TNTOS

I am not sure if I'll enter this, as I am still trying to finish my NaNo story.But if I have the time and if I get an idea, I might enter. It's a neat contest idea for sure.-TNTOS-

And actually' date=' I have something planned for those characters. I don't know the specifics, but they will make an appearance, whether in an SS or in the epic later on. [/quote']I figured that might be the case, but I didn't know for sure.

Probably. Now' date=' that's also where length comes in. Usually an over-descriptive story tends to be long, but although my story is descriptive, I try not to make it long. However, I'm not sure I'm exactly accomplishing that goal or not, honestly, as you mention conciseness, but I'm pretty sure you mean in just descriptions, not the length of the chapters themselves.[/quote']I was mostly referring to your descriptions, which I think need to be more concise. Long chapters don't bother me, unless they're ridiculously long, although I don't think yours are. Your chapters are longish, but I think that is more due to the detailed descriptions than anything.

And the end will be a good end' date=' or at least I hope. It's been a long journey - it's not about to end now.[/quote']Good to hear, but even if the ending is bad, it's still better than no ending at all, IMO.

Thanks for the review - to return the favor' date=' I'll try to view one of your stories. Again, thanks. [/quote']And thank you for the polite reply to my review. I certainly hope I've helped you improve as a writer in some ways .-TNTOS-

If I remember correctly, I read this story before the forums went offline. But I've only just recently started reading it again and as of today I have read all of the chapters you have up so far.First off, I would like to say that the Rohan military is well thought out and realistic. One thing you never see in BIONICLE fanfiction (at least from my experience) is a realistic military, complete with complicated strategies, detailed training exercises, and military units. Clearly, you've had experience with this sort of thing before.Now I have a few criticisms:Firstly, Naizu. I really liked the idea of a two-toned, dual element wielding Toa. Really cool idea you've got there.But to be honest, I don't like how you revealed his identity. To be sure, there was build-up, but rather than showing the interrogation of Naizu and hearing his story in his own words, you just told the readers in the narration. I personally disliked it because I thought we'd get an interesting interrogation scene, but evidently I was mistaken.Secondly, as most of the other reviewers have already said, your prose is too purple. It is tedious to read through at times, even though the description sometimes isn't bad. Not to mention that most of it doesn't really seem to be that important to the story.For example, Horsta and Chandok's training scene don't seem to add much to the story, except perhaps showing how Rohan soldiers are trained (which may or may not be important to the story, too). Neither Horsta nor Chandok have appeared since Dependence and from what I can tell they will probably never appear again. The whole scene just feels pointless to me.I suppose part of it may just be your writing style, but generally good writing is concise. And conciseness doesn't mean cutting out all description and leaving only the bare bones. That would be beige prose, which is just as bad as purple prose.Conciseness means using as many words as are necessary. Sometimes that means you'll write lengthy paragraphs of immense and detailed description; other times, a couple of short sentences will do the trick.When writing or going over a story, constantly ask yourself, "Am I being concise? Is this too much description? Is this too little description?" Constantly ask yourself, "Is this important enough to the overall story to demand a long, detailed description? Or would fewer words work best here?"I am not saying your story is bad. Overall, I think, it's pretty decent. You do seem to have a basic goal in mind, which means the story doesn't get sidetracked too often. It means that you probably are going to finish this fic at some point. That is a problem among fanfiction writers, IMO. Too many just start a fic with no idea where they want to take it - not even the faintest idea of how it will end - and so abandon it after a few chapters. I do not foresee Danger Close suffering such a fate, or at least I hope it won't, anyway.I just think you need to be more concise. If you cut out more words - because on the purple/beige spectrum, you're currently leaning toward purple - your story will be easier to read. Long passages can be intimidating, even to a big reader like me. Cutting out unnecessary fluff will make the story better and more entertaining, not to mention easier on the eyes.My favorite character is probably Delrahk, I think, if only because I think the story got more interesting when he was introduced. Naizu is somewhat interesting as well, but his lack of development so far and the way you chose to reveal his backstory and identity really put me off.I like Tikiani's name for some reason. I guess I just think it looks good and rolls off the tongue well. It reminds me of a name I made for one of my characters, which is perhaps why I like it, heh .I am definitely going to keep reading this, I think. Despite some of my dislikes (particularly my dislike of your purple prose), I am interested to see how this story is going to end. Like I said, t feels like it has an ending and that it won't be a waste of time, which is more than I can say for most fanfics out there. Good job.*Looks up* Look at me writing about conciseness when this is arguably one of the longest posts I've ever written (not counting posts containing chapters from my stories). Then again, I think each word is necessary, which is what conciseness is all about. It's still feels ironic, though.-TNTOS-

i think karirh needs to travel to our demention and grab some shotgunswell we seem to learn more about the time stonetime stone gives +100 to reviving when used on an island in a giant robots footcant wate for more

Thanks for the reply .The Time Stone appears to do that, but it's true purpose has yet to be revealed. That's all I am saying.-TNTOS-

Also MANDATORY MUST ANSWER QUESTION: What is your favorite chapter and joke from this comedy EVER?!?!

To be honest' date=' I'm not sure. It's not that I didn't enjoy any of the chapters or jokes; I just can't remember if I had a favorite. Maybe I'll tell you if I remember.[/color']

Kaza: What’s that note in your pocket?Alex: What-oh.Alex took the note out.Dear Alex,You’re a sucker, I escaped, I’m not dead, and you will die once I get my sword back.Love,NuhriiKaza: Well, great job.Alex: Thanks.Kaza rolled his eyes.

That note from Nuhrii was genius (although I am not sure how or when he managed to sneak it into Alex's pocket).Also, yay I reappear again. As I am now a main character, I suppose that means I am going to appear more often, so yay and stuff.Good double chapters. Keep on writing!-TNTOS-

Violent, crazed people are always the most fun to write about.Actually, a special kind of salt is used to make ice cream.And I only advertise things I really like. Like Dimension Hoppers! :biggrin:Chapter Fourteen was awesome. The army of the skeletons is sweet, and I like how Krekka is helping (because he is awesome). Great chapter.Wondering what Amphibax and Ehlek will do with Isarot and Kiriah after the battle though...

Thanks for the comments . Glad you like Chapter 14.As for what Ehlek and Amphibax will do with Isarot and Kiriah, well, that's assuming Isarot and Kiriah hang around that much longer. You'll see next chapter.-TNTOS-

Chapter 14: Him Again

Kiriah.

When Isarot and I joined up with the expedition, I did not need Amphibax to introduce me to everyone. With a quick application of my telepathy I discovered that three Rofficans – Mekel, Rokke, and Isarot’s friend, Krekka – were accompanying us, as well as half a dozen other beings that belonged to the same species as Amphibax. Niham, a Le-Matoran, was also going along, although based on her thoughts she didn’t seem to know Ehlek’s intended purpose for her.

Niham was a small Matoran, unusually so, and was nervous at the prospect of going into the unknown jungle, even with the rest of us. Since I knew people generally do not like having their minds read without their knowing, I refrained from reading too much. I only learned that Niham was apparently the Chronicler of Ehlek’s kingdom, which was why Ehlek had brought her along on the voyage to World’s End in the first place.

Before we left, Ehlek gathered the rest of the sailors that were staying behind together and said, “I and the sailors grouped behind me will be heading into the jungle in order to reach the center of the island. We do not know how long it may take, but once we reach the center we shall launch a signal into the sky so you shall all know.

“While we are gone, you must all remain here at this beach. Do not wander off into the jungle or sea no matter how bored or curious you may be. Protect the ship and the cargo until we return. If you are attacked, fight to the death and do not run. We will likely not be gone very long, but if we are gone for more than seventy-two hours then you may head home, for we will probably be dead if that is the case. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” shouted the sailors in unison.

“Good,” Ehlek said as he turned around. “Then wish us luck as we unlock the mysteries this island holds! Come, my loyal servants!”

Although I did not consider myself one of Ehlek’s ‘loyal servants,’ I followed him into the jungle anyway, right behind the Rofficans and everyone else. I took one last look over my shoulder at the beach behind us before it was obscured by the thick branches, leaves, and vines of the deep jungle.

-

It is official: I hate jungles.

Although it was just as quiet as the rest of the island, it was hot, humid, and sticky. Mud clung to the bottom of my feet and the back of my legs and we were forced to cut our way through what seemed like an endless amount of overgrown foliage. True, since I was at the back I didn’t have to do as much cutting (Ehlek, up at the front, was attacking brush like it’d insulted his pride), but more than once I was hit in the face by a low-hanging branch or nearly tripped over a tree root. I did not have Isarot to share this misery with, either, since he was up front with Ehlek, using his axe to chop down whatever happened to be in our way. Only little Niham was with me in the back and, despite her height, seemed to be tripping and stumbling far less often than me.

“How’re you so good in this muck?” I asked as she nimbly walked across a particularly muddy area without tripping once. I wasn’t as lucky.

“Oh, I’m just used to it,” Niham replied. “I used to live in a forest back on my home island, Shika Nui. Jungles and forests aren’t too different, except jungles are a lot more humid, harder to navigate, and a lot muddier, too.”

“You can say that again,” I said as my foot sunk into a deep mud puddle. “Disgusting,” I added as I wrenched it free.

Niham looked at me as we continued to walk through the path the others were carving out and asked, “Who’re you anyway? And who is your Tagiki friend? I saw you two when you first got here, but I’ve never had the chance to talk to either of you.”

I opened my mouth, and then closed it immediately. I needed to carefully think over what I was going to say, even to someone as innocent as Niham. I didn’t want to know what would happen if Ehlek learned the truth about Isarot and I, considering how paranoid and on edge he seemed to be. I always got into trouble for talking without thinking anyway. At least Isarot wouldn’t get onto me if I though through what I was going to say before I say it.

