Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'archives repost'.
Found 2 results
-
Roodaka plodded along helplessly next to Botar’s replacement. “Why, exactly, are we still being held here? Surely you have better things to do than cart a prisoner around-“ “Be quiet, fool” Botar’s replacement scowled. “This is my duty. Now get back in line!” A Dark Hunter, pleased at the delay, launched a Rhotuka at the replacement. The flames from the spinner were enough to burn a hole in his armor. Delighted, Roodaka used the opportunity to stun Botar’s replacement with a small amount of shadow energy, then leaped after the being, landing solid blows. A quick kick crashed him into a rock, knocking him out. Spinning, Roodaka snatched the spinner launcher, aiming it at Botar’s replacement’s throat. A second later, the Order member disappeared, reappearing behind Roodaka. Lifting the former Visorak viceroy into the air, the replacement formed energy bindings around her, giving her no way to aim her new launcher or to harm her opponent. Growling, he reached out his arm to seize the launcher – just as Roodaka used her power to disrupt the bindings just enough…the spinner struck his arm, and he was no longer Botar’s replacement. Glaring down at the new Keelerak next to her, Roodaka knelt, whispering into his audio receptors. “Come along with me, you fool, and I might see fit to reverse the mutation, or you can take your chances out there. I won’t look for you.” The reply, in the language of the Visorak, was one of pure hatred. Roodaka allowed herself a smile, and as she sauntered off toward the forest, an obedient Keelerak trotted along at her side. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vakama, Turaga of Fire, sat in a quiet place for contemplation and reflection – by the surf of the newborn ocean that had once been Aqua Magna. Propped against a small shade tree, the veteran Turaga began pondering through recent revelations…the Great Spirit, a giant robot…the Order agent’s takeover of Metru Nui and then Makuta’s efforts to control the city…the city that was the very center of power…the Great Spirit’s sacrifice and his words…Slowly, Vakama walked through years of ignorance and doubt, fitting piece after piece into the puzzle that brought him here. How could I know so much, he thought, and yet so little? Perhaps we are in yet another place that only knowledge will break us of. Ah…there is no hurry…we have plenty of time to discover our future here…Time, yes… The Mask of Time! It is in the hands of the Shadowed One. I suppose the matter should be brought before the Toa, although they have enough matters to deal with, and probably will not be able to help. Frustrated, he stalked away, slowly easing out of the emotion and facing his inability to act. It took a Makuta, a Toa, and an army of Rakishi to defeat the Shadowed One and Voporak before, and even if I was…stronger…it would not matter. “Turaga?” * * * Roodaka was in a bad mood. For someone accustomed to the mountains and factories of Xia, the high towers of captured cities, and expansive fortresses, this forested area was just a little too … unsettling. Cowering in said forest to avoid detection by her potential allies, however, was supremely frustrating. “This will do quite nicely for a fortress, don’t you think?” The Shadowed One nodded to Sentrakh. Sentrakh said nothing. He didn’t really mind this particular spot, seeing that it was on a tall hill. But the trees around this clearing would have to be removed – to many places for enemies to hide. Sentrakh wasn’t sure whether he would favor that fact or not. “That question” said the Shadowed One “is one I would like an answer to.” “Perhaps” said Sentrakh. “The trees.” “Soon, Sentrakh, we will have no enemies. They will all be frozen in time.” Sentrakh nodded cautiously. As he did so, he spotted a metallic bit of green that skittered away. Then he heard the sound of running feet behind him. He whirled, the two Dark Hunters churning off in the direction of whoever had been listening. * * * “Turaga?” “Yes?” It was a Matoran, somewhat fatigued. Standing next to him was a colossal figure, armor of white and gold, and disturbingly familiar… “Who are you?” “In the universe that I come from, they call me Makuta Teridax.” Vakama’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?” “He’s from an alternate universe where the Makuta banished all the darkness from inside themselves…” Mazeka related the tale that had brought them here. “I suggest you return to the universe from which you came.” Vakama said. “The Toa will not welcome you here. I will not welcome him here until he can prove that he is one with the light.” “What would you have in mind?” Vakama smiled. If this was one of Makuta Teridax’s tricks, he was going to regret it. * * * Roodaka dodged tree trunks, vaulted brush, and swung from tree to tree (humiliating!) to evade pursuit. Nearby, a Keelerak crashed through the vegetation, making a racket even a deaf Turaga could hear. Somehow it was managing to avoid the flashing eyebeams and wheels of energy that filled the forest. The only problem was that it was now flying through the air, crashing toward the water… “Incoming!” * * * Roodaka plunged into the surf. She hated water, but the prospect of getting sheared in pieces by a pair of eyebeams was not as fixable. It took a couple of seconds for her to process the voice she’d heard as she raced past the figures on the surf. “Roodaka?” Vakama’s