Corpus Rahkshi

[Click]

IC: Garrotte - Refectory

 

Garrotte nods in a self-satisfied way, taking the Rahi's motions as defeat.

 

 

IC: Tube - Gym

 

"Master said I should help," Tube says resolutely as they take up position at Diode's side, despite his resistance.

[Coconut Fella]

IC: Phantom - Gaever's Forge

"Yes." She replied, her brain still sluggish to think of words.

Gripping the edges of the bricks, Phantom clambered up on to the roof. Not so much as a flake of plaster was damaged on the way up.

 

IC: Slif - Armory

"Oh yeah, I met a guy like that just a few hours ago in the refectory. He had a friend with him that he was trying to help."

I laughed, remembering that first meeting.

"Darn thing fainted the moment she saw me, hehe. Anyway, I went to grab them some water, but I don't remember seeing him since then..."

 

IC: Sim - Refectory

"That long?"

I'd hate to imagine what she must have seen, or experienced, from the very beginning of this place.

"Do you know if... well, this might sound silly, but... do you know if any group like this one has ever... tried to form?"

Edited January 10, 2017 by Coconut Fanatic

[silo]

IC: Torch - Over the water

 

I start the journey in silence. I'm going to say something, but I think the other rahkshi won't be able to hear me, so I don't. I'm not much good at conversations.

[Click]

IC: Melody - Refectory

 

"W-well..." she looks down in thought, and a bit of shame. "M-my friend... Sq-quid, once t-tried to start a c-class t-to teach p-people t-to be nicer. It... t-turned into a b-big f-fight."

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Diode:

 

I sighed, slightly annoyed that others were making such a fuss over a wound like this, but allowed myself to be helped.

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Vlad / Towards Library

 

 

"Indeed. Zer Library next, I think," he decided, leading the group in that direction.

 

"If you need to find out about somethink, zer Library ist probably a good place to start," he described. "It's vorth beink a little skeptical of zer historical texts..." he added quietly... "but most of zer information, from botany to metalvorking, can be qvuite helpful."

 

* * *

 

IC: Gaever / Nynrah

 

 

With Phantom's assistance, construction of the roof began to pick up. Together the two rahkshi positioned and secured each necessary plank, Gaever explaining each step of the process when necessary. Soon the underlying support was established, and they moved to affixing shingles of sorts, thin rock slates. It would not be the most refined construction, but it would be passable - and it would be home.

 

* * *

 

IC: Thurisaz / Gym

 

 

With Diode taken care of and everyone seemingly waiting on him, the statuesque Turahk moved to initiate the next round. "The semifinals will now begin!" he announced. "The matches this round will be:

 

"Paladin versus Glass, and Percy versus Exxan."

 

On the board behind him, these names moved into opposition. "The rules are still the same. May each fighter find favorable fortune."

[Nato G]

IC: Sliver - Infirmary.

 

Having received no reply from the latest obnoxious arrival, I resumed my vigil behind the slop counter. This is getting old, Grim, I grumbled inwardly, Hurry up and let me out of the cesspool. 

________________________________________________________________________

 

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"Alright, then," I got to my feet, checked to make sure all of my weapons were where they were supposed to be - my six daggers in their bandoleer, Remembrance in its sheath, and Blossom in a smaller loop beside it. 

 

Once satisfied, I stepped up onto the arena, ready to face my next opponent. 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy - Gym:

 

The sight that would greet Exxan would be a particularly familiar one. A Rahkshi in red and black armor, with swirling black patterns, wielding a blade in their hand and a grin on their face.

 

Percy offered a cheerful sort of salute/wave to his opponent, before readying himself for the fight.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

Oh, you've got to be karzing kidding me... I'd glimpsed the rahk before, during the other bouts, but it wasn't until now that I fully appreciated his chosen appearance. "You... wouldn't happen to know a fear rahk by the name of Kat, would you?" I asked warily, reaching across my body to curl one hand around Remembrance's hilt. 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He dropped his stance, his eyes lighting up excitedly, "I sure do! She's my sister! I've been trying to find her ever since I got here!"

Edited January 24, 2017 by Strider!

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

It was nice to see there was at least one rahk in existence whose siblings weren't complete psychopaths. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that," I sighed, not shifting from my current stance, "I... uh... went away... for a while, a couple of weeks ago. I haven't see her since my return here." 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

His face fell a little, but he quickly regained his composure.

 

"Darn, I wanna meet her real bad..."

 

He seemed to remember wher he was and jumped(almost literally) back into a proper stance.

 

"My name's Percy, and one day I'm gonna be as strong as my sister!"

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

That managed to elicit a smile. "Kat certainly was strong. Literally and figuratively." I slid Remembrance from its sheath in a smooth, practiced movement. "Let's see how you measure up." 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

That struck a chord. This Rahkshi had known Kat during her time here. He could easily be just as strong.

