A/N– Here we go with the next chapter! Foreboding isn't it? Heheheh…
And of course, a few new things come to light…
As for what's going on with my current life (outside banging my head against the wall 'cause I goofed BIG TIME) the virus thing is pretty serious. I know I said at first that it wasn't, that it was just causing more stress, and that everyone was overreacting… and now I feel stupid. COVID-19 is DEADLY, dangerous, and if we want to stop the spread, respect the personal distancing. Now in Canada, we've been starting to get a lid on it. Those in Europe are thankfully starting to recover, but the States…
…suddenly, I'm glad my family moved out. No offence to anyone living there, but your president is a complete MORON. I mean, the States is the WORST hit country right now… and he wants to reopen the economy?! Are you tryingto kill every vulnerable person?! Agh… now I see why my dad called him 'president idiot'. Sorry people in the States, but looking on from the outside… I feel really, really bad for you guys, and I pray that you all survive this.
And to those working every day on the frontlines, fighting COVID… I thank you. We all owe you our lives, and I wish you all the best with fighting this pandemic.
Also, sadly but hilariously, the only reason I passed my 'killer courses' *curses out chemistry and physics* is because of the quarantine! When I did my tests, I had all my notes at the ready, and BAM! A C in Chemistry and a B in Physics, but anything is better than a D or worse, and F. I got A's in my others. So, sadly, the only reason I survived is from quarantine. I still hope that we can all get through this though…
*Ahem* Now that I've said my piece, time to get onto the main event!
Oh! Before I forget… HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWILIGHTSAGE121! Girl, you are one of my best friends and I want to wish you the best birthday ever during this time! Congrats girl! This chapter is a sort of B-Day present for you, so I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own squat except for my OC, what she does and little portions of the plot.
Thanks again to MakutaMutran for the base of the plotline! You are a LIFESAVER dude!
Hours had passed since the Toa Metru had left the Great Temple to find the Matoran who would lead them to the Great Disks, and not a sound came from inside the inner chamber. Up on a ledge, hidden out of Matoran sight, Emma slept peacefully. She had explored the entire chamber, eaten the rest of the food in her lunch bag, and, exhausted, fell asleep using her bag as a pillow.
Unbeknownst to the girl, a pair of eyes watched her. Bioluminescent blue in colour, they held no malice, but rather, pity. I am sorry young one, but you must begin the journey to your destiny, or darkness shall consume you. The girl whimpered a little in her sleep, the beginnings of a nightmare beginning to take hold. A ghostly hand gently stroked her head, a faint glow emanating from it. The whimpering faded and the girl settled back down into a restful sleep, sighing softly. You have much to do, much to learn, and much to share… the eyes saddened, if only you would not suffer in the process, little- voices began to echo from one of the corridors, and the ghostly form vanished.
"Hey kid, you in here?" Onewa called out as he entered the room, followed by the other five Toa and six confused Matoran. There was no answer to his call.
"Do you think she was discovered?" Nokama asked worried, looking around. "Did the Vahki take her?"
Whenua frowned, before walking over to the underside of a ledge. Grunting, he heaved himself up… and sighed with relief. "Found her." He said to the others. "She's sleeping up here."
"Should we wake her?" Nuju asked, glancing at the others.
"Who?!" The Ko-Matoran at his feet demanded, a little irritated by the vagueness.
"I'd like to know as well." The Ga-Matoran added, crossing her arms as the other Matoran made sounds of agreement.
Whenua sighed, before pulling himself up. "Hey, Emma. Wake up." He gently shook the girl's shoulder.
"Huhwhazit?" Was the response to the wakeup call, Emma's eyes opening blearily before she yawed widely. "'henua?" She 'asked'. "Y're ba'…" she yawned again, eyes drooping tiredly.
The Toa of Earth smiled at her with a bit of pity, seeing that she had been having a good rest until being disturbed. "Yeah, we're back." He said softly.
The girl sat up, yawning a third time and rubbing her eyes. "You took your-" she yawned, "-sweet time." She mumbled, half-awake.
Whenua chuckled, and once Emma was a little more awake climbed down. The girl followed, and the six Matoran's eyes went wide when they saw the smaller, purely organic and cloth-covered form being helped down by the Toa.
"What kind of rahi is that?" The Onu-Matoran asked in shock.
Emma nearly jumped, now much more awake, when she heard the comment, before noticing the six Matoran. She wilted a little at the actual words, upset. "I'm not a rahi…" she muttered, but that only surprised the Matoran.
"It speaks?!" The Ta-Matoran exclaimed in surprise.
Emma knew that he probably didn't mean to hurt her feelings – or so she hoped – but couldn't help but sigh sadly. She glanced at the Toa. "Glad to see you back…" she said softly, before walking off to the side.
"Emma wait…" Vakama followed her, and laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her just as she rounded the Suva.
"What?" The girl asked, her tone betraying how upset she felt on the inside.
The Fire Toa sighed. "We didn't have a chance to explain to them about you, so they don't know any better." He explained. "Also…" he lowered his voice, "I believe that one of them is lying, and planning to betray us."
Emma looked at him surprised. "Really?" She whispered back.
Vakama nodded. "Yes, and I need a favour from you." Emma perked up a little at that, so the Fire Toa explained. "I need to talk with the other Toa without the Matoran hearing us. Think you can help with that?"
The girl thought for a minute, before nodding. "Sure."
The Toa smiled, and lead her back. "This is Emma." He introduced her to the Matoran. "She's a friend… not a rahi." He added that last part when the Le-Matoran tried to make a comment. "Emma, why don't you get to know them?"
The girl smiled and agreed, realizing that he was acting as though nothing was amiss. "Sure!" She said, and walked over to the Matoran, listening as the Toa introduced each one from their respective Metrus.
As she began to talk with them, she made sure to keep an eye on the Po-Matoran, Ahkmou. If the stuff I read on Wiki is correct, then I need to be careful with him. Emma thought to herself, but kept up her façade of not knowing a thing. Vakama asked her to distract them – and distract them she would.