voice. She bolted back to the surface, startled. The Shadowed One launched his eyebeams at her, only to be stunned by a blast of light to the face. He staggered, blinded, but Sentrakh launched a Rhotuka spinner at the Makuta, which he barely managed to dodge. Mazeka leaped onto the Shadowed One’s arm, trying to dislodge his staff, but the veteran Dark Hunter merely tossed him away. His vision restored, the Shadowed One launched his eyebeams to destroy the Makuta’s armor, which were defected by a Rhotuka. Irritated, the Shadowed One moved in on the Makuta, leaving Sentrakh to face to face a Turaga, Roodaka, and the Keelerak – who, due to the exposure to the water had gone crazy and was shooting off spinners in every direction at a rapid rate. Sentrakh was forced to dodge or parry the spinners with his own, that and the ones Roodaka was carefully launching, in between her own acrobatics to avoid the paralyzing spinners. Meanwhile, to evade being permanently blinded by his new adversary, the Shadowed One used his staff to form barriers around himself, repairing it as fast as Teridax could smash it, which wasn’t too slow. “The Shadowed One, indeed.” observed the Makuta. “Can’t stand the light.” He blasted the interior of the structure with light, drowning the Shadowed One in it. Furious, he blindly smashed at his structure, shooting a Rhotuka of his own at the source. “You obviously know who I am. But only a fool could have placed you together – something that does not exist with a thing that should not exist. Next time, Toa of Light, find a better disguise.” Teridax scowled, blasting what remained of the structure with chain lightening. Sparks made shallow ridges in the Shadowed One’s armor, but the Dark Hunter leader was unmoved. He launched eyebeams at his adversary, blasting through a good amount of Teridax’s leg armor. Only a last minute application of his dodge powers saved his leg from being completely lost. “Whatever you are, you’ll have to do better than that!” “I can” said Teridax. Concentrating his power, Teridax slowed down the Shadowed One’s reflexes. Quickly, the Shadowed One did the only thing he could, slapping the Mask of Time over his face in a vain attempt to ward off defeat. Speeding up time inside him, the Shadowed One regained his speed, warding off the Makuta’s attempts to slow him down. However, use of the mask required his complete concentration… * * * Sentrakh backed away from the Keelerak. Suddenly Roodaka was standing on a very narrow spire. The slightest movement would send her toppling… The Keelerak collapsed. Sentrakh sighed. He prepared a Rhotuka spinner for launch. Roodaka leaped forward off of the spire, and crashed into Sentrakh, Rhotuka flying into the air. The spinner destroyed some nearby sand, creating a pit, which Sentrakh promptly slid into, carrying Roodaka with him. At the last second, Roodaka felt a strain on her arm, but whomever it was’ grip was slipping rapidly, and only swift reflexes enabled Roodaka to add her own grip to the stranger’s before losing it entirely. Sentrakh had a grip on her neck and was pulling her down. Desperate, she flailed about with her one free arm, but the only thing was one shade tree with weakened roots. The tree came crashing down, and Roodaka saw a firestaff come down on her neck. Then she saw nothing. * * * “Roodaka!” Someone was kicking her in the side. And saying her name very loudly, right in her ear. “Ow! Which side are you on?” Roodaka said. “Oh, Vakama, I’d thought I’d never see the day.” “To answer your question-” “Not important. Not at all.” * * * Makuta Teridax, unfoiled, switched powers, forming a vaccum around his opponent. The Shadowed One launched his eyebeams again, but this time Teridax was able to evade, the bolts only singing his armor. The Shadowed One charged in, trying to catch his enemy off balance…and was hit by a spinner. The paralyzing power was only enough to momentarily stun him, but it was enough for Teridax to trying slowing again… and for Roodaka to run past, snatching the Mask of Time from his claw. Teridax teleported away. Weakened and infuriated, the Shadowed One vented his anger with a burst from his eyebeams, destroying the tree which hid his talented bodyguard. Sentrakh climbed out of the pit, brushing sand off his armor. Neither said anything for a long time. The Shadowed One simply gestured for him to come along as they began the slow walk back to camp. * * * A small application of Teridax’s power revived Mazeka. The two watched as the sunset breathed color into the sky and the combatants deserted the battlefield. As they watched, a slender female form emerged from the forest in a clearing adjacent to the battlefield, a diminutive Visorak trotting alongside. A Turaga appeared, moving in. “Allies” mused Mazeka. “No” said the Makuta. “Even enemies with a common foe will be allies, but these are not friends, nor foes. Their history is complex, one best told on a cold, dark, night…” * * * Roodaka passed the Mask of Time to Vakama. “Catch” she snarled. “I’m sure you could find a use for this” Vakama said. “Are you sure?” “I don’t want any baggage.” Roodaka waved her hand. “And that’s just the thing, Vakama. I can always count on you.” They walked in silence for a bit. “You don’t have to be weak anymore, Turaga.” Roodaka gestured to her spinner launcher. “I am not weak. I am as I should be, and I still have my duty.” “Of course, Vakama. You have the Mask of Time. Nothing is impossible now.”
