BZPRPG - Ko-Wahi

[Toatapio Nuva]

OOC: Bringing back Viima after a long hiatus!

 

Recommended listening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IblqxkNwc9I

 

IC Viima

(Ko-Le-Wahi border, gorge):

 

Viima had been through better days.

 

He struggled to breath as he felt his body being squeezed by cold, solid rock from all sides. The outcropping within the gorge had stopped him from falling to certain death, but he was almost completely paralyzed, stuck between two rocks in a way that barely left any room to breath.

 

Why me? Viima thought. Mata Nui, why do you keep getting me into these situations? Or is it you, Makuta, still influencing my fate from... somewhere?

 

Viima's memories of the last months were fuzzy and scattered. The last thing he remembered clearly was participating in a fight in Le-Koro, his home town. He had begun pursuing a fleeing Matoran into the jungle... and that's where the first memory loss came in. He had no recollection of the two months that had passed after that. His next memory was that of waking up in Le-Wahi again, inside the nest of an Ash Bear.

 

If him being in an Ash Bear's nest wasn't puzzling enough, the creature seemed to act very protective about him, taking care of him and even bringing herbs from the jungle for him to eat and heal with. This continued for a couple of weeks, until the Ash Bear gave birth to eight cubs. Deciding that the mother bear needed all her strength and resources to raise its own children, Viima decided to leave the nest. The Ash Bear protested at first, but let the Matoran go.

 

Viima still wasn't sure why, but for some reason he didn't want to return to Le-Koro or any other village for that matter. He wanted to live in the wild and fight for his own survival... and most importantly, have time to think and ponder about what had happened lately. So he began living a solitary hermit's life in the jungle, his natural hunter's skill allowing him to catch and prepare food easily. Luckily, he still had his razor disk as well, which helped him defend himself from dangerous beasts and cut through vegetation.

 

Things continued in this manner for several months, until Viima decided to explore the border of Le- and Ko-Wahi more thoroughly. Packing up his belongings, he set out for the cliff-riddled landscape. Due to his usual bad luck (or that's how he perceived it, anyway), he happened to come a bit too close to the ledge of a gorge and fall in, only the jagged outcropping stopping him from falling right to the bottom and inevitable doom.

 

So here I am.

 

Viima was running out of energy quickly. He was still stunned, so he didn't feel any pain, but he knew he must have been injured by the fall. If he didn't get out of the gorge, his story would be over.

 

Is that such a bad thing? Viima thought bleakly. After all, what reason do I have to exist? My girlfriend turned out to be a homocidal maniac, I left my only friends in a burst of anger, I've been out of the society for the past months... do I really want to keep on living?

 

He closed his eyes. Let me just die here. It will make everything better.

 

He waited.

 

He opened his eyes.

 

His backpack was next to him, also stuck in the outcropping... he saw something sticking out of one of the pockets. It was a small, simple flute... but one that brought up many memories.

 

Tivanu's flute, Viima thought hazily. It can be used to summon his bird, Kive Phu... Tivanu gave it to me as a token of trust...

 

A token of trust.

 

Viima shook his head. "Who am I kidding?" he said aloud, although there was no one to hear. "He never trusted me, and I certainly don't trust him."

 

He looked at the flute again. Against his will, he realized that using it might be the only way to be found and saved. But that would mean that his savior would be Tivanu. This was too much for Viima's stubborn mind to bear.

 

If summoning Tivanu or dying are my only options, I'd rather perish right now.

 

He closed his eyes again and braced himself for death. It shouldn't be too long, now.

 

All was silent.

 

Nothing stirred.

 

Only the faint howl of the wind...

 

Viima's eyes abruptly snapped open. His hand painfully reached out for the flute. He brought the object to his mouth and blew a few, long notes.

 

I can't believe I just did that...

 

OOC: That's your cue, Tivanu.

[(Daedalus)]

 

 

IC Zealot

 

Zealot smiled before relighting his pipe "I wonder how long we're supposed to wait here for?" he queried 

 

 

IC: Faora

 

She looked at Ayar and Scholar; their conditions hadn't changed any.