"So, your world is more than just an island?" The Ga-Matoran, Vhisola, said, a bit of awe creeping into her voice.
Emma nodded, leaning back a little against the carved wall. "Yep. We got islands, but also large landmasses – continents. And they hold multiple countries, all with separate governments."
"Sounds complex." The Ta-Matoran, Nuhrii, commented.
"Yeah, the countries don't always get along." The girl said in agreement. "Humans are pretty diverse like Matoran are, but instead of having different elements, we have different cultures."
"You have more than just one culture?!" The Onu-Matoran, Tehutti, repeated in disbelief, almost spluttering.
"Yep." Emma nodded, absently adjusting the fingerless glove on one of her hands. "Our world is so large and diverse, that when humans first evolved, they spread out and formed different groups. From there, they adapted to the varying climates across the different continents and developed their own cultures."
"Quick-stop!" The Le-Matoran, Orkahm, exclaimed. "Developed their cultures?!"
The girl sighed, looking at the Matoran before her. "Yeah. We never had a Great Spirit to watch over us. Humans don't have actual deities like you guys, just stuff that came from stories and stories made from stuff that they could not explain." She adjusted her ponytail a little "Heck, some humans don't believe in those sorts of things at all." Then again, the freakin' Norse god of thunder is actually real… if Wikipedia is to be believed. "Though some groups do have their cultures based on those that they've made out to be gods. Other than that…" she just shrugged. Her world was pretty complex, but with what's been coming out of the woodwork lately its only gotten even crazier.
"That's sad." Vhisola said softly. "Not having a Great Spirit to believe in."
Emma shrugged. "I guess. I mean, there have been – and still are – a lot of conflicts over different cultures and beliefs." She glanced away. "Some were even wiped out by other groups just because they couldn't get along."
Four of the Matoran gasped at that, horrified. The Ko-Matoran, Ehrye, looked alarmed, and even Ahkmou snapped his head up surprised.
"How horrible!" Vhisola exclaimed.
"It is what it is." Emma said, sounding almost apathetic but there was a small twinge in her voice. "My world, despite what a lot of people say, isn't perfect. Nor is this one." She looked at the Matoran. "There is darkness no matter how hard you deny it… it just shows itself in different ways."
Even the Po-Matoran stared at Emma as she finished her sentence, catching the tone of her voice. The tone of someone who more than saw something dark… the tone of someone who-
"Alright! Everyone group-gather around!" Matau called out to them. "Time to get quick-started on finding those disks!"
The girl watched as the Matoran moved to the Toa, standing to her feet. A hand rested on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Whenua beside her. "Stay here?" She guessed.
The Toa Metru of Earth nodded. "Sorry Emma, but-"
"For my safety, I know." The girl said with a sigh. "Just don't be too long, alright?"
He smiled at her. "Of course." He squeezed her shoulder a little, before heading over back to the others.
Emma watched as they grouped up and left, before looking around. "Well… not much to do now." With that, she climbed back up to the ledge to wait… and try to ignore her grumbling stomach. She was hungry… maybe there was a granola bar in her bag? She hoped so…
She was running. Running fast from what was behind her. Her heart was in her throat, pounding so loudly it seemed to echo all around her. Fear filled her chest, squeezing it and making it hard to breath.
"You can't escape me little weapon…" a voice, one that Emma feared and hated with all her heart, echoed from all around her, "I will finish molding you… making you… you are-"
A form suddenly appeared before her, cloaked in shadows except for his piercing, glowing blue eyes. "-MINE!"
Emma screamed as he grabbed her arm, sharp fingertips like claws digging into her skin. She tried to get away, keep away from him, but his grip was like iron. "No! Let me go!"
The form only laughed and began to drag her. "You are mine… always mine… my weapon…"
The girl struggled desperately, kicking out. Her face went pale as she saw where he was dragging her, and she only struggled harder. "No! NO!"
Her cries did not go unnoticed, and the form yanked her up so that they were at eye level. He smacked her across the face, making her scream in pain. "You are my weapon!" He threw her to the ground hard. "And I believe," he leaned over her prone form, "it's time I reminded you of that…" he reached for her…
And Emma SCREAMED.
"Emma! Emma wake up!"
The girl shot up with a cry, lashing out with her hands and feet. "NO! NO!"
She felt her hand impact something metal, which hurt but she kept lashing out. No! She wouldn't be hurt again! SHE WOULDN'T BE TAKEN!
"Emma! Calm down! It's alright now!" A voice, familiar but she could not tell if it was friend or foe, shouted. "You're al-right."
The girl's eyes darted about, her vision blurred badly from tears. Her breathing came in gasps, hyperventilating, her heart pounding like a drum. She tried to get away from the hands, but no matter how hard she struggled they wouldn't let go. "NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!
"EMMA! IT WAS JUST A DREAM!" The voice shouted, before she was pulled against an armoured chest. The girl shrieked and lashed out, slamming her fists uselessly against the armour. "It's alright… shh… it's alright…" the voice soothed gently, a hand rubbing her back.
Emma's breathing hitched, her body freezing in shock.
"It's alright… you're safe…" the voice, a female voice, soothed gently, "you're safe now…"
The girl blinked, her vision beginning to clear… revealing the blue form who held her gently. "N…Nok-kama…?" The girl whimpered, looking up.
The Toa Metru of Water sighed in relief. "Yes… it's alright now." She soothed gently, holding the girl close. "It was just a night-terror."
Emma trembled, closing her eyes and curling against the Toa as she worked on calming her breathing. If only that were the case… she thought to herself, before focusing on listening to Nokama's calming heartbeat. Unlike a human's double beat of bah-dump…bah-dump, the Toa's was more of a tri-beat. Bah-dum-bump… bah-dum-bump… it was calming… relaxing… safe…
Nokama sighed in relief as the girl in her arms finally calmed down. She vividly remembered entering the temple chamber with Matau to find the girl, only to hear her crying out. Thinking that she was being attacked, the Toa had rushed in, only… to see no Vahki or Matoran. It was only when Nokama had climbed up to the ledge did she realize that the girl was suffering from a horrible night-terror.
