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The Fikou Nui is a hyper-intelligent, massive Fikou spider, with long, spindly legs sharp enough to puncture flesh, a digging ability, and heightened senses from which to detect other organisms. Given its task by Makuta, the Fikou Nui was set loose on the Okotans living in the tunnels of the Region of Earth.
Using its senses, the Fikou Nui was able to map out the underground tunnels mined by the Okotans. After establishing its own nest-cavern near these tunnels, the Fikou Nui set to work digging incredibly small tunnels with which it squeezed its body through. Finally, the Fikou Nui set to work preparing traps for its prey;
Once it was close enough to a tunnel, it then used only a single, spindly leg to carve an incredibly small, tube-like opening that connected its tunnel, with one of the underground passages. Such a small hole would be hard to notice, but just in case, the Fikou Nui then reached out into the breached passage, sensing no one was near, and grabbed a rock, spreading a splotch of webbing across the bottom, and glued it over the small opening it had made.
The Fikou Nui repeated this process on several other nearby tunnels, before proceeding to wait in its nest, sensing the vibrations for the occasion in which a single miner would pass through the tunnels below. When it did sense a potential victim, the Fikou Nui set to work, making its way to one of the openings it had carved out. Then, it waited, its leg stuffed down the tube-opening, poised to flip open the rock covering it on its hinge-like web. The Fikou Nui let its prey pass by this single stone, and with their back turned, it struck.
The Fikou Nui pushed the rock to the side, its long appendage poking through, with its sharp end bent towards the vulnerable nape of the unsuspecting Okotan- And then struck hard and fast, puncturing their spine and instantly killing them. With its dead prey now hooked onto its leg, the Fikou Nui would then drag the prey right up to its opening. From its mouth, a long, thin proboscis would emerge, sliding down the tube and piercing the prey on the other side. The Fikou Nui would suck out the blood and juices of the prey until it was dry.
Once that was done, it would lower the prey’s emaciated body to the ground, and with a few precise cuts, flay their skin, before stuffing it up its tube-opening, pulling it through into its own tunnel, where the Fikou Nui would devour the skin. Even as it did, its leg would then go down the tube once more, using its sharp end to cut apart the flayed corpse into smaller chunks of meat that could fit through its tunnel. The Fikou Nui would devour a piece before cutting out another one, devouring as much as it could until it sensed another Okotan coming nearby.
In the event that the Fikou Nui could not just kill this Okotan (such as if they were in a group) it would simply abandon what was left of the body, assuming it hadn’t devoured all of it, and retreat its leg back through the tube, making sure to carefully close the webbed-rock over the opening. The Fikou Nui, content with its meal, would then haul itself back to the nest, where it would wait in a semi-hibernation mode, where only its senses were active, for another lone Okotan to wander down these tunnels.
The Fikou Nui managed to get its first victim and devour all of them, leaving behind only the bones- Although it then proceeded to break those into pieces and eat them as well. It finished its meal and retreated back to its nest.
This poor, lone victim was soon after missed when his fellow miners realized that he hadn’t returned from his tunnel yet. Concerned, they did a sweep of the tunnel, with Korgot concerned that perhaps the Skull Spiders had breached again and seized another victim. Instead, the search party found the entire tunnel to be un-breached (as far as they could tell). Puzzled, they began combing the tunnel, again and again, but no sign of the lost miner.
Unrest and paranoia spread as Korgot announced the disappearance and urged for everyone to search the tunnels. The lost Okotan was never found, yet the tunnels themselves had obviously not been breached. There were no openings for Skull Spiders to come through…
So where did the Okotan go? It’s not like they had dug a tunnel, and then covered it up- They’d have seen signs of digging. Again, Korgot and the search parties skimmed the area for the lost Okotan, yet no sign. Days passed, yet nothing, with Korgot even asking Takua and Tamaru if anyone sighted the lost Okotan, on some unruly chance.
No sign- And eventually, the search was shut down. As far as anyone else could tell, the miner had just… disappeared in thin air. With nothing else to do, the mystified miners decided that they needed to continue work- And so they did.
Soon after, more disappearances occurred. In those passing days, the Fikou Nui fed itself more, but as time passed it needed to finish its meal more quickly, as people came in to unknowingly interrupt its feast- Until one day, the Fikou Nui was forced to retreat, leaving behind the partly-broken bones it had been meaning to eat.
When said bones were found, there was nearly mass panic amongst the miners. Everyone was certain that some monster had been dwelling in the tunnels, devouring lone miners. Korgot was forced to put down an iron fist to silence the hysteria, noting that they still needed to mine. Still, many were afraid, so once again Korgot and her Search Parties did several sweeps of the tunnels, checking for any breaches or openings. Korgot placed an order of silence amongst the miners regarding the bones, but of course the overall disappearance of the latest victim became well-known amongst the rest of the village.
