BIONICLE Mask of Destiny

BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn

Chapter Two

Written by Greg Farshtey

1

Mata Nui followed Ackar to his shelter in the village. The Glatorian began packing items into a satchel, explaining that he was due to fight another match in the village of Tesara.

2

The walls of the shelter were lined with Glatorian shields, trophies of Ackar’s past victories. “You won all these?” asked Mata Nui.

3

“Yes. And look what good they do me,” Ackar answered, making no attempt to hide his bitterness. “Should have packed it in long ago.”

4

“But you stayed. Why?”

5

Ackar paused a moment before answering. When he spoke again, he sounded less bitter than sad. “Duty. Pride. But a Glatorian past his prime’s no good to anyone.”

6

“To be defeated without a fight would be dishonor. You carry this truth inside you, as do I. You are a true Toa,” said Mata Nui.

7

“Toa?”

8

“Where I come from…” Mata Nui began. Then he stopped, as if not sure how to explain himself. Finally, he said, “It is a name given to a select few warriors, worthy of —”

9

Metus burst into the shelter, practically leaping in the air with excitement. “Mata Nui! You were brilliant! Raanu will pay anything we ask. And if you don’t like this village — no problem! I’ll get the other leaders to bid for you.”

10

“That is very kind,” said Mata Nui. “But… no.”

11

Metus looked at Mata Nui as if he had just said he wanted to be a target dummy for the Skrall. “Are you crazy? Do you realize what you’re passing up? The life of a First Glatorian!”

12

“Yes, just look how great it worked out for me,” Ackar muttered.

13

“The answer is still no.”

14

“Okay, okay, I hear you. But when you change your mind —”

15

Mata Nui held firm. “I will not.”

16

“Playing hard to get, eh? I can respect that. Soon enough, you’ll come around, begging me to take you back.”

17

Mata Nui took a step toward Metus, obviously not amused by the suggestion. Metus took a step back.

18

“Okay, that’s a joke. You’d never beg. Heh, heh… I’m going now.” Metus turned and rushed out of the shelter. Ackar laughed at the sight, and after a moment, Mata Nui joined him.

19

“So, stranger, what are your plans?” asked Ackar.

20

“I must begin searching for a way back to my homeland.”

21

“Which is…?”

22

“You will think it sounds crazy…”

23

“No crazier than jumping into an arena armed with only a stinger tail and that thing,” Ackar said, gesturing toward the scarabax perched on Mata Nui’s shoulder.

24

“True. My home is far from this place… on another world entirely,” said Mata Nui. “I was once its protector, until I lost everything to a powerful evil that has enslaved my people. That is why I must find a way back.”

25

A blue-armored Glatorian suddenly sprang from the shadows near the door, startling them both. “I knew it! Woo-hoo! Proof! Proof of what I’ve been saying for years!” shouted the newcomer.

26

“Kiina —!? What are you —!?” Ackar snapped. “This is not the place!”

27

Their visitor was female. She was tall and wiry, and looked as if she would be a formidable foe in a fight. Right now, though, she was either extremely happy or completely insane; Mata Nui wasn’t sure which. And he wasn’t in the mood to take chances. Mata Nui went for his weapon.

28

“Just who is this?”

29

Ackar reached out to restrain Mata Nui. “Wait, she’s —”

30

The female Glatorian came right up close to Mata Nui. “Name’s Kiina. A Glatorian. One of the best. And you just won me a lot of bets.” She turned to Ackar. “‘Kiina’s delusional. There’s no such thing as other worlds.’ Yeah, well, he proves there are!”

31

Ackar gently guided Mata Nui’s arm down, so that his sword was pointed at the floor. “It’s okay. Although I don’t always agree with her methods — such as lurking in the shadows — as Glatorian go, Kiina ranks. I’d trust her with my life… and have, more than once.”

32

Mata Nui looked from Ackar to Kiina. He still thought she was unbalanced, but if she was a friend of Ackar’s… well, he had to take his allies where he could find them now. “Good to meet you, Kiina,” he said.

33

The scarabax on his shoulder clicked its approval. Kiina looked at the insect with undisguised revulsion. “So what they’re saying is true?” she asked Ackar.

34

Ackar nodded.

35

She turned back to Mata Nui. “Let me guess. You call him ‘Click,’” she said, more than a little sarcasm in her voice.

36

The scarabax, as if sensing her contempt, lashed out with a pincer and clicked angrily. She took a step back. “Hey, I was just kidding.”

37

Mata Nui smiled. “Actually, I like it. Click it is.”

