntaino and the safety of not only themselves, but their village, their island, and their absent companions in the dome of Kemet Nui, fighting to preserve all they had. It was breathtaking. It was beautiful. It was life.

Just when the Zlinj's memories seemed exhausted, a new set of visions entered Hanak's mind, beginning with an intense flash of light, fading away to reveal the broken keystones and Suva on Mount Tongaru. As the viewpoint changed to lift from the ground, Hanak realized he was seeing events from the perspective of Argentaros. He saw the six other Quntaino emerging from their eggs, shakily getting to their feet, and starting to communicate. Slowly, as they moved down the mountain, their speech developed from incomprehensible sounds to Rahi dialects. Then, he saw something he would never have expected from the seemingly-brutal and relentless Quntaino: them exhibiting kindness. Argentaros was in a field, he noticed, on the far end of the verdant plains from Terra-Koro, sitting among an unusual sight — a pride of Thylacines. He was communicating with the majestic felines with low rumbling sounds, as the rest of the Quntaino sat watching calmly. This had never occurred to Hanak, that a being who passed for a narrow-minded, obsessive dictator was just as much a caring soul capable of compassion. Argentaros and his brethren loved Terra Nui as much as the Matoran, Bohrok, and Acko did. They just hadn't revealed it to the Sharaku.

Otherwise, though, he saw the impatient side of Argentaros. The leader's next sojourn took him to the Sharakoro Islets, where he had wandered around for some time surveying the jagged cliffs and roaring in frustration. Yet even as he left to again traverse the island in search of his quarry, Argentaros also used his time to idly mingle with the varied Rahi species he passed by, from the docile Nukepi to strangely peaceful Kompiki, from hovering Hummaera to even a Tyrannarahk nest with its brood of adolescent dragons. Despite his focused goal, the leader of the Quntaino lived an existence as magical as that of the other inhabitants of Terra Nui, at one with his beloved island.

Abruptly, the visions faded away, leaving Hanak with only his own sight. Only a few seconds had actually passed, and none of the beings in the village center had moved, watching the fading brilliance of the crystal Zlinj. Hanak released the hold he still had kept on Argentaros's arm, and suddenly found his voice.

"Argentaros?" he asked quietly. The Quntaino lifted his gaze from the Kanohi to look at Hanak, and the Sharaku realized with a start that his own memories must have been viewed by Argentaros. "Why do you desire the Kanohi Zlinj?" Hanak finished. The alpha Quntaino turned away briefly to place the crystal Zlinj back on the statue's face, then faced Hanak to answer his question.

"You do not understand, Sharaku," he growled softly. As he spoke Argentaros stepped out of the fountain, leaving the stone terracing to depart toward the grassy plains of Terra Nui. "I do not desire the mask for myself. My brothers and I come to destroy it. And now, at long last, I know of its location — the maw of the Collosorahk you call Shredder."

Review

This isn't a theory. This is random fanfiction conjecture, with no basis or relation to the actual plot of the storyline. Yes, the Inika could be zombies, and Karda Nui could be made of candy, and Makuta could be Vakama's cousin's former roommate. But I wouldn't count on any of those.

Not realized they were dead, they just continued on with their lives.

~B~

Chapter 24
 
Shmau and the Nak, having been ordered by Apep to crush the Matoran, swiftly moved to begin their master's bidding. Uttering a piercing shriek, the lead Nak and his company dived toward the assembled Toa, followed by a snarling, scrambling mass of Sebau and Samiu. The Matoran had quickly regrouped into their fighting formations to hold their ground against the Betshu. Sekhet and her Av-Matoran guard led by Meti and Shna were surrounded by a group of Samiu, yet the sharp claws of these foes were no match for Sekhet's agility and her even sharper talons. Bast, on the other hand, was holding onto Wild Fang Tooth for dear life as the raging Makuta Hound ran throughout the horde of troglodytes, pouncing on and biting any that stood in its way.
 
Meanwhile, the six younger Toa Terra had decided to take out the Nak. Granted, there were two of the elite Betshu for every one of them, but Akito had said that these minions of Apep were roughly half as strong as a Toa, so Matoba decided to put this to the test. He and Heaka were facing Shmau, Bu, Hiq, and Shi, while their four teammates were dealing with the remaining eight Nak.
 
"You're even easier than those Vorukaia!" Heaka shouted, knocking back Shmau's meteor hammer with a thrust from her water harpoon. "I mean, they were no picnic themselves, but this is ridiculous!"
 
"Don't compare us to those abominations!" howled Shmau. "I met Amun once, and he was a pansy! Nothing can compare to how tough we are, except for our master and mistress!"
 
"I don't think so," Matoba added. He had been charging up a heat blast from his Kanohi Tomaje and enveloped Bu and Hiq in an intense wave, scorching the two Nak and grounding them as their wings caught on fire. "And compared to the Sharaku, you have nothing to brag about! My goodness, what a joke!"
 
Obviously the Nak, though far smarter than their dim-witted, diminutive Betshu cousins, hadn't the slightest clue as to what a Sharaku was. Nevertheless, they perceived this as an insult and continued their attempt to maim the Toa Terra.
 
Lyse had been suitably angered by the loss of his beloved Stryda, but having conceived a brilliant idea, he transformed into an unexpected powerhouse: an Uruvena from Punt Nui, which he had seen once on the way to Pe-Koro. A wild Rahi Uruvena would be slow as dirt and capable of only defense with its thick hide, but in the guise of the shaggy sloth Lyse was able to couple great maneuverability with the ability to withstand blows like a rock. Naturally, because he was using his Kanohi Deyku to mastermind this form, the Nak were surprised to find that the Uruvena they were fighting was still capable of launching blasts of air from its three-fingered hands. Occasionally Lyse would also revert back into Toa mode to get in a few quick strikes of his spears, before becoming a sloth once again.
 
Attar was using his swords to duel with Shi, the remaining Nak placed in charge of the elite Betshu group. This Nak was bound and determined to clobber the Toa of Ice with his meteor hammer, which he was swinging in a continuous arc around his body like a tornado. Using his Mask of Agility, however, Attar was mostly able to avoid this attack. At one point the hammer did connect in between Attar's cartwheels, and the blindsided Toa had one sword knocked out of his hand, but Attar responded with a blast of freezing ice that struck Shi and made the Nak collapse, his hammer swing interrupted. After that Attar was able to recover his weapon and continue fighting.
 
A short distance away, Nuukor and Pacha had to fend off the last five Nak for the Toa Terra. This wasn't particularly difficult, as Nuukor could shoot projectiles from his cannon and stab the Nak with his electropole to shock them, as well as solidify his body with his Kanohi Yovan to deflect physical strikes. Pacha had engaged several elite Betshu at once with her own pair of hammers, and thus had begun a strange clash of mace on mace with her assailants. Regardless, none of the Nak liked earth and stone attacks, which made their lives harder and which Pacha and Nuukor had no shortage of.
 
Among the three Turaga, each had gone off to assist one of the various groups struggling to hold off Apep and Aso's horde. Pelekua had found Uatchet and was helping the Matoran army in general, alongside such fighters as Horgah and Jezira. Akito, on the other hand, had joined Chompshi and Vrael to finish a mission that they had started on Punt Nui, which seemed a lifetime ago —  defeating the Queen of the Betshu herself.
 
This was a more daunting task than it had been before. Whereas in her Citadel Aso had been small and as short as a Turaga, this time she was a green and black colossus that towered over a head taller than the lanky Toa Terra of Electricity. And Apep's conniving mate had her usual bag of tricks up her proverbial sleeve, which she was not hesitant to use as she engaged her three valiant assailants. Strangely enough, it seemed as though she only possessed twenty-some of the traditional Makuta Kraata powers . . . but then again, Aso was not a traditional Makuta, nor even a Makuta at all, according to Turaga Atemu.
 
"Enough is enough!" Akito cried, as he dodged a swipe of Aso’s heavy tail. "Your treachery has gone on far too long, Aso, and this time we will put an end to it! No mercy!"
 
"That I'd like to see!" scoffed Aso, whipping her body around and unleashing a pulsating wave of shadow from her orange heartlight. "Soon my revenge will be complete, once I have slain you and my mate has massacred that pathetic Atemu, and the two of us have found that ridiculous red and black teammate of yours and destroyed him too!"
 
"Hey, leave Pelekua out of this!" shouted the elder of Terra Nui. "Once he's done aiding the Matoran in defeating all your Betshu, I'm sure he will be just as eager as I am to defeat you!"
 
Chompshi released a charged shot from his electrical cannon as he swung at Aso with his thunder lance. The thrust hit one of the female Atukam's back blades, but she retaliated by unleashing a wave of poison that slammed the Toa of Electricity backward. Vrael, seeing an opportunity, struck back with his crystal spear while trying to blanket Aso with a barrage of razor-sharp mineral shards. Most of these projectiles did hit the Queen of the Betshu on her tattooed Kanohi, eliciting from her a feral snarl of annoyance.
 
While this happened, Akito rolled between Aso's legs and stuck the lit tip of his glowing fire staff into her nearest thigh. Shrieking in anger, Aso moved away from attacking Chompshi and Vrael and turned toward her newest assailant. Chompshi and Vrael both charged at her with their pole arm weapons, but Aso had managed to ignore the burning sensation and teleport away from them in a rush of shadow, materializing behind them to continue her barrage again.
 
"Somehow this reminds me more of the fight against the Dark Lord," Vrael muttered. "In a way, it is easier; we have no Kyraikk, Ruhktar, or Ballom to worry about distracting us and getting in our way. Yet it is also more difficult because this hag seems to be stronger physically than that decrepit old Makuta. But we shall prevail in either case."
 
"Yes, fine. Less talk and more chainsaw!" Chompshi said, sending another blast of chain lightning at Aso.
 
Farther away from Aso, near the Great Philae Temple, another monumental fight was taking place. The six Toa Septiu, as well as Turaga Atemu, had taken on their ancient enemy, Apep. The King of the Betshu had not entered combat for millennia and so was refreshed and revitalized from his crippling defeat of the Toa Sah many ages ago, stronger than ever. This, coupled with the fact that his draconic new form was unlike anything Atemu remembered, made him a truly daunting foe.
 
"I will crush your bones beneath my feet, Atemu!" Apep roared, smashing his sizable evidence to this statement into the earth in a mighty stomp, attempting to flatten the Turaga of Plasma. "And I will bury this village once I am finished!"
 
The Scourge of Kemet Nui wasn't the only one speaking his mind. Tekhtekh, gleeful at the ability to incinerate spots of ground on mental demand from Apep, was being twirled around as its master fought and did its best to aim specifically at the Toa Septiu. Sutekh, however, still remained intent on retaking his cherished weapon, and so still cried out at the Wand of Chaos as he dodged its attacks and returned laser fire and weather effects accordingly.
 
Why would I ever waste time serving you or any Matoran? Tekhtekh hissed in the Toa of Storms' mind. You are a primitive and uncivilized race compared to the glory of the Atukam!
 
"Well, compared with those vile Betshu, we're on the level of the Great Spirit!" thundered Sutekh in return. "Don't you see what you're doing? Apep's promises of power have blinded you! He will owe you nothing once his mission has been completed but tyrannical rule! Then you'll be worse off than when I had you!"
 
"That, puny insect, is a lie!" Apep butted in, having heard both sides of the conversation, a feat which none of the other Toa Septiu nor Atemu could attest to. He addressed Tekhtekh reverently, speaking with a voice dripping with evil sweetness . . . or what could pass for it, at least. "Believe your new master, Wand of Chaos, you will only reap the benefits once this has been done!"
 
See? gloated Tekhtekh. The power of the relic will belong to Apep and Aso, and so I will achieve my destiny!
 
"You know nothing about destiny!" Sutekh responded. "All three virtues —  unity, duty, destiny —  they mean nothing to you! You are an instrument of diabolical wrath, whose only purpose was to inflict pain, and misery, and suffering! Your only fate will be ultimate destruction!"
 
I'll take my chances, was the reply, and Tekhtekh fought on. Apep wasn't solely using the staff to attack the Toa Septiu; his free hand pulsated with crackling blue energy, which he fired in series of blinding bursts at his assailants. Ausar and Auset were closest to one of these pulses, with the Toa of Fate summoning a flock of screeching Nui-Bauk with his Kanohi Begasu to heckle and distract the King of the Betshu, and the Toa of Plant Life attempting to create a snare of coiling vines to wrap around one of Apep's legs and bring down the titanic Atukam. However, Apep managed to drive off the Nui-Bauk and break the vines, and then hit the two Toa Septiu backward with one of his palm lasers.
 
