BIONICLE Legends: Invasion
Chapter 1
Written by Jeff Douglas
Beneath Voya Nui
As he watched the light from the surface recede into the distance, Kongu groused.
“Tunnels. Why’d it have to be tunnels?”
None of his teammates responded. Kongu glared at them, grimly focused on the task at hand as they were, although he could barely make them out in the glimmer of the sparse natural lightstones. The Toa of Air knew he didn’t have to explain his statement, but he did anyway.
“The Toa Mangai and the Great Barrier. The Toa Metru and the Archives maintenance tunnels, Mavrah’s tunnels, and Makuta’s lair. Every time the Toa Nuva had to fast-deal with Makuta and his minions they had to travel underground — five times at least.” He paused a moment before adding,
“Us and our mad-quest for the Kanohi Ignika.”
“We pressed on through the trials of the Chamber of Life and we will press on now,” Jaller remarked, sounding like a typical Toa of Fire. “You know what’s at stake.”
Kongu sighed, recalling how they had ended up here. Not long ago, the six of them had been simple Matoran of Metru Nui, secure under the watchful protection of the Toa Nuva, who had led them back from the island of Mata Nui. But not long after their return, the Toa Nuva disappeared, leaving only Takanuva behind to watch the city. If the Turaga knew anything about it, they said nothing, save vague public assurances that the Nuva had made a trip to the island above and would be back soon.
It was the truth, technically, but reality was far darker than the Matoran had been led to believe. The island in question was not the home they had just returned from, but another far to the south of it — one nicknamed the “daggers of death.” Nokama secretly confided in Jaller that the Toa Nuva had been sent there to retrieve the Kanohi Ignika, the Legendary Mask of Life, and that it was the only chance Mata Nui and his world had of surviving his impending death. Armed with only this information, Jaller had assembled a team of six Matoran and Takanuva, and they started south, somehow hoping to rendezvous with the Toa Nuva.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, everything went wrong from the start. Takanuva had been forced to turn back after they reached a land of the dead, leaving only the Matoran to continue on. After a close run-in with the island’s tyrant, Karzahni, the Matoran narrowly escaped in Toa Canisters which spirited them away to Voya Nui, the island they had set out for. The powers of the canisters in combination with a blast from a certain Red Star transformed them into Toa, but Toa infused with mysterious energies. After beating the seven villainous Piraka, overcoming the guardians of the Mask of Life, and saving the lives of the Toa Nuva — and returning a lot of favors — the Ignika escaped them, flying beneath the seas surrounding the island. Having been informed by their powerful new ally, Axonn, that this tunnel through the Cord holding the island aloft was the only safe passage to the waters where the Ignika could now be found, the Toa Inika had begun their descent beneath the surface.
No, wait. On second thought, the word he’d used was “safest.” He’d never said “safe.”
“He has a point,” Nuparu chuckled. “It’s a wonder Mata Nui doesn’t see fit to make Toa all tunnelers. Perhaps when I return to Metru Nui I will set about designing equipment to serve just that purpose.”
Matoro smiled slightly. “That’s easy for you to say. Some of us would rather avoid being underground altogether.”
The Toa of Earth didn’t hear him, distracted as he was by sudden inspiration. “Or! Better yet, armor that adapts to whatever terrain it’s in.”
“I’d give my Kolhii stick to have something like that.” Jaller remarked. “Which reminds me — how will we ever rematch in these forms?”
Hewkii sighed. Hahli glanced at him, not needing to ask to know what was running through his head. The mention of Kolhii had doubtless turned his thoughts to Hahli’s teammate, Macku, whom he desperately missed. She laughed, opening her mouth to tease him.
Her response was cut short by a distant rumble down the tunnel followed by an almighty roar. Kongu gulped and chuckled lightly.
“Still think the Toa Nuva won’t want to quick-trade places?”