Matau was sitting beside the two females, holding a hand to his cheek. "Mata Nui… Emma-friend sure packs a hard-swing." He groaned softly to himself. That had actually hurt…
"Is everything alright?" Vhisola's voice asked concerned, the Ga-Matoran and Orkahm looking up from the ground below the ledge.
Nokama sighed, looking over from where she was gently rubbing Emma's back. "Yes… we're good now." She said softly.
"Yeah… no harm-foul…" Matau added, ignoring how the side of his mask stung. He didn't blame Emma for her reaction – whatever she had been dreaming, it hadn't been pleasant.
The two Matoran looked at each other, but didn't say anything against the two Toa.
"Feeling better Emma?" Nokama asked softly, looking down at the girl as she felt the trembling finally fade.
The thirteen-year-old nodded, wiping the tears from her face with her jacket sleeve. "Y-Yeah… I am now."
"Do you want to talk about it?" The Water Toa asked softly.
Emma shook her head. "I…I'd rather not… please." She whimpered out, shoving the memories into the depths of her mind, not wanting to think about it anymore.
Nokama and Matau shared a look, before the two Toa helped the girl to her feet. Emma smiled a little at them, noticing the disks set on their hips. "You found your Disks…"
"Yes… though we barely made it back here." Nokama said.
"Vahki almost caught-grabbed us." Matau added. "We had to quick-hide here."
The two Toa helped her down, The Air Toa gently setting her feet on the ground. The Matoran rushed over, a little worried. "You okay-fine?" Orkamh asked.
Emma managed a small smile at him. "Yeah… I'm good now." She said.
Nokama smiled, before gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "We should regroup with the others by the entrance. Hopefully we can meet up with them before the Vahki do."
The girl sighed, moving to go back into the temple… only to feel the Toa's grip stay put. "All of us." She said with a soft smile, and Emma's face lit up.
The group exited through a side passage, coming out into the shadow of the side of the temple. For the first time, Emma saw Metru Nui… and was in awe. "Wow…" she breathed as she took in the massive island in the distance, the structures on it both a mix of futuristic and ancient.
"That is Ga-Metru." Nokama said, pointing to what land Emma could see as she guided the girl along. "And that smoke to the south is where Ta-Metru is." The girl could see the smoke, rising high in the distance like from massive bonfires.
"And further deep-south is Le-Metru." Matau added proudly.
"Ko-Metru and Onu-Metru lay on the western end of the island, opposite to Ga- and Ta-Metru." Nuju's voice spoke, and the group turned to see the Toa of Ice, the Toa of Earth and their respective Matoran walk up. "Po-Metru resides in the North."
Emma smiled, happy to see them alright and with their disks. "That is so cool!" She commented excitedly. "I really hope that I get to see it all!"
Whenua gently laid a hand on her shoulder, chuckling. "And hopefully that will be soon." He said, smiling.
Now with two more Toa and two more Matoran, they continued on their way towards where the front of the temple. The group rounded a corner to where a long bridge stood that connected the temple to the mainland, hearing voices speaking.
"-me one," Nuhrii's voice was saying. "You all owe me one."
"Let's hope the city survives long enough for you to collect." Nokama commented, and the group saw Vakama, Onewa and their two Matoran standing there.
The Toa all came together, some relief on their faces over completing their first task successfully. Forming a ring, they brought the six Great Disks to form a circle, signifying their triumph before taking their own disks back.
"We did as you asked." Nuju reported.
"We sought-found the Great Disks." Matau added, before asking, "Now what?"
"Tell us how to save the city." Whenua said, looking at Vakama.
"Umm…well…." The Fire Toa began, sounding a little unsure. His visions had only shown that the Great Disks were needed to stop the destruction of Metru Nui. The howof it had never been revealed.
"Come on, fire-spitter, this was all your idea!" Onewa snapped. "We chased all over the city for these things! What are we supposed to do with them?"
"We are supposed to act like Toa." Nokama spoke up, giving Onewa a Look. "Vakama put us on the right path. Now we must all decide on the next step. Let us share what we know. Vhisola's research confirmed what Vakama said – the six Great Disks, used together, can defeat the Morbuzakh. More, it seems there is a single root that is the center of this menace."
"Ehrye showed me records in the Knowledge Tower that refer to a 'king root'." Nuju said in agreement. "It can be recognized by the brown stripe that runs up and down its length. Defeat that, and the whole plant should die."
"But where can it be?" Whenua asked, a little confused. "It must be huge, to support so many vines over so much distance. Where could such a thing conceal itself?"
"The Archives?" Onewa suggested with a shrug. "You could hide a Bohrok swarm or three in that place, and still have room for a disk tournament."
Emma shuddered a little at the mention of the Bohrok, trying to NOT think of those things and what they did. Krana were scary and she prayed that she would never meet one.
Whenua shook his head to the Stone Toa's suggestion. "I'll admit there are a lot of unexplored places down there, but I think we would have noticed evil greenery." He glanced at the others. "What do we know about this thing that might suggest a hiding place?"
"It's strong. It's persistent," Vakama began, thinking over everything that they had learned so far. "It doesn't seem to like the cold but thrives in heat. I've never seen anything else survive in a fire pit, besides Morbuzakh vines."
"The Great Furnace…" Nuhrii's voice muttered. When the Toa (and girl) all turned to look at him, he said, "Don't you see? If it loves the heat, what better place to hide? And remember, Vakama – that was where Matoran went missing, first."
"He's right." The Toa of Fire said, realization dawning. "Outside of the fire pits, which are too heavily guarded to provide sanctuary, the Great Furnace is the most significant source of heat in Ta-Metru. If it's driven Matoran away from the area, the Morbuzakh king root could easily conceal itself there."
