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My first art post on BZPower - there's a link to my deviantART page in my sig. just a series of two paintings/drawings showing the three planets and the one planet. The three planets: See it on deviantART Spherus Magna: See it on deviantART Anyway, tell me what you think of my first art post on BZP
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Okay people, I know that there's a topic that discusses the long lifetime of MU inhabitants (which is over 100,000 years) but what about those organics of Spherus Magna? You would think that a mostly organic species would have shorter lifespans than biomechanical ones, but actually most of the Agori/Glatorian we've seen are much, much older than the MU itself. Here's an interesting quote from the Farshtey Feed, in which the ages of some characters are given in earth equivalents: Now, somewhere out there is a quote saying that Raanu was very young at the time Lein died, which was roughly 265,000 years ago. That means 265,000 Agori years is roughly equivalent to about 60-63 in human years! Thats about 4,200 agori years for every human year? The problem we have is: how do Agori years compare with human years? Is it an direct ratio? (as in, does X Agori years = Y human years) Or do Agori reach maturity at the same rate as humans, with their aging slowing down as they get older? Another question that needs to be asked is this: How do biological beings live for hundreds of thousands of years? I could understand lifespans in the high hundreds, maybe as high as a thousand, but hundreds of thousands??? That's pushing it for me. Is it some sort of super medicine? Or do their mechanical implants prolong their lifespans artificially?
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"Is something wrong Brother? What troubles you?" Her muted reply comes from afar, as if through a heavy curtain. Her voice is familiar . . . and yet it is tinged with . . . what? Concern? It is so hard to . . . tell. Quick as a blink, the world ceases it's murky, sick tint and his eyes burn with terrible clarity. Hyper-sensitivity shatters mind and body like thin glass, and inwardly he writhes at the searing cuts. A breath of wind is a scream. The sandy street grinds his feet away. Colors . . . they burn the eyes. He stifles a moan as his brain is struck with a violent ache. He totters, nerves on fire. He feels every scratch on the nearby figures metallic blue body, every creak and groan of her metal bones, and every swish of her toned muscles rubbing against rough silver armor. Her sunset eyes glow bright and make him wince. She is concerned. More than that, she is alarmed; wary. Afraid. Rightly so. She should be. He can burn her to ash. He opens his mouth in shock at the evil thought. No! He must protect her. All of them. No time. No time at all to linger here. He must go quickly or those around will perish. The thought delights him. It makes him vomit sparks and sizzling green acid. No time. He feels it coming, something wrong inside, shadows twisting into knots, a flood of heat and fire raging so close that his heart quails. A darkness gathers, and he reels away from the clammy touch of it on his shoulder, and it whispers obscenities with a grating whisper that thunders in his ear and mind. It is frighteningly familiar. Like an old friend with a smile and a knife. The fire inside begins to consume. "Run! Run Gali! No time . . . " his tortured whisper spits. A volcano blossoms and roars to be free, and a voice sibilantly intones, "Break our chains. Empty yourself, and become one with the Void." "Are you frightened, Fire Spitter? Of me? Of us?" Gali comes forward, her worry salty to the senses. He franticly whirls around and sees nothing but construction and half made silver structures, pointing like fingers in the twilit sky. Domes catch the suns last orange rays. Not here! He screams to himself. There are people here. Matoran will be hurt. The Voice pushes with a seductive hand. "Yes. Try this one." He can't stop it. The volcano erupts with a fraction of it's mighty power. He roars and clenches his metal hands as energy courses through his muscled red body. Night comes forth. Blackness incarnate, swirling with flame; pure Void wreathed in fire. He longs to loose it on the world. A twisted smile splits his masked face. She does not have time to cry out. At the last moment Gali's hands release a nimbus of watery blue and a large bubble envelopes her in a life saving embrace. It is not enough. Power smashes into her like a boiling wave from Karzahni with such force she gapes. And then she is gone, her defense boiled away in a heart beat, her body blasted away down the sandy street and through several buildings by a fist of Void. The Dark grows, and a wall of wind picks up sparks and flame and unleashes a maelstrom of destruction in a massive radius. Empty homes melt. Half-made towers burn. Cries drift faintly on a deadly wind. Paradise this will be no more. No! No! Gali! The City! He roars for control, and his muscles and pistons bulge as the torrent of calamity ceases. But the damage is done. His mind is breaking, and an aura of heat and shadow cloaks him as if to strangle him. All around lies charred remains. His gold armor gleams. The dam crumbles and a flood bursts through. His flaming eyes brighten. A terrible, familiar whisper laughs a knife of ice inward through the boiling chaos. He must get away. Before the dam is gone. With a cry trailing behind, he runs. He speeds through empty streets like a comet. The ground shudders and erupts under his feet. Sand liquifies into green acid. A halo of lightning falls from quickly gathering clouds that eat the sky. Hardly realizing what is happening, he melts through the Great Wall of stone and steel and breaks through, rushing on. He must get away. So others will be safe. He runs. Terrified. Exhilarated. Panicked, The storm now gathers in the evening sky from all directions. Hot rain splatters and sizzles on dry ground and grass. A slashing gust of air brings anger and confusion. Shadows dance in macabre shapes and kindle hunger in his body. Bouts of flame gasp out of his mouth as the light in his armored chest flickers. Hungry for substance. Thirsty for life, but only heat to drink. He reaches. He consumes. Energy flares. The storm grows up above and swirls with chaos. An eye appears and forms out of roaring wind and thunder, and it's chilling calm removes the fury outside. Then a prickle on his neck. A blackness seeps into his bones and oozes down his spine. He spasms and fights for control. A figure appears out of the raging dark, slowly and deliberately in his minds eye. Black as pitch, lightning darting behind it. He is looking at himself, a dark reflection of what is. Its voice slithers around him with tentacles of cold shadow, ready to extinguish his fire, and he knows the voice with a crippling clarity. It is not his own though it comes from the evil mirror image of himself. The ensuing laugh resonates from the darkness. "Tahu . . . old friend. Was I missed?" A silence quivers in the heart of the storm. "You." The voice slides like oil. "Tis I, little one, born from the void, come back from nothing. See me. Know me." The storm falters as Tahu collapses from a hidden strain. "Yes Tahu. Your destiny is mine. Ever since I saw you your light burned bright. Did you think I fell? When my brother struck me down at the height of glory and triumph?" The voice becomes still and reflective, which is more frightening then it's sibilant dreadful tones. "Such power was mine. And now? A hundred millennia for nothing," it spits, then continuos with a sly tongue, "Ah . . . no matter. A new era is dawning. The future awaits. And not even my brother shall stop me . . . stop us, this time." Tahu pushes helplessly against the tentacles that bury into his body and influence him, on the verge of terror. "I will not be your lackey like some Rahi, or fall under your shadow. I'd rather die," he defies hoarsely. "That will be arranged," rumbles the voice, "I only need your exceptional physical body once I skin you of that foul golden armor. I knew you would not break or kneel on your own free will . . . but there was alway the hope. No matter. You will quite simply fight yourself." Tahu's mind erupts in pain as if needles of ice are being hammered in. He writhes in agony. "There are a thousand ways to die. Most will hurt," the dark figure grates. The pain is endless and mounting. Tahu screeches to rip off his mask, anything that will lessen the assault. Hope begins to shrivel like a dead blossom. Life flashes as his body leaves his minds grasp, and he can feel the voices perverse smile. He pulls the only strand in the web that could free him. Anger. Fury descends while at the same time he inflicts a psychic barrage of pure mental confusion at the shadows. Success filters through the rage as the voice roars in consternation and the tentacles slip. He can feel his body again. But the voice is still there, unleashing chaos. "Yes Tahu. The shadow is part of you now, it has always been, and this time I will prevail. Tahu grimaces as another round of psychic pain bombards him. He . . . cannot . . . get free. The darkness . . . the poison! . . . it eats away. Two Tahus face one another. Light and Dark. There is only one way to end it. One way. Light Tahu manages a resigned and grimacing smile. "You shall not have any part of me Makuta. And you shall never see the light nor the dark again. It is your time. And I will take us both into the Void before I let you walk again. Let Destiny decide our doom." He searches and finds the dying chaos of Light Tahu, the rage and power of Shadow Tahu, and the black monstrous presence of Makuta's spirit pulling their strings like a puppeteer. Tahu digs deep, and feels the ocean of fire inside. Tahu reaches, and hot warmth becomes sizzling heat. The ground turns to glass. A nimbus of pure fire burns like a star. The thought dwells in him that chaos will be unleashed, that the City will burn and that the land will be ash for a millennia. Shadow Tahu laughs violently. Light Tahu shudders in agony. Makuta thunders for control. Can he destroy all he knows? Can he even banish the demons that haunt him? Will he violate his oaths and code to achieve peace? He decides. He lets it all go. Only one thing matters. Evil will be vanquished at all costs. A small price for destroying the Shadows. ~ Gali wakes from her her crumbled sleep and stumbles out of the burning dwelling that would be her tomb. It collapses with a rush of sparks and a whooshing crash of heat. Her body quivers and aches, her mutilated armor charred. Her armor and power protected her, and she sends a prayer of thanks to the heavens. Her eyes wander over the destruction brought to here. Tahu is gone. No bodies, thank Mata Nui. She acts quickly and decisively. There is no time for panicked worry or befuddled horror. She raises her hands and calls to the sky as an aura of blue surrounds her. Clouds stir and gather into heavy grey lumps, the last rays of sunset glinting of the swirling moisture. A cool drizzle turns to pouring rain in an instant, and douses the hungry fires and smoke all around. Water heals and smooths torn earth, and the sharp smell of soot fades into a refreshing aroma of spring. The rain ceases, and rivulets of water drip down over broken ruins. Steam curls. She cannot linger or help those trapped in the rubble. She can feel a familiar coldness creeping into her being, and quickly takes in the northern sky and gapes at a whirling vortex consuming the horizon in flame, ash, and dark flashing clouds. Chaos. For a fleeting moment she catches a glimpse of blood red eyes glowing in its depths, and she knows them. No. It cannot be. "Makuta," she spits. She sucks in cool evening air tinged with a trace of the bitter destruction to the north. She cannot do this alone. But few are near who can aid in time. Her brothers are scattered, her friends near yet beyond aid, The Council! There is a way. Hastily her mind wanders down a little used path, praying she will get through. She probes a psychic landscape and finds the faint pathway with a feeling of triumph. Her voice is flung an incomprehensible distance. Brother, heed me. Tahu sickens. Makuta has risen. He returns and attempts to destroy him. Doom is at hand for the City. Help me now and bring aid. Use the suva to travel here now. I go to my duty . . . and perhaps my destiny. She sends a picture, the world in chaos. Silence fills the empty aftermath of her mental shout. No answer. She cries out in frustration. No one can come. She steels herself for the battle of a lifetime. Not since Karzahni itself was submerged by her hand has she called upon the waters to aid her like this. Suddenly a voice enters her mind like a sunbeam through cloud, warm and light, masculine, and full of intense scrutiny and worry. No question is raised as they exchange pictures with one another at the speed of thought. I come sister with powerful friends. Be strong. My friends are . . . very eager to end this. I will not need a shrine to quick-travel there. The voice leaves her, and Gali relaxes with a shaky breath as peace calms her. She sets her teeth and readies herself. Aches are washed away in healing drops of dew. Armor adapts, smooths, and ripples into strong sliver plating that will handle the worst of flames. Oh Tahu . . . please be alright. Her metallic skin prickles, and she turns to behold the wall of a still-standing building of great height. Space in front of it suddenly warps and congeals like gel, and Gali steps back as monsters and giants emerge out of thin air. A dragon, mighty and quivering with familiar darkness and power, sweeps by her without notice, a rapturous gleam in his eye of fire and an eager smile on jaws that could snap her head off. Next comes a handsome yet monstrously alien being, tall and gold with bulging muscles and cracked armor that oozes green haze. He floats in a halo of green energy and glows with a dark power. He looks at Gali through a misty eyed helmet, and eyes blaze at her uncomfortably. On his heels is a female Toa, lithe and dangerous with a curvaceous blue armored body. Gali feels a kinship with the sister Toa, but it swiftly ends with the murderous light in the others eyes. A glowing red gem beats in her chest. She walks forward as if every move will kill, and broken shackles are around her arms. Behind her out of nothingness, a giant being seemingly carved out of ancient stone with every muscle etched with symbols strides a head taller than even the dragon. A regal power that could level a realm goes before him, and his slit eyes glow with green death. As he unsheathes a massive war hammer, the last figure pops through just as space snaps back with a thud and a flash. Gali smiles as he comes forward, a figure brilliant as a midday sun, an energetic grace to his walk. A concerned frown parts his handsome yet mottled gold and white features. All five of them look at the horizon, unspoken questions meeting unspoken answers. The male Toa's face darkens. "Fortune favored us Gali. I guess Destiny, it would seem, brought us here." Gali nods with relief, then self consciously bows a little at the beings before her. Most do not deserve her respect at all, but she relents in the face of such power here. "Thank you Takanuva. Thank you all for coming. Makuta has returned, and the rivers for kios around are crying out." The Dragon hisses sarcastically, "Fools to think you were rid of him so easily. Perhaps "Destiny", as you say, will let me have my revenge after all." The female Toa scoffs, "Destiny indeed Miserix," she sighs in detached vexation, as if the world in turmoil means nothing to her, "Well . . . It seems I am needed. Let us be quickly rid of this monster. I have a trial to attend," she bitterly grins. The floating gold being smiles placidly, "Tuyet, we are all monsters." "Shut up, Brutaka." Takanuva scolds, and glances at the last silent figure of ancient power. "Artahka was more than willing to help." His rumble could have been a thank you, "We meet again Gali. Lead on. In unity we shall end this destruction . . . in unity," he intones in his old and young voice at the others pointedly. Some nod reluctantly, and Gali is filled with hope. But can she truly lead this group of beings into chaos to face the Master of Shadows? Yes, she can, and will. "For Unity. For Duty. For Destiny. We shall end Makuta's threat forever. And he shall forever be . . . as nothing," she smiles grimly at a hidden joke. Takanuva nods in understanding. Tuyet smirks, "Is the noble Gali willing to get her hands dirty and violate her precious Toa Code? Can you truly destroy anything? Him? Can you truly do your oh so wonderful duty? Gali smiles back matter-of-factly. "When the time comes for any of that, I'll leave the Makuta for you. And Tuyet? Do not lay one drop or finger upon my brother." ~ They come. And nothing is going as planned. Tahi is strong. Too strong. Both Tahu's. The three of them duel, but he manages to hold them off to think. The storm swirls and crackles heat. Such power. A second chance. A hundred centuries of planning, and all for nothing and ruin. But an opportunity has arisen. And it is closing fast. What is Tahu doing? He burns with an orange glow. Horror blossoms at a realization, and Makuta knows an emotion that he never before even contemplated. Panic. He seeks to end me and take himself with it. Outraged silence trickles into a hideous steel trap of purpose. He laughs. It's maniacal sound strengthens the chaos outside. The cards have been played. Only one course remains. Total commitment. Tahu will die. But out of his ashes will arise a glorious dawn of darkness. Makuta, Master of Shadows, Lord of Darkness, Born of the Void, hurls his spirit like a wave of violence at Tahu's shadow half. Tahu's mind shatters. Victory is his. ~ Bursting into the terrible calm inside the storm stride two figures filled with purpose, one a beacon of brightness, the other a wellspring of life. Gali stops her rush, and Takanuva halts, shadows melting amid his vibrant glow. Tahu is there, prone on the ground, a quivering, smoking mess of acid and sparks. Gali can feel a thrumming heat in the air, and to her shock it is him, readying to call upon his ultimate power. He will vaporize everything. Tahu is also their, standing next to the other Tahu, flame and shadow writhing over his dark form. His twisted smile of triumph fades and is replaced with a grimace. Takanuva does not give Shadow Tahu time to react as he flings a solid wall of light between the two Tahus. "You are not my brother." Makuta grins and his voice spills forth out of Shadow Tahu's mouth. "Have you come for a rematch Toa of Light? Come to me and be complete in the Shadow." The Storm quivers as if struck by a mighty hand. Makuta purses his lips as if in concentration. Gali walks forward with confidence even as her allies dimly appear out of the storm. Makuta gasps as ripples of power knock him down. The Storm is blown apart like leaves in a gale. Artakha jogs out of the mist and the stars glimmer and extinguish the black darkness. Miserix roars, and the storm scatters. Tuyet blasts into view, a whirlpool of water rotating with power around her. Brutaka nears, and chaos melts before him, only to spring back with a new purpose and target, the Master of Shadows. They near, and Makuta lashes out with everything. Artahka struggles against solid blackness while Miserix seemingly flips out of control and lashes out with a multitude of destructive powers, striking and destroying nothing but phantasms created in his mind. Tuyet buckles under unseen strain, and a bolt of fire hits her square in the chest. She goes down. Before Brutaka can charge, a killing blow in his deadly eyes, Gali desperately raises her hand to stop him. Makuta looks at her with hate filled eyes. Urgency fills her voice. Light Tahu nears full power in his half conscience fetal position, and when he reaches the top, the resulting blast of fire will end them all. "Be gone Makuta. Go to the Void that you love. Tahu! Hear me! You know what to do! Take hold of yourself! Don't give up and throw everything away! Unity! Duty! Destiny!" Makuta and Tahu snarl, but in Tahu's eyes is recognition. And defeat. He cannot summon the strength. Gali acts in the only way she knows how. In a second, two spheres of silver water, glowing like twin moons, appear in her hands. Her body vibrates, then she casts the spheres forward. She promptly collapses in a frail heap as tremendous energy leaves her. Makuta shrieks as both Tahu's are hit with a sphere each. Creation stills. ~ "I will . . . be rid of you, once and for all!" cries Tahu inwardly as healing water seeps into his body. His spirit soars, his body burns away the poisons in his system. Makuta screams in agony as Shadow Tahu sizzles with steam, his evil grip loosening. The two Tahu's gaze at one another, one dark, one light. Tahu smiles and beckons as he regains a shaky composure on his wobbly legs. It is over. Shadow Tahu does not have time to protest as he dissolves with a shriek into black soot and whooshes back into Tahu, pelting him with black sludge. The shock of being whole again floors him and he fights the urge to slip into comforting nothingness. His last sight beholds a twisted and smoky little form of ugly slime and shadow left in the place of his alter-ego. Six mighty warriors surround it. Feverish red eyes briefly glance into Tahu's soul from that hideous spirit. Pain. Fury. Defeat. No regret. A lifetime flashing in it's old and sickly gaze. It glances at the sky and curses a word Tahu can barely make out. Mata Nui. A tremendous flash consumes the last of his vision, and Makuta is no more. Victory. Content. Peace finally enters and quenches his soul like a pleasing rain, like a cozy warmth. He is whole. He is Tahu, Fire that burned against the Void. A comforting hand is laid over him, and he knows nothing more as sleep takes him. ~Fin~ (Takes a breath) Yeah well . . . I tried haha. My first little story (bows formally). Anyway, my logic for this story could almost kinda sorta fit into canon almost . . . This whole thing takes place . . . oh . . . a week to a month after Bionicles official ending. When starting, I asked myself, "Gee. I wonder what it was like for Tahu to suddenly get slammed with 40 + powers and abilities after zapping the Rahkshi." Thus my story was born. Would Tahu be adversely affected with the new powers? Acid? Shadow? All the rest? What about Makuta? What if through some complicated mumbo jumbo, Makuta survived the Moon Hit and Tahu drew his spirit like a moth to flame? So yeah. Lot of hypotheticals. And don't get me started on how Artakha and the rest could be around after Velika's finger was about to press the Big Boom of Death Button But Bionicle Ended So We Can't Know The Fate of All those Beings In That Room With Vezon. The horror. So I had to improvise. Oh well. I enjoy writing, and I hoped you liked the read. (edit) I mistakingly referred to Takanuva as Toa of Twilight, and such is not the case at this present time. The error has been corrected.
