Zatth

Exploration of a new dimension with a universe that changes constantly and seems to defy all known laws? Well, I'm enthralled!

Kudos especially on describing a very odd setting; I got the general gist of this ever-changing new dimension from the way you wrote it.

I'm excited to see what's next!

Whether or not this was an April Fools joke (and I sincerely hope it was), it looks like the questions have been answered.

Hooray for helpful members!

Topic closed.

I have no idea what those green things could be; this is a really interesting development!

(Just pointing out, I don't think you intended Ajura to thank "Mat Nui."

Ah, thanks for catching that! I would blame it on autocorrect, but I'm sure it was my deeply-rooted obsession with tapestries

Two months later, there's a new update!

Apologies for the lack of activity, but real life got in the way (it tends to do that, I've noticed )

Any comments are appreciated!

A Mystery Explored

Chapter 7

     Matoran, Vortixx, and other species scurried along, no doubt trying to get away from the noxious fumes. Ajura and Orde took one last look at the smoggy island, then started up the boat. After a few minutes, they finally felt confident that they could breathe normal air again.

     “Well, that’s an island I never want to visit again.”

     Ajura chuckled in agreeance. “Lucky for us, there’s a small island close from here where we can stop for a short while, restock on supplies, and breathe normal air while on land.”

     Orde took in a big gulp of air and then breathed out, as if highlighting this last point. “Saying that’s well-needed is an understatement at this point.”

     After half an hour, they finally began to see the contour of a small isle. Ajura and Orde began picking up their knapsacks, ready to stop for a short while before proceeding back to the Southern Continent. The island wasn’t too lush with wildlife, but rather seemed more of a dry terrain. A few huts here and there, but nothing too major or surprising.

     “They were settled by a small band of Matoran a few thousand years ago. They make their island available to any travellers who need their services.”

     “What, so this stop isn’t free?” Orde asked surprised.

     “No, of course not. They’re salespeople, looking to get their fair share of payment.”

     “You’d think they’d have shaken off some of their old habits,” Orde mused. He stretched a bit, hauled the knapsack over his shoulder, and stepped off the boat onto the dock. The island wasn’t too much to be amazed about; a few huts that differed by the kind of Matoran that inhabited them, what seemed like a bazaar judging by the fumes and noises coming from the other side of the island, and a few desert-based plants here and there. Bland and uninteresting, which was very much welcome to Orde at this point in the trip.

     He turned to see Ajura already discussing with one of the Matoran that worked at the dock to take care of the boat. Orde took in a big breath, thanked Mata Nui for the chance to breathe in normal air, and walked up to Ajura.

     “Anything interesting that you got out of that riveting conversation?” Orde teased.

     Ajura was packing up her remaining widgets after paying the Matoran. “Not much. They did mention a specialty dish we should try out while we’re here, but that was the only thing that stuck out.”

     “Well, it’s better that way. The faster we’re on our way to finishing this ordeal, the better.” Orde didn’t shy away from adventure; after all, he was a Toa. But he’d been left more weary and skeptical over the past few hours. Replaying much of their adventure in his head left him feeling uneasy, as if there was some greater force at play here.

     “Alright, then,” Ajura coaxed Orde as if he were a child. “We’ll pick up supplies, make sure the boat is good to go, and get off of this place. You’re starting to sound like the survivor of a Doom Viper attack-“

     Ajura’s thought was interrupted by a shattering sound that disrupted both their senses. Instinctively, Orde pushed away the newly-formed debris around him, trying to get himself back in focus. He noticed a Matoran-like figure running towards the docks. In front of Ajura and Orde were five mechanical quadrupeds. Their sickly-metallic green exoskeleton gleamed under the sunlight, forcing Orde to shield his eyes from the reflection. He turned to see Ajura getting up and unsheathing her Water Sabre. She began to whir the blade, summoning any nearby water to her aid. Orde in turn began to power up his Focus Gauntlets, feeling his Psychometry powers building up, quite literally, at his fingertips.

