Trapped in a Map

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

It's incredible how much more beautiful a crazed Tahtorak can look when its armour catches the moonlight.

 

I suppose a recap of events would be nice for any neglectful readers out there, but quite frankly, its hard to describe those sorts of things while trying not to get mown down by a river of frightened Disrupters -- so please forgive me if I get a few details wrong on this, 'kay? Thanks a lot, really appreciate it yadda yadda yadda.

 

Well, we've finally got some leadership amongst our rebellion, which means that either we'll have a better shot at taking the baddies down a peg, or that if we end up on the wrong side of history, the Worshippers will have some figureheads to put all the ridicule on in their propaganda pamphlets (hardy har). We've also got a group checking out the mysterious bowels of the Outcast Towers in hopes of finding a secret passage to the outside world; and to cap it all off, His Supreme Carverness decided that our lives weren't weird enough without a forty-foot, pseudo-philosophical Rahi running around down here, screaming questions about answers. Because He cares so much about us, y'know?

 

Which brings us back to the present, where we find our narrator -- by which, of course, I mean myself -- tumbling around in a sea of bodies, in a sprawling, chaotic congo line back to the City. Most of the crowd here is following the Tahtorak, and if I had to guess at their motivations, I'd go with a three-way tie between a sense of morbid curiosity of what it's doing, concern for the citizens that it could harm, and sheer bloody boredom. The rest of us are just caught in the undercurrent, dragged down and drowning in our own peers.

 

An application of my Calix lets me push back against the momentum of the crowd, as I forcefully extricate myself from their grasp. I emerge, lightly scathed, along the chill banks of the River of Life, and without thinking, I immediately sink to my knees amongst the mud. It must be readily apparent in every greedy gulp of air and every heavy bead of sweat that my body has yet to completely recover from three months in the cooler. A tired smile is borne of that thought, and I close my eyes, already allotting myself a whole twenty seconds to rest up before heading back out after the Rahi.

 

b-b-b-BOOM!

 

Ears prick, eyes flash open and heads turn at the sound of explosions -- my senses are already anticipating the sight of elemental bursts showering the Tahtorak's back like Naming Day fireworks.

 

But is that what I see?

 

Short answer: No.

 

Long answer: The city looks rather pretty when it's burning, don't you think?

 

-Void

Edited August 1, 2013 by Emissary

[Magnus Greel]

IC / Reya / Dungeons of the Outcast Towers:

 

Reya analysed the map engraved into the metal tray, noting the the familiar drawing of the Map and the word inscribed above it. Either this was the name of the land, which she had never heard before, or the that of an individual, specifically the Toa who allegedly escaped this place.

 

Maybe he wrote himself out of the Map? she wondered. Do maps even work the same way in this world?

 

IC / Abahdon / The Royal Gardens:

 

By the time Abahdon had resurfaced, he found the guards and Kaytana's troops busily explaining their situations to each other. Disappointed with Ferrin's escape and not in the mood to give a report to his fellow officers, the Law Enforcer instead slipped away in the direction of the massive battle between Armageddon and the Inquisition. He had sufficient information about the pyromaniac to detain him at a later time, for now there was a more dangerous force to deal with at the moment.

 

Some time later, the warriors decided that Armageddon was a larger, more important issue than a crazed Toa of Fire too. Merging into one unit, they marched toward the center of the City to aid their allies.

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Ferrin ] - The TunnelsAs quickly as it had come, the Toa of Fire's amusement faded, to be replaced by a thoughtful, smoldering calm. Carefully shifting his mask back into place with an armored forefinger, he summoned a dancing red-orange tongue of flame from the Torch and examined his surroundings in the glow.The tunnel appeared to be a unused mine shaft, stretching away on both hands into looming blackness. Dust shrouded the rocky floor, disturbed only slightly by the tracks of subterranean rodent-Rahi. The heavy stone-and-wood support beams seemed still solid enough overhead, but not enough to dispel the area's distinct aura of weariness and decay. This place, it seemed, had not heard the grinding impact of miner's boots for many a decade, and might not for many more. Abandoned. Worthless. A derelict.And a splendid lair, indeed... mused Toa Ferrin. But far too obvious, so close to the point of conflict. That four-armed copper will not let the matter rest. Flame moves with the wind. I must be away, away and gone.Turning on his heel, he strode hurriedly away down the tunnel to the left, constantly testing the darkness ahead for the distinctive heat signatures of living beings.OOC:Ferrin's 'left' is due 'east', according to the Map.