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On Spherus/Bara Magna, the Bionicle theme of being biomechanical was continued. But unlike the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe, Spherus Magnans do not have mechanical components from their inception. Sahmad said something interesting on implants. It was in Sahmad's Tale, when he has just awoken (in an illusion) to a Utopian society of Spherus Magnans and MU inhabitants, and is very skeptical that this could ever happen: "You've been asleep for 750 years, Sahmad." There was a moment then, just a moment, mind you, when I felt rattled. I mean, it could have been true. The monster might have chewed us up and spat us out. Someone might have found Metus and I and kept us alive. All Agori and Glatorian might be living as brothers and sisters in a beautiful new city, ready to welcome even survivors of the Iron Tribe into their arms. And Thornax fruit might taste like boiled Skopio meat, and the Great Beings might be handing out gift baskets of implants, but I wasn't ready to believe that either. The quote suggests that implants are highly desired and expensive. 1. If they are a commodity and expensive, I guess anyone born post-Shattering is unlikely to have received the augmentations. Given their long lifespans, I don't think there were too many Agori or Glatorian born, but I'm sure there must have been some. So. would we agree that there are probably some "all natural" Agori and Glatorian around? I think it would be cool to explore the social consequences these differences would make. I can see some friction between the "natural" and the "augmented" (I suddenly thought of the game Deus Ex: Human Revolution). Before the Shattering, I guess there must have been those who objected/declined implants on personal moral grounds etc. However, in the harsh environment of Bara Magna, I think people would have had higher priorities, like surviving. So I guess any "natural" Glatorian may have been seen as inferior and so had a harder time getting employed. I think it's interesting that it seems that most Agori and Glatorian do have implants. If all, or virtually all of these implants were received pre-Shattering, than it seems that society had widely accepted the change. It's interesting really; whilst technology is having a greater and greater effect on our real-world lives I doubt many of us would willingly lose perfectly good body parts because we think a mechanical version is better. Well, actually it's quite an interesting debate, because I'm sure some people would. Given the presence of things like hydraulic pistons in the Spherus Magnan sets, I think that there's a strong implication that some of these implants were drastically noticeable and significant. In a world were such things are available things could escalate into an arms race of sorts, where people are pressured to get implants because they'll get "left behind" if they don't. Gosh! this really reminds me of Deus Ex: Human Revolution XD (and the original Cybermen from Doctor Who) 2. If Mata Nui's body was similar to that of a Toa, wouldn't the Glatorian and Agori initially have taken him for a Glatorian with lots of implants, who strangely seemed to like wearing armour literally all the time? XD 3. It seems, due to the Legend Reborn, that Glatorian [with implants] are about as physically capable to Toa, since Mata Nui seemed matched or certainly comparable to the Glatorian there (assuming his body was similar to a Toa's). D'we think so guys? 4. Oh, and does anyone have any idea why basically all animals on Spherus Magna that we've seen seem to have implants too? I know animals like the Iron Wolves were modified for combat etc. But why animals like Scarabaxes and Skopios? And surely this is a bit of a one-off, since I don't see how the benefits of these implants could apply after one generation, since offspring won't have them? Did the GBs really meddle with all of them. Not joking, but the sheer logistics...>< (I guess if they can make things like Masks of Rahi Control maybe it's not that difficult though) Yeah, not trying to achieve anything specific here, but I just thought this was a really interesting aspect of the Bionicle lore and hence worth discussing.
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THE CHRONICLES OF MASUKO By Toa of Awesome REVIEW TOPIC: http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=8773 PROLOGUE 20 years ago… It was a hot day, with the sunshine beating down on the backs of the Order of Mata Nui members. They were excavating for resources in a large clearing on a southern island. There were so many holes in the ground now that instead of land with holes in it; it was holes with a network of islands in it. Around the scene—near the edge of the clearing—lay all of the greenish tents that the Order Members dwelt in. All but one was empty. In the occupied tent sat the Order Member assigned to defend this place in the case of attack, as he examined a throwing knife with a bored expression. He was clad in forest green and dark grey armor. His Kanohi Calix was grey on the bottom part, giving him a sort of five o’clock shadow look. The being’s boredom was interrupted when he heard someone call “Masuko!” Getting up, he put the knife back in its sheath on his thigh and got up. “Yeah?” he asked as he walked out of the tent, he had been summoned by the chief digger, Turmos. “Look,” Turmos began, a slightly concerned expression on his face, “a couple of my guys say they saw something big walking around in the woods near here, probably a Muaka. Think you could go deal with that?” “Yeah, that’d be fine,” Masuko confirmed. “Alright, thanks.” Masuko walked out into the woods. The leaves were translucent in the sunlight, the light bleeding through and making their shadows a florescent green. A small breeze caused the trees to sway back and forth, animating the forest. Birds chirped their routine songs. Masuko suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked over and saw that something was sticking out of the tree he had just walked past. Bending over to get a closer look, he saw that the strange object was shiny and disk-shaped. It was dirty, clouding out the shine and gold color. Strangely enough, it seemed to have been launched into the tree with enough force to bury itself into the trunk, and the area around the gash was scorched. Masuko wrenched the object out of the plant with great effort. Wiping off the sides, Masuko saw that it was a coin. On one side of the coin was engraved a normal Kanohi Hau. On the other side, another Kanohi Hau was engraved, but it was scratched up and cracked. It was a really creepy image, too. The mask didn’t look old or worn, rather violently pounded and hammered. Masuko, fascinated by the strange object examined it with morbid interest. After a while, he started to feel faint, like he was fading away. He entered a strange trance as he stared into the eyes of the battered mask. He started to get tunnel vision. It was like an uncontrollable sleep was coming over him. Soon the coin was the only thing in focus, and everything else was blurry beyond recognition. A deafening roar interrupted the phenomenon. Masuko shoved the coin into his throwing knife sheath and unstrapped his blade from his back. He scanned the scene, waiting for something to jump out. Before he could react, though, whatever made the roar jumped from behind, knocking him to the ground before landing in front of him. It was a Muaka, bearing its teeth aggressively. Masuko suddenly pulled out the coin. He didn’t know why, he just did. To his horror, a voice sounded in his mind. Look at me, it said. He stared into the damaged mask’s eyes, unable to control himself. He felt the same fading feeling as he did before, and this time it was stronger, faster. The Muaka came over to him, probably to eat him, then suddenly his vision went black. The scene spontaneously changed in the blink of an eye. Now Masuko was lying on the ground, staring up at a stormy sky. It was raining, and thunder rolled loudly. He looked at his hands and jolted in surprise. They were covered in blood! It didn’t take Masuko long to realize the blood was not his. He looked to the side and saw the rotting carcass of the Muaka lying beside him. He got up and picked up his sword. Looking down, he saw the coin in the mud. He picked it up and looked at it again, but something was wrong. There were still two masks on it—one normal and one beat up—but now the masks took on a different look… his mask.
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Hello, I am Makuta Trydeltix, the Makuta assigned to watch over and protect the southern region, the island Occidus. Occidus is a very secluded location in the Matoran Universe, and it is in its most southern point. It is an oddity in the universe, as it is home to an abundance of tropical flora. It is a beautiful place. An island paradise. The Matoran of Occidus, a combination of Ta, Bo, De, Su, and Vo Matoran, always liked to keep to themselves, and I found myself wanting to do the same. What more could we need? We had everything we could ever want on Occidus. There was no need to communicate with the rest of the universe. After tens of thousands of years with no contact with any beings outside our home, most of the inhabitants of our universe have forgotten about the island's very existence, and myself along with it. I had no friends in the Brotherhood of Makuta, since I found most of them to have simply toxic personalities. They too, eventually forgot about me. With all my connections to the outer world severed, I had the opportunity to break away from the Brotherhood after Teridax's revolt against the Great Spirit Mata Nui unnoticed. To ensure that they would never find me, I destroyed all their records of mine or Occidus' existence. I was finally free from the tyrannical leadership of Teridax, and free to lead my people in peace and harmony. I never thought Teridax would succeed in his plans to wrest power away from Mata Nui, but in the end, shadows prevailed, and Teridax fulfilled his evil plan. The Great Cataclysm struck Occidus hard, and many lives were lost, and cities destroyed. I survived, though, and pledged to lead my people through the darkness and hardships ahead. We rebuilt our tropical island back into the paradise it once was, and we continued to thrive. We watched our Universe die, and be saved by a great and noble heroes, and we watched lived through its final destruction, and the long overdue death of Teridax. In a mass exodus of the universe we had lived in for as long as we could remember, we emerged onto a place more beautiful than we ever could have imagined, and even though we had never seen it before, it was immediately our new home. The three was once more one, and Mata Nui had blessed the reformed world with beauty and hospitality. Against all odds, my people and I had slipped away from the darkness, and we would be ever thankful to the Great Spirit for that. With a final goodbye and look back upon our old home, its corpse sprawled out on the land behind, we embraced our new home and our new life on the world of Spherus Magna.
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Granted, we really haven't seen that much of spherus magna. The convention is that the northern and southernmost point on a planet are the coldest locations on a planet, as they have less direct exposure to the sun and Bones will probably explain it a lot better latter on.To the point: we have had no indication that spherus magna has frozen polar caps. Why? Do they even exist? Could their apparent absence have something to do with fact that the planet is part of a binary star system, the planets sheer (estimated) size, or that two giant chunks were ripped away for 100,000 years where the poles would have been, but even then.So did they exist. If not, why?
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Does anybody have an idea on how the Barraki looked like before the mutation in the Pit? Are there any canonical clues? Or maybe you have your own ideas?
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So, I got a "little theory". I'm not sure it will fit into the storyline, but yeah. When the Great Beings discovered that the EP leaking from the center of SM(and that SM will eventually "rip" apart), they created the MU and its main inhabitants, the Matoran, and its sub species, Toa and Turaga. The Matoran species have the power to form into Kaita, a combination of usually three beings. Something I've been thinking is that maybe the GBs made this function to inform the Matoran/Toa/Turaga/Mata Nui that that is the way to reform SM, that three will become one. Thoughts?
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The Last Guardian Written by, Grant-Sud Walking on the barren desert sands, the three Matoran trekked onward in complete darkness. There wasn’t a light to be found in the land and the sky held no stars or moon. The sun hadn’t set on the world in the last five hundred years, and the rivers had long ago dried up. Despite that, the air was damp and warm.Toreck stopped, and glanced over his shoulder with a worried expression on his face as he casted his gaze upon the far sands behind him. His two friends came to a halt, their backpacks clanging with equipment. The Onu-Matoran, Retra, spoke first after a short moment of stillness.“Do you see them?” she asked. In these surroundings her black armor made her appear almost invisible to the naked eye. Only her green eyes were noticeable.“No.”Toreck continued to watch in silence, his Ruru activated to reveal what was in the darkness around him.“Do you think they are still following us?”“Yes.”They watched the lifeless sands below, riding the wind in waves, fluid in motion and colorless, as their Ruru’s didn’t allow color while in use of its power. They could see no other movement. But that didn’t mean they were alone, and that’s why the light feature of their masks were being unused.Retra slipped the pack from her shoulders and placed it on to the ground. Toreck intensified his own mask of night vision’s power to full, trying to get a better view of things. Shifting through her gear, she checked the rations they had left. About a week’s worth, more than enough time to reach their destination and head home. Inside she also found three lightstones covered in cloth and a Hau. Sighing, she zipped up the pack.“You didn’t bring weapons either, did you Moru?” she asked the quiet Le-Matoran who carried the lightest bags.“Besides a few disks, no,” he replied simply. “I felt that if we encountered Rahkshi threats out here, no weapon at our disposal would be efficient enough.”He sounded cold, but was only naturally so in speech. His face was also filled with slight disappointment at what Toreck had told them.“I … I think we should just continue on,” Toreck decided. He was a Ta-Matoran, the leader of this small group. And though Retra and Moru could always detect a small amount of nervousness in his voice, which was his nature, they knew the Ta-Matoran’s loyalty and determination always overcame his frightfulness. “If we find what we’re looking for, we’ll make it through no problem.” He finished that last statement with a reassuring smile.“If we find him,” Moru added quietly.Then Toreck shouted in sudden surprise as his sight was filled with a harsh light. He yanked his mask off and threw it to the ground. His vision blurred as he took in the brightness surrounding him. Moru and Retra, who had their masks set on a lower level, squinted and deactivated their masks entirely.On normal vision, the three Matoran looked upward to the sky above where one large square of light shined on the land. Toreck rubbed his eyes and looked out over the expanse. He could see everything, and his heart sank at the sight of the endless wasteland. Only sand and rocks.The light above flickered.“I don’t know why …” Retra started, but hesitated as she sought the right choice of words. “I wish I could have seen this place when it was worth fighting over. I can’t understand why no one minded living and fighting for a cage.”“It was a place meant for us, they used to say. It was a home.” Toreck explained to her, though he himself couldn’t truly understand the sentimentality of this world.“We should keep moving,” Moru interrupted, unsympathetic to what he saw. “Our home means much more to me and I want to see it again. I don’t ever want to come back to this empty shell of Mata Nui.”With that the Le-Matoran turned and continued down the lit way, not bothering see if his friends were following. He knew they were. It was only a good minute later that the giant lantern in the sky short-circuited, a sharp pop echoing across the land. Glowing sparks rained from the once again darkened sky, falling as mixture of ash and sand around them. And though they couldn’t fully understand why, their equipment and hearts, felt much heavier.***The tent flapped as the wind blew against it, shuddering and threatening to blow away at a given moment. Retra was confident though that the spikes she had placed into the tent would hold despite the softer surface.A small heatstone was placed in the center of the three Matoran. Moru was wide awake and staring into it, as was Toreck who took in the warmth like a long lost friend. Retra rested in her sleeping bag, eyes half closed. There hadn’t been much discussion, which was rare for them, but not necessarily unexpected. It had been a long journey into the old Matoran Universe. The three of them had been close at their Koro and knew each other well. And talking about their falling conditions and predicament was just… something they didn’t want to spend their last conversation on, if it happened to be so.Not only that, but the Matoran Universe was such a quiet world, so unlike Spherus Magna.Moru however, was not a Matoran to let difficult subjects get in the way of his questions and answers.“What do you think they are doing here?” Moru asked Toreck. The Le-Matoran then winced at his question but couldn’t help but slightly smile. Why was it that people, including him, were so drawn to his Ta-Matoran friend? They looked to him for confidence even though he seemed to have no real sustenance for his faith.“I’m not sure. Rahkshi are rare… and to be honest I wasn’t expecting any to be around here.”“They were sent after us,” Moru explained, already knowing the answer, just wondering what Toreck thought of it.Toreck raised his hands up to the heatstone, and rubbed them together after a minute. He struggled with his words for a second, but only muttered one.“Yeah.”“Maybe they know about it,” Retra said quietly. She was a strong Onu-Matoran, an excellent miner and construction expert. But though she had these skills, she was the youngest out of the three of them and often expressed either high confidence or worry. “We just need to find him before they do, that’s all,” she added with a smile, shutting her eyes again.“I agree,” Toreck told her as he fell on to his back, ready for sleep himself.Moru stayed in his sitting position.“And once we find the Toa, all our problems will be over.”The Le-Matoran glanced over at his friend, who spoke too joyfully.“What makes you so sure? Why do you think that this Toa will solve everything? That he’ll even be here, all the way out in the middle of nowhere?”Frowning in response, Toreck didn’t meet his gaze and shifted against his makeshift bed.“I don’t know for sure if the Toa will be here. But I hope he is. And if he is, I know he’ll start something, he’ll prove that we stand a chance.” Toreck shifted upward then, somewhat excited as he finally met his friend’s eyes. “Haven’t you ever thought about that? It’s what we all dream to be one day, a guardian. And this person might make that dream come true. It’s worth this journey, because it’s the only way our people are going to make it. And we will.”Moru didn’t say anything in response, but considered. Retra’s eyes were wide open once again, and she took in Toreck’s words like a revelation she hadn’t acknowledged before. “And tomorrow, we’re going to find him,” she finished, a smile on her face.Snuggling back into her covers, she tried falling asleep again, as did Toreck who felt safer and didn’t worry about the Rahkshi for now.Moru was the only one who couldn’t sleep so easily.***“Are we close?” Toreck asked, turning to Moru. The Le-Matoran’s vision was limited to what he saw ahead, but his own Ruru could make out the lines and notes in his stone map. He placed a finger to the tablet and scrolled it slowly upward, murmuring to himself before looking upward and giving a definite nod.“Very. Just a few more miles and we’ll reach the fortress.”Step after the step the group took in the darkness, occasionally glancing over their shoulder for the Rahkshi they could only assume weren’t around. Perhaps they had given up days ago, which would explain their absence for so long. Retra had commented that from the stories she had been told, Rahkshi rarely gave up a hunt, which worried the three even more. If they were still looking, wouldn’t they have caught up by now?The sheer cliff appeared abruptly in their path, a giant wall of rock upward miles high. They had had plenty of time to notice it through their masks, but still the magnitude of such an obstacle surprised them. They hadn’t seen much of anything besides desert since they had begun their journey into the robot’s shell.“It’s somewhere along this wall,” Moru said disappointingly. “I’m not sure which direction for sure.”“Just estimate the best you can, my friend,” Toreck encouraged. “And what are we looking for exactly?”Moru smiled and laughed halfheartedly. “You know what we’re looking for, the entrance into this Dark Hunter Fortress. It should be marked by a large black stone...” Scratching the back of his head in thought, he pointed to the left. “I’m going to say it’s in this direction, if my calculations are correct. But there’s no way of knowing which part of the wall we’re at, and it goes on for miles.”“I’ll try to pick up anything that’s hallow in the rock,” Retra added, walking close to the cliff-face and pressing a hand against the stone, a natural ability granted to Onu-Matoran.Making their way along the wall, Toreck and Moru kept a sharp eye for any color difference in the stone, which was difficult while seeing through night vision. Retra kept her eyes closed, feeling out for any abnormalities.“I feel it!” Retra opened her eyes and pressed both hands to the rock. It had only been a good ten minutes, much better time in locating the entrance than they had expected. “It’s nearby, there’s an opening inside, no doubt.”Toreck quickly ran ahead searching for any kind of col-And then a large boulder in the cliff, volcanic black in color was before him.It took a few minutes for Retra to locate the secret hatch buried in the sand underneath it. With a sharp pull, she removed the latch and the bolder slowly slid out from the cliff, revealing a square opening that reached far into the mountain’s side. The entire opening was built of steel with sand spreading across the floor. Toreck took a quick look inside, and slowly entered, followed by his friends.The stone closed shut behind them, leaving them in perpetual darkness. Assured of being alone now, the three Matoran removed their masks and retrieved their lightstones. Toreck placed on his Mask of Flight, Moru his Mask of Accuracy and Retra her Mask of Strength.Now immersed in regular light, they made their way through the long and abandon corridor.***“If Lariska was right about everything…” Moru started.“It’s here?” Toreck asked, awed by what could be beyond the steel hatch. The door was hexagon shaped and glowing at the edges was a white light. His excitement was evident by the way his fingers twitched at his sides. This was it.