Chapter Seven: The Smoldering Ruins of Tajun

The three of Sapphira, Mata Nui and Ackar had to hold onto the Dune Chariot for their lives as Kiina sped into the gates of Tajun.

Kiina immediately drifted to a stop making the three hold on tighter as Kiina immediately left the driver's seat with her weapon in hand and immediately ran around to assess the damage.

Broken and smoldering huts of the village, what used to be homes were now ruins. Though there weren't any signs of any Agori, by either worried citizens or mutilated remains, it didn't ease Kiina's mind one bit especially with her trauma of her previous village.

Sapphira was at Kiina's side first as the Glatorian coughed into her elbow from the plumes of smoke while trying to catch her breath from running.

Mata Nui looked around from where he stood near the two in a ghostly feeling, DeJa'Vu was something he was feeling but he couldn't remember why. Quickly flashing in his vision was six villages that were in familiar to him but in ruins, one was a village above a crater of lava its second ruins showing the village sinking into the very lava that sustained it, another was a village in an icy tundra with smoldering ruins like Tajun with its icy walls crumbling into piles of melted snow, the third was of what once was a village completely in the tree tops now nothing but a bare plateau where even the trees and their stumps were gone, the fourth was a village in a cave system now only flooded and ruminates of personal items were gone, another was a village in a desert that had more life in it than Bara Magna's own desert wasteland as once marvelous statues carved precisely were used against attackers and the shield the entrance of the village from more attacks, as the last one was less harmed than the others and that was due to the chains holding the Lilypad's that had huts upon them had been broken and setting the homes to the vast sea.

Mata Nui was snapped back to reality as he shook his head to regain himself back fully. Sapphira casted Mata Nui a glance as she held Kiina's arm, who the said Glatorian was in a mix of a near panic attack any second and burst into sobs by the state of her village. Mata Nui noticed her gaze and nodded to her showing he was alright now.

Ackar walked over to them, "Looks like the Agori got away." He said, sounding a little on edge of hoping that was it. "Or they were kidnapped and are being held hostage somewhere." Sapphira muttered quietly.

Kiina left Sapphira's hold as she began to panic, "The village, our homes. This is my fault!" Kiina cried out, tears prickling the corners of her eyes as she blamed how bad it was on herself.

"Kiina," Sapphira said quietly as Mata Nui put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not-" "Where's Terix?! And Gresh!" Kiina cut Sapphira off as she began to panic fearing for her fellow Glatorian making Mata Nui pull his hand back in surprise. Rouge tears escaped Kiina's eyes as she panicked, "We had a training session today he's just a rookie he wouldn't have been prepared for-"

Ackar noticed something of someone approaching from the smoke and immediately recognized the forest green armor. "There!" He said as he pointed to the direction as from the smoke a Glatorian limped over.

Kiina, Sapphira and Mata Nui looked and their eyes widened in surprise. "GRESH!" Kiina yelled in relief as her tears spilled more. "He's hurt."

Gresh was a few inches shorter than Kiina, he had forest green armor with lime secondary colors, his helmet fins that trailed to the back broke off into three or four spikes, similar spikes were on his shoulder armor plates that jutted out to the side. He had similar faulds like the other Glatorian and clothes underneath his armor that helped made wearing the armor more comfortable, but his most striking thing was his blades, well one was sheathed on his upper arm while the other was in his hand the blades were stylized into fins or large fans.

Outside of his armor and weapons Gresh had darker skin than Kiina more similar to African American complexion with slightly lighter tone stripes reminiscent of gusts of wind, he had black eyebrows, a square shaped face with deep set eyes which themselves were dark brown (but at the current moment the right one was flashing between that and a bright glowing green), he also had various face piercings such as two loop ones on the outter end of his right eyebrow, a stud on the outter of his left, a loop septum piercing of his nose with a stud as well on his nose bridge and snake bite piercings on his lips which were thin and had dimples at the corners of them, his pointed ears were short in comparison to Kiina and Ackar's but his tail was quite long and thick similar to a monkey in a way but at the base of it and the tip mixing with hair was various feathers that reminded Sapphira of a Blue and Gold Macaw.

Gresh limped over to the four as he held his left arm in his free hand while coughing from the smoke plumes. Ackar and Mata Nui were the first at his side holding him up, "Easy son easy." Ackar told him, it was easy to hear the slight panic in the veteran Glatorian's words alongside his worry but he still spoke softly and calmly to help the Glatorian.

Gresh seemed to dislike the help, "I'm fine," he cut himself off with another cough as Sapphira and Kiina rushed to their sides. "I'll be fine." He said trying to convince them. It wasn't even a few seconds later when he tried to stand normally he nearly fell to his knees if Ackar and Mata Nui didn't keep their hold on his arms.

Kiina wasn't gonna take anymore of him pushing their help away especially in her panicked state, "Just shut up, and let us help you." Kiina said with a tone in her panicked and shaky voice that said 'I'm not gonna take no for an answer', Gresh didn't fight back anymore thankfully.