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

We let Armageddon out of our sights for five minutes...

 

Alright, I'll admit that I didn't have any hard evidence that it was Armageddon behind this particular attack on the city, but it seemed the most likely assumption. I mean, they did leave the Outcast Towers earlier than anyone else, they have the sort of fighting force necessary for such an assault, and this kind of rampant destruction was their forte.

 

On the other hand, since I thought that they were pretty much insane and had a Tahtorak-sized prejudice towards them, I guess I was a little biased in my judgement.

 

(Sorry guys)

 

But one way or another, I couldn't just sit idly by as the City tore itself apart -- at the very least, not without being there in the middle of it. Too bad that it was pretty obvious that if I started running for the City now, unless a kindly hobo gave me a Kakama or a Kualsi along the way, I would be moving for a very long time before I reached it.

 

I climbed to my feet -- ignoring the last twelve seconds of my allotted rest -- and brought my hands back so that my palms faced diagonally to the ground. My muscles braced themselves and my elemental reserves began emptying, power trickling into my expectant arms.

 

Three seconds, I counted off.

 

Two seconds.

 

One.

 

Zero -- and I leapt, with jets of flame erupting from my palms, slamming into the shoreline behind me and sending me rocketing into the night sky. I must have looked like the Red Star streaking across the horizon, that was how fast it felt like I was going. Me, I didn't dare glancing downwards at the procession of Disrupters -- my gaze was fixed ahead of me, squarely on the approaching City.

 

In a hyperbolic arc which cut a scarlet slash through the landscape, I saw myself heading back down to earth, and let loose another blast of fire to push back into the air. My body threw itself forwards as my arms went backwards to build momentum, like a child would do on a swing-set.

 

An involuntary whoop of joy escaped my lips, even as freezing winds sliced at my face -- now this was the life, I decided! Flying above the world, not a care for anything! No worries, no problems; just a shooting star high up in the atmosphere, amongst the birds and the clouds and the wind and the rain! Free from the gloom and darkness of the realms below -- oh, what freedom! No drug or escapism could replace the high it gave, I'm telling you! Karz, I wanted to weep, it felt so beautiful up here -- I felt so beautiful up here.

 

And then I landed.

 

Like a half-remembered dream, that feeling of utter elation slipped away into the night just as easily as it had come. It escaped my desperate, clawing reaches and left merely a few fleeting strands of remembrance behind; a final schoolyard taunt of "You can't catch me~".

 

Leave it, I told myself, It's not worth it.

 

You've got a battle to fight. Just leave it.

 

It's not worth it.

 

-Void

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: Ul had taken up a position on a rooftop. He had merely wanted the advantage of height, but with the invaders deliberately scouring the pavement below it had been a more useful tactic than he thought.

The Rahkshi took aim with his staff before a hissing beam of spitting energy lanced from the tip at one of the Armageddon, striking them down as valuable parts of their anatomy were reduced to dust.

From his vantage point he could pick his targets carefully, taking out half of a pair of Skakdi so their elemental powers fizzled to nothing, picking off central figures so troops were left as unsupported individuals...If he could spot any high ranking officers he would have gone for them, but the attackers didn't seem to have any. That would probably cost them overall. Even destruction needed some measure of organisation and control to be truly effective

[The Lorax]

IC (Dekuna): Dekuna looked over Takarik's shoulder at the stone carving, also noting the position of the missing roof tile. Could a toa have squeezed through that space? Possibly after a long imprisonment and sparse rations, he thought, noting it as a possible escape route, and direction to follow the mysterious toa's trail. He shelved that thought for the moment though - right now, the map seemed much more important.

"Person, I reckon," he answered Takarik's question "though that's just a gut feeling. I wonder of there's anything special about this map, apart from being out of date."

