Bionicle Crossroads S2 pt. 5

Nepharus:”Do you see now?”

Nepharus:”Do you see the hubris and futility of your defiance? the illusions of the falsehood that you champion?”

Nepharus:”That by choosing this plane of existence you have only doomed yourself to a lie you may never find the truth to?”

Sylus:”Enough with the dialect, show yourself so I can make you eat those words!”

Nepharus:”Why do you refuse the gift we have set for you? through The Wyrm our lord, peace is possible, hope is attainable. none but then chosen few have to perish.”

Sylus:”What do you know about peace?”

Nepharus:”I am not here to destroy you…but to help you see.”

Nepharus:”I am here to rescue you from the trap you have trapped yourself in…I am here…to set you fre- auuugghh!

(the hollow voice is cut off from it’s decree, Nepharus’s body contorts in unnatural fashion as the real Makuta fights for control of his body)

Nepharus:”Sylus? it’s me Nepharus!”

Sylus:”Neph? that you?”

Nepharus:”It’s Nepharus you! (sigh) that’s not important right now and I only have a brief window to tell you so listen up!”

Nepharus:”That thing…I think it wanted to use you as a puppet back at the font, but when it couldn’t it settled for me instead!”

Sylus:”How are you speaking to me?”

Nepharus:”Telepathy, now- hhrrrgg! listen I can help you defeat…well me!”

Nepharus:”Whatever you did back there by puncturing my armor caused some of it’s essence to leak out and for me to take back some control, it’s a makuta just like me! but…different beyond old.”

Sylus:”So what do you want me to do won’t that drain your essence too?”

Nepharus:”I’ll be fine just let me help you with the hitting part, I’m going make myself with the control I have left to appear behind you, but your going to have to act fast because when I do It will regain control again.”

Sylus:”So I just have to attack you when you reappear?”

Nepharus:”Yes, hopefully my armor will be damaged enough for enough of the rouge essence to leave so I can take back control…and please hurry…It’s showing me things… unspeakably terrible things.”

(Getting up Sylus gazes out at the sunset, the battlefield had gone slient save for the tropical wind gently blowing through the single giant tree in the center)

(Remembering the exercise Lesovikk taught him, He brought his sword to the front of him breathing deeply and holding it in, he could feel the soft breeze start to turn into a harsh draft then into a turbulent storm inside of Excalibra)

(seconds, minutes, a full hour passed as the sun had begun it’s decent to the other side of the world, but Sylus held his ground perfectly still, waiting for the moment Nepharus said would be, soon a rift opened the possessed makuta stepping out)

(With a mighty shout Sylus unleashed the force of a cyclone into the makuta who was carried high into the sky before being smashed into the earth, continuously pummeled by the wind)

(When the storm finally subsided Nepharus lied unmoving, his armor covered in cracks and scrached up by stones picked up in the wind, his staff lay on one side and his mask had been knocked off his face)

Sylus:”Your done for…I win, now give the clown back his body.”

Nepharus:”Ah…so this is pain…a constant between worlds.”

Nepharus:”…The sweet sweet nectar of the unli-”

(A slash from Excalibra shatters the staff into pieces before Nepharus can reach for it)

Nepharus:”Impatient for my departure are we? a minor inconvenience for the vessel alone.”

Sylus:”Try anything and the business end of this sword is going somewhere I can’t show people watching this special.”

Nepharus:”You are aware of the world beyond the watching glass? intriguing you remind me of He-who-acts…just before you granted him eternal release…you have done something none have done before you forsaken child…you have surprised and impressed me.”

Sylus:”Don’t make me ‘impress’ my fist on you.”

Sylus:”Who are you really? why are you trying to convert me to your cult, and who is the Leviathan?”

Nepharus:”Two truths…two lies, before I return this decrepit vessel to it’s tarnished reality I will gift you what you seek;

“One;I…am…He-who-speaks, The plague bearer, I…am…Ahmvokahn, former elder of my kin and strongest of The Crown.”