So I said to Niham, “My name is Toa Kiriah. My friend’s name is Isarot. We, er, are from up north.”

“Oh, really?” asked Niham in surprise as she kicked a rock out of her path. “Where? Tanjo Nui? I know Tagiki and Matoran live there, although I’ve never been to the island myself.”

“Somewhere like that, yeah,” I said as I looked around. I heard no sounds and I picked up no other mental signatures besides our own. So why was I feeling tense?

“How’d you get down here so fast?” asked Niham, tilting her head to one side. “We’re like . . . um, I’m not sure how far away from the League’s dominion, but we’re pretty darn far. I don’t think two people would be able to make it this far out to sea so quickly like that, especially without a ship.”

I struggled to remember the story Isarot had made up to convince Ehlek, but as I had forgotten it by now I decided to make up a new one. I didn’t think Niham needed to know we’re not from this dimension. I didn’t want her asking too many questions.

“Ah, that’s an interesting question,” I said as I ducked to avoid an overhanging branch. “See, Isarot and I were, um, sent by the other Barraki to make sure Ehlek was doing okay.”

“Really?”

“Really,” I said, nodding. I was keeping my voice low so Ehlek wouldn’t accidentally overhear, as I was sure this wasn’t the cover story Isarot had used on him. “They gave us this mask here, which took us straight to where you guys were. We were going to head back after we saw Ehlek was in one piece, but we’ve decided to hang around and check out World’s End with you all.”

“Huh, that’s funny,” said Niham, a bit more loudly than I would have liked. “I was always under the impression the Barraki never liked one another very well.”

Nearly slipping on some mud, I regained my balance and said, “Oh, they don’t?”

“At least Lord Ehlek doesn’t seem to like them,” Niham commented. “Being his Chronicler, I also act as his recorder whenever he says something he wants to remember. Many times I’ve had to record how much he hates the other Barraki, how he despises working with them, and how he wishes he had sole dominion over the universe, rather than having to share it with the other five, among other things.”

“Well, um, the discovery of World’s End matters to the other warlords a great deal,” I said hurriedly. “After all, this is a legend proven real. Besides, I think they may want to add some of the lands Ehlek discovered to their own kingdoms.”

“That makes sense,” said Niham. She lowered her voice and whispered to me, “The Barraki are all greedy like that. Personally, I think that Ehlek wanted to go on this voyage purely to expand his kingdom, too, even though he says he’s only searching for answers.”

“What makes you think that?”

“We’ve already conquered a few of the lands we’ve visited,” Niham answered. “Such as the island of Uual, for instance. Ehlek conquered that place pretty easily, although we did lose a far number of sailors before we crushed their capital. Most lands, though, we just passed by, because most of their inhabitants looked far too powerful for us to take on with our little numbers.”

“Like what kind of things have you guys run into?” I asked as I took one step forward and slid again. This time, I landed on my behind, getting mud all over my gold and blue armor. “Ouch!”

“Well, we saw a group of tall, monstrous-looking beings that could teleport,” said Niham, apparently oblivious to my accident. “They were creepy, but they left us alone after one of them teleported onto our ship and nearly got himself killed by Lord Ehlek.”

“I heard about sea monsters,” I said as I grabbed a vine and hauled myself back to my feet. “Like giant Takea sharks and stuff.”

Niham nodded. “Yeah. And that’s a snake you just grabbed.”

“What?” I said glancing at the ‘vine’ I’d taken hold of, which was indeed a snake hanging from a tree branch, staring at me with its deep black eyes. It did not look happy, to say the least. “Argh!”

I jumped backwards and again slipped on the mud and landed on my back, stunned. Above me the snake hissed and curled back up into the tree it was hanging from. My heart was racing, but I realized that that snake was the first sign of life I’d seen on this island, which means that perhaps World’s End wasn’t totally uninhabited after all.

Niham giggled and said, “You’re funny, Toa Kiriah.”

“Funny, right,” I mumbled as I got back to my feet and tried to wipe the mud off of my armor.

“Hey, what’re you two doing back there?” Amphibax called from up ahead. He had stopped and was looking at us disapprovingly. “Playing in the mud? Get over here, or I’ll come and drag you the rest of the way by force.”

“We’re coming,” I said as Niham and I continued walking along, this time at a faster pace than before.

Amphibax shook his head, muttered something I couldn’t hear, and turned around and continued following the rest, who were not too far ahead of us. I decided I wasn’t going to ask Niham any more questions, since I did not want to get distracted again, and by Amphibax’s tone, I figured he really would drag me along by force if I continued to slip and slide in the mud like that.

As we walked, I puzzled over that snake. Even though my low level telepathy was always on at all times, I had not picked up that Rahi’s mental signature. Then again, Rahi tend to have minds that aren’t as advanced as ours, so perhaps I didn’t pick it up because it doesn’t do a lot of thinking. Still, I had a feeling that wasn’t the case, but I could not think of any reason I did not pick it up besides that, which made me nervous.

-

After about an hour or so of carving out a pathway through the jungle with our weapons, I began to wonder if we would ever reach the center. The mountain hadn’t looked very far away from the beach, but it seemed like we weren’t getting anywhere any time soon. I was made even more nervous by the distinct lack of wildlife; besides that snake I’d run into earlier, we hadn’t seen or heard any other Rahi on this island. Again I had the feeling that there was something off, but I could not place it until we emerged from the deep jungle into a large clearing, at the foot of the mountain. And what I saw frightened me more than anything else I’d ever seen in my life.

Below us, lined up like a ghostly army, were rows upon rows of the skeletal remains of various beings. There were Toa, Matoran, Skakdi, Vortixx, Rofficans, Tagiki, and many other species I was unfamiliar with. They were all mounted on wooden stakes, staring right at us behind rusted Kanohi masks and helmets. One Toa had a large metal spear sticking straight through his head, a gruesome way to die. I assumed these must be the remains of the Great Beings’ failures, but who had set them up like this and why, I did not know.

Now that the mountain was closer, I could see even less of it than I did before it was so huge. Tall cliffs that looked like lethal towered above the skeletons. A lone pathway wound up the mount, but it appeared so narrow and so treacherous that I was not sure that anything but a Rahi goat would be able to make it safely up the pass.

Ehlek, however, did not appear grossed out or frightened by the army of skeletons. Rather, he stood out before us and, his eyes focused on the mountain, said, “We have finally made it. My journey is nearly over. Once we penetrate the inner chambers, then I am certain I will find what I am looking for.”

“There’s no need for that,” said a voice without warning, coming from somewhere in the mountain. “Not when the one being who holds all the answers to your questions is right . . . here.”

Somehow he must be really fast, for when I blinked a Toa-sized being in a black cloak appeared above us on one of the small cliffs where no one had been before. It was the thief. I had no idea how long it had been since Isarot and I had last run into him (it’s hard to keep track of time in these alternate universes, you know), but I knew it was him anyway, even though I had never heard the thief speak before. His appearance gave it away, for he wore the exact same cloak as the thief we knew.

“You!” Isarot and Ehlek exclaimed in unison, pointing at the thief at the same time. Then they looked at each other quizzically.

“You know him?” asked Ehlek suspiciously. “Have you met before?”

“Know him? Of course I do!” said Isarot. “He’s the . . . he stole something from me and Kiriah and we have been trying to locate him ever since! I am surprised that you know who he is!”

“He’s the one who told me to come here in the first place,” said Ehlek. “Although,” he added, turning to glare at the thief, who hadn’t moved an inch from his perch, “I did not know that he himself was the one who would answer my questions. He never told me that.”

“I had no reason to,” said the thief. His voice sounded very, very old and ragged, like his lungs were covered with dust. “Not when I knew that you would come here simply if I told you to. You are so predictable that way, just like every other villain in this cursed multiverse.”

“Villain? Who are you calling a villain?” Ehlek growled as he advanced down the slope, claws flexing dangerously while his eyes locked on the thief. “I am Ehlek, one of the six Barraki of this universe. I would kill you, but because my desire for knowledge currently outweighs my desire to kill you for your disrespect, I won’t.”

I had a hard time believing Ehlek wouldn’t simply kill the thief as soon as he came within arm reach, but Ehlek did stop when he was about halfway down the slope and lowered his claws. Amphibax and the other sailors went down after him, but then a dozen deadly bolts of some kind of hot, burning substance struck the ground between them and Ehlek, causing the sailors to stumble backwards in surprise.

“Sorry, but this is between me and your king,” said the thief. He was now standing at the bottom of the cliff, on the other side of the army of ghosts. How he got there so fast was beyond me. “He has something to give me. And I, in turn, have something to give him. Do you have what I asked for, Ehlek?”

Ehlek gestured to his minions to stay back, but I had a feeling that if this turned out to be an ambush Amphibax and the rest would no doubt run to Ehlek’s rescue.

“I have the Time Stone right here,” said Ehlek, holding up the box which the Stone was held in. “I shall give it to you and you shall tell me everything I want to know.”

“Fine with me,” said the thief as he began walking toward Ehlek.

“Let’s get him, Kiri,” said Isarot, swiping his axe angrily through the air. “He’s evaded us far too long and-“

“Uh, Isarot, I think maybe we should wait a bit longer,” I said cautiously as I watched Ehlek walked through the field of skeletons toward the oncoming thief, the stone container in his right hand. “I mean, if we attack, Ehlek might also attack us because he doesn’t want us interfering with his goals. We should strike as soon as Ehlek gives him the other Stone, I think.”