If Mystiko's story was to be believed, this map would have been carved around the time of the disappearing toa, placing it at 30,000 map-years old. Dekuna had been in the map at that time, though it had been early in his career. He scrutinised it against his memories of the Map at that time, trying to spot anything that was out of place or that hadn't been there at the time. That sort of information could be very important in discovering any clues the map held.

 

IC (Koranga): Now with Slaughterhouse at his side, Koranga was surrounded by more pain than he knew what to do with, and the resulting strength knew no bounds. He barreled through the carnage towards a large group of Armageddon (over a dozen, he estimated) who were hanging back from the front lines, and seemed to be directing things (OOC: the command/archer unit described in the discussion topic). A dark blue Skakdi was the first to notice him, and shot a vision blast in his direction. He avoided the hasty shot, however, and was next confronted by a large, upper-class Steltian. The tall being made as if to stick Koranga with a long spear he carried, but, still protected by his vohtarak beserker charge, Koranga was unharmed and the spearhead snapped off. That was all the time he needed to get in close and grab the big brute, spinning him around as if he weighed nothing. Finally, he hurled the hulking but helpless Steltian back at the Skakdi who had first shot at him, using hi like a large, limb-flailing club. He caught both the original Skakdi and another standing nearby, and together, the three Armageddon soldiers were swept into the stone wall of a house. The strength of the blow was so great that the stone crumbled when the bodies hit it, leaving only some large chunks of rubble, and equally mangled bodies.

 

IC (Hatann): With the Tahtorak getting away from him, Hatann quickly switched plans. If the massive rahi didn't want to fight him, then that was no skin off his nose. All the better, in fact, if it was going to crush some Worshippers. He could sympathise with that goal. The Armageddon's outrageous stunt changed things as well. They were clearly outnumbered and outmatched by the Inquisition and Law Enforcement, but they were causing plenty of damage for all that. A tahtorak in the middle of all that as well? Now that was something Hatann would like to see.

Not wanting to be left behind, he crouched to the ground, negated his own gravity and jumped, higher and higher in a springing arc until he was up higher even than the tahtorak, a good 10 bio in the air. Then, gravity returned to him and he fell the last few feet to land on the beast's back, right between its shoulder blades. It had been a long time since he had ridden a tahtorak into battle, but it felt good to do it again, even though the rough plain he rode across was the Carver's domain, not Zakaz, and he was riding towards a large city, not a warlord's fortress. The rahi passed over the wall, and Hatann brandished his zamor launcher from high above the battle. He shot down an explosive sphere, and a vendor's cart was consumed in the fireball.

 

OOC: I couldn't resist. When you have a Skakdi and there is a Tahtorak nearby, riding the beast becomes inevitable. Controlling it though... we'll see.

Edited August 2, 2013 by The Lorax

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

Before I knew it, I had been enveloped by the battle; and before I could stop myself, I had become a part of it.

 

Armageddon's forces were being pummelled by the City's far superior resources; at this point, their battle seemed to be less about victory and more about plain survival. And from the faces I could recognize over on the other side of the campaign, they were facing the dreaded Inquisition of the Carver, to boot. My gut turned at the thought of our warriors and comrades falling victim to those depraved zealots, and an anger rose up in me, rearing its ugly head at Water and her plan to take the City.

 

Is this what you wanted, Water? my disembodied rage screamed out, Is this what you wanted for your brothers and sisters in arms? The torture racks of the Carver's finest? A lifetime of pain and torment at the hands of the Inquisition?

 

My fingers clenched the handles of my swords even tighter. I realized that I didn't remember even drawing them in the first place, but that thought was lost to chaos as the building next to me exploded in a shower of masonry. My mind registered that it had been punched inwards by the thrown bodies of Armageddon's warriors, a ramshackle burial at the hands of a titanic Inquisitor who was currently battering his way through our front lines.

 

My blades scratched across each other in a quick crash, and with a point of their tips, the sparks produced flew at the attacking giant, bursting into multi-coloured fireworks right before his face. I didn't waste a moment afterwards, and with a sweep of my arms, I sent a stream of flames in a strike up at his chest.

 

OOC: That would be Koranga he's attacking, Lorax.

