Chapter 40: A world without heroes
Chapter 40: A world without heroes
Since I became a Toa I’m not a chronicler anymore. But still I’m sitting here in Ta Metru library, writing down our fate just in case we won’t survive this shit. Le Metru is safe again but this price was still too high. We all came back to the red city after we got the message that Tahu was wounded badly. All beside Gali and Hahli. We still have no clue where they are or what happened to them.
Takua lifted his head from the book of chronicles. Was it sunset or were the suns rising? He didn’t know it anymore. Already too many nights without sleep, where he was just writing down his thoughts and too many days where he was wrapped up in a half-sleep, although just three days had passed since Tamaru’s dead. Since he had come into the city.
Tamaru dead … Matoro dead … Jaller nearly had died for him as well. He thought about his past life and it seemed as if he just had been hiding away behind everyone. And that everyone would have risked his own life just to protect him. What kind of Toa was he? And even when he still was a Matoran … always out to search for adventure and when he finally found it there was always someone to safe his ass.
I’m sure not a good Toa, he wrote down again, but why bother now? There’s no one who still believes in winning a lost war. Believe … What can you believe in when no one believes in you? Who can you trust in a world without heroes? Where do you begin when you don’t know where you’re going? Is there anything crueller than hope that can’t be fulfilled? A hunger that can never be sated? What do you wish for when all your dreams have beaten out of you?
Again he stopped. What had he once wished for? He always wanted to be a hero like the Toa but now there wasn’t anything heroic left. It was just a fight for bare life.
Be careful what you wish for.
Before Takua could continue writing Jaller stumbled into the room. He looked as awful as Takua felt.
“They have gathered around the gates of Ta Metru”, he said. The Toa of light had never heard so much despair in his best friend’s voice. “I think we’ve lost. Lost everything beside our lives and I’m not even sure if I want to keep that anymore.” He sat down on the floor, leaned his back against a shelf and closed his eyes. “I mean, it’s useless. We can’t defeat a god. Maybe … maybe Hahli’s already dead … Why shouldn’t I just follow her?”
Takua had sat beside Jaller. He could do nothing than stare at him in shock. And he thought he felt awful. But he never had those thoughts.
“Jaller … we have fought for so long. We can’t give up now.”
“Don’t tell me what I can or can’t”, Jaller shot back. “Suicide would be a painless way. But I can’t kill myself with my own weapons. I’m resistant to them. And no one wants to give me their weapons. Maybe if I really want to die I’ll just have to sit there and wait until the hordes storm the city. … It’s … such a strange feeling. On one side I want to be dead, want to follow Hahli, but on the other side… there’s still a will to survive and I don’t know why. What should I live for?”
“But … why do you wish your death? Sure, we had a few losses but the other side had even more. Tahu’s already recovering….”
“Haven’t you noticed that the other side has a damn god who can fight for them and we haven’t? Have you noticed that the Toa are the only ones who are able to fight for longer than just a minute against a Bohrok and Rahi army?”
“Can you hear me, Takanuva?”
What was that? Could it really be? For a moment Takua thought he had heard Gali’s voice.
“Where are you?” he thought.
His vision got blurry. He could still hear Jaller’s voice, but not really what he was saying. Now he was seeing through Gali’s eyes. She was still underwater. As she turned her head he could see Hahli swimming beside her. Takua snapped out of his vision.
“Jaller! They are alive. I mean Hahli and Gali. I just saw them. Another vision again.”
“You saw them?” Still there was desperation in his voice but in his eyes lit a slight bit of hope.
A beam shot through one of the windows, glass was bursting. Takua dragged Jaller down to the floor. They were covered with little splinters.
Jaller carefully got up again. “What the heck … We have an intruder.”
“I know this attack.” A fire had suddenly started burning in Takua’s gaze. Hadn’t the Rahkshi said something about the highest building in the red city?
He slowly got up as well. “Jaller, please come with me, back to the others. I don’t want you to stay in this library all alone. I will send Gali a note where they can find us … provided that they will find a way to get through the hordes.”
“Well, I won’t be alone as long as you stay here with me … Wait, don’t tell me you want to leave our base.”
“I have to. And I have to go alone. I want you to stay with the others and make sure that the girls are alright if they will ever be able to arrive, captain.”
“Oh please … I’m not the captain of the Ta Koro watch anymore.”
“No, but you’re the captain of a Toa team.”
“And I’m your friend so why should I stay and let you go out into danger?”
“Because there are some things not even friends can do together. This is just between me and the Rahkshi. He said I should come if I want revenge and here I am.”
“So you really want to take the challenge?”
“Trust me, I’m a Toa.”
Jaller couldn’t help but grin. “Now that’s something new.”
