BZPRPG - Onu-Wahi

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"And you won't get to see them if they take you to the hospital because you collapsed of exhaustion."

[sunflower]

IC:

 

"You'll never take me alive."

 

Or awake.

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Clearly."

[FallenAtlas]

IC: Nacka

 

 Cursed walls were making it much more difficult to listen in on the conversation she wanted to follow. Too many Guards inside, too many voices, and too many walls and rooms for all that lovely sound to bounce about. Nacka growled and punched the wall. That hurt a little. "Gonna have to watch the entrance."

[25K Now!]

IC: Uyism

 

"Robot."

 

It was an unfamiliar word to the Iroiit.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Walking Stereotype

[sunflower]

IC:

 

Leli stuck her tongue out, before practically bounding towards the massive monoliths of metal.

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"A robot is something like these, Uyism." The Onu-Matoran stepped into the room, albeit a little slower, and passed the requisition slip to the foreman in charge. Not that the other Ussalryman was very talkative, given that he glanced at it and gestured down the line with a grunt. Some of the bays were empty, indicating that some of them had already been checked out, but they were all labeled. Which was fortunate because most of the Exo-Matoran were similar. No modifications, not yet, so they all bore the standard colors and unmarked chassis of the base models. 

His was a few bays down, and on the right. Once he spotted the tag he stopped, and turned to face the gleaming titan.

 

"Something like these."

[sunflower]

IC: 

 

Leli had already managed to position herself atop one of the dull-grey machines, claiming it for her own by right of "dibs". And rank.

 

That too.

 

"Needs more color, really."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"They are a little monotone."

[sunflower]

IC:

 

"What do you think of pink?"

[Krayzikk]

IIC:

"I think that I wouldn't expect you to pick anything else."

[sunflower]

IC:

 

"Pink it is then, I'll have to talk to the engineers about that."

 

Leli glanced over at the foreman, a familiar glint that normally foreshadowed less-than-stellar-actions returning to her eyes. Being out an about, keeping herself busy, had done her well. It was easy to forget the wreck that she had been not even an hour before.

 

"Say, you think they're ready to go, Tarnok?"

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"I believe they are." The Ussalmatoran peered behind his machine, noting the thick cable that led from its backs to somewhere in the distance. A charging cable, specifically, which meant that they'd probably been charging for a while. "They're charged, at the very least."

[sunflower]

IC:

 

She bit her lip, and smirked.

 

"I don't think we'd get in trouble."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"You wouldn't. I'd probably make my luck worse. But I suppose this one was already assigned to me, so it couldn't hurt."

[sunflower]

IC:

 

"Right."

"Have any idea how to get in?"

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Just a moment." Tarnok replied, getting a grip on the underside of the cockpit and pulling himself up. A quick scan of the surface revealed a lever to release the hatch, one he pulled, and pulled on again to clamber into the cockpit. "Release lever right under the cockpit, Leli."

[25K Now!]

IC: Uyism

 

They were large. Matoran-like. What was their purpose? They were ... enterable? What reason? Why?

 

Why would one enter an inanimate metal cage shaped like oneself?

 

It was as if ... armour. Strange armour.

 

"Why ...?"

 

IC: Sajis

 

Metal crunched against the earth.

 

Gears whirred roughly against one another.

 

Joints squeaked, well-oiled and flexible.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boAV7wVPlqQ

 

A rust-red and grey Exo-Matoran lumbered into the hangar. It was similar to the nondescript units still within, the unmarked and unmoving machines that were waiting for their pilots, yet there was an aura to it that the others lacked. It was active, moving ... powerful. A single identification number was painted upon its arm, the J8RS only mere inches above one of the tomahawk holsters. It rumbled with energy, with strength. An armoured titan. A weapon.

 

The tool that would give Matoran the chance to be more.

 

Twin horns, sharp and threatening, jutted from the top of its frame.

