Mata Nui Comics
2003 - BIONICLE Comic 14: At Last — Takanuva
Adapted by Michael Larson. Edited by Jeff Douglas.
Lerahk was the first to move, jumping high in the air and preparing to bring its staff down on the Toa. Its staff of power was ready to poison whatever it touched.
Kopaka said nothing as he channeled his awesome power through his ice blade, exploding the blast he had charged. The hearts of the Rahkshi would have been chilled by his silence if they had hearts. Kopaka first created a spherical wave of cold, slowing down and frosting even the Lerahk’s armor. Once it was a sitting target, Kopaka condensed his energies into a single beam of ice. The beam washed over the green Rahkshi, freezing it solid in a pillar of ice.
The other Rahkshi scattered. Turahk landed high above the Toa of Ice, then used its staff of power to send waves of dark energy at Kopaka from behind.
Kopaka stumbled forward as he felt the cold touch of fear. I…I can’t beat them all…I’m going to fail! he thought, helpless.
He could see it now, his ego, abilities, and intellect rose so far above the others, they wouldn’t even mind if he was lost to the Rahkshi. They would think it was amusing. Kopaka shut his eyes tight, but then just saw the faces of his mockers. Turaga Nokama laughing, Turaga Whenua laughing, Gali ridiculing him that he would die alone, without the team he had spurned.
But last, last came Tahu, whose glee eclipsed all around him. With each of Tahu’s mirthful laughs, Kopaka could feel the temperature rise. As it did so, the faces swirled around him, hooting, hollaring, jeering.
Tahu will laugh at me… Kopaka thought through the chaos. And Gali…and the others…even the Matoran will laugh at one not fit to protect them.
A fiery rage stirred in the heart of the Ice Toa, and a new thought exploded into his consciousness. NO! I will not be defeated! I will not give in to fear! I…will…
Kopaka spun and launched a projectile of ice at Turahk.
“Not!”
The projectile struck Turahk, freezing the Rahkshi solid.
The Toa had no time to celebrate his victory. Kopaka turned to see the black-armored Rahkshi lurching toward him. With a hiss, it swung its claw-ended staff at him.
Kopaka blocked the swing, catching his ice blade inside the grip of the staff. But he found himself quickly being pushed down under the powerful figure.
This Rahkshi’s strength is tremendous! Kopaka thought, feeling himself pushed onto one knee. He raised his shield’s edge to brace the tip of his sword in an effort to push back, but fell backward. No, I am losing mine…and this creature is stealing it.
The Toa of Ice looked back up to see the Rahkshi’s glowing, ravenous eyesThe creature stood over his head and raised its staff high.
“No…” Kopaka gasped bleakly. He collapsed to the earth, sapped of all strength. “It cannot end like this…”
“And it will not, brother!”
Dimly, Kopaka looked up to see Tahu, Gali, and Lewa standing on the ledge above.
“We owe these Rahkshi something from our last encounter,” Gali growled.
Tahu nodded. “Makuta should have taught his ‘sons’ better manners.”
“I guess we’ll have to quick-learn them, Tahu,” Lewa agreed, sharpening his blades.
Tahu shouldered past Gali and Lewa. “I will show those Rahkshi real power—”
Gali caught his shoulder and spun him around. “No, Tahu! You will just blunder in and make things worse!”
Tahu batted her away. “What?! You would have been Tarakava bait long ago, Gali, without me!” A nimbus of flame formed around his hands.
Hmmm…not the time for anger-fighting with each other… Lewa thought, frowning. It was no secret that the two Toa had been bickering again lately. But it was altogether unlike them to time an argument so poorly.
The Rahkshi… he realized. He looked around, spotting the white-armored Rahkshi pointing its staff at the two Toa. That Rahkshi must be causing the shout-loud up here…
Lewa raised his katana, unleashing a screaming tornado at the Rahkshi. “I will quick-fix that!”
The white Rahkshi spotted the elemental air racing for it too late, and its staff was pulled from its hands. It hissed in dismay.
Upon the ridge, Tahu and Gali visibly relaxed. “Ohhh…what…what were we fighting about, Tahu?” Gali asked.
Tahu turned back to the Rahkshi. “I don’t remember. Whatever it was, it can wait until later. Let’s go!”