 

-Void

[The Lorax]

IC (Koranga): Koranga turned from the rubble he had just created, back towards the group of Armageddon soldiers. The first to attack him, though, wasn't one of them. It was a toa of fire who was moving quickly through the battle field, so quickly in fact that it had to have something to do with that mask on his face: a blood-red calix. Three holes in the ground, if it wasn't Endi Simul, the Disruptor who had been released from stasis less than 24 hours ago.

 

Koranga would have been happy to leave the NPCs behind and put this Disruptor back in his place if Simul hadn't acted first. Lights and flashes went off in a storm around his head, blinding him and making him lose sight of the toa. He reeled backwards, finally coming up against a stone wall to steady himself and blinked furiously to clear his vision. Having done so, he saw that Endi was now spewing gouts of flame into the place where he had just been standing.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: I should probably make a post.

 

IC: High Inquisitor Voebius | Damaged Walled - The Inquisition

 

Now moving across the field on foot, Voebius came face to face with the being she had thought was Water before. It wasn't even a Toa, in fact; rather, it was simply a more ornately armored if a tad short Prime. Though her staring into the brightness above gave her no regrets, it was at times like this she wished her sight was better. Still, with once sense weak, the others always tend to compensate...

 

As she neared, the Prime began channeling the powers of his Kanohi Avsa, attempting to sap the strength out of the High Inquisitor as she draw near. Regardless, she continued moving forward as quickly as she could, and the enemy opponent drew his own sword in response. Unable to focus with both mask and blade at once he relented the former, attempting to move for a quick strike. Though the blow was quick and strong, it was not enough to fully penetrate her reinforced Steltian armor, being deflected against the metal.

 

As he recovered from the recoil, Voebius slammed down with the full force of her own energy-charged blade. The Prime attempted to raise his sword and grasp it with both hands, but it was not enough to take the brute force of her blows as she did the same. Making two rapid and powerful strikes in that manner, she managed to disarm him. Kicking her opponent to the ground, she ran him through the heartlight with her sword, pressing it in just far enough to be lethal before quickly withdrawing it to block another attack being intercepted.

 

The battle was only heating up around her, with the most important and dangerous aspect being the Tahtorahk that was now raging across the field. She recognized the creature and its type; such monsters could lay waste to a city, even one as big as this one, if left unchecked. To some, this was sign to be feared; to her, it was an omen. The Carver was telling them something - the Inquisition had the power of their god at their side, in raw form! This was their strength!

 

Blade raised high, she shouted as loudly as she could - able to be heard quite the distance, though the battlefield was still a loud one what with the elemental powers and the like in use - to declared, "Inquisition, Carver is with us this day! Charge and defeated heathen Armageddon; crush their resistance and spirits!"

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[The Lorax]

IC (Hatann): From forty feet up, on the back of a tahtorak, Hatann had an exceptional view of the battlefield. The massive rahi staggered about, shouting as it ran through the melee. Occasionally, groups of fighters would abandon their battles when it got too near and instead untied to drive the rahi back. Hatann let them do this for time, just enjoying the general destruction and chaos. Soon, however, his attention was caught by a large black Steltian, who was shouting at the top of her lungs about the Carver. It wasn't hard to work out who it was: Hatann usually dealt at a level of crime below the High Inquisitor's notice, but he had heard of and occasionally seen her nonetheless.

 

Baring his teeth in a fiendish grin, Hatann used his position on the tahtorak's back to turn the beast towards where Voebius was making her stand among the fighters. The massive reptile lumbered forward in that direction, gaining speed and momentum as it did so. With a bit of luck, it might step on her, or at least shatter her delusions about the tahtorak being on her side.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: High Inquisitor Voebius | Damaged Walls

 

Tahtorak are notoriously loud when they move, which meant any attempt to be stealthy by Hatann was wasted. The problem with being able to see all the battlefield is also that everyone on the field can see you, especially when you're not really attempting to make yourself hidden. Upon seeing the creature moving towards her, Voebius reached back and grabbed her Judgment Cannon. While unwieldly in one hand, it would make do.

