Azard set his sights upon the landmass his boat sailed towards. He was hardly phased by the Great Cataclysm, those years ago when it happened. But he knew there were those who were, those still affected by it. And so he’d been sailing on his own wherever he heard news of suffering. For a long while he’d been on the Northern continent.
Now he moved on to the Southern one. Or at least, what was left of it. A large chunk of it had simply vanished, and the waster around there has a slight greenish tint, as opposed to the usual light bluish silver of liquid protodermis.
When he arrived on shore, he tied his small wooden boat to a nearby rock, careful not to touch the water. He didn’t like the look of it.
Walking through the nearest village, he saw many Matoran in poor shape. He knew it for what it was. Karzahni’s handiwork. He didn’t know how to fix Matoran either, so he couldn’t help there. Walking around more, something caught his eye. At the end of a rickety looking dock that led into the green water, there was a single Ga Matoran sitting out on the edge, with an unusually large axe nearby.
Curious, he walked out onto the dock, as it creaked with his first step. The Ga Matorasn looked his way. “I wouldn’t walk there, if I were you. You don’t wanna touch that water.” The Matoran said, having a…male voice? This certainly caught Azard by surprise, causing him to fall backwards, off the dock entirely.
The Matoran, in response, grabbed his axe and walked over towards the Toa. “What business do you have here?” Asked the Matoran, glaring at the Orange figure with suspicion.
“Oh, me? Not much, just helping those who need it. I doubt that a few years is enough for the effects of that Cataclysm to be over and done with for everyone.” Azard replied with a smile, sitting upright, eye level with the standing Matoran.
“I don’t suppose you know how to give a Matoran a new element?” The Matoran asked bitterly, tossing his axe aside.
“No, but by the er… sound of it, you’ve met someone, or thing that could.” Azard asked more seriously this time, curios of the Matoran’s story.
“The green water. It got everywhere. I drowned, and was reborn, seemingly. I don’t know if I’d rather have died with my brothers.” He replied, falling to sit down as well, looking away from Azard all the while.
“So this water…it’s mutagenic?” Azard asked
“I guess.” The Matoran answered bitterly.
“What’s your name, friend?” Azard asked him.
“Baronon. A name that holds no respect to anyone around here.” Baronon replied bitterly.
“Respect? That’s your issue? Well my friend, I know exactly how to fix that.” Azard replied with a smile, reaching for something in his pack.
“Yeah? And how’s that?” Baronon asked, believing that Azard had no clue of how to fix his condition.
“Why, you give them another reason to respect you. You get stronger, you prove that you’re a better person than any of them ever were, and you do it for everyone, everywhere. this is but the first step.” Azard answered, pulling out a stone infused with Toa power from his sack, tossing it to Baronon.
Baronon caught the stone, and began to feel change. He rushed for his Axe as it happened, making it larger, stronger, just as he was becoming. He soon stood just as tall as Azard. Or at least, he would, if he were standing. He had fallen during the transformation.
“Rise, brother. We’ve much training to do if you’re ever gonna be a truly great hero, Toa Baronon.” Azard said, offering his hand to help Baronon up.
He took it without saying a word. He simply nodded his head, grabbed his axe, and followed Azard to begin his training.
