Master Inika

Chapter 2 Though his Toa defender remained vigilant the rest of the way, no more creatures harassed the pair as they continued deeper into the Black Spike Mountains. Following Pohatu's directions, Berix came upon the mouth of a cave near the summit, which plunged deep into the mountains. Taking a deep breath, the Water Agori stepped forward, before realizing he now heard only his own footsteps, not Kopaka's. Turning, he saw the Toa still at the cave's entrance, leaning against the wall, with his weapon planted into the snow. The Toa's eyes were closed, but he still seemed to know Berix watched him. "I assume you still wish to face Miserix alone," he said. "Didn't you tell Pohatu you didn't think he'd talk unless you sought him out alone?" Berix thought long and hard how to respond. The Toa seemed to regard the other inhabitants of the mini-universe, the Matoran, as weak and helpless, almost to a condescending degree. Kopaka did not seem to look down on Berix in the same way, even if he did physically look down on him. The Agori thought of the legends of previous Chroniclers. They ventured into unsafe situations, sometimes without Toa escort. And Berix had survived for over 100,000 years without Toa, against Skrall and bone hunters. While Miserix was definitely a league above desert bandits, Berix still reminded himself he was not a defenseless victim. With one final nod Kopaka's way, he made sure he still had his tablet and stylus and proceeded down the cave. --- The Black Spikes were naturally dry and cold, but the caves within were wet, with alternating gusts of warm and cool air. Berix hoped the puddles he stepped in were water, too fearful to shine his lightstone down to check. It almost felt as it Miserix was the mountain, and he had tricked Berix into stepping into his mouth. The stalactites seemed like jaws, threatening to snap shut on him. Pohatu's directions had brought him to the cave entrance, but Pohatu had said nothing specific about where to go within. Berix quickly found himself lost in the mazelike tunnels, too turned around to return to the beginning even if he wanted to. He did not want to, he decided. He had a job to do, a story to take down. Somehow, Berix knew the moment he stepped into Miserix's private chambers. There was nothing strongly different, except the size of the space itself. The walls were still dripping with tepid liquid, without signs of habitations. Berix wondered what a being like Miserix would even find to be "homey." Should he expect to see a writing desk, a bed and a storage bin for personal belongings? A pair of piercing green eyes snapped open in the distance, high above Berix. In the low light of the chamber, Berix could see glimpses of sharp, silver teeth. "Identify yourself, Matoran." Miserix's voice was low and rumbly, as if Miserix were still not accustomed to using it. "Berix," Berix replied. "Only, I am not a Matoran." He hoped correcting a being large enough to devour him like a snack would not backfire. "I am an Agori." The green eyes narrowed as another sound came from Miserix's mouth, something like a sigh. "Yes, I see," he said. "I should have known. No Matoran would be brave or foolish enough to seek out a Makuta anyway." Was that sadness Berix detected in Miserix's voice? He would have to wonder later, for the ground shook beneath him as Miserix approached from the total darkness to the slightly more well-lit area around Berix. Miserix towered taller than the tallest rock dragon, clad in spiked red and silver armor. Berix imagined such a being oppressing cities, sitting atop a stash of stolen gold. "I am the Chronicler of New Atero," Berix said, standing tall though he barely cleared the Makuta's foot. "I have already taken down the stories of the heroes of Spherus Magna, the Glatorian and their Toa allies. Now, I seek to preserve the story of its greatest villain, Makuta Teridax. That search has led me to you." Miserix looked down at the small thing. Even after taking a seat on the stony floor, the dragon still loomed over him like a multi-storied building. "Very well, Chronicler," he said. "I will tell you my tale. You will write it down. After you, and even after I, have passed, those who walk this world will not be ignorant of the struggle of Makuta Miserix." Review Topic