Emma looked at him confused. "The Great Furnace?" She repeated, tilting her head a little. Vakama quickly explained to her that the Great Furnace was the main source of all heat in Ta-Metru. A massive structure that towered well over a thousand feet in the air, second in height only to the Coliseum Tower itself, with heat was so intense that even Ta-Matoran could not work there for more than a few minutes – or as they called their equivalent time, clicks – at a time. Emma's eyes widened as she absorbed this new information. "Whoa…"
Vakama nodded. "Yes. If the Morbuzahk is to be hidden anywhere with massive amounts of heat, I'd bet all the masks I've ever made that it would be there."
"Then our course of action – no, our duty – is clear." Nokama stated. "We have to find and stop this thing, once and for all. If there's a chance the root of this menace is in the Great Furnace, then it is to the Great Furnace we shall go." She looked at the other Toa firmly, confidently saying, "And Vakama will lead us."
"Is that so knowing-wise?" Matau asked skeptically. "What makes him any better than the rest?"
The Water Toa started to answer his question, but Vakama cut her off. "I'm not interested in being a leader Nokama. All I care about is saving the city. Ta-Metru is my home, and I know it better than any of you, so maybe Nokama's right in saying I should be in charge. After we defeat the Morbuzakh, you can all do as you like."
"Too much talking." Nuju grumbled, just loud enough for Emma to catch. "Not enough doing. Let's get this over with."
"Any special reason for your hurry?" The girl asked, both curious and a tad irritated with his attitude. She showed that by crossing her arms over her chest.
"I hate plants." Was the answer, and the Icy Toa walked away.
Oh boy… the girl thought to herself with some worry, before realizing that the group was beginning to leave without her. "Hey! Wait for me!"
Over their strong objections, the Matoran were going along on the journey to Ta-Metru. Matau had joked that their job would be to keep the king root busy while the Toa waited for the right moment. He assured them that the moment would surely come while at least a few of them were still on their feet. It took Nokama some time to calm them down after that, and she firmly asked Matau to please keep his jokes to himself.
Emma was surprised that she was being brought along as well, but Nokama told her that right now, the safest place she could be was with them. Apparently, after the scare in the temple with the Vahki almost getting in, they thought that it would be safer for the girl to accompany them. Not that Emma had any complaints, but she was a little upset that they thought that she had to be shielded from everything. Not that the girl said any of it out loud – she didn't want to upset the Toa. As much as she admired them from the movies, the girl had to remind herself that this was reality, not a movie plot set for advertising toys. There was real danger that could easily kill her here, or worse, lock her up in a stasis tube. Was it weird that she saw being locked in a stasis tube as worse than death? The girl didn't give it much thought though; she was a little focused elsewhere.
The group snuck along the back paths through the city, as by now, the Vahki in all six Metru had been stirred up and would be watching the chutes for the new Toa. And if they saw Emma, well…
"You know, it's too bad we can't change into Matoran at will." Whenua commented offhandedly. "It would make sneaking around more effective."
Matau snorted. "You can go back to being a small-Matoran if you want." He replied. "l like being a Toa-hero!"
Emma sighed, before glancing at the Earth Toa and giving her own answer. "Oh really Whenua? Then what about me?" She gave the Earth Toa a pointed look, silently reminding him of her… uniqueness.
He winced. "Sorry Emma." He rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I didn't think of that."
The girl patted his arm. "It's no biggie. You're just not used to this, that's all." Wish I could say the same. Emma finished silently to herself. Sneaking around was her specialty… but the way she learned it wasn't fun at all.
She shoved the rising memories back down, forcing herself to take a deep, calming breath. Looking up, the girl noticed that the architecture of the land was changing from the mix of ancient and futuristic stone structures to a more factory-like setting. "Is this Ta-Metru?" She asked softly, not caring who answered.
"Almost." Was the surprising response from Nuhrii. "This is the border area, where one Metru flows into another."
Emma nodded, giving a small thank you to the Ta-Matoran.
"Oh no you don't!"
Both looked up at the hushed shout, and saw Onewa snag Ahkmou, the Matoran of Stone having tried to flee – again. "You aren't going anywhere you-!"
The girl winced at the curse snapped at the Po-Matoran, before watching as Ahkmou was shoved to the front of the group. "Try to run now while everyone's watching!" Onewa growled. "I dare you!"
Ahkmou shrunk back, before nodding and continuing on, now with everyone behind him. Right where he could be seen if he tried to run off.
Emma bent down to Nurhii's level. "How much do you want to bet that he'll try again before we get to the Great Furnance?" She whispered, smirking in challenge.
The Ta-Matoran Mask-Maker snorted. "Right now? The three best Great Kanohis I've made." He replied, a hint of smugness in his voice – he wasn't going to back out of this bet. "What about you?"
Emma shrugged. "Don't know yet. Don't got much on me anyways." She said.
The Ta-Matoran chuckled. "Then you'd better hope he decides to try again." He held out his hand, and the two shook their hands. The bet was on.
Just across the northern border of Ta-Metru lay a nearly deserted neighborhood. As explained to Emma when asked, it had been the site of the first appearances by the Morbuzakh vines, which then proceeded to strangle Metru Nui from there. Countless Matoran had disappeared from the area, while many more had fled for their lives with their remaining families deeper into the Metru, closer to the Coliseum in the center of the island. Ever since they entered the area, Vakama had not spoken a word.
"I don't like this place." Matau said warily, looking around. "It feels cold-dead."
"Where are all the Matoran?" Nokama asked, a little confused.
"If Ta-Metru is anything like Po-Metru, they are living now with friends, family or coworkers." Onewa answered, absently clenching and unclenching his fists by his Proto Pitons. "Some insisted on staying near the Vahki hives, believing it to be safer there. And if they work near the outskirts, they're careful not to travel alone. Every few moments, they stop working to listen for the approach of a vine."
"Sounds like you have experience with that." Emma noted, catching the knowing tone in his voice.
