Bionicle: The Return - Chapter 2: First Encounter

Bionicle Chapter 2: First Encounter

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It has been three hours since the meteor was first spotted. A team of ten Toa and ten Glatorian was organized, that will be led by Gelu and Lesovikk.

Vakama: Take care, defenders. We don’t know if how dangerous this thing is, or if it is. Don’t be hasty, nor rash.

The team nodded and took off on ground, high speed vehicles, heading west, towards the smoke in the distance.

************

Gelu: Arro, you’ve got the Mask of Range. Can you tell us how much farther we have?

It has been forty hours since they left Greater Mata. Yet the smoke seems to be no closer.

Arro touched his hands to the sides of his head.

Arro: At this rate, we’ve got about another twenty hours left.

Lesovikk shook his head.

Lesovikk: We can’t go that late. We’ve only had two hours of sleep. Gelu?

Gelu: Alright, everybody, let’s find a good camping spot.

Thirty minutes later, they found a nice group of trees at the base of a cliff. They set up their tents, unaware of the figure watching them.

************

(Over ten thousand years ago)

Gelu was walking among his home mountains. Kiina had invited him to meet before sunrise at a practice duel in a small, ancient arena she found at the highest peak, designed to keep the cold out. To get there, though, he needed to take a crumbling trail along a cliff side.

He looked down the cliff side. He was about fifteen thousand feet above the bottom, and the trail was only two feet wide. If he made one error, it would be the end of him.

Five minutes later, he looked up. The peak was in sight. But as he rounded a corner, he saw that the trail was cut off. A small avalanche had piled snow on the trail. He then proceeded to climb the snow pile.

Suddenly, just as it seemed he would make it, the snow started moving. As he tried scrambling to get off, the snow fell, taking him with it. But as he reached forward out of instinct, a trident flew into his grasp.

Kiina: If you had just looked behind you, you would've noticed the stairs I made.

Kiina pulled him up.

Gelu: How’d you know I was going to do that?

Kiina: You’re too predictable. Like Gresh.

Gelu: Guess I’m going to have to work on that, else you’ll beat me every time.

Kiina: That’s why we’re here. Come on. The rest of the trail is clear.

They then walked the rest of the way. At the peak was a big hole in the ground about fifty feet wide. Along the wall was a stair that spiraled around the arena down below. The arena itself was about thirty feet wide, and the remaining area of the fifty foot wide bottom was made of ascending seats.

Gelu: How come I've never known about this?

Kiina: Who knows!?! All I know is that this is here. Shall we?

He looked at the arena.

Gelu: There’s about three feet of snow down there.

Kiina: Then you better watch your footing.

When they reached the arena, Kiina went over to the side and picked up two wooden objects.

Kiina: These are dull imitations of our weapons. Here’s yours.

She handed him a perfect imitation of his weapon. Gelu stared at it. The detail was so…

WHACK!!!

Gelu: OW!

Kiina: Pay more attention, Gelu. Not every acquaintance is a true friend. There are those who use you, and will not hesitate to strike if it was to their advantage. Now, are you ready?

Gelu balanced the weapon on his wrist, then swung it around a bit.

Gelu: I think so.

Kiina: Don’t think so. Know.

Kiina jumped Gelu. Quickly, he blocked the head of the trident as it swung at his head. Just as quick, the bottom of the shaft snuck between his legs and knocked one of them out, making him fall to the ground.

Kiina: Pay more attention to what the weapon is doing. If I was really attacking you with the head, they would’ve been pointing at you. Instead, I swung it downward. The head posed no threat. Then, you left your feet exposed.

Gelu rolled to the side as Kiina drove the head of the trident in where he was. He then kicked her back, allowing him time to get up. Kiina then charged at him, planted the head of the trident into the snow, and swung herself around the shaft. Gelu attempted to jump out of the way, but her feet got him in the back.

Kiina: Legs apart, knees bent. It’ll be easier to evade attacks.

Gelu charged at her, swinging his sword at her chest. She side stepped it, and he stumbled past her. As he turned around, his right foot got stuck in the snow.

Kiina: First, don’t charge in like that. Be more strategic. Second, watch your footing. I know you can tell where air pockets are.

She then jumped at him, trident pointing head towards him. He lifted his weapon, catching the trident. But she locked his weapon, and tore it out of his hand, sending it flying across the arena.

Kiina: Again, strategize. That was a good defense, but one for when you have a shield.

Gelu got out of the hole and faced her. She then charged him, but he grabbed the shaft just below the head, and maneuvered to hold the entire trident shaft across her throat. She then elbowed him in the gut, tore the shaft out of his grip, and knocked him back.

Kiina: That may seem like a good maneuver, but you allow your opponent to go through your defenses. Only Malum has ever succeeded in that maneuver outside of training.

Gelu: Let me guess, you trained the others who attempted that escape.

Kiina: No. It was Tarix.

She jumped at him again, but he knocked the head to the side, and knocked the shaft out of her hands. He then jumped her, attempting to pin her in the snow. But she rolled backwards, grabbed him on his sides, using his momentum to roll them over and land on top of him.

