Six Kingdoms: Escapement - Gameplay

[BULiK]

IC: Knichou, ??? Airspace, Bridge of the Taku

Nale and Arkius entered the Taku's bridge to see Knichou looking simultaneously stressed and relieved.

"Sorry about the engines," Nale remarked as she helped Arkius through the cramped bulkhead door.

"No need to be sorry - I was the one who broke them first, after all," Knichou responded. "Plus, it appears that Matoran we picked up got one of the two operational again. Not bad."

Knichou pointed to another door immediately to the right of the two Toa.

"Arkius, there are two bunks in my quarters, they may be a bit cramped for a toa, but it's slightly more cushioned than the protosteel floor. After we figure out where we're going I suggest you rest up there. And... sorry about the turbulence..."

Stannis seemed to have a way of finding himself at the right place at the right time, so Knichou decided to start talking about the next topic already. He really wanted to figure out the plan quickly, because this conversation had been already interrupted twice by stowaways and if there was a third waiting to delay this any further, Knichou was going to crash the airship himself.

"Before that dark hunter rudely interrupted us, Stannis and I were about to use the memory crystal I found on Nuparu's body. But since both of you are here now and Stannis is probably on his way, lets go ahead and talk about where we want to go so I can set a course for the ship before Stannis and I experiment with that. Obviously we're not going back to Onu-Metru, but there isn't a clear direction that stands out as our next stop right now. Perhaps we'll gather some clues from the memory crystal, but until then, if there's somewhere you really think we need to go then now's the time to speak up."

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Pardehi - Silver Beach Assault

Pardehi was somewhat relieved by the skakdi's rejection. The first use of his chargers had taken more out of him than he realized, and he was reluctant to use them again so soon. Besides, it looked like they might be stuck here for a while, so he way as well try to get to know the the skakdi. He had spoken remarkably fluent Matoran, though his accent was difficult to place. It reminded him of some of the traders from the South Islands who had visited Bo-Koro once, though they had been matoran,  not skakdi.

"I don't believe I ever caught your name." He said.

OOC: @Dane

IC: Kareh - Silver Beach Assault

Kareh was forced to drop the sword when it became too heavy for even him to hold. Outraged, he struck at the toa with his bare hands. It was a risky move, attacking an armed opponent while unarmed, but at this point he was too outraged to think clearly. A single novice toa should not have given him this much trouble.

OOC: @Smudge8 Kareh is attacking Jephro with his bare hands, leaving himself vulnerable to counterattack. Planning to retire this character, so you can kill or disable him if you want.

[Unreliable Narrator]

Ooc: this now more later

Le-Metru:

The Alpinist carried on through the white chute, careening and spinning. He felt his body tumble through the liquid protodermis, and it took all his concentration to focus on not hitting the walls, wiping out, and finding himself at the mercy of the current. After a heartlight pounding moment of twists and turns the Alpinist came upon another junction, a horrible knot of four options laid before him. They were not a cross junction. Rather the options were: far left, left, right, far right, and face-planting into the wall by going straight.The current moved so fast he couldn't get a good look around to see if there were clues before plunging down one of the routes…

The Cartographer, the Waif, and Sans rode through the chute after the Alpinist. Sans found this chute to be significantly faster, bumpier, and overall more exhilarating as they passed through the white marked chute. The Cartographer and the Waif found the chute disagreed with their snack and did everything in its power to make them relinquish their meal. Before long they spend through a junction with four options: far left, left, right, far right, or stay the course and crash in the middle...

 

IC: Reliable Narrator | Nynrah Wreck

Tugarak looked into the opening of the hillside leading into the grotto. A small stream trickled from out like pus from an open sore. It glinted silver in the moonlight as it carved a route through the sandy beach to the ocean. Grey sand covered the opening to the grotto, but Tugarak spied water glinting on firmer granite deeper in. Even from the outside he could see the stalactites formed by limestone water dripping from the ceiling. Maybe he imagined it, but the stalactites looked oddly similar to matoran kneeling with hands extended towards the ceiling in prayer. Following the stalactites to the ceiling, he thought the roof of the cave looked like the inside of an exposed ribcage on a battlefield. The smell of decay and fish wafted from deeper in like some ancient halitosis. Something glowed red from deeper down where the floor descended out of his view...

Ooc: @Biological Chronicler

Edited February 8, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator
Added turagarak's perception check.

[EmperorWhenua]

IC Alpinist | Le-Metru

Without much chance to ponder the matter, the Alpinist went slightly to the right. 

Edited February 8, 2020 by EmperorWhenua

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Tugarak

In spite of the sunlight and warmth outside, Tugarak shivered. There was something very wrong about this whole situation. From the moment he stepped inside the shipwreck with the mutilated corpses, his optimism vanished, replaced by a feeling of dread. Unless he somehow gained access to the Tactical Panda's records, there would be no way of knowing exactly what happened to them. Perhaps Mazor and Zalyiah would find something of note, like a flight plan or black box. They had entered the wreck willingly, seemingly undisturbed by the corpses piled about. Maybe when you're undead, or a mutant, you can't really be spooked anymore. Tugarak, however, was not so immune. He almost didn't want to find out what happened. He had fled the shipwreck almost as quickly as he had arrived, not wanting to spend any more time in that place than he had too.

This cave, however, seemed little better. They were no signs of violence, but the shape of those stalactites bothered him. They were far too lifelike for his comfort. He was also bothered by the faint, red light he saw in the tunnel.

"What could possibly be doing that?" He wondered aloud.

OOC: Interacting with @Darth Jallerand @Conway, at the mouth of the cave. See Unreliable Narrator's last post for a description of what we can see in the cave. Hoping @Nato the Traveler and @Smudge8 will find the black box, or flight records, for the Tactical Panda.

