BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets

"Now, the quest had led to Karda Nui, the very core of the universe, the site of what would be the final battle."

- Narrator

BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets is the tenth BIONICLE book in the BIONICLE Legends series, released in July of 2008. A code included in the novel could redeemed at the Kanoka Club for the exclusive web story titled The Kingdom.

==Synopsis ==

The book begins with Takanuva patrolling the beaches of Metru Nui. He begins thinking that the Toa Nuva would have fared better on Voya Nui if he was there. He also thinks that Matoro would not have died if he had been there. A dark thought flutters in his head for a moment, but he quickly expels it. Pushing forward with his mental energy, Takanuva picks up a picture of a Dark Hunter in the Archives. The Toa of Light races toward the Archives in Onu-Metru, but he is taken by surprise by the sudden attack of a Shadow Leech. After a struggle to get it off, he succeeds, but not before being halfway drained of his light. Weakened by the drain, he falls unconscious.

Takanuva wakes up in a room in the Archives where Onu-Matoran bring deceased Rahi bodies for autopsies. Illuminating the cave, he notices two Toa standing over him, one a Toa of Water, and the other a Toa of Sonics. The Toa of Water calls herself Helryx, while the Toa of Sonics is Krakua. She explains that they have a message that Takanuva must deliver to the Toa Nuva. Before he can leave, though, Helryx latches her 'pet' Kratana onto Takanuva's Kanohi so he can learn of the past.

Meanwhile, the Toa Nuva Tahu, Gali, and Onua land in the Swamp of Secrets. They decide to split up in order to cover more ground. Onua eventually comes across a giant Nui-Kopen. Slamming it with his fist, it falls into the swamp water, and emerges as a completely different looking creature with tentacles. Before it attacks, Onua's body suddenly will not listen to his will, and he witnesses a yellow Makuta approach him. Bitil explains that his Nynrah Ghost Blaster took over Onua's mechanical parts in his body, then summons duplicates of himself, and they take Onua, who is under their control, to Krika's lair for interrogation. In another part of the swamp, Tahu encounters an enormous spherical structure embedded in a fallen stalactite. He approaches it, but is abruptly blown back by an invisible energy field, and a white Makuta looms over him and prepares to feed.

In Takanuva's visions of the past, he witnesses the Toa Mata being awoken and spoken to by Helryx. After questions are exchanged and hot arguments are quelled, they are led outside of the room they are in, only to be taught more about what Toa are meant to do in their life.

Back in the swamp, Bitil had arrived at Krika's cave. Onua quietly realizes that he is no longer under Bitil's control and quickly gets one duplicate into a headlock. Threatening to tear the Makuta's head off, the other Bitils blast him with energy. Onua rises to see fifty Bitils before him, and he then makes the Earth explode beneath them. His concentration broken, only one Bitil pursues the escaping Onua, who uses his Nynrah Ghost Blaster to create an energy field around Bitil, sending him falling down to the swamp.

In yet another part of the swamp, Gali finds a broken Keystone in the grasp of a sentient plant. After successfully retrieving it, she is attacked by Gorast, who stuns her. After a short, furious fight, Gali traps Gorast in a mud sinkhole. Gorast dives into the mud, seemingly drowning, but she bursts from the ground just a moment later, taking Gali by surprise and defeating the Toa of Water. A huge fireball then illuminates the sky.

While that happens, Tahu wakes up. Seeing Krika standing over him, he quickly rolls away. Krika then explains to Tahu why Makuta hate Toa so much, and that is why he must die. Tahu then succumbs to a sudden cold that sweeps over him, and with one final effort, launches an enormous fireball into the sky.

Back in Takanuva's visions, Gali is knocked flat by her trainer, Hydraxon, after being defeated countless times before. She then goes into a short frenzy in a wild effort to defeat him, but fails. She gets up, ready to strike again, but then is knocked down by Spinax. After she is forced to run away from Spinax, she finds her way back to the Toa Mata's rest station, and engages in discussion with several of the other Toa.

In the present, right before feeding on Gali's light, Gorast is picked up by Onua and slammed into the ground so hard she almost snaps into pieces. Gali turns out to be all right, and she and Onua escape, Gorast and Bitil tailing them wildly. They eventually arrive at the scene of Tahu's attack, and a short battle ensues. Chirox, another Makuta, is seen falling out of the sky, and the other three rush to help him, leaving the three Toa Nuva alone. They are guided deeper in the swamp by an Av-Matoran who appeared to help them escape.

