BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi

[Nuju Metru]

OOC: Autohits in here were all explicitly cleared with Ty before posting.

 

IC:

In the grey light of a perfectly pleasant Ta-Koro day, my green swirly tattoo glistened blackly with Dor-Dor's blood (I never toldja about the tattoo, did I? Why, when, how I got it, nah? You curious? Too bad; too busy to tell you about it, remind me later). Some of the red stickiness that he'd spat on me dripped down my face, running through my grinning dimple like it was a canal. On reflex I smiled, baring my teeth and fully displaying their shapely whiteness, their orthodontic excellence. One time I brought my teeth to show-and-tell, and I got the lollipop on that day. Today, of course, they weren't quite as friendly-lookin'; but my current smile came from humor, as it always had. 'Cuz it was really tremendously funny to think of Dear Dor's hands and feet getting repeatedly slammed in do(o)r jams the rest of his existence.

 

Nascaryus took out Dor's bullets before they hit me, and drew the attention of McMuscles. "Good 'ol Niffles," I cheered under my breath as he tried to pull the "look, over there!" thing on the red-and-gild mannequin. Beefy Mancake's head looked empty enough to fall for it; but before he could, Sky-guy was pulling a maneuver from Grokk 101 on Pal Neffy, using the sniper rifle like a club. I've seen many a pickle in my day, and Nethhead sure was in one. Would Nathankyouverymuch fend off his two assailants? Would the pleasure (y'know, not-business) end of that gun connect with his jaw? Would I even care? Find out next week on "The Fantabulous Adventures of Captain Grokk & His Little Rascals."

 

I won't be watching, so someone's gonna have to let me know what happens.

 

See, I only had eyes for the guy behind Firepants, that wimpy scrawny little guy with the gorgeous bloody mouth (hey ma, look at what I made!) who, what with the commotion behind him, been forced to look back around. Whistling through my teeth, murder or some similar stuff in my eyes, I picked up a rubble pebble on the street, flicked it up, and zapped it midair with a Containment Sphere. When the pint-sized rock fell back down, I caught it as a head-sized sphere of blue energy with pebble bouncing around inside. Still whistling - whistling this, cuz I know you well enough to know you wondered - I took a few steps closer to Dor, who watched with condescending (read as "dumb"; wait and see!) amusement as I approached, stepping to my own beat, the small Containment Sphere palmed in my hand.

 

Dorian raised his gun, and shot it at me again, twice. Ah, such a one-trick, emotionally crippled, blood spitty pony (don't look this gift horse in the mouth, hey-o!). I had no Little Rascal to eliminate the bullets for me this time, but that wasn't a problem. As Dor'd raised his own arm, I'd raised mine right back, and caught the bullets, headed for my center of mass, on the Containment Sphere. Here's the thing about Containment Spheres; they freakin' rule. Here's the other thing: when they're fresh, they can rebound just about anything. Bullets? No problem. The little bits of flying metal (so mundane) hit my sphere and bounced off it at cray-zazy angles; one shattered the upstairs window of an apartment nearby (sorry not sorry, property damages), and another nearly hamstrung prettyboy (so close). Before Dor-Dor could shoot around my little shield with his last two bullets, I lunged forward and knocked the gun from his hand with the sphere, sending it skittering a few meters away down the Ta-Koro street.

 

Dor dove for his weapon, but I caught him first, spinning like a ninja and clocking him on the side of the head with the sphere, sending him tipping over in the other direction. As he went down, I followed him, pinned him, and started bashing into his nose with the trusty blue bubble. "Da dum-dum-dum," I hummed, each da/dum another blow that bounced the back of his head painfully into the ground below. His nose bled. "Da dum-dum-dum. Da dum-dum da-da-da-da--"

 

He managed to get me off him by reaching around the sphere and socking me expertly across the face. I rolled out of the blow, but consequently lost my advantageous position. Dorian sprung up and kicked me in the gut, winding me; I reached out a clawed hand and tugged on his leg, bringing him right back down to my level. I tossed aside the Containment Sphere, which was weakening anyway (after a life of admirable, noble service) and tore one of the scarves from my neck. In a jiffy, I had it pressed into prettyboy's throat like a garrotte.

 

"Scarf Monster's big, scarfmonster's bad," I sang hoarsely as I pushed down harder and Dor started to choke. "Scarfmonster's gonna... dangit, I had a rhyme. Oh yeah, 'crush your trachea,' that rhymes right?"

[-Vesok-]

IC: Voran

 

Voran followed after Marda, glancing around him.

 

OOC: To Ga koro!

[Razgriz]

IC: "Ayy, look who made it out okay!"


OOC: lmao2k

[Nato G]

IC: Natharius.

 

"So..." you guys gonna help him out, or what?" Natharius pointed at Dorian. "Thanks for the help, Grokk, you're a great friend!" he shouted sarcastically towards the grappling pair. He was angry at Grokk for dragging him into what was clearly more than a harmless prank and more of a violent scuffle, but he still intended to help him out by keeping the others off his back long enough for him to finish off Dorian, if that was what he had planned. He turned to Skyra and Joske. "I'm done here," he lied, "I'll see youse around." 

 

He walked towards where he'd dropped his cloak and the sack of items Grokk had requested, and picked it up, gathering it under his left arm to pin it against his body (since he couldn't use that hand), and reached into it, digging towards the bottom for the special item Grokk had asked him to find.

 

This fight was about to become incredibly... immature. 

 

OOC: Aren't the Ta-Koro guard out in force right now? Also, the Rahkshi must nearly be here... assuming it isn't already...

