City of Legends

[Geardirector]

OOC: Whoops, sorry for taking so long

 

IC: Helios (Knowledge Towers)

 

Helios staggered backwards as he felt the sudden burst of drainage lash across the mental plane at him. To merely resist it sucked away his resolve, slowly segueing into white apathy as he fell to the ground, looking up through the hole he'd originally entered through.

 

"One last chance" he thought as he reached for his second-to-last Kanoka disk, one with power level 8.

 

He forced himself into a sitting position, propped up against a protruding block of crystal as he aimed the launcher at himself once more.

[The Lorax]

OOC: Alright, I'm back. Time to get this thing rolling again. Again, apologies for the delay.

 

GM IC (Lhikan): While Nuhrii returned to his apprentices in the forge, the Toa were whisked away in yet another chute. Theirs soon converged with others as it headed into the tangled centre of all the chute activity on Metru Nui: the Moto-Hub. "Our next guide is an ussal-rider named Orkahm" Lhikan called over the rushing flow of protodermis. "He should be moving cargo somewhere in this complex. Split up and try to find him!"

 

IC (Karorahk): "I could send a rahi to take a look around for what he might have wanted to get" Karorahk shrugged. "Though there might not be anything. It might be better to pursue them straight into Ta-Metru before the trail goes cold. What do you think, should I?" he asked the senior hunter.

 

IC (Dekuna): Dekuna was ready to head down the tunnel after Helios, but he stoped when he saw that the other Toa was doing something with disk. Since he couldn't tell what the plan was and not wanting to get in the way, he remained above Helios, ready for whatever happened next.

[Geardirector]

OOC: Heeere's Spelly

 

IC: "Spellbinder" (Knowledge Towers)

 

"Amateur"

 

Did Vezok honestly think he was going to impress anyone with such a hackneyed performance? It was so sloppy it was almost cute.

 

Spellbinder knew better, in fact the she knew a lot better, which was why she was currently floating out of sight of the Toa, on the outside of the knowledge towers. She shivered a little as she established contact with Vezok.

 

"You done playing charades, or should I just turn you into a vegetable, too?"

Edited January 4, 2014 by Dr. O

[Samus Aran-Bounty Hunter]

IC: Lariska (Archives under Ga-Metru)

"Yes, go ahead. That'd be a good way to check while we get moving. Now, off to Ta-Metru, and be careful."

The Korumine waits for a split second for Karorahk to send off his Rahi before turning and sprinting off towards the District of Fire.

 

IC: Avak (Closet)

Once he had made a respectable tunnel large enough to get through, Avak attempted two things.

First was a blast off to the side that revealed nothing but more stone, ice, and earth, and not the Archives like he had hoped. Too bad.

And so secondly he powered up the jackhammer once more and pointed it upwards at a steep angle, gentle enough for the Skakdi to climb but hopefully steep enough so the Toa would be slowed.

Zakaro

[Geardirector]

IC: Crewo (Ga-Metru)

 

Crewo stood still for a few seconds, before suddenly bursting into a swirling mass of black crystals, gliding through the air after Lariska.

[The Lorax]

IC (Karorahk): Karorahk commanded the proto drake he had summoned before to dive into the waters around the great temple and swim towards anything unusual, surfacing every so often so that the direction it took would be visible from the surface. It did so unquestioningly, gliding gracefully into the air before skimming the top of the canal and finally slipping into it.

 

Just as Kaororahk expected, it shot up into the air about half a minute later, scattering droplets like a fountain as it twisted, turned over, and dived back in. The creature almost looked like it was having fun. After another 30 seconds, the drake did not surface, and Karorahk felt its control over the beast snap like a taut string. One moment the connection was there and humming with life, the next, it was gone. The rahi was dead.