 

Percy wasn't sure if he was ready to face someone like that yet.

 

He also wasn't sure if he wanted to hurt his sister's friend.

 

He supposed it wasn't really like that, it was a controlled tournament after all.

 

Still the thought nagged at his brain.

 

And he hesitated.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

I felt a pang of guilt. Kat wasn't going to be happy if she ever found out I'd beaten up her kid brother. But I wasn't going to throw this fight. Not for him, not for her. I'd come too far to give up now. 

 

"Don't hold back, buddy," I gave my sword a casual twirl, "I certainly won't." 

[Coconut Fella]

IC: Sim - Refectory

"Oh, that's a shame," I frowned out of sympathy, "Though I suppose it's to be expected."

I'd come to expect that sort of behavior from most, even beyond our species.

 

IC: Phantom - Gaever's Forge

More than enough time had passed for Phantom to wake, allowing her to ponder in the silence of the fog. It seemed all she could do at this point, carrying out mundane tasks and thinking aimlessly. With so much progress made on the roof, she sat down on the set tile, crossing her legs. She observed Gaever and her deliberate movements, contemplating how the both of them had come to be here. She realized, on top of knowing little of why Gaever had come to this place, she knew nothing of her origin. Her only history was that of the past few days. Beyond that, she was an enigma to herself.

"Gaever, why this place?" She asked, very plainly. "For the forge. For me to come here. It's so..."

She pressed her hands together, staring out over the sad landscape.

"Dark."

 

IC: Fate - Dorms

The carapace was a gleaming silver now, sufficiently smoothed and surfaced from the repeated motion of my hands. Checking the door to make sure it was locked, I began to place the carapace over my own. It snugly slid over my back, halting tantalizingly close to the edge. I had widened the curve of the piece to fit over the existing one, but it was still tightly refusing to comply with my efforts. I grumbled, and attempted to remove the extra plate. With time, the piece slowly was removed, leaving scratches and gashes in my paint. I'd just have to give the material another pass, and soften the molecules even more.

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He took a breath, then blew it out.

 

The other's sword was smaller than his own, a lighter, thinner blade. Two edges on a straight blade. Excellent for quick cuts, and thrusts, and although the guard was small, it was functional.

 

The blade reflected light with an odd green hue.

 

The young Dodgerahk furrowed his brow beneath the faceplates.

 

If he had to guess, much like the sword of Shark, there was something special about the blade.

 

A quick step into striking range of his weapon and a horizontal cut at Exxan's torso started the match.

 

He had more reach than his opponent, and he intended to keep it that way.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

I skittered back, away from his strike. He was confident, competent. Probably more skilled with his blade than I was with mine, but I had no intention of fighting with my blades alone. 

 

Neither, I suspected, did my opponent. 

 

I drew one of my throwing daggers from my bandoleer, and flung it towards his torso. 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He caught the projectile, one hand shifting away from his weapon in a flash.

 

A good throw. He'd practiced.

 

The Dodgerahk tossed the small knife to his side, at the edge of the platform.

 

He had a feeling ridding the other Rahk of his blades wouldn't be so easy, but there was no harm in trying, and he might get a better idea of his power set.

 

The orange and black suggested vacuum, but paint wasn't hard to come by. Exxan could be anything.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

He was fast. Very fast.

 

Quick to react, and just as quick to move. 

 

The speed, combined with the red-silver paint job, suggested a dodge rahk. Another one. 

 

My instincts screamed at me to just blast him off the face of the arena before things progressed too far, but something held me back. This wasn't some murderous lunatic sibling karz-bent on killing me. This was Kat's little brother, bright-eyed and eager to prove himself. If he'd made it this far, he clearly had some measure of talent. He deserved more than to be unceremoniously tossed from the bout in the first thirty seconds.

 

I still had no intention of losing this match, but I was willing to indulge this rahk with a more engaging combat experience. See, Kat? I do have a heart. Sort of. Somewhere. I shifted into a defensive stance, ready for his next move. 

[Onaku]

IC: Helkyrie

^{Location: Her room}

"I... I suppose I suspected as much. An envoy of the unheard things that surround and bind us... Poetic, but also very real." Helkyrie took another sip from her cup. "Still, cosmic duties aside, there has to be something more grounded to you as well? Something less ethereal in nature?"

[Click]

IC: Garrotte - Library

 

She glanced around in dead-eyed wonder at the grand display of shelves. "What else can I find in here?"

 

 

IC: Tube - Hallways

 

Tube happily escorted their charge toward the Infirmary, glancing back as their Master announced the next round. Hopefully this would be quick so they could get back in time to watch the fights.

 

 

IC: Melody - Refectory

 

Her head slowly rose with renewed hope, and she looked around at the small group gathered around. "B-but at least n-now we're m-making a d-d-difference."

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He moved in again, aiming a vertical cut along Exxan's shoulder, where the bandolier looped over.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym. 