Edited September 22, 2014 by NatoGreavesy

[Silvan Haven]

Loren- Ta-koro- Angelus and Co

 

"Are you refering to the time I was trapped in the wall or the time I was implailed by shrapnel?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"His name is Grokk, and he likes to talk," I recited hoarsely, cracking my knuckles and focusing on my fingers in anticipation even as black started to eat away at the corners of my vision. "He tries spitting game, but he's never fu--"

 

Grokk tightened the scarf, but I'd counted on it and swooped my hand in right (the same trick, just as effective) and snikt Grokk right in the waist. He growled in irritation, but his gruff noise of admonition slowly became a howl as I dug in hard and then ripped my fingers back out of the new hole in his waist, dripping blood onto the leather and cobblestones below him. Protosteel phalanges - good for more than S&M finger puppets. I'm not saying seek 'em out, kids, but if you ever lose a couple fingertips to a psychotic father figure for handing him his stones in a fight...you know the deal. Grokk reared back for just a second and I knocked him off me onto the street. A quick glance at the gun sent it skittering across the street, bumping up against my foot, but when I picked it up I merely holstered it instead, deciding it'd be smoother to pick up the halves of Nasaline's javelin and hold them in my left hand. 

 

That wasn't even the coolest part, though - he gave me a scarf. Cashmere, so navy it could pass for black, woven with the finest care out of high-quality swagma that was collected fresh from the most recent eruption of the Mangai Volcano. A scarf.

 

Oh, relax. It's not what you're thinking - unless you're remembering a little somethin' somethin' with a certain Valkyr of Lust who tried this same "shank Dor ask questions later" routine. In which case I value you, my loyal readership, for sticking with me ever since I started giving you guys the full low-down on my inner thought process. It's been a long road. I know you've had to deal with some whining, a few weirdly placed thoughts and non sequiturs. You've probably met and said goodbye to more women than you can probably name, but ayy. Your life wouldn't be much of an omelette if you stuck to one carton of eggs. Yeah, you wish you could drop reproductive humor like the kid. 

 

Speaking of the kid, now that I had a second to catch my breath and blink the spots out of my eyes, I could see Grokk standing up again (favoring his left side a bit, but he was lanky, smooth on his feet, and his armor was pitted and uncared for enough to convince me it wasn't the first time the Skakdi had been scraped like that) with a vengeful sneer. He took a step forward - and snapped back with another yelp when my scarf shot forward, laced with a thin veneer of metal, and smacked him in the left calf hard enough to leave an instant welt. It would bruise, but it was a ginger enough wound to walk on. For good measure, before he could fully rest his weight, I smacked the inside of his right quad - I saw him flinch, thinking I was blazing a trail west - and watched him stop. He was still standing, but he had set his feet where he was, not advancing anymore. I cracked the scarf once, playfully, on the ground. 

 

Grokk moved quickly, checking my right arm to try and stop me from hitting his leg again, but I chucked the makeshift whip in his face and let him fumble when the fabric clung to the blood streaked along his face. In the couple seconds it had taken him to peel the scarf off his face I had reached behind my back and connected the two cleanly-shaven halves of Noluckstradamus' javelin, used a bit of the rena I'd absorbed into my bloodstream against Echelon along the blade, and connected them with a flexible-but-tough central handgrip. The javelin had been repaired (and even sharpened) with some homemade specimens of the finest metal elementalist training at Ko-Wahi could buy. When the Skakdi turned back to me, I'd backed up a couple steps, wielding my new fancy-as-all-get-out spear sturdily and keeping him at range.

 

"Not too late to hedge your bets and crawl back under your (G)rock," I suggested casually. The gunshots that started this whole she-bang off weren't exactly silenced, and taking things out into the street? Sure recipe for Jaller's finest. Or...maybe I could keep him here, and collect the bounty? That'd be nice. I could pull some money out of my pocket and flick it into the air whenever Tuara busted out the bedroom wall. Or I could practice my swimming...

 

This was shaping up to be a win-win.

 

IC:

 

Angelus looked up, distracted out of the report on the iStone, to look at the Toa of Sonics who had handed him the eyewitness briefing. His blue eyes slanted and he looked Loren up and down skeptically. Jolek gave a reaffirming greeting, and Loren's answer - with another question, as it were, with two equally painful sounding options - only made him look a little more concerned.

 

"You sure you should be standing?" he asked, patting the Toa of Sonics on the shoulder. "The healers here do good work, but that sounds pretty...well, rough. Nobody's gonna fault you for working out of HQ for a couple days."

 

IC:

 

Behind a water cooler in the maze-like layout of the Ta-Koro Guard's inner mechanisms, a pale blue shape wavered and snickered, lying in wait.

 

OOC: ??? from ???

 

-Tyler

Edited September 22, 2014 by Parks and Rekt

[Nato G]

OOC: So glad Grokk made me go shopping for him, cuz now I get to do this!

 

IC: Natharius.

 

Skyra and Joske didn't look like they were about to interfere for the moment. They seemed more focused on Dorian pointing Natharius' reformed spear at Grokk; neither of them were paying any attention to Natharius himself. 

 

Which was just perfect for what Natharius had in mind. 

 

Natharius pulled the confetti cannon Grokk had asked him to buy out of the sack and pointed it right at Dorian before firing, showering the spear-stealing-jerk-of-a-merc with an excessively colourful spray of streamers and fluttering pieces of bright confetti, hopefully blinding and distracting him long enough for Grokk to do something. Fight or flight, Natharius didn't really mind; he'd given Grokk a chance, and hopefully Grokk would take it. 

 

Grokk had been right about one thing, though: this was turning out to be the biggest prank in recent history. 

 

OOC EDIT: Because we've been here so long watching Grokk and Dory fight it out, I'm assuming that the Rahkshi has arrived and is watching from somewhere nearby?

Edited September 22, 2014 by NatoGreavesy

[Razgriz]

IC: "Man, if anyone can complain about shrapnel, it's me." Jol responded, pointing a finger towards his bandaged head

"I know how the wall thing went down, I was there. I tried to prevent that one." he explained.

"I was talking about the situation as a whole. You kinda bounced after we moved things across the street."