38

Kiina walked in a wide circle around Mata Nui, checking him out from every angle. She had always dreamed of meeting someone from another planet. Somehow, though, she had thought they would look less like the other Glatorian she knew. It was an exciting moment just the same.

39

“Wow — a real other-worlder,” she said. “Finally, someone to convince the Agori there’s a better place than this miserable wasteland.”

40

Ackar frowned. He considered Kiina a good friend, but he also knew she could be selfish. He didn’t want to see Mata Nui used. “He needs our help, Kiina. I owe him,” he said.

41

Kiina looked right at Mata Nui. “Help, huh? I might be able to do something for you. But I’m going to want something in return.” She moved closer, her helmet practically touching Mata Nui’s mask. “I want out of this dump. You have to take me with you.”

42

“Kiina…” said Ackar, shaking his head.

43

“It’s all right,” said Mata Nui. He studied Kiina for a moment, then said, “If it’s within my power, I will take you. But the time to help my people is running out.”

44

“No problem,” Kiina said, smiling. “I work fast.”

45

“What do you have in mind, Kiina?” asked Ackar. He didn’t know of any way to get off Bara Magna.

46

“Well, I discovered an enormous cavern under my village. It’s filled with weird, ancient equipment and tools. It might have something you can use. Word of warning, though… She pointed an armored finger at Mata Nui. “Don’t even think of pulling a fast one — ’cause you’re my ticket out of here.”

 

47

Whose bright idea was this again? Kiina asked herself. She, Ackar, and Mata Nui were in a borrowed dune chariot, on their way to the water village of Tajun. It was dawn.

48

Traveling in daylight was not Kiina’s idea of a good time. It didn’t take long for the temperature to soar in the desert of Bara Magna. If the vehicle kept running, they would make it to the village before high sun. But dune chariots were notoriously unreliable — and this one looked to be patched and repaired a dozen times over. She would have been happier riding her sand stalker, but the animal was ill.

49

Heat wasn’t the only worry. There was no cover out in the middle of the trackless wastes. Granted, the savage Vorox would be more likely to hunt at night, but in full sunshine, Bone Hunters could see potential victims coming a mile away.

50

Of course, there is some good news, thought Kiina. You can see them, too.

51

Mata Nui pointed toward a canyon up ahead. “Is the cavern in that canyon?”

52

Kiina shook her head. “No. It’s near Tajun, my village, just beyond that canyon.”

53

Ackar wasn’t listening. His eyes were scanning the horizon, looking for threats. It had not been that long ago that Bone Hunters had attacked Vulcanus, and Skrall had sacked the free city of Atero. No place on Bara Magna was safe, least of all the wastelands between villages.

 

54

Had he been able to see what was going on behind him, Ackar would have been even more worried. Shortly after their departure from Vulcanus, an Agori slipped out of the village. Making his way up into the rocks, he ran into two Bone Hunters on their rock steeds.

55

Bone Hunters were an unusual breed. Distantly related to the rock tribe of Roxtus, they were nomadic bandits. They lived in the desert, surviving on stew made from the Thornax plant — and whatever they could steal. They were excellent trackers and unafraid to go after prey even in the worst heat of the day. Normally, they robbed and killed their victims. Lately, they had begun kidnapping Glatorian, for reasons unknown.

56

Under ordinary circumstances, an Agori who encountered a Bone Hunter would scream and run. But these weren’t ordinary circumstances, and this Agori was right where he had planned to be.

57

“The Glatorian are heading for Tajun,” he told the two riders. “You know what to do.”

58

The two Bone Hunters glanced at each other. They weren’t used to taking orders from villagers. Agori were for robbing, after all. But it had been made clear to them that this Agori’s word was to be obeyed. So they grunted something close to a “yes” and rode off.

59

The Agori watched them go. He didn’t trust the Bone Hunters — what sane being would? — but he needed them. Left on their own, they were a dangerous element, unpredictable and wild. But bribed with weapons and water, they could be “tamed” and used. And once they were no longer useful…

60

He smiled, then, a little smile with no cheer in it. Then he turned back to Vulcanus. He couldn’t let his absence be noticed by anyone, not when he was so close to achieving his goals. So it was time to go back to playing the role of trusted Agori: a little eccentric, maybe, but all in all, a good being to have around. And all the while, he would be laughing inside at the thought of what waited for the fools of the fire village.

 

61

“I don’t like this,” said Ackar. “It’s the perfect place for an ambush.”

62

The dune chariot had reached the mouth of the canyon. Places like this made the red-armored Glatorian wary. It hadn’t been that long ago that he had helped set up an intricate series of traps in Iron Canyon for a Bone Hunter raiding party. All the skill of the bandits had not helped them at all in a place where they were stuck on a narrow path, being picked off by Glatorian hidden among the rocks above.