     He pushed back with one arm, and then pushed forward, sending a powerful burst of telekinetic energy. One of the creatures did not expect the attack, and was promptly sent tumbling backwards. The other four regrouped, avoiding their now fallen comrade. Ajura wasted no time, jumping in the air and bringing down the Water Sabre, creating a long whip of water that attempted to swat away another of the creatures. This time they were more receptive, and they all leapt upwards, narrowly avoiding the blow. Orde raced towards one of them in an attempt to switch to melee combat. He tried to uppercut one of the creatures, only for it to crank its neck around and avoid the blow. Orde was taken aback by the elasticity of the creature.

     He didn’t notice the way the creature’s arm bent to strike Orde on the left of his abdomen.

     Orde cried out in pain as the creature’s hand became a needle that impaled itself across Orde’s side. Ajura heard the scream and ran towards Orde, bringing her Sabre down on the creature’s arm. Sparks and buzzing flew from the creature’s socket, as the arm was detached from the creature. It didn’t seem to notice, but rather signaled to the other three creatures. They got off their attack positions, and began to retreat to the docks.

     Ajura wasn’t determined to let them go that easy. Summoning any droplets near them, she channeled her energies to make tens of tiny streams of water to flow towards the creatures. When she was sure that they were surrounded by the little streams, she willed the water to coalesce into a water hand that took hold of the four creatures in the middle of their escape. Ajura concentrated, and brought the fist down with all her strength, shaking the nearby huts. When she was finally sure that the creatures were knocked out and weren’t going to come to any time soon, she raced back to Orde.

     The wound was still there, but the needle had disappeared. No, not disappeared. Melted, more like it. Though the wound was gone, traces of a green metal were deeply embedded across Orde’s side.

     “Orde, can you hear me?!”

     A grunt of pain, wincing. And then, finally, he spoke.

     “We didn’t get to try that main dish they have here, but I think I just got a taste of their side.”

     Ajura shoved Orde, quietly thanking Mata Nui.

     Joking and alive. She’d take it.

     She helped him up, making sure that he was strong enough to walk. He slowly seemed to be regaining his strength.

     “Seriously, though, let’s not do that ever again,” he said as he limped towards the knocked out creatures. Ajura tried to focus on his heartbeat. She frowned. It seemed arrhythmic, and that was troubling to her. But Orde’s demeanour, while weak, didn’t seem to suggest anything out of the ordinary. She’d need to find out what the green-metallic substance was; though not much was clear now, it was still there, and could still pose a danger.

     “Orde, wait!” She noticed Orde slip from her grasp, running towards the mechanical creatures. He dropped on all fours, looking too closely at the creatures.

     “Ajura, they’re dead! Or disconnected, or something.”

     She ran towards Orde, partially to make sure he was right, partially to make sure he was all right.

     In effect, the creatures seemed to have turned off. No signs of life, no mechanical movement of any type, nothing. Ajura turned one of the creatures over, and it did nothing. A coordinated attack? A way to distract them? What had this been all about?

     Too caught up in the creatures, she barely noticed Orde slipping away again. Now he was running to the docks, and it looked like he wanted to swim.

     Which was odd, because Orde hated swimming.

     “Orde?”

     Nothing. No response.

     “Orde!”

     Finally, Ajura ran up to him, whirring him around.

     “Orde, do you not hear me? What’s going on?”

     But now she could see him up close. His eyes… they were changing colour. Almost imperceptibly, but the change was there. A sickness of some sort, and it was acting very rapidly. Orde seemed oblivious to his surroundings.

     “Alright, friend. Let’s go and get off of this island.”

     And then, more to herself than to her seemingly-delirious friend, “the sooner we’re done with this all, the better.”

Review Topic

Question answered by topic starter.

BY THE POWERS VESTED IN ME, I CLOSE THIS TOPIC ONCE AND FOR ALL!

Dear friend, fantastic MOCer, and all-around nice person and wonderful fella Brickeens is celebrating his berfday today!

I don't think there are many funny or silly ways to spin this topic (aside from bean core and parkour, I got nothing), so I'll allow y'all to congratulate dear Birks in whichever way suits you.

Me? I'll be sending a giant cyberhug to Brickeens, because WAT THE CEE YOU'RE 19 ALREADY

YAY!

Congrats, Scott! I'm sure you'll be awesome at the new job!

 

 

 

 An extremely tired Team Farm Animals huddled in the parking lot, having just dragged one of Pablo's monstrous creations to his car.