 

Giving it a moment to charge up, she blasted a stream directly at the almost impossible to miss creature, filling it with an irresistible urge to simply stop fighting and go away. Omen or not, things like this were safer kept further away from the people. Having accomplished that she turned the stream towards the beasts rider, sweeping it over to Hatann to assault his mind in a similar manner.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Toa Kovolta]

GM IC:

 

The Tahtorak barely even noticed the Skakdi on its back. In fact it was just a coincidence that it had started moving in the direction Hatann was trying to direct it too. When it was hit with a blast from the judgment cannon, it started to slowly calm down, and it stopped in its tracks. Now calm, it started to look around more clearly, taking in its surroundings. It started wagging its tail back and forth behind it; righyt in the midst of all the Armageddon.

 

 

IC / Mystiko / At the Outcast Towers / With Reya, Kratep, Takarik and Dekuna / Exploring the Dungeons:

 

"I think we're all thinking the same thing," said Mystiko. He bent down and picked up one of the loose stones on the ground. "Anyone willing to volunteer?" He asked.

[Toa of Dancing]

IC / Water and Armageddon The City, Disappearing:

The Tahtorak was perfectly timed for Water's plans. The mining crew had, by this point, created a rather massive crater where a portion of the city used to rest. Multiple openings to the tunnels under the city were revealed by this excavation. Suddenly, the forces of Armageddon fell back, disappearing from the battlefield into the crater. A synchronized telekinetic and telepathic burst from the psionic Skakdi and Toa was meant to level the field for the short amount of time required to perform this action.

 

Once all - or most - of Armageddon had vanished, Water directed those with the elements of fire and electricity to send out their own burst to follow that of the psionics. Then she and her troops were gone, sealing the tunnels behind them. Anyone with power over earth, stone, gravity, or something otherwise useful was tasked with keeping the tunnels stable until the troops had passed through. Then, they were tasked with destroying the tunnels and the earth around them, causing and somewhat whirlpool-like effect of the nearby portions of the city (and the Inquisitors or civilians inhabiting them) into the crater catastrophically.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Toa of Dancing

[Samus Aran-Bounty Hunter]

IC: Kratep (Dungeon, Cell of #1)

There's a moment of silence, before the [Darkness] finally speaks, hands moving with his speech.

"I guess... I will. However, this is if and only if someone else agrees to go right after me, I don't want to be stranded whereever I may go."

Zakaro

[Void Emissary]

IC:

A shot and a miss -- my little light show seemed to have kept the Inquisitor from harm. The irony left a copper taste in my mouth. I swallowed it and swung my swords in yet another arc, aiming yet another cannonball of flames at the Carver's warrior.

I watched my fires burn through the air--

 

We let Armageddon out of our sights for five minutes...

 

Then the ground retched beneath me, and my attack fizzled out into a spiderweb design of embers against the night sky. I lost my footing and I toppled, tumbling into a writhing whirlpool of roads and houses. The colours of stone and blood and darkness mixed like oil paints before my eyes, interspersed with the images from my life before the Map. I watched, detached, my years of wandering, training, laughing, weeping, fighting, surviving, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. It all blurred into one big sensorial roundhouse to my solar plexus, shaking my mind, my body, my spirit.

 

Stop.

 

Another blow cracking my soul's ribs do souls even have ribs?

 

Stop.

 

Jaw; teeth punched through my gums.

 

Stop.

 

Temple; brain shook against the chamber of my skull.

 

STOP!

 

My spirit forced its way into my body, and my body raised its hands forward.

 

I was a one-trick pony, and that trick was gonna save my skin right now.

 

Jets of flame erupted from my palms, and I was sent hurtling backwards, up into the sky, higher and higher. I twisted until I could see the whirlpool again, and sent another burst throwing me further away from. In yet another hyperbolic arc, I tumbled through the air, farther into the deep City. If you wanted to be cliched, you could say that I was running away danger, but I was running towards it too.

 

It didn't take a genius to realize that this was gonna suck.

 

Another blast of fire leapt at the ground, but it was too late, and just sent me skittering across one of the lower rooftops. Stone swept across my armour like the Map was sharpening a sword. It raked my flesh like a Stone Lion tears at its prey's meat. My body was rent, but it was slowed at the same time. By the time I had stopped, I had left a snail's trail of blood pooling into intricate ink blot patterns.