[HamboneKablooey]

IC: Marda

 

"Excellent then. Adventure awaits!" said Marda, and then they were gone.

 

OOC: Marda to Ga-Koro

[Razgriz]

OOC: Erzu and Saeva from Po.

IC: As it were, Saeva's prediction turned out to be right. It was only a few hours before the seas of sand became soft, fine ash, and dunes gave way to trees, rocks, and eventually a slope towards a fortress-city.

The Toa of Plantlife looked out and let a low whistle, an acknowledgement of the sheer... solidness of the walls. Even in it's damaged state, from out here it looked to him like an impressive work of architecture nonetheless. One that could hold against Makuta himself.

"There it is." he said simply, looking over to his uncharacteristically quiet and curt partner. "Almost there."

[Silvan Haven]

Loren- Ta-koro- Angelus and Co

 

IC: "I'm on light duty at the moment sir. No heavy lifting, my job right now is mostly running messages and supervising work parties."

 

He turned to give Jol an odd look.

 

"I was standing right in the middle of the open after that. Not sure how you could have missed me."

[Snelly]

 

OOC: Oh, come on! Again with the rifle butt? And... did you just call me Grokk Junior? 

 

OOC: I didn't call you anything. Skyra called Natharius that, Skyra's thoughts and actions hardly reflect my own. Also yeah, she finds rifle butting to be a rather effective attack. :3

 

IC: Skyra

 

I was tense, watching the fight between Dorian and Grokk was nerveracking to say the least. I winced every time I saw Dorian take a hit. Thankfully it seemed like Dorian had the upperhand now. With a newly repaired spear it looked like Dorian had the clear advantage. I was expecting this fight to be over so-CONFETTI!?!

 

My head quickly turned to the obvious culprit, Natharius. He was standing there with a cannon in his hand and the dumbest grin on his stupid face. My fists clenched, I was getting really, really tired of this ######. It was time to put an end to it. 

 

​I took a deep breath, then let it out. I needed to keep myself...relatively calm. Calm...er? ish? Ah forget it. 

 

"You know Natharius...I was being nice before. I've given you more than a few chances to walk away from this, but now it's too ###### late. You knowingly helped Grokk break and enter Dorian's home, lied to an officer of the law -that's me by the way yeah-, and you've attempted murder...ya know the whole trying to impale my boyfr -Dorian!- with the spear thing? Yeah that." I realised what I had almost called Dorian in front of Joske, but decided to pretend it never happened. I had the sniper rifle aimed and trained at Natharius' head. Now I'd never used Dorian's sniper rifle before, but from the looks of it it functioned just like my blunderbuss more or less, pull the trigger and it fired.

 

"I don't think you understand how much deep ###### you're in, so I'm gonna explain this to you. Joske Nimil here is one of the most famous Toa on the island, helped the Toa Maru defeat Makuta and all that jazz, you've ###### him off. Dorian Shaddix is just as infamous and one of the deadliest assassins on the island. You ###### him off. And I am Skyra Daring, a Commander of the Gukko Force, who could easily shoot you right now and no one would question it. You ###### me off." With any luck this was getting through his thick skull. 

 

"So here's what's going to happen, you drop the ###### cannon, sit down against that wall over there, and then we wait for the Guard to get here. If you don't do anything stupid, I won't kill you." 

Edited September 23, 2014 by Skitty

[Razgriz]

IC: "Dude, unless you're talking right after you decided to barge in through the wall, you weren't. You definitely didn't follow me and the rest of the gang over to the point where we actually fought them instead of, you know, smoking them out." he retorted adamantly, folding his arms.

[Silvan Haven]

Loren- Ta-koro- Angelus and Co

 

IC: "I was back out of that wall in under twenty seconds...I think. Time gets funny when you are in a situation like that. In any case, I was standing in the middle of the street while you and all your friends were busy talking in that alleyway."

[Razgriz]

IC: "I--"

A hand flew to his newly furrowed brow and he silently muttered a small prayer to give him strength.

"That's what I'm saying. And then when we all moved over to where they bailed out, and actually initiated open combat, you weren't there with us, you were off doing something else."

How hard was that to understand? He looked to Angel for help, pleading that for Mata Nui's sake do YOU at least get the point?

[Silvan Haven]

Loren- Ta-koro- Angelus and Co

 

IC: A look of understanding and slight embarrassment crossed Loren's face.

 

"Ah, that's what you meant. Sorry, I'm a bit tired. I regret to say that I was still in the street until you guys started fighting. I teleported on to a nearby roof in time to follow them out of the koro."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

"I've been planning to place Stralix in charge of an engineering division of the Guard." The Ta-Matoran answered, pulling another personnel file out from his stack, specifically that of the Skakdi engineer. "That said, I think I could spare him some of the time. Give him a little time away."

 

"And," The Akiri continued, after a momentary pause. "I could see about issuing you a pass, let you talk with him even when I need him here."

 

IC:

 

The Ta-Toa didn't respond immediately, instead drawing another breath of hot, ashy air. For some people, the air of the region was arid and unpleasant, far too dry and thick. For her, despite all else, it was home. It was the air she grew up breathing, the climate she was bred for, from the color of her armor to the fire in her heart. A fire that, as she looked upon her home, sparked and flared, threatening to grow once more into an all-encompassing blaze. Another deep breath of volcanic air quieted hit.

 

"Yeah. It's home."

[Razgriz]

IC: "You can get me in those gates, right?" he asked, lightly coughing, lungs unfamiliar with the ash-laced quality of the air.

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

"Depends on if they decide I'm here to help, or cause trouble." The Ta-Toa replied, a faint grin crossing her face. Despite it, she wasn't joking; the she and the Guard had a love hate relationship. "Either way, yes. It'll just be a difference of time."

[Silvan Haven]

Lenat- Ta-koro- Guard HQ- Jaller's Office

 

IC: Lenat nodded his thanks and rose from his chair.

