BZPRPG - Po-Wahi

[Wazdakka]

IC: Torvoth

 

"Heh. I had almost thought you really were a doctor!" The wounded Vortixx gave a painful chuckle. "Just for a moment though... so there's really nothing you can do for me?" Torvoth waved his hand dismissively. "Actually, don't answer that - now, little Matoran who miraculously lost his lisp and is pointing a crossbow at my noggin', you nearly look a little intimidating over me at your one-bio height. But before accusing me of all - this - " he gestured towards the battlefield, "think for a moment. It's this new exciting thing, thinking is. So I was loud and obnoxious and a pile of Rahkshi came at us. While I'm not Rahskhi expert, I'd say that a mob of organized murderous killers would probably find us sooner or later as we toodled around in their home, eh? I just accelerated the inevitable." He spat out an incomprehensible glob of something. "Also, when I said carry me, I meant simply perch me over your shoulder - I'll be a second set of chainblade-swinging, black-armored limbs for whichever lucky soul decides to give me a lift."

[Ghosthands]

IC (Stralix)

 

The inventor just shook his head slowly in incredulity. He clapped a hand on the Matoran's shoulder.

 

'Leave him, Komisk,' he said. 'He's not worth our time. We need to keep moving forwards.'

 

Stralix wasn't one for dealing out judgement, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Torvoth was too much of a liability to bring with them: he'd be a dead weight on somebody's shoulders, making whoever carried him useless in a fight (whatever nonsense he might spout to the contrary), not to mention that his obnoxious noise had already once brought Rahkshi down on them unawares.

 

As for Komisk's other option...well. This was no time for executions, however idiotic the Vortixx in question might be.

[Wazdakka]

IC: Torvoth

 

"Oh, now you too, Skakdi? You too have a pea-sized brain?" snarled the Vortixx with surprising vigor for a sorely wounded combatant. "Those Rahkshi would have come at us anyways! They were organized! They were nothing like the "feral creatures" that leaderless Rahkshi are supposed to be! You think they would simply let us waltz through here unopposed? This would have happened anyways, yet you blame me, who has paid IN FULL, for this!" With each word, the black-armored Vortixx's voice raised more and more, until it was a pain-filled scream. 

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

I'm not gonna say that being this close to Melna wasn't an attractive prospect (because it was very attractive, let me tell you), but I wish it could have been under better circumstances. Sure, getting a wound dressed after nearly being butchered by Rahkshi had a certain romance to it, but given the fact that we still nearly been butchered by Rahkshi and Mel was clearly worried about something, I couldn't help but feel hollow from the experience. Add to that the concern of where in the world is Day and the afterglow of killing a Rahk had kind of ebbed away.

 

Still, I tried to smile for Melna. After a few seconds, it even became convincing.

 

"Considering what happened, pretty good," I said, trying to relax my muscles. "Leftover adrenaline or something, I guess?"

 

---

 

IC:

 

"Hold it, mate," I said firmly, placing a hand on the Vortixx's shoulder. "Yelling ain't gonna get us anywhere. We need ta be logical here, think up a new plan o' advancement or what not."

 

I was behind the injured Vortixx, looking at the Stralix, then Komisk, then finally Rungui, whom I shot a quick wink that I hoped would say "Glad you made it".

 

"As much as our injured friend 'ere is shoutin' and bein' a general nuisance, I can't say that I completely disagree with 'im. Every Rahk we've seen since Makuta's fall's been wild, uncontrollable. Never been able to work in a team fer as long as these blighters 'ere did. That means something's off. That means we've got some serious enemies ta deal with, and that means, with all due respect directed to y'all, that I shall repeat mahself and say that shouting at each other ain't gonna solve anything.

 

"Now, Pi-- ... er, Rungui, is there anythin' at all that ya can do for our broken Vortixx 'ere?"

 

-Void

 

 

[Silvan Haven]

Lenat- Po-koro- Po-koro Technology Emporium

 

IC: With a sigh Lenat stepped flopped in to the chair next to his desk. Ever since the technology expo business had been booming. Orders for everything from toasters to lighting systems and everything in between had been coming in. It was getting so busy that Lenat was thinking of hiring several more full time workers. The Vortixx himself had just gotten back from installing a plumbing system in a particularly well off Po Matoran's hut.

