Bionicle, Legend of Earth - CH 10 - Nature's Wrath

The Fau swamp is a dangerous path to traverse. The Bahki could not delay. As much as they feared entering the swamp, they feared their Master's wrath far more. The Toa had their hands bound with thick rope; those who were still unconscious were carried or dragged through the murky swampland. They could try to escape if they wished, although the Bahki's numbers were more than enough to overpower them. Without their weapons the Toa wouldn't last long. Unbeknownst to the Bahki though, they were leading the Toa exactly where they wanted to go. With luck, they thought, they should be lead right to Shadow.

The Bahkis' grief from the swamp was clear. The soft ground was challenging to traverse and the Bahki's thick feet struggled to free themselves from the bog. The Toa however were much more nimble. Out of spite, one Bahki pushed Kongu forward towards a thick puddle. He landing face first in the muck, giving the Bahki a much needed moment of laughter. Kongu scraped the swamp water from his mask and stood up; he felt every ounce of his strength in his body preventing himself from strangling the Bahki to death. It would be easy, and he would revel in seeing the heartless beast's neck slowly crumple inwards. Any force now though would result in further beatings from the rest.

The land was no longer clear. Great trees now surrounded the Toa and the Bahki horde as they drew ever closer to Shadow's domain. The Toa's captivity was about to come to an end though as Toa Kongu knew all too well the Rahi that dwelt in this land. He knew that they were heading straight towards a trap.

"Watch your step guys." Kongu whispered to the group hoping that the Bahki wouldn't hear him.

Andrew turned his gaze towards the floor, as did Tom. It seemed safe enough at first apart from the slippery floor of the bog, but something stirred in their peripheral vision. Something was moving below them, slithering across the Swamp; the inhabitants had been woken.

Some Bahki had also noticed the floor moving below them. One stamped at it to make whatever Rahi that was following them leave, big mistake. The creature itself crawled out of the water and lunged at the Bahki. It sunk its long, red syringe-like fang into the Bahki's leg. Screeching enough to give Andrew and Tom a headache, The Bahki grabbed its leg and fell backwards into the bog, splashing the Toa with the fowl ooze. The Bahki's screech lowered as the creature's poison took its toll. The Bahki horde swept the floor frantically with their weapons whilst also trying to keep the Toa in their sights. Swords splashed through the bog and further muck was thrown into the air as the horde's snarls flooded the air.

"The whole place is infested with Bog Snakes!" Kongu warned the group. Turaga Matau had also discovered the dangers of this area when he himself was a Toa.

The group was encircled by the serpents. One bite to a weak area of armour is all it took and they would be doomed. It was now or never, they had to escape the Bahki before they lead them through yet more treacherous lands.

"Hewkii!" Jaller shouted. Hewkii grabbed the electrified chain attached to his back and used it as a garrotte to strangle his Bahki captor. Before the Bahki could react, Hewkii used the chain to twist the Bahki round and smash him into his nearby allies. The Toa were free at last and the Bahki were now lying in the muck or distracted by the serpents that now bit at anything they could grasp with their fangs.

"Keep away from the water!" Kongu instructed the group.

"One last thing to do." Takanuva said as he faced the largest Bahki amongst them. He was twice the height of a Toa and wore a large, dark Brown sack that sealed the Toas' weapons away from them. With brute strength the large foe tried to crush the shiny Toa who bounded over him at just at the right moment. The Toa had gone. Totally confused the stupid creature searched around him. Takanuva hung on for dear life as the Bahki he clung to searched the Swamp. He pulled at the sack to tear it open, but the Bahki felt him in time. He grasped the Toa and flung him into the water. The beast stomped at Takanuva who was still too quick even whilst covered in half the swamp.

Kongu flew over the top of the Huge Bahki in an attempt to rip the bag open himself but the creature simply waved his arms as if to swat him like a fly. Takanuva stood back up and ran for cover with Andrew and Tom who were talking shelter from the snakes behind a rotten log. Takanuva wiped the muck off his mask with his forearm.

"We can't stop him. I'm useless without my spear." Takanuva told them.

The other Toa fought the Bahki that panicked around them or attempted to bring the Huge Bahki down. Around them the Swamp had turned to utter chaos.

"Listen as I curse us all, how could this get any worse?" Andrew joked.

The stump shattered as Jaller was flung through it. The boys and Takanuva splashed into the swamp water around the log to avoid him.

"Andrew! Stop saying that you… complete… moron." Tom took a pause between his words to punch Andrew in the arm.

"That wasn't the Bahki." Takanuva told the boys as he moved to help Jaller.

The Bahki were now fleeing towards them. Behind them even more fearsome foes approached.

"Nui-Jaga!" Hahli yelled. The group were being charged by gigantic scorpion-like creatures. They were armed with huge, metallic pincers and electric stingers that hung down towards their backs, almost as if they were staring at the Boys before pouncing. Each was about the size of a large car, and very angry. They preyed on the Bog snakes that lived in the area, and they saw the Toa and the Bahki as a threat to their food supply. The bogs snakes fled into the ground or further into the swamp. Some Nui-Jaga grabbed at them to feed whilst others tore the Bahki apart.

