Chapter Six

Hahli returned to the crossroads in Mata Nui’s interior. Heading down the path that had been previously blocked by a waterfall, she noticed that a makeshift log bridge had been placed across the chasm. Hahli crossed the bridge and entered Po-Wahi. From the path, Hahli could see a large structure out in the Dunes and a small hut with a pen of Rahi, but she did not stop to investigate. As she got closer to the gate’s entrance, she could see two Po-Matoran working on statues of giant heads. One of the Matoran paused to talk to Hahli.

“Ho ho, what is this?” he asked. “A fan? I am not signing autographs today, sorry!”

“Who are you?” Hahli asked.

“What?” he exclaimed. “Surely you know the master carver Hafu when you see him?”

Hahli said, “Goodbye,” to which Hafu responded, “Goodbye!” The other Po-Matoran greeted Hahli more cheerfully.

“Hello, Ga-Matoran!” he said.

“Who are you?” Hahli asked.

“I am Kamen, the Stonemason,” he replied. “I am constantly taking care of the sculptures, so that they do not Disintegrate!”

“Disintegrate?” she repeated.

“Time and weather take their toll on our great works, wearing them down into dust. The enemy of Creation is Disintegration!” he answered.

“Great Works?”

“Rebuilding the Path of Prophecies will take a lot of work, but every day it comes a step closer to its former glory.”

“Goodbye,” Hahli said.

Kamen responded, “Goodbye!”

✴        ✴        ✴

A little further up the road, the Ga-Matoran approached the gates of Po-Koro, guarded by two Po-Matoran.

“Halt!” they commanded in unison.

“Who are you?” asked Hahli.

“I am Guard Ally,” the first responded.

“I am Guard Piatra,” said the second.

Hahli nodded. The guards didn’t seem talkative, so she told them, “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” Ally responded.

“Goodbye,” Piatra concurred.

✴        ✴        ✴

Hahli entered the village near the south end of the Po-Koro Town Square. She headed towards the largest of the stone huts and entered it. Once inside, a tall figure turned to greet her.

“Welcome to Po-Koro, Hahli!” he said. “I’ve heard that Turaga Nokama chose you to be her Champion. You will find Hewkii and Hafu to be a great challenge; they have already beaten several other teams. I look forward to the match.”

“Who are you?” Hahli asked.

“I am Onewa, Turaga of Po-Koro,” he replied.

“Po-Koro?” she asked.

“Po-Koro, city of sand and rock, home of stonewrights and master carvers!” Onewa explained proudly. “Every etching and relief, every carven symbol, a tribute to Mata Nui, Toa Pohatu, and the Principle by which we live.”

“Principle?” Hahli enquired.

“Bour, the Bricklayer, and Gadjati, the Hewer, contemplate often on what it means to be Po-Matoran. They can tell you more,” Onewa offered.

“Tributes?”

“The Po-Matoran take great care to immortalize the joy of life and culture. The Wall of Customs is a testament to this.”

“Wall of Customs?”

“The Po-Matoran took great care to create a Wall of Customs exploring day to day Matoran life and the societal differences between Koro. Predictably, however, most of the wall ended up being a thorough study of Matoran games. A whole new section had to be added just for an exegesis on kolhii.”

“Goodbye,” Hahli said.

“Good luck,” Onewa told her, returning to his quiet contemplation.

✴        ✴        ✴

As she was leaving Onewa’s hut, Hahli noticed a Matoran standing in the doorway of the Po-Koro Kolhii Field. She approached him and the Po-Matoran turned to speak to her.

“Hello! Fancy meeting a Ga-Matoran here,” he remarked. “Are you in town for the match?”

“Who are you?” Hahli asked.

“I am Gadjati the Hewer,” he said. “I cut the quarry-stone that we use to build and to carve into sculptures. It takes many Po-Matoran to make a great sculpture! United, we fulfill our Destiny!”

“Sculpture?” she enquired.

“Mata Nui taught the Po-Matoran the Virtues of Unity and Destiny, and from them we learned the Principle!” explained Gadjati. “Speak to Bour the Brick-layer if you wish to know more of it. He is wise.”