 

Groaning, he got up from the seat and headed to the shed built on to the side of his workshop. A doorway provided access between the two structures a a tug to the cord to next to the entryway uncapped a lightstone holder, flooding the room with light. Stepping past the remains of the original Railless Mahi prototype, Lenat headed to the far side of the shed where the somewhat larger second prototype sat.

 

Pulling his magnetic gloves out of his satchel and pulling them on, the Vortixx ducked under the chassis and got to work.

 

OOC: While it has been open for a while I suppose I never really said so.

 

The Po-koro Technology Emporium is open for business. Feel free to drop by if you need anything invented.

[Wade.]

IC: Rungui

 

Rungui returned his friend's wink with a curt nod, the feeling mutual. He stood by Torvoth, arms folded as he chewed the inside of his lower lip in thought.

 

"I could always give him some morphine to dull the pain or maybe even a sedative to knock him out. I wouldn't touch his back though. Without an Akaku or any kind of surgery, there's no precise way of analyzing the damage and I'd be doing things half-blind. Some of his vertebrae might be severely fractured so if I tried to fix any dislocation, it's possible I'd break them or some of the fractured bone would splinter into his muscle tissue or further damage his spinal cord"."

 

He sighed a moment, not quite sure how to proceed. 

 

"If we carry him, the most I can do is to ease his pain and we'd have to be very gentle so nothing moves in his back. If we leave him, well...I'd rather not waste any supplies."

 

OOC: Day post soon

[silo]

IC: (Mura)

 

The Su-Matoran had spent a while tinkering with machinery in FARZAN'S WORKSHOP as he now thought of it, and was returning to his list of beings to visit.

Although the launcher was his main project at the moment, Mura was not overly keen on weapons. Most of his inventions were to make life easier (although their purpose often changed during the process of designing and building them).

 

Most of his ideas were original, but he sometimes he just contented himself with making better versions of existing products. His humble hut in Ta-Koro did not function as a usual shop; he simply received requests and carried them out for a small sum. They could be anything from "my lighting system needs fixing" to "invent me a machine that can turn Madu fruit into rocket fuel".

 

He had been recommended to go to a popular inventor for some mechanical parts for his new "Machine That Lets You Go Deep Into The Water Without Being Crushed By Pressure Or Drowning" - or "MTLYGDITWWBCBPOD" for short.

 

As he walked in, he noticed a large sign outside reading: "Po-Koro Technological Emporium" and soon spotted the Vortixx inside.

[Silvan Haven]

Lenat- Po-koro- Po-koro Technology Emporium

 

IC: The sound of a small bell ringing brought Lenat back to the real world. A flex of his hands caused the gloves to stop screwing a piece of metal in to the wooden frame of the cart. Scooting out from under the Trackless Mahi, he got up and headed through the doorway that led to his personal workshop.

 

"You look like somebody with a proposition. Whats up?"

[Nuju Metru]

CHAPTER III INITIATED!

Henceforth, all events described here are effective immediately. For more information on Chapter III and how it affects your characters, please read the first portion of this post.

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

The trip had been quiet. Elysi glanced upwards at the sky. Her new employer was right. They were definitely going to have to camp. Unless one of them wanted to keep walking through the desert at night. Hopefully no one did. Her legs were starting to get tired, as shameful as that was to admit.

 

"I have a warehouse in the village of stone," commented the Toa of Lightning offhandedly.

[Relapse]

IC: (Komisk)

 

The Matoran clipped his crossbow back to his belt. The Vortixx was correct- nothing could be done about Torvoth. It was time to proceed.

 

"We've thpent enough time here," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "once any latht medical problemth are dealt with, we need to keep moving."

 

He once again picked up the massively oversized Rahkshi staff, Onu-Matoran strength and years of military training allowing him to carry it like a Kohlii stick. It would come in handy dealing with tall opponents.

 

"You," he said to Stralix, "I need to thpeak with you."

Edited August 27, 2014 by badabababa obesity

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea ] - Po-Wahi / Motara Desert

"Oh? Useful. Do you... are you using it for anything in particular?"