-
This one's an archive repost. Some of the typos are fixed now, most of the lame non-canon logical errors are not. But after all these years, I finally got to fix that title. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rain. Lightening flashed all around, which made both heroes jumpy. The huge army of Rahkshi wasn’t exactly improving the heroes’ mood either, despite the fact that said army wasn’t paying any attention. Boarding boats, the Rahkshi horde was getting ready to leave, and the Toa Nuva were getting ready to separate, Tahu to follow the Rahkshi. “Tahu!” Onua shouted. “Tahu!” He was standing on the beach, waves crashing over his armored feet. Tahu walked to his side, fully expecting a trap…until he saw the Matoran walking through the waves near shore. Then, as both Toa watched, the waves reversed direction from the shore, sending the Matoran into the drink. Both raced forward toward the boat through the air, diving into the ocean. A few seconds later, two Toa Nuva were riding increasingly turbulent waves trying to keep the Matoran’s head above water. “Vakama says…The Mask of Time…going to Xia…get it…take it to Metru Nui.” “What?” Tahu snarled. With every wave, they were getting further away from the island, and the leader of the Toa Nuva was becoming more and more anxious. “Can’t…much longer…” “Onua! Get us out of this water” Tahu ordered. “Now!” A few seconds later, they were standing on solid ground. “This won’t last long” Onua warned. “Last hope…to…take …Teridax” The Matoran coughed bitterly. It was clear that the journey had taken nearly all of the Matoran’s strength. “Down. Not…a…trick.” Then he went limp in Tahu’s arms, and the two Toa fought their way back to the island through the air to set him down in relative shelter. “That was a pretty good illusion” Onua said. “No Matoran could travel two feet in this universe without getting blasted.” Tahu considered this for a moment. Then he smiled. “You don’t know that Matoran. It’s Kapura. He gets around.” * * * The Dark Hunter Gladiator was in a bad mood. He had been assigned to transport the Rahi Voporak from Metru Nui to the Dark Hunter headquarters on Xia. He hated this job for several reasons, not the least of which was missing out on the opportunity to loot Xia more thoroughly. But as Ancient was dead, and the Shadowed One wanted his personal bodyguard around while he was dealing with the Barraki, so the task had fallen to the one who could paddle fast and strong. Behind him, Voporak wished he would paddle even faster. The Rahi couldn’t use his temporal time field while traveling by boat, since boats aged by hundreds of years don’t hold together well. Without it, he felt extremely vulnerable and kept looking over his shoulder. The forward skyline finally became dotted with gray. “That’s Xia” Gladiator called, trying to soothe the nervous Rahi. Voporak scowled. His back was feeling very warm. Probably sunlight glinting off the sea. Then he noticed the flames. “Surprise” said Tahu Nuva, Toa Nuva of Fire. Gladiator looked up. Two Toa Nuva hovered above – and the boat was on fire. Frantic, Voporak activated his time field to stop the flames, but his section of the boat crumpled to dust, sending both Dark Hunters into the drink. Underwater, Gladiator fought his way toward Voporak. The time-field around Voporak was dissolving the ocean, the disturbance interfering with Voporak’s vision. Meanwhile, Tahu Nuva wasn’t about to miss his opportunity. He snatched onto the Mask of Time, but couldn’t pull it free from the Rahi’s death grip, having nothing to brace himself against. Onua slipped into the water beside Tahu, his mask shifting to allow the Toa Nuva to breathe water. But before the Toa or Gladiator could attack, the entire group was shoved away by a powerful current from the island of Xia. * * * The Shadowed One had disappeared from the island of Xia. Now, he was standing in a room, several kio wide and long, but the walls were completely smooth, with no apparent exit. “Welcome, Shadowed One” said a voice from all about. “Oh, yes, I know your name, and while we’re on the subject, I can read your thoughts, so you might as well answer my inquiries. You amuse me greatly, so I might consent to spare your life, if you admit your plan.” The Shadowed One said nothing. “Surely the great leader of the Dark Hunters has something to say for himself.” The Shadowed One simply laughed. “Oh, yes, I have a great deal to say for my schemes, Shadowed One. We both know about those, don’t we?” * * * A column of earth rose up, smashing into Gladiator. The Dark Hunter resurfaced for air, waves crashing over him. It took all of his strength to stay alive, Gladiator not being a very good swimmer. Some hours later, an exhausted