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IC: Ackune (Pala-Koro)

The smith nearly laughed, the stiffling air escaping his lungs on its own accord as he pivoted to face the Cy-Toa. He stared past Tarex, though his focus was clearly on the only other living being around. There was a moment, a fleeting second, when Ackune began to worry that maybe, just maybe, this was it. He was really starting to lose it after all this time. He had a good run at it, now his mind had finally given out.

Then again, he could indeed sense the presence of the younger Toa, as strange as it seemed.

"Last night? Lad, they left a couple of weeks ago. You've been out for..." he started counting off the days on his hand, before running out of working fingers, "...quite some time now."

"You sure you're fit to be walking around like that?"

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IC: Tarex (Pala-Koro)

Incredibly, he found himself snorting in derision.

"If they'd done anything to Ko that easily, I doubt Kongu would be mustering up that many birds for a celebration."

A couple weeks ago.

A couple weeks ago?

That explained the sandpaper on his voice and pit in his stomach... startlingly well. Nevertheless,

"That can't be right, old man. Anything over a day would be ridiculous. I don't do random comas, so whatever prank you're pulling, cut it out. I don't have the patience for games."

Liberated what fortress, anyway? Ko-Koro? Unless they intended to liberate it from the icy chill with a whole heap of firewood, the smith's story didn't add up at all. The Akiri was a strange man who talked to birds— but not a despot. If it needed liberating, they'd have done it far earlier, and with a force... much more like the one being sent out now. Not just a rag-tag group of people manning an outpost wearing the guise of a village.

Maybe power had gotten into Matoro's head after after all.

"So something happened in the North."

It wasn't a question.

Edited by Razgriz

helo frens

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IC: Ackune (Pala-Koro)

The smith's expression remained neutral, though it was difficult to say if it was merely due to the unblinking stare that followed his head as he dropped his chin. The smith let out a breath, his posture relaxing noticeably as he slipped his forging hammer, still smoking from heat, into a loop on his thigh armor.

"Well, that's one way to put it," Ackune agreed, looking back up to the solidly built toa of Crystal, crossing his arms. "Followers of Makuta raising their ugly heads again, they got real bold and seized the village up there. Apparently it's become a haven for more equally unsavory folk, what with Xa-Koro sitting pretty at the bottom of the sea. They took the villagers that didn't make it out hostage, so no one was exactly eager to attempt to take the citadel back by force. By the sound of it, the Koros have apparently made to take more overt action."

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IC

"So the most we can do is wait and pray that Mata Nui delivers us?"

The voice was shocked, even angry. Shadows flickered on the walls of the hut, following the dancing fire at its center. The Turaga watched from his chair, patient as always, as his visitor stared into the crackling flames.

The Matoran clenched his fists. “You counsel inaction, Turaga. You counsel inaction and claim it will do us more good than any action could.”

He raised his gaze to the old man, eyes reflecting the sparks that drifted lazily through the air. The staff on his back cast a long shadow against the wall.

“I can’t believe that,” The Matoran said. He walked slowly around the fire, as if trying to forge a physical path through his own muddled thoughts, then turned away, eyes fixed on the blank wall. There was silence for a long moment.

“I can’t believe that,” he repeated, and turned back to the fire where the elder sat as he had before, unblinking and unmoved. “How could the Great Spirit be so cruel? To watch his people hide from every shadow and start at every noise, all the while hoping that one day, maybe, just maybe, he will see fit to cause the prophecies to come true?”

The Turaga seemed about to speak, but the Matoran forged on, his voice rising in feverish intensity. “If destiny can’t be changed, then why bother trying to survive? I might as well lie down and wait to die. If inaction is our best chance at survival, as you claim, then all this fighting we’ve done, all these years spent just barely holding on… they’re all utterly meaningless. Like chasing the wind. You would counsel me to hope? Hope without action is death.”

“You misinterpret my words,” the elder said levelly, finally breaking his silent façade. His cool eyes betrayed nothing. “I do not advise that we simply do nothing. I advise that we not waste our time chasing prophecy. Such pursuit will only delay its arrival.”