“Kiriah, you’re crazy,” said Isarot, shaking his head. “You can wait if you want. But me, I’ve waited far too long for this moment. I’ll cut down Ehlek if I have to; as long as I take down the thief and get our Time Stone back, I don’t care if I die or not.”

Without warning, Isarot went tearing down the hill, swinging his axe madly and yelling loudly as he did so. He was so frightening that Amphibax and the others actually parted to let him through. I could only watch in disbelief as he ran, but shook my head and decided that, as a guardian of the Time Stone and – more importantly – as Isarot’s friend, I had to help him, regardless of whether I wanted to or not.

I pulled out my crescent blade and dashed down the hill, while a startled Niham called after me, “Wait, Toa Kiriah! What did your friend mean by ‘our Time Stone?’ What’s going on?”

I had no time to explain because I was running so fast. Even if I had the time, I doubted I would have been able to anyway. Certain things are better left a mystery. That’s what I told myself as I ran, anyway.

Unfortunately, as I ran, I accidentally tripped on a rock (yeah, I know, real heroic) and probably would have gone stumbling all the way to the bottom of the incline and broken every bone in my body had someone with strong hands not grabbed me before I went flying.

“Thanks,” I said to whoever had caught me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Krekka – Isarot’s Roffican friend – had grabbed me. “Could you put me down now, please? It’s really important that I go help Isarot.”

“Okay,” said Krekka as he released his grip on me. “But I help, too.”

“You want to help?” I asked, looking at him in disbelief. “But why?”

“Isarot my friend, too,” said Krekka as he folded his massive arms. “I help friends.”

“Uh, sure,” I said. I was a bit surprised that Krekka was apparently willing to go against his own master’s wishes to help a friend, but I didn’t care. Isarot was going to need my help if he was going to take down the thief. Somehow I knew that. “Then let’s go.”

I turned my head and saw that Isarot had already reached the bottom of the hill. He was now running across the field of skeletons, swinging his axe every which way, knocking down dozens of mounted corpses with every swing. He was carving a pathway to Ehlek and the thief, both of whom stood in the middle of the field. I could see Ehlek handing the stone box to the thief, who after inspecting its contents quickly stuffed it into his pocket.

“Now,” said Ehlek, loud enough that we could hear it over Isarot’s screams, “answer my question: Why am I having these dreams? What do they mean? Explain!”

Although I could not see the thief’s expression, I could just imagine him smiling evilly as he said, “Why, you have been touched by the Almighty Ones, Ehlek. That, I believe, is all you need to know. Good bye.”

A dimensional portal immediately sprung into existence behind the thief, almost without warning. It caught Ehlek off-guard, who stumbled backwards in surprise as the thief took a step back toward the gateway.

“I would have stolen this immediately,” the thief told Ehlek as the portal expanded behind him, “but I was busy, hence why I asked you to come to this island. That is all I will tell you.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” Isarot shouted as he withdrew a dagger from his bag and hurled it at the thief with deadly speed. “Not now, you won’t!”

The thief merely tilted his head to one side to avoid the knife as it spiraled through the portal and said, “I am sorry, but I don’t think I will allow either of you to continue your foolish quest to capture me. Perhaps all of these poor, lost souls will have something to say about it.”

The thief pulled out what looked like the Time Stone from his robes and, raising the Stone into the air, cried out, “O lost and forgotten creations of the Great Beings! Eliminate these misguided villains, in the name of your King!”

A brief burst of light blinded me for a second and when it passed I noticed something odd about the field of skeletons below. I saw movement among them as they became a literal army of ghosts. Long dead corpses walked again for the first time in centuries, drawing out rusted swords, axes, maces, and various other deadly-looking weapons. Fear gripped my heart as I realized that Isarot was right there in the middle of them. I doubted they would simply give him a big group hug.

“These are the skeletons of the Great Beings’ failures!” the thief said as the army turned as one to face Isarot and Ehlek, who were now completely surrounded. “Your own bodies shall soon join them!”

With that, the thief took one last step backward and disappeared into the dimensional portal, which closed shut with a pop that would have been comical had my best friend not been surrounded by an army skeletons that were eager to kill him.

“Hey! Don’t just stand there looking like morons!” Ehlek shouted to his sailors as he sliced a Matoran zombie in half and kicked aside a Skakdi that had been coming up from behind. “Save your king or I will personally haunt you all after death!”

“Kiriah! Help!” Isarot shouted as he blasted own a whole row of zombies with a combined burst of light and ice. “There’re too many for Ehlek and me to take alone!”

“Hold on! We’ll get there!” I said as me, Amphibax, Krekka, and the rest dashed down the hillside with our weapons drawn. “We’ll save you!”

Review Topic.

Indeed, indeed -- there's still time, guys!Also, check out the BZPowercast for the announcement of prizes! I unfortunately was unable to participate, due to the lack of a mic, but 5 5's and Nuju Metru had a fabulous segment instead, discussing the contest.

I can't really listen to it because my computer is dumb, so can you post the prizes here?-TNTOS-

The Good:For starters Toa Nasis being envious of Kiriah's position when Kiriah is bored out of her mind guarding the Time Stone. Well played my friend. I also enjoyed Loamos.... ah the artistic rage knows no boundry. The Toa Team HQ I liked because it gave us insight on the Toa

Thanks for the compliments .But his namos Laomos, not Loamos. Just thought I'd correct you on that.

The Bad:This fic may suffer from being a supplement fic because some things the reader will only understand if DiH. An example of this would the aforementioned scene with Toa Nasis. I had read DiH so I got that little bit of Irony, someone who hasn't will miss it big time. Also I worried Loamos will be a butt monkey, the comic relief who has one job and that is fall into traps. Granted I not really that worried about Loamos because you're full of surprises.

On your first point: Agreed, but can't be helped due to its nature as a supplemental fic rather than a full epic.As for Laomos, he's not very important in TOT, besides being mentioned a few times. Nasis and Ahova are the starring Toa, while the rest of the team only get a few minor appearances and roles. I would love to write a story about Laomos, though, because his personality is fun.

The Stuff I couldn't categorize:Does anyone find it wierd that I'm the only one who has posted here with a picture in their avatar and signature? By the way TNTOS, what happened to your Toa Lhikan picture I liked that. On topic having a female Toa that is not a standard element maybe a bit iffy for some.

My Lhikan avatar was one of the BZP default avatars. When the forums changed, I think they got rid of the defaul avs, which is why I no longer have my Lhikan av. Wish the were still around, though, because I liked it, too.On Ahova: Eh, true. But quite a few fanfic writers like to make all Matoran elementals bigendered, so I figured I could get away with female Ahova being a Toa of Magnetism and female Kicho being a Toa of Stone. No one has complained about it so far anyway, so I don't see any reason to worry about it.Anyway, thanks for the review. Really appreciated it .-TNTOS-

Finally caught up' date=' all thirteen chapters, and I love the World's End/Ehlek universe (I like it better than the Brutaka universe, though the BU was still cool). Krekka would have to be my favorite supporting character yet, with Ehlek as a close second, then Amphibax (I'm just in an ocean mood, aquatic mood). As for main characters, Isarot and Kiriah are both awesome.[/quote']Yes, I liked the World's End universe, too. In fact, I liked the island itself so much that it will be the setting of the upcoming mini-epic, "The Ghost King of World's End." (Note: The mini-epic will take place in the normal Shikaverse, not in the World's End universe.)Glad you like Krekka, Ehlek, and Amphibax. Ehlek was probably the funnest to write, which is odd because he is the craziest and most violent. Perhaps that is why he is so fun .

If it doesn't work out with those sailors' date=' Zaktan would be an option for Kiriah. I mean, it might not work out with Hahli, since there's competition. Maybe a blind date for Zaktan and Kiri? [/quote']Nah. Kiriah and Zaktan just wouldn't mix. It'd be like ice cream and salt; just doesn't work, you know?

Overall' date=' a great epic! Definitely my favorite BZP epic (I've read more than you'd think, especially back in my guest days)![/quote']Thank you . I noticed you're advertizing it in your sig, which I like.-TNTOS-

Alex: Of all the caves, why some in Canada?

Hey, Canada's cool.Anyway, good chapter. Those visions are fairly interesting. Can't wait to see where they lead.-TNTOS-

Part of the reason why I, personally, only post topics in the Library forums nowadays is because I am not good at coming up with interesting discussion topics, nor do I have the desire to participate in such discussions anyway. Maybe other people think along the same lines as me; don't have any ideas for discussion, so don't post any discussion topics.It is probably not the main reason, but it could be a reason nonetheless.-TNTOS-

I am unaffected by whatever is affecting other people, but I hope they find out what the problem is that is affecting other members-TNTOS-

My entry for SSC#8:The Triumph of the Toa - TNTOS-TNTOS-

well i think Kafor will be angry without that armor cause he will need all the protection he can get with the dark hunters on to him nowdo you have a reason why the rama didn't take the golden armor or is that going to stay a mystery?

Kafor is female, by the way.And yes, it will be revealed later on why the Nui-Rama didn't take the golden armor. It's not a terribly huge mystery, but it will be answered in later chapters, I promise.Thanks for replying to this epic and DiH, herv. Really appreciate it .-TNTOS-

i predict krekka will be in the groupi like krekka he was a bad guy in the real story line but that's because he was under a bad influencei am wondering why that black cloaked guy wants two time stonesand why he didn't just steal both of them instead of having ehlek bring it and possibly lose it to a sea monsterby the way are you ever going to explain the death of brutaka in a different story or is that still undecided

1) No, Krekka will not join Isarot and Kiriah. He just happens to be important in the Ehlek universe (or perhaps World's End universe? Haven't decided on a name yet), similar to Lariska's role in the Brutaka universe.2) For the first question: That will be revealed in a few chapters, don't worry. All I can say is that it is very important to the story.Second question: That will be answered in the next chapter.3) Brutaka's death was the result of a hallucination induced by an overdose of antidermis and overexposure to the power of the Mask of Life. Lariska merely thought there might be more to it because she didn't want to believe her king was completely insane. That's all.-TNTOS-

Chapter Seven

The next morning, Nasis awoke in his bed. He had had another strange dream, this time about three beings that appeared to be discussing something. He did not remember much, except that that black and red being from his dream a few weeks ago had been there and seemed to be the leader of the group. The being had been wearing beautiful white robes, from what Nastan remembered.

