Jungle Voyage

"How hard do you believe it will be to defeat Altor?"

- Kortec to Reltu, Jungle Voyage

Jungle Voyage is the second installment in The Tales of Xioc Nui Epic Series by BZPower and C.I.R.C.L.E. member Em-Oh-Cee-Ehr.

Prologue
“Lord Mentsu? News for you,” said a being hovering in the center of the room. It had a voice that could be called shrill, yet ominous. On the other side of the chamber was a gunmetal throne of solid ProtoSteel. A very large being sat on it, his orange eyes lighting up the otherwise dim room. Mentsu. He gestured with his hand to move on. The smaller being cleared what could be considered his throat. “Um, well. Shenku has been... defeated,” he said. “But, before I could recover her bod-” “I already had someone else do it,” Mentsu replied in a deep voice. “She has been given a small chamber of prison just for her. You know, Ganval, as my assistant, you really should stay on top of things.” The leader of the Six Lords stood up and walked to the door, arms crossed behind his back. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve a terrible pawn to deal with.” When the door closed, Ganval let out a relieved sigh. Being around Mentsu gave him an emotion that was fright mixed with something else. He dared not to think of that feeling, for Mentsu could read people’s minds, and destroy it all the same. “I’ve a feeling,” said Ganval, “That the Toa better say their goodbyes.”

