BZPRPG - Po-Wahi

[Visaru]

IC

 

Dorgath, his cloak pulled low over his mask, chewing thoughtfully on a splinter, said not a word to the rest of Komisk's group as he slogged through the thick darkness of The Makuta. He could feel the evil presence lurking in the shadows, coating every surface. Every breath seemed to be hard to draw, as if the darkness made the air heavier. But he payed no mind. He could feel the fire of Mata-Nui burning within him, giving him the righteous power to keep moving forwards, and burning away the tendrils of darkness that tried to creep into his soul.

 

But they did not affect the dread that managed to pervade his mind, the worry that there was something very, very dangerous lurking down there, and they were walking further into it's lair, right into danger's gaping maw.

 

Mata-Nui will protect me, Dorgath reminded himself. He is on our side.

 

And yet, could even the power of his lord reach such a dark place?

 

Dorgath spat out some wood on the floor of the cave and continued onwards, his expression losing none of it's tough determination.

[Wade.]

IC: Day

 

Whatever sound Torvoth soon made, it was snuffed from existence in a moment. His lips moved but no sound could be heard, each and every word lost in the silent blackness that engulfed them all.

 

Day suddenly appeared beside the Vortixx, almost as if his sleek, black frame had been born from the surrounding shadows. Cold protosteel kissed Torvoth's neck, its touch deceptively gentle. A sword poised to strike nearly leveled his chin, and the man wielding it was not afraid to take extreme measures.

 

No words had to be spoken. The threat was evident.

 

A brief moment of tension passed, and the De-Toa lowered his weapon. Relinquishing his power over the Vortixx's voice, he begun walking again, ears attentive for the subtlest of sounds.

[shadow pridak money gang]

OOC: You poor thing.

 

IC:

 

Around Torvoth, the air shook with malcontent. His laugh died away into the darkness with a whimper; the pitched, high sound was nothing like the boisterous guffaw he could have sworn he had let loose at Komisk. It didn't sound anything like any laugh he'd ever made; if Komisk's roughshod group didn't know better, maybe they could have sworn that some remnant of Makuta was laughing back at them. A few of the fighters on the team reached for their weapons and thumbed the grips, hoping for a vestige of comfort. The Onu-Matoran at their head, an old hat who had been instrumental in catching Turaga Whenua's assassin and a veteran of Makuta's wrath at the Rama Hive, kept a watchful eye on what surroundings he could make out. Stralix's fingers danced nervously, as the fingers of inventors tend to do; he was borderline fidgeting.

 

"You're a moron," the Dark Walk seethed back, in the voice of Komisk Runion. "You're going to die down here."

 

Somewhere, a drop of liquid fell to the craggy rock of the tunnel surface. Ploop.

 

A foot fell, and then another. Tentative grips became drawn weapons; Torvoth, running point, stopped laughing and unlimbered his chainblade with the ferocity and lack of grace of a Xa-Koro survivor. His eyes narrowed and peered out through the walk, searching for an enemy - and found only a Matoran, lame-legged and pale, blood streaking from gashes in chest and face, but dragging himself towards the group with all he had. Lux took several instinctive steps forward to greet him and then recoiled; when the Po-Matoran Sentinel looked up his eyes were feverish, and were a sickly translucent pink from tears. His breath was labored and harsh; he looked on death's door. Torvoth and Dorgath bent down to help assist him, while Stralix and Melna each surveyed the area keenly. There was something in the air here...it gripped their very chests, even those who had not known fear in years, and it made each inhale feel like some unforgivable crime, and each exhale felt like a Sisyphean task, tougher than the one before.

 

"What happened to you, tholdier?" Komisk asked, not unkindly but still wary. "Whereth your thquad thationed at?"

 

The soldier was too weak or too out of it to notice the lisp; he looked up with pleading, wide eyes at Dorgath.

 

"Did...did they follow me?"

 

The air grew still, and the small army that had marched into the mouth of oblivion exchanged uneasy glances. "Followmefollowmefollowme," the Dark Walk echoed. The voice was different this time; its motions were the bellies of serpents on rocks, hissing, enough to make every nerve stand on edge. Dorgath backed up, holding the Matoran gently by the arm, to the rest of the group, checking what looked like the walls and ceilings. Torvoth stepped forward, scouting out the area again. Stralix's hand twitched, like he'd just thrown one of his famous powdered grenades to his own feet, and his throwing arm was waiting for the boom. Though the voice had died, the slithering stuck; Komisk's mouth tightened in his ruin of a face and he drew his saperka with typical Ussalry valiance.

 

"O-oh, Spirit," the Matoran whispered into Dorgath's ear. "They followed me."

 

The hiss was suffocating, now, shrill and awful; the dark siren took comfort in its security on whatever rock it laid upon and amplified her wail, to the point where its screech was enough to pop Sirius' ears temporarily. He howled in pain, and Torvoth looked back to snap a brutal quip at his 'teammate's misfortune. A dozen of them may have sprung to mind, but he never got the chance to unleash one. The Toa named Day shouted out in warning and Torvoth spun on his feet.

 

The ivory Rahkshi, face inches from the Vortixx's own, hissed in derision.

 

Torvoth was quick on the uptake, and had pulled the Judge out to fire two shots at the Rahkshi, center mass; the feral Son of Makuta grabbed the weapon before he could so much as make for the trigger, and flung the flippant point man into the wall of the Dark Walk. The gun had flown out of his grip when he landed, and as the Rahkshi withdrew its staff with far more grace than the Vortixx had managed earlier, it stepped on the launcher and broke it with a crack; when he heard the weapon give way Torvoth felt a surge of pure spite, anger beyond anything he'd felt in years. The Rahkshi hissed.

 

"We're all going to die here," murmured the straggling Po-Matoran.

 

Lux cried out in fright, and even battle-hardened Komisk and Dorgath overcame a mild shudder when they realized that another pair of Rahkshi had flanked them - scarlet and sickly yellow, they screeched at the group of questers as they slowly formed a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder, weapons drawn, to defend the survivor. The vomit-colored Rahkshi reared back its head and sighed; instead of a piercing shriek of wind or a howl of bloodlust, only the words "Dieheredieheredieherediehere" echoed through the cavern. Stralix, at this point, had popped out a container of photothermic powder and made to fling it at the Rahkshi advancing towards Torvoth. In mid-motion, his elbow popped and slowed, like the air he breathed had suddenly become sweet, stolid molasses. From the path its white compatriot had blazed, a Rahkshi with swirls of yellow against fine blue metal flicked its staff casually and the bomb, motion irreparably disrupted, went flying towards its compatriot. The creature's armor, streaked with fine silver, caught little light there was as it expertly weaved to the right, against the wall, and the bomb went flying over its shoulder. It exploded out of sight.

 

In the center of the group, a sixth creature slowly shimmered into stark, ugly life; it shed the visage of the doomed Sentinel as effortlessly as a Toa would change a mask, and Dorgath caught the creature by chance - just in time for the blunt end of it's staff head to catch him in the chin. He tasted blood, and with the coppery taste came a strong curse of regret - they had let the enemy into the midst of their circle, so ironclad seconds before.