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Beach Assault (Getting to know people)

There was silence for a few moments as Thom sat down, leaning against the small bit of cover the two had.

"Thom. Ah was a Dark Hunter, guess ah work for you lot." The Ko-Skakdi said, opening up the cylinders of his high tech revolver, sliding three large metal slugs into the giant slots that had already been used a minute or so prior. 

Click. Click. Click. 

Two claws were placed on the large chamber, and with a little force the metal span. "Course, don't plan on stickin' round here if ah can help it. Some Fe-Toa nearly blew me leg off. Reckon ah've found meself a rival. Or a purpose, ah guess." 

His words were almost thoughtful.

OOC: @Biological Chronicler

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Pardehi Silver Beach Assault

So this Thom had been a Dark Hunter? That would explain why he had been imprisoned. Even so, Pardehi was glad to have such a capable fighter on his side. Thom had probably been through much worse than this. What tales he would have to tell!

The idea of him fighting a toa was an interesting one. Was it possible Pardehi knew this toa? Probably not, he supposed.

"I've met a few toa." Pardehi said cautiously. "This one, what did he look like?"

OOC: @Dane.

[Smudge8]

IC: Mazor-Nynrah Wreck @Nato the Traveler

Mazor nodded, "You never know though, The ghosts are crafty, the good stuff might be hidden." He stood up. "I'm going up to the cockpit, I'll see if I can assess the ships records, get some more information." 

IC: Informant (duplicate)-Ga-Metru @Unreliable Narrator

Time to leave, The informant thought to himself. He turned and charged at the vahki at the window, firing his lazer eye in an atempt to scare them out of the way.

 

 

[Nato G]

26 minutes ago, Smudge8 said:

IC: Mazor-Nynrah Wreck @Nato the Traveler

Mazor nodded, "You never know though, The ghosts are crafty, the good stuff might be hidden." He stood up. "I'm going up to the cockpit, I'll see if I can assess the ships records, get some more information." 

IC: Zaliyah - Nynrah Wreck

"Maybe, but they were fighting for their lives... I doubt they would have kept anything in reserve," she replied, absently nudging one of the corpses with her foot, "Good luck, but I think this mission is starting to look like a bust." 

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Beach Assault

"She." Thom corrected, sliding his weapon back into its holster. 

"Black armour, blue eyes, big gun." He muttered, momentarily leaning to the left outside the cover to check if anyone was coming down the beach. "Gave me a big karzin' hole in me calf, though ah gave 'er a good burn in the face. Woulda killed 'er probably if her mate hadn't shown up." 

Truthfully, Thom was beginning to think it was best he didn't. Something about this new feeling, of having a goal to reach towards, a nemesis to murder was...refreshing. Was it a grudge, or was it something more? 

Either way, the Skakdi was going to have to impress Dume in order to gain the means to chase his new target. Luckily for Thom, that was one of the things he was very good at.

OOC: @Biological Chronicler

Edited February 8, 2020 by Dane

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Pardehi - Silver Beach Assault

"Doesn't sound familiar to me." said Pardehi. He looked up at the sky, just in time to see a small, spherical object falling towards them. It landed with a soft thumping sound in the sand between them. Pardehi's eyes widened. It was clearly some sort of explosive. He rolled out of the way to avoid the oncoming blast, abandoning the cover provided by the barricade. It would probably be torn to bits, anyway.

OOC: @DaneA grenade like object has been thrown behind Thom and Pardehi's barricade. Pardehi has rolled put of the way, seeking the source of the object with his launcher. How does Thom react?

 

[That Matoran with a Vahi]

IC: Zecrillia - Ta-Metru

"I mean... that's fair."

Not an attitude she much understood - minds could be sharp as you pleased, but that shouldn't stop anyone from asking for a more powerful weapon in her book - but fair, all the same. Still, she had a guide up ahead and a temporary bodyguard in the form of a Toa... an unusual arrangement, Zecrillia had to note. How many Vortixx were watched over by a professional Toa escort, even for so short a time as this seemed likely to be?

None, she would guess. Though there was good reason for that when most of her kind would rather back the League than Metru Nui.

Her brother had been one of those; and it had killed him.

Her jaw tightened at the memory, the illusion of good cheer she tended to carry dropping, for a moment, before she hoisted it back into place. Chance for revenge would come when it came; until then, she was determined not to be a mood-killer with it.

The smoky environment troubled her not at all; in fact, Zecrillia hardly noticed. Compared to the pollution back on Xia, this was practically an environmental paradise to her; and anything strange about their matoran companion she was similarly unconcerned with. All matoran were a little strange, to her; she'd not really got to know many of her new neighbours here on Metru Nui, but they were odd little beings, in the Vortixx's mind. She watched unconcernedly as he turned a pair of wire-cutters on the fence.

Breaking and entering? Unusual thing to find in a job that had been assigned by the Turaga himself; but not something that Zecrillia batted an eyelid at. You did what was necessary; and if tearing down a fence was the necessary thing to reach her prize?

Who was she to object?

"Sounds good to me." She moved to step past him, to be the first through the gap. The fire pits... these, she'd heard of, but not seen in person, and even reckless Zecrillia knew well enough to appreciate that they could be insanely dangerous. But if a local said this was the best path? The best path, it had to be.

 

IC: Varxii - Silver Sea, Nynrah Wreck

Catching sight of the hand waved in her direction, Varxii changed trajectory slightly to bring her closer to the Zyglak. Not the prettiest of species to get up close and personal with, by Matoran standards... but out here, you didn't pick your allies based on personal beauty or lack thereof. Irna looked strong and capable, and that was really all the Vo-Toa would ask for in an ally; Varxii wasn't picky in the slightest.