That was all he could recall. The rest was a blank, although he thought he’d heard the names ‘Masqouth,’ ‘Wyoko’ and ‘King of Life’ thrown around, whatever those terms meant.

Nasis sat up in his bed, one hand on his forehead, and looked around. His room wasn’t very big, but it was not what he considered small.

Besides the bed he sat upon, there was a rack of weapons on the wall to his right. Being a Toa of Iron, he was often creating new weapons and that rack always contained his newest assortment of tools. Right now, there was an axe, a sword, and a shield on it, all of which he had created within the last week or so. Old weapons that he didn’t need any more he gave to the other Toa, or to the Chofier, the heroes of the Tagiki.

Over to the left was a desk with several metalworking tools on it. Tools may seem pointless if one is a Toa of Iron, but to Nasis it was a lot easier to use tools to work on complex metal projects than to use elemental powers precisely.

Above his desk was a window, which was currently closed. Streams of light, however, sneaked in through the cracks, which let him know it was early in the morning.

He scratched his head and then got up. Last night he and Ahova had heard some tales from Toa Laomos for a few hours before heading to bed. He didn’t remember which stories Laomos had told them specifically, but he had enjoyed the time spent with Ahova. Somehow it had just seemed good to him, but he didn’t want to think about it. The last thing he needed to do was fall in love. When the Time Stone was missing, there was not much time for love, in his opinion, although he entertained the idea anyway.

Just as he yawned, he heard a loud buzzing noise just outside his window. Puzzled, Nasis walked over to the aperture and opened the shutters, which revealed the source of the buzzing: A Nui Rama, a large wasp Rahi, flying right in front of his window, buzzing so loudly Nasis wondered how he had not noticed it until just now.

The sight of the orange Rahi caused Nasis to jump back in surprise and pull the sword off the rack behind him before he realized who this Nui Rama must belong to. This suspicion was confirmed when he saw a bag that looked like it contained stone tablets hanging from its neck.

Then the door to his room burst open and Ahova and Kijaka barged in.

“Nasis!” Ahova said as she and the Toa of Water stopped. “We heard sounds in your room and thought-“

She stopped when she and Kijaka saw the Nui Rama buzzing outside the window.

“Oh,” said Ahova, pointing at the Rahi like she wasn’t surprised. “That’s what it was.”

“What is that thing doing here?” Kijaka demanded in disgust, taking a step back as the Nui Rama continued to buzz. “Is it wild or something?”

“No,” said Nasis as he reached out the window and tore the bag off of its neck. “It’s from Kafor, that Skakdi we told you about.”

The Nui Rama quickly buzzed away, much to Nasis’ confusion. He had been about to get the gold armor – which he had been working on since he had returned to Tanjo Nui a few weeks ago – and tie it to the Nui Rama. Why had the Rahi left before Nasis could attach Kafor’s payment to it?

Ahova – apparently ignoring the speedy departure of the Rahi – quickly walked over to Nasis and asked, “Kafor? You mean-“

Nasis, who felt a little strange at how close Ahova was standing to him, nodded and said, “Yeah. She probably got the information we asked her to find. Let’s see what we’ve got.”

Nasis opened the bag and pulled out a long tablet. It looked like a list of artifacts stolen by the Dark Hunters this month; a very short list, probably due to the war.

“So? What does it say?” said Ahova eagerly as Kijaka walked over to take a look, too. “Does it say anything about the Time Stone?”

Nasis scanned the contents quickly, but to his disappointment, he saw no mention of the Time Stone anywhere.

“Nothing,” said Nasis disappointedly. “No Time Stone. Looks like the Dark Hunters didn’t steal it.”

“Are you sure?” asked Kijaka as she reached in the bag for another tablet. “Then what does this say?”

Ahova and Nasis looked at what she found. It was a short letter from Kafor, which read:

Toa Nasis,One of the tablets which I have sent to you is the complete list of items stolen by the Dark Hunters this month, including dates, locations from which they were stolen, agents who stole them, and other important information. My contact assured me that it is up-to-date and complete.

Also, I have one warning for you. My contact says the Shadowed One learned of the Time Stone’s theft shortly after our discussion and says the Shadowed One is sending one of his best agents to Tanjo Nui to investigate the rumors. Although I care little for you or your island, I would suggest keeping an eye on your ports for any suspicious-looking ships.From,

Kafor.

“The Shadowed One knows already?” said Nasis in shock. “How-?”

“No idea,” said Ahova, clearly troubled. “I thought no one had followed us.”

“Clearly, you two were dead wrong on that,” Kijaka said as she glanced at the tablet again. “Someone must have followed you two without either of you knowing.”

“We should have brought along a Suletu or something,” said Nasis angrily. “Then we would have known if there were any eavesdroppers.”

“Well, what’s past is prologue, Nasis,” said Ahova, cheerfully. “There’s no reason to stress out. We just gotta watch out for that Dark Hunter – whoever he is – and wait for Isarot and Kiriah to return. If the Hunters don’t have the Stone, then Isarot and Kiriah are probably on its trail even as we speak.”

Nasis shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right. But I think we should keep also check out the Temple. The Shadowed One probably sent his agent recently. If he’s already here, then he may have headed straight to the Temple in order to find out if the Time Stone is still there or not.”

“Then we should head there as well,” said Ahova. “We don’t want those Hunters to think they can just go wherever they want to on our island, right?”

“Right,” said Nasis, nodding. “But first, we’ll have to tell Klio and Kolora and the other Toa about this. Then we’ll set up an ambush there.”

“Then let’s get going already,” said Kijaka impatiently. “I don’t like Dark Hunters and I especially don’t like them when they are on my island. Let’s go.”

Review Topic.

Chapter 13: The Expedition Begins

Isarot.

We made landfall at World’s End in just a few hours, as Ehlek had said. Once the ship was anchored at the shore, a long ramp was built that would allow me and the Rofficans to haul the ship’s cargo out onto the beach. According to Amphibax, the plan was that the crew would stay here for a few weeks before heading back north, during which time Ehlek would do whatever it is he came here to do. Of course, neither Ehlek nor Amphibax knew that Kiriah and I would probably leave sooner than that, but I didn’t want to tell either of them that.

Krekka and I worked together to haul a huge box of food down to the beach. During these past few days, Krekka had become sort of a friend to me. He wasn’t much of a talker, but he didn’t seem like a particularly bad person. I wasn’t as close to him as I was to Kiriah, true, but I trusted him more than the other sailors at least.

I leaned against the hard, wooden crate and looked out at World’s End. It was a large island, it seemed, although probably not as big as Tanjo Nui. The cool sea breeze blew in from the north, but the island itself felt strangely hot. A deep jungle stood before us and in the center appeared a huge mountain or perhaps dormant volcano. There was no sign of any inhabitants, although I thought I caught a gleam of eyes from within the thick darkness of the jungle. Still, it was eerily quiet – almost unnaturally so – and, although I would never admit it to Krekka, I secretly desired to get as far away as possible from this place for reasons I cannot say.

Then I felt Krekka’s powerful hand tap my shoulder, nearly dislocating my arm. I turned around and saw Krekka looking down at me, obviously worried.

“You afraid of island?” asked Krekka as he and I began walking up the ramp back to the ship, for there was still more cargo to haul.

Surprised by the question, I said, “Um, what makes you think that, Krekka?”

“You look nervous,” Krekka replied as a pair of sailors walked past us, chatting to each other.

“Well, I, um . . .” I wasn’t sure what to say.

“No worry,” said Krekka as he patted me reassuringly on the back (nearly breaking it in the process). “I don’t like island either. Scary and strange. I hope we leave soon.”

“Yeah, I guess I do, too,” I said as we descended into the cargo hold. “I’m no coward, but this island does seem a little off.”

“Off, yes,” said Krekka as he and I heaved a huge crate and proceeded to carry it out of the hold. “I stay on ship until we leave.”

“If Ehlek will let you do that,” I added under my breath.

We spent the better part of the morning hauling out cargo, which was almost literally backbreaking work. Most of the crates seemed to hold food or other supplies, but there were a few that seemed far too heavy to contain mere food. I was half-tempted to open up one of these weightier boxes and look inside myself, but I knew Ehlek would probably have me killed on the spot for treason or disrespect for his property or whatever other reason he could think of.

As we worked, I noticed Ehlek and Amphibax leave the ship and stand on the shore of World’s End, talking to each other in low tones. Ehlek had a small wooden box in his hand, about the size of the Time Stone, but I didn’t know what was in it or why he was holding it so close to his body like that. Not that I had much time to think about Ehlek and his mysterious package, because hauling heavy cargo tends to distract you from everything else.

At long last, Krekka and I, with the aid of another Roffican, heaved the last crate out of the ship and onto the sandy shore. Once we roughly placed it on the sand (there was no particular reason to be gentle, because the box was so big), I nearly fell backwards onto the ground in exhaustion. Instead, I sat on one of the smaller boxes to rest briefly and observe the area more carefully than I had before.

