Six Kingdoms: Escapement - Gameplay

[Tarn]

IC: The Swordsman - Great Furnace

I was concerned there might be a security system connected to the lock that would be tripped if a wrong combination was entered--paranoid, perhaps, but these were paranoid times. The heat was getting more intense by the minute, though, and we needed to get moving. Besides--I was sure that the Matoran here probably made errors when using this lock before. No one would notice if we did, too.

"Try anything from one to eight."

Edited March 10, 2020 by Tarn

[Vezok's Friend]

IC [Zataka - Coliseum, the Gardens]:

The Titan rushed to the window, a beastly snarl crossing her lips as she saw the hunter run away sideways along the outside of the building. Running away? No...tactical retreat. He’d be back. But by then Dume would have an army of Vahki protect him. Dume. She spun around, just in time to see Jarbali hit the Turaga with a disk and disappearing.

The warlord tensed at first, then relaxed. The Matoran was probably close at hand...hopefully.

—————

Dume disentangled himself from the pile of supplies and small boxes, then, slowly, deliberately lifted the bucket off his head and turned to the Po-Matoran in the storage closet next to him.

”Tell me, young one...did you think ‘safe haven’ or ‘anywhere but here’ when you spirited us away from the gardens?”

OOC: @That Matoran with a Vahi

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra - Temple Aftermath -

Skyra sat not too far from Rose, sharping a katana. She tried not to think too much of the events of the previous day, specifically what they all saw inside the temple. Skyra knew it would haunt her dreams for a while, but it was best not to dwell on it. 

Returning to Metru Nui after all this time gave her a different set of emotions. Last time she was there she'd been a brand new Toa and she'd managed to make Turaga Dume very, very, very, very, very angry at her...

...yeah she wasn't sure how she felt about going back home. 

"Hey Rose, ever been to Metru Nui?" 

@Tarn

[Tarn]

IC: Rose - Temple Aftermath

Rose perked her head up almost immediately at the sound of Skyra's voice.

"Once or twice, maybe. I'm not a native, my home...was somewhere else. You?"

@Snelly

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Ga-Metru

The giant squid lashed the sea with bruised tentacles, churning the water and causing the boat to rock dangerously. To her dismay, the scholar found herself—for the first time in her life—wishing she had paid more attention to the Onu-Matoran archivists she had written off as misguided. Studying the stars was all well and good until a giant Rahi was trying to eat you.

As the sea frothed around them, Taja started to dig around in her bag to see what disks she could find...

 

IC: Oreius | Aftermath of the Silver Sea Assault

The Toa of Fire waited on the beach, watching the tide relentless roll up and down the sand. He was returning to Metru Nui because those were his orders, not because he had any specific fondness for the island city. Yes, it was the capital of Matoran civilization, and uniquely blessed by the Great Spirit, but it was not his home. He had not known a home for a long time.

Unbidden, his thoughts began to turn toward the past. Toward the only home he had ever known, and the reason why he left. Frustrated, he wrenched his mind back to the present. The past was the past, and could not be changed. It could only be honoured by ensuring that past mistakes were not repeated. 

Oreius stood to his feet. The lone short sword strapped to his back made him feel incomplete; he vowed to recover its twin when this war was over, or to avenge its loss by killing the thief. But that could wait. The City of Legends beckoned, and he would obey.

 

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra - Temple Aftermath -

"Born and raised. Guess that makes me a city girl or something." Skyra said with a shrug. "Before I was a Toa I used to test new vehicles and other devices Test Track. Well I say 'test' but I usually ended up crashing most of the time." She smirked at that. 

"Aaaaaaanyway, I haven't been there since I first became a Toa, I got sent to the front lines almost immediately. I uh...did something that ticked off Turaga Dume so I'm not exactly sure how I feel about going back hahaha..." 

@Tarn

Edited March 11, 2020 by Snelly

[Tarn]

IC: Rose - Temple Aftermath

"What? You think the Turaga of Metru Nui holds grudges?"