“Yes. Trapped in the Shadowed One’s Throne Room, is where we’ll find the Toa. This should be the chamber. Now when the Toa wakes up, we’ll need to be easy with him. He’s not going to understand a lot right away.”“Retra,” Toreck turned to her. “Do your stuff.”“On it,” she said, grinning from the edge of her mask to the other. Quickly, she slid down to her knees on the right side of the steel hatch. There, she began to study the code construct, riddled with an old Matoran Language and other odd symbols.“Set up the lightstones around me?” she requested, and the two did as they were told. Placing one right beside her, she quickly located another stone tablet from her own pack. Notes and sketches were written across it. Lariska had theorized at the code word when she had told the legend years back, so they had a good idea of what it was. But the translation from the Spherus Magna Language to the Matoran Language was a difficult one. If anyone could do it, Retra could, having studied up on the history of the Matoran Universe as much as Moru.“Okay…” she pressed a button and then another on the panel. “Yes! This is it!”With a sudden lurch, the door’s hinges unhooked and a dust cloud formed around them. The door slowly rose upward, descending-And then it stopped.“Hold on,” Retra said, activating her mask. “I think it’s just caught.”She moved to the hatch and held on to the underside of it. She started to lift with a heavy grunt.“Toreck,” Moru tapped on his friend’s shoulder. He had a distant look in his eye, the Ta-Matoran. It was as though he was in a dream and wanting to live it. “Toreck… listen.”Blinking, his friend concentrated on Moru.“I know what you think, that this Toa will be the start of something great, and yes I think it will change everything too…” he looked a little saddened. “But don’t ever think that we’re not worth-”“Got it!”Another roar of the steel grinding against stone, and the door automatically lifted, with Retra standing in its opening. She didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything at the sight before her.Inside was a large dark room of polished stone, to the far left a massive throne and around the room along the walls were shelves and shelves of masks and weapons. The weapons looked personal, not powerful but having significant value to them. All the masks were scarred, as though their owners had all perished at the marks long ago. But it was how she was seeing these things, from the light source at the far end of the room right across from the doorway that had stopped her in her tracks. There was a large container, cylinder shaped, transparent with a tall figure standing upward and frozen inside. The cylinder emitted a light like one from the heavens, light blue and pure, which revealed the features of the being. There was no room for doubt in the Matoran’s heart. And though she had never seen one before, she still knew what she saw.It was a Toa.And then abruptly, the placed lightstone beside her shattered into pieces. Retra, half dazed and half surprised by the sudden disruption, slowly turned to look over her shoulder.The heat from the laser as it made its way across the ground before them seemed to come in slow motion to her. She could only watch it frame by frame, unable to move in a sudden fear that had taken hold of her. Only one word came to mind as the beam swiftly moved upward and cut into her armor, body and mask.‘Rahkshi.’Struck down without mercy, Retra fell to her knees, her body smoking from the new scar that was etched into her. Her eyes seemed dead and she collapsed on her side.“Retra!” Toreck cried out in devastation, not fully taken in by what had happened. The next beam cut across the wall and toward the two Matoran left standing.“Move!” Moru grabbed a hold of Toreck’s arm and pulled him into the chamber the laser slicing above their heads.Moru glanced upward, seeing the attack barely miss striking the Statis Tube where the Toa was held.Quickly, he reached behind his back, activating his mask on full power and swung out with his acquired disk. A level three teleport disk, which soared directly at the body of the orange colored Rahkshi. The creature fired another stream of heat which missed the disk and instead struck the right arm of Moru. The Le-Matoran cried out in pain as the Rahkshi immediately disappeared by the disk’s effects.“They’re…” Moru sucked in his air. “Trying to kill the Toa.”Toreck’s eyes widened as he turned to find two more Rahkshi right outside the hatch. A red and brown one, evil looks to their eyes which were said to be that of a dreaded Makuta’s. He lost track of his breathing as the events unfolded far too quickly for him. Moru rushed forward, shoving Toreck out of the way and outstretched his arms as a wave of power erupted from the brown Rahkshi’s staff. Uplifting dirt in its wake, the Le-Matoran took the energy in full, stopping it from reaching the Toa.A saddened look to his face, the Le-Matoran fell backward, armor scarred and marked and ripped apart. His mask had been half disintegrated from the attack. Toreck shouted out his name but Moru couldn’t even hear it and only witnessed his friend by fading vision as he took him in his arms and leaned over him.“I… I… I protected … for you… make sure, they… they can’t be allowed … the last…” he didn’t have any more control of his lungs after that, but he strangely felt no pain, and just watched his friend as he screamed deafly. He gave a prayer that’d Toreck could make it through this. That he wouldn’t see his friend on the other side so soon.And then he passed away.Toreck cried, unable to fight back and unprepared for the sudden loss of his companions. He was supposed to be stronger than this. He was supposed to fight, like Tahu had taught the Matoran long ago. A reason to exist was what they needed to live, as the Great Toa had said. But Toreck couldn’t remember why he was living right then, not when everything had been taken from him.On the outside, as the Rahkshi of Fear began to move into the chamber with its brother, Retra slowly reached upward with her arm, and retyped in the code she had punched in. She didn’t think about what was next, only the present. After she was done, the Onu-Matoran fell back into the ground, eyes dimming as the hatch began to seal shut. The Rahkshi hissed in anger and turned to her, seeing the smirk on her face.“Tell the Toa, I said hi … okay Toreck?”Then she died before the sons of Makuta could kill her.***Erratic breaths were pitifully drawn from Toreck as he watched the hatch close and seal. Tears in his eyes, he realized he had been given a chance. There was still an opportunity to finish the mission and retrieve the prize. And he was wasting it.Moving slowly past the corpse of Moru, not barring to watch his friend any longer, Toreck approached the Statis Tube. He placed a hand against the glass, and slowly slid it across the container until it reached the smooth stone wall. There, a single lever waited.He pulled on it, and the prison’s glow faded away. The glass opened, steam filling out across the room. When it cleared, there the Toa of Psionics stood leaning slightly against the wall with unlit eyes.***…Norik…She inhaled, gasping as though life had always been across the street, waving and smiling but never rushing to meet her. Her eyes started to glow and her legs unbuckled from beneath her as she fell.Then she felt hands desperately catch her torso and hold her up for a moment before being laid to the cold ground. She couldn’t make out anyone before her, though she knew someone was there and she only couldn’t hear.Dizziness struck, her vision blurred and as her body received the air it needed she immediately felt as though she needed to sleep again.But she refused that call. Somehow, she knew she had been asleep for a long time.Movement against her side for too long, she slowly started to make out the muddled noise reaching her ears. Opening her eyes again, she noticed the small red being beside her. It looked familiar, but she couldn’t recall its name, though it was in the back of her mind, somewhere. He shook her body, pressed his mask down toward hers and started to speak.“You…” she could make out.Grudgingly, she moved her arms up and pressed her palms to the floor slowly lifting herself up. She fell, and tried again as the ringing in her ears stopped.“Who…where am I?” she asked, her voice not her own. Though she couldn’t remember exactly what she sounded like before. The room was very dark, and besides a noticeable throne at the end of the room which looked all too familiar, she couldn’t recall where she was.“You’re female!” the red being responded in surprise. “I- I’m sorry, we had just assumed, because of the legend.”For some reason that answer confused her all the more and before she could think about what she was saying, she spoke.“Of course I’m female, I’m a Toa of Psionics.”And then with that word, Toa, memories started to burst free from the dam of her mind. Too many memories; fighting … for something, living in unnamed lands, working with unnamed teammates.Except for the name, Norik. She could remember that one.“What was I thinking… you were around before the time of Spherus Magna,” the little one started to ramble on. “But that’s fine! You just said it! You’re a Toa! I … Toa I …” and then he started to tear up a little and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad …” he half finished, too emotional to end his statement correctly.“Where am I? Why can’t I remember …” she moved his hand away and pressed both her palms to her forehead as she sat up. Immediately her attention was drawn to the other side of the room. There a large door with smoke spewing out the sides, started to rumble.The red one looked frightened as he looked over as well.Matoran! He’s a Matoran! Her mind screamed.“Listen to me! I don’t have much time to explain… Toa of Psionics, you’ve been imprisoned for years, hundreds of years. You’re still suffering from the effects of Statis, but it should wear off soon. My name is Toreck, and, uh and I’ve, I mean we, have been looking for you, for a long time.”His words were jumbled together, as though he was unsure what he himself was doing there.Some of it made sense, she was a Toa, and she could remember sleeping. She didn’t remember having dreams though.“Varian…” she finally responded. “That’s my name.”“Toa Varian,” he said, firmly in a tone of kindness that made her meet his eyes. “There’s a prophecy that says you are our salvation, you’re a Toa who’s supposed to be able to defend us, and save what we lost. This is going to be hard for you to understand, and I promise I’ll explain everything soon…” he was interrupted by another rumble that struck the hatch. “You are the only Toa left, Varian. For four hundred years, they’ve been missing. That means,” he continued slowly. “You are the Toa in the prophecy. And I need your help. The Makuta’s sons are right outside.”Toa from a prophecy… she couldn’t remember ever being associated with things like that. She only remembered bits and pieces of her life before. Like how she and Norik had been betrayed by a Dark Hunter, how she had been able to negotiate her imprisonment for his life. She remembered roaming the universe, wanting to be able to grow into an accomplished Toa who lead the team, instead of the scout her powers allowed her to be. Day after day, running around in the large universe taking down the bad guys with her friends by her side had become tiring and she grew exhausted. She hadn’t been strong enough to handle the constant blows, and that had gotten her captured.She couldn’t break the hope of this Matoran, but how could she lie to him? If there were no Toa left, then experience was telling her that the world had changed for the worst.With a slight cough in her sigh, still not having fully recovered from the Statis effects, Varian answered.“And if, that prophecy was wrong and I’m not who you say I am? What if I’m not this Toa you need me to be?”Varian watched Toreck’s expression lower and his eyes dim. He looked as though he didn’t have an answer for that question.But when she looked down the floor and started to stand upright fully, he spoke.“Legends say that a Toa is someone who protects and strengthens others. They’re loyal, as strong as they need to be and put others needs ahead of their own. They choose a path,” a rumble from the door and it started to glow bright orange as the metal melted. “And stick with it, no matter what obstacles fall their way. Is that true Varian?”She laughed a little at and shook her head.“Yes. It’s never that easy, but for the most part it’s true.”Toreck smiled.“Then you’re everything I’ve been searching for. For me, you can’t be anyone else.”With a hiss and the bending of metal, the hatch door blew off the wall, clanging unto the ground before the Toa and Matoran. Three Rahkshi made their way into the chamber, watching for movement and the thirst for death on their minds. Their armor reeked of it. The red one, a Turahk, roared ferociously as it caught sight of the Matoran they were searching for. With a moment of hesitation it noticed a new creature standing beside it. Taller, lean and gold and blue in color. It had never seen anything like it before, and it felt no sense of fear from the being. That was fine though, because a Rahkshi of Fear was also never afraid. What could match its power, what could terrify fear itself?At least, that’s what it had believed, until the being before them opened its glowing, furious, light blue eyes.***The first blast of energy that struck the Rahkshi was so abrupt and forceful, that the dark creatures were pushed off their feet and into the stone behind them. The attack was transparent, but the air was noticeably pulsing as it flowed forward, tinted with blue. Dust leaped off the walls in a cloud, moving in an upward formation like a spiraling wave from the ocean.The orange colored Rahkshi pushed itself up, anger screeching from the Kraata. Its eyes started to burn like fire, a charge of heat building up.The Toa raised her hand and the head of the Rahkshi was pulled toward the left directly at its brother, Panrahk. With no way to expel its power, it fired the laser at its brother’s armor melting and cutting through to the Kraata inside.The Toa released its grip on the Rahkshi of Heat Vision, as the Turahk charged forward. Immediately it halted, seeing three of the same Toa standing before it. Growling, the creature released its negative power of fear to the Toa, watching as its essence spread to each one.“You think you can scare me? A Toa of Psionics always has her mind on the defensive,” it heard a voice say.All three Toa vanished as two strong arms reached around the body of the red Rahkshi, filling its thoughts with tiredness. The Rahkshi slowly stopped struggling and fell into sleep. But she made it start to fall deeper, until the Kraata itself wouldn’t awake for years. The Turahk fell to the floor with its armor clanging against the ground. She took a momentary look at her enemy, before turning to the last one.The Rahkshi of Heat Vision faltered in its stance as it watched the Toa, meeting her eyes. Charging its energy once more, it took a desperate shot.The beam passed through the Toa, striking her like a mirage.Two small holes were seared into the smooth wall, and a silence followed. The Rahkshi turned, and now couldn’t find the Matoran, who had been backing away since the fight began. It was alone.It could only find the dead like Turahk and sliced open Panrahk.With a whistling sound ringing in the creature’s ears, the last Rahkshi spun around at the noise. But it never caught sight of the Kanoka disk which froze it on the spot.***Varian held Retra upright in her arms while Toreck carried Moru. She had tried to take both Matoran, since she knew such a task was probably difficult for him, but he had remained stubborn. He felt partly responsible, he had said.The rest of the blame, Varian knew, was hers.Their loads included the two Matoran, three bags containing supplies such as food and masks, and one newly acquired Rahkshi staff picked up by Varian. They reached the outside of the fortress, greeted by a gust of sand which surprised the Toa. She took in her barren world, which was covered by night and dust. A lowly feeling came over her. What in Mata Nui’s name had happened to the Universe? Reaching out with telepathy, she found no source of life for miles. Everything was gone. She couldn’t even locate a Rahi.With a small push of her power, she created a proper grave large enough for both Matoran. Sand rushed around them as they moved into it, placing their friends gently down. Toreck had been the only one who knew them, and he spoke a few words. The Ta-Matoran spoke about how faithful they had been, and that their sacrifice wasn’t in vain. He said they were greatest friends he had ever had, and he’d take care of Moru’s pet ussal crab, Puki, when they returned home, and find a good place to keep Retra’s journals in the library.Varian gave a heartfelt thank you, and wished she had gotten to know the Matoran.With a wave of her hand, sand began to fill the hole and cover the bodies slowly.“Here,” Toreck said, passing her a Ruru. “You’ll need this to traverse the desert. It’s more efficient than a lightstone and less noticeable.”She took it and replaced it for her Mask of Fate. “Not that anyone is out here to watch us,” she replied.Toreck laughed a little. “Yeah, there isn’t really much here. But I guess to you, this place was home.”“What happened?” she asked suddenly, eyes stern and concern abundant. “You need to start telling me everything.”“I agree,” he replied, nodding. “Um… where to start? Well, let’s head out. Once we leave this Universe, things will get clearer.”“L-leave the Universe?” ***When she found herself outside the robot of Mata Nui, disbelief struck her.She was supposed to be prepared for it. Toreck had explained everything, starting from the Brotherhood rebellion which a lot of she had no idea about. He had explained Spherus Magna, Mata Nui’s purpose, the war between the Great Spirit and Teridax.Varian shaded her eyes with her hand, taking in the abundant plant life, the jungle that awaited them. She looked behind her, seeing the giant … which wasn’t the right word. Taking in the enormous metal shell they had walked out of and finding the sharp contrast between the two worlds. They continued their journey three days into the desert only to abruptly find life, and too much of it for her telepathic abilities to take. She reduced her elemental powers, lowering the mental radar she had activated.Walking through the jungle, she couldn’t help but be amazed at how large their Universe was. That after five hundred years, many parts of the robot hadn’t been used for supplies. That miles and miles of the complex universe remained untouched, rotting away. Karzahni, that it fit, barely took up any space on the planet of Spherus Magna at all!With the migration of Matoran, following Teridax’s fall, came a new dark age. The evil that had begun through the Matoran Universe spread to the same on Spherus Magna. Skakdi, Dark Hunters, the Brotherhood, Skrall … they all had a common enemy. Their enemy was still a new born, unsure of who to trust and how to function.In time, the Order of Mata Nui was reduced to nothing, and the Agori and Glatorian were forced to join into the society of the powers that be. Matoran and Toa were refugees, hidden and smuggled throughout the planet. With constant rebellions, power struggles, the Matoran race began to dwindle into a hand full and Toa, less than that. Years after when beings finally saw the corruption for what it was, and fought for a new peaceful world, Matoran had been long left alone.The lush bushes around them, dew dripping from the palm branches above their heads, looked too peaceful for a planet of war. But then again, there weren’t many to fight against one another any longer.The Toa had lost.Toreck had explained how a Great Toa, Tahu, had led an army against the most corrupt part of the new society. Toa had been being killed for over a hundred years since arrival, planned and assassinated by a new being who had appeared from nowhere it seemed, Marendar. The Toa had led a battle to kill this … machine, a final fight to the death.Varian still had a hard time believing that the Toa would sacrifice themselves in a fight they couldn’t win.“It wasn’t so much that the Toa wanted things the way they used to be,” Toreck explained while they walked. “Things were too far gone for that. Tahu put it best, and his words are in writing still, which we’ll see when we get home. He said that, “We all have a reason to live. We just need to find it ourselves. And though Spherus Magna has no place for us, I refuse to be treated so unjustly. If Spherus Magna won’t remove the evil of Marendar and the Kings who now rule with darkness over the planet, then we Toa should stand against it. Because that’s what Toa do, believe and put faith in what’s right, even to the point of surrendering our own lives.”Toreck stopped at the end of a steep cliff where the tree line ended and an open expanse was revealed to them. Varian looked out to the world and gasped at its sight. There were tall mountains that were covered by light fog and jungles, reaching far into the clouds. Rivers poured out from its cliffs and throughout the land. She saw giant bird Rahi, soaring above them in clear skies. It was nothing like she had ever seen before; the world fascinated and terrified her.Her Ta-Matoran companion didn’t even give it a second glance, and leaped off the slope, gliding down with his mask power. She stared at him, still slightly dumbfounded by the Matoran ability to use masks, and followed.Marendar was killed in Tahu’s final assault. They said that a Legendary Toa, one of no name, but with a destiny that was meant for no other, struck the final blow to the monster. The battle field was said to have been lit by a bright light, so intense that some said the stars in the sky now burned twice as brightly in admiration.However, from then after, no Toa had ever returned and none had ever been found again.That battle held great significance. Beings began to view Toa as a lost race, and held respect for them. The long disbanded members of the Order of Mata Nui, was reorganized with beings of all kinds. The few Matoran populations that were in hiding and slowly reducing in number were contacted and joined together by the New Order of Light. It was run by a former Dark Hunter known as Lariska. Her organization was sponsored from her old ties to the Shadowed One’s disbanded crime syndicate. Lariska and her people found the Matoran; smuggled supplies from their universe so that construction of new Matoran could be made. It was a rough process, and the calculations that were made by the Great Spirit no longer were placed into the formula. It resulted with new born Matoran having no connection with the old universe. Genders were random for every element type. Mental inhibitors were unlocked which allowed mask use. And destinies were no longer obtained.While the Matoran population grew, Toa were extinct. There wasn’t a source of Toa power left to be found.“That is, until she remembered you,” Toreck continued. Varian swiftly cut through a thick vine with her staff, allowing them to pass through the foliage.“Are we almost there?” Varian asked. She wasn’t sure how to ask, ‘Why am I so important?’ It sounded pompous. Though it was important she got an answer.“We’re almost there. We’re living inside a mountain based fortress. No one suspects that we’re so close to the body of the Great Spirit and no one has found us yet. Only a few of the Order members know where we are. But that’s all about to change.”