Bionicle: The Mask of Imitation

Chapter 5: The Cavern of Deception

A sigh echoed through the caverns, Lewa, Kopaka, and Ekimu all trailed behind Pohatu, who was leading the way with a bright green light stone floating above the palm of his left hand.

“How much farther?” Lewa questioned, looking to Ekimu.

“A while still.” The mask maker sighed. 

“Hopefully.” Kopaka said.

“Wait.” Pohatu mumbled, raising his right hand to stop them.

“What is it Toa?” Ekimu said, stepping around to Pohatu’s right, pausing in silence.

“Come now, don’t tell me you’re scared now.” Lewa sighed, looking over Pohatu’s shoulder. “Oh...” Kopaka raised a brow, moving to the Toa of stone’s left.

“Oh my...” Kopaka gasped. Before their feet lay a limp, outstretched arm, which trailed off, connecting to its body just beyond the edge of the light. The arm and hand were clad in blue armor.

“Looks like we’ve found the ones who got here before us...” Lewa mumbled. Pohatu tossed the light stone up, he clapped his hands together once, causing more of the green stones to jut out from the walls, fully illuminating the cavern. As the passage filled with light, a terrible sight was revealed to them. There were six torn and mangled bodies, all limp and lifeless.

“By the gods…” Ekimu mumbled to himself, kneeling down and lifting up a round silver metal mask. “Austerians? On Okoto..?” He questioned, running a hand along the smooth forehead of the mask.

“Austherians? Ekimu?” Kopaka questioned. Kneeling down beside the mask maker, his hand resting on his knee.

“They’re a group of people who would trade with Okoto long ago. During difficult times, they cut off the trade. The majority of Austherians left Okoto, these are true Austherian warriors… Straight from Austheria.” Ekimu said, dropping the mask and standing back up.

 As the four made their way down the hall, avoiding the limbs and heads. They finally passed the and were making their way further into the tunnel.

“Wait!” Lewa called out from behind them. Ekimu, Kopaka, and Pohatu spun around to see the master of jungle, kneeling down before I one of the bodies, lying against the wall. “This one… she’s alive!” Lewa whispered, Ekimu quickly ran to his side, looking the Austherian over.

“She is...” He said, looking to Lewa. “Bring her with us.” Ekimu placed a hand on his shoulder. “She is of your element after all.” The mask maker then stood, making his way back to the other Toa as Lewa lifted the Austherian to her feet, wrapping her left arm over his shoulders and holding her up as they continued on their path.

“Well…” Kopaka whispered, they had been walking for what felt like hours through this cavern, and their patience had finally paid off. Before them sat two ornately carved stone doors.

“We’re here. Finally.” Ekimu said, placing his right hand on the door. “Toa, add some of your individual elemental energy into the door, that, along with my own power, should unlock it.” As he said this, each of the three Toa placed their hands upon the door, each of their elemental energies pouring into it. As they released their power into it, the door began to glow, making a loud crack as dust shot out. The doors slowly swung open. The five of them stepped through, coming into a large, dimly lit, round stone cavern, with columns lining around the room.

“What on Okoto...” Lewa mumbled, resting the Austherian girl against one of the columns surrounding the room. As they came towards the center of the room, they observed a tall, cylindrical pillar, with ornately carved, rounded steps. 

“Good..it is still here..” Ekimu sighed, looking up at a pale transparent mask, floating above the pillar. It was spiked and rigid all around, yet fluid and flowing. The eyes of the mask gave a permanently stern expression down upon them as it radiated a dark purple energy. 

“I can tell it is not a mask of much good..” Kopaka said, standing beside the mask maker.

“It is a mask of extreme power.” Ekimu said, climbing the steps. As he arrived before the mask, he took a deep breath, reaching out, attempting to take the mask.

In an instant, a bolt of dark energy shot out from the back of the room, hitting Ekimu and exploding on impact, blasting the mask maker against the wall. As he fell to the ground, Lewa and Pohatu readied their weapons. Kopaka rushed to Ekimu, helping him stand. 

“What was that?” Lewa questioned, as a black vortex formed on the wall. Out from it, stepped a large, shadowy figure, with black and white armor, gears spinning on his shoulders, red lights illuminating sections of his form. His eyes radiated a red smoke as he observed the five.

“What..are you?” Ekimu asked to the figure, who was shifting and stumbling towards the pedestal. Slowly 

it climbed the steps, looking down upon them. “Get the mask!” Ekimu called out, Pohatu wound his arms back, launching his stormerangs at the intruder. Kopaka lifted his ice spear, firing a beam of ice at it. And Lewa lunged forward, lifting his axes above his head, ready to swing. 

“Fools…” Whispered a sinister, disembodied voice as the figure wrapped his hands around the mask of imitation, pulling it from the pedestal and placing it over his shrouded face, a shockwave rippled through the room, blasting Lewa out the door, snapping both his axes in half. 

“Get down!” Kopaka yelled as one of the stormerangs was disintegrated, the other launching back at Pohatu. The Toa of ice jumped in front of Ekimu, holding his shield and staff in front of him, as the wave of energy passed over them, Kopaka’s tools shattered, and with a delayed reaction, he was flung against a column, knocking him unconscious.

Ekimu struggled to his feet, lifting his hammer from the ground. “I will not allow you to take that mask..” He said, stepping towards the figure.

“You do not have a choice...” The voice chuckled, the figure raising his right hand towards Ekimu, making a slow pulling motion. Ekimu became stiff, his feet lifting from the cold stone. He floated towards the figure, the deep red eyes closely observing him from behind the mask. “You think you hold great power...” The voice echoed. “You are nothing… compared to me…” The voice had transferred to behind the mask. The figure opened his hand, facing his palm to Ekimu, almost simultaneously, a shockwave blast him into the wall, shards of stone and rock flung out from underneath him, colliding along the floor. “We’ll see eachother again soon...” The voice spoke as the figure was engulfed in shadow, fading away.