“Two;To address the Abyssal King in such a casual manner is to disrespect him in the highest regard…but for the time you shall be forgiven for not knowing his name, The Devourer of Realms, the High Wyrm King of The Forever, The Scholar of the Deep Harmony, The Leviathan has many names, praise be…”

“Three;As I have stated before, our most gracious King has seen your potential, how you travel between the fabric of time as the vessel can attest to all to seek your fortune through unconventional means with ease… ease The Leviathan wishes to harness, you would make a most excellent disciple.”

“Four;The Prodigal is untrustworthy...”

Ahmvokhan:”I have imparted these truths onto thee as promised, farewell ‘Toa Sylus’ may we meet again soon…as teacher and student...”

Sylus:”Neph? Nepharus? you-you with me?”

Nepharus:”The things I saw…the things that demon showed me…beyond words at this point.”

Nepharus:”Why? why did you spare me? why didn’t you just destroy me with that monster?”

Sylus:”Because that’s not the toa way, I learned that the hard way back in a world ruled by Karzahni but Lesovikk taught me the real value of it.”

Sylus:”So I’ll let you decide what you want to do next, leave or stay it’s up to you…y’know We’re not so different from each other…we’re both outcasts and pariahs.”

Nepharus:”You know who I really am?”

Sylus:”No, just call it a hunch maybe you should tell me when we get back.”

Sylus:”Well I gotta get back and tell Lesovikk the good news stay safe out there and maybe we’ll meet again soon.”

Nepharus:”That toa hero…”

Nepharus:”…Maybe I judged you too harshly toa Sylus…you have changed.”

Nepharus:”And perhaps can I…Let’s do some good for once…”

Nepharus:”…By wrapping up some loose ends.”

(Nepharus taps into his chrono abilities and warps a short distance away as the sun turns the mountain range a bright golden color before dulling into night once again)

Lesovikk:”And you just let him go?”

Sylus:”He wasn’t himself, that thing on the summit called itself Ahmvokhan and that it was a servant to something it called The Leviathan, do you know what this Leviathan is?”

Lesovikk:”Ancient lore says it’s a bringer of end times, that a order of disciples that gathered to contain it became corrupted by the demon creature and became it’s proxys, The Crown of The Leviathan they call themselves, if one of these disciples is out here somewhere, that’s a sign things are going to get ugly, we need you to get out of here.”

Sylus:”But what about the rest of my training?”

Lesovikk:”Listen, this isn’t some crazed tyrant like your used to, that…makuta or whatever it used to be, is a serious threat and if it’s the same abomination from years ago, we can’t afford to lose anyone else with the Marendar still out and about.”

Sylus:”The…what?”

Lesovikk:”A story for another time, but since the way out of here was the ship you came in…which is at the bottom of the sea, we’ll have to find somewhere for you to stay.”

Sylus:”Wait, Nepharus…he can help us! He had to have gotten here somehow, and the way he teleports around…maybe I can ask him if he can teleport us out!”

Lesovikk:”Trusting a Makuta is a risky chance, are you sure you want to do this?”

Sylus:”Yes, He’s our only shot away from Ahmvokhan, He’s not like the other makuta I knew...especially that Makuta…”

Sylus:”A…Makuta from a newer…nevermind why are we out here?”

Lesovikk:”I just wanted to talk in private away from potential prying eyes…and to give you your final lesson, are you ready?”

Sylus:”More than ever.”

Lesovikk:”Very well, Before we return to the temple, let me show you this.”

Sylus:”What is it?”

Lesovikk:”You’ve never bumped fists with a fellow toa? it is a gesture of companionship and a sign that I am willing to call you…toa brother.”

Sylus:”This is the test? I thought we would be learning about…ice?”

Lesovikk:”Ice is the only art that I cannot teach you as I myself do not know it, but yes this fist bump is your final test, bump your fist with my own and you will be officially a toa in my eyes.”

Sylus:”I-I don’t know about this…Just because you see me as a toa does that mean others will believe me?”

Lesovikk:”Kid, I believe you got what it takes to prove to them your not a pushover and after you beat a disciple of the Leviathan back to where it came from, I’ll be damned if anyone even Tahu says otherwise.”