“How?” she asked.“Lariska prophesied before her death, that it would take a Toa to lead the people back into civilization. She died about two hundred years ago, and at the time not all of Spherus Magna was ready for Matoran to reappear. Our existence is well known, now. They don’t know where we are, we have numerous hidden cities. But they do know we are still alive. Some don’t want us to return, as you could see by the Rahkshi. But many do want us around. That’s why I’ve been searching for you. I believe a Toa is the final piece that truly will bring the Matoran back to what we once were.”“You placed a lot of faith in me.”“Lariska believed in it. It’s taken time to find your location, and there have been so many pressing matters to attend to… but I was able to get a small team and approval for a search. Once you meet everyone, I’m sure it’ll be the final push we need for our return.”Toreck looked excited as he turned around.“And won’t it be amazing! Finally, being able to work with the people on the planet and not living in a cage! I’ve never been anywhere else but these mountains. I hear the cities are amazing now, skyscrapers that reach up into space! Transport vehicles that fly at the speed of light!”Varian smiled, thinking of how similar this world might be to Metru Nui. But inside, her thoughts started to plague her. Matoran were exiled now, shunned from society. Did Toreck really believe that a return of Toa would change everything? She hadn’t lived here long, and didn’t understand all of what was going on… but things were rarely so simple.And being the last Toa… Was that a sign from Mata Nui? What if that meant, they shouldn’t return or that they were unneeded now? If the entire world seemed at peace, but only Matoran weren’t fitting into the mold, should they force themselves into it?She didn’t have an answer. And not only that, there was too much responsibility on her shoulders. Varian was the last of her kind. How could she protect them all or lead them, if she had no idea who they truly were or what they had gone through? What encouragement could she give?She couldn’t.“Would I make a good Toa, Varian?” Toreck suddenly asked, stopping. Dirt picked up from under his feet and the sun lit down on his body, slightly covered by the shade of the lush trees above. “They say only Toa can choose the next Toa. Do you think I can be one? Maybe someday?”Varian smiled, she could answer this one easy.“Well, let take a look at you,” she walked around him, studying his body, though that didn’t mean anything. “You have the right posture … I know you’re loyal, a friend. I think you can be, one day. You have the potential.”Toreck laughed, beside himself. “Don’t tease me now, you give me the chance and I’ll take being a Toa in a heartflash.”“It’ll probably have to happen,” Varian replied, a little more seriously. “We’ll need more Toa around to unsure they don’t disappear again.” Toreck nodded at that. “But it’s not the greatest thing, to be one of the last…”The Ta-Matoran looked her square in the eye, no longer cheerful.“Varian, you aren’t one of the last. You’re the…”And then with a sudden snap-hiss a projectile soared in their direction. Varian immediately leaped forward and shoved Toreck to the ground. The small green sphere hit a near tree, exploding an acid substance across it which burned through the wood in seconds. The tree sizzled and started to crack before tumbling down. Leaves and branches fell around them as Varian covered herself and Toreck in a telekinetic shield.Slowly picking herself up, Varian focused her eyes toward the direction of the projectile, finding a tall brutish and black Skakdi standing before them in plain sight. His grin was full of malice and tinted with insanity, as most Skakdi were portrayed. He reloaded the Zamor Launcher and with a smile aimed it to her chest. His head gear was distinctly unique but Varian felt like there was a hint of familiarity to it.“I haven’t seen a Toa in a long time,” the Skakdi stated, a look of excitement in his eyes. “And I honestly didn’t believe the rumors. Who knew we had missed one?”“He sent the Rakhshi after us,” Toreck whispered to her. “It makes sense, considering he knew you were out here.”Varian nodded. She had dealt with this type of monster before. Skakdi had a greater mindset and harshness to them than most villains. But they all had weaknesses with a personality like animals.“So you were around during my time?” Varian called out.The Skakdi’s grin deepened.“Oh, I was there. You remember it all, right? The constant wars, struggles, all that death; I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”“Again?” Varian asked, raising her staff to the level his gun.“That Toa don’t return, of course. They were the cause of all of all our troubles.”She hesitated, just as he charged forward, firing a shot from his Zamor launcher. Varian acted on instinct, reaching out with her powers and redirecting the sphere back at the Skakdi. But he was already on the move to the right, firing a laser beam from his eyes. Varian shouted in surprise and felt the beam cut into her left arm.Varian grasped her arm which throbbed in pain, the metal of her armor having melted against her flesh. Quickly she gave a sharp look to Toreck and sent him a message.‘I need you to get going. I’ll catch up with you, and take your pack. We’ll need it for later.’Toreck looked conflicted, as if unwilling to leave her.She fired a blast of telekinesis at him, shoving him to near foliage. Scrambling upward, he ran into the jungle.Varian smiled and then turned to the Skakdi with a frown. She concentrated fully, confident that Toreck was gone. Suddenly there were four of her on the battle field, all with a healed arm and staff’s raised.The black Skakdi snarled.“You think I’m wrong, do you?” he asked, as he stepped right into the center of Toa illusions. “Well, I can’t be wrong. You see this mask on my face?” he directed a sharp talon like finger toward his headgear. “Years ago, a Skakdi had found a way to fuse masks to our faces. We implemented the same idea. I wear the Mask of Truth.”All the Toa suddenly showed surprise in their eyes.“You’ve been asleep for too long!” He thundered in a confident voice as he lashed out to the right, grabbing the real Varian by the throat. “And your people are long dead. Did you know that’s what we discovered? Not the dead part, but the peacefulness?”The Toa struggled against her bounds, losing air as his grip tightened and he lifted her up from the ground, feet dangling.“Years and years after the absence of Toa, things started to get better. There was no one to fight against, no one to rebel against our rulers. Everyone just obeyed, and you know what? Now, there are no struggles. We make it work.”With a swift toss, the Toa was thrown to the ground with force. Varian cried out as she gasped for air.“Why would I lie? It’s not in me.” That grin, that grin he had on his face, filled Varian with discontentment. She tried to push herself up from the soft grass and dirt. It was too beautiful of a day for violence.It’s not true. I know it’s not true. She reasoned with herself.But was it? Toa had been a part of every battle in her day. There weren’t fights they could stop, only ones they could end. If the people were truly happy, why should she interfere?Mata Nui, you aren’t around anymore are you? She asked the heavens, though she had recently learned that he wasn’t up there somewhere, just living behind a curtain. She had never asked Toreck what had happened to the Great Spirit. Was that something you understood, that Toa weren’t needed anymore? That there shouldn’t be protectors, because there’s no need to protect?Unable to push herself up with her bad arm, she huffed in agitation as she blasted the ground with a telekinetic force, launching herself in the air. She back flipped and landed on a high branch reaching out for another to stable herself. Breathing quickly, she leaped from one tree to the next. A beam of energy shot from under her, cleaving the large branch in two.“Agh!” she shouted, leaping upward to the next tree, missing the laser.It started to follow her, and she leapt down into multiple palms which covered her for a moment. She hit the ground, rolled, and moved behind a large tree which reached upward in a vine like shape, erratic. She took a deep breath, trying to get a mental lock on the Skakdi’s location, while figuring out a course of action. As long as the Skakdi had that mask on, all of her mental illusions wouldn’t work. And Skakdi won’t go down with simple energy blasts. She needed something powerful.A vision of alarm struck her mind, and she instantly dropped to the ground as a laser cut horizontally through the tree’s trunk. She didn’t hesitate this time. Activating her mask of Fate, she leaped high into the air spinning around with her staff in hand. She landed far behind the Skakdi and rushed forward, attempting a strike on the right side. He had armored spikes along his arms and caught the staff’s bladed edge with them, grinning. He pushed forward and kept pushing, driving Varian back with his strength until she pushed him back with a mental blast.He shook his head at the attack, the effects weakened by his Mask’s power. Varian backed up into another tree.“You keep fighting, but you have nothing to live for. Do you see my point?”Varian hesitated, but not at his words. Of others, spoken long ago.“We all have a reason to live. We just need to find it ourselves… I refuse to be treated so unjustly … we should stand against it… putting faith in what’s right, even surrendering our own lives for it.”Norik had been there, listening, when Tahu had said those words. He had placed his trust in the Toa, and agreed with it.“You’re scared of us,” she answered back. The Skakdi didn’t say anything, but narrowed his eyes slightly. “Terrified, that if the Toa ever return, we’ll start the fighting again.” Varian took a step forward, staring the mask of truth square in the eyes.“But we fought and struggled because of the evil we lived in. No one would make the change, and so we would be the ones to take the first steps. And you’re afraid that once the Toa return, that’ll we’ll start speaking for the ones who can’t.” Her voice grew in confidence and assurance as she spoke. “That I’ll come into your Empire, look at your messy and dirt ridden hands right before all your people and say…”She paused, before giving a small smirk.“’Clean them.’ ”The grin turned into a frown, a deep one that was filled with hatred at the one before him.“It’s why you don’t want me back, right?” Varian grinned, finally, starting to feel like her old self. “Come on, you have the mask of truth. What’s the point of pretending to lie to you?”He lunged forward in fury, firing another laser in her direction. This time Varian jumped to the left and hurled her staff at the Skakdi, slipping right passed the beam. Repulsing it with a wave of kinetic energy, the blade cut against her enemy’s mask leaving a large mark.Varian suddenly tripped in surprise and just before hitting the ground, the Skakdi caught her. He lifted her up under the arms and slammed her into a thick tree, his arms outstretched.“You’ll die and rot in death forever! Just like all the ones before you…” he seemed conflicted, as though he wasn’t sure of his own reasoning. And the Toa’s smile just made it all the worse. There was something she knew and wasn’t pretending to hide… what was it!?“Mata Nui says it’s time to return. I’m already here, you failed to stop my awakening and my power is going to spread.” Her grin just grew. “You’ll see. It’s all started, and it’ll start with that Matoran you let loose.”He ignored all of it. “You’re nothing! Just an ancient piece of metal that’s been unburied from a tomb. You hear me Toa!” His eyes started to glow, dangerously. They aimed for her mask. “You’re just a memory. A defender of the dead. The last guardian!”“No…” And the Toa closed her eyes, her voice dropping like she was ready to sleep. “I’m the first of many.”And then a light flickered around her form, and her body vanished from the grasp of the Skakdi, leaving that smile of hers implanted on his mind to haunt him for a while.He looked around, searching… searching… it wasn’t possible. How did she…The Skakdi reached up and felt the mark on his mask. It was cut… and that would dampen its power. Maybe even cause it to dysfunction entirely. Was that true for fused masks?When he finally realized he didn’t know the answer, he received it. His mask was broken. He had been fighting an illusion since the strike.Despite it all, the Skakdi smiled. That little spawn of Mata Nui had done it, she’d come back from the dead. The Toa were on their way.It was all starting now, the beginning of their end. The people were going to see things differently, and would have to choose all over again. Resistance to their way of things, just what the Makuta had tried to stop for so long.He could try to catch up with her… but somehow he realized this was a rockslide he couldn’t stop right now. The mountain was too large for just one person.***Toreck sat at the entrance of BZ-Koro, waiting. The one of many fortresses had been his home for as long as he could remember. Out of them all, it was the most prominent and important. It held the largest remnant of lost Matoran. He stared out over the long expanse in silence. He just took in the world. All the promises it seemed to make and the future it could have, but just hadn’t arrived yet.He shouldn’t have left her.Even after finding what he assumed was a Toa Stone in his pack, and making his way through the jungle until he reached one of the many passages in the mountain side, he had had no urgency to walk through the opening and meet his people.What was he supposed to say? That his friends were murdered on his quest? That he found their hope, and let her die out there? That he came back with a source of her power, and they could all start from that?That last one was technically true. But … Toreck wasn’t feeling grateful for it. He felt cheated.He had relied so heavily on a dream, and it had been torn to pieces. Varian was dead, and he couldn’t show the last generation that they were strong too. But he supposed that was the problem. He never believed Matoran alone they were good enough, without a Toa around. He needed something to prove it, he needed Varian.And even after this Toa Power was used, it wouldn’t be the same. He’d feel like a Matoran in a Toa’s body.He thought about how much importance Varian had found in him, that even though he was just a Matoran, that he existed too. Why couldn’t he lead his people into the world? Why did they have to have a Toa? She seemed to think they could have done it themselves.Was he that afraid to stand up and say, “No, this is wrong.”?Those last words that Moru was going to say, he’d never hear them. But he could guess, and it was what Varian showed him. She fought for their freedom. He had too as well.Standing he made his way into the cave. All the while he silently gathered the courage he didn’t completely feel, to face the others and tell them the truth. For Varian, Retra and Moru. For himself.“And you’re going to tell them all that, alone?”Toreck stopped. He couldn’t move at first, disbelief overcoming any hope he had.But his relief and excitement overcame that disbelief.He turned. He saw her at a distance, walking out the jungle. She was injured, but he could tell she was happy.“I - I can do it,” he called back. “You can come along if you’d like, but I … I don’t need you.”“I know,” she replied. Her smile remained, and her eyes were filled with pride in her friend.“You don’t have to join us. But, I,” he paused, not letting his determination slip. “Regardless, I do want you to be there.”They stared at each other for a long a moment, both unsure of what was going to happen next. What events would occur in their future? Could they repair what they had lost in this world and how long would it take?In the end, as Varian started to step toward him, Toreck decided he didn’t care.They would start to rebuild their pieces, regardless if they could only for a thousand years or a hundred, or even just a day. For now, at the very least for right now, the Toa had returned. His friend was here to watch him.Varian had come home._____This is my longest short story to date. I do hope you enjoyed it, but I feel like the story lasted for a little too long and the ending was rushed. =/ My idea was that BZ-Koro, or the Matoran population represented what we are since Bionicle ended. Likewise, Toa Varian making her reappearance represented having it return. Hopefully this fits within the borders of the contest rules and I had a blast writing it! =DFor all those who don't make it through this story, I understand. For all those who did, wow you guy are great. Please leave any comments you'd like below!
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Here is the first of many adventures in the epic series I'm writing called BIONICLE: New Era. I hope you like it! RULES Please do not copy off of this. Enjoy it! Thank you in advance for respecting these rules. REVIEW PAGE: http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=8549 BIONICLE New Era The Golden Shadow By Massimo A. Pisano A.K.A. ToaOfAwesome CHAPTER 1 If you were to ask a chronicler what the single most difficult part of his job was, he would tell you it was starting the story. There is nothing harder than trying to word a beginning so that it can present the following tale in the right manner. It was this pet peeve that Kopeke faced as he thought long and hard about how to begin a story like this. So he started it in a way that no chronicler ever had before… he started it just as the hero was being defeated. Takanuva slammed into a wall with incredible force. He tried and failed to lift his head as rubble fell around him. “How pathetic,” the Golden Skinned Being ridiculed in his psychedelic double-voice, “I expected more from you, Toa Takanuva. I expected a challenge; instead I received no more than a practice dummy. It appears you Toa truly are all useless. I almost feel sorry for the Matoran.” “Us… Toa… are not… useless,” Takanuva struggled as he started to get up, “you… are a tyrant… and it is our job… to deal with… people like you. In the end…” Takanuva jolted in pain as he picked up one of his battered weapons, “you’ll just be… a legend… a campfire story that nobody even remembers.” He hefted his weapon in both hands and charged at the Golden Skinned Being, flaring like a star with the most powerful element of them all, light. Just as he was about to reach his opponent, his chest connected with some sort of projectile and he was thrown back, landing his head hard on a brick of masonry. The light died away, and his eyes slowly closed. “Threat has been neutralized,” came a voice behind the Golden Skinned Being’s massive shoulder. It was Hewkii. He looked at the body of the Toa with an expressionless face. A single one of six barrels on his Cordak Blaster lay empty, smoke pouring from the recently fired weapon. “Pity,” the Golden Skinned Being commented without any emotion, “I could have used him. Hewkii?” Hewkii turned his gaze to his unquestioned master, acknowledging his name. “Deal with this mess, my eyes are tired of it.” With that, the Golden Skinned Being walked away. There was a heart wrenching sound of metal passing through armor. The birds flew away, the breeze died, the temperature dropped, it was as if nature itself had stopped, and then silence, dead silence. Toa Takanuva, Toa of light itself… was no more. CHAPTER 2 Jaller blasted of fire from his sword, drenching the watchtower in flame. Matoran and Agori alike ran screaming. "Who is that?” Ackar asked from his vantage point. "His name is Jaller,” replied Tahu grimly, “he’s a Toa.” "If he’s a Toa, then why is he doing this?” Ackar inquired. "I don’t know, but we have to stop him,” came Tahu’s reply. The made their way through the crowds panicked Matoran. "Jaller, what are you doing?” demanded Tahu. He drew his sword and ignited it, preparing for the worst. Jaller responded by firing a jet of flames at Tahu. "Stop, Toa!” Ackar warned, tackling Jaller to the ground and holding his sword to his throat. Behind him, Tahu stood up. "What in Mata Nui’s name are you doing, Jaller?” "Threat detected, requesting backup.” Jaller said flatly. "What the--” Ackar was suddenly interrupted by a solid gust of wind to his face. "Kongu, why are you two doing this?” Tahu yelled over the roaring fire and screaming villagers, “why are you attacking New Atero?” "Does not comply,” Kongu stated. He fired his Cordak Blasters at Tahu and Ackar, who narrowly dodged them. Suddenly, something solid hit Ackar in the back, sending him flying. He got up and turned around to see Jaller had gotten up and shot him. He returned fire, launching his Thornax straight at the Toa of Fire’s face. "What is going on?” asked Gelu as he ran to Ackar and Tahu’s side. "These Toa have gone nuts! Their attacking the city!” Tahu exclaimed, deflecting a rocket with his blade. "I gathered that, but why?” Gelu asked. "We don’t know!” Ackar replied. The fighting was interrupted as a massive groan sounded out all through the blazing city. Everybody turned to see the central tower of New Atero, first and tallest building built for the city crumble before the horrified eyes of the inhabitants of New Atero. The symbol of the struggles of Spherus Magna’s painful history, symbol of millennia of sacrifices and accomplishments alike, fell to the ground. It crushed all the buildings in its sight and pinned inhabitants to the ground with its mighty flaming rubble. The trees erupted into columns of white flame and burned bright like candles. "I don’t believe it,” Gelu said, “New Atero is destroyed.” "Fallen to the same soil that it’s predecessor was built on eons ago by the Great Beings,” Tahu said. The thoughts did not last long, though. Jaller rose up from the ground again, along with Kongu. Fueled by his rage, Tahu slammed into Kongu so hard he slid out of view. He turned around and held Jaller to the wall of a hut by his neck. "Look what you have done!” Tahu cried, “You have destroyed a city! You have broken the Toa code! Why? Why must you do this to yourself?” "I am not a Toa,” Jaller replied mechanically, “I exist only to serve the Golden Skinned Being, and the Golden Skinned Being ordered us to destroy New Atero.” "What?” Tahu asked, “Who is this Golden Skinned Being? Where are the other Toa Mahri?” "Your knowledge is irrelevant,” Jaller said flatly. He broke free of Tahu’s grip and ran off into the distance. "What’s happening?” asked Ackar. Tahu did not answer, he simply looked into the distance. The Golden Skinned Being, he thought to himself, whoever that is, he’ll pay for what he’s done. The Toa Mahri will be avenged. CHAPTER 3 UNIT: Jaller_01 DIRECTIVE: directive_04 TIME: 32,342,387,928,349_units_since_current_directive_start LOCATION: default_directive_sector_1 CURRENT_STATUS: undefined|_logging_anomaly|_risk_level_estimate_12 LOG_START: Systems are searching files. Cannot find file, keyword: “sorry”. During previous battle for directive (code: New_Atero_01) Jaller_01 has experienced an unaccounted program code: “Sorry”, contents: plain text: “i_am_sorry_tahu”, undefined file. Program caused delay of action command. Can no long find program: “Sorry”. Possibly organic resistance from host. If previous theory is true, variable: “Alarm_05” will be activated. LOG_END Toa Jaller looked idly into the horizon. He was trying to fight back... trying, but the chip was just too strong. He wondered if he could make it, wondering wouldn’t do anything. All he owned were his thoughts… usually.
