BIONICLE RETOLD
Chapter 4 Onepu
The repeated tapping of matoran feet against the hard rocky ground echoed throughout the tunnel. I yelled out to the fleeing Onu-matoran.
“Get out of the way! Stick to the sides!”
The matoran quickly got out of the way for the row of ussal crabs and their riders. My grip on my spike tightened.
“Get ready! We should run into them any second!”
I began to hear a new tapping sound. This one sounded more numerous and tapped in faster intervals.
Kofu-Jaja.
At least five of the scorpion-like creatures scuttled forwards. The stinger ends of their tails swinging side to side as they rushed forwards. A smirk crept onto my face. They’re no match for the Ussalry! My matoran charged forward on their ussals; spikes at the ready. I was within a bio’s length from a Kofu-Jaja. Quickly, I guided my ussal across where the wall and ground met; shifting my weight as I did to maintain my balance. I leaned to my left and thrust my spike into the Kofu’s tail. I made my ussal do a turn as I pinned its tail to the ground.
“Hurry, Damek!” I ordered my lieutenant.
Damek, without responding, quickly charged at the rahi while atop his own ussal. Stabbing it through the eye. The rahi tensed and screeched in pain before coming to a final rest.
“One down,” said Damak, immediately turning his ussal to face his next opponent.
More to go.
-
Hewkii
Turaga Onewa stood in front of me. He wasn’t exactly happy.
“Why did you retreat!?” he demanded.
Kikanalo herds had been running over farms outside of the village. Matoran had been sent out to defend the remain farms from attack, but in the end, the only thing we could do was cut our losses and head back to the koro.
“There wasn’t just a few kikanalo,” I explained. “There was a whole herd stampeding towards us. We couldn’t stop them if we tried. Especially when half of the matoran I brought with caught that sickness that’s goin’ around.”
The turaga relaxed and sighed. An illness had spread amongst the matoran. Anyone sick with it became at least partially paralyzed or simply couldn’t move their bodies very well.
“Maybe not,” he said, pausing for a moment to scratch the tip of his mask.
“We can’t protect the village while half of the guard is too sick to stand,” he continued to scratch thoughtfully. “The healers say they’ve never seen anything like this. At this rate the whole village will be too sick to fight the rahi or get our food production up again.
“We’ll die of starvation if this plague doesn’t kill us first,” I said folding my arms.
“This sickness must be dealt with. Hewkii, I want you to find out what’s causing it and get rid of it.”
“I’m more then happy to help, but I’m no doctor.”
“Work with the matoran who are, but find a cure!” Urgency permeated the turaga’s voice.
I inclined my head slightly to the him.
“I’ll do my best.”
He nodded, signalling that it was time for me to get started. I turned and left his stone house. Two matoran, whose faces I recognized, walked past me and entered the turaga’s residence. Epena and Ahkmou. They had been put in charge of housing the sick matoran in quarantined homes and to prevent the sickness from spreading. I made my way to the makeshift healer’s building. Any sick matoran were to meet with a healer there. I arrived at the entrance with only two rectangular strips of leather acting as protection from the outside. I reached my hand out to push them aside before I broke into a coughing fit. I took a moment to get some air back into my lungs after it’d stopped. I better hurry.
-
Takua
“Please, can you help us?”
On our journey to Ko-Wahi we ran into some Ga-matoran. One with a long spear introduced herself as Macku. She explained how her village had been attacked by rahi, and that the matoran and their turaga were trapped there. I frowned after listening to her story.
“Do rahi always attack matoran in this-”
“If Ga-matoran couldn’t fight off rahi in their own element, then what are the chances that we’ll do any better?" Nuhrii interrupted.
“We have to do something!” Macku pleaded.
“What?” Nuhrii shot back.
Kapura had remained silent during the exchange. He then looked directly at Macku.
“We are currently on a mission to investigate our broken cable car,” he explained calmly.
“The one that connects Ta-Wahi and Ko-Wahi, right?” she asked.
“Right. It may be just an accident, but we’ve noticed a rise in rahi attacks, and decided to travel there and find out for ourselves. Your story confirms that the rahi’s strange behavior isn’t isolated. This rahi situation might be more widespread than we thought.”
“But what are we going to do about it? The matoran trapped in the koro can’t survive there forever!”
“We must continue our mission. But I’ll send two of my guards to escort you and your friends to Ta-Koro. I promise that once you arrive, Turaga Vakama will do his best to help.”
“Thank you,” she said, sounding relieved.
Kupura then turned to the rest of us.
“Lar and Tiak, I want you two to go with the Ga-Matoran, Nuhrii and I will continue to Ko-Wahi.”
“What about me? What do I do?” I asked.
“You aren’t officially part of the guard, so I can’t tell you. I have the feeling that someone attacked the Ko-matoran and the cable car. It will be dangerous, but we could use your help.”
“I want to help,” I answered immediately.
“Alright. May Mata-Nui preserve us all.”