Gali ran and dove off the ridge launching a jet of water at Rahkshi below, flushing them away. “The first thing you Rahkshi need to learn is to bathe regularly…”
She landed next to Kopaka. The sons of Makuta were recovering, although water dripped from their now-polished armor.
“There!” she smiled. “That’s better!”
“Gali! Look out!”
Two Rahkshi had recovered quickly. The Guurahk and Panrahk fired fragmentation and disintegration beams from their staffs at the midpoint of the cliff, sending tons of rock falling for Gali and Kopaka.
It was a familiar trick.
Tahu instinctively launched intense heat and flame at the projectiles. The heat of the updraft would buy a fraction of an instant, but without his Hau, the Toa could not escape as before.
“Lewa!” he shouted. “I can turn the rock to magma, but you must save the others!”
The Toa of Air pointed his weapons and sent a gust to carry the others aloft, “Don’t worry, Tahu! I will send them quick-soaring!”
Tahu’s blast slowed the descent of the Rahkshi’s attack long enough for Lewa’s maneuver to work, and the two Toa landed safely some distance away. Gali looked over her shoulder at where the destroyed rocks had landed.
“Toa of Air, I promise never to call you a bag of wind again!” she smiled.
Tahu and Lewa floated down to the other two Toa, courtesy of Lewa’s shared Miru powers. But their enemies were nowhere to be seen.
“The Rahkshi took advantage of our distraction to escape,” Tahu explained. “We must find Takua and Jaller before they do!”
“Onua and Pohatu are gone-lost as well,” Lewa added.
KABOOOM!!!
A nearby Po-Wahi stone rise exploded outward, raining down dried rock and earth.
Gali snorted. “I believe we have just found our two missing brothers, Lewa.”
“It certainly sounds like them,” Kopaka muttered.
Onua barreled out of the dust and smoke, his quakebreakers and Kanohi Pakari Nuva making short work of anything left in his way. “Brothers! Seal that cave now!” he shouted. Behind him, Pohatu Nuva and Turaga Whenua were hot on his heels.
Without hesitation, Tahu and Kopaka stepped forward. Summoning their mighty powers, they let Onua, Whenua, and Pohatu run free before unleashing them. Elemental fire and ice raced toward the cave entrance, and nothing stood in their way.
Pohatu slowed and turned in time to see Tahu’s heat melted the rocks into a drift of slag. Nearly instantaneously, Kopaka’s will refroze the new magma back into solid rock over the cave entrance, creating an impenetrable stone seal.
Onua exhaled and leaned over. “Good work…the kraata are sealed in for good now…I hope.”
Pohatu approached, holding one of the squirming creatures in his climbing claw. “All except for this one…I caught him as he slipped out.” He looked closely at the shape of its serpentine body, face, and color. “This one looks different, though.”
“Have a care, Pohatu—this kraata has reached the ultimate stage of its evolution.” Whenua said, approaching the Toa of Stone. “Kraata go through seven stages of growth before reaching their most potent behavior and potential. All kraata can infect a Kanohi mask when left in physical contact. Of all the Kraata, only those at their final stage such as these can infect masks from a distance. Only your grip keeps it from using its power. But where there is one, there may be more…” he added softly.
Lewa stepped forward, asking the question that his companions were all wondering. “What are those things? What was that cave?”
“That was where the Turaga kept their captured kraata,” Pohatu frowned. “The Turaga have known about these creatures for some time and hidden them away. Kraata are what power the Rahkshi suits of armor, like how krana powered Bohrok.”
“So do we need to collect the kraata as well?” Gali asked, exasperated.
“Better yet, would removing these kraata render the Rahkshi helpless?” Kopaka followed.
Tahu turned to Whenua. “Now is no time for secrets.”
The Turaga raised his hands. “Of course, Toa of Fire. The Turaga have known about these dark creatures and found some of every variety lurking on this island. But while the kraata were common, prophecies spoke of Rahkshi who would terrorize the land equipped with such kraata. That there are six now can only be the work of Makuta.”
Whenua turned to the Toa of Ice and Toa of Stone. “Removing the kraata would theoretically end the armor’s autonomy, yes. But the challenge will be far greater.”
Tahu shook his head, “We must leave you to deal with this, Turaga. The Rahkshi must be stopped, and stopped now!”
“The only way out of this canyon passes through Le-Wahi,” Pohatu said. “We will find them there.”