Bzprpg - Onu-Wahi

[Eyru]

IC (Jin)

 

"Your cousin?" I replied. There weren't exactly a ton of girls in Bad Company; Brykon obviously wasn't talking about me, which meant Liacada.

 

"Nah, haven't seen her. Weird: the whole town turned out for Turaga Whenua's funeral; you'd think I would've seen her around."

 

This was straying a little close to our true topic of conversation, but I was confident that no one would get it except the Captain. Whenua's death was a big topic around the town, like Vakama;s had been in Ta. I hadn't been here long, but no matter where you went, you couldn't seem to get away from the news. It was easily the biggest thing on everyone's minds.

 

His murderer, on the other hand, wasn't. That meant she'd got away, or the guards had her, and were keeping it under their vests.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: "I see," Brykon said with a bobbing nod. Though in truth he didn't see. "Yeah, you'd think that, eh?" All he could glean was that Liacada had succeeded in killing the turaga, but that didn't mean she got away with it as smoothly as Jin or he did in their departments. Though with respect to the girl's inexperience and headstrong attitude, plus the fact that she hadn't been seen by Jin since the fact, Brykon took an educated guess that Liacada had been captured. No proof, just loose information in a pile that seemed to arrange itself in a logical way.

 

"I bet the mother-in-law decided to hole her up," Brykon said as he again stared off at his reflection. He breathed deeply and sank the rest of his drink just as the juicy steak was delivered to his place. He muttered his thanks and dug some widgets from his pockets and handed it to the keep, adding an extra coin for a sweet roll that was promptly given to him. "As soon as you finish drinking that stuff up, miss, I think we should see if my cousin's held hostage by that old hag," he said before messily digging into the steak and bread.

 

That reaction wasn't part of his act, though -- he was genuinely famished from his journey.

[Eyru]

IC (Jin)

 

I nodded, but didn't move to finish off any of the half-finished drinks I'd left. I'd had enough for one night. Instead, I let my eyes wander over the bar, taking in the sights and sounds of gritty miners and hardhats enjoying their end-of-the-day drinks and conversation.

 

It wasn't exactly my favourite pub in the world, but it had its charms. I had a feeling I'd be missing it before long, especially if Brykon was figuring some sort of plan to rescue Liacada.

 

A rescue mission? I reigned in the urge to order a bottle of whiskey and down it in one go, then hopefully pass out on the bar. I don't do rescue missions. If someone's stupid enough to get caught, then usually I would just leave them be. Let them pay the price for their ineptitude. But Liacada knew our names: if she squealed, we were all done. Besides, Brykon wanted to, and there was no point in arguing. I'd already proved I would do what he wanted, no questions asked.

 

 

 

 

IC (Cael)

 

Looking up the tunnel, Cael could see the silhouettes of the three Ta-Toa against the lights of the mine. She watched as one of them tossed something down the shaft, and saw it for a split second in the glow of her lightstone before it hit the water with a splash.

 

The healer swam over to the object and picked it up; it was Joske's bag, full of the charms they had collected over their journey. Treading water, the Toa looked into the bag, and realized there was more than merely charms in the satchel.

 

“What's in here?” she called up.

 

"A hunch. Take your time, be careful. I'll be waiting for you."

 

A hunch? Cael had no idea what Joske was talking about, but she'd take his word for it.

 

Taking a deep breath, the Toa of Water plunged beneath the water once more, the bag slung over her shoulder. Summoning her power over water, she directed a current to carry her down, supplementing her strokes. Though she wasn't used to using her elemental abilities like this, usually preferring to use them in subtle skilful ways, it didn't take as much effort as she'd thought. There was already a small current tugging at her; all she had to do was magnify it.

 

Now that she knew where she was going, she swam straight for the bottom of the flooded mine, not bothering to scan her surroundings like the first time. As a result, she reach the bottom of the shaft more quickly, her lightstone once again illuminating the creepy mechanical graveyard.

 

The toa of Water released her hold over the current, and swam over to the door she had seen. As before, it was built into the earth, smooth and flawless, save for a single symbol etched above a charm-sized niche.

 

Upon closer examination, Cael realized she recognized the symbol: it was the symbol of Duty, one of the three Virtues. Although not a prominent in Ga-Koran culture as it was in other places around the island, she was still able to recognize it easily.

 

Using her lightstone to illuminate the contents of the bag, the healer rummaged through the mess of charms for a few seconds, then pulled out the charm of Duty. It fit perfectly in the slot.

 

Precious seconds ticked by, and for a brief, horrifying moment, Cael was afraid that she'd done something wrong. Then, with a faint grinding sound, the door split in half, each half receding into the wall on either side. The charm drifted to the ground.

 

The Toa picked up the charm, then swam deeper into the tunnel, quickly coming face-to-face with a second door, identical except for the symbol, which Cael recognized as the symbol of Destiny. Again, she pulled out the correct charm, clicked it in place, and then waited for the door to open, which it did.

 

The third door bore a strange symbol, one that Cael had not seen before: a vertical line of three circles, connected by a single line.

 

Fortunately, this was not a difficult riddle to answer. All of the charms bore their symbols on their faces, so it was a simple matter of matching the charm to the symbol on the door. This fit with the personalities of Onu-Matoran, as far as Cael knew. Theirs were a simple, straightforward life; they didn't beat around the bush or try to extract hidden meanings from things. They weren't ones for riddles.

 

The third door slid open, revealing a fourth. This symbol was a group of six circles, and, unlike the last, Cael was able to guess at what this one meant. Prosperity. She located the fourth charm, pushed it into the niche, and waited.

 

The door didn't open.

 

Instead, the floor in front of the door opened, and a small box rose up on a platform. It opened automatically, revealing... nothing. It was empty.

 

Despite being a Toa of Water, Cael's breath was beginning to run short, and this only heightened her sense of anxiety. What was she supposed to do here? Was she supposed to place a fifth charm in the box? There was no slot, no charm-sized niche, and no clues as to what it was for. Or... perhaps someone had already been here, and collected the Crystal? Had the box been built to house their prize, the Crystal of Prosperity?

 

The Toa of Water shone her lightstone closer, trying to make out any sort of hint. There- she found it! A tiny line of writing, hardly visible through the murky water.

 

Proof of riches.

 

So... it turned out that Onu-Matoran had a taste for riddles after all. What did this mean? Was Cael supposed to provide proof that she was rich? But she wasn't, not really, and besides, she had the feeling that just putting a few widgets in the box wouldn't cut it.

 

Riches... what did it mean to be rich? It meant you were wealthy, comfortable, prosperous ­-prosperous!The box was asking for proof of prosperity?

 

Was Cael prosperous? She liked to think so, at least to a degree, but what sort of proof did she have?

 

Then she remembered: there was something else in the bag. She pulled it out; it glinted a bright copper in the light of the glowing crystal.

 

A Mask of Victory.

 

This was Joske's, obviously. He must have won it at one of his tournaments. It took a moment for the healer to connect the dots, but then she saw the connection: prosperity didn't have to mean money, or jewels. Being prosperous meant you were wealthy through hard work and determination; it didn't specify what made up your wealth. Joske had worked hard for this trophy; it proved he was the best; it was evidence of his prosperity.

 

The healer gently placed the mask in the box, and closed the lid. After a breathless moment, it sank back beneath the floor, and the final door opened, releasing the charm of Prosperity.

 

The door opened into a cavernous room, filled with water, which Cael couldn't see the bottom of. Her lightstone revealed a bridge that extended out from the floor beneath her feet to a suspended platform in the centre of the circular room. On the dais sat a shining crystal, glowing with a soft light.

 

The Toa of Water swam over to the crystal and picked it up, placing it in the bag. It was heavier than it appeared, causing the satchel to drag at her shoulder more than it had before as she turned and began making her way back through the tunnel, back into the flooded Great Mine.

 

As she emerged back into the main shaft, Cael suddenly realized her lungs were aching from holding her breath for so long. Even though she was a Toa of Water, she had her limit, and it was drawing close.

 

She began to swim up, kicking with her legs and pulling at the water with her arms. Foregoing light for agility, she dropped the lightstone, let it sink down to join the other debris at the bottom of the mine. It was dark now, but Cael could sense which way was up. The water was her ally, her informant.

 

Her lungs burned; bubbles burst out of her mouth and nose as she involuntarily let out some of her air. Pushing herself as hard as she could, the Toa of Water took hold the water around her and pulled it up, directing a current to carry her to the surface.

 

The focus it took to manipulate this large amount of water was taxing on Cael's abilities; already, the healer could feel the mental and elemental strain that inevitably followed such attempts. But she wouldn't give up; she couldn't... she needed to get the Crystal to Joske... she was almost there.

 

The water was her friend, but she couldn't breathe it. Not like Toa Gali. And now, more than anything else, she needed air.

 

She pushed harder, coaxing her body to work harder, pulling the water around her, struggling to direct it up. She needed to get back... she needed to... she had to...

 

Joske's face filled her vision... she remembered that he was waiting for her there, just a few bio farther. He was waiting for her. And if he were in her place, he wouldn't give up. He would get back up, and keep going until he had nothing left.

 

It was that kind of determination that had made him prosperous.

 

Calling up as much of her power as she could, Cael took hold of the water underneath her, and unleashed a blast that carried her up, up, towards the surface, towards air, towards life.

 

Towards Joske.

 

The Ga-Toa broke the surface of the water with a mighty splash, her strained lungs taking in a huge gasp of precious air before she fell back into the roiling pool. She floated there, for a moment, simply breathing, listening to the Toa above her call down, asking if she was alright.

 

At last, she managed to cough out an answer. “I- I'm fine.”

 

“I got it.”

Edited January 16, 2013 by Viserys Targaryen

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: The odd couple remained in silence after Brykon started to eat his meal with ravenous vigor. When he was finished he looked back up at Jin an then down at the number of unfinished beverages in front of her. Brykon muttered a "hmph" of an indistinguishable emotion as he wiped his mouth with a napkin and then tossed it on the plate. "Did you pay yet?" he asked.

 

Jin merely tossed a few coins on the counter and nodded in response. It was all Brykon asked for.

 

"Let's move." He pushed himself from the bar and sauntered from whence he way he came with Jin close behind. Nobody gave them even a cursory glance; for all appearances they were just an odd team of prospectors. When they were safely away from "The Golden Eye" Brykon finally spoke as normal. "We'll need to go somewhere we can talk in private," he said. "And I know just the place." He pointed to an apartment window in the wall of Onu-Koro where just a few candle lights shone through. An ornate and wealthy-looking set of doors was below it, indicating the owner was of wealth and status.

 

Brykon strode for the house with purpose, though he and Jin still looked to their sides with some care to ensure they weren't followed. At the door, he knocked twice but there was no reply for a while. It seemed like he was inspecting the frame for a way to break in when it abruptly opened, startling him a little. "Can I help you?" a black and white armored Matoran asked, clearly the butler.