Smoke hung in the air, lending an otherworldly feeling to the Turaga’s words. His voice was soft and low, like a smoldering blaze that might at any moment burst back into blazing life. He seemed at that moment to grow taller in his chair, and the Matoran caught a glimpse of the Toa he must once have been.

“Destiny cannot be changed by will, and certainly not over a long period. But if you cease to act truly to yourself, or if you simply give up, your destiny will not end as it should have.”

The firelight flickered, and he was an old man again, wizened and small; yet his eyes still glittered with an ancient power that dared his visitor to challenge him again. Abashed, the Matoran swallowed hard and lowered his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Turaga. Please forgive my outburst. I... I didn't mean to... I shouldn't have..." His voice trailed off, his gaze still fixed on the ground. His hands, previously clutched tight, now hung limply at his sides. He suddenly seemed lost.

"I... I just want to do something, Turaga. Being true to myself means I can't just wait until a hero comes to win my freedom for me. Even if I can't do anything worth singing songs about; even if it means my death, I need to fight. Destiny... it's just another word for something I don't know. If I can't change my destiny, then I'll follow it the best I can. And that means fighting the Makuta, even… even if it won't change anything.”

He stood in silence for a long moment, then abruptly pulled the staff from his back. He walked back around the fire, his face cast in shadow, then knelt on the hard ground before the elder and offered the weapon in both hands. Although well-cared for and clean, it was chipped and scratched, bearing the scars of countless battles.

"Release me from my service to Ta-Koro," he said quietly. "I know I should go to Jaller, but he wouldn't understand. You know my heart, Turaga: I can't do nothing, even for the sake of destiny. I have to seek my own fate, no matter what that means.”

“You must do what you believe is right, Oreius,” Turaga Vakama replied. “Go, and Mata Nui be with you.”

***

A gentle breeze stirred the curtains hanging at the open window. Beyond, the green of sunlit leaves gave way to the blue of a summer sky.

Inside, the room was cool and smelled unnaturally clean. A Toa of Fire lay stark red against white sheets, his eyes full of the past. One hand rested on his sternum, while the other tapped out an indiscernible pattern on the side of the bed.

I never learn, do I.

A rush of wings filled his mind, accompanied by the sensation of weightless freefall. A young bird diving from its nest.

You must risk failure to do anything worthwhile. A nestbound bird will die.

The Toa sighed, then winced. He closed his eyes tightly and waited for the pain to pass.

That’s not what I meant. I was a fool then, and I’m a fool now. I should’ve listened to him.

A heat rose in his chest. A different voice, composed of crackling flames and smoldering embers. Had you stayed, you would never have done anything.

Tahu had never listened to him either. Toa of Fire were hotheaded, impulsive and brash. The strength of fire was also its greatest weakness: given free reign, it would consume everything and starve. Vakama had warned him of that, without knowing it. He had counseled the Matoran to hope, not to do nothing. Waiting was not inaction, the Turaga had said. It was sometimes the only rational choice to make. Action without thought was irrational, and Oreius had paid the price.

A spark of worry lit in his belly as his thoughts turned again to Ko-Koro. There was no news from the north, or at least nothing the doctors knew. Kongu had taken the Force to the mountain, and that was all anyone would tell him. His fingers wrapped themselves in the fabric that covered him, and for a moment he allowed himself the fantasy of ripping off the sheets, of burning a hole in the wall of the hospital and blazing a path through the jungle. Of joining his brothers and sister as they took the fight to Echelon and his cronies. Of blasting that karz-forsaken Toa of Iron off the side of the mountain.

A fresh stab of pain blossomed in his chest, putting an end to his daydream. Oreius clenched his teeth until it subsided. Against his will, he felt his eyes well up with angry tears. He was helpless, and all the while the people he loved were in danger. Danger he’d only made worse because he couldn’t swallow his stubborn pride.

You need to forgive yourself, Inu said, although his own thoughts were tinged with shame. We won’t heal any faster.

