Part 4 - "THE DINER"
The Scarlet Misery had an impressive silhouette. Its deep black wood gave it the appearance of shadows, especially threatening at night when it sulked through the darkness with almost perfect invisibility. The bold crimson sails had grown infamous in much of the outer reaches, becoming the inspiration for the name of the gang which crewed the ship and its neighboring fleet, the Scarlet Sails.
Much of the crew were diverse and unique, ranging in appearance, size, form, builds, experience, and intelligence. The smartest and most experienced of the crew got to be captain. That was how it worked. That was how it always worked. But, oh!, how badly each of the more ambitious pirates yearned for the title. To be captain was to be the man or woman behind the greatest pirate vessel on the Nine Oceans! To be captain was to rule the seas.
However, the current captain was indisputably the greatest among the crew. No one had performed as many heists, sailed through as many storms, or escaped as many prisons as Captain Crau. Once a great warrior from the island of Visk, Crau yearned for more than just battle to satisfy his unceasing thirst for excitement. After establishing himself as the greatest warrior on Visk, he did the most sensible thing. He climbed aboard the next pirate ship to dock in town, challenged the captain of the time, threw him overboard, and placed the captain’s hat upon his own crustacean head. Since then, the Scarlet Sails have been unstoppable in its lengthy streak of robberies.
As he sat in his cabin, Captain Crau had his back turned to his five lieutenants, choosing to examine the wall of trophies he had surmounted over his years as captain rather than the mixture of confusion and jealousy that stunned the faces of his chosen council.
“Do you know why I collect trophies from all my former rivals?” Crau asked his associates.
The lieutenants each winced from the sound of his grating voice, which put the taste of salt water in their mouths/mandibles. No one dared to speak up. Even when asking a question, the captain often snapped at anyone who interrupted his monologuing.
“No one?” Crau said, faking amusement. “Well, it’s to remind myself of where I’ve been, of who I am.” He thumbed a glittery golden harpoon mounted on a wooden plaque. “This reminds me of how I struck fear into the supposed “Fearless Fenosta,” General of the 1,000 Nawadan Unit.”
He turned his attention to a rusted helmet on a stand. “This reminds me of the time I laid waste to the Aornia Wildlands. Its villagers were so proud of the wealth their farms had brought them - until I burned their fields to ash and soot.”
Finally, he stared in self-awe at the Visk halberd held at the center of his collection. “And finally, the weapon of my brother, whom I exiled to the Acid Lakes after defeating him in combat.”
He turned to face his audience, his dark beady eyes and swimming antennae glaring beneath his cap. “I have proven time and time again my worth. I have proven that I didn’t need a part in those disgraceful oceanic warlords’ little team-up to amount to something great. I am the king of the Nine Oceans! Me! Captain Crau!” His claws clicked as they raised up beneath his cloak magnificently. “So, you might be able to imagine my… frustration when I hear that there is some sort of pretender going around, commanding the waves as if they belonged to him. Did I hear that right, Pinchy?”
The mandibled marauder nodded his head swiftly. “With one fist, he summoned the power of a tidal wave! It was as if he used the ocean to throw me!”
“How trivial I will prove this fraud to be…” Crau smirked, clasping his hands behind his back. "I can already see my victory over him. My swift, painless triumph over this water wizard."
“Well, now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure he didn’t control the waves by himself…” Pinchy interjected.
Crau whipped around, coming so close to Pinchy that his antennae stroked the pirate’s face. “Please, elaborate…”
Pinchy gulped. “He had some sort of tool, shaped almost like a… Like a mask?”
The captain’s eyes narrowed, the intensity of his glare causing all five of his lieutenants to shiver. “What… mask?”
Gotta find Elder, Gotta find Elder…
Kido’s mind raced as he sprinted across Mako Village. It was early morning, now, just as the starrise was happening on the other side of Moda Nui. It was dark, but that didn’t keep the villagers from getting up and about at this hour. It was prime fishing time, when the gilled things were still a bit groggy, though Kido saw his and Neida’s boat still docked. His sister must be sleeping in, or something. She probably deserved it. He felt a twinge of guilt thinking about Neida. He had ditched her an entire day ago, and she still had no idea where he was…
But that didn’t hinder his pace to find Saane. Right now, the Elder was likely at Jiina’s Dine-In Delights, feasting upon a #7 special - the Breakfast Barracuda Burrito. Man, I could really go for one of those right now… His stomach chamber buzzed in agreement.