 

"We're here to see the lady of the plasma skies," he said.

 

"She is away?" the butler replied.

 

Brykon paused a moment, trying to remember something from the back of his mind before he finally produced it just as the butler closed the door. "The sky is unusually black tonight."

 

The butler's eyes flashed in recognition. "Why didn't you say so?" he said and opened the door again for entry. "The electress is truly not home at the moment, though I suppose she'll be returning from her latest excursion any hour now."

 

The foyer alone seemed large enough to contain a merchantman's house and it opened up to a grand staircase that soared up and away like a great eagle's wings turned up to the heavens. Jin and Brykon stumbled behind the butler in awe of the visage. No wonder how Aurelia could pay Bad Company so well.

 

Ooc: I'd add more but I must be off for now. lol

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Kutukan

 

"Sounds like a lot of work, searching for more of us," he said, "we need to narrow it down. Where would you hide if you were a half-amnesiac lab rat who just escaped an exploding facility?"

[Flex Lord Splash]

IC: Ashala, Jaceren, Malcor (Condemned Inn, Onu-Koro)

 

“Ko-Wahi?” Ashala asked her sapphire eyes blinking. “I would, but maybe that’s just because I like the cold.”

 

“I’d go to Onu-Koro, but looks like we are already here.”

 

“Po-Koro, no one ever goes there. Also there is the desert, a nice place to hide.” He said.

 

IC: Incinerator, NPC assassins (Onu-Koro)

 

A large figure crouched down on a rooftop as he surveyed the burning inn. As the light from the flames played over his mask it revealed that someone had carved his Pakari to look like that of a skull. Incinerator's crimson eyes turned to the group of five black armored assassins that crouched on the rooftop as well. "They are close," he said pointing to the three strips of wall lying on the ground outside; strips that only a pair of familiar proto-steel claws could make. "Fan out and find them." Incinerator said as he closed his fist.

[Friar Tuck]

IC

 

[Great Mine; afternoon]

 

This time... this time she was gone longer than before. Even I couldn't hold my breath for that long, and I was in perfect physical shape. I was calm, but now... something must of gone-

 

There was a mighty splash below me as I heard Cael break the surface, her strained lungs taking in a huge gasp of sweet, precious air before her body fell back into the roiling pool. In the dim light I could see her float there, simply breathing, heavy and rapid, as if there was not enough to go around. I didn't have to see her to know she was exhausted.

 

"Cael!"

 

No response.

 

"Cael, are you alright?"

 

Nothing but that heavy,staggered breathing.

 

"Cael!?"

 

At last, she managed to cough out an answer. “I- I'm fine.” I could hear movement in the water as she attempted to stand upright and tread, the faint glimmer of her wet mask looking up.

 

“I got it.”

 

Air rushed out of my lungs as I gave a long exhale. So she survived and got the crystal; I shook my head. Yes, clearly it had been close, but she had done it. I should not have worried as much. She was capable and competent on her own.

 

I needed to remind myself she had been a toa much longer than I have been.

 

With a swift motion I leaped over the edge, keeping one hand firmly grasped on the lip of the hole as I swung down, my feet planting themselves against the shaft wall. I reached my free hand down, my fingers about half a bio above her head. She looked at me with a taxed expression, mouth still open as she tried to regulate her breathing, but that excursion had been almost more than she could handle. Clearly she was tired and even treading water required a concentrated effort. Stretching as far as I could I looked at her, a confident, approving, comforting smile on my face.

 

"It's ok; I got you."

 

There was a moment between us, and then with effort she reached up and grasped my hand, slowly followed by the other. With a heave I released my coiled body, pulling her up and out of the water in one swift, fluid motion as I simultaneously lifted with my one arm, pushed with my legs, and pulled with the other arm. It was so quick, so sudden, so effortless on my part that as her face flew past mine I could see the mild surprise, a second later I had tossed her over the lip and onto dry ground. Agni was immediately there, pressing on her back, helping her cough out the water she had swallowed. I could not help but smile slightly in morbid entertainment as I climbed back over the edge; a Toa of Water almost drowned. It was like me saying I was nearly burned to a crisp.

 

I knelt down next to her as she was on all fours, now back on solid ground rapidly recovering. I squeezed her arm once.

 

"Thank you."

 

That was all I needed to say at that moment, a lot of information and feeling conveyed in those two simple words. She had just done something I could do, and thanks to her we were now just one crystal shy of a full set. Gingerly removing the satchel from her neck I rummaged through the contents, noting that all the charms were there, the crystal was there, but my mask was not. So the temple had decided not to give it back.

 

I pulled out the Crystal of Prosperity, gazing at it's features for a second, before adding it to the rest. Ringing out the water in the bag, I spoke to the group.

 

"Five down, one to go. Who's up for heading back to Ga-Koro to finish this little quest?"

 

I had that quirky grin on my face.

[Geardirector]

IC: AarThe Matoran's eyebrows rose, while his voice dropped. "Getting a bit ahead of ourselves. I didn't really think that jumping straight to a coup would be best either. So are we going to have a meeting with him or something like that?"

IC: Whorok

 

Whorok scratched his back head, it was getting hard to think again.

 

"Well, I did say I'd be in touch, so I suppose he's halfway expecting me to show up again eventually"

 

A pause, and then Whorok continued

 

"Yes, we'll do that. We'll try to talk with him sometime during the next cycle."

 

Being an Onu-Koro citizen, Whorok had little grasp on the idea of "night and day" so to him, life was just an endless series of intervals between rest and work, with a certain amount of intervals being a "cycle" almost equivalent to what other matoran would call a "day"

[ARROW404]

IC: Aar

"Sure," said the Matoran, fully understanding. "I'd better head back. I got a break due to a cave-in, but they'll be calling us back soon."

Edited January 17, 2013 by Marius Pontmercy

[Geardirector]

IC: Whorok

 

Whorok's head snapped back to Aar.

 

"What? A cave-in?" he asked, before he darted off towards the tunnles without waiting for an answer.

[Vezok's Friend]

OOC: Tuck gave me permission to bunny Joske for this posts purpose.

 

IC:

 

After helping Cael, Agni gave her and Joske a moment to collect their thoughts. Then Joske pocketed the crystal of prosperity, before turning to them again, eagerness in his eyes and a grin on his face that showed he was rather content with how this had all played out. He looked at each of them and asked:

 

"Five down, one to go. Who's up for heading back to Ga-Koro to finish this little quest?"

 

Cael nodded, as did Angelus, but Agni just looked at Joske impassively, as if he was thinking about something else. Joske cocked his head to the side in curiousity and his brow furrowed. His mentor was not one to just zone out and stare into nothingness, so something was clearly on his mind. What could that be? With his curiosity awakened, he was now determined to find out. "Agni?" he asked. "You with us, old man? Do you want to get moving?"

 

That got the veteran's attention. He looked Joske in the eyes and raised an eyebrow. The younger Toa knew he had him now. Agni hated being called old. Sure, he had about two centuries experience on Joske as a Toa, but compared to a lot of other Toa, the man was in his prime. Joske still grinned, enjoying poking a little fun at his mentor, like he did from time to time. "Still calling me that, kid?" Agni asked, his face hard like stone for a moment, just long enough to make the other wonder wether he had been offended or not. Then suddenly, a knowing smile crept onto his face.

 

"Or was that you asking for a rematch for your utter defeat in Ga-Wahi during training?" Agni asked. He phrased the question that way on purpose. He knew that if he just insisted on another lesson, his protegé would be less invested in what he was about to suggest. But if he disguised the suggested lesson in the form of a challenge...perhaps that would press Joske's buttons. And how could he, star-athlete that he was, resist such a challenge?

 

Joske looked at Cael and Angelus, then the crystals in the bag in his hand. There was uncertainty in his eyes. Agni decided to push a little further. "Unless you are uncomfortable in these caves, I know the darkness isn't for everybody..."

 

That did it. The Toa of fire slowly turned to Cael and handed the bag with their precious content to her, before turning back to Agni. He lifted his hand and poked the older Toa with in the chest, who had to take a step back to counter the sudden momentum. "Alright, you're on." Joske said, decidedly, with a grin. Agni returned the expression. He could probably guess what the other was thinking right now. Agni was no Utu. And nowhere near Heuani. This wouldn't take long.

 

The two Toa then looked at Angelus and Cael. "If you want you can come and watch." Agni said. "But you don't have to, if you prefer going back to the village instead of staying in the mine. It's up to you."

 

(OOC: Depending on how tight the timeschedule is, if you want to skip posting reactions to watching the two sparring.)

 

"Where do you want to do this?" Joske asked, placing his Toa-tool back on his back safely. Agni nodded his head in the direction of the opening of the tunnel. "I know just the right place."

 

Together, they moved through the tunnels, until they came back to the central chamber, where they followed the curve of huge circular chasm that was the great mine, until Agni directed them to an elevator that went up to the higher levels. As they rode up, Joske took a look around and spotted a platform overhead. It was made of steel and attached to a walkway that was stretching out into the chasm so far, that the platform was almost above the center of the cylindrical shaft. Below, he could see the reflections of lighstones in the water that flooded the lower levels.

 

With a rattle, the elevator came to a stop; and sure enough, Agni led them to the walkway that he had seen a few moments earlier. They crossed it and found themselves standing on the platform. The floor under their feet was grated and looking through the gaps, Joske could see it was quite a ways down to the water. He had to admit though, the place felt right for a rematch with the old man. A bit too fitting, actually. He realized this wasn't as much about a rematch as it was about more training. He looked at his mentor.

 

"You planned on this, didn't you?" Joske asked Agni. The older Toa nodded and replied: "Ever since Ko-Wahi."

 

"Why? You know we just need one more crystal. If we get moving now, we can be in Ga-Wahi by dawn and get the last one."

 

"I know. But I bet you also know who will show up sooner or later once we have the complete set, don't you?"

 

Joske thought for a moment, then nodded. Indeed he did. Agni could see it in his eyes. Heuani. Sooner or later they would run into him again. The older Toa sighed. "The thing is...you are not ready yet. You've come a long way since that first sparring-match in Ga-Koro. And truth be told, the changes you've gone through in the past few weeks have been nothing short of amazing. You're really coming to your own as a Toa...and as a hero to the people of the island. But you are not ready for him yet. You may have beaten him morally in Ko-Wahi, but he knew you were not going to beat him one on one in a fight. I do not know what his motives are beyond those of his master, but from what you told me, he likes to play with the ones he considers his prey. He toyed with you on that glacier when he gave you the crystal."

 

Joske was looking down at his feet at that point. He knew what Agni said was true, Karzhani, he had come to the same conclusion himself. He suddenly looked up again though, when Agni continued and said: "But I can make you ready."

 

"How?"

 

Agni started to smile again and started to unwrap his scarf. "By making you the fastest darn Toa on the whole Island. Faster than your own thoughts, even."

 

"Alright, old man, colour me intrigued. What did you have in mind?"