Chapter 1 Berix was beginning to regret not taking up Toa Pohatu on his offer, if only because Pohatu's Mask of Speed would have made the journey much easier on his feet. A chartered Kaxium had taken him to the outskirts of the mountains, but the terrain was too rough for a chariot to go any further. The mountain range, filled with twisted spires, looked like something out of a nightmare, especially Berix's nightmares. He had been imprisoned here, once before, along with Kiina, until Mata Nui had rescued them. Thinking of Kiina made him think of happier times. He had not had many of those as Chronicler. Most of the things people told him about were matters that weighted them down. Berix had studied the works of previous Chroniclers, and they were rarely happy volumes. Kodan the Chronicler had died rather gruesomely. Takua witnessed his best friend die in front of him, and he himself died soon after. True, both were resurrected, but Toa Jaller and Takanuva still carried a tense sadness to them, when you talked to them long enough. Hahli seemed by far the happiest of the Chroniclers. Kopeke, the current Matoran Chronicler, barely said anything, so it was anyone's guess what was going on his his mind. Berix wondered if he would become as dark to talk to as the others. He always considered himself a happy being. Even when accused of thievery, he liked to think of himself as someone who raised the spirits of those around him. Was that merely the wind howling before him, or some unseen predator? It occurred to Berix that he would likely no longer be the light, carefree being he had once been. --- Another hour of walking, and Berix could not tell if he was closer to the summit of the mountain or farther. The Black Spikes stretched toward the sky, dizzying the eyes to behold. Only the Skrall, before being dislodged from the region, knew it well enough to navigate it effectively. Another howl sounded in the distance. It was a creature, then. If Berix was lucky, the creature would be just as afraid of him as he was of it. As long as Berix kept his wits about him and stayed on the path, he should be fine. With the third howl, though, Berix realized there was a mechanical undercurrent to the roar. So, Berix thought, it is one of the beasts from the mini-universe. That makes this much more difficult. Berix regretted not bringing his shield or his water sword. A tool would at least give him a chance at defending himself. Faster than an Agori would ever be able to doge, the tigerlike Rahi beast leapt from his hiding spot straight for Berix. A blast of ice came from another hidden spot, freezing the hunter just as Berix became aware of its presence. The tiger, now frozen solid, would have fallen to the ground and shattered, or struck Berix, had his rescuer not made sure to extend his Ice powers and connect the frozen hunter in place, like a sculpture with a base coming out of the ground. "Toa Kopaka," Berix said with a reverent bow. "Thank you." He knew better than to burden the Toa of Ice with too many words. Toa Kopaka was not Toa Pohatu. The Toa said nothing, simply nodded. His presence no longer a secret, the two walked side by side, Kopaka's footsteps slightly faster than the Agori's, forcing Berix to speed-walk to keep up. "Will the creature be okay?" he asked, after about ten minutes of silent walking. He had never met an Agori or Glatorian as stoic as this Toa. "That Rahi is called a Muaka," Kopaka explained. "I have set my powers to only contain him a short while longer. Then, the ice will melt away, and he will be free to hunt again." Now that the silence had been broken, Berix felt even more awkward saying nothing. "Did Pohatu send you after me?" he asked. "He mentioned you would be coming this way," the Toa of Ice answered. "But I have taken to exploring this region of my own accord. I come from a region of ice, known as Ko-Wahi, and these mountains remind me most of it." "You miss your home?" Kopaka shot Berix a look that let the Agori know he should not ask those kind of questions. But, a moment later, his harsh expression faltered. "Yes, Agori," Kopaka admitted, facing forward and continuing to walk. Berix asked Kopaka if he thought Miserix did in fact reside in the Black Spike Mountains. Kopaka said no. Though he had never penetrated deep into them, he still felt confident he would have noticed something like a rogue Makuta, especially one as unstable as Miserix. "Unstable?" Berix asked. "If the legends are true, he was not always like that," Kopaka explained. "When Teridax first overthrew him, he ordered Miserix to be killed. Another Makuta, Krika, took pity on his former leader and spared his life, secretly imprisoning him within an island volcano instead. Before, Miserix was... aristocratic, you could say. After his millennia-long imprisonment, he came out a little unhinged. He longer cared about honor or loyalty. Nothing mattered to him anymore except getting his revenge on Teridax." Berix would never have heard the being's approach, but Kopaka's acute senses detected the attack of another Muaka. Kopaka whirled around and fired another ice blast, which the catlike beast dodged. Berix began to panic as the Rahi neared, but Kopaka managed to touch the tip of his blade to the beast's body, freezing him solid. Berix took a moment to catch his breath. "Do they always hunt in pairs?" he asked. Kopaka didn't answer at first, instead looking intently at the frozen creature. "No," he answered. "In fact, never." Like most animals from the mini-universe, the Muaka had a mask attacked to its body. Kopaka focused his telescopic lens on the mask, which was obscured by ice. Summoning his power, he removed some of the ice around that area and inspected the mask intently. "This isn't good," Kopaka said under his breath. "What's wrong with his mask?" "It's an infected mask," Kopaka said. "In the wild, Muaka are solitary hunters. Most also aren't foolish enough to go up against a Toa. This means a Makuta's controlling this one, and I imagine the first one, too." Berix's eyes went wide with dread. "But that means..." he said. Kopaka kept his ice blade in his hand as he continued walking forward. "It means Miserix has been watching us." Review Topic

It's safe to say Tuyet taking over Metru Nui prevents any of the main BIONICLE storyline from taking place. The long-term implications can only be speculated. What I find most interesting is what would happen to Bara Magna. I highly doubt Makuta is even aware of the Shattering. However, it is an interesting thought as to what Makuta would do if he did know about the Shattering. I could see him undoing it, and then demanding the worship of the inhabitants of Spherus Magna in exchange. I wonder, since the GSR was designed with fixing the Shattering as its final goal, if it would stop working afterward. If Makuta knew that, there's no way he'd do it. He'd just rule over Bara Magna as an evil robot tyrant forever.