I know, the Toa replied. He felt a drop of water trace a warm path down his cheek but made no move to brush it away. The breeze played with the curtains as it filled the room, carrying the smell of the jungle with it. The smell of leaves under a yellow sun, of ripe fruit and fresh soil. He inhaled but couldn’t bring himself to enjoy it while the fear gnawed at his belly like a worm. He turned his thoughts inwards and sought comfort from the Parakuka, and tried desperately to forgive what he had done.

I know.

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IC:

A dangerous, tense silence.

The wave of fury rising from the pit in his stomach had clamped the Cy-Toa's jaw shut as he stared straight through the old man's sightless eyes and into the wall behind him. His mouth was left first a hard line, then a scowl, more teeth showing the longer he listened. A swell of hot tar ran through his every vein as the name echoed in his skull. That of the man who had torn from them their safety, their destiny, and now, part of their home itself. It seemed he was no longer the only one.

Makuta.

His scar began to burn, as the shadows of long-dead fangs raked through it anew. It pulsed, sending wave after wave of remembered agony through him in tune with the blaze. His own vendetta against that name, which seemed to stain every encounter with chance he'd had in his short life, aside— they had spread that evil to a whole village. Driving people from their homes. Pitting them against monsters from the dark. Shackling and chaining them to Karzhani itself.

Makuta.

He just wouldn't die. Even after the Maru had come back triumphantly from their encounter with the shadowy force that had plagued him, had plagued their whole island, not just him, for centuries, that name still found a way to keep coming back. To continue in his name after his ostensible defeat, after his final swelling horde of Rahkshi as he gave his last, defiant breath... There was still much work yet to be done.

"Makuta's followers. You're certain?"

Much hunting to be had.

If those that sought the long rein of night still had the gall to do their dark lord's bidding, even after his death...

I'll return them to him.

 

helo frens

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IC: Ackune

"In no uncertain terms, yes. It's them. No other band of degenerates would use taking an entire village as a show of power."

While his eyes could not see, he could hear the undercurrent of emotion in the bulky toa of Crystal's tone. A fiery, righteous rage that burned just beneath the surface. Through his Kanohi he could sense the change in Tarex's posture, the other toa's voice reminding him of the tone of a younger, far more hotheated Ta-toa than the one he was today. 

Another exhale; he could see where this was headed.

"You're going to go after them."

It was more of a confirmation than a question.

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IC:

Confirmation.

In no uncertain terms.

"Yes."

He replied with a voice that could be likened more to the growl of a wild animal. A wounded beast, overpowering pain and fear with raw anger. Tight with conviction.

He was no destiny-chosen hero.

He was not a champion of the island's people.

He was anointed by nothing, and had lived as nobody. There was nothing charmed of his life, and by every account he didn't seem to matter. Fortune didn't smile upon him, circumstance never favored him, only a handful even knew him.

He didn't hold the delusion of being any more than he always was— a man walking through mud to swing his sword at darkness.

Even so.

"Do you think you'll stop me?"

He would rather fight, alone if he had to, than watch "fate" try to sort itself out.

It was far too fickle to do so reliably.

helo frens

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IC: Ackune

The smith let out a gruff sound, which could only really be assumed to be a hoarse laugh attempting to escape his signed lungs.

"Even if I was so inclined, stopping you would be an exercise in futility. You and I both know that, Toa." Ackune shook his head, his sightless eyes finally closing for a brief second. "I've been stuck in this ruin for far too long..."

His eyes opened with a gleam present that wasn't before.

"...Let's go hunting, lad."

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IC Kathrine Vale - Le-Koro:

Afternoon came and went and the end of my work day went with it. Now at home, I started packing. Toothbrush, soap, towel, map... The usual travel essentials. Where was I going? Vacation of course! I love Le-Koro, really I do. But even I had to admit I was feeling a little stuffy here in the jungle trees. So I took some time off to go to Ga-Koro. Sun and sand, the beach, the drinks, the coastal dining, the cute locals, and of course.... The water. 