"Yikes, that was powerful!" Ausar shouted, pulling himself up next to Auset. "We really need to hold him off if we have a chance to do what the Toa Sah did!"
 
"True, but back then he did not have Tekhtekh," said his female companion wisely, "nor was Atemu weaker, as he is now. There were also eight Toa Sah, whereas there are only seven of us."
 
"Still, I'd take those odds any day!" came the robust response from Atemu. "I may not be as good as I once was in combat, but with your help, young Toa, we can defeat this monstrosity!"
 
"Monstrosity!?" Apep grimaced. "I'll have you know that I am the pinnacle of physical perfection! Along with my mate, of course."
 
This remark wasn't really heard, though, as in the din of Apep's onslaught two of the other Toa Septiu had decided another strategy. Using his airfoils and zero-gravity powers, Heru had lifted off and was firing at the Scourge of Kemet Nui with his launchers. Nebt-het had joined him using her own natural wings, and having been relatively silent for most of the battle, she now unleashed a deafening Power Scream, a veritable shockwave of sound that knocked over several Sebau in the vicinity and made Apep wince from attacking Ausar and Auset. However, the evil Atukam decided to follow up with a Sonic attack of his own that was equally ear-shattering. Unprepared for this kind of counterattack, the startled Toa of Gravity and Sonics were battered by sound and knocked out of the sky, landing in a heap next to where Anpu was. The Toa of Magnetism had been busy himself, trying to use his element to pin down Apep or hit the tyrant with some martial art moves, but occasionally had needed to help any injured teammates.
 
Anpu glanced up from checking with Ausar and Auset and regarded the two Toa Septiu fliers as they readied themselves. "Any problems?"
 
"What?" asked the temporarily-deafened Nebt-het, brushing herself off with her claws. "I can't hear you; Apep's blast was too loud!"
 
"Maybe you should take some tips from Uatchet for a while," joked Heru as he propelled himself into the air again. "I'm sure she would love to teach you the basics of communication without sound!"
 
Nebt-het hadn't heard the snarky comment; her sensitive eardrums were still recovering from being battered by the sound wave. Anpu just shrugged and continued to fight, using a magnetic barrier to repel Tekhtekh, which Apep was bearing down on him. The tactic worked, and with a mental cry of anguish the Wand of Chaos shot backward, nearly thrown out of the Atukam's hand.
 
"Toa, this is nothing but a mere paltry nuisance!" Apep roared. "I need not concern myself with swatting you; there are bigger and more important things at hand!" Turning toward where Aso was, he yelled above the din of battle at his mate. "Now, my dear, the real winning can begin! I'm going in!"
 
"Excellent, darling!" shrieked Aso, still battling Chompshi, Vrael, and Turaga Akito. "Forget sending the swarms in; we'll storm it ourselves!"
 
"What on earth is going on?" Pelekua looked quizzically at Uatchet, as the pair of sages knocked out a downed Samiu. "Where do they think they're going?"
 
Uatchet thought for a moment, but as the astute Sister realized what Apep and Aso were plotting, her burnished Hau turned pale. She began signing furiously. "They're heading for the Great Philae Temple! We must stop them, or they will open it by force! Once they reach the catacombs, we'll be done for! Move!"
 
"Ausar! You have to prevent the Scourges from opening the Great Philae!" said Nekhebet, jumping on top of a falling Sebau as she cupped her hands to help amplify her raised voice.
 
The Toa Septiu saw Apep move away from them, but it was only when he half flapped, half lumbered towards the towering place of worship did this implication fully dawn on them. Though the bulk of the Matoran and Betshu continued fighting, the younger Toa Terra and Nak ceased momentarily to watch, as did the two elder Toa Terra and the Turaga of Terra Nui. To their own horror, the gleeful Aso slithered to where Apep stood, and together the two evil beings began to do something that had never, ever happened before in the history of Kemet Nui, in all the ages that the Holy Order of the Sisterhood of Het-hert had peacefully resided on the desert isle. They forced open the doors of the Great Philae Temple, a building that had always remained unscathed and untouched by invasion, formerly a pillar of safety in a war-torn village, and now the final victim of the wrath of the Atukam.
 
A pitch-blank, voluminous hand of shadow emerged from both the King and Queen of the Betshu, one from Aso's heartlight and the other from Apep's free energy-radiating palm. These two malevolent harbingers shot forward until they gripped the stone edifice of the massive doorway, and then as the two titans pulled with all their might, slowly but surely, the doors began to move. Despite all of the intricate locks and fail-safe mechanisms implemented by Uatchet and Nekhebet, the doors could not remain closed. With a wrenching creak and a crumbling of stone and mortar, they were thrown wide, revealing the hallowed and sunlit inner sanctum that was the main hall of the Great Philae Temple.
 
Uatchet and Nekhebet could barely watch; instead, with tears in their eyes, they confronted the slavering Sebau and Samiu once more. Horgah and Jezira barked out orders for the Matoran army to form a blockade of bodies to prevent the Betshu from reaching the temple. Apep and Aso themselves cackled in triumph, and began their march inside the Temple. Instead, as they came within the sanctum, they were confronted by the angered and determined fourteen Toa and two Turaga Sah, who appeared defiantly in their way.
 
"Concerned about your sacred shrine, eh?" scoffed Apep. "Then if you insist on barring the way of my mate and myself, we will be forced to destroy you and annihilate the Matoran you are sworn to protect. Your fate won't be pretty, that's for certain."
 
"We aren't scared of you!" Auset said. "This temple belongs to the Sisterhood of Het-hert, and we will not let you blemish its visage or plunder its treasures! You'll have to get through all of us first!"
 
"No problem," was the reply from Aso. "Betshu! Pillage the village and help us remove these obstacles!"
 
But as she and Apep were about to attack the Toa once more, a clarion voice rose above the tumult, silencing the war cries of the Matoran and the hisses and howls of the troglodytes, and causing even the enraged Atukam to pause.
 
"Not so fast, evildoers! Take one more step within that sanctuary and you shall live to regret it!"
 
From the ramparts of Tai-Koro, a silvery and azure figure stepped into view. Old and short of stature, he was garbed in flowing and splendid robes, carried an old staff of rank, and moved on only one original leg, as the other had been replaced by a metal peg. He wore a Kanohi Mahiki, the Noble Mask of Illusion, and as he spoke the fiery, yet serene, expression on his face conveyed the fact that his words contained no falsehoods.
 
The Toa Septiu looked in amazement upon this Turaga, unable to believe what they were witnessing. This was the being who had mentored them, who had been like a father to them, who had trained them in their new powers and new mask capabilities upon becoming Toa Septiu. And now, after what had seemed like an eternity of absence, he had returned.
 
"Is it . . . could it be . . .?" Auset whispered.
 
"Of course!" Ausar was grinning from one end of his Kanohi to the other. "He's back, all right!"
 
"Who the Karzahni are you?" Apep demanded, flabbergasted at this strange and unfamiliar new arrival.
 
"My name is Turaga Aritonu," said the elder. "And by attacking the six pupils of mine, with a weapon belonging to one of them no less, you have just made a very big mistake!"
 
Taken aback by this impudence, Aso snarled. "Yeah? You and what army?"
 
"That under the command of an old associate of mine. He had been imprisoned recently, for many years in fact, on the island of Kush Nui. But I found him and helped him escape, and we returned to Punt Nui, from whence we came here. He's brought some friends to this party."
 
Aritonu held out his arm, and from behind him a group of Matoran clambered up onto the village walls, each of them armed to the teeth with powerful weapons. But the appearances of these Matoran were what caught the Toa Terra and Turaga Akito's attention, especially that of Vrael, who seemed both overjoyed and deeply moved. They were the inhabitants of Pe-Koro, all the seasoned fighting villagers of Punt Nui and friends of Akito's company. Whetar led the assembly, as usual, followed by many recognizable faces: Hathi and Reda, Taiki and Komo, Delan and Murtik, Ogigi and Jahpex, Neesau and Torval, to name a few. As these fighters stared sternly down at the Betshu, hope filled the hearts of the Matoran of Tai-Koro again. Most smiled, some even cheered.
 
And the Punt Nui warriors were not alone. Stepping up to join Aritonu was one more figure from the past, one deemed forgotten ages ago after a cataclysmic disaster had split in three the island he called home. He was the same height as the Turaga of Power Scream, only armored in orange and white with coppery robes, and he held a distinctive hammer. Around him buzzed a menacing swarm of Kofo-Kopen, proof of his hypnotic power over insects.
 
The three Turaga Sah gasped. Pelekua did a double-take, then looked back at his two teammates in utter disbelief. Atemu spoke to Akito, his voice filled with awe.
 
"I don't believe it! After all these years we took him for a goner . . . yet he managed to survive!"
 
"Yes my friend," Akito said, beaming and putting his arm around Atemu's shoulder, "this day is full of surprises. The odds have swung in our favor —  even more so than they had ever been."
 
Aso was absolutely livid. The being whose island she had assumed control of, her archenemy among all the despised Toa Sah, still lived. "But you're dead!" she screamed. "I saw the Great Cataclysm shatter Punt Nui, and I witnessed you and over half the Matoran population being swept out to sea by the tsunami! And then, when against all odds you impossibly survived to be washed up on the shores of Kush Nui, I ordered your unconscious form to be thrown into the Mokhugra, where you surely finally died. This cannot be!"
 
Turaga Sah Khepera retained a calm look on his face, much like Aritonu. Yet he pointed the heavy head of his Hive Hammer directly at the Queen of the Betshu, and addressed her in a tone that revealed the one thing, and one thing only, that had been on his mind after being freed from captivity. The thing he wanted most after learning that Aso had helped Apep take over Kemet Nui: vengeance on the one who had betrayed his team. And now, leader of his people once more, he would have that revenge above all costs.
 
"Why hello, Aso! Happy to see me? Or more surprised? Either way, you're going down."


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Chapter 23

Upon hearing Argentaros's dire proclamation, the Sharaku, Matoran, and all the other defenders of Terra-Koro were surprised and also quite alarmed. The alpha Quntaino had spoken to them not in some Rahi language, even an advanced language such as Visorak, but in a highly advanced tongue: Matoran. To the Sharaku, this had to be bad, for either the Quntaino were evolving at an unprecedented rate, which made them all the more dangerous, or somehow they were learning the Matoran's secrets — and possibly even their weaknesses.

Whatever the case, the leader of their enemy spoke very eloquently for giving such a warning as he had. The six subordinate Quntaino, it seemed, were also shouting out battle cries in Matoran, though their version of the language was much coarser than Argentaros's. Indeed, they spoke mostly in a basic, grammatically-poor version, one that that bespoke their lesser intellects compared to their leader. Nevertheless, since all seven of the Quntaino could understand Matoran perfectly, no matter how they spoke it, Hanak yelled out a challenge at the approaching horde as he, his team, and the Matoran and Rahi army stood their ground and prepared for the assault.

"Argentaros? You're the one behind all this?"

"Obviously!" the Quntaino roared. "If you will not give us the Mask we shall have to take it by force!"

"Over our dead bodies!" the Sharaku replied. "Never will we give the Kanohi Zlinj up to you! We won't even allow you to take it for yourselves!"

"I was afraid of this," Argentaros mused. Though his ruby eyes remained emotionless, any sadness in his voice was false, instead dripping with sarcasm. "Foolish Sharaku. You and your allies shall regret standing in our way. Prepare to suffer the consequences!"

Hanak's team and the Green One didn't even say a few words to inspire courage among each other and their friends. By now, the Rahi were closing in too fast. Just as Argentaros had finished speaking, the wave of crazed beasts entered the village outskirts where the Sharaku, Matoran, Bohrok, and Acko waited. Immediately, the Sharaku's army began what it had been instructed to do: prevent the wild Rahi from entering the center of the village. Undoubtedly some parts of Terra-Koro would be heavily damaged in the siege, but if the center of the village — including the Sharaku's houses and Akito's home — fell to the Quntaino, then the whole municipality would be conquered.