Welcome to the review topic for Devil Before the Devil, my new epic featuring Berix on a quest to interview Makuta Miserix. The inspiration for this story was a discussion on the BZPower Discord server. All comments and criticism are welcome. I hope you enjoy it.

Devil Before the Devil Introduction The past year for Berix had been... eventful, to say the least. As the Chronicler of New Atero, the capital city of the planet Spherus Magna, it was his duty more than anyone else's to understand the strange events that had transpired on his planet. Once, his home had been known as Bara Magna, and it had been a desolate, apocalyptic waste. Warriors fought in arenas over the remaining resources, a "civilized" alternative to true warfare. In those days, Berix had been a scavenger, though "thief" was what most people thought of him as. All that changed when the Skrall launched their attack, shattering the hard-preserved peace between the tribes. It seemed hopeless... until a shooting star crossed the sky, landing on the outskirts of the village of Vulcanus. It was not a star at all, but a mask: the Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life, as Berix had come to know was its true name. The mask--alive, by some mystical force--created a body for itself. Calling himself Mata Nui, the new warrior gathered the squabbling tribes into a single united front. Mata Nui bested Tuma, the fearsome Skrall leader, in single combat. Berix thought, at the time, it was a fitting end to a gripping narrative, but the defeat of Tuma had been only the beginning. Mata Nui had come from another world. Once, he was a giant, impossibly tall, containing within his enormous body a second, smaller universe. His evil enemy, Makuta Teridax, had stolen his godlike body. That was why Mata Nui had been exiled to Bara Magna. Teridax thought Mata Nui would die there. Teridax, occupying the titanic form of Mata Nui, arrived on Bara Magna soon after. His head stretched into the clouds, his footsteps shook the earth. From within the artificial universe, new enemies streamed forth: yellow warriors with searing heat vision, commanded by brutish thugs with tooth-filled grins. But there were heroes, too: Toa, who fought alongside the residents of Bara Magna. With Mata Nui's help, occupying another enormous robot body, the Makuta was defeated once and for all. After the battle, Bara Magna was restored to Spherus Magna, a utopian metropolis. Most people were comfortable putting the brutality of war and want behind them, and focusing on rebuilding their new lives. Not everyone, though, looked ahead so easily. In every generation, there were those whose chief concern was recording a history of the past. One of Spherus Magna's new residents, Turaga Whenua, taught Berix all about being a good Chronicler. "Your purpose is to ensure those who come after know what came before," the small, gray-armored being had advised. "You are to offer facts, not opinions. A good historical record is like a good tunnel--strong and steadfast no matter what happens around it." To that end, Berix had spent the better part of the past months traveling across Spherus Magna, seeking audiences with those who came from the mini-universe. The history of Bara Magna was known well enough; he himself had lived through it. What remained a mystery was what had happened in the mini-universe. How had someone as evil and power-hungry as Makuta come to rule over it in the first place? Why did he crave to rule over other beings, the way others craved food or companionship? He could no longer ask Makuta himself, but in his journeyings, Berix had gleaned a most interesting fact: "Makuta" was a species. Once, there were legions of Makuta, but during the battle between the giants, there were only a small number remaining. The Makuta had organized themselves into a Brotherhood, and had in fact once served Mata Nui before defecting against him. Most interestingly, Teridax had not always been the leader of that Brotherhood. As he usurped Mata Nui, he first usurped another Makuta. His name was spoken by those who remembered it with a mix of fear and respect, but never love. Even though Miserix did not participate in the coup against Mata Nui, most beings shuddered when reciting his name. Even if he were not a cruel tyrant, Miserix was not a being you could sit down and share a meal of Thornax stew with. Even before the coup, within the Brotherhood, Miserix had no friends, only servants and confidants. "Miserix?" Toa Pohatu asked, when Berix inquired about him. "Sure, I know where you can find him. Why would you want to, though?" Berix shrugged. "I'm the Chronicler," he said. "I write down people's stories. Miserix is about the only person on this planet who's story I haven't heard yet." Apparent, in the mini-universe, "Chronicler" was a role of some importance, for Pohatu told him where to find the lonesome Makuta, though Berix could tell from his expression that Pohatu did not want him to actually go. "Berix, wait," Pohatu called as the blue Agori rose to leave Pohatu's chambers. "Let me accompany you, or any of the Toa. Miserix is not a being to be approached alone." Berix considered the Toa's offer. He looked down at his own body, small and weak. If a Makuta was as powerful as he had been told, perhaps seeking out Miserix alone was a bad idea. "I am grateful for the offer, Toa," Berix said with a bow, "but this journey is one I must make alone." Pohatu deferred to the Chronicler's instinct. Berix had interviewed many beings, some less peaceful than others. If there was one thing this job had taught him, it was that everyone had a story, and they were much more likely to give him the real story when there weren't swords or elementally-charged blasters aimed at their heads. With nothing on his being but his satchel, his tablet and a writing stylus, Berix made for the Black Spike Mountains, the reputed hiding place of the elusive Makuta Miserix. Review Topic