Onewa nodded to her. "I used to live and work in a village on the outskirts until the vines came. After that, but before I became this, I was staying with others in a makeshift shelter." He said softly so that only she heard, a tinge of longing in his voice.
Emma felt pity for the Stone Toa. She realized that his attitude was only covering up his upset feelings over losing his village home, then his status as a Matoran Carver when he became a Toa out of the blue. He must have really loved to carve…
Whenua's voice spoke up, commenting on Onewa's first answer. "There was nothing in the past history of Metru Nui to hint such a crisis might occur."
"But something like it was bound to happen." Nuju easily retorted. "We relied too much on others to protect us – Toa, Vahki, even Turaga Dume." He sighed a little. "When something happened that they could not handle, all the Matoran could do was run. I could have predicted this."
"Then why didn't you?" Vakama spoke up at last, gesturing at the abandoned buildings all around. "Why didn't anyone?"
But before Nuju could answer, Onewa broke in. "I predict we better run." He said, his keen eyes spotting danger. "Vahki!"
With their surprise gone, the once hidden squad leapt off the walls and pipes to pursue on the ground.
There was no time to try to explain themselves to the Vahki – not that they would have listened anyways – so the group sought a hiding place. Onewa ran, shoving Ahkmou in front of him and then following, himself, while Nokama grabbed Emma's hand to pull the girl along towards the front for safety. The two Stone Elementals were at the rear of the group, affording Onewa a chance to block off the Vahki Nuurakh. As soon as he and Ahkmou followed the other Toa around a corner, Onewa jumped and struck a building with his Proto Pitons, causing it to crumble in the way of the Vahki. But as swift as ever, the Vahki jumped through the dust… and did not see the Toa.
The heroes had taken refuge by jumping onto a protodermis slide, usually reserved for the smelting material. This workplace was not populated, though, so its workings were dry and quiet. When the thirteen figures reached the bottom, the noise echoed, alerting a different set of Vahki.
"We need to find a better place to hide." Onewa told Vakama quickly, tense. "There's another Vahki squad up ahead."
"This way!" Vakama led his fellow Toa Metru, the six Matoran and the human girl out of the building through a side door, into a narrow alleyway. Using his flame power, the Fire Toa melted the lock on an old door down the street and shepherded them inside the building.
The heat struck them all like a fist. Although no Matoran seemed to be present in the forge, fires still leaped high and the resulting smoke made it hard to breathe. Emma doubled over, gasping as she fought for air. In desperation to cool, the girl whipped her jacket off and tied it around her waist. That only did so much, but without the extra layer she did feel a tad cooler. "Damn… it has to be at least 104 degrees in here!" She gasped out, sweat already beginning to trickle down her skin from the heat. "Maybe even 122!"
"I wouldn't say that high." Nurhii commented, his shorter stature keeping him below the smoke and his inner element allowing him to better withstand the heat, though it still affected him. "But definitely close."
Emma groaned again, not really caring that they shared the same ways of measuring temperature, before looking around. Tools were scattered about at the workstations and strewn about the floor, and some items had even been left to melt in the flames and others dangerously close. C-clamps, hatchets, cables and more littered the area like discarded confetti.
"Looks like the workers left in a hurry." Whenua commented worriedly, looking a little worn from the intense heat. "Maybe we should do the same."
Nuju was panting a little, the heat seriously affecting him due to his inner element. The Toa of Ice suddenly felt something strike his armor and bounce off, causing him to glance at his armor. It made a sharp sound when it hit, as if it were a pebble. TOK. When it happened a second time, Nuju asked breathlessly, "What… is that?"
Nokama's keen eyes spotted where the second mystery object landed. Kneeling to examine the object, she answered, "This is what struck you, Nuju." She bent down and scooped it up. It was a round object, roughly a quarter of the diameter of a Kanoka disk. Its outer shell was pitted, extremely hard, and the colors of fire and black markings. "It looks like some kind of… seed…"
Behind her, another fell, and then another. The Water Toa turned around to look at them… and that's when the full impact of what she had just said became clear to her. Nokama looked up at the ceiling in fear… and saw that it was covered in seeds, which were beginning to fall at a rapid pace. "Oh, Mata Nui protect us…" she whispered. The Toa of Water pointed overhead, where the ceiling's bumpy texture flickered in the light of the furnaces. No, not the ceiling's texture… worse. "Morbuzakh seeds! It must be!"
Now the group was caught in a downpouring storm of falling seeds. When the seeds struck, tiny vines sprang forth from the shell and wrapped around whatever was closest, hanging on with an unnatural strength. And they clung to everything.
Emma shrieked, desperately running around and trying to avoid the seeds. In desperation – and panic – she dove under a desk, taking cover like one would from an earthquake or a storm. The seeds bounced off of the desk, landing on the floor outside her shelter and sprouting their vines. They spread over the desk, not going under it where the girl hid but rather wrapping around, entrapping her beneath.
TOK! TOK! TOK!
The barrage was relentless and without mercy, and reminded the girl far too much of a deadly hailstorm. As Emma watched from her barely protected shelter, the seeds continued pelting the exposed Matoran and Toa. Landing on the ground, more and more vines sprouted and reached for parts of the building or one of the beings there. Vines were binding them more tightly than any chain ever could, and as the girl watched helplessly, they fell, one by one.
"We have to get out of here!" Vakama shouted. He took two steps before black-brown tendrils wrapped around his legs, bringing him down hard. More seeds struck him, their vines binding him as effectively as chains.
"Vakama!" Emma cried out as her friend fell, horrified. The Toa's disk launcher – having been drawn earlier and loaded with a disk – fell from his grip and skidded across the floor towards where the girl hid, trapped. In desperation, Emma reached though the bar-like vines, trying to grab it as it slid to a stop. If I could only reach, then-! She screamed as a vine wrapped around her arm, spreading up to her body.
"EMMA!" Matau shouted in alarm as he noticed her plight, before crying out as the vines squeezed his chest, making it hard to breath. "NO!"