 

"Thank you for your willingness to cooperate Akiri. If there is nothing else I must go. The Emporium branch in this koro will not set up itself."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"You are welcome. I appreciate your efforts." The Akiri didn't rise, but he gestured towards the door, gaze already beginning to turn back to his work. "Speak with my assistant on the way out, he'll arrange for your presence to be allowed. Please feel free to visit as needed."

[25K Now!]

IC: Lasinia

 

"I could totes get a bag of popcorn right now and the fight wouldn't be over."

[Silvan Haven]

Lenat- Ta-koro- Guard HQ- Jaller's Office

 

IC: With another bow, Lenat turned and made his way out of the office. The talk with Jaller's assistant took significantly less time than the meeting the Vortixx had just been in and soon he was walking out the doors the the Guard building, a new pass tucked in to his pouch.

 

Since the walk to his next destination would have taken some time on foot, inventor decided to take the recently repaired monorail. As he boarded one of the cars and sat down the quiet hum of electricity filled the air. The noise rose steadily as the car started moving, sending everybody aboard hurtling towards the next station.

[25K Now!]

IC: Ril

 

Ril moved to his feet, evidently less tired after his rest on the floor. "Hey Taro, we ready to move?"

[Friar Tuck]

IC

 

Toa Joske

Location: Ta-Koro, Guard residential district

Chapter One: Crystals, Temples, Secrets... oh my.

 

So this is what happens when a bunch of crazies decide to duke it out.

 

And here I am standing in the middle of it like a ringmaster of a three-ring circus.

 

WHY did I come here again?

 

The minutes ticked by, all I could do was stand there and watch in morbid fascination as the scene unfolded before me like a second-rate movie from a third-run theater.

 

Dorian and the Skakdi called "Grokk" were really hashing it out behind me, beating the snot out of each other mercilessly physically as well as verbally, both types of assaults going below the belt, and I meant that in every aspect of the word, seeing the injuries they were accumulating. Meanwhile in front of me Skyra pounded the other Skakdi - apparently called "Natharius" - into submission, to the point where he apparently gave up, grabbing his things and for all looks and purposes ready to leave. Except that at the last possible moment he reached inside and-

 

A blast of air rushed past me as a streamer fluttered in front of my face, followed by bright pieces of... of...

 

By the Great Spirit, a confetti cannon!?

 

If everything wasn't so serious I would have lost it right then and there, the ludicrousness of the situation absolutely overwhelming. Clearly either this guy was more insane than even Dorian, or he was a newcomer the the world of combat. Any chance of a chuckle however was cut short when Skyra opened her mouth, leveling Dorian's sniper rifle at Natharius' head, and proceeded to verbally curbstomp him and tell him exactly who was what and the current situation. Even I was impressed with the credentials she gave all of us, even if it WAS all true. By the time she was done my mouth was slightly agape, silently thanking that I was not him at this moment.

 

Note to self: DO NOT get Skyra mad. Note to self: hire her as personal PR manager. Note to self: stop making notes to self.

 

Clearly, she had him under wraps. Dorian and Grokk had stopped fighting momentarily, so I turned and walked toward them, speaking to Natharius behind me. "I'd listen to her buddy; she's pretty serious this time, not to mention more than generous thus far."

 

Focusing my attention on the main attraction I slung my launcher, this time gripping my flamberge with both hands as I approached Grokk from the side, about a hundred and thirty degrees from where Dorian stood. As I heard the Toa of Iron mentioned something about hedging bets and hiding under a rock, I leveled my sword at the Skakdi, keeping the same distance from him as Dorian as I spoke up, my voice calm and quiet.

 

"No, I say he stays here and we wait for the Guard." I chanced a glace sideways before returning my attention to the wounded Skakdi. "Call it gut instinct, but I think they would be very interested in this pair."

 

I had already played wingman today, saving Dor from that spear that now appeared to be remade in his hands, and I was prepared to help directly if this character tried anything sudden. I didn't know the relationship between the two, but clearly there was a lot of bad blood between them. He was going to help me, I'll help him here. Least I could do.

 

Really, though, I owed him one... from back in Le-Koro over a year ago.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Friar Tuck

[Nato G]

OOC: Seriously, where is that Rahkshi?

 

IC: Natharius.

 

Natharius hesitated... again. It was crunch time; he had to make a choice. He could back down and let Dorian, Joske and Skyra beat the stuffing out of Grokk, or he could find a way to help him. Now, clearly Grokk was a bad influence, and obviously he wasn't the nicest guy around, but he had been the first friendly being Natharius had encountered in the city. Natharius still felt that he owed the guy.

 

"Let's look at this from the other side, shall we?" he suggested, "Grokk broke into the house; I didn't even know whose house it was at the time, so I didn't knowingly do anything. Secondly, how the heck was I meant to know you're in the Gukko Force? You never mentioned it. Besides, what kind of authority does a Le-Koro commander have in Ta-Koro, if any? Thirdly, me trying to kill Dorian was perfectly justified, since the first thing he did upon seeing Grokk was try to kill him, and that's still what he's doing!"

 

He took a deep breath, and let it out again, "I'm just doing the same thing you are; looking out for my own kind. Grokk has been the only person whose shown me any measure of friendship since I arrived in this city, even if it was for his own selfish reasons. So I'm going to help him. Oh, and if I recall correctly, you hit me over the head with your stupid blunderbuss. So guess what? You've me off as well!" 

 

He lunged forward, using his left arm to bludgeon aside lengthy the barrel of the sniper rifle, He heard the weapon go off, but wasn't sure who, or what, it had hit. He didn't care. Pushing past Skyra, he used his laser vision - now recharged - to fire right at the weapon in Joske's hand. 

[Snelly]

OOC: No idea, that would be something to ask Nuju.