 

Within the cockpit, Sajis' clouded amber eyes glowed from behind her ghostly, silver Zatth.

 

"Sir, ma'am."

[Void Emissary]

IC: Rungui

 

"I encourage you to participate. We provide throwup bags, if necessary."

 

IC:

 

"If I can survive whatever my sister put in my breakfast, I'm sure I can handle whatever you want to throw at me."

 

Just please don't actually throw anything at me.

 

-Void

[Wade.]

IC: Rungui

 

"Eggs, Dalrin. She put eggs in your breakfast."

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"You don't know my family, buddy. The Stratos line is an old and vindictive one."

 

-Void

[Wade.]

IC: Rungui

 

"So what, you stole her ice cream and now you're a dead man?"

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"Might have something to do with me joining the Ussalry, but let's not split too many hairs over it."

 

-Void

[Wade.]

IC: Rungui

 

"So if you're not killed in action, it's death by breakfast?"

[Geardirector]

IC: Ferron & Nurse Kay (Onu-Koro Hospital)

 

Nurse Kay discreetly bit her lip as she carefully wrapped the bandage around the Ko-Matoran's wounded arm. The motions were automatic, mechanical, down to the tiniest detail. Kay finished the bandaging and gave it one quick once-over, before she ushered the patient back out of the room so she could attend to the next one.

 

Even though Onu-Koro's citizens had taken great strides to ensure the safety of the Ko-Koronan refugees, some unfortunate few had found themselves in lackluster lodgings or simply in an unhealthy lifestyle due to grief or confusion overtaking them. Onu-Koro's medics were overworked and already making pleas for volunteers to lend what help they could.

 

Nurse Kay herself felt her head throbbing as she struggled to fit her concerns about the situation at large in with her concerns for her patients in the here and now. She blinked twice, shook her head and forced herself to soldier on.

 

She heard the door open, and forced her face back into appropriately professional folds, and turned around to meet the next patient. She was surprised to see a perfectly healthy-looking Turaga (save for his glaringly prosthetic limbs) stand in the doorway.

 

"Nurse Kay?" the Turaga asked, with an appropriately deep, gravely voice.

 

"Yes, that's me. Are you a new volunteer?" she asked, at least glad for a bit more help.

 

"Yes, the name is Ferron. I was told you'd be interested in the help I could give" the Turaga replied. The Nurse raised a quizzical eyebrow, the Turaga straightened his stance before answering.

 

"I understand you're very short on healers, I actually happen to possess a Mask of Healing here" the Turaga explained, gesturing to his mask, which looked distinctly like a Noble Pakari.

 

"Really?" Kay asked, unable to believe her luck, "that's exactly what we need, if you would like to help me with these patients?"

 

"As long as you wouldn't mind giving me some pointers, yes" the Turaga replied, which puzzled Kay.

 

"Some pointers, what do you mean? Most of these are pretty basic injuries"

 

Ferron twined his hands uncomfortably as he replied "even that is a bit beyond my range, I'm afraid, I've actually got very little experience using my mask. I got very recently before I became a Turaga, you see."

 

Kay's expression told of disappointment, "I see, so you'll need training first before you can really help"

 

Ferron nodded "Yes, if I could get an opportunity to learn, I'd like to use it to help"

 

Kay nodded gravely "it's far better than no help at all, so I think we'll just have to get started, shall we?"

 

"Suits me just fine" Ferron replied

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"Well, it's like this: my older sister ... and then, I go off and join the Ussalry ... not exactly being the most dutiful son, you know? Or the best older brother."

 

-Void

[Wade.]

IC: Rungui

 

"Sounds petty, if you ask me." Rungui said, calmly sipping his coffee. "Don't discredit yourself just because you're not living up to family expectations. You signed up for a good cause that's bigger than just you and them, and they need to understand that."

[sunflower]

IC:

 

Leli gave the loosest definition of a salute, which turned into a wave at Sajis as she marched in inside the hulking titan of metal.