[Voxumo]

OOC: Hope you don't mind some interaction, Vox and Requiem. 

 

IC (Tupua):

 

Not standing too far away from the two Toa and their captive was another Toa; a dark figure standing in the street, tall and hooded, with a grim halberd strapped to his back. He had quietly made his way through the outskirts of Po-Koro when a sudden explosion had caught his attention, followed by the two ahead of him showing up in his path. He'd watched them passively for a few seconds with blue eyes piercing out from the shadow of his hood. Judging by the exchange he had just overheard between them, they probably had something to do with the column of smoke rising nearby. Not a hard connection to make.

 

However, they weren't working for the darkness, as his sixth sense told him. Had it been otherwise, he would have attacked first and asked questions later. But as things were, he had no quarrel and merely decided to satisfy his own curiosity for the moment. And so Tupua decided to make himself heard:

 

"It's not wise to linger after attracting that kind of attention." he said, just loud enough for them to hear. "Then again, it isn't wise to attract that kind of attention in the first place if you have not decided on an exit-strategy yet."

OOC: Not at all

 

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge turned quickly at the sound of the voice, and without really thinking about it, he sent a shard of sharpened steel flying past the hood of the toa. Close enough so he would likely feel the air displacement as it whizzed past, but far enough that no harm would come. However what shocked voulge was that he managed to react so fast without really thinking about it, as if on reflex like he had done it so many times in the past

 

Odd... seems I discover something new about who I might have been everyday. Apparently I was master darts player.

 

Despite the inner monologue, being well inner, Voulge nodded his head in approval of his assessment before snapping back to reality and the toa 

"Sorry bout that good chap, bit skittish... And admittingly I would have prepared an exit plan had I known what my friend here was planning. Though I must ask you..." he trailed off as he tapped his chin " Cloaky. What is your purpose in stating that cloaky?"

[Mr. House]

IC: (Aryll/The Dark Walk)

 

Aryll had seen worse than this, ordered worse than this. He'd fought the Sons of Makuta before, killed one personally, but it made him shudder to think what more they capable of. Back home, he knew his enemies, as they were like him. He knew how to exploit the weakness in armies of the Matoran, and win in civilized conflict. But this wasn't a civilized land, he was in a savage world, a world he was still coming to terms with. Here, smoking a pipe, in a tunnel with his fellow soldiers, he wondered if he'd ever go back to any position of leadership. He wasn't complaining, though.

 

He had the ability, but Aryll did realize he'd have to climb the ladder all over again.

 

Looking at the darkness in front of him, he scanned his Arthron nervously. He wondered if they were stumbling onto something larger than any of them could conceive. The Makuta worshippers, he knew, didn't just fade into history, as much as most of the guards wanted them to. He'd heard of small cults of them, lingering on the fringe of civilization. One they found in some cavern in the mines, some acting as highwaymen, and then there was that one loon who attacked the Marines. But he didn't think them as anything but a nuisance, until now. Could it be that some small cult found out how to tame Rahkshi? Could it be larger than that? It was a disturbing thought.

 

"Agreed, Komisk, we should get moving, the cripple is in Mata Nui's hands now," he said, putting his extra canteen of water to the floor beside Torvoth. He had a bit of mercy left in him, somehow.

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

"Not really. Thought I'd mention it if you wanted to access it."

[silo]

Lenat- Po-koro- Po-koro Technology Emporium

 

IC: The sound of a small bell ringing brought Lenat back to the real world. A flex of his hands caused the gloves to stop screwing a piece of metal in to the wooden frame of the cart. Scooting out from under the Trackless Mahi, he got up and headed through the doorway that led to his personal workshop.

 

"You look like somebody with a proposition. Whats up?"

IC: (Mura)

 

The matoran just stood their, dumbfounded by the amount of lovely, lovely tech. He glanced over to the Mahi that his fellow inventor had been working on seconds before.

 

"...What on Mata-Nui is that?" he said, amazed.

[Ghosthands]

IC (Stralix)

 

The Skakdi turned, adjusting his flamethrower's sling so that it swung back from where it had been stowed at his shoulder into his waiting hands, and he held it in a relaxed position from which he could bring it to bear at a moment's notice against anything else that might ambush them. If they were going to move, they should be prepared.