 

My last conscious thought, was that this rorschach looked too much like a map.

 

-Void

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: High Inquisitor Voebius

 

Unfortunately, there was a problem with the Armageddon fleeing plan - many of the psionic beings on the field who were directing traffic, along with other leadership figures, had all been targeted by the elite assassins of Armageddon, as mentioned previously but seemingly ignored as no defense was made. This meant that while a few bursts were made, the majority of the Inquisition still had an easy target with their enemies fleeing. Skakdi of earth and stone worked together to seal many of the tunnels before most could get through, which meant the quickly approaching infantry and the archers from before had an easy case of slaughtering their enemies.

 

The elemental powers working underground were also under constant opposition by those working above; as whirlpools and instability formed, others worked to create virtual islands of safety to allow troop movement. Despite this, a good number of Inquisitors died... but with so many high-ranking members killed off, it would be virtually impossible to attempt the same thing that had happened before.

 

Voebius found herself hanging barely along the edge of an island of stability; a large chunk of rock supported by the concentrated powers of two skakdi of stone and gravity that was expanding further. With the help of a Steltian, she was dragged up to safety. Looking at the damage that was beginning to take place, she cursed Armageddon - and Water, in particular.

 

But this was not over yet.

 

OOC: EDIT: To clarify - psionics is not a common element, and based on all previous statements, those with such powers were being used as directors and leaders by Armageddon. Since I never saw anything in response to the assassins being sent out and removing their targets... it's safe to assume a high success rate. Which means very few psionics users on the field, if any, for Armageddon. Which means the telekinetic/telepathic burst plan couldn't work very well.

 

Even then, clearing out that many people on so short of notice with the enemy so close would be virtually impossible.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited August 9, 2013 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[The Lorax]

IC (Dekuna): "I will have your back, Kratep." Dekuna said, moving to stand beside the taller being. "If escaping really is as simple as carving our names into that map, though, we can't keep this to ourselves. If the two of us disappear, will you, Takarik, Mystiko and Zayin, go back up? Tell as many people as possible about this so that they can free themselves as well. This is what we've been seeking and fighting for for millennia, and we can't keep it to ourselves. I was serious about what I was saying before, upstairs. I do actually care about what happens to the rest of the Disruptors, and the friends I have made in the Map. If they want release, I'd be very grateful if you'd help them get it."

 

He didn't say any more on the topic, although he might have gone on. There was a good chance that this wouldn't work, and that he would just end up looking foolish if he had continued. He changed the subject. "Kratep, let's take a moment to get ready" he advised, taking out his weapons - lightstone rifle in one hand, blades in the other. "If we get out, there's no telling where we'll end up. Maybe in the places where we were taken, maybe to wherever the Carver is right now. Maybe somewhere completely different. Whatever happens, be ready for anything. It could save our lives when we get there."

Realising how he might sound saying that, he made an addendum. "Sorry about that" he apologised. "Bodyguard habits. You never quite get out of them. Constant vigilance, you know."

 

He lapsed into silence at last, having said all that he needed to "Allright then, let's do this. All going well, we'll see each other again soon, on the outside. Mystiko, carve our names in."

[Falcon Lord]

IC: "I swear that I will return to the surface and tell as many people as possible of this method of escape."OOC: Does anyone else think this is to good to be true?

Edited August 10, 2013 by Falcon Lord

[Toa of Dancing]

IC / Water and Armageddon Under the City, Causing Seismic Tremors and Collapse:

 

A couple dozen Skakdi, a handful of Steltians and Vortixx, and two Toa. The forces of Armageddon had dwindled, for sure. Escaping didn't go perfectly, and quite a few who had escaped had died from wounds or accidents. Still, that was to be expected when a guerrilla force launched an invasion upon a city with no dreams of survival, only those of destruction. Now, they were running in the tunnels beneath the city, causing the city above them to collapse. A few more weren't able to run fast enough, but the others pressed onward.

 

The ultimate goal was to kill everyone and wreck as much havoc as possible. The Inquisition and Worshipers wouldn't be able to save everyone - or even most of the city's population, if the plan worked even half decently. As it was, Armageddon was fighting a losing battle, which they had expected and embraced with their attempt at a suicidal plan to kill the city.