 

The six Rahkshi howled as one.

 

...

 

OOC: For the record, Rahkshi powers here are Anger, Fear, Sonics, Slow, Dodge, and Illusion.

 

IC:

 

Meanwhile, the official Sentinel response team captained by Tera and Korru had avoided the trouble of their louder, brasher counterparts; following the trail left by the intrepid Dikapi sent out by the unfortunate Tar Lee, they had made their way into the enclave in the Dark Walk where word was last received from. Any barricade had been muscled down, as though something massive had thrown awful, brute force into it until it simply gave way. One body lay by the table, a grizzled corpse with rough-hewn features and a flask in its hand. Scrapped tablets and messages were strewn across the tables, along with reports from other guard outposts. They looked to the Sentinel officials of the team, wondering where to start looking in this mess - they were, after all, the soldiers; if there were bodies to be stashed (alive or dead) or intel that was hidden, they would certainly know where to find it.

 

-Tyler

[Voxumo]

IC:

 

"Oh... Sorry, I forgot." Vail face-palmed at his own mistake, which resulted in a loud clank.

 

He stopped and stood still. It was dark now, nothing but calm sand as far as...

 

Wait.

 

The shape he had seen before was most definitely Po-Koro. The looming shadow was far to symmetrical to be a rocky outcrop or behemoth sand dune.

 

"That's it alright. I'll send out a signal since neither of us has been here. My guess is that they do shut the gates at nightfall."

 

The Toa of Fire spread his legs apart slightly to solidify his balance. Then, with a growl, he thrust his fist into the air, sending a bright burst of flame high up above them. It soared and exploded in a brilliant flash of red and orange light. If anyone was stargazing within a mile radius, they were likely to see its celebratory flare.

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge looked up at the giant ball of fire that Vail shot into the sky with a look of amusement

"All we need now is some mahi dogs, some mead and the company of a few lovely toa and we could have ourselves a party."

 

However he now looked back at vail with a wide smirk plastered on his mask

"If they take that as an attack and we die I am haunting you forever."

[soularin]

IC:

 

Vail chuckled dully.

 

"Oh, they won't view us as enemies. That was an obvious signal flare. You'd have to be insanely uneducated on warfare to view that as a form of attack."

 

He snapped his charred fingertips to remove the ash that coated their polished gleam.

 

"And believe me when I say no one on this island is uneducated in that area of expertise."

[Voxumo]

IC:

 

Vail chuckled dully.

 

"Oh, they won't view us as enemies. That was an obvious signal flare. You'd have to be insanely uneducated on warfare to view that as a form of attack."

 

He snapped his charred fingertips to remove the ash that coated their polished gleam.

 

"And believe me when I say no one on this island is uneducated in that area of expertise."

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge gently slapped his hand on Vail's back while motioning to po-koro

"Well then perhaps we should go greet our future hosts eh?"

[soularin]

IC:

 

"Right you are. An Inn or somewhere to crash until morning sounds nice. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."

 

He slumped drowsily to prove his point.

 

OOC: If you want to timeskip, I'm down for it. Otherwise we can just keep on rolling until they find a place to stay, I'm down for that too.

[Makuta of Time]

IC: Seria

 

After beingg teleported to Po-Wahi, her head was spinning and she tried to gain her balance. "My head hurts." She slowly began to recover from the effects of the teleportation. "I don't want to do that again. Ever." She regained enough balance to walk steadily. "So where to?"

[Voxumo]

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge shook his head

"No no.. Food first then sleep." He stated as if it was an absolute fact

 

OOC: I am all up for the timeskip

[Geardirector]

IC:

 

Meanwhile, the official Sentinel response team captained by Tera and Korru had avoided the trouble of their louder, brasher counterparts; following the trail left by the intrepid Dikapi sent out by the unfortunate Tar Lee, they had made their way into the enclave in the Dark Walk where word was last received from. Any barricade had been muscled down, as though something massive had thrown awful, brute force into it until it simply gave way. One body lay by the table, a grizzled corpse with rough-hewn features and a flask in its hand. Scrapped tablets and messages were strewn across the tables, along with reports from other guard outposts. They looked to the Sentinel officials of the team, wondering where to start looking in this mess - they were, after all, the soldiers; if there were bodies to be stashed (alive or dead) or intel that was hidden, they would certainly know where to find it.

 

IC: Korru (Darkwalk, Sentinel Enclave)

 

Korru's legendary eyesight was only of so much help in the darkwalk's void even with an accompanying chandelier of lightstones. The massive Lesterin strained his pupils and pressed his mask scope to the fullest to make out as much of the scene as possible.

 

The barricades, knocked apart and strewn about, had been useless against whatever remnant of Makuta had taken up its arms against the Sentinels and Po-Koro. Korru frowned as he cast his eyes on the Sentinel corpse still clutching a flask.

 

"They broke through the barricade"

 

A piece of shrapnel had been wedged into one of the tables by the force of its momentum

 

"The guards knew they were coming"

 

A few of the Dikapi's footprints could be spied.

 

"They knew they weren't going to make it"

 

The flask was half empty.

 

"And then they disappeared back into the hole from whence they came"

 

He swore he could feel something leering at him from within the Darkwalk.

 

He shifted his grip on his broadsword, and ushered Needlenose one deliberate step forward, looking back to receive a nod of confirmation from Tera.

 

"Same formation. Diane and Smiley you're with me. Baranx, Xenin and Telne, you fall in behind"

 

He ushered Needlenose another step forward, the beefy Kikanalo grunted with a concerned leer at the dark void before them. He knew something awaited them therein.

 

"Stay close, stay sharp" was Korru's last command as he took the lead into the depths.

 

OOC: Melna post coming soonish

Edited April 22, 2014 by Geardirector

[Silvan Haven]

Telne- Dark Walk

 

IC: Telne fell in at the back of the group, his eyes searching the darkness for any sign of movement. He tightened his grip on his glaive, his standard issue crossbow would be of limited use in a dark tunnel like this. He would only be ale to get off a single shot and the time needed to draw his larger weapon might end up with somebody dead.

 

The shadows seemed almost to be trying to suffocate him as they pressed in. Each breath came harder than it should have and a cold sweat was trying to break out on his skin. Telne was one of the Old Guard though and was not about to be put down by a bit of fear and left over psychological warfare.

 

Squaring his shoulders he steeled himself and continued on.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Silvan Haven

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

I was staring into the face of my nightmares.

 

I don't mean that in the vague metaphorical sense that what I was experiencing was the epitome of terror in my few years of existence (though it was), or that the iron demons surrounding me seemed like the amalgamations of every sleepless night and screaming awakening I'd ever had (which they were). I mean what I was seeing and hearing down here was what I'd seen and heard in my mind's eye night after night since the Maru struck down Makuta and all of our problems were supposed to have been solved. Visions of rainbows of metal flying, carving through flesh as my spine flowed with ice water and my heart stopped pumping blood. Somnambulism be ######, I had walked into a lucid nightmare, and it was all I could do to stop from curling up into a ball on the ground and pray for morning to come.

