BZPRPG - Po-Wahi

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Could you help a brother out? My mouth tends to burn calories."

 

-Tyler

[25K Now!]

IC: Prei

 

"Sure."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Thanks, killer. Uhhh...chocolate glazed?"

 

-Tyler

[25K Now!]

IC: Prei

 

I hand him a box.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

God, was I in' starving.

 

"So you just lug around boxes of these, huh?"

 

-Tyler

[25K Now!]

IC: Prei

 

"Yes."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Finally! A Guard, somewhere on Mata Nui, with a purpose.

 

I took a bite of doughnut.

 

"Ciph, if I eat more than two of these, remind me to get in a fight to work 'em off. You. Doughnut guy. What do they call you."

 

-Tyler

[25K Now!]

IC: Prei

 

"My name is Prei."

[Madu Cabolo]

OOC: First post as Cresk. Location: Motara Desert.

IC: Cresk trudged across the waste of Po-Wahi, bits of sand and dust finding their way into his breathing mask. Every now and then he let out a violent cough or sneeze to dislodge the debris.
"At least the Ta-Koronan busybodies won't get to me here," the Vortixx muttered. The sun was high, so he found the darkest side of a pillar, stretching out languidly. He slurped at a madu fruit, after first making sure it hadn't ripened into a cabolo. Fruit exploding in front of his face had been one of the most uncomfortable experiences of his life on this strange island.
The first thing he remembered was nearly drowning in the Endless Sea surrounding Mata Nui. That had cost him a lung, forcing him to wear a respirator mask. As he acclimatized to the island, he used a knack for technology and dangerous forms of protodermis to start a more-or-less illegal weapons dealership in Ta-Koro. Upon being discovered, Cresk had footed it away, taken only his two favorite possessions; a Lightbender of his own design and Plasma Javelin he had customized. Hopefully here in the Motara desert people wouldn't bother him, and he could lay low for a while. 

But you don't always get what you want...

OOC: Cresk open for interaction.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Madu Cabolo

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra

 

I took a donut out of the box and started to eat it.

 

munch munch munch

 

Stannis was gonna come out that very broken door and kick our #####, I just knew it.

 

If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die eating a donut.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Lara Croft

[25K Now!]

IC: Prei

 

She eats rapidly.

 

It is quite ... interesting?

[Geardirector]

IC Daltrahk

 

With pleasure.

 

And no noise, hopefully.

 

Daltrahk waited until a slight breeze was blowing on the Po-Matoran to cloak his steps. He darted forwards, making sure to kick up as little sand as possible. Then, as the Po-Matoran turned to face him, he struck him across the side of the face with Magma Gear, dazing him and bringing him to the ground. Picking him up, he nonchalantly carried him back, knowing the chance of someone peering into an alleyway due to a faint noise were very low.

 

He carefully slumped the Po-Matoran leaning against the wall, it seemed as though he was coming to. Hopefully they had something to gag him with or there would be a lot of noise.

 

IC: Zelvin (Po-Koro, Backalley)

 

 

"Good" Zelvin said simply as the Po-Matoran came to.

 

"What the karz are you doing? What do you want, money? I don't have any"

 

"We're not looking for money," Zelvin replied, "we're here because you are guilty of a heinous crime"

 

The Matoran was about to protest but Zelvin stopped him by covering his mouth.

 

"I. was. appaled by what I saw you do, you understand? I've been doing this job for decades, but never, never have I seen such callous disregard for your fellow sapients"

 

The Matoran lost his hot air in the face of Zelvin's barely contained rage (or so it seemed, anyway), only managing to mutter a half-heard "what'd I do?"

 

Zelvin rose to her full height and reached for something inside her cloak. Dropping it to the ground in front of the Matoran, it was revealed to be...

 

... a banana peel

 

"Littering" Zelvin said.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Geardirector

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

This is ridiculous.

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Skorm looked at Stannis. "You know these people?"

[Ghidora131]

IC Daltrahk

 

Daltrahk tried - hard - to conceal his facepalm, but to no avail. This was an idiotic ploy, either in himself or on he poor Po-Matoran. Banana peels were biodegradable; in the musty streets of Po-Koro, things seemed to decay rather quickly. Like his optimism.