The girl desperately kept reaching out, struggling against the vines now beginning to creep over her body as they sensed her, her fingers just touching the edge of the disk launcher. Almost…! Just a little more…! Almo-! She cried out in pain as the vines reached her chest, beginning to squeeze painfully. No! Can't… give… up… she kept reaching, struggling to breath and black spots beginning to advance upon the edges of her sight, must… get… free…!
The clatter of the shells striking the ground was deafening by this point. Already, the stone floor was covered with a layer of rapidly germinating seeds, all spreading out and tightly binding their victims. None of the six Matoran had made it back out the door. They were all pinned to the walls by tendrils, like insects caught in a blackened web. Orkahm, Nuurhi, Vhisola, Ehrye, Tehutti, and Ahkmou all punched or kicked against the plants to no end.
Vakama rolled across the floor in desperation, trying to find a sharp-edged fragment of protodermis he could use to saw through the vines, or even a discarded tool. Whenua was still somehow on his feet, slamming his body against the wall, evidently trying to stun the plants into letting go. But the vines only tightened more, threatening to bring the Earth Toa down.
However, one of the Toa found the strength to overcome the vines. It was Nuju who first managed to escape, and he sliced through the vines binding him with an icicle. The snipped bonds fell to the hot floor, withering in their death throws. Once he had one hand free, the Icy Toa launched a broad wave of ice from his open palm, weakening the rest of the vines around him. In mere moments he was free and rushing over to help the closest Toa, Nokama. "We have to get the others out of here. Help me!" The Toa of Ice slit the Water Toa's bonds the same way he did his, allowing her to use her Hydro Blades to cut the ones on Vakama.
The second he was free, the Fire Toa dove across the floor. His destination was his disk launcher and the girl trapped beneath the desk, vines squeezing her tightly. The second his fingers touched the launcher's trigger, Vakama fired the low power freezing disk at the vines beginning to crush the desk. The second they were frozen solid, he smashed his fist against them, using his Toa Strength to shatter them. The frozen pieces acting like bars crumbled away under his fists, and reaching under the Fire Toa pulled the girl out from her prison. A single seed and its vines were tightly wrapped around her, but that was all that was needed to squeeze the air out of Emma, leaving her vision blurring and spotting with black.
Acting fast, Vakama grabbed one of the frozen shards and tried to slice though the bonds, but realized that he could not due to how tightly they were squeezing her relatively delicate skin, and he did not wish to harm her further. In desperation, the Fire Toa stabbed the main seed that bound the girl, which just dangled from her right arm. Almost instantly the vines choking the girl loosened and died, and Vakama ripped them off as he raced back to join the others as they fled the room, carrying the girl in his arms.
"NUJU! ONEWA! BRING THE BUILDING DOWN!" He ordered as he raced through the doors to the room seconds before Whenua and Matau slammed them shut, struggling to hold the vines in.
"Gladly." Nuju answered, raising a thick pillar of ice next to the building.
"About time we had some action around here!" Onewa added almost gleefully, making a massive column of stone.
Nodding to each other, both Toa released their control and sent the twin pillars crashing into the roof from almost opposite sides, decimating the building. Under the weight of rock and ice, the forge collapsed in on itself, burying the plants.
As it collapsed, Vakama gently set Emma down, rubbing her back gently as the girl heaved in the air her body desperately craved, shaking a little. "Will you be alright?" He asked concerned, noticing the angry red marks forming on her tan skin from where the vines had squeezed.
Emma managed a nod. "Y-Yeah–" she coughed, "–as l-long as I c-can–" she heaved in a deep breath before coughing, "–have a-a chance t-to–" more coughing "–breath!" She then broke into a harsh coughing fit.
Nokama made her way over and knelt beside the coughing girl. She began to gently rub Emma's back, and the thirteen-year-old could feel a soothing energy seep into her skin through her shirt. Her coughing eased under the touch, her breathing evening out as the pain faded. "Thank… you…" Emma breathed out, realizing that the Toa was using her elemental healing energy.
The Water Toa smiled a little at the girl, even as she felt a shudder run through her armoured form. "Do you think that will stop them?" Nokama asked worriedly, looking up at Vakama.
The Fire Toa shook his head. "Maybe for a little while, but not for long." He looked back at the ruins of the forge. "You know what this means, don't you?"
"It's reproducing," Whenua answered with a shudder of his own, "and we have no idea how many other seeds might be waiting to sprout. Worse, their roots will eventually link up with the king root and the Morbuzakh will be everywhere."
"It could overrun our city-home." Matau said quietly, horrified realization creeping into his voice. "Too many dark-vines to stop, too small-little time."
Vakama checked to make sure his disk launcher was reloaded, and glanced down at the girl. Emma gave him a thumbs up – she was good and ready to go. Relieved, he then turned to the group and said, "Let's go. We have a weed to pull. Everyone ready?" The Fire Toa did a quick head count, and he realized that one was missing. "Hey, where's Ahkmou?"
At the Toa of Fire's question, the other Toa began looking around frantically. Had the Matoran been lost in the conflict? How did they lose him?
"I see him." Onewa muttered in annoyance. Luckily, the Po-Matoran hadn't gotten far, just a few dashing paces away. "He's mine!" The Stone Toa activated his elemental powers and waved one of his weapons upward, causing a wall of stone twice Ahkmou's height to block his path. "Not so fast, carver!"
Ahkmou cried out in surprise, turning on his heels in an effort to stop and just nearly hit the wall. He began to back up, and when he turned to look at the source, Onewa was already there, glaring down at him.
The Toa of Stone backed the Po-Matoran toward the stone barrier, his eyes flashing. "You know, Ahkmou, we all had a feeling one of you six Matoran wasn't what you seemed. You were planning to take all the Great Disks, weren't you?" He leered down.
Ahkmou shrugged and turned to one side, pouting. He was getting tired of having these conversations with the Toa of Stone. "Prove it, Onewa. I'm just an innocent Matoran, like the others."