 

"Why not, mostly," She answered Uyism's single word question. She'd found that simple answer explained a lot of what came out of the Ussalry's R&D division. And, well, she was admittedly kinda short, so the perspective from up here was a nice change of pace.

 

Almost slowly, she undid the indicated latch, and pulled herself inside the Exo-Matoran.

[25K Now!]

IC: Uyism

 

"... ?"

[Geardirector]

IC: Akiri Nuparu and Wiremu (Wiremu's Workshop)

 

"I think it's safer to leave the core properly contained and shielded, even if it reduces the yield by 2.7%"

 

"Then we should at least have a bit less limb plating to give it a touch more mobility, all the extra armor around the core will weigh it down"

 

"You can't sacrifice limb integrity, what's going to happen if the pilot loses control of them in the middle of a fight?"

 

"They won't be much good if you can't move them fast enough, will they?"

 

"Maybe not, but at least consider a bit more back space so the pilot isn't in danger of twisting a limb"

 

Wiremu drew a series of clearly indicative "x'"s with his coal marker, pointing out the flaws he could spot in the design. Nuparu followed them in a line, like connecting dots.

 

"Really?" he asked at one point, pointing at one of Wiremu's markers "reinforce that area?"

 

"Yes. Notice how the inflow is obstructed here? If we move that around we have to reinforce that to avoid a gaping hole"

 

"No, I didn't catch that. Nice catch" Nuparu agreed.

 

Wiremu scratched the back of his head quietly, nodding with a small smile, "glad to help"

 

Nuparu folded up the blueprints and put them away.

 

"Yes, well, I didn't come here to talk about prototypes all day, I had something I wanted you to take a look at"

 

"Of course, just let me see it" Wiremu replied. Nuparu nodded before bending down to the floor beside their worktable. His hands emerged holding an Ussalry strongbox in his hands.

 

"The Ussalry confiscated this from a prisoner a while back. It's a very interesting little trinket" Nuparu said, uncharacterstically seriously as he opened the box to reveal a black, jagged rock that at first glance looked like a completely ordinary rock.

 

Wiremu watched with a confused expression as Nuparu grabbed a wrench from a nearby toolcase and brandished it almost like a weapon.

 

"Observe" he said simply, and gave the stone a light tap with the wrench.

 

In an instant, the workshop was cast in a total darkness that hungrily swallowed up the lightstone in the roof and pressed against their faces, obscuring everything from their vision but total blackness.

 

Wiremu's heart skipped several beats as he fought to process what he saw; total darkness, complete, utter emptiness, even his in-born night vision was worthless, he couldn't see a thing. Was this how first-time visitors to Onu-Koro felt, like they stepped into complete emptiness?

 

The dark cloak slowly receded, almost like it was folded away into the shape of the small rock from which it had first erupted. Wiremu blinked, speechless by the sudden descent into total darkness. Nuparu quietly closed the case before he spoke up.

 

"Neither of us need to be geniuses to figure out where this comes from" the Akiri said, his friend nodded somberly.

 

"I fear Makuta's followers in Ko-Koro may have similar tricks up their sleeve, so I want you to figure out what makes this thing tick, find out if there is some way to counteract it". Nuparu slid the case across the counter to Wiremu, who cautiously accepted it into his own hands, but didn't open it.

 

"I... I'll do my best" he said.

 

"I know you will" Nuparu replied with an assuring expression. He liked having somewhere where he didn't have to be "the Akiri" all the time.

 

Speaking of which...

 

"I have to get back to my duties" he excused himself, "just figure that thing out, that's now your number one priority"

 

Wiremu met his gaze and forced his face into determined folds, and nodded sternly.

 

"I'll take care of this, don't worry" he said

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"No need to call me sir." The Onu-Matoran replied in what almost might have been a dry tone, though he raised a hand in greeting to the other Ussalmatoran. "Afternoon, Sajis."