“Hey, you’re smiling again.”
“Well, maybe I’ve seen light on the horizon again ... even if it’s not that”, he nodded over to the broken windows where the suns could be seen rising (or setting?), “Hahli is still alive, Tahu is recovering … now do me just a favour and get back in one piece as well.”
~~~***~~~
The fire of revenge was still burning hot inside of him when Takua left the building but now there was also another thing. The Rahkshi was a strong enemy. One strong enemy less was always a good thing. And moreover he was Makuta’s son, was part of the dark spirit, once even carried one of his shadows or maybe still carried. If the Rahkshi was destroyed part of Makuta was destroyed as well.
The first time Takua would face a very dangerous enemy all alone. But there comes a time for each of us when we must face our demons. When we must gaze into the abyss and navigate the traps of our own soul. There we shall find out what we are made of. And either return with the spark of salvation or lose ourselves in the chasms of despair.
What do you wish for?
The answer was so easy: hope.
~~~***~~~
Takua also could have flown up to the clock tower but he decided to get inside and walk up the many stairs to the clockwork. If someone had attacked him from above while flying he wouldn’t have been able to keep himself up in the air and this time there was no Hewkii around to catch him.
This place was the highest in the whole city. The Toa of light looked over the handrail. A flying enemy had unfair advantages on this place.
“We both are equal up there”, a voice answered as if the owner of it had read Takua’s mind. “We both can’t just stumble back into the abyss and fly immediately. Even I have to take my time to get ready to fly.”
“So it seems you want to kill me really desperately or why else would you have ordered me here?”
“No, you desperately want to fight me. I would have come here anyways because this is a nice place to watch an upcoming battle and I only suggested you could come here if you really want your revenge. But it also would be nice if I eliminated you. Do you really think this would be a long fight? You’re too inexperienced.”
Takua lifted up his sword and pointed at the Rahkshi. “And still I’m taking my chance because this is for a friend. This would be called honour. Something you’ll never have.”
Lerahk hissed and tried a quick attack but the Toa of light parried it. He already had seen it coming that the Rahkshi would attack without too much warning.
“You’re good, little Toa. The question is, how long.”
Takua blocked the next slash but he couldn’t see the following attack coming. Lerahk turned around quickly and used his tail like a whip. The Toa stumbled back and crashed against a part of the handrail, tried to keep balance and not to fall over it. Only centimetres behind his head giant rack wheels were clicking. A beam of green light shot out of nowhere. Takua had to jump out of its way. Metal pieces were crashing down beside him. He took cover behind them to avoid the next beam.
“Come out wherever you are”, he heard the Rahkshi cackle. Lerahk was now sitting on a higher platform and looked around, eager to find the Toa of light again. “You can’t hide from death forever.”
This might be his chance. While the Rahkshi still was looking into other directions, Takua jumped over the handrail, let himself carry up a bit by one of the giant rack wheels, jumped onto the platform and took a slash into the Rahkshi’s back. Lerahk let out a cry, jumped away and quickly turned around. “You have missed everything important”, he said and coughed up blood.
Takua now had no other chance for an assault. The Rahkshi attacked him more furious than ever before. He only tried his best to defend himself and stepped back more and more until he couldn’t get any further. This platform had no handrail and he was standing at the very edge of it.
“Stop!” he suddenly yelled.
Lerahk really held his blow and blinked at him stupidly.
“Alright, I give up. Please let it end”, Takua panted and dropped his sword. “But make it quick”, he added, “I’ve already planned something afterwards.”
For a moment Lerahk hesitated. He was confused and wounded and he wanted to end this battle fast as well. Part of him tried to warn him. This was too easy. A Toa wouldn’t give up so easy. But it was the other part that made up the final decision. He let out a cry, raised his staff and jumped at the Toa. And Takua jumped as well and dodged under the Rahkshi’s staff and arms. This wasn’t the reaction Lerahk would have awaited. Normally enemies should flee or huddle up in fear. They only would attack if they had weapons and this Toa was completely unarmed. Takua’s shoulder hit his chest. The Toa felt the staff scratching over his back when he jumped up again, hitting the Rahkshi off his back and the platform. For a terrible moment he believed Lerahk would be able to fly fast enough or just land on another platform. The Rahkshi landed on the cog of a rack-wheel, only seconds away from connection with another cog.
A terrible metallic voice sounded through the tower then there was silence again apart from the continuous ticking and humming.
Slowly and with shaking legs Takua got to the edge of the platform. Something crimson and sticky was dripping from the wheels. A hero would now have proven his wit and coolness in any situation by saying something like “Now he’s really lost in time”. No hero would have sunken back to his knees and vomited on the floor.