Vakama and Matau wordlessly came behind Onewa, their mask's visors reflecting the fires of Ta-Metru. "You made a lot of mistakes Ahkmou. Too many, in fact." The Stone Toa continued. "But the biggest was my finding you 'trapped' on top of a sculpture in Po-Metru." Onewa took a step forward, forcing Ahkmou to back up to the stone rise more. "All the other Matoran were in real danger when they were rescued. But you and I both know you used to scramble up and down statues for fun. You didn't need me to get you down." He glared down at the relatively small Matoran, eyes blazing.
Ahkmou said nothing, his body apparently frozen. His eyes, though, darted back and forth between Onewa's as if he was taking a long time to figure out what he wanted to say.
Onewa wasn't patient enough to wait. He took one more step, causing Ahkmou to flatten himself against the stone barrier. Still, The Stone Toa's mask was mere inches from the carver's when he said, "I don't know why you planned to betray Metru Nui, or who you are working for. But listen good; pull anything else… and you're plant food. Got it?"
Ahkmou would have sworn that the heat in Ta-Metru was making his mask condensate a bit more than usual as a few drips ran down it. He smiled nervously. "Who am I to argue with a mighty Toa?" He asked with a shrug.
As Onewa herded the Po-Matoran back to the group, Emma couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Damn…"
Nokama looked at her. "What is it Emma?"
The girl gave the Water Toa a small, victorious smile. "Oh nothing… just won a bet against Nurhii that's all." She caught the Ta-Matoran's eye, and she winked at him with a smug grin, getting an eye roll in return.
The Water Toa wasn't sure what to make of that exchange.
The group was on the move again not much later. As they walked, Nokama kept Emma beside her, wanting to make sure that the girl was alright after almost literally having the life squeezed out of her. Because of that, Emma was able to listen to the Water Toa's conversation with Nuju.
"I didn't get a chance to thank you for the rescue earlier, against the seeds." Nokama said to her fellow Toa. "Your actions saved all of us. But how did you get free? I appreciate your rescue, but I tried everything I could think of. How did you escape the vines?" She asked curiously.
Nuju didn't look at her as he answered, "I saw what the seeds were doing to the others, so when they began to strike me, I took a deep breath and expanded my chest. Then when I let the breath out, I had just enough slack to move a little." He explained. "I didn't need my Spikes to make something as simple as an icicle – that's easy."
"That's amazing!" The Water Toa marvelled, and Emma had to silently admit that she was impressed. That had been some pretty smart thinking on his part.
Nuju shrugged off Nokama's compliment with a simple, "I'm from Ko-Metru. We think ahead."
The girl snorted, rolling her eyes. Of course… how typical of a Ko-Toa…
The Great Furnace was not as big or imposing as the Coliseum that sat in the center of Metru Nui. Nor did have the feeling of power and mystery that Ga-Metru's Great Temple possessed. But still every Ta-Matoran looked at it with awe and wonder. It was a symbol of what made the Metru great – the power that turned solid protodermis molten liquid, and the skill to shape that raw material into the tools Matoran used every day.
Now the group stood outside the entrance, staring up at the reddish-black and copper exterior, wondering just what was lurking in the heart of the flame. Emma felt her heart pound in her chest. This was it… they were going to face the Morbuzakh.
"So this is the plan?" Onewa asked in disbelief. "We knock on the front door and ask if the Morbuzakh can come out to play?"
"l am not saying we should listen to all of Vhisola's fears." Nokama replied, making an effort to remain calm as she recalled something that the Ga-Matoran had told her earlier. "But if she is right-!"
"If she is right, then we are facing more than just a plant." Matau interrupted grimly. "It can think-plan. And it probably already knows we're here."
"Then we won't keep it waiting." Vakama said. "Nuhrii, you and the other Matoran will accompany us inside, but stay back. There is no telling what we will encounter in there." He then looked at the human girl. "You too Emma."
The girl nodded. "Got it." She was a little out off, but given what had happened earlier realized that she wasn't going to have a say sa far as the Fire Toa was concerned.
"One of us should stay out here to run for help, if need be." Ahkmou offered tentatively. "I volunteer."
"If we fail," Onewa retorted swiftly, "Metru Nui will be beyond help. Besides," he glared down at the Po-Matoran, "you were so anxious to get the six Great Disks, Ahkmou, I think you should see them in action."
The Po-Matoran backpedalled a little, eyes widening. "A-Ah of course! Heh…" he knew when he was backed into a corner… and had no way out.
Emma snorted. "Serves him right if you ask me." She muttered, and Orkahm muffled an agreeing snicker behind his hand.
The six Toa Metru looked at each other, before Vakama melted the lock on the massive door. With a final look at his friends, he opened the gateway to the Great Furnace… and their potential tomb.
As one, the Toa, Matoran and human girl entered the structure. Just inside the door was a small, bare chamber. Its purpose was to give Matoran a chance to prepare before they proceeded to the inferno inside, or to give them a chance to rest after they had spent some time laboring in the furnace. Beyond this chamber was the outer ring, a buffer to keep the intense heat from reaching the outer walls of the building.
Much to the group's surprise, there was no sign of the Morbuzakh here. Emma looked at the Toa just as moment of panic swept across Vakama's mask, before his gaze steeled and he grasped the inner door handle. Disk launcher ready, Vakama threw open the door and rushed inside. Dim lightstones cast an unsettling glow on the long, narrow chamber. The air was filled with a strange, soft sound that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
"What is that?" Vakama asked. "It sounds like hissing."
"No, not hissing." Nokama replied slowly, terror creeping into her voice. "It's… whispering."
The entire group stopped dead and looked around. The stone floor of the chamber was broken in numerous places. Growing from the cracks were small, twisted plants, with buds that stank of rot. Close inspection showed the buds were pulsating.
"It's them. The sounds are coming from them." Whenua said with horror. "Are they…?"