 

Agni dropped the scarf down next to his feet. "I've already taught you how to fight hand-to-hand." he said. Suddenly, his shape blurred. Joske realized what was happening and activated his own mask in turn, just in time to block a hold that would have resulted in Agni dropping him on his back like a turtle like so many times before. This time though, his mentor only managed to get the hold, but Joske had reacted quick enough and changed his stance to stop him from actually throwing him. A heartbeat later, Agni stood back where he had a moment before, but this time he had his blades out. Joske tensed a little. This wasn't just general combat-training. Agni really wanted to hammer a lesson home here.

 

The next instant, the older Toa charged, appearing behind Joske, who ducked and rolled forward with his mask active, avoiding the strike. He retaliated quickly with a hurled fireball, which didn't reach Agni as the Toa of fire teleported once again, this time coming at Joske from the left, a kick aimed at his legs to swipe him off his feet.But Joske jumped up into a spinning kick of his own, which Agni managed to block, before disappearing once again. Joske instinctively took a step forward, just as the older Toa dropped in from above, hitting the ground behind him. Seeing that his follow-up move had failed he ported once more. They were in a rythm of attack and counter-attack now. A few of the Onu-Matoran workers nearby stopped swinging their pickaxes and looked to see what the sudden noises were about. The two Toa were just blurs of red atop the platform, appearing here for a moment , each tightly holding onto the other, before breaking off and trying something new.

 

Suddenly, Joske got lucky. As Agni emerged from his teleportation, he had his arms just at the right height to grab onto his mentors ankle. Now it was his turn to finally bring the old man down to the ground for a change. He flipped the Toa over, and Agni hit the platform hard, close to the edge, but he still managed to roll onto his knees and elbows. Joske saw his chance for a decisive move and put his arms forward, wrists together and palms outward, sending a wall of flame at his mentor. It wasn't strong enough to seriously hurt him, but it would win him the match for sure. But as the fire engulfed Agni, he saw his shape flicker and disappear once more. Joske mentally cursed as he realized Agni was playing him, giving him an opening just to lure him into a trap. He barely managed to turn around, where he caught Agni's arms by the wrists. Had he not blocked the move, Agni would have had his blades at his throat and he would have had no room to maneuver backwards, since they were too close to the edge now. Joske grinned at his success. Finally, Agni was not getting the better of him for a change.

 

"Ha! Your tricks don't work anymore!" he exclaimed. Angi returned the grin, though strained, as he still had his arms up and was trying to force them further down despite Joske's hold. "That wasn't a trick." he said through gritted teeth. Joske had an idea then. He suddenly jumped up with his feet as hard as he could, even tucking his legs in, while Agni still tried to force his arms down. With the precise jump, the opposite forces directed up and down flipped him in such a way that he was now horizontal in mid-air...and his feet were aimed right at Agni's chest. He kicked as hard as he could, Agni flying backwards as he started to use the push to execute a backflip. With the help if his mask, he landed safely back on his feet, just on the edge of the platform, his grin even wider at his own showmanship. In just that moment Agni caught him off guard. He must have had teleported immediately after the kick and now the older Toa of fire was right in front of him and moving forward, coming at him, his hands wrapped around the handles of his blades tighthly. But he wasn't stabbing at the younger Toa. He merely shoved him with closed hands. Joske took an involuntary step back...into nothing. He was on the edge of the platform and behind him, there was nothing but a drop down to the murky surface of the water in the flooded lower levels.

 

His mind started to race just klike the air racing past his ears. He tumbled end over end for a second, then two seconds, then he managed to concentrate enough to activate his toa-tool; a jet of flames shooting out of the launcher, turning his fall into a controlled flight. As soon as he caught his bearing, he pulled up and flew back up to the platform, cutting of the stream of flame and landing back on top of it, bending his knees to absorb the impact. Agni was waiting for him. Joske stood back up to his full height, breathing heavily. In comparison, Agni was relatively calm, but then again he had not just made an involuntary drop into the primary shaft of the great mine.

 

Then Joske noticed Agni was holding his black scarf in his hand, out to him. He would have made a quip at the fact, but he wanted to know where Agni was going with this. his mentor answered the question before he could ask it. "Here, wrap this around your head."

 

"You want to...blindfold me?" Joske asked, a bit incredulous. Agni nodded. "That was just the warm up. And I only got you because I know your moves pretty well by now. But that won't matter if you run into the shadow-Toa again." he said. As if to underline the message, Joske felt a sting on his cheek. He lifted his hand up to it and found that there was blood on his fingertips. The cut Heuani had given him must have had reopened a little during the match...

"So how will covering my eyes help in preparing for him?" Joske asked, taking the scarf from Agni, running his hands over the fabric, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do with it.

 

"You said that Heuani got to you despite you seeing him coming at you. I'll teach you how to block and dodge him while blind. Put on the scarf." Agni instructed. Joske sighed and placed the black cloth over his eyes, tying the ends of the scarf into a knot on the back of his head, effectively blindfolding himself. With the light in the mine already dim, all his eyes registered now was pitch black. And the cloth wrapped over his ears too, muffling sounds a little as well.

 

He heard Agni take a few steps back. "Alright then. The scarf is working?"

 

Joske nodded. "I can't see a thing, so yes."

 

"Good." Agni said. "Because right now, I am not a Toa of fire. I am not going to come at you with my element, though feel free to defend yourself with it. But from now on, I am a Toa of shadow...and I'll attack you like one. Ready?"

 

Joske nodded once and Agni disappeared...

 

OOC: Spent an hour and a half writing this. Thanks for letting me borrow Joske, Tuck. But I think it is only fair that you write the conclusion to this (including bunnying Agni of course!). With being blindfolded, the second half of the training should be better described from Joske's point of view alone and I don't want to have all the fun by myself. So, the stage is set, the rest is up to you =)

Edited January 18, 2013 by Vezok's Friend

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)

 

Deep in the bowels of Onu-Wahi, two shadowy figures met two others in the darkness.

 

"Nothing," said Echelon to Zadron.

 

"Neither hide nor hair in the entire Wahi," the assassin remarked. "They're not here."

 

"Indeed," the Necromancer replied. "Which means they're most probably up above, or in Po-Wahi. In either case, we should make haste to the surface."

 

Zadron nodded.

 

Echelon turned to Zenix.

 

"Accompany us if you wish," he said. "Your skills may be useful when we find them."

[ARROW404]

IC: Aar

"A small one, nobody was hurt," called the Matoran, sprinting after the much longer-legged Toa. "It'll still take a while to clear it though. Except maybe with your help," he added with a smirk. Remembering something, he slowed down, "I'll return again soon. I want to see if I can buy myself a drill."

 

With that, he let Whorok continue while he slipped off to a stall near Nuparu's hut, where Kehuri had gotten his contraption.

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Zenix: Zenix nodded and smiled to himself. "It would be my pleasure," he said.

[Light]

IC: Rohi slept. She slept, barely aware of the small voice in her head, barely aware of the questions it was asking, the statements it was making. She slept. And still, she knew what was happening. Why she had agreed to the voice's offer, without it having to plead, beg for the ability to become corporal. The island had been too long without peace. This promised peace, and she could feel the power behind it. Even as she glowed brightly and her shoulder muscles started to get stronger, even as her nails started to extend into claws, yes, even as the pitch black wings with starry points of white burst out of her back, she slept. Until it was over, and Rohi was no more. Only Arani was in that body, and it was she who woke.OOC:: Arani to ko.

Edited January 18, 2013 by Jon Snow

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Kutukan

 

"Well..." Kutukan sighed, "it's not much, but it's a start. I say we head to Po first, as it's the nearest. Then we can head to Ko. Any objections?"

[Eyru]

IC (Jin)

 

"Nice digs," I said dryly.

 

It was nice. The whole place seemed to be built to look as overwhelmingly majestic as possible, with arches, pillars, and a huge, swooping staircase. Aurelia really had a nice sense of style, if you liked big.

 

The butler closed the door behind us, but I cornered him before he could walk away.

 

"Where's the lady at?"

[Relapse]

IC. Onu-Koro Prison.She'd been shipped into another room. They had blindfolded her and relocated her to what she assumed was another cell. She never saw the person who moved her, but their grip was tight, their prod rough. No one in the godforsaken building was happy when they saw her. She could relate to battle strategies, sometimes connecting the dots with old experiences. The sheer shame she felt right now wasn't even remotely similar to anything she'd ever felt. I did my job. I did my job. I did my job.The blindfold fell off by itself after awhile. She realized her hands were free- she'd been uncuffed when they entered the room. Ah, yes, they. She was startled when she noticed him- a slim figure like unto a water serpent. He was skin and bones and teeth. Yes, the Terry's were worth noting. They looked like alabaster blades in his mouth. His entire form was black, sparing his bald white head. She didn't know what manner of creature this was, but it wasn't normal.She sat at the table, which was sterling silver just like the rest of the room. Luminate walls of the same color, floors and ceilings mirroring the walls. The thing sitting across from her was the only nonconformity in the perfect realm containing the room. That is, besides herself. She was just about to consider attempting suicide, when the thing spoke."I did not say you could sit." His voice was proper, but sinister and slightly smug. In a few ways, it was commanding, and she took to rising to her feet."I did not say you should stand."She narrowed her eyebrows and went back down to sit. To her surprise, this seemed to set him off. He sneered and rose, circling the table to stand just above her."You must listen more carefully."He flicked his hands up instantly, and there was a searing pain on her cheek. She'd hardly seen him move, much less make any concise motions. He was smiling now, and that deeply scared her. Something was very off about this entire thing. He flocked his hands again, slamming her head against the table. He didn't let up, instead plunging her forehead further into the metal. She wanted to resist, but couldn't find the strength. Just as she felt her forehead beginning to split, he threw her bsck against her chair. Luckily, she felt her skull, and there were no fractures."So...now the interrogation begins?" Liacada asked."Do you know what I like about this room?""Um...no?""Well, there's aesthetics, but more on that later. First, another question: who is it that you work with?""I work alone.""Wrong. All five of the other Turaga died as well. Who are you working with?""Hmm...fine. To avoid conflict... I work with a secret group of unhappy chocolate farmers who want equal rights. So we killed the Turaga. Yay for being progressive!""Hmm...I like this room because it's designed to contain screams. You can't hear them outside of this wing."Liacada shrugged. "I don't see why-" The entire wing heard the scream that followed. But he was correct- no one outside the wing could hear it. "Now the interrogation begins."The sounds of razors rung out, and the screams continued. What was not heard was any information being spilled. Liacada had not cracked (mentally, at least) quite yet.

Edited January 18, 2013 by Relapse

[Flex Lord Splash]

IC: Ashala, Jaceren, Malcor (Condemned Inn, Onu-Koro)

“Sounds like a plan.” She said standing up. “Or at least as close to one as we can mange.”

“As long as we run into something to fight I’m good.”