Sailors were coming out of the ship now and onto the beach. Some were stretching their limbs, obviously relieved that their long journey had finally come to an end. Others were eyeing the jungle and mountain apprehensively. Still others were chatting normally, as if they did not sense the strangeness of the island. I wondered if it was only Krekka and I who felt it, when I suddenly saw a familiar Toa walk – or rather, stumble – down the ramp toward me.

“Hey, Kiri,” I said, watching as the Toa of Psionics regain her balance and begin walking toward me again. “They’ve finally let you out of prison?”

“Yeah,” said Kiriah as she stretched her arms and legs. “Now that we’re actually here, I think Ehlek wants to keep me where he can see me.”

“He looks more concerned about that little box he’s carrying than he is about you,” I commented, pointing at the Barraki, who was still talking to Amphibax.

“Little box?” Kiriah repeated, looking in the direction I was pointing. Then an expression of dawning comprehension spread across her face. “That’s the Time Stone!”

“The Time Stone?” I said, looking at her in shock. “You sure?”

“Yes, I am,” said Kiriah empathetically. “I mean, the Time Stone isn’t the box, but is inside-“

“Who’re you?” said Krekka suddenly, which caught me by surprise. He’d been so quiet I had forgotten Krekka was there.

“Oh, Krekka, this is Kiriah,” I said, looking from Krekka to Kiriah and back. “She’s my friend. Kiriah, this is Krekka, that Roffican I told you about a few days ago.”

“Oh, um, hello, Krekka,” said Kiriah, holding out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Hello,” said Krekka as he seized her hand and shook it. I imagined Kiriah felt just as shocked as I did when he had first shook my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Kiriah held her arm, which looked a little broken, and for a moment there was awkward silence among the three of us. Then I cleared my throat and said to Krekka, “Um, Krekka? Would you be willing to go see if Ehlek or Amphibax or someone else needs some help? Please?”

“Okay,” said Krekka brightly. “I’ll go find someone to help.”

Krekka lumbered off. I was not particularly surprised that it had been so easy to convince him to leave us alone, because in my opinion, although he was a generally nice guy, he wasn’t all that bright. Then I turned back to Kiriah and asked, “So what was that you were saying about the Time Stone?”

After looking around the area to make sure no one was eavesdropping, Kiriah said in a low tone, “I was saying that Ehlek has the Time Stone in that box, most likely.”

“Then let’s get it and get out of here now that we know where it is,” I said as I got to my feet, ready for action.

“But you don’t understand, Isarot, I think it is a different Time Stone than the one we’re looking for,” said Kiriah hurriedly. “The Olmak doesn’t detect its signal. Instead, the signal is still coming from the south, from that huge mountain over there. Ehlek’s Stone is not ours. It’s the Time Stone of this universe, not of ours.”

“Oh, right,” I said, although I still watched Ehlek anyway. “Sorry. I thought that was ours he had. You sure it’s not?”

“It isn’t, as far as I know,” said Kiriah, nodding. “I just said the Olmak isn’t picking up its signal, so-“

“Lord Ehlek requests you,” said a voice behind us, causing us both to jump, startled. “Or are you too busy talking to obey your king’s commands?”

We turned and saw Amphibax, long, spindly arms hanging at his sides, glaring at us like we had done something wrong. I almost allowed panic to override my critical thinking process. Had Amphibax overheard our conversation? Did he hear us talking about the Time Stone and alternate universes? Or did he only hear a little or perhaps nothing at all?

Swallowing my fear, I said, “Lord Ehlek has requested us?”

“Yes,” said Amphibax. His expression was impossible to read at the moment. I hoped Kiriah was reading his mind to find out what he was thinking, but considering how slow-witted she was at times I doubted it. “Lord Ehlek is planning an expedition into the jungle and has requested you two. I will lead you to his tent.”

-

Amphibax lead us to a large tent that must have been constructed fast, for it had not been there last time I had looked at that spot. I saw a large, empty crate nearby, which I assumed is what the canopy had been brought in. A couple of Rofficans were guarding the entrance like bodyguards, but they allowed us in when Amphibax told them to.

There wasn’t much furniture inside the tent. There was a wide, simply designed wooden table in the middle, with Ehlek standing over it, poring over what looked like a map. He didn’t even seem to notice us as we entered. Instead, one of his claws was resting on the very center of the map, as though he was contemplating his next move.

“I have returned, Lord Ehlek, and have brought the Toa and Tagiki with me, as you ordered, sir,” said Amphibax as he bowed respectfully. We bowed, too, although I didn’t like it.

Ehlek looked up, but his expression didn’t change much upon seeing us. “As much as I hate to admit it, you are both necessary for my plan.”

“What plan, um, sir?” I asked.

“Do you not know why we are here in the first place, Tagiki?” Ehlek growled. He glared at Kiriah and snapped, “I thought you had already told your friend why we are here.”

“Oh, I forgot about that,” said Kiriah, looking a little embarrassed. “Um, sorry.”

I looked at Kiriah, confused. Had Ehlek told her something that she was supposed to tell me? I hadn’t known that. Then again, despite being a Toa of Psionics, Kiriah was a pretty forgetful person, so it actually wasn’t very shocking that she happened to forget something important like that.

“Well, since I want to get this underway before sundown, I will inform you of World’s End, since I hate commanding ignorant fools,” said Ehlek.

Once he began, I realized that I was already well-acquainted with the legend. The only thing I didn’t understand was where the sea monsters came from, since the legend I’d heard hadn’t mentioned anything about sea monsters. Besides that, though, this universe’s tale of World’s End was almost exactly the same as our own. I found that odd, but considering all of the other strange things I’d already experienced I didn’t question it.

“As for why we are here, it is because I know the answers to my questions lie here, on this island,” Ehlek finished.

“Answers to your questions . . . ?” I repeated.

“The dreams will make sense,” Ehlek murmured as he looked at the map again. Now that we were closer, I could tell he was charting a route, because there seemed to be a lot of scribbles on the map. “All of them. The beings I saw . . . the Olmak, the Time Stone . . . even the voices in my head will become clearer . . . .”

I figured I knew where the voices in his head were coming from, but because I wanted to keep my head I kept my mouth shut.

“That is why I brought this!” Ehlek exclaimed as he slammed the small wooden box I had seen earlier onto the table without warning. “The cloaked one told me to bring the Time Stone to this island, World’s End, and then all would be made clear. A fool’s quest, some might call it, but I must know the answers. I must!”

I eyed both Ehlek and the box carefully. Ehlek looked crazy and I was prepared to fight him in case he should suddenly spring on us for no reason.

As for why I kept an eye on the box . . . well, even though I had told Kiriah I wasn’t going to steal this Time Stone, I just wanted to make sure I knew where it was, in case I had to protect it. Or take it, if necessary, but I wasn’t going to steal it. That would be wrong.

“Now I am sure you both are wondering why I summoned you here,” said Ehlek, looking at Kiriah and me again. “It is because I am about to go on an expedition into the jungle, to the center of the island where the answers to my questions lie. I have great need of your Olmak, Toa, for I know that there must be some kind of connection between that mask and my dreams.”

I remembered the tablets he’d given us on our first day here, but I wasn’t so keen on going into an unexplored jungle alone with a lunatic like him. I figured we’d have to enter that jungle eventually, because according to Kiriah that was where our Stone seemed to be, but if we could go alone without Ehlek or any of his men following us, that would be ideal.

So I said, “Don’t you have an Olmak of yours that you can use instead? Why do you need ours, sir?”

“We had originally brought an Olmak along, but lost it when a sea monster attacked our ship and created a large hole in the hold,” said Amphibax. I noticed he had somehow gotten next to Ehlek without any of us knowing. “We nearly lost the Time Stone as well, but the Rofficans managed to repair the hole before it got any bigger. That is why the Stone was no longer kept in the hold, lest another attack like that should happen again and we lose it for good.”

“We almost turned back because of the loss of the Olmak,” said Ehlek. “But of course, I wasn’t going to let that stop me. We went straight ahead and eventually found you two, drowning in the sea. It is a lucky thing Amphibax saved you otherwise we would not have gotten another Olmak in our possession.”

“That was you?” Kiriah asked Amphibax, surprised. “You saved us when we first got here?”

“Yes,” replied the amphibian, nodding. “I was the only one willing to see what was out there. It seems I made a wise, although debatable, decision to save you both.”

“Debatable?” Kiriah repeated incredulously, before Ehlek continued.

“Anyway, if you two try to run I will personally make sure you don’t make it off of this island alive,” said Ehlek. “Understood?”

Kiriah and I both nodded, but I began making plans to separate from their group anyway.

“Good,” said Ehlek, although he didn’t sound very happy. “Now I will be recruiting a few others to join us on this expedition soon, perhaps a couple of the Rofficans in case we run into any . . . unknown threats.” He looked at Amphibax and asked, “Do any of the legends mention any sort of mythical Rahi, besides the sea monsters we’ve already encountered?”

“Yes, my lord,” said Amphibax, nodding. “World’s End is supposed to be inhabited by the ghosts of the Great Beings’ failed creations, but that is of course ridiculous.”

“I agree,” said Ehlek. “Sea monsters are believable, for my people in their underwater homes have been menaced by similar creatures in the past. However, I have yet to see proof of any ghosts anywhere. At worst there might be some unknown Rahi here, but I am sure they will be nothing we can’t take care of.”

He looked at Kiriah and I and, pointing at the entrance, barked, “Go outside and prepare. We’ll be leaving in ten minutes. Amphibax, pick three or four of the strongest-looking Rofficans you can find and take along that Matoran Chronicler, Niham. We’ll need something to distract any Rahi we run into with and considering she’s just deadweight we can sacrifice her if necessary.”

