Bionicle: Legacy- Chapter 10- Kidnapped

    Shina looked outside her window as the sun rose over Allon Nui, signifying a new day. Even still, most Agoran wouldn’t be up for another two hours.

    Which made it the perfect time.

    Shina walked over to a circular blue rug with a white diamond in the middle. She pushed the rug out of the way with her left foot, revealing a silver metallic door. She bent down to grab the handle and pulled the door open, revealing a ladder leading down into a tunnel. Within a few minutes, she had walked through the tunnel and reached another ladder leading up to another door.

    After scaling the ladder, she opened the door, revealing a small, fenced area, with metallic posts and walls surrounding the place. It was on the outskirts of the city, where no one would notice. In the middle were several crates, each one with a large painted target on the side. Some of these were on the floor, while others were stacked on top of larger crates, seemingly to represent taller creatures. On the side of the right wall was a wooden table, with several small knives, each one shining in the early sunlight.

    Shina picked up one of the knives in her right hand and, without hesitation, threw it with all her might, landing right in the middle of one of the shorter targets. Shina gave a small grin of satisfaction. She then picked up another knife and threw it, this time hitting a taller target. Within a few minutes, each knife was plunged into the center of each target. Shina panted softly, satisfied with her results.

    Then she heard a slow clap. She turned around in shock to see Lucarian leaning against the back wall, clapping his hands together, impressed with what he saw.

    “How….” Shina stammered, scared of being found, “…How did you find me?”

    “I have a lot of time to think and explore before my fight with Kratos. You did hear about it, correct?” The Ga-Agoran nodded, still recovering from the shock, but also on edge as she faced the Toa of Shadow. “Anyway, during my travels in this city, I noticed this strange sector, and soon enough, I found that someone was using this place.” Lucarian turned towards the stabbed targets, admiring Shina’s handiwork.

    Shina sighed. “It’s…It’s not normal for Agoran to do something like this.” She walked over to one of the targets and ripped out the knife lodged in the center. “That’s why I train in secret.”

    “I sometimes train in secret as well.”

    Shina raised her left brow. “You seem to be the type of Toa who does everything in secret; away from everyone else.”

    Lucarian gave a small shrug. “Even so, I might have to one day fight against the people I might be working with. It is best if they don’t know how I work on my combat.” The two were silent for about a minute as Shina gathered the rest of her daggers and brought them back to the table. “It seems like you want to be on the battlefield as well. Working side by side with the Toa. You appear to be capable enough.”

    Shina did not answer. She just sighed as she moved around one of the knives in her hand. “I don’t want to wait to become a Toa to be in the fight,” she finally responded. With one swift motion, she threw the knife. This time though, it only hit the corner of her target. She sighed, irritated at her mistake. “Life here is too safe. Too plain. Too boring. What it would be like to be one of you.” She started at the Toa of Shadow, almost enviously. “Even you Toa experience some sort of excitement when you fight others; even if it is on rare occasions. But, not a lot of Agoran are like me. They like the peace and quiet. If I became a Toa, that would be one thing, but chances of that happening are quite slim. I wish…” she groaned. “I wish I could do something more exciting with my life.”

    Lucarian was quiet for a moment, lowering his head, as if he was trying to come up with the right response. He finally raised it back up and spoke. “You know before my light was drained, I knew a Toa on my team. Even before she became a Toa, she was as tough as anyone I knew. She was an artist and while she loved her work…she wasn’t satisfied with her life either, and wasn’t afraid to show it. She wanted that same excitement that you crave now. If she could show who she really was, you can as well.” As Lucarian spoke, Shina took note of his tone of voice. It seemed proud, talking about his compatriot, but also somber, as if the same Toa brought back terrible memories. Lucarian stared at Shina for a moment, who did not respond. “You don’t trust me, do you?”

    Shina wasn’t sure how to respond. “I…” she stammered, “I don’t know what to believe. You saved someone’s life. You’re trying to help me. But…you are a Toa of Shadow.”

    Lucarian was silent. He was hurt, but…also understood. The term “Toa of Shadow” brought a lot of fear to those who heard it, including himself. Even if he tried being the nicest person on Spherus Magna, the stigma of that title would still be upon his shoulders, weighing him down like a large boulder. He gave a small nod to the Ga-Agoran. “I wouldn’t trust myself either.” With that, he looked at a nearby rooftop; half of it covered in shadow. As he closed his eyes, his physical body dissipated from where it stood and appeared on the rooftop. He looked down at Shina, who stared back in shock. In silence, he walked away, leaving the Agoran alone with her thoughts.

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    Dongru felt a large amount of warm sunlight washing over his face. He slowly opened his eyes to be greeted by the early morning sun, blazing in his eyes. He winced as he put his left hand over his face, trying to cover them from the blinding rays.

    “Finally got up, sleepy-head?”

    Dongru turned his head to the side to see Dharen, feeding Shadow yellow leaves, which the Rahi was devouring rapidly. Shadow himself was unchained from the chariot, allowing him to walk around the area. “Yeah, I guess,” the Onu-Agoran groaned, slowly getting up on his feet from the blanket he was resting on. The two Agoran had decided to rest near a large mountain for the night, as Capora was still several hours away. Dongru had watched the first shift, making sure that no Rahi tried to make them their midnight snack, with Dharen taking up the second. “How long have you been waiting for me to get up?”
            “Only about an hour. Tops. It at least gave me enough time to pack things up. We can head out when you’re ready.”