 

"Its decided then, let’s go,”

 

IC: Incinerator, NPC assassins (Onu-Koro)

 

Incinerator jumped to the ground below as he began to stride through Onu-Koro silently; pulling his black cloak around him and his hood up to hide his white skull-shaped mask. As he ducked into an alleyway suddenly one of his assassins jumped down from the roof of a stone hut. “We’ve tracked their prints, they haven’t gone far,” she said before pointing to a single run-down looking building in the distance. “Excellent.” Incinerator said.

He quickly scaled the ladder, “I might have one.” He said to Kutukan’s question. At that exact moment the five assassins suddenly sliced their way through the wooden roof landing in the room and brandishing an array of proto-steel weapons.

 

Incinerator stepped into the room before pulling down his hood and revealing his gruesome mask. “You have two choices,” he said, his voice dark and distorted. “Re-join Dark as Weapons of death, or die here.”

[Friar Tuck]

OOC: Corvin, you're the best; well done

 

my turn

 

IC

 

[Great Mine; afternoon]

 

Being blind has a terrible misconception to it.

 

The best way to describe what people think it's like is a "lack of information". The loss of a sense, best example here being sight, was always assumed to bring less information, a distinct lack of sensory input, making it difficult to function. Used to to five sensors, the brain only has four or less to work on; thus the impaired physical ability. In reality however, the opposite was true.

 

It was a distinct overload of information.

 

With one sense down, the body has to compensate for this loss; it still needs to know what is going on in the world around it. Therefore all the remaining senses get jammed into overdrive in order to try and make up for this deficiency. Smell becomes enhanced, suddenly able to detect odors it could not before; hearing becomes painfully acute, the audio receptions trying to pinpoint moving object with echo location to compensate for the loss of sigh; but the most dramatic sensation is enhanced touch as that is the only sense that is in direct contact with the outside world and tries to make up for the others. Touch becomes hypersensitive, almost to the point of over-sensitive, sounds and smells colliding with everything that's going on in your head, and your brain does not know what to do with all it. Your senses are suddenly on crack, giving the mind more information than it had ever dealt with before as it tries to absorb and disseminate everything coming in. You hear, but do not comprehend; you smell, but cannot identify; you feel, but have no idea what you are touching. When you're so dependent on sight losing it is utterly detrimental, and being a Kohlii player that was the sense I used the most. And now it was gone.

 

Agni disappeared, I knew that much, but where he went was impossible to tell as my mind tried to sort out everythin-

 

*thwack*

 

I may be blind, but my vision exploded with stars as I felt was like a boulder slam into the back of my head. He couldn't of hit me that hard... no, he wouldn't of hit me that hard. With my sense of touch on overdrive every strike felt ten times worse than it was, and the blow tot he back of the head was enough to cause me to stumble forward, losing my footing. I recovered, and attempted to swing where I thought he was-

 

Only air.

 

I was hit again, this time by the side, and I practically sprawled to the grate. I managed a roll and came up on my knees, shooting a fireball in the direction the strike had come from.

 

I was vaguely aware that it hit the fall wall some several second later. I was too busy fending off blows from my invisible assailant.

 

I spun around again, trying to locate Agni, when it hit me: I had no idea where I was. I was so dizzy and disorientated that I could barely stand, let alone know which direction I was facing. But that wasn't the most foreboding thought - I had no idea how far away from the edge I was... any edge. My next step could be nothing but air. I froze, trying not to make any stupid mistakes.

 

I was rewarded my an inexplicably hard punch right into the gut. I collapsed to my knees, trying not to throw up as the rest of my body rebelled, pain rolling over my muscles.

 

"Bad move."

 

I could hear his slow footsteps as he walked around me, like a predator sizing up his prey. I could barely breathe, let alone focus with everything going on in my head.

 

"Take away sight, and you are helpless. Incompetent. Simply reacting, and not doing a very good job of it I might add." His voice had changed, and I was unsure if this was my mentor or a very real opponent; it still didn't take the truthful sting out of his words. "Shadows remove all light, all hope, from a place, rendering it black and cold, a place where one can see nothing, see only his own fears in his mind. How can you expect to defeat Heuani when you can't even stand on your own two feet, let alone predict where he will strike next? Yes, you have learned to react and plan ahead when you see your enemy move, but how about when you can't see?"

 

I heard him move, and I tried to make a rolling dodge, but his foot caught me in the chest. I skidding across the grate, the sharp edges digging into my skin, and then nothing.

 

The Edge.

 

Only my fast reflexes saved me, my hand shooting forward and grabbing the edge. I hung there, trying to formulate a plan of action while forcing down the panic of my near demise. Without sight I could not fly, and there was every possibility I would have rocketed myself into the closest wall. Pulling myself up I crawled back onto the grate, Agni's laughter ringing in my ears.

 

"Such a pathetic toa."

 

On all fours I sat motionless, every fiber of my being wanting to lash out in anger, rip off this blindfold and call "Foul!" I didn't know where I was, he had resorted to name-calling, and in a matter of moments I had been handed a solid defeat. Problem was, getting angry would not solve this. I... I couldn't afford it. As much as I was beginning to hate him for such low tactics, getting angry would only kill my chances. I... I had to keep my cool. Stay focused. Concentrate. Sort out this new type of information. Learn.

 

Carefully, painfully, I stood.

 

And was immediately knocked to my feet. "Don't you ever learn?"

 

"Slowly."

 

Raising my arms I willed myself to block out the pain, focusing in on the myriad of sounds around me. I would have to sort them out, identify what was needed and what was white nois-

 

I felt my knee buckle, and once again I was on the sharp metal grate. By now I was pretty tore up, my usual smooth complexion marred by deep gashes and bleeding abrasions, but I ignored it. I focused. I needed to not only listen, but understa-

 

I was hit again, from a completely random direction. Stagger, fall, get back up, hit again. I moved carefully, trying to figure out my location, not to fall off, locate Agni – hit again. Vanish. And again. Vanish. And again, and again, and again…

 

Agni was brutal. Merciless. Toying. Not once in our training was he as underhanded and cruel as he was here, not even as punishment. I don’t know how he did it, but Agni had slipped into his opponent’s role almost too well, but that was the point. At any time he could have taken me out, but instead he messed with me, hit-and-run, making it impossible to move without being punished, and simply standing was worthy of punishment. I could not see him, but I could sense his popping in and out of the shadows, striking where it hurt most, only to melt back into where-ever he went. It was the most spirit-awful session of my life, and I just stood there and took it, no doubt to his mild surprise and probable amusement. But it was not without cause.

 

I had a plan. I just needed to bear the brunt of it. Survive the pain. Learn.

 

There.

 

An ever-so-soft metallic clank. A sound I could identify. The pattern I was looking for. Activating my Kakama I tried to dodge, but I was too late.

 

But it was a glancing blow.

 

I rolled, knowing that Angi had vanished yet again, but I could feel his suspicion. Somehow I had managed to avoid a direct hit. I knew he would attribute it to luck, but soon he would learn otherwise: I had managed to discern the pattern. Not physical pattern, he kept it random, but the sensory pattern, the cues I needed to react. The disappearance of a presence, the whisper of wind that accompanied it, followed by the slight sound of metal-on-metal and he re-emerged from teleport, becoming real and engaging with the physical world around him. It was these slight clues that had been hidden from me that I now understood. I just had to react.

 

I tucked, feeling his fist of my shoulder instead of my chest, feeling him move to the left as I attempted a jab. Nothing but air, but I guessed I was close. Gone. I listened, reaching out… back right. As I bobbed and weaved I could feel a kick on my thigh. I couldn’t block it in time, but I was tensed and ready to absorb it. I could hear him back away and vanish again…

 

There was a pause in the onslaught. I think he was beginning to figure that I was-

 

Slight clank, left high. With my Kakama fully activated I move, twisting, reaching up… blocked. Our arms met, and for the first time since that cursed blindfold had been put on me I successfully stopped him.

 

I could feel the momentum shift in that moment.

 

It wasn’t immediate, but as time went on Agni had less and less success striking me. At first I played defensive, simply trying to save my body from more punishment, dodging and blocking where I sensed the attacks were coming from. To his credit Agni was getting more creative, but at this point I had grasped the understanding of reaction to stimuli. Yes, I was only moving after he appeared, but I could move faster than him, process information at greater speeds… it wasn’t that he was slowing down between attacks:

 

I was moving faster. Significantly faster.

 

He popped in directly behind me, and I whipped around, moving faster than my mind would allow. I simply let my body react, I didn’t think. Just moved. Kakama and me, one body, one mask, one mind, one movement. I circled with my left arm, knocking away his arm, and with my right made an uppercut to his gut-

 

I connected.

 

He stumbled back, activating his mask and teleporting away. Left low, jump and leg swing. Coming high right, low shoulder and upward jab. Every time he teleported and materialized I was facing him, every blow he tried I successfully block and most of the time made a connection of my own. It was as if I knew ahead of time where he was going to go. But that wasn’t true. I was simply reacting to his presence quicker than his eyes and body could read my reactions.

 

I was faster than his teleport.

 

He popped in and out several times without striking, trying to confuse and throw me off balance before charging forward. I leaned forward, planting my foot as I grabbed his arm, clutched his elbow, and lifted. Add momentum, and Agni took a free flying lesson as I flipped him overhead and threw him.

 

“Pull.”

 

I released a fireball, as much heat and flame as I could muster, and I could hear the searing connection of it with his flesh. Shooting forward I grabbed his ankle, and with a pull and twist yanked him down to the grate as I rolled over him, my knee pressing hard into his heartlight as he laid sprawled on his back, on hand around his neck as my other was engulfed in flames, ready to give him and up-close-and-personal experience with my fire.

 

I pushed on him hard. “I swear if you weren’t my friend I would fry your brain right here and now. Try to teleport again and I will cook you where you land.”

 

Ok, maybe a bit much, but I wasn’t having any more of this. I was in control, but Agni had pushed enough of my buttons in this training exercise to get me riled up. I would thank him later… I would absolutely thank him later; I don’t think I ever had a harder, more productive session in my life.

 

I was just a little PO’ed at the moment.

[Eyru]

IC (Cael)

 

The Toa of Water watched as Joske tied the black scarf around his eyes, effectively blinding himself. As per usual when she she watched one of Agni's training sessions, the healer's inner voice was sternly telling her to stop this foolishness before someone got hurt. Someone always did, after all, and that someone was usually Joske: the younger Toa of Fire didn't know how to accept defeat.

 

Joske's wearing a blindfold only made the urge stronger. The two Toa of Fire stood on a platform high above the mine; unable to see, it would be almost impossible for Joske to keep his footing. One wrong move, and there was nothing keeping him from tumbling through the air to... his death?

 

Cael shook the thought off, but her frown remained. She trusted that Agni knew what he was doing; Joske needed to learn what it would be like to fight a Toa of Shadow, after all. But this seemed a little extreme, to say the least. Training wasn't useful it it killed you.