By now she'd mostly patched up the damage to her suit (not the best job, but she was no engineer). Rose collapsed it down into its easier-to-carry form and placed it on her back. "Maybe he's had time to cool off. And I'll be there to protect you from the big mean geezer if he tries anything," she joked. Rose moved to sit closer to the Toa of Air. "What did you do, anyways?"

@Snelly

[Void Emissary]

7 hours ago, Toru Nui said:

IC: Ostrox (Barraki Fortress)

"Oh, we don't always get what we want." Ostrox said, following Mazor.

IC:

Irna rolled her eyes.

-Void

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Ga-Metru

Taja pulled out a disk, slinging her launcher off her back as she did so. The sleek, lightweight metal gleamed in the silver light as she loaded the disk and took careful aim at one of the thrashing tentacles, doing her best to keep a steady hand as the little boat tilted from side to side. She breathed in, closing her eyes for a long second, and looked for that peace that she kept within her mind like a secret oasis.

From destiny, trust. In trust, peace. In peace, willpower. From willpower, focus.

If this was the will of the Great Spirit, then he would guide her hand. She focused on her target, then pulled the trigger and surrendered the path of the disk (numbered 485) to the stars.

 

OOC: That's a teleportation disk forged in Ko-Metru—granting it the ability to dodge obstacles to reach its intended target—with a power level of 5.

Edited March 11, 2020 by Eyru

[Onaku]

IC: Matrak - The Void

Home is behind

The void ahead

And there is but one path to tread

Through twilight

To the edge of life

Until the world is all alight

Mist and twilight

Cloud and shade

Away shall fade

All... shall...

Fade

...

There was a long black corridor. It was the kind of black where no shape could really be discerned. A pitch blackness, so dark that the corridor might as well not have been there. It wasn't there. It wasn't real. No footsteps echoed as Matrak walked down it. There weren't actually any footsteps, after all. But Matrak couldn't think about that. Real or not, Matrak had to go down this corridor to get where he was going. And as unreal as his steps were, each one brought him closer to his destination.

A world was ahead, at the end of this corridor. There was life there. Elements that felt familiar yet he had no knowledge or memory of. A strange kind of ravenous radiance, a breath made manifold and magnificent, tears that stretched as far as the eye could see. It all felt very strange to him, like missing pieces of himself he'd never realised weren't there. Perhaps this was the home they never knew they'd left behind?

Matrak could feel the end of the corridor coming. Slowly but surely he could feel the shape of it give way for a larger space, a large room, a massive cavern, and then... nothing. Nothing above. Just the void... and a breath. Magnified. Close enough that he could almost taste it. There was a sprawling plane ahead, flat for the most part, yet irregular and bumpy. Natural. Matrak kept walking forward on this non-existent ground, drawing closer. Closer. Closer to the end of-

Nothing. There was nothing for Matrak to step on. Just an edge. Nothing below. Nothing above. Had he gone the wrong way? No, he knew where he was going, planned out the route, aimed his corridor there and taken off. He couldn't have gone astray. He just couldn't!

Could he?

Matrak recalled all too late that stopping in the void was a bad idea, but he was swiftly reminded why as the ground that wasn't under his feet collapsed, sending him falling, spiraling into the infinite nothingness. Darkness took him, and he strayed out of thought and time. Eternity wheeled overhead, and every moment was as long as the life age of the world.

...

The void behind

And home ahead

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra - Temple Aftermath -

"Weeeeeelll..." Skyra began, thinking of the best way to put it. "I sort of broke into his office...I wanted to see the Toa stones that I'd heard he kept in there. And I wasn't gonna steal them or nothin, I just wanted to look at one." Skyra said, trying to sound as innocent as possible. 

"So I did find a Toa stone...and when I held it in my hands it kind of activated and I passed out. When I woke up I was a Toa, and in a holding cell!" Skyra exclaimed. 

"After getting yelled at a whole lot I got sent to the front lines. They said my 'energy' was better served elsewhere. I have a feeling they just wanted to get rid of me..." 

