Tales of the Matoran

Sunset at Naho Bay

Written by Viro

The sky was painted in a soft orange as the sun set, sparkling in the endless ripples of the waters of Naho Bay. The bright leaf-green huts were bathed in the twilight as they peacefully swayed, only so much that it was barely noticeable. For the last time, Pelagia sat down at the edge of the great leaf that supported her hut, hanging her feet into the cooling, deep-blue waters. She was among the last to leave Ga-Koro, her home. This evening she would join the final traveling group at Kini-Nui, who would then make their way through the underground caverns to reach the City of Legends the Turaga had spoken of. Pelagia’s gaze went to the sea stretching out towards the horizon. So much had happened in the past years. It felt like only days when she had witnessed the discovery of the Mask of Light in the great Kohlii stadium and the prophecy of a seventh Toa - she couldn’t even imagine what such a being would look like. For a brief moment, she thought back to her and Nireta crudely chiseling their interpretation into stones they found at the bay's shore.

She was pulled away from her thoughts as the warm wind brushed her, shaking the nearby Harakeke and creating a rustling sound. She focused her Akaku on the tall plants. Normally those would’ve long been cut down to have material for repairs - or by a certain adventuring Ga-Matoran that couldn’t help but take any materials she got her hands onto. But cutting down Harakeke wasn’t necessary anymore as all Matoran of the island were leaving their villages.

Pelagia stood up, accidentally splashing some water on the lilypad, and went into her hut. Her optics took a second to adapt to the much dimmer light inside. Much like the majority of her village, her satchel was also made of plant material, reinforced by string made from algae of the sea. She grabbed it, being swiftly reminded by the weight how full it was - after all, everything she didn’t take with her would be left here forever. She turned around and walked back into the sunlight as she noticed the rock that the supposed seventh Toa was engraved into. Nireta had later on decided to colorize their creation using various essences of plants, with time and the exposure to sunlight shifting the once blue coloration to a light purple. Pelagia shook her head, but couldn’t hide a slight smile in reminiscence. She had only seen Takanuva once, and from a distance, but he looked nowhere close to what they had imagined. Standing tall, he wore mostly white armor, with shining golden armor plates and his sleek golden mask. He seemed to radiate light at all times. Surely an astounding figure. It was hard to imagine that he used to be a color-mismatched Ta-Matoran chronicler once. Pelagia threw a last glance at the colored rock, before deciding to leave it behind. It was a good memory, but carrying that heavy thing the unknown amount of kio to Metru Nui would certainly not be a good idea.

She went outside, and followed the walkway across the lilypads towards the village’s shipyard, where a boat was already waiting. Pelagia had assisted in the construction of these, as the Turaga had told of the Silver Sea that had to be crossed before Metru Nui could be reached. The boat was unusually tall and could fit well over 100 Matoran. Considering their numbers in total, that still meant an uncountable number of rides back-and-forth would be necessary. Approaching the boat, she spotted Marka, the chief Shipwright. She glanced at Pelagia as she was passing her, clearly wanting to comment on her taking her time. It might’ve been the warm breeze, carrying the feeling of the incoming warm night with it, that persuaded her to leave any comments to herself. Or the thought of departure into a new world actually had her in a good mood. Whatever it was, Pelagia set her sight back to the ramp she was walking up on. She reached the deck, sat down on one of the benches and put down her satchel next to her. Looking around, she spotted only a few fellow travelers: Five others from Ga-Koro besides her were on board. Additionally, she noticed a group of three Po-Matoran sitting together on one bench, who visibly felt uncomfortable traveling on water. She particularly noticed that the one sitting in the middle, who wore a tan Miru, was twitching every time a slightly stronger wave made the boat rock just that tiny amount more. Understandable in a way, as his kind was rarely able to swim. The boat had apparently originally departed from Po-Wahi and then made a stop for the final passengers at Ga-Koro. Pelagia knew the route ahead: They would travel to the coast of Ta-Wahi, pass the Charred Forest and would then move stream upwards to the center of the island, where the temple of Kini-Nui stood.

With the last Matoran coming on board, Marka jumped over the rail and began to draw in the mechanical drawbridge. After this was done, she made her way to the back of the boat, exclaiming a short “Hold tight!” before starting the air-pressure motor. The two cylinders that stuck out of the top of the machine began to move, and the hum of the gears could be felt through the entire ship. Slowly but steadily, the boat left the dock and made its way around Ga-Koro. Pelagia spotted them passing her old hut as the boat passed, but it wasn’t long until a few bio between them and the village had been reached. The sun set at the water’s edge, illuminating the green huts for a last time, as Pelagia turned around and set her sights on the waters ahead.