 

Water was at the front of the charge with the only surviving psionic member (or other Toa, for that matter) of her group and an upper class Steltian. Her course was plotted for a tunnel which emerged in the southeast of the map, and she pumped herself to get there with her surviving lieutenants and men as quickly and effectively as possible. That's where a couple of Skakdi of earth and stone stepped in, helping protect the three leaders who were left.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Toa of Dancing

[sonyaxe]

IC: Zaak / under the city.Zaak materialized directly in front of Water after he teleported. He had gotten away from the flight of arrows that would have ended his life moments ago, but not without other wounds. He was cut up and wounded, but not enough to stop him from escaping from the Inquisition.Landing on his feet and managing to stumble to the side so that Water and Co. wouldn't run in to him.Straightening and adressing to leader of Armageddon, Zaak made a report"Water, almost everyone outside is dead or dying. A few guys managed to get away, but only a couple made it out. They will be hiding in the desert." Zaak, upon finishing his report, started running through the tunnel alongside Water.OOC: Sorry if this post seems abrupt, but I wanted to get in the story quickly. Peace out. Open for interaction.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: High Inquisitor Voebius / The Inquisition

 

The Inquisition couldn't handle this on their own, dealing with the threats under the city. Voebius kicked a dead Skakdi that she had impaled her blade too far into off of the weapon, causing him to collapse into one of the holes Armageddon had made. She growled, before barking out orders to those around her, sending her lieutenants and others out. "Move to Temple!" she called out. "There should be enough soldiers there to keep it safe, but anti-elemental wards shall not protect for long. Let the rest of city burn; it may be rebuilt."

 

The City Law Enforcement seemed to be doing their best to keep the city in order. Their sheer numbers would do good in keep most of the city secure, assuming all went well.

 

Meanwhile, she began sending out orders for all of her best warriors (including all Inqiusitor PC's) to gather to her location. She would need them for another mission entirely...

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited August 18, 2013 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Toa Kovolta]

OOC: Hi guys, remember me? I used to rp here a long time ago.Ugh, I apologize for being absent. I would have loved to have posted this sooner, but writers block and other distractions got the better of me. Let's try and get this thing going again!IC / Mystiko / At the Outcast Towers / With Reya, Kratep, Takarik and Dekuna / Exploring the Dungeons:"But of course," replied Mystiko, noting that Dekuna had mentioned Zayin's name, even though he was nowhere to be seen. "If this is indeed a way out, of the Map we must let everyone know, instead of just leaving without a trace like this prisonner number one seems to have done."Slowly, Mystiko carved Kratep's name into the map below the name Zanta. The whole room waited in suspense as he carved, the tension could have been cut with an Air Katana. The moment he finished carving the , there was a small tremor. It lasted a few seconds, then the room went silent, Kratep was still standing there, everyone else was still standing there."Well that was rather anitclimactic," said Mystiko. "I was really hoping that would w-" he was suddenly cut off as the whole room began to quake. It felt as if the ceiling was going to collapse in on them. Mystiko dropped his everything as he grabbed a nearby wall for support. The rumbling echoed loudly through the room that appeared to be rocking back and fourth. There was a crack and everyone gasped as Kratep was suddenly bathed in light.

 

 

GM IC:

 

High above Mystiko and company, a battle was raging on the surface of the Map. Armageddon was facing off against the Inquisition in a destructive battle. City Law Enforcers and Disrupters had also joined the fray. The smoke was thick and heavy, obscuring the new dawn light. And in the midst of it all, a giant green monster.

 

The Tahtorak had been pulled into a vortex of earth, debris, and bodies. The temporary peacefulness that it had felt due to the High Inquisitor's Judgement Cannon drained away like liquid protodermis in a net. It's rage rose up in full force once again. It thrashed wildly in the earthly trap, causing the hole to expand. The whole Map suddenly started to quake. Anyone who hadn't already been woken up by the clash beforehand was definitely awake now. The Map was rumbled to it's core.

