BL11 - Escape Storm

Tahu fired his blaster, forming a clamp that pinned Gorast’s arms to her sides. Before she could break free, he used his elemental powers to increase the temperature around her until her armor began to soften.

“I ought to let you melt,” Tahu said. “How long would your energy survive here, with no body to possess? Krika was trying to save your miserable life, and you repaid him with death.”

“Tahu!” Kopaka shouted. “We need to get back to the Codrex. The Makuta want us to wake up Mata Nui — at least, that’s what Kirop says. Could this all be some trick?”

Gorast began to laugh. It started out as a soft giggle, then grew into insane peals of mirth that chilled Tahu’s spirit. “It’s too late, too late.” she cried. “Can’t you feel it? It has begun — the Great Spirit awakes!”

It was true. The air in Karda Nui had begun to sizzle with energy. Everywhere Tahu looked, the light was growing brighter, dispelling the shadows of the Makuta. In the distance, he could see the Matoran of Light speeding toward the west and, hopefully, safety.

“She’s mad,” said Tahu. “They all are. The Makuta have been fighting us every step of the way, and now I’m supposed to believe they wanted us to succeed all along? They have a funny way of showing it!”

“What if we’re missing something?” asked Kopaka.

“Look around you,” said Tahu. “You know what’s about to happen. We’ll have to worry about ‘what ifs’ later.”

Kopaka glanced at the still laughing Gorast, who was clearly either caught up in a feeling of triumph or completely insane. “Let’s hope there is a ‘later,’ then.”


Toa Ignika rose slowly, majestically, into the air, then descended into the center of the ring of lightstones. For an instant, nothing happened. Then energy lanced from the mask into the six crystals. Toa Ignika staggered as his body began to sparkle, each point of light scattering in a different direction. In a matter of seconds, the body had returned to the random assortment of molecules it had been before the Mask of Life created it. And then it was done, leaving only the mask hovering in the air, trapped in a nimbus of overwhelming power.

A whip of energy suddenly lashed out at Gali. But it caused no pain — instead, it was raw emotion that it carried. At first, she felt a great emptiness. Then there was the sensation of a great mind embracing awareness, reaching out to feel and experience all there was in the universe. She felt joy, a sense of triumph, even a desire for vengeance on the entity’s enemies, and something more… something indistinct and far away, which she could not quite identify. Perhaps the consciousness was just so powerful, so alien, that it was beyond her ability to understand. She hoped that was all it was.

Then there was another strange happening. The mask itself began to vibrate violently. Power was no longer flowing only from the Kanohi Ignika into the lightstones, but now something was flowing back into the mask! Worried that the energies unleashed might destroy the mask, Gali reached out to tear it free. As soon as she made contact, there was an explosion of force, and she was slammed into the wall.

When she regained consciousness minutes later, it was to see Onua standing over her. “Gali, we have to go. It may already be too late!”

“But the mask…” she began.

Onua glanced at the Ignika, which was vibrating so fast now it was just a blur. “There’s no time. Life here is coming to an end, and if we don’t leave, we’ll end with it.”


The storm, as most storms do, had started out small. First, the glow beneath the swamp had grown painfully bright. Then a tiny vortex of energy sprang to life just above the murky water. It rapidly grew bigger and bigger, bolts of power flying from it in all directions. Now it was spreading out across the swamp and stabbing upwards toward the sky.

Although the Toa Nuva had been expecting it, the Makuta were the ones who noticed it first. Unable to see, Antrox, Chirox, and Vamprah could only feel the power crackling in the air. Gorast had managed to free herself from the Toa and greeted the storm as if it were a sign of final victory. Bitil was not so sure, and had Gorast not been looking, he would have been winging his way out of Karda Nui.

Mutran was the most curious about the new arrival. Had Vican been around, he would have sent the Matoran into the eye of the storm to check it out. Since he was gone, along with the rest of the Matoran, Mutran steeled himself to check it out on his own. True, it looked dangerous, but it was raw power — if he could tap it, feed it into his creations, who knew what amazing Rahi he might create?

Tentatively, he flew along the very edges of the storm. Yes, it was everything he imagined it to be. The energy was devouring everything in its path: water, stalactites, Rahi beasts… everything. But there had to be a way to harness it. He was a Makuta, after all, no mere whirlwind of power was too much for him to master.

Then he saw it — the answer! “It’s so absurdly simple,” he shouted. “I can control this storm! All I have to do is —”

A crimson bolt of power erupted from the heart of the storm. In a flash, it had disintegrated Mutran’s protosteel armor and vaporized the energy being within. In a microsecond, a 100,000-year-old Makuta was gone, leaving not even a cloud of dust to mark his passing.