 

That would be pointless; morning never came in the Dark Walk.

 

As the Rahkshi hollowed, loud enough to wake Mata Nui from his sleep so he could save our souls, and with their screams echoing around us in the dark I felt every fluid in my body -- blood, ######, you name it -- turn to ice just like in my dreams, freezing me in place. I wanted to run, but I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, could barely think as my neural endings shut down and waited for the inevitability of death. The darkness that I had thought was suffocating back in Onu-Wahi, a life time ago, suddenly seemed too open and exposing, leaving me naked before the steely gaze of the Sons of Makuta. My arm was still extended, lightstone in hand, like a beacon calling out "Kill me first! Kill me first!" Stupid, stupid; drop the lightstone and pick up your sword!

 

Fingers fumbling, my lightstone fell to the ground with an unearthly clack! surrounded by a ring of frightened tears. I struggled to unsheathe my sword, eyes never looking away from the creature before me, never glancing away from the blood dripping off of the blunt end of its staff. Its screams ricocheted off of the tunnels walls, a hellish cacophony from the abyss itself, yet laced with a charismatic, almost sexual, energy that called to the part of me that I'd locked away upon its birth. The part that stared back at me through windows with red eyes and shard teeth and taloned fingers. It rattled against the chains that kept it bound, chains of the mind, screeching images and sensations of darkness, metal dripping blood, the fear/hate/love of our Brothers, Sisters, Father--

 

Shut up! I drew my sword, watching the Rahkshi before me, garbed in ugly hues of tan and blue, who had once been a Matoran but had grown up to be a monster, screaming with our its brothers and sisters. It's metal head split open, I could see the slug inside of it flailing around like a helpless newborn. Perhaps I almost felt pity for it, powerless without its armour; but with my survival on the line and the hate roaring up from the mental mouth of my own slug, all I felt was the searing fires of rage melting the ice in my veins. I could move, I could think, and by Spirit, I could fake a belief that I might actually get out of this tunnel alive.

 

Lame and limping as I may have been, I still charged at the Rahkshi with a suicidal courage that I'd never known I'd had in my life, and would probably never have again. As I neared it, passing the other Matoran whose blood was leaking out onto the tunnel floor, I pushed off from the ground like an Olympic jumper, sword grasped in both hands above my head, metal tip pointed straight towards the fleshy contents of the iron demon.

 

OOC: Rahkshi of Illusion, batter up!

 

-Void

[Ghosthands]

IC (Stralix)

 

Stralix wasn't one for barked orders or group coordination; he left that to more natural leaders. His intellect was better put to use examining the situation unfolding, and optimising his own response.

 

He counted six Rahkshi in the immediate vicinity, and the key to fighting Rahkshi was knowing exactly what you were fighting. The lightstones' glow picked out six different colour schemes, but in the heat of the moment it was difficult to make out the exact hues - not to mention recall which powers they corresponded to.

 

Observations of pointed to powers of Sonics, Slowness, Dodge and Illusion for four of the six. Impossible to deduce the other two.

 

Given the advanced behaviour of the Sonics and Illusion Rahks, the group was probably up against high-level Kraata pilots.

 

But what was most troubling about the Rahkshi was their coordination. This was no pack of infighting feral beasts - this was a cohesive squad. That meant that either the monsters were learning to work together...or something was guiding them. Either way, the implications were not good.

 

These thoughts took Stralix only a few seconds to rattle through as he put a few feet's distance between himself and the Illusion Rahkshi that had appeared in their midst. Making sure he had his back to the tunnel wall, he picked out the nearest assailant: the scarlet-coloured one that had flanked them, screaming a battle-cry with its brethren. The Kraata writhed, with the metal panels of its head splayed around it like some hellish flower.

 

No better opportunity was likely to present itself. His flamethrower's nozzle was already in position. Finger pressed against trigger, and blue gas-flames roared forth at the exposed slug, blooming yellow as they licked the air.

[Geardirector]

OOC: Recommended listening

 

 

IC: Melna (Darkwalk)

 

Melna’s eyes had followed Lux’s lightstone as it fell to the ground, giving only off a weak glow in the all-consuming gloom of the darkwalk.

 

Again, Lux was the one to charge forward fearlessly while she, the adventurer, student of a hardened veteran, was still.

 

Here she was, right where she thought she always wanted to be, at the final frontier, locked in battle with the forces of darkness. And now she was scared. For all her brass, all her gusto and for all never-ending speeches about how she was prepared to face any danger, when it had finally presented itself her will buckled, and her breath escalated rapidly.

 

“Why did I not listen to Colx’s advice and stick with Helios?” she asked herself then, as the walls seemed to close around her and her allies faded from her vision, she was alone, alone to fend for herself against the Sons of Makuta. She felt an overwhelming desire to run away, and never look back.

 

The Rahkshi had howled together, producing a cry from the bowels of Karzahni’s twisted mind to wash over them like a debilitating wave, sowing seeds of doubt and fear in her heart, as she clutched her spear so tightly that her fingers whitened. Time had slowed to a crawl as her mind went a mile a minute.

 

All this, just from a roar. How could they hope to prevail?

 

“Colx,” she thought in desperation, “what should I do?”

 

“Fear is nothing to be ashamed of; it shows us we’ve still got a pulse, and that our noggin’s still working. You may talk big now, Melna, but you’ll know fear someday, and when you do, remember that the path to true courage begins with doing something despite your fear. Hopefully maybe then you’ll be good enough to at least survive”

 

Her mentor’s words rang in her head, to her own surprise; she never remembered paying this good attention to his lessons. Regardless, remember them she did,

 

and as she saw the old Skakdi’s face before her inner eye, she knew she couldn’t give up.

 

And in the darkness, her blinking armor plates, bleak and gloomy in the weak light the lightstones gave them, her glowing eyes outshone them effortlessly, brimming with the newly ignited spark of Melna of Le-Koro.

 

She was not alone, before her she could see Lux attack, and in the darkness, there was Day. Sirius was there as well, she knew, and together they would prevail.

 

The adrenaline was rushing through her, just like before a good game of Bird Racing had her feel a rush of energy ready to be released, and Spirits pity any who got in her way. She gripped around her spear like she once did a Volo Lutu Launcher, and she made her move with the practiced grace of an athlete that knew to take a chance when she saw it.

 

“Artakha, give me strength” she prayed as she bounded forward, thrusting her spear at the nearest Rahkshi’s exposed slug.

 

OOC: Bringing it to the Slowness Rahkshi

Edited April 22, 2014 by Geardirector

[Onaku]

IC: Ardoku - Darkwalk Quest

 

Having decided to stay behind, Ardoku immediately began feeling uneasy after Torvoth had left with the group. He sighed, as he thought to himself. Why should I care? If he and those people are going to get themselves killed in those tunnels, then that's their business... Ardoku grimaced as he took another sip of his drink.