    “Thanks,” Dongru smiled. He yawned as he stretched his back, trying to straighten himself out for the journey. “It sure will be nice to get back home.”

    “What?” Dharen shrugged. “You don’t enjoy my company?”

    Dongru whirled towards his companion in fear. “N-No! I mean…”

    Dharen gave a hearty chuckle. “Hahahaha! I’m only joking.”

    Dongru gasped a sigh of relief. “Please…don’t do something like that again.”

    Dharen put his right hand over his heart. “I swear upon the Great Beings themselves.” Dongru nodded in approval, slowing walking over to the chariot. “So…” Dharen replied, “how much exactly is this Xalium worth?”

    “Pardon?” Dongru asked, cocking his head to the side.

    “You know I’m a trader,” Dharen shrugged. “Since this Xalium that’s coming from your village is the hottest thing right now, being a brand-spanking new source of power and all, I figure getting my hands on some and selling them would be good for the economy. You know, your village benefits, as do I.”

    “We haven’t sold the Xalium to outside sources yet,” Dongru sighed. “If you want to sell your own, you may want to talk to our Turaga, Durma.”

    “Fair enough,” Dharen shrugged. “Negotiation is half the job of a trader after all.”

    Dongru turned around, looking back at where they had left Zorrin Nui. Dharen studied the Onu-Agoran, taking note of his somber, almost disappointed expression. “You haven’t really gone into all that much detail about why you were disappointed with Zorrin Nui,” Dharen spoke. “Is it…that personal to ya?”

    “No,” Dongru groaned, turning back towards his traveling companion. “It’s just…well… I’ve heard so many great things about that city. The sites…the people…the heroes…It’s like they say,” he sighed, “nothing is as grand when you experience it. Yeah, it might be good when you first lay your eyes on it, but once you see more and more of it, both the good and bad, it’s not as magical. Especially when you see the bad.”

    Dharen sighed, trying to find the correct words. “Listen…I ain’t that good at…emotional support, alright? But, I can say this. I’ve been all over this planet. I’ve seen nearly everything. I’ve even seen the inside of a Blade Lion’s mouth.”

    “How did that happen?” Dongru questioned.

    “Long story, I’ll tell you later, but as I was trying to say, I’m not impressed by what I see anymore. I can relate to you not being as impressed by the largest city on Spherus Magna.”

    “And you enjoy this life?”

    “There are pros and cons to every job. Biggest pro is meeting new people, such as yourself.”

    Dongru smiled at the encouragement. “Thanks, Dharen.”

    Before Dharen could respond a low, harsh growl filled the air. It was faint, but the two Agoran took notice. “W-Was that your mantis?” Dongru stammered.

    “Shadow doesn’t sound like that.” Dharen frowned. He grabbed two small clawed silver gloves from the chariot and put them over his hands, ready to cut down their hidden interloper. Both Agoran and Shadow looked around, searching for the creature, but saw nothing.

    Then Dongru noticed a large shadow above him. Before he could react, he was snatched by a large pair of black and blue claws. “Hey! Let go!”

    Dharen whirled around to see his friend in the clutches of a monstrous creature, gasping at the sight. He had a hunched, lizard-like body, covered in black and blue armor, and a black, feline-like face, with ferocious red eyes. He had two blue toes on each foot, and a black curved blade and the end of his tail.

    Dharen shook off his initial shock, staring the creature firmly in his eyes. “You let him go or I’ll cut you!” he yelled, with the claws on his gloves extending out.

    “And risk hurting your friend?” the monster growled. It was low and gravely, like rocks scrapping against one another. He slowly raised Dongru over his chest, as if using him as a shield.

    Dharen’s eyes moved to the side and gave a nod. The creature’s eyes moved to the same area, only to see Shadow rushing towards him, his bladed arms extended. The beast tried to dive out of the way, but Shadow’s claws managed to swipe his left arm, causing him to drop Dongru. The monster roared in pain and turned to face the Shadow Mantis.

    Dongru quickly skirted away from the fight, running up to Dharen. “You alright?” Dharen asked, looking over the Onu-Agoran to make sure he wasn’t hurt.

    “More terrified than hurt,” Dongru panted.

    Shadow swung his left claw at the beast, but he managed to catch it in his hands. With a grunt, the creature managed to swing the Shadow Mantis around, throwing him away. Shadow flew into the side of a rock, causing him to fall unconscious.

    “NO!” Dharen cried out. Dongru saw a small tear coming from his right eye. Dharen turned to the monster in anger and with a loud cry, charged towards the creature, both claws raised to strike. The monster just stood there, almost amused at the sight. As Dharen swung both arms to attack, the beast jumped over the Agoran, and mid-jump, grabbed Dharen’s shoulders. The creature swung the Agoran over his head and slammed him into the ground. Dharen gasped for breath, the air having been knocked out of him.

    “Don’t kill him Nightstone,” a cold, feminine voice called out. Dongru slowly turned around to see a tall Vortixx, clad in black and blue armor, right behind him. Trainer looked down at Dongru with a smug grin on her face, as if she had him where she wanted him too. “We’ll take them both.” As Trainer raised her whip, an electrical current spread through her weapon. “Now say ‘goodnight,’ Agoran,” she hissed.

    All Dongru heard before he was knocked out was the whip cracking against his chest and the electricity that now coursed through his body.