The storm was loud, and the thunder louder. Yet one sound drowned out all the rest-- Lah the Raptor let out a sonic screech into the air as he positioned himself to pounce. Toa Hana readied herself all the same as the Hunters dispersed and fled from the main street of the Hunter's Lodge.
In a matter of seconds, three more Raptors joined Lah from behind as all four of them ran towards Hana at frightening speed. The four on one fight was full of close calls. Lah's bladed claws clashed with Hana's claymore as if Lah had dual wielded swords. The numbers’ advantage spoke for itself-- the four Raptors' attacks were in sync, catching Hana's open spots every few seconds. Hana was weakening by the minute.
A mere minute had passed since Lah first charged at Hana. Sensing she wouldn't last any longer, Hana let go of her calm demeanor and guarded against a charging Raptor with her blade as a shield. Another Raptor backed up. And another. All four Raptors were pressing Hana into a game of strength.
"Gotcha!" Whispered Hana, as electricity began to spark from the hilt of her claymore. Sensing the trap, Lah jumped away, as Hana pushed the three Raptors, launching them in the air. With one stroke, Hana swung at all three Raptors with a heavily charged blade, sending them flying into a lodge, the force reducing it to a pile of rubble. As she dropped to one knee to catch her breath, Hana's electricity faded from her blade.
"Impressive!" Declared the Guardian of Ce-Wahi, mockingly applauding Hana. "Two, fall back. Six, take the wolves and finish this."
"With pleasure, sire." A smiling Six snarled as he leapt onto a Sabretooth Wolf and charged at Hana, with the other two following close.
"Bring it… on…" Struggling to get back on her feet, Hana readied her blade nonetheless, as her breaths grew deep and heavy. The roaring wolves and Six's war cry were met with a loud boom and a cloud of smoke. Hana's eyes grew wide as she turned around to see the source.
"Fire again!" Yelled out an Agori, commanding his brothers and sisters who were manning cannons and readying crossbows. "Get them off her!" He ordered as he slammed ammunition into his own weapon.
"Tch. Wretched Hunters." The Guardian scoffed, and launched spears at the Hunters. In the blink of an eye, monkey Rahi jumped around catching the spears. A squad of lavahawks descended from the stormclouds, attacking Six and the Sabretooth Wolves. The Rahi were backing Hana!
Guess you're not the only support. Thank you all. Hana collected her thoughts as she stood firm, staring down the Guardian across the street. The void between them once again filled with thunder and rain, and now, the sounds of screeching Rahi and proud Hunters.
"There are other ways to command respect, Toa. I see now. You oppress and enslave to maintain order. You're not worthy of the title of Toa!" Hana roared, pointing at the Ce-Wahi Guardian. The Guardian stood silent as his cloak rode the violent winds. His movements were measured as he began to slowly walk towards Hana, his stance showing him completely unphased by her accusations.
"You don't even respect your own allies! You call them by numbers? 'Two'? 'Six' Where's One, you coward?" Hana mocked the Guardian, returning his attitude as she struggled to stay on her feet.
The Guardian didn't slow down his pace. Ever calmly, he unsheathed two swords from his waist and muttered four words from under the hood that sheltered two increasingly angry, glowing red eyes--
"You're looking at him."
At lightning speed, Hana and the Guardian charged at each other, crossing blades, with gold and bright blue sparks shooting out of each metal clash. The battle between the two Toa was frantic, each motion wild and near impossible for the Hunters around them to follow. The power at which they swung blades thundered like a splitting mountain - deafening in every strike. The Toa were matched in raw power, but Hana was exhausted. With every new swing, the Guardian seemed to be one step ahead, each of her strikes perfectly parried by his own, even when she thought she’d break his resolve.
"Getting tired, hero?!" He growled as he backed away, swinging his blades in a grandiose display of power.
"Dream on, traitor!" Snapped back the proud Toa of Lightning, between desperate gasps for air.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Copy that, Six."
"Not one bit of regret. How have you changed this much?"
"Shut up, Coryia. Your words do not sway me." Four tried too hard to be as cold as his ally Six. His facade of surety was swiftly cracking, and Coryia could tell. Was she close to getting it through to him?
"Oh, cut it out, you idiot! You're better than this! This isn’t you! This never was you!"
Coryia’s plea for Rivus to come to his senses was met by a kick to her side from Five, knocking her over. Five dragged Coryia by the chain towards a group of cages.
"What are you doing, Five?" Asked Four, clearly shook.
"You heard Six. The bait has done its job." Five replied through a sick smile while still dragging Coryia by the chain, without even looking at Four. "Hey, Four. Check it out. Three's new project is finished." Five said, urging Four to look on as he opened a cage. "The Nui Raptor."
A winged beast with a long neck and shining claws stomped its way out of the cage, sniffing around as if it was looking for something. It twitched with barely-concealed rage, its tiny eyes darting across the room, searching for any kind of target.
"We haven't fed him since the alterations. I'm ready for a show. Are you, Four?" Five let out a sinister chuckle as he yanked Coryia by the chain.
"No… No… Please! Don't do this! Rivus, please!" Coryia's cries echoed throughout the warehouse… and throughout Four's head, as he trembled at the thought of his old friend dying in such a gruesome manner. She cringed and backed away as the Nui Raptor began to sniff the crying Agori bound in chains, grumbling with hunger.
