Tales from Turaga Ventax: Volume 2

Kopeke’s Adventure

Written by Minirigby

For the first time in my service as Turaga Ventax’s assistant, I, Kopeke, Chronicler of Metru Nui, have been given the exciting opportunity to record a story of my own choosing for the Turaga’s expansive archive!

Although there are surely many stories and adventures from my time living on the island of Mata Nui that would make for a great read, for my first record I thought it would be more appropriate to choose a recent adventure of mine, something still fresh in my memory so I’d be less likely to leave anything out.

With that being said, the story you are about to read took place right here on our new world, only a few months ago from when I’m recording this, out in the sands of the vast Bara Magna desert...

The harsh sun bore down on Kopeke and his taller companion as they made their way through a settlement of hastily constructed shelters and metal wreckage half buried by the sand. He should have been used to the heat by now, after more than a year of living in the oasis near Ventax’s archive, but memories of life in Ko-Koro weren’t so easily forgotten.

“Breach sure has grown a lot since the last time I passed through” Kopeke said, turning to Kopaka Nuva while holding his hand up to block the sun from his eyes. “But I suppose opportunity brings settlers, and there’s plenty of that to be had here” the Matoran continued.

“If you can ignore the sandstorms and Vorox attacks, that is” Kopaka said sarcastically, as the pair continued moving through the settlement.

Breach was a desert town that, as the name would suggest, had popped up around an opening in the old Great Spirit robot. Once tensions on their new world had settled down and methods of safe passage in and out of the colossal body had been mapped, scavengers and junkers came from far and wide to settle Breach and other towns like it in search of any treasures or wealth that had been left behind during the evacuation.

And as it just so happened, an artifact of particular value to Kopeke’s new mentor had been recently recovered from The Shadowed One’s vault in what was left of Odina...

Just as the pair were starting to feel lost in the maze that Breach had become, a hulking tailed figure clad in black and blue armor spotted them and began moving in their direction.

“Forager!” Kopeke shouted, waving his arm out from under his thin cloak to grab the attention of the former Dark Hunter moving through the crowd toward them.

“Ahh! Just the little friend I was looking for, how are you today Kopeke? And you too, brave Toa Kopacker!” Forager said.

“It’s Kopaka” the Toa replied.

“Sure Kopoko, whatever you say” Forager said, paying little attention to the Toa. “Now Kopeke, I apologize if I’ve kept you waiting. I had some business with that Norik fellow that ran a bit longer than I expected, Toa are very serious folk you know. But I think you’ll be very pleased to hear I have the artifact you’re looking for right here with me!” Forager said, as he pulled out an old stone tablet from the pouch around his waist.

Kopeke reached his hand out to take the tablet, but Forager was quick to hold it back.

“And am I to expect my payment from that old Turaga once you make it back with this, as was agreed?” Forager said, still holding the tablet firmly in his claws. “I understand it’s quite valuable to a chronicler from Metru Nui like yourself...”

“Of course” Kopeke said, “we’ll send someone out with your supplies once I’m back safe at the archive.”

Forager loosened his grip on the tablet and allowed Kopeke to safely store it under his small cloak.

“Well!” Forager exclaimed, “it’s been good doing business with you again my little friend, and you too brave Toa! But I’m off now. Other customers to attend to, I’m sure you understand”.

Kopaka Nuva nodded in Forager’s direction, as Kopeke began to speak.

“Of course, be in touch if you find anything else you think we’d like!” Kopeke said, waving Forager off as the crowd parted to let the tall being through.

“Now that that’s over little one, I have other business here. But I can escort you back home later if you don’t mind sticking around for a while” Kopaka said.

“That’s alright” Kopeke said, “I think I’ll risk it. There’s nothing between here and the archive but empty desert anyway, what’s the worst that could happen?”...

Only a few hours had passed since Kopeke set out from Breach, and yet already his legs were growing tired of treading through the endless dunes of Bara Magna.

“I hate sand” he said to himself, “snow I can get behind, it’s cold and fluffy and when it’s not, you can just walk right over top like it’s solid ground” Kopeke thought.

“At least it’ll be worth the journey when I get this back to the Turaga though” he said, examining the old stone tablet Forager had given him back in town. “After all these years, we’ll finally be able to read the last written record of the Chronicler Kodan! I’m sure it’ll be a great weight off Ventax’s shoulders to finally know what happened, I hear he and Kodan were good friends back in the day.”

Just as Kopeke’s patience was starting to run thin, and he was considering reading the tablet himself to help take his mind off the journey, a strong wind began to howl in the distance. The kind of wind that only meant one thing in a place like this...

Kopeke was about to find himself caught in a sandstorm.

Struggling to make his way through the desert winds as the sandstorm picked up, Kopeke brought the hood of his thin cloak up over his head, to try and shelter himself from the desert’s wrath. As he continued pushing through the sandstorm, Kopeke thought he spotted a figure in red armor off in the distance through the wall of sand now pelting his mask from all directions.

