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Faybos Chronicles Chapter 2

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"It takes a Toa to stand up for what he believes in. But it takes a true Toa to make it happen." - Turaga Lhikan


                                  

                                                Chapter 2: The Kanohi



The Toa murmured as he tried to open his eyes. All he saw was the blurred image of an old man dragging him along the rough ground. He could feel his back scraping against the pavement, the sound screeching as an echo in his ear. He tried speaking, but a disgruntled groan was all he could muster. After a few seconds, his vision faded to black.

"Toa... Toa... come on child, wake up."

His eyes opened. The image of the old man was clearer as his eyes focused in the light. He was a geezer, but he could tell he was no ordinary geezer.

"Turaga," The Toa murmured.

"That is right, it is good that you are awake."

The Toa attempted to get up, but Kiko placed a hand on his shoulder and laid him back down. "You are too weak at the moment. Gather your strength. You have been in stasis for what seems to be several millennia. From what I have managed to salvage from that pod, it seems I have found your name. Your name is Toa Faybos. As for your elemental abilities, I cannot say."

Faybos said nothing. Instead he nodded at Kiko's words. He heard what sounded like steam escaping a boiling kettle; he turns his head to see he was right. The Toa watched the Turaga limp over to an old table and grab the kettle, observing him as he poured the water into a small engraved cup.

"It was quite hard getting you here with this old body of mine. But I am still strong, even in this form." He sat in front of Faybos and held the cup to him, "Here, have some tea. It will calm your nerves." The Turaga smiled.

He nodded, sitting himself up and gently taking the cup from the Turaga's hands. "Thank you." He said in a stronger tone before taking a sip.

"This is very good. I've never had this... tea."

Kiko raised a brow at this comment. "What do you mean?" He asked curiously to which Faybos replied. "I have never been outside. I've always been...someplace else." He held his head in his hands.

"Ugh, I can't remember." He muttered.

The Turaga sat back in his chair contemplating. "The stasis pod may have affected your mind. Toa pods can erase a Toa's memory, if left in there for too long. Do not worry, I am sure there is a way to get your memories back. We just need to find a way to trigger it. But enough of that for now. Get ready Faybos. When you are well rested I will train you."

"Why would I need to be trained?" He asked.

"Simply because you are still a 'baby' so to speak. You need to re-learn all of your combat skills." The Turaga replied.

"I'm not a baby..." Faybos muttered, pouting.

"With that face, you certainly look like one," Kiko chuckled.

Faybos scowled at him for a second before he examined his surroundings curiously. "What is this place?"

The Turaga sighed. "Heva Nui."

The Toa mouthed the word "Heva". "Heva... doesn't that mean 'paradise'?"

"This was once a beautiful island... indeed a paradise, hidden from Makuta's essence. Now the Villagers have disappeared. I am the only one that remains."

"What happened to them?" Faybos asked with intent.

Kiko thought for a moment, trying to find the words to answer Faybos' question. "From what I know, they are no longer with us. When Makuta took control of Mata Nui's power, the Matoran disappeared as the days passed. The little ones were frightened out of their wits. It was not long before they too disappeared."

The look on the Toa's face twisted in anguish. "That is a horrible fate. I can't imagine how much of a toll this weighs upon you. Being the Cheiftan."

"My heart weeps for them. I miss my days as a toa... If only I still had my powers... maybe I would have been able to save them." Kiko sighed, sipping his tea and staring out the window.

"I... I can do it."

The Turaga tried to smile but instead it only shifted into a meek frown. "You are not ready. At least, not yet. There is still so much we need to do before you can even use a sword let alone save someone."

Faybos clenched his teeth. "I wish you didn't judge me so cruelly! I am a Toa am I not?! Train me Turaga and I'll show you I'm no pushover!"

Kiko shook his head at the Toa's sudden outburst. His welcoming eyes soon morphed into a glare. "Throwing a tantrum won't speed up your recovery. Drink your tea and rest. We will train when I say you are ready. Understood?."

The Toa grumbled "Yes Turaga." before laying down.


* * *


As the days passed, Faybos fully recuperated. Turaga Kiko then prepared him for his lesson in combat. He had created a training arena for the Toa to sharpen his skills.