Lesovikk:”C’mon don’t leave me hanging as the new gen say? also it’s really hot out here and I kind of want to get to somewhere cooler.””

(Sylus bumps his fist against Lesovikk’s, a feeling of companionship and camaraderie, something He’s never felt before wells inside him.”

Lesovikk:”Well congrats you’ve learned all I could teach you at the time, but I have something more…material, back at the temple to commemorate your graduation, and I think your worthy of it.”

(A carrier craft lands nearby hailed by Lesovikk the pair embark onto the vehicle)

(The aircraft takes off iover mountain range back to the temple)

Sylus:”Hey wait a minute you own a aircraft?”

Lesovikk:”Yes, why?”

Sylus:”Well why can’t we just use this to get home?”

Lesovikk:”These ancient vehicles are not built for long range travel so you wouldn’t get a mile in them before running out of fuel.”

Sylus:”Oh…well it was worth a shot…”

(Later back at the temple Nepharus warps into existence, reality bending as he materialized into the now)

Nepharus:”Ok, time to make things right, now if I’ve set these coordinates right I’ll be just in time for…oh no.”

Lesovikk:”This is the warmaster’s belt, a symbol passed down to by veteran skrall warriors throughout generations, worn traditionally by the champion of the tribe, it may not have any elemental or otherwise magical properties but It’s always brought me good luck when I wore it, otherwise this is just a reinforced leather belt…”

Lesovikk:”well with the fancy stuff out of the way here…this is yours to keep.”

Sylus:”A lucky band of leather…huh well thanks I guess, why’d you stop wearing it? it seems like you would need it more than I do.”

Lesovikk:”You would be surprised how much a leather band can’t protect against bullets, but i’m still alive so that’s something to tell about right?”

Lesovikk:”So where do we find Nepharus?”

Sylus:”I mean he could be anywhere this is a pretty big-oh wait there he is.”

Nepharus:”I need to tell you something important! it’s about Ahmovs!”

Sylus:”Ahmvos? you mean Ahmvokhan? the freak who mind-controlled you and tried to convert me to his cult?”

Nepharus:”Ahmovkahn…I knew that name sounded familiar…He’s making a ritual to summon, Great Spirit knows what and I messed up my plan to stop it!”

Lesovikk:”Aside from rescuing that monster?”

Nepharus:”Yes! aside from that i meant to contact you in the future before Sylus returned from the mountain so we could find and disrupt his ritual, but I came too late.”

Nepharus:”But if we hurry…there may be still time to destroy his summoning circle and keep him trapped in his weaker state!”

Lesovikk:”And we should trust you why?”

sylus:”Because he can get us out of here! once he uses his ‘timey wimey’ powers we can go home!”

Nepharus:”My timey wimey powers?”

Lesovikk:”Sylus even If we could use his powers to escape we don’t know if he’s willing to help us, and even then his powers might not even work that way.”

Nepharus:”What the toa of air says is true, I can only take myself and one person through the timestream, but if it means we can stop Ahmvokhan from summoning whatever it is he’s trying to summon, then I’ll do it.”

Lesovikk:”Good, while Sylus seems to trust you I don’t, try anything suspicious and I’ll take that other arm off, are we clear?”

Nepharus:”Crystal.”

Sylus:”Now tell us where that ritual is going to be.”

Nepharus:”Yes the ritual is going to be in a opening in the rock formations on the beach a short ways from here.”

Nepharus:”When I was…possessed, I saw something like a circle of stones hidden behind some kind of cliff, that’s all I know about it.”

Sylus:”Hey that’s where Lesovikk and I trained a couple of days ago! If we’re working together we should shake on it!”

Nepharus:”What?”

Lesovikk:”Shake on it…(sigh) i’m a little weirded out by his lingo too, he wants you shake his hand as a sign of truce.”

Nepharus:”Oh ok I ‘shake on it’ with you as well…”

Sylus:”Alright cool! lets go crash this party!”

Nepharus:”But it’s a ritual not a party…”

Lesovikk:”Just…don’t question it.”