 

Shrugging, she said, "I don't know."

[soularin]

IC:

 

Zero led the healer to Forger's room first. He was her priority, and for good reason. It was unclear how far the severity of his wounds went, so she needed to be certain.

 

"He's still conscious, but he may be suffering from internal injuries. I would be very grateful if you could examine him and heal him as much as you can. I know he has at least two broken ribs, and a few external injuries that I patched up, but I'm afraid my medical experience is limited, and that is all I could do." 

 

She looked to the Toa with a trace of fear emerging in her eyes. 

 

"He'll likely be the most injured patient you attend to. The rest just need some tweaks. Broken bones and whatnot, maybe a few fractures."

 

She smiled genuinely at the woman.

 

"Thank you for helping us."

[Rorschach the Absolute]

IC: Faora

 

 

 

She looked at Ayar and Scholar; their conditions hadn't changed any.

 

Shrugging, she said, "I don't know."

 

 

IC Zealot

 

Zealot began puffing again "Do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

[Vestak]

OOC: Sorry, kinda forgot about this.

 

IC: Jalkron

 

Jalkron reached into a pocket and tossed the widgets over.  "Ko-koro.  Can I go now?  I hate the cold."

[(Daedalus)]

IC: Faora

 

Faora's heart fluttered as her eyes searched Zealot's face.

 

"No," she said. "Go ahead."

[Rorschach the Absolute]

IC Zealot

 

Zealot rubbed his closed eyelids as a signal, in case anyone might be listening "Why are you keeping this a secret?"

[(Daedalus)]

IC: Faora

 

Why indeed?

 

It wasn't quite the kind of question she had expected him to ask, but now that he had, she wasn't entirely sure of the answer.

 

"I... don't... know," she said haltingly, a frown crossing her face. "When I did solo work, I figured I wouldn't give potential employers much confidence if they found out I--" Her eyes shot toward the door. "--relied, ah, heavily on my mask. Now..." She shrugged. "I've never had an opportunity like this. I didn't--don't--want to appear... handicapped."

 

It's called pride, Faora.

Edited December 19, 2014 by (Daedalus)

[silo]

IC: (Vandal/Obsidian)

 

Looking for something to do, Rekhyt decided to clear up the metal in the courtyard, dragging it into itself, compressing the thin iron sheet into a concentrated, dense cube of metal, which he proceeded to throw over the edge of the outpost with his power.

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer. 

 

Good enough for me. "Very well," I take the widgets, "thank you for your cooperation. Enjoy your trip." I close the door and  hit the controls to send the Toa on his way. He didn't seem to be a threat, and he definitely wasn't one of the Dark Toa who'd attacked Ko-Koro. I had no quarrel with him. 

 

"Now..." I mutter to myself, putting the widgets with the rest of the meagre toll money in the station safe and turning back towards the rest of the Outpost. "...where the karz is Charek?" 

[Rorschach the Absolute]

IC Zealot

 

The philosopher leaned back 

Seven sin: vanity he noted 

possible issues with vulnerability.

Must investigate further

"Handicapped?" Zealot asked,keeping silent his suspicions, "You have overcome great trials and proved your strength over circumstance." He leaned in, looking past the glow of her mask into her eyes veiled by haze "tell me: how is that handicapped?"

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Crab

Crab decided to go back to Ayar's room to check up on the other 2. He peeked his head round for a look.

Edited December 19, 2014 by VahkiDane

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Forger

 

The Fe-Toa had returned to his bed and passed out by the time Zero arrived with the healer. He didn't exactly have signs pointing to his three cracked ribs (top three on the right side), bruised lung (right side), laser rifle wound (upper abdominals, thankfully missing any organs), lacerations on his left forearm, left thigh, right trapezius muscle and some rather minor frostbite from his skirmish with the Ko-Toa Wraith and subsequent trek through the wastes of Mt.Ihu.

 

But most of it was pretty obvious, especially if the one observing him was a trained medical professional.

[Voxumo]

IC: Tivanu

 

It had been a crazy few days... Ko-koro being attacked, Krios being slained and escaping a koro being over-run by crazy folks... all stories for another day. All that mattered currently was that Tivanu has escaped with his life, and that he get as far as possible from the Koro. 