 

He tried to look like he cared as he wondered how he could punch his employer in the face and still get payed.

[Geardirector]

OOC: Oh, but Daltrahk wasn't supposed to get paid. Bugger, huh?

 

IC: Zelvin (Po-Koro, Backalley)

 

"I.. what, are you serious?"

 

Evidently, the Po-Matoran felt the same way. Zelvin gestured for Daltrahk to let him go.

 

"I believe the answer to that question is self-evident." Zelvin said matter-of-factly.

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

I should probably go check on my warehouse.

[Ghidora131]

OOC: Well, Dal doesn't know that yet.

 

IC Daltrahk

 

Daltrahk motioned along, and the Po-Matoran scurried out of sight. When he had gone, Daltrahk turned to Zelvin. "What was that for?"

[Geardirector]

IC: Zelvin (Po-Koro, Backalley)

 

"Why did you follow my command to ambush him without a second thought?"

[Ghidora131]

IC Daltrahk

 

"I expected a better reason than 'bio-degradable waste dropping' for someone to get mugged." Daltrahk grumbled out. "I assumed, considering I just recently got to Po-Koro that you knew people, places and events better than I did. But it appears you just use that knowledge to pull my leg."

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Onamazu

Left us?

 

Had they driven him off, had he met some misfortune in the desert, had he simply become lost?

 

"...what are we going to do now?"

[25K Now!]

IC: Stronin

 

"No idea."

[Geardirector]

IC Daltrahk

 

"I expected a better reason than 'bio-degradable waste dropping' for someone to get mugged." Daltrahk grumbled out. "I assumed, considering I just recently got to Po-Koro that you knew people, places and events better than I did. But it appears you just use that knowledge to pull my leg."

 

IC: Zelvin (Po-Koro, Backalley)

 

"That would assume you actually knew me, if not personally then at least by reputation. If not, you were operating on a baseless assumption, and baseless assumptions are what get you killed"

[Ghidora131]

IC Daltrahk

 

Daltrahk snorted. She was making a baseless assumption right now, guessing Daltrahk didn't have the know-how to determine what situation was best to put his faith in. It seems now, she was only having him lose trust in her. Perhaps to faze him, drive him off his job. But that wasn't going to happen.

 

"As if I don't know that." He said with sad sarcasm, having too many bad memories revolving around the stupidity of others.

[Perp]

IC: Jokaro

 

There was nothing quite like waiting to pass the time.

[Geardirector]

IC Daltrahk

 

Daltrahk snorted. She was making a baseless assumption right now, guessing Daltrahk didn't have the know-how to determine what situation was best to put his faith in. It seems now, she was only having him lose trust in her. Perhaps to faze him, drive him off his job. But that wasn't going to happen.

 

"As if I don't know that." He said with sad sarcasm, having too many bad memories revolving around the stupidity of others.

 

IC: Zelvin (Po-Koro, Backalley)

 

"You really do have a strangely large amount of patience, don't you?"

[Ghidora131]

IC Daltrahk

 

Games aside, what was the point of all this?

 

"It helps in certain situations."

[Geardirector]

IC: Zelvin (Po-Koro, Backalley)

 

"Yes... it certainly does" Zelvin muttered.

 

She hadn't been successful, that much was a necessary admission. This was just a farce and she'd have to end it before it got worse.

 

"My plan from here was originally to repeat similar incidents until you spoke up, which I'm honestly glad won't be neccessary. I wanted to find out what kind of person accepts such a demanding job as servant for free, right out of the blue."

[Ghidora131]

OOC: Irony is, you speak in blue text.

 

IC Daltrahk

 

Time to play the smarts game, either faking smarts or using real ones was Daltrahk's to know. "Either one who is insanely desperate for a job, or one who knows that might makes right. And in a world where deceit, treachery and murder are considered values by some, one must require all the help they can get. At any cost."

 

He finished it off with a shrug. "Or maybe I'm just crazy. Who knows."

[Razgriz]

IC:

 

Finally! A Guard, somewhere on Mata Nui, with a purpose.

 

I took a bite of doughnut.

 

"Ciph, if I eat more than two of these, remind me to get in a fight to work 'em off. You. Doughnut guy. What do they call you."

 

-Tyler

 

IC: "Sola, if he eats two more of those, remind me to slap him around a bit to work 'em off."