“Sacrifice . . .?” Kiriah gasped. “A Matoran? You mean let her get eaten by whatever’s lurking in that jungle?”

“As I said, if necessary, yes,” said Ehlek, glaring at Kiriah now. “Do you have any objections? I can easily quell them with my claws, you know.”

Kiriah’s hands were balled into fists. I could tell she was pretty angry and thought she might try to attack Ehlek if he provoked her further.

Because I figured a fight would only be pointless and messy, I gently but firmly placed a hand on Kiriah’s shoulder and said to Ehlek, “No, she doesn’t have any objections, sir.”

“Good,” said Ehlek as he went back to his map. “Then leave at once. I don’t want to be forced to suffer your presences any longer.”

Guiding Kiriah, we followed Amphibax through the tent flap and back onto the beach. While Amphibax went to find the Rofficans and the Matoran Niham, I lead Kiriah over to a nearby open crate and began digging through it while Kiriah glared at Ehlek’s tent, like she hoped to set it on fire simply by staring at it.

“Did you hear what he said?” said Kiriah angrily. “He just wants to bring that Matoran along simply to feed the beasts if they try to attack us!”

“Well, he said if necessary,” I said as I lifted up a Cordak blaster. I was rummaging through this box of weapons and spare armor, looking for anything we might need on our expedition. The blaster was too big, though, so I dropped it and continued to search for something smaller to use. “This island is pretty quiet, isn’t it? Maybe there is no life on it. That Matoran may not have to be used as bait, you know.”

“I know, but I still don’t like the idea,” said Kiriah. I could just imagine her folding her arms right now. “A Matoran is a living being, not live bait. It’s wrong to use her that way. Besides, we’ll probably be more than enough for whatever happens to be lurking in there. No reason to endanger a Matoran’s life like that, in my opinion.”

I didn’t respond to that. Instead, I found a couple of knives that I thought might be useful, which I stuck in my bag that had been given to me by Amphibax the day after I was put to work in the hold. I looked at Kiriah – who, just as I had suspected, had her arms folded and was still glaring at tent – and said to her, “Well, since I doubt Ehlek’s going to change his mind just because you’re upset, maybe you want to get some extra weapons to bring along or something? So you don’t get killed?”

“I already have my sword,” said Kiriah irritably, holding up her crescent blade. “I don’t need any other weapons. It’s Niham I am worried about.”

“Yeah, well, you might want to bring along a couple of extra knives or something anyway,” I said. “It was one of those extra knives of mine that saved us from our first encounter with the Anicans, remember?”

“It was?” asked Kiriah, throwing a quizzical glance my way.

“Oh, that’s right, you were unconscious at the time,” I said as I closed the crate and pulled out one of the knives. “Well, that is what saved us anyway. Never underestimate the power of one tiny knife.”

I tossed the knife her way, which she caught in midair with her telekinesis. She asked in alarm, “Why’d you nearly impale me with that?”

“I was just trying to give it to you,” I replied, annoyed. “Just in case your sword turns out to be less-than-ideal, you know?”

“Whatever,” Kiriah sighed as she put the dagger in her bag. “I just hope we don’t run into any monsters so we don’t have to use anyone as a distraction.” She looked at the silent jungle and added, “Considering how quiet this place is I wonder if there is any life here at all. Besides those ghosts Amphibax mentioned, that is.”

“Ghosts don’t exist,” I said, shaking my head as I sat on top of the crate. “Like Ehlek said, there’s no proof. But this island does seem eerily quiet. I haven’t even heard the wind blowing. Almost like all sound just stops here for some reason.”

Kiriah shivered and said, “Well, whether ghosts are real or not, I say we get the Time Stone and get out of here as soon as possible. This place gives me the creeps.”

I nodded as I watched the rest of the sailors. Because there was no more equipment to haul off the ship, the sea faring men of Ehlek were now unpacking supplies, chatting, resting, and a few were eyeing the huge mountain in the middle of the island. I looked at it myself, for it was easily the largest thing on World’s End, dwarfing everything around it for miles.

The mountain had a strange shape, too. It almost looked like a giant coliseum, like the one I’d heard about that existed in Metru Nui, except with a surface made of hard rock and was probably not as large, although having never seen the Great Coliseum in person I could not make a fair comparison between the two. Still, it was easily the largest mountain I’d ever seen in my life. I only hoped I wouldn’t have to climb it, because it looked way too big to scale without special equipment.

I glanced at Kiriah and whispered, “Is the Time Stone nearby?”

Kiriah nodded and said, “Oh, yes. In fact, the signal is stronger now than it has ever been before. That must mean it is right here, somewhere on this island.”

“I guess that means our journey is nearly at an end,” I said. I looked around and saw Amphibax – standing among a small group of sailors, Ehlek among them – gesturing frantically for us to come. “Come on, Kiri. Looks like they’re just about ready to start the expedition.”

So the two of us walked over to the crew of the expedition, I wondering if we were ready for whatever might be lurking in the jungle. That is, if there was anything for us to be prepared for in the first place.

Review Topic.

What no light sabers I'm out of here. Who am I kidding I can't leave an epic written by TNTOS simply because there are no sith light sabers. I'm glad you appreciate my reviews, and you're right about me becoming a better reviewer. I think I starting to get some kind of editor vision. Now if I could only do that with my English assignments. It's like my way of saying thank you for all those times you've reviewed a story of mine. It also brings back memories of when I first joined BZP to post an epic. Plus it helps my post count which is dangerously low.I think I'm continue reading DiH or DiHToT can't decide.P.S. I can't see the moon from where I'm at but I don't there is a blue moon tonight. I check and get back to you on that.

Read both .

now that its morning and i am no longer tired i will give some actual feed backfirst of all i haven't been here because i have just now figured out what the redirect on bzpowers home page was for (i wonderd why i was the only one on the old bzp)second reviewsi kind of see how this ties in to the shika nui epicsbut it wasn't how i expected it wouldon the ship my first inpression was that all the barrike(miss spelled) were on the ship and i thought that the beaing that brought them up was kalma(again miss spelled)i like how your wrighting this epic for bionicle fans that have grown up in a way so it is still vary interesting"Kiriah and I had just appeared out of nowhere, with a mask he had seen in his dreams, and had given an extremely fishy story."elecks(3rd miss spelled name) crew just dragged them out of the wateranyone want to guess what i am getting at here :sly:muharax there is sith herethe black cloaked being is a sith lordwhy else would he wear a black cloakwell that's all now on to the other story

Thank you for the longer reply, herv . Really appreciate it.I didn't write this epic with older BIONICLE fans in mind, necessarily. I just happened to write it this way because I can do whatever I want with fanfiction and this just happens to be the way I write. Glad you like it anyway, though.Yes. Ehlek's crew dragged the two out of the water and afterwards they gave him a fishy story. Heh.Anyway, since tomorrow is Friday, that means it'll be another chapter of DiH and also TOT. So stay tuned until then, faithful readers!-TNTOS-

i am the only one heresadany who the store is great and there was a beg twisti thought that raider was actually sent to steal the time stoneyou think ahead and i like story's that do thatwell that's all fokes

I do find the lack of comments on this epic a bit strange. It has less chapters than DiH and the chapters are all quite short compared to DiH's chapters. I guess as it is updated less frequently than DiH and is less important, which could explain the lack of reviews.Anyway, thanks for the reply. Yes, Raider was sent just to see if the Time Stone was actually stolen, not to steal it. I thought Syala said that at the end of "An Unlikely Alliance," but perhaps it wasn't clear enough. I don't remember.-TNTOS-

That's great. I was starting to get a bit bored of the banner over the top anyway.-TNTOS-

Wow. Two replies in a row. There must be a blue moon out tonight .@herv: I haven't seen you in a while, but thanks for replying anyway. Nice to see you're still around.@muharax: Thanks for the fairly detailed review on chapters 2-4. It's always great whenever someone takes the time to specifically point out what they like and dislike about my stories (and why they like/dislike it). It helps me, as a writer, quite a bit, and I am sure it helps you become a better reviewer, too.Technically, Kiriah does not have a crush on Nasis. Her desire to do something impressive enough to attract Nasis's attention and offer her membership in the Toa Tanjo is so strong that it sometimes appears she's attracted to him, although that is not the case.Yes, Isarot thought she had a crush on him, but keep in mind that in this story, both Isarot and Kiriah unconsciously let their own biases and prejudices influence their point of views. Isarot doesn't know everything that goes on in Kiriah's head. He's simply judging by what he has seen and heard and to him it appears that Kiriah has a crush on Nasis, although in reality that is not true.No. The Republic idea isn't a shout out or reference to GitS, because to be honest it has been a while since I last read GitS and I don't remember that much about it. I should probably reread it, though, because I don't remember ever actually finishing it.Actually, I imagine the Anicans to be similar to the Vahki, except stronger, slimer, taller, and less varied (as in, there is really only one type of Anican, while there are at least six different kinds of Vahki). I didn't intend on referencing Anakin Skywalker's name, but I agree the two names look, sound, and are spelled similar (but rest assured there is no chance of the entire Anican police force suddenly turning to the Dark Side and getting cool red light sabers). And I definitely didn't base them on the Slenderman, either, so any resemblances between them and it are just coincidences.Again, thanks for the detailed reply. I always appreciate them, no matter whether they're mostly positive or mostly negative (although I admit I always like the positives ones best ).-TNTOS-

Random Bionicle: HEY GUYS! I’M TAKING OFF MY PANTS!The random Bionicle took off his pants (which he was wearing why...), danced in his boxers, and stage dived into the crowd, which dodged, causing him to smack into the ground.Random Bionicle: WOOO! I HAVE NO PANTS!

