Stand Off
Krika picks up and starts running off with him into one of the tunnels.
Lewa: “Hey, what the heck!”
Krika: “Still don’t trust you.”
Nidhiki follows, but is too slow to run at the same pace.
Krika: “Run faster Nidhiki!”
Nidhiki: “I’m tired!”
As Nidhiki trotted across the floor as fast as he could. Nokama used her abilities of water manipulation to concentrate all the water ranging from the dampness on the walls, to the sweat on Tahu’s face, to the water soaking from the makuta’s; she constructs walls of water ahead of Nidhiki. Every time he bursts through a wall, another is constructed, eventually depleting his stamina to nothing. He trips on the floor, where Nokama then wraps her arm around Nidhiki’s neck and situates her trident right towards it. In order to make sure Nidhiki can’t escape, she uses her kanohi Rau, the mask of temperature change, to freeze the water around Nidhiki’s legs, rendering him emobile. Krika could have kept running, he could have ran off without a hitch, but instead he turns around. Uses one of his sharp limbs as a knife, and puts it up against Lewa’s skin as a threat.
Krika: “Looks like we’re at a standoff.”
Nokama: “Speak for yourself. The second you insert that sharp object in him’s either going to result in that mask reviving him.”
Lewa: “Still wouldn’t want to experiment.”
Krika: “What makes sure that the same doesn’t apply to Nidhiki?”
Nokama gets a bit more worried.
Krika: “This mask has been with us for the better part of a day, yet no backlash. Back in Ta Koro, the mask even reversed an injury it gave Nidhiki during a chase. What makes you think it won’t revive him?”
Nokama: “That mask only works for the specific purpose of reawakening Mata Nui. The only reason why it wasn’t hostile towards you two journeying down here, was because you two were leading it to a third mask piece, something that would be in it’s best interest if it ever were to want to reawaken Mata Nui.”
Krika: “You don’t know that! No one does. No one knows the true motives of a mask like this. We both know that the mask’s actions are beyond our comprehension. Not even us makuta fully understand it.”
Krika was correct. Nokama only said what she said in order to make sense of a senseless behavior. In reality, no one knew the true motives and actions of the mask.
Nokama: “Well if you’re so sure, then it wouldn’t bother you if I did this.”
Nokama presses the tips of her trident further into Nidhiki’s neck.
Nidhiki: “Ahhhg!”
Krika: “Nidhiki!”
Nidhiki: “No! It’s alright Krika. For the makuta!”
Surprisingly, the Ignika wasn’t healing Nidhiki’s wounds.
Nokama: “You’re willing to die for this?”
Nidhiki: “You think this is bad? I feel nothing! Kill me!”
Nokama: “If you say so.”
Nokama goes deeper with her trident.
Nidhiki: “Yahahow!”
Krika: “Stop!”
Nokama stops going deeper.
Nokama: “Why? He literally just consented to me killing him.”
Nokama looks at Nidhiki.
Nokama: “I know you makuta are all about loyalty and all that, but isn’t this, like a super important mission that any makuta would’ve abandoned their own kind for?”
Nidhiki: “We would.”
Krika: “Nidhiki! Shut up! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Nokama and Nidhiki look at each other in confusion. Krika tries to change the subject.
Krika: “Look, your vine swinger, Lewa. He hates you, hates you all. Even if I did let him free, he wouldn’t joi-”
Lewa: “Actually, I’ve changed my mind.”
Krika: “WHAT?!”
Krika’s entire body was blood red.
Lewa: “Just because you guys are funny, doesn’t mean you guys are that funny. Besides, I’ve been thinking, and you know what? Maybe living with my fellow kin isn’t that bad. At least I don’t gotta live in ”
Krika slaps his face. He could not believe what was happening to him, and to make matters worse, the matoran on Nokama’s side were laughing.
Nokama: “This is like, the worst scenario for a plan I’ve ever seen.”
Nidhiki: “It’s okay Krika! Just run for it! My death won’t be in vain!”
Nokama: “If you say so.”
Nokama penetrates even further, about halfway through Nidhiki’s neck until,
Krika: “Fine!”
Krika throws over Lewa towards Nokama.
Krika: “Happy now?! Is it over? Will the universe finally give me peace?”
Nokama: “That’s for you to decide.”
She then removes her trident from Nidhiki’s neck, melts the ice around his limbs to water, and runs off. Krika goes over to comfort Nidhiki’s energies, but instead, he is given one final slap in the face; while the matoran run away, the Ignika heals Nidhiki’s wounds. It was as if nothing happened.
