CHAPTER SIX
After Jaller had told his teammates about the Great Being he encountered in the cave, as well as being told about the individual known as Valdek, they were all left in surprise and wonder. The though of an actual Great Being residing near where they now stood, along with the idea of him actually helping them, came as a shock.
It was Trinuma who finally broke the silence that had hovered over them. "I've heard of Valdek."
The others looked at him in surprise. "Really?" Hewkii asked.
The nine-foot-tall being nodded, his eyes filled with coldness. "He used to be a member of a Toa team sent to find the Mask of Life, thousands of years ago. During the journey, they encountered a rogue being - most likely a Makuta - who used a Mask of Hunger to drain Valdek of his original element, making him a Toa of Shadows.
"The Order of Mata Nui was alerted of this, and I was sent to take care of the two of them. I managed to defeat the Kanohi Avsa wearer and Valdek, and had Botar send them to the Pit."
"Wait a minute," Nuparu said. "If Valdek was in the Pit during the Great Cataclysm, he would have been killed or freed, right?"
"I'd imagine so," Trinuma muttered.
"So if he wasn't killed, then he must have escaped to somewhere," Nuparu went on. "But why didn't he make himself known? And why didn't Makuta consider him a threat or an ally during his reign?"
"Those are questions that we can't answer until we find this Valdek," Jaller said. "Besides, our top priority are the Matoran. If Valdek is behind this, and the Great Being is telling the truth, then they can't be far."-
Gresh glanced up at the small patch of sky left uncovered by the trees and noticed the sun setting.
"It's getting dark," the young Glatorian said. "We should rest for now. Besides, I've heard from Vastus about Bota Magna, during the Core War. At night, it would be so dark, you couldn't even see your hands!"
Jaller nodded. "Fine. We'll rest for a few hours, and then leave at the break of dawn."
As the team of seven set up camp, with Trinuma standing guard, Jaller could've sworn he felt the same, chilly wind from the cave pass his neck.
* * *
Tuma had no idea how long he and Ahkmou had been trudging through the Wastelands, but the hear was becoming too much for him to handle any longer.
"How much farther, runt?" he snarled at the Agori-like being.
Ahkmou gave him a smirk that irritated the former Skrall ruler. "Call me insults, will you? If I could, I would just leave you here for the Vorox."
"But you can't now, can you?" Tuma growled. "Now answer my question."
"Not much further," Ahkmou replied. "Try to be more patient next time, all right?"
It was very hard for Tuma to restrain the urge to strangle the small being.
The two of them went on. Tuma's feet began to hurt as the sand became steeper and steeper. Just as he was about to make another comment, Ahkmou suddenly stopped, staring out into the distance. Before Tuma could say anything, the Agori-like being said something in a strange language, and the sand beneath their feet suddenly gave way, sending the two of them plummeting into a dark chamber.
As Tuma struggled to get back to his feet, he heard a cold voice quietly ring throughout the room. "Hello, Tuma."
The ex-tyrant looked up, searching the room for the source of the voice, but he only saw Ahkmou standing nearby.
"Where am I?" Tuma growled. "Show yourself!"
The voice gave a low chuckle. "Well, I was going to give you a dramatic introduction, but since you are so impatient, I may as well heed your request."
Stepping out of the shadows was a large being, almost as tall as Tuma. He wore black and dark red armor, as well as a long, flowing cape, and a mask that was quite frightening, so much that Tuma couldn't have been able to describe it.
In a soft, quiet voice that contrasted his fearsome appearance, the being spoke. "I am Valdek, leader of the Reborn Brotherhood."
"Ah, so you must be the one who sent this runt for me." Tuma's eyes narrowed at the being. "Why do you require my services?"
Valdek seemed to think for a moment, almost as if he himself did not know the answer. "A very good question," he finally said. "But I'm afraid I can not answer it just yet. Right now, I need you to...educate me. Despite it having been ten years, I am still new to Spherus Magna."
He took a small step towards Tuma. "I want to learn more about the Skrall, and their involvement in the Core War."
Tuma eyed Valdek wearily. "Why do you want me to 'educate' you? In fact, why do you even care?"
A small smile crossed Valdek's mask. "Because I need your knowledge, Tuma. The Brotherhood needs it. And once we have it, I will grant you a high position within our ranks."
He tilted his head. "And perhaps I can restore your power over the Rock Tribe and the Skrall."
It was Tuma's turn to smile. "It's a deal then."
* * *
Jaller stared at the crackling flame before him. After failing to fall asleep, the Toa Mahri of Fire had decided to stand in for Trinuma as guard, using a small flame to see through the darkness of the jungle.
Now I really wish we brought Takanuva along, he thought. In fact, maybe his old friend, being a Toa of Light, had some way to detect his fellow Av-Matoran. That would certainly make this journey a lot easier for him.
A startling snap broke Jaller from his musings. The Toa of Fire jumped up to his feet and brought out his Power Sword. As he used the fire in his hand to enlighten his vision, he heard a strange sound, which sounded like a hiss and a click at the same time.
Slowly and carefully, he took a step forward, sword held in a defensive position, ready for any attack. For the longest time, he remained motionless, listening sharply for the noise again. When he did not hear anything, Jaller slightly relaxed. Perhaps he only imagined the noise.
Just as he was about to sit back down, a mass of green and black leaped out of the shadows and pounced on to him, pinning the Toa of Fire to the ground. The creature's green head leaned in towards Jaller, its twin pincers snapping violently. Jaller struggled to free himself, trying to use a flicker of fire to ward off the beast, but his attempts came to no avail.
A large tail curled up behind the creature's head. At its end was a weapon that somewhat resembled the Thornax launchers that the Glatorian carried. A ball of red energy materialized in the weapon's socket, and the last thing Jaller heard was what sounded like a hiss and a click.
No comments:
Post a Comment