 

There was something more there, too. Another rahi, something immense yet unfamiliar. Come here he commanded it. Let me see you. The water soon started to slosh back and forth as the large thing moved in the depths, the waves getting larger by the second. Then, with an eruption of white water, the Dweller in the Deep leapt full out of the water and crash-landed on the street next to Karorahk, and lay still, with its great round eyes staring. All around it, the pavement had been shattered by the force of its landing, and by its side, a lamppost now lay on the ground, broken off that the base by one fin.

 

Karorahk considered this for a moment, then turned and walked away. Both of the other hunters were long gone towards Ta-Metru, and faster than him anyway. To catch up, he would need help. After a bit of searching, he found two more proto drakes in the area and brought them to himself. Each took one arm is his claws and lifted him from the ground, before flying after the others.

[Falcon Lord]

OOC: Sorry for the late reply

 

IC:

 

Skald raised one eyebrow,

 

"Might I ask, what does this 'Orkahm' character look like?"

[The Lorax]

GM IC (Lhikan): "To be honest, I don't know" the Toa of fire admitted. "Still, he's riding an ussal, and the people around here are bound to know him and maybe where he is. How hard can it be?"

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

"Great. I'll have to ask around then."

 

Skald then walked off, seeing a Le-Matoran who didn't happen to be busy he tapped the Matoran on the shoulder,

 

"Do you know anyone named Orkahm?"

[The Lorax]

A lazy Le-matoran, huh? I know just the guy.

 

GM IC (Matau): "Of course I know him, Toa-hero" the mahiki-wearing Le-matoran replied. "He's the ever-grumpy bog-foot crab-rider over there, wearing the matatu."

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

"Ah, thank you."

 

Skald walked quickly over to the Matoran Matau had described,

 

"Orkahm, I presume."

[The Lorax]

GM IC (Orkahm): "Ever-right you are, snow-slush Toa-hero!" Orkahm replied in rapid chutespeak. "The Moto-hub goes ever-quick busy-rush today. What is it you need-want?"

[Geardirector]

IC: Zorvon (Moto-Hub)

 

"Somebody get me out of here before I get a migraine" Zorvon muttered.

[Samus Aran-Bounty Hunter]

IC: Lariska (Ta-Metru Archives)

Ta-Metru. The District of Fire, and one of the most well-held places by the Toa in Metru-Nui, only matched by perhaps Le-Metru and definitely the Coliseum.

The Korumine took note of this as the pipes around her got hotter, indicating they were now in Ta-Metru.

"Going up to take a look. Might grab a Matoran to question, but unlikely."

And away she went.

Zakaro

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

"You know something about something we need. The great disk, does that ring a bell?"

[The Lorax]

GM IC (Orkahm): "Everyone knows the story-tale of the great disks" Orkahm replied with a shrug. "But now is a sorry-bad time for tale-telling. I have goods to quick-move and you have Dark Hunters to battle fight. Look to your Duty first, and after-then, you should ask and archivist for stories, not an ussal-matoran!' He started moving away, looking flustered.

 

IC (Karorahk): Karorahk soon caught up with the other two and landed just in time to hear Lariska's speech. She didn't ask for anyinformation, and made it clear that the other two were to stay put, so Karorahk did.

 

GM IC (Ta-Metru): Lariska was right, the Ta-Metru wasn't an easy place to sneak into. Given the Hunters' sneaky tactics in this war, Dume had devoted a lot of resources to manning the borders, particularly the northern border to Ta-Metru, given that it was the closest to the Dark Hunter controlled third of the city. Vahki were spaced out a regular intervals along the rooftops, while the streets were barricaded. As she shimmied up the pipe, one Vahki, a rorzahk, turned towards her, scanning the area with its thermal cameras.

Edited January 8, 2014 by The Lorax

[Geardirector]

IC: Crewo (Ta-Metru)

 

Crewo's crystalline form had an easy time of maneuvering through the tight spaces in between all the machinery and bare pipes and metal, the skeleton of Ta-Metru's war machine, floating in thin streamers through the smallest of cracks and crevices before reforming and then splitting apart again as the trek continued, his swiftness and fluid motion impeccable.