"Alright, Faybos. I want you to hit the targets that appear in the zone. Be extremely vigilant, as some of these targets may be Matoran hiding or being held hostage by an enemy. Are you ready?" Kiko asked, his hand on a lever.

"As ready as I'll ever be," the Toa replied.

"Okay. Ready... GO!" Kiko shouted as he pulled the lever.

A wooden target of a bandit popped up, Faybos raised his hand, only for nothing to happen.

"What the..." Faybos said, puzzled.

"Hm... it seems your power is still quite drained. Tell me boy, what is your element?"

Faybos thought for a moment before replying "I don't know. I'm green... well... mostly green. I guess that makes me a Toa of Air?"

"That is just it, Young Spark, you are not all green. Therefore you are something else. Let's try something... focus on that target. Feel whatever elemental energy you have building within you..."

As Kiko guided Faybos through the steps, he slowly raised his fist at the target. He closed his eyes and began to build the kinetic energy within his body. Small sparks of green electricity surged from his arm, charging into his fist.

"That's it! Keep at it! Now open your eyes and release that energy!"

Faybos' eyes shot open and released the charge, his arm jerking back upon firing, sending him backwards into the hut. Missing the target entirely.

Kiko rubbed his chin. "Hm... perhaps he needs a little more practice."

The Toa emerged from the door, rubbing his head "Ow," He murmured. Kiko signalled him to come over. "Try that again, but be ready this time." He smirked.

"Yes sir," Faybos muttered.

Upon close inspection of the Toa, Kiko pondered about his elemental charge, especially his kanohi. He thought it was best to leave it in the dark for now . "This time with a little more concentration."

Faybos nodded.

"Now that we know you can charge your attacks, let's see what else we can build upon that. Here is your first real lesson: Block and Counter."

"What?" The Toa asked.

Kiko took a few steps forward and raised his staff. "Faybos, I'm going to attack you. You are to block my strikes."

"I don't want to hurt you Turaga."

Kiko chuckled, "Believe me young one, I won't feel a thing." He said as he twirled his staff. He ran up and whacked the Toa's shin.

Faybos hopped on one foot, holding his leg . "H-Hey! Stop that!"

Kiko smirked before whacking him at in the back of the head.

"Ow..." He grunted, staggering forward. "How in Mata Nui's name is this Turaga moving so-" His thought was cut off as he looked up. He was surprised to see the old man standing right at his feet.

"Don't dodge, just react." Kiko said before swinging his staff again. Faybos faltered with every whack that connected to his body, soon becoming frustrated to the point where he couldn't think straight. Right when Kiko swinged at his head, a green aura emitted from Faybos' body, sending Kiko flying into a stack of hay. "Ooof!" The old Turaga yelped.

Faybos looked on at Kiko, feeling sorry for sending him off like that. Upon realising this he found his face glowing. His mask! It's been activated! But... what does it do? He pulled the Turaga out of the stack and brushed the bits of straw off that clung to his armour. "Your mask emits a slim barrier that forms around your body."

Faybos scratched the back of his head. "Okay, so it's basically a Hau... I guess."

The Turaga shook his head. "Somehow I doubt that's a Hau. You have little control over it."

"Then how do I learn to use it?" He asked.

Kiko pondered. "That my student, is something you must learn on your own."

"Great. Anything else oh wise, knowledgable Turaga of Pain?"

He nodded his head. "Duck."

"Hm- AUGH!" Faybos felt something whack against his cranium. "What in Karzahni?!"

Kiko chuckled to himself before picking up a wooden block, tossing it in his hand. "It seems you are a magnet for pain, Toa. Perhaps I should keep that title, as I always seem to hurt you so much. Did you not say a few days ago that you were immune it?"

"Okay... maybe I over-exaggerated a little."

"Of course you did. Next lesson. Stopping projectiles."

"Where did that come from?" The Toa asked, still holding his head.

Kiko nodded toward the target. "You still didn't destroy it. Here comes another one."

