The Dark Chronicler

That's what makes languages and names so interesting. For a lot of languages, there are similar base sounds connected to words. It provides a really interesting look into how the sounds and even the meanings change over time.

I'm with The Otter here. Bushido was a way of life, of being respectful and sympathetic even to an enemy, of helping those in need who were unable to help themselves. That would be comparable to saying Chivalry was about killing people with sharp weapons. Or that the purpose of a code of law is to find people to execute and punish. There is so much ore to them than that, just as Bushido is quite far from decapitation.

IC: Drome Well, at least this one seemed reasonable enough. That, or he was tired enough to listen to reason. Either way, maybe I could talk some sense into him now that he appeared no more eager to fight than I was. "Eh, it's alright. We get attacked all the time anyway. We're used to it by now. A little fire isn't going to bother me any." It was bothering me a lot. It really hurt. I paused, thinking over the name that he had spoken. Had I ever heard of a 'Toa Sarsi' while I was preforming my heroic feats of heroism? No, I didn't seem to recall ever hearing anyone called that before. Maybe they were new or something. "Nope, sorry. Never heard of any 'Sarsi' before. Though maybe you've heard of us. Drome and Kadon, adventurers extraordinaire. We were sent as a rescue team into the Nui-Rama hive a long while back. Or maybe my championship fight with a drunken Tarakava?" IC: Theriss LoJak spoke a little, then he went into a long silence. First he glanced downwards in silence, whatever he was thinking was hidden beneath the Fire Toa's face. Theriss knew immediately that telling him was now, most certainly, a very terrible idea. She was expected him to do something, to shout or scream about how horribly wrong it was and how ashamed he was to have ever met her, to storm off in a fury without a word, anything of that nature. She had been through those responses before, she knew what to expect. But he just continued to stand there in silence, something far worse than a swift response. Then he turned his face to look directly at her. His face seemed a mixture of puzzlement and determination. What that meant, she could only guess. Perhaps he was merely piecing together all her previous talk of her business, and how it now all added together. Whatever his thoughts, she assumed that they were building to an escape of some kind, some way to get away fro the situation. He had seemed so determined to be a hero, she could only imagine how different she must seem to him now. She knew full well what her job required, and it never bothered her in the slightest. Taking money, by payment or by force, was something that she had no complaints with. After the Toa of Sarsi had accomplished all that she needed, perhaps more, she would happily be returning to that well-known job. Of course, she would be expanding out to include a larger range of financial sources, that way hard times would not be so savage when next they arrived. Maybe he realized that? Maybe he understood now who he was working with, that she had no intention of being someone else except to the media that would portray her as a heroic leader of the Sarsi. Or maybe not, maybe he thought he could redeem her like a storybook hero. Either way, she had a feeling that the conversation was not yet over, should LoJak even stay long enough to finish it that night. Then he let out a weak response, and turned to walk away into the night. Was that merely to hold off the conversation, or was he running away from the situation? The only way to tel was to wait for the morning. She found that she really wasn't tired any longer. She could sleep later. Right now, she just felt like walking. Turning in the opposite direction of LoJak, she headed out into the village night.

IC: Drome I tried to respond, but all that came out was a blurred gurgle of a sound. Turns out, having a metal plate covering your mouth made it really hard to speak. Oh, so that was why I was having so much trouble catching my breath. I should probably remove it, then I could explain why it was that the green pest had needed to take a brutal lesson in not attacking random people. Using the knife I had taken out of my side, and used it to pry off the metal covering. It ended up taking a bit more energy than I had expected. In fact, maybe it would be better if I sat down for a while... Dropping to the ground to sit, and returning my hand to my side, I turned towards the guy who had created the really painful wall of fire. I was probably going to have to be treated for some serious burns after this, alongside the knife wound and head trauma. I really should have beat him into a pulp as well, but I wasn't really feeling up to it. "The little green pest over there attacked us when I waved hello at him while running to the beach... then invisi-bow over there tried to pay us money to leave him alone like some sort of thugs!" "We refused, and then he started attacking us too!" I wasn't sure how much of what I was saying was getting through clearly, I wasn't really feeling well enough for fluid speaking.