Hanak rushed forward at maximum acceleration, both swords out and enveloped in flames. He slammed into Daigolva, causing the hulking red Quntaino to totter backward; but Daigolva reacted faster than Hanak expected, planting one armored foot into the ground while stepping forward and unsheathing his broadsword from the bandolier across his chest. Growling, Daigolva aimed a spiral slash at the Sharaku of Fire, but Hanak met this blow with a parry of his own weapons.

"This will be the last time we shall duel, Sharaku!" Daigolva bellowed. "I guarantee that after the Rahi have conquered this village and all other townships on Terra Nui, you will serve in a valuable position under me! If you are lucky, I shall amuse myself with watching your antics while you are trussed in chains. If not, I shall whet my weapon on your armor!"

"Indeed it is the last time, Daigolva," Hanak countered, "but it is you and not I who will emerge as the fool. Your blind rage in this hopeless ambition of yours has not made you smart. It has made you capable of being defeated. Fight fire with fire, I say, and my fire is stronger!"

"That remains debatable," said Daigolva, and he continued his furious onslaught.

While this was taking place, the other Sharaku had teamed up into various groups to take on the equal amount of Quntaino opposing them. Zanta had simultaneously engaged both Predacron and Snimurai, and was teleporting back and forth to evade their attacks while hitting them with gusts of wind and axe slashes. This was aided by Vukaz, who set up force fields to protect himself and the Sharaku of Air whenever either of the two Quntaino tried to stab them. Thukor, in contrast, was fighting Carcarinax again, but he also had another task at hand. Though he, aside from the other Sharaku, was the only being in the village capable of taking on the ichthyoidal Quntaino, he had to keep an eye out for anyone who required emergency battlefield healing. This would limit the amount of combat he could participate in slightly, but so far there had been no problems, thankfully.

Rieka and Kavan, in the age-old fashion of warriors of Earth and Stone battling together, were surrounded by Nosfernox and Icrizahk. To compensate, they were trying a new and unique strategy. The Sharaku of Earth would tunnel underground and hit the Quntaino with trident stabs, while Kavan would take earth that she would fling at him and send it through a portal at either Nosfernox or Icrizahk. At the moment the approach was working, because whenever one of the brutish Quntaino protected himself from the flying soil, they would have to think fast to avoid a hit from Rieka's tridents or Kavan's pincers.

What was truly remarkable, however, was the bravery with which the Matoran, Acko, and Bohrok were holding their own against the horde of possessed Rahi. This matchup had been practically dictated from the beginning. If the Rahi had fought the Sharaku, then the six warriors would have overwhelmed the Terra Nui creatures with relatively little effort. Similarly, had the Quntaino challenged the Matoran and the other sentient tribes, they would have proven so powerful that they might have wounded or even killed some of the soldiers, which in the Quntaino’s mind was not an option. This was a mission of conquest: violent, to be sure, but with the intention of forcing the enemy to surrender without killing any of their forces. There was more than one way to skin a Feraline, as far as Argentaros was concerned.

But at any rate, the Matoran, Bohrok, and Acko were doing remarkably against the Rahi. Years of training since the Battle of Terra Nui had done them well. The Green One, leading the struggle as always, was sitting atop his Bladetort as the titanic tortoise did battle with an enemy it would normally never encounter in the wild — the Thylacine. Similar to the saber-toothed cat in size and strength, the valiant Green One immediately engaged with the Bladetort to prevent it from mauling a cadre of Acko. The Thylacine abandoned its attempts to maim the Acko and was now trying to slash at the Bladetort with claw swipes from its immense paws or bite it with its dagger-like fangs and canines. The Bladetort would always retreat into its shell temporarily to deflect these hits, but it did have to be wary of the Thylacine's lashing tail or an occasional body slam; but the two large Rahi in general were evenly matched.

Other Rahi were running amuck. Kofu, Vakk, and a group of Onu-Matoran miners and Ga-Matoran fishers had cornered the packs of Kompiki and were worrying the raptors with their digging tools and spearing implements. Though the Onu-Matoran were clad in heavy Matoran blast armor that rendered them ploddingly slow, no Kompiki bite or talon poke could get through these defenses; the Ga-Matoran compensated for this by throwing nets on the Kompiki. Elsewhere, Jeiku, Hukiro, and some Le-Matoran were trying to lasso the trio of Rahanivika and bring the predatory avians to their knees. This gave mixed results, as the enraged terror birds would lash out randomly with their massive beaks or try to stomp on their Matoran assailants with their powerful feathered feet. Still, one of the Rahanivika was brought down after some time, and the others were wearing out.

The Bohrok and Acko, on the other hand, were concentrating on the swarming Visorak and juvenile Ariakudo. Whereas the sentient spider Rahi had been their erstwhile allies during the Battle of Terra Nui, the Necrovak and Aquavak and their Va found no problems in defending against the marauding Visorak in the current situation. The Visorak were fast, but were simply incapable of outrunning a balled-up Bohrok, and Hordika Venom would be useless anyway, so they merely resorted to pincer gnashing while the Bohrok and Va bombarded them with energy blasts. Similarly, the Acko were attacking the large red Ariakudo with their tribal bone weapons. Hssirssih and a group of his bravest chiefs and clan warriors had even taking up the daunting task of removing their age-old enemies, the Magraka. The flock of wyverns had immediately targeted their natural prey once the fight had commenced, and the Acko responded accordingly with spear stabs or waving their flaming shields or torches in the air. Though they inhabited a volcanic lava land, Magraka did fear fire, and so they could be repelled, for the time being.

Gorgorak, though, was of lesser priority. Since she herself couldn't fight, being too fat to move around, the group of underlings supporting her sedan chair had plopped the construct down and left, leaving the Visorak Queen stranded on the edge of the village and capable of only shouting orders at the horde. Of course the Visorak still protectively surrounded her, as the death of their monarch would be a crippling moral defeat, but this helped her little as she still was practically useless.

Cringing as a tooth-baring Acko clinging onto an Ariakudo for dear life shot passed her, Gorgorak waved her pudgy forelimbs in the air in the general direction of the Visorak. "You imbeciles, this fight is getting too close for comfort! I need some protection! Save me, save me! Hurt them, hurt them!"

The nearest Quntaino, Predacron, looked away from fighting Vukaz and shrieked at Gorgorak without paying much attention. "Save them, save them, hurt you, hurt you, got it!"

"What!? You swimming windbag, come back here!" But the blue Quntaino was gone, resuming his duel alongside Snimurai.

Out of all the combatants defending Terra-Koro from the Quntaino's wrath, however, perhaps none was quite so inspiring in his endeavor as Machi. Rivaling even the Green One in pure performance, the adventurous Ga-Matoran had jumped onto Ikki at the start of the battle and was now looping through the sky above the village at top speed. The crazed Zykeral had taken up pursuit of his mount as Icorak, if they could be caught, were prey to the black wyverns, and screeched at Machi in desperation as he evaded their aerial bites and attacks. Even the solitary Ascipitero had taken notice of this blue blur buzzing around in the sky and was chasing him too, which was a real challenge to Machi, as he had never before encountered one of the serpentine wyverns. The Ascipitero was faster than the Zykeral and would frequently spit poison at him, attempt to chomp down on Ikki's wings with its pointed fangs, or thrash its elongate emerald body, red-blotched wings, and spindly tail in his general direction. As dangerous as it was, this chase really spiked Heaka's brother's adrenaline. He hadn't had this much fun in ages.

"Take some of this, suckers!" Machi shouted, pulling a bunch of Madu Cabolo from his pouch and tossing them at the Zykeral, which created a deafening explosion that disoriented his pursuers and sent some crashing down to earth. "Hang on there, Ikki! We're gonna have us a rips-snorting fight!"

On the ground, though, two of the most instrumental Matoran were not to be seen fighting Rahi in the streets. One of Wula and Zumi's vendor carts had been overturned, and the two Po-Matoran inventor siblings had taken shelter beneath the wooden edifice and its piles of spilled goods.

"What's the plan, big sister?" Zumi asked timorously, as from behind the cart he watched two of the Onu-Matoran being dragged by the half-stunned Rahanivika.

"Well, I gave out all the items and weapons I could, so there's not much we can do," Wula said. "I suppose we could go join the other Po-Matoran, but our position is surrounded by enemy ranks at the moment, so we might as well stay put."

A Madu Cabolo explosion rocked through the air, while a blast of flaming breath from one of the Zkyeral attacking the Acko set a nearby house's roof on fire. Wincing at the sound, Wula and Zumi had barely peeked outside before a new Matoran paid them a visit. It was young Pyar, who managed to squeeze through the fallen commodities to just barely avoid a Visorak pincer gnash, shortly before the spider Rahi was tackled by a Necrovak.

"Pyar! Good to see you again!" Zumi said. He liked the Acko translator, as the two were approximately the same age.

"Any news from the front lines?" Wula enquired earnestly.

"It's absolute chaos out there!" the small Ta-Matoran exclaimed. "I was just returning from delivering a message from Hssirssih to Takan and Sari when I saw what damage the big Mama Ariakudo is doing! Our forces are being crushed! All the Ta-Matoran, Po-Matoran, and Ko-Matoran can't stop it, and that evil silver Quntaino riding it is only furthering its advance! We have to do something!"

"You're right," agreed Wula. "Come on, we have to get this information to the Sharaku. They're probably too busy fighting the Quntaino to see the situation, and since Argentaros can communicate telepathically with his six underlings then they would know about the advance without informing the Sharaku! Now is not the time to hide. Let's move."

With that, the three Matoran backed out from behind the cart and ran toward the side streets where the Sharaku were as fast as they could, dodging any Rahi that came in their path. They only hoped they could make it in time.

------

Hanak knew that things were getting worse. The battle had already been raging for quite some time, and as the sun rose in the sky the Rahi continued their indomitable if random advance. He could already see that the various skirmishes were being pushed farther into the village than they had been when the fighting had commenced, and at this rate the Quntaino would get past the avenues and houses and reach the center of Terra-Koro. Once they reached the Hakeahu statue, then the keystone-born's primary objective would be reached — and the Sharaku, Matoran, and all their allies would be forced to surrender.

Obviously, that couldn't be allowed to happen. As Hanak continued to exchange blows with Daigolva, he yelled in the general direction of his five teammates. "They're still gaining ground! There has to be a way to stop them!"

"I don't know, maybe a change in tactics?" suggested Kavan. He had been temporarily grabbed by Icrizahk in an arm-lock, but had managed to escape using his pincers and some help from Rieka, and then threw his Quntaino assailant into a portal. "That might throw them off guard and force them to go from being on the offensive to being on the defensive."

Zanta, meanwhile, dodged an attack from Snimurai and motioned with his axes at Argentaros. "Wait a minute! Look over there!"

Hanak turned, and for the first time he truly understood how truly unstoppable the mother Ariakudo was. Despite almost all of the Ta, Po, and Ko-Matoran in the village trying to impede its movement, the colossal spider still plodded onward, past any nets or traps or attacking Matoran. To make matters worse, Argentaros was lashing out with his silver whip at any villager within reach, ensuring that his mount would continue on without trouble. At this rate nothing could stand in the way of them reaching the Terra-Koro square; it could take as little as half an hour.

And then he saw Wula run up on top of a collapsed hut. Accompanied by Zumi and Pyar, she had just barely managed to reach the Sharaku, and was jumping up and down urgently while pointing at the giant Ariakudo. "Hanak! Do something!" shouted the Po-Matoran inventor, barely heard over the din of the conflict.

The Sharaku leader looked at Wula, then he looked at his team struggling on. And then he knew what to do. He would provide them with much-needed time — in the form of a diversion.

"Cover me!" Hanak instructed Zanta. Then he lunged at Daigolva with a backhand slash of his blazing fire sword while leaping past the red Quntaino's thrust. Taken by surprise, Daigolva fell backward, and his momentum carried him right into the path of Snimurai's spherical locomotion. Unable to change his trajectory while balled-up, the green Quntaino crashed into his crimson comrade, and they both lay stunned for a minute in the dirt. That was all Hanak needed.

"Got it! Go, go, go!" Zanta replied. Hanak then spotted the Green One atop his Bladetort not too far away. The diminutive being had just succeeded in taking out the Thylacine, and the Bladetort had reared up in triumph over the unconscious cat. Using his rapid acceleration, Hanak bounded over the battlefield and clambered onto the large tortoise's back.

"I'll take the reins here! You go and help Zanta!" Hanak said.