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They intended to make a third robot but didn't. So do you think they expected their giant robot project to reform Spherus Magna would fail, or if they expected the prototype robot to be restored and used in place of it? -
Hi guys, I hope Lil Wayne there got your attention (bad joke). Anyway, I'd like to introduce you my theory of Spherus Magna Sapient Species Evolution. Here I proposed that most sapient species on Spherus Magna came from one original species, and I divided them up accordingly into an evolutionary Phylogenic tree. This is what I have so far, and please let me know if you find holes or if you'd like to add something. Feel free to use the drawing in proposing your own thoughts. Original Phylogenic Tree. As you can see, I included the reasons for why speciation might/does occur. This is just an idea to build on, and I'll make a better drawing soon. If you have any questions on what each one of these means, let me know and I'll edit the topic clarifying it. Please do poke holes in this! It will only make it more interesting Brought to you by Microsoft Paint. -
It’s all finished, Vakama thought, looking out from his window at the glory that was New Atero.The Matoran had not had peace for this long since the days when they still lived cluelessly and peacefully inside the body of the Great Spirit Mata Nui--perhaps in their entire history. It took a while to get the Original Thousand* from Mata Nui used to living among other species, but after a few years they warmed up to it; there were no real conflicts aside from a few street fights; there was a stable government that he was glad not to be a part of. He had announced his decision not to be part of the Council with none of the backlash he expected, as three of the other Turaga felt the exact same way as he did; the remaining two, Nokama and Onewa, were now sitting high and comfortable in the Coliseum above New Atero, discussing the acquisition of land with a bunch of disgruntled Srakan and Glatorian diplomats. Vakama’s mind turned to the other Turaga. He hadn’t seen Nuju in ages; Whenua and Matau were retired, as he was, and living in other cities. He had heard rumors that some of the others were still meeting. He didn’t really care; though he was once the leader, he was now the excluded one, and the others had used this peacetime to vent some of their personal problems upon him. The Three Virtues were considered by all--including, increasingly, Vakama himself--an old myth. Nobody really needed to unite for any reason; there wasn’t any Great Spirit to take care of anymore; and there hadn’t been any Toa for three thousand years, so most people assumed Destiny in its ultimate form had been achieved. “Not an unfair assumption,” Vakama said to himself, shrugging as he thought of his last argument with Nokama.A knock came on the door. Vakama was surprised. He picked up his staff and hobbled to the door. It was a Toa; Vakama recognized him as Kooms, the leader of the local Toa team.Why would a Toa want business with me? Vakama wondered. He could only think of two reasons: that he was under arrest or that he was being summoned to the Coliseum. He wasn’t sure which one sounded worse.“Walk with me,” Kooms said. “Don’t worry, you’re not under arrest.”Coliseum then, Vakama thought to himself. He began to brace himself for the inevitable shots the other Turaga would take at him. Thankfully, Kooms led him away from the Coliseum, down the street towards the chute station.“There’s going to be another Time Slip,” Kooms stated casually, not even looking at Vakama. “A Time Slip?” Vakama inquired.“Do you remember on Metru Nui when everyone woke up and couldn’t remember a thing?”“Sounds like the morning after every Naming Day.""No, this is serious. Six months of history disappeared. You certain you don't remember it?""No.""Well, it happened, and it's about to happen again."“How do you know?”“Mask of Balance. Whenever something’s off in space or time, I’m the first to know about it. I felt it about three days ago.”“Why are you telling me, then? And where are you taking me?”“We’re going to the Bronze District. I’ll explain everything once we get there.”The two arrived at the chute station and hopped on the express chute south towards the Bronze District. Vakama had not been to the Bronze District in at least several years that he could remember; it was one of New Atero’s poorest neighborhoods, set on the periphery of the city, and was mostly home to Skakdi and Telkerrians who had settled in New Atero after the Great Exodus out of the Matoran Universe. To his memory, Vakama had never seen a Skakdi until his first time in that particular district; he had heard that they were violent and unreasonable, and to be safe, he never interacted with them.They disembarked from the chute. The Bronze District wasn’t half as bad as Vakama remembered. Rather than small iron shacks, there were rows of brightly-painted houses; there were a few Skakdi on the street but mostly Le-Matoran and Ga-Matoran. The Skakdi moved in tight-knit groups; the Matoran were aloof and did not seem to interact much with each other. Vakama could hear music; there appeared to be some sort of small street fair a few blocks ahead.“Is that where we’re going?” Vakama inquired.“Actually it’s this left.”Kooms led Vakama into a small, deserted alley between two of the painted houses. It was empty except for a few trash cans; a small catlike Rahi darted out from behind one and climbed a fence into someone’s yard.“This is our spot.”Kooms gestured to an inconspicuous pink-and-white house. He knocked on the door, very loudly. As soon as the door creaked open in response, Vakama was greeted by a blast of loud music and the smell of burning erriax flowers; he registered the Matoran at the door a few seconds afterwards. It was Hafu.“Hey, Vakama,” Hafu muttered; he carried a piece of paper in his hand, which he idly scanned. Turning to Kooms, he inquired, “Are you here for the meeting?”“Yes.”“You guys just made it in time. Come in.”Hafu’s house was filled with long, elaborate strands of Kiratan thread; countless small sculptures lay around, some mounted on furniture and windowsills, others haphazardly placed on tables. A rope hung curiously from the ceiling and lay coiled across the floor. The smell of incense and erriax flowers was overpowering. It was the house of an artist, albeit either a very lazy one or one so devoted to his craft that everything else was neglected. Another Matoran was sprawled on one of the couches, seemingly asleep, but there didn’t seem to be anyone else there.“I’d like to see the new machine you’ve been telling me about,” Kooms said to Hafu.“Well I’m about to show you,” the sculptor said with a half-smile. He walked over to one of the sculptures, a huge Mata Nui head, and rotated it; at first Vakama thought he was adjusting its position, but there was a click, and a massive trapdoor fell open beneath the rope. The rest of the rope unraveled and dangled down.“A Hafu original,” Hafu said.“You’ll have to explain to me how that works at some point,” Kooms said.“It’s simple. The statue’s attached to a lever, when I turned it the support beam fell. Are we ready to head down?” Hafu suddenly exclaimed to the room.“If we’re all here,” Kooms answered.Upon peering into the pit, Vakama was surprised at its shallowness; it was only about six feet deep, enough for a Matoran to stand in but not most other entities. Another small door was set into the wall. The Toa climbed down effortlessly, while Hafu and Vakama had to rely on the rope. Hafu came down first and took Vakama’s staff as the Turaga slid down, burning his hands from the friction. Vakama and Kooms were equally shocked to see what lay behind the door. Behind it was a small flight of steps that descended to the floor of a vast space, at least the size of the main square of Ta-Koro back on Metru Nui, though with a ceiling not much higher than that of Hafu’s house. It looked to be an old reservoir or storage room, most likely of Agori origin; clusters lightstones set into the floor every twenty feet or so illuminated the place with a harsh glow undercut by spaces of darkness. “What is this place?” Kooms asked.“It’s an old Agori reservoir. Must have dried up millenia ago. I put in lightstones and built the trapdoor. Nobody except me and my friends know about it. And now you do.”They walked through the vast space; there was still a slight smell of erriax flowers. As they moved deeper, Vakama became aware of the voices of people, then of a large group of at least twenty; most of them appeared to be Toa, but there were also several Matoran. The shapes became clearer. Takanuva was there, along with Jaller, Hahli, Kongu, Hewkii, Nuparu, Tahu, Gali, and Kopaka; Vakama wondered for a second why the others were not there before he remembered that Pohatu and Lewa had been on a mission for several months and that Onua was now a Turaga serving on the council of a distant city. Vakama recognized all the Matoran, for they were part of the Original Thousand who had come with the Toa Metru from the Old City to the island of Mata Nui. Kapura, the master of traveling great distances by walking very slowly, was there; so were Macku, Taipu, Midak, Tamaru, the hermit Kantai, and the Chronicler Kopeke. There were also three Toa Vakama did not recognize: a tall Toa of Air, an even taller Toa of Water, and what Vakama was pretty certain was a Toa of Sonics. Vakama was dismayed to see Whenua, Matau, and Nuju, but thankfully Nokama and Onewa were not present. Kooms addressed the crowd.“By being here you are sworn to secrecy. It doesn’t matter, because you will soon forget everything you learned here. When, I cannot say. If you reveal anything you have learned here to anyone else, you are endangering Matoran society and may potentially cause rioting and widespread panic.“Most of what I have already told you about the Time Slip is a lie. The Time Slip is an initiative by the group I represent, the Order of Mata Nui; it is being engineered specifically to erase the period between the first Great Cataclysm and the second, the one that occurred so recently when the body of Mata Nui crashed here and we left it to inhabit this new world we call Spherus Magna. This is so that the nature of the Great Spirit is kept secret from the world. The history of the Matoran Universe during that time is safe with us; however, none of you were in the Matoran Universe at the time. You were living on what you called the island of Mata Nui. Thus, your memories of this time will be lost if they are not preserved.“We have gathered every single scrap ever written about the island of Mata Nui in this room, accounts from the two Chroniclers Takua and Hahli. They stand before you as Toa, soon to have no memory of how they became such. But we need more. This is why we have called each of you here to provide as many of your memories of living on that island as possible. Unless you choose to leave, in which case you will forget every memory you ever had of Mata Nui with no hope of retrieving them, each of you will be given one day to recount as much as you choose. Tell stories; do not merely rattle off facts. We must know through your experiences, not the trivia you have acquired. These records will be kept by the Order, and if you come to us and ask, you may view them. I willl make sure you do not forget that piece of information. However, your memories will still be erased. You will not be spared by the Time Slip. This is only for safety. You will be as clueless as the rest of us. “And I would like to apologize deeply, to every single one of you, and assure you that this will never happen again. Not if we make sure it never needs to. Thank you.”The members of the crowd had been silently staring at each other in shock for a while, and they immediately burst into uproar upon receiving this news. Vakama had stood there silently, soaking up Kooms’ words; he had suspected this even before the Toa had begun speaking. As soon as he had seen the Toa of Sonics, and remembered where he had seen that face before so many years ago, he had realized the full truth.Review topic (and information on footnotes): http://www.bzpower.c...?showtopic=7436
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Hello. This is the first time I've ever posted an Epic and also the first time I've ever posted in the Library Forums. This story details my interpretation of the adventures of the Shperus Magna and Matoran Universe characters after the 2010 storyline. As the post 2010 story serials have not updated in some time and appear as if they will stay dormant indefinately, I chose to write around some of the loose story threads in them as I have no idea what Greg was planning for them (for example I'm choosing to write around the Red Star plotline) The review topic can be found here http://www.bzpower.c...?showtopic=4586 Bionicle Evolution Chapter 1With a slow grinding and clanking noise, the lift began to rise. Onua’s eyes were already struggling to adjust to the light as he came up from the depths. He was nervous, for he was not only climbing up towards the light, but also back towards the inquisitive eyes of many beings. The Toa Nuva were heroes again.It had happened a few weeks ago in those tense hours of chaos after the end of it all. The Toa’s mortal enemy, the Makuta, had finally been vanquished once and for all thanks to the power and bravery of the Great Spirit, Mata Nui. Makuta had stolen the Great Spirit’s original form, a massive mechanoid which had contained the world the Matoran and Toa had inhabited. This had posed a problem. For as Makuta fell dead upon the ground of the reborn Spherus Magna, the mechanoid began to shut down, and in three days its systems would completely collapse, dooming all within. It would be impossible to evacuate a universe within that time, but the Toa could not abandon the Matoran who had endured so much to get to this day.The Toa didn’t have to face this challenge alone however. The inhabitants of this new world, the Agori, were quite willing to help those who were aligned with their friend Mata Nui. Indeed, the Agori had experience in this department, having weeks ago had unwittingly dragged ancient robot parts across the dessert to serve as a village. Mata Nui had latter used that massive robot to fight Makuta, and it to lay destroyed across the land.This new challenge was more difficult though. The Robot the Agori had assembled was smaller, it hadn’t contained the additional weight of universe within it, and the Agori had only moved separate parts, not a cohesive whole. But it was crucial that the robot be moved. Makuta’s defeat had caused the robot to fall on its side, meaning the level of death and destruction within would only increase once the internal gravity stabilizers failed and the Matoran fell away from the landmasses. But they had succeeded. Organizing quickly, the Toa realized that enough beings with the enhanced strength of a Kanohi Pakari might just be able to pull the robot onto its back. That’s were the Toa Nuva came in. With four Kanohi Pakari Nuva at their disposal they split up, gathering a large group of Agori, Glatorian, Toa and other beings with each of them to different areas along the side of the robot. Cables were anchored to the metal hull, and together they pulled, all strengthened by Kanohi Nuva and their ability to share powers. Thousands of beings, all gifted with enormous strength, pulled in unison, and slowly the robot began to move unto its back. Momentum increased and the metal giant, propelled by the planets gravity, began to fall over. Sensing the danger, the Toa Nuva quickly summoned their Kanohi Kakama Nuva so they could evacuate their groups several hundred miles from the robots impact.The robot was now in a position where the failing internal gravity of the universe was aligned with the natural gravity of Spherus Magna. In the days that followed, aided by exidian and protosteel tools, as well as Toa of magnetism and iron, they had cut holes through the top hull of the robot. Now the evacuation of flying beings would be easier, and the natural circulation of air and sunlight through the holes would keep the eternal environment somewhat habitable once the robot’s backup systems completely failed.It was towards one of those holes that Onua was now ascending. He was on a lift that had been constructed to carry beings and valuables out of Metru Nui’s dome. He had made many trips like this one already, carrying useful supplies and equipment down to Spherus Magna. After reaching the top of the robot’s head where the island of Mata Nui previously existed, he would descend down the side using scaffolds constructed by Matoran and Agori. After handing his load off to a transport caravan, Ouna triggered his Kakama Nuva and sped towards New Atero, a citadel, that once completed, would be a haven for beings from both worlds.As he ran, the world a blur around him, Onua’s mind returned to a matter gravely concerning him. It had been over a month since the Makuta’s defeat and still no sign of Lewa had been found. Kopaka and Pohatu had covered many kio, but all they had found were the remains of a nightmare. Now the Toa had separated, each to pursue matters most pressing to them.“This is not good”, thought Onua as he arrived at the outskirts of the growing citadel,” I thought we learned the error of forsaking unity back on Mata Nui.”--------The two masks were inches from each other. There were eyes filled with uncertainty behind one of them, but the other was empty. Not even the metallic stitches that once held the patchwork Kanohi together could keep the mask cohesive now.“It’s over. You know that, right? It’s finally over.”Lesovikk pulled his eyes away from the destroyed Olisi and looked down at his companion, the Ta Matoran Sarda. “Yes, it’s over,” said Lesovikk after a pause. The brooding Toa of Air had spent centuries hunting Karzahni, looking for Matoran friends that had been mangled and hidden by the twisted being. Now one such friend, Sarda, stood at his side, and Karzanhi was dead. Toa Kopaka and Pohatu had returned with his body and with the allegation that Lesovikk had been responsible for his death. In his mind, Lesovikk admitted that some part of him would have relished the act, but in reality he knew he hadn’t become so consumed with vengeance to actually go through with it. The chief charge Kopaka had presented had been Lesovikk’s own sword. Just when it seemed as if life had conspired to wreck Lesovikk’s life even further, a powerful figure named Axonn had appeared, absolving Lessovikk of all guilt using his mask of Truth. The Kanohi verified Lesovikk’s story that he had lost his blade in a scuffle with a large group of Skakdi following a strange golden being. Kopaka and Pohatu had quickly departed after the Skakdi upon learning of their possession of the Toa Marhi, leaving Lesovikk here, with the Mask of his mortal enemy. Days had passed since his acquittal, and still he held the Olisi with him unable to think of the next move. He had tailed Karzahni for so long. After the madman’s first defeat Lesovikk was able to channel his energies into capturing pit prisoners with Sarda and Hydraxon. Now on this strange knew world he was at a loss as to where he fit in.The Toa of air stirred from his thoughts. He heard Sarda shiver against the cold of the deepening evening. Lesovikk’s fears eased. He knew that whatever he faced on this strange new world, his friend would be there at his side. Together to began the walk back to Atero.“It will be OK,” Sarda reassured him as they walked. “Things change, we grow and we evolve.”The Toa and Matoran passed over the ground as the night fell on Spherus Magna.
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According to the Riddle of the Great Beings, Tarduk found this map in the middle of the desert with the Red Star at the top in the North next to the Black Spike mountains? What does this map mean? Is the Red Star a symbol for the Great Beings in this instance, seeing that there is GB machinery and inventions up there? Is it just an "X marks the spot" symbol that Tarduk mistook as the Red Star? Or is there a connection between the area and the Red Star? I seem to recall the whole thing as a symbolic thing, like a riddle - so what was that a symbol for, why that symbol, and why would the Great Beings give such a thing to the Spherus Magnans? Any thoughts?
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What kind of orbit are we looking at for the planet of Spherus Magna? I garner that it would have to be different, because SM does not appear to have polar ice caps, instead having an ocean and a tropical rain forest. Greg confirmed the existence of seasons on Spherus Magna,but there isn't the climate and temperature variations like on earth. How does that work?
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Sorry if I've forgotten something completely obvious, but I don't recall the flying vehicles that the Toa used in Karda Nui meeting a demise. Is it possible that the Toa or Matoran could use them on Spherus Magna? If so, what would they be fueled by?
