Bionicle Alternatives: Empire of Makuta III, Chapter Ten and Epilogue

CHAPTER TEN

--Odina--

    Things were not looking up.

    To the left, Arctur saw Lesovikk being pinned down by his Dark Hunter opponents and Chiara battling two twice her size. To the right, Zaria had just been sent flying and Orde was locked in a battle of wills with a hypnotizing being. And stars knew where Seldaan was running around.

    As for himself, Arctur had managed to defeat one of his two opponents but had ended up being cornered by the other one. Covered in black and red armor, the Dark Hunter looked like a Rahkshi in some respects, only with wings, a tail, and a lot more mass. In one hand he wielded a flaming sword while he carried a Kanoka Launcher in the other.

    While Arctur observed these details, Kraata-Kal merely stood there, his red eyes boring into the Toa's. The faint smile on the Hunter's serpentine face gave Arctur the impression that he was waiting for him to make the first move; for Arctur to attack so that Kraata-Kal could kill him in "self-defense."

    Why a Dark Hunter would pull such a strategy, he did not know. But he refused to give him the satisfaction.

    The two of them stood stock-still for a long time, each waiting for the other to act first. Impatience started to creep into Arctur and the Toa of Gravity tightened his grip on his energy blade. Kraata-Kal simply smiled further, silently challenging him.

    At that moment, a loud howl broke though the air and everyone looked to see a Kavinika standing on a cliff. With Kraata-Kal momentarily distracted, Arctur allowed his impulse to take over and seized his opportunity. As he lunged at the transformed Rahkshi with his blade held high, the latter quickly spun around again and slammed Arctur with his Kanoka Launcher. The Toa of Gravity lost his grip on his tool and ended up landing on his back.

    Struggling to pick himself back up, Arctur saw Kraata-Kal approaching him menacingly, his mirthless smile having vanished and his flame sword blazing more than ever. As the Dark Hunter raised his blade, Arctur did the only thing he could think of.

    He used his powers.

    For any other Toa-- particularly those of any other element-- this was hardly something worth noting. But among Gravity Toa, there was an unwritten rule to keep use of their elemental powers to a minimum. Out of all the elements, Gravity was one of the most fundamental to the universe and thus manipulating it was seen as messing with the world.

    But Arctur was still a novice Toa compared to most and still relied a lot on his instinct. And that instinct was to use his powers when most would find it wiser to not.

    Even so, the sight of Kraata-Kal flailing about as he floated away from the ground was still an amusing one.

*  *  *

    Entering the Shadowed One's chamber, Ancient found the leader of the Dark Hunters standing before the stasis tube placed in the corner. As the Shadowed One observed the Toa which the tube contained, Darkness hung in the shadows over him, watching him intently. The Dark Hunter briefly flicked his gaze at Ancient but paid him no further heed.

    As the silence dragged on, Ancient became unsure if the Shadowed One had even noticed his entrance. Just as he was about to speak, the Shadowed One did so before he could.

    "Sometimes I wonder why I even hold on to such things. Trophies, I mean." He ran a hand down the stasis tube's casing. "All of these Kanohi, weapons, armor... even a living Toa. And for what? To show that I'm a sentimental fool? To show that I have attachments to worthless pieces of junk?"

    "What brought this up?" Ancient asked.

    "You already know the answer to that."

    "Metru Nui?"

    "Twice, Ancient," the Shadowed One said, turning to face his old partner. "Twice has my pride been wounded by events surrounding that forsaken land. First was the war with the Toa, which we lost. Then, the encounter with Makuta, which I lost.

    "These trophies... all they do for me now is show me that I could have won. I could have taken Metru Nui for my one had I dealt with Lhikan and his Toa first. I could have defeated Makuta had I been prepared for his 'empire.'

    "I could have ruled the world had I simply swallowed my pride."

    While the Shadowed One spoke, Ancient kept an eye on Darkness. The twisted being tensed at several points but remained where he was, waiting for the Shadowed One to display a more obvious sign of weakness.

    The leader of the Dark Hunters fell silent for a moment, looking again at the stasis tube. When he spoke again, his voice was close to a whisper. "I want revenge, of course."

    "Certainly," Ancient replied.

    "I want Makuta to stand where I stood then, watching his plans come crashing down on him, watching his empire crumble. I want him to feel pain."

    "And so he shall."

    The Shadowed One paused for a moment, contemplating. "But do we even have the numbers to fight back Makuta's? We already lost plenty of Hunters to the Toa."

    "I'm sure we can find the reinforcements," Ancient said. "After all, we're not the only ones who oppose Makuta."

    The Shadowed One glanced at him. "You know of others?"

    "I have my contacts," Ancient said simply. "Perhaps if we ally with them, we could strike back at the Makuta in full force."