Now even Gorast realized something was very wrong. The storm was growing in size and strength at blinding speed. “No,” she whispered. “It isn’t possible…”

“What is it?” demanded Antroz. “What’s going on?”

“We have to get away,” said Bitil. “Curse us for fools, we’ve been betrayed!”

“Krika was right. Krika was right,” Gorast kept muttering.

“Lead us out of here,” Antroz ordered Bitil. But that Makuta shook his head.

“You, Vamprah, and Chirox would only slow me down,” Bitil replied, already in flight. “Find your own way home.”

Antroz cursed Bitil as he flew away, while Chirox sought out Gorast. But the female Makuta was making no effort to escape. She was simply standing on the shore of the swamp, transfixed by the storm — whether it was the sheer destructive beauty of it, or the elegance of the betrayal it represented, not even she could say. Perhaps it was simply the realization that her leader, Makuta Teridax, had sent her and the others to this place knowing that if their mission was successful, this storm would erupt and slay them all… perhaps it was facing that truth that drove her mad.

Bitil would try to teleport to escape the onrushing storm, but it was already too close. Waves of energy interfered with his power and he went nowhere. He pushed his flight ability to its limit, but could not outrace the vortex. And, as Pohatu Nuva once observed, one power no Makuta had was superspeed.


The Toa Nuva and Takanuva had climbed aboard the three vehicles. Their only hope of escape was that the flying craft could somehow outdistance the storm that signaled Mata Nui’s rising.

“Go!” shouted Tahu, and the three rocketed toward the western wall. Karda Nui and the storm that consumed it became a blur as they flew, three in the cockpits, the rest clinging for dear life. Pohatu spotted what he thought was the Mask of Life flying through the air… but then it was gone, and he had to wonder if it had ever been there at all. One sight he was certain of was that of the Makuta, fleeing before the storm and doomed to fail in their effort to escape.

“Tahu, the Makuta,” shouted Pohatu. “They won’t make it! Should we…?”

The Toa Nuva of Fire considered for a split second. It was against the code of a Toa to knowingly kill an enemy or allow one to die if it could be prevented. But he knew in his heart that there was no way to save the Makuta now, and trying would only mean the loss of his team.

“They lit this inferno,” he replied. “Let them burn in it.”

The vehicles were going beyond fast now and still picking up speed. They were heading for the portal in the western wall through which the Matoran of Light had escaped. But just as the vehicles approached it, a wave of energy rocked them. Suddenly, the Toa were headed for a solid wall.

“Hang on!” Lewa shouted.

The Axalara, Jetrax, and Rockoh shimmered out of existence, along with the Toa, just long enough to pass unharmed through the walls. The next moment, the Toa were racing through the darkness and hoping to find the light.

Behind them, the storm had grown to its maximum. The Makuta, the Matoran villages, the swamp, and stalactites were gone, incinerated by the unleashed energies. And the Toa Nuva had, at last, achieved their destiny — after a thousand years of slumber, the Great Spirit had awakened.

[...]

Tahu Nuva stood in the center of the great Coliseum of Metru Nui, listening to the cheers of over a thousand Matoran, among them Tanma and the Matoran of Light. Beside him stood his teammates, and nearby were Takanuva and the surviving members of the Toa Mahri. All of them could not help feeling a surge of pride in this moment — even Kopaka was smiling.

After so much struggle, so many battles won and lost, at last the quest was over. It had been dangerously close, but they had been successful. The Great Spirit was awake, the core of the universe had been cleansed of the Makuta, and balance had been restored to the universe. While none of them had seen the Mask of Life since their escape, they felt sure its countdown to destruction had stopped.

“Now this is what I’m speak-talking about,” said Lewa. “This is being a Toa-hero!”

“I’m just glad we all survived,” said Gali, glancing over at the Mahri. Somehow, their team seemed so incomplete without the presence of Toa Matoro, who had given his life to save the universe.

“I never doubted it,” said Lewa, smiling. “As soon as we got there and saw those dark-bat losers, I knew it would be as easy as taming a Gukko bird.”

“Oh, really?” said Kopaka. “Funny, you didn’t seem that confident when you were trying to figure out how to steer the Axalara.”

“Yeah, how many stalactites did you crash into? Three? Four?” laughed Pohatu.

“Quiet,” said Gali. “Turaga Dume is about to speak.”

The wise Turaga stood in his box high above and looked out over the assembled crowd of Toa and Matoran. For a moment, he was overcome with emotion and could not speak. Then, at last, he found his voice.



- BIONICLE Legends 11: The Final Battle, Chapter 8 and Epilogue