Quest for the masks - Olmak

Chapter one

Two greatswords floated limply in the air. They were connected so as to form a hoverboard, and this hoverboard loomed above a vast desert. To visitors to this place it was effectively endless, the undulating sands proving impossible for mapmakers to chart, and the sandstorms deterring even the most desperate of travellers.

There was a promised land beyond this desert. A gleaming metal city with crystalline towers, vast floating gardens and a fresh water supply. To those who spoke of it, it was a living museum, a stubborn relic of a better era, unaffected by the ravages of time.

A visitor to this desert might never stray further than a Kio. The sun would lead them some of the way, but soon the desert proved too much, and the travellers too weary. But to those who had been to the ancient city and back, there were shortcuts.

Toa Lhikan was sat inside one of these shortcuts, blasting sand into glass structures as he waited for something. The inside of the tunnel was decorated with stone carvings of ancient Kanohi, most frequently variations on the Kakama. Nuva, Noble, Great. All were here, even some the aged Toa of fire struggled to recognise.

Something moved within one of the walls. A spark came from under one mask, and the stone began to crack and repair itself in repeating cycles around one tiny point. Lhikan stood up and reached for his greatswords, only to remember they were hovering somewhere above. The air crackled, and a wide and golden mask peered out from a purplish vortex growing before him. Lhikan's experience as a Toa crumbled in the sight of this ancient being. He had killed this creature long ago, when the new kingdom was young and the desert still yielded the occasional oasis. It was still against the Toa code to kill, but it had to be done. This being had grown too powerful and too corrupt. Despite the good the execution brought to the world. Lhikan regretted it.

He wondered if this was an apparition from an afterlife. If this was the red star of the great spirit robot bringing this being back. Then he remembered the fall, the star plummeting into the planet's surface, the hundreds who died on impact, never to be returned.

The being had crawled halfway out of the vortex now, their glowing mask close enough to his own to feel the heat. He was kicking it away, fighting against the blue and gold giant to no avail. Then he saw that sand was whirling into this other universe, and Lhikan took advantage, blasting the sand into glass. The fragments did not distract the being, who reached out regardless, grabbing the Toa and pulling him inward.

As he struggled against the twisted gold and blue being on the other side of the portal, he burnt a single word into the wall of the tunnel.

BRUTAKA

I hope you liked this. I'm an unpublished novelist most of the time, but in my spare time I like to play with Lego and write fan fictions of Bionicle. It's a nice break from writing. The Bionicle universe is something I know quite well, so I can feel relaxed in its lore. 

I tried with this chapter to introduce my story of the Bionicle in a way which is accessible even for people who aren't fans of the original toyline or story. Please tell me if that worked or not. I've also hinted at a greater world beyond this chapter, which shall be revealed soon. Thanks for reading. 

PLCarter