Bzprpg - Onu-Wahi

[25K Now!]

IC: [stronin]"Soli, my unwanted hero senses are flaring up. Let's go."

[a goose]

IC: Pirok (Onu-Koro) & The Shadow"Everyone's gone now," The Shadow smirked. "All your allies. They won't see what happens next."Pirok looked suspiciously at the Vortixx. "I don't like what you're suggesting.""Come on, Pirok. You want revenge. I want to die quickly, rather than the painful death The Dreamer will force my to go through. My part is finished, and I've seen what he does with those he no longer needs."Pirok stood there, obviously thinking carefully. Eventually he walked over to The Shadow, punching him in the gut to make him double over, before smashing his knee into the Vortixx's face, and bringing his fist down hard on the back of his head. Satisfied that The Shadow was unconscious, he melted the ice at his feet. In a demonstration of strength, he picked up the Vortixx.But the amount of strength necessary didn't matter; he didn't have to carry him far.He half carried, half dragged The Shadow to the bank of the river, before shoving him into the water. He watched the Vortixx flow along, being battered and smashed against the rocks, then wiped his hands clean and walked away without looking back,OOC: Pirok to Ga-Wahi.

[BULiK]

IC:Dhurin was hyperventilating. He fell of his bed and let his back hit the rock floor, giving his parakuka the brunt of the blow. Bad idea. Pain coursed through his body as the rahi fought back in protest. With trembling arms Dhurin pulled out an older issue of the Mata Nui Daily. There was an article about the Parakuka Makuta had put on the turaga. The Onu-Matoran read about the strange slugs. The part about them being "Impossible to remove without killing the being it is attached to" was extremely troubling. Now he understood why it gave him extreme pain whenever he was about to remove it. Not to mention it being ugly as karz, He thought. This was followed by a mental slap to the face from his parakuka. The matoran attempted to shrug this off and went to his closet to find something to hide the beast. He found an old orange cape. This should work, Dhurin thought. He put it on and watched in the mirror as the soft fabric disquised the horrid creature. I guess we'll be staying together for a while, Dhurin thought. He groaned as the Parakuka chirped in glee. By now he had probably lost his job, so he had nothing to live for anymore in his home city. Becoming a hermit was certainly an option, although it was not appealing. Dhuring began to contemplate his uncertain future...

[Constructelf]

IC SirisI rode into Onu-Koro, following the directions on the sign. My Kikanalo snorted and pawed at the ground. "Easy there," I said soothingly. Riding through the town square, I began to ask people about these "Maasi".The stories weren't pretty. It told of a group of seven toa that had caused mayhem to three koros and how they had no respect for the law. "Hm," I thought, my hand clutching the Vile Blade tightly, shield on my arm, twin repellers on my back, and my ring on my finger. "This will surely be a hard prize," I thought as I rode on.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: As Lepidran sat huddled in the boat, still trying to keep away from the wet-water sea, he reflected that he probably liked Reordin's way of doing things a bit better. He seemed a lot more focused on what needed to be done and how to do it. They needed a Stone, so they'd go to where it was hidden using a logical path and reasoning. To someone like Lepidran, to whom the whole world was just a series of things to be labelled, this was a much more appealing style than Stannis' wandering ways. Yes, all right, he was the Wanderer but you could stretch a title too far. It was probably something they'd just have to agree to disagree on

[BULiK]

IC:Dhurin lay curled up on his bed, thinking of what to do now. His Parakuka fed him emotions which either shot down his concepts or supported them. It would take a while for him to get used to the way Parakuka tapped into his mind.