[Void Emissary]

IC: Rungui

 

"Sounds petty, if you ask me." Rungui said, calmly sipping his coffee. "Don't discredit yourself just because you're not living up to family expectations. You signed up for a good cause that's bigger than just you and them, and they need to understand that."

 

IC:

 

"It's a little more complicated than that," Dal said, already wondering where the rest of his family was. It felt like it had been hours since Dina had gone back into the kitchen, and unless she was purposefully keep his homecoming a secret from whoever was cooking today (which he was willing to bet his next paycheque was Poppa Stratos, the only man known to consider his frying pan more valuable than the family gold) then his parents must have been keeping themselves distant. If it was the former, well, he could deal with Dina and him not seeing eye-to-eye; but if even the rest of the fam didn't want to see him....

 

"It's sort of like this," the Onu-Matoran streetrat-turned-Ussalman said. "Imagine you've got a kid, or a sister, who's an engineer. Really good one too, let's say prodigy-level here. She's going places, you know, and you couldn't be prouder of her, even if it means she has to fly the coop and go off to do her own thing. You can live with that, she's living her dream and that's great. You think, hey, maybe she's going to go to Ta, or Le, or maybe the academy in Ko, there are some good spots for engineers there. But, naw, she stays in Onu. She loves it here. She loved this place.

 

"So, the Rahks come and, what do you think someone as loyal and hardheaded and stupidly brave as Delta does? She goes in and fights. She's ... she's an engineer. A mining engineer, she's barely had any training with a sword and now she's going up against Rahks and...." 

 

Dal leaned over to cough, wiping away spittle with his arm. Some of the spittle must have gotten up onto his cheeks, near his eyes, because he has to wipe it away there, too.

 

"And then, there's just two Stratos kids left. The fam's broken, reeling. Dad's broken, even though he'll never admit it. Sometimes, when I was lying awake at night, I thought I could hear him crying in the bathroom. Just sobbing, those loud ones that almost sounds like laughing. Mom just plunges back into her work, like pretending nothing ever happened will make it like nothing happened. Dina needs her family more than ever, desperate for something to cling to ... and me? I'm ... I'm angry more than anything else. That Onu needed civilians to fight its battles for it. To risk everything, to die for it. I'm angry and the only place I can see myself going is straight into the Ussalry. Gotta make sure not another civilian has to die in combat. I did what was best for me, rushed off into the fray, the field, where there's a decent chance that I'm gonna bite in any day of the week."

 

Dal couldn't even look his friend in the eye.

 

"The Stratos family already lost one kid ... no one wants it to lose another."

 

-Void

[Zacian]

IC: Toa Azthran and Krayne

 

I followed the Vortixx to a dark alleyway. The Vortixx I met was being really suspicious from the moment I met him and if by listening to his really long and annoying conversation made me learn anything about him was that the guy's name was Krayne, he thinks pancakes and puppies would make a great brunch and likes the sight of blood, which really disturbed me.

 

Suddenly we stopped walking. "What's wron-unngh!". My question was cut off as I felt a piece of metal go through my chest. I felt nothing at first but then the pain started to kick in. Krayne looked down on me with a smug grin on his face.

 

"Have I mentioned you look cute when you're in pain?"

 

This guy was insane! I tried to get away but Krayne grabbed me by the shoulder and punched me in the face.

 

***

 

Then everything went black for the poor Toa. Krayne retrieved his dagger and grabbed his hoverboard, leaving Azthran wailing in pain.

 

Blood started rushing through the Toa.

 

OOC: Someone PLEASE notice and interact with this poor Toa.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Darth Kranie

[Wade.]

IC: Rungui

 

Rungui leaned back in his chair, gently tapping the edge of his cup. "And I still stand by what I said: it's petty. You're out there fighting, risking your neck so people like your sister don't have to, so they don't have to die. You're saving lives, Dally. Best for you? Maybe, but I'll be ####### if that's not one of the most selfless things a person can do."