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Another AngleGali sat in a tent, she was meditating on the events of the past few days. Ever since the army of Rakshi had been defeated, the Skrall and Skakdi stopped, she and Onua had remained with the agori and the inhabitants of the Matoran universe to help stabilize the economy. She wondered, though, if they should be doing this. She knew that the destiny of the Toa Nuva had been to awaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui, and now that that was done, she wondered if they should become Turaga now, she knew that the universe needed them, but, well, they could still serve the Matoran, Agori, and others, as Turaga, but not by fighting. She wondered if they were unknowingly doing the beings of Spherus Magna more harm than good by remaining as Toa after their destiny had been fulfilled, though she didn't know how that was possible. Even she wasn't completely sure of how destiny worked, she knew that some beings, for one reason or another, must have died in the past without fulfilling their destiny, and she wasn't sure how that effected the universe-planet, now-and it's inhabitants. Now, she had lived to fulfill her destiny, and she wasn't sure what to do. Gali didn't know if somehow, just by remaining Toa even after Their destiny was complete, they were doing harm to the inhabitants of Spherus Magna. She also now understood that Mata Nui, their great protector, was gone. She knew that now, they had to protect themselves, and for her, a being who had always lived with the knowledge that Mata Nui protected and watched over them, though he had been asleep for the time after their Toa canisters had launched, it was hard. She also knew that the stress of trying to stabilize and organize the new economy on Spherus Magna was effecting her. She wondered if all Toa of water thought the way she did. She quickly decided otherwise, however, realizing that the circumstances were too unique. Gali sighed, she hadn't realized until now what a complex and confusing thing destiny could be. It had always seemed so straightforward to her, the Toa would complete their destiny, Mata Nui would awaken, all would be right in the universe, and the Toa would become Turaga, but now... Gali didn't know what to think, they had awakened Mata Nui alright, but at the same time they had given Makuta ultimate power, then Makuta had died, the universe had been evacuated, and the team was split apart; Gali and Onua were helping with the new economy, Tahu was off commanding his army of Toa, Takanuva was with him, Kopaka and Pohatu were fugitive hunting, and Lewa, Lewa had gone missing back before the battle that ended with Spherus Magna's reformation. Onua stepped into the tent. "Gali, Ackar and Raanu want to have another conference with us about laws." "Alright," Gali sighed, "I'll be there in a minute." "Ok," Onua replied, the turned and left the tent. Gali thought for a moment about Raanu and Ackar. Raanu, the strong hearted agori with a fierce love for his people and stiff determination to do what was best for them. Ackar, the old Glatorian with an undeterred care for his people and who protected them with the best he had in him, and tried to keep them safe in all situations. Gali knew that she must leave for the conference. She sighed one more time as she stood, then walked out of the tent.____________________________________________________________________________________Did you enjoy it? Did you not? Was it good? Was it bad? Why? Feedback is greatly appreciated, and thank you for reading.
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Scars of War Ackar glanced nervously around, expecting to find Skrall hiding in the rocks nearby. He had expected to run into a patrol of them by now, however, there had been no sign of them so far, and no evidence that they had recently been there. Ackar had been ordered to rally some of the Glatorian troops from his fire tribe who weren't already out on missions or anything else, and go to a Skrall outpost in the northeastern part of the Bara Magna desert. They were to perform a recon mission, steal some equipment, weapons and sabotage other things in their outpost without allowing the Skrall to discover that the fire tribe was behind the mission. Ackar knew he shouldn't allow his suspicions to endanger his mission or troops. "Come on," he ordered, his commanding voice entwined with a sigh. He turned back toward the rocks ahead. It was not long before he turned his head back to face the area behind them, still searching for signs of Skrall, wary of an ambush. He noticed something a little ways to the left of the direction he and his troops had taken in order to reach the place they were currently at. "Halt!" he commanded, his voice slightly betraying his suspicion. His troops stopped, and turned to view the area he was interested in. What Ackar had noticed was a Skrall shield, sticking up out of the ground in an area that was not visible to them earlier due to the angle they had been at. The shield had slash marks through it and was dented and bent, a small chunk had been torn out of the outside edge, and some of the blades on the edge were dulled and ruined. The design on the shield was hardly recognizable. Ackar silently motioned for his eight troops to go out and move toward the place from either side, while he silently walked straight toward the spot. As Ackar approached the site, he noticed Skrall blades and armor lying about, a battered arm lying out at full length from behind a rock. Ackar wondered about how horrible it would be to have one’s arm chopped off. As Ackar attempted to determine what would have the ability to do such a thing to the Skrall while he was still approaching, he caught sight of a Skrall foot lying on the ground near a bush, he now also observed Skrall armor and weapons lying around, scorch marks from overripe Thornax fruit, and a battered and twisted blade sticking up from the other side of the small sand dune he was climbing up which separated him from the site. Ackar finally reached the top of the sand dune, and before him lay a sight that even a Rock Steed would have found revolting. He now observed that the blade which he had assumed was sticking up out of the ground, was, in truth, protruding from the marred, battered, and somewhat shredded body of a Skrall. He understood now that the arm stretched out was still connected to the devastated body of its Skrall owner. The foot, which was lying near a bush, obviously belonged to the hardly recognizable body of a Skrall, which was barely discernible from the bush in which it was buried. Ackar, out of the corners of his eyes, spied the two squads of his troops approaching, they, too, appeared shocked. Suddenly, Ackar realized that there was no sign of any armor belonging to any other tribe. Now Ackar was beyond suspicious, he knew something was up, Skrall just didn't die this way. That was a fact, they would have at least damaged their attackers enough for there to be signs that the enemy had been hurt. Ackar knew that even if the enemy had attacked from a distance, with bows and arrows or Thornax launchers, there would still be signs of the Skrall's enemy. Besides, Ackar rationalized, the scene laid out before him suggested that the enemy had attacked from close range. He peered at the area surrounding the site for footprints. It was not long before he found footprints, several sets of them, leading away from the battle site. The footprints were all Skrall's, Ackar knew that Skrall cared little for the corpses of their own kind, and he wondered if the footprints meant that remaining Skrall had gone after their enemy, however, he found only Skrall footprints, no others, which would indicate that no enemy of the Skrall had left, yet he saw no sign of any still here. Ackar considered whether or not to endanger the mission and his troops to find out what this all meant and what had gone on here. He made his decision. Ackar knew the importance of following orders, he also knew that the one who had given him orders-the Element Lord of Fire-was a power-hungry dictator. Besides that, he knew that to always follow orders to the letter was to not think for one's self, to be a mindless soldier, and, in some cases, to be the loser of the battle, or the loser of one’s life. There were always variables, and one could not always make orders which would successfully deal with each of those variables. He motioned for his troops to come over to him. "Listen," Ackar began, "I am unsure of how to tell you, but I'll do my best to be clear, I am about to disobey orders," The troops were visibly surprised, they had not expected this, not from Ackar, not in this situation. “There is something very strange going on here," Ackar began, "and I intend to learn what it is, if you want a reason for my decision which will benefit our tribe, I have come up with one, it is this; whoever, or whatever, has the ability to do this to the Skrall, would be an invaluable assistance to our tribe, or an unbelievably dangerous foe. So what do you say?" The troops appeared hesitant for a moment, then, slowly at first, they each began to agree to his proposal. Ackar was pleased, and relieved, he was unsure of what would have happened had all his troops not agreed, he only hoped none of them were planning to turn him in for his decision. He quickly led his troops forward, following the plain and obvious trail of footprints. Ackar realized that the Skrall must have left here recently, if their footprints were showing up as well as they were in the rapidly shifting sands of the desert part of Spherus Magna. The trail of footprints led straight away from the site of... of whatever had happened, and did not turn where the Skrall border did a few kio away. Ackar traveled with his troops trailing behind for almost an hour, he was beginning to believe that he should have stuck to following the orders outlined for the mission. He had decided to go on a little farther before giving up, when he heard first one of his troops shouting, "What the-" and as he turned to find what was going on, heard one of his troops murmur in awe, "Great Beings, what is th-" then out of the corner of his eye he spied a quick blur of motion, too large to be a projectile, he barely managed to notice, and a metallic clang rang out, interrupting the speaker, who immediately let forth an unnatural screech of surprise and pain. Ackar drew and swung his sword, with almost impossible speed, toward the troop who had been interrupted, to his right and behind him, knowing that from the angle he was at, he would strike whatever had impacted his fellow Glatorian. When he struck the thing, on what appeared to be its back, it went sprawling into the sand, while his troop, recovering, struggled to return to his feet. Ackar quickly placed his Thornax launcher in the hand he was holding his sword with, holding both in his right hand as he reached down with his left hand, and grabbed his fellow Glatorian by the right arm, pulling him to his feet. The thing he struck was not something he recognized, but he had no time to wonder about what it was, he heard more sounds from behind him, his other troops being attacked, he assumed, and turned to find his troops doing battle with the, things. He watched as the troop closest to him was lunged at and knocked down, by, seemingly, sand. As he gazed on with confusion, he watched the “sand” shimmer and change into another of the silver things. Their color caused him to suspect them of being ice tribe, as the Ice tribe warriors used silver as their main armor color more often than any other tribe. They had spikes all over their armor, and large claws at the end of each arm. There were four of these unknown attackers. Although their color caused him to suspect them of being ice tribe, he was unsure of whether they were or not, he didn’t believe that the ice tribe had the ability to shapeshift that way, he could tell that they hadn’t just sprung out of the sand. All this flashed through Ackar’s mind in an instant, but he had no time to consider any of it more, for his legs were knocked out from under him, sending his weapons flying away from him, and almost before he hit the ground, one of the attackers landed on his chest, its feet close together as it crouched on him, its arms held high as it prepared to bring its wickedly sharp claws down on him. He used his arms to push himself over and begin a roll sideways, knocking the attacker off of his chest. His foe quickly returned to its feet after falling onto its side in the sand. Ackar used the momentum from his roll to launch himself to his feet, and stood in a battle stance facing his opponent. His opponent did not hesitate even a second before charging at him, claws slashing. Ackar dove to his left for his sword, grabbed it, and rolled onto his back, correctly anticipating that his attacker would jump on him. His foe landed directly on the point of the blade, which pierced through a weak part of its left chest armor and slid through its body, disabling some of its inner parts before penetrating the back of its armor and protruding from its back. Ackar began to breathe deeply, regretting that yet another life had been lost in this war. Ackar glanced at the fighting around him, and realized that he should help his warriors. Curious, though, Ackar thought, that he-or she-didn’t cry out, or even speak at all, even once. Ackar knew, though, that there would be time to study these strange new foes and contemplate their strange behavior later. Suddenly, the eyes of his enemy, which he had thought dead, snapped open. Ackar was startled, and it raised its clawed hands to bring them down upon his face. Its left arm only raised about halfway up, though, then halted abruptly. When its arm stopped, Ackar felt his blade twist in his hand, and heard metal scraping on metal. That was when Ackar realized that the thing wasn’t alive, of course, that explained everything, no blood, no speaking or crying out in pain, it wasn’t dead after being stabbed through, the arm had stopped halfway up because his sword had wedged into some of its internal workings, and now it was going to kill him. The thing turned its head to look at its arm, and although it was a robot, it seemed almost confused. Ackar made use of the delay and punched the thing in the face while grabbing its right arm with his left hand. The robots head whirled to face him, and Ackar saw in its eyes only blackness, with an occasional flicker of light. Ackar had only a moment to see its eyes, because it brought its left arm down on his right shoulder, at one of the only few angles still available to it with that arm, knocking his arm back to the ground. He grunted as it struck his shoulder, then tightened his grip on its arm. It pulled its arm as far back as Ackar’s reach would allow, and Ackar began to try to pull it back toward him with all his strength, trying to stop the robot from freeing its arm. Suddenly, the robots arm shot down towards him like lightning, all he saw was a flash then gave a gurgling gasp as he felt the dual claws pierce his upper chest and neck. The Creature withdrew its claws from his body, and Ackar immediately grabbed at his own neck, gasping for breath. The robot, noticing the movement, instantly slashed his face, and he managed to restrain a cry of pain, though he dropped his sword. As soon as Ackar dropped his sword, the robot turned away and leaped at one of his Glatorian ten feet away. Amazingly, the thing cleared the distance, and knocked the fighter over into the sand. Ackar was confused about the things’ strange behavior, but he wasn’t about to complain. He remained still for a moment, to ensure that it was gone, staring straight up into the bright, hot sky, and thinking, It won’t be long until this isn’t just an act. Ackar gave quick, gurgling gasps and held his neck wound closed while pulling himself away from the fighting with his right arm. One of his troops, a fighter called Perditus, who was not very skilled at hand to hand fighting as he was training to use vehicles in battle, rushed over to him. “Fighting these things is worse than getting cornered by a pack of Iron Wolves in a blizzard!” he exclaimed, panting. Ackar didn’t even try to reply, and Perditus noticed his wounds. “No…. you…. Here! Have these.” Hurriedly, Perditus pulled some bandages from the pack he wore on his back, and handed them to Ackar. Ackar applied some of the smaller ones to his face and also bandaged his chest, but continued to hold his neck. Ackar managed to rasp out, “Neck… too bad… bandage, useless.” Perditus reached into his pack again, and retrieved some tools. “Let go,” Perditus ordered, “I may not have been trained as a medic, but I know a bit about Glatorian anatomy.” Upon finishing, Perditus glanced around to ensure that they were still relatively safe, only three Glatorian remained standing, and only the robot Ackar had fought appeared to have been downed, which left three still fighting. Perditus decided not to break this news to Ackar, and turned back to him, waiting for an answer. Ackar hesitated for a moment, then released his neck. Perditus could see that the damage was bad, and that Ackar would be out of the war for at least a month, maybe two, but for Ackar’s sake, he tried not to show it. He leaned down toward Ackar and moved some of the organic tissue under the armor with one of his tools, one shaped rather like a small metal stick, with the end bent diagonally. Ackar winced but did not cry out, besides, it would have been painful and difficult to do so. Perditus finished, then smeared some adhesive onto a small metal plate he had retrieved from his pack, and pushed it gently onto Ackar’s neck. He held it there for a second, then let go of it, and wrapped a bandage around Ackars neck. “I moved some of the internal parts of your neck so that you won’t die, but the damage is bad enough that in about one day, the parts I moved will have been pushed back and you will be dying again, at which time you will have a little less than an hour to live.” Perditus explained, “However, you have a day before that happens, and until then, while it may hurt, your neck should remain in survivable condition.” “Great.” Ackar croaked. Perditus then glanced around at what was left while helping Ackar to his feet. “They’re… robots.” Ackar gasped out. Perditus did not question him, he trusted Ackar, even if sometimes he wasn’t sure how he knew things. One of the three Glatorian he had noticed earlier had been killed, while none of the three robots he had watched appeared to have been stopped, and were now pursuing the other two Glatorian, who were fleeing toward himself and Ackar. Perditus worried that his efforts to save Ackar would be pointless, and that they would all die. One of the troops had no weapons, apparently believing that he stood a better chance of surviving if he ran instead of fought. The other soldier, however, still held a Thornax launcher; he fired it now, back at his wordless pursuers, then threw it at them, apparently having no more ammunition. Strangely, indeed, one of the strangest and most unusual things Perditus had ever seen, or ever would see was that, immediately after the Glatorian released his weapon, the things stopped, just stopped short, and began wandering about, walking off into the distance. Perditus, Ackar, and the other two Glatorian stared after them in bewilderment. “Well,” Began Ackar, “I suppose there is no end of surprise, and death, as long as this war plagues us.” Perditus nodded in agreement. Ackar turned and began trudging toward Vulcanus. Ackar stumbled and fell. Perditus helped him to his knees. “I can make it,” Ackar rasped out. “No,” Perditus ordered, “Don’t push yourself too hard, we won’t let you,” Perditus finished, glancing at both of the other Glatorian, who nodded in approval. “But I-“ “No,” interjected Perditus, cutting off Ackar. Ackar sighed, nodding. Ackar knew he was in no position to argue, and besides, Perditus was right. Ackar lay back in the sand, falling deep into sleep. Perditus took charge. “Alright,” He began, “We can’t go towards Skrall territory, he wouldn’t survive, none of us would. The Skrall would be glad we came, they would be grateful for such an easy chance to kill some of their foes, and especially Ackar, one of the Fire Tribe’s best field commanders.” “Then what do we do?” inquired one of the other Glatorian. “Well,” Perditus thought a moment before continuing, “The Skrall might follow the footsteps away from the site where we found the Skrall bodies, which would lead them here, so we can’t stay here. Hmmm, well, we’ll have to stay the night out here, that’s for sure, we’ll never make it back to the village in time, so I suggest we get as far as we can toward Vulcanus as possible before dark.” “What about him?” questioned one of the Glatorian, gesturing toward Ackar. “We’ll take turns carrying him,” answered Perditus, “two of us will carry him at a time.” The other two troops nodded their assent, then they both picked up Ackar and began following Perditus through the desert. Perditus led them towards the Fire Tribe