 

 

Sumiki

 

y u hurt me so

 

It's a labor of love, my friend.

 

The tiredness was due to the events of Vakama Eats Spam and Yo Yo Piraka, not necessarily lugging the Hagia Sophia across a parking lot.

 

HEY

IT WAS A HAGIA SOFIA, THE CATHEDRAL OF BARICHARA, POPORO QUIMBAYA, LEGO PORTAL GUN, 20 BIOICLE-BASED MOCS, AND THE GALLIFREY RISES DIORAMA.

ALSO KEK POWERIZER.

 An extremely tired Team Farm Animals huddled in the parking lot, having just dragged one of Pablo's monstrous creations to his car.

Sumiki

y u hurt me so

"Could I, uh … see the staff for a minute?" Brickeens asked.

 

Pablo, Sumiki, and Takuma stepped forward, grinning. Xaeraz slapped all three of them simultaneously.

Okay, you win. I audibly chortled.

Closed per request of the author.

Yes, you heard me right. He slaps. He laffs. He dances gracefully when you know his name, not his story.

He's all around a pretty swell guy, even if he can sometimes be quite silly. But you gotta love that quality of his as well! (Otherwise he'll slap you with Nick Bluetooth).

Without further ado, let's congratulate dear Xaeraz on a very happy 21st annibirthary!

Now go slap someone and be an adult.

I love how it's turning out! But weren't Kanoka invented long after the Barraki's reign? Perhaps you could change mentions of Kanoka launchers to generic "disk launchers."

Thanks for catching that, and for the suggestion! Certainly made the next chapter more coherent.

Speaking of, next chapter is up!

A Mystery Explored

Chapter 6

            Ajura asked again. “You’re entirely sure that you don’t find the waves at least mildly soothing?”

            Orde dipped his hand into the ocean. He left it there for three seconds, and then brought his hand back up. “Ajura, as a basic principle I don’t consider things that can kill me as soothing. Including water and liquid protodermis.”

            “Then that removes any known substance… and being.”

            “Well, yeah. Never have complete trust in anything or anyone, because unreliability is more prevalent than you’d think.”

            “So when did you get so philosophical?” asked Ajura. She began playing with a bubble of water. “It’s not like you’ve been thinking about this often, right?”

            “No,” he sighed. “It’s not my every waking thought, but it is something that I like to keep in mind.” He looked up at the clear sky. “You know, it’s like when you have a set of principles or laws of the universe that you guide yourself by. That’s one of mine.”

            “I hope that the first rule is to always make sure I’m happy,” she quipped.

            “Don’t worry, that’s the first 27 rules,” he smiled. “Rule 145, by the way, is to be wary of any and all Xians.”

            “Right. Back to business.”Ajura sat back up. The boat was going at a steady enough speed that it would take a few more hours to reach Xia. Until then, they could plan out their strategy. “What do we know?”

            Orde began to speak what he knew. “Xia. Manufacturer of weapons. Controlled by Pridak. Has an abnormally large and unusual mountain in the center.”

            Ajura nodded. “Good. So, weapons manufacturer. Who do we go to first?”

            “The records office. We’ll be able to find out either who creates disk launchers, or at least who made some kind of a transaction of a modified disk launcher.”

            One item off the list. “Next is Pridak.”

            Orde frowned. “Scary and volatile guy. Met him once while working under Icarax. If you think I have anger issues, wait until you cross him.”

            “So unpredictable ruler of the island. I’m gonna say we need to be as quiet and uneventful as possible?”

            “I’ll be on my best behavior,” Orde said.

            “And finally, that mountain. Should we consider it as a threat?”

            “If not a threat, at least an asset.”

            “How’s that?”

            “Why, that’s rule number 84! If something is a threat, you can also turn it into an asset.”

            “Alright, smug guy,” Ajura said. “One day I’ll test you on those rules, see how well you know them. And speaking of questioning you-“

            “As if you haven’t done so enough today,”

            “I meant to ask you. Two days before we left, you had some visitors drop by. Who were those Toa, I didn’t recognize them-“

            “They were no one. Just some old acquaintances. They came, we spoke, they left. Simple as that.” Ajura had never know Orde to back away from a topic or become so defensive. She thought it odd, but decided to give Orde some peace of mind.