Onewa stepped carefully, trying to avoid touching any of the plants. "Yes. They're young Morbuzakh. New vines growing to strangle the city."
The whispering grew louder. The children of the Morbuzakh sensed that they were not alone. A few of the plants began to stir, as if in a breeze. Then more started moving as agitation spread throughout the outer ring.
"We cannot allow these things to grow-thrive." Matau said firmly, tensing.
"Let's see how they like a touch of frost." Nuju lowered his crystal spikes and sprayed a fine mist of ice over the plants. As the group watched, the ice spread across the entire crop, which spanned the entire chamber. The plants began to sag beneath the weight and the cold, their whispering growing louder, then fainter. Finally, all was silent.
Nokama took a step forwards, only to feel water splash around her feet. "Nuju! The heat in here is melting your ice!" She exclaimed alarmed.
"Then I'll make more." The Toa of Ice said determinedly. He poured more and more of his energy through his tools, creating layer after layer of ice and frost on top of the plants. Each time the heat of the Great Furnace would melt the ice and the plants would begin to struggle again. Then Nuju would call on more of his power.
The seesaw battle between Toa Metru of Ice and the flames of Ta-Metru went on for several long minutes. The others could see that Nuju was weakening, and he staggered and would have fallen if Matau had not caught him.
"My power… almost gone…" Nuju gasped out, his armour looking a little dull in the faint light.
This was a mistake. Vakama thought. Our true struggle is waiting beyond this chamber. We should have saved our power for that. However, something didn't make sense. But why would the Morbuzakh leave these young vines undefended?
The Toa of Fire got his answer in the next moment. Wave after wave of thorns flew from the walls, knifing through the air at the Toa Metru. "Toa! Defend yourselves!" Vakama shouted, hurling bursts of fire to incinerate the projectiles.
Whenua yelled out in surprise and a bit of pain as one of the thorns grazed his uncovered hide. He activated his Earthshock Drills and began shredding the thorns as they came close. Across the chamber, Matau was conjuring a wind funnel to blow the thorns away, while Nokama used her Hydro Blades to parry them. Onewa was having the most trouble, but he stood and let the thorns strike his stronger armour to buy the Matoran and Emma time to seek shelter.
The second the storm of thorns started, Emma had thrown herself to the ground and tried to crawl away and back to the door. She could see the Matoran scrambling ahead of her as they escaped. However, the hail of horns was heaviest near the exit.
"We'll never make it!" Nuhrii shouted from ahead of them, wincing as a thorn scraped his relatively – to a Toa – thinner armour.
"We have to!" Ahkmou yelled back, narrowly being hit in the head with one. "I'm not staying here!"
Emma opened her mouth to snap at the Po-Matoran, only to cry out in pain as a thorn slashed into her side. A second thorn came flying down and pinned the girl's shirt to the ground. She desperately tried to get her shirt free, but she just didn't have the strength, and the thorn was deeply embedded into the ground.
"Emma!" Vhisola shouted in alarm at the scream and turned to go towards the girl when she saw her trapped.
"NO!" Emma cried out as another thorn scraped her arm. "Keep going! Get out of- AH!" A third thorn slashed her arm, and the girl felt tears of pain slide down her face.
"You heard her!" The girl heard Ahkmou shout. "Let's get out of here!"
"Be quiet, Ahkmou!" Tehutti snapped back angrily. "We might not be here if it weren't for you!"
Emma didn't hear what the Onu-Matoran shouted next, as another thorn grazed her shoulder. The girl curled herself into the fetal position, arms over her head as she tried to protect herself. Oh lord… am I going to die here?! Killed by alien thorns in another universe!? Tears slid hard down her face, sobs rising in her throat as more and more thorns scraped by her, one getting her back and making her cry out in pain.
A faint flash of light came from ahead, but Emma barely noticed over the hail of thorns. Then, suddenly, the hail… stopped. The girl blinked upon hearing the sounds of thorns hitting metal, before looking up and gasping. A form stood over her, looking like a combination of all six Matoran. It knelt down, shielding her with a piece of thick scrap metal, and grabbed the thorn that pinned her. It yanked it out of the ground, before helping her to her feet.
"Come!"It said, and raced towards where the Toa were. Emma followed right behind, taking shelter behind the being… no, the Matoran Nui, the combination of all six Matoran. The two raced towards the doors to the innermost part of the forge, the metal piece the fused being holding acting like a shield. They soon made it, and the being slammed right into the door, demolishing it in a single blow.
"Go!" The Matoran Nui shouted to the surprised Toa. "Defeat the Morbuzakh and save the city! It is what you were meant to do!"
Emma could see shock flash across Vakama's face, before the Fire Toa turned to the other Toa and shouted, "Follow me!"
As the Toa raced through the door, Vakama stopped to look at Emma… and the girl grabbed a sharp ended metal pole, giving him a steel eyed gaze. He sighed, but nodded to her, and Emma raced in as well.
A/N– And voila! Chapter 3 of the revised and updated version! So, what do you all think? Yeah, once again a big thank you to MakutaMutran for letting me use the canon plot he posted to help me write the revised version. It has been a big help in expanding the universe I am working on building, and now I can go into even more detail than before. Thanks, my friend.
Now, I did want to make note: as I now realized, I accidently based my last plot/story of this book on another I read sometime back without realizing it. Of course, that was a MAJOR goose on my part, and I feel really horrible. Goldenrod, if you're reading this, I feel TERRIBLE. I read your wonderful work a few years back when I was starting the original Book 1, and unknowingly I based my plot on yours. So I feel pretty horrible right now, and wanted to extend out an olive branch of peace. If you want to talk, just PM me and I'll respond as soon as I can. Again, I feel really bad, so I hope that this revised version at least makes things more bearable.
Now, I want to hear your thoughts on this revised version, or any questions. So please, feel free to leave a comment or review! As long as there are no flames of course… those aren't very nice.
Next Chapter – Burning Vines