63

“Please,” said Kiina. “Even Bone Hunters aren’t stupid enough to take on three Glatorian.”

64

This, of course, was a lie, and she knew it. With the element of surprise on their side, Bone Hunters would try almost anything. But she didn’t want Mata Nui to get nervous and decide he wanted off this ride.

65

Ackar knew exactly what she was doing, and he wasn’t planning to let her get away with it. He owed Mata Nui. If they were going to expose him to danger, he had a right to know what kind and how nasty things were likely to get.

66

“They’re getting bolder,” he said to Kiina. There was an edge in his voice that said, Watch it, I’m on to you. “Skrall, too. In the past few months, they’ve seemed to know our every move before we make it.”

67

“True,” Kiina conceded. “But don’t worry. It’s not like we’ve got much worth stealing. Well… maybe Mata Nui does.”

68

The scarabax beetle sitting on Mata Nui’s shoulder clicked its pincers in enthusiastic agreement.

69

“I was talking about his blade, bug face,” Kiina snapped at the beetle, and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m talking to an insect.”

70

Mata Nui did not crack a smile. “In my experience, when an enemy knows too much, it can only mean one thing: You have a traitor on your hands.”

71

Ackar nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. But who?”

72

A low rumbling sound filled the air. The ground beneath the chariot began to shake violently. Then the rumbling became a roar as, up ahead, the earth buckled and heaved.

73

“I think we have a bigger problem!” Kiina yelled.

74

The ground exploded. A massive crimson creature rose up on four great legs and let out an earsplitting roar. Mata Nui had never seen anything like it. It was at least forty feet tall, part animal and part machine. Its legs sported massive treads and ended in vicious claws. Sharp pincers extended from both sides of its jagged mouth. When it took a step, the earth shook — and the chariot was headed straight for it.

75

“Skopio!” shouted Ackar. He had seen this creature once before, from a distance. Getting this close to one was something he could have lived without.

76

“We should turn back,” said Mata Nui.

77

“Can’t,” Ackar said, pointing behind the chariot. “They’re even deadlier.”

78

Mata Nui turned. A group of black-armored riders mounted on reptilian creatures were riding across the sands in pursuit of the chariot. Each held a sword aloft in the air and shouted war cries as they rode.

79

“What are they?” asked Mata Nui.

80

“Bone Hunters,” Ackar answered, “and a lot of them.”

81

“My village — there’s another Glatorian there,” said Kiina, leaning forward in the driver’s seat. “We just have to make it there!”

82

Kiina turned the wheel and aimed the chariot at the narrow gap between the Skopio’s left foreleg and the canyon wall. The creature’s eyes narrowed and it whipped its leg to the side, blocking the vehicle. Kiina yanked on the wheel, sending the chariot into a skid right in front of the beast.

83

“Hang on tight!” yelled Kiina.

84

The Skopio slammed its right foreleg into the sand, missing the chariot by centimeters. Kiina drove it up the side of the canyon wall. The beast swung again — and missed. Kiina vaulted the chariot off the wall and over a dune. But she wasn’t quite fast enough. The Skopio landed a glancing blow, sending the chariot tumbling end over end and hurling the three occupants onto the sand.

85

Ackar and Mata Nui rolled to their feet, weapons drawn, facing the oncoming Bone Hunters. “Help Kiina,” Mata Nui said to Ackar. “I’ll draw the beast away from you.”

86

“Good luck,” said Ackar, dropping into a crouch to await the first attacker.

87

Mata Nui glanced down at Click. “Are you ready?”

88

The beetle snapped its pincers together in response. Then there was a bright flash as it transformed once more into a mighty shield. Mata Nui charged toward the Skopio.

89

Behind him, Ackar and Kiina were both locked in battle. Kiina parried a Bone Hunter’s sword with her staff, looking for an opening. When she saw the Hunter drop his guard, she struck, landing a solid blow with her weapon and hurling him from his rock steed. Two more Bone Hunters closed in. Kiina moved like quicksilver, keeping her enemies off-balance with sweeping kicks.

90

Nearby, Ackar was surrounded, fierce but outnumbered. Fighting mounted warriors on foot is a losing game, he thought. So it’s time to even the odds a little.

91

A Bone Hunter rode down on him, sword flashing in the sunlight. Ackar blocked the Hunter’s blade with his own. As the Bone Hunter drew back to strike again, Ackar launched himself into the air and landed a solid kick, knocking the Bone Hunter out of the saddle. The Glatorian landed atop the rock steed and urged it forward.