 

"What is it?" he asked Komisk.

[Vezok's Friend]

IC (Tupua):

 

The iron dart whistled past his ear, the air in its wake tugging at the hem of his hood, but the dark Toa remained still, his only reaction being an instinctual blink of the eyes, while otherwise appearing unfazed. 

 

"Curiosity." he finally answered after a second or two of silence. "People usually don't resort to arson without a reason, whether good or bad. Usually the latter."

 

"And then there's you - two Toa with a beaten prisoner. I know for a fact you don't work for the shadows that lurk on this island, but others might get the wrong impression."

[sunflower]

IC: Dehkaz

 

The Toa of Magnetism glanced up at the sun above, which was beating mercilessly down on the dry, sandy ground as far as the eye could see.  It torched everything under its sway, even the mountains in the distance seemed to bend beneath its might.

 

It was good to be home.

 

Or at least the closest thing he'd had to home in a long time.

 

Dehkaz he let the edges of his longcoat billow around him as they moved at a respectable pace towards Po-Koro.

 

 

*   *   *

 

It didn't take them long to reach the Village of Stone, and the sun was still high int he sky when they walked through its stone gates into the village proper.  Of course, the first thing they saw was the column of smoke rising into the sky, taking on a reddish hue in the unending light.

 

"Remember what I said about having nothing to do?  I think we can forget about that," Dehkaz said, glancing over to Naona before moving off towards the smoke.

[25K Now!]

IC: Naona

 

"Definitely looks like we can," she agreed, following.

[sunflower]

IC: Dehkaz

 

The two of them weaved through the stone buildings of various sizes that littered Po-Koro, their movements constituting a light jog if they hadn't been dodging past both buildings and beings.

 

Dehkaz slipped around a corner, and slowed his approach as they neared the source of the smoke, coming to a cautious walk, his violet eyes glancing around ahead.  They fixed themselves on a figure not far from their position, back turned to them.  Toa, maybe Lesterin, it was hard to tell from this distance.  He moved a few steps closer, and another figure resolved itself, standing next to the first, though it was impossible to determine species.  A third shape was situated between the two, and what at first Dehkaz thought was a bag or pack was actually another being, either an injured brethren or a captive.

 

The first two were focused on something else, something that was out of Dehkaz's field of view, and discussing it among themselves. No... Their movement suggested that they were in fact in conversation, but with whatever it was he couldn't see.  Also judging by those movements, it wasn't a pleasant conversation.

[Silvan Haven]

Lenat- Po-koro- Po-koro Technology Emporium

 

IC: "I call it the Railless Mahi, that might not be the final name though. An internal generator powers the same type of propulsion system as the Iron Mahi that runs in to the koro. It is still a prototype, I expect to need to work on it a while longer before it is ready to sell. If you wanted to know more of the details about how it works I am sorry to tell you that those are trade secrets, not exactly something I tell random people off the street."

 

Grabbing a rag he started wiping some grease off of his hands.

 

"Was there something you were looking for?"

[Nuju Metru]

OOC: Catastrophe time!

 

IC:

Days got hot on Po-Wahi. But even by Po-Wahi standards, today was a scorcher.

 

Atop the wall of Po-Koro, the guard lookouts fanned themselves shamelessly with trinket fans that they'd bought from the bazaar below. The noon sun gave them no respite, and the flat parapets' meager shadow offered little help. Miles away, at the edge of their field of view, the dunes shimmered as though they were doused in water. The air, though blessedly without humidity, hung in place and broiled against their bodies, extracting sweat with the mercilessness of a tax collector. Most of the Koro's denizens had retreated to the insulated shade of their homes, but the guards' duty was diligence, so they couldn't wait out the heat until evening like everyone else.

 

A bit of a breeze started to pick up, to the guards' relief; admittedly, it gusted hot air across their faces, but it was better than no breeze. The wind picked up even more, but this was, the guards knew, a bad sign. On the horizon, one spotted something like a distant, round little wall, which approached the Koro on ponderous wheels. The guards' faces went slack, and some lost grip of their cheap fans; the paper instruments were blown off the turrets by the same wind that had created the strongest sandstorm any of them had ever seen.