“Kido, where are you running?” Rida asked as Kido zipped past the old farmer.
“Hey, Kido!” called the town artist, Bayola. “Neida was looking for you last night! Did you see her?”
“Kido, where’s the fire?” teased Hetiru, the baker.
The frantic Matoran dashed past them all. He even ignored a puzzled Kaidi as he pushed towards the diner.
Jiina’s Dine-In Delights was the most well-built establishment in Mako Village, beating the town center by a mile. Its wood wasn’t the flimsy palm trunks used to form the village huts, no, this was real, imported Fauna Jungle oak. Jiina had insisted upon it himself. The roof was tall and proper, built three layers deep so that not even the ocean storms could pound a leak into its reinforced frame.
Kido skidded up to the double doors, Kanohi mask pressed against his back. He was pretty sure no one in Mako Village would have any clue what it was, but he still felt like it was something he should keep secret. As he plunged through the double doors, he came face-to-face with the stout, shark-eyed chef owner of the diner, Jiina himself.
“Well, well, well, Kido,” he grunted, waving a fish-smelling cleaver in the frightened Matoran’s face. “I give you and yar sista the day off, and you spent it skippin’ town like ya ain’t got nothin’ ta do?”
“I’ve actually got something really important to do right now…” Kido said, scanning the tables for Saane.
“Well, it bettar be findin’ me some ripe fish fer tonight’s dinner rush,” Jiina said. “‘Cause ya ain’t gettin’ two days off.”
“Please, I need to talk to-”
“Fifteen big ones,” Jiina snarled, tapping Kido’s chest with the blunt end of the cleaver. “By tonigh’.”
“Yes, sir,” said Kido.
“Good.”
The moment the chef turned away, Kido scanned the restaurant. It was almost entirely empty this early in the morning, save for one frequent customer who always got up with the star to prepare for a long day ahead. Kido made a beeline for the elder, who had taken a window seat and was just finished up his burrito special, licking the last bits of seaweed from his thumb.
“Elder Saane!” cried Kido, thrusting the Kanohi onto the table.
“Whoa, Kido!” Saane chuckled, raising his hands into the air. “What’s the hurry?” He glanced at the mask. “My boy, I’m not taking this mask, now…”
“No, I’m not giving it away,” promised Kido. “I’m keeping it.”
The Elder’s eyes narrowed. “You mean, you’re-”
“Yeah!” said Kido. “I’m going to try it. For a little bit, I mean. Just because… I don’t know… Maybe I was too scared before. Maybe I can really be a… a…”
“A Toa?” asked Saane.
Kido’s excitement wavered now that he had given himself a moment to think about it. “No, never mind. It’s crazy. I mean, I just… I don’t know…”
“My boy, slow down for a minute,” Saane pleaded, pushing his plate to the side. “Breathe, okay?”
Kido hadn’t realized how quickly he was panting.
“Last night, you told me you didn’t want anything to do with the Toa. You were so certain that you were nothing more than a fisherman. Now, here you are, telling me the opposite. What happened in the last eight hours that’s completely turned you around on this?”
“After we talked,” Kido began to say, “I went out to put the mask back where I had found it. I didn’t want it, like, at all. But while I was doing that, someone attacked me, someone not from Moda Nui.”
Saane leaned in, taking a swig of his kokonut shake.
“He was some sort of treasure hunter, or pirate, or something,” Kido recalled. "He said something about an… a "Scarlett Sail… "
Mid-sip, the Elder’s eyes widened as he went deathly still.
“What? Does that mean something to you?” asked Kido, intrigued.
Saane blinked. “No, I’ve just been trying to come up with a band name, and I was picturing that on a poster.” He noticed Kido’s obvious disapproval. “It’s not a good name, don’t worry.”
“Yeah, okay,” said Kido. “So, anyways, he almost had me beat, but then I put on the mask, 'cause I thought, ‘maybe this’ll help,’ I don’t know, it was pretty spontaneous, and I… and I threw him! Just with my arm, but it was like the water helped me do it! He just went flying, it was amazing! I’d never felt anything like that before! I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but I just feel like this power… It’ll help me, in some way. Maybe… Maybe I am supposed to have this mask.”