@Tarn

[Azibo]

IC: Sans (and our group ig), Colosseum elevator

After speaking with the Vahki, Sans and the three Ko-Matoran were ushered past the gate and across the bridge into the Colosseum proper.  A familiar blue warrior waved from behind some held-open elevator doors.  "Can you read my thoughts from even over here? huhuhuhuh!  I don't know how you beat us here, but you should know that you can never beat a blue hero in a fight in an elevator huhuhuhu.  We'll just go up together, cool?"

Lucky for Sans and the Ko-Matoran, the blue titan didn't pick a fight.  The smaller four stood kind of awkwardly behind the large, cramped blue lady.  After a minute, the elevator doors opened, and the blue lady jumped out.  All karz had broken loose.  There were obliterated Vahki, destroyed shrubberies, Dume on fire- "NO!" As much as it pained him, this was no time for jokes.  Sans kicked the "hold door" button so hard he worried he'd broken the panel.  Then he grew his body a bit to stretch his arms over the three Ko-Matoran as the sounds of battle erupted behind them.  Then, a crash of broken glass, heavy footsteps, some thud on the balcony floor, then.... quiet?  Sans shrunk back to normal and turned in time to see the large blue warrior looking out a broken window, while Dume was nowhere to be seen.

Sans screamed inside his thoughts.  "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHHAHAHAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH IS THIS GETTING YOUR ATTENTION, LADY?!?" The titan seemed not to notice.  "Hey!" Sans elected to just yell with his actual voice this time.  The titan looked back, and Sans pointed to his head as the elevator doors closed, then thought the next step.  "Find that Dark Hunter or anymore lurking about.  I don't know what happened to Dume but since you aren't panicking right now I don't think a bad guy got him.  We'll go find him, you take out any hunters!" Before any response could be heard in his thoughts, Sans rapidly poked the next three floor buttons, and the elevator was moving again.  He turned to his three friends.  "Now's the time to be the heroes you were all born to be!  Don't despair! We need to split up and find Dume before someone bad does.  If you see Dume or a Dark Hunter, start screaming as loud as possible.  Maybe think as loud as possible too; that blue one can read minds.  Make as much noise or a signal or anything you can do as you can.  I promise, I'll be there before you can even miss me." The first elevator door opened.  "I'll go on this floor.  It's more likely Dume and danger both are still closer than further away.  I'd prefer you three stick together but do what you feel is right.  And guard the discs."  Before anyone could get a word in- a usual- Sans ran ahead, doors closing behind him.  He ran down the hall then followed it around a corner.  "I may be past my prime, but I've got enough fight left in me to be the Hero of Metru-Nui!" Staff in hand and Kanohi glowing from concentration, Sans was ready for whatever lay ahead.

 

OOC: approved bunny hopping by @EmperorWhenua @Onaku @Crimson Jester

[Tarn]

IC: Rose - Temple Aftermath

"I'd say you became a Toa by accident, but...normally those who get transformed are destined for the role in the first place." Rose shrugged and smiled. "Maybe it all happened for a reason."

@Snelly

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra - Temple Aftermath -

Skyra smiled and nodded. "Thanks, hopefully Turaga Dume thinks that too, if I happen to run into him..." 

 

[Tarn]

IC: Rose - Temple Aftermath

"I think he'll appreciate the work you've done here as a soldier," Rose replied. She placed her hand on Skyra's shoulder in a gentle sort of way. "I know I appreciate you, at least."

@Snelly

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra Daring - Temple Aftermath -

Skyra could feel her cheeks getting warm as she looked at Rose. "T-Thanks...I uh, appreciate you too..." 

@Tarn

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Atamai: Po-Metru

”What exactly did you two see?”

IC, Kohara: Ga-Metru

As Taja fired her disk at the squid, Kohara clambered into the boat. It was a tight squeeze. “You wouldn’t happen to have any more teleportation disks on you to get us out of here?” she asked. 