            “Well, I’m here if you ever need to talk. In the meantime, I’ll take a nap. Maybe you’ll learn that water can, more often than not, really be soothing.”

            “This would be the time to commission a Mask of Air Purification,” Orde coughed. “I knew things were bad, but this kind of pollution?”

            “Yeah, well,” Ajura said as she pushed Orde. “Look at it this way; the sooner we do our thing the faster we’re off this island and the fumes.” The landscape wasn’t welcoming in any way. The large mountain, which seemed to smile at the Toa, was surrounded by sickly green clouds. Few birds were seen circling the mountain, but none at the top. The top seemed to be raining fiery tongues that shot downwards. When the fumes allowed one to look around the sight of towering structures made up the foreseeable horizon. The buildings looked crooked, as if ready to fall at a moment’s notice. How this could lead to production and manufacturing eluded Ajura. Since she didn’t want to stay long enough to ask such a question, she kept walking with Orde.

            A stray rock made Orde trip, and ingest the noxious fumes. He began coughing violently. Ajura panicked, making a bubble of water in case he needed some immediate healing. Before she could form the watery sphere, however, she felt a hand grabbing her shoulder and forcing her up. Orde was also forced to stand, and given some sort of apparatus to put over his mouth. Ajura was given a similar one. After taking in a deep breath, Ajura felt less light-headed. She could see color returning to Orde’s face. They looked up at a Vortixx standing behind them.

            “Tourists are always taken aback by the smell. I’ve always said, it’s costly to make these breathing things. Much easier to enact a mutation that can function on Xia and be turned off when leaving the island.”

            “Thanks, but… I think we’ll pass on those,” wheezed Orde. His lungs were clearing up, but he couldn’t let go off the presence of the gas.

            “Suit yourself, then. Which leads me to my next question. Why do we have two Toa visiting our island?”

            Ajura spoke up to let Orde rest a bit. “We’re here inquiring about some disk launchers.”

            “What kind? We have those retrofitted to Matoran, vehicles, Toa, you name it.”

            “It was… a different type of launcher. Modified.”

            The Vortixx smiled. She returned to a neutral face very quickly. “I see my modified disk launchers are getting some good press, then?”

            “In a way.”

            “What do you mean?”

            Ajura chose her words carefully. No need to anger a native. “We… saw one of these modified launchers. Wanted to know some specific details for Metru Nui.”

            The Vortixx looked puzzled. “We haven’t gotten any requests from Metru Nui for any inspection of specification of technical details for disk launchers.”

            “It’s a covert mission,” Ajura lied. “We were sent here to avoid surveillance from other organizations… they’ve been pestering us for a while and we don’t want to arouse any more suspicion.”

            “Toa hiding from the law?” The Vortixx smiled. “You’ve got my interest again. And I do love sowing some discourse.” She seemed to think again about the two of them. Finally she let go. “I’ll help you. But be warned, Toa, there might come the day when I find this organization and relay your treachery.”

            “Right. Duly noted,” Ajura answered. “Now, the modified disk launcher. Who did you sell it to?”

            “Well, I didn’t only sell it to one customer. Many were piping for my services, so you might need to consider a large list of applicants. Do you have any idea what the seller looked like?”

            Orde pulled out his sketch of the figure that had been with Kadira. The Vortixx looked closer into the drawing.

            “Oh yes, I remember him. Quiet customer, but nonetheless glad to have the modified launcher. I like to keep track of my customers, so you wouldn’t happen to know what he was doing with the launcher?”

            “He was last seen at the home of a Po-Matoran in the Tren Krom Peninsula.”

            “Say that again?”

            “Po-Matoran at the Tren K-“

            “Anywho, that’s also some more classified information,” Orde cut Ajura off. “And I don’t think any of it will be of any use.”

            “On the contrary, Toa. There is a Ta-Matoran called Vultraz. If our buyer was at the Tren Krom Peninsula, you can trust me when I say that Vultraz will know where to go.”

            “Right, great. Thank you for your help.”

            “Roodaka. The name’s Roodaka. Glad to have been of assistance.” She smiled, and suddenly Orde felt like the island itself wasn’t the most dangerous thing near him. He tugged Ajura so they could leave.