"Are you sure dat dis is gonna work?" the Green One asked, confused as to what was going on.

"Yes, yes! Now move!" Nodding diligently, the Green One dismounted and ran to help Zanta while Hanak lashed the mount Rahi's guiding vines. Rumbling mightily, the Bladetort surged forward, thundering through ranks of adolescent Ariakudo and stomping on any Visorak that got in the way. Within a few moments the Sharaku and his ride had gotten alongside the slowly-lumbering mother Ariakudo as she followed her brood onward. Then, using his powers to increase his speed, Hanak leaped from the Bladetort and onto the Ariakudo's cephalothorax, as the great tortoise circled around it and headed back toward where the Green One and Zanta were. Since Hanak had landed behind Argentaros, the alpha Quntaino hadn't noticed his presence — yet.

Blades smoldering, Hanak issued a challenge at his silvery nemesis. "Hey, you! Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

Argentaros turned leisurely and fixed his emotionless crystalline eyes on this newcomer. "Well, well, if it isn't the Sharaku leader! I did not expect you to make a move this rash. However, if you insist, we shall settle this matter the old fashioned way: face to face, hand to hand." He fully extended the serpentine living whiplash in his right hand, while rotating his other arm containing the trio of wicked blades into a fighting stance. "Your move," he snarled.

Hollering, Hanak slashed out with his swords as Argentaros pirouetted and connected with his own weapon. Atop the mother Ariakudo's moving back, the greatest duel in Terra Nui history began.

Review

 

 

Does anyone else find this picture disturbing? When I look at it, I can't help but think that someone killed a Jester and mounted his head on a stick. But maybe that's just me....

Yeah, when I was going through the pictures I felt like I had to highlight the slightly disturbing nature of that image. This is what running BZPower for almost a decade does to you, people.

 

~B~

It's a plot device that literally never appeared again.

~B~

Chapter 22

That very same morning, in another heavily-defended and vital enclave in the center of Terra Nui's adjacent dome, the inhabitants of Kemet Nui continued to prepare for the fight of their lives against the Betshu.

The three Turaga Sah had been inside the Kemet Nui elder's house, which they had not moved from since the previous day. All were armed. Atemu carried his Superthermal Sickle, the tip of which he had heated in Tukua's old forge until it glowed a furious orange and which was crackling with plasma. Akito held his lit torch staff and carried his antique crossbow, which had not left his side since he had landed on Kemet Nui. And Pelekua gripped his somewhat-bent tri-pronged stave, which he had sharpened on Atemu's mask-making anvil just for good measure. Together, the trio of elders stood facing Atemu's lit fireplace, their weathered faces turned upward at the mantelpiece, upon which rested the Turaga of Plasma's collection of Amaja Circle stones that represented the Toa Sah, as well as the traditional stone that represented the Great Spirit.

"Mata Nui, you alone shall decide the outcome of our struggle," Atemu said reverently, gazing up at his collection. "So it was our destiny to emerge from Metru Nui and come here to liberate a secret sect and an enslaved people. And so it will now be our providence to see Apep and Aso vanquished once and for all . . . or our fate to watch our civilization fall to the darkness forever."

"Yes, but let us hope that the odds are in our favor," Pelekua added sardonically. "I know that the Great Spirit doesn't often take sides, or at least I don't think he does, but against the minions of an Atukam he just might."

Akito, meanwhile, put his weathered hands on the respective shoulders of each of his two friends and looked at them with an expression of contentment. "Well, whatever happens, at least we know we will have made a difference to this world. Our lives have been long, rich, and happy. Finding the two of you still alive after all these years has been worthwhile, to say the least. It's been a pleasure knowing you."

"That it has," Atemu replied. He, Akito, and Pelekua all shook hands reverently, then the three of them pounded fists one last time in the Toa style. "May we all meet along with the rest of our team on the other side."

"To the Toa Sah!" Pelekua cheered, and then the three Turaga all raised their staffs in one final salute.

------

Elsewhere in Tai-Koro, the six Toa Septiu, eight Toa Terra, Sisterhood of Het-hert members, and a sizeable contingent of Matoran all were assembled in front of the Great Philae Temple. The warriors knew that under the guidance of Tekhtekh, the sacred building would be the first place targeted by the Betshu in their relentless pursuit of the artifact. And so the bulk of the village's defenders, around five hundred of them, clustered around this holy place to prevent any rebellious fiends from entering.

Chompshi and Vrael stood at the head of the line of Toa Terra, next to Ausar, who headed his own Toa team. "Do you remember that last move we went over last night?" the Toa of Electricity whispered quietly at his buddy.

"Yeah," Vrael replied.

"Good. We're going to need it to wrap things up here if they get out of hand."

Sutekh, on the other hand, was located right next to Anpu in the Septiu assembly. The Toa of Storms carried only his laser gauntlet on his left hand, his right one feeling strangely empty without Tekhtekh. The Toa of Magnetism, seeing this loss, was trying to offer him support.

"Don't feel bad about having only one weapon, Sutekh," Anpu consoled. "I myself carry no weapons, using only elemental powers and martial art techniques, and it's never let me down. Why, your powers are even better at attacking than mine! There's nothing to worry about!"

"It's not that I'm worried about," Sutekh told him glumly. "It's the knowledge that I unwittingly betrayed Kemet Nui."

At this remark, Auset turned to Sutekh and gave him a bright expression of understanding. "Truly, the fault was not yours," she reassured gently. "Tekhtekh was the one to blame. And we will figure out a way to deal with that staff after the battle is completed."

"Chompshi still thinks it should be destroyed," Ausar remarked, "but the choice is yours as to whatever happens to Tekhtekh. Give it some time to think about once we've wrenched it free from Apep's grip."

Meanwhile, on the ramparts of Tai-Koro, Sekhet, Meti, Shna, and the remaining fifty Matoran had volunteered as guards to scout out the first waves of a possible Betshu invasion force. The Av-Matoran, however, could see nothing on the horizon despite the fact that they were using high-magnification telescopes and binoculars. The Vatuka likewise was roaming outside the perimeter of the village, though Atemu knew it might be tricky to get the massive stone Rahi inside once the Betshu attacked. Still, it could provide some much-needed time to worry the troglodytes before the Matoran could retaliate on their own.

"Anything yet?" Bast shouted at her fellow Sister, from where she was sitting on top of a restless Wild Fang Tooth. "We're getting antsy down here, just waiting for something to happen! Pretty much!"

"No, there appears to be nothing," Sekhet affirmed, lowering the binoculars clenched in her claws. "Meti and Shna have told me that they've checked every possible direction and angle that Apep and Aso might be moving in from. They verified that no warships are coming up the Hapi River, nothing is emerging from the scrub forest, and no response has yet been sighted from the sand dunes. In short, all's been uneventful. If we had seen anything, we would have told you by now."

"I don't like this," Ausar said, seeing the three Turaga emerge from Atemu's house and briskly pace over to where the Toa were. "It's too quiet. They're planning something."

"Yes, but what exactly?" Akito asked, scratching his head. "The three of us Turaga have looked over every possible angle, every move from historical battles on Kemet Nui that we could, and we simply cannot foresee anything new that the Scourges might try. In fact, the only remaining possible explanation — and it seems an equally outlandish one at that — is that the Betshu could be trying to attack from . . ."

He was cut off by a sudden and inexorable tremor in the earth below Tai-Koro, which began to shake uncontrollably behind the startled Matoran's feet. In an instant, Akito's suspicions were confirmed, and one did not need to be a Toa of Earth or Stone to figure out what their enemies had masterminded this time.

"Underground! They're attacking from below!" Akito yelled.

"Everyone away from the center of the village!" Atemu shouted, marshalling Tai-Koro's defenders down from the ramparts and toward the Great Philae Temple. "They are using our very own tunnels against us!"

As the earthquake, or rather the sound of thousands of pounding troglodyte feet, increased in intensity, the Matoran still couldn't see any of their dastardly foes appearing yet. The sinkholes created by Heru's task force when they had drilled their way into Tai-Koro had been covered up and filled in after the battle, when the walls were fixed and the huge gates reconnected to their hinges. But the Betshu's positions were soon confirmed: through the sand, their howls and screams intensified as they discovered the Xcavator and Stryda that the Toa Septiu had parked just below the entrance into the village. Heru and Nebt-het's hearts sank as they listened to the wrenching of metal and Protodermis and the smashing of cockpit crystal as the digging machine and its six-legged counterpart were torn apart and demolished.

"The vehicles!" Heru shouted, unable to take it any more. "They've destroyed the vehicles!"

"Forget that, we have bigger problems to worry about!" Ausar insisted. The commotion was soon followed and drowned out by a muffled explosion as the Xcavator and Stryda's fuel cells exploded, unable to take the repeated pounding of weapons. A plume of sand and shards of metal shot upward through the tunnel, accompanied by a cloud of acrid smoke. Once this had cleared, however, a gaping hole had appeared in the center of Tai-Koro; and it wasn't empty for long, as the first waves of Sebau and Samiu began clambering out and into the village. Though the blast had claimed several lives, the minions of the Atukam weren't really bothered, and continued to stream past both the dead bodies and the useless hunks of junk that had once been the vehicles.

"There they are! Attack!" Chompshi shouted, raising his fully-charged lightning staff high as the Matoran surged forward to meet the oncoming horde. Though many of the defenders had been on the fortifications before the Betshu attacked, they now hurried into the village square to confront the slavering troglodytes. From outside the Tai-Koro walls, the Vatuka roared in vain, but it simply could not enter the village. For once, the Matoran would have to fight without it. And despite the villagers' best efforts to push them back and contain them, more and more Sebau and Samiu appeared. In only a few minutes, the truly staggering implications of their numbers dawned on the Turaga.

"There's too many of them!" Pelekua hollered at Atemu and Akito, staying back behind the wall of Toa who were firing elemental blasts and Kanohi powers at the Betshu. "They outnumber us almost ten to one! Apep and Aso must be pouring everything they've got at us!"

"Whatever their numbers are, remain calm," Atemu insisted. "We've faced odds worse than this before, haven't we, Akito?"

"Oh yes, on multiple occasions," the Turaga of Magma replied, picking off a Samiu with a shot from his laser crossbow from between Vrael's legs. "Can anyone see their battle leaders?"

"I can!" Auset cried. "Over there!"

To the surprise of every Matoran fighting for his or her life, the Betshu paused momentarily. Now that all three thousand of them had clambered into the village, the swarm of minions stopped and stood silently as twelve heinously-grinning Nak popped out of the sinkhole. Each one swung their meteor hammer and thrashed their wings madly as they sneered down at their Toa foes.

"Twelve Nak?" Ausar said. "That's got to be as many as they have!" He turned to the advanced Betshu and leveled his Kepesh at them. "You don't scare us, you flying freaks! I could beat you with one arm!"

"I just may take you up on that offer, Toa!" Shmau cackled. "However, my team and I are not here to force you to surrender. We are here to tell you that you are doomed — because our superiors are here to prove this so!"

For a moment, this did not sink in. Suddenly, though, a horrible rumble of laughter began echoing through the village, issuing from the very same spot where the Nak and their forces had arisen. Appearing to be a single ululating sound at first, it quickly separated into that of two maniacal individuals, one deep and resonant, the other harsh and strident.

The Toa and Turaga's blood ran cold. Matoran who had been confident in their ability to beat a bunch of Betshu now quaked in sheer fear. After thousands of years of hiding, of orchestrating the Kemet Nui invasions from right beneath the elders' very noses, the Toa Sah's greatest nemesis and his evil consort that had once been their ally were about to reveal themselves.

"You think you can defeat us? Oh, I can assure you that will never, never happen, you pathetic and misguided little scum," Apep chided. "Everything that has come to pass is about to change."

"Say goodbye to the light, you fools," Aso hissed, "because it's the last time you'll ever see it."

"You dared think that you could possibly encapsulate me for eternity? Hah!" Apep continued. "I have freed myself from your imprisonment! Your victory is your defeat! Your triumph is your coffin! I have faked my own demise, and from the mists I am reborn!"

Atemu began to shiver. "Oh no. Not now. We cannot defeat him like this. We simply can't!"

Akito peered at his friend sadly through his Kanohi's telescopic eyepiece. "We must. There is no other way."