IC: Theriss At first she thought that he must not have heard her, having already been out of range to have picked up her speaking. Maybe it was for the better that he didn't learn of her occupation. She was quite certain that some of the other Sarsi wouldn't have any problem with it at all, but LoJak was different than the rest. He was the only Sarsi that she would have been able to call a nice person without finding that she doubted the statement. It didn't really matter, she thought, he was already gone now. She would tell him some other time, maybe when she had found time to prepare a way of slowly letting the truth slip out. She felt a slight hint of relief as she turned towards the door of her home, reaching to open the door. Then LoJak stepped out of the shadows, letting out a single word question that she really didn't want to respond to. There was a slight pause before she spoke, but when the words finally came, it was in the cold and serious tone that she spoke in most frequently. "Earlier you asked about my profession, and I gave a very evasive answer. I would like to apologize for that." "I offer out loans to people needing then t very steep interest rates. If they find themselves unwilling to pay, I make them pay. If they are unable to pay, I allow them to sink ever more deeply into my debt."

IC: Drome As soon as I was certain that the pest was down for the count, I pulled the knife from my side. Perhaps it was a little painful, but I couldn't really tell over the intense agony I was feeling from the initial stab. It was bleeding rather heavily, but not enough that I really thought it would slow me down. No, the burning and the stabbing together were what was slowing me down. That, and having run this far... and having been fighting earlier... I struggled to my feet, clutching my aching side as I turned to see how Kadon was faring. He hadn't even managed to take down one foe yet. I was totally winning. I felt as though I should probably help him, but I found that I really wasn't feeling well enough to keep fighting. But with two foes to face, Kadon probably would end up worse off than I was already. I couldn't let that happen. I needed someone to help me reach a hospital after this. I turned towards the guy who had created the wall of fire, unsteadily lifting my mace. I was aching, I was bleeding, I was tired... And I was angry.

IC: Drome I had a successful attack. Sort of. It was off angle, I hadn't had quite the intended force, and I was probably a little of fire from burning forest bits that had stuck to my armor. But, it was still a somewhat victory. It was more than Kadon had gotten, I was winning. Then the pest began squirming around like a trapped Rahi, freaking out and shouting at me to get off of him. Really? He wanted me to get off, when he was the one who had caused this in the first place? That was like asking your enemy to give you time to sharpen your sword in the middle of a fight! He had to be crazy to think I would ever agree to such a request. Then came a sharp, stinging pain in my side. I wasn't sure if I had scraped it on something, or if maybe it was a place where I had been badly burnt. Looking towards the painful area, I noticed a shiny metal knife was stabbed into my side through a small opening in my armor. That was why it hurt so painfully. The little pest had just stabbed me! Raising my free arm, the one I had used to cover my eyes, I slammed it down with brutal force towards his head.

OOC: Never heard it, Requiem. IC: Drome Try as Vail might, it was too late for me to stop my momentum. In launching myself with my weapon's weight, I had given up all ability to slow or stop. Even if the wall of fire had scared me, which it really didn't after what I've been through, there was no way to stop my momentum from crashing through anything in my path. Vail had a choice now: he could either stand in place and hope that my bladed, and now slicing-disked shoulders didn't gore him in any important places, or he could get out of the way. I would advise the latter, unless he wanted to probably be in worse shape than I would be from the fire. Sure, I might get a few burns, but my armor was think enough to protect me reasonably well. When it came to my spikes, I doubt Vail's armor would do the same. Ah well, it wasn't my choice anymore, I was out of control like a swarm of blinded angry Nui-Rama. Then I realized that my angle was a it off from his, that I would slip right past him. Lucky for him, he didn't have to face spiky fury. As for me... I was still going through the wall of fire. Ouch. I raised one hand to my face, in order to protect my eyes. Bursting through the flaming wall like a runaway Kane-Ra out of Karzahni, I could feel searing pain shoot throughout my body. But it wasn't enough to stop my charge, and I was now closing in on my target.