 

He peered up into the sky and caught sight of Kive-phu flying above, toying with a local ice bat. This was not an uncommon occurance, though when she paused mid-air and suddenly changed direction... well that was alarming. Tivanu ran after the lava hawk, intending to find out what had piqued her curiousity. A quick glance to his surroundings indicated they were not heading towards Ko-koro but instead towards Le-wahi, for in the horizon the white was broken by belt of green. 

 

After a half-hour of following Kive-phu, tivanu watched as she landed on the edge of a nearby chasm. Intrigued as to what would have drove the hawk to this chasm he peeked over the edge, only to see a very familiar figure wedged inside

 

"Well well, didn't expect to see you ever again!" He shouted from above "Seems you are in a bit of a... squeeze." he joked with a barely hidden smirk

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Viima

(Ko-Le-Wahi border, gorge):

 

"I was expecting you to mock me once you found me like this", Viima said weakly but defiantly. "Sounds like my expectations were true. Now are you gonna laugh at me while I die slowly, or are you gonna help me?"

[Voxumo]

IC: Tivanu

 

Tivanu rubbed his chin in consideration as he took a closer look at Viima's situation

"Can you tell if any of your limbs are actually caught between the two sides? How I get you out will change drastically depending on that variable."

[Flex Lord Splash]

IC: (Near the Border to Le-Koro)

 

Rujak stood in the blinding white of Ko-Wahi. He liked it here. It was quiet, it was cold and there wasn't a soul in sight. The Ko-Toa cast his eyes onto the snow, the scope on his mask zooming in as he examined the footprints he'd been tracking for some time. Ice wolf, medium sized. Rujak thought. This was most likely the same beast that had killed an Matoran Rujak had found half frozen in the snow and bled out. The beast must be injured to be attacking innocent Matoran. He thought as he continued following the tracks.

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer.

 

I notice Varan is missing. I have a bad feeling about him, and that makes me recall the prisoner I'd left in the dungeon. Varan was paying us to interrogate him, and I had nothing more productive to do right now, with the trails on hold. I sneak into the underground section and make my way down to the dungeons, locking the door behind me as I enter. Only three of us have keys to this section: myself, Forger and Zero. 

 

I approach the door of the cell I'd left the prisoner in. He'd been shackled and unconscious when I'd brought him down, but I wasn't sure if he was either of those things right now. I take off my helmet and halberd, leaving them outside the cell door, and draw my plasma weapon. I open the door and step aside, locking it again behind me and stuffing the keys into my belt pouch. I nudge the prisoner with my foot. "Varan is paying us to interrogate you, torture you if we must. Normally if someone's giving me money, I don't care who I'm hurting, but I don't like Varan. Tell me who you are, and what it is he's so desperate to find out, and then we might be able to come to some kind of arrangement." 

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Anhar

 

Anhar was in the middle of the Fau Swamp. His armor was covered in swamp water, and in his hands rested a strange weapon - his old war blade. He stood stock still, and found, to his horror, that he couldn't move.

 

The Toa blinked. How he had gotten here, he didn't know - all he knew, all he could feel, was a strange urge to run. To run as far as he could, then run some more. He had to escape... but from what?

 

That hadn't occurred to him before. What was he escaping from? As he pondered that, he didn't notice the shadow rising behind him...

 

Suddenly, Anhar could move. Swinging around, he rose his weapon in instinct, and something fell upon it. A blood-curdling scream rang out.

 

Anhar gasped in horror as he saw that, impaled at the end of his war blade, was a mutilated Ko-Skakdi. Its head hung loosely, and it's tongue, poking through the sharp fangs, wriggled with the last bit of life left in the beast. Finally, it died, going completely limp.

 

The Ta-Toa shouted and dropped the weapon. He fell to his knees, hoping, praying, that this Skakdi wasn't dead. But he, of course, knew it was. As he watched the blood begin to pool into the swamp waters, only the haunting feeling of dread was left in his heartstone. He screamed in anger, rage, frustration and despair.