I've spent eight years wondering what happened to that giant Keelerak. I'm glad it's still preserved. It's beautiful, and it's a piece of Bionicle history. I'm with Dr. Jones on this one: "This belongs in a museum!"

That's a great theory. And I agree, there are plenty of people/objects with their own teleportation powers. The only problem was that no one knew what was going on on the Red Star; if Kopaka and Pohatu can somehow communicate with the others on Spherus Magna, getting back shouldn't be that hard.

Fair enough headcanon.

Are they official images, then?

Comics tend to focus on whatever's selling at the moment and whatever looks the coolest; books were where Greg could really get creative and explore the story in-depth. Karzahni was the first character Greg came up with himself (as opposed to being given a set and made to fit it in somehow), so he literally couldn't have been in a comic.

I voted temporary, just because the mask would be OP anyway, but honestly the Avohkii's peacemaking power (and the Kraahkan's emotional powers, too) were never really seen in-story, it was just something we learned in descriptions of them.

He cannot use Kanohi Nuva since the Ignika devolved him back into a regular Toa so he could use the Golden Armor during the Journey's End arc. Of course, while a Mistika he still wouldn't have been able to access them (none of the Toa could) because "the walls of Karda Nui were too thick" or something like that. The real reason is because of the conflicting needs of the sets vs. the story. The Kanohi Nuva were relevant in 2002, after that they couldn't be emphasized that much because Lego had stopped marketing mask collecting. It creates a weird situation where (if you're going purely based on BS01, for example) the Toa theoretically have access to all these powers, but they're never going to use them in the story. I voted for yes, Tahu's masks really are lost forever in the lava, because that's just what happened in the story. It gives the attack on Ta-Koro weight.

My storage right now is haphazard since I just moved. I just want to settle down and get all my sets properly displayed like I've always wanted.

I'm still collecting. It makes me happy. There are a few sets I'd still love to get my hands on, like Lesovikk or the regular blue Jetrax T6. It's mostly Kanohi and Kraata I collect nowadays, though.

I tend to default to Greg canon, so I voted 8. I'll admit the Earth Tribe thing was handled awkwardly, but at the core I like the idea of them.

This was a very sweet, wholesome story, and it fit in canon. It was a pleasant and enjoyable read.

Keep in mind, the Dark Hunters were the ones who released the Kanohi Dragon in the first place. You can't fault him for not letting the city be extorted. But I do appreciate what a complex character Dume was. You have to consider, he was Metru Nui's only Turaga. I don't think it was the case that he was mean whereas the Turaga of Mata Nui were nice, he just didn't have the time to go be everyone's friend. That being said, it is interesting how, even if he wasn't evil, Makuta acting like him in disguise didn't really set off anyone's radars, either.

Have you considered using Bricklink to get more pieces? I love the Tohunga head, too.

It looks beautiful! Can't wait to see the finished product.

The prototype Squid Launcher looks flatter than the final one, so there might have been enough space.

My big takeaway from this is that apparently the axle in Ehlek's claw was supposed to be part of the piece. Smooth Ehlek will haunt my dreams.

In a vacuum, Tohunga is a pretty cool word and I'd probably prefer it over Matoran. But knowing what I do, I have to prefer Matoran.

He looks epic, very creepy and alien. Especially his swords, which is what they're supposed to look like. I also like the shield hat: terrifying, and functional.

Tahnok-Kal, purchased at a Costco in 2003.

The weird thing is that... TLR Strakk is just nothing like Strakk otherwise. Strakk is, if anything, too coldly detached from fighting (like only helping for money). Him attacking Ackar is stupid. What did he think would happen?