 

I turned side-on, letting his blade sweep past where my shoulder had been, and jabbed Remembrance towards his chest. 

Edited January 25, 2017 by Roman Torchwick

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He shifted his arms, allowing the blade to slip into his crossguard before pushing up, taking his opponents blade away with it. With Exxan still following through on his thrust, he then stepped in and brought the pommel of his weapon back down at Exxan's face.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Strider!

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

I turned my head, lowering it so that my opponent's blow cracked across the upper part of my head, rather than colliding directly with my face.

 

A blow like that might have proven decisively debilitating against a lesser rahk, but I'd suffered through more than my fair share of head trauma - Phogen's anguished slaps, Fang's superheated fists, the lashing legs of Visorak, and rubble from a collapsing tunnel, just to name a few. And of course, Omega had smashed his axe directly into my face during our fatal fight, in his final act of spite and defiance. I still bore the scars from that.

 

So while getting whacked in the skull with a sword pommel certainly hurt - I could already feel a thin film of blood welling from where the pommel had dented the plating - I didn't crumple, didn't collapse. Vision blurred from the impact, my opponent was little more than an indistinct smudge, but that didn't matter. I didn't need to see clearly to accomplish what came next.

 

I brought Remembrance whipping down towards his legs. With his own blade raised above my head, I didn't like his chances of being able to move it down to deflect or block me, and given the distance between us, I was hoping we were too close for his dodge powers to protect him this time. One scratch, that's all I need...

Edited January 25, 2017 by Roman Torchwick

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He jumped, letting a little Dodge into his movements for a strike he knew would come.

 

It only made sense, he'd gone high, so his opponent went low.

 

He launched a leg forward, and one back, adding to his vertical clearance and kicking out at Exxan in the process.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

His foot caught me in the chest, knocking me back a step. Once again, my instincts surged to the surface, bubbling with emotion. Frustration and fear and panic and pain, all screeching at me to blast my opponent asunder, reduce him to ruin before he could hurt me like the others had.

 

But I reigned myself in, and instead moved to attack with my sword again. I lunged forwards, plunging Remembrance's tip towards the shoulder of his dominant arm, while drawing one of my throwing daggers with my free hand.

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He side stepped, circling around to catch his stride.

 

His breathing increased, but still even.

 

"You're holding back huh?"

 

He had to be. He hadn't shown any obvious abilities, and his swordplay needed work.

 

Why wasn't he using his full potential?

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"Of course I am," I flicked my dagger into a backhanded grip, "Otherwise this fight would be over already."

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

"Are you sure that's how you want to play it?"

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"For now. Your sister was one of the few people here I could tentatively consider a friend. I owe her this much." 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He frowned, but seemed to accept that.

 

He moved in, sword low.

 

With a flick of the wrist he sent sand from the floor at his opponent, before performing a similar feint at Exxan as he'd done with Vyper.

 

Approach from one side, then Dodge back the opposite way. The strike was different here, however. Rather than a thrust to the Kraata case, a horizontal slash across his side.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

A brief ripple of air from my armour was enough to repel the incoming flicker of sand, but I was still too slow to react to his feint, being rewarded with a fresh gash across the left lower ribs. 

 

Biting back a hiss of pain, I struck out with Remembrance, a diagonal downwards stroke aimed for his shoulder and chest. 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He stepped back, but not quite fast enough to avoid the small and shallow cut across the shoulder.

 

The fierce burning of the wound tipped him off. Poison. The toxin hadn't reached his body yet, still working through the smaller veins near the cut.

 

He had a few seconds, maybe.

 

Grabbing hold of his shoulder, he squeezed, fluids oozing out.

 

It wouldn't stop the poison, but it might make it more manageable.

 

True to form, he started feeling cold, and his stomach churned.

 

"Not... Bad... Cyclone... And a poisoned blade, huh? Or... Vacuum, maybe?"

 

He shook his head, "Got sloppy. Won't happen again."

 

He raised his blade into a defensive stance. He needed a little time for the Poison to work its way out.

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"My sister's cyclone. I'm vacuum." I gestured towards my striped carapace, "My colour scheme should've-" mid-sentence, I flung the dagger I'd been holding towards his chest, "-given that away." 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

He deflected the knife with his own blade, a fresh wave of nausea passing through him.

 

"Any one can paint themselves," he responded. "Your sister, what's she like?"

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"She's everything my father wanted her to be," I replied, drawing Blossom with my left hand, while keeping Remembrance at the ready in my right. "A sadistic, sardonic, sociopath. I might be a murderer, but she's an outright monster." 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Percy:

 

That caught him off guard.

 

"A murderer? How do you mean?"

 

The fact he'd drawn a distinctly different knife did not escape Percy.

 

Two special weapons?

[Nato G]

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

Oh, how quickly they forget... I didn't reply, instead darting in close and slashing with Remembrance towards his abdomen.