(The rock formation was quiet save for the sounds of sea birds and the lapping of the waves)

(Below on a secluded beach Ahmvos was standing quietly on the shore chanting in a unknown language, ritual components scattered around the area in a unorganized mess and the water becoming a murky green)

Lesovikk:”There he is! are we too late?”

Sylus:”He’s just standing there…what’s he doing?”

Nepharus:”Sounds like the ritual is just about complete, we may have already lost.”

Sylus:”Hey! you…you wanna play fair this time instead of getting other to do your dirty work?”

Nepharus:”I may have belong to a race of egotistical, prideful and spiteful once, but I can tell a Makuta from a distance and your no makuta!”

Lesovikk:”Just because your small and frail doesn’t mean your a easy challenge, I intend to hold nothing back either!”

(slowly the false turaga turned towards the onset of heroes and gave a mocking smile when a sickly black whirlpool rose from the depths)

(Ahmvos raised his arms to his sides as blackish green tendrils rose from the water and latched on to him dragging his tiny body into the sea)

Sylus:”Did he just? no…no it couldn’t have been that easy.”

Lesovikk:”Your right This has to be a trick of some kind be on your guard.”

Nepharus:”Uh, is it getting darker out or?”

(Ahmvos rose out of the tainted water, his limbs contorting and stretching, muscle and sinew snapping and falling off into black sea, in it’s place mold and decaying flesh grew to replace it)

Nepharus:”Ohhhhh noooo…that is not ok.”

(The mask he wore cracked and split in two, a horned and beaked kanohi mask breaking through his face underneath, blackish liquid dripping from the eyesockets, finally the body erupted as the true form of Ahmvokhan emerged from the carcass as it dropped uselessly into the pools of bile below, the disciple’s gaze turned to the trio below his yellowish eyes fixed on Sylus)

Nepharus:”This raises so many red flags! can we get out of here!”

Lesovikk:”Get Sylus to safety! I’ll hold this abomination off as long as possible!”

Nepharus:”B-but what about you? you’ll die fighting that thing!”

Lesovikk:”Don’t worry about me I’ve lived through things worse than this. now go!”

Sylus:”Neph what are you-?”

Nepharus:”Getting us out of here!”

(The sea churned and sputtered as a impossibly colossal creature descended from the clouds, it’s mass filling the entirety of the sky as far as the eye could see it let loose a roar that caused the land around it to crumble, Lesovikk flinched but continued his charge towards Ahmvokhan who stood calmly, arms open in embrace)

Nepharus:”Hallowheart village, twelve o clock, the twenty first, 3 2 1 GO!”

(The world around Sylus started to fade to black as the Leviathan consumed the world around him before he was dragged into the time stream with Nepharus, the disciple and master watching the entire time…)

<to be continued

(It had been over an hour and the thing the Marendar was shooting was showing no signs of slowing down, suddenly it’s gun clicked empty)

Refugee:”Please mr. robot don’t let him take us!”

Marendar:”/…/Affirmation;Success possibility at 67% WARNING temporal shift detected.”

Sylus:”We…made it?”

Nepharus:”Yes we’re still in one piece too thankfully now before we go to the village I have to warn you about…”

Nepharus:”The…oh there he is! my companion I would like to introduce you to my new friend Sy-”

Marendar:”/…/Toa energy detected!”

Marendar:”/…/Initiating extreme violence protocols!”

Sylus:”Ghhhggkk! a little help…please.”

Nepharus:”NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP!”

Nepharus:”He’s a friend of mine why are you trying kill him?”

Marendar:/…/Informative;”This unit was designed to eliminate any toa in the event of the ROUGE ELEMENTAL initiative.”

Nepharus:”What does that even mean?”

Marendar:”/…/Translation;”ROUGE ELEMENTAL/…/extermination all toa, that is my prime directive.”

Nepharus:”Oh my-and you never told me?”

Marendar:”/…/sympathetic response:”This unit was not capable of response during a unknown period of time, /…/blunt answer:”you never asked.”

Nepharus:”I could have sworn you were a bit different last time…but please…please put my friend down.”