She raised her free hand in a casual return gesture; before much further could be exchanged, however, it reached Varxii's attention that she was now passing close enough to see into the wreck. Lifting high her other hand, the one crackling with weak lightning pulses, the Toa strained to see deeper into the darkened interior... and kind of regretted that decision, as the intermittent light she was casting fell across several matoran corpses. Swallowing a mouthful of nausea - a body or two normally didn't trouble Varxii, but so many in one place made her rather more ill at ease - the Vo-Toa quickly moved to join the Zyglak near the cave entrance instead. Whatever was in there, she was sure, couldn't be as unnerving as the stench of death hanging over the wreck itself.

"Someone really did a number on these guys, I guess." She nodded her head back towards the ruined ship as she joined Irna; and the two were joined, in turn, by the Ripple's captain. Whether the Tactical Panda had been brought down by the Visorak, by the storm, or by something else they had yet to encounter... that, she couldn't guess at. All the same, she wouldn't have placed any money on it being the storm; Varxii knew what lightning damage looked like, was intimately familiar with what her element could do, and it didn't match what little she had seen of the wreck's damage.

Abandoning that line of thought, for now, she instead let her gaze follow the glow from Tugarak's lightstone. Water, sand, weird stalactites, dead fish... nothing that really stood out to her as unusual, given the context. Varxii glanced at her two companions, wanting to  ask if they really thought this was relevant to the mission; the Captain spoke again, however, before she could.

"Doing...?"

She saw it, too, before she finished the question. A weird red light, way back in the cave... Varxii frowned, trying to piece together what she knew of the situation. It wasn't her biggest strength; still, one explanation seemed at least tentatively more possible than anything else she could come up with.

"Could it be survivors from the wreck? Say they were shot down, or whatever, and the few who made it crawled down in here to lie low for a while?"

Saying it aloud, it sounded far less likely than it had in her head. Varxii could only shrug a little.

[Tarn]

IC: The Swordsman - Ta-Metru

I stared at the fence for a moment as the Matoran worked. Something felt so very...off about all this. "Why does this 'shortcut' requiring cutting through this fence?" I asked, staying put as Zecrillia walked ahead to slip through the gap. "Surely you know of a better way that doesn't require breaking in--didn't you used to work here?"

Edited February 8, 2020 by Tarn

[Azibo]

IC: Sans, Chutes

"Follow that Ko-Matoran!" Sans steered his sled to the right, same as the Alpinist, hoping his two comrades would follow.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Azibo

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Barak - Ta Metru Fire Pits

"This way is the fastest, trust me." Said Barak, barely looking up. "Trying to get permission for the two of you from the local Nuurahk would only slow us down." He paused momentarily. "Besides, this isn't technically a break in. They never officially revoked my clearance, so I have just as much right to be here as any Matoran."  He turned back to Zecrillia. "The entrance is up ahead, in an abandoned firepit.It's locked, but I can open it with my key."  He turned again and began to walk slowly in the direction of the pit he had in mind, beckoning for Zecrillia to follow him. He hoped the fire toa would follow too, not noticing the strange, telekinetically induced bends in the lengths of the fence.

OOC: @TarnBarak plans to lead Zecrillia and the swordsman to the entrance to the Great Furnace.

IC: Tugarak - Mouth of the Cave

Tugarak overheard Varxii's suggestion. Maybe the red glow was from a heatstone or some kind of exotic power source. If it was, matoran from the Panda could still be alive. There was only one way to find out.

"Hello?" Tugarak yelled into the cave. There was no response but his own echo. He turned his head, looked each of his companions in the eye. "I'm going inside." he said. "If anything happens to me, make sure the Ripple makes it back to Lord Carapar intact. I owe it to my crew to ensure their safe return to their home lands." He stepped into the mouth of the cave lightstone in hand. He would find out what had happened here, even if it was the last thing he did. Only when he knew the truth could he put his fears to rest.

OOC: @Darth Jaller @Conway @Unreliable Narrator Tugarak is entering the cave.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Biological Chronicler

[Tarn]

IC: The Swordsman - Ta-Metru

Fine. I'll bite, I thought. The explanation wasn't entirely hard to believe. 

I followed through the gap, keeping my eyes on the Matoran. 

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Le-Metru | The Notch

As the Alpinist chose, he felt the current pull him slightly to the right and leaned into it. The chute descended rapidly, and he felt the same butterflies in his stomach as when he lept of buildings with nothing but a belaying rope to catch his descent. It was a mad rush of adrenaline, and he felt truly alive. Then the chute leveled out, keeping the speed from the descent as the protodermis rushed upwards, then twisted and turned before something came into his view that was horribly wrong: he now rushed toward a broken section of pipe!

Before he could find a way to slow his progress, the speed of the liquid pushed him out into open air: behind him the chute he came from, above empty sky, far ahead the chute continued, and as his eyes strayed downward he saw below a frothing lake of liquid protodermis. As he fell, the Alpinist might have thought back on the charms he’d seen near each chute: Accuracy, Unity, and Duty. He seemed destined to unite with the ground.

As the Alpinist discovered the limitations of matoran flight, his companions were hot on the trail. They followed the same route at the first junction, the one painted white. Then after chose the same of the four junctions as they rapidly approached, the one a little to the right. The Cartographer’s instinct briefly made him consider going far right at the last moment, but the speed of the chute’s current pulled him after the rest before he could choose to deviate. Turaga Sans, the Cartographer, and the Waif all met the same fate: open sky with nothing below for far too long. It seemed they would be united with their friend after all.