Review Topic

MY MORTAL ENEMY

WILL FERRELL.

WE MEET AGAIN...

As I said before, I'm certain that you'll be amazing at the job. I wouldn't tell you to have fun, because I'm pretty sure that's what will happen every day

Best of luck at LEGO, Corvin!

If there's one detail to keep in mind here, it's that Brickeens is the most rational and sane of all the group (also the greatest and bestest and awesomest but that goes without saying)

And now I feel the need to cover Never Gonna Give You Up and Safety Dance on my kazoo...

New chapter is up!

I tried to get this one done because the next few weeks are going to be very busy for me. Nonetheless, I'll do my best to have a new chapter up as soon as possible. Enjoy!

A Mystery Explored

Chapter 5

     Ajura finally understood the large light passing by them.  It passed by the narrow passageway they were trying to cross every three and a half seconds. Although it was nighttime, they were certain they would be immediately spotted by guards if any bit of the large flashlight was to shed light on them. Orde had tried to induce the guards under his Psionic powers, but they seemed shielded against such attacks. They were going to have to try something different. A projectile on some far off area probably wouldn’t draw both guards off; at best they’d run and see them trying to break apart the door, at worst one of them would stay behind and then they’d both suspect foul play.

     The other facts to work with was that there was a door, both guards had to be incapacitated some how, and… well, that was pretty much it. They didn’t know what kind of weapons the guards have, or how hard it would be to open the door. It also didn’t help that the two of them were at odds with the idea of the plan.

     “Orde, please. Let’s not break into the place. I’m sure we can get Mantax or someone to find us a safe passage in there.” Ajura looked at the guards. They hadn’t been distracted by Orde’s Psionic powers, but they might already have sensed someone, and simply be biding their time. In other words, an ambush.

     “Look Ajura, the time for second doubts was over a while ago. You know what the tablet says; apart from Mantax and members of the Brotherhood of Makuta, no one else can enter. That is where Kadira’s possessions probably are, and the only lead we have to solving this mystery!”

     “Yes, but doing it like some kind of lowlife criminal?!” Ajura whispered angrily. They might argue, but they could at least agree on not giving up their cover. “We aren’t Dark Hunters, we’re Toa! We have to stand up for what’s right!”

     “Yeah, that’s what we’re doing. We’re helping find a lost Matoran and maybe discover a bigger underlying plot.” Orde brought both of his hands to his head in frustration. “Look Ajura, I agree that we should do the lawful thing. But I think saving Matoran trumps not forcing an entry. The situation calls for it!”

     Ajura wanted to tell him that he couldn’t use the situation to justify breaking into a vault. “If that means you’d be willing to kill those guards, then go ahead. But since you love to say you’re the Toa who knows all the rules, then I shouldn’t have to tell you how that would break our cardinal rule. No killing.”

     Orde stopped. It was true. They had found no way yet to bring the guards down, and it seemed like the only alternative would be to hit them with such force, they would be downed permanently.

     He looked around. What was there to use? Rocks, the guards, something from the warehouse, the…

     Orde smiled.

     “I think I have an idea. How good are you drawing water out of thing air?”

     The guards stood vigilant. They’d felt some kind of power battling their shielded minds, but decided to stay near the door. To go out would only help those who were probably trying to get in, and they would much rather stay by the door and deal with the matter when it, literally, came to their doorsteps. But aside from the occasional roaming bird, there was nothing to see or hear.

     Creak.

     A slight shudder. Something was off. The guards scoured to see if there was anything. Nothing.

     Creak. It seemed to come from their left. They looked, blasters poised at the ready. Nothing still. As they turned back, the leftmost guard took one last look at the large flashlight.

     Something… something is off.

     His stare darted upwards just in time to catch the large metallic tower begin to budge. It looked like rust had magically appeared, distorting the steel frame.

     “Look at the tower?”

     The other guard faced that way.

     “Do you see the light? It’s slightly off.”

     “Go and take a look. I’ll stay over here.”