92

Up ahead, Kiina was hard-pressed in a fight against a bigger, stronger Bone Hunter. Ackar rode toward her, battling the Hunters on either side of him. As soon as he drew close to the canyon wall, he hurled himself from the saddle, somersaulting in the air — once, twice, three times. He came out of the move feetfirst, slamming into Kiina’s opponent and knocking him senseless. Now Kiina and Ackar stood back to back as the Bone Hunters closed in.

93

Mata Nui was having problems of his own with the Skopio. Its attention was now fully focused on him, which was what he wanted. Its blows were coming dangerously close to landing, though, and Mata Nui had learned at least this about his new body: It grew tired. And if he slowed down even a step, the Skopio would finish him.

94

The great beast, meanwhile, was growing impatient. It was time to crush this golden-armored pest. The Skopio concentrated, triggering the mechanical Thornax launcher built into it ages ago. With a hiss of hydraulics and a metallic hum, the launcher rose from the creature’s back and locked into place. Taking aim at Mata Nui, the Skopio fired.

95

Mata Nui stopped dead. For just a moment, he watched the beast’s transformation in disbelief. That delay almost cost him his life, as he barely got his shield up in time to take the brunt of the blast. Even with its protection, he was still knocked off his feet. The Skopio advanced, lifting a clawed leg into the air, ready to crush him. Mata Nui rolled to dodge the blow, landing neatly in a crouch. This time, he’d be ready for the Skopio’s next attack.

96

Behind him, he heard the sound of Kiina’s voice. “Ackar!” she said. “We’re finished unless we can make it to my village.”

97

“Try and get to the chariot,” Mata Nui yelled to the two Glatorian. “I have an idea.”

98

When the Skopio swung a leg at him again, Mata Nui didn’t try to move aside. Instead, he launched into the air and grabbed onto the leg. As the Skopio drew its limb back, Mata Nui was pulled high into the air. When he was at the same level as the monster’s head, Mata Nui jumped off the leg and landed on the Skopio’s back.

99

It took Mata Nui only a moment to figure out the controls for the mounted Thornax launcher. Aiming at the Bone Hunters menacing Ackar and Kiina, he fired. The blast scattered the Hunters like grains of sand before a fierce wind. Ackar and Kiina took advantage of the opening to run for the chariot. Bone Hunters who pursued them were met by another devastating Thornax blast, courtesy of Mata Nui.

100

Angered by its unwanted rider, the Skopio whipped its stinger tail forward, knocking Mata Nui off his perch. He twisted in midair and managed to land on his feet on a high ledge. Down below, Ackar and Kiina had reached the vehicle and were speeding toward the Skopio, hoping to slip underneath the creature. Mounted Bone Hunters galloped close behind.

101

Mata Nui drew his sword and plunged it into the rock beneath his feet. The power of the blade split the stone, sending half of it tumbling down the mountainside. It struck other boulders, knocking them loose. Soon, the whole mountainside seemed to be moving, stones careening down in a huge rockslide.

102

Kiina heard the sound of the avalanche and saw the first rocks strike the sand up ahead. “This is going to be close!” she yelled to Ackar, pushing the chariot to full speed. The metal frame of the vehicle shook violently, bolts snapping off and flying in every direction.

103

Spotting a gap barely large enough for the chariot, Kiina aimed right for it. The vehicle shot through it and onto open sand just as the rain of rock brought the Skopio down with a tremendous crash. The Bone Hunters weren’t so lucky — they were under the creature as it fell, buried beneath its body and a ton of rock.

104

As they neared the mouth of the canyon, Kiina allowed herself a relieved sigh. Then she suddenly realized someone was missing. “Hey, where —?”

105

Ackar pointed off to the east. “There!”

106

Kiina saw him now, too. Mata Nui was surfing down the side of the mountain on his shield, vaulting over outcroppings as if he had been doing it all his life. One particularly large rock sent him high into the air. He somersaulted, grabbing his shield and spinning into an upright position just in time to land on the hood of the chariot.

107

Ackar laughed. “Gutsiest move I’ve ever seen.”

108

“Woo-hoo! Those Bone Hunters are going to be eating Skopio belly for weeks,” Kiina said, smiling broadly. “Not bad, other-worlder.”

109

Ackar’s grin abruptly vanished from his face. He laid a hand on Kiina’s arm, as if to steady her against a shock. She glanced at him, then up ahead — and that’s when she saw it.

110

A plume of black smoke rose from the nearby oasis. Flames shot through the cloud of ash and soot. As they drew nearer, Kiina could hear the sound of shelters collapsing, sand stalkers screeching in fear and pain, and something even more chilling: the war cries of Skrall.

111

Tajun was burning.