Faybos turned and held his blade. The dummy flinged another block of wood. He tried to deflect it but could not match the speed  of its trajectory. Striking his stomach, he staggered back with a "OOOF!". He kneeled to the floor, trying to regain his wind. "I must be faster!" He thought to himself as he slammed the ground with his fist before rising up. The dummy had already loaded another projectile and fired at the frustrated Faybos. With that said he rapidly sliced the block, the halves flying past his head on both sides. With a cry he rushes towards the dummy and cuts it clean down the middle, followed by another slash across its head. Kiko looked on in disappointment as the Toa angrily chopped the wooden dummy into tarnished lumber. "This will take longer than I expected." Effortlessly, he smacked the Toa back to his senses with his staff. "Calm down for Nui's sake! Honestly, it is like trying to teach a child!" He scoffed. The toa frowned, "But Turaga-"

"Grow up!" Kiko spat as he cut the Toa off. Faybos shamefully stared down at his feet. "It is now clear to me that I cannot train you properly with that temper in the way. Go to the hot springs and cool off."  

"What you just said makes no sense."

"You know what I mean. Now go."

Faybos stared at the irritated Turaga. "I don't know where the hot springs are... in fact, I still don't know where anything is in this village."

Kiko slapped his palm on his own face before pointing in said direction.

The Toa frustratingly replied with a "Thank you" as he started shuffling his feet towards his destination. The Turaga soon faded in the distance. As Faybos looked around, the forest seemed quite lush. A few beetles here and there, Bula berry bushes surrounding the matoran-made path, riddled with plants of various colours and scents- Most notably the lillies and the occasional sounds of wildlife. His anger quickly left his body, feeling the energies had exited the cracks and crevices of his armour. Exhaling a calm breath of air, he found himself standing at the springs. It took awhile to get most of his armour off before dipping into the ludicrously warm waters. He felt a shiver run up his spine as he winced at the change in temperature. Now that he was alone he had plenty of time to think to himself... but about what? He pondered over his breif arguement with Kiko. He soon slipped off into a slumber, letting the bubbling fluid numb his entire body.

An hour later, he woke at the sound of Kiko's gruff voice. He was standing over him, a basket of berries and cups of tea in hand. He stared down at him with a not-so-enthusiastic grimace. "How are you feeling?" The old man raised his brow.

"Much better than before... I'm sorry for exploding like that."

Kiko sighed before he sat down to set up a plate for Faybos and himself. "Perhaps I have overreacted. For that, I apologize."

Faybos spewed his tea upon hearing his apology. "That's right! You were pretty hard on me now that I-"

"Don't push it." He hissed

"Right, sorry." the Toa looked away and sipped his drink.

"For the most part, I have an understanding of your frustration. Wanting to learn so quickly and such. But patience is one of a Toa's greatest strengths. Without patience, there is no concentration, followed by-" Faybos looked on as Kiko continued to ramble on... and on... and on... His voice seemed to blurt out nonsense with every passing second.  Until finally, "That being said, I have decided to resume your training."

Faybos eyes shot open in excitement. "YES!" He jumped out of the water frantically only to completely drench Kiko from head to toe, much to his chagrin. Noticing this, he immediately apologized to the now soaked (and highly aggravated) Turaga. Who then spun around towards the village. "Just get over to the training grounds post-haste. Also, put some armour on for Nui's sake."

The Toa stared down at himself. Realizing this he covered himself with one of his shoulder pads. He quickly lifted himself up onto the rocky surroundings, drying himself off with a towel and putting his armour back on. He raced to the Turaga ready for his real training.

________________________________________________________________________


"So what did the Toa do after that?" A Motoran asked, sitting on his bed.
A Turaga sighed as he looked at the boy.

"Well, he kept at it until he was strong enough to use his sword. When that was finished, Turaga Kiko started teaching him different techniques."

"What about the Universe? The Makuta's shadows were still spreading, right?"

"Hm..."


________________________________________________________________________


As the days went by, the skies became darker... filled with the corruption of Makuta's essence. Plant life around the world began to slowly fade from existence, little light emitted from the dark clouds, plunging the world further into darkness even during the day. Residents of villages would be swallowed in the corruption, forming into hideous beasts and mutants that none dared encounter. The world looked as though it would never see the light again.

After training the Toa, Kiko decided it was time to let him go. He taught him all he could teach. The rest he had to learn on his own. Faybos set off into the darkness, in hopes of finding himself, to discover his past and to realize who he really was. He first started through the Forest of Deia, a dangerous place that Heva Nui Matoran had to keep away from.

"Kiko told me this forest gets very dark. It's a good thing I brought this lamp." He thought to himself.