 

IC: Skyra

 

He did something stupid, as Natharius started his own little rant I was more than prepared for whatever he might try to pull. He lunged forward, trying to bludgeon the rifle, though he hit a force field instead, my Hau was quite active and I'd more or else expected him to attack since he started wasting his breath on why he was somehow innocent. I moved my rifle away from his arm on instinct and it went off, the bullet going straight into the ground. 

 

I spun around to see Natharius now focused on Joske, firing off his laser eyes. I was gonna have none of that. I quickly re aimed the rifle at the center of his mass and fired.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Before Jaller's office could seal itself up again, a box from outside tilted forward, catching the wooden frame. The Akiri looked up from the work with undisguised impatience. The box wriggled its way through the door. Jaller, knowing that boxes could not wriggle under their own power, grabbed a letter opener and walked with the poise of a soldier and the irritation of a weary public official. He bent down to his knees and cut open the box with a single stroke, spinning the letter opener again in his hand to--

 

"OOGA BOOGA BOOGA OOGA OOGA BOOGA BOO"

 

Jaller reared back, and Hahli started to cackle. The Akiri of Ga-Koro was bent almost in half, her legs twisted back like a pretzel rod and her arms crossed over her chest. Her awkward posture didn't dissuade her from unfurling himself, limber as a gymnast, and standing up inside the box to look up the extra three or four inches at Jaller. The former Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard was scowling in irritation, probably having expected some greater threat. Hahli rolled her eyes, pulled the letter opener away from his fingers and underhand tossed it onto his desk.

 

"Don't look so happy to see me," she jested, punching him in the shoulder. "I only came all the way from Ga-Koro to make sure your face hadn't sunken in on itself from all the frown lines."

 

-Tyler

[Nato G]

OOC: Okay, no more mister nice skakdi. I'm angry now. 

 

IC: Natharius.

 

The hastily-fired bullet tore a gash across Natharius side, jerking him sideways. His blast of laser vision went wide, missing Joske and flying towards Dorian instead. He didn't get to see if he hit anything, though. Dropping the confetti cannon, he rounded on Skyra, pressing his right hand to the bleeding wound. His armour had saved him from any serious damage, but he didn't care. All he could see was red. Seething with anger, he took a deliberate step towards Skra, a silent dare. He was sincerely regretting the decision to find a Toa of Air for Grokk. Skyra had been nothing but trouble from the start.

 

"You claim to be part of the Gukko Force; to represent the law?" he challenged, "Either you're lying, or you're a ###### idiot. Think about it! All Grokk and I have done is break one window, and drink a few bottles of alcohol. Grokk played a harmless prank, and your stupid ###### of a boyfriend here responded by trying to kill him. I tried to intervene, and you clubbed me in the head. That makes you an accomplice. Everything I have done has been in self-defence, to protect myself and the only remotely friendly being I've met so far in this city. But you? From the size of the hole in the door, I'd say that was your doing. Dorian shot up the whole inside of the house. You and your boyfriend have done some serious property damage to his house, and you've personally performed an unprovoked assaulted a perfectly innocent Skakdi - namely me. Not to mention the attempted murder..."

 

He paused for dramatic effect. "We're Skakdi; we're scum, no one likes us, and so on. Our kind attacked your city, blah, blah, blah. No one is going to bat an eyelid if they hear that a couple of Skakdi broke into someone's house and drank some of their grog and played a childish practical joke. But you, you're a Toa, the hero of the people, paragon of virtue and all the rest of that Rahi ######. If the people hear that a trio of Toa tried to kill those skakdi... well, that's different, isn't it? Suddenly, we become the victims, and you're the bad guys. How does that reflect on you, and the Gukko Force, and Toa in general?"

 

He broke out into a big, happy skakdi grin, "So, if I were you, Miss Daring, I'd think long and hard about what I do next."

 

OOC: If Natharius had a microphone, this would be the point where he drops it.

 

Sorry for the long speech; can't wait to see how you respond to that. 

Edited September 23, 2014 by NatoGreavesy

[Razgriz]

IC: "Yeah, thought so. Good to see you in one piece, then." he said, frustration washing away from his face as the breakthrough was reached.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IC: Erzu had to laugh at that one. Oh, he knew what that was like. He had to wonder how Le-Koro was dealing with the lack of his antics.

He hoped they weren't too depressed.

"Yeah, I can't say that surprises me. Let's go find out."

[Daniel the Finlander]

OoC: Going to try out first person with this new character, let's see how it goes
 
IC: Danaar Kaas (Ta-Koro)
 
1,2,3,4,5,10,15,20,1,2,3.. 23 widgets. 23 widgets. I could buy food for today and tomorrow and for the Day After Tomorrow, but that's it. Great. Not only did I lose my job, but I lost it two days before the payday, right after I had spent my money wisely.. on a new satchel, because the previous one had ripped apart, burned into a crisp and.. well, suffice to say i needed a new one. I could've saved the money, or paid my rent, maybe even deposited it in a bank or something, but I really needed a new satchel, right now. I need something to carry my money with! Hah! Funny, because I barely have any money left. Karzahni, I need a new job.
 
"Mata Nui Technology Emporium opening soon! Employees wanted!"
 
Well, I need to start worshipping Karzahni now. What does the word even mean? Some hardcore Skakdi on the streets had used it a lot so I guess I adopted it from them. Wasn't it a name of a demon or something? Whatever, I need a job and I have a chance to get one now. Hooray!
 
The sign was on the side of a building, that looked to be recently constructed; there wasn't a lot of ash covering the bright stone tiles of the building, and you could actually see something through the windows. I opened the door, and was greeted by a really tall, thin guy. He wasn't a Toa, that's for sure.. hmm, maybe a Lesterin? No, those guys were prettier.. ah, a Vortixx! Is he the boss? I don't know, better ask.
 
"Um, hello there. I saw that sign, you're looking for someone to work here, right? Well, I need a job."
 