IC: Drome There was a loud clang beside both sides of my head, as the metal disks came at me with sudden speed. At first, I thought I had been decapitated, but then I realized that my head was still attached to my body because I was still running. A quick glance to me shoulders revealed that the disks were still there, having embedded themselves deep into the spikes of my shoulder armor. I knew those things would save my life one day, no matter how stupid some people thought they were. And now the had kept me from some serious round and sharp harm. I love those spikes. Then came mockery from Kadon. He though he was better than me? All he had done was take out an unsuspecting bystander! That didn't count! I would show him. I would defeat this little pest, and be the first to actually defeat a real foe in this fight. He would just have to deal with the fact that I was better than him unless it came to harming innocent people. I summoned all the rage and anger of the whole nest of Nui-Rama as I planned to deliver a fight-ending blow to the pest. But then the pest did some sort of crazy backwards leap-roll-jump thing, probably to get himself out of range of my charge. It probably would have worked, I would not have been able to turn fast enough normally. What he hadn't counted of was that I was Drome, and that the rules of logic didn't apply to someone who didn't need them. I shifted the weight of my heavy mace to the side as quickly and violently as possible. It through off my balance, sending me stumbling wildly in the direction of the pest. I had given up a controlled charge for becoming a living wrecking ball. Sure, it would probably end in a painful landing for me, but I bet it would be more painful for the pest when I came crashing wildly into him.

IC: Mayixa The cookies were done! Oh how delightful it was, nothing beat the taste of a delicious fire-baked batch of cookies. They were a little hot, but I was a Toa of fire. I could withstand the mouth-burning heat. I hadn't heard from Neroxidecost for a few days now, even when asking him where I should go next. And he had already told me only one more day of preaching here, which I had long ago completed. So for now, I was just going to go about my life as normal. And nothing said normal like a nice batch of cookies. The last time I had made these cookies was the day that I... never mind, the next day was the important one. That was when i had been given the honor of meeting the Great and Glorious One himself. No sooner had I thought his name than his holy voice echoed out within my head. "You are to head towards the village of fire. There you will preach my message." As soon as the message was received, I was heading towards my door. It was quite cold out there, but my newly found determination would keep me warm with the power of his sacred mission. As I stepped outside of my door, I couldn't help but shout. "Praise Neroxidecost, what a glorious day!"

IC: Theriss Throughout the walk, LoJak's question plagued her mind. She could not escape the fact that she had no answer for it despite the high importance of it. They were all really just pawns she was using for her own gain. After they had achieved her goal, what was the purpose of keeping them around? Maybe afterwards she should merely step down and let the team choose a new leader while she retired from the team? But then it would still be connected to her image if the new leader led then to ruin. And if she disbanded them, that too would look bad on her image. She had barely noticed the walk back to her home, arriving without her even realizing it. Her thoughts were broken by LoJak speaking, and she managed to slowly force then back into the darker portion of her mind. As she turned towards the direction he was pointing, the sky lit up in blazing bursts of color. Flickering explosions of fire of varying shades. This was quite the first. LoJak had decided to make fireworks for her. No one had ever done anything like that before, most of the time people left before the end of the date. It usually happened around the time that she told them her occupation. Would LoJak has stayed this long had he known that her occupation, which she was still working at, was as a loan shark and her own personal enforcer? Maybe she should tell him the truth... Before that could happen, she noticed that LoJak was already leaving. "Good night to you as well." She watched for a moment before deciding to speak up. "LoJak, I think I should inform you of something."

IC: Drome There was now a metal thing stuck over my mouth. He was probably trying to stop me from letting out any more sonic roars. How adorable. But, I wasn't actually using my voice, just amplifying it. I was a Toa and my power was sonics. I didn't even need to speak to make noise, as he was about to learn. There was a wailing screech blaring out from me as I hefted my mace and charged towards the little green pest. This time I kept it from hitting Kadon. I think. Someone else had arrived, but I could talk to them later. Nui Rama Anger Vengeance Time. As quickly as I could, I was closing the distance between my mace and the pest's face.

IC: Drome As soon as I saw the other person vanish, I knew something bad was going to happen. People didn't normally just disappear, so it didn't take much thinking to realize that there was something very unpleasant waiting to occur. So of course, being the genius that I am, I chose upon a most logical course of action. I hoped Kadon would see what I was about to do, otherwise he would feel just as much pain as they would. Or I could just stop it from hitting him. Using my power of sonics, I let out a violently deafening roar. "IT'S A TRAP!"