 

As much as he disliked overusing this form, adamant as ever in following his honor code, he was not an unreasonable man, he knew full well that to be able to move swiftly and unseen was key, if only for now. He would hide himself away only because Lariska demanded it, but the second it came to blows, Crewo would be there to let all who dared oppose the Dark Hunters know who they were dealing with.

 

He finally returned to his regular form, crouched down on one knee before Lariska as she delivered her instruction. he acknowlegded it with a short nod.

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

"Yes, but I've heard you have more to tell than some."

 

Grabbing on to Orkahm's shoulder, Skald turned him around,

 

"I'd like it if you came with me, your crab can come too if you want."

 

He then steered Orkahm towards where Lhikan was standing,

 

"Found him."

Edited January 11, 2014 by Falcon Lord

[The Lorax]

GM IC (Lhikan and Orkahm): "Hey!" Orkahm protested. "Get your clumsy-big paws off me, you slow think, know-nothing business-meddling..." He changed his tone very quickly upon seeing where he was being steered. "Toa L-lhikan!" he stumbled. "How ever-good to see you here. How may I be of help-aid to the Mangai Nui?"

 

"Ah, good, you found him" Lhikan commented as Skald ushered the Le-Matoran over. "I sent a message to your home this morning, Orkahm, but with you so busy coordinating things here, I wasn't sure you'd get it. You're needed for a special mission with my team here, to fulfill a prophetic vision given by the Great Spirit Mata Nui." The Le-matoran gulped, looking a bit out of his depth at having the situation turned around so quickly. "No need to worry" Lhikan continued. "You need only act as a guide, and we'll do the rest. All going well, this shouldn't take very long. We need you to show us the location of the Le-Metru Great Disk, which you have discovered, but told no-one else about. Combined, we believe the powers of the six disks can clear Metru Nui of the Hunters"

 

Orkahm gulped. He had hoped to use the finding of the Great Disk for his own personal glory, and no doubt the expedition would involve no small amount of danger and disruption of his schedule. Still, this was for the war, and there wasn't a Matoran on Metru Nui who didn't want to see the Hunters vanquished.

"Very well" he said, summoning up the last of his still composure and dignity. "Follow me".

 

He climbed off his ussal, Puku, and made his way through the crowd to the nearest chute entrance, where he slipped easily into the flowing protodermis. They were on their way again.

[The Lorax]

GM IC: Timeskip

 

"Yes, they're still there" Crewo reported as he reformed his body from its crystalline fragments. "About a kio north of us, and moving slowly, towards Onu-Metru. They have an Onu-matoran with them."

"Good" Lariska replied. "We'll have them caught between the hammer and the anvil."

 

 

Meanwhile...

 

 

"No, left at the fikou on sublevel twelve" Tehutti corrected. "After that it's the second right, down again, through the old exhibit on the history of the Toa Nynrah, the keep turning left until you get to the elevator and come back up two floors. For there, it's only five more turns to the round room".

The team was huddled around in the atrium of a smallish knowledge tower only a few streets from the Onu-Metru border, making plans to collect their fifth great disk. Skald still clutched the Ko-Metru disk he had retrieved. His resistance to cold and elemental power had proven very useful in scaling the highest knowledge tower to extract the disk. Earlier, it had been Turano who rescued the Le-Metru disk from an imploding force sphere before it destroyed the notch.

 

"And that's right, right, left, right, left, left?" Turano asked. Tehutti shook his head.

"Oh, this is hopeless" Lhikan sighed in frustration. "Forget giving directions, you'll just have to come with us. Mata Nui knows, we'll probably have to change plans three times once we get down there anyway to avoid being caught".

"Which brings us back to our main dilemma" Turano interjected. "How on earth do we break into the archives without bringing every hunter in Onu-Metru down on our heads?"

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

"Looks like we have to just be very quiet. I can use my Akaku to scout for hunters but that's about it."