    "'Ally with them?'" The Shadowed One turned fully to face him. "And would this alliance be beneficial to us?"

    "Undoubtedly. I understand that they pay well."

    "Then why have I not heard of these contacts before? Why have they not recruited our services?"

    "They prefer to keep out of external affairs. It's only because of the Makuta have they come out of their shells."

    "I see. And how long have you known them?"

    "Long enough," Ancient said.

    The Shadowed One scratched his chin as he considered this. Finally, he said, "In that case, I would like to meet with them. Would it be possible for you to arrange a meeting?"

    Ancient nodded.

    "In that case, I suggest you do so immediately. The sooner I get my revenge on Makuta, the bet--"

    Before the Shadowed One could finish speaking, the chamber was suddenly plunged into darkness. Ancient heard what sounded like scuffling, followed by glass breaking and then a strange sound.

    When the lights came back on, Ancient and the Shadowed One found Darkness laying beaten on the floor... and a shattered opening in the now empty stasis tube.

--Destral--

    During the span of time that had taken Tridax to reach the island's teleportation device, several events happened in quick succession:

    First, the Hand of Artakha's forces had started to retreat from Destral and headed for the Great Refuge itself, running towards Artakha as if he was some sort of idol. The ancient titan immediately rejected their worship, already aware of their motives to seize his realm, and turned his hammer on them. Then, seconds before Destral teleported away, a giant being appeared out of thin air before vanishing again, taking the Hand of Artakha with him.

    After Destral rematerialized in a different location, all of the Makuta were summoned to the main fortress, where they found Antroz sitting atop the throne... only it was not Antroz, as they learned, but Makuta Teridax in his body.

    Having long suspected of Icarax being responsible for Teridax's present condition, Antroz had sneaked into the throne room and swapped his essence with Teridax's in the vat, allowing the leader of the Makuta to take his throne back from Icarax, as well as reclaim his Mask of Shadows. The Makuta of Karzahni was then sent to the dungeons with the former Hand of Artakha leader Mallake. When asked why he had spared Icarax, Teridax simply said that he still had further use for him.

    Now, the Makuta of Metru Nui sat alone in his throne room, holding his recovered Mask of Shadows in his hands. Tridax had recently sent orders to the Nynrah Ghosts to craft a new set of armor for Teridax, so that he could return Antroz's body.

    Until then, he would have plenty of time to plot. And while the attack on Artakha was an unwise and premature act on Icarax's part, Teridax still had plans for the Great Refuge. In time, even the ancient creator would kneel before him, or otherwise be destroyed.

    A cruel smile crossed the Kanohi Jutlin that was not his own and the Makuta laughed.

EPILOGUE

--Odina--

    When Ancient returned to the training grounds, alarmed by the recent breach in security, he was only given further unease by what he found there.

    All of the Dark Hunters were looking around in utter confusion; Lurker was rooted in place, Kraata-Kal was picking himself up from the ground, and the six Toa they had all been fighting were gone.

   Gritting his teeth, Ancient jumped down into the arena and stormed up to a baffled Seeker. "What just happened?" he snarled.

    "We're not sure," Seeker murmured. "First there was this Kavinika howling on the cliff edge, then this... titan appeared out of nowhere and teleported the Toa away."

    "Do you have any idea who he was?"

    "None at all."

    Ancient grimaced as he looked off into the distance. It was already apparent to him that there was far more afoot than he knew....

--Unspecified location--

    Toa Varian screamed the second she awoke. Had she even fallen asleep in the first place? The last thing she remembered was....

    Varian took a deep breath to calm herself down. Memories started to resurface: Norik, the mission, "Grey", the Dark Hunters, the Shadowed One, then nothing. She had no idea how long she had been in stasis, but what mattered now was that she was free and definitely not on Odina.

    As she got to her feet, Varian caught movement in the corner of her eye and she turned to see an old, hunched-over being standing before her, staring at her intently.

    Clearing her throat, Varian said, "Um, who are you?"

    "An accomplice," he said in a soft hiss. "Do you know why you are here?"

    "No. I don't even know where 'here' is."

    "The name of this place is not important. What is important is what you are meant to do here."

    "What are you talking about?" she asked.

    "You are a Psionics Toa, correct?"

    "Um, yeah?"

    "Your powers are required," the being said. "Only those with your abilities can break through the barrier."

    "What barrier? I don't know what you're talking about."

    The being turned her back to her and started walking away. "Your answers await you. Come."

    "Wait!" Varian called as she ran after him. "Couldn't you at least tell me your name?"

    The being stopped to look over his shoulder at her. After a moment's pause, he said, "For most of my life, I've been known as Shadow Stealer. But for now... you may call me Amath."

TO BE CONTINUED