Dark Hunter washed up on the Xian shore, and lay there for hours, unable to move. He will go down in history as one of few Dark Hunters still alive who was not punished for not completing his task on schedule. * * * The Toa and Voporak had reached a stale mate. Unable to see clearly, the Rahi could not strike at his enemies, but the time field was the only thing that was keeping the Toa from striking him. Neither could get enough leverage to pull the mask away from the other being. The current the Toa were in was picking up speed as they left the island, and soon the group was swirling about in a deadly whirlpool. Onua tried the column-of-earth experiment again. It will fail, thought Tahu, and then all of us will become prisoners of Makuta. But the Toa of Earth had not lost his mind – enough of the earth escaped the edge of the time field and the current to spin the Rahi toward the outside of the whirlpool, breaking his grip – and sending the Mask of Time swirling away. Tahu desperately tried to track the Vahi in the swirling current. The Mask remained out of his reach, and the forces of the whirlpool were rapidly exhausting the Toa. Nearby, if Tahu had dared to take his eyes away from the mask, he would have seen Onua throw up his hand. What he did see was the Mask of Time barrel through an earthen wall…and his hand close around the Vahi. And then the Toa of Fire saw nothing. * * * “If … you wish to consider living, you will hand over what is rightfully mine. Those vials of yours. ” The Shadowed One stood motionlessly silent in the middle of the chamber. “Those are very dangerous, too volatile for a tyrant like you, barely below prime. There are many ways I could relieve you of them, many of them painful, I suppose…would you really like to tempt me?” * * * The two Toa Nuva drifted listlessly in the center of the whirlpool. Suddenly, the red-hued hero bolted upright in the water, snatching onto Onua’s wrist. The water had them effectively trapped, and was slowly taxing the Toa’s energies with each turn. I have to figure a way out. Tahu mentally catalogued his powers. Heat might disrupt the swirling pattern, but it would take a great deal of power and time… The ground shook, sending the water into strange directions. It took the Toa some time to realize that the whole world was shaking, that someone had struck the world he was in, and, judging from the iron crashing down from ceiling, the world wouldn’t last long. It is no use…no use… And then it was over. The Toa Nuva of Fire was seized by fury that he had not felt since the island of Mata Nui. He slapped the Mask of Time over his face, charged through the now stopped whirlpool and away from the falling iron. Startled awake, Onua could only try to think as he was dragged through the water. * * * Mata Nui looked about frantically. The Matoran Universe robot had simply stopped. The beginnings of a gravity burst had been forming on its gauntlet, but it had simply dissolved, having little effect. “Makuta?” Mata Nui said. He stepped forward, smashing thousands of Rakshi. “Makuta!” * * * Tahu and Onua emerged from the sea in Ga-Metru, moving as quickly as they could past the occasional slow-moving Matoran. So acute was their sense of focus on what they had to do that they never guessed – until they saw the scorched metal beams and blasted earth. A hole led down into the eerie blackness. “Once a symbol of leaders and powers, now a place where power went worng and battles were fought to contain it” Onua said. “And now it’s gone.” Tahu merely grunted in response. The strain of holding back time in the mind of Mata Nui was grating on him, and his fury was slowly ebbing away, leaving him exhausted. The two heroes slowly walked the timeless corridor, the temporal field closing behind them, neither speaking. To the six Turaga and the Toa Hagah, however, the heroes appeared in a matter of seconds. Onua was supporting the weakened Toa as the temporal field receded to only include the mind of Mata Nui. “Tahu!” Takanuva exclaimed. Vakama placed a hand on the Toa of Light’s shoulder. “The universe already owes him a great debt, but it will be little if…” * * * Norik, Toa Hagah of Fire, was in a decidedly bad mood. That might have been a surprise, considering that a few days ago he would have happily told anyone he met that all was well. Of course, once that was revealed to be an illusion, and that his entire team had been taken in, he wasn’t exactly pleased. Fighting to free the six Turaga from their underground prison hadn’t exactly been fun either. That, and the realization that the Makuta they had once willingly served had turned out to be more than a monster. How could we ever have served this wretchedly evil being, or ever think he