“Excellent,” said Saane, a trace of a smile across his face.
Kido waited. “…So? What do I do now?”
“Go home, get some rest. Eat some food.”
“What? But I just sort of decided that I might possibly become a Toa, you know, sometime in the future! I can’t just… ‘go home’!”
“Look at you, you’ve been up all night.”
Kido felt his face, noting the lack of heat stemming from it. He hadn’t noticed just how exhausted he was until now. “But… What if they come back?”
“They won’t,” said Saane. “I promise. You showed them what would happen if they did.” He nodded towards the Kanohi on the table.
“Jiina just gave me an order…”
“I’ll talk with Jiina. But you should rest.” Saane then bowed over the table, nearing Kido as he whispered, “You’re going to need it.”
Kido grinned a little. “Okay.” He picked up the mask and got up from the table. He gave one last aching look at the Elder before he ran off, and Jiina arrived to take Saane’s plate and complain about an overly tense spot on his back.
By order of its captain, the Scarlet Misery turned its crooked figurehead towards its next destination, a small island by the name of “Moda Nui.”
Part 5 - "THE CAPTAIN"
The door creaked as Kido pushed it open. The hut would be empty by now, so Kido wouldn’t have to worry about-
"Where have you been?"
Neida was sitting on her stool, positioned so that she would be watching the door. She was waiting for him, perhaps this entire time.
Kido froze. “Out.”
Neida’s eyes sharpened into a glare. "Well, obviously." She gave Kido a chance to say more, but when he didn’t, she said, “I have been wondering where on Moda Nui you might be for over twenty-four hours, Kido! You ran off without saying a word - right when I needed your help, which was not cool - and then you vanish for an entire day? Nobody knew where you were! I asked Jiina, I asked Kaidi, I even asked old man Hoffa, for some reason. But no one had any clue! You had just vanished off of the face of Moda Nui, and I was starting to doubt I would ever see your stupid face or hear about your stupid dreams again!”
Shamefully, Kido bowed his head.
“Mom made me promise, promise that I would be there for you when you needed me, just like Dad made you promise you would be there for me when I needed you, remember?” Neida continued. “Well, I’m here. I’m here, as I always have been. So stop running from me, and tell me what’s going on with you!”
Kido allowed a second of tense silence to pass. He wanted to just explain everything, but his sister was upset, and deservedly so. He had decided to turn to the town Elder over his own sister when he was confused and needed guidance. Just because it turned out to be a good choice didn’t make it right.
“Last morning,” he began, “I was upset. I had a strange nightmare. A ‘stupid dream’, and it scared me. It still does.”
“Okay,” said his sister skeptically. “What about?”
Kido had to think for a minute. The dream felt so long ago, almost faded. Had it truly only been two nights ago that he had had it?
“It was about a storm,” he said. “And I was in the middle of it. There were these… red eyes in the clouds, staring at me. And then there was this voice…”
Neida crossed her arms. She was not impressed.
“Well, look, I’ll just-” He revealed the Kanohi, which he had hidden behind his back. “This is why I was gone for so long.”
“A mask?”
“No, not just a mask. A Kanohi mask. Elder Saane told me about it.”
“You were with Elder Saane?”
“No, not at first. I found the mask, and then I went to talk to him after it got dark.”
“Kido, are you sick? You sound like you’re not well.”
“I’m fine, I just-”
"Then why on Moda Nui was your first thought to bring this to Elder Saane?"
“Well, he knows a lot about weird things, so I thought-” Kido stopped himself. I’ll just show her. He lifted the mask up to his face and rested it upon his head. A shine of blue and gray poured from the Kanohi, encasing him in its power as it began to reshape his body. In an instant, he became the tall, athletic being he was slowly getting used to.
“See? Weird,” he said, his voice mighty.
Neida’s jaw plummeted, her eyes as large as seashells. “What…?”
“It’s taken some getting used to,” Kido said. “I’m still not 100% confident this is supposed to be for me, but some pretty wild stuff has happened already, so maybe… Maybe I’ll try it on for a while.” He kneeled to come mask-to-face with the stunned Neida. “Hey, I’m sorry. For everything I’ve done this past twenty-four hours and more. Still siblings?” He held out his arms for a hug.
