TNB - Icarax Battle

Our celebration was cut short by the arrival of Onua Nuva. He had been sent to retrieve the Staff of Artakha from a store room deep underground. But he carried no staff and looked as if he had been beaten to within an inch of his life.

"A Makuta ... named Icarax ... he was already there ... stole the staff," the Toa of Earth gasped. "He was wearing the Mask of Shadows ... said the Brotherhood was his now ... and soon the realm of Karzahni will be too ..."

Toa Hagah Bomonga spoke up. "It sounds like you have urgent matters to deal with, Toa Nuva. We will stay and deal with the situation here." He gave Roodaka a long, hard look. "We know how to deal with the likes of her."

Tahu Nuva nodded his thanks, then turned to us. "We need that staff, and we're going to have it – even if we have to tear it from a Makuta's dead hands. Let's go."

[...]

I stand amidst the bodies of my friends and teammates, not knowing they are alive or dead. Before me stands Makuta Icarax, Staff of Artakha in his claw. Only I, Gali Nuva, am left to stand between him and whatever nightmare is to come.

When we came to the realm of Karzahni in pursuit of Icarax, we found hundreds of Matoran, their spirits as crushed as their bodies were distorted. These victims of Karzahni had been inexplicably abandoned (for there was no sign of the realm's ruler when we arrived, or the Manas he was said to command). With gentle words and a great deal of patience, Lewa and Onua were able to convince the Matoran to leave their prison and head north toward Metru Nui.

It turned out we had no need to search for Icarax – he struck at us from ambush. At first we thought he was the Makuta we had fought before, for he wore the Mask of Shadows. But he was, if anything, a more skilled and ferocious warrior, felling my teammates with swift, sure blows.

Now I must make a choice – do I do what I must to stop Icarax, risking my friends' lives (if they still live)? Or do I let him escape? There really is no choice. Even as he gloats over his triumph, I am summoning every last bit of moisture from the air for hundreds of kios around. I am merging it together, bending it to my will, preparing to unleash all my elemental power in one single explosion of force.

And I do ... and I hope to the Great Beings I never will again.

A wall of water a thousand feet high crashes into the realm of Karzahni, shattering buildings, leveling everything and everyone in its path. I strain to make the currents obey, but cannot snatch the Staff from Icarax's hand. I do succeed in using my mask power to allow my friends to breathe water.

When the flood tide subsides, Icarax is gone and the Toa Nuva, somehow, survive. Of this realm, nothing is left ... nothing but a Noble Hau floating on the water, one which once belonged to a hero. Tahu saves it from being lost, and that is good. I look around at the destruction I have caused, and wonder if too much has already been lost today.


- Toa Nuva Blog, Entry 6 and Entry 7