 

Skald place the Ko-Metru disk in the satchel he had hanging from his back.

[Geardirector]

IC: Zorvon (Archives Entrance)

 

"You don't think there's any chance we could ask if they had any Toa of Sonics to spare?" Zorvon asked as he twirled his Kanoka launcher in his hands impatiently. A clearly recent dent was visible on the weapon, the result of Zorvon's ill-advised jet flight right into a flock of Frost Bats during their hunt for the Ko-Metru Disk.

 

His sword was safely secured in its scabbard, and his Kanoka supply refreshed, for all intents and purposes he was prepared, even as he kept a watch for any unwelcome eyes. Dark Hunters were prevalent here, and Zorvon did his best to let his Akaku scope out as much as possible, completing the sweep with the occasional probe with his elemental powers on the search for heat signatures.

 

Another sweep, four signatures, all close to him. He coughed.

[The Lorax]

GM IC (Lhikan): "I'm afraid not" Lhikan replied to Zorvon. "Sonics is a rare element at the best of times, but in a noisy city like ours, full of clamorous battles and banging machines, they're like gukko's teeth. All those we have are already on vital assignments. We'll have to do this one on our own."

 

He pondered a little longer, then spoke further. "Let's break this down a bit instead of looking at it as one big impossible task. Getting into the archives isn't actually that hard. There are entrances all over the city, many of which are controlled by the Mangai Nui. Tehutti, where is the nearest one?"

"A few blocks west, Toa Lhikan" the Onu-matoran answered quickly.

"Good, so we can get underground without having to enter Onu-Metru and expose ourselves there, and, as you say Skald, we can probably detect any sentries long before we run into them, with two akaku, a rode and a suletu between us. We have Tehutti to navigate us through the maze, and he probably knows it better than any of the Hunters do. That could form the beginnings of a plan, and it really only leaves us with two things left to figure - what we do if we are seen, and how we avoid being seen by any guards we can't navigate around. Any ideas on those issues?"

Edited January 10, 2014 by The Lorax

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

"Well, if we're seen, we have four formidable fighters in one place. I doubt that one or two hunter sentries could take us out."

 

Skald leaned on his axe, looking at each of his companions in turn.

[Geardirector]

IC: Helios and "Spellbinder" (Knowledge Towers)

 

The instant the disk struck him, Helios felt a sudden burst of power flow into his limbs, the sickening drainage of his strength from before receding as he rose from the floor like the knowledge towers themselves did from the protodermis basins. The Disk of Strength had done its job, and then some, the tension in Helios' muscles reaching to a point just shy of breaking. He felt invigorated, powerful... invincible.

 

He dashed forward, his now muscled legs driving him forward at a quick pace as he ran again towards the small room the Piraka were covering in.

 

A mind, a presence moving towards them, Toa of Gravity if she'd been paying attention

 

Spellbinder smirked, a deadly light flasing in her eyes, before connecting with Vezok again

 

"Better hurry up, the Toa's coming for you again" she told him.

 

IC: Crewo (Onu-Metru)

 

Crewo nodded courtly, shifting his stance as he turned to peer across the horizon to see the group far off in the distance, his yes narrowed, the big, hulking prongs on his claw opening and closing. He was hungry for battle, and it seemed he was about to get it.

 

IC: Zorvon (Archives Entrance)

 

Another sweep, still nothing

 

Zorvon's face was wracked with thought, as he considered the dilemma.

 

"Skald has a point," he conceded, "but even if we have the manpower to defeat a few sentries, they must have some sort of alarm system or communications array. We knock out one they know something's up"

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

"If worst comes to worst..." Skald paused for a second, considering his words, "I could... Stay back and hold them off, you would go on to finish this."

 

His face turned to a grimace,

 

"That can be a last resort."