Things were desperate, the Toa either got their weapons back at that moment or they all died. Takanuva, Jaller and Andrew ran at the large Bahki. Tom however didn't move. His Silver mask began to glow just as Andrew's did back in the cave. Almost by instinct he walked towards the Nui-Jaga.

"What the hell is he doing!?" Andrew shouted at the group.

"He'll never survive!" Jaller warned them.

Takanuva was ready to run at him when the large Bahki Slammed his monstrous fist down at them. They had no choice but to dive out of the way and abandon Tom. A million thoughts went through Andrew's head. They were surrounded and unarmed and his best friend was walking to his doom. Where to go he had no idea. If he ever got back home by some miracle, how would he explain that Tom had been murdered by giant scorpions?

Tom's head was clear though. As he approached the slaughtering Rahi they stopped their charge as his mask did its work. Through the powers of his mask he spoke to them.

"We mean you and your people no harm. We have been held captive by these Bahki creatures. It was the monsters that they were mutated from them that destroyed your home. Please, if you help me and my friends we promise to bring justice and prosperity to you and your people.

Tom's mask was not only allowing him to speak to these impossible creatures, it was also calming them and partly persuading them, showing them all the reasons why they should obey. The leading Nui-jaga bowed to Tom and agreed. Tom was delighted, they were saved from the Nui-jaga and he had proved himself right that his mask power was way cooler than Andrew's! The Nui-Jaga didn't leave its bowing position. It pointed towards its back; it was offering Tom a lift!

Tired, filth-ridden and bruised the Toa fought on against the large Bahki. The sack was weakening and they could see their weapons through the newly made holes. Finally Jaller was able to tear the sack open and the Toas' weapons came tumbling out. Grabbing them as quickly as possible, the Toas' morale returned to them. The beast was brought down with continuous stabs and slices to its legs. One final blow to the temple ended its rage.

It was no time to celebrate however. Many Bahki were still willing to fight and were heading towards the Toa, including their leader. Readying their weapons the tired Toa prepared for another fight, but they were rewarded with a sight they did not expect. Tom led the Nui-Jaga in a charge atop their leader. The fifty-odd Bahki heard the scorpions behind them and turned to face their doom.

"Oh sh-" The Rahi obliterated the last of the Bahki. Limbs were thrown everywhere as the Toa dodged them.

Once again the swamp grew quiet. Tom stepped down from his steed and joined his brothers.

"You're alive! Kohlii head! You could have been Scorpion bones!" Andrew embraced his friend.

"Could have been, but I'm…"

"Are you sure you've never been here before?" Jaller interrupted Tom. Andrew and Tom shared in a pragmatic laugh.

Lying in the swamp, one Bahki still struggled and crawled away. That was until Takanuva stood on his arm.

"Arrgghh! When will you idiots give up and realise that you can't survive Shadow's retribution? When he has dealt with you, your human friends will be next!"

Kongu approached the taunting leader with his blade ready.

"When you threaten my friends you threaten my blade, and he doesn't take kindly to threats."

"Stand down Kongu, we need him." Takanuva warned him.

Kongu stood down with disappointment.

"Why on Mata-Nui would I help you?" Takanuva twisted his spear into the Bahki's wounded arm.

"No! I'll tell you what you want." The sound of the mechanics tearing apart in its arm was strangely cringe worthy for Tom and Andrew by now.

"Oh, we don't want you tell us anything. We want you to show us." Takanuva smiled at him.

"But he'll kill me!" The Bahki protested.

"Not before we do."

Takanuva pulled his new prisoner to its feet. He placed his spear to its neck and made clear that any attempt to escape would be swiftly ended. The rest of the Toa cleaned the swamp muck from their weapons and prepared to set out.

"Now tell me Bahki, where exactly is your master." Takanuva threatened him again with his spear.

"He's waiting for you in his tunnel beneath Kini-Nui. We built it before we were..." The Bahki hesitated.

"Before you were mutated. He formed you from Bohrok and Vahki didn't he? One designed to wipe the island clean of life and the other to protect it back on Metru-Nui. He even gave you personalities." Takanuva continued his sentence for him.

"Yes."

Jaller looked puzzled.

"To create personalities or souls for drones would require an unbelievably amount of power." Jaller spoke to the group. "Even the Makuta wouldn't be capable of that without some sort of foreign power source.

The Bahki decided to continue. "He has it. An ancient artefact and he's searching for the rest."

Takanuva was concerned by what the Bahki was revealing.

"The rest of what." He asked with fear brewing.

"An ancient horror. Like the one we discovered."

The Toas' worst fears were being realised. Shadow was more of a threat than anticipated.

"No more. No more…" The Bahki would not reveal anything else.

Takanuva stared into the eyes of the beast for a moment perplexed. He saw a monster, bred for nothing but carnage but when he looked past that he saw a victim.

"You hate your own existence. You hate what you are but you have been programmed to survive."

Without warning Takanuva ended the Bahki's life with a single thrust of his spear. With its chest pierced the Bahki's life drained away.

"Let your life of misery end, and may the misery of others die with it." Takanuva whispered.

The Toa were all filled with different emotions. Confusion, anger, and perhaps just a hint of pity.

"We continue onwards until we find this Shadow and put an end to him." Takanuva walked on towards the North. Leaving the Nui-Jaga and the body-filled swamp behind, the Toa pressed on to finally meet their new enemy face to face.