[Eyru]

IC (Oreius)Oreius shook his head in response to Leah's question. "I've never been this far north," he replied. "I don't know these reefs at all."He looked around the boat, wondering who was most likely to know a safe path between the islets. Stannis' could no doubt have them simply "wander" until they arrived at their destination, but Oreius preferred wandering on a boat rather than by swimming, and all it would take was one mistake for their vessel to hit a reef and sink.He settled on Sulov, the only Onu-Koro native on the boat."Sulov, do you know a safe passage?"IC (Cael)The Toa of Water frowned as she walked up to Wokapu. “Yes,” she said. “Lie him down flat.”Lekori did as she asked. The movement caused Wokapu to clench his teeth in pain, but he made no noise to confirm his agony. Before long, the Toa was lying flat on the bed of stone, in obvious discomfort.Cael laid a hand on the Toa's sweaty forehead; her touch was cool and comforting, like the kiss of raindrops on hot stone. Wokapu's mind, until now completely absorbed by his own suffering, was briefly cleared; the clouds of pain were, for a moment, swept aside by a gentle breeze off the ocean.Then her hand was gone from his mask, and the healer was examining the rest of his body. She gently rolled the Toa onto his side to examine his back; this movement was accompanied by a soft moan on the patient's part.“You did well,” Cael said quietly to Lekori. “Without your care, I doubt he would have survived this long.”Finishing up her examination, the Toa of Water was optimistic about Wokapu's chances. His spine had been set quickly and properly, and otherwise, though he looked to be in bad shape, the Toa was mostly unharmed.Still, why was he here?The healer turned to Lekori, her eyes narrowing. “But your knowledge of first aid is no excuse for leaving him here in this cave. Why didn't you take him to Onu-Koro?”

[Franco]

IC: I nod. I remember it from the Ussalry, and I downloaded a map onto the iStone. My capabilities are near-max. I can get us through the reef.

[Geardirector]

OOC: We really need a Krell post, Frost Dragon.IC: WhorokAfter Whorok had seen the group of Toa off, he had begun walking back towards Onu-Koro, putting his questions about them to rest, probably forever.Whorok was a simple Toa; as long as he had a city to protect and a tunnel to dig, he was happy, however long that lasted.The hunched over Onu-Toa sighed as he continued through the tunnels that he knew like the back of his hand.IC: FerronAs Ferron and the others had finally made it into the tunnels, Ferron literally collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath."I swear to Mata Nui, I'm so getting that Vortixx back for this" Ferron grunted as his hand flew to his chest, where a piercing pain could still be felt.As he forced himself up into sitting poisition, Ferron reached into his own body with his powers, putting what he could back into place as well as he could.Ferron coughed harshly as he found himself able to breathe a lot easier. He was going to be fine, but it would take while to heal completely.

[sunflower]

OOC: Right-o.IC: Krell [Onu-Wahi tunnels]I stopped in the dark tunnels as Ferron dropped to the ground, muttering something about the Vortixx earilier. I turned around, glancing behind us. I doubted that anyone had managed to follow us, but I wasn't taking any chances at the moment. Finally, I looked at Ferron and Zuria."Everyone okay?" I asked them.

[Geardirector]

IC: Ferron"I'll live" Ferron assured as he got back up."So what now? We can't go back to the koro"

[Wotz]

IC: ZurianaZuria nodded. "I'm alright."

[sunflower]

IC: Krell [Onu-Wahi Tunnels]I nodded in responce. "You're right. Zuria, you may be able to go back, but us... Well..." I said, glancing back down the tunnel. "But I don't think we need to.""Po-Koro," I said, recalling a select few visions, "We need to get to Po."

[Geardirector]

IC: Ferron"Alright, Po-Koro it is"IC: Whorok"Is that so?" Whorok spoke up as he stepped into the glow of the lightstones, observing the odd trio.