“Goodbye,” Hahli said.

“Goodbye!” Gadjati responded.

✴        ✴        ✴

Hahli wandered around the back of the kolhii field where she discovered an entrance deep into the plateau behind it. As she followed the path down, she came to a bowl-shaped valley lined with dozens of statues. Six dominated the area, and five were shaped like a Lavaboard, a canoe, a giant snowball, a Ussal, and a Kewa. On the far side, largest among them, was one shaped like a Kolhii stick.

At the middle of the canyon was a lone Po-Matoran. Hahli immediately walked up to him.

“All this dust and dirt keeps blowing in,” he was saying. “If I don’t keep this place clean, no one will be able to enjoy the craftsmanship!”

“Who are you?” asked Hahli.

“I am Podu the groundskeeper,” the Matoran explained. “I used to be an athlete, but the Wall of Customs won’t take care of itself!”

“Wall of Customs?”

“Do you like it?” Podu asked. “So far you can read detailed explanations for the six major Mata Nui games. But these days everyone usually comes for Kolhii.”

“Games?”

“If you win all the village games, you get the Copper Mask!”

Hahli nodded, making a mental note of it. She was pretty skilled in Ngalawa Boat Racing, but she had never tried any of the other games. Perhaps after the Championship was over, she could try her luck at winning a Copper Mask. “Goodbye,” she told Podu.

“Goodbye!”

✴        ✴        ✴

Hahli came out from around the kolhii field and entered a nearby hut. Inside, the Po-Matoran Hewkii was doing stretching exercises. He was surrounded by various trophies and a stuffed doll that bore a remarkable resemblance to Macku.

“Hello, Hahli!” he paused to greet her. “It is good to see you again! I am getting ready for the championship.”

“Championship?” she asked.

“Well, we’ve beaten all the other teams,” stated Hewkii. “We’re going to be one of the three that get to go to Ta-Koro for the championship! If you beat us, you might be one, too!”

“Goodbye,” Hahli said.

“Say hello to Macku for me!” Hewkii added as he resumed his exercises.

Before Hahli left the hut, she noticed a small object on the floor. Discovering it to be the Charm of Creation, she placed it in her satchel.

✴        ✴        ✴

Back outside, Hahli approached the Po-Matoran walking around in the northern end of the town square.

“Excuse me, I’m terribly busy,” he said.

“Who are you?” Hahli asked.

“I am Epena, the Quarry Master,” he replied.

“Goodbye,” Hahli said.

“Goodbye!” Epena responded briefly. Hahli headed toward the south part of the square. Three Matoran were walking around purposefully. The first acted a little more tersely than Epena, although he said much the same thing.

“Excuse me, I’m in the middle of some important work,” he said.

“Who are you?” Hahli asked.

“I am Kivi, the Hewer,” he replied.

“Hewing?”

Kivi stopped what he was doing. Her question had piqued his eagerness to share, it seemed. “Stones must be refined before they can be used. To bring down a pile of stones often requires special skill.”

“Refined?”

“First you must find the most vulnerable part. Like a cornerstone on which the rest balances, there is always a heart of the stone.”

“Heart of the stone?”

“When it is broken, the rest crumbles. Take care when handling the heart, for once broken it can never be repaired.

“Goodbye,” Hahli said.

“Goodbye!” Kivi nodded.

Hahli turned to the second, who was scraping away at some wood.

“This goes herrrrrre… thennnnnnn this gets shaped like this… and theeeennnnnn… Oh sorry, are you talking to me?” he said.

“Who are you?” Hahli asked.

“I am Pekka, the Carpenter,” he replied.

“Carpenter?”

“It may be easy to forget when you’re here, but stone isn’t the oooonly building material,” Pekka explains. “The best building projects strategize and combine the strengths and weaknesses of stone, ice, metal, and wood.”

“Combine?”

“By definition, elements are meant to be combined,” Pekka replies casually. “The Toa discovered that when they formed the Kaita. That is the role of unity.”

“Goodbye,” Hahli said.