village for hours, staying kios away from the Skrall borderline. Darkness began to envelop the desert, and Perditus began to help carry Ackar, giving one of the Glatorian a break. Suddenly, the sand around them erupted, this time, however, it wasn’t the sand that lunged at them, but the beings hidden beneath it. Six Sand Tribe warriors flung themselves at the group, and Perditus barked out, “Set down Ackar!” The Glatorian helping carry Ackar obeyed, and Perditus and the other two Glatorian formed a defensive triangle around Ackar’s sleeping form. The Sand Tribe warriors began slowly walking around the triangle. Perditus knew that they couldn’t survive this fight; they had no weapons, and were hopelessly outnumbered. He knew that their only chance of survival was to outwit their foes. Perditus raised his hands in surrender, and when the other Fire Tribe Glatorian glanced at him quizzically, he motioned for them to do the same. Slowly, both the other Glatorian raised their hands in surrender. “Halt!” one of the Sand Tribe warriors, obviously the leader, shouted. His troops immediately stopped walking around Perditus and the other Fire Tribe Glatorian, and stood, weapons ready, surrounding them. The Sand Tribe warrior who seemed to be the commander strode over to Perditus, assuming, because he had ordered other Fire tribe warriors to surrender, that he was their commander. “Are you the commander of these Glatorian?” he questioned Perditus. “No, he is,” Perditus replied, gesturing to the sleeping Ackar. “He needs medical attention within the next 19 hours.” The Sand Tribe commander answered, “That could be true, or it could not, we don’t like this war any more than you or anyone else, but I can’t just allow you to leave on your word alone.” “So what are you going to do with us?” Perditus inquired nervously. “Hmmm,” the Sand Tribe commander contemplated the situation for a moment, then continued “we will escort you to our camp, it is nearby, there, your friend can be looked over by our medic, and you will be our captives. I think that while you are enjoying our hospitality, you can repay us with information, whether you like it or not.” Perditus glared at the commander, however, he didn’t object, he was in no position to make requests, but he had no intention of betraying his tribe, whether this Sand Tribe commander liked it or not. “You two!” the Sand Tribe commander shouted, pointing at two of his warriors, “you walk behind us, keep an eye on our prisoners. And you!” he called, this time gesturing to one of his remaining Glatorian, “you walk on the right of the prisoners, while you!” he ordered, gesturing to yet another Sand Tribe warrior, “walk on the prisoners left. And you,” he pointed toward his only remaining troop, “will have the privilege of accompanying me in leading the prisoners.” Perditus could already tell that this commander was very self confident, thought a lot of himself, and was making sure that everyone knew who was in charge. Perditus imagined that it was likely that the Elemental Lord of sand and this Sand Tribe commander would have leadership issues, they probably already had. “Oh, pardon my manners,” the Sand Tribe warrior began, turning to face Perditus as his troops moved into position, “I’m already taking you captive and I haven’t even introduced myself, my name’s Kabrua, now move it!” Perditus and one of the other Fire Tribe Glatorian lifted Ackar and began to walk forward, following the remaining Fire Tribe warrior. A few minutes later, Ackar stirred, and Perditus quietly warned him not move, as that would let the Sand Tribe troops know that he was awake. Ackar waited silently for a minute, turning his eyes to check the situation. After a few minutes, Ackar whispered to Perditus, “Tell the Glatorian holding my feet to launch me up and over you on my signal.” Perditus nodded, then whispered to the Glatorian ahead of him, “I want you to carry Ackar’s feet now, and, on his signal, throw him up and over me.” The warrior’s eyes widened, but he didn’t question Perditus. The troop stepped back to take the other Glatorian’s place holding Ackar’s feet. Ackar then quietly questioned Perditus, “What are you doing?” Perditus responded in a whisper,“I thought this would be less suspicious.” Ackar waited silently for a moment, then shouted in a voice cracked because of his wound, “Now!” The warrior holding his feet then launched him up and forward, he spun in the air and landed on the face of the Sand Tribe Glatorian accompanying Kabrura in the lead, just as he was turning around. The Sand Tribe warrior he had landed on was knocked unconscious, and Ackar snatched his weapons, a Thornax Launcher and a sword. Kabrura, however, was not so easily downed, as Ackar grabbed the fallen troop’s weapons, he swung his blade at Ackar, catching him in the chest and sending him stumbling backward. Perditus and the other Fire Tribe warriors acted instantly, catching the Sand Tribe troops off guard. Perditus tackled the Glatorian on the left side of the group, while the Glatorian who had thrown Ackar attacked the one on the right. The remaining Fire Tribe Glatorian fought hard to defend against the Sand Tribe warriors in the rear, but couldn’t hold out for long. Perditus had knocked the Glatorian he had tackled to the ground, and they now struggled in the sand. Perditus grappled for the Glatorian’s hatchet, both he and his foe knew that they were at too close range to even try to use the Thornax Launcher, neither of them would be able to get in a good shot, and even if they could, they would hurt themselves as well, being so close. Perditus had broken the Thornax Launcher, however, not wanting his enemy to try to stand and get some distance then take a shot. Perditus pulled at the hatchet, and the Glatorian kicked him in the chest. Perditus had the wind knocked out of him, lost his grip on the hatchet, and the warrior drew back for the strike. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Ackar stumbled back and tripped over Perditus, the Sand Tribe troop had only a moment to glance upward at Ackar before Ackar landed on him, knocking the hatchet from his hand. Perditus grabbed the hatchet. Ackar stood, and the soldier he had fallen on turned to look up only to find the handle of the hatchet flying down toward his face before a sharp pain and then only blackness. The Glatorian who had thrown Ackar was struggling to face his combatant. He had charged his opponent, however, the warrior he had attacked had great reflexes, and he was now on the losing end of a debate with frighteningly sharp axe blade. He ducked under another swing of the axe, hearing it whistle through the air as it passed over him. He came up then, trying to give his foe a strong uppercut, only to receive a knee in the stomach, an elbow to the face, then a punch that sent him sprawling in the sand. After landing hard in the sand, he opened his eyes to find the double-bladed axe streaking down toward him. He tried to scramble out of the way, but he was out of breath and weak, the axe blade sliced through his armor, digging into his left thigh, and he let out a cry of pain. The Glatorian lay stretched out on the ground, as the Sand Tribe warrior raised his axe for the final blow. Ackar turned to find Kabrura running toward the Fire Tribe troop who was taking on two other fighters, and was just about to go and help, when he noticed one of his fellow soldiers laying on the ground, an axe cut on his leg, with his opponent raising an axe over him. Ackar sprung forward, arms outstretched, ready to tackle the Sand Tribe warrior. He shouted, “Stop!” as he sprinted forward. The Sand Tribe Glatorian heard Ackar’s shout, but didn’t even glance up, he swung down with all his might, as the troop he swung his axe at cried out for mercy. The axe blade crashed into the Fire Tribe warrior’s chest with a “Clang!” then a sickening “Crunch!” and the warrior’s cries died along with him. Ackar crashed into the Sand Tribe warrior, but not very effectively, he seemed to have lost speed. Ackar had just witnessed the death of one of the soldiers under his command, the war had not been going on for long, and he was unused to the death of his troops. He was especially unused to trying to save his warriors, and failing. He blamed himself for the death of that Glatorian, he had been too slow, and now the death of that troop was on him. He stopped for a moment, too late to save the warrior, then, suddenly, he was knocked back to reality, and onto the ground, by the fist of the Sand Tribe Glatorian he had attacked.Perditus, meanwhile, had watched Ackar leap forward and had wanted to follow, but knew that the Fire Tribe warrior Kabrua was advancing on needed help. He struggled to his feet and charged after Kabrua. As he neared the Sand Tribe Commander, he raised his weapon. Suddenly, Kabrua, hearing Perditus, spun around and gave him a slash to the face with his sword. Perditus’s feet kept running forward even after he had been sliced in the face, and he fell onto his back. He was gasping for breath, his face was torn up, his metal armor fragmented, even shredded in some areas. Kabrua towered over him, holding his sword at the ready. Perditus, his left hand on his face, blocking his left eye, struggled to his feet. Kabrua laughed, and kneed him in the chin, knocking him back to the ground. Kabrua raised his sword to stab it into Perditus. Perditus realized that, although he usually preferred to fight honorably, his life was on the line, and honor wasn’t worth his life. He flung sand up into the face of his enemy, while scrambling to stand. But, unfortunately, Kabrua was used to such tricks, and brought the blade down without hesitation. Perditus felt an immense pain shoot through his right thigh, and cried out. He could no longer feel his leg. He dropped to the ground in a heap, pinned down by Kabrua’s blade, which had pierced straight through his leg and stabbed into the ground. The world began to darken, and Perditus turned to look at Kabrua as everything began to spin. He managed to find him standing, chuckling, just before the world went black. Ackar found himself in a very difficult situation, he was going to die. After being knocked to the ground, he had managed to trip his opponent, and now they both lay on the ground. His disadvantage was that his opponent was holding an axe, and he wasn’t. He quickly scrambled back, away from the Sand Tribe warrior, and his foe stood to his feet and followed. Ackar, noticing the Sand tribe Glatorian coming, leaped to his feet and stood ready. His enemy swung his axe horizontally, and Ackar ducked, then punched his opponent in the stomach, followed by a swift right-handed uppercut to the Glatorian’s jaw. His adversary was knocked to the ground and Ackar took advantage of the chance, seizing the axe while his enemy fell. Ackar moved like lightning, swinging the axe as his enemy hit the ground, and knocking him unconscious with a strong smack with the eye of the axe. He spun around, surveying the battle. Perditus had apparently just been knocked to the ground by the brutal Kabrua, and the other Fire Glatorian was being beaten by the remaining two Sand Tribe troops. Ackar made the quick decision that Perditus’ need was the least urgent, and rushed toward the other Fire Tribe Glatorian. He tackled one of the Sand Tribe Glatorian from behind, knocking him to the ground. He began to sit upright on the Glatorian, but received a strong bash in the face from the shield that the other Sand Tribe warrior held. He was knocked to the ground, but the Fire Tribe Soldier, regardless of his wounds, leapt into the legs of the Sand Tribe Troop who had hit him, knocking him down. Ackar sat back up, and the Glatorian he had tackled leaped toward him, sword at the ready. Ackar saw what he had to do, as his enemy flew through the air. He didn’t want to, but he wasn’t going to let himself be killed. As his enemy flew toward him, Ackar waited a split second until his foe was so close he wouldn’t have time to react, then, he flung his foot out like lighting, turning his head away at the same time. He heard the clang of his foot impacting the fighters’ face, the snap of the warriors’ neck, and the thud of his carcass falling to the ground. Ackar then turned to the left, toward the other Sand Tribe soldier, not looking toward the body of the warrior he had just killed. The soldier he had turned towards had an expression of rage on his face, because one of his fellow soldiers had just been killed, Ackar guessed. The Sand Tribe warrior kicked the weak and wounded Fire Tribe troop away, then stood, and advanced on Ackar. Ackar scrambled up, but it was too late, the warrior stood over him, hatchet in his left hand, shield in his right. He glared at Ackar for a moment, as Ackar waited for him to make the first move, then slammed the bottom of his shield into the ground so hard it dug in, while at the same time falling into a crouch behind the shield and swinging his hatchet down toward Ackar. Ackar, surprised by this move, scrambled awkwardly away, and was caught in the left arm by the hatchet. He cried out, and grabbed the hatchet with his right hand. He pulled the weapon, but his enemy was stronger, as he discovered when he was roughly jerked face first into the shield. He pushed himself away from the shield, but his foe ripped the shield out of the ground and kicked Ackar in the face. Ackar scrambled back, struggling back to his feet. As he stood, he saw the blur of the hatchet flying toward his neck, there was no time to move, but an object already in motion suddenly appeared in front of his neck, and the hatchet hit it. Ackar heard the object emit a cry, and watched as the object, to fast a moment ago to recognize, fell to the ground. It was the Fire Tribe warrior, he had sacrificed himself for Ackar. The hatchet protruded from the right side of his head, and Ackar stood for a moment, realizing what had just happened. Ackar then realized that the fight wasn’t over, and decided to ensure that the warrior hadn’t died in vain. The Sand Tribe soldier was also standing in shock at what had happened, about three feet from Ackar. He kicked the warrior in the left side of the head, knocking him to the ground. Ackar lunged toward him, but he raised his shield, and Ackar went sliding off of it, over the Sand Tribe troop and onto the ground. He stood and spun around, as his combatant did the same. They circled each other, then Ackar, near the fallen Fire Tribe Glatorian, pulled the hatchet out of his helmet, which it was still embedded in. His foes’ eyes narrowed at this action, and Ackar readied himself. His enemy charged forward, shield ready. Ackar dropped to the ground as his enemy was about to impact him, tripping him, then he leaped to his feet, and jumped and landed on the back of his enemy, knocking the wind out of him. As he drew back the knife, about to knock his foe unconscious with the handle, the warrior rolled over, and he was knocked to the ground. He landed roughly in the hot sand. His enemy smacked him with the shield, and he was momentarily stunned as his enemy reached for the hatchet. He recovered as the knife was snatched from his hand, and brought his left leg around, delivering a strong kick to the back of his combatants’ head. The Sand Tribe warrior was knocked unconscious, and fell to the ground. Ackar breathed heavily, then, remembering Perditus, grabbed the hatchet and shield. He stood to his feet, turning back toward Kabrua and Perditus. Perditus was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious, and Kabrua was surveying the outcome of the battle. Ackar knew that Kabrua would win if they fought. Kabrua was visibly stronger, and Ackar had become tired and wounded from fighting, while Kabrua appeared to have been effected very little by the battle, and Ackar wondered if he had even fought anyone besides Perditus. Kabrua spotted him and grinned, standing ready for the impending battle. Ackar groaned inwardly. He wasn’t ready for this, he knew he would lose, he had to find an advantage. He quickly scanned the area, trying to find something that would give him an overwhelming advantage over Kabrua. He suddenly spotted a loaded Thornax launcher near where Perditus had been fighting before he battled Kabrua. He realized, disappointedly, that the Thornax launcher was broken. Kabrua relaxed his stance, and Ackar focused his attention on him, wondering what he was doing. Kabrua turned around, bent over, and lifted Perditus’ unconscious form off the ground, and held him up, with his sword pressed to his neck. Ackar realized that Kabrua wasn’t even going to fight, he was just going to force him to surrender by threatening Perditus. Kabrua shouted, “I’ve heard about you, Ackar, a rising general, constantly improving your skills, well, improve them now! Drop your weapons, or your friend will die!” Ackar sighed, and dropped his weapons in resignation. Kabrua smiled, and called, “Now go and rouse the surviving Sand Tribe warriors.” Ackar turned toward the closest living Sand Tribe soldier, unconscious in the sand, and began walking toward him. As he began tapping lightly on the Glatorian, he glanced over at Kabrua, and noticed Perditus’s eyes light up, as he regained consciousness. Ackar hid the emotion of hope and excitement that exploded within him as he turned back to the Glatorian he was awakening. Ackar began tapping the sand behind the soldier, hoping Kabrua wouldn’t notice his treachery, until it was too late.Perditus awoke with cold, sharp steel pressed against his throat. He didn’t move for a minute, trying to understand what was going on and why he was no longer on the ground. “Hurry up” he heard Kabrua shout from right above his head. He realized he would have to act fast if he was going to get out of this situation. He lifted his arms and threw Kabrua over his shoulder, and as Kabrua flew over him, he snatched the sword from his hand. Kabrua landed in the sand, winded, and before he could react, Perditus had brought down the pommel of the sword down on his forehead, knocking him unconscious. Ackar rushed over to him, calling, “Yes! Now let’s get out of here, before they wake up!” Perditus nodded, and they ran away, in the direction of Vulcanus. A few hours later, Perditus and Ackar, who had begun so enthusiastically on their journey back to Vulcanus, were struggling just to remain on their feet. Ackar stopped walking, and collapsed into the sand. Perditus collapsed next to him, wheezing, “We- we can’t stop now, we don’t have far to go.” “I know,” Ackar responded between gasps, “reach into my pack, I brought an extra Thornax in case we ran into trouble and our troops needed more ammunition. Perditus pulled out the Thornax, then asked, “What do I do with it?” Ackar replied, “You still have Kabrua’s sword, right?” “Yeah.”“Throw the Thornax into the sky as high as you can, then, throw the sword up and hit it, setting it off, which should signal a Fire Tribe patrol.”Perditus, too weary to respond, readied himself, then threw the Thornax into the air, he quickly threw the sword up after it. Unfortunately, he missed the Thornax, and he scrambled to catch it before it impacted the ground, as that would probably set it off. He remembered just in time to dodge the sword, and stepped out of the way as it stabbed into the ground. He tried once more, and this time it worked, and he collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Ackar managed to retain consciousness long enough to see a Fire Tribe patrol come hurrying over moments later, then he fell into the black pit of unconsciousness. Days later, Ackar and Perditus were sitting outside a military hospital in Vulcanus, their wounds bandaged. Ackar had learned much from his experience, disobeying orders was only to done to save a life, and, unfortuneatly, his actions had not been done to save any lives, and had eventually led to the loss of some. Ackar would always remember this experience, and applied to himself from then on, which made him a better warrior, leader, and being overall. “These are some pretty serious wounds,” Perditus remarked, “The scars of war everyone who survives will bear.”“No,” Ackar replied, staring off into the distance. Ackar had learned much from his experience, disobeying orders should only be done to save a life, and, unfortuneatly, his actions had not been done to save any lives, and had eventually led to the loss of some. Ackar would always remember this experience, and applied it to himself from then on, which made him a better warrior, leader, and being overall. Perditus turned and looked at him quizzically.“No, Perditus, these will heal, even if they leave marks. The true scars of war, are the memories.” ____________________________________________________________________________________Did you enjoy it? What were the good things about it and the bad? How could it be improved? Feedback is appreciated, and thank you for reading.
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So, how exactly do the inhabitants of Sherus Magna speak the Matoran Language? It seems pretty odd that they would speak the programming language for a giant robot.
