Chapter Text
Tahu Nuva patrolled the streets of Ta-Koro. On any normal night, the village would be bustling as the Matoran came home from a long day of work and got their lava boards so they could spend the night surfing the molten rivers around the village. But tonight was different — it was the night of the Kohli semi-finals between Le-Koro and Ta-Koro, and all the Ta-Matoran were at the stadium nearby, cheering on their home team. Tahu had originally planned to watch the match, but his duties as a Toa came first, and this was no night to relax. He felt his jaw clench as he thought of the news that had come to him yesterday: the Nuva symbol had been stolen from Onu-Koro.
The theft had led to an emergency meeting between all six Toa and Turaga. The mess with the Bohrok Kal had just happened a few months ago, and already someone was trying to steal the Nuva symbols again. Pohatu had said in frustration that these symbols were more trouble than they were worth, and Tahu had almost agreed.
But then one of the Turaga had spoken up; his own Turaga, Vakama. He said that the Nuva Symbols were the price of becoming Toa Nuva: with their increased power and strength came the added responsibility of protecting the stone icons that held all their power. Nokama agreed, and pointed out that the symbols were just that — symbols to the Matoran of the Toa Nuva’s power and presence. Even when the Toa were away from their villages, the stone icons would always be there, serving as a powerful reminder that the Toa’s hearts were always with their homes, and that the Toa themselves would always be there for their people. Thus, it was important that the Nuva symbols always be displayed in the stone Suva within each village’s Toa shrine, and not hidden away someplace where they could not be seen.
The Toa could not disagree with Nokama and Vakama, but they had convinced the Turaga that extra steps had to be taken to protect the Nuva symbols from harm. As a precaution, more guards were to be stationed at each shrine around the clock, with at least two guards present at any given time. Although Nokama had argued against it, the Toa had also traded icons amongst themselves so that if a Nuva symbol was stolen from one village, the Toa protecting it would not lose his or her elemental power and be helpless to stop the thief. The idea had been Kopaka’s, and even Tahu had to admit that it was a very good one. So the Toa had all traded icons, and gone back to their respective villages. It had been too late for Onua, of course, but that was one of the strangest details of the case — though his Nuva symbol had been stolen, his powers had not been affected.
Onua could still shake the earth beneath their feet. In fact, the earth had shaken quite a bit with his anger when he recounted the theft and the odd circumstances that could not be explained. Though there had been guards stationed at the entrance of the shrine and at all entrances to the village, no one had seen the thief enter or leave. It was only the following morning that Turaga Whenua had noticed the icon was missing.
It was a disturbing story, and it had stolen all sense of security from the Toa and Turaga. Lewa had dared to suggest that it might be the work of Makuta, but Turaga Whenua was certain that it wasn't. Makuta himself could not get into the village without being noticed — his presence brought with it a sense of dread and darkness that infiltrated the minds of everyone around him, leaving them weak and shaking in fear. No one had felt Makuta’s presence in the village that night. Besides, Makuta had never dared to enter one of the villages, not even before the Toa had arrived on the island of Mata Nui. To think that he would do so now, unprovoked and out of the blue; it just wasn't likely.
Tahu continued his patrol, deep in thought. So who would be foolish enough to steal the Nuva symbol from Onu-Koro? He asked himself.
The Bohrok Kal had been destroyed, that he was sure of. He had watched with his own eyes as their lust for power had brought about their demise, each Bohrok being destroyed by its own uncontrollable power as the Nuva symbols they held boosted their natural abilities. There was no way the Kal, or any Bohrok for that matter, could have been capable of stealing a Nuva symbol again without anybody noticing. Since no one had seen the thief, the Turaga could not tell the Toa Nuva what they were up against. They had merely cautioned the Toa to be careful, as this was surely a powerful and dangerous foe.
So Tahu had been careful, and had kept a close watch on his village. He had made a brief appearance at the opening of the night’s Kolhi match, mainly to reassure his worried villagers that the situation was under control and that they could enjoy the game without fear. After all, Tahu couldn't have Ta-Koro get this far in the Kolhi tournament just to lose in the semifinals because they were distracted by some thief, now, could he?
At the opening of the game, Tahu had also seen Lewa briefly, who had reassured him that there had been no new thefts before heading back to his own village to keep watch. Lewa had Gali’s Nuva symbol in his village, and Tahu knew he didn't want to let his “Toa-sister” down.
Tahu’s village was playing host to Pohatu’s symbol, while his own stone icon was in Ko-Koro. Though the thought of it made Tahu shiver, it was a good arrangement because he knew there was no way Kopaka would let that symbol go missing. If he lost it, Tahu would never let him forget it, and he knew Kopaka would rather die than give Tahu an opening like that.