 

Sitting there for a while, Ardoku finally made up his mind. "Oh to Karzahni with it!" Putting his rucksack on his back, Ardoku sprinted out the doors of the tavern, following far behind the group heading to the Darkwalk...

 

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

 

Deep in the shadowy tunnel, Ardoku heard the familiar sound of Torvoth's voice. Running towards the sound, Ardoku felt the darkness closing in on him, and suddenly, he felt an eerie presence... holding up his lightstone, he saw the group of people from earlier, and Torvoth among them. Also... rahkshi. This was a problem...

 

Ardoku quickly drew his sword and got into a defensive stance.

[The Mugbearer]

IC: Sirius [Dark Walk Quest]

 

The small talk was interrupted with appearance of a Matoran. Sirius wasn't really concerned about him. 'Let others worry about this sole survivor,' he thought, 'I need to stay close to Lux and his companions. This place... something is completely off about it. Almost like that time...'

 

But he couldn't complete his thought because that's when Rahkshi ambush sprung, and a high-pitch ultrasonic sound struck his ears like a thousands of needles. But then a safety mechanism activated, bringing a relief of temporal deafness and a time to concentrate on a threat. There were six Rahkshi. He knew what are Rahkshi. And as everybody else, he feared them among the few creatures in this world. But also, he was fascinated with how their exoskeletons were completed. He just couldn't help but to notice how well done they were. Their sleek design, their joints, their bodies... He wanted one for himself, to dissect it and explore it's entrails and then to sell it to the highest bidder.

 

For a moment, his mind was busy calculating the profits, but then his deafness wore off and he has heard the sound of struggle and he noticed Stralix spraying hellish flames out of his weapon which Sirius consider crude but incredibly efficient at that distance. Then he found Melna thrusting her spear into another Rahkshi's face. Then he saw Lux leaping at another Rahkshi. His bravery and obvious recklessness were fascinating.

 

Then Sirius looked at another Rahkshi, the one with green and yellow colors. He could swore that this one blew out his hearing, and this was something that made Vortixx furious. Nobody ever screeches Sirius, the famous Tech thief, an explorer, a gentleman, a sailor, and all the other nice titles, nobody screeches him to the point of absolute deafness. This was unacceptable.

 

No time to regret, though, that his rifle wasn't fixed. He had a gun in his hand. And he pointed it at yellow/green Rahkshi, and he aimed with his only trusty eye and he pulled the trigger. A discharge of blindly red light pierced the darkness and struck against Rahkshi's head plate. Sirius quickly made a correction in his stance and aimed and creature's eye in the crevice of the armor.

'This is for the greater profit!' he exclaimed, pulling the trigger again.

Edited April 22, 2014 by The Mugbearer

[sunflower]

IC: Leli [Dark Walk - Rahkshi Ambush]

 

A scream.

 

A scream that tore away the world.

 

Shattered the walls.

 

Cracked the earth.

 

Froze the air.

 

A scream that knocked her back to places and times that should not be revisited, brought forth the inescapable clutches of memory, a binding grasp that rose unbidden to drag her into it's eldritch depths.

 

She was in another time, in another place. One not permeated with a darkness so evil it crushed one's very soul, but a similar place nonetheless.

 

She saw nothing but shadows in a rapidly closing view. Heard nothing but screams. Felt nothing but the very life falling from her inert body, pooling on the cold stone beneath.

 

She was going down a path that none returned.

 

And then...

 

And then.

 

Nothing.

 

Her foray into the stretches of time ended abruptly. Nothing had happened. For the events that followed were nothing. They did not exist, they did not transpire. They were not to be spoken of nor remembered. They were not important. They were hidden. Buried away for the time. They were...

 

Not.

 

Relevant.

 

Now.

 

She couldn't-

 

Wouldn't.

 

The ripping sound of flames tearing through the musty tunnel air, not unlike billowing fabric, pulled her back into the here and now. With almost mild surprise did Leli realize that her dual-bladed weapon was already in her hand, though she could not remember reaching for it. A flick of the wrist, and she spiraled it around her body with a flourish, squaring off before the monster of an acrid yellow and inky obsidian. A flash, and a bolt of some sort flew over her head towards the creature of shadow, and was closely followed by a second.

 

She did not overly worry about the creature that had morphed from a friend within the center of their group, for her squad was a masterfully built combination of seamless parts. And like any such grouping, nothing could hope to stand against them.

 

OOC: Leli making herself an obstacle for the Rahkshi of Sonics.

 

(go light ussalry wooo)

[Wazdakka]

IC: Torvoth

 

No sooner had Torvoth staggered to his feet after being flung against the wall, the ivory Rahkshi was already upon him. The black armored Vortixx barely backed out of reach of a mighty swing of the Rahkshi's staff, cringing at the pain in his gun hand, as the Rahkshi had given it a nasty twist when disarming him. Ordinarily, Torvoth would have probably broken down and booked a swift tactical retreat (which was his crazed mind's euphemism for running the zog away very quickly and very far), but the fact that the Rahkshi had broken his very own Judge, a handgun build by him many many years ago, back in Xa-Koro. This was terrible by itself, but combined with the fact that an cool dude Skakdi had temporarily broken Torvoth's chainblade not so long ago, incensed him beyond mortal comprehension. In fact, it enraged him more than he himself thought he was capable of feeling. As such, Torvoth's primeval anger managed to make him stay his feet, at least for the moment.

 

The Rahkshi's staff came down again, this time shearing away a small section of Torvoth's foot armor before slamming into the dark stone at his feet with a resounding crack that reverberated even above the other din of battle in the cavern. The weapon-maker then realized that he had been threatened by the Toa of Sonics. His slightly dysfunctional mind turned over the idea of stabbing the transgressor, but the rational (read: slightly less dysfunctional) section reasoned that the Rahkshi at his throat would probably tear him to bits if he so much as even thought about turning his back. Thankfully, it had not attempted to use its power on him yet.

 

Normally extremely prideful, Torvoth was loath to ask for advice from his fellow miscreants. However, he was especially loath to die horribly in some dark underground cave, so he would have to make some sacrifices.

 

"Somebody! I've never fought Rahkshi before - what are their weaknesses?" He called, his voice loud as usual, but now also tight with rage. As he finished the sentence and barely parried a powerful blow with his roaring chainblade that nearly tore his arm from its socket, he observed another combatant joining the fray, though not a Rahkshi. "Ardoku, nice of you to show up. Plenty of evildoers to go around for all. "

 

OOC:

 

Also, sorry for kind of, you know, getting us ambushed. My bad.

Edited April 23, 2014 by Wazdakka

[The Mugbearer]

IC: Sirius [Dark Walk Quest]

 

'Just strike the gorram Kraata when it exposes itself!' a one-eyed Vortixx answered as he strafed left to give himself a better angle while letting that matoran girl space to maneuver, and aimed for another at ivory Rahkshi. Another bolt of laser cut the darkness.