OoC: He's talking to Lenat. If he wasn't headed to the store in your last post, you can use BZPRPGTime™

Edited September 24, 2014 by Daniel the Finlander

[shadow pridak money gang]

OOC: Just for future reference, Nato, since I know you're new here: the polite thing to do in a PvP situation in this game is - if you're not working out the hits with someone over IM, as Nuju and I have been doing since this brawl started - to wait for the other player to RP their character responding to the situation. Just because I'm waiting for Tuck or Nuju to make a post and I don't instantly respond to your character's javelin, or confetti cannon, or laser vision, doesn't mean that I haven't seen them, and it doesn't mean you get to throw another attack at someone in your next post. I was hoping that Nuju could make a Grokk reply before I had to post again, but now that it seems Dorian and Grokk are being interpreted as standing stock-still in the middle of the street and we're both at moderate risk of being hit with confetti laser vision here, I'm going to have to get this moving again.

 

So again, in the future, to everyone and not just Nato: please be considerate of other players and their actions, and be equally as patient in waiting for their responses. Grazie.

  

IC:

 

Woo-sah.

 

Wooooo-sahhhh.

 

Thing I learned after being a Mark Bearer? You don't even need a tattoo to focus other people's emotion into strength. Just watching someone get nice and riled the more loudly you refuse to die gives you a boost - makes you want to keep refusing to die, even makes you want to win. Anger, especially, gives you the boost, and the only thing that gives you more fuel in the tank for less dough is your own anger, in someone who knows how to use it. Past couple years, whenever I started to feel myself getting prickly, I dropped a bomb right in the center of that cluster of rage and let it pan out everywhere. Let it seep into my muscles, toughen up my bones, open up the levees to my adrenal gland. I let it hit my fists, my arms, my legs...pretty much everywhere except my head and my heart. Those are the places where all that anger will get you, if you let it. Most people do. Most people, they can't help but do it wrong. Me? I started to shoot straight, play it cool, and do it right.

 

Now? I do everything right. 

 

Woo.

 

Frickin'.

 

Sahhh. 

 

Take it from the top.

 

steve dor walks warily down the street

with the brim scarf pulled way down low

ain't no sound but the sound of his feet

machine guns ready to go

 

are you ready, ayy, are you ready for this

are you hanging on the edge of your seat

out of the doorway the bullets rip

to the sound of the beat

 

bwah bwah bwah

 

[you folks at home know how it goes, you do this part]

 

Grokk peeled the scarf off his face irritably and tossed the bloody garment to the street below us. The Skakdi looked up at me with my new spear and displayed a surprising degree of caution in his feints, but then again, Grokk had always had a surprising amount of cunning in that craggy head of his. My eyes, meanwhile, were roving him up and down, looking for weak spots - even though I already knew that I was going to go for the wound I'd made in his waist and follow up by weakening the right quad I'd thwacked away at earlier. It was Natharius' wayward laser vision that threw us out of the standoff; I weaved to the left, ducking under the blast as it seared into the wall of a stone hut behind me. Grokk pressed the dodge and jumped forward to grab at my leg and pull me down again, but I danced around him to get his back and thwick-thwacked him - one quick blow with the shaft of the spear to his lower back, near his spine's base, and then a loud smack of the blade against the wound in his side.

 

how do you think i'm going to get along

without you when you're gone 

took me for everything that i had

kicked me outta my home

 

ARE YOU HAP-PAY, ARE YOU SAT-IS-FIED

HOW LONG CAN YA STAND THE HEAT

OUT OF THE DOORWAY THE BULLETS RIP-PAH

TO THE SOUND'A THE BEAT

 

YESSAH

 

BWAH

BWAH

BWAH

 

[that was good, but do it a little louder; you're kind of faint]

 

 

Grokk was up again quickly after that, and I got in one more lick on his waist (he buckled for a second, which was progress) but when I tried to smack his quad with the blade on the spear he caught the weapon by the top of the shaft and spun it around with all his strength, sending me and my new javelin skidding down the street. He jumped - like a wild animal! - and landed in a crouch over top of me, getting in a few good sucker punches to the cheek before I managed to buck him off and roll him over. I wasn't much of a facey-punchy guy; I held Grokk down and gave him one good sideways chop to the throat to screw with his windpipe before he rammed his knee into my right ribcage. I sat up, grabbing one side of his face and trying to slam it into the side of the street reflexively, but Grokk kept on throwing knees at me until I stood - and then he launched me back down the street. Grokk rolled over and tried to reach for my javelin. Maybe he would have gotten the chance to throw it and harpoon me. 

 

Maybe.

 

If I hadn't already been standing up, grinning ear to ear, with one hand held out towards the protosteel spear in Grokk's hand.

 

there are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man

and bring him to the ground

you can beat him, you can cheat him, you can treat him bad

and leave him when he's down

 

but i'm ready, yes i'm ready for you

i'm standing on my own two feet

out of the doorway the bullets rip

REPEATINGTOTHESOUNDOFTHEBEAT

 

BWAH

 

BWAH

 

BWAH 

 

[we all do this one together, except for you in the back. yeah, you, with the nasally tenor. your voice is like...the opposite of buttery. what's the opposite of buttery? margarine-y? margarine-y. never sing again, you margarine-y stooge. the rest of you...]

 

The spear started to lurch forward, carrying Grokk with it. At first, he managed to keep on his feet, but as the friction started to pick up and scrape against his footing, he tripped forward (just for a second) and his entire body from chest to knees dragged hard along the street, caught up in the momentum of the javelin rushing back to its owner. Grokk wised up after a few seconds and let go, panting in the street while the javelin flew into my hand with a soft thwump. I could have gloated. Considered gloating, Xa-Koro style, over Grokk's body the way I had Brykon's. I would have talked his ear off the way Natharius was doing Skyra, or the way Agni did Joske, or the way Joske did anyone. Dorian Shaddix, the flamboyant mercenary, would have done it.

