Chapter Eight

Onewa ran through the Sculpture Fields in his bestial form, memories of tracking down Ahkmou in this very place coming back to mind. He pushed away a shudder at what used to be and forced himself to press on in the direction the map indicated. He passed Po-Metru warehouses and storehouses, each one just as broken and eerie as the last. Using his claw clubs as forelegs, he ran through the deserted area alongside some of the other local wildlife.

I don’t know which is worse, he thought. That I look like a Vahki or that I look like a Rahi.

The Toa Hordika of Stone jumped and ran, appreciating the faster speed than his usual form. At least that was one benefit of the transformation. Something less positive, he noticed, was that a swarm of Visorak was tailing behind him, running just as fast. They were still behind buildings or on the horizon of the expansive Metru of Po-Metru, but they kicked up dust behind them and were surely coming.

Onewa picked up the pace, pushing himself. The Visorak were gaining, now just several bio away, snapping angrily at him, eager to finish what they had started. He veered off to the right where he saw a canyon. Let’s see if they know Metru Nui like I do, he challenged. Leaping from rock to rock, he lost a few, but not many. Hm. Guess they do.

Now an Oohnorak was just on his heels in an expanse again. It snapped at his legs, forcing him to jump out of the way and dash left and right. Of course, that only slowed him down and the other Visorak came close, too.

Seeing an opportunity, Onewa led to another fissure, but this one had one skinny bridge of stone crossing it. He ran out onto the pole, then jumped and spun around. In the air, he launched a stone Rhotuka at the bridge, causing it to break apart and collapse. Three Visorak had made it onto the bridge, only to fall into the chasm below. The rest of the group merely stopped at the edge to look across.

Before they thought of a way to cross, Onewa turned and kept running in his original direction. His side of the bridge had held a cave. It was into that cave he ran.

Inside, there were several crystals growing. They looked like ice, but were in fact minerals of a see-through structure. Following the instructions he was given, Onewa used his claw clubs to smash a hole in the ceiling. Sure enough, there was a hidden chamber up above. When he climbed into it, Onewa’s eyes immediately fell onto the Makoki Stone. He put away his Hordika tools to admire the stone.

Suddenly, from behind, he was grabbed by a long appendage from the ceiling and shaken around the room. Onewa looked to find its base, but with all his movement, he could only make out some blue tentacled Rahithat had hidden here. Worse, what he could see were Visorak climbing up through the hole he had made. “Uh-oh…” he said, watching a Suukorak charge its Rhotuka.

The white Visorak let its spinner fly. Onewa wasn’t sure if it was aiming for him or the Rahi, but knew what would happen if it landed—an electric stasis field would keep its target captured and a prisoner of the Visorak. Then let’s make it choose this beast, he told himself, grabbing the tentacle and forcing it between him and the spinner. The spinner clipped the Rahi, causing lightning to appear around its form and slowly shrink.

Onewa, meanwhile, was released and landed hard on the ground to face the Visorak spiders. He readied his claw clubs, already not liking the odds of five Visorak on one half-Toa. “Alright, then, bring it on!” he yelled, in somewhat of a roar.

The Vohtarak in the lead started forward, but stopped when the ground trembled. Before it and its troops could even figure out how to escape, the floor beneath them collapsed in an earthquake. Onewa blinked in surprise and approached the edge of the new chasm. He smiled when he saw Hordika Whenua climbing up one of the rock faces.

The Toa of Earth jumped to stand next to the Toa of Stone. “Whew, thanks, Whenua! You were just in time,” Onewa said, putting away his tools.

“Well you know how it is,” Whenua replied with a smile. “Someone has to save you.”

“Just this once,” Onewa replied.

“Why do you have a Makoki Stone?” Whenua asked, pointing to Onewa’s find.

The Toa of Stone held it up closer so Whenua could get a better look. “You know what this is?”

“Only by legend,” Whenua replied. “It looks like one of the six pieces.”

Onewa nodded, putting the stone away. “It is, and it’s real. We have been given a great mission by the Rahaga.” He handed Whenua the map. “You must find the stone hidden in the Archives.”

Whenua’s face became downcast. “Hmmm…the Archives are heavily patrolled by the Visorak, and that may be where lots of Rahi still are. What is this for?”

“Supposedly it’s to obtain a Great Kanohi Mask of Light,” Onewa said, obviously only half-believing.

“How do you know?” asked Whenua.

Onewa snarled, his face twisting. “Vakama…” he muttered. “Said he got it from the Rahaga.”

“Is that a problem?”

“I’m just tired of listening to him—look what happened!” Onewa said, gesturing around. “We followed his plan to get the Great Disks, go the Great Furnace, present them to Turaga Dume, and flee Metru Nui…and this was what we came up with?”

“Don’t you trust him?” Whenua asked, concerned to see the team breaking apart at such a critical time.

Onewa turned away. He and Whenua weren’t close as Matoran, or even early Toa, but after all they had been through, he knew he could confide. Still facing away, he said softly, “No…I don’t.”

Whenua nodded, unsure of his own feelings on the Toa of Fire. “Well, for better or worse—”

“For worse…” Onewa interrupted.

Whenua cleared his throat. “Ahem, well, regardless, we’re here now. If Vakama got these from the Rahaga, I trust them.” Though it’s a sad day when we trust strangers over our leader… “I will meet with you and the others once I have the stone,” Whenua finished. “Until we meet again, Onewa.”

“Yeah,” muttered Onewa, still thinking about their conversation. “See you soon.”