He examined the stone path leading to the fabled end of the forest. It was the only thing he could clearly see in front of him. If he were to look at the trees, he'd only be able to see past a single row. The wood looked twisted and rotten, showing just how deep Makuta's influence had affected the world. The fact that it was almost night time didn't help either. Faybos was not in his element... whatever it was. Figuring he had to set up camp, he took off his pack and placed it on the floor.

He lifted up his lamp, holding it so he could see his belongings and equipment. One tent, a sword, a few bags of berries for the journey and of course, his light. He sighed as he started to hammer the pegs into the ground. He quickly ties up the string needed for the tent, and slings the blanket over it. For a first try at a makeshift tent, it wasn't too bad. He grabbed his things and brought them into the tent, proceeding to lie down on the hard floor. Upon doing this he groaned in frustration, realizing he had forgotten two things, another blanket and a pillow. "Oh this is just lovely," He muttered before trying to fall asleep.

Several hours passed, but he received not a wink of sleep. The constant shrieking of rahi and other wildlife coupled with thunder echoing didn't do him any justice. Frustrated, he stuck his head out. "SHUT UP!" He yelled in vain, only for the sounds to get louder. He sighed before bringing his head back inside. Grabbing his pack, he rested his head on it as a pillow, and used the berry sacks as ear plugs. "Ah, that's the ticket," He smiled happily as he dozed off to sleep.


The next day, Faybos disassembled his tent and continued on with his journey. Daytime now somewhat made the forest much more visible. He could at least see further than just one row of trees. He passed by a stream, with hoi turtles swimming with in the current, catching any nearby fish for a meal. "This place isn't so dangerous. What could the Matoran possibly be afraid of?" Little did he know that phrase may have just been his undoing.

A very unfamiliar bird call echoed through the trees. He turned in the direction of the call, seeing nothing but shadow and the dimly lit sky. "Hm... rustling... even in those bushes. Wait... bushes? There were no bushes ther-" In a flash, a figure holding a spear leaped out and tackled him to the ground. The Toa held back the being, desperately locked in a test of strength. He rolled back and sent his foot into its stomach, the attacker flying over him and landing on the ground, dropping the spear. Faybos quickly got up and grabbed the weapon. The attacker tried to get back up only to meet its sharp end. Now that Faybos had it in his sights he could examine just who this stranger was. He could tell from the armour he wore that he was no ordinary being. Resembling that of a Xian bandit, the man snarled at him. "What are you waiting for? Finish me!" He yelled through clenched teeth.

Faybos tossed the spear away, "You're already beaten. Besides, I don't think your friends want me on my guard."

More bandits emerged from hiding, pointing their assortment of swords, kunai, spears and arrows. Faybos held his position.

"Well, well... what's a Toa doing wandering around the woods? Don't you have a city to protect, Toa?" One of the thieves smirked. "Say, that's a nice sword you got on ya. You won't mind if I took it off your hands?" He raised his dagger.

The Toa gritted his teeth. "You picked the wrong day to cross me bandits, run along, and I won't break your face in."

"That a threat?! Do you know who we are? We are the Cloak Brotherhood! We always get what we want! You, Toa, are not the first we've faced... Hand us that Kanohi... and we'll think of sparing your life."

"I'm afraid that is impossible." Faybos sighed.

"Oh well, one less Toa in this Spirit-forsaken world."

With that, the bandits charged at him, thrusting their daggers at the Toa. He stepped back, trying to deflect the incoming strikes, but there were too many. They, forcedcing him against a tree. He tried to use his mask power, only for a little spark to fizzle out. For a second the bandits looked at him in disbelief.

"Oh... sh*t... Heh, I guess this thing needs to charge?"

The Toa gulped, this was really not his day.

The bandits grinned and charged at him once more. Faybos jumpeds over one of the bandits and kickeds him in the back, sending him flying into the other grunts. The bandits that were not affected turned to slash at him, prompting him to unsheathe his sword to block. They continued they're flurry of daggers and spears, trying to rip into the Toa's armour, only to meet the blunt end of his blade. Faybos jumped back to distance himself, panting heavily. "Last chance... leave me alone before I get really angry!"

The assailants snorted. "Oh yeah? We won't like you when you're angry, huh?"

Faybos bit his lip. His fist began to shake, kinetic energy forming around it. Hopefully this would take them out in one shot.