Edited April 22, 2014 by The Mugbearer

[Geardirector]

IC: Kanja

 

Kanja gave the Matoran a suspicious look. She sometimes noticed the largest things from the smallest gestures. Maybe the Lesterin it but something seemed off with the Matoran.

 

"I have a friend in Onu-Koro", she said calmly as to not threaten then Fa-Matoran."Hes an Inventor like you. An engineer".

 

Kanja saw the Matoran still looked uneasy. She shrugged. "Personally I dont have a taste for the modern like many of you here, but hes my friend and he asked for you. Tepi's been through a tough time this past year or so. He won't leave his home and that's not the worst of it. I fear for what he might do."

 

IC: Farzan (Tech Expo)

 

"Tepi, huh?" I mumbled, scratching my still-to-fully-develop chin. The name rang a tiny bell, an inventor from Onu-Koro whose place I remembered crashing at a few times... and occasionally "borrowing" some of his parts for my daily tinkering and wire connecting.

 

"Well, alright, I'll go with you to see Tepi, but it'll have to wait 'till morning, I have something real important I need to do tonight first"

[Visaru]

IC

Mata-Nui, give me strength.

Here it was. His first encounter with the servants of The Makuta.

Give me faith.

This was the true test of his power and his ability as Mata-Nui's prophet. Looking up at the terrifying, reptilian face of his enemy, he felt the sensation of utter fear run through him, far greater than anything else he had ever felt. It's body was so strong, it was so tall, and it's scream was the promise of utter death and pain and rage.

Give me the strength to overcome my fear.

Dorgath glanced around, taking in the sight of the other Rahkshi. Now was not the time to dwell on his mistake, now it was time to face the enemy, and fight them off before this party and it's members perished.

Give me the wisdom to know when to fight, the strength and speed to do so, and the luck to win my battle.

He glanced to the side, noting a Toa charging towards the Rahkshi in the center of the group, the shapeshifting one. He watched, as if in slow motion, the beast's gaze fixate on the running combatant and watched it's muscles tense and begin to strike.

Guide me, my lord.

Dorgath stabbed his spear towards the Illusion Rahkshi's shin with all his might, hoping to overwhelm the already occupied creature.

OOC

By the way, In occasions like this it is courteous to post only once between the staff member's posts to give them time to respond to your attacks.

[Franco]

IC: Gyn Kirsug knew fear.

Fear lied. Matoran were driven into insanity by their paranoia time and time again. Fear stole. It threw out rationality and took its place. Fear was insidious. In the middle of the island's greatest peace hid the coldest of its realities: its people couldn't accept pacifism, not because it was a poor reward, but because it was great to the point that it was unquantifiable; fear of the unknown was the worst of all.

Gyn also knew knowledge was power.

From the theory of that anecdote - enlightenment enables - Gyn had derived that knowledge of fear intrinsically gave one the tools to ignore it. He had met with fear many times throughout his stroll through life, giving him vast knowledge of its mechanisms. His greatest weapon against fear, though, was always the same: acknowledgement.

Fear was ubiquitous. There were things in all corners of the world, he had once discovered, that went bump in the night.

He didn't smile. He felt that would be inappropriate when thinking about those things.

For Gyn was one of them.

His hand whipped the Patero out, his other dropping the Lightstone on his mount before twisting the barrel. His legs kicked the Ussal into a sideways skitter, leading his section of the squadron out of the melee to fire in. They would safely attack the highest-priority Rahk there. Meanwhile, retribution would be negated by the speed and agility of Ussals in their natural terrain.

Communicating the plan to his comrades with gestures of his right hand, his left aimed for the slug of the yellow-blue beast - of all the powers shown, its slowing seemed most troublesome - and pulled the trigger. An obsidian grenade flew from the launcher for its maw, will through his element propelling it as much as the air at its back. He kept his stance ready for retreat. The deputy would fall back as he must, if not of the liquid dread flowing through his body and pooling in the abyss of his mind.

Gyn was going bump in his night.

OOC: Firing obsidian photothermic grenade for Slow's mouth, will attempt to maintain its speed with elemental power. Also, running out from the back of the mass to the side.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Xenophilic Zeno

[Wade.]

IC: Day

 

In the briefest of moments, the enemy was upon them. They were fierce and swift, ruthless and powerful, terrifying monsters who heralded death. Their screeches reverberated against the tunnel walls, shattering the calm composure Day held and immediately thrusting him into a state of alarm.

 

Ice started to form in his veins but adrenaline had already begun its work. He could feel it coursing through his body, fueling his muscles and sharpening his senses, as he prepared to face the horrific foe that haunted him now.

 

Clad in white, the creature shrieked and hissed, its eyes lit with a maddening rage that seemed almost contagious. Its every move was driven by fury, wielding the strength that could only be granted by impulsive anger. The Rahkshi hammered away at Torvoth relentlessly, bringing down its staff in brutal arcs and pinpoint stabs. It had yet to reveal its power, something Day would find out sooner or later, and already it proved itself more formidable than anything he'd ever wielded his sword against.

 

Nothing had attacked him, so he took the opportunity to watch. He observed the suit of ivory metal for a handful of seconds, looking for any weakness or strategy he could use while it continued to strike in a hazy mist of bloodlust. With a sigh and the desperate hope that it wouldn't see it coming, Day swallowed his fear and sprung into action.

 

Activating his Kualsi, he disappeared, only to reappear behind the distracted Rahkshi an instant later, sword slicing through the air as its edge sailed straight for the creature's spine.

 

OOC: Day swinging for the Rahkshi of Anger. Wazdakka, that's the one attacking Torvoth, I believe.

[Relapse]

IC: (Komisk)

 

About this time, Komisk took leadership of his ragtag group, taking a two-handed grip on his saperka. His first assault was to viciously browbeat Torvoth, the genius behind bellowing loud enough to elicit an ambush from the most dangerous creatures on the island. "THEY HAVE NO WEAKNETHETH!" he screamed, obviously infuriated.

 

"Don't go on the offenthive just yet, keep your defenthe up! Wait until you know what their thpecific power ith, then find a way to exploit it!"

 

He exchanged the saperka for his crossbow, keeping in mind that even if his depth perception was off, the projectile weapon was still useful for fighting off the Rahkshi. If he could find a chink in the Kurahk's armor, he could then, as he suggested earlier, exploit it. With every shot, he took a step back until he stood against the rock wall of the tunnel, hoping he could avoid an attack from behind. He tried to keep his eyes on his team, not trying to keep an account of how many Rahkshi were killed, but how many of his own men died in order to keep track of the bloodshed. The fight began as all developed their strategies...

 

And then it hit him.

 

What could a Matoran do that a Rahkshi could not? What did a Toa have that a Rahkshi did not? Komisk smiled, but it looked devilish on a face like his. They had Unity, Duty, and Destiny. For now, he thought, we'll focus on the first. "Together!" he shouted, "find a partner and focus on each one individually!"

