CHAPTER FOUR
"...Then a portal opened up right beneath our feet and then, wham, here I am in Po-Wahi. Somehow."
Toa Pohatu sighed as he leaned against a large rock located in the middle of the Motara Desert, which, as far as he knew, should no longer exist. With him was the Po-Matoran Kodan, whom everyone thought to be dead until he and Kopaka met him on the Red Star, and Toa Hagah Pouks, who had somehow reverted back to his Rahaga form. Pohatu himself had changed, for he was now lacking his Nuva armor and looked as he did when he was a Toa Mata.
Pouks scratched his chin after Pohatu had finished his tale. "This is indeed peculiar. I wonder if there's any rhyme or reason to these events."
Pohatu snorted. "Right. Name one event that has ever had a rhyme or reason to it. Go on, I dare you." When Pouks opened his mouth to respond, the Toa of Stone raised a hand. "Never mind. That was rhetorical."
"Maybe we should get moving," Kodan suggested. "I'm not exactly comfortable in staying in this one place. Maybe we could go to Onu-Wahi and find Mavrah."
"Or maybe we could ask that strange bird what's going on," said Pouks, pointing to the sky.
Pohatu and Kodan followed his gaze and saw a large, ebony-colored Rahi bird circling over them, cawing and flapping its silver wings. But what Pohatu found most intriguing about it was the black and green Matoran that was holding onto the Rahi's back.
"What is that thing?" the Toa Mata of Stone asked.
"A Nivawk," Pouks murmured. "The other Rahaga and I knew of one serving Makuta Teridax before the Great Cataclysm, but we weren't aware of any others existing."
"Are they friendly?"
Pouks frowned. "Far from it."
As the Toa of Stone readied himself for the possibility of an attack, the Nivawk slowly and gracefully descended. Once it had touched ground, it folded up its wings and its Matoran rider disembarked from it.
"State your names and business," he demanded.
Pohatu exchanged glances with the other two before saying, "I'm Pohatu, Toa of Stone. The Po-Matoran is Kodan, and the not-Rahkshi is Pouks. As for our business... we're still trying to figure that out."
The Matoran smirked. "Glad I'm not the only one, then. My name is Lerus, and my story is even more complex than yours."
Pohatu raised an eyebrow. "You mean you heard ours?"
The Matoran nodded. "Yeah, my hearing's almost as sensitive as a De-Matoran's. Anyway... you sure you really wanna know my story?"
"Shoot."
Lerus smiled grimly. "I used to be just your everyday Le-Matoran... until a Makuta forced me to share a body with an Onu-Matoran."
* * *
"He's escaped."
Takua awoke to the sound of the icy cold voice. Opening his bleary eyes and waiting for them to clear up, he found that he was dangling from a ceiling, with strong iron chains connecting his arms to a rack over his head. Next to him, in a similar situation but unconscious, was Hahli.
Takua then moved his attention to the nightmare standing before him.
Armored in red and silver, the being was hunched ever with a burly torso and lanky limbs somehow supporting it. Scarlet eyes glowed behind a serpentine mask and a pair of fangs jutted from its mouth. Takua instantly recognized it as the Kanohi Crast, a mask worn by the late Makuta Krika. With the large Makuta was a female being in a similar color scheme, and a cowering Steltian of the laborer class.
"Yes, Makuta Nathuz," the latter murmured, his entire body shivering. "He was right here with the others and then when I looked, he was gone."
The Makuta's eyes flared. "He escaped under your notice. You should have seen him running off."
The Steltian lowered his head out of shame. "I didn't... I'm sorry, master."
"Sorry." Nathuz took a step towards the blue and white brute and raised a clawed hand to his face. "You say you're sorry."
The Steltian gulped and nodded. "Yes, master."
"You let one of our prized experiments escape... and you say you're sorry, as if expecting reprieve. Is that right?"
The brute nodded, conscious of the fact the fact that the Makuta's hand was now touching his face.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Nathuz asked in a soft hiss. "Do you think I forgive incompetent slaves?"
The Steltian hesitated before shaking his head. He knew what fate awaited him now.
"In that case, apology accepted."
Takua quickly shut his eyes as the Makuta channeled his Plasma powers and caused the Steltian's head to melt. The laborer's initial screams quickly died off and Nathuz let his body fall to the floor.
"Get this pathetic thing out of my sight, Spyra," he hissed to the female being, who grinned wickedly and gleefully dragged the corpse away. Takua's heart immediately leaped as Nathuz then focused his blood-red eyes on him.
"Ah, yes," the Makuta hissed. "The Av-Matoran. The bane of my people. The destined Toa of Light."
"How do you know that I used to be a Toa?" Takua asked.
"My brothers and I have traveled from this world to yours. We soon came across news of a Toa of Light. As such, I have made the necessary preparations."
Takua's eyes widened. "Preparations for what?"
"You ask too many questions. You would do well to remain silent."
With a click from the Makuta's fingers, Takua suddenly found that he could not speak. Helpless to do anything, he could only watched as Nathuz approached him with a spike spear.
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