Toa of Stone tend to have a not so great relationship with the ocean and water in general. We don't float so well, you see. I'm certainly no exception there. I'd probably make a good anchor for a boat if you threw me in the water. That aside, being on the beach in the shallow portions of that immense stretch of water, just splashing around and letting the waves lap against me with a fruity drink in hand? That's pretty high up there on my list of perfect days. 

And again, cute locals. 

 

I didn't actually leave until tomorrow , but a little preparation never hurt. I wanted to get going as soon as I could when the morning came. I threw a canteen in my bag. Important to stay hydrated on long flights. With my bag packed, I threw it in the corner and left my little apartment. 

Evenings in Le-Koro aren't any quieter, what with the jungle and all. But there's definitely a different feel to the sounds.  More subdued and nocturnal, maybe. I didn't like it at first but now it's kind of relaxing in a way. A quick turn of the key to my door and I set off along the platforms, just letting the night air flow around me. It was good to get away from work for a bit to appreciate the small things like this. A nice night and a walk. I wandered, not really going anywhere in particular.

 

OoC: Kat open for interaction

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IC:

Those unseeing orbs could not gaze upon the wolfish grin the younger Toa wore, but Ackune could certainly hear the gruff laugh that heralded its supplanting of a scowl. It hadn't happened in a long time, but he couldn't deny one fact about this derelict "village"— he liked their people.

"Good answer. Just don't hold me back."

It had been far too long since he had someone at his side to kill monsters with. The smith had an appreciably frank and unambiguous demeanor, as far as Tarex had gleaned from this conversation. No doublespeak, no words wasted on headgames, and above all, not an ounce of doubt in what he spoke of. Trustworthy and experienced.

The Toa of Crystals spun upon his heel, the matter decided. If the smith could still ply his trade, still confidently say that he was ready to fight, even in spite of his blindness, he would hold him to it— A group like the ILF wouldn't keep him around if either were untrue. That much he felt safe in assuming; everyone who had professed to be a native there was, if nothing else, not lacking for comfort with the idea of a brawl.

Show me the strength making you say that, old man, and you and I will get on just fine.

He began to stride towards the gate, propelled by purpose and anticipation. As if the furnace in his chest had become an engine. Each heated pulse an urging forward, each thud within his breast the word 'faster' in his ear. A concept of percussive advance, much like...

The drums of a marching army? How fitting.

"Time to raid the enemy camp."

Edited by Razgriz

helo frens

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IC: Ackune

"I like the 'ound of that lad," Ackune intoned, his better working arm snagging a paricularly rugged looking shield on his way out from his forge. He fully expected to use it before long.

"You reckon we could use the Darkwalk, eh? They're rather handy for crossing distances quickly."

He paused for a moment, moving up in stride to fall in next to the toa of Crystal. "Assumin, of 'ourse, that you're not one to shy away from whatever we meet within that forsaken haunt."

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IC: (Tarex, Pala-Koro)

A hand drifted up to the pommel of the absurd facsimile of a sword he carried upon his back, gripping it as if to remind his muscles of its true heft and feel. They'd had a few more days off than he particularly liked— couldn't go into this with a lazy arm. Tarex was strong, but he'd gotten that way by swinging the biggest thing he could manage at whatever threatened him for years. Falling out of practice wasn't his brightest idea.

To that end,

"We're in a hurry, aren't we? You and I both wanna get there before the other Akiri take all the fun stuff out." came the brusque yet candid response, his low timbre beginning to smooth out as his voice began to be used again for sentences longer than five words. Momentous occasion, that. "And we both need the warmup."

You would get more pushback from him if you handed over a ripe Bula and told him it was his to enjoy.

Edited by Razgriz

helo frens

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IC Luten - Le-Koro:

 

She awoke with a start, and momentarily panicked at the blindness that greeted her. Without a host she was not able to see unless she formed her physical body. With a soft chime, her crystalline form appeared, and she looked around the room. The man who had brought her here dozed in the chair across the tiny hotel room. 