He was wearing pants because this is a kids' comedy. Can't have nudity in a kids' comedy, after all.

Mr. Rollover flew back after having been hit with the wrecking ball. Why the bulldozer had a wrecking ball...well, it was just that awesome. I ain’t no demolition expert.

The bigger question is where Mr. Rollover came from, but I digress.Anyway, good chapter. Looks like Kaza and Alex are gonna have to get a move on if they want to get all of the Jewels before Kurahkzon does. Keep writing!-TNTOS-

Thanks for the comment, PB . Really appreciate it.Also, it does tie-in to my other stories, as you correctly noticed. In fact, I think a few characters from this short story will be making appearances in some of my later fics. Just a fun fact.-TNTOS-

Chapter 12: At World’s End

Kiriah.

“Did anything interesting happen on your way back here?” I asked Isarot the instant he entered the room. “Any fights or mutinies break out that I wasn’t aware of?”

“No,” said Isarot wearily as he walked over to a hammock and fell down on it like a rock. “Had to do some repairs on the bottom of the ship, though, because of that violent storm earlier. Apparently my job also includes being a shipwright. At least Krekka knows a thing or two about ship repair, so the job went by fairly quickly.”

“You’re lucky,” I said miserably as I curled up on my hammock and stared out of the porthole at the now-calm sea, which just a few hours ago had been attacked by a raging storm. “At least you get to go out and about. Me, I’m stuck in here, with my only friend being the Olmak. The signal just keeps getting stronger and stronger and I can’t shut it off for even a moment.”

Isarot threw an irritable glance at me and snapped, “Lucky? What’s so lucky about having to be cooped up inside a smelly, dirty cargo hold all day with a dozen other guys who either ignore you or hate your guts, with the threat of being crushed by huge, heavy boxes always hanging over your head? I’d rather sit in here, keeping an eye out for the Time Stone, than in the hold without a hint of where we’re going. The only good thing is they’ve allowed me to take breaks to visit you briefly.”

“Well, whatever,” I said as I turned over in my hammock. “I hate being locked up like this, even if it supposedly for my own ‘protection.’ I can handle a bunch of morons who can’t keep their minds on their work. Doesn’t Ehlek realize that?”

“I think he keeps you here because he doesn’t trust us,” said Isarot. “Think about it. You’re a Toa of Psionics with an unknown level of control over your element. Since he doesn’t know whether you’re trustworthy or not, he probably thinks you might try to take control of the minds of his crew and turn them against him.”

I looked over my shoulder at Isarot in disbelief. “Really? Does he honestly believe that?”

Isarot shrugged. “That is more or less what I’ve inferred from my conversations with Amphibax. Ehlek’s paranoid, and his paranoia is getting worse the closer we get to our unknown destination. I believe that’s why you’re down to only one meal a day now, Kiri.”

“So he’s starving me because he doesn’t trust me,” I said. “Definitely paranoid.”

“Anyway, I don’t even know what we’re still doing here,” said Isarot as he sat back up and glanced out the window. “We’ve been with these guys for what, three days now? Are we any closer to finding the Time Stone than when we first got here?”

“Well, the signal is still going strong,” I said. “Actually, it’s been getting stronger the farther south we go. That’s about the only good news I have, though, but I guess it’s better than nothing, right?”

“That is good news, I agree,” said Isarot as he flexed his fingers. That was a habit he seemed to have picked up these past few days, probably from the Rofficans in the hold. “Yet we still do not know where we are going.”

“Have you asked anyone?”

“I’ve asked loads of people,” said Isarot, obviously frustrated. “Amphibax, Krekka, random sailors I bump into on the ship, but not a single one will tell me anything, per Ehlek’s orders. I even tried to ask Ehlek himself about it, but he got a bit angry at me for asking and . . . well, that’s where I got this scar right here.” He pointed at his chest, where a deep wound made by three claws was visible. “Haven’t asked anyone else since.”

“I’ve tried to read peoples’ minds whenever they come to give me my meal,” I said, just as frustrated as Isarot, “but they’re usually not thinking much more than, ‘Why do we have to share our food with someone we don’t even like?’ It’s frustrating to say the least.”

“Well, at least we should be arriving soon,” said Isarot. “Remember what Amphibax told us when we first got here? How it was only a few days away? It’s been three days since, but I don’t think we’ve seen even the slightest speck of-“

At that moment, without warning, Amphibax burst into the room, looking quite out of breath as he stopped. Hands on his knees and panting slightly, he said to us, “Land has been sighted by our man in the crow’s nest.”

“Really?” I said, perking up at the news. “You mean-“

“Yes,” said Amphibax, now standing straight. He pointed at the porthole and said, “Just look out the window and you’ll see our destination.”

Excited, Isarot and I scrambled to the porthole and peered out of it, straight ahead just like Amphibax was pointing. Although it was far away, I could make out what looked like a tiny island in the distance. It was so far away I was surprised the guy in the crow’s nest had seen it, but it was definitely land and not some kind of gigantic sea monster or anything (at least I hoped it wasn’t, anyway).

“That little speck is our destination?” asked Isarot, squinting to get a better look. “What’s it called?”

“Well, since we’re almost there, I suppose I can at least tell you that,” said Amphibax. “It is called ‘World’s End,’ according to the ancient legends. I’ll tell you more once I speak with Ehlek about this. Good bye.”

With that, Amphibax turned around and exited the room, leaving us to stare longingly at the island in the distance. Although I was ecstatic about the fact we were finally going to be able to walk on land, my mind wandered a bit and analyzed the term ‘World’s End.’ It sounded familiar, but I just couldn’t place it.

So I asked Isarot, “Hey, doesn’t ‘World’s End’ sound familiar to you?”

Isarot took his eyes off the island and nodded and said, “Yeah, it does. I vaguely recall hearing a legend about something called ‘World’s End.’ Something about it being the final island created by the Great Beings. I can’t remember anything beyond that, however.”

“Well, at least we’re almost there,” I said, relieved. “I thought I was going to go crazy in here if we didn’t land soon.”

“You mean you aren’t crazy already?” asked Isarot with a smirk.I hit him on the arm and said, “Shut up. Let’s just wait a while. We’ll probably reach the island within a few hours, I bet.”

-

Since we were now nearing ‘World’s End,’ as Amphibax had called it, I was finally allowed to leave my room and come onto the upper deck (with Isarot, of course). Now I wish I hadn’t, for the top of the ship smelled like rotten fish, moldy wood, blood, corpses, and Mata-Nui-knows what else. I had a strong urge to return to my room, the scent of which I had gotten used to by now. Not to mention the air was pretty cold, too, uncomfortably gelid for my tastes.

Also, the ship itself looked terrible. I knew it had seen better days, but as Isarot and I walked along the deck, I could not help noticing the mold-green wood that seemed to be decaying beneath our feet. The sails looked like they’d been patched together several times, resembling a quilt more than real ship sails. I was amazed this thing had managed to stay together for as long as it did, but I supposed that the sailors must be competent shipwrights, too, otherwise I doubt this ship would have made it very far.

Anyway, we weren’t out here to see the ship. Isarot and I joined the large crowd of sailors that had gathered at the forecastle of the ship, near the bow. All of them were looking at the oncoming island in the distance, chattering excitedly because we were finally approaching our destination.

Isarot and I stood in the back, peering around the crowd of sailors at the island in the distance. I couldn’t make out many of its details still, but I did notice what appeared to be a large mountain in the center of the island, although whether it was actually a mountain or something else, I did not know.

“Finally . . .” I heard someone hiss behind me. “Our voyage is at an end . . .”

I looked over my shoulder and saw Ehlek looking longingly at the island. His eyes were focused on World’s End in the distance, so much that he didn’t even seem to notice me standing there. I moved a little bit out of his way, since I felt uncomfortable around him.

“The whole reason I went on this journey in the first place,” said Ehlek, resting his claws on the rusted iron railing of his ship. “I knew it existed. I knew it. And now the answers to my questions will be mine.”

“Um, excuse me for being rude, uh, sir,” I said, as respectfully as possible as I glanced back at the island. “But how do you know that that is the last island in the universe?”

Ehlek shot me an irritated, angry look and for a moment I feared he’d slice me up into bit-sized Toa pieces.

But instead, he gestured toward the distance and snapped, “Look beyond that island, Toa, and tell me what you see.”

I hesitantly turned away from Ehlek (I didn’t trust him not to try to kill me when I had my back turned, see) and squinted my eyes and looked just beyond the island. At first I saw nothing but clouds and never-ending blue sky . . . until I saw that the ‘never-ending’ blue sky ended right at what looked like a massive stone wall in the distance, similar to the kind that separated other islands from one another up north.

“I see a giant stone wall, just beyond World’s End,” I said. “Is that-“

“The last wall of the universe?” Ehlek finished for me. “Of course it is. There is nothing beyond that stone wall; World’s End is the last island. We can’t go any farther than that, but we don’t need to. We will reach that island and come for what we – for what I – wanted.”

Curious, I glanced at Ehlek and asked, “Uh, what’d you mean? Why’d you come all the way to the end of the universe, anyway? Looking for treasure? Power? What?”

Ehlek glared at me and snapped, “You will learn that soon enough, Toa. For now, we must prepare to land. I don’t want us to crash right before we get to World’s End because we were being careless.”

He then barked at the sailors, “Get to work! Prepare the anchor, arrange the cargo to be carried out, and do whatever it is you have to do to keep this ship in running order! We’re going to make landfall at World’s End in a few hours and our journey will be complete! Anyone who dillydallies will be thrown overboard! Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” came the rebounding chorus of sailors. Soon they had all scattered to do their jobs.