Chapter One: Return of an Old Friend
“Goodbye!” shouted Tahara, current Toa Xioc of Fire. She and the other Toa were just leaving the main town of Ko-Xioc. The Toa Xioc had been, in the past couple of days, saving this icy southern island from tyranny. They had trailed Lord Shenku and her minions through Ice and Mount Torent, where the final showdown was held. Soon after, they discovered many Matoran who had survived the torture of Mount Torent, locked in the Library of Time. They had all been escorted back to the town where the Toa helped rebuild the city for a couple days. Now they were headed north, to free Le-Xioc. “Finally, we’re done here!” said Reltu, Toa Xioc of Air, with relief. “All this ice, snow, and cold... it’s just not the way of a Toa of Air!” The other Toa smiled. They had liberated what was probably the second most difficult region to free. One joke wouldn’t hurt. They had just passed the gates and were roaming north. “Yes,” said Tahara, finally smiling. “But don’t get cocky, Reltu. Because we’d all hate to see you land flat on your face while facing down Lord Altor.” The being the Toa of Fire was referring to was the Lord of Le-Xioc. He was a master of stealth, and took pride in it, too. “So, Reltu,” Kortec, Toa of Ice and leader, asked. “How hard do you believe it will be to defeat Altor?” It was a question probably only Reltu knew, having been taught by him. Reltu answered almost immediately, “Pretty hard. But he doesn’t have a pet monster like Shenku.” When the Toa had battled the Lord of Ko-Xioc, Shenku, she had conjured up a beast of myth, known as the Crystal Behemoth. It made the job even more difficult. Now the Toa had reached the city limits. They were able to see the bridge on the horizon, known as the Ko-Le Bridge. Basically the Ice-to-Jungle Bridge. As the Toa came closer, they could see that the ice was thinner here. The ice started to crack beneath Selget’s feet. “Makuta bones,” he grumbled as his foot sunk into the snowy/ice mix. Reltu gave a short laugh. “What’s wrong, Gearhead? Ice not thicker than your skull?” “You are one to talk, Reltu,” Tahara shot back. She used her power of Fire to help Selget out. With him free, the others continued. Suddenly, the ice cracked again. The Toa looked at Selget, but he just shrugged. The sound had come from just ahead of them. With a huge crunch, a large crack ran through the field. From ahead of them came an upheaval in the ice. Out of the crack burst an all too familiar Rahi. It was dragon-like in shape, and didn’t look happy. “Hello, Toa,” it growled. If the Toa didn’t know who this being was, they’d have thought it amazing that a Rahi could speak. Not too long ago, the Toa had to fight this being in Shenku’s Ice Lair, who’d been providing a diversion. “King Frostelus,” Kortec replied. When he said it, he spoke the words as if they were Poison. The Rahi before them was once Shenku’s right hand... Rahi-thing. They thought that when the Ice Lair was demolished, he had died. Apparently not. Now, at least, they could stop feeling so guilty. “That’s right,” King replied in a rough voice. “After my escape from Shenku’s death trap, I was lucky enough to catch up with your little group. I could have ambushed you, but how much fun would that have been?” He scraped his claws together, producing a metallic sound, “I’m curious where this luck came from.” “I doubt it’s Mata Nui,” Reltu retorted. “Out of our way, Rahi,” Tahara boldly shouted, “or else we’ll forcibly cut you down-to-size.” King gave a small growl of annoyance. He gestured to either side, but nothing happened. Usually, two Frostelus would be at his side. “Do you see that?” he said. “Because of you, all of my minions are GONE! No longer under my control. They roam free now, and you will pay.” He opened his maw, unleashing a blast of cold energy. “Guys, move it!” Kortec ordered. They all jumped as the blast came within a couple inches of Selget’s foot. He tossed his boomerang at King. But he leapt away fast enough to avoid both the boomerang and the explosion. A bolt of Lightning flew at Ector, who created a wall of Earth to shield himself. But the earth cut through the ice, producing a spider web of cracks. The ice got soft and fragile. They were literally on thin ice. Realizing the danger, Ector exerted massive energy into his mask, unleashing powerful telekinetic powers. The force kept the ice from falling into the sea. But that just put Ector into a very dangerous situation. He was focusing so much energy into the mask that he couldn’t protect himself. That was now Gaeluu’s job. Using the ice, she made new Water to fight off King. His blows were more focused and powerful than before. He’s been training, she thought. Tahara took her axe and threw it, driving it into the ice beneath King. The heat element focused in it melted the platform he stood on. With nothing to stand on, he fell with a splash. Picking up her axe, she walked away. Mistake number one. There was a lurching in the ice ahead of Tahara. With a sound of shattering, King launched back up. He landed a quick blow to her, sending her flying across the frozen sea. Turning around, King Frostelus saw Selget dashing towards him. The Kanohi Zelzor, Mask of Lightning, activated. The lightning effect flowed around his body, making him a bullet of electric energy. There was no time to dodge, so King curled up into a ball. The impact sent a shockwave rippling throughout the field. A massive electric shock ripped through King’s mind, but he still picked himself up five bio away. He staggered on his first couple of steps, but he was still conscious. He gave a bestial grin, “My turn.” He took his claws and clapped them together. His two skeletal wings started flapping. Within seconds, he was off the ground and soaring above their heads. “See how you like this, fly-boy!” Reltu shouted. He spun his disc around and tossed it. A tornado started up, whirling around the disc. The cyclone hit King, and sent him tumbling down to earth. “I love this job,” Reltu finished. But, when King fell, he shifted his body into a bullet-like shape. Now he was rocketing down towards Ector. Gaeluu turned and saw him too late. The attack hit, sending all three beings, Gaeluu, Ector, and King, plunging under the ice. Without the help of Gaeluu’s Water, Ector would have drowned. They were shielded from the blow, and had a bubble of air surrounding them. Gaeluu pulled them both up onto the ice. “Are you alright?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she dashed over to the other Toa, Ector following. Suddenly, the ice started to sink. Ector’s Matatu had let go of its’ effects, letting the ice freely fall. “Come on!” Kortec shouted. He led the other Toa away from the falling ice behind him. The bridge was solid stone and long. With the ice falling, the bridge would be the only safe area. With a leap of hope, Reltu gathered his energies just in case. The ice was dangerously close to them. The stone bridge was close as well. Agonizingly close... All of a sudden, they heard not the soft ice cracking beneath them, but also the sound of their metal-clad feet on stone. With a final crunch, the ice around the bridge collapsed. With a final sigh of relief, the Toa fell, beginning with Ector. “Finally,” said Ector, panting. “You think King’s gone? For good?” There was a sudden explosion. The sound echoed throughout the silent evening. “Does that answer your question?” asked Kortec, pointing at the water with his sword. It was pointing directly at King, who was currently climbing up the bridge support tower. “I don’t think so,” said Kortec as he ran over to the edge of the bridge, holding his sword up. He directed a blast of Ice at the side of the tower, freezing it solid. With nothing to get a grip on, King fell back down into the water, but King wasn’t done for yet. With a crackle of electricity, a bolt of Lightning flew from his horn and struck the support tower. The rock tower was severely damaged, and the entire bridge started to shake. “Uh, that can’t be good,” said Reltu, staring at the tower. A large chunk had been decimated from it’s side. With too much weight to be supported, the tower shattered, starting to bring the bridge down with it. “Nope, not good at all,” Selget replied. “Run for it!” shouted Kortec, already dashing for the other side. If the bridge collapsed, it would take them days, possibly weeks, to get to the other island. So, with that thought in mind, the other Toa ran as the bridge beneath them buckled and broke.