Nidhiki: “Why didn’t you run? We could have been heroes?”
Krika doesn’t really know how to explain himself and simply answers,
Krika: “Please do not tell any of the makuta about this if we ever get back.”
As Lewa, Gali, and Tahu leave the cave. An incomprehensible flurry of apologies fly from one another. They couldn’t even hear each other talking.
Nokama: “Shhhh!”
Everyone becomes silent.
Nokama: “One at a time.”
She watches as Lewa opens his mouth first.
Lewa: “This is all my fault, I’m so sorry. I should’ve controlled myself and not been so selfish. I have a responsibility and should have known better.
Tahu: “It’s okay Lewa, it’s not your fault. You were conditioned to act the way you were. I should’ve been more supportive, I’m sorry for not being there when you needed a friend…”
He looks back at Nokama to see if she’s satisfied, however she still wields a frown.
Tahu: “Ugh fine. I’m sorry to you too, Gali. I should’ve been more understanding and less of a nuisance. I should’ve listened to you more and been a better team player. Us fire spitters, we tend to think of situations very black and white and because of that I’ve never treated you fairly since the beginning, I’m sorry for that.”
Gali: “I’m no better Tahu. I’m sorry for not doing the same. Us ga matoran can be very closed minded due to isolation and because of that, I treated you the same. I never realized that sometimes some of the most educated societies can sometimes be some of the most closed minded.”
Gali looks at Lewa.
Gali: “And you Lewa,
Lewa looks Gali in the eyes, it was the first time he done that since he first abandoned them. Gali’s face becomes a bit red.
Gali: “Maybe we can go on a date sometime.”
Nokama: “Oh snap!”
Lewa’s turned into a ta matoran with how red he became.
Lewa: “Um, yeah. Not yet though, first we get the job done.”
Gali: “Of course.”
All three of them then group hug. Nokama claps and a single tear drops from one of her eyes.
Nokama: “Ahhh, so cute. If only your toa were the same.”
Lewa: “Our next stop’s Onu Koro.”
Tahu: “So what are we waiting for! Let’s go!”
As Gali, Lewa, and Tahu walk their route back to shore. Lewa feels a hand grab his shoulder.
Nokama: “Before you go, I have a few questions?”
Lewa: “Sure, what’s up?”
At first Nokama looks as if she were in a daze, but then snaps back into consciousness.
Nokama: “Do you remember which arm toa Matau’s Tahtorak scar came from?”
Lewa: “What?”
Nokama: “Back in the day, your toa fought a Tahtorak on your island, is that correct?”
Lewa: “Yeah what about it?”
Nokama: “It’s just that I remember seeing him afterwards, and I saw a large scar across one of his arms, I don’t remember which one. I was hoping you’d maybe know?”
Lewa: “I don’t, sorry about that. Why does it matter?”
Nokama: “Well, when I had the green makuta hostage. Through the ice, I noticed a very similar scar across that makuta’s upper left arm. I didn’t say anything at the time, because it wasn’t the time, but you think it could be?”
Lewa: “I don’t think so. I spoke with that makuta, his name’s Nidhiki. And even though I didn’t know toa Matau that much, believe me, that makuta’s nothing like him. One’s a brave toa, while the other’s a makuta with a few screws loose. Vakama told me that he’s thought the same thing before, he’d sometimes see familiarites in rahi or matoran and thinks that maybe it’s him, but it never is. Who knows, maybe the ice distorted the scars’ look, making you think it’s toa Matau. I don’t know, all I know is that that’s not our toa.”
Nokama: “I hope so.”
Note: This a pretty short chapter relatively to the previous ones, and in my opinion, much better. This chapters basically the climax of Ga Koro and there’s only one chapter after this one till the main story goes to Onu Koro.
There’s a lot to talk about. One, I changed the kanohi rau’s mask power to temperature change. I made this change because A there’s no element of ice in this canon and B because it would make Nokama more balanced compared to the other toa’s.
Overall, I really like where the stories going. I love the dynamic I’ve created between Nidhiki and Krika, they’re like the team rocket of this story so far.
Inspiration: Dying for Pie - Spongebob
. The Barraki are finally teased in this chapter. Overall, Ga Koro has so far been my favorite chapter to write. Mainly because the mystery’s becoming stronger and the characters are becoming more interesting and complex. I’ll now start writing Onu Koro, which from what I have planned, will probably be better than Le Koro and Ta Koro, but worse that Ga Koro, in terms of writing and interest.