[The Lorax]

IC (Lhikan and Turano): The group went very quiet after Skald made his offer. He didn't say it outright, but they all knew what he meant. An heroic sacrifice, his death so that others could have a chance at life. It wasn't a gift any of them would chose to be given, yet nobody could deny that it might become necessary. "Let us pray it never comes to that" Lhikan said softly, and the group lapsed back into silence.

 

"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way" Turano offered. "It's true we can't risk them knowing of our presence. Rather than breaking in, what if we could sneak in and hide ourselves from their sight? I've never been down there myself, so you'll have to fill me in Tehutti. Is there much metal down in the archives?"

"There is" the archivist confirmed. "For the parts that aren't in natural caverns (which is most of it, especially the deeper levels), the structures are just about all metal - the walls, floors, doors exhibit cages and that sort of thing."

"And there are lots of doors, cages, that sort of thing, going off hallways all over the place?" Turano continued.

"That's right"

"So we can hide then, any time we need to. Locks mean nothing to iron powers, so I'll take a door off, we all get inside, and I put it back once we're inside, exactly how it was before. We'll have plenty of warning when a sentry is coming, and time to hide. We'd just have to wait in the storage closet or whatever until the sentries pass us, then we keep going. There shouldn't be any need for fighting or... anything else."

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

"I can see how that would work."

 

Skald then picked up his axe and slung it on his back, switched to his noble Matutu-shaped Akaku,

 

"So then, what are we waiting for?"

[The Lorax]

GM IC (Lhikan): "Nothing" Lhikan said. "It's hardly foolproof, but it's the best we've got. Let's go".

The group all rose, rubbing their limbs back into action after having been still in the frigid air while they rested and planned. After checking that the street outside still appeared deserted, Tehutti lead the four Toa out and quickly to one of the largest knowledge towers. The door was still unlocked since the beginning of the war, though it had since frozen shut. They got it moving again and moved through.

 

Down one staircase after another, the basement of the knowledge tower eventually merged into the archives. Tehutti was taking the deep, going as far down as possible before they had to move into the area underneath Onu-Metru, the area where the hunters would be waiting.

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

Skald kept close to the rest of the group, looking alert.

 

He scanned once more with his Akaku, seeing nothing, he kept moving.

[The Lorax]

GM IC: But then, at the edge of his Akaku's range, Skald would see the first of the Dark Hunters they would encounter in Onu-Metru. The great brute was tramping from one end to the other of a tunnel just up ahead, a tunnel they would need to use. The hunter looked like no being or species Skald had encountered before. It was as large as two toa, with powerful limbs, huge claws, and large shoulders that reached higher than its flattened head and dull, staring orange eyes.

[Geardirector]

IC: Zorvon (Archives)

 

Zorvon also caught wind of the large creature thanks to his own Akaku, and froze where he stood immediately.

 

"Incoming from the right," he barked across the mental link, "someone oughta do something real quick"

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

Across the mental link Skalds gruff voice rang out,

 

"I can freeze it if you like, that might buy us some time."

[The Lorax]

GM IC (Lhikan): "We're trying not to let them know we're here, remember?" Lhikan hissed back, his mental voice coming out as an urgent whisper.

 

IC (Turano): Turano turned quickly to the nearest vault door and started to work on the metal. It flowed aside to reveal a large gap in the centre, large enough for a toa to climb through. Inside, there wasn't a lot of room, with all the selves that lined the walls of the alcove. They were piled high with old tablets, records of the past.

 

GM IC: The team all piled in, and Turano shut the door, putting that metal back where it had been. Outside, Prototype lumbered up to heir end of the hallway, looked around, and then turned to walk back the other way.

[Falcon Lord]

IC:

 

"You think that thing could have heard us? Some of these Dark Hunters may have physic powers but, that one? I don't think so."

 

Skald's voice came across the mental link as a slightly annoyed whisper.

[Samus Aran-Bounty Hunter]

IC: Lariska (Onu-Metru)

The Korumine finally broke the silence that the group had been holding since coming within far-sight of the Toa, speaking quickly.