 

Like a cloud that had deigned to float along the ground, the sandstorm rolled across the desert. Tan and puffy, it consumed the dunes in its wake, augmenting its strength. The wind upon the guards reached gale force as the storm, higher than even the towering walls of Po-Koro, approached in formation, consuming their whole field of view. Billowing masses of sand in the sandstorm's path were sucked up by its whirling winds, then tossed around in every direction inside the angry cloud; these whizzing chips of rock would subject the famous statues lining Po-Koro's entrance, and its walls, to accelerated weathering, and would blister the exposed skin of anyone caught within.

 

Insouciant, arrogantly unaltered in its pace, the sandstorm finally swallowed the Koro, blotting out the sun behind a brown-orange blanket as it raged overhead. Po-Koro's walls did it a tremendous good, sheltering the settlement from the worst of the storm, but this only meant that the dunes transposed by the roiling wall of sand rapidly reformed against the stone shields, burying the Koro's gate and shortening its stature on the outside. Much merchandise that had been left in the bazaar was eaten at by eddies of sand-carrying wind. Outside the walls, the proximate tracks of the Iron Mahi were quickly buried.

 

The sky whirled, the wind screamed, and the sand lashed; the sandstorm showed no signs of abating.

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

Komisk and Aryll seemed to have made up their minds about the Vortixx, but something was still nagging at me about this. Maybe I was just being a naive kid about it, but I was having trouble dealing with the idea that there was nothing - nothing - that could be done about this civilian. Civilian! How had one of them gotten injured here? How had those Toa gotten killed? 

 

My hand came up to the emblem on my shoulder, gold paint on black armour. The sigil of the Ussalry. 

 

To Protect and Serve.

 

I frowned. What a great job we were doing about that.

 

I glanced over at the Vortixx, broken, and I felt a pang of guilt. No matter how annoying and obnoxious he was being, he had still come down here, he had still been injured - probably permanently - in the line of duty, and now he was to be left for dead. Or even worse, put down.

 

Like her.

 

I snorted through my nostrils, as though the exhalation of breath could expel the thought of her with it. I walked over to Rungui, who was still fretting over his new patient, and I nudged his arm.

 

"Hey, uh, anything I can help wit'?" I whispered. "I mean, I dunno much about medicine, but I could probly hold 'im down or summit, if you needed that...."

 

-Void

[silo]

IC: (Mura)

 

"Ah, your an inventor like me. And I'm not just any random person - I happen to be an extremely respected and recommended inventor in Ta-Koro," said Mura, his chest swelling up with pretentious pride.

 

"But that's beside the point. I, uh, came here for a new machine I'm building called the "Machine That Lets You-" "

Before Mura could finish his sentence, the sandstorm hit.

 

First came the pummeling wind, smashing many tech items from their shelves and then came the sand, like a million tiny knives searing across his skin and armour, blinding him, choking him.

He couldn't see. He couldn't hear. He couldn't breath.

 

He cried with pain as the lashing stream of oblivion stung his eyes, which only served to fill his mouth with sand.

The door. He had to close the door.

 

Reaching for the handle blindly, he pushed his entire body weight against the unbearable sandstorm, but it pushed back. Eventually the door was closed.

 

It seemed that everything had gone silent, but it was only relative: the wind was immense and the door was almost being rattled off it's hinges. It wouldn't hold up for long. Through a murkey glass window set into it, he could see only opaque brown of the sand, almost black.

 

"Lenat, are there any windows still open?" he asked the Vortixx urgently. 

"Is their anything that we could reinforce the door with?"

[Vezok's Friend]

IC (Tupua):

 

 

Before the two Toa could answer, the black cloak wrapped around his figure suddenly tugged at him, flapping in a breeze - no wind, that had suddenly picked up. It carried with it a sense of foreboding, but also the voices of the guards, sounding alarmed. A glance back the way he had come told him all he needed to know.

 

He looked at the other Toa, who had planned to escape the city.

 

"You're not leaving." he said. It wasn't a threat so much as a statement.

 

"We better find shelter. Now."  