Still nothing, and with a sigh Korgot noted that the miners of the Marn Caverns needed to continue their mining, as the other Mega Villages needed their resources as well. At a loss, the miners agreed to continue their work- But only if Korgot revealed the truth of the bones. Korgot revealed that she had been planning to when the time was right.
Naturally, panic consumed the villagers, with some believing the miners should refuse to continue their work. Of course, such an idea was shot down, as Korgot pointed out that the other Mega Villages needed their help, and while not enjoying the idea of possibly sending people to their deaths, it had to be done. So, Korgot made a point about how the people of the Marn Caverns were willing to lay down their lives, not so much as to stop Skull Spiders, but to help and protect others.
If they were willing to die fighting Skull Spiders to keep people safe, then they would be willing to die in the tunnels at the hands of this beast, in order to provide materials necessary to keep the other Mega Villages and their inhabitants safe as well. By the end of the day, compassion triumphed over fear, and the villagers decided to end the strike. With suggestions from others, Korgot set a new rule that a minimum of two miners must enter a tunnel at a time.
The rule seemed to work, for a while. In that time, no deaths occurred- Save for one Okotan who did not heed the rules, venturing into the tunnels by themselves for an unknown reason. They were promptly killed, and had their fluid sucked out by the Fikou Nui and their skin devoured before other Minors came across their flayed corpse.
The disappearance was reported, but the grisly details were best left hidden. In the meantime, the people of Marn began setting funerals and memorials for the disappeared, knowing for certain that they had been killed. Soon enough, rumors and ghost stories spread about the disappearances, with some claiming that it was the ghosts of miners who had been killed in cavern collapses. Others claimed that Terak, Spirit of Earth had gone insane and was devouring miners- Or else that the earth itself was eating them. Some miners, in their paranoia, claim to have seen a hairy beast, with claws and fangs as large as swords.
As the tales spread throughout Okoto, recorded by Takua and recounted by Tamaru, the duo-system seemed to work. After the flayed-body incident, Korgot had stationed guards at each tunnel entrance, having them make sure that no one entered alone, and likewise stressing that each group stay together at all costs.
The Fikou Nui was initially frustrated by the planning of the Okotans- But then it remembered that it was fast. It let itself digest the recent plethora of victims it had had, and then waited for the right moment…
One day at work, a duo of miners were heading down a tunnel when they noticed that one of the lightstones had been broken, unbeknownst to them by the Fikou Nui. As the two investigate the shattered stone, their backs turned, the Fikou Nui’s leg emerged from the hidden opening, hung in the air…
And struck. The second Okotan only had time to note the puncturing noise before they were pierced as well, and the two were devoured. Some minutes passed and the guard at the tunnel entrance realized the duo hadn’t returned in a while, and nervous, went down with a few others. They managed to interrupt the Fikou Nui, which had fully devoured the first, but only halfway eaten the flayed body of the second.
Korgot received the grim reports, and decided to report that both miners had each gone down a tunnel by themselves, in order to prevent any panic over the realization that the beast was now eating two at a time. While the families of the lost were skeptical at such a foolish mistake, there was not much else they could do but lament. In the meantime, Korgot altered the rule, declaring that it must be a minimum of THREE miners at a time.
News of this updated rule, and skepticism at the lost miners being dumb enough to go alone, eventually spawned the rumors that the monster had attacked the two miners, both of them together, and eaten them. Korgot attempted to handle the situation, and the miners kept to their work in a minimum of a trio.
Thankfully, this tactic seemed to work, and about a month passed without any disappearances. The rumors finally cooled, especially when it became apparent that the stars were about to align, as in accordance with the Prophecy of Heroes. And so they did, with Korgot and her chosen warriors uniting with the other Protectors and their warriors, cutting their way through Skull Spiders and accessing the Inika, even as time within it reversed with the arrival of the Mask of Time. The Protectors used the Inika to summon the Toa, and returned home.
Onua, Toa of Earth finally arrived at the Marn Caverns, and for a brief while she stayed, trained, and fought off a few Skull Spider attacks. Meanwhile, the Fikou Nui slumbered, considering a dare of attacking three at once- It knew it would kill, but it was afraid of compromising its presence and location.
However, orders from Makuta told it to act aggressively, with Makuta hoping he could lure out Onua and have the Fikou Nui kill her. The Fikou Nui acted on its master’s orders and recommenced its attacks, this time assaulting a lone trio. The first two died suddenly, but the third had time to whirl around and scream, just before they were speared in the throat.
The scream was heard, and the Fikou Nui only had time to drain the three bodies before retreating and covering its tracks by filling in its tube with tightly-packed dirt. The bodies were found, and Korgot explained to Onua about the situation.
