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The twin suns offered their light and warmth to the small island nestled in the Southern Island Chains. The wind gently blew into the small grass-laden clearing situated between a small forest and a short cliff, sending the smell of plantlife and ocean water rolling through the air as the waters gently fought against the cliff. “The Cliff of Thought” was an apt name, if a bit odd.
Calder simply stood still, looking out at the waters. Much had transpired recently that had taken its toll on her. The sounds of avian rahi singing their songs brought no calm to her.
Calder had never considered herself to be the introspective sort. Certainly, a touch of introspection had been required when she had first taken a life, before she had decided that on occasion it was necessary to kill her enemies in order to protect the innocent. But that led to action, momentum, something she could do.
But losing Varian was not something she could take action on. She could not simply walk into whatever filthy lair the Dark Hunters called home. Varian wasn’t the first teammate she could not avenge, and she likely wouldn’t be the last. Though she and Varian did not always see eye to eye, their opposite personalities clashing, it didn’t sting any less. Certainly not with Norik departing and moving to a greater duty, a greater destiny.
Calder knelt down briefly, her fingers brushing into the grass to grasp a small stone before her legs carried her upward once more. Her fingers ran over it, feeling the bumps and imperfections etched into it over the slow passage of time. She felt it gradually freeze over beneath her fingertips, a thin layer of ice coating it.
She threw it underhanded off the cliff.
A quiet splash as it landed in the water. Satisfying.
The waves continued their combat against the cliff, uncaring of the stone. One small pebble made no difference to the ocean.
Large footfalls upon the grass gradually grew louder from the forest behind Calder, building in volume until they were directly behind her, whereupon the steps ceased.
“Krayt,” Calder greeted politely. The Arbiter walked to her side, his feet crunching the chilled grass in her immediate vicinity, placing his large hand on her back with more gentleness than one would expect from looking at his stature. “To what do I owe this visit?”
Krayt gazed off into the ocean with Calder for a moment before turning his gaze down upon her, his mouth forming a slight frown within the confines of his Mask of Charisma. “You didn’t seem to like this spot last time you were here,” Krayt answered in his low baritone voice. “So when I was told you returned here I found myself a tad worried, as is my wont.”
Calder left her gaze upon the ocean for a moment, before turning it up to the dark blue mask of Krayt. “I was resisting it before. I don’t usually like calmness.”
Krayt nodded knowingly. “Would you like to hear a little story?” His hand left her back to be massaged by his other hand, working at the soreness which Calder knew to be a holdover from many rough battles wielding large weapons of war.
“Of course,” she answered quickly.
Krayt gazed off into the sky as he began to tell his story, his hands still working at each other. “This was back in the early days of the universe, when conquerors such as Axonn himself waged wars and conquered other lands.” Krayt stroked the chin of his mask thoughtfully. “The Battle of Fort Grado. We were made up of a large force with a mix of Arbiters and other species. I led a squad of nine, including myself, made mostly of Arbiters except for one Shasalvian.
“It was a short battle, just a day. The fort turned out to be a research facility making viruses, so we torched the place. The fire lit up the night as we marched home. We lost a lot of warriors. I lost five of my squad that day.”
Calder nodded somberly, looking down at the grass and soil in front of her feet as she recognized the purpose of his story. “What did you do after?”
Krayt smirked beneath his mask. “I drank, of course! That’s what we soldiers do, after all.” Krayt chuckled lightly at himself, shaking his head softly. “But after that, we moved on to the next battle. I kept count. I killed enough to avenge my comrades, and then some. I watched their eyes and their heartlights as they died. For people like you and I, vengeance heals, Calder.”
Calder looked up to Krayt. “Not quite what I was expecting. The leader of my team kept insisting that revenge is not the answer. But this…” Calder paused, mulling over the thought as the waves crashed into the cliff louder than before, fueling her on in a most odd and unexpected way. The muscles of her face protested as she grinned inside her Kanohi. “It does bring a smile to my face.”
Krayt patted her back gently, though his gentle was not quite the epitome of the term. “I thought it might,” he replied, turning to stride away. “Follow me.”
Calder followed Krayt into the forest, the thick canopy of leaves blocking the light from the suns and casting darkness around them. A short walk and the darkness gave way to light as the pair entered into a sizable clearing strewn with huts and homes. Krayt led the Ko-Toa into a larger hut situated in the center, which operated as both the home of the village’s leader and a meeting hall of sorts.