As the Matoran looked on in pure dread and the Sebau and Samiu forces watched eagerly, the King and Queen of the Betshu hovered into view, ascending from the underground tunnel like a prehistoric monster erupting from a seething volcano. But this time, they were fully prepared for battle . . . and frightening to behold.

Both Apep and Aso had transformed from weak and frail elder forms into towering and awe-inspiring harbingers of darkness. Each one stood one and a half times as tall as a Toa and emanated power and intense evil. Aso's striking emerald and ebony armor shone on her slim but powerful body, while four katana spines projected from her back. She had a very long, serpentine tail that curved and twisted beneath her like a tornado, and her talon-tipped fingers were clenched ferociously. Behind her Kanohi she possessed a broad hood, while the face beneath her rune-painted and fanged Avsa formed a nightmarish expression. The orange heartlight visible through her silver ribcage armor pulsed violently, as if it could already feel the battle beginning.

Next to her stood her mate, looking as though he hadn't suffered one bit since the day of his being sealed by the Toa Sah. Apep's hulking figure was covered in blood-red and pitch-black armor, accompanied by jagged spikes, four immense bat-like wings that sliced through the air, a scaly blade-tipped tail, and like his mate, curved, serrated talons on his hands and massive feet. His draconic Jutlin was twisted into an expression of hatred and baleful triumph, while his red eyes gleamed insanely. Both of Apep's palms crackled with blue electric energy — he could fire seismic energy surges from them — but worst of all, in his upraised right hand he clenched Tekhtekh tightly. Seemingly as madly gleeful as its new master, the sentient staff regarded the Toa and Turaga gloatingly.

Your secret is out, Matoran. The game is up. I win!

"Why, it's Turaga Sah Atemu, Akito, and Pelekua!" Apep taunted. "My, how small and pathetic you now look! Face it, your glory days of being able to stand up to me are long over! And the one who helped you back then was working alongside me all along!"

Being brought up, Aso cracked her knuckles as she envisioned killing all three Turaga. "Yes, and you are vastly outnumbered, again, even with fourteen Toa and a small army of Matoran. I'm going to enjoy this very, very much!"

"This ends here, Apep!" Atemu shouted, speaking for all the Matoran and Toa. "Do your worst!"

"As you wish," the King of the Betshu replied. He motioned to Shmau and the other Nak, then pointed one curved talon straight at the defenders of Tai-Koro. "Destroy them."

Review

It's good that it's an option so that acronyms and initialisms work and don't end up looking absurd. Having a whole sentence in caps would be a bit excessive.

~B~

Chapter 21

In Terra-Koro, the Matoran had been busy for quite some time. A few days ago, the Sharaku and the Green One had decided that they would try to find the secret, hidden lair of the Visorak Queen Gorgorak, in an attempt to communicate with their old allies and re-establish relations with them in the event of a possible Quntaino attack. As a result, the Matoran of Terra Nui had formed a temporary coalition to oversee matters in the village — and they were taking no chances.

Machi, on Ikki as always, had immediately sent word to the Aquavak to assemble their army at the Matoran village as soon as possible. Wula and Zumi, thanks to a tip on the fastest mining tunnel route given to them by Kofu and Vakk, had sought out the Necrovak and delivered a similar message to the desert Bohrok. Finally, Pyar, Sari, and Takan had journeyed to the barren lava plains of Mount Juvala to find the nomadic Acko clans, their longtime allies, and bring them to Terra-Koro. The clan chieftain Hssirssih had marshaled all his troops only once prior, when Terra Nui was under the threat of the Dark Lord's evil Sharaku. Nevertheless, the leathery old lizard was more than willing to bring his hundreds of battle-ready fighters to the Matoran’s home.

Unlike the Battle of Terra Nui forty years earlier, when the Matoran had unexpectedly been joined by Aquavak midway through the fight for the village, this current campaign had rallied all of Terra-Koro's defenders together at once before any fighting might occur. As a result, Terra-Koro's avenues were crowded with Acko and Bohrok, while the Matoran coalition leaders drilled their troops in the streets impatiently. The atmosphere was tense, but everyone was positive that Visorak reinforcements would soon arrive, headed by the Sharaku and the Green One.

This made it all the more surprising when the rushing Bladetort scampered into the village as fast as its razor-edged legs could carry it.

Machi, Sari, and Jeiku were all playing a game of Akilini on the peaceful terrace beneath the water-spouting Hakeahu fountain when they were suddenly interrupted by a loud rumbling coming from the southwest. The source of this racket was shortly revealed when the Green One's titanic tortoise thundered into view, decelerating to its usual lumbering gait to allow the Green One, Kavan, Vukaz, and Thukor to disembark. Hanak, Zanta, and Rieka appeared behind it a few moments later.

"What happened?" Machi inquired, as Hanak approached him and his patiently-hovering Icorak. "Did you manage to encounter the Visorak?"

Hanak remained stone-faced as he looked down at Machi, betraying only an expression of urgency. "Get everyone around the fountain, now. We come bearing grave news."

Silently and as quickly as possible, the Matoran went throughout Terra-Koro calling all parties to assemble around the center of the village. Once this was accomplished, the Sharaku and the Green One climbed up onto the raised platform around the monument. Hanak cleared his throat as the crowd's mumbling died down, and then commandingly raised his voice to be heard throughout the village.

"I would like to thank you, my Matoran friends, for your wise insight in bringing our warrior allies here. That proves to be very timely, for we will need every soldier we can get. The Quntaino are coming here."

Immediately the crowds of villagers and Rahi erupted into stentorian disbelief. Hssirssih, with Pyar at his side, hobbled over to the Sharaku and waved his branch staff at the six heroes. "Are you certain of this?"

"We saw it for ourselves," Zanta said. "The Visorak did not treat us with hospitable generosity, but savagely attacked us. Gorgorak proved uncooperative, and acknowledged us as evil. They said that we were just as evil as the Dark Lord's minions, and seemed to have forgotten that we were ever on their side!"

"And den da Quntaino appeared!" the Green One exclaimed. "Dey's da ones who turned da Visorak against us. Dey were controlling them, and fought us too!"

"Thankfully, we escaped with no injuries, thanks to the Bladetort's timely arrival," Hanak admitted. "But I have no doubt that the Quntaino have summoned all of the spiders and are marching here at this very moment. We must defend the village to prevent them from taking over Terra Nui. Otherwise, if we fall to the Quntaino, they will be able to search for and find the Kanohi Zlinj unimpaired, wherever it may be on the island."

"The Zlinj?" an Aquavak Va asked. "I thought the Zlinj was lost forty years ago!"

"It was," Kavan replied. "At least, the Mask of Nature collapsed into the sea along with the coastal shelf. We could never find it ourselves, but it's probably lying somewhere on the seabed now, and may have been responsible for the creation of the Sharakoro Islets from the battlefield debris that was once the coastal shelf. But the mask's whereabouts don't matter; if the Quntaino control Terra Nui, they will find it eventually."

"So we must protect the village at all costs," Hanak added. "I'm not sure exactly what might happen to us were we to be taken prisoner by the Quntaino, but it likely wouldn't be very pleasant, that's for sure."

"But even if your home communities remain unconquered, the Quntaino will almost certainly seek you out and bend you to their control!" Rieka cried. "If the Quntaino take Terra-Koro and the other population centers, then they will be able to find the Kanohi Zlinj, and we'll all be doomed!"

"That must never happen," Thukor said solemnly. "All of us can prevent this tragedy by defending the village before the Quntaino can storm it."

The Necrovak, Aquavak, and Matoran looked at each other in the great crowd. They knew as well as the Sharaku that losing the Zlinj would mean an end to Terra-Koro and possibly a lifetime of enslavement under the ferocious keystone-born; that couldn't possibly be allowed to take place.

"Are you with us?" Vukaz asked. "We need everyone's support in order to protect the village and all we hold dear!"

The reply was immediate and universal. "For Mata Nui's sake and for the sake of Terra Nui, we will fight with you!" Hssirssih shouted. "Doom to the Matoran means doom to the Acko! The clans will never submit to an empire ruled by the Quntaino! We will fight, or die trying!"

"Count us in, too!" the Necrovak and Aquavak buzzed. "The very thought of having to surrender to those monsters makes our Krana tingle. It will be just like old times, forty years ago!"

"Sounds good," Hanak said enthusiastically. "What do you think, Green One?"

But the Green One had silently paused, despite the general hubbub. His eyes closed, the diminutive being listened to the wind and all the sounds of the environment with utmost concentration. Being completely attuned to the natural world, he could detect things that no other individual could.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. Gripping his axe with a clenched fist, he pointed a trembling finger in the direction of the forest and uttered a single sentence filled with despair and dread. The Green One was almost never afraid, but he was now, and that was always a bad sign.

"Dey's coming right now."

Merely seconds after hearing this declaration, the Sharaku, Matoran, and Rahi became aware of an eerie hum emanating from the distance. It was not a low, sharp sound of thousands of feet marching in lockstep, as it had been when the Drone army was advancing on Terra-Koro. Instead, it was a hurried frenzy of locomotion, as if many multitudes of beings were all running together at different times and paces. Kofu and the other herders sucked their breath in shock. They had heard as eerie and terrifying sound as this before, something that instilled terror in Matoran's hearts just as much as this did — a Muudabok stampede. And they were pretty sure who was spearheading this charge.

Scrambling madly, the army of defenders rushed to the outskirts of Terra-Koro. There, a strange and frightening spectacle awaited them. From the edges of the immense Johmai Jungle, an army was emerging. But this was no ordinary army.

Hanak had been right. The Quntaino had indeed brought reinforcements.

Driven mad with a thirst for battle by the sheer will of their indomitable masters' mental presence, a horde of Rahi slowly made its way toward Terra-Koro. Almost every conceivable dangerous beast, every killer or carnivorous predator, made up this army. A full legion of Visorak was interspersed in the force, scuttling forward at maximum velocity with gnashing pincers. Some of these were carrying a makeshift wooden sedan chair on which Gorgorak lounged, which due to its slow progress was at the back of the convoy. The obese monarch was fully animated, however, screeching out orders to her progeny as they continued in their procession. Around the Visorak were clustered dozens of red Ariakudo spiders, each as big as a Toa. This was supplemented by three packs of Kompiki, each with a dozen or more raptors; three raving Rahanivika screeching at the top of their lungs and galloping onward with lengthy strides of their powerful legs; and a single roaring Thylacine. In the air a flock of Magraka flew haphazardly while issuing raucous cries, accompanied by a few snag-toothed Zykeral and one serpentine Ascipitero.

Though all of these Rahi came from all areas of the island and were normally too simple-minded to work together as a single unit, they were being ruthlessly controlled to create a highly effective, if rag-tag, army. The villagers were just thankful that the Quntaino hadn't persuaded any Xotohk to join their vile cause; the gigantic wasps were normally too reclusive and inaccessible to reach, and stayed inside their mountain hive stronghold most of the time, but their sheer might could have the potential to overwhelm the Matoran in minutes. Likewise, it was good that no Tyrannarahk had been corrupted by the Quntaino, as the alpha predators would maul, kill, and eat anything that stood in their way.

At the very front of the mass of Rahi, the six Quntaino ran full-speed toward the village, brandishing their weapons and shouting war-cries at their foes. But the worst sign of all lay not at the front of the horde, but in its center.

There a massive Ariakudo, over five bio tall and with the diameter of her legs wider than a Matoran house, slowly plodded, surrounded by its myriad children. This was the mother of all the spiders, even bigger than Gorgorak herself, in age surpassing most Matoran's life spans and completely blind from being so ancient. Unable to see, and not relying on her other senses, she moved forward only under the domination of the being who stood triumphantly on top of her thorax — and this was what scared the Sharaku most. For they knew now what had become of the silver Suva upon which the six keystones had rested. It had birthed a seventh, final, ultimate Quntaino.

This being stood taller than any of his minions and was mammalian in appearance. His muscular, armor-clad body was covered in a cloak of rippling silver fur that waved behind him in a mane due to the strong airstream. Like an Ash Bear, he possessed huge claws on his pawed hands and feet, the latter of which gripped the mother Ariakudo's carapace tightly. His broad head had four jaws bristling with dagger-like teeth that were bared in a feral snarl; and his emotionless, ruby, crystalline eyes looked upon all that he observed with cold command. Needing no rope harness to guide the Ariakudo, he cracked a long, tentacle-like whip in the air with one hand while raising the other, its connected forearm bearing a menacing clawed weapon, in a gesture of ominous authority. And as he did so, he let loose a roar that echoed in the ears of the Matoran, Sharaku, Acko, Bohrok, and all who opposed him.