[Tabby: Toa of Cats]

IC(Miraul-Dark Walk):

 

Something was just wrong here.

 

I admit this is my first time in the Dark Walk, but my very being could feel the shadows of Makuta even in the air I breathed. This was not a pleasant place, much less so for a light-loving paladin such as myself.

 

I personally chosen to have the Akiru go down after the others as a rear guard. We had three lines of defense and sight in the Darkness, ones that the others here did not. Bijackal could see the scents of anything that lived, and things that didn't. Takamaz had a Akaku, and that would show the bones of the living and the shells of the darkness, the sons of Makuta, in clear light even this far down. The last was one of my own making, a weak but widespread magnetic field that would react and distort to any moving metal within the dark.

 

I felt a flurry of movement in the darkness up ahead, and Takamaz and Bijackal whispered two words that made it clear what was going on, "Six Rahkshi."

 

That immediately set me thinking about how to deal with them using the powers we had on hand. Two of the Akiru would be good at melting things-Vilak and Takamaz. Divan and Hikari can create solids-wait a minute, Reynar, Divan and I all have a way to exert force on a Rahkshi. Simple strategy for a one-at-a-time take-out: Pull them apart and fry the Kraata.

 

I took the lead as we drew near from behind, gesturing for Takamaz to pair with Vilak, Divan with Hikari and I. Bijackal watched our backs.

 

I whispered, "Pull apart the armor and incinerate, that one. Strike!"

 

Elemental and mask powers lashed out as one from a united Toa Team. Divan's metal powers yanked on two limbs, Reynar's natural telekinetic powers on the other two, each with enough force to dislocate some joints. My magnetism held the torso in place, but served the added purpose of drawing in a powerful combined blast of fire and plasma like a homing missile, hot enough to melt torso and Kratta as one.

 

OOC:Targeting Fear Rahkshi. EDIT: Just to be clear, I used my late entry as an advantage, allowing us to flank the Rahkshi from the entry side.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Tabby: Toa of Cats

[CeeCee]

IC: Kanja

 

She gave the Matoran a look out the corner of her eyes, Normally she wouldn't offer help to a stranger, but it might help bring him more willing to follow her?

"Need any help with that?"

[Geardirector]

IC: Farzan (Tech Expo)

 

"Nope, it's a pretty straightforward task, it just has to be done at the right time, and I gotta be there when it happens." I replied with an assuring shake of my head.

 

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some projects to take care of" I said as I pulled out today's issue of the Mata Nui Daily and disappeared behind the crossword.

 

"1 across, 8 characters, other word for engineer or inventor... Stralix, no, that's too short" I muttered to myself.

[Emzee]

IC: Ra’lhen – Akiri Hewkii’s Hut

 

High adrenaline seemed to protect Ra’lhen from most of the dizziness that other transports suffered, but even he felt disoriented by the two trips. However, any physical uneasiness was quickly offset by the sight of Hewkii’s presence.

 

Ra’lhen didn’t know what to say. Before him stood the fearless leader of Po-Koro, holding up the many burdens of the withdrawn village with all of his wit and strength. Ra’lhen lacked a clear memory of exactly when he last saw the former Kolhii star, but he could only imagine the heavy pain that Hewkii was forced to carry for long years to come.

 

He did remember that Hafu was more than just a carver and sculptor though. Hafu was Hewkii’s best friend.

 

And standing in the doorway beside the Toa Maru of Air was the man who contributed to his untimely demise.

 

Of course, that wasn’t true. Deep within the recesses of Ra’lhen’s mind, in the small chamber where logic reigned supreme, he knew that it wasn’t him that helped Vidar, Echelon, and many others kill Hafu. Heck, the whole point of the tablet that sat firmly in Ra’lhen’s right hand was to prove this.

 

However, the eyes and the memories of what those eyes have seen can both be so much more persuasive then hearsay, even if the hearsay came from the great and honored Toa-Protector of Po-Koro.

 

How would Hewkii respond to the sight of Ra’lhen? What would he say even after Korero’s vouch and Stannis’s note? Would emotion and resentment get the better of him?

 

Ra’lhen thought about if the roles were reversed and his heart began to sink. Who could forgive someone who killed your best friend?

 

The blue and red Toa struggled to raise his eyes to Hewkii’s, but the Toa forced himself to speak regardless.

 

“Akiri Hewkii, my name is Ra’lhen. The monster who once shared my image is no more. I’ve come with this tablet, which bears an important inscription from Toa Stannis himself,” Ra’lhen said, finally looking at Hewkii once he finished that sentence. He then raised his right arm and held out the tablet, “Would you care to read it?”

 

IC: Wokapu – Po-Koro Bazaar

 

“You and me both,” Wokapu replied to Seria. An instant later, Sucogu, Ra’lhen and Korero appeared, only for the latter two to be whisked away again. Wokapu thought about leading the group to Hewkii’s hut, and making sure that Ra’lhen was protected from any harsh judgement that might be set upon him. Even with Stannis’s note and Korero’s presence, pardoning the man who – when last seen in Po-Koro – helped kill the most famous sculptor on Mata Nui who was also Turaha Onewa’s Left Hand and a very good personal friend of Hewkii’s.

 

When Wokapu considered all of that, it seemed clear; this would be a hard sell.

 

However, there was something different about Stannis. His words, without being intimidating or antagonizing, had an effect on what people felt. He carried with him so much conviction that it translated into authority.

 

Finally, Wokapu decided to just take a number from Stannis and let Destiny do its thing for once.

 

“I started this journey so that I could meet my father, Wokodin,” Wokapu said to Seria and Sucogu, “I think Ra’lhen will be fine, so let’s go meet my father. We have some things to talk about”

 

With that, the group started on their way, and on cue, Wokapu moved towards the new addition to the group: Sucogu.

 

“So Sucogu, what’s your story?” Wokapu asked with a great tone of curiosity and interest, “Have you been hunting down folks like Echelon for awhile now, or has this just been a recent venture?”

[They]

OOC: I edited the mobile post to have proper colors for characters. Also added some quotation marks. That is all.

 

IC: Akiri Hewkii

Akiri Hewkii's office was filled with the sunlight of the desert, yet pleasingly cool from a light breeze passing through the open windows. When Korero first entered he was greeted by the soft crunch of sand beneath his heels. The walls were covered in shelves, filled with eclectic items and rows of books (Hewkii's library on Kohlii strategy was robust), and in the back near the wide desk was a wooden ladder ascending to a second level.


"Korero Maru, it is good to see you," Hewkii called from the top of the ladder before scampering down to the sandy floor. He paused at the desk, closing the leather cover of an untitled document. His blue eyes roved over the toa of air's body, noticing the unique Hiko which now gave the maru immediate access to his office at any future moment, taking stock of the axe handle peeking over the shoulder, and then on to the next being following behind. His mood darkened.

"You brought Him here?"

"Akiri Hewkii, my name is Ralhen. The monster who once shared my image is no more. Ive come with this tablet, which bears an important inscription from Toa Stannis himself," Ralhen said, finally looking at Hewkii once he finished that sentence. He then raised his right arm and held out the tablet, Would you care to read it?