The area inside was large. The wooden walls were bare, save for a few glass windows. A long table of stone stretched the length of the main room, no doubt meant for the meetings held here. Chairs constructed of wood from the surrounding forest were placed neatly around the table. At one end sat an Arbiter whom Calder did not recognize, her armor a deep, rich purple.
Krayt walked over to the other Arbiter, standing at her side. “Drysdalynn, is the meeting set up?” he asked of her.
Drysdalynn nodded in response. “The Hunter shall meet us in the archipelago within the hour, as you requested.”
Calder looked to Krayt quizzically. “I had Drys contact the Dark Hunters to have them send one of their own to a nearby archipelago to discuss doing a little job for us, where hopefully they can’t track us back here,” Krayt explained. “Of course, the job is getting killed and we do not exactly intend to pay. Up for a little therapy session?”
Calder reached to her waist to make sure her chain was there, comforted by the presence of her favored weapon. She nodded to Krayt, who then beckoned her to follow him once again, with Drysdalynn following along.
Calder stood atop what was, in truth, one of many large rocks sitting in the sea, barely able to constitute an archipelago. The surface of the rock was bare and looked to be a nearly perfect circle, almost an arena of sorts. In the distance was a boat, larger than the one Krayt and Drysdalynn brought her here on. Calder simply stood and watched as it made its approach, controlling her breathing to prepare herself for what was ahead.
After waiting for a few minutes the boat stopped at the rock. The Dark Hunter clambered up the small island, allowing Calder to get a glimpse of her opponent.
The Hunter towered above her, covered in brown and a deep, dull gold. He carried a large staff in one clawed hand, taller than even the Grenok himself. His posture suggested he carried himself with some semblance of grandiosity, his strides slow as he made his way toward her at the center of the stone.
“Hello, Toa,” greeted the Hunter, an edge in his voice suggesting that he was very poorly attempting to hide his disdain for her. “I am ‘Conjurer’ of the Dark Hunters. I believe you have a job for me? I assure you that I can perform any unsightly job to the height of perfection.”
Years upon years of repeated practice took over Calder’s mind as her hand shot to her chain, bringing it up in under a second to fling the hook to ‘Conjurer’s staff and draw it away, the tool clattering behind her.
Before ‘Conjurer’ could react the hook had returned at his ankles, freezing his feet to the stone.
Calder felt her own feet leave the ground as ‘Conjurer’ at last reacted with his telekinetic powers. Ice rose up from the ground to freeze her feet, keeping her rooted to the ground as she created a small dart of ice, flicking it toward the Dark Hunter.
‘Conjurer’ attempted to dodge, but the ice merely caused him to fall, the dart lodging into his leg as he broke free from the ice. He rolled, launching his rhotuka at Calder.
The ice dissipated and Calder fell, rolling forward and springing up to uppercut his chin.
A blow from his leg blocked by her arm.
A claw swiping at air.
She was faster.
A frozen punch to the gut freezing his midsection, air blown from his lungs.
A clawed foot stomping on a smaller one.
A hand reaching for a wrist, locking it in a death grip and freezing it.
A missed chop with a frozen claw, punished with an ice-shattering kick.
A spike of ice through his heartlight, another through his head. Stillness.
Silence, but for the waves lapping at the pieces of the archipelago.
Calder could feel herself shaking slightly, breathing heavily. Her adrenaline was already beginning to wear off, her mind telling her body that it was over.
He was dead. Vengeance, a small piece but enough.
“Excellent work, Toa Calder.” She turned to see Krayt standing at her back, the staff that the Dark Hunter had carried in his grasp. Drysdalynn walked up to grab the body of ‘Conjurer’ and carried it to their modest boat. Krayt silently beckoned Calder to follow.
“How does it feel?” Krayt asked Calder as the motor of their craft hummed, pushing them on their journey back to the island.
“Good,” Calder replied simply.
Krayt placed his hand on her arm, his powers flowing through and helping to ease her mind. “Good. Would you be interested in a bit of long-term therapy?”
Calder looked to him, taking a deep breath as the ache of battle slowly crept on her.
“Absolutely.”