IC: Drome There was a moment of pause as I looked towards the bag of money. Did this Toa really think that I would stoop so low as to sell out my honor as an adventurer for the sake of some measly sack of money? There was no price that could ever me but on a person's pride. But to suggest such a thing was almost more horrendous than the initial assault. "What sort of a person do you take me for? And you call that an apology?" "What value does that money hold compared to a person's honor? I have worked under the Turaga before. I have braved challenges that no one else would ever be brave enough to face. This is not a matter of money, this is a matter of a little fool who decided to attack my ally and I on a beach for no reason!" I readied my mace in my hand. If these people thought they could just buy their way out of trouble, what sort of people were they? That wasn't a thing a trustworthy person would try, no... "Kadon. Trying to pay people off after threatening them? The first thing this guy does is attack us for seeing him on the beach? I think these 'Sarsi' the pest was speaking about... are some sort of criminal gang!"

IC: Drome "That would imply that you actually think you can beat us." I remarked out with a chuckle. The guy actually thought he was a match for us? I'd been through a Nui-Rama hive, I'd been mauled by a Muaka, I fought a drunken Tarakava. If this island had a Rahi, I had probably ended up fighting it at one point or another. And Kadon had been a part of those fights, even if he didn't contribute that much. "I doubt it." "I can tell you right now that I'm not walking. If I didn't think I could beat you and the pest, what sort of adventurer would I be? A really boring one, that's what. And no one has even been able to call me, Drome, boring without lying through their teeth!" I hefted my mace tightly in my hands, readying myself to beat this guy up, and then beat up the pest. Nui-Rama Anger time. "Or..." A thought crossed my mind, perhaps due to the sheer insult of having been taken out by my own weapon. Or perhaps it was due to the blow of being taken out by my own weapon. Either way, it seemed like a viable choice at the time. "The little maniac over there apologizes for attacking us! Or not, I'm good with dishing out a painful helping of payback. Your choice, you green little pest."

IC: Drome Removing that metal had hurt me a little more than I had expected. I should have just saved myself the pain and ripped his arm out. But then, he would have been useless and... I hate lose-lose situations. Kadon asked me for his sickles. But I couldn't remember what exactly thy were. Was he talking about his little hook things? Or was it something else? I mean, it was probably the little hook things, but with the strange names that Kadon gave things, one could never really tell. As I was about to ask him what he was talking about, the little pest let out a shout about being 'The Great Bar Fell' or something. I didn't really care. He was going to be the great 'I Am In Pain' when I was done with him. Plus, hadn't he been screaming in fear while running from us earlier? Then Someone else decided to show up, apparently this one on the side of Bar Fell. Good. Now both Kadon and I had an opponent. This was finally going to be fun. Plus, I didn't have to run anymore. The anger of the Nui-Rama would power my victory! Then Kadon let out a remark, and the the pest let out a remark to that remark. So I decided to remark on that remark on a remark. "I waved hello as I was running to the beach, and you freaked out and made my mace hit me on the head! We just traveled through a jungle, and were heading down tho the beach when you snapped out like a drunken Tarakava!" Only, that Tarakava had possessed a much nastier punch. OOC: Theriss post up soon. Still working on it.

IC: Drome It seemed like Kadon had some sort of plan in mind, so for the moment I was going to just have to go along with it. I tumbled aside with the sudden shift of kadon's mass pulling me aside. I couldn't tell what was going on, let alone figure out what was going on around me. Now I was getting filled with the rage of a blind Nui-Rama. And while it couldn't see, it was still really, really angry. Then came the orders again, but this time it didn't seem like it would be all that bad. I'd get to break his arm, and get my sight back at the same time. It was a win win situation. But, if I broke his arm, them he could only carry one of his little hook things, and he was used to fighting with two. And this iron guy had already mentioned some Sarsi, which meant that fighting with an off-his-game sidekick really wouldn't be good. "Better idea. I do this." I found when the metal stuck to his hand, wedging my own into any creases left open by the shape, and tore the plate from my face. His hand might feel a little crushed, but it was better than losing an arm. Probably. You never really could tell with Kadon. But I knew he was going to complain about it anyway. But at least I could get rid of the extra weight. Now it would be a real fight. IC: Theriss It had been quite a while since the last nice she had been to, and even longer since it had been with someone else that wasn't part of her loan business. And after the chaos of the past few days, it had been a pleasant diversion. She had also gotten the chance to learn quite a lot about another member of the team she was going to be leading into heroism. The distance from her home really wasn't that far, and she was more than capable of dealing with any problems that may arise. Plus, there were a few people she had to speak to before the night was up. She had a few loans that weren't quite paying, and needed a little reminder. But all the same, her saying no would probably sting quite badly for LoJak... "Certainly."