"You do not know who I am, Sharaku! But I know very well indeed who you are! I am Argentaros, alpha Quntaino, master of the Ariakudo, leader of the Visorak swarms, and the soon-to-be ruler of all Terra Nui! The time has come for a new age on this island, one that I will shape as I see fit! Tremble in fear; for none can stand in my way!"

"Your epoch of carelessly administering Terra Nui is over! The days of the Matoran are coming to a close! The era of the Quntaino is nigh! The time of reckoning is at hand!"

"From this day forward, the Kanohi Zlinj, the Great Mask of Nature, will belong to me!"

Review

The opening post still says its the preliminary round, fyi.

Anyway, I personally don't care for most of the entries here. Mordagogg and Xerneas are impressive though, and Skull Priest is quite neat. Out of those, I voted for Xerneas.

~B~

Well, at least you won't have to see Galifianakis in the Lego Batman movie, so him merely voicing the Joker is bound to be less awful than his live-action roles. Still ... I don't see this going well.

~B~

Chapter 20

"What do you mean, you lost it?"

Turaga Atemu paced back and forth, unable to comprehend exactly what Sutekh was telling him. The three Turaga Sah, the Toa Septiu, the Toa Terra, and the recently-freed Matoran led by Jezira were all congregated inside Atemu's spacious house, where the Toa of Storms just arrived to tell the assembled crowd that he had lost Tekhtekh. Ironically, Anpu, Horgah, Meti, Shna, and the fifty-odd Matoran had all just arrived back at Tai-Koro less than an hour earlier. As a result, the joyful reunion of the villagers with their brethren who had been sealed in a cave for years on end had been interrupted by what Sutekh had hailed as dire news.

"Yeah, what's going on, Sutekh?" Anpu asked. "This all sounds very strange to me. I thought you scared off those Betshu after my group escaped, just like you said you would."

"Well, it's like this," Sutekh said, trying hard to keep his composure. Currently two trains of thought were wracking his brain, each one exerting a powerful influence. On the one hand, he wanted to scream in frustration at losing Tekhtekh, his Tekhtekh; the staff of power that he had grown to use like an extension of his arm; the weapon that issued forth storm surges to smite Mata Nui’s enemies; the sentient being who he had grown to accept as his equal, even if he didn’t respect the egotistical metal instrument or admire its greedy, bloodthirsty tendencies. And on the other, he felt like breaking down to weep out of sadness, for he knew now that the Betshu would be preparing their final assault on the free people of Kemet Nui thanks to the critical knowledge that Tekhtekh contained. But these did not really matter, for all would be revealed shortly, and then his teammates could plainly see the mental anguish he suffered.

"I started off the fight with some small-scale storms to stop the Betshu's advance, and then was about to fire some major heat rays when Tekhtekh went berserk. It shoved its evil thoughts into my brain, rattled off some mumbo-jumbo on how weak and pathetic I am and how it hasn't been happy serving as my weapon and how it wanted to seek a new master. Then it swiveled its head, blasted me in the chest, propelled itself forward, and rolled down the cliff, right into the waiting ranks of the enemy. That's what I mean by the statement that I lost Tekhtekh; or, more accurately, it escaped from me."

"Wait, hang on here a minute," Akito said. He could barely believe his ears. "You spoke of Tehktekh as if it had a mind of its own. Do you mean to tell us, impossible as it sounds, that that wicked-looking pole arm of yours is really, unmistakably, alive!?"

Here was the moment of reckoning. Sutekh, for lack of anything better to say, gave the honest truth. "Yes. Tekhtekh is alive, at least in the sense that it is self-aware." He heard the gasps and cries of disbelief issuing from the crowd of Turaga, Toa, and Matoran, and then continued. "It has a mind of its own, a frightening intelligence, and a telepathic connection to its wielder's brain for lack of being able to communicate with speech. It is power-hungry, self-centered, and battle-crazed And now, the Betshu have it in their grasp."

"But how do you know this?" Auset cried. "Even I, with my telepathic powers, have never been able to detect such intelligence. How long have you known about this ability, Sutekh? Did you keep the true nature of Tekhtekh secret from us for all this time?"

"That is correct," Sutekh admitted sadly. "You see, when Tekhtekh was found ages ago, it was just a tiny little stick that someone had buried in the ground and labeled as extremely dangerous. The note also called Tekhtekh the 'Cursed Wand of Chaos' and warned whoever might find it that the stick carried a great power. Being a foolish Matoran at the time it came into my possession, I had no idea of what consequences might befall and so took up Tekhtekh as my own, much to the weapon's chagrin. And when I became a Toa, so too did Tekhtekh metamorphose as well, into its present form. As I became skilled in combat, so too did I rely on Tekhtekh for many attacks, as the rest of my team knows. Somehow, the weapon and I got along, and it rarely put in a malicious mental comment on a good day, if I was lucky. I knew it thought I was weak and too soft-hearted, and I considered it to be brash and unscrupulous myself, so the two of us had a mutual understanding."

"But," he added, his voice becoming more urgent, "now Tekhtekh has decided to abandon me and join Apep! Uatchet, thanks to you and Nekhebet's knowledge which you shared with my team, Tekhtekh now knows the exact location of what Apep and Aso desire most! And I've got a horrible feeling it will side with the Atukam and lead that tyrannical pair right to us! It's all my fault!"

"Don't feel bad, Sutekh," Ausar said soothingly, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault this scheming weapon ran away. We should have suspected it was up to no good from the beginning — just looking at it gave me the shivers. And you should have told us about its strange properties as soon as you joined our team as well. But enough of that, we've got a serious problem here."

"Now, wait just a minute," Atemu’s voice carried an undertone of suspicion. He turned to Uatchet and Nekhebet, who were trying their best to appear preoccupied and look away nonchalantly. "What is it exactly that you Sisters are guarding in that cellar of yours that would be so important to the Betshu?"

"And how come we elders of the village have never heard of it?" added Pelekua.

Uatchet made some hand signs to reassure the Turaga. "Trust me, what Apep and Aso are after needs not be explained nor described. This heirloom is considered sacrosanct to the Sisterhood of Het-hert and will not be revealed to those who are not chosen by me. Suffice to say, all you need to know is that the King and Queen will do anything to possess it, even level the Great Philae Temple, burn Tai-Koro to the ground, and kill everyone who resides there."

"Mata Nui alive, that's terrible news!" Akito thundered. "We must warn the villagers as soon as possible! If Apep and Aso are gathering their army and are on their way to Tai-Koro even as we speak, then we need to prepare for battle immediately!" The Matoran inside Atemu's house all voiced their agreement, as did the huge mass of villagers outside who had been listening in on the hubbub.

"We will gladly join you in this fight," Jezira said at Horgah's side. "It will be a pleasure."

"But what about Tekhtekh? How will we keep it from revealing the secret?" Nekhebet asked.

"It is very likely that, if Tekhtekh seeks a powerful user, then Apep will have taken it as his own," Chompshi said sagaciously. "Therefore he and Aso will be relying on it to tell them where the artifact lies. What we must do is simple: the King and Queen of the Betshu must be stopped at all costs and defeated once and for all. Only then will the hordes fall and Tai-Koro be spared."

"And Tekhtekh?" Sutekh inquired.

"We must destroy it."

"Are you out of your mind!?" the Toa of Storms shouted. "I will be weakened as it is by not having Tekhtekh at my side! Can't we just take it back after defeating the Betshu?"

"Tehktekh was probably never on your side, Sutekh," Vrael said. "It must have been planning this from the beginning. Destroying it and defeating Apep and Aso are the only way we can keep those two Atukam from becoming exceedingly powerful. I'm sorry, but it must be done."

Sutekh looked at the Toa Terra, then at the Toa Septiu. Then he made sure to take in all his friends and fellow villagers outside before stating his decision. Losing them, he knew, would be far more devastating than losing Tekhtekh. The ill-tempered stick he could replace. His cherished companions, he could not.

"Then we'd better get started," Sutekh said, his eyes glittering with steely resolve.

"Agreed," Atemu said. "Come, my friends. We have much to do and very little time to do it."

------

Upon first observing the strange war implement landing at their feet, the Sebau and Samiu weren't quite sure what to make of it. But then the staff had made mental contact with them, and it was able to enlighten them. With its forceful persuasion and harsh rhetoric, Tekhtekh quickly convinced the Betshu that it meant them no harm — and that it needed to see their master and mistress with an important proposition to make, as soon as possible. Once that barrier had been breached, the Betshu had quickly scrambled to move it, as the distraught Sutekh watched from the nearby cliff top.

It had taken three Sebau all their strength to lift Tekhtekh, but once they did the horde was easily able to take it back to their underground fortress. There a disorganized swarm of troglodytes had already assembled, furious at the simultaneous loss of their Matoran captives and the fall of Tai-Koro to the enemy insurgents. One of the four present Nak, the commander known as Shmau, saw the returning party of soldiers carrying a bizarre-looking object with a glowing red orb in the center of its three spires, and moved to intercept them.

"Halt!" The Nak held out is clawed hand in front of the lead Samiu. "What are you up to? Where did you get that, and what in Makuta Rekhit's name is it?"

The Samiu folded its lanky arms proudly, standing on tiptoe to get as close to the Nak's height as it could. "We find this weapon in Cliffs of Manu. We takin' it to Apep. It says it has opposition to deliver to the King. It belong to orange and yellow Toa no more, and say it know critical information."

That's a proposition, you dolt! Tekhtekh hissed at the Samiu. Just get me to someone with at least half a brain, fast!

Shmau considered this for a moment. If what the rank-and-file grunt was saying was true, such a find could very well bring in a much-desired promotion for him. Such an opportunity was too good to pass up for the ambitious Nak. Sneering munificently, he moved to the side and pointed in the direction of the throne room. "Very well. Follow me."

Shmau led the gaggle of troglodytes and their prize through a couple of labyrinthine corridors, en route to where the King and Queen resided. They passed several guards on their shifts, but these Betshu did not gawk for long. Dim-witted as they were, they figured that any new discovery that a Nak would be overseeing had to be important. Eventually, the group reached the vast central chamber. Apep and Aso, still in their diminutive guises, lounged in their thrones while squabbling over who had been at fault for the loss of the captured village. Three other Nak, —  Bu, Hiq, and Shi — stood at attention off to the side and offered their analysis of the situation.

Bowing expansively, Shmau greeted his King and Queen. "Salutations, your most esteemed Majesties. I return bringing a squad of Sebau and Samiu who went in pursuit of the escaping warren of Matoran who fled from the Cliffs of Manu. They appear to have found a strange sentient implement that belonged to one of the Toa Septiu. It wants to speak with you."

Interested, Apep sat upright in his chair and peered down at the group. "It wants to speak with me?"

Naturally, Tekhtekh said, as the Sebau dumped it at the Atukam's feet. The staff swiveled itself upright, so that the crimson jewel eye could observe the long-awaited forms of Apep and Aso. I am Tekhtekh, the Cursed Wand of Chaos. Once, I belonged to the Toa Sutekh, but not any longer. I come to you humbly to offer my salutations . . . and my service.

"A talking staff! How genuinely interesting," Aso mused. "And I thought that Krana were the only organic objects to date."

"Why exactly would you want to help me, you who defected from the Toa?" Apep asked apprehensively.

I desire great power and dominion over living things, which you possess. You desire an artifact, currently in the hands of the Sisterhood of Het-hert, which will give you unlimited control over this island and the entire dome, the knowledge of which I possess. Each of us has something the other wants. Perhaps we can make a deal?

At the very mention of the relic, Apep and Aso sat bolt upright. They looked at Tekhtekh, then turned to each other. The royal pair's faces filled with hunger and eager anticipation.

The King of the Betshu could barely conceal the excitement in his grating voice. "You say you know where the object lies? You can lead us to it?"

Indubitably, Tekhtekh replied. Just wield me as your weapon, and each of us will receive what they want most. A one-way ticket to total domination for you, and a mighty master to be wielded by, for me. It's a win-win situation for everyone. Now, do we have a mutual understanding?

Apep and Aso didn't even have to reach an agreement. The two jumped down from their thrones, and Apep picked up Tekhtekh hurriedly. Peering deep into its vermillion orb, he issued his decision with an air of arrogant, gleeful satisfaction. "We have a deal."