 

Dor Shaddix, the killer, knows better now. Head ringing, nose and mouth bloody, temper dark and rumbling in my body, I stalked forward. I took only the second I needed to finish circling around to Grokk's right side, and slid my grip to the back of the protosteel shaft so I had the reach necessary to drive the thrust where I needed it to go: right into an organ or two. Surely there's something I could have said. After all Grokk had done to me, he deserved to hear me say something.

 

Wordlessly, I pulled back and thrusted.

 

another one bites the dust

another one bites the dust

and another one gone, and another one gone

another one bites the dust

hey! i'm gonna get you too!

another one bites the dust.

 

-Tyler

Edited September 23, 2014 by Parks and Rekt

[Friar Tuck]

IC

 

Toa Joske

Location: Ta-Koro, Guard residential district

Chapter One: Crystals, Temples, Secrets... oh my.

 

I had never heard a sniper rifle fire before, the sheer shock of the loud bang enough to make me flinch and twitch, which probably saved my hand as from behind me another pair of laser beams shot past wide, almost hitting yet still missing Dor as well. The shouting behind me increased as there was another bang from the gun, followed by even more shouting. I was ignoring them behind me, but it seemed as though Natharius was having problems staying down... Skyra had been beating on him for a while now, and I fully expected the next shot would kill him - there's only so much a person can take, both in the terms of physical punishment on one end and verbal abuse from misguided viewpoints. I just hoped Miss Daring had enough wisdom to handle the situation properly. A Toa can only take so much.

 

This fact I was well aware of.

 

Even as this was going on behind me, it took a backseat to the brawl before me. Dor and Grokk continued to beat each other mercilessly, the only thing I could really do at this point was stand back and watch, playing crowd control... which ironically a small group had begun to gather, wondering what all the commotion was about. I silently waved them back, and to my credit they stayed a good distance away, making use of building corners as cover. It was only a matter of time before the Guard began swarming.

 

And it was here that I finally made the connection with Grokk and his name: one of the killers of the Turaga.

 

It had been bugging me for a while, one of the many things tugging at the back of my head. Now I remembered, and it helped explain their relationship and why Dor was so committed to apparently... oh.

 

They were playing for keeps now.

 

A part of me wanted to jump in, stop Dorian from doing what he wanted to do. He was a criminal, yes, but there were codes and ethics involved here... but then the other part interjected. The logic. They were already tried. Convicted. Known. The Turaga killer were wanted dead or alive, quite a hefty sum for them as well; and I knew for a fact if they were dragged back to their respective Koro's alive their execution would come swiftly thereafter. It was one of the few times where permission was already granted, their fates already sealed.

 

Not only that but over the past year and a half I had plenty time to really think about morality, good and evil, light and dark. And while my views overall hadn't changed, there were some slight shifts. I had come to terms that there would be times I would need to kill, to do what needed to be done... but it needed to be done right, and for the right reasons only. It was a viewpoint more complicated than I cared for, considering my pretty simple worldview, but in the end I found it to be more reasonable, if not more in line with reality and how Mata-Nui expected Toa to act. It wasn't as... palatable as I would have liked, but in the end I found myself agreeing with it.

 

Which is why right here, right now, I did nothing to intervene. With either battle. These needed to be resolved by their respective parties... I was only here to protect and to contain. Besides, another issue was at the forefront of my head: that Rahkshi.

 

And Skyra's big mouth.

 

At first I didn't think anything of it, but now the realization came screaming across my consciousness - she had just told, or more importantly, screamed - not only my identity, vocation, and those I was associated with, but pointed out the real Dorian as well. I was really hoping that thing wasn't close enough to hear that, but I highly doubted my luck would hold out like that... even WITH my mask. So even as watched Grokk and Dor, I was also scanning to see if I could pinpoint out the beast. I was trying everything I could to bring my mask to bear, but In the end I had no idea how effective it or my attempts would be to alter events in my favor.

 

The probability was low... but maybe, just maybe I would get lucky again.

 

It was the only power I really had at the moment: chance.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Friar Tuck

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra

 

I stared at Natharius for a good three seconds like he was mad. Well don't get me wrong, he was. But I had never heard something so absurd and absolutely deluded in my life. 

 

"You broke into someone's property and vandalized the place, that's a crime. The owner of said place found an intruder in his house and opened fire on him, that's not a crime. Grokk attacked Dorian in the streets as he tried to leave, you tried to stab Dorian in the back with a spear for defending himself. That's a crime. You've assaulted me and Joske after we repeatedly tried to stop you, a few moments ago you almost took Joske's hand off. That's a crime." I still had the rifle aimed at him. Skakdi were known to fight even when gravely injured. 

 

"I don't give a that you're a Skakdi. I could care less what you are. All I know is you've tried to kill my friends and I am not happy. Grokk is a piece of and so are you. You think you can just do what you want in Ta-koro of all places, which is still reeling from a rather devastating attack? No, there are consequences for being stupid." 

 

I fired the sniper again, this time aimed for the leg he had deliberately stepped forward. I was giving no quarter. 

[Nato G]

IC: Natharius.

 

It seemed Natharius' speech had accomplished nothing except pissing Skyra off. Oh, and it had given him enough time for his laser ivsion to recharge, which might come in handy later. Skyra fired at him, and he yelped, jumping backwards. The bullet hit his leg at an angle, ricocheting off his armour, leaving a massive dent that had probably bruised the skin underneath for the next month.He glared at Skyra, sorely tempted to burn her eyes out of her smug, gun-toting face, but managed to resist the urge. Trying to do would only exacerbate things, and make his siutation even worse than it already did. All he had left to fight her with were his words, and his wits, which hadn't served him too well thus far.

 

"Again with the unprovoked attacks!" he blurted out. "What, stepping forward is a crime now? One that's punishable by kneecapping, no less?" He stepped once more, away from her this time, putting his back up against a wall. "I'm done, for real this time. I've got nothing left, and I feel like still being able to walk out of here, if you don't mind, even if that walk is to the prisons." he shook his head; he didn't want to think about that possibility right now.