Eventually, they arrive at a small ground surrounded by Lightvines. The Nuva are horrified by what they see in the center: Matoran-like forms undergoing strange changes. Suddenly, the figures change into Bohrok and fade away, transporting to an unknown location and leaving the Toa puzzled. The Av-Matoran explains that the first Bohrok had evolved from Av-Matoran, and the transformations came naturally. Gali takes her eyes off the robots for a moment, and when she looks back, they are gone. The Matoran guide hands Onua a Keystone, and then lies down and transforms into a Bohrok and disappears like his brothers. Tahu then expresses his subtle rage towards the fact that this was the price to be paid for Mata Nui's awakening.

In Takanuva's visions, he sees Lewa underwater, attempting to find his Miru. Frustrated by the attacks of schools of carnivorous fish, he gives up, and Hydraxon laughs at him. Their trainer had taken each of their masks and hidden it somewhere on Daxia. Angered, Lewa comments on how each of the other Toa Mata are doing, then realizes that they can work together. Hydraxon commends him, and Lewa seeks out Gali's help for getting his mask, in exchange for him getting her mask. After the mask search, Tahu and Kopaka scale a mountain to get to an Order of Mata Nui base. They then trick the guards into letting them in, and they are greeted by Helryx, the leader of the Order. She stops working on her project, the Swamp Strider, and then asks them if they will take on the job to become Mata Nui's guardians.

In the present, Tahu and the two other Toa follow a trail created by the Makuta toward Krika's base. They plan a strategy to steal the final Keystone. Once arriving there, they cause timed explosions of their elements to happen. Each explosion goes right, and each Makuta is distracted and leaves the lair. Seizing the opportunity, the Toa steal the Keystone, and Tahu throws a shield around them to protect them against the attack of Krika who was not tricked. Onua digs a huge tunnel and the Nuva follow it, planning to escape to the Codrex, where they will wait for the other three Toa. Krika and his team follow, planning to ambush the Toa. It turns out the Nuva were the ones planning the ambush. Above the Codrex, they witness the three Makuta and three more Bitils appear, waiting for them. Tahu then lead the two other Nuva in a power dive towards the Makuta in a last attempt to defeat them.

In Takanuva's visions, he witnesses the Toa Mata in Karda Nui, and Kopaka and Tahu fighting off a group of Avohkah. After they are defeated, Tahu and Kopaka debate whether or not they should tell the other Mata the truth about the Codrex and what it is meant for.

Back in the present, a furious battle breaks out between the two teams in the swamp. Eventually, the Toa gain the upper hand, but then Antroz and his Makuta team come flying down, and prepare to fire at the Nuva. All seems lost, when suddenly, an ice blast blocks the blast of energy Antroz fires, backfiring on him. Kopaka, the three Av-Matoran, and the other two Toa soar down, ready to join the fight. Tahu and his team smile as they charge back into the fight, ready for the final battle.

In Takanuva's last vision, Gali defeats the last Avohkah. While Tahu and Kopaka congratulate the team, the final Av-Matoran, Takua, leaves Karda Nui with his friends. While they do so, Tahu and Kopaka lead their team to the Codrex. Curious as to what it is, Lewa runs to it, only to be blasted away by the energy field. They insert the Keystone into a niche inside the Codrex's energy field, and enter it. The entrance then shuts, and the Toa witness a huge energy storm brewing inside Karda Nui. Tahu explains their destinies, and the other four Toa Mata are outraged with Kopaka and the Toa of Fire for not telling them. Tahu also explains that if they do not get into the six canisters lined up in the Codrex, the storm would kill them all. The team reluctantly enters their canisters, ready for the day when they must awaken.

The Kratana is forcefully ripped off of Takanuva's face, and the Toa of Light then asks how he will go to Karda Nui quickly enough. At that moment, Brutaka enters the room, dragging the unconscious Dark Hunter Dweller behind him. He then activates his Olmak, and Takanuva steps through the portal, ready to begin his trip to Karda Nui. Then, Helryx, Krakua, and Brutaka leave the chamber to prepare for their roles in the coming war.

Characters

 * The Toa Nuva
 * Takanuva
 * Makuta


 * Antroz


 * Chirox


 * Vamprah


 * Krika


 * Gorast


 * Bitil


 * The Order of Mata Nui


 * Helryx


 * Hydraxon (In A Flashback)


 * Spinax (In A Flashback)


 * Krakua


 * Brutaka


 * Bohrok
 * Shadow Matoran


 * Gavla


 * Radiak


 * Kirop


 * Av-Matoran


 * Tanma


 * Solek


 * Photok


 * Dweller