I saw Isarot walking off toward the cargo hold with a bunch of Rofficans, but when I tried to follow them, I felt three cold metallic claws grasp my shoulder painfully tight and, glancing over my shoulder, I saw Ehlek’s cold blue eyes staring into my own azure orbs. He didn’t look happy, which made me wonder what I’d done to get on his bad side. Was it because I asked too many questions? Or was I being disrespectful somehow? I didn’t know and was afraid of what he was going to do to me.

“Come with me, Toa,” said Ehlek. “Since I despise ignorant fools working for me, I must inform you of where we are going and why we are going there. At least when you die, you will realize what you were dying for.”

I didn’t like the sound of dying, but I was forced to follow, for Amphibax appeared and pushed me along after the warlord. Because I didn’t want to be thrown into the ocean, I followed Ehlek.

-

Upon entering the captain’s quarters, I realized it was probably the worst kept room in the entire ship, which I found odd because I thought Ehlek, being the king/captain and all, would have made sure it was in top condition for himself. The carpeting underneath our feet was rotted straight through in the middle, mold growing on parts of it. The walls, although nice-looking at first glance, had several deep cuts and gashes in them, made by Ehlek’s claws no doubt. A chair in the corner looked like a wild animal had torn it to pieces, while several bits of smashed stone dotted the room. It was also damp and cold, making me wonder how anyone could live in here for even a day, much less several months as Ehlek had.

But there was still some beauty to it, I suppose. The ceiling, although slightly leaky, looked pretty sturdy and thick. The curtains hanging on the windows were of a vivid red color, slightly faded, and brought to life by the light of the candelabra on the desk, which shone brightly and eerily. Ehlek’s bed, which was in one corner, looked like it was in bad shape, but at least it seemed less moldy than the carpeting.

It was only when I entered that I realized Amphibax had followed us and closed the door behind us. It was at that moment that it dawned on me that I was alone in a room with a half-crazed warlord and his loyal lieutenant . . . and I wasn’t afraid in the slightest. Odd, but I was known for delayed emotional reactions, so I figured my fear would catch up with me sooner or later.

“Sit down,” Ehlek barked at me as he took a seat behind his desk. I looked around and didn’t see any chairs, so I used my telekinesis to bring over the debris of the chair and sat on it, although it was uncomfortable. “Now, I suppose I should begin-“

“What about Isarot?” I interrupted suddenly.

Ehlek’s intense eyes gleamed as he growled, “You mean your Tagiki friend? He, too, will learn about World’s End eventually. But you . . . I believe that you will be useful and thus ought to know where we are going before we get there.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked, puzzled. “’Cause if you thought I was important-“

A strong, thick claw slammed into the back of my head, sending me sprawling to the floor hard. Whoever had struck me had hit me where the Anicans had earlier, doubling the pain that coursed through my skull. It was so bad I was barely aware of the cold, slimy hand hauling me back to my feet and back into my chair.

“That was Amphibax, teaching you just what happens when you speak disrespectfully to a Barraki,” Ehlek snarled as he laid his claws on the desk. “Anymore questions?”

I briefly glanced at Amphibax, who stood not far from me and looked like he was willing to smack me again if I said anything else he didn’t like. I looked back at Ehlek, my head still ringing with pain, and I said, “N-no, sir. No questions at all.”

“Good,” said Ehlek, satisfied. “Then listen up and I shall tell you a legend I am sure that you have heard before. It is a tale that is shared by all cultures of this universe, including my own. And I hope that by the end of it, you will realize why I am going to World’s End.”

Because I didn’t want Amphibax to bash my skull in again, I listened intently, ignoring the pain I felt.

Ehlek took a deep breath and said, “One hundred thousand years ago to this very day, the Great Beings finished constructing this universe. They gave all lands equal attention and detail and populated each island with species, such as Matoran, Skakdi, Vortixx, my own people the Kaeras, and so on.

“However, there was one island they left . . . unfinished, populated with their failures and mistakes. This island supposedly existed at the very end of the universe, in the south, beyond the unexplored island chains. This island was incomplete. The weather was crazy; it would rain all day every day for months on end and yet go for even longer without a single drop or dark cloud. It would become unbearably hot one minute and bitingly cold the next. Sea monsters of unimaginable strength and size supposedly roamed the seas, sinking and destroying any ships that dared come close. A ghost king was said to rule it. It was called ‘World’s End,’ for that was where the world ended. It was the very last island in the universe.”

Now I remembered that tale, although I wasn’t certain it was as famous in my universe as it apparently was in his. Also, I didn’t remember sea monsters in the version I’d heard. Regardless, though, his legend sounded similar to the one I’d heard a while ago from Toa Laomos, who was a big mythology geek.

Ehlek gestured to the window and said, “I know we are near World’s End now because the signs all point to it. Do you not remember the violent storm we had earlier? Yet now there is no sign it had happened at all. And we have run into many sea monsters since we have begun our journey. Right, Amphibax?”

“Indeed, sir,” said Amphibax, nodding. “I well remember when that giant Takea shark took out one of our other ships.”

“Not to mention that you can clearly see that giant wall of stone just beyond this island,” said Ehlek, who sounded very eager, almost excited. “This is definite proof that we’re nearly there. This cannot be any other island but World’s End.”

“Um, excuse me, sir, for being disrespectful, but isn’t World’s End just a legend?” I asked hesitantly. “Why’d you set out for it if no one knew if it really existed?”

At first I thought Ehlek was going to start raging at me and maybe even attack me. But instead he said, “Because, in my dreams, I was told it existed. Then a being in a black cloak informed me that World’s End existed and that I would find the answers to all of my questions there. He even gave me a map to reach it. Of course, the other Barraki believe I am merely looking for more lands to add to my kingdom, but they don’t know what I am really looking for. Nor will they, not until I have completed this voyage.”

I become more interested at the mention of the cloaked being and I asked, “Who was the black cloak guy, sir?”

“He did not tell me his name,” said Ehlek, with more than a hint of annoyance in his voice. “He appeared out of the blue one day, about a year ago. I believe he was a Toa, for he was about as tall as one and had the same air of arrogance about him that your kind usually has.”

I ignored that jab, although I did entertain myself with the thought of imagining what would happen if Ehlek’s chair were to ‘accidentally’ throw him off. It was almost too tempting to resist.

“He did not even tell me where he came from,” said Ehlek as he slammed his claws on the table, clearly angry now. “All he told me was that, if I brought the Time Stone to World’s End, I’d-“

“What do you mean ‘bring the Time Stone to World’s End?’” I asked without thinking. “Do you mean to say that you-“

I stopped and looked sideways at Amphibax, who was raising his claws again, which shut me up good. I only hoped Ehlek wouldn’t try to throw me off the ship or tear me to shreds or something for rudely interrupting him like that.

Fortunately, although Ehlek was clearly annoyed by my interruption, he only gave me another dirty look and said, “Yes, Toa, the Time Stone is on this ship, in this room. According to the cloaked being, I am supposed to bring it to World’s End. Then the dreams I have been having would be made clear to me. It may sound crazy, but I believe it is true, for the map he gave us has so far been one hundred percent accurate, more or less.”

The black cloaked being sounded like our thief, the one who had stolen the Time Stone in the first place. I had no idea if they were one and the same and the chances of the two being the same person seemed extremely remote to me. But if the Time Stone – our Time Stone that is – was in this universe and if the thief had it in the first place, then maybe Isarot and I might just retrieve it after all.

“Anyway, I believe that that is all there is to tell you,” said Ehlek as he rose from his chair. “You will return to your cabin until we reach World’s End. Then . . . let’s say I will find a use for you and your Olmak.”

I didn’t like the way he said he would find a use for me, but I was glad to leave his company anyway. Then another thought occurred to me and I asked, “Um, sir, why do you wear that dome with water on your head? Can’t you breathe air like the rest of us?”

You know, Isarot has always told me that I often ask stupid questions, but I had never known what that truly meant until just now.

Ehlek looked absolutely furious at me for even daring to ask that question. Without warning, he yelled, leapt on top of his desk, and slashed at me with blinding speed, so fast I couldn’t react until he’d dealt the blow. Then he kicked me off of my chair, sending me skirting to the middle of the room, safely out of the reach of his tri-claws.

Pain throbbing all over my body as I groaned, I looked up and saw Ehlek standing above me, his domed helmet reflecting the light of the sun streaming in from the open windows. His eyes looked like they belonged to a maddened beast now and again I worried for my life.

“My people are of the sea, ignorant and narrow-minded Toa,” Ehlek said in a low and threatening voice. “We cannot naturally breathe air like your people can. We are not even amphibious like Amphibax’s people are. Therefore, in order for me to rule on land, I must use this breathing apparatus, otherwise I will die. Understand that, Toa?”

Admittedly, it probably wasn’t very brave of me to cower in fear at this guy (he did have an awfully open weak spot, after all), but because I had already suffered some physical abuse today, I was too weak to do anything but nod. However, I did keep a mental note to inform Isarot about how Ehlek had treated me as soon as possible, if I found the right opportunity.

“Then go!” Ehlek shouted, turning around and stomping away from me. “Go, and stay in your cabin until I give you further orders. Amphibax, escort her back to her room so she doesn’t wander off and find her friend or get lost.”

“Yes, sir,” said Amphibax as he walked over to me. The amphibious being reached down and hauled me to my feet with tremendous strength. “Come on, Toa. You’ve got somewhere else to be and Lord Ehlek doesn’t need an air-breather distracting him.”

I willingly allowed Amphibax to steer me out of the room. I figured I would just sleep until we made landfall, because right now that’s all I wanted to do. Being attacked by a crazed warlord kind of makes you want to hide under your blankets for a long time.

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