 

He had broken the Code.

 

 

Anhar awoke with a shout. He panted heavily, instinctively forcing himself into a corner. He didn't know where he was... but he certainly wasn't in that cursed swamp.

 

He breathed a short sigh of relief. Raising his hands and seeing the shackles, the Toa began to recall what had really happened... the fight with Duros... and his ultimate defeat. The memory caused him to involuntarily clench his fists.

 

Revenge. He would get revenge.

 

But as soon as the thought occurred to him, so did another. Where was he? He looked around the dimly lit area, and realized he was in a cell. The idea was enough to enrage him. Someone thought they could keep him in a cage, like some Rahi? If so, they were sorely mistaken.

 

Suddenly, Anhar heard a voice. Turning, he saw a being - a Vortixx - that he hadn't noticed before, it's dark armor concealing it in the shadows. Shocked, the Toa realized that it was waiting, as if for an answer to a question.

 

Rasping, the Toa inquired, "W-who are you?"

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Viima

(Ko-Le-Wahi border, gorge):

 

Viima analyzed his position and replied "My hands are free more or less, but my right foot seems to be stuck pretty bad."

[(Daedalus)]

IC Zealot

 

The philosopher leaned back 

Seven sin: vanity he noted 

possible issues with vulnerability.

Must investigate further

"Handicapped?" Zealot asked,keeping silent his suspicions, "You have overcome great trials and proved your strength over circumstance." He leaned in, looking past the glow of her mask into her eyes veiled by haze "tell me: how is that handicapped?"

 

IC: Faora

 

Under normal circumstances, such a piercing, knowing gaze would unnerve her, maker her uncomfortable. Everything within her told her to look away, change the subject, draw back. But she didn't.

 

"Maybe handicapped wasn't the right word," she said after a moment, flushed by his affirmation. "But liability? If I get tired, I lose control of my mask and I can hardly see. If I get knocked on the head, I can hardly see." Emotion was creeping into her voice. "If I lose focus for any reason at all, I can hardly see. You think anyone wants someone like that guarding his or her back?" She took a shaky breath. "I don't--" Did I just hear something by the door? "--think so. Besides..." Her eyes locked with Zealot's. "It's comforting to have someone who knows your greatest weakness, but only when it's that one person."

 

You.

 

Zealot.

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer.

 

"I'm the guy whose being paid by someone I don't particularly like to torture you for information," I answer bluntly, "if you tell me who you are, and what it is Varan wants from you, then we can avoid the unpleasantries." 

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Anhar

 

Anhar pressed against the wall defensively. He hated Varan, but he also hated threats from strangers.

 

The Toa crossed his arms. "Fool," he said blatantly. "I bear the Kualsi. In the blink of an eye, I could've stolen your key and escaped the cell before you even had time to react. However..."

 

Anhar pretended to examined his fingernails, ever the haughty Toa. "It seems you and I share a common enemy, if I'm reading your tone correctly. So, depending on the situation... I'd say you need me."

 

He grinned like a Kavinika about to feast.

Edited December 24, 2014 by Jakura Nuva

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer. 

 

There's barely enough room in this cell for another person to join us. His Kualsi won't do him much good. He's cocky, and arrogant, and seems to overestimate my hatred for Varan. "Nice try." I brace my back agaisnt the wall, and snap out my fist at his face, intending to knock off his mask.

 

Someone really should have done that the moment he'd been captured, and I'm mentally chastising myself for not doing it myself when I'd dragged this guy down here.

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Anhar

 

Arrogant though he may be, Anhar was not without skill. In a blink, he had moved enough to the left to avoids the hand, leaving the Vortixx to wonder whether he had used his Kanohi or not. He attempted to gently grab the hand that had flicked towards his face and hold it in midair.

 

"Now, now - I see you're smarter than I thought. You'll forgive my brash presumptions - I'm a being of fire, after all."

 

He sighed. "He paid you to, uh - 'interrogate' me, correct? Knowing Varan, it was no small amount. What information can I give you that would be worth what he paid you?"

Edited December 24, 2014 by Jakura Nuva

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer.