 

OOC: @Onaku, @Azibo, @EmperorWhenua, and @Crimson Jester you can choose to fall into the protodermis lake and (probably) perish, or you can get really creative really quick. Whatever you do, don't break character! How would your character handle this moment? Work together to overcome certain death! Everyone else waiting on a post from me  in Ga-, Ta-, and at the Nynrah wreck I will hopefully get to you in the next few hours.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator

[Void Emissary]

3 hours ago, Biological Chronicler said:

IC: Tugarak - Mouth of the Cave

He stepped into the mouth of the cave lightstone in hand.

IC:

Irna hoped that Varxii was right. She desperately, desperately hoped.

Because, against every ounce of common sense in her body, she tightened her grip on her spear, and followed in after the Captain.

-Void

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Nynrah Wreck

Mazor led the way onto the bridge of The Tactical Panda. A worn purple carpet stapled to the floor softened their steps down the hall on the way. The impact of the crash broke the sliding blast doors of the bridge, leaving them askew and easily pushed aside by Zaliyah. They found the bridge fared mostly the same as the rest of the craft: burnt, broken, and full of the dead. One of the pilots floated aimlessly in the air, still affected by a rogue levitation kanoka, tethered to a chair only by the strap of a seatbelt caught on their armor. Several minutes of digging through hardware underneath the captain's seat on the bridge revealed a device rarely seen outside the City Of Legends: a memory crystal. At the radio station Mazor and Zaliyah found a note held in the operator's hand. Scrawled on it were the coordinates for the island and the note, "not alone."

Tugarak and company made their way into the grotto. Weirdly their footsteps and words didn't echo as expected, but rather seemed to be absorbed by the air and vanish almost as soon as spoken. Behind them, the sounds of the storm and the tide disappeared. Even without the sounds of thunder, they still felt their chests shudder. The ceiling of the grotto was curved and ribbed in a strange fashion, as if the inorganic components of generations had been the building blocks for this until now unknown location. Bravely, they searched for the source of the red illumination.

A temple ruin, with a broken suva in the center, waited patiently in the back of the grotto. A shallow ring of bubbling water surrounded the broken suva. They'd found the stream's source. Salt covered the stone pillars of the temple ruin, which were carved with softly sculpted veins. Tugarak couldn't shake the eerily similar comparison of the stalactites and pillars to maskless, praying matoran. On the stone suva’s molding crown sat a small orb, little more than a fist in size. It was the darkest blue, but they spied bolts of lightning and roiling clouds coursing inside it. Strangely, the blue orb emitted a red glow which cast long tendrils of shadow throughout the grotto.

[Nato G]

IC: Zaliyah - Nynrah Wreck

"This island isn't just their grave... it was their intended destination," Zaliyah frowned as she inspected the note, "But not alone... I don't like the sound of that. Perhaps they weren't the only ones trying to reach this island."

[Unreliable Narrator]

Ooc: @Dane and @Smudge8 when looking at this realistically, I feel you should take the hit. If you don't like it, or think it doesn't make sense, PM me and we can work it out. I just want to help speed things along for now...

IC: Vahki | Ga-Metru

Kovac made an epic display of his skill with a grand leap over the head of the enforcer despite the ceiling made for matoran. His gloved hand gripped the back of the bordakh's skull, something heavy hit his shoulder, and then his back was on the ground. Something wasn't right. His body wasn't moving. Then it clicked: he'd seen the same happen to the Ga-matoran a moment prior. Two squads of vahki spitting kanoka discs while crammed in a studio were bound to hit their mark eventually.

Informant did his best to jump through the vahki crowding the window. While successful in throwing himself out the fifth floor window of the apartment building, he sustained a nasty gash from the broken glass. Falling wasn't easy, and slamming into the canal waters didn't feel great, but at least he was alive... For now. 

The bordakh were right behind...

 

IC: Ta-Metru Fire Pits

The fire pits provided the main heat for forging in Ta-Metru. The fire pits extended across a vast swath of the region, and the three breaking and entering through the chain link fence certainly didn't have the permission of Turaga Dume. They also certainly didn't care. The city skyline and ever present Coliseum formed the backdrop for their search, while overhead conveyer belts carrying solid protodermis trundled along. Funnels at regular intervals gathered raw material, depositing it into the shafts feeding the protodermis channels. The fires were nurtured and kept at the correct heat by automated processes, which in turn heated channels of liquid protodermis underneath the pits to the correct temperature for smithing by mask and disc makers alike.

The three disc hunters noticed a squad of patrolling nuurakh vahki in the distance. While not an issue now, they needed to stay alert. They also noticed several bursts of flame from the pits in timed intervals. After first it didn't make sense, but after watching long enough a pattern began to emerge: rows and columns of fire pits burst in alternating but ascending order.

Ooc: not the primary puzzle, but welcome to the journey. 

Edited February 9, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Beach Assault (Grenade!)

Oh, Karzahni!

As his single exposed eye widened in realisation, he grabbed his Cordak launcher and vaulted straight over the barricade to escape the blast, chronological time slowing in his head as his power activated, the grenade exploding right behind him in slow time.

He landed in the sand a few feet in front of the barricade, chunks of debris slamming into the ground beside him. A particular lump soared through the air, sticking Thom in the left arm painfully.

"AARRGHH!" Thom screamed, hot sharp metal in his arm. The Skakdi rolled from side to side in the sand, in pain.

OOC: @Biological Chronicler

IC: Kovac Krossfari - Ga-Metru (Tazed)

Have to get up. Have to get...up. hAVe TO.....GeT UPPPp!