Marendar:”/…/Negative:”Request declined, this unit-WARNING unknown life form detected.”

Marendar:”/…/Threat level;Nu exercise exterme caution!”

Karzahni:”Hello again Conjurer…my old friend.”

Karzahni:”Did you miss me?”

Karzahni:”Don’t be scared i’m not going to kill you…yet.”

Karzahni:”Do you like the ‘improvements’ I’ve made since our last encounter?”

Karzahni:”I’ve given myself a little…glowup… landing face first on a rock will do that to you, as for you, you look as terrible as I did.”

Karzahni:”Perhaps I should put a ‘smile’ on that mask, it did wonders for me! (Insane laughter)”

Sylus:”Kar-Karzahni?! how? it can’t be., your suppose to be dead!”

Karzahni:”(feigned gasp of surprise)Sylus! my old pal! I never thought I’d see you again!”

Karzahni:”We have so much to catch up on! like remember that time you made a wish to ruin everyone’s lives just so you could have a adventure to fix it all?”

Sylus:”Shut. up.”

Karzahni:”Or how about when you lied to everyone about being a hero when all you really are is a powerless, weak fraud trying to be someone? you still remember when you were one of my matoran?”

Sylus:”…”

Karzahni:”And now we have this pathetic rust heap trying to keep me from what’s mine, i’ve already taken most of them right under this tin can’s nose, get a load of these two.”

(The Marendar aimed it’s cannon at the madman’s head but he was quick to grab the barrel of the gun causing the robot to drop Sylus)

Karzahni:”As I was saying…pathetic.”

Karzahni:”I remember something I said long ago around the lines of ‘granting wishes and stuff’ but you know what?”

(In a feat of his supernatural strength Karzahni lifts the Marendar over his head with one hand and slams it down on the stones behind him)

Karzahni:”I’m tired of playing genie for everyone.”

Karzahni:”It’s my turn to have some fun!”

Karzahni:”And it starts with cracking you open like a clam!”

Sylus:”I don’t need a sword to beat you again and I certainly don’t need powers to do it again.”

Sylus:”Stand down or I’ll be forced to show you that I’m not some ‘matoran playing pretend’ anymore.”

Karzahni:”Not going to resort to violence? wow…you’ve really changed, weak...”

(Karzahni lurches himself off-screen where no one could reach him then he landed right behind the two remaining matoran onlookers)

Karzahni:”But that ‘ toa honor’ thing? it won’t get you far.”

Karzahni:”In this world honor is the first thing that dies among us you know this as much as I do, remember who made you in the first place.”

Karzahni:”Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got an ‘art project’ to finish, see you soon… (Crazed laughter)”

Nepharus:”Where is he going? what is he going to do to them?”

Sylus:”Horrible things…they may as well be already dead.”

Nepharus:”You’ve met him before?”

Sylus:”Met? we’ve known each other for a very long time, and I suppose I was wrong to think he would stay a memory for long, but I don’t remember his face being so…lively.”

Nepharus:”You can thank me for that, I encountered him awhile ago, he took my friend, Bisolia and I’ve been looking for her since.”

Marendar:”/…/Tracking…energy signature matches previous anomaly PRODIGAL, linking signature with GPS module…load complete, tracking mode engaged.”

Marendar:”/…/Primary objective; destroy all toa…on hold

Secondary given objective;protect the refugees…failed

Trinary objective engaged; rescue refugees…”

Marendar:”/…/Criteria for failure…unacceptable.”

Sylus:”…what just happened?”

Nepharus:”Well we teleported in the middle of a battle, my ffriend who I just found out is a toa killing robot, and the unhinged maniac from earlier said some things, stole my friends and now the killer robot is pursuing him.”

Sylus:”No I meant what just happened? like what is going o-”

(A beeping is heard from Sylus’s mask)

Nepharus:”What is that? where is that noise coming from?”

Sylus:”They must’ve bugged my mask too while I wasn’t looking, hmm, some kinda button here and…”

(A familiar voice echos back from the device)

The Shadowed One:”Welcome back…did you enjoy your little ‘vacation’? did you also enjoy crashing our only aircraft we had into the ocean? we would prefer you back here…now, so I can personally talk about your debt and how your actions have severely altered that deal, don’t keep me waiting.”