✴ ✴ ✴
Vezon ducked silently between shadows, careful to avoid detection. Ever since his demotion from guardian of the mask, any clearance he’d had in the Chamber of Life had been veritably stripped from him. Vezon forgot a great many things in his time, but he would never forget how challenging it had been to arrive at the Chamber in the first place, especially on his own.
He had, however, forgotten the ease with which the Inika and Piraka had fled the chamber.
“How do you like your Mask of Life served?” murmured the halfling, still vengeful about the Ignika’s betrayal. “Well done? Poorly done? Done in?”
“You mean to pursue the mask?” the Kardas Dragon replied, obligingly lumbering from shadow to shadow with him.
“Of course,” Vezon replied. “It did betray us, after all. It was mine. My own. My precious mask.” His hands gripped the Spear of Fusion tighter. One of the other Piraka, Reidak, had snapped it a few times during their fight earlier to make a point, but Vezon had discovered that by holding the pieces close to each other, they had fused themselves together again. Of course, the deluded former Piraka saw this as being a result of his own natural powers, despite having none. Nevertheless, it had gone a long way toward raising him out of his sulky spirits.
The Kardas Dragon glanced at Vezon. “Your efforts would be better spent in pursuit of the Toa Inika. They are the ones responsible for driving the mask away. Find them, you’ll find the mask. And I assure you, they’ll be far easier to locate.”
Vezon nodded slowly, seeing the wisdom in his mount’s sage words. “Very true, very true. You know, you can be pretty bright when you put your mind to it. Just wait until the universe sees us - Vezon and Kardas, partners in slime.”
Kardas shrugged. “Maybe one day. But I don’t think I’ll join you yet.”
“You’re not?! You’re just staying here?”
“I never said that. But I don’t exactly belong here anymore. I’m not nearly the same creature I used to be. I’ve… I’ve grown a lot since then.”
“Point taken,” Vezon replied, looking the Dragon up and down. “So… Now what?”
The dragon shrugged again. “Who knows. Maybe I’ll see the world. Explore a bit. I’ll probably start with the island up above.”
Vezon nodded. “Well, if I run into any other small creatures turned monsters by the Ignika, I hope I can count on your help.”
“Oh yes, certainly. What are friends for, after all? And if I am ever forced again to work with one-day’s-lunch-turned-partner,”
“You can count on me!”
✴ ✴ ✴
The sound of a single hushed voice echoing through the cavern caused Umbra to glance up. He had been nursing his wounds from a battle with the Toa Inika, enduring pain the likes of which he’d never had to deal with before, so he wasn’t exactly in the best mood to begin with. But the sight of Vezon making his way “stealthily” through the cavern holding a one-sided conversation with a dragon resembling the Fenrakk Spider he used to ride caught the guardian off guard.
Vezon noticed him too. For a solid second they held eye contact. Then Vezon turned to the dragon.
“Keep your voice down, maybe he didn’t see us.” He then proceeded to step from one dark corner to the next, all the while staring at Umbra.
But Umbra had had enough.
“If you two are quite finished,” he sighed, exasperated.
“Eek! He noticed us!” Vezon squeaked.
Umbra hauled himself to his feet. “Protectors of the Ignika don’t stop those trying to flee. You of all people should know this.”
“Wait, I wasn’t supposed to brutally dismember them before hurling their corpses into the lake of fire? …Oops.”
“Have you two been dismissed?”
Like a guilty Matoran caught cheating in class, Vezon stepped forward, nodding.
“Just as well. Your actions were counter-intuitive to your role.”
“Hey, easy there, you overgrown photon!” Vezon snapped. “At least my final form involved a dragon!”
Umbra smiled wryly, in spite of himself.
“Anyway,” Vezon grunted. “What are you going to do? Pursue the mask?” He glanced at the Kardas Dragon. “See the world?”
“Neither,” Umbra said, shaking his head. “The Mask projected its thoughts into mine as it flew. All guardians are to wait in their stations until it returns or sends a message to the contrary.”
“Well, then,” Vezon smiled bitterly, a dark expression flashing across his features. “It’s a good thing I was never a real guardian of the Mask.”