[a goose]

IC: (The Unfortunate Fikou, Onu-Koro)Tarrhus, his bags packed, walked out of Room 11, Lezac in tow. As he reached the reception, however, he noticed a Toa sitting at a table, looking at him. The Toa was thin, silver and black, with some purple highlights. He had a Volitak, green eyes, and a strange shield-like object on his back, reminding Tarrhus of a crescent moon. A staff lay propped up against the chair next to him."Tarrhus," The Toa rasped, his voice deep and distorted. "Take a seat."The Matoran eyed him suspiciously, but sat down in front of him nonetheless. "What do you want?""I want to help you," he smirked. "You can call me The Dreamer.""Alright, Dreamer." Tarrhus growled. "What do you want to help me with?""Your hunt for Elax, of course!" The Dreamer chuckled.Tarrhus' eyes lighted up a little; he had obviously become more interested in the conversation. "What kind of help are you givin'?"This time, it was The Dreamer's eyes' turn to light up. "I would like to provide you with money, information, and anything else you might need, on the condition that Elax is dead at the end of next week."Tarrhus chuckled. "What've you got to do with the Brakas?"The Dreamer's eyes narrowed. "Let's just say that he's gotten in my way more than once, and I fear he'll do so again. If you can prove your worth with this task... I might just be able to get you a job."Tarrhus sat back, looking thoughtfully at The Dreamer. "You have yourself a deal, Dreamer.""I'm glad to hear that." The Dreamer's mouth smiled at Tarrhus, but his eyes didn't. His eyes were cold and calculating, examining Tarrhus like a Muaka watches its prey, figuring out how best to take it down. "I'll meet you again here in two days' time, and you can give me an update."He stood up, taking his staff, and walked out of the door.Tarrhus turned to Lezac once The Dreamer has left. "Seems things are looking up for us, Lezac."Lezac grinned menacingly. "Justice..."

[Simulacrum]

IC: Hajia, Onu-Koro (Hospital)There was no sunlight in Onu-Koro, and it rather depressed Hajia to wake up to a miserable lack of sunlight in the morning. Rolling over, she stared at a sleeping Ba-Toa, Gravity, watching his slow, heavy breathing with her stormy grey-blue eyes. Smiling ever so slightly, she drew her knees to her chin, assuming a position similar to a sphere, as she watched him. They had remained at the hospital for several days, each day bringing a painful session of Kanohi use on the patients, accompanied by several minutes of screaming and tears. While Masks of Healing do fix wounds and injuries, they do not supply a painkiller, and it can be most painful when your bones are being reknit, or when your muscles are being torn apart and reconstructed. "You are the only person I've ever thought of as adorable while they sleep." Hajia said softly, her microscopic smile turning into a kind, but very mischevious, grin.

[sunflower]

IC: Gravity [Onu-Koro]I was out cold. Like, really, really out of it. The kind of out-of-it where getting thrown off a cliff wouldn't do much to wake you up. To say I was tired the last few days would be a bit more then an understatement. I wasn't physically tired, I actually felt fine, more of mentally. It seemed that every minute spent in this Koro caused twenty different memories to errupt inside my head at once. I was, quite literally, reliving my life.It was an experience that I wouldn't wish upon anyone, ever. At times, I couldn't tell if I was remembering a past event, or actually in the present. Was I a Matoran? Toa? Was I in a hospital, or in a hut? I let none of this show, and I would never let it show, not as long as Hajia needed to be here. I wouldn't let anything else distract me from her.But, no matter how deeply I was sleeping, one thing could still wake me up: Food. Or, the need for it. I slowly opened my eyes to the yellowish light created from the glowing stones, and stared up at the ceiling for a time. The lack of the suns above bothered me, underground, everything just seemed so... enclosed. Letting out a breath, I titled my head to the side, and smiled to see a certain Toa of Water awake and staring at me with those amazing, grey-blue eyes."That smile," I commented thoughtfully, "Either means something really good, or really bad for me."

[Geardirector]

IC: Ferron and Whorok_{"Don't worry, I've got this"} Ferron whispered to Krell, well aware that the young Toa could be quite jumpy."Long time no see, Whorok, it's been a while" Ferron offered and reached out with his hand."Same here" the Onu-Toa replied as he returned the gesture.The hunchback tilted his head, observing the two Ferron was with."Who's this? A new member? he asked, pointing at Krell.