 

And at first, it seemed that would be the only result. Cael and Angelus watched as Agni began to mercilessly beat his protege, using his mask to attack from all sides. It hardly took a minute before Joske hit the metal floor with a clang, having been unsuccessful in landing even a glancing hit.

 

But he was Joske. Of course he wouldn't give up, even in the face of ridiculous odds. He continued to struggle to his feet, even as his mentor beat him back down. The blows rained down like bolts of lightning, and then, in a split second, it happened.

 

The Toa of Fire fell.

 

Slipping over the edge, it was only Joske's spectacular reflexes that saved him. Calling on his Kakama, he whipped out an arm and caught himself, arresting his fall. He pulled himself back up, but the close call had clearly shaken him. He was less aggressive; his movements were slower and more calculated as he tried to measure distance with his mind.

 

Then something else happened, something almost as exciting as the near-fatal fall: Joske managed to partially dodge one of Agni's attacks, turning the punch into a glancing blow. No one seemed to be sure of whether it was through skill or luck, but the answer became evident as Joske began to dodge and even block more of his teacher's strikes.

 

Once again, Joske had defied their expectations. He had risen to the challenge.

 

But as Cael watched the battle progress, she couldn't rid herself of the uneasiness that gnawed at her heart. Agni wasn't Heuani. Unlike Heuani, he was playing at being merciless. The Toa of Shadow surely wouldn't give Joske an inch; he would strike him down if the Ta-Toa made a single mistake.

 

Yes, Agni was playing a difficult, dangerous game, but it was nothing compared to the battle that Joske would have to face. Could any amount of training prepare him for the inevitable confrontation with the most powerful Toa on the island? The two Toa of Fire were playing with shadows; Cael had no doubt that Heuani would make them all too real.

 

The Toa of Water's attention was wrenched back to the duel with the sound of a body being slammed down onto the metal. But it wasn't Joske who had taken the fall this time: it was Agni. The student bent over the teacher, his hand wreathed in flames, his face contorted in anger.

 

“I swear if you weren’t my friend I would fry your brain right here and now. Try to teleport again and I will cook you where you land.”

 

Okay, maybe Agni had pushed him a little too hard. The healer took a few cautious steps closer, ready to intervene if Joske's temper got the better of him.

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)

 

The group of four had travelled through the winding, dark tunnels for almost an hour, and the light of the surface had just come into sight when -

 

Whum.

 

A dark presence erupted in Echelon's mind. There was no mistaking it; his Master was calling. This time however, Echelon noted with satisfaction, the touch of Makuta's mind was not half so much of a shock.

 

Echelon.

 

What is it, my Lord?

 

They are transformed. I see them. I SEE THEM.

 

Echelon's eyes widened.

 

I have failed you, my Lord...

 

It is of no consequence. The shadow sounded smug. Even now, they are within my grasp. They are no match for Ronkshou, Kohra and my sons.

 

Very well, my Lord. What, then, shall I do now?

 

Send Zadron and Zenix back to Onu-Koro. Their abilities may be useful to Kyju.

 

And where shall I go?

 

The Shadow was silent for a moment, coiling like black smoke in the back of his mind.

 

Seek out...the Architect.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Cael. Hold up."

 

The healer froze in mid-step and turned to look at Angelus, who was fiddling with an unlit cigarette. Jungle boy could've easily lit it, had he the drive or the desire to do so, but instead, it twirled in orbit around his index finger. Perhaps it was for therapeutic purposes solely, just so he could feel like he had something to assuage his nerves if he needed it, or perhaps it was unlit merely because a doctor was standing right in front of him and he didn't feel like getting a lecture on lung health; the Toa of Fire gave no explanation off the bat, so Cael didn't ask for one.

 

His robin's egg blue eyes were on the fight, as Cael's were, but while she was observing Joske and Agni fighting, Angelus' gaze was deeper, focused on something none of the others would have been able to see. His gaze was deeper, more penetrating, and it seemed to observe the two Toa of Fire not as duelists of the highest caliber, nor as friends and colleagues, but as emotions in manifest, a primal rumble between civilized instinct and a deeper, more quelled emotional well that sprung from the very soul. Not for the first time, his upbringing - harsh, lonely, built around survival tactics - was at the forefront of his mind, and the skills he had learned while fending for himself alone in the jungle gave him a more unique insight into the duel than Cael or even Agni had.

 

Angelus, more than anyone, knew what Joske was fighting against; that was why he called out for Cael to halt her timid advance, and that was why when she turned to look at him questioningly, his gaze betrayed none of his deeper thoughts about what was occurring in front of them.

 

"Joske needs this," he replied quietly. "Against a guy like Heuani, who will use everything about you as a weapon against you, he'll need to learn how to focus his emotions and use them as a weapon before anyone else can. You can't see it, but he's growing, much faster than he, or you, or anyone else realizes. All Agni's doing is removing the ceiling."

 

-Tyler

[ARROW404]

IC: Aar

Satisfied, the Matoran returned to the tunnels. The drill was still just outside his price range, but if he worked hard the rest of the day, and part of the next, he'd be able to afford it.

 

Deciding he could use someone to keep his mood from slipping back into pessimistic cynicism, he started down the tunnel he knew Whorok had gone down, towards the small cave-in.

[Palm]

IC: Utu - Onu-WahiI stopped behind Echelon who takes a moment to not do anything.This guy is even worse than I was at finding these stupid Matoran.That's saying something considering every moment up until never has been nothing but failure after failure. I would say something about actually moving our rear-ends before Heuani tears us new ones, but I can't. Actually no, I lied. I forgot how nice Echelon's head would look twisted 360 degrees on his neck. Yes, all the way around. 180 is boring and everybody does it. I'd like to have some sort of originality. And control. God, I hate this body now.All I want to to actually do my job.How am I supposed to plea my case to Heuani when I can't even move my mouth. I can't even move my eyes. Maybe I could spell out phrases with them if I could. Providing Heuani was patient enough to read them. Can Shadow Toa read? Can they also not be massive pricks? I seriously doubt it. Not that I was or am the best example of not being a prick, if the scale we're working with is dictated by killing people. I can read however, despite my village's terrible education system. I graduated by not dying. Not as easy as it sounds. My village was notorious for stabbing it's children. Not that I wasn't notorious for the same thing. Don't give me that. It's a lot funner than it sounds.But we're getting off track here.Point is, Echelon is a moron who's a stupid as he looks and can't even prioritize. The dick probably doesn't even realize my life in on the line here too. If I'm so freaking important to him he'd actually put effort into not getting me killed by shorter-than-me, dark and handsome-ly-a-roking-prick.This is stupid.

Edited January 19, 2013 by snoip lion

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)

 

Makuta's presence retreated from his mind. Echelon heard footsteps behind them, and turned, readying a blast of magnetism, but his hand fell back to his side once he saw who it was.

 

"Ah, Vidar!" he hailed the Toa of Air. "It's good you're here."

 

His eyes narrowed.

 

"We are too late," he said. "The Matoran have found the Stones. But fear not; Makuta assures me that the situation is being...dealt with."

[Emzee]

IC: Vidar – Onu-Wahi Tunnels

 

The servant’s eyes narrowed with contempt. They had failed, and death would surely follow. After all this time, Vidar’s hunting skills had failed him. However, he knew all was not lost. If the Makuta said that they would be dealt with, then they would be dealt with.

 

Still, Heuani hated unfinished tasks. Vidar would have to depend on the Master of Shadows to hold the Dark Toa back.

 

The Parakuka on Vidar’s back then sent him another memory.

 

The young Matoran bitterly sliced through foliage, making his round to gather water and food. His dark visage had been conjured from yet another failed hunt for prey. Despite the Le-Matoran’s victory over the rabbit all those weeks ago, Vidar could not help but be discouraged by the subsequent chain of failed catch after failed catch.

 

“For a hunter…,” a dark, intimidating voice boomed behind the young hunter, and his instinct forced him to freeze in place out of fear, “… you are easily hunted”

 

Vidar darkly turned around to glare at his newly found enemy, and his eyes widened when he saw the tall, brawny Toa standing over him. His shoulders were broad and his arms were gigantic, each sporting a shiny red metallic glove on the end. Vidar’s gaze then went to the Toa’s head – it was an Infected Hau, the symbol of the Makuta.

 

Vidar’s mind kicked into high gear, trying to determine not how the Toa found him, but why? He wasn’t a Toa, and he never even did anything that went against the Makuta’s iron rules. Or at least, Vidar didn’t think he did anything to get the Makuta’s attention. Was this about that rabbit?

 

“What do you want?” Vidar seethed, willing himself not to tremble.

 

A sly smile crept across the Infected Toa’s face. “I have been watching you, young Vidar. The Makuta sees all in these dark jungles, and with your skills, it was only a matter of time before you procured his attention. What we want… is you. But not you as you are – you as you shall become”

 

The Le-Matoran took a couple of steps backwards. Great, being followed and preyed on by the Makuta was one thing, but being forced to work for him? Vidar shuddered in disgust, but he was smart enough to know how this would likely end.

 

Still, could Vidar not play the odds and still win?

 

“I like my life in the jungle,” Vidar said, “Killing Matoran and Toa is not a job I want to accept”

 

The Toa took two strides towards the Matoran, and Vidar found that he could not take any more steps backwards. His back now pushed against a large tree that extended high into the sky, towering over the canopy.

 

“What if I offered you a chance to improve your life,” the Toa said with a warm darkness that dripped with temptation, “You don’t really expect me to believe that you are content with this life do you? Constantly wondering if nature will carry you over to the next day, there is something out there far more powerful than nature that seeks to aid you. There is something out there that can make nature conform to his bidding. Don’t you want to share that power?”

 

“Not in exchange for my being,” Vidar said defiantly.

 

The Infected Toa raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly, as if he already knew that he had all the cards, and was just going through the motions, predicting each response Vidar made.

 

“What about the Toa who killed your parents?” Ronkshou said, “Is that also a job that you do not want to accept? You could have lived a comfortable, educated life with prosperity and happiness. This Toa – Toa Insontro – took it all away from you”

 

Vidar jumped at the Dark Toa’s words, “How do you know about that?”

 

“Because your parents aren’t the only Matoran who were killed,” the Toa replied slyly, “This devotional depiction of selfless heroes is but a lie. It always has been. Toa seek to fulfill their own desires, and tragically, it is the ones who are most lost who subscribe to the Code – they lack the self confidence to believe anything else. And yet, though who believe themselves above the Code… well… your parents are an unfortunate impression of that”

 

Ronkshou’s shadowy words overflowed with confidence, and he watched with glee as the rage once again built up inside of Vidar. The brutal murder of his parents long freed Vidar from the blind assumption that all Toa were there to protect and save them. However, Vidar feared losing his own mind in the process, so he avoided the civilization that he knew he could not be apart of. He knew that he would inevitably snap under the constant weight of baseless devotion for beings that encompassed those who murdered innocent Matoran. But at the same time, this Toa was a card-carrying Makuta servant. Were the Shadows really the answers? That’s when a reminder popped up in Vidar’s mind.