Very good. Though it possessed no face, Tekhtekh almost looked as though it was grinning as broadly as Apep was.

Aso snapped her fingers, calling the four Nak to attention. "Shmau! Bu! Hiq! Shi! Call together all of your Nak brethren from all corners of the island. I want them assembled here along with the rest of our army."

Apep, on the other hand, was already at work. Concentrating his power, he issued a telepathic summons to every corner of the underground bastion, bidding each and every Betshu congregated there to assemble before him. Within a few seconds, the throne room reverberated with a quaking rumble as wave after wave of troglodytes arrived. It was only a matter of minutes before the whole horde had congregated, numbering thousands strong.

With titanic strength, Apep held Tekhtekh up triumphantly, his voice booming out over his evil armada. "My children! Forget the fact that the Matoran escaped! Forget the fact that they have retaken the village! Forget the fact that they have new allies on their side! None of that matters now."

"At last, after all these thousands of years, the Queen and I finally possess the key to our ultimate victory! We will lead you into battle against those puny followers of Mata Nui, and strike swiftly and mercilessly! None will be left alive afterward! Then, with nobody left to oppose us, this dome will fall, and once more the Betshu will rule these lands!"

Upon hearing his exclamation, the Sebau, Samiu, and Nak burst forth into thunderous roars of support, cheering the names of their leaders. "All hail Apep and Aso! Long live the Atukam!"

The King of the Betshu gripped his mate jubilantly. Together, after millennia of patiently waiting, the two of them would take their revenge on the Toa Sah, and slaughter all of the Matoran who had dared defy their wrath and escape. Tai-Koro would be left in ruins, as testament to the majesty of the Betshu. Their goals were clear; they did not even need to say anything to each other. Instead, they issued forth their last malevolent proclamation together.

"Kemet Nui shall be ours!"

Review

Chapter 19

Things were going well on Kemet Nui, but the three Turaga Sah still had one phase of the plan that they had not put into action. In order to fully match Apep's army in strength, the citizens of Tai-Koro still needed to recover an enclave of their friends who had taken up hiding near the Cliffs of Manu a long time ago. These Matoran would provide valuable fighting talents, as they had managed to elude the Betshu for so long. Now that their home village was safely in the hands of the Toa, however, Turaga Atemu suggested that a team of Toa and a few warriors journey to these crags, get the fifty or so Matoran out of hiding, and take them safely back to Tai-Koro.

Sutekh and Anpu had been chosen to lead this expedition. Horgah would accompany them, as one of her close friends was one of the Matoran in charge of the missing band. And finally, ten other fighters directed by the Av-Matoran guards Meti and Shna would provide backup in case a group of Betshu attacked on the way.

That is, if a small group of Betshu attacked. Sutekh was pretty sure that any Betshu horde they might encounter would outnumber their force five to one — and those would be the best possible odds. The two Toa Septiu would have to come up with a pretty good plan if the enemy outnumbered them on an even greater scale.

So now the Toa of Storms and the Toa of Magnetism found themselves on the barren, rocky terrain that marked the southernmost part of the Great Cliffs of Manu, on Kemet Nui's northwestern shoreline. Sutekh, Anpu, and their team were still rather inland, with no saltwater visible beyond the horizon. But they knew that the ocean was close, for they could hear the faint pounding of the waves on the black beaches several kio away. Occasionally a Nui-Bauk would scream in the sky or some Rock Raptor pack would run along in the distance with a chorus of roars, but apart from that the area was relatively silent.

Anpu had one of Turaga Atemu's maps, which he was peering at quizzically. Navigation wasn't exactly his specialty, and he had barely been to this part of the island before. "Hey, Horgah, I'm confused. The parchment says that there should be a cave right in front of us, and yet I can't see anything that might be close."

"Give me that!" Horgah interrupted, taking the scroll from Anpu's hands. "Pay attention! You've been reading the map upside down! The place we're looking for is in those bluffs up there."

"Oh, yeah. That would be it."

Sutekh, meanwhile, stood by himself away from the group, looking up at the steep slope. He held Tekhtekh tightly, not sure entirely why. Though he himself had been in good spirits for most of the day and was looking forward to rescuing the Matoran, the Wand of Chaos had not spoken a thing since Uatchet had shown the Toa Septiu the relic. That either meant the weapon was furious at Sutekh, or it was completely lost in thought, both of which often happened. Then again, Tekhtekh criticized almost everything that Sutekh did, so the Toa of Storms didn't really give it a second thought.

After a few minutes, with Meti and Shna keeping a close eye out for any evil troglodytes in the distance, the party made their way up to a large, vertical rock face at the crest of a tall butte. Here, to the untrained Betshu eye, there was no evidence of anything out of the ordinary. But Horgah's newly-improved vision could discern an amalgamation of rocks, piled on top of each other and sealed in with sand, which covered up what had to be a Matoran-sized hole in the stone. This had to be the way the fifty-odd villagers had gotten inside the cavernous rock formation and network of underground passageways, which they had sealed up afterward. It was obvious that the pent-up Matoran could still breathe — Anpu used his magnetic powers to scale the bluff and found a small air hole at the top. It was too small for any Betshu, but big enough that air could effectively cycle through the natural formation; and it was probable that the Matoran could somehow get food from inside their cramped quarters as well. Horgah wasn't sure whether her village friends would still have their health or wits about them, but everyone needed their assistance, and she was willing to try.

Gingerly, Horgah removed a large, rectangular piece of mortar at eye level. Holding a lightstone up to the crevice, she then looked inside as best she could and issued forth a loud call. "Hello in there! Anyone home?"

As she withdrew her face, a pair of mauve eyes appeared at the opening, fringed by a red Kanohi. "Horgah? Is that you? Mata Nui, I thought that you were all captured by the Betshu! We've been hiding here all these years to escape them!"

"I'm fine, Jezira, I'm fine. The Toa Septiu and a new team of Toa from Terra Nui helped liberate us! We've retaken the village and beaten back Apep and Aso's hordes. Are you all right?"

"Oh, we can't complain. Food is plentiful if somewhat repetitive and lacking in taste, water's not an issue, and there's enough room for all of us. There's no Rahi in this part of the cave, which has made it a bit lonely down here, but we've got each other for company. But enough of that! Help me get these stones out of the way, and then all of us can see the outside world again!"

With Sutekh, Anpu, and the other Matoran's help, Horgah removed as many pieces of mortar as she could. Jezira and his companions on the other side did the same thing. Within minutes, the barricade was down, and the rescue team parted as the crimson and violet Ta-Matoran emerged, followed shortly thereafter by his two-and-a-half-score bunkmates. Both groups of Matoran hadn't seen each other for a long, long time, and so they took a few moments to celebrate the reunion.

They were suddenly alerted, however, by a sharp cry of alarm. At the edge of the cliff, Meti and Shna had sighted something rapidly approaching. With a feeling of dread, the Toa and Matoran watched as a column of Betshu congregated around the foot of the cliff, and continued to advance rapidly.

"Oh, no," Horgah said. "There's over a hundred of them!"

"That's bad," Jezira admitted. "Even with all of us combined, there's no way we could possibly fight them off without suffering losses. I say we run for it."

"If we did that, it wouldn't be long before they'd catch up to us," Anpu warned. "I've got a better idea. I'll take the lot of you and we'll head for Tai-Koro the way we came, while Sutekh draws their attention away from us. It's not that far, and we can take cover in the scrub landscape that leads to the village should any stray patrols go after us. In a pinch, I can heal up anyone who gets too tired. What do you say?"

The Matoran as a whole liked that idea. Anpu then addressed Sutekh. "How are you on good distractions?"

Sutekh puffed out his chest proudly. "You're looking at the master of diversions. Good distraction is my middle name!"

"Alright, then. Come on, lets get moving."

As Anpu, Horgah, Jezira, and the rest retreated down the back of the bluff and sped toward Tai-Koro as fast as they could, Sutekh leveled his weapon at the advancing troglodytes. Previously, Ausar and Auset had taken all the credit for the Toa Septiu’s accomplishments in the struggle to retake Tai-Koro. Now, the playing field would be leveled. It would be his moment to shine.

"Alright, Tekhtekh, don't fail me now!" Sutekh sent some lightning bolts and dust devils at the Betshu for starters, then whipped up a few small tornadoes to suck up the oncoming Betshu. Next, to give the real force something to worry about, he raised Tekhtekh and prepared to unleash the staff's most devastating attack. With full power, it could release four beams of brilliant energy that could paralyze foes in their tracks. Now all he had to do was wait for it to charge.

Tekhtekh, however, had other plans. Though Sutekh was willing it to fire, the Wand of Chaos's orb remained unlit and the staff spoke to its wielder in a dark and brooding tone. I'm tired of this. You have proven to be a disappointment, Sutekh. My true potential has been wasted on a pathetic figure like you.

"What!?" Sutekh screamed at his unwilling weapon. "I order you to blast them! Do as I say, this instant!"

I'll do no such thing. From now on, I will make the decisions around here. And I say that it is time to find a new master!

With that, the staff did something it had never done in all its years of service to Sutekh: it moved. Swiveling around in his hands so that its triple points faced the Toa's belly, Tekhtekh released the pent-up energy contained in its orb and hit him head-on with a scarlet wave of light. Sutekh, hit squarely by the blast, was knocked into the rock wall hard. He got up just as the staff had clattered to the precipice.

"Tekhtekh! Come back here! Don't leave me, I need you!"

That would be the general idea. Farewell, Sutekh. The next time we meet will be in far less fortuitous circumstances, I assure you. Tekhtekh then began to rotate itself again so that its heavy weapon-head was positioned over the cliff. And then it fell.

Sutekh ran to the edge, arm outstretched in an attempt to grab the staff. But by then, it was already too late. Tekhtekh was in free fall and was using concentrated energy blasts to propel itself downward from the cliff at rapid speed. Hitting the ground, it began to roll, using its malevolent life force to spin its way over to the Betshu's feet.

At first, Sutekh thought that the evil weapon might use its powers to kill all the Betshu right then and there. It was, after all, bloodthirsty enough to do it. But Tekhtekh was at work: the glowing jewel meant it was attempting to communicate with the troglodytes. Already they had formed a circle around the fallen wand to examine this new find.

"No!" Sutekh shouted in despair. The Sebau and Samiu didn't hear him, though; all their attention was on Tekhtekh. By now, Anpu and his charges would already be halfway to Tai-Koro. The ruse had worked, so that part of the plan had been a success. Sutekh, on the other hand, knew that he would be remembered among his team not for some great victory, but for a catastrophic loss. He was spared by the Betshu this day; but he had lost his greatest asset, and one of the Het-hert's most critically-kept secrets.

Tekhtekh and the vital knowledge it carried were now in the hands of the enemy.

Review

 

I like it as a trend. It seems fitting for graceful, flowing, beautiful water to be a female element.

 

Well the problem is, with the gendered tribes women could only be graceful, beautiful, serene, etc.

 

and as we all know, not all women are the same, just like men, (or all those other arrangements of such)

 

a woman can be brash or hot-headed (Ta) stoic and collected (Ko) indistrius and hard-working (Onu) carefree and joyful (Le) or creative and hardy (Po)

 

and while those are just the tribe archetypes, and not every matoran fits them, it's pretty easy to see where "all women are like gentle, calm water" can end up harming someone's perception of women. :t

 

Of course, I am in favor of female characters of all elements, but I wanted to point this out because I feel it's frequently overlooked.

~B~

 

 

No, CCBS is not magically superior in durability compared to Bionicle. It's just that people who didn't take good care of their Bionicle sets ended up being surprised that they broke. Granted, the lime-green limb piece failure was something else altogether.

It's a gamble whenever I try to use 2008-2010 pieces for anything.  Past a certain point I had to settle for using cracked (and therefore looser) limb bones simply because I wouldn't have had enough pieces otherwise.  The CCBS has improved on this in every way, by both thickening the plastic of the socket walls and not making them so constricted, so the ball doesn't have to push it apart so much.

 

On the topic of the 2008 pieces, how many times could you take apart and rebuild a set from 2008 before it breaks? Because I really want to buy some '08 sets from the internet and build them my self.

 

Of course, buying things new will make them less likely to break, as wear will increase the odds of a break. Also, when you snap joints together or pull them apart, try to brace the parts with your fingers, as I've found that appears to have decreased breaks for me.