[Relapse]

OOC: Consider this retconned, but since it took like twenty minutes I'd rather not trash it.

 

IC: (Ak'rei'an)

Misgivings and misinterpretations.

Death and deception.

Torment and terror.

Why, it was almost time for tea at Blackrock. A nasty sandstorm was rolling over to the village, but the ol' castle of Ak'rei'an didn't mind the wind. Safe inside, its inhabitants continued their busy schedules, planning yet more acts of evil and self-exultation. Having just recently defended themselves from the walking dead, the winded members were ready for a bit of rest. In fact, if everyone could just stay still for awhile, a little sense of fellowship might do them some good. Alas...this was not such a day for the Brotherhood of Ak'rei'an- no, yet more drama was to occur before the end of the cycle.

Allow me to elaborate.

The sound of metal against metal shrieked in the halls. The flowing of cloaks followed harsh footsteps. Sword against sword, sword on armor, sword on skin. Fast, swift footsteps matched hard, strong ones. If these sounds didn't clue one in to the nature of the battle, the running dialogue surely did. A shrill voice, frantic and on edge, shouted almost pleading cries at an older voice, tones condemning.

"Ryjak, please!" Kriigata became a blur, zipping around to strike him from behind, but the old Toa was prepared, leveling a kick at her chest. She flew back, skidding on the stone floor.

"Silence, scum." Ryjak's sword, through the power of his element, gained size and therefore weight. He hefted it high above the prone Kriigata, preparing to chop her head clean from her neck. The small Toa skidded out just in time to dodge the blade, fortunately for her, and sliced at Ryjak's ankles, only to have the attack diverted by Ryjak's own blade. "I will not allow traitors to go unpunished," he denounced as she fell to her back, sword sliding out of her hand.

Pause.

Kriigata, the Toa of iron now laying on the ground avoiding death by mere inches, was a severely psychotic worshipper of Ak'rei'an- or at least, she had been until about five minutes ago. Psychologically damaged as she had been, something had clicked back, and in this return to sanity she resolved to abandon the brotherhood and go back to living a normal life. Naturally, Ryjak had not taken well to this.

Unpause.

Ryjak towered over her. He pinned her to the ground with a heavy foot upon her neck, threatening to crush the fragile bones at any moment. "Explain yourself," he demand, "and perhaps I will allow you to survive this." Krii was in a bad position, but she was able to banter with the best to buy time. "I doubt it," she croaked, bracing her hands on his foot in a futile escape attempt, "you never did have any semblance of justice..." her voice faded out as Ryjak's foot pressed in. Her grip tightened, but continued to be useless.

"You were always a fool, Kriigata."

"M-maybe," she lightly stammered as less and less air flowed into her lungs, "but at least-" a gasp "-at least I was efficient."

Ryjak looked more confused than irritated. "Why have you not given up yet? You might as well die quickly."

"Well maybe," Kriigata spat defiantly, "I don't intend to die today!"

The words held power, as Ryjak quickly found, when metallic objects from nearby seemed to gravitate towards him. A metal plate slammed into his head from behind, following by a kitchen knife that impaled itself through the back of his knee. A single cry of pain was let loose, but she was not around to hear it- she sped off as far as her mask allowed, not bothering to get her things.

A new day had dawned.

OOC: More of a post to get this character up and running- quite rushed as you can see. Anyways Krii to Ta-Koro.

Edited September 3, 2014 by badabababa obesity

[Wade.]

IC: Rungui

 

Rungui glanced down at the Onu-Matoran, nearly raising an eyebrow in question. Of all the people here, Dalrin seemed to be the only one who actually wanted to help Torvoth, loathsome as he was. Was it some moral sense of duty that compelled him? Naive idealism? Pity?

 

He shook his head. He'd regret this.

 

"Actually, that'd be perfect. I want you to gently roll him onto his side and try to keep him from squirming. I'll give him something and then we can figure out the rest."

 

With that said, Rungui knelt down and took off his backpack. He rummaged around until he produced a small bottle full of liquid and a matching syringe.

 

"Torvoth, try not to move, okay?" he said, prepping the needle while he waited for Dalrin to help out.