 

Luten frowned, an action that sent a shimmer of red-violet light through her. Something....someone, felt wrong. She still wasn't sure what she was, but in the days leading up to her arrival here, she had discovered she could... Well she could almost feel the energy of potential hosts around her. Toa were the strongest of these energies, with turaga and matoran being very hard to make out across distances. But now.... Now there was someone nearby who radiated so much energy that it had woken her from sleep. And it ... Also felt somewhat familiar. Like Mr. Vale had been, but...different.

 

It was intensely curious, and Luten found herself drawn to it like a moth to flame. She picked herself up and left the hotel, taking care to stay out of the middle of the walkways so no one would step on her as she began to search for the source of that too bright energy.

Edited by The UltimoScorp
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IC: Ackune

"I thought 'as much," Ackune nodded in response, an almost sagely gesture that contrasted sharply with his otherwise scarred, rough demeanor. Despite his apparent age, the toa of Fire kept pace with Tarex's larger stride without issue; while he may have been weathered far beyond most, it was clear his days of fighting were far from over. Or so it seemed, the journey ahead would test to its limit.

"The Darkwalk isn't far, we'll make it there before sundown. Once inside we should make good time 'o the Koro itself," He paused for amoment, as if thinking over his next few words. "Even if we run into trouble, I reckon it won't be trouble for long."

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IC Luten - Le-Koro Hospital:

Finding the place the energy was coming from had been easy. Getting to the source however, had proved somewhat harder. Luten had never been in a hospital before, and hadn't been prepared for the amount of moving people. Hospitals, it seemed, were busy places. Noisy ones, too. She hoped no one had to sleep here. 

 

It was fortune that favored her that with all the noise and activity, few if any noticed a Sanok making its way slowly to where Oreius Maru was roomed. The guards to his room were busy keeping people from seeing the injured Toa, but Luten, being much smaller, managed to skirt around them and make her way inside. 

If the energy she had felt was strong before, she now felt as if in the center of a whirling storm of the stuff. Something about the being in here was exceptionally different to all the people she had met before. But...there was that familiar feeling as well.... It reminded her...it reminded her of Ora! 

A shiver of blue ran down her tiny crystal shape, and she quickly clambered out from under herself, climbed up atop herself to get a better view, stretching as tall as her diminutive form would allow, and managed to force out a tiny, tinkling, "Hello?"

Edited by The UltimoScorp
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IC:

"It won't."

The gate, battered and worn, groaned in soreness as the Toa of Crystal wrenched it free from where it had sat— the wood was already dense with moisture and age two weeks ago, and the locks beginning to take on a rust to them. Now, after his and the smith's long stay within the walls, the wood had only set further into its drift, the metal had grated as it was forced to move through its own oxidation that much more.

For a short moment, he turned to look over one of his broad shoulders at the ruin behind him. Moss and vine creeping up the sides of walls. Huts, once homes, that sagged uncomfortably in the loamy earth beneath the weight of wind, water, and time. Paths with old tracks, even the weathering that assailed the buildings not fully able to disguise how many feet had once pounded the dirt flat. Blackened pits where fires burned. A silence in the air, save for the far-off calls of birds and bugs. 

He regarded it frostily, expression unchanged— to him a ghost town. One that had some efforts made to revive itself, true: the bar and the smith's forge looked to be in rustic, but decent shape.

But all the same, there was only so much that one or two men could do to halt dereliction in the span of a week. The Jungle, by contrast, never stopped its effort. He wasn't one to be bothered by it, but he doubted the wizened Toa at his side felt the same. The smith had called these quiet walls home. He had built, hand in hand with the others he'd seen here before and likely countless beyond them, a village here. One that was now leaving him, just as they were leaving it. A place to belong.

Our camp is probably all but gone beneath the brush.

He, in contrast, was merely a guest of what little hospitality this place had left to offer.

That said...

"Pala-Koro, huh?" he mused, before stepping through the space he had opened. "I owe this place for the rest. Don't get it often."

