BIONICLE RETOLD
CHAPTER 2
So this is a beach.
Having assembled myself, I look around; the dull-gray, sandy shoreline stretches in both directions along the shore. Dark, ominous cliffs eventually mark the end of the beach to my right. To my left, it gets progressively rockier, while in front and about 50 bio away from me the sand ends abruptly as the back end of the beach is marked by another low cliff; perhaps it marks how far the water gets at a higher tide?
That said, all this still doesn’t give me any clue as to where I am, or why I am here. The only information I have is my name: Tahu. But why is Tahu here? What does Tahu do?
For now, Tahu will proceed down the rocky end of the beach. I leave my pod behind; it’s gotten me here, but there’s nothing of use to me left in it now. It is not long before I stumble onto a path of sorts, a slightly worn trail leading from the beach into the rocky ground beyond. A path is a sign of the presence of others; others who might just be able to tell me more about where I am. The soil is deep gray here, with shards of black rock sticking out here and there. I’ve reached the edge of what once a forest, it seems. Charred and carbonized trees stand densely spaced on either side of the path, long-dead reminders of what was here before, I assume, some great fire swept through and destroyed all of it. It’s still warm here now, and ash coats the ground like snow. Somehow, I feel quite at home here, even though I cannot begin to imagine what my home is like. Do I even have one?
The sound of a breaking branch gets my attention; instinctively, I immediately draw my sword and set it alight. I stand ready to fight, but in complete silence, trying to listen for whatever made the first sound. I wait… but I hear nothing. Still, I’m on edge as I resume my way along this winding, ashen path. Hm… it looks like the way up ahead is blocked by a fallen tree… Click! What the…!?
Thwang!
Suddenly, sticks shoot up out of the ground all around me; sticks long enough to reach well above my head, trapping me in a makeshift cage. A trap, but… from who? Hang on… Several small lights appear from behind the fallen tree. Sets of eyes… two, three, no… five of them, looking at me. One of the eyes’ owners jumps onto the tree; now in full view, I notice that he’s tiny compared to me, and is carrying some kind of forked spear. More spears appear from behind the tree as his companions raise theirs and start to climb up as well. They turn to each other, talking, though I can’t understand exactly what they’re saying. I’ve had enough of this. It is time to show them that no one messes with Tahu. I draw my sword and set it alight, immediately re-acquiring their attention. One wide slash sees the dead branches encasing me hacked to pieces. Now, nothing stands between me and them; they look stunned at this turn of events. I take a step forward, my sword out in front of me, and call out:
“Who are you!?” Before any of them can reply, I notice a faint buzzing sound, which then rapidly increases in volume. It’s coming from… above!? My mysterious hunters have noticed it too; they all stand with staffs at the ready, looking up at the sky. I do the same, and just in time to notice a bright red light coming towards me. By reflex, I activate my mask; suddenly, a spectral dome appears in front of me, and the red light flies straight into it. It’s stopped cold; now I see what it is. Some kind of… flying bug with red, glowing eyes. My shield vanishes as two more of the bugs come flying at me from above while the third circles back and prepares to come at me again. These bugs are hostile, and there’s only one thing that can be done about hostile bugs.
For my blade, they’re not even a challenge. I swing high, felling two of the creatures while knocking the third out of the way. Off-balance, it crashes into the ground, and before it can get up I turn around and plant my sword into its back. A sudden rush of heat accompanies the bugs’ demise; I stand ready, awaiting another attack, but no other bugs make their appearance known, and the little people with their sticks are just standing there… their weapons are still pointed at me, but they look anything but confident. Then, a voice coming from behind me gets my attention.
“Uh… hi!” Another one of the little people is standing a couple of bio down the path I came down from. “Could someone tell me where I am?”