 

He brought the cup to his lips, but there wasn't anything left. Hopefully Dalrin's sister came back soon.

 

"Someone's gotta stand up for the little guys, and if we don't do it, nobody will. People like us, we know what it's like to lose someone firsthand, and I'd never wish anyone the pain that comes with it. If someone I knew was willing to give it all up to spare others of that, I wouldn't resent them. Even if they died for nothing, I'd be proud knowing that because of their sacrifice, several others were given a chance at a better life."

 

Leaning forward, Rungui continued to speak in an even tone.

 

"Your family may have lost the lottery, but they still benefited from the opportunity our protection offers them. If they wanna take that away from other people just like them, fine, but I'd make #### sure they understand what kind of selfish hypocrites they are."

[Zacian]

OOC: I guess I'll just kill him off, then. *sigh*

 

IC: Toa Azthran (Onu Koro, a dark alleyway)

 

Azthran felt his blood gushing out of his chest. He needed medical attention fast. He stood on his two feet and desperately tried to exit the alleyway, hoping he would find someone that would help him. Sadly, it didn't take more than a mere five seconds before the pain in his chest forcefully made his legs give up, making him fall once more to the solid ground.

 

Knowing that no hope remained, he shifted his weight making his chest face upwards. More streams of his red blood came gushing out of his wound. He tried to control his breathing. Several thoughts and images started dancing around in his head. Most of them included images of his past adventures with Kirgan and X. Even though his life wasn't well lived, he was still glad he made a few thoughtful friends.

 

And finally, peace.

 

...A few citizens rushed through the streets of Onu Koro. Unknowingly passing by the corpse of a Toa lying somewhere in the shadows.

 

OOC: Aaaaand, scene. ToaTapio Nuva and Ehks, if you guys happen to be passing by feel free to bury Azthran's corpse. Some last goodbyes would be very appreciated. I planned on killing him off during our little quest anyway.

 

Edit: Decided to edit it out. Seemed a bit too cheesy to me.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Darth Kranie

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"They're not selfish," Dal said, his voice as hard as the ores that Onu was famous for. "They're not hypocrites either. They're some of the best people I know. It's been ... tough. Adjusting, you know? We're all just trying to find our footing, and sometimes that means" -- bitterness, hate -- "tension."

 

The Matoran tried his best at a smile.

 

"It'll probably work out," he said. "Stuff like this always does, doesn't it?"

 

-Void

[Wade.]

IC: Rungui

 

Better to know an ugly truth than false hope.

 

Rungui looked at Dalrin, suppressing a curl from his lips.

 

"I'm gonna tell you the same thing I tell my patients," he said, sounding remorseful.

 

"Not always."

[Timageness]

IC: Dhalgira - Onu-Wahi (Surface)

Forming a bow in her left hand, the Tiokaha patiently waited for her prey to enter her field of vision.

It had took her a few days to track it into its natural territory, and even longer as it crossed the border between regions in an attempt to throw her off of its trail, but after seeing what it was doing to its own kind, the wait only served to harden her resolve. She had come across a few others during her travels, all bearing signs of the disease as well as the erratic behaviors she had previously observed, and had taken the time to give them peace, hopefully before they were able to pass it on themselves. While she absolutely loathed the thought of taking their lives without a personal need to do so, she knew that it was a necessary evil she was going to have to live with, as leaving them to suffer and potentially infect others with their illness was not only a danger to their species in general, but their entire habitat as well.

For Dhalgira, that was simply something she could not just sit around and let happen, especially while she could do something about it.