“Take th-the thing of-off,” stuttered Neida.
Kido did as she asked, and was reverted to his Matoran self.
Neida slowly nodded, still processing what had just occured. “Okay. Yeah. Still s-siblings.” Rather than a hug, she gave him a friendly handshake, though her hand did most of the shaking. “S-so, what are you going to do with that th-thing?”
“I’m… actually not sure yet…” Kido said. “Elder Saane says that the wielders of these masks protected people, and, honestly, I don’t see a whole lot of people who need protecting right now.”
As if invited by the words themselves, a shout echoed from the beach, crying, “Someone, help us! Save us!”
Kido went still, startled.
“Well? Go! Put it back on!” ordered Neida, waving him back out the door.
“We will talk later,” said Kido. “I promise.”
“Go!” repeated Neida.
Outside, the citizens of Mako Village were caught in intense chaos. They swarmed the sands, arms in the air, trying to find shelter from the sudden appearance of invaders. A series of nearly a dozen ships, each made up of a dreadful black wood and fitted with dark crimson sails. Their very sight induced fear upon the lowly villagers. They were terrible.
Fishing boats rapidly pulled into the docks, their captains not even bothering with the tethers. The waves rose as the shadowy vessels neared the shore. The sounds of jeering and guffaws roared from the passengers. The tips of blades, harpoons, and hooks danced above the gunnels of the ship. It was clear to anyone who caught sight of these monstrous vessels: these were pirates.
A few villagers grabbed fishing equipment such as spears and ran to face the boats, stepping out onto the beach and waiting defensively. Their arms quaked and trembled in obvious fear.
The main ship, a huge, five-masted boat with a bent figurehead of dark silver, seemed to roar as it approached the sands. It chewed up the docks and several small dinghies as it ripped through their weaker material and finally came to a rest against the beach. The villagers began to whimper. One even dropped his spear and sprinted to his hut.
At the head, a cloaked figure emerged, an impressive tri-corner hat perched across his crustacean face. His claw hands clicked in a mini applause of delight as his eyes feasted upon the sight of his latest territory. This strange island, with its odd people, would fall before him. Just as they all had.
“Do not tremble before me, my new subjects!” he bellowed down to the scattered crowd of Matoran. “You may cower, and perhaps grovel, or at the very least kneel, but trembling is absolutely horrible! How can I see the faces of all my new underlings if they are shaking constantly?”
The plea did little to soothe the quivering villagers.
“Very well,” said the man. “You will soon come to respect the command of Captain Crau. But, as is reasonable, that will take time. However, until then, I do not intend any harm upon any of you. However, I would like to see this ‘Warrior of the Waves’ my lieutenant tells me about. Is he around here, by any chance?”
The villagers looked at one another in confusion. Warrior of the Waves?
“He’s supposed to be fairly tall, wields water as some sort of tool?” Crau continued to question. “No?”
“He was one of them!” cried one of the passengers. Pinchy scuttled up to his captain’s side. “He gave the illusion of being one of them! And then he… he transformed!”
Crau frowned. “Very well. Let’s see if we can draw him out.” He suddenly jumped from the stern, his cape following after him as he fell nearly three stories before crashing into the sands, his tremendous strength catching him. From his side, he pulled a large, jagged cutlass, which he pointed at one of the villagers. He tapped the end of the spear with the blade, and the wooden weapon was immediately broken free from their feeble hands. The poor Matoran rattled as the Captain’s crustacean antennae reached forwards and gently brushed his face.
“Now, now,” Crau said in an unexpectedly soothing voice. He then grabbed the Matoran in his free claw and hoisted him over his head, roaring, “Does no one lay claim over this people?! Will no one stand up to their oppressor?”
“I will,” a triumphant voice said over the cackling of the crew. From the crowd of villagers emerged a great, heroic-looking figure in bright blue armor. A collective gasp murmured throughout the Matoran, as they were each filled with wonder. From the outskirts of the town, Elder Saane smiled.
“Ah… So you’re this legendary adversary I’ve heard so little about!” said the captain as he lowered his catch. “It seems there has been a bit of a misunderstanding. I am the ruler of the seas, which means that any and all mysterious items related to them belong to me. If you want to be the King of the Nine Oceans, you must earn it, as I have, instead of cowering here with a bunch of Matoran lowlifes.” He threw his captive onto the ground, who immediately scrambled away from the captain.