[a goose]

IC: Vorex (Onu-Koro)Vorex emerged into Onu-Koro, smiling as he looked around the huge cavern. He was home.A few moments later, he was walking into his home. He set up a fire, then sat down, relaxing and trying to ignore his injured leg. This was how life should be..."Nice to see you again, Vorex." A gunmetal grey figure stepped out of the shadows, his Mahiki menacing in the fire's flickering light. In his left hand, he held a staff, topped with a red crystal held in silver.Vorex didn't seem unnerved by Xylak's sudden appearance. "What do you want?""I want my bodyguard back," Xylak said, frowning. "I have a feeling you're out of a job, anyway."Vorex watched Xylak, deep in thought. "How much are you paying?"Xylak grinned. "As much as you want."

[Simulacrum]

IC: Hajia, Onu-Koro"Guess. I'm sure you'll get it the first time." Hajia said, her smile growing. As she lay in the bed, curled into a ball, her hospital robe did little to hide the scars and marks of torture, some fresh, some old and of unknown origin, that covered her arms and legs, sections normally hidden by her armour.

[sunflower]

IC: Gravity [Onu-Koro]"Hm... It would probably be best to say good, huh?" I replied with a smile after a moment's thought. For me, there was a moment of peace, when the momeories stopped, my brain stopped racing at headache-creating speeds, and everything seemed nice for a moment. My expression softened a bit, and I enjoyed the moment.And then it ended.I didn't let it show on my face, because right about now, Hajia was pretty much the only important thing for me.

[Visaru]

IC- Sovos - Onu-Koro HighwaySovos moved like liquid through the deep shadows of the abandoned Onu-Koro Highway, invisible, silent as death. Nothing could see him. He was, for all intents and purposes, invisible.That’s how Sovos was used to feeling.With six golden weapons on his back, all for the size of a Toa, and every one so polished it was almost glowing, Sovos was not feeling his invisible self. He wished he was free of the weapons, free to move silently through the caves in search of the Makuta Followers he was promised. He shifted his weight and closed his eyes. He was doing this for the good of Mata-Nui. Mata-Nui was his god, and the ones who had promised him information about those who followed the dark god Makuta were just as much a threat as the Makuta followers. At least, with powerful weapons like these.A noise was heard by Sovos’s hypersensitive eardrums, and he moved into a dark recess of the tunnel, disappearing into the shadows. Even with the golden weapons, he could still become invisible. He knew the shadows better, he believed, than any other being on the island.The noise was revealed to be the skittering a Nui-Kopen. The small insect crawled by, unaware of the matoran who was so near it.When it disappeared, Sovos moved on, straining to move silently with the golden weapons on his back. He traversed the rest of the abandoned tunnel- any passersby missed him as he vanished into the shadows. Sovos continued, bringing the mysterious golden weapons to his mysterious goal. OOCSovos to Ko-Wahi

[Eyru]

IC (Oreius)A slightly sweaty Reordin handed the iStone to Sulov, whose practiced fingers tapped the computational pad until it displayed a map of the reef. He briefly displayed the map to Oreius.The Ta-Matoran frowned as he scanned the screen, then pointed at a channel between two nearby islets. “So that channel is safe, but that one-” here he pointed at another pathway between islets. “-is not.”Sulov, ever the seeker of brevity, merely nodded.Oreius nodded in return, then pulled the idling boat into first gear, steering for the safe path. The boat sliced cleanly through the dark water, which was now hardly lit up by the light of the sinking sun, now almost completely below the horizon. The bright colours of the sunset had been replaced by the indigo and purple-black of night. A single star glittered on the eastern horizon.The vessel passed through the channel to emerge facing an archipelago of small islets and rocky, barnacle-covered outcroppings that stretched across the ocean. Oreius paused at the helm.“Left,” Sulov said, pointing.They went left. After passing between three rocky islets, they turned right, and passed by a larger islet with a few stunted trees growing on it.“Left.”“Right.”“Straight.”“Stop.”Oreius obeyed his navigator, and shifted the motor into neutral. The companions all looked up, though there wasn't much to see.The boat drifted in the centre of an open expanse of water, with the nearest tiny islet fifty metres away, now little more than a silhouette in the dim twilight. The Ta-Matoran sailor looked to Sulov, who shrugged and showed him the map. Squinting, Oreius could make out that, sure enough, the that Takua had marked on his map matched up with this open area.Oreius frowned, thinking. The first -and most terrifying- explanation he could think of was that Makuta had gotten here first, and captured the Stone ahead of the Company before destroying its hiding place. That that didn't match up, though: the blank space was on Takua's map too. Wherever the Stone was, the Chronicler hadn't hidden it on an islet...The Ta-Matoran looked up, then walked to the edge of the boat and looked down; down into the unknown depths of the vast, darkling ocean.It was down there.