The vigilante clutched at thin air, eyes dim.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Dane

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Pardehi - Silver Beach Assault

"Sweet Artahka!" Pardehi exclaimed, hearing Thom's cry of pain. "Are you all right?"

Even as he said those words, he knew Thom was probably not alright. He had taken a large piece of shrapnel directly to his arm. Worse, their barricade was gone and there was no identifiable source for the grenade. They could still be attacked again at any moment. He knew that he would have soon have his first patient as a combat medic, and he did not want that to also be his first failure.

Pardehi knelt down, rummaging through his medical pack. Miraculously, there was no sign of water damage despite his unplanned swim earlier. Thank the Great Spirit for Ga-Metruan backpacks. Pardehi thought privately. He produced a large pair of tweezers, a bottle of disinfectant, and a roll of gauze pads.

"Hold still". Pardehi said to Thom, preparing to apply the disinfectant. "This might sting a little."

OOC: @Dane Pardehi is preparing to treat Thom's injury.

IC: Barak - Ta Metru Firepits

Barak felt a surge of panic when he saw the vahki in the distance. He hurriedly glanced around the yard, looking for a place to hide. They would have been able to instantly see through his disguise, not having living minds to fool. He had fought vahki before with telekinese, but those times had been a great strain on him. He was not sure he could pull of such a feat in this environment while still mainlining his disguise. Even if he managed not to drop the illusion entirely, a matoran using telekinesis on a vahki would certainly look very strange.

To his relief, the vahki did not detect them. They were simply moving by on patrol, no threat for now. He glanced behind him wondering if either of his two companions had seen them. Their attention was focused on the firepits themselves. They seemed to be igniting and dis igniting in some kind of strange pattern.  He called the party to a stop. Whatever it was, it was certainly worthy of their attention.

OOC: @Tarn Barak is noticing the pattern in the firepits.

IC: Tugarak - Mysterious Cave

Tugarak's single eye narrowed. They must have been near the end of the tunnel, but nothing he saw here made sense or had helped to answer his questions. The rib-like shape of the cave was certainly very strange. Had they wandered into the corpse of some ancient sea-beast? No, that was impossible. This was a natural cave. It even had stalactites, even if they were oddly shaped. He shuddered, imaging some kind of monstrous sea creature out of one of his shaman's stories, rising from the darkest depths of the great ocean to swallow entire villages of matoran too caught up in its rapturous worship to defend themselves.

He shook his head nervously, willing the image out of his mind. It would do him no good to fantasize. He must focus on the task at hand. He pointed towards the strange spherical object in the center of the cave.

"You are a toa of lightning, correct?" He said to Varxii. "What do you make of this?"

OOC: @Darth Jaller@Conway

[Tarn]

IC: The Swordsman - Ta-Metru

I looked out over the pits, making sure to keeping the Matoran and Zecrillia in my peripheral. As a Ta-Toa, I certainly felt comfortable near these fire pits and the heat they were giving off, but I was more focused on what they were doing: there was an order here, and it had to mean something. Surely this had something to do with the disk this woman was after.

"There's a pattern," I said flatly. 

IC: Nale Vella - The Taku 

The Fa-Toa helped her ally into Knichou's quarters. "Here you go," she said, lifting Arkius' arm off her. "Get some rest, brother. You deserve it."

She returned to the bridge. "While I am very curious about this memory crystal...I think with the Dark Hunters and Vahki after us we should find somewhere more off the grid. I vote we head to Po-Metru."

Edited February 9, 2020 by Tarn
fixed wording

[BULiK]

IC: Knichou, ??? Airspace, Bridge of the Taku

"Hmm.... Po-Metru... lots of open space... relatively off the grid... right next door... lots of raw materials..." Knichou thought out loud for a few moments.

"This could work. Assuming someone hasn't found the great disk there yet, we'll probably need one to figure out what Nuparu's contraption does. If we have a great disk, then regardless of whatever that machine does, we can control who gets to turn it on or not. Nuparu seemed rather worried about that machine falling into the wrong hands."

Edited February 9, 2020 by BULiK

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Beach Assault (Hit with shrapnel)

"YEAH, YEAH, WHATEVER, JUST KARZING PULL IT OUT ALREADY!" Thom screamed, eyes closed in agony.

His voice was uncharacteristically clear in that particular moment.

As Pardehi went to inspect the arm, the Skakdi's spines were quivering, trying his best to soldier out the pain but failing quite dramatically.

The hunk of metal was surprisingly large, and it wasn't completely clear how far it went into his flesh. Thom tried his best to keep his arm steady, volunteering his uninjured arm to clutch it with tight white claws.

OOC: There you go, Doctor@Biological Chronicler

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Pardehi - Silver Beach Assault

Pardehi splashed the disinfectant around Thom's wound, preparing to remove the shrapnel. He moved Thom's uninjured arm over his injured one, hoping to hold it in place during this delicate procedure. Hands around the handles of his tweezers, he clamped them tightly around the shrapnel shard, preparing to remove it.

OOC: @Dane Is Pardehi successful?

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Beach Assault (Pulling out the splinter)

The Skakdi gasped in pain, teeth grinding together as the Bo-Matoran slowly pulled out the large piece of shrapnel, feeling metal move from flesh. His grip on his other arm was as tight as a vice, very nearly cutting off the blood circulation.

"KARZ!" 

Then, the fragment was free. Blood began to pour from the very deep laceration left in his arm. He moaned in despair, completely at his ally's mercy. 

OOC: @Biological Chronicler

[~Xemnas~]

OOC: I decided to write this post third-person since 1) I feel like it's easier for me to write long posts if they're in third person, and 2) it gives me a chance to actually use 3^rd person since I haven’t done so in a while.