"Spread out. Look for any sign that a Toa has passed, but attempt to act like nothing more than a normal guard making the rounds if possible. If you find them, make some noise. Lots of noise."

And with a final nod, she slipped into the shadows, moving at speeds often only rivaled by Darkness.

Hallway, hallway, hallway. No sign of anything yet. No disturbed dust, no Toa footprints, and no sounds.

She will not fail.

Zakaro

[Geardirector]

IC: Crewo (Archives)

 

Crewo nodded courtly, before his body once again splintered into a cloud of black gems, sliding fluidly into a ventilation duct and swirling about in the Archive's skeleton, periodically pausing in mid-air to listen, before floating further through the vents.

[Canis Lycaon]

IC: Vezok

.:Better hurry up, the Toa's coming for you again:.

 

.:I could sense that mentally:.

 

Vezok looked at the Toa that was charging him. Defeating him would be simple at best. Sound waves blasted the Toa, at a high frequency. Once the Toa stopped charging, a shimmering box would appear around him. Vezok smiled and then sent a telepathic message to the Toa.

 

.:There is no escaping this prison. Have fun, courtesy of the other Skakdi:.

[Geardirector]

OOC: Look at me, here I complain about you being late and then I start doing it. I guess everyone has a bit of hipocrisy in them

 

IC: Helios (Knowledge Towers)

 

Helios was not about to be deterred by the cage holding him in... or so he thought.

 

He switched to his Kualsi, and squinted at a nearby patch of open ground, and he felt himself dissipate again...

 

Only to suffer a sudden lash of energy knocking him against the bars of the cage. Still fueled by the Kanoka he'd fired at himself, he attempted to bend the bars out of shape, once again finding that his efforts were futile.

 

"What manner of trickery is this?" he asked himself as his Kanoka blade also failed to affect the cage.

 

"Brothers," he called to where he'd come from, "I could use some help down here"

[The Lorax]

GM IC: With prototype's back turned, the team of Toa made good progress, moving to another room halfway up the corridor before the hunter turned back towards them and stomped down the corridor, searching uselessly for intruders. It didn't take the Toa long to deduce that this hunter was dumb as a brick. They moved on, pressing further into the archives while going deeper all the time. Their akakus worked well, allowing them to detect guards well before they neared them, and only had to sneak past one more.

 

The further they came, however, the more signs they saw that the Hunters were using the areas they passed through. This was where they lived, trained, stored supplies and planned attacks. They saw not only guards, but other types too, moving through the archives from one place to another. With these beings, Tehutti's knowledge proved invaluable. He kept them off the beaten tracks and out of sight, skulking through areas that were so easy to get lost in that they were mostly ignored.

 

They were just coming out of a tight maintenance tunnel when they found a guard Standing rigidly at the intersection of three tunnels. He was a tall figure and heavily armoured, and carried two tall staffs, each capped with a rhotuka launcher. A dull green haze surrounded him, pierced only by his shining red eyes.

"Tehutti?" Lhikan asked. "How can we get around this one?"

"Er..." Tehutti stumbled, the strain showing clearly on his mask as he tried to devise a new route. "Was there anyone in the tunnel above us and to the right?"

"Two" Turano confirmed.

"Oh, right" the Matoran sighed. "Well, maybe we could... no wait, there's... umm..."

"Just take your time" Lhikan said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get into another room so you can think."

 

Turano did as instructed, getting them through the door to a large vault filled with stasis tubes. The glass was coated with a thin layer of dust, but they could still see the large, insect-like eyes peering out at them, unseeing. They had become practiced at this, able to quickly pile through a newly made door and seal it again in a minimum of time, but on this occasion, they were not fast enough. Descending from an air vent, Crewo would see a large white ankle disappearing through the door before it closed off completely.

 

OOC: The following takes place during the timeskip.