His pace quickened. His pulse matched. Was he pushing forward, or was something else pushing him forward?

"Let's go. Since I like keeping things even— I'll take this fight under your flag. Work for you, old man?"

Edited by Razgriz
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helo frens

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IC (Oreius) (Inu)

"Hello?"

The voice came from nowhere, breaking the silence that reigned for the last hour at least. Inu's surprised growl rippled through his mind, and a burst of adrenaline briefly numbed the pain as Oreius raised a hand crackling with flames, ready to unleash whatever fire he could muster at the intruder. He may have lost his mask and nearly his life, but he was still a Maru, and he would fight until his last—

Wait, what?

He peered over the edge of the bed to see a small crystalline figure standing atop a well-worn Kanohi. His soldier's eye quickly identified the mask as a Sanok, but the being was stubbornly unfamiliar. The Toa felt a fresh pang of loss for his Auporo—he'd grown accustomed to knowing something about everyone he met. Now he could be taken by surprise by powers he couldn't see coming; and he couldn't respond in turn to weaknesses obvious as blood on a white shirt. But he was still a Toa Maru, as Inu kept reminding him, and that would be enough, no matter who—or what—this being was.

"Hello," he replied cautiously, his right hand still cupping the beginnings of a fireball. "Who are you? And why are you here?"

 

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IC Luten - Le-Koro Hospital:

The sudden movement and fire startled Luten, and she squeaked slightly as she slipped, fell off herself, then quickly dematerialized.

A moment letter she reappeared with a slight chime, and poked her tiny head around the back of the Sanok, her eyes glowing bright blue.

"Uh, m-my name is Luten. And I was just looking for a p-person giving off a lot of energy because it was different to anything I'd ever felt before."

Now that the being was sitting up, she had a better idea of what it was, a Toa for sure, but even visually he seemed different. Brighter, and more....substantial. She didn't know the words for it. He wasn't wearing a mask, and from little Luten knew, that seemed strange.  

"I didn't mean to make you mad or startle you, I was just curious is all."

 

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IC: Ackune

"Works for me lad," Ackune acknowledged, putting a bit more fire in his step to keep pace with the larger toa. "We're not much too look at nowadays, but the spirit is still there. We came together under a' common goal, during a time when the darkness was swallowing this island completely. The the fight against that darkness... that never dies."

"Times are not so dark now, there is hope."

"We both can feel it though, now is the time to be the most vigilent. Complacency would mean the end of everything we worked for..."

The smith's voice trailed off, his mind doubtlessly wandering to days long past, memories of wicked foes and brave allies alike. Especially those who now only lived in memory.

"Tell you what, Tarex. We make it through this alive, you can call that flag your own whenever you'd like."

Edited by sunflower

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IC (Oreius) (Inu)

Oreius frowned. The being had vanished, then reappeared—but it didn't look like the work of a Huna or a Kualsi. And the creature was tiny; could it even wear a mask? At any rate, it didn't appear to be hostile. He allowed the flames to go out but remained on guard.

"That makes two of us, then. Uh, Luten—no offense, but what are you?"

Edited by Eyru
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IC Luten - Oreius' Hospital room:

She poked a little farther out from behind the mask, then pointed at it.

"I'm this mask. Well, I guess I'm a person who is this mask... Some people I met said I was a.... An-silly-uh? But I'm pretty sure I'm not...whatever that is. Sorry, that's not very helpful I guess."

Luten frowned for a moment, a wave of amber flowing through her form momentarily. 

"I suppose I don't really know what I am, beyond being me and also this mask. Uh, that reminds me, mister, where's your mask?" Her eyes widened a split second after she asked, and she hurriedly added, "I-If it's okay for me to ask! Mr. Vale told me some people are sensitive about personal things so I should be careful not to be rude..." Her crystalline form went from vibrant purple to an almost blue.

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IC (Oreius) (Inu)

So... this creature was the mask? Inu's confusion echoed his own, while Tahu's impatience smoldered underneath. The Toa of Fire had never been one for mysteries—burn first, ask questions later. The Parakuka was tempted to follow that line of action, but the colour-changing crystalline being had piqued Oreius' curiosity.