IC: Drome "Remember how angry those Nui-Rama were where we attacked that hive of theirs? Well, I'm as angry as one of those right now, and -" Wait, what did he say? Was he actually trying to order me to jump? What would make him think that bossing me around was a good idea? Oh yeah... I couldn't see... I should probably listen to him right now. With a blind leap, I barely managed to clear the log laying before me. I didn't know it was a log, so I assumed that the guy we were chasing, who was clearly a metal Toa, had left a deadly trap before me. But that wouldn't stop me, not with the anger of the Nui-Rama pouring through my veins. That little pest didn't have a chance against the might power I held in my fist. Oh right, I was explaining the anger of the Nui-Rama to Kadon. "So I'm as angry as they were that day, so I figured that I had the anger of the Nui-Rama right now. How did you not understand that?!" I would never know how Kadon could be so clueless all the time. IC: Theriss The chance to cook using a restaurant kitchen was quite remarkable. It had been a while since she had had any assortment of nice ingredients, let alone the number of which would be available in a restaurant. She was about to accept his offer when her eye caught sight of the view outside. It was getting quite late now, having already been so at the start of the dinner. Perhaps if she had not been so late, there would have been enough time for the incredibly opportunity that had presented itself. "It does sound quite enjoyable, having a fully stocked kitchen at the ready, but it's getting quite late. So as nice as that would be, I think that it might be best that we get some rest for the morning. Perhaps we'll have a chance to do some cooking at a later time? Maybe tomorrow if the team hasn't managed to get itself into some sort of trouble before then." She let out a smile towards LoJak as she rose from her seat at the table. "I have had quite the lovely evening tonight, it has been a while since I had such a nice meal. You'll have to give your friend my thanks for his delicious cooking."

IC: Theriss Hobbies? She hadn't really thought of her hobbies for a while now. She liked art, but all of her art had been long since sold off. They were beautiful paintings, ones from each of the Koros' finest artists. But now her walls lay empty. Outside of that, there was cooking, Cooking was enjoyable, depending on what was being made. But she really didn't like trying the cooking of others, outside of food prepared at restaurants. She didn't trust them to know what they were doing. The occasional fight was entertaining as well, but that had been mostly part of her job. Family though, as far as she knew, she was quite alone on the island. Otherwise, she might have tried to get help from one of them at some point. But there was this strange feeling, like there was someone she knew but just couldn't recall. "Most of my hobbies were tied to the life I was previously capable of living. I don't have quite enough money to be able to enjoy them as much as I once did. I will likely never regain my painting collection, and the ingredients I liked to use for cooking are outside of my reach now. As for my family... I don't think I have any on the island. I seem to remember I might have had a brother, but that memory is very unusually cloudy." IC: Drome Kadon couldn't even take one moment without deciding to complain about something. He was like that, a never-ending stream of whining and discontent. I had been nice enough to not just ditch his body laying there on the sands, and this was the thanks I got? "Sorry for not being the perfect little firing platform, now shut up and work on something more important. Like your pitiful aim!" Then something smacked into my face, covering my eyes. It took me a moment to realize that it was Kadon's hand. It took me another moment to realize I could no longer see where I was going. I tried to shake the hand free, but Kadon was holding it there quite firmly. "Hey, get you hand out of my eyes! I can't see where the pest is! And if I can't see him, I can't use the anger of the Nui-Rama to get revenge!"

IC: Drome It took me a little while, but I returned to my feet eventually. But the funny thing was, laying there looking up at the sky? It had only made me angry. As angry as that horde of Nui-Rama that Kadon and I had outrun. Now I knew why it was that they chased us that day, it was because they were angry. I was going to be a Nui-Rama flying on wings made of pain, right at the guy who had done this to me. Well. I assumed that he did it. I usually didn't hit myself on the head. Usually. But now was the time to bring about revenge upon the guy who had attacked me for waving hello. I had had bad days like that before, but this was ridiculous. I ran over, grabbing up the downed Kadon and throwing him over my shoulder. Then I turned towards the little green irritant who had dared to anger me. With a resounding roar, I charged towards him with the grace of a rampaging Kane-Ra. I was going to trample him under foot, with the force of a Kane-Ra and the anger of the Nui-Rama. He had better run. "I WILL MAKE YOU EAT YOU MASK FOR THAT!" 'You mask'? Maybe I had been hit harder than I thought.