 

---

 

IC: Day

 

Day didn't clearly come into view until he stepped into the light of a nearby lightstone. There was some bruising on his chest, evidently from being kicked with enough force to make him fly, but apart from that, he seemed to be alright.

 

He was worried though. Nothing was said but Lux could see it in his eyes, the way they stared at his leg wound with subtle intensity. Eventually, his eyes flickered back to their usual state and he looked to Melna, then back at Lux.

 

"Hey."

 

He wasn't good at this sort of thing.

 

OOC: Avier post soon.

Edited August 29, 2014 by TX Wade

[Constructelf]

IC Ira

As luck would have it, Ira had almost made it back to Blackrock when the sandstorm picked up. Pulling a pair of surgical goggles over his eyes and tying a scrap of cloth over his mouth, he quickly dashed towards the Ak'rei'an headquarters, even as the wind violently picked up in speed and fine grains of sand assaulted his side. "What is this?!" he thought to himself as he ran. "There wasn't any indication of a sandstorm! GrrrrraaAAAGH!!!" Quickly losing his temper from the pain as well as from the sheer absurdity of the sudden weather condition, he literally leaped into Blackrock and made a beeline for the barracks, losing his balance and righting himself every few steps. "Will need bandages and disinfectant..."

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

It didn't take me much effort to tell that Day was worried. From the way his gaze lingered on the bandages being wrapped around my leg, from the way that he kept glancing between me and Melna, and from the way that his orange eyes seemed to smoulder like twin suns in their sockets.

 

My smile wavered, then dropped completely. I didn't need a pretence with Day. He was too keen for that.

 

"Hey. How did it...," I hesitated. "How did it go on your end?"

 

---

 

IC:

 

I swallowed, quickly brushing my hands off on my armour. A bit redundant, given that this 'Torvoth' fellow had been rolling around in the dirt and grit for the past few minutes, to the point where anything that was on my hands would be probably be spotlessly clean in comparison to his wound.

 

I knelt down next to the Vortixx, gently trying to shift him onto his side before laying my hands on his shoulder and his hips.

 

"Awright Rungui, you ready?"

 

-Void

[Silvan Haven]

Lenat- Po-koro- Po-koro Technology Emporium

 

IC: Lenat was calmly picking up the few pieces of machine that had fallen over from what little wind that had managed to make it this far in to the building.

 

They were open. The first real gust of wind from the sandstorm would have blown away the pops, allowing the window to fall and let the latch catch. From the length of the gust in here I would guess that one of the windows broke thought. Going to need somebody to replace that once the storm dies down."

 

The door to the office/workshop shuddered again.

 

"I suggest you open the door before one of my guards breaks it down and tries to attack you for robbing me or something. They can get a bit touchy at times."

 

OOC: The Emporium is a multi room structure. Lenat's workshop is the innermost one. Sturdy walls and doors as well as no windows for security reasons.

[Mr. House]

IC: (Ardron/Blackrock)

 

Over the months, a section of Blackrock had been rebuilt and sealed from the sand and dust. Ardron closed the crudely made wooden door after Ira entered. The Brothers around him rushed to cover the windows with thick canvas tarps, nailing them into the wall. Blackrock was far from rebuilt, but the Brotherhood had over the months made a new adobe wall sealing the barracks from the outside. Aside from the hiss of shards scraping the brick and ancient stone, Most of Ira's fellows were sleeping or praying.

 

Ardron the zombie went past the bear pen, and carried with him a small bottle of alcohol, and a old roll of gauze. "Here, take the bandage. Clean the wound, Sir Knight."

 

Jorruk and Larikon were in the meeting room. Obscured by a canvas sheet. "Go not in. They are speaking in private, Sir Knight. Rest, drink water. Go away from the storm."

[Voxumo]

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge brought a hand to cover his eyes as he motioned to the location he had just exited which was where he had stored the vortixx while waiting for Vail to return. It appeared to be a simply small warehouse, little more than a storage shack with no windows and one door. Once inside he turned to Tapua

"You would be partially correct.. Vail isn't some villian, and I don't think i am, though honestly I have no clue what I was before. And We did have good reason for blowing up that warehouse, much to my displeasure. Within it were two gang members working for a boss.. This vortixx here is going to show us the location of their boss, which we plan to bring to justice for his apparently numerous crimes.. Vail here has the pertinent details."