     The leftmost guard scouted the area surrounding the tower. Nothing, he signaled. He began to climb the tower, to see where the damage was. And then the tower began to fall. The guard screamed. A second later, the rust magnified twicefold, making the structure shudder and shake more than before. Now the light was definitely off course. The guard was still screaming for help, until he noticed that the falling force shook him off the tower.     Falling, he could only see the large metal leviathan that was about to crush him. Seconds before impact, he felt someone pushing him out of the way.

The tower fell, deafening roar in its wake. The light had now made the ground catch fire. It took a while for the guards to stand up, and a bit longer for their hearing to return. They swore they’d gone blind, but they then noticed it was just the smoke and violently shaken dust from the rubble. The leftmost guard thanked his partner for pushing him alongside him before the tower hit. His quick thinking had saved his life.

     Orde wanted to stare a second longer and see the tower fall and crash. But Ajura pulled at his arm as soon as she saw the other guard run to save his partner. Orde’s gamble had paid off, and Ajura made sure to give them both time to safely be out of the tower’s grasps. As soon as they hard the thundering crash, Ajura ran with Orde. They ran towards the door, trying to not focus on the aftershock of the tower.

     Mata Nui be blessed, it’s an easy door to open! projected Orde into Ajura’s head. The sound wouldn’t let them hear each other.

     Orde projectecd the door’s past onto Ajura’s mind, his Mask of Psychometry came to the rescue once again. Ajura mentally pictured what the key looked like, then made it out of Protodermis. Most doors had more complicated locks, and required a fully manual procedure to open. Others, however, responded to the general shape of the key. Making it out of Protodemris made things a bit easier. Finally, Ajura felt the whirring of the girders from within the door. It was open.

     Ajura pushed the door open, and dragged Orde inside. She closed the door and reset the mechanism. If the guards got back to the door, they, hopefully, wouldn’t suspect a thing.

     Rows and columns. That’s all there was in this seemingly neverending warehouse. Rows and columns of boxes. Orde had resorted to sit by wherever Ajura was checking, and use his Mask of Psychometry on the boxes to see the history of their contents. He’d learned of a mutated Visorak pincer that had been pried off and given to Mantax as a gift. He’d discovered three Kanoka that had been placed in separate glass casings in one box, with the label KEEP TOGETHER BUT DO NOT MERGE. He’d unearthed a very old tome, seemingly the studies of someone trying to codify a very archaic language. This last one didn’t have much, as the tome seemed to abruptly end halfway through. Orde began to wonder what had happened.

     “Hey, do you wanna come and be useful? I’m the one checking all the rows while you’re sitting there like a Dermis Turtle under fine weather.”

     “Did you check that corner over there?” Orde joke. “Actually, no worries. I’m sure you’ll get there eventually.”

     She whacked him off the box he was sitting on. “You wanna play the jester? Fine. But I distinctly remember you being the one who wanted to save this Matoran, so…”

     She had a point. Orde decided to actually help out. Who knew, maybe he could mind control her to keep doing it after a while. He continued to walk from where Ajura had been standing. He hadn’t walked more than seven steps, when the sponge began to swirl with cyan, green, and dark brown.

     “Wouldya look at that? All I had to do was work, and the sponge decided that I should find the box!” Ajura walked over to him in disbelief. Of course, the box had been right where she’d made Orde work. He’d probably joke about this being the stroke of luck or a true hardworking Toa. He wouldn’t let he hear the end of it.

     “Before you make any jokes about this, we might actually want to look inside.”

     She’d caught him there. He shut up, and they both pried the box open.

     Inside was a disk launcher, some carving tools, and a bed. Nothing that stood out to them.

     “Alright, let me do all the work again,” Orde teased Ajura as he placed his hand of the objects. If there was anything else here, his Mask of Psychometry would pick it up. He closed his eyes, and concentrated. Images flashed in his head. He fast-forwarded, until he reached the part where Kadira seemed more visibly worried. He stopped, and went back a bit. There! Kadira was talking with some being that had grabbed his disk launcher and toyed with it. Orde saw, that alongside Kadira’s own launcher, the creature had been holding some kind of modified Kanoka Launcher that Orde didn’t recognize. With no other leads on the other objects, he opened his eyes again.

     “There was a being holding Kadira’s disk launcher. Lucky for us, the creature was also holding its own modified launcher. Now, I’m not sure what kind of modifications, but I think I know where we can ask.”