 

"Roger. Do I help with that, or just...?"

 

"Nah, it's my job for right now. Maybe later on."

 

"'Kay. Does this harm my status as an ally of justice?"

 

"It'd be pretty unjust if we let him waste that figure he worked so hard on, wouldn't it?"

 

"Works for me!"

 

There may be hope for her yet.

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra

 

"So uh, any of you want to pitch in a few widgets to buy Stannis a Kakama for Naming Day? If all of us do it we should have enough." 

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"I'm appropriating all blood money to Ciph's casket fund if he puts hands on my face," I said through a mouthful of doughnut. "Why don't you work for a living instead Sky."

 

-Tyler

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra

 

"Why would I need to do that? I have plenty of money sav-." I blinked, thinking about what I was saying. "I mean uh...you're right I should I'm totally broke." 

Edited April 23, 2015 by Lara Croft

[Razgriz]

IC:

"How good is adventure pay, on that subject?"

"Not enough to save your teacher from his own hubris."

She frowned, and tilted her head slightly in a manner not dissimilar to a curious canine. "Meaning..."

"Well, altruism typically doesn't get quite the kind of dosh as taking on anything under the sun (a la moi), so it depends on what you're willing to do. If you're smart with your money, you might be able to do well for yourself. More importantly, are you in it for the money?"

"Nah, I just figure I oughta have an idea of what I might get offered. If it helps me live comfortably, then great, right?"

Couldn't exactly fault that, but I did kind of wanted to nail things down later. Probably somewhere near a campfire. Sounded like an appropriate time and place.

"Where we--Right. How many has he gone through?"

"Like 3/4th of that one."

"Good. If stays snippy at me you're allowed to throw things at him."

"Lightning Spears?"

"We'll see."

I made a mental note to make her show me that one.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Sola, if you don't throw a Lightning Spear at me I'll get you an autographed picture of Joske Nimil getting his kicked in."

 

"But...is that a goo--"

 

"No, no, I'd take that deal, actually. He's playing you fair."

 

I beamed.

 

-Tyler

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra

 

"Yes, take the deal. I would hang that picture on my wall if I had it." 

[25K Now!]

IC: Prei

 

...?

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

The battle was fierce. Despite their bestial appearance, the bulls displayed a frightening level of intellect, intellect directed with single-minded intensity towards one goal; the deaths of those that had trespassed within their territory. The sickly green light in their eyes was half-crazed with rage, the fire strafing them giving only the merest moment’s pause. Their attacks were vicious, unrestrained, yet maintained a disturbing level of coordination. The Ussalmatoran, coordinated themselves, banded together to face down the feral cavalry, their own formation providing protection against the spear-thrusts of their foes.

 

This stalemate stretched on, their heated battle in the darkened passage punctuated by minor wounds inflicted upon both sides. The Ussalry’s officers were more numerous, but their foes were tenacious, fighting with the ferocity of beasts backed into a corner. The stalemate did not last long, but in the choking, oppressive depths of the Darkwalk, with the sickening green tinge all around, time seemed in flux. The bulls pushed harder, beginning to overwhelm the Ussalry’s tight defenses; that might have signaled the end, had the Ussalry been alone. Their allies had not been idle, however; Lux, situated upon the wall, struck the first blow towards the creatures’ flank, while Stralix lead the others to strike at the opposite side. The group’s teleporters took action in the form of blitzkrieg strikes, seeking to disrupt their attack only to fall back once more. The battle was chaotic, coordinated only in the loosest sense, but it worked; the bulls’ forward momentum was broken, and more than that, an opening had been created.

 

The Ussalry surged forward, striking true again and again. The beast that had struck first finally crumpled to the ground under the sheer number of its injuries, while the second made a final, vain charge only to be felled by the crossbow bolts that suddenly sprouted from its torso.

 

Fighters panted, catching their breath after the brawl they had just experienced. An examination of their foes revealed wounds that should have put the beasts down long before they fell, a worrying fact attributed to what had caused their gaze and guise to become so sickly. It didn’t take a scientist to reach the disturbing connection between the poisonous green of their dull gaze, and the substance that had been in the walls all around them.