Onua was determined to do something. So, she dressed herself in armor, hoping to lure out the Fikou Nui, and travelled down the tunnels alone. To the shock of many, no attack occurred.
Onua tried again, yet nothing. The mining needed to be done, so Korgot resumed it before they could fall behind schedule. The Fikou Nui acted quickly, striking down another trio, and news spread. But at the same time, some hope was present for the first time, as many looked to Onua to rescue them from the monster.
Onua was determined. A day or so later, the Fikou Nui struck another trio- But this time, it was too slow. It managed to kill the first two with quick punctures, but the third turned around as it struck. The Fikou Nui missed, striking their helmet and knocking the miner to the ground. Realizing the miner was about to flee, it puts its leg back in, closed the opening, and sealed it, even as the dazed miner, his helmet having been pulled down over his eyes, reported the incident.
As always, the Fikou Nui had stuck to its MO- A quick, sudden puncture in the nape. Onua recognized this pattern, and realized that if she wore armor, the Fikou Nui wouldn’t bother with her. She needed to be vulnerable, and Korgot agreed- She frankly did not care for Onua that much, and risks needed to be taken to stop the monster. So, Onua went down the tunnels again, alone, with armor only covering her spine, not the rest of his neck. She went down a few times, before the Fikou Nui struck.
The Fikou Nui surprised Onua, attacking her from the front as she peered behind herself. Onua’s reflexes, thankfully, were fast enough in that she felt pain, and leapt back, grazing the side of her neck. The wound was bad, but not permanent, and she would survive. Onua looked for the monster, but saw nothing. She briefly lashed out, slamming her hammer into the tunnel walls, hoping to knock down the beast, but nothing.
Onua was baffled- It came down the front, but when she ran down the tunnel, light on, it wasn’t there. And the end of the tunnel led to another entrance that had been guarded, so where did it go? Perhaps this monster COULD pass through walls? Maybe… or maybe not.
Onua had been wounded and now the villagers were concerned that their almighty hero might not be a match for this beast. But Onua was determined to not let a single miner die, not until she had slain the monster. Healing from her wound, at a rate faster than was thought possible, Onua pondered deeply, thinking… Thinking… occasionally napping…
And then came her solution.
She collaborated with Nuparu, covering her entire neck in a special brace made of impenetrable metal. Then, she had this metal brace covered with a thick layer of glue, made from sap of the Vuata Maca and other ingredients, before covering that in a loose cloth.
When this was done, she had a painter use his paints to simulate the tone of flesh over this paper, the result making Onua look like her neck had inexplicably gotten a lot thicker.
Onua explained her plan- How the beast, whatever it was, would see Onua’s bare neck and strike. However, it would pierce the glue and strike the metal brace, unable to pierce, and retreat- But the glue would cling on, slowing it long enough for Onua to at least turn around, see the beast for the first time, and maybe even grab onto and defeat it.
It was a risky plan- What if the beast’s claws were sharp and strong enough to pierce the metal? But it was better than nothing. And so, Onua went down to the monster’s most frequent hunting ground, the Fikou’s Web, a series of complicated, interwoven tunnels where many had perished.
Onua went alone, and for a moment she was sure her plan would work- But the Fikou Nui was smart. While it had not caught onto Onua’s fake neck, it had at least realized that Onua anticipated a strike at the neck, and so had dug new openings, these near the ground, and waited. Onua walked over them, looking near the ceiling, expecting the beast to emerge from there- Perhaps, she had mused, it was actually a camouflaged creature that made its back turn like stone, clinging to the ceiling so no one would recognize its presence?
Of course, Onua was wrong, and she looked up at the wrong moment… and the Fikou Nui struck. It pierced an artery in Onua’s leg, wounding her, and Onua fell back. She was losing blood and fast, and tied up her wound- But she still required quick medical attention. Even then, she scanned the ground for anything, but saw nothing.
Onua wondered if the beast was simply, impossibly, fast- Fast as one with a Mask of Speed, or even faster. Maybe it could teleport? She was getting delirious, but at the same time she refused to give up. She knew that the monster, wherever it was, could sense her weakness- And she knew it would become arrogant in this revelation. So, she kept travelling alone, losing blood, the Fikou Nui waiting at certain openings to strike…
It waited, until Onua lost more blood… and more blood… Onua became paranoid, looking both at the ground, and the walls and ceiling, for the beast. But nothing. And yet, she held on… Waiting…
Until, going delirious, Onua bent over, slowly losing consciousness, eyes closing… and the Fikou Nui struck.
It struck the neck- And a trap. For Onua hadn’t lost consciousness. She pretended to be fainting from blood loss, persuading the Fikou Nui to strike. And it did, this time piercing for the neck- As when Onua had doubled over, her eyes were on the ground, necessitating an attack from above, toward the neck.