Edited November 24, 2012 by Eyru Bieber

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: Well of course Gali's stone would be in the water. Where else would it be? But this posed a new threat to the team, notably because there was no Ga-Matoran with them and it was doubtful any of the members would want to enter the watery abyss. Stannis looked over the edge of the boat into the darkness with the rest of the team then looked at each member individually. Oreius was out because he knew how to pilot the boat best. Leah and Lepidran were obviously unable to do it; Le-Matoran were not keen swimmers. Sulov was the only one who could support the team's hidden neads and Reordin had to be with Sulov or the team would fall apart.That left Stannis. The Wanderer clenched his hands to fists in nervousness and thought his reasoning over. He was the sole spiritual leader, the one told in prophesy, surely he, of all people, should be spared the duty of descending? But... no. He had to be the one. A true leader must serve his fellows and take risks for them, he must serve by example. Those were Antrim's words of wisdom to him, words he was to live by.Stannis removed the twin pikes from his back but kept the knife in place. "Reordin, give me Takua's rope," he said, waking the others up from their hypnotic state as they looked at the water. Wordlessly, the Ko-Matoran did as requested, but his face showed consternation about the Pa-Matoran's plan, assuming he had one. Stannis didn't. He would wander his way to the stone as he always did. "Oreius, remove the anchor from the boat's side, rope and all." He wrapped the anchorline about him and tied a bowline, the anchor attached to him with just a couple feet of rope for slack. He tied the ends of the two lines with a hitching knot, doubling the length of them.By then it was clear what the idea was but he explained it to be clear: Stannis would descend speedily with the anchor and unhitch himself, then find the stone. "When I find it, I will tug thrice, then I would have all of you pull me up.""How will you see?" someone asked."Sulov, do you have a lighstone?"The Onu-Matoran nodded once and produced the stone from his backpack, passing it to Stannis."And what if things go wrong?" someone asked.That was something Stannis couldn't help but think about. What if this stone held special properties like the previous two? Stannis hoped it would float, but that was just a pipe dream until made reality. "Whatever awaits me down there isn't picky. I would ask you the same question if you were to descend."

[25K Now!]

IC: [stronin]"So Soli, what are you doing?"

[Syvar]

IC:Tekkoh wandered the tunnels aimlessly. He was lost, and looking for a sign or a person which could lead him to either Ta-Koro, Onu-Koro, or any other way out. He was beginning to feel claustrophobic. At first, he would use his Kanohi Akaku to look for nearby tunnels every once and a while, but the walls were either too thick or had nothing notable behind them and he gave up. A waste of concentration.He impatiently rapped his fingers against the handle of his axe as he walked. He could remember for the life of him how he had gotten lost. Yet there he was without a clue where 'there' was.