 

GM IC (Ko-Metru): Dekuna heard Helios' call for help, but never got the chance to answer. While he was focused on the fight below and maintaining his illusions, he had neglected to keep watch behind him. It was a complete surprise, then, when the eyebeams cut across his back and he lost all access to his powers. Suddenly, his sixth sense was cut off completely. His mind was blank even before the rhotuka followed up and he fell to the floor in a heap, robbed of all physical coordination.

 

Ancient stepped over the fallen Toa, still hovering a foot off the ground. "You" he said, pointing to Spellbinder. "You're wanted, follow me. The rest can deal with the trouble they've got into". He turned to go, but then thought better of it. Bending down, he casually took hold of Dekuna's legs and tossed him over his shoulder. The Toa of sonics flew across the street and fetched up against the base of another knowledge tower. He didn't stir.

 

Ancient didn't wait to see the outcome for his throw, he just walked off, back towards Onu-Metru.

 

***Later***

 

The small fireplace in the corner of Dume’s office burned hotter as the Turaga’s frustration rose to a peak. “That’s it!” he snapped. “Get out, the lot of you! I can’t work with seven Toa standing over me and asking questions. You can all go back to standing guard outside my door and then maybe I’ll get some peace.”

“With all respect, Turaga” Lema began, “I’d rather not let you out of my sight. With the Hunters growing bolder…”

“I’ll be just fine, thank you” Dume shot back. “And if I’m not mistaken, that’s an akaku on your face, not just a lump of congealed protodermis. You will be able to keep an eye on me from the other side of that door.”

“That’s really not the point” the Toa tried to continue. “We must be able to respond quickly if…”

“No, I’ve had enough” Dume declared, brandishing his firestaff. “Scram, the lot of you, and don’t come back in here until I tell you to!”

Reluctantly, the seven Toa all trooped out. Dume had put his foot down, and there was no use arguing with the Turaga of fire beyond that point. In the corner, the smoke from the fireplace swirled darkly before retreating up the chimney.

Just outside, clinging to the sheer wall of the coliseum Hatann was three seconds away from annoying Spellbinder enough to warrant an 'accident' befalling his person at some point during this mission, but that would have to wait at least a little, until they'd snapped Turaga Dume's neck. Oh yes, she was looking forward to this.

She was floating near the wall, propelled by her elemental power, as she slowly segued up the wall to where Hatann was watching the Turaga inside, hidden under his own disguise. She knew that she could very easily conceal him, too, but... nah

"You doing okay, it would be a real shame if you were to lose your cover now" she said, flashing a wicked grin.

Outlined in smoke, the rest of Hatann's body wound itself out of Dume's chimney vent. He floated there as as mass of swirling vapours, practically invisible from ground level but apparent to Spellbinder's eyes. He was wearing his best Skakdi scowl. This crazy witch of a toa was unmatched with her element, but hardly the best to work with. At least it wouldn't be for too much longer.

He is alone. Hatann thought strongly, projecting the words to the surface of his mind so she would be able to read them easily. The guards have just left, and are waiting outside the door. This is the opportunity we have been waiting for.

"Oh joy" Spellbinder beamed, clapping her hands. Her yellow eyes flashed erratically, as if her concentration was only partial.

"Let's go and give him a big surprise" she said, her grin shifting from wicked to sadistic.

Hatann's body billowed back around and wound it way back into the smoke vent. There was a filter there, designed to keep out rain, rahi and very small Dark Hunters, but it proved no obstacle to him. A particle of smoke, after all, makes a protodite look huge.

Down the chimney he came, and slowly brought himself to rest among the flames, where he had previously been watching the Turaga. There he was, bent over a piece of paper, brows furrowed in thought. There was no sign of the guards waiting outside the office door, constantly watching the area with elda, rode and akaku. Their masks of detection were useless to them now. With his body transmuted into smoke, he was neither invisible nor cloaked in an illusion. Instead, he was hidden in plain sight, completely visible to the akaku, but not arousing any suspicion. He waited in the fireplace for Spellbinder to make her entrance.