Before he could focus in on the figure however, Kopeke noticed the dunes beneath his feet starting to slide away more than usual, as though some extra weight was being placed on them, followed by the sound of strange footsteps coming from behind him. Before he could turn his head around to try and peer through the sandstorm and see whatever was making the noise, something lunged at Kopeke through the violent wall of sand, hitting him directly on the mask and knocking him out cold...

Kopeke woke up tied to a tall rock on the inside of a small sandstone cavern, near enough to its entrance that he could still hear the howling wind of the sandstorm outside.

After a brief moment of confusion, panic began to set in as Kopeke realized the situation he was in. Looking around the cave for anything that might help him break loose, his attention was drawn to a sleeping Vorox, of all things, directly across from him. Next to the Vorox, however, lay a collection of old broken weapons and scraps of armor, the kind Kopeke could use to cut himself free, if he could reach them.

Careful not to wake his captor, Kopeke slid his body down as far as he could while still restrained by the rope around his torso, moving his short leg toward the pile of loot in front of him. After a few failed attempts to grab on to something with his foot, Kopeke finally managed to get hold of a small bone knife, which he carefully pulled toward himself and kicked around to reach his hands. Grabbing hold of the knife, Kopeke sawed his way through the rope tied around him, letting it fall loosely to the floor.

Still careful not to make too much noise, Kopeke got up off the ground and began moving out toward the cave’s exit, before being struck once again with panic.

Remembering why he was out in the sandstorm to begin with, Kopeke began searching frantically under his cloak for the artifact given to him by Forager, to make sure it hadn’t been taken by his captor, or worse, lost out in the desert for good. As he continued to search his person with no luck, Kopeke turned back to face into the cave in case he had dropped it during his escape, when finally he spotted where the artifact was.

Past the tall rock where he had been tied up just moments earlier, Kopeke’s gaze turned to the slumbering Vorox he assumed to be his captor. Lying on the cold cavern floor next to the Vorox, at the base of the pile of loot and scraps from earlier, was the artifact he had travelled all this way for in the first place...

Inching closer and closer to the sleeping beast, Kopeke was careful not to make any sound or sudden movements that might awaken it. As his hand neared the base of the scrap pile where the artifact lay, Kopeke grabbed the old stone tablet and lifted it up off the ground, placing it safely back under his cloak.

As Kopeke turned around to make his way out of the cave once more, his foot caught on an old piece of armor at the bottom of the Vorox’s hoard, sending the whole pile crashing down to the ground.

“Uh-oh” Kopeke thought to himself, as the clatter of metal against stone filled the small cave.

Before Kopeke had time to make his escape, the Vorox had leaped up from its slumber, let out a terrible screech, and grabbed the nearest weapon it could find. As the beast made its way toward Kopeke, the Ko-Matoran began running for the exit, before tripping on the cavern floor.

Rolling over to face his pursuer, Kopeke prepared for the worst as the Vorox lifted its blade up above its head and prepared to make a slash at the helpless prey below it.

Just as the blade of the Vorox was about to make contact with Kopeke’s mask, a blur of red armor rushed in to block the attack with its spear. Before Kopeke could process what was happening, the warrior in red armor had already engaged the Vorox in battle, and began pushing it back into its den.

“Quick, get out of here!” The warrior shouted to Kopeke, as he slashed open the cavern’s sandstone ceiling and ran out behind Kopeke, leaving the Vorox trapped in the rubble.

The two made it out of the cave safely as the sandstorm outside was beginning to die down.

“Hey, you’re that figure I saw in the sandstorm earlier!” Kopeke said, “thanks for saving me, I’m Kopeke. What’s your name?”

“Rykos...” the red armored being said, “Rykos of the Fire Tribe”.

Kopeke looked over the warrior and realized his species was familiar to him.

“Oh, you’re a Glatorian then?” he said.

“A what?” Rykos asked. “I’m a warrior of the Fire Tribe, I was in the jungles of Bota Magna when our world shattered, leaving me separated from my kin” he said.

“Oh, I see” Kopeke said, “well, I’m really grateful for your help back there. I’ll be able to make it back home with this now” he said, pulling out the old artifact to examine it for any damage.

Rykos looked over the tablet before speaking again.

“That thing you’ve got there, it’s valuable?” He asked.

“To my boss and I anyway, yeah. It’s an old record written by a friend of his” Kopeke said.

“Say, you wouldn’t mind heading back with me, Rykos of the Fire Tribe, would you?” Kopeke asked. “I’ve had my fair share of desert encounters for the day. The archive where I live shouldn’t be too far from here, but it would really put my mind at ease if I had company.”

Rykos considered the request before answering. “Hmm, I don’t see why not. If this archive of yours is the same oasis settlement I’ve been hearing about lately, I’d like to see it for myself.”

“Great!” Kopeke said, “you’ll love it there, we’ve got all sorts of cool artifacts and records to explore, and the sights around the oasis are beautiful! Not as beautiful as Ko-Wahi was, if you ask me, but it’s a close second for sure...” Kopeke said, continuing to fill Rykos in as the pair walked off together into the desert, safely on their way to deliver the old stone tablet that set Kopeke’s adventure into motion in the first place...