Four could no longer control his trembling. He looked up, with a determined face, and gripped his blade.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ugh!"
With a ground-shaking thud, Hana crashed into the ground after a powerful blow from both the Guardian’s blades at once. As her gaze shot over to gather her surroundings, she saw the Hunters, wrangling the Sabretooth Wolves and cutting wires that jut out of their skin. As her head whipped around, she saw Six, unconscious on the ground, the same awful stuff that leaked from Coryia pooling beneath him as he was buffeted by the rain. She snapped back towards the Guardian with terrified eyes, struggling to get a handhold as she realized how dire the situation truly was.
"This has dragged on long enough, Toa!" The Guardian shouted through the rain. He tossed the blades in the air, making them dance as he did before. He lowered his head as his mask glittered in the rain, ready to strike, but was interrupted by a voice coming from his wrist device.
"Ce-Wahi Guard! This is an emergency! All personnel report to Fe-Koro immediately!” A hoary voice barked through a tiny speaker, causing the Guardian to snarl in contempt.
"Copy." The Ce-Wahi Guardian muttered into his wrist, lowering his swords and turning to Hana. "Next time, you won't be so lucky, sister." With an errant flick of his wrist, one blade jabbed into her armor, nailing her into the floating stone. The pain shot through her like electricity through the air, and she shrieked in pain. Without a second thought, he sheathed his free blade and turned, rushing off into the night.
"Don't… c-call me… that…" Hana stuttered, wincing in pain as her involuntary jerks twisted the blade in her. She wanted to chase after him, to finish the fight, but she knew there was nothing she could do.
In no time, the Guardian had disappeared into the dark forest amidst the storm. Looking on in a mix of agony, despair, and relief at the ruined village and its inhabitants fighting off the beasts, Hana slumped into the cold stone, her consciousness swiftly slipping away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Rivus…"
Five's helmet crashed onto the metal floor, rolling to a stop as his limp body fell. Four sheathed his blade and rushed to the Raptor's cage, angrily shoving the angry beast back in and slamming the door to its cage shut. Once it was biting at its cage, hoping to break out, he turned back to Coryia, hastily undoing all of her restraints as his hands shook.
"Coryia. Run. Three and the others will be here soon. I'll cover your escape." Four ran to a control panel to open the large trap door leading to the forest. "Don’t let anyone know you’re gone."
"I knew you were still in there somewhere." Coryia nodded to her friend as she stepped towards the exit. "Come see me again soon, okay?" She said with a sad smile as she leapt through to the forest floor below.
As Four turned around, intending to distract Three upstairs, he was met by a blade’s blunt end against his chest. Looking up, he saw two familiar glowing red eyes under a hood. He shrunk in terror as the Guardian lifted him, holding him up in the air without a finger. "If you want to run this outpost so bad, then be my guest." He snarled, looking down at Four’s shivering form.
With one powerful mental thrust, he was slammed against the wall, and the door to the Raptor’s cage that was shut moments before swung open. "I’m sure you and this beast will come to some sort of agreement." He turned to Three, who was swiftly following the Guardian down the stairs.
"W-What now, sire?" He said, watching as Four cowered in terror as the beast stepped towards him, before looking back to the angry Guardian.
"Prepare transportation. We make for Fe-Koro."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shooting out of a wooden bed, Hana awoke, caressing her bandaged sides and wrist. She looked to her side to see an old friend greeting her with a smile.
"Glad you're safe, Hana."
"My injuries… did you-" Hana said clearly in disbelief.
"Favor for favor. Welcome back to the Lodge, Toa Hana." Coryia cut Hana off with a smile. "You look spry enough to walk. Come on out with me."
Making their way out of the lodge, Coryia showed Hana around the village, where the Rahi were roaming around freely as the Hunters watched, clearly growing accustomed to their ghoulish modifications having been removed. "I'm taking command here, since Baldrix…" She trailed off for a moment, before picking back up. "We have a lot of work to do now. There are repairs, animals, Rahi... but you’ve made it easier for us, at least for now. Thank you for fighting for us, Hana." Coryia said, with a tinge of sorrow beneath her warm tone. The locals turned their gazes at Hana, with open helmets showing smiles and hopeful eyes behind masks. Hana was officially welcomed into the village.
"That reminds me," Coryia stopped and turned back to Hana. "You needed some machinery, right?"
"Yes. I need something that I can use to signal my fellow Toa from across the entire island." She said, curious.
"We scavenged these from the Rahi we rescued and from our old machinery. Perhaps they could be of some use to you? We have no power to spare, however." Coryia gestured to a small wooden shed full of metallic parts and old machinery used for transportation and crafting.
"Forgot who I am? I'm a Toa of Lightning. I can handle this." Hana said, as she knelt down to dig through the parts bin. Some of the villagers gathered around to help her, and soon enough, she held a messy device, with a lens pointed up towards the sky.
"Here goes nothing." Hana gently gripped the device, as electricity surged from her heartlight onto her arms, and into the machine. A bright blue light shot out towards the sky in a large burst, cutting through the clouds. She looked over excitedly to the Hunters, and nodded to Coryia.
Find me, brothers. Hana thought. We’re not alone.
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