 

I pull my hand out of his grasp. "You can tell me who you are, and what it is that he's so desperate to know. Depending on what that is, I may or may not decide to pass that information onto him." 

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Anhar

 

Anhar coughed and sat back down.

 

"Well, where ta start? I'm Anhar." He held out his hand in greeting. "Toa of Fire. Well... ex-Toa."

 

He didn't like using the term, but it was a valid one.

 

"Varan and I were old partners, me and him - way before his involvement with you, uh, ya mercs. Anyways, long story short, I made him angry. Abandoned his little 'team' pretty early into it. They was pathetic, they were. After that... I didn't hear from him for years."

 

The Toa stopped to gather his thoughts. He realized now how dehydrated he was, his throat burning from the talk.

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer.

 

I pull a waterskin off my belt and hand it to him. "I don't want the long story," I interject, "Varan isn't particularly welcome here - and no, I'm not going to tell you where here is - so he must be desperate to come to us. Clearly, he doesn't think himself capable of finding out whatever piece of information you have, so he took you to us. Now, we can go about this in one of two ways. You can just tell me whatever it is Varan wants to know, or I make you tell me." 

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Anhar

 

Anhar drank greedily, not particularly caring if it was poisoned. Wouldn't make sense if it was, anyways.

 

"Okay, okay!" He said as he coughed on the water. He handed the water skin back. "Don't get in a twist!"

 

The Toa cleared his throat. "Now, if I remember correctly from my half-conscious state, I believe I heard the guy talkin' somethin' about your old leader, whatever that means. Other than that, I got nothin'. I'd be willing to bet that that's the information he's after - the juicy secrets about ya old boss."

Now, don't get me wrong - that's not the only reason he brought me here. He hates my guts, that's a fact. But I'd be willing to bet that he's still here right now, draining your classified information as we speak." Anhar gave a snarky smile.

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer.

 

I shrug. "He won't get far. Now, what do you know about this old leader?" He must be referring to the unknown being who'd led Zero and Transient's little gang, long before my time. The one Zero never talked about. Varan had mentioned something about the old leader when he'd been blackmailing Zero in the first place.

 

I smile; perhaps whatever Anhar knows can help me get some leverage agaisnt Varan. 

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Anhar

 

Anhar gulped and grew visually nervous.

 

"Uh, right, 'bout that... look, pal, I only know so much. Obviously ya leader don't like revealin' very much. Well, Varan didn't either. All I know is a snippet here and there."

 

He chuckled nervously. "Uh, but hey, I might be able to help in otha ways... r-right?"

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer.

 

I take back the waterskin and return it to my belt. "You know..." I say conversationally, "...I'm starting to think that you don't actually know anything. Which means you're no use to Varan... and no use to me." My plasma gun is still held tightly in my hand, a not-so-subtle threat, but I don't raise the weapon. "Do you know anything that could be of use to me? Anything at all? Specifically something I can use agaisnt Varan?"  

Edited December 24, 2014 by Roman Torchwick

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Anhar

 

The Ta-Toa wrung his hands, looking down upon them and avoiding eye contact with the Vortixx. He had heard the sudden shift of tone, and heard a metallic scrape as the being casually brandished his fancy weapon.

 

"Uh... like what? What kinda info you lookin' for? I mean, I know where he stays when he's on break around the island, if you wanna... I don't know, off him in his sleep? Uh, I know different facts about his involvement with other Toa, his different romantic relationships and stuff..."

Edited December 24, 2014 by Jakura Nuva

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer. 

 

"If I wanted to kill him, I would have done it when we had him surrounded, holding him by the throat and his powers gone." I scowl, "He's blackmailing a friend of mine, and I want to know how I can blackmail him back. Does he have friends, allies, anyone I can use agaisnt him?" a thought occurs to me, "does he have caches of money anywhere that you know the locations of?" Varan's money would go to far better use here with The Outsiders. 

[Light]

IC: Murrae bit her lower lip, her fingers running over the left side of Forger's chest, gently checking his bones.

 

"This is going to hurt... Probably quite a bit. Not that he'll notice."