Kiina: For the third time, strategize. You don’t pin someone like that unless you don’t have to jump. This doesn’t give your opponent time to dodge, and you can use the thrust in your legs to help in the push.

She then stood up and helped him up. She then looked up at the sky.

Kiina: The sun’s coming out. I’ve heard the sunrise is amazing up here. Come on.

Kiina ran up the stairs, with Gelu following close behind. At the peak, they looked to the east. The sun hadn’t come up yet, but birds were already in the air.

As they sat staring east, Gelu looked at Kiina. Her armor shined like sapphire, glittering beautifully. He watched as she stared in awe as the edge of an orange sphere began to climb over the dessert.

He suddenly felt like he couldn’t hold it anymore.

Gelu: Kiina.

Kiina looked at him, her eyes calm and friendly.

Kiina: Gelu?

************

Male: Gelu. Gelu? Gelu!

Gelu stood up with a start to find a hand across his mouth. He almost grabbed his weapon, but he saw that it was Lesovikk.

Lesovikk: We’re being watched.

Gelu slowly grabbed his weapon. Lesovikk then pointed over his shoulder to another patch of trees forty feet away. Gelu nodded and readied his Thornax launcher.

Gelu: One.

Lesovikk spread his feet out.

Gelu: Two.

Lesovikk reached his hand out towards his sword and Zamor Sphere launcher.

Gelu: Three!

As Lesovikk jumped to the side for his weapons, and those around woke up, Gelu aimed at the trees and fired. At the same time, a giant burst out of the trees, and deflected the shot. It then continued towards them, with strides of a good fifteen feet.

The rest of the team pulled out their weapons. Arro created an ice wall in front of the titan, and fired icicles at it. The titan broke through the wall with little effort, and the icicles shattered on impact. The rest of them then fired their weapons at it, but it jumped a hundred feet up and grabbed onto the cliff. A Kanoka disk changed course, heading straight for the titan, but something like a tail swung out and knocked it into the cliff. The titan then jumped down towards them.

Everyone scattered as the thing came crashing down in the middle of camp. Toa and Glatorian alike fought as the thing attacked them. Fire had no effect on it, ice shattered with ease, and no amount of firepower could bring it down. A Toa of Earth even tried bringing part of the cliff down on it. Still it fought.

Lesovikk: Retreat! Retreat!

The titan’s tail swung out and knocked him into the cliff. The monster then proceeded to attack the rest of them. Only Gelu was able to get out of there, but he didn’t go far. He hid in a group of trees nearby, and watched as the tall figure held up one of his companions.

Titan: Where are the Great Beings?

Gelu noticed that the voice was female.

Arro: I don’t know. Ah! We don’t know. The Great Beings haven’t been here for years.

Titan: Don’t lie to me!

Arro: Ahhh! I’m not. We seriously don’t know where the Great Beings are.

Titan: Hmmm. Very well. And I suppose you wouldn’t happen to know where the nearest population is?

Arro laughed.

Arro: You just decimated them, you idiot.

The titan growled, then roared in his face. She then threw him on the ground, and crushed him with her foot. Arro didn’t scream, cry, or yell. He just laid there as the foot came down.

As the titan began walking away, Gelu went to check for survivors. Not one of the New Defenders survived.

Suddenly, he heard coughing. He ran to find the source, Lesovikk.

Lesovikk: Did any of the others… *cough*

Gelu shook his head.

Gelu: We’re the last ones.

Lesovikk: *sigh* I was afraid that was the case.

He looked up at Gelu.

Lesovikk: Gelu, I have a request for you.

Gelu: Name it.

Lesovikk: Can you… *cough.* Can you take my heart stone to Gali?

Gelu took his hand and nodded. Lesovikk then smilled.

Lesovikk: Thank you.

He then stared into the sky.

Lesovikk: I’m sorry, Gali. I failed you.

His heart stone then died. Gelu gently reached and took it out of his armor. It was still warm.

Suddenly a giant shadow surrounded Gelu.

Female: Gelu!

Gelu turned around to find the titan staring down at him.

Titan: Go home! Tell them, “The Unknown has come for you.”

She then turned around and began walking away. Gelu stared at her for a second.

Gelu: Wait! Why do you call yourself “The Unknown?”

The Unknown stared up into the sky.

Unknown: Even I don’t remember my name.

Gelu nodded.

Gelu: And why are you here?

The Unknown looked at him with her burning, hate filled eyes.

Unknown: You’ll soon know.

She then moved off to the north. Gelu stood there till she was out of sight, then turned east and ran. And ran. And ran.

**********

Kiina: Gelu?

Gelu stood there, staring at Kiina for a few seconds, then turned away.

Gelu: Never mind. It’s nothing.

Kiina stared at him for a second. Then, a beam of light hit her face, and she stared as the sun began to rise into the sky. And Gelu smiled as the light seemed to move across her armor like the waves of the ocean. He wanted nothing more than to be with her.