[Eyru]

IC (Oreius)"Stannis, wait," Oreius blustered. "I should go; I can swim.""You're the only one who can pilot the boat," the Pa-Matoran replied calmly. "You'll stay up here, and pull me up."The Ta-Matoran watched in frustration as the Wanderer prepared to wander where no Matoran had wandered before: deep beneath the waves of Onu-Wahi. Why? The Company couldn't afford to lose their leader, the one who understood better than any of them the prophecy, the destiny that they followed...Destiny. Once again, the word reminded Oreius of Aurax. The Cy-Matoran's had been prophesied, and so it had happened. They couldn't have changed it; destiny called, and they were forced to answer.But instead of causing his frustration to grow, as it often did, this time it gave him peace. At last, Oreius understood why Stannis could so often face danger and trial so calmly. The man who trusted in prophecy could be confident because destiny was never wrong; no matter what you did, what was foretold always came to pass.If Stannis was meant to die, then he would die. If he was meant to retrieve the Stone and return, then he would. As frustrating as it was, there was nothing Oreius could do except place his faith in destiny. The stifling sense of impotency lessened, and the Ta-Matoran breathed easier. Even though his stomach still churned sickly at the thought of losing Stannis, he was able to push his fear aside and wait, calm as the sea on a still day, for the Wanderer to wander back, as he was destined to."Dive, Stannis," he said softly. "Dive."

Edited November 24, 2012 by Eyru Bieber

[Nuju Metru]

IC:Stannis listened to Oreius. He exchanged last looks with everyone before taking a deep breath and tossing himself and the anchor over the side of the boat. The others saw the splash and watched the refracted image of Stannis's incoherent silhouette descend as long as they could.Stannis, meanwhile, watched the ocean fly by. The boat above him had navigated into the Papa Nihu Reef, and while Stannis knew about the reef's turtles and fishes, he was astonished by the bright corals and strange creatures he saw: neon orange seaweed; yellow coral that danced when you looked at it; reddish brain corals and swaying anemones; small fishes that zipped around in synch; long eels that emerged moodily from crevasses in the rock. The sunlight, dappled blue-green by the pure water, transformed the sea into a new world Stannis had never seen. If he had been breathing normally, it would have taken his breath away. Instead, his ears merely popped.But these sights retreated from Stannis's line of vision as fast as the anchor drew him downward. While most of the reef seemed to reside in shallow water, the boat floated over this sinkhole, which was at least twice as deep as the water around it. Stannis knew that this had to be the location of the stone - Takua wouldn't have placed it anywhere too easy to find. Some coral extended down this far, but it was of the less flashy variety. Fewer of the small fishes were here, and the blue sunlight deepened in hue. The anchor finally landed in sandy earth, stopping its heavy descent. Stannis could still see, but activated the lightstone anyway; as it gave him a much better view.As he did so, a chameleon octopus emerging from its cave was startled by the sight of the light, and it squirted dark ink at Stannis before it dashed away. Stannis swatted the inky water away from himself and took a good look at the bottom of the sinkhole. Most of the floor was empty sand, or large coral. Off to one side was a forest of green seaweed that fanned up into the shallower water's sun, and at the base of the seaweed was a jumble of rocks smoothed over the ages by the sea.All the rocks were Essence-Stone sized. They were practically identical. Stannis felt his lungs clench.

[Vezok's Friend]

IC:As Stannis disappeared beneath the waves, the rest of the company stood at the rails and watched the wanderer descend into the sinkhole from above. Unfortunately, the water wasn't perfectly calm and after a few seconds his blurry silhouette was lost from sight as the light couldn't reach deep enough into the water. The only thing they could see was the faint glow of the light-stone.Leah continued to watch for a few more seconds, then she turned around. She walked back to the spot on deck where she had sat during the journey and started to unpack her rucksack, carefully placing the items within on the planks, so they wouldn't just roll away. "What are you doing?" Reordin asked."Well, " Leah started, "I noticed we tend to run into unknown obstacles a lot. If Stannis gets into trouble and needs help, I'll go after him."

[Geardirector]

IC: Whorok and FerronWho's this? A new member? he asked, pointing at Krell."No, this here's my..." Ferron stuttered trying to find a good explanation."Student" he finished "this guy's just recently become a Toa, I'm showing him the tricks of the trade"_{"Just roll with it"} he whispered to Krell.