     “Alright then,” Ajura agreed. “You make a sketch of the thing you saw, and we’ll inquire at Xia. If it’s something that unique, they’ll know whom it was made for.”

Review Topic

Poor Portalfig. Poortalfig. Ahahahahahahahahaha Xaeraz please don't slap me.

You can ask and plead...

It won't do anything

Happy annibirthary, Evil Blog Master!

In honour of our Berkfer and Lets Play escapades, I gift you this:

New chapter is up!

Here we see two new figures that hopefully make things a wee bit more interesting.

Comments? Concerns? All are welcome!

A Mystery Explored

Chapter 4

     You know, I’m starting to have second doubts. Wanna back out?

     Ajura stared at him. If looks could kill.

     Yes, yes, I know it was my idea to come visit Mantax. Anywho, I was joking.

     Was he really, though? Orde’s mistrust of the League was well-placed, but to add on to that was the fearsome reputation they had earned. By this day and age, it was hard to separate rumours and myths from fact. The League of Six Kingdoms was a bit of both. Their exploits had become legend, and their fearsome power was now interlaced within the cultural subconscious of any denizen of this world. Stories of their erratic behavior, lust for power, and general unusual nature were common.

     Mantax himself was known as The Silent Death. While other Barraki were known to verbally or physically lash out, Mantax was the quiet one. One never knew if he was plotting or brimming with anger that would never be released in traditional ways. Rumours said that he had ordered the brutal murder of an entire town, with all Matoran impaled and placed around their former homes as a display. At no point did Mantax explain the rationale behind this, but some said that, after hearing of the evacuation by the Turaga of the island, he had simply smiled. Unpredictability was a trait very connected to Mantax, and Orde wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to read his mind. He might have his mind shielded, and that might make this entire thing much harder.

     The two guards walked side by side with Ajura and Orde. No more furtive looks at each other, no nudging or anything that could seem suspicious. They were here to do business, and nothing else.

     After a litany of hallways and corridors, they finally reached an ominous, black door. It appeared to be carved, with intricate designs depicting battles. The door opened.

     “In,” one of the guards said brusquely.

     Ajura and Orde thanked the guards and stepped into the room. It was a surprisingly spacious room, with a window looking out at the rest of the fortress. To their left were many stone tablets, seemingly untouched. To their right, a large tank filled with water. There was something swimming inside.

     “Many believe nothing can be learned from Underwater Rays.” Ajura and Orde turned to look at a slowly walking Mantax. He was pointing at the water tank. “Then again, many have yet to see and study Underwater Rays. You. Toa of Water. Did you ever study them?”

     “No, sir. I was able to read reports from the Archives, but I never got a chance to personally study them.”

     “Pity, they are quite fascinating. But from what you learned, what did you take away?”

     Ajura paused. “I’m not sure I’m understanding your question.”

     Mantax chuckled. “Nothing stuck out about Underwater Rays?”

     This might be a trick question. Ajura chose her words carefully. “They… hide under the sand and attack unsuspecting prey.”

     Mantax nodded. “Yes. It’s the first thing they taught me. My native species is brining with brutes that don’t know any military strategy. But Underwater Rays taught me a very valuable lesson. Attack your enemy in the most unsuspecting way. Catch them off guard. Fool them.” Mantax put his hand on the tank, never taking his eyes off the Underwater Ray.

     “If we’re honest though, and I wouldn’t recommend that, you are not here for a lesson. Well, maybe Water is. You are both here… why?”

     “Sir, we have reason to believe that one of the Matoran on the Tren Krom Peninsula went missing.”

     “Probably tripped and fell to its death. Doesn’t concern me.”

     He clearly wasn’t interested. Time to try something else. “Do the words Valmai Mangaia mean anything?”

     Mantax turned his head. “I have heard the terms being used. Does this have to do with the missing Matoran?”

     “Yes, it was in a letter written by the Matoran that disappeared.”

     “What was the Matoran’s name?”

     “Kadira.”

     Mantax paused to think. “No, still nothing. Anyways, I couldn’t concern myself with every single Matoran. However, I have heard the name Valmai Mangaia. Anything else?”

     “We were attacked while investigating Kadira’s disappearance, sir” added Orde.