[NorikSigma]

OOC: Trying first-person.

 

IC: Zekev

In the vast open expanse of the Motara desert, a whirling banshee of a sandstorm roared towards the fortress with the fury of...

 

A bull? A bear? A drunken sailor?

 

###### this, I'm not a poet. I'm a knight of a Brotherhood of cultists, miscreants and sadists.

 

Well, maybe that's just me.

 

I cursed my mind-writing and headed back to the storm-proof shelter. I got in a minute before Ira stumbled in, goggles and all.

 

As I stood to the side, pretending to nail boards onto the windows (I hate that. Always gets splinters in my thumbs), Ardron handed Ira alcohol and gauze.

 

Now, I know that as a loyal follower of the Archangel, I had to abstain from alcohol, but that didn't stop me from getting a good, stiff whiff of it.(it rhymes! Who said I wasn't a poet? Oh, that's me. Never mind) It was surprisingly good stuff. Or maybe it's because I've been stuck in a dingy old fortress with other people who don't wash up after slaying undead people downstairs. Like what is up with that? Yeah, I don't wash up too but that's beacuse I don't smell bad with various bits of anatomy in varying states of decay all over me.

 

Right?

 

"Greetings Ira, need some help with that?" I asked. Better act like I'm working. One of the sisters were giving me a calculating look, like she wanted to know how much force would be needed to separate head from neck as a punishment for loafing off.

[25K Now!]

IC: Stronin

 

"So, you planning on keeping us here any longer?"

[Constructelf]

IC Ira

"Perhaps," Ira muttered, surveying his wounds. It seemed that he had gotten the worst of the sandstorm; it had been a long trek back to Kini-Nui, made longer by having to trek through large areas of undeveloped land. The others must have been in close proximity when the storm hit, as they did not seem so buffeted. "There may be injuries that I haven't noticed. What's with this storm anyway?!" He removed his goggles and untied the cloth, dropping them on the ground; he'd clean them later. The bag of minerals from Mangaia was safe, if coveted in sand; they would be of dubious use at beast, however. "Agh, some of it did get in my eyes," he snarled, blinking furiously.

[Vezok's Friend]

IC (Tupua):

 

"And this boss of his," - he pointed at the captive - "what did he do that prompted you two to shake down his subordinates?" he asked, now looking at the one his partner had just called 'Veil'. 

[silo]

Lenat- Po-koro- Po-koro Technology Emporium

 

IC: Lenat was calmly picking up the few pieces of machine that had fallen over from what little wind that had managed to make it this far in to the building.

 

They were open. The first real gust of wind from the sandstorm would have blown away the pops, allowing the window to fall and let the latch catch. From the length of the gust in here I would guess that one of the windows broke thought. Going to need somebody to replace that once the storm dies down."

 

The door to the office/workshop shuddered again.

 

"I suggest you open the door before one of my guards breaks it down and tries to attack you for robbing me or something. They can get a bit touchy at times."

 

OOC: The Emporium is a multi room structure. Lenat's workshop is the innermost one. Sturdy walls and doors as well as no windows for security reasons.

IC: (Mura)

 

"Are you mad?!  The storm'll come in!"

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea / Nero ] - Po-Wahi / Motara Desert

"Well, thank you kindly for the offer." said Rhea, pleased. "I'm sure we can find a use for it. A safe house, perhaps, in addition to storage. Are the--"

The dry desert wind, already restless, gusted sharply, spitting sand against her armor. And it didn't fade out. Held strong, shrieking in her ears with raw vehemence.

Gods ######.

Her eyes narrowed, squinting eastwards against the gathering fury of the desolation, noting with cold detachment the titanic ocher wall rising against the darkening sky.

...

"Sandstorm. We need cover, fast."

---

The Axe was running now, alert but unafraid, fast and easy as the desert fox. Returning westwards to his own.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Shadowhawk

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

Elysi was already moving, body crouching closer to the ground in an attempt to avoid the worst of the storm.

 

"See any shelter nearby?!"