Nepharus:”He doesn’t sound happy.”

Sylus:”No…cause my life…”

Sylus:”Just got a lot harder…”

<to be continued

Sylus:”We’re here Shadowed One.”

The Shadowed One:”Good and you brought our culprit as well.”

Nepharus:”Culprit?”

The Shadowed One:”As I said due to your incompetence costing us our last remaining aircraft I would have normally had you killed on the spot the moment you entered this room, but recent events and findings have…changed my mind.”

The Shadowed One:”You see I try to maintain the age old traditions that have kept this organization alive for this long.”

The Shadowed One:”Absolute obedience is rewarded, and disobedience is met with instant termination usually death or worse.”

The Shadowed One:”But you…you fall within the in between for this, you have disobeyed my orders multiple times and yet you have also in your short time here solved many of our problems…”

The Shadowed One:”Take Tyrant over there for example, for years he has been a pain in our side, sabotaging our operations and burning our supply chains, we found his body under a slab of ice in the glacial plains and our spy network confirmed it was you who finally put him down, for that you have my partial respect.”

The Shadowed One:”No doubt you want your necklace back? then pass one more test and it will be yours.”

Sylus:”Does it have to do with killing someone?”

Sylus:”Because if it is I’m going to have to ask that you pick something else.”

The Shadowed One:”Oh ho has that exile put those ideas about ‘morales’ in you head while you were there? so naive…”

The Shadowed One:”Kill this traitorous worm and your debt will be repaid!”

Nepharus:”Me?! w-why!? what did I do?”

The Shadowed One:”Do?…no, associated with that war machine that has been destroying our supply lines for months?…yes, you thought just because you stole the corpse of one of our own and brought back our greatest warrior exempts you from my wrath? I know you have been seen with that ‘Marendar’ giving it orders to attack us…and that makes you a threat to us…one I intend to deal with right. now.”

The Shadowed One:”Either you kill him or you will join him choose your next choice carefully ‘toa’ I am not so forgiving as you think.”

Sylus:”No.”

The Shadowed One:”Is that so?”

(Immediately The Shadowed One cracked his staff across Sylus’s mask knocking him to the floor)

The Shadowed One:”Then I believe you know the punishment for defying a direct order.”

The Shadowed One:”You truly disappoint me, you had so much potential to be the perfect Dark Hunter, but instead you want to be the ‘good guy’ now, you cling onto a dead code of so called heroes.”

The Shadowed One:”You know what happened to them? they’re gone…gone and forgotten because they couldn’t adapt to the demands of the world! I will give you one last chance…kill the Makuta or else.”

Sylus:”You heard me the first time.”

The Shadowed One:”Then I don’t think I need to tell you what happens next...”

(The Shadowed One’s eyes glow brightly before two lethal laser beams narrow in on the prone toa)

(Sylus subconsciously raises his arm in the laser’s path and instead of disintegrating the beams deflect off the gauntlet in a bright light)

(Nearby a unfortunate worker matoran happened to be in the way of the beam as the The Shadowed One and Nepharus dodged out of the way, there was no scream in the instant the beam connected only a few items sat smoldering in the place where a matoran once stood)

Nepharus:”Oh great spirit…”

The Shadowed One:”What? impossible! how did…”

The Shadowed One:“Hmmm, interesting…”

The Shadowed One:”Very well…you may live a little longer…seeing as Tyrant is no longer a issue thanks to you your debt has been partially repayed, in fact I believe Gadget has something for you in the armory, also you should report back to Ancient, he has finally recovered and requested to review your training.”

Sylus…Yes Shadowed One…”

The Shadowed One:”And don’t think I haven’t forgotten about you, come here.”

The Shadowed One:”Take this weapon, you will be using this until you can find something for yourself.”

Nepharus:”Oh uh a gun… what does it do?”

The Shadowed One:”Do I need to tell you how a firearm works? you point and shoot, simple even for you.”