     “I hope it was a fun fight. Mata Nui knows I barely get to fight and conquer these days.”

     Ajura glanced at Orde. “We believe we were followed by someone.”

     “Yes, well, until you can get more proof of something there isn’t much that I can do. Especially since I am not a detective.” That gave Mantax an idea. “Oh, but there is someone who might be better at finding a lead.”

     “And so we were hoping to have more luck with you helping us, Teridax.”

     He seemed lost in his notes, half-hearing the two of them. “Well, I must say I’m shocked Mantax would have faith in me. I think it’s no surprise that I don’t trust the League much. But the will of Mata Nui must be followed, so… Anyways, I think it was good to come here, if that helps.” He walked over to where they were. “I do have to ask, though, why two Toa from Metru Nui? Why not pass this on to another team? If I were you, I would stay in Metru Nui and not concern myself with these muddy affairs.”

     Orde piped up. “We want to do the right thing and help Maglya find his friend.”

     Teridax chortled. “The right thing? Oh yes. Toa, of course. The right thing.” He continued to pace around the lab. “I would expect you to be less of an amateur and see that there is no such thing as ‘the right thing’. I mean, look at Mantax. Is the right thing to follow Mata Nui’s will? Is it to murder and enslave Matoran? Is it to create Rahi like we Makuta do?”

     Teridax sighed. “Yes, I know this doesn’t matter much to you. After all, being the paragons of good you can’t concern yourselves with moral ambiguities. No matter. Do you have anything that belonged to this Kadira?”

     “No, there was nothing there his house should have been, if there ever was a house.”

     “And the letter. Do you have it with you?”

     Orde pulled the letter out of his knapsack. Teridax brought it over to one of his machines and began examining it closely.

     “My Mask of Psychometry didn’t do much to reveal anything,” Orde said.

     “Don’t bother,” Teridax replied. “You’d only be able to see the past, and, no offense, Toa, but that won’t do much in this situation.” He lost himself again in the examination of the letter. Finally, he laughed.

     “Oh, tricky, trick. They did a very good job of masking their trail. But no one can best a Makuta.” Using his telekinesis, Teridax pulled over a vial with a cyan liquid. He put some droplets on the upper-left corner of the letter, and then placed a sponge-type sphere over the corner. After a while longer, Teridax walked over to where the Toa were. Looking closely at the sphere, it had turned from its original tan into a swirling mix of cyan, green and dark brown.

     “Every being has a special mixture of chemicals that they exude. It’s how we can tell the genetic make up of a Rahi apart. This specific being that captured Kadira must have exuded some of that onto this letter.”

     “So Kadira was probably also covered with that genetic identification?” asked Ajura.

     “Yes. And I think that would extend to Kadira’s belongings.”

     “Yeah, but there was nothing there. This is the only thing we have of his.”

     Teridax walked over to a large chest, and began rummaging through the insides of the chest. Finally he pulled out a stone tablet. Walking over to the Toa, he handed the tablet to Ajura. “Here. A map with the location of a warehouse where any unclaimed possessions are taken. Mantax set it up years ago to send his spoils of war, but we have repurposed it to hide other things that don’t serve any purpose. If there is anything gone or hidden, it will be here.”

     “Is it legal to go in there?” asked Ajura.

     “Oh, most certainly not. But I’m sure you will take a look in there to help this Matoran, won’t you?”

     Ajura was uncertain, but Orde grabbed the tablet from her hands. “Yes, we’ll do it.”

     Teridax smiled. “Good. Then you have a heading. Use the sponge, and it will guide you to where any belongings of Kadira’s are.”

     As Ajura and Orde walked out of Teridax’s lab, he stopped them. “Oh, and Toa?”

     They stopped and turned around.

     “Please, do heed my words. I know you think Mantax is pure evil. I’m sure you see this Matoran as the victim. But you would do well to remember that not everyone is pure good or pure evil. Too many Toa forget that and, if I might be so bold, I think it’s why many of you fail. You don’t expect anything but moral absolutes, and learning otherwise can… break you. That is all.”

Review Topic

Great chapter. Glad to see some more baddies popping up!

I'll go with C. I feel like BZ-Koro deserves a bit more screen time