~B~

 

CCBS for sets; combination of both for MOCing

Oh mercy me, I do declare that Bionicle is far better.

CCBS is good for building short and simple figures, but when comes to dense and complex ones, OG Bionicle parts curbstomp. I only use 'em when I too lazy to add actual bulk to limbs and such. I might as well use system parts for more blocky designs.

'scuse me

 

Not good enough.

 

 

Ooh, harsh... defintely set myself up for that one though

 

I linked that because, whether or not it's a good MOC, I believe it objectively counters much of what you said about CCBS, but maybe your MOCing standards consist entirely of bigfatslob/Steve Puckett

Huh? I'm not entirely sure what's going here? My standards are that of an elite MOCist who only wants best possible thing next to perfection.

 

~B~

Definitely Radiak, random spider-Matoran hybrid of fail.

~B~

I use both a lot (basically every single MOC of mine nowadays has both), but I really enjoy the smooth, solid shapes of CCBS shells and parts in general, so maybe that wins out.

~B~

I'd choose something new. There's no need to stick to what's been done before.

~B~

Chapter 18

Hanak glared at Daigolva, choosing his words carefully as he spoke to the vermillion, reptilian Quntaino. "So this was your doing, eh? I should have known all along. No wonder you have filled the heads of these Visorak with lies. Since we Sharaku have been on Terra Nui for forty years, we would surely be of no threat to the order of the island. Any Matoran with half a brain could tell you that. Just take the Green One's word for it." In response to being brought up, the diminutive being pumped his head up and down timidly.

"What our leader says is the truth," Thukor added, holding up his hands in a peaceable gesture. "We mean you no harm, nor the Visorak — it is and has been you that have constantly been harassing us. Our mission to the Johmai Jungle was to try to find out why Gorgorak did not send a representative to the summit at our village to discuss the havoc being wreaked on the island; havoc which, I might venture, is again being caused by the six of you."

Captain Kryzok hissed and spat at the Sharaku, goaded by being protectively near the Quntaino. "What they said seems logical enough! Besides, the Battle of Terra Nui took place forty years ago, so do you think Visorak memory goes back that far? I think not! Regardless, you look evil to my horde brethren and me!"

"Don't listen to dem!" the Green One insisted. "We da true fwends of yous and Queen Gorgorak. Helpin da Quntaino's not gonna get you anywheres!"

"Enough!" Daigolva raised his clawed hand to silence any argument. "Regardless of how it came to be, the Visorak are most assuredly on our side. We can be very persuasive." He then leveled his broadsword and swung it in the air, as the other five Quntaino adopted similar combat poses. "And now the time has come for us to eliminate your threat!"

Daigolva and his teammates leaped forward, surrounded by Kryzok and his legions of Visorak. But the Sharaku and the Green One were ready for them. His extending fire sword engulfed in shimmering flame, Hanak moved to intercept Daigolva's blow. Metal clanged upon organic plating as the two beings sparred with their blades. Though Daigolva's raw muscle and brute strength made him undoubtedly the more physically powerful of the two, he had to constantly adjust for Hanak's quick strikes and parries and occasional fire blasts. The Sharaku, being smaller and more agile, could get between Daigolva's trunk-like legs and escape from a heavy-handed sword swing. In short, neither one was at an advantage.

Meanwhile, the other Sharaku and Quntaino were engaged in various skirmishes. Predacron had cornered Vukaz and was desperately trying to skewer the Sharaku of Water, who was valiantly setting up force field barriers and jets of freezing cold liquid to deter the attack. Kavan had his stone pincers locked with Icrizahk's massive crushing claws, and the two now tussled with each other, both desperately trying to shake off the other and knock them down. Sensing that there would be less danger underground, Rieka had tunneled beneath the soil and was trying to shoot chunks of earthen debris at the furious Nosfernox, who was madly trying — and failing — to dig her up, using his shields as oversized shovels. Thukor had locked Carcarinax's wings in ice, so that the ichthyoidal Quntaino could not gain an advantage in the air, and they had taken up dueling with fins versus bladed weapons on the ground instead.

A major problem that the Sharaku faced was that dozens of Visorak still lurked around, and the spider Rahi were overly eager to assist their newly-acquired masters. Zanta and the Green One, finding each other back to back, had paired up to confront Snimurai, Kryzok, and a couple of the Visorak officer's lieutenants. To evade the slippery spiders, Zanta had resorted to using a tactic of constantly teleporting around, blasting them with gusts of wind and smacking them with his air axes. The Green One likewise was moving around rapidly, trying to land a hit on Snimurai. Of course, the bug-like Quntaino well-remembered how the petite being had obtained the upper hand the last time they had fought, and was simultaneously wary of any of the Green One's tricks and desperate to defeat him.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Nosfernox bellowed, having gotten nowhere trying to excavate Rieka from her hiding place. "You Visorak, help me with this!" But no sooner had he uttered the statement and a couple of Rahi advanced on the heaps of earth than the pair of sharp tridents emerged from the soil, stabbing them in their underbellies. The Visorak shot away with yelps of pain, as Rieka gracefully pirouetted out of the hole and in front of the enraged, unstoppable Nosfernox.

"You could have been good Rahi and left the inhabitants of this isle alone," Rieka admonished softly. "But oh no, you just had to recruit our allies and make them your own. What exactly do you hope to accomplish here?"

"Nothing that you deserve knowing about," Nosfernox growled. Stepping forward and planting a broad foot into the ground, he swung out with a shield to club Rieka. The Sharaku of Earth, while unable to deflect his massive weapon with her own much-smaller tools, found a way to escape the blow. As she lunged out of the way of the incoming attack, Nosfernox's huge arm's momentum did not cease. To his surprise, he proceeded to carry the shield's impact all the way into the nearby duel taking place between Predacron and Vukaz. The avian Quntaino barely was able to issue a shriek of alarm before the huge implement smacked him straight in the jaw and floored him.

Vukaz, normally serious in expression, broke into a hearty laugh from behind his energy barriers. Rieka herself gave an amused giggle.

His keen eyes bulging out of their sockets, Predacron screamed in the face of his teammate as he scrambled to his feet. "What did you do that for, you fat warty pile of rubble? I was clearly involved in something here!" Nosfernox could only shrug in response, but this face-off did not last long. Turning, the two Quntaino cast their eyes angrily upon Vukaz and Rieka.

"Uh oh," Vukaz said. "Now that we've stumbled into each other's fights, we'd better team up against these menaces."

"Agreed," Rieka replied, and the four beings resumed their sparring.

A short distance away, Hanak and Thukor were still involved in their respective battles. The leader of the Sharaku, his sword constantly in motion deflecting Daigolva's blows while he ran around the reptilian being with supernatural speed, had to shout to the Sharaku of Ice just to say anything. "Hey Thukor, how's everything going?"

"Not too bad," Thukor admitted, blocking a slash from Carcarinax's talons with his ice blade. "I can't believe they'd ambush us like this, so we'd best hold our ground for as long as possible. Are you having any trouble?"

"No, not at the moment," Hanak said. Daigolva, seeing the Sharaku of Fire momentarily pause his bewildering fast streak, lunged out with his sword and swung his fist at the same time. Hanak parried the sword with one of his tools, but could only hold up the other weapon in the face of Daigolva's punch. The Quntaino's armored fingers closed around the flame-engulfed weapon tightly, causing a thick hiss as the scalding temperature ate away at the skin. Daigolva howled in pain, but then was able to successfully wrench Hanak's arm down, tusked teeth gritted. The Sharaku was brought to his knees, and Daigolva landed a body slam on him, trying to pin Hanak to the ground and knock him unconscious.

"Uh, we're having big problems over here!" Zanta yelled. He and the Green One were totally surrounded by dozens of Visorak and a malevolent Snimurai, who were just not being shaken off by their attack strategy. "I think we're going to have to find a way out of here and regroup at the village!" The other five Sharaku, though desperate enough to try to beat the Quntaino, knew that he was right. There were simply too many Visorak aiding their enemies, and if time wore on the combined power of the spider Rahi and the keystone-born foes would overwhelm the Sharaku. If that happened, all hope would be lost.

"You'll never escape!" Kryzok said gleefully, as he watched Hanak and Daigolva wrestle nearby him. "My minions! Web them!"

"Hang on a second, I gotta stwategy," the Green One whispered to Zanta. Standing tall — as tall as he could stand, at least — before the menacing, oncoming horde, he let loose a shrill, high-pitched whistle. The Visorak, having never heard such an unearthly sound before, winced in pain as it hit their eardrums. Gorgorak, Kryzok, and even the Quntaino paused at the sound.

But the Sharaku had heard it before. Within moments, they could make out a large, bulky form crashing through the bushes toward the Green One at an incredible velocity. It was the Bladetort, who had helped take the Green One and the Sharaku to the Visorak's forest hideout and who had been peacefully grazing a kio or so away when it had been summoned. Realizing that its master was in mortal danger, the massive tortoise hadn't become inflamed to this degree since the Battle of Terra Nui forty years earlier; and that was but an hour ago in the Bladetort's very long life span. Now, as it charged into the clearing, the beast that normally gave only snorts and rumbles gave what could only be described as a roar.

The Visorak did not know what to expect. Once they had seen the Bladetort their initial response was to charge, but they were met by six dangerous, razor-sharp limbs like hacksaws that bristled with serrated spines. Three Visorak were cut in half on impact; others were trampled below the Bladetort's feet or hurled into tree trunks. The Bladetort's goal was clear. Within seconds it had cleared a path to the Green One and Zanta.

"Retreat!" Hanak cried, springing up and out of Daigolva's death grip. Now was the Sharaku's chance. As the Quntaino and Gorgorak watched the scene with stupefied awe, the six heroes broke free and ran as fast as they could to the frenzied Bladetort. The Green One had already jumped onto his battle-mount's back, and Thukor, Vukaz, and Kavan clambered up behind him onto its shell. Zanta, Rieka, and Hanak, unable to fit, used their own methods of rapid locomotion as well. Before the Visorak's very eyes, the Bladetort and the three Sharaku on foot beat a hasty retreat. Momentarily, they had disappeared into the trees.

Their quarry having once again eluded them, the Quntaino were livid. Daigolva threw his sword on the ground and punched a nearby cycad, causing the plant to topple. Gorgorak herself could not believe what had just happened. "That was impossible! You Quntaino told us that this plan would be foolproof. Now the Sharaku have slipped through their fingers, and we have lost our chance!"

"Ah, but every defeat presents a new opportunity." From behind a grove of palms, Argentaros strode into view. The silvery alpha Quntaino had been hidden there for the entire battle, and had watched and overseen every move in its duration.

Daigolva knelt in servitude, hands upon his sword. "Once again I have failed you, Argentaros. The red Sharaku was almost mine. I am sorry."

Waving his hand benevolently, Argentaros bade his follower stand up. "Arise, Daigolva. Fear not, you are forgiven."

Captain Kryzok, humbled by the awe-inspiring presence of his leader, inched forward and gave an awkward cough and grin. "So, that means we have another chance, right, Master?"

Argentaros's crystalline scarlet eyes betrayed no anger. He just calmly stared at the hapless Visorak while caressing the living whiplash coiled around his forearm. "Indeed our victory is nigh. But you will not partake in it. Failure is something I cannot tolerate, Kryzok. I have no more use for you and you must suffer the consequences. Begone. You are dismissed from any future campaigns."

Kryzok seemed taken aback by this. His bravado noticeably diminished, the upset Roggarak skulked away with a pout, clambering up a tree trunk and disappearing into the tangle of vines and webbing.

Argentaros then walked over to Gorgorak, addressing the overweight Queen with an air of cold command. "In the future, Your Majesty, I expect that the hordes will be more willing to follow my orders." He then turned to the hordes grimly. "Let that be a lesson to all of you. Serve us well, for my grand vision of the future will not have room for upstart spiders. I take it you will not wish to follow the example of your former captain here." The Visorak nodded dutifully in response.

"Now, what are your incipient plans, Argentaros?" Carcarinax inquired. "The six of us are ready to carry out your bidding. As is your army."

Argentaros looked off into the far distance with steely eyes. "The time has come for us to move swiftly to strike our enemies. There can be no more wasted battles or last-minute escapes. This will end in the village of the Matoran once and for all. Today, we shall decide the fate of Terra Nui."

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