BIONICLE 2: Battle of the Mask Makers

BIONICLE 2: Battle of the Mask Makers
Book
Series	LEGO BIONICLE Graphic Novels
Author	Ryder Windham
Publisher	Little, Brown and Company
ISBN 978-0316266239

BIONICLE 2: Battle of the Mask Makers is the second and final graphic novel of the 2015 BIONICLE reboot, and was released on April 26, 2016. It was written by Ryder Windham, who was also the writer for BIONICLE 1: Gathering of the Toa.

Plot Summary

"On the mythical island of Okoto, six heroes have united to protect the last of their tribes. Once, peace ruled the six divided regions and their people--that is, until a battle erupted between two mask makers. As Makuta sought to control the ultimate power, only his brother, Ekimu, could stop him. Join Tahu, Kopaku, Onua, Gali, Lewa, and Pohatu as they learn about the origin of their masks and where their elemental powers come from. The second in an epic graphic novel series of new stories and action-packed adventures following the heroes of Okoto. Features exclusive content that provides maps, myths, and more!"
— Product Description on Amazon.com

Synopsis

The voice of Ekimu bids the Toa to hurry to his resting place, and after a brief argument between Tahu and Kopaka, the heroes set out. As they enter the city, they find massive sculptures depicting the ancient Protectors, as described by the current ones earlier, and another set depicting the Mask Makers. The Toa contemplate when the empty city was still inhabited, and the scene shifts to a Festival of Masks that took place thousands of years previously in the City of the Mask Makers.

The six Protectors of that time - Agarak, Uganu, Etoku, Kerato, Owaki, and Mamuk - enter the city on a hovercraft and are greeted by the Mask Makers, with Ekimu enjoying the celebration while Makuta longs to return to their forge. Ekimu then introduces the Protectors to the crowd, which includes Agarak's wife and son, and he and Makuta speak to the crowd briefly before taking their leave.

Agarak, Protector of Jungle, is about to depart with his family when Mamuk, Protector of Fire, informs him that Ekimu has invited the Protectors to the forge, and at the urging of his wife and son, he goes. Ekimu shows the Protectors around the forge, with Makuta having been too busy to tidy up, and then presents them with his latest creations: new Masks of Power even stronger than the ones they currently wear. The Protectors wear the new masks and feel their new power. Ekimu explains that he created them using Elemental Crystals obtained from the Elemental Creatures, before noting that Makuta has also prepared new masks. Agarak, in awe of Ekimu's craftsmanship, is hard-pressed to imagine better quality masks, only to find that Makuta has been eavesdropping. Ekimu tries to allay the tense moment, and Makuta forgives Agarak. Makuta then takes the group outside for a demonstration.

Makuta explains that his new masks have unique powers and can be used by all Okotans, rather than just the Protectors, and to demonstrate calls over a groundskeeper. Handing him a mask, he reveals that it can be used to make trees grow faster than naturally; after this is proved, he gives the groundskeeper another mask so he can use its fire powers to "prune" the tree. However, the mask instead sets the tree ablaze, threatening a family of birds called Tweepers, whose nest is on the tree, and the Protectors go to save the birds while Ekimu orders Makuta to return the groundskeeper's original mask. Realizing that his brother has given his masks the powers of more than one element - in violation of ancient law - he questions why Makuta would do such a thing, and his brother responds that Ekimu's masks have always been preferred by the islanders.

Believing his brother has genuine concern for the islanders, Ekimu is stunned when he and the Protectors witness a vision: all six Elemental Creatures appearing together in the air above the city. Believing their presence to forebode something, Ekimu gathers the Protectors to travel to the Temple of Time in his airship; due to Makuta's foul mood, he chooses to leave his brother behind. The seven friends soon arrive at the temple, though not without Agarak expressing his fears that their beloved peace is not to last. Ekimu then dons the Mask of Time, an artifact that he says older than anything else they know to exist, in order to view a vision of the future. In so doing, he witnesses a coming cataclysm, the Golden Masks of Power, the Elemental Creatures and Skull Spiders, as well as the eventual arrival of the Toa.

Realizing that Okoto will soon be threatened by evil, Ekimu resolves that new masks must be created, and then receives an unexpected visitor: Uxar, Creature of Jungle, carrying a large Elemental Crystal from its temple. Thanking the Creature for its gift, Ekimu urges their return to the city, and along the way, explains that he has foreseen the coming of the Toa and their need for the Golden Masks. In order to craft them, he requires Elemental Crystals like the one Uxar has already delivered. Ekimu orders the Protectors except Agarak to obtain the remaining crystals using his airship. Since Ekimu already has the Jungle crystal, he instructs Agarak to return to his family and not to tell anyone about what Ekimu and the Protectors talked about, so no one would panic.