Nepharus:”If I may ask The Shadowed One, why are you so generous all of a sudden? why are you giving us equipment when you tried to kill us only a second ago?”

The Shadowed One:”Because I had forgotten we needed more recruits the details are not important and as of now, you are now one of us now, now get out of my throne room before I change my mind.”

<to be continued

Sylus:”Hey Ancient hows it going?”

Ancient:”Hail Sylus, The Shadowed One has already informed me of what to do from here.”

Ancient:”So you have some sort of secret power? care to explain?”

Sylus:”I don’t know how it keeps happening but its saved my life more than once.”

Ancient:”That is why we are here today, to test out this ability to it’s limits.”

Sylus:”And how are we going to do that?”

Ancient:”The old fashioned way, come on! try and hit me!”

Ancient:”Yes come at me! show me what your made of! by the way what happened out at sea? heard you lost the boss’s personal ship out there.”

Sylus:”Oh I might have pressed something I wasn’t suppose to then pressed something else…too many buttons.”

Ancient:”Well I’ve been recovering from our encounter with that robot a couple months ago got my jet boot fixed and reworked, that’s all you got!? otherwise everything has been slow, who’s the new guy anyways?”

Sylus:”Nepharus? he’s some makuta that I crossed paths with on my last mission he tried to kill me I tried to kill him back and now we’re friends, in the short run…It got crazy.”

Ancient:”Hmm I heard he did a job for the boss a long time ago when he wasn’t a walking corpse and a wannabe magician, too slow!”

Ancient:”I never really spoke with him but I remember his name was ‘Conjurer’ or something, all I remember is that he had disappeared one day into a rift, said he was going to get his wish granted by a genie, and then we never saw or heard from him again…until now.”

Ancient:”But I’m getting of topic…”

Ancient:”Lets see what you can do! and just remember…”

Ancient:”Try not to dodge these.”

(The airborne dark hunter powers up his automatic Rhotuka spinner and unleashes a barrage of spinners at Sylus)

(once again Sylus finds his arm move of it’s own accord to block several of the incoming projectiles)

Ancient:”What the..?”

Ancient:”Gaaahhh!!”

(Ancient is hit by one of his own spinners causing him to lose his physical coordination and come crashing down to the ground)

Sylus:”Hey are you alright?”

Ancient:”Urrrff…I’ll…be fine just took a bit of a fall.”

Sylus:”You need a second grandpa?”

Ancient:”Make another old joke and we’ll see how you like losing control of your limbs and falling from the sky.”

Sylus:”Ok geez sorry, but aside from that, It works alright but it feels like my arm wants to move or something and I don’t think it’s the augment.”

Ancient:”Makes sense, you were able to do that before you got that new arm, where did you get that power anyways?”

Sylus:”I…I think I know where but…I would rather not jump to conclusions right now, let’s test some more.”

(Later)

Sylus:”…Let me go over this again, you want me to stand here and let you hit me…with your fist?”

Ancient:”Yeah that’s the idea.”

Anicient:”We’ve tried everything except heavy weapons fire and physical attacks so lets start with the latter.”

Sylus:”Your going to hold back right?”

Ancient:”Going to hold back? no! i’m hitting you full force! this is going to hurt a lot unless you deflect it! now stand still and let me break your fac- I mean test this theory.”

Sylus:”Well ok…hope you know what your doing.”

Ancient:”Trust me kid…I do.”

Sylus:”Actually wait a minute I got a bit of snow in my…”

Sylus:”AAaaauurrraagggghhhh!!!!”

Sylus:”Ow… I’ll be feeling that later…so what’s the verdict?”

Ancient:”It doesn’t work for physical attacks…alright well that’s enough for today. let’s get some rest and prepare for briefing on the next contract boss wants you ready for this one on the double, the client has asked for you personally.”

Sylus:”Did they say how they were?”

Ancient:”No, just that they wanted to meet you and the new recruit for a very urgent request.”

Sylus:”Hopefully somewhere warmer…it’s freezing in here.”

Sylus:”Yo Nepharus! nice paint job on the mask you do it yourself?”