 

There was a loud crack as a fissures quickly wove their way from the epicentre to the edge of the Map. They broke through the already damaged wall surrounding the city, they jumped through the River of Life and followed along the River of Death, finally meeting the meeting the Western cliffs. Then a silence hung in the air as if the Carver himself was holding his breath. Then slowly, the Tahtorak and a large chunk of the Map began drifting westward.

 

The stress of Armageddon's explosion and the thrashing of the Tahtorak had been too much for the already cracked and fragile edge of the Map. A huge chunk of stone had actually broken free of the the rest of the Map and was now headed for long ride down to infinite. Everyone who had not already run away from the battle, rushed to to get off of the doomed piece of land. The Tahtorak, however, was trapped in an earthy prison and in it's rage didn't even realize what was going on.

 

The fragment picked up speed, until finally the mass over the edge was so great the rest of the rock tipped upwards. Everyone watched, awestruck, as it peaked and quickly fell down into the abyss, a scream of "Tell me the answer!" following it down.

 

 

IC / the Carver / Somewhere in the MU:

 

The Carver cursed. On his way back from the Tahtorak's valley, he'd tripped on a root sticking out of the path. His treasured map had fallen out of his hands and a large piece had chipped off. He probably could have used his powers over stone to fix it, but he wasn't sure how it would affect the powers of the Map. So instead, he simply pick up the broken piece, put in his pack and grudgingly continued on his way.

 

 

IC / Mystiko / At the Outcast Towers / With Reya, Kratep, Takarik and Dekuna / Exploring the Dungeons:Slowly the rumbling died down, and Kratep was still standing in the centre of the room. Mystiko's lightstone which he had dropped when he'd reached for the wall, was lying at the [Darkness]'s feet, illuminating his otherwise dark features.

 

 

OOC: An image of the missing piece of the Map. http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Kovolta/ART/CGIs/trapped_map2.png

[Samus Aran-Bounty Hunter]

IC: Kratep (Outcast Towers)

He bends over to pick up the lightstone and raises it into the air, filling the room with a combination of light and shadow from his fingers blocking slight bits of the stone.

"..Guess that didn't work. Unless that rumbling was related, which I doubt, carving in my name has done nothing. That makes me think that the name's simply the name of the Map itself, or the region the Map was based off."

Zakaro

[Falcon Lord]

IC: "Yes, quite possibly. I'd love to find out what that tremor was though, it might have been important." Takarik turned and began to step towards the stairs.

[Jamags]

IC - Fenii - An entrance to the tunnels:

 

Fenii dashed out of the tunnel and erected an iron barrier over it. Immediately after he did this, a beam of plasma smashed through the barrier. Another toa, this one of plasma jumped out. Fenii swung his axe, but was blocked by his opponent's shield. The other Toa swung his sword. Fenii blocked with the shaft of his axe and shoved his opponent to the ground. As the other Toa stood up, Fenii activated his mask.

 

"Turn around."

 

"Turn... Around..."

 

The other Toa had replied in a dull monotone. He slowly turned around. Fenii hit him in the back with his axe. The Toa fell to the ground, his mask shattering.

 

"Shame. I could've used a Calix."

 

Fenii himself turned around.

 

"Oh, now come on."

 

There was a large force of inquisitors, apparently leaving, and a large crater of earth at the edge of a chasm. And this was just after he had fought 14 enforcers. But that wasn't what disappointed him. It seemed he had missed the big battle. Now all he could do was catch up to the rest of Armageddon. He drew his axe.

 

"Maybe I can take a couple down on the way..."

[Toa Kovolta]

IC / Mystiko / At the Outcast Towers / With Reya, Kratep, Takarik and Dekuna / Exploring the Dungeons:

 

Mystiko nodded. "Yes, it seems not to have worked," he said disappointed. "Whatever that tremor was must have shook the whole Map, to have caused this much of a stir this far underground. Come to think about it. If it was a way out, and it was the name of someone who had escaped that way, the name probably wouldn't be there any more would it. I'm sure all the thousands of names that are carved into whatever the Carver is using to trap us here, aren't staying there.

 

"Though it does beg the question, what is a map of the Map doing all the way down here in a prison, on the back of a food tray?"

Edited August 23, 2013 by Toa Kovolta