"Alright men! Get ready to cut this stupid Toa to ribbons!" The Cheif exclaimed, aiming his crossbow, prompting the others to use theirs as well.

"READY.... AIM... FIRE!"

At that instant, Faybos swung his arm back and hurtled the energy sphere at the mob of bandits. They fired their arrows at the Toa, only for the ball to zoom past and charge the arrows, causing them to fly in all directions. One arrow managed to escape from the volley and struck his leg. He let out a grunt of pain, quickly removing the arrow. He watched as the entire world around him blurred. Fading to black.


* * *


Hours later, Faybos opened his eyes, staring into the dark sky. He stood up and patted the dust off his armour. His leg was screaming with pain, the arrow on the ground next to his feet. It had been dipped with a sedative substance, having it knocked him out cold. From the looks of things the bandits took everything. His sword, pack, and lamp were now gone. All he had left was the armour and Kanohi... which he still doesn't know how to use. Wait, his Kanohi?! How is it still on his face and not with those theives, who were probably laughing about their latest steal by now. He thought about it for moment as he took his mask off. It was made of solid gold with green appendages that attached to his eyebrows. The vetilated mouthpeice extended down to was presumably his chin. The oddest looking mask by far, as it did not wrap around his face like other Kanohi. He set his mask down and sighed, observing as it now served as a home for a small rahi beetle within seconds... only for the mask to glow and repel the beetle away upon contact. Quickly picking it up, he examined it more closely. It seems as though he is the only one that can touch it. "So that's why they didn't steal it... They couldn't even touch it." He thought to himself as he stared down the dirt road.  Aside from the kanohi still in his possession, all he had left were his memories of Kiko's instruction:


- Follow the path to the Village

- Find the Elder Toa

- Look for a Hut with the symbol "Kol" on it.

- Buy a map.


That being said, Faybos looked back with a grimace. He couldn't defend himself against a band of low-life bandits. He realized that skill with a sword is not enough. Hopefully the Elder Toa will teach him the skills he needed to get his supplies back. He reached up and grabbed the large leaves from the tree, weaving it around his leg to bandage the wound. The entrance to the village was a few more bios away. He resumed his journey, hoping he could find the answers he was looking for.


_________________________________________________________________



The Matoran looked up at the elderly Turaga. "So what happened next?"

The old man chuckled. "So eager to hear more are you? For now, sleep young one. For tomorrow is another day."



_________________________________________________________________



Will Faybos reach the village in one piece? What about the Bandits that stole his belongings? If so, what does this village have in store for him? These questions will soon be answered in:


CHAPTER 3: WE DON'T GO TO DESTRAL

To be continued…
Chapter 2 is finally here! Longer than the last as well! It seems Faybos has already gotten into some deep trouble himself. But no worries, our hero will continue his quest!

I'll try to get Chapter 3 in much faster than this... But in the meantime enjoy!

Editing done by :iconvalkyrielightdragon:

Thank you so much for your hard work Val! =D

The BIONICLE Universe (c) LEGO and Greg Farshtey

Faybos, Kiko, Heva Nui, plotine and story (c) Me
Comments7
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data2048's avatar
Sorry I didn't get back to you on the draft you sent me DX
But anyways, I like the changes you made.

The one thing that I wanna point out is the speech for each person; I wouldn't make them sound so jagged. So like, instead of saying, "Hi. My name is Larry. I don't have any super powers like you guys, but I am a damn good ally when it comes to technology," you might want to say, "Hi, my name's Larry. I may not have super powers like you guys...." etc etc. So like...
"You are too weak at the moment. Gather your strength. You have been in stasis for what seems to be several millennia. From what I have managed to salvage from that pod, it seems I have found your name. Your name is Toa Faybos. As for your elemental abilities, I cannot say."
I would say...
"You are too weak at the moment, gather your strength. You have been in stasis for what seems to be several millennia, and from what I have managed to salvage from that pod, it seems I have found your name: Toa Faybos. As for your elemental abilities... I cannot say."

People tend to speak with more... uh... I have no idea how to put it. But like, the sentences are connected and less phrase by phrase, if that makes any sense what-so-ever.

But otherwise, your story was very enjoyable and a pleasure to read. The characters were easy to relate to and understand