Nepharus:”You like the paint job? wasn’t my idea but I’m glad you like it.”

Nepharus“:Our client here has requested our help in dealing with a problem…a very big one.”

Sylus:”Alright nothing we can’t handle.”

???:”Oh I think it is something you can’t, not by yourselves, your the Dark Hunters He sent to help?”

Tahu:”I expected someone with more experienced not a wanna-be makuta and toa. rookie”

Sylus:”Tahu!? The Toa Tahu?! from the stories? It’s such a…a honor to finally meet you! I…I don’t know what to…”

Tahu:”I know who you are Sylus, Lesovikk told me about you and how you trained under him on the island, and what happened there.”

Sylus:”Oh uh…”

Tahu:”I don’t get it, what’s a outcast like him see in you? to me? your just a rookie who doesn’t know what he’s doing, prove to me that your more than just another one of The Shadowed One’s thugs and then we can talk some more.”

Sylus:”What’s the problem?”

Tahu:”The ‘problem’ your looking for is just beyond those rocks, I would take care of it myself but I expended all my energy trying to beat it, asking for the Dark Hunter’s help was a last resort, don’t make me regret it.”

Sylus:”Right then just tell us where to-”

Nepharus:”Found him! I’ll go scout ahead and take care of it myself!”

Sylus:”Wait Neph don’t!”

Tahu:”He’s not going to last a second against what’s down there!”

Sylus:”Let’s not waste anymore time let’s go!”

Tahu:”Especially not against that Makuta…if we don’t reach him in time.”

(Down by the creek Icarax waited, his quarry had escaped for now and it was only a matter of patience before…)

(Nepharus’s temporal waves disrupt the air around the creek, water drops float into the air and freeze before they revert back to liquid and drop back into the creek, icarax does not stir)

Nepharus:”I thought I was the last of my kind…that I wouldn’t find anyone else like me, but you…you…”

Nepharus:”Icarax…of all of the ones to survive, you should have died centuries ago!”

icarax:”likewise to you…traitor!”

Nepharus:”You don’t scare me anymore, lets finish this!”

Nepharus:”You never liked me, always went out of your way to make sure that I suffered to further your own ambitions, but enough! today i’ll make you pay for all those centuries ago!”

icarax:”foolish to assume you could defeat me now...”

icarax:”When you couldn’t even do so back then! naive…”

icarax:”And weak…you always were a forgettable nobody Nepharus.”

icarax:”…And now you will die as such!”

(Nepharus triggers his chrono powers to escape icarax’s blade, strangely enough icarax is able to move in the frozen time)

Nepharus:”Everyone! the target is a Makuta!”

Sylus:”Yeah we know Tahu told me everything before you blinked away without us!”

Nepharus:”But this isn’t a ordinary Makuta! something feels wrong, and I think it might be-”

Tahu:”Where is he now?!”

Nepharus:”I-I think I saw him in the-”

Nepharus:”Uuggh!”

Sylus:”That’s the Makuta?”

Tahu:”Yes I would be cautious they are not foes to be taken lightly, take him on the left side and i’ll get his right.”

Sylus:”You got it!”

icarax:”Pathetic…”

icarax:”You couldn’t even come close to defeating me…”

(Icarax delivers a shock to Tahu rendering him unconcious)

Tahu:”Uuuunnnnnnggh!”

Sylus:”He’s getting away!”

Nepharus:”I know! move out of the way I got him!”

Sylus:”Hey quit shoving I have him!”

Sylus:”uuuhhhhggg jeez…”

Nepharus:”Does this happen all the time to you?”

Sylus:”Not usually not like this…”

Nepharus:”My mask! I can’t fight without my mask!”

Sylus:”My mask! I can’t be seen without my mask!”

Nepharus:”Ah much better…wait this isn’t mine…”

Nepharus:”This thing is so tight! how do even take it off?”

Sylus:”Your mask smells like roses and vanilla ugh!”

Nepharus:”Do I want to know what those are?”

Sylus:”The Makuta is getting away with Tahu! lets use the Thornatus to catch up come on!”

<To be continued