"I... lost it," he said slowly. His hand came to his face unconsciously, fingers tracing the ridges of a mask that was no longer there.

"Who is Mr. Vale?"

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IC:

"Hn. Now you're talkin' too much." Tarex scoffed. "Don't you know that anyone saying things like 'if we make it out' are the ones who get killed?"

The gate fell shut behind them, and with it came a strange foreboding finality. Pala-Koro's walls, despite being manned by memories alone, were closed to the world. The last who stood within it were now rushing towards the northern ice, where Karzahni itself doubtlessly awaited. No guarantees on whether or not they would ever return.

Be it their wizened smith or the turbulent interloper that had only been passing through. There were none left waiting in the wings. If that village could ever say it called for one final ride, this battle was it. 

Cutting things off at a note like that's the worst kinda ending.

Not gonna happen.

Stake my life on it.

Well, he had survived this long. Time and again he'd proven himself prepared to stare death in the eye and swing until he made it out alive. Ever since the Tarakava had gored his side, all those years ago... He proved he could survive anything this island threw at him. He hadn't had a stroke of good fortune to his name, but he'd made up for it by fighting his way out of everything, every time.

This was a position that agreed with him.

This was something he could do for that disappearing town.

"I'm squaring out this debt right now, nothing more. Save the overtures for when that's done."

Edited by Razgriz
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helo frens

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IC Luten - Oreius' Hospital room:

At that question, the tiny crystal being seemed to, if it was possible, shrink inward, and her glow became a languid blue. 

"Mr. Vale is... W-well he was.... My first h-"

She cut off, not wanting to use that word. "Host". Like she had just been using his body. Like Ora had. 

"He was the first person I ever met." She finally said. "....but....he's gone now." Her blue glow warmed to red, " That....that mean old Ora made him wear himself out and then just left him in the middle of the swamp and he's gone now!" She stamped a tiny foot in emphasis, it made a tiny clink against the floor.

The red faded from her, and she became blue once more, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted like that..." She looked away, evidentally ashamed of her tiny outburst.

 

 

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IC (Oreius) (Inu)

The creature was growing stranger by the second. Oreius hadn't really figured anything out—all its answers were muddled. Either the being was deliberately being untruthful, or... well, he got the feeling it didn't really know what it was saying. It seemed innocent, like a child.

That could be a trick, Inu reminded him, his suspicion accompanied by the sharp bite of a trap and an anguished howl. Oreius silently agreed, but found himself doubtful. If the being were malicious, surely it would have done something by now? Struck while he was surprised? Instead, it seemed perfectly content to stand by its mask and answer his questions.

"Don't worry about it," he said, deciding to to change the subject. "So... you said—you are the mask?"

 

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IC Luten - Oreius' Hospital room

She nodded, "I don't really know why it happened. Mr. Lannon said that Mata Nui does strange things like this sometimes. But I don't really know much about Mata Nui." Her glow returned to a regular purple, and she looked up at Oreius, "You're different to  everyone else I've met.... Are you Mata Nui...?"

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IC Luten - Oreius' Hospital Room:

Luten shook her head, "Not see it, more...feel it. I guess it's something I can do to find a partner or something." 

She shrugged apologetically, "Your energy is different than all the other Toa I met today. There's something in it that reminds me of Ora, but....different. not only that but it's also....much stronger."

She shrugged again, "It's very nice to meet you Oreius!" She extended her tiny hand, like Lannon had shown her earlier.

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IC (Oreius) (Inu)

A little bemused, the Toa reached down and gently shook Luten's hand. "Likewise."

He decided to relax his guard. The being seemed harmless, and the ability to sense the presence and energy levels of nearby Toa could make it a useful ally.

"I've never met anyone like you. Are there more of your kind?"

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IC Luten - Orieus' Hospital room:

Luten shook her head once more, "I don't know. Unless those an-silly-uh are anything like me, I don't really know if there are more masks like me."