[Syvar]

IC:In his wandering, Tekkoh came across a sign on the cave wall. 'Onu-Koro' it read, with an arrow pointing ahead. "Finally..." the Toa of Gravity muttered. He continued walking, feeling slightly less aggravated with his current situation.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: Stannis looked around and saw the stones, all appearing the same. At first he panicked a little as the obvious thought entered his mind: Out of so many stones, how would he find the one he was looking for? But his mind settled against normality as he realized that he was thinking, panicking over something that was mind numbingly more simple. Gali's stone wouldn't be like those stones; no, it would be different. It had to be. Takua placed the stone there in the last hundred years but all the other stones could have been there for millennia prior and in this calm and serene pit there was little current to make a difference on a stone in the mere decades it had been submerged. Another possibility popped up that Takua could have fashioned the stone to appear weathered to blend in with the rest, but it was doubtful. Tampering with such a thing as an essence stone wasn't recommended, was it? Of course not.Feel, don't think. His instinctual reaction had to be right. The stone was not like the others. With a strategy in mind, he looked around more, all while very aware of the oxygen that slowly turned to poison in his lungs. He slowly lifted some of the rocks over to see what was below, and while most revealed only sand, others revealed similar rocks. Stannis believed Gali's stone lingered under one of the identical stones, nestled in its silty bed.

[Simulacrum]

IC: Gravity [Onu-Koro]"Hm... It would probably be best to say good, huh?" I replied with a smile after a moment's thought. For me, there was a moment of peace, when the momeories stopped, my brain stopped racing at headache-creating speeds, and everything seemed nice for a moment. My expression softened a bit, and I enjoyed the moment.And then it ended.I didn't let it show on my face, because right about now, Hajia was pretty much the only important thing for me.

IC: Hajia, Onu-KoroAs Gravity's face softened, Hajia's did likewise, both of them, troubled by different problems, sharing a moment of happiness. A brief moment, and when it was over, Hajia wished that it would have lasted longer."So, anything you want to do? Or talk about? Or...?" Hajia asked, adverting her eyes from him as she thought of how to continue the conversation.

[sunflower]

IC: Hajia, Onu-KoroAs Gravity's face softened, Hajia's did likewise, both of them, troubled by different problems, sharing a moment of happiness. A brief moment, and when it was over, Hajia wished that it would have lasted longer."So, anything you want to do? Or talk about? Or...?" Hajia asked, adverting her eyes from him as she thought of how to continue the conversation.

IC: Gravity [Onu-Koro]I shrugged, or shrugged the best I could while laying down. "Well, if you're feeling up to it, want to take a walk around?" I asked. I hadn't mentioned it before for a few reasons. One because I didn't know how I'd react to a sudden rush of memories, but mainly because I didn't know if it would be good for Hajia to be up and about."You know, see if there's anything to do in this pile of dirt and lightstones they call a Koro...?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Reef, Onu-Wahi)Reordin took a second to glance at Leah as she explained what she was doing and then looked back at the water, the smooth ripples that had marked where Stannis moved in just minutes prior. The soldier felt no true sense of worry for the sage; Stannis was sure of his place, felt he was qualified to go in and recover the stone, so Reordin let the man do as he pleased.Leaning against the edge of the boat, elbows on the railing, back arched over the water, Reordin faced the direction opposite Stannis, content to wait him out. After all, there was no use messing with destiny. Her words were those of a saint, her bite that of a viper, and if the Wanderer wanted so badly to believe in it, then fine, the Ko-Matoran would let him believe in it. After all, he could troll a saint, he would toy with a viper, but no way he was gonna do both at once. Besides, Stannis was capable enough to grab the stone.Still, going down for help alone...stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid misplaced faith. You always bring a spotter to make sure nothing goes wrong down underneath the unpredictable, ever-changing coffin that was the sea: any good sailor or merchant would tell you that, and Stannis should have known better. It would be worth talking to him about, later. After they were on a course towards the next stone.Or not.-Tyler

[25K Now!]