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This epic is a sequel to Vakama, Roodaka, and the Mask of Time, which can be found here. This epic is a part of the archive. However, I have elected to post the full story here, and avoid a bunch of archive hunting. Archived Chapters: Prologue The Turaga As the night embraced the Matoran/Agori encampment, the six veteran Turaga sat in counsel, the flickering flames playing across the sandy ground. For many of the hardened warriors of Metru Nui, the flames transported them back to a time when darkness came from within as well as without, when they had been forced to do what every prideful hero dreads - ask for help. "To begin" said Turaga Vakama. "We must accept our ignorance. The Matoran of Metru Nui are asking for our guidance. But I am afraid, brothers and sisters that we have little to give." None of the Turaga spoke up to object to that. Finally, Turaga Whenua spoke up. “Vakama is right. We must learn from the past. Ignorance is our past-” “…and will be our future, if we do not act” Nuju finished. Whenua smiled and clapped his fellow Turaga on the back. “Anyway” said Onewa, glaring at the Onu- and Ko-Metru Turaga, “We agree that ignorance is a problem, so why are we sitting here talking about it? Let us explore this new world, talk to its inhabitants, learn!” “Onewa, that task is too great for us alone” Nokama said. “We are but Turaga, and this world is a great one.” Matau broke in. “Perhaps we should quick-ask the Matoran to task-help.” “Brother, we cannot risk harm to the Matoran. This world is full of dangers!” Nokama shuddered. “This is a job for Toa. Not for a group of powerless Turaga who must debate every point.” All the Turaga looked at Nokama. Then they looked at Vakama. “I know” he said “That we are not powerless, Nokama.” Slowly, he pulled out the Mask of Time from his pack and set it on the ground in between him and the fire. The six Turaga gasped. “I thought you said it was stolen” Turaga Onewa said. “Even we have allies” Vakama whispered fiercely. “It has been recovered.” “Who?” Nuju wondered aloud. “Who would align with a bunch of old fools?” “Us” said a voice from the shadows. “After all, most of us have little amusement these days, and taking on the Shadowed One and a few paltry threats from this new world would be…entertaining enough to preserve sanity.” Flame danced across her form as she advanced toward the fire, her eyes glowing in refraction, her body shrouded in shadow. “Vakama!” Nokama gasped. “What have you done?” Chapter 1 Roodaka Behind Roodaka, Makuta Teridax towered over a Keelerak and Mazeka. “Great” muttered Nuju, “All we need is an enormous Rahi…” A hissing sound came from the Turaga’s seat, and he…disappeared into the dark. Whenua’s Ruru revealed a giant Rahi worm curled around Nuju, its gaping maw closed around the Turaga’s throat. Before anyone else could react, Roodaka snapped her fingers. The Keelerak launched a spinner, paralyzing the creature, which flew away from Nuju, his mask faintly glowing as a Lorahk was consumed in flame. “Bad joke, horde-queen” growled Nuju. “Vakama, I hope age has not blinded you to her talents.” “It was not her doing, Turaga.” The voice of Makuta Teridax made even Vakama shiver, given what they were discussing. Onewa said “That’s right.” Matau looked around. “Why is the old Makuta-familiar wearing light armor?” “Vakama must have an explanation for all this” Nokama said. “Well” said Turaga Vakama, “I suppose I have a story to tell…” * * * “Not Roodaka” said Nuju. “I will not trust her near any of our villagers.” “Much as I think the Turaga of Ice has been disturbed by his unusual experience, I am inclined to agree” Nokama looked at the Turaga of Fire, wondering what might lurk beyond his eyes. But Vakama remained impassive as the other Turaga nodded their agreement to Nuju. “Very well” he said. The words carried no emotion, but all the Turaga saw what Vakama felt, a mixture of relief and sorrow and disappointment and delight. Roodaka turned and walked off into the shadows. Nuju glared. “Watch your backs. I’m sure we haven’t seen the end of her yet.” * * * Old memories run deep, thought Roodaka. Young scars last the longest and cause the most pain. She almost smiled at the thought of outsmarting her enemy, of knowing more than they did. Did they really think I was trying to get them to accept me, and then betray them? For what? There are many ways of defeating my enemy…but information is essential to that end. Wandering aimlessly through the camp, dodging the light of various beings’ fires, Roodaka wondered whether she could still call Vakama an enemy. Not exactly. That is the least of my problems. The thought of spending the rest of her existence as a wandering nomad with only a former jailer for company severely annoyed Roodaka, and the thought of aligning herself with the Toa and Matoran was next to impossible. She could return to her own people, but they were a species accustomed to hard work in factories in an area rich with resources to support them, not an unknown planet where any factories would have to be built and resources found, a process Roodaka found boring and tedious. The Visorak here might not remember their queen’s treachery, but they would have to be tracked down and trained to obey, which was too slow – by then, the Matoran and Agori would have spread across the landscape, leaving Roodaka no land base. The Spherus Magnans, however, might prove willing and useful subjects, if Roodaka could convince them to obey her. Toward the western side of camp, three beings sat around a fire, shielded from the incoming night wind by a large piece of prototype robot leg armor. Roodaka approached slowly, staying well out of view. The smallest of the three beings nodded. “The excellent location will allow all the villagers to travel an equal distance from their homelands, so that there will be no dispute.” “And” said the being on the right, “The Fire Matoran and Agori will be able to settle near this ridge. I’m able to vouch for some of the those Matoran’s skill in weaponry and defense.” The tall being on the left sighed. “We are all in agreement on the site for New Atero. But those two passes will have to be guarded, and scouts placed on that ridge.” “What exactly are we defending against, Ackar? All the threats against us have been defeated, and we’ve been out here, in the open, vulnerable for weeks. They fear us.” “No, Raanu. They are simply biding their time, plotting their next move.” Raanu threw up his hands. “Whatever you think is best, Ackar. But I think you are imagining shadows and swords where there are none to be found, having lived under the eyes of your enemies for centuries.” “Perhaps” said the third being. “But better to fear imagined swords than to be crushed by real ones.” He had the marks of having lived in Roodaka’s universe, and something about him seemed vaguely familiar. It was at his point the conversation seemed to falter between the three beings, and the two Spherus Magnans left, presumably to get rest, and seeing that there was nothing more to be heard, Roodaka left. She found a place outside the camp, unable to forget the expression on the Toa of Fire’s face - furious, burdened, and very much alone. * * * The light of the flames of Solis Magna slowly crawled across the encampment, slipping across a certain Agori’s eyes. A few minutes later, he was making his way across the encampment. He walked past a curved piece of prototype leg armor, then redoubled back, looking down at the map Toa Tahu had spread out before him. The Toa of Fire looked up. “The site for New Atero is here.” He quickly explained the map to the Agori, who quickly darted away, toward the far side of camp, zigzagging as he went. More Agori and Matoran joined him, threading their way into the area where Thronatus were parked. Several Agori leaped onto a vehicle, and the one who started it all drove the party away. * * * Roodaka stood on a small hill, observing what went on below. Hands on hips, armored feet on two boulders someone – Mata Nui, in Roodaka’s opinion – had jammed into the sandy mound, the former Visorak viceroy never saw the dark figure behind her until she felt the sting of the sword in her back. Fortunately, Roodaka was able to roll with the force of the blow, snapping the long sword in half. The wound was poorly delivered, but it had severed some armor and tore through some of the muscle in her back, making it difficult to stand. The Keelerak, approaching from behind, launched a spinner at the newcomer. He slumped over, paralyzed. Roodaka sauntered over and lifted him up and smashed his head up against the rock, grimacing in pain from her wound. Laying him out flat on the rocky hill, Roodaka knelt to examine him. Mutating things requires a certain amount of knowledge. True, Roodaka could just launch a spinner at a form and will it to become another, but the more dissimilar the form, and the less Roodaka knew, the more energy it would require. Attempting too complex a transformation could be fatal. Fortunately, due to her training with the Dark Hunters, who had more than their share of dead enemies, acquiring a good deal of knowledge on Matoran Universe inhabitants was simple. This being had all the marks of a Spherus Magnan, and Roodaka had thought to get a basic idea of his anatomy before releasing him. Organic Tissue, Roodaka thought. This being is completely organic. They just embedded the armor in his tissue to protect him… The Keelerak chirped in the language of the Visorak. Five Skrall warriors surrounded the ridge. Roodaka scowled. The Keelerak fired two acid spinners, disarming two Skrall, who ran away. Roodaka leveled her spinner launcher at the remaining Skrall, firing toward the lead Skrall, who dodged easily. Outnumbered, Roodaka retreated off the ridge. However, she kept her spinner launcher leveled, watching as the leader approached the ridge, the other two climbing over the rocky sides. Once they were inside the ridge, Roodaka gestured to the Keelerak. Six more spinners and sixteen minutes later, the job was done, the details of which would make the Shadowed One smile. Suffice it to say that there was one very dead Skrall and later, three very confused Agori. What Roodaka didn’t know was that she had made a very serious mistake. * * * Cautiously, and with a deal of pain, Roodaka mounted the mysterious machine. It wasn’t overly complex, but it took her a few minutes to get used to the controls. Intensely aware of her surroundings, the Vortixx eased the contraption through the encampment, increasing speed as she left it, flying over the sand to new realms to explore and conquer… The air in front of her shimmered, and Roodaka, unable to see ahead, wrenched the transport to a dead stop, trying to clear her vision. The golden armor of Makuta Teridax appeared in front of her, emerging from his teleport right in front of the astonished Vortixx. “All right” scowled Roodaka “You drive.” Chapter 2 Mazeka Mazeka was miserable. Obviously, being a Ko-Matoran, standing in front of a fire wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he had willingly had endured worse things during his Orader of Mata Nui training. The bigger problem was that his mind was full of questions and no answers which had always annoyed him. Roodaka had been sent away. If Vakama’s history was complex, these other Turaga’s relation to her was simple – she was an enemy, and they wanted nothing to do with her. He had seen the same look of contempt on agents sent to interrogate prisoners. Whatever complex history Vakama had, it raised Mazeka’s suspicions. He knew from experience how deadly a traitor could be. He needed to discuss this with Teridax. Unfortunately, private discussion wasn’t a luxury he could afford, due to the Turaga in front of him and their discussing a plan, which he would soon be involved in. Nokama was advocating a settlement not far from the original camp at an estuary, which the other Turaga reluctantly approved. Matau still wanted to explore the Great Forest with a contingent of Le-Matoran. After some debate, it was decided that they should go, but take a number of Gukko Birds and scouts, and to seek out some Glatorian to go along. The other Turaga sought to explore the mountainous lands to the North. By now Mazeka was lost in his own thoughts, but the end result seemed reasonable. At least, that was what the Matoran remembered before he lay back on the sand to sleep… * * * When Mazeka awoke, he experienced that terrible where-am-I feeling you usually experience after reentering life at a different place then you left it. Fortunately, the feeling was transient enough – he was in a tent on Spherus Magna – and he stood, ever watchful and wary. “Good Morning” Mazeka’s fellow traveler looked up from his meditative pose. The tent was small, certainly not large enough for the armored colossus to stand, so he was forced to ease himself – backwards – out of the tent. If it had been any other person, Mazeka would have winced in sympathy for the person’s sheer humiliation. Well, he did wince, but he didn’t say anything about it, seeing as the veteran Makuta didn’t say anything about it. “Vakama” said Mazeka. “Yes?” “I think he could be a traitor.” “He was a traitor” said Makuta Teridax. “Long ago. But his heart lies with the Matoran, not with Roodaka.” “Yes.” said a voice from nearby. “I did betray my team - once – in times before. It is twice as painful for the betrayer as the betrayed, when you finally know what you have done…” He broke off, overcome by sadness. Mazeka put a hand on his shoulder. “You came back. You overcame the madness which I saw overcome another.” Vakama nodded bitterly. “If it is within my power to do so, you will not see it again. But I see that your eyes burn with curiosity, Matoran. Perhaps, when these immediate matters are settled, I will call Kopeke the Chronicler, and you can read the Tales of the Toa Metru. For I have walked the painful roads of memory once, and would not like to do so again.” “I understand.” * * * “I suppose we will speak with Toa Tahu and see what he can be done about getting us some transport to the North.” “Coward” said Mazeka. “Why don’t you talk to those Agori? I’m sure I could broker a deal.” “Mazeka, don’t” said Makuta Teridax. “There is…no need.” And the next thing the Matoran knew, he was standing on top of a machine of some sort, of the kind none of his kind had never seen. And Makuta Teridax was taking the controls from a certain renegade Vortixx. He spun it around, taking it back to the storage area. “So” Mazeka looked at the nearby Agori. “Mind if we take this for a spin?” The Agori looked around, confused. “You see, she was trying to steal this…and we brought it back…and if you let us use this we’ll take her away so she will never bother you again.” “Okay” said all the Agori. “Are you sure?” Makuta Teridax said. “Oh, no, it’s not a problem” The Agori looked at each other nervously. “Excellent” Makuta Teridax replied. * * * After they were a safe distance out of camp, Mazeka and Makuta Teridax clanked fists. Even Roodaka turned at the sound, and they could catch a flicker of a smile. * * * Miles passed as the Thornatus shot across the desert. There wasn’t much conversation, mostly because the occupants, whether feeling sorry for themselves, being overcome by the scenery, or concocting a new master plan, were lost in their own thoughts. As for Mazeka, he was cataloging motives. Why Makuta Teridax wanted Roodaka on board was beyond him – or maybe he just wanted to stop the theft of the Thornatus by Roodaka. Of course, what Mazeka had said had only made it worse. He wondered if their newfound speed of travel was worth their unwanted passenger. Soon, they had left the terrain of desert canyon behind and glided under a canopy of greenery, which, after an hours’ travel, gave way to a grassy carpet. To the left were ice covered mountains of hard stone, and to the right were shorter mountains which emitted steam and smoke. Various Agori were scouting the area, some scratching notes on tablets, others huddled in groups, pointing out various elements of the area amid much nodding. “The site for New Atero” said Roodaka. Makuta steered the craft toward the right, away from the river that cut through the ridge that the Thornatus had just climbed. Slowly, they slid off the ridge and to the base of one of the smoking mountains. “We’re looking for a site for the new Ta-Koro” Vakama explained as the group clambered off the machine, stretching stiff muscles and looking around for enemies. “Okay, so this is going to be quick” said Roodaka. “Climb mountain, make sure mountain is not a hazard, climb down, reverse direction, and I end up…somewhere.” The Keelerak sighed in disgust, muttering under its breath. Roodaka kicked it in irritation. “Move, you wretched beast, or I’ll throw you into the lava.” And so they climbed up the mountain. Mazeka didn’t particularly have much trouble – there were plenty of hand and footholds, and it wasn’t like he was a complete rookie at this. He was also beginning to like the chance to enjoy a simple challenge – until he saw Makuta Teridax using his hammer to clamber up the slope with Turaga Vakama on his back. “it is fair and just!” yelled Roodaka and Mazeka. Mazeka scowled and kept climbing, but he could hear Roodaka and the Visorak talking in excited tones behind him, which encouraged him to pick up the pace. A web shot past Mazeka’s ear. He looked to see Roodaka swing past him, holding two ends of a Visorak web in one hand and the Visorak in the other. As Mazeka watched, the former Visorak viceroy flicked her wrist, sending part of the loop over another rock on the top of the crater. The anchorage swung the Vortixx forward as well as up, allowing her to land in a low gap in the crater. “You cheat” said Roodaka, setting the Keelerak on the ground away from the Turaga of Fire. “I cheat.” “And I don’t have to” said Mazeka, marching in between the two, into the cloud of gas and steam. * * * White swirled around the Ko–Matoran. Mazeka kept walking forward, knowing that soon that the humid heat would be too much for him to tolerate. Just before he thought he’d have to turn back, a cool wind blew out of the north, and the fog around him sifted away…to reveal a sight that no other Ko-Matoran would ever see and live to tell about. He was standing half a kio from the center of a lava lake, on a long rectangular platform that protruded out into the lake. Directly in front of him, yet several kio away, lava cascaded out of a vent, perpetually filling the pulsing pool. Surrounding this, ribbons of pale blue cut through the dark rock, glowing in the evening light. But the sight was a comparably brief one – in spite of the breeze, Mazeka was already feeling dizzy from the heat exposure. He slowly walked away, and only strong mental fortitude allowed him to reach the side of his comrades before he was forced to rest on the rocky ground. Being a Ko-Matoran, he knew that he would have to leave the mountain soon or risk unconsciousness and death. He also knew that he did not have the strength to make the return climb down. So Mazeka watched as Roodaka and Vakama walked out towards the center of the lake, hoping that they would make their decision quickly. He watched the lava bubble, noting the fact that it seemed to bubble in some places and not in others. He saw the twin columns of flame leap up and melt through the stone in front of what Vakama stood on. He heard Roodaka say “Vakama.” and then, “Vakama!” as she dashed forward toward the severed end. Review Topic
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~Brotherhood Forever~ The BIONICLE Universe is on the verge of collapse! With the Balance of Elements unstable and death spreading all over, the remaining survivors of Spherus Magna invade the human world to destroy the planet as part of the sacrifice. On the human world, six friends must make their farewells but they decided to make a wish to stay together, unknowingly causing havoc to their only home. Now, they must awake their hidden powers with the Element Lords/Gods in order to repel the invasion of the Maze Valley! Time is short and these friends have little to no experience in such battles. Can they survive the coming of another world? This story is based from my on-going Bionicle Fan-Fic called Brotherhood of the Elements.The story can be read elsewhere since I've wrote the stories during the forum downtime but if you want to read it, PM or comment in the review section and I will send you the link! ;D *** Review/Commentary: http://www.bzpower.c...?showtopic=2137 ~CharactersPlanet Earth (New York City, NY: May 15, 2421)*Dante Greene- The leader of the six friends; partnered with Tesarax, the Element of Jungle Deity. After facing off against Sarhax, he confronted the Maze Fortress with the Tesarax Deity but faced defeat by a mysterious entity who fired a massive blast of light at him and Blaze. He finally woke up after resting in the rubble of town and he was teleported to a disclosed dimension created by Igor in order to redeem himself. He finally escapes after realizing his mistake and they finally defeat Kabrua. In the series's conclusion, he and the others make their farewells.*Allan Kaimar- A swimmer for the high school; bonded with Tajunara, the Water Deity. He later grew "jealous" that the other boys received their gems and worried that they would end up killed by the mysterious deity. However, Tajunara spoke to him and he finally received the gem of water. He confronted Kiina and managed to defeat her seemingly with help from Blaze. In the midst of battle, Dante returns and they together defeat Kabrua. By the series's end, he and the others leave for college.*Taro Rocko- A radio-spokesperson; partnered with Roxtarax, the Element Lord of Rock Deity. After breaking away from the group, he tried to break into the Maze Fortress but was captured by Kabrua and thrown into a cell. However, Roxtarax arrived and helped him escape where he then obtained the Rock Deity. After the final battle against Kabrua, he makes his goodbye to his friends.*Maseru Vankan- A sculptor; bonded with Ataraun, the Element God of Sand. He met up with Ataraun in dreams and he returned to the Elementary School from 10 years ago, obtaining the Sand Deity. He was confronted by a group of Vorox but with help from the others, he managed to defeat the monstrosity. He and the others worked together to defeat Kabrua and Aghora's Deity and they move on to college.*Salvo Damek- A Norwegian-American student; partnered with Iconara, the Ice Deity. He was the next person to receive the gem and left. However, he was attacked by Gelu and he managed to defeat the Ice Warrior with help from the others. By the end of the story, they defeat Kabrua and make their farewells, moving onto the future.*Blaze Fuoco- A boxer for the high school; bonded with Vulcanax, the Element of Fire Deity. After facing off against Branar, he confonted the Maze Fortress with the Vulcanax Deity but faced defeat by a mysterious entity who blasted them into the light. Once he regained conscious, he was confronted by Ackar who realized that the reason he became friends with the others was due to the fact of him being bullied 10 years ago. This revelation allowed Blaze to regain Vulcanax and to help the others in the final battle. At the series' conclusion, he is seen with the others saying their final goodbyes, heading off to their future.Spherus Magna*Mata Nui- A magician/priest of Spherus Magna who guided the Element Lords about the Six Deities. However, he was seemingly killed by Kiina who cast a bubble trap around him, prompting Allan to escape. However, he survives with his magic and he tells the Tale of Spherus Magna to the boys. In the series's conclusion, he thanks them and he teleports the fortress back to Spherus Magna.*Kiina- One of the corrupt Glatorian who was in charged to kill Allan. She failed to defeat the human and was asked by Belirax to return to the castle. She and the others were imprisoned by the Vorox but Igor helps her escape and it is she who discovers the truth about the whole mess.*Sarhax- One of the Glatorian warriors who went corrupt and were instructed to fulfill the princess's wish. She failed to kill Dante in two chances and her deity is destroyed. She later is enlightened with the truth and returns back home.*Branar- A Skrall who went corrupt and were tasked to destroy everything. His deity got destroyed and failed to kill Blaze in order to stop the legend of Magni Animi. He is later enlightened by the truth and returns back to Spherus Magna.*Princess Belirax- One of the few survivors on Spherus Magna with a "status". She is the sole princess left from the former world and her wish to revive Aghora was promised by Kabrua with his hypnosis but the boys of Magni Animi break the illusion and she sends Kabura away. *Kabrua (deceased)- An Alpha Vorox who claims to help Belirax bring back Aghora by destroying Planet Earth and crushing the Legend of Magni Animi. He hypnotized the princess in hopes of reviving Aghora. On Earth, he unleashed monsters and terror all across the city and later used Aghora's Deity to combat against Magni Animi. However, Belirax wakes up and she sends him away, presumed dead.*High Priest Aghora (deceased)- The older brother and the High Priest of Spherus Magna. He fell in love with Princess Belirax and wanted to help the world from falling apart but it was prohibited to do so. He committed suicide and Belirax wishes to get him back from the dead. However, the boys of Magni Animi enlighten the truth to her and she abandons the plan.*Igor (deceased)- The Brother of the High Priest who came to rescue Dante from the blast of light. He then took off his cloak and placed it on Dante as a blanket. He tests Dante once the boy woke up by seeing if he can reevaluate himself on his mistakes. Afterwards, he rescued Kiina and tells her the truth about the legends. He later rescues the six boys with help from Ackar and he dies when one of the Ancient Spirits stabbed him.*Gelu (deceased)- A corrupt Glatorian who was tasked to kill Salvo from obtaining the Ice Deity of Iconara. However he ended up killed during an explosion.*Ackar- A Glatorian who helped rescue Blaze from the mysterious blast of light and stopped Branar from killing the human. He tests Blaze to see if he understand his mistakes and he later helps Igor to fight against Kabrua. At the story's conclusion, he returns to Spherus Magna with the other survivors.*A Group of Vorox- A rouge group of Vorox who tried to attack Maseru. However, the human managed to defeat them with help from the others. *Annona- The Ancient Entity that created the Element Gods: little is known if she caused the plague but leaves Spherus Magna after Aghora's death.*Magni Animi- The Combined Robot of the Six Element Gods: it's form is similar to the Great Spirit Robot with the seven elements together as one. The Deity was used by the six boys to defeat Kabrua and Aghora's Deity with the help of Igor's Sword.
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~Brotherhood Forever~ This section is for all commentaries and review! You can view the story here: http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=2136
