Hey y’all, Bobofoot back once more with the second teaser! Enjoy!
Brahn cautiously crept through the underbrush, taking care not to rustle the leaves or let twigs snap underfoot. The Le-matoran commander lead a small company of scouts through the scrubland at the northern edge of the spine. The plan was to creep into Kothe undetected and plant a trapper unit in the northern valley to hassle the land-side capitol.
The problem? They’d been spotted… and by the worst possible observer.
“GET DOWN!” One of Brahn’s soldiers screamed, diving to the ground. Brahn threw himself to the right as a beam of light hit right where he had been standing before, exploding in flames.
Son of a ce, she’s found us… Brahn cursed as he looked upwards. Standing atop the cliff high above them, silhouetted against the sun, was Kerila, the Toa of Ice.
“Thanks for the warning, Eryr.” He said over his shoulder to the first soldier who had spoken. “That would’ve been the end of me there.” But where did she come from? Why was she on that mountain in the first place?
The Kothe border was a half mile to the north of their position, and she’d attacked them from the south! The tell-tale crack of ice forming caused him to look upwards. As expected, a translucent sheet of ice, reminiscent of a spyglass lens, was forming in the sky.
“Take cover! It’s coming again!” The sunlight was magnified and focused by the lens, and they only had a couple of seconds before another devastating laser would strike. Brahn broke into a run, ducking and weaving in an effort to throw off her aim. But this wasn’t aimed at him.
"AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
The bloodcurdling screams stopped him cold. Turning around, he saw the smoldering bodies of Eryr and Escer in a circle of incinerated plantlife. Two brief flashes of turquoise light from either corpse as their elemental energy was released.
“Eryr…” His voice broke. That could’ve been him. That would’ve been him, if Eryr’s warning hadn’t come when it did. If I can’t think of something fast, she’ll pick us all off one by one. Come on Brahn, use that brain of yours!
Another laser. More screams. If only we had something to deflect the laser with…
That’s it!
Brahn rummaged through his pack, searching for something suitable.
Grappling hook? Nope.
Longbow with arrows? Not with the sun in his eyes.
Signal mirrors? Bingo!
Brahn grinned. The mirrors were only about the size of a plate, meant to send short messages over long distances, but maybe they could prove useful.
Another flash of light. More screams.
It was definitely risky, but in the current circumstances, he didn’t have time for a better idea. And so he climbed up a scraggly tree, insuring he was visible to both Kerila and his soldiers.
“Hey gogwys, look at me!” He shouted. Some of the scouts were looking at him incredulously, no doubt thinking he’d lost it. And who’s to say they’re wrong… Brahn chuckled to himself. But desperate times, desperate measures…
Crack. The sound of the ice lens forming. It began to glow brightly. Brahn took a deep breath and held up the signal mirror. Oh, please let this work…
There was a sensation of burning heat, and a worrying cracking sound… but a second passed, and the cheers of the Leta let him know he’d succeeded. Opening his eyes, Brahn saw a massive crater in the cliff where the laser had hit when it bounced off his impromptu shield. He crowed triumphantly… and then bit his tongue to keep from shouting as the mirror turned searing hot and shattered.
Uh-oh.
“The mirrors can reflect her laser, but be careful! They’re only good for one! Make it count!” Brahn yelled, then inwardly cursed himself for carelessness. Now Kerila knew that too. He leapt from his vantage point and hit the ground running as the tree exploded behind him. More lasers lanced out, faster now.
The Le-matoran used the mirrors to reflect them back at her, but the sun was in their eyes and the lasers flew wide. And of a few poor matoran missed the lasers and were obliterated with mirrors clutched tightly like life-preservers. It wouldn’t be long before there were no mirrors left and they’d be finished. A laser hit almost right next to him, and Brahn felt his body fly through the air and slam into the thick of a bramble bush, burns all down his side.
Is this it? Will this be my song’s final note?