 

When Toa Insontro murdered Vidar’s parents, he swore on his own heart that he was working for the Great Spirit, which he was personally chosen to carry out a speedy and efficient cleansing of those who abandoned the Virtues.

 

Perhaps the world had gotten it wrong?

 

Vidar looked to Echelon and Utu and they continued through the tunnels. He could not afford to let anything keep them from stopping the forces of Mata Nui, but if the Matoran were no longer their concern, then they needed to do something else.

 

“What is our initiative now?” Vidar asked his ally, “Just because we have failed this mission does not mean we shall lay down and accept punishment”

[Light]

IC: A pleasant laugh echoed through the tunnel where the Niazesk were walking, at once conveying an expression of enthusiastic delight and malice.

[Geardirector]

IC: Whorok

 

When Aar returned to the mines, he would find Whorok humming contentedly as he sifted through rubble. Seeing how there was no immediate danger, Whorok decided to go about his business without stress.

[sunflower]

IC: Hajia, Onu-Koro

"Shadows and dirt, or sand and waves? Hardly a difficult choice." Hajia said, still grinning.

As they continued to navigate the City of Earth, Hajia became quiet once more, her grin turning into a musing smirk. "Still, there is something about this place; It's almost... monolithic. Primordial. They way they sculpt the earth to form their houses and structures... It's almost as if they've established an equilibrium with their enviroment."

 

IC: Gravity

 

"It really is quite amazing," I agreed. The cavern was massive enough to hold an entire village, and the ceiling itself was tall enough where only the faintest glow from the lightstones was visible. It made me think, there could be an entire network of these caves spanning the entire islend, enough to make a gigantic city. And no one would ever know about it. "All of them places here, they've all managed to blend in with their environment."

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: Kutukan

 

"If you think we're giving up that easily," Kutukan said, raising his fists, "you've got about four other things coming."

A pair of glowing red dots appeared on Incinerator's forehead only moments before Kutukan fired a blast of laser vision at the Dark agent.

Edited January 20, 2013 by The Zytrix

[ARROW404]

IC: Aar

Giving Whorok a nod in greeting, he joined in clearing the last of the cave-in. It didn't take long to finish, and when it was done, he set to work searching for more ore.

[Vezok's Friend]

IC:

 

“I swear if you weren’t my friend I would fry your brain right here and now. Try to teleport again and I will cook you where you land.”

 

Joske was glaring down at his mentor, the raised fist still ablaze, the fire reflecting in Agni's eyes. He looked right at Joske, his expression relaxed, though he was breathing heavily from the physical exertion of the lesson. His student was angry. Seriously angry. But he was still in control of himself. He knew Agni, he knew how they trained. And while this had gone beyond anything they had done in the past, when one had the other beaten, the lesson was over. Not this one though.

 

"Your forget..." Agni snarled, with a tone that was far from his usual voice, "...you're facing shadow!"

 

Suddenly, his head rocketed forward. The next moment, Joske saw only red ad Agni's forehead slammed into his face. It didn't do any damage aside from the initial pain, but it stunned Joske just a second. All the time Agni needed. he reappeared behind his students and just as he recovered from the headbutt he was hit in the jaw by a fierce right hook, flooring him. Agni stood over him, legs apart and fist closed, looking down.

 

"Heuani won't yield just because he's down. The shadows are neither considerate, nor fair. And if you forget that even for a second, you're as good as done for."

 

Of course, the reply Joske gave was not verbal. Instead, he shot up to his legs, faster than Agni's eyes could follow, and was on him in less than a tenth of a second. Agni had seen it coming, even though he couldn't see the actual movement. He had known Joske was gonna react like this, pushed just a little too hard. And now he was lashing out. It was only natural that he felt like punching the other Toa repeatedly. Though punching was the wrong term. A barrage of fist hit Agni...practically everywhere. He didn't even register half the punches connecting with his chest and torso that winded him. He took it for five second maybe, then he was numb on the front. That wasn't good. With what little concentration he could muster, Agni ported to the far side of the chasm. The moment he turned around back to the platform, he already saw the red blur of Kakama-speeding Joske coming at him. The Toa was literally running along the wall to get to him.

 

"ENOUGH!" Agni shouted, his hands raised, but he was swept off his feet so fast, the word still hung in the air by the time he was gone. A second later, Joske was back at the platform, which he hurled Agni onto, who slid across it with his back, almost all the way to the edge. Joske shut off his Kakama then, and slowly walked towards his mentor, his shoulders heaving with every breath, his body radiating enough heat to make the air around him blur.

Agni on the other hand, looked horrible. His armour was intact, as was his mask, Joske hadn't shattered any of that. Nothing was broken, but any soft tissue had been hit so many times, his brain didn't know which pain to process first. And the whole attack had lasted less than half a minute. His lip was split, he could feel his cheeks swelling as he lay there and his torso...he didn't want think about what that would look like in the morning. If he lived to see the morning, since Joske was still walking toward him and he didn't look any friendlier than a second before.

 

At least he was sure the lesson had sunk in now.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Enough."

 

Agni's proclamation was repeated in a softer, less menacing tone of voice, and both Toa of Fire turned to see that Angelus had made his way over to the duelists, forming a perfect triangle as he stood away from and in between the two; Joske kept advancing, the flames of rage licking away at his eyes like barbecue on a spit. The Toa of Fire only stopped at the slightest rustling like leaves in a spring wind and at Agni's shout of warning. Joske stopped to see what it was directed at, only to find that Angelus had drawn his sword and cast it forward in one fluid, trained motion. The metal lay at Joske's chest level, no more than two feet away from him: the athlete would have been bifurcated had he continued his mad quest to beat Agni to death with his fists.

 

"Enough."

 

-Tyler

Edited January 21, 2013 by Marlon Brando

[Friar Tuck]

IC

 

[Great Mine; afternoon]

 

"No."

 

I was seething from head to toe, blind rage filling my vision as Angelus stood between me and Agni, the only reason I gave pause was the sharp sword pointed at my chest. I could care less about Angelus at this point; all I had eyes for were Agni. There was a point when training, a line drawn, a certain border not crossed, an unspoken rule between student and master that was not to be violated. It was the place where it ceased to be meaningful instruction and became a underhanded bar brawl, a slugfest worthy of only malice and spite. Agni had crossed that line. He had leaped and bounded over that barrier, he had violated my trust him him as a teacher... I lost my cool. I didn't care he was making a point. I didn't care if there was something else to this. He was wrong. He had overstepped his bounds. And I was angry. VERY angry. The fire within my soul was consuming me, and at this moment I embraced it. Sought it. Reveled in it. I was going to beat Angi.

 

Beat the fluids out of him.

 

I was going to pay him back for all the pain he had caused me. The late nights. Early mornings. Never-ending practices. Grueling duels. The Pain. Suffering. Humiliation. I was reliving every loss, every reprimanded move he had ever said and done to me in my mind, and he was going to get that back tenfold. Oh no, I wasn't going to kill him, not even close; that would be too good for him. I still had a shred of dignit-

 

"Yes. Stand down."

 

Like Karzahni. "No."

 

"Stand down."

 

The imbecile..."Out of my way Angelus."

 

"STAND DOWN JOSKE!"

 

I was dangerously close. "MOVE IT, SAVAGE!"

 

Misery loves company, or something to that effect. Angelus snarled as I pushed a button as he lunged at me. No, not a lunge - lethality. Angelus had the intent of putting me down at least to the point where I was no longer a threat... like a mad animal. Like an out-of-control creature. I was nothing but a Rahi to him.

 

What shred of self-control I had was consumed by my rage.

 

My Kakama glowed, and with ease I slid past Angelus, knocking the sword from his hand and into the water far below, making a rapid series of blows that caused him to stumble back in painful confusion. With Angelus out of the way I was free to met out my own version of punishment on Agni, something a long time coming. I pounced on him, his almost-helpless body near the edge of the grate, and began to beat him savagely with flaming fists. Agni did what he could to defend himself, but it was practically a moot point: he was already weakened and I was high. Oh so very high. High on anger. Rage. Blind fury. I roared as I began my assault, mentally prepared to leave him a bloody, broken, mass of a toa. As I raised a clenched fist, preparing a blow that would have broken his jaw, I felt resistance. Then a tug. The pull became a yank, which resulted in a tumble as I found myself wrestling with Angelus on the grate, our two bodies intertwined as I tried to break free. He had greater experience than I did in this sport, however, and coupled with the element of surprised he managed to momentarily pin me.

 

"Is this what you want?"

 

His firm and steady voice cut through the red I was seeing, the rushing of blood I was hearing in my ears. I could have sworn just a moment before he was angry like-

 

"How does it feel to be pushed over the edge?"

 

I screamed, trying to break free, but it wasn't fully out of rage. His tone had gotten through, and a part of me realized what had just happened. I had lost it. Utterly, completely, and irrevocably lost it. Even when I first became a Toa I managed to retain some type of control, but now, but this... I was gone. Angelus was correct: right now, I was an animal. Blind. Without rational thought. Deep down I was suddenly afraid, but there was no way of conveying that. I was karzahni-bent of hurting, even killing Angi, my mentor and teacher... I wanted to to it. Desperately. Yet... oh Mata-Nui...

 

I grabbed Angelus tighter and threw him off me, pushing with my legs in a savage fiery assault. I managed ot get to my knees, but before I could move any more he tackled me in the back, pressing my face and chest to the grate, arms pinned and wedged between my back and his knee. My breaths were quick and shallow as I tried to break free, so many emotions coursing through my veins...

 

"Go ahead."

 

Two words. Two words that held so much meaning. It could have meant a challenge, his taunt to prove that I wasn't going anywhere... or the fact that he was prepared to hold me there no matter what. I grunted, I struggled. I clawed, but despite all my prowess and power he had me perfectly. There was nothing I could do. I was trapped. I could do nothing to Agni but just stare at him. In rage. And hatred.

 

I let myself loose.

 

I don't know how he did it, but Angelus managed to hold me there for ten minutes as I burnt out under him. I unleashed my elemental power indiscriminately, passionately, and with force, the temperature around us skyrocketing exponentially, creating explosion after explosion of fire and heat, trying to shake Angelus. The heat was incredible, and I have no doubt it must have been painful, but he held me compassionately, calmly, without a word as I lashed out, absolutely unable to do a thing. Slowly I began to putter out, which caused me to struggle even more desperately, even as I began to regain control of myself. I could feel the exhaustion from Angelus as well, and for a moment I thought I might be able to break free, just for a moment.

 

That is, until we all heard the groan.