Peering over the mound of earth she had taken cover behind, she took note of the position of the shadows being cast by the sun, hoping the creature would show itself before it would simply be too dark to continue. She had previously covered herself with mud from the river bed in order to mask her scent, and had set up her camp far enough away in an effort to disturb her current surroundings as little as possible, but the terrain and the weather over the past few days had proven themselves to be somewhat disadvantageous to her cause; rain had washed away most of the creature's tracks by the time she arrived, and the numerous cavern entrances had made it difficult to discern exactly which one it had chosen to rest in, provided it was staying in the same one each night and hadn't already left the area entirely. Despite this, the Roth-bearer was persistent in her hunt, switching tactics and choosing to let the being come to her instead of the other way around. And with this stream being the only source of water nearby, she knew just where to wait.

As the sky began to grow darker, her disappointment suddenly became more apparent. She had been watching this spot every day for the past week now, and had absolutely nothing to show for it. Deciding that it was about time she made her way back to her campsite, she resolved to begin moving downstream in the morning to see if she could pick up its trail again, only to freeze in place as she felt something enter the area. Tensing up as it continued to move closer, she could tell it had a similar amount of blood coursing through its veins as her quarry, though she knew better than to act until it had entered her line of sight.

But when it did, she wasn't going to let it ellude her again.

Moments passed by, each feeling like their own separate eternity before the Stone Ape revealed itself, moving awkwardly towards the water in order to quench its thirst. The black sores dotting its flesh had long since ruptured, secreting a thick, viscous puss that had continued to ooze its way down the beast's extremities before pooling together inside of the depressions it left in its wake. The creature's eyes were filled with pain, as if begging to be released of its agony, and the brief, gutteral sounds emerging from its throat were equally as heart-wrenching. Had she not been raised in the ways of the Tiokaha, and not seen how much of a danger it was to everything around it, she probably would've broken down and started crying, both alerting it to her presence and giving it ample time to make its escape.

But she was, and she did, allowing her to focus soley on what needed to be done.

She just hoped that afterwards, it would realise what she had done for it, and hopefully find it within itself to forgive her.

Shaping an arrow out of the substance forcing itself through her own skin, Dhalgira waited for it to stoop down to drink before drawing her weapon and slowly bringing herself to stand in order to get off a better shot.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she fired, watching on as the projectile punctured its way through the creature's neck and embedded itself firmly into the beast's spinal column.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Timageness

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Kirgan

(Onu-Koro):

 

Kirgan walked towards his home in Onu-Koro after witnessing the return of The Inika on the shore. To his shock, he soon spotted a familiar figure... the dead form of his old friend, Azthran.

 

"Mata Nui..." Kirgan said aloud, racing to his friend.

 

How did this... what happened here?

 

Though filled with grief, Kirgan knew he had to report this first and foremost to the authorities. He would see to it that Azthran would receive a proper burial.

 

Though he wasn't sure what had happened, Kirgan knew he would need to take care, even in his home village. There was always danger lurking around the corner...

[Toa Fanixe]

IC:

 

Ezrak watched in silence as the Tiokaha readied her shot and released the crimson arrow, which barely whistled as it flew and stuck the Stone Ape squarely between the shoulders.

He'd seen the Tiokaha return to this spot by the water for several days, first stumbling upon her by chance. She had never noticed the small, silent Matoran as he had stood guard each day and who now, for no reason he could quite ascertain, had decided to bring Anvil with him today, of all days. Now, seeing the ailing beast, sick from plague and paralyzed as well, Ezrak knew fate had been at play.

 

Perhaps Mata-Nui had put the thought into his head. Perhaps Mata-Nui was still alive. Perhaps not. 

 

Shielded in the cockpit, Ezrak and Anvil rose as one, the hum of energy more pronounced now as the Exo-Suit was fully activated. With heavy footfalls and  the whirring of pistons Anvil approached the Stone Ape, which was moaning in pain and struggling to move forward, it's bottom half a lump of dead weight. Ezrak gave the creature a look of pity, then swung his hammer. The creature became silent instantaneously, it's head dropping to the floor.

 

Ezrak glared at the Tiokaha.