Time seemed to slow. He could see the ice floating through the air, coalescing into the lens. Light hit it and refracted, diffusing through the ice and causing the lens to glow brightly. The beam began to form… and then a tan blur, and the ice exploded, creating a sort of solid rainbow.
Brahn blinked, wondering if he’d misseen.
“Hey General, y’all right?” His rescuer asked, grinning: Friana, Toa of Air.
“Of course, Toa. Thanks for the save.”
“Just be more careful, fwilon hwyn.” She laughed affectionately, as if she hadn’t just called him an ‘old fool’.
“There may not be a next time if we can’t get out of this. Can you distract the Ice Toa long enough for the rest of us to get away?”
“I’ll do more than distract her! Just you wait and see, General!”
Friana used a gust of wind to propel herself into the air and unfurled her glider.
She took off, flying in a circle around Kerila. Lasers flew out again and again, none able to hit the nimble glider.
Friana flew higher and higher, till she looked down upon Kerila and dived. The Ice Toa tried to fire, but the glider cast a shadow over her lens.
CRACK!
The Toa collided head on, sending them tumbling over each other dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.
Kerila was the first to recover, jumping up and drawing a dagger, made of ice.
“You should’ve ran while you could.” she said, dagger gleaming menacingly. “Now you’ll fall here with the rest of your pathetic army.”
Friana laughed and did a backflip to her feet.
“You think you’re so tough, hanging out on this cliff and scorching people with your fancy magnifying glass? Ha!”
“Says the one who flies around on her oversized kite!” Kerila shot back, smirking.
Ice flashed in the light as Kerila lunged forward. Friania drew her own dagger, a peculiar thing with deep serrations on one side, and rushed forward as well. The sounds of ice scraping against steel rang through the air, but it was quickly clear who had the advantage. Kerila’s every strike was carefully calculated for maximum effect, but Friana was lightning quick and her dagger seemed specially designed to snag the enemy’s weapon. The Le-Toa pressed her advantage, pressing close and disarming her opponent. Kerila was pushed to the ground.
“Haha! Told you not to talk tough if you can’t back it up, pellter-gwn!”
Kerila’s eyes sparkled dangerously.
“And I told you you were about to die.”
Friana’s ears pricked at the crack of ice forming. She leapt to the side of the first laser… and the second landed right between her feet.
Kerila had created two lenses, both hovering behind Friana. The lasers had hit dangerously close to Kerila herself, but she had escaped the worst of it. Friana, however, was in a tight spot. Hanging on to the side of the cliff with only three fingers, she gritted her teeth and reached into her pack. Kerila came and grinned down on her.
“Well, you look like you’re in a spot of trouble.”
“Oh, shut up.” Friana grumbled as she found what she wanted. Thank goodness Pops insisted I learn to tie knots with one hand. Kerila’s foot came down hard on the Le-Toa’s hand.
“That is pretty rude thing to say, considering your life is in my hands.” She ground her foot down harder, and Friana gasped in pain and let go.
Kerila watched as she fell.
“Well. I certainly expected her to put up more of a fight than that. So much for the fearsome Demon Gale Knight.”
“What? Do they really call me that? Blynydd!” Kerila whirled around in time to see a fist heading for her face.
…
Brahn looked up as Friana landed beside him, folding up her spare glider.
“Did everything go well?” He asked, smiling. “I see you lost your good glider.”
“Sorry, I crashed it.”
“What? Your Ma gave that special for your birthday!”
“Well I’m sorry you got pinned down by a crazy Ice Toa! Honestly Pops, you are the general of the Leta army!”
“Exactly, so watch your tone.”
Friania laughed and patted the general on the head.
“Pops, I’m like twice your size.”
“I can still ground you.”
“Pops…”
Brahn grew more serious.
“You did good today, y’know? Saved our hides, that’s for sure.”
Friania laughed and took off into the air to hide her pride.
FIN