 

The grate we all were on shifted slightly, a metallic creak and the sound of warping metal ringing in our ears. It was red-hot... no, melting. My tantrum had been enough to cause structural integrity to disappear, the grate twisting and warping in all directions. For a moment it seemed as though it was going to hold, but then there was the sound of grinding coupled with wet slapping, and the platform gave way. Completely. There was a sensation of weightlessness, then freedom as Angelus and myself drifted apart, and as I tilted my head I could see the dark blue surface of the water below come rushing at me.

 

* * *

I pulled my chest onto the lip, coughing violently as the water I swallowed came rushing out of my lungs, my body trembling. Slowly I climbed out, staring at the earth beneath my knees, wrapping my head around what just happened. The combination of the impact and to cold water had given me such a shock that I instantly lost my rage, like a tsunami squelching a cooking fire. The water sucked all the anger, heat, flame, passion... well, everything from me, and emotionally pulled the carpet out from under my feet. One second I was high, the next completely low and spent, trying to get to the surface to breathe. Now I was here, on solid ground, and my ears told me that Angelus was helping pull Angi out of the water next to me. But I didn't look. I couldn't look.

 

I couldn't raise my head.

 

I was on all fours, staring at the dirt, mouth open as I gasped for air, but that's why I couldn't look. It was out of shame. That same feeling that I had experienced back in Ta-Koro when I realized who I really was. Only this time it was worse. Far worse. For the first time in my life I had lost my temper in every aspect of the word, and only now did I realize there was a good chance I would have killed Agni in blind rage. I had completely lost myself. I... I...

 

I buried my face in my hands, unable to meet the gaze of my friends, especially Cael, my shame too great. Now I understood what happens, what happens when I let things get out of control. When I want to hurt my friends, those I love. Everyone had seen it... the animal inside that I could become...

 

I couldn't bear to look at anyone.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Joske was unloading, all at once, in a fashion that Angelus had seen maybe once or twice in his entire life. The athlete had no self-control at this point: every ounce of rationality had been stripped away from him as he hammered away with every source of fire and heat he had, trying to make him let go. Angelus clung to him hard, though, kept Joske pinned down and unable to so much as budge one of his limbs in any way that would pose a threat to his dominance in the "struggle." All the while, Angelus' startlingly blue eyes just stared into Joske's neutrally, unreadable, until finally--

 

CRAAAAAAASH!

 

And silence.

 

*****

 

Angelus reached down one hand and grasped Agni's forearm, hefting the older Toa of Fire up onto solid ground with ease; aside from a slightly singed look across his body and a deep diagonal gash in his left forearm from the fall and rough landing, the jungle boy was mainly unharmed. Wordlessly, he dusted off Agni's shoulders and then broke out a large roll of gauze from his bag. A long strip was torn off and wrapped up around the gash after it was sufficiently cleansed with water, and after checking over Agni and Cael, he rolled the gauze over to Joske. The bandages bumped into the other Toa's thigh as he crouched over on all fours, rolled like a spinning top bereft of momentum, and then fell over on its side.

 

-Tyler

[Friar Tuck]

IC

 

[Great Mine; afternoon]

 

Bandages.

 

Someone rolled me bandages.

 

I bent my head farther down to look between my legs, only to spot that pure-while roll of gauze. Cael wouldn't of done that; she would used her mask and fixed it herself. Agni wouldn't of done that, probably in need of more medical attention than the rest of us combined. That left Angelus. I wanted to ask why, but I really didn't feel like asking questions.

 

In fact, I really didn't feel like doing anything at all.

 

I rolled over, landing on my butt heavily as I stared out over the lowest region of the Great Mine, nothing but a large expanse of black water before me. My back was facing them, but to me it didn't matter; I didn't feel like talking. Slowly I took the gauze and began to apply it sparingly on my body, wrapping the most cut and bleeding sections of my skin. Ironically it wasn't much; my fiery tantrum had seared shut most of my open wounds that I had accumulated with Agni while blindfolded, so the one roll was enough to cover the few that still bled. As I finished I sighed, legs in the water, arms leaning heavily on the lip of the basin.

 

Now calm and collected, I could rewind, play, rationalize, and understand what had just happened. I closed my eyes, not sure how to feel at this point. I understood only at this point that pushing me over the edge was Agni's goal all along; ratcheting up my reaction speed was just a by-product. I had never blown it in regards to my temper, so I never actually knew where that line was, how much it took me to go over the edge. But now I knew. I'd done it. Violently. Which was the plan all along.

 

Which is why I felt conflicted. What I did was horrid, absolutely reproachable, but yet wanted by some, needed by another. It was a lesson I apparently needed to learn. So was I to feel accomplished, seeing how I passed that aspect spectacularly, or ashamed that I could not control myself, severely wounding those I called fiends?

 

I didn't know.

[shadow pridak money gang]

OOC: The following is a jam post between Tuck and I, and it may be the single greatest Angelus post ever. Have at it.

 

IC:

 

"It's rough, isn't it."

 

Angelus sat down beside Joske and watched as tiny currents lapped away at the seemingly endless well that was the bottom of the Great Mine. Joske's legs were submerged, and around them, the water moved in cycles, trapped in a circular routine and unable to fend for itself outside of a single little set pattern. Behind them, Cael and Agni were silent: Joske turned to see the beginnings of a stray burn towards the back of Angelus' cheek where a particularly violent blast of heat had hit him. The jungle Toa didn't say anything - he didn't have to.

 

"Losing yourself, all at once like that," he continued. "Sucks."

 

"No kidding."

 

I honestly thought I had conquered it, my emotions, my burn. I thought I had it all under control. How wrong I was... how wrong I was. I sat there in silence, not able to say anything else.

 

A dry chuckle echoed through the empty air around the basin, but there was no humor in the sound, only a sort of grim understanding; maybe there was a glint of nostalgia to be prospected for if you cared to look deep enough, but Joske didn't really notice it. After a minute, Angelus jerked his hand up, towards the surface, and turned his gaze back onto Joske. His eyes were so blue, so wide...they looked as innocent as could be, but now Joske could see something different in those eyes, something that, before they had entered the Mine, had been buried beneath the surface.

 

The duel had dug up something in the Toa of Fire, something that had reacted to Joske in a way that did not befit the normally-chill Toa of Fire, the everyman who made waffles and trolled his girlfriend and practiced parkour in his spare time. As cliche as it was, for the first time, Joske saw a dark side in Angelus, watched it hammering away inside the recesses of his robins egg blue eyes, and then the dark side disappeared and floated away like dust as Angelus' gaze once again fell on the Kolhii star.

 

"The jungle's up there," he commented idly. "You ever spent much time in the jungle, Joske?"

 

"Not really."

 

Another chuckle, though this one was sharper, and Joske could tell that this time, Angelus could see humor in something that he had said. His right hand gently fell onto the Toa's shoulder, and for a second Joske thought that maybe he'd just been imagining the predatory sheen in the Toa's eyes: that was when Angelus pushed forward with merely a flick of his wrist and the athlete dropped into the basin like a rock. Whistling a tune, the jungle-bred Toa of Fire watched as Joske's head bobbed once, twice, then three times before surfacing entirely, spewing water angrily.

 

"What was that about?"

 

"The same thing everything else is when it comes to you, Joske: you."

 

Angelus reached into the water and grabbed Joske by the forearm, lifting him with surprising strength that belied his lean physique and tossing him out onto the ground behind him, soaking wet and muttering curses. The Toa of Fire stood, cracked his knuckles and then knelt down by Joske. His face was unreadable, stony; Cael stood to go see what the problem was, but Agni held her back much as Angelus himself had just minutes before. Not for the first time, he queried the significance of three Toa of Fire, all bonded by species but radically different in terms of personality, in the same team. He smiled, but not from his pondering; the smile was sharp and cold, and Joske got the distinct feeling that Angelus was viewing him as he would a trapped Muaka.

 

"When you look at my face, what do you see?"

 

"Someone who is playing me."

I stared back at him, in a more unfortunate submissive position, my eyes narrowed slightly. I was already exasperated, and watching Angelus play secretive-sensi-mentor-with-a-dash-of-jungle didn't sit well. "Someone who, despite wild and primitive appearances, is fully able to mess with people's minds and, well... and... "

I snorted, unable to keep the frustration out of it. "If you're asking if you have a good poker face, congrats, you win; I can't read you. Though I would prefer to keep mysterious and pointed lessons from one I reserve the term "Mentor" for."

What the karz was he driving at?

"Wrong. The point is not for you to pick and choose who teaches you lessons, nor is it for me to win."

A clean swipe at Joske's face sent him sprawling again, and Angelus stood up, moved over to him, and crouched down again, much like he had when he was listening to the flow of the water while seeking out the Temple. Now his face was displaying a hint of some sort of passive anger, a calm with an occasional blip of irritation at the ignorance which Joske could still display after all this time.

"The jungle," he explained to the indignant Joske, "is not a place of foliage and trees and Rahi. It's a mindset, a lifestyle, a sprawl of pure contained chaos. You can't understand what it's like because your entire life has been structured, set in place. You spend your time running from woman to woman, from Kolhii hoop to Kolhii hoop, from Temple to Temple. Out there, it's order, even when you don't think it is; in the jungle, where I grew up, there's no control factor. It's you, and whatever it takes you to survive, otherwise you end up Rahi meat. When you look at me, you see a poker face, you see yourself being played, but the truth is, when you look at me you see the jungle, in all its beauty and all its darkness."

Another blow, sending Joske back even farther.

"You accuse me of playing with your mind - this could not be further from the truth, because it's the jungle, Joske, that messes with your mind, not me. I am but a byproduct, a survivor, and I can tell you right now that when I look at you with the eyes that I've looked into the jungle with, I don't see a survivor. This is not meant to belittle you, or make you rise to the challenge, this is straight up fact. If the two of us were tossed into Le-Wahi and given a week's worth of supplies to make camp and hunt food, you would not survive because the jungle is not simply about making camp and hunting food, it's about conquering yourself. There are rules to the jungle, and me, I see those rules, because I've lived them. You haven't - therefore, you can't survive."

Joske jumped up again, only to be felled by a quick punch to the gut and then brought against the wall, where Angelus held the Toa of Fire in a choke and lifted him off the ground.

"When I look at you, I see the Joske Nimil that society has created in its own image; this isn't the Joske Nimil that's going to defeat Heuani. Heuani knows the jungle, he knows how to play the kind of game where it's either him or it's you and there's no middle ground, no sense of rules or fair play. Heuani understands that the jungle may be big, it may take up all of this island, but in the end there's never enough room for the two of you, so when it comes time to play the game one of you has to go. He can play that game like a fiddle; the Joske Nimil that you have been bred by society to be to be, the Joske Nimil that suppresses his real instincts and then puts on a show by tossing around a ball for shiny happy spectators and pretending that's primal aggression, he's not going to have a popsicle's shot in Karz of winning that game. How could he?"

"No, the Joske Nimil that is going to defeat Heuani - the Joske Nimil that I can see - is going to defeat Heuani by accepting that what happened up there was no mere fluke. That was temper, emotion, pure and simple. Agni provoked it out of you, caused it to explode outwards, but the thing is that wherever you detonate a bomb like that, ground zero will always be the place that sustains the most damage. Guess who was standing in Ground Zero, Joske?"