"We need to get out of sight, your cavern." Mata Nui said and Kiina agreed. "Right, the entrance is this way." She said as she tried to push away her panic and tears as she led them to the cavern entrance.

The three followed after her as Mata Nui and Ackar held Gresh up as they walked. "Skrall... Bone.. Hunters... Working together.." Gresh got out in pain making Sapphira shoot her head to him in shock.

"What?" Sapphira asked in shock. Ackar didn't believe it, "Impossible, their rival tribes." He said trying to be slightly sympathetic to Gresh given his wounds.

Gresh didn't stop though, "No! It's true! I watched them destroy your village Kiina!" The last part got all four of their attentions. Gresh was about to say more before his eyes rolled back and fell unconscious. "Gresh!" Kiina felt fear bubbling back up as Ackar and Mata Nui's eyes widened as they quickly got behind cover and laid Gresh against a wall.

"He's still alive." Ackar said after quickly checking Gresh's pulse. Kiina let out a breath in relief that she was holding in as Sapphira patted her arm. Mata Nui then noticed something, "Get down!" He hissed out in a whisper while pushing Sapphira down while Kiina and Ackar quickly got down as well Kiina staying at Gresh's side.

"What-" Kiina's ears twitched while Mata Nui put a finger to his mouth silencing Ackar making the said Glatorian raise a brow at the golden bot.

"He won't be for long if that savage sees us." Mata Nui whispered down while jestering his head to over the wall of the ledge they were on. Sapphira poked her head over it first with Mata Nui following her with Ackar the same, Kiina almost hesitant to do so not wanting to leave Gresh's side.

Coming out of the smoke from down below was a dozen or more Bone Hunters and Skrall together and leading them was a menacing looking bot with even more towering height than the Glatorian.

Midnight black battle damaged armor with dark green accents, his helmet was in a similar shape as the Vorox's minus the longer mandibles on the front. On his back was a quartet of four blades similar to his own blade in hand that moved showing they were attached to his nerves as almost limbs in a way, and from the blue eyes Sapphira had seen out of the others Tuma had blood red eyes like the Skrall and Bone Hunters.

'Note to self, never trust red eyes.' Sapphira thought to herself as Kiina's eyes squinted almost trying to tell if it was the trick of the smoke and her PTSD ridden mind before her eyes widened in shock. "Tuma? Leader of the Skrall?" Kiina muttered half to herself in disbelief.

Ackar sucked in a sharp gasp, "The boy speaks the truth," he said as his gaze hardened, his tone almost dead with the realizing fear. "Bone Hunters have joined forces with the Skrall." He hissed out as it took almost all of his willpower to not take his blade out and give away their position.

Sapphira let out a quiet whimper as they backed up causing Mata Nui to look at her in concern. "Are you alright?" He asked her in a hushed tone making Kiina and Ackar look at them while Ackar kept his hand on the handle of his blade as they slowly stood up further away from the edge.

Sapphira shook her head as her body began to tremble in fear. "Just hearing how you guys talk about how powerful and dangerous both the Bone Hunters and Skrall are, this just sets me on edge especially taking down an entire village like this together." Sapphira admitted as she clutched her left arm in her palm causing frost to form on her sleeve from her already frosty hands.

Ackar hoisted Gresh on his back piggyback style as Kiina jestered the three of them to follow her, which given the situation around them didn't leave a choice otherwise.

Sapphira kept holding her arms as she tried to calm her nerves but seeing how the destruction of Tajun under these powerful now united villages, the bluette was more than terrified for what other destruction the Bone Hunters and Skrall had planned under their sleeves.

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Chapter Seven: The Smoldering Ruins of Tajun
End

[A/n: Short chapter ik, it's also 11pm rn and it seems like a good place to end this chapter as the next chapter will be longer

Will take a bit before I post this on AO3 cross-posted due to I use my computer for AO3 fics and with how late it is and my laptop is already off I'm not in the mood for it rn

September 11th 2024 Updates: Aaaaaaand thankfully this didn't take as long as chapter five edits, chapter eight should be fast too

Also to people who think me making the jungle tribe almost monkey like with Gresh being African American in complexion I did not mean for it to be racist istg
I wanted to have at LEAST one black person of the main cast alright plus Gresh felt the most fitting of it (my friend Biosector1001 told me she didn't have an issue because it's fiction so I'm not sure on everyone else tho)

found out why Monkeys were racist to black people I was so confused, how much you wanna bet those people who compared them to monkeys saying their lower life forms how pissed they got realizing/finding out humans evolved from monkeys?

Plus in my opinion there's no such thing as lower lifeforms no matter the species of animals, they all exist for a reason like how at the end of the day no matter our races, genders, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, social classes, etc at the end of the day we're the same species]

Proceed to next chapter?
[YES] [NO]