Tahu felt another chill go down his spine, despite the oppressive heat of the lava flows around the village. Though he had never said it aloud to anyone, he thought he might be linked to his Nuva symbol in a way that extended past his power, as if he were subconsciously connected to the stone icon. He liked to think that the chills he kept feeling were because his symbol was being kept in such a cold place as opposed to Ta-Koro, kept warm by the glowing lava pools below. He admired his village and the strong Matoran who lived in it; all the more reason to put his chills aside and keep his head held high as he continued his patrol.
The Toa of Fire passed by the Turaga’s hut. He briefly checked inside, but nothing was out of place. He continued through the city, passing by the Wall of History as he went. He smiled at how far behind the Chronicler was — the last event that had been recorded was the Toa’s discovery of the Golden Kanohi masks. Turaga Vakama complained to the Chronicler constantly, arguing that he couldn't leave the story hanging there without even going into how the Toa had defeated Makuta for the first time. Perhaps that was one of the reasons the Chronicler spent less time in Ta-Koro and more time wandering across the island.
As it was, the last image that had been carved on the wall showed Tahu standing on a hill with the rest of the Toa, their golden masks gleaming. It had been a good day, and Tahu never got tired of looking at that image of him standing triumphantly with the rest of his team, even if it was a little dated. He was content to have the Chronicler leave it off there for a while. Besides, it was better that the Chronicler spend his time practicing Kolhi instead of carving like a Po-Matoran. Tahu would rather have him make history with Ta-Koro’s first Kohli championship than just carve history into a wall.
Tahu made his way through the village, past the stadium where the crowd let out a roar — he hoped Ta-Koro was winning — and then made his way back to his Suva. Two guards stood at attention at the shrine, standing outside the building housing the stone Suva holding his masks of power and the Nuva symbol.
“How goes it?” Tahu asked as he approached. Kalama and Domni were the two unlucky Matoran who had drawn guard duty during the big game.
“All is well, Toa Tahu.” Kalama answered.
“Is it?” Tahu asked. “I think that depends on how many points Ta-Koro is winning by right now, and whether that cheering I just heard was for Jala making another shot.”
“Jala’s on fire tonight!” Domni exclaimed. “Temari’s been running back and forth giving us updates, and we’re leading by five!”
“Excellent!” Tahu agreed. It was good to know that the recent theft hadn’t rattled Ta-Koro’s captain of the guard bad enough to affect his game. Jala worked hard enough as is, and the theft had led him to double his efforts as he assigned more guards and scrutinized every inch of the village for potential weaknesses. It was good for Jala to have the opportunity to let off some steam on the Kohli field, and if his performance indicated anything that night, it was doing nothing but improving his competitive edge.
“I’m going to check the lower lava fields. Call me if anything changes.”
“Of course, Toa!” The guards saluted as Tahu left to continue his patrol. He couldn’t help but smile as he walked away — he was fiercely proud of his people, and sorry that they had to miss the big game because of the theft. Whoever the thief was, Tahu would make sure they paid.
The lava fields were completely abandoned. Normally there would be scores of Ta-Matoran surfing the lava, but with everyone at the Kolhi match, Tahu had the flats to himself. He checked over the machinery the villagers used to farm the lava. He looked up at the heavy compactors that were used to break up chunks of molten rock. He strolled over the bridge that spanned the channels that directed the lava safely away from the village and towards the ocean. He gazed longingly at the fast flowing lava stream, and resisted the urge to surf it, though he was very tempted to.
With everything in order, he worked his way back across the flats to the village, through the streets until he had returned to the Suva, where Kalama and Domni were still standing guard.
“Any changes?” Tahu asked.
“The Suva is undisturbed, but according to Temaru’s last report, Le-Koro is catching up. And fast.” Domni said glumly. “If things don’t improve, it may even go into overtime.”
“When does your watch end?”
“Hawler and Ruku were going to take over after the final match.”
“It must be nearly be over now. Why don’t you two go catch the end of the game for me? I can keep watch here.”
“Are you sure, Toa?” Kalama and Domni tried to sound professional, but Tahu could already see the excitement in their eyes at the thought of seeing the game.
“Of course I’m sure. Cheering on our team is an important job as well.” Tahu leaned in. “Go, before you miss anymore. That’s an order.”
“Of course, Toa!” Kalama and Domni practically tripped over themselves as they rushed towards the stadium. “Thank you!” They called behind them.
Tahu chuckled as they disappeared. He couldn’t help but smile at their enthusiasm. He loved his villagers and would do anything for them; taking over their watch was the very least he could do.
Unable to stand still at the thought of Ta-Koro losing their lead, Tahu marched back and forth in front of the shrine, occasionally checking inside before walking a loop down the main road just to switch things up. On his fourth pass he heard a loud bout of cheering and applause from the stadium. Hopefully that was something good for us,Tahu thought.
He walked back towards the shrine and froze. A chill went down his spine, but it wasn’t from the cold, not there nor in Ko-Koro. He saw a dark figure slip inside the shrine, rustling the curtain that veiled the entrance.
Tahu swore silently, pulling out his weapons and heading towards the shrine.