Despite her novice appearance, Murrae was actually a trained, professional medic. She just wasn't used to dealing with combat wounds, and that laser blast was cauterized- A flick of her fingers and a scalpel was out of a carrying case attached to her wrist, the sharp Rena ore blade biting into the burnt scar tissue of the laser and cutting the ugly bit of skin away, power channeled through her mask healing the wound quickly. Another quick flick and she had pulled a needle and thread out of the case, stitching the lacerations up and sealing them closed. The frostbite was easier: just regenerate the cells.

 

The bones, on the other hand, took effort and focus to ensure that the bones repaired correctly. Still, it was doable. Same thing with his pulmonary contusion, but he'd be coughing fluid for a while.

 

Her face pale with energy loss, Murrae turned to Zero, needle sliding back into her case. "No problem. Next patient?"

Edited December 24, 2014 by Joseph Cooper

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Anhar

 

Anhar was growing angry.

 

"Money caches? You really think the dude tells me where he stores his green? Why would anybody tell someone dat?"

 

He sighed and rubbed the area of his mask where his nasal bridge would be.

 

"Uh, allies... he has a friend in the Ta-Koro Guard. Jakura, I believe his name is. He works with him at times. Uh, dere's Nialus, of course - but he hates Varan's guts as much as I - as we - do, if not more so. Look, most of his team is dead now, buddy - killed in a, er, incident in Mangaia. Rahkshi, I believe. As for allies... well, he ain't got many. Friends he ain't got none of. I figure the only reason Jakura still works with him is cause he's blissfully unaware of what a jerk-wad he is."

 

Anhar stopped for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

 

"Wait, I got it! Look - I was on my way to da Fau to take care of an old enemy of mine when Varan intercepted me. Before he did, do... a young Matoran joined me. I believe his name was Hile. Anyways, when he found out that I wasn't who I's masqueradin' as, he joined Varan. From what I hear, Varan has a soft spot o' sorts for da Matoran..."

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer.

 

I think this over. "Does this Hile know anything of use? Or did he just get dragged into your problems?"

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Anhar

 

"Believe it or not, the little dude's a Chronicler," Anhar said matter-of-factly. "He was quite interested in da whole situation, and, being a Chronicler, you know da guy's gotta be an observant little Matoran. My two cents says he knows more about tings den even I know. Who knows what he and Varan talked 'bout while I was out."

[Nato G]

IC: Enforcer.

 

"I'll go talk to my boss about this information. I'm sure we'll talk again later," I say decidedly, getting up and turning towards the door, "oh, I'll need your mask as well." My tone darkens, "After all, wee can't have a fully-powered prisoner down here, can we?" I turn to face him, my hand held out expectantly. 

[soularin]

IC:

 

The Su-Skakdi watched intently as the doctor's needle dove in and out of Forger's flesh. She saved the broken bones for last, and Zero winced as she watched them shift back into place. After what seemed to be less than fifteen minutes, the healer had finished her work successfully. It was obvious that this Toa was highly skilled in her art, having completed the task in such little time.

 

Zero sighed with relief, and immediately began spilling words of gratitude. It had been a long time since anyone close to her had been on death's door. She was someone who chose to ignore feelings of love and gratitude more often than not, and incidents such as this reminded her how much she really did care about those dearest to her heart. 

 

She placed a hand delicately on his forehead, and ran her thumb along the bridge of his nose fondly as if she were comforting a small child.

 

"Don't you dare scare me like that again, you brakas." she murmured.

 

"Next patient?" the woman inquired.

 

"Right this way." Zero replied, reluctantly moving away from the bedside. As she was making her way towards the door, she nearly tripped on a half-finished scimitar. The Fe-Toa's room was always a mess of weapons. Although she despised clutter, she couldn't help but admire the fact that he worked so hard to perfect his craft. It made him quite versatile on the battlefield.

 

She took a moment to make sure the Toa had gathered all her supplies, then set off to find Vandal. 

 

OOC: Yo Sil that's you. Shoot me a PM that lists all of Rekhyt's injuries so we can get him patched up

Edited December 25, 2014 by Requiem