Back at the forge, Makuta is alerted to Ekimu's return by one of his servants, having just completed a new mask. Approaching his brother, Makuta apologizes for his previous actions, and promises never to use two crystals to empower a single mask again; unbeknownst to Ekimu he has already gone far beyond that. Agarak sees the Tweepers during the Mask Makers' conversation. Makuta then informs Ekimu that the Capital City Museum has invited them to an exhibition of ancient masks, and that he intends to go early using his own airship. Ekimu declines the invitation to go with him, stating that he has work to do without revealing his plans for the Golden Masks, but encourages Makuta to go. Agarak then returns to his family, and is enjoying time with them when he spots Makuta's vessel mysteriously departing for Capital City while not knowing that Makuta is bringing his new mask with him.

Ekimu then sets to work crafting the new Masks while the other Protectors collect the crystals: Mamuk from Ikir, Etoku from Terak, Kerato from Ketar, Uganu from Melum, and Owaki from Akida. After completing the masks, Ekimu urges all six of the Protectors to come inside the forge and bring them aboard his airship as he sails for Capital City, revealing that the Elemental Crystals he showed them earlier have gone missing. While looking for the crystals, Ekimu discovered a mold of Makuta's, and reasoned that he had combined the crystals with the masks he had supposedly destroyed in order to create a new mask. Fearing that Makuta will attempt to demonstrate his new mask with hundreds of islanders in close proximity, and that Makuta may well be the coming evil he envisioned, he and his comrades set out to stop him.

In the Capital City, Makuta is introduced to a crowd by the Chief of the Capital, and proceeds to unveil the Mask of Ultimate Power, which he claims will benefit all the islanders. However, its power begins to overwhelm him, unleashing a torrent of energy that soon sends the terrified crowd fleeing, and throws up a light that is seen by the arriving Protectors and Ekimu. Desperate to stop his brother, Ekimu leaps from the airship, and with tears in his eyes uses his Hammer of Power to strike the Mask of Ultimate Power from Makuta's face. The effect of Ekimu's actions is a massive explosion that levels the city, leaving the Great Crater in its wake and scattering the masks of Ekimu, Makuta, and the Toa across the island while utterly changing the shape of Okoto.

The stunned Agarak is soon found by the other Protectors, and together they find Ekimu's motionless body whispering the Prophecy of Heroes. The Protectors carry Ekimu's body back to the City of the Mask Makers, vowing that they or their descendants will find the scattered Toa masks. To their relief, the Mask Makers' city is virtually untouched, and its current inhabitants - including Agarak's family and the Tweepers - are safe. The Protectors then lay Ekimu to rest in a tomb in the city; back in the present, the Toa find Ekimu in the same tomb and awaken him, only to be informed that they are late.

Characters

• The Toa
• Mask Makers
  • Ekimu
  • Makuta (F)
• Okotans (F)
  • The ancient Protectors (F)
  • Agarak's Wife (F)
  • Agarak's Son (F)
  • The Mask Makers' Groundskeeper (F)
  • Makuta's servant (F)
  • The Chief of Capital City (F)
  • Numerous unnamed Okotans from various tribes (F)
• The Elemental Creatures (F)
• Various unidentified animals
  • Tweepers

Notes

• Onua and Gali appear in their "Powered-Up" forms with accessories provided by the Protectors, and Pohatu has Nilkuu's sandstone blaster on the cover art. Additionally, as in Gathering of the Toa, the Toa have individually colored masks despite having obtained their golden masks by this point in the storyline.
• Unlike in the BIONICLE Webisodes, Makuta is not shown to change color or increase in size after donning the Mask of Ultimate Power.
• The ancient Protectors were previously named in BIONICLE: Revenge of the Skull Spiders, but the names of the Protectors of Ice, Earth, and Water were changed: Udapo became Uganu, Epolim became Etoku, and Owa became Owaki. Several additional names were also depicted when the statues of the ancient Protectors were shown, but their significance was not indicated:
  • Jungle - Jagiri
  • Fire - Flammik
  • Stone - Rokreng
  • Ice - Buzkayo
  • Water - Bumonda
  • Earth - Droton
• A native fruit to Okoto referred to as 'Bonnotoboes' are mentioned and shown for the first time. They were seen when Agarak's family was cooking them.

See also

• Saga Guides/Okoto
• BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks
• BIONICLE Webisodes
• BIONICLE: The Journey to One
• Quest for the Masks of Power