He took the tablet wordlessly, eyes moving quickly across the surface but seeing only the dead face of Hafu, murdered by the beast in his office, the enemy. Hewkii closed his eyes, breathed deeply, then shattered the words of Stannis against the wall.

"And you think some words in clay can wash away the blood from his hands," Hewkii snapped first at Korero before turning to confront Ra'lhen directly, vest swaying in the wake of his fury. "I couldn't care less if Mata-Nui himself wrote that! I'd have still destroyed it just as you've destroyed the lives of countless innocents. You ask for absolution of your sins? You ask for clemency for the heinous actions you performed? You, Ronkshou, are asking the wrong questions. Ask how long you will eat gruel with a toothless mouth. Ask how many ussals I will use to tear your limbs from your body. Ask how long your head will be hung over the gate of this village and if your body's pieces will be buried, burned, or fed to the rahi of the desert."

Hewkii's eyes began to water. "Hafu is on your head. He was my... Was all of Po-Koro's friend and greatest sculptor. And you killed him. Do you understand? You. Killed. Him."

The akiri took a step back, falling into the chair behind his desk to stare at the ceiling. Either a second or an eternity passed.

"Akiri..."

"It's justice to punish those deserving of punishment," Hewkii said at last, his eyes focusing back on the two toa. His rage had given birth to a new feeling. "But killing a killer only perpetuates the cycle of violence. I may not be a toa, and therefore have no need to follow their creed, but death after so much bloodshed seems a disservice. Because by killing you I become the evil one. I become Ronkshou, become you." He sighed and let a hand pass over his eyes. Hewkii rose from the desk and passed toward the shelves, taking a moment to find a particular trinket. It was bead necklace with a single white stone, the surface etched into an intricate pattern of matoran letters.

"Hafu carved this for me... A long time ago. It's a lucky charm. Wear it." He held the necklace out to Ra'lhen with one hand. "And when you wear it remember this: even though you may walk the streets of Po-Koro freely as a member of the Sentinels you will always be bound to the legacy of your past."

Edited April 24, 2014 by Kughii

[Ghosthands]

IC (Korero)

 

The space between Hewkii's outstretched arm and Ra'lhen was suddenly occupied by a Toa Maru whose presence Hewkii had made the mistake of ignoring.

 

"No."

 

Green arms were taut with tensed muscles, ending in clenched fists. Though he was the lightest and smallest of the Maru, Korero's presence seemed to fill the room as he towered over the Po-Matoran. The breeze through the office's windows strengthened unnaturally, slamming the door shut behind Ra'lhen.

 

"You're supposed to be a LEADER!" Korero exploded. Hewkii stumbled back a few steps in shock, and the Toa of Air advanced after him. Something in his movements was almost predatory. "Do you have no idea what you're saying?! I have never heard anything so insane!"

 

Hewkii stopped with his back against the wall, transfixed by the golden glare.

 

"Stannis' reasoned judgement isn't good enough for you? Have my righteous anger instead!"

 

"This man - " Korero turned his torso abruptly, pointing a finger back at Ra'lhen " - THIS man is NOT the Toa who killed your friend! Are you blind?! He was Infected!"

 

He took another couple of steps towards the Akiri until his mask was mere inches from Hewkii's.

 

"Have you forgotten the Madness? You know how the Infection works! It dominates the will, forces the host to do terrible things they are powerless to stop. For no fault of his own, he has to live every day with the knowledge of the lives that were taken with his hands! Ronkshou was a parasite, and Ronkshou is dead. Ra'lhen is not guilty of Ronkshou's crimes."

 

Korero turned away from Hewkii, and leaned on the Akiri's desk for a few seconds, breathing sharply through gritted teeth, before he continued in a quieter tone.

 

"Everyone lost people in the War," he said. "You lost Hafu. Ra'lhen lost himself. The least you could do is show him some compassion, some understanding. Instead you pile blame on him for the very things that must already haunt his conscience. Do you not think he's suffered enough?"

 

He approached Hewkii again, and looked down at the Matoran.

 

"You need to accept that Ra'lhen is innocent in all this. Until you do that, he won't be able to move on. And neither will you."

 

He turned on his heel.

 

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

 

Korero was gone before he reached the door. The dust slowly settled in the office as the white flash of his departure faded.

 

OOC: Korero to Onu-Wahi

[They]

OOC: Awesome post Geisthande! I figured Korero and Hewkii's forms of judgement were going to grate against each other, but I wasn't expecting such an awesome post. Yay for surprise!

 

IC: Akiri Hewkii

 

With the flash of white and sound of Korero popping like a kernel of corn came the sudden death of the wind. The sand settled slowly, almost as if defying the natural laws pulling it back to earth. Until each grain had fallen Hewkii stood ashen faced in the wake of the Maru's tirade. His jaw was slack, the necklace still dangling awkwardly from between his fingers, now by his waist instead of outstretched. What had been a token of legacy and new life to Hewkii, proper justice to the kohlli star, had been rotten fruit in the eyes of Korero. Forgive and forget, it seemed, was the Maru way. Hewkii looked back at Ra'lhen. Alone in the room with a man once known as Ronkshou proposed certain challenges. Ra's free ticket out had just disappeared with an emotional use of the hiko, leaving the toa in a bind. Ra'lhen's options were few, in Hewkii's mind. First, he could choose to run, choose to escape, but that would end in being seen by the guard and imprisoned. Second, he could choose to attack Hewkii, maybe use the akiri as leverage or ransom to escape unscathed. If Ra'lhen still had any evil left the second option seemed valid. The third, however, felt logical in the wake of Korero's tirade: willingly participate in conversation and accept a fate little short of freedom by pardon.

 

"It seems there's been an error in judgement." Hewkii started slowly. "Or maybe miscommunication is a better word. Korero, although wise as a scholar, does not see things the same as I do. I'm just an elevated kohlii player. Politics proof illusive..." He rubbed the beads of the necklace between his fingers. "Basically I think and breathe kohlii even if I'm not on the field. Life, to me, is kohlii..."

 

He faded off for a moment, eyes wandering the office before settling back on the listener. Hewkii gestured to one of the chairs that had been ignored during his earlier emotional outburst, pieces of marble furniture that seemed heavy until the sand helped it slide across the floor. "Please, have a seat if you prefer."

 

"My offer was from this same perspective," Hewkii continued as he walked to the open window and looked out. "You see, if I were to shoot a kohlii ball into my own team's goal at the beginning of the game it would be a tragedy, but I'd be forgiven. However, that point I gave to my opponent would still exist. I couldn't wipe that off the score board no matter how much pleading and no matter who represented my cause. All I could do would be to work even harder than before to even the score. It's just the rule of kohlii that a point scored is a point earned." He looked back into the office at Ra'lhen. "In essence, that is what I'm offering you. I forgive you. Korero is right about the infection, but I want you to remember even if you had no choice in the matter you still did the deed. I'm not cursing you by offering the necklace or marking you as an outcast. You're past curses you enough and I wish you the best in facing the demons you've created against you're own will. I offered Hafu's lucky charm because you need all the luck you can get having shot a ball into you own goal in the game of life. People won't be looking at you as a hero, especially here in the desert. Working to change the views of those around you will hard, even with the support of Stannis and the other Maru. There will always be lingering..."