“Gooood-bye!” Pekka answered.

Fortunately, the third paused to talk to Hahli. “A Ga-Matoran? Hello, and welcome!” he said.

“Who are you?” Hahli asked.

“I am Bour the Brick-layer,” he replied. “I lay the foundations upon which our sculptures are built. Every Matoran in Po-Koro creates great works! Creation is our life!”

“Creation?” she enquired.

“Creation is the Principle of Po-Koro,” Bour explained. “By combining the Virtues taught us by Mata Nui, we have become skilled in it!”

Hahli nodded, saying, “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye!” Bour responded cheerfully.

✴        ✴        ✴

Hahli entered a small hut near the town’s gates. Inside, a Po-Matoran Trader named Akmuo was selling his wares.

“Welcome to my shop!” he said. “If you see anything you like, let me know. Also, I buy Bamboo Poles, Rope, Sailcloth, Nets, Rigging, Ore, Protodermis, Lightstones, and Bladders, if you have any.”

There was something shifty about this Matoran, so Hahli didn’t linger long.

✴        ✴        ✴

Deciding to investigate the hut on the outskirts of Po-Koro, Hahli left the village and walked down the path until she reached it. Once inside, a Po-Matoran turned to speak to her.

“Hello, stranger,” he said. “What brings you out to the Dunes?”

“Who are you?” Hahli asked.

“I am Golyo the Mahi-herder,” he stated.

“Mahi?” she asked.

“I spend a lot of time in the Dunes, herding the Mahi,” Golyo explained. “It gives me time to think about Strategy.”

“Strategy?” Hahli repeated.

“The Principle we live by in Po-Koro teaches us Strategy,” Golyo said. “It is why we are so good at Kolhii, and why our sculptures are so well made. Herding Mahi is a great way to learn Strategy. I can show you, if you like!”

“I would like to train,” Hahli requested.

“Okay. Get ready, here they come!” Golyo exclaimed.

Outside, Hahli is tasked with catching Mahi as they attempt to run by her. At first, there were only a few that moved slowly and come sporadically. Soon, several Mahi were running quickly at once towards her, but she managed to catch them each time.

Hahli and Golyo told each other, “Goodbye.” As Hahli turned to leave, however, she noticed a small object on the floor of his hut. Discovering it to be the Charm of Strategy, she placed it in her satchel.

✴        ✴        ✴

Hahli returned to Po-Koro and enters Onewa’s hut once more.

“I am ready to face the team from Po-Koro,” she told him.

“So it shall be!” Onewa exclaimed. “Go to the Kolhii field and I will call on my players.”

Hahli arrived at the Po-Koro Kolhii Field, the entrance to which is located near Hewkii’s hut. There, she challenged the Po-Koro Kolhii Team. She and Macku were victorious.

After the match, Hahli heard the Po-Matoran congratulating her and commenting on the match:

“Pohatu’s Kakama! I can’t believe we lost!” Epena exclaimed.

“You have combined many skills, and surpassed alllllllllllll expectations because of it,” Pekka marvels.

“The weak spots of our team have been exposed,” Kivi mourns. “The whole structure crumbled.”

“New material for the Wall of Customs. Time to dust off a new section,” Podu remarks.

“What a remarkable display of Unity,” Gadjati murmurs.

Bour nods in agreement. “You built great skill on a mighty foundation. Your patience, discipline, and endurance have paid off. Now you are reaping the rewards.”

“You have Pohatu’s speed and skill, Ga-Matoran! Amazing victory!” Ally and Piatra together said.

“That was an amazing game, Hahli!” Hewkii congratulated. “I shall have to practice hard for the championship!”

“Unfair! Impossible! Unbelievable! It was Hewkii’s fault!” Hafu said bitterly.

“You did it! Congratulations, Hahli! I bet Hewkii is surprised,” Golyo told Hahli in private.

“A remarkable victory, Hahli,” Onewa said graciously. “Hewkii was well known as the best Kolhii player in all of Mata Nui, and you have beaten him. Toa Pohatu and all of Po-Koro are amazed!”