OOC: Ashiem from Le-Wahi.IC: [Ashiem]The Ussal cart came to a halt in front of the company building, and Ashiem got out, pulling the tomb out as well. All she needed to do was to traverse the final few steps into the building, where she could finally abandon the tomb and prevent her arms from dying on her. It would not be a difficult task, unlike the beginning of her journey.Several seconds later, the residents of the company building would find the Toa of Magnetism attempting to roll the tomb through the doors."This ... is such ... a pain ..."

[Syvar]

IC:Tekkoh entered the Koro, glad to be in a more open space. Taking a deep breath, he gazed around. Over all he found the place dreary and dull, but much better than the tiny tunnels. He walked the streets, glancing around to see if there was anyone in need of a Toa. Probably not, he thought. There are many Toa already handling, well, nearly everything. Probably something menial left for him to do though.

[Nuju Metru]

IC:Stannis' strategy was a simple one, and remarkably cunning for an oxygen-hungry mind. By looking for the stone with the least silt, barnacles, murk, and fish excrement on it, Stannis could be reasonably sure that the stone he would choose was the newest one placed, and as such the Essence Stone he was looking for. His eye was caught again for an instant by the octopus, which seemed to have overcome its fear of his light, as it was drifting his way. Stannis paid the marine Rahi little heed. It was a mistake.The octopus, evidently bearing some kind of magpie's lust for the lightstone, snagged it with several tentacles, and with its powerful suckers, plucked the stone out of Stannis' unprepared grip. The octopus was far more at home under the water than Stannis, so it easily evaded his attempted grab, and retreated into a hole in a particularly large piece of coral with the lightstone. Stannis turned back to his search for the stones, but found that, without the lightstone, he could hardly tell one from the other. Another clenching in his chest reminded Stannis of the state of his held breath - he was starting to feel strained, and had to keep enough oxygen for the return journey. Did he have enough time to try to retrieve the lightstone, or would he try to keep looking? It would be a crucial split-second decision.But Stannis was a man of faith, and he took the octopus' intervention as a sign; he decided to feel inside its cubbyhole. It was the right choice. He reached firstly into the hole in the coral and, squeezing his fingers past the probably-outraged cephalopod and its stolen lightstone, he felt something else smooth and hard pushed against the back of the coral cave. Stannis grabbed the thing, and pried it out. It was a round, smooth stone, just like the ones on the ground by the seaweed, but free of grime. Something untangible must have convinced the octopus to take it - Stannis knew this meant he had the right stone.Almost bursting, Stannis propelled himself as quickly as he could to the anchor, and gave it a vigorous tug. He held the Essence Stone firmly under the crook of his arm as, on the boat, the others reeled him and the anchor up as fast as they could. Stannis felt lightheaded as he was extracted again from the deep, a combination of what Ga-Matoran called "deepsea sickness" and his empty lungs. Stannis was about to pass out when his head broke the surface at last. He gasped and sputtered like a body pulled from the edge of drowning; the others grabbed him under the arms and hoisted him back onto the boat.Leah took the stone out of Stannis' hands, and was unsurprised to find it pulsing and glowing blue, as the other stones had - however, the Le-Matoran almost dropped the thing again as it became remarkably - exponentially - slippery in her grasp. She fumbled with the stone for a moment, caught it again, almost falling into the water herself in the process. Exhaling slowly, she pivoted, and in relief let the stone fall onto the deck, where it beat strongly enough for the others to feel it in their feet. It landed near Sulov's backpack, from which a green glow emanated outward from between the seams. Sulov took Onua's stone out of his bag, and held it up so Leah could tap Gali's stone to it. When the Essence Stones touched, they both returned to their more normal behaviors, looked like mere rocks again.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Reef, Onu-Wahi)"Good thing no archaeologists saw you guys do the little chestbump thing with the stones. They might've ripped off our heads and saved Makuta the time."-Tyler

[25K Now!]

IC: [Ashiem]Minutes after attempting to push the tomb through the doors, Ashiem finally decided to merely lift it in, even if it would be very tiring. The Toa of Magnetism groaned as she entered, and placed the tomb on the floor."Okay, the job's done."