 

"But one thing... I'm a piece of ######? What exactly have I done to make you believe that? You think I'm a terrible person for trying to kill your friend, is that it? I know how to aim my ####ing spear; he wouldn't have died. And Joske? I was aiming for his weapon, not his hand. Me, I don't have friends. I don't care who Grokk is, or what he's done; he's still the closest thing I've ever had to a friend since coming to this city. If trying to help my friend makes me a piece of ######, then we're both as bad as each other. There's no good or evil in this situation, only stupid, just like you said. We're all idiots! I clearly made a mistake in agreeing to help Grokk, that's pretty ###### obvious to me, but you made the same mistake in agreeing to help me help Grokk. Every one of us here has screwed up somehow, and this," he gestured to the carnage around him, "is the real consequence." 

 

An idea finally occurred to him, "So how about, instead of trying to kill each other over an incredibly stupid misunderstanding, we both work together to stop them from killing each other?" he pointed to where Dorian and Grokk were still fighting it out. "Or is that idea too stupid for your tastes. I want to help my friend, and you want to help yours, unless you'd rather stand around and wait for someone to actually get killed?"  

 

OOC: Sorry for yet another lengthy speech. I think I'm out of material for rants though, now. 

Edited September 24, 2014 by NatoGreavesy

[Eyru]

IC (Oreius, Inu)

 

He needed to go. To do something. That feeling wasn't out of the ordinary: it was the same one that had catapulted him from his life in Ta-Koro into the middle of a extraordinary adventure. It was why he'd been a good Guard, and why his short time as a Toa had earned him the respect of his village. Oreius Maru was not content to sit around and waste words. When it was time to act, he moved.

 

Courage is the soul of movement.

 

Kapura's words rang in his ears, no quieter for the passage of time. His friend had been dead for over a year now, but the quirky Ta-Matoran's advice still held true. The hardest thing to do was start. Fear would keep you still, hold you down, keep you making plans and empty speeches. Movement took courage, and once you started, you could keep going. That was why he was the hunter: he never stopped until he reached the end of the trail. He would follow these Skakdi to the ends of the earth and beyond.

 

The Toa of Fire laid a gentle hand on Bohrei's shoulder, trying to interrupt as politely as possible. "Thank you for your help."

 

Pause. Search for words. "And... for everything."

 

His eyes flickered out over the black hills of Ta-Wahi. "Now it's time to hunt."

[Mr. House]

IC: (Tarotrix/Ta-Koro Streets)

 

Why was it always Ta-Koro? Bombers and dark Toa, prison breaks and Piraka, love-shacks and ice-men. Sometimes, Tarotrix had to wonder why every single lunatic wanted to blow up, maim, harm, or disturb the peace in his beloved city. Why? Why? The Ussalmen probably didn't have this hard of job, and all the Sentinels probably did was sit on their a**** all day and sip iced tea. But he, and all the rest of his guards were tasked with dealing with all of that, and more. Was it something in the ash-tinged air?

 

Patrolling down the alleyways, Taro found a small group of people watching something. The sniper-shots in the air, to say the least, made him very interested in what was going on. His armor clanking, Taro walked towards the scene, keeping to the side. He kept his hasta in hand, ready to skewer any possible criminal. But instead, he discovered a fight between multiple beings, Toa and Skakdi. Cursed Skakdi, always starting fights. Memories of the Piraka rampaging through the city came back to his mind when he noticed the Skakdi fighting the black-armored Toa. He recognized the Skakdi from somewhere, the Toa too. But before he took action, he surveyed the wider situation.

 

He was considering picking up his shield and ending it all. But since Grokk and Dorian were quite caught up in their own battle, he thought it would be wiser to defuse the other battle. The one where the other Skakdi, Natharius, was fighting a Le-Toa. He quickly rushed forward, spear and shield in a defensive position. He screamed.

 

"I am Tarotrix of The Ta-Koro Guard! Put down your weapons!"

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

Jaller was an instant from stabbing the creature in the box.

 

When a familiar blue shape emerged rapidly, the urge grew, and only subsided a few moments after he recognized her. Even then, the temptation to point the blade at her with annoyance lingered for a time. He wasn't really surprised; any real threat wouldn't have worked its way into his office in a box, at least, not a competent one. As his colleague, and friend, reached her full height and promptly began behaving like herself, the Akiri of Fire sighed. At any other time, he might have laughed. At most of them, actually.

 

Now all he could manage was a tired, half-hearted smile.

 

"Hello, Hahli. Clearly you're feeling well."

 

IC:

 

"Yeah." Despite herself, the faintest hints of a predatory grin appeared on Saeva's face as she approached the gate, waiting for the Guards to notice her identity. Waiting... Waiting... Waiting... There. One of the senior Guards scowled, but the others gave an expression anywhere between tired amusement and just plain fatigue. Throwing up her arms enthusiastically, she crowed "Hello boys! I'm back!"

 

The change in her demeanor was remarkable, but it wasn't entirely truthful; her body language was still more reserved than usual, more held back. She hadn't forgotten her worries; she was attempting to bury them.

[Snelly]

IC: Mekana 

 

"I'm gonna be stuck in bed at your inn for weeks you ######! Don't call it a prison!" 

Edited September 23, 2014 by Skitty

[Razgriz]

IC: Interesting strategy.

He regarded Saeva coolly, a ghost of a smile appearing on his own face as he folded his arms, feeling the eyes upon him, and very slightly straightened his posture. He couldn't help it, he was still a bit of a delinquent at heart, and certainly a proud man. Wilting under the gaze of a few guards, of other men who thought they were hot stuff was absolutely out of the question.

Well, she knows what she's doing. he thought, taking his eyes off of her and meeting the looks of those from above in equal measure.