 

But still they could not rest. After only a few moments to catch their breath, the group pressed onward, towards the sound they had heard further down the tunnel. The passage opened, several dozen meters down the path, into a wide cavern. An intense wave of revulsion instantly passed over them, and the cause was clear; mining equipment was arrayed about the clearing, drawing up vast quantities of the sickly green liquid that had pooled in the Darkwalk’s passages.

 

The miners themselves turned almost as one towards the intruders, grasping their tools as weapons and advancing in loose, uncoordinated form. They looked half delirious, the same affliction had overcome them as it had the bulls. When the struck, they struck without regard for their own safety; a few fell wounded in the first rush alone, the words of the surface crew met only with vicious, rageful glares and flung insults.

 

The fighting did not last long, however. For all of their aggression, the miners were of no match for the militaristic forces arrayed against them, despite their fatigue. The first to break ranks and flee, deeper into the tunnels, set off a chain reaction; as if their will had broken in unison, the remaining miners turned and ran.

 

The victors, however, did not rest easier. Whether due to their own worries or an unnatural effect of their surroundings, they were unable to trust that the fight was over. They moved to secure the two entrances to the chamber, even as Stralix examined what had been left behind. The equipment, upon careful examination, had first been intended to bring up ores and other natural materials, but had been repurposed to harvest the vile green liquid. Some of it was bottled, carefully set next to items of much greater interest.

 

Coated with dust of years gone by was a small pile of artifacts. Technology, some of it, but others were Kanohi. Strange and archaic, but Kanohi. But proudly, almost reverently, set above it all were two Toa Stones.

 

The group set about taking what they could, and destroying the equipment that had been used to bring the unholy poison to the surface. They worked to destroy the bottled samples, as well, but with so much of it to be found… Whether any was taken, or any was missed, was impossible to determine.

 

They departed the cavern uneasily, working their way back to the sunlight that they had not seen for so long. But it was not with light hearts. Though they had found the source of the Darkwalk’s problems, they had been unable to truly solve it.

 

They would not be safe again for a very long time.

 

***************************

 

Despite their reservations about the Matoran’s claims, Junk’s words were eerily prophetic. It was only halfway to the surface that the Sentinels encountered the foe that had tormented their comrades. A creature out of a nightmare, tall and muscular; it stood on four legs, like those of a bull, but possessed a humanoid torso atop which sat a bull’s horned head. It was clearly not healthy, its skin blackened and crossed with poison-green veins. Its eyes emanated a light of the same, sickly shade as it snorted, staring down its new foes.

 

Just behind it was a fallen Toa, with symptoms, even from a distance, recognizable as the same as the bull’s. Not that they were given time to mull over this fact; the beast charged almost at once, horns and spear leveled to pierce and tear flesh.

 

It would not be given the chance. The Sentinels’ Commander was a Toa of Stone, and in the Darkwalk, they were in her element. A pillar of the floor’s worn stone shut up to slam into the beast’s torso in an effort to slow it. The maneuver was halfway successful, slowing the beast down but not stopping it. Tera still had to sidestep a vicious thrust of its spear, the point missing her by a narrower margin than she might have wanted to admit. Her comrades, Korru in particular, closed in on the beast rapidly while their Commander took a step back, using the time their intervention had bought her to subdue the beast within restraints of stone.

 

Not that its immobility stopped it from trying. The stone shackles groaned and cracked under its efforts, only growing still when it was dispatched by a well-placed blow. Examination of both the beast and the Toa it had felled revealed identical symptoms, but none present knew of what source could have caused them. Searching the Toa, however, turned up something much more interesting; a small collection of items, just small enough for him to have been able to carry.

 

The remainder of their return trip was uneventful, though they were ever wary. A Dikapi was dispatched when they reached the sunlight once again, leading several sets of Matoran blinking into the sun over the course of the next half hour. Junk accompanied the last set, a quick statement indicating that no others remained within the Darkwalk outpost.

 

It would not be until Tera spoke with Ussalmatoran that had been on their own journey through the tunnels that the pieces clicked into place, revealing the sinister forces at work within the Walk.

With so long spent underground, however, they had missed much. And their own plight would soon be overshadowed in their minds by the Land of Ice.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Stannis! I throw Skyra next, you son of a !"

 

-Tyler

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra

 

I backed away from Dorian. "I...I think he's serious."