IC, Atamai: Onu-Metru

The odd company of Matoran, Toa, and Kralhi made their way down the tunnels of Archives Level 12 toward where the elevator would be situated. The walk was uneventful, save for the occasional cry of an irate Rahi calling from its enclosure. When they reached it, Atamai turned to the group. “Okay, since Kilo is a little large, us four will go up first, and send the elevator down for it. Once we get off the elevator we’ll make a left, and the door to the garage will be on the left as well. I’ll hold the door open so that Kilo can get in- I think he’ll be able to fit.”

The elevator doors slipped open and the group (minus Kilo) stepped inside. The ride up was quiet, but if Vashni had decided to peer into the mental plane at that moment, she would have heard many thoughts and feelings, mostly of excitement, and pondering.

The ding of the elevator snapped everyone out of whatever thoughts they may have had. The doors opened and the four stepped out onto level 1 of the Archives. Since this part of the Archives was in the back, the area was, luckily, empty. Atamai turned and tapped the elevator to send it back down for Kilo before leading the others down the hallway to the left. They very quickly the group came to a large door with a keypad. Atamai typed in his security code and the door slowly opened. Vashni, Jutori, and Tallea stepped inside the garage while Atamai stood in the door frame to make sure it didn’t close while he waited for Kilo.

The garage was very spacious, well lit, and filled with cargo transports similar to those commonly used by the Vahki. Most of these, however, were much bigger, since they were designed for transporting large Rahi.

Atamai heard the elevator ding again, followed shortly by the mechanical clanking of Kilo’s legs. The Matoran stepped aside for the robotic enforcer, who after a moment’s pause configured its legs in a particular way so that it could fit through the door frame. There was not an inch to spare.

Once the Kralhi had entered the garage, Atamai let the door close behind him. He walked over to where the group was waiting and pointed out one transport in particular. “We’ll take that one,” he said. “The cargo area is really wide, so Kilo will be able to fit inside comfortably. Vashni, if you’d like to get your bike, I’ll swing us by where you left it so you can ride alongside us.” The Fe-Matoran walked over to the back doors of the transport and pushed a button on one of them. The doors swung open revealing the spacious cargo area inside. Atamai turned to Kilo and gestured to the transport. “Hop in,” he said. The Kralhi clankered over wordlessly to the transport and stepped inside. Atamai closed the doors after it. He then walked over to the right side door and opened it. “Alright, all aboard!” he jokingly said as he climbed into the transport. “Whoever steps in last please close the door.”

Atamai took his position up in the cockpit while the others stayed down in the passenger area below him. He reached over and pushed a button on the dash. The transport roared to life, and with a push on one of the levers, it began to move forward on its mechanical legs. As it approached the entrance to the garage, the giant doors slide open. Harsh sunlight shone on the group’s faces, causing them to squint. Atamai briefly waited for passing traffic, then directed the transport toward the Archives’ main entrance where Vashni’s bike was parked.

Not even a minute later, the iStones the group had all flared to life with an incoming transmission. Tallea was the first to open hers up. Atamai couldn’t see what was on the screen, but he could hear the familiar voice of Turaga Dume. ““Metru-Nui: I come to you today to speak of the tragedies of yesterday…

*****

“…We will triumph and rise above even the darkest hours.”

Tallea and Jutori immediately began discussing the ramifications of the Turaga’s message. Atamai, on the other hand was too busy driving the transport to have a conversation. His only thought regarding the message was, The Dark Hunters? Really? We’re trusting a mercenary group to help keep the city safe?

After reaching Vashni’s bike, he put the transport in park, and let the Toa of Psionics off. Once Vashni was settled on her bike, Atamai turned the transport around and headed northeast toward Po-Metru, with Vashni riding alongside.

*****

One long and very bumpy ride later…

Atamai brought the transport to a halt next to a chute station. He surveyed the landscape of Po-Metru. In the light of the setting suns, the landscape, usually colored brown, had more of an orange glow to it. “Alright,” he called down to Tallea and Jutori. “Let’s take a quick break to stretch our legs and figure out where to go next.”

OOC: @pokemonlover360 @Snelly @Tarn @Silvan Haven Whew, for me that’s a long post. I hope everyone doesn’t mind me bunnying them a bit, we kinda needed to get a move on to go find the next disk. @Darth Jaller, if you’d like to have Jabali join us, you can have her approach the group or something since we’re right in front of the chute station where she is.

[Toa of Plastic]

IC - Pardehi

Pardehi's face was completely expressionless. This was just the kind of thing he had trained for at the military academy, though he had never practiced with skakdi anatomy. Of course, it couldn't have been all that different from a matoran, and a laceration was a laceration on any species. He carefully cleaned Thom's wound, wrapping it in gauze in a makeshift cast. He wasn't sure the skakdi would be able to use that arm or not until it fully healed. Their safety would be entirely in his hands, a thought which troubled him greatly.

Reaching into the depths of his medical bag, he produced a sealed vial of transparent blue fluid.

"Drink this." said Pardehi. "It will help with the pain." It would also leave him numb and poorly coordinated until it wore off. It was a fair trade off, Pardehi thought, given that the skakdi probably wouldn't be able to use his gun anyway.

OOC: @Dane

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Beach Assault (Yoink)

The Skakdi breathed in and out as the gauze wrapped around his wound, spines relaxing as he stared at the Matoran, wordless.

Suddenly, he snatched up the vial, popping the cork and emptying the contents into his toothy jaws. Gasping and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he threw the vial away. His chest went up and down as the Ko-Skakdi began to notice the edge he was feeling softening. 

"I...guess I owe ya one." Thom murmured, almost under his breath.

