Enjoy, and don’t forget to give me feedback on my writing!
Chapter 4
Kulta was pacing around his underground cell, restless. Everywhere he looked he saw piles and piles of stone debris and rubble, especially in the main stadium where those wretched Toa were once held captive. He placed Axato in charge of the cleanup effort of the city. He had also contacted Skull Slicer repeatedly via mental link, but to no avail. Skull Slicer finally responded last night, and broke out of his jail cell. On his part, Kulta tried repeatedly to break the stone walls at the entrances to the city formed by Toa Pohatu and Toa Onua, but the walls just would not yield to his might. They would not budge even when a whole legion of Skull Warriors rammed it.
“Something demonic is holding up these walls together, otherwise they would have crumbled before my might,” he cursed, hurling a rock across the cell.
He stormed out of his chamber and into the dark alleyways of the sprawling underground city. He headed toward the main Stadium to check on Axato’s progress when he heard a faint series of noises. He quickly ran across the pathway he was traveling on, almost forgetting how treacherous these paths were. He almost lost his footing and tumbled into a crevasse. He pulled himself up and walked a bit more carefully. When Kulta reached the Stadium, he saw an entire legion of Skull Warriors, pointing their freeze bows at a wall of the stadium. Before Kulta’s startled eyes, the wall on that side began to crumble and collapse. Skull Warriors and Skull Scorpios began to flee the Stadium. When the dust settled, a good portion of the Stadium was in ruins. They saw Skull Slicer lying on the ground and a kneeling Skull Basher, palms still outstretched, obviously exhausted from his effort. He withdrew his hands and slumped to the ground. Several Skull Warriors and Axato rushed to help him up. Several more went to assist Skull Slicer. Kulta stood transfixed at the sight of Motarek the Skull Basher, glaring with hatred. It had been four months since the Toa escaped from their clutches, and obviously Kulta was still angry over his top lieutenant’s failure.
“The Protectors,” Motarek rasped, “know we’re alive. They’re out looking for us.”
“How do you know?” Kulta whispered.
“Not long after Vagah and I broke out of Ekimu’s forge, the sentries sounded the horn. I heard it from all the way in the mountains. We also saw a convoy of vehicles with the Protector of Water’s insignia on a red flag. From the looks on their faces, I could tell they were trying to look for us. You know, the wall I opened? That entrance was from the Region of Stone. Only reason why I came this way was to escape sentries. Of course, I killed the occasional guard, but too many dead bodies will rouse suspicions, so….” Motarek’s voice trailed off. Kulta silenced him with a hard glare.
“Enough,” Kulta said. “Follow me.”
The Protectors and Ekimu found themselves on a rocky outcropping jutting out above a large canyon. Surrounding them were the dead bodies of several Okotans, some having stab wounds or slit throats. There were also ransacked and damaged armored vehicles strewn around. Several other grief stricken and worried Okotans were telling the assembled Protectors and Ekimu about what had happened.
“Skull Basher a-and Skull Slicer, sir,” a nervous Okotan told Ekimu, his voice trembling. “They ransacked all these vehicles and killed everyone. My brother was k-killed too, along with all these other O-Okotans,” The Okotan sobbed, pointing toward the dead body of a tall and lanky Water Tribe Okotan.
Ekimu knelt on the ground, and examined the corpse. The Okotan’s mask was shattered and his throat was slit. Blood pooled around his head and neck. His eyes were wide open, unseeing. His heartlight was dark, lacking illumination.
“I’m so sorry,” Ekimu whispered, his head buried in his hands. He wondered how he had the capability to fail at his job by a huge degree. He could hear the muffled sobs of other Okotans nearby, as well as the other Protectors.
“There’s already been twenty dead Okotans within the span of a few hours. How can the people of Okoto trust us to keep them safe?” Narmoto wondered, aloud.
“Do not fear, Okotans. We’ll bring them to justice and have them executed in front of your eyes,” Vizuna assured them.
“Which way did they go?” Izotor asked the Okotans, quietly.
“T-that way, sir,” said the Okotan, pointing towards the edge of the cliff and at the looming mountains in the distance.
“How did they cross the canyon?” Kivoda asked.
“I-I don’t know sir,” the Okotan responded.
Kivoda turned to face Ekimu. “Ekimu, I think I know where they are.”