The Toa said nothing, and Angelus' grip never faltered; Cael and Agni merely watched, spellbound.

"The point is not to see how much it takes before you explode, and how much you can destroy when you do," he yelled, now reaching a fever pitch. "The point is to take that temper, not bottle it up, and focus it as a weapon, in doses, so that in the future it cannot be used as the weapon that strikes a killing blow against you! The point is to master yourself so that you cannot be mastered by a pretty face or a fancy sword or by the shadows!"

"The jungle doesn't care about those things, because in the jungle, you stop looking at yourself as Joske Nimil, and you stop restraining yourself! You stop wasting your life holding back all your potential, and you take charge of your own goals not with a Kolhii stick or with a couple Crystals, you do it with sheer grit and sack and determination! You need those things to survive in the jungle, to survive Heuani...and when I look at you, when I see the Joske Nimil that I see, the Joske Nimil that the jungle can see, I see those things in spades. You gonna prove me wrong, or what?"

Now, a challenge did gleam in the eyes of the Toa of Fire, and that gleam dared Joske to choose his next words and actions carefully.

"So you're saying... so you're saying I need to stop holding back?"

My fists were clenched as I spoke, trying to sort everything out. "You're telling me that the fences I built, the walls I've errected, the boundries I've set for myself are actually hindering me rather than helping? That control is just an illusion, baby bottle, a crutch?"

In comparison to Angelus' frevored tone, my voice was low and calm, almost dangerously so. "That the real solution isn't to clamp down more, but to direct. To use that energy to one's benefit instead of corking it. It is easier to divert a river than it is to dam it up. Is this what you are driving at Angelus? That in order to survive myself I need to let go of my own inhibitions so that others can't use it against me?"

Depsite my stance my own questions weren't challenges; they were just that. Questions. Uncertainty. Curiocity. And emotion. I had always assumed, and in fact taught, that control was key, and now he was suggesting something completely different. Something so out there I didn't know how to think about it. I had always believed that losing control was always a bad, terrible thing... wasn't it? I mean, didn't what just happened a few minutes ago proved it?

Yet here we were, Angelus ready and roaring to go, and myself confused, conflicted, and unsure. I took a half step towards him.

"Do you want me to?"

 

"Yeah, Joske," Angelus whispered, not bothering with half steps, closing the distance between him and Joske just as Heuani would have if this were for real - then again, Joske wasn't sure if this was for real or not, so frenetic was Angelus' energy, so chaotic and unpredictable his movements and tangents. "I want you to stop holding back. I want you to release every instinct that you've ever thought wouldn't be appropriate for public viewing, I want you to get a handle on everything you think you can use as a tool, and then I want you to let it all out. Then, when it's out there, I want you to take it all back again, push it all together, and I want you to whittle all those inhibitions and tools into something that you can drive through Heuani's heart. You understand?"

 

-Tyler

Edited January 21, 2013 by Marlon Brando

[Eyru]

IC (Cael)

 

So this is what you got when you signed on with a group of Fire Toa: namely, a method of teaching that involved everything Cael had learned and taught herself not to do.

 

First off, there was Agni's fight with Joske. The “training” had morphed from a lesson into a brawl, provoking Joske's temper to the point where Cael hadn't been entirely sure Agni would make it out unscathed. And he hadn't: he was burned and bruised and bleeding. The Toa of Water had began to heal his injuries, which, though gruesome, were not serious individually. No broken bones, thank the Spirit.

 

Secondly, there was Angelus. What in all karz was he talking about?

 

Cael's level of indignation was rising. She didn't doubt the two Toa, and she understood the lesson they were teaching Joske, but it was their methods that went against everything she stood for.

 

Her mind went back to that first day in Ga-Koro, when Joske had been surrounded by an excited mob, which talked at him until he lost his temper and stormed off, smoke practically coming out of his ears. She had been tempted to let him alone: he wasn't her problem anymore; he was healed. She wasn't a teacher or a guru that could help him; she was just a healer.

 

But she had gone after him, because she had realized that that was what Toa did. They took the high road, and did what needed to be done, did what was right, even when it wasn't easy. So she had followed him, and counselled him to simply let go of his anger and his frustration in one enormous blast of power.

 

It had worked. Half the bay had turned to steam, but it had worked. Cael had taught the Ta-Toa that control of your emotions meant control of your powers, especially when working with fire, one of the most emotionally linked elements of all. She hadn't beat it into him; she hadn't used some fancy jungle metaphor. She had simply guided him along the path he wanted to go anyway.

 

Because that's what water does. It doesn't coerce; it guides. If faced with an obstruction, it flows around it, and gradually wears it down over time. Over centuries, a trickle of water can carve a canyon out of rock. Fire can't do that; fire would lick at the stone and burn itself out and fail, leaving frustrated and with a bruised ego.

 

That's what Joske found so difficult about these lessons: fire doesn't take challenges well. Either it meets them or doesn't; there isn't any in-between. And, right now, Joske wasn't meeting up with his own expectations, or with the expectations of the other Toa of Fire. Cael was a healer: it was her job to notice and fix things like the confusion and anger that flickered in Joske's eyes like living flames.

 

The only question was, how? Angelus made a good point, despite Cael's dislike of his methods: the only way to defeat Heuani would be for Joske to use every weapon at his disposal, including his emotions, which were directly linked to his element. The Toa of Water had seen Joske let go, and it wasn't pretty. Unless he learned to control his emotions, like Angelus said, and use them instead of hiding them away, he would explode, and only hurt himself.

 

Then the healer realized what was wrong; she understood what she had such a problem with. The other Toa were counting on Joske's anger and frustration to fuel his fire; then they were counselling him to use that power in a controlled way, letting go all his inhibitions, and then taking the resulting chaos and forging weapons out of it. But how on earth were you supposed to do that? Anger doesn't take well to control; it naturally wants to blaze up and consume anything, everything in its path.

 

But Joske's elemental powers weren't just linked to his temper.

 

What about all the other emotions that Angelus was ignoring? Had the First Toa, in their power and wisdom, been motivated by anger alone? No, Cael was sure that none of them had. She recalled her meeting with Toa Gali, and the almost tangible aura of grace and power that she carried with her.

 

She didn't know why they had failed, but it wasn't because they hadn't mastered their powers. They were the height and breadth and depth of what every Toa should be; they set a standard for other heroes to live up to.

 

What if, instead of using his anger as the focal point, Joske let himself go, but with a different focus?

 

Almost without realizing it, the Toa of Water found herself walking over to the two Toa of Fire, leaving Agni behind, still sore, but mostly healed.

 

This was going to put a bit of a damper on Angelus' teaching moment, but she didn't care.

 

In her hand, she carried a simple cotton cloth that she had pulled from her bag with the intention of using to clean the blood from Agni's injuries, but had forgotten about in the ensuing confrontation. As she approached the two Toa, she willed a small amount of her elemental energy to trickle from her hand, dampening the cloth.

 

Then she was gently pushing Angelus aside, so she could look Joske straight in the eye. He was bruised and burned and cut up just like Agni was; a cut on his temple dripped blood down his face.

 

The healer reached up with the cloth and gently, carefully wiped the blood away.

 

“Angelus is right, Joske,” she said quietly, so softly that Joske had to strain to hear her. “But remember... when you let go of everything... remember what you're fighting for.”

[Friar Tuck]

IC

 

[Great Mine; afternoon]

 

"Yeah, Joske, I want you to stop holding back. I want you to release every instinct that you've ever thought wouldn't be appropriate for public viewing, I want you to get a handle on everything you think you can use as a tool, and then I want you to let it all out. Then, when it's out there, I want you to take it all back again, push it all together, and I want you to whittle all those inhibitions and tools into something that you can drive through Heuani's heart. You understand?"

 

It wasn't a problem of understanding. It was a problem of accepting.

 

What Angelus said flew in the face of everything I knew, everything I had taught, even my very beliefs and values; shook me to the core. What made this argument so potent was the truth it presented: raw, unbiased, experienced truth. Yes, he may have grown up in a different world, but that didn't mean he wasn't right. I understood, but I had no answer for him. Nothing to say.

 

He had successfully assaulted my worldview, turning it on his head, something not even Tuara had been able to do. The carpet had been pulled out from under me, and now I had to decide what I believed, what I thought was right. Three different people, three completely different ways of looking at the world-

 

That's when Cael stepped into my field of vision.

 

She gently pushed Angelus aside, looking me straight in the eye, in her hand a simple cotton cloth. Her eyes darted about my face, cataloging my injuries before settling on a cut on my temple, blood dripping down the right side of my face. With a small smile the healer reached up with the cloth and with gentle touches carefully wiped the blood away. Her mask was that gentle composition, quiet strength, and subtle comfort as she tended to my face... an attitude unlike everyone else in this company.

 

Unique to her.

 

“Angelus is right, Joske,” she said quietly, so softly that I had to strain myself to hear her. “But remember... when you let go of everything... remember what you're fighting for.”

 

Remember what you're fighting for.

 

I took a deep breath, letting her cool calm flow over me as she tended to my injuries; I could feel fell the damp cotton dance over me, followed by a slight sting as the wounds slowly mended shut. Without thought I found my hands on her hips, thumbs lightly caressing her as she worked. My eyes were closed, head bent slightly, taking slow, regulated breaths. I could smell the faint fragrance of the ocean off her - a breath of fresh air, gentle breezes, a child's giddiness; of summer sensations and sun; of surf, salt, and seaweed... of ancient infinity. I moved my face closer to the side of her head, leaning in slightly, taking it all in, absorbing it all, burning it into my memory, eyes still closed. I wanted a tangible reminder, not just a visual one. The only change in her was a relaxing of her body against me and hand against the side of my head, a gentle pressure, a light squeeze against the side of my face. Nothing else. But that was more than enough.

 

A hand on my shoulder was the signal that she was done. Slowly I pulled away, opening my eyes and just gazing at her.

 

Thank you.

 

I didn't say anything, but I didn't have to; the eyes were the gateway to the soul, and by now Cael had gotten pretty good at reading them... even at a distance. Grabbing my bag I slung it over my shoulder, meandering over to the nearest elevator. To an outside observer I may have looked frustrated, a little angry even, but that's now how I felt; my companions knew that. I was lost in thought. Gone, retreating to an inner place that let me think and mull over recent events.

 

I still didn't know. I would need time to sort all this out.

 

And make some sort of decision about my worldview.

 

This was not something to take lightly.

 

I yanked the lever, and the elevator creaked and groaned to life, shifting and jerking upwards before becoming smooth as it ascended. I stared upwards, my mind somewhere else as we crowded the small lift.

 

"To Ga-Koro." I finally said.

 

OOC: Joske to Ga-Wahi

Edited January 21, 2013 by Friar Tuck