OOC: @Biological Chronicler

Edited February 9, 2020 by Dane

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Pardehi - Silver Beach Assault

"Don't mention it." said the Bo-Matoran, retrieving the vial. He cautiously raised his head above the sands of the beach. The battle was still raging around them, so they were still in danger. He drew his disk launcher, cautiously scanning for oncoming threats.

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Beach Assault (Recovery)

The Skakdi climbed to his feet, groaning as he used his magnification vision to try and get a look on anything ahead of them.

"Ya...you're gonna 'ave to 'ave my back, ya-you know." He said, trying to pull out his revolver with his uninjured hand but finding it rather numb. 

[Tarn]

IC: Rose - Beach Assault

The screams of the League degenerates burning was music to Rose's ears.

A panicking, League-allied Toa--who was no longer worthy of such a title to begin with--dropped to the ground and rolled, clearly remembering some drill or another he learned from a higher officer before coming here. Unfortunately, this was futile, as Rose noticed and engulfed the Toa in flame until he stopped moving. It wasn't as if there was no resistance though. Once the shock and awe of a massive Ta-Toa woman with a flamethrower appearing right before them wore off, the League troops began fighting back. Rose was then forced to raise her riot shield in defense against their weapons. Where her shield could not cover, her suit took most of the damage, and she quickly realized she was completely outgunned.

The Ta-Toa cursed. She was now moving backwards, back to the edge of the bluff, as the Leaguers blasted away at her.

She would not stand down. These were the frontlines; she was the frontlines.

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Pardehi - Silver Beach Assault

"No worries.I got your back." said Pardehi, never looking away from the sights of his disk launcher. "Just hold still for now. The numbness will be wearing off soon."

[Smudge8]

IC: Mazor-Nynrah Wreck

Satisfied that there was nothing left to find, Mazor followed the others into the cave. He loaded a freeze disk into his launcher just in case.

As they entered the cave Mazor examined the eery Stalagmites while the others gathered around the stone.

IC: Informant -Ga-Metru

With a crash the informant went sailing through the window, a large gash running down his chest, he fell. That should do the trick He thought, seeing the canal below. He spread himself out in a wide eagle belly flop to maximize impact. As he fell he wrote as much as he could on his left arm. Passers by watched as a strange figure fell out of the appartment building and made a massive splash, spraying protodermis everwhere, and then nothing, he had vanished.

Two years ago:

The Informant was walking along the halls of the dark hunter's base when suddenly he felt something running down his leg. He wiped it off and reaised it was blood. Then he saw the large gash in his chest. His armor had many small fractures, as if he had just experienced a sudden impact,  I must have seen some action.

"Hey," Another dark hunter said, "you ok? do you need a medic?"

"No," the Informant snapped. "I need paper!" He ran off to his office, examining his body as he went.

The Present:

The real Informant of the present was currently at a small cute station near the border between Ga and Po-Metru. He was doing his best to look inconspicuous, wearing a large cloak to cover his figure, and a large backpack covered with baubles, that was actually filled with his notes. One of his papers was in his hand, covered in notes about Visohla's appartment, including the Vahki attack. What a waste, He thought, We are completaly comprimized, the bounty is forfit.

The Informant sighed and tucked the paper away, it still might be handy at some point. He started walking towards the chute terminal. All he needed was a quick hop over to Po-Metru and he could hide in the mountains as long as he needed. Suddenly pain radiated up his legs. He glanced down and saw that they were heavily burnt. Karz, He thought, Right at the worst time possible. He was sure new notes had appeared on his body, but they would have to wait, he needed to get to safety first. He continued to limp towards the chute.

IC: Jephro-Beach Assault (The following post was made with permission of @Biological Chronicler)

As Kahreh lunged foreward Jephro skipped bakwards again. Kareh stopped himself for just a moment. What are you doing, He thought, It's just a rookie toa, you can handle this. He drew his sword and dagger again and got ready to charge.

The brief break gave Jephro a chance to think. I'm getting good at decreasing weight, maybe I should try increasing it. 

Kareh activated his flight again and charged. Thinking quickly Jephro sent out a pulse of energy. Targeting Kareh's weapons. Kareh's charge was suddenly halted, his legs flung foreward as his weapons drastically increased in weight. Jephro took his chance and lept foreward. He slashed with his sword and cut off Kareh's sword hand. 

I did it, he tought I actually did it! But now was not the time to celebrate. Jephro had released his control over the dagger, and Kareh slashed with it, cutting a gash across Jephro's side. Jephro took a power assisted jump backwards. Kareh threw the dagger, which Jephro easily dodged, giving Kareh time to retrieve his sword.

"I'll admit," Kareh said, "Your pretty good, It's been a while since I've gotten an injury that bad." He began to fly again, hovering above Jephro's head. "But I've had enough." He swooped down, Jephro barely dodged. Jepro jumped, swinging his swords, but Kareh was too fast. Kareh swooped again, cuting a gash through Jephro's shoulder. 

"Give up!" Kareh shouted. Jephro just gave Kareh a defiant stare. Kareh laughed at first, then he reailisd something wasn't right, He tried to fly up, but was unable to ascend. Instead as he struggled an overwhelming force of gravity. Soon his feet were on the ground again. 

Jephro aproached, face crunched with concentration. Kareh did his best to defend himself, but the sheer gravity made it easy for Jephro to disarm him. 

Jephro put the tip of his sword against Kareh's neck. "S-Surrender." He stamered, still focuing on keeping his opponent in place.

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Kareh - Silver Beach Assault

Kareh looked up at Jephro's face, finally realizing that he had been defeated. His bodyguards stood still, completely unmoving. "Go back to the airship." he said to them. "Call for backup". The guards took flight and disappeared into the aether. By the time they returned, the beach would almost certainly have fallen to the Metruan forces and Kareh would be their prisoner.