She pointed at the ceiling, "I came from the Red Star, but that's all I really know. I don't even remember anything before I came here to this place!"

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IC (Oreius) (Inu)

From the Red Star? Now Oreius was beginning to wonder if this was all just a hallucination brought on by whatever herbs that doctor had made him chew a couple hours ago. It definitely couldn't get any stranger. Maybe he should call a nurse and let them know he was seeing things...

"I see," he said. "Well, it's been good talking with you, Luten. Sorry for all the questions."

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IC Luten - Oreius' Hospital room:

Her entire being lit up slightly, and she smiled, evidently very happy to have more questions answered.

"How come you seem so different to the other Toa I met, Mr. Oreius? And..." Her voice dropped to a tinkling whisper, and she looked around her as if to spot anyone listening in before asking, "Is your Ora nice or mean?"

Edited by The UltimoScorp
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IC (Oreius) (Inu)

Is she talking about me? Inu was caught between surprise and offense. Surprise that the little creature seemed able to recognize him from afar, and offense that she would dare refer to him as—what was it?

What is an Ora? I am Inu, strength-drinker and shadow-stalker. I am Father-slayer and brother-hunter. I am—

Easy, Inu. She didn't mean anything by it.

"He's nice," the Toa replied aloud. "Nicer than most."

Nice? Inu's voice dripped with the blood of slaughtered prey. You are nice, Oreius. I am menacing.

"Yeah, nicer than most," he repeated with a half-smile. "As for me, I'm a Toa Maru. I've got a bit more juice than your typical Toa, I guess."

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IC: Vaíl, the jungle

A woman stands at the crest of a mossy ridge. She is tall and lean, and her pale green armor is scuffed and smeared with dirt. The red bandana tied around her forehead, however, is in excellent condition. It should be noted that, to members of our readers' species, bandanas serve two primary purposes – to hold back the wearer's hair and to protect the wearer from the sun. The woman atop the ridge has no hair and, in all likelihood, needs not worry about sunburn. Her bandana, then, serves one major purpose in this instance: it makes her look cool. The accessory succeeds in this purpose to an incredible degree.

Some thirty feet below the ridge a bubbling stream cuts its way through the forest and widens lazily into a pool, and at the bank of this pool there is a rahi that most esteemed readers of this text would liken closely to a squirrel. The squirrel does not know that it will in short order become the woman's dinner – it is just a squirrel, after all – but the woman knows this fact quite well; her empty stomach has been so informing her since she laid eyes on it.

The woman draws her bow and slides an arrow from her quiver. She takes the beast's life in an instant.

She leaps from the ridge, aiming for the far bank of the pool, the power of her mask slowing her descent. In her haste to reach her meal she drops too quickly and finds herself suddenly hovering a foot above the water, ten feet from the shore, and very much not in the mood for a swim. In comparison to how cool she was looking a few seconds ago, on top of that ridge with her bandana blowing in the wind, her current predicament would probably be quite embarrassing if she had any way of knowing that her actions would be relayed to an audience. The woman sighs and extends a hand toward a tree near the bank. A vine snakes over the water, wraps itself around her ankle, and pulls her to shore.

The woman cooks the squirrel's meat with onions and potatoes of her own creation. The dish is filling but bland; in a tragedy of national proportions, she ran out of salt three days ago.

Night has not yet fallen, but the woman nonetheless prepares to make camp. As she fills her second canteen, however, she pauses and contemplates matters unknown. And then, for reasons unknown, she repacks her bag and sets off again into the jungle.

Where does she go, you ask?

Well, when I figure that out, you'll be the first to know.

Edited by Baltarc
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IC Luten - Oreius' Hospital room:

A pink wave of color flowed through her, and she seemed to sigh in relief, "That's good." 

Orieus' second answer made her furrow her itty bitty brow, and she repeated the word he had said, "Maaaruuu.... Does that mean there are other Toa like you? Do they all have nice Oras, too?"

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