 

Hewkii sighed and pointed to his heartlight. "Resentments."

 

"I offered you a place in the Sentinels, which you may choose to take or not. If you wish to stay and prove your good to Po-Koro you're welcome. If not Ra'lhen, I want to someday hear stories of your good deeds."

 

OOC: Emzee, you're welcome to have Ra'lhen become a guard of Po-Koro in which case he will also receive equipment and training, or you can have him walk freely from the office with the necklace fully pardoned.

[Relapse]

IC: (Sucogu)

 

"My life," the Toa of lightning replied, "has been virtually devoted to taking down scum like Echelon. A few times, I've had companions. Most often, however, I've been alone."

[soularin]

IC: (Po-Koro Inn)

 

Dawns rays broke through the velvet curtains and bathed the room in warm light. Vail stirred at its soothing touch and allowed his eyes to flicker to life.

 

Dust motes swirled above him and basked in the suns ethereal glow. The Toa of Fire rose slowly to a sitting position. When was the last time hed slept that good? Probably never. The Inn mattress had been even more comfortable than his own bed back at the home.

 

He yawned and stretched his arms above his head. Today was the day.

 

Pray, Lockmire. Pray that Mata Nui will take pity on your repulsive excuse for a soul.

 

Vail rose and retrieved Persephone from where she lay at his bedside.

 

Good morning, my dear. he murmured softly. I hope youre as ready as I am.

 

He pulled the blade halfway out of her sheath to admire the cold, razor-sharp edge. After a moment of reassurance, he slipped the sword back in and fastened it securely to his freshly donned belt.

 

He took one last minute to take in the calamity of his surroundings before gathering the rest of his things, tidying up the disheveled sheets, and exiting the room with a soft click of the door handle.

 

He made his way downstairs at a conserved pace, every step placed without a sound. The anticipation of the kill kept his nerves on full alert. He could barely contain his hunger.

 

A nice cup of coffee ought to do the trick.

 

He ordered one from a lone Su-Matoran who was working the early morning shift. Caffeine had an opposite effect on him, and tended to calm down his cravings rather than spur them forward. Coffee gave him a similar zing to that of blood, even if it wasnt even close to as satisfying.

 

Vail made his way to the lobby and chose a nice cushioned chair to sit in while he awaited Voulge. After all, they had work to do.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2014 by Requiem

[Voxumo]

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge had long forgotten the need for an actual room as he had passed out in a chair at the corner of the inn.. Since he did pay for a room the staff felt no need to shove him out the door. However now as a annoying beam of light broke through the windows he grumbled awake as he walked towards the bar. He could see Vail sitting their bright eyed and bushy tailed and it made him a teeny tiny bit sick. Intending to start the morning off well Voulge promptly offered Vail a slap on the back and a muttered

"Good morning."

[soularin]

IC:

 

The Toa of Fire snickered.

 

"Morning, sleeping beauty!" he took a shaky sip of his coffee. "You ready for today?"

 

The room was almost completely empty save for the Su-Matoran and a Lesterin reading the paper in the corner. Vail guessed not many people in Po-Koro were early birds like himself.

[Voxumo]

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge slumped into a chair next to vail and leaned back a bit

"You know what they say dontcha?"

[Light]

OOC: @Requiem: I'm not sure, but if Xenin is in the group with Korru I'm fairly certain we haven't encountered Rahkshi yet...

 

IC: (Highlanders)

 

Smiley was looking intently at one of the corpses when Korru called him, standing quickly and dashing after the Lesterin and Diane.

 

Diane's Mask of Night Vision was currently glowing, illuminating the tunnel ahead somewhat, and giving her near perfect vision. A throwing knife had materialized in her hand, held lax for the moment. Behind Smiley's grin was a tinge of nervousness, the Corporal's fingers running over his sword hilt uneasily as he followed Korru.

 

IC: (Tera)

 

Tera nodded to her group as she stood from closing the same fallen Sentinel's eyes, glancing around one more time before getting back onto her Kikanalo stepping into the darkness after Korru.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Infamous Ironic Iguana

[Canis Lycaon]

IC: (Still at the bar with Vhohan)

"Well... that was odd," 88 said. A group consisting of various... sentient beings led by a lisping Matoran had just marched off towards the Po-Koro gate and towards a place called the "Darkwalk," which must be somewhere out in the desert. The bar and the customers went back to their business, and 88 sat down with Vhohan at a booth and inquired,

"Okay, now that that's over, let's get down to business. Reporters provide us with stories, I print them and distribute them, and you keep everything running smoothly." 88 paused for a little while and looked around.

"Do you know where I could get a printing press?" he inquired,

"Oh, and do you know anything about the Darkwalk?"

IC: Vhohan

"Around about four months ago, the Makuta launched an attack on all of the Koros. He dug tunnels through the earth from the Kini-Nui to near each of the Koros, and filed armies of Rahkshi through them. Those were the Darkwalks.

 

"You must be new here. No idea how anyone could have missed that. When did you come to Mata Nui?"

 

"Oh, and try the tech expo."

 

 

IC: Thentyle

The Toa of Earth looked out over Blackrock Canyon. He had repaired an armory in the keep, built up from the rubble. The inner wall had been repaired, and the temple was a skeleton of what it used to be, but work had been done on it.

 

As Knight Cardinal, it was his solemn duty to repair the keep to it's former glory, a task he would complete. Several members of the Brotherhood had left for Ostia or Po-Koro, but nothing had been sent back. It worried him.

 

Thentyle walked to the inner wall, passing by a hut he had made as an alchemic workshop for Ira, who was likely inside working. He climbed up to the top of the wall, and looked out, seeing a spot on the horizon, approaching.

 

He clutched his spear and shield, and then prepared for action. Finally, something to break up the monotony of his work. But as they approached, he saw it was Jorruk, Kriigata and a zombie. He raised his spear and shouted,

 

"HELLO, BROTHERS!"

Edited April 28, 2014 by Canis Lycaon

[Some Random Phrase]

IC: Fotioks

Fotioks overheard Vhohan. "What's a Tech Expo? Or a Darkwalk?"

[Canis Lycaon]

IC: Vhohan

A Matoran made a quip towards Vhohan. The Skakdi turned around an saw a Matoran. He liked them better than Toa - which he despised with an intense furor - but not was much as a Vortixx or Skakdi.

 

"You know, I just explained what the Darkwalks are. And the Tech Expo. Y'know, the giant fair going on in the bazaar as we speak, being the main atraction in Po-Koro at the moment? Large, announced publicly, attended to be Hewkii and Stralix. Don't know how someone can not know."