He looked down at the bleeding stump that had been his sword arm. A skilled surgeon might be able to graft a replacement, but for now his sword fighting days were over. His vision blurred. He felt weak and dizzy just looking at it. He looked back at the toa, trying to come up with some kind of defiant sounding response, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out.

His eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted, collapsing into the sand at Jephro's feet. Jephro could see he was still alive by the dim glow of his heartstone, though he was certainly in no position to cause him any further injury.

Jephro had just won his first major fight.

OOC: @Smudge8 Kareh is unconscious, lying at Jepro's feet. Last post as this character.

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Beach Assault (Spotting an arsonist)

His eye squinted as a blazing inferno seems to be ongoing way in front of them, a large figure backing away from the fire.

"Oi. D-Do me a favour. Stick that revolver in me hand for me." Thom looked to his Bo-Matoran ally. "Ah can't grab it meself."

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Ko-Metru Knowledge Tower

Aligning the maps by their edges, the movements of the stars were easier to see. Taja adjusted her eyepiece and reached for a ruler. The cold metal under her fingertips sent chills up her arm. She began to measure the distances between the new and old positions, carefully recording each disparity on the iStone at her elbow.

The older star map was coloured in blue, and the new map in green. Some stars were motionless, or had moved so little that the two colours blended into turquoise. Others had moved so far that the scholar had to triple-check their identities to confirm they were indeed the same. This verification did nothing to quell the vague uneasiness that twisted softly in her stomach, a leftover emotion from Turaga's Dume's announcement earlier in the day. The stars did not usually speak so forcefully. These kinds of movements were usually observed over years, not weeks. Something was happening. Something important.

Another measurement, another entry. Taja looked back to the maps, tapped her forefinger on a specific spot, and frowned. The blue mark showed through the paper, but there was no green mark on top. This star had existed two weeks ago; now it was nowhere to be seen. She noted the coordinates, pencilled carefully in her own hand, and consulted the iStone. She scrolled through the strings again, looking for a match, and found none. With the patience characteristic of a scholar, she searched again, triple-checking the omission. Again, nothing. The star was gone.

Stars disappeared sometimes, but it was a rare enough occurrence that Taja considered making the trip to the eastern knowledge tower and confirming her coordinates with the astronomer who had provided the coordinates. But that could wait. She would finish her work first.

Picking up the ruler, she went to measure the next star only to encounter the same situation. Another blue mark with no corresponding green mark. Another star vanished.

Her apprehension grew as another triple-check came up empty. This coordinate seemed familiar, the shape of its letters and numbers lingering on her brain like the name of an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time. Perhaps she had made a note on this particular star before...

Turning her chair back to the filing cabinet, she opened a different drawer. The folders rustled between her fingers—she was moving less carefully than usual. Across the room, Jaa raised his head at the noise, then looked back at his work as she pulled out a large folder. Within this folder were stored a dozen smaller folders, each neatly labelled. Another moment of searching through these smaller folders produced a piece of paper, which Taja withdrew and scanned once, then twice, then three times.

Her sharp intake of breath drew Jaa's eyes again. He tapped his fingers twice on the desk to get her attention. What is it? he signed.

She placed the paper down. Sorry, she signed back. It's nothing. Just an interesting movement. Might be a mistake.

Jaa's face darkened. Scholars did not make mistakes. Mistakes happened when you didn't listen, or when you lost patience. That was unacceptable.

Where did the files come from?

One of the eastern towers. Tower... she consulted the iStone. Maru. Tower Maru. I'll go check with them.

Tower Maru? Jaa signed as she gathered up her papers, rolled the maps up in their tubes, and slid them into her bag. I've had problems with them before.

Taja shrugged. I'll be back soon.

Her colleague nodded and returned to his work. The De-Matoran slipped out of the office and walked back to the elevator. Maybe the fast-moving stars were a mistake. Maybe the first missing star was a mistake. But the second missing star wasn't. She had observed it before, months ago, and thought it strange then. The star had vanished only to reappear, and now it had vanished again. She wasn't sure what to make of it: stars didn't tend to blink in and out of existence. There was no research concerning this phenomenon, and no one to ask who could clarify.

The elevator doors opened. She walked in and selected the chute-serviced floor—the tower she needed to visit was on the eastern edge of the Metru. Too far to walk.

As the lift began to descend, Taja's thoughts continued to swirl. In particular, they dwelt on the repeatedly disappearing star. Scholars had not conclusively proved its identity, but years of study had produced a generally accepted theory. Most astronomers accepted it as fact. But now she doubted that theory, because the star was gone but she had just seen the being it represented earlier that day. Either the star was false, or...

She hated to even think about the alternative, because it was Dume's spirit star. Either the stars were lying, or her Turaga was.

[Unreliable Narrator]

Ooc: for @Onaku, thanks for your patience...
IC: Vhisola, Ga-Metru

She struggled to move even while he talked. The weakening powers of the kanoka kept her immobile. Honestly, Vhisola's feelings were beyond fear. Now, a sort of numbness enveloped her. This can't be happening. I'm not really here. If I close my eyes, count to ten, and think of school when I open my eyes everything will be back to normal. 
Everything did not go back to normal. Okuo still kneeled over her, guarding her from, what, two aggressors? As if a matoran with a kanoka launcher and a sofa for cover in a recreation room of an apartment building could do anything. 
Finally her mouth moved. She croaked out a single word, the word she never thought she'd say ever again;
"Help."
The bordakh entered the recreational room as Vhisola spoke. Kanoka flew towards Okuo and the sofa.