had the Matoran’s best interests at heart? Unfortunately, Norik did not have time to think about the answer to that question. Whenua and Bomonga were desperately trying to figure out the control panel on the right side of the room before Tahu completely collapsed. “It’s hopeless” said Bomonga, turning to face Norik. “This is like the text we saw on the walls earilier, only worse. Whenua said nothing. He was just as baffled. Vakama looked at Tahu, straining under the pressure of holding Makuta back. He looked at the mess of buttons and switches, a lever…then he saw the lever, light blasting through machinery, fine mist near a robot’s face. “The lever!” yelled Vakama. He squeezed past the startled Toa and Turaga, and yanked the lever down. Nothing happened. Tahu pulled the Kanohi Vahi off his face “We are all doomed” he muttered. “Another trick…” Then he collapsed, unconscious. And then came a roar of machinery, creaking and banging from 100,000 years of unuse. Machines moved aside, dust clouds bellowed, and the entire group slid forward and rocketed upward. Two circuit boards moved aside, and light flooded the mind of Mata Nui. When their vision had recovered, the Toa and Turaga looked out over the land of Bara Magna – before them was a robot like the one the group now stood in. “Welcome to the mind of Mata Nui” It surrounded the Toa so intimately that everyone in the group covered their ears. “Well” said Takanuva, “Now it’s my turn. Cover your eyes, everyone.” And so the devastating power of light ripped through the machines around them, eliminating any trace of darkness. As the Nova Blast receded, the Toa saw a white, thin mist edging its way through the open window. Perhaps it was just their imaginations, or a distant echo of past words, but the inhabitants of the chamber thought they heard the word “No”, laced with its own share of pain. And then he – Makuta Teridax – was gone. But not from the sight of Mata Nui. A minute amount of his power fused the weakened antidermis particles together, sending them raining down on a number of Rakshi who, extremely annoyed, incinerated what little remained of the Master of Shadows. * * * Takanuva slumped over, only to be caught by Pouks. Unfortunately, all he could do was set the exhausted Toa down on the hard floor, which couldn’t have been comfortable. So was turned to face the robot in front of them was the six Turaga of Metru Nui, in front of the control panels which they, surprisingly enough, could read. Behind them stood the six Toa Hagah, spears and shields in hand. (Onua knelt behind them, keeping an eye on the weakened Toa, his eyesight still recovering from Takanuva’s Nova Blast) “Friend or Foe?” Iruni said. “Friend. I am Mata Nui.” “We stand at the service of the Great Spirit Mata Nui” said Turaga Vakama. “This planet on which we stand was broken over 100,000 years ago…” * * * The chamber in which the Shadowed One stood had gone silent. The Dark Hunter leader paced the chamber, unsure of what to do. As he paced, his rage grew, first at Makuta for leaving him alone, then at himself for not being able to figure all this out. Furious, he blasted though a wall with his eyebeams. It wasn’t solid stone that greeted him. Instead, the Shadowed One felt the fetid air of the swamp wash over him. He saw machines, pulsing with energy, all along a shadowed corridor. He was in Kini Nui. * * * Gravitational forces brought the moons to Bara Magna; surges of energy restored the planet’s original shape. Energies of life and creation spread over the new land, unstopping rivers, replacing sand with soil and piercing soil with roots. Slowly, Mata Nui’s prototype robot collapsed from the power drain. Only the Matoran Universe robot still stood. And then Onewa’s panel started blinking. “System damage – the core” Red lights appeared everywhere. “Set her down gently” said a newly recovered Tahu. “It’s all we can do.” But they couldn’t even do that – it was more like a controlled crash. An earthquake shook the universe, smashing many of the failing systems. * * * The victors of the Matoran Universe clambered out of the “eyes” of the Great Spirit robot. Many others followed behind, as the natives of the land of Bara Magna approached with the Mask of Life. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many of us know, as was written beyond what I have written, about what was said and done here between the Toa, the natives, and Mata Nui in the Mask of Life. this ending, as I write it, does not change these things. But perhaps I lend new meaning to the words spoken by Mata Nui: “In doing so, you grew as a people past the point where you need a Great Spirit to guide you. The true power does not reside with me. It resides with all of you.” THE END