Kido’s fists clenched. “Who are you?”
“I’m Captain Crau,” said the pirate with a bow. “And I have traveled every ocean, sought out every adventure, stared down every horizon. My quest has been long and brutal, but it’s rewarded me in ways you’d never imagine. I hope you understand how much of an honor it is for you for me to even consider you a rival.”
“You’ve… you’ve been out there? You’ve been… that far?” Kido said in awe, pointing to the very end of the ocean. He knew this was a bad guy, but… it had been his dream for so long…
“And farther,” said Crau. “Do you wish to know what my many, many journeys have taught me? They taught me that everything worth having in life is also worth taking . Your mask, for instance. Whatever it does, it seems to pose some kind of threat to my rule. So, I would allow you to just hand it over, and I could just adopt your people into my domain peacefully, but I genuinely believe you might be some sort of threat. Do you know what the seas taught me about how to best deal with threats?”
Kido didn’t care to answer.
“Stamp them out,” growled Crau and immediately pounced forwards with his blade.
Kido shot into the air, flipping over the captain and landing on the other side.
“Impressive,” said Crau as he struck again.
The masked Matoran ducked under the swipe, and made a kick at the foe’s legs, only for his attack to bounce uselessly against Crau’s armor.
“Hah!” the captain cheered. “Real Havorian steel! Armor fit for a king such as I!”
Kido jumped out of Captain Crau’s range and thought to himself, Come on, water. Do the thing. He rushed at the captain, heart pounding, fear racing through his body as he threw a fist forwards, and-
His hand clanged against the steel chest plate, and nothing happened.
No!
“Did you miss the part about the Havorian steel?” said Crau, almost disappointed. “Oh, that’s right. You weaklings have likely never been off your pointless rock-of-an-island.”
He bent down to swipe at Kido, who reached into the ocean and splashed a handful of water at the captain’s face. It irritated the pirate, but did nothing remarkable.
Do something, Kanohi! Kido tried to scream at the mask. It didn’t seem to respond. He looked up at the exasperated Crau and flinched as the captain lifted up his cutlass to bring down upon him.
Just before the Captain made the move, something swung against his head. Crau slowly turned around to see a little Matoran carrying nothing but a wooden shaft.
“Hello, little girl.” A terrible grin spread across Crau’s crustacean face.
“Neida!” shouted Kido. “No!”
“Don’t you dare lay a… a claw on him!” Neida screamed at the pirate.
Crau stepped near her. She took a step back.
“Oh, I wasn’t dreaming of touching you poor hero, girly!” said Crau. “I was simply going to… use my blade to pry the mask from his head! No physical contact required!”
Neida held up the staff, its point at the captain’s chest. “We don’t have anything valuable to you here. We have no money, no gems…”
“I already have money,” said the pirate, taking another step. “I already have gems. What I don’t have is a mask that would allow me to control the very waves on which my ships travel. And I think I would rather like one of those, so unless you can find me another one…”
Kido sprang up from the sand and began running at the captain. Just before reaching him, an orb of flame was shot down at him, exploding the moment it touched the ground. Kido was sent flying, far beyond Mako Village and into the palm tree jungles beyond.
Crau looked up at his ship. From the deck, Pinchy held a smoking cannon, pointed at the spot where Kido had just stood.
“Why… in the Nine Oceans did you just do that?!” roared the captain, his voice hissing with fury.
“He was about to get you, Cap’n!” Pinchy said, saluting.
“Moron!” shouted Crau, turning to the Matoran before him. He reached down and plucked her up, ignored her strikes with what to him was a wooden stick. He sheathed his cutlass and stared at the girl.
“Would you like us to gather a search party?” asked Lieutenant Leefy.
“Don’t bother with one,” said the captain with a smirk. “We’ll lead the hero to us.” He looked around at the village. “Gather up anyone you can find. We’re taking the Matoran for a little trip offshore.”
“But, Sir!” called Lieutenant Urcha. “He’ll likely be stronger out there! The ocean is his element!”
“As it is mine,” said Captain Crau as he took one last look at the trees the masked hero had vanished into. "I shall await our next encounter with eager anticipation, hero…"