The Fikou Nui’s leg struck Onua’s neck brace, instantly piercing the paper and glue- But slamming against the metal brace below, unable to pierce it. In that instant, the Fikou Nui tore its leg back, but Onua was faster, and the glue had clung to the Fikou Nui’s limb and slowed it, every so slightly. She summoned a burst of speed and whirled around, and lunged, catching the Fikou Nui’s leg with her hands!
The beast was terrified and tried to pull itself, free from Onua’s grasp, but she held on. With a heave of strength, she dragged its leg through, putting both hands, and weighed her body down, dragging the Fikou Nui toward her, even as she realized what she had- A long, spindly leg, emerging from the smallest hole in the ceiling.
The Fikou Nui strained and pulled, panicking, but Onua was stronger, and more steady and firm. And so, in desperation, the Fikou Nui severed its leg, freeing itself, even as Onua pulled out the bleeding limb, astonished. The Fikou Nui retreated back to its nest, terrified, wounded, and bleeding, just as Onua had been, ironically enough.
Onua bellowed, her voice echoing through the tunnels and summoning the others, who all came rushing in. Onua presented her trophy and took notice of the miniscule opening above, and with her power tore it open, revealing a larger tunnel behind the tube. Triumphant and on the chase, Onua, Korgot, and the others ascended, climbing up the tunnel and following the trail of blood…
Eventually they came across it- The nest cavern of the Fikou Nui, and within was the beast itself, on its back, legs curled inward, and dead from blood loss. Astonished, everyone congratulated an exhausted Onua, who noted that she could use a blood transfusion or something. Even as she was treated to, Nuparu and the others took the time to diagnose the dead body, noting its proboscis, and realizing how the Fikou Nui had killed.
As Onua sat down, being tended to in her critical condition, she sighed, lying against the ground, feeling the earth… And in that brief moment of delirium, he truly learned to FEEL the earth. She felt the tunnels, she felt the openings the Fikou Nui had made, even felt the loose earth packed within- She could differentiate that from rock tunnel now as well.
She felt… and she felt multiple heartbeats in his room. She counted them… and counted one too many.
Her eyes widened- The Fikou Nui was still alive, and…
Onua lunged forward, yelling at everyone to get back- Even as the Fikou Nui sprung to life, lunging for Korgot. The beast would not bleed to death, it was too hardy for that- But at the same time, it could not dig an escape tunnel faster than the others could catch up. It knew it was cornered no matter what, so it took a gamble- It faked death. It played dead, waiting for the moment when Onua got close enough, her guard lowered…
Of course, Onua revealing its ruse meant it could not reach her- But it could at least try for the next-best thing, and so it aimed for Korgot’s vulnerable nape. In that split-second, Onua used the earth to catapult herself forward, shoving Korgot out of the way, even as an elated Fikou Nui noted that its plan seemed to work out after all.
Its sharp limbs dug into Onua’s flesh, but Onua lashed out, using her arms to try and hold the Fikou Nui’s legs, keeping them from digging even further into her wounds. The Fikou Nui strained and then lashed out with its proboscis, nearly spearing Onua in the throat, even as its abdomen curled forward, stinger poised to impale Onua in the gut.
But as fast as it was, the others were fast as well- Not quicker, but quick enough so that in the time Onua had held off the Fikou Nui for a second, they got out their weapons and fired. The Fikou Nui’s back was torn apart from the blasts and it let go, scaling up the walls in a hurry before jumping off, plummeting back down at Onua…
Onua, who summoned two fists of earth to emerge from the walls and crush the Fikou Nui in-between, even as Korgot finished it off with a stream of gatling fire. The Fikou Nui was torn asunder, and its ravaged corpse collapsed to the ground, where it was shot at again and hacked into pieces, this time for sure dead.
It was only after it had been torn into pieces that the others ceased hacking and firing, and astonished, glanced at the exhausted Onua… before she collapsed, and they quickly set to work healing her.
Onua was triumphantly returned back into the main caverns, what was left of the Fikou Nui being hauled behind. The Okotans cheered for Onua, and even as she was nursed back to health, and the Fikou Nui’s corpse was displayed for all to see, in particular its lost leg preserved in order to honor Onua for her legendary deed.
As Onua healed, news of her feat spread across Okoto, as everyone celebrated joyously- The beast had been slain! Onua, Toa of Earth, truly did live up to her expectations, as before she had only destroyed Skull Spiders, which everyone had done. This time, she had not only single-handedly caught the beast, but killed it as well!
Faith in the Toa soared exponentially, to Makuta’s frustration. Makuta considered a second, stronger Fikou Nui, but ultimately decided against it, knowing that Onua was well aware of its tactics and traps, having deduced how it worked, and would not fall for the same trick. Better to invest in other tactics, for now…