If there was one thing Spellbinder wasn't known for, it was being delicate, but that was mostly just because a lot of her fellow hunters failed to look beyond the alleged "insanity" she was apparently afflicted with. She shook her head, as far as she was concerned they were the insane ones.

A few mental probes gave her the image of seven Toa, around Dume's chamber, and with Hatann and Dume both close by.

She retracted at the speed of lightning when she noticed another presence, an Elda had caught wind of her and gained insight through her illusion.

She remained completely still, floating by a nearby window, out of the Akaku-wielding Toa's current range, as she kept her consciousness tightly contained within the mental barriers natural to her kind. The Elda-Toa's mind she soothed with gentle thoughts of security and slightly blurred the memory of the mask's brief warning. It was probably nothing...

She waited... nothing. She smiled.

She spread out again, immediately creeping into the mind of the Elda-wearing Toa and keeping him from noticing the alarm sounding from his mask, next came the Akaku-wielder, and the Rode-wearing one.

That last one was especially tricky, to deceive a mask specifically meant to see through any form of trickery, but Spellbinder considered herself one of the Dark Hunters' finest liars, and she wasn't about to let a Mask upstage her. The solution came in the form of interfering with the mask's communication to its wielder. It wasn't blocked, since that would tip them off, just screened out, like she was in a blind spot. With that taken care off, Spellbinder opened the window, finding herself floating into a hall leading to a majestic door, her presence obscured from the sight of the two Toa guarding the door.

Her grip on the physical world was almost gone, she could barely feel the sensation of her legs moving, planting her feet on the floor as she progressed towards the large door. Such was her focus that only a fraction of her strong concentration was devoted to piloting her body forward... and another tiny little fraction was devoted to the requisite scheming of any ambitious Dark Hunter.

Obscured from any sensory input by the two Toa guards before her, and the infringing masks kept in check, Spellbinder reached out and opened the door.

She stepped in to sense, more than see, Turaga Dume sit by his desk, and he looked up as she came in, his mind going into an immediate state of alarm, but whatever call for the guards he may have issued was unheard, her mask made sure of that.

"Nighty night, Dumie" she said, and...

*crack*

The telekinetic blow was like a kick in the back for Dume, even as his head was wrenched backwards. His neck snapped with a loud pop, and he fell to the floor, dead.

Almost before the Turaga's body had even hit the ground, Hatann rushed and billowed forwards out of the fireplace, his smoke finally taking the usual shape of his body, large and solid. As he reached Dume's body to check it really was dead, it became so, a form of metal and flesh once again.

The light of Dume's eyes and heartlight was gone, not a spark remained. Still, Hatann removed his noble kiril, placed it on the desk, and, with one swift blow from his mace, shattered it. That would make a nice gift for the Toa once they realised what was going on, and that they were already too late.

And in fact, here they were already. The ordinary noises they were making could no be scrambled by Spellbinders' mask, and the first of them burst in through the door, weapons raised. Hatann didn't wait for them at all. He fired a darkness sphere into the room to cover their getaway and tilted gravity in the room by 90 degrees. They all fell towards and through the window that Spellbinder had come through, out into the empty space hundreds of bio up the side of the coliseum.

Toa and Hunters were all in freefall now, but Hatann remained in control. Another gravity well threw him and Spellbinder away to the left, putting the side of the huge building between them and the heroes. Another change of direction and force, and they were shooting away north, bounding through the night air in great looping arcs, soaring and falling in turn as they made their escape.

They crossed into Onu-Metru, safe within Dark Hunter territory, they met another figure, hovering in the sky with his levitation boots, and a tall, intricately carved staff held in his hand. "You were successful?" Ancient asked, but then the sirens started blaring from the coliseum, and his question was answered for him. "Well done. Now, you may return to the Onu-Metru base. We'll give them a little time to realise that they have no leader, with Dume dead and Lhikan missing, then march at dawn."

Edited February 1, 2014 by The Lorax