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Ga-Metru:

A bright light forced everyone except Kohara to blink as the teleportation disc hit its mark. The giant squid vanished. An uncomfortable silence fell over the ragtag group. Then the oddest sound heard by Taja first of something falling through the air. Then they saw it: a giant squid in the sky falling towards the horizon line. The splash created ripples which nearly capsized the boat. Once the waters calmed again, Nixie looked at Taja with an expression of absolute shock in the actions of her friend. She was both stunned and warmed at the thought of Taja acting quickly to save everyone’s life. 

“Um,” Nixie said, “How strong was that disc?”

Vhisola nodded from Okuo to Kohara. "I dunno if I want to bring it up... I've seen my share of new and weird today."

Turning around to Thom Vhisola asked, "okay so you're out of gas. Do you have oars?"

IC: Vahki | Metru-Nui

Anyone interacting with the vahki suddenly experienced a very strange reaction from the clockwork enforcers. First, the optical sensors of each unit changed to a dull purple color. Next, they transformed into their quadrupedal forms and began broadcasting a unified message:

“The City of Metru-Nui is now in lockdown. The City is now in lockdown. Attempts on Turaga Dume have been made. The City is now in lockdown. You will be searched. You are safe. Do not resist.”

Doors in the Coliseum slammed closed, hallways cordoned, access control disabled except for vahki and upper political clearance. Down in the prisons of the Coliseum, vahki were released into the cell blocks to quell potential insurrection. Across the metrus the vahki were released from their charging hives en masse. Only the minimum needed to maintain the collective hive consciousness remained in their charging ports.

One of the collective identities of the vahki returned to the Boss matoran in the memory shard simulacrum of the hives. His feet padded silently across upward trending graphs of stress in the city. 

“We are beginning the lockdown Boss,” the Nuurakh said, “neighborhoods are patrolled, matoran are being cleared by our units, but we only have so many of us left after the terrorist attack.”

“Maintain minimal qualifiers, check the homes nearest to potential issues first.” The Boss replied. The Nuurakh disappeared from the collective plane after receiving their new orders.

IC: Brutaka | Silver Sea Island

“We’ll leave a detachment of our forces here to secure the temple and the island at large. I’m most interested in having our radio technicians gain a key foothold in the communications war with the relays we have,” Brutaka explained to Ardoku and Tekmo as they questioned their orders. “For now, pack your things and get on the airship. Turaga Dume sent word: things are going poorly at home. The league has been able to infiltrate key objectives in Le-Metru and Ta-Metru.”

He paused, eyes darkening, then continued; “and they also have been experiencing the rising dead.”

IC: Carapar | Barraki Fortress

When Mazor climbed the steps into the fortress he found himself directed to the throne room on the upper floors. By the time he’d reached the main doors leading into the throne rooms his breath came in ragged gasps. Two matoran, free workers who’d given up their old religion in the face of death at the hands of victorious conquerors, pushed the doors open.

Inside Mazor saw the resplendent treasures of Pridak’s conquests, as well as the banners of fallen islands turned into the rug running from the doorway to the ample sofa used by Barraki Pridak as his throne. Kalmah, Carapar, a fidgety Takadox, Ehlek, and Mantax stood on either side of the white and red warlord.

“Welcome Mazor.” Carapar’s voice boomed through the throne room. “On this mission I instructed you to pursue, you found something many of this League struggled to discover: the Krom Sphere. Please demonstrate the powers of the Krom Sphere for our friend Barraki Takadox. He is unsure if what you have is genuine.”

“He’s not the only one who wants confirmation,” rumbled the bassy voice of Mantax. “Demonstrate.”

Edited March 11, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator
Added Carapar

[Tarn]

IC: Idlyx Haeve - The Coliseum

The Kekamaire backed away from the Vahki.

"Er...lockdown?"

Great, he thought, now I'm trapped in the Coliseum.

IC: Rose - Temple Aftermath

Rose looked down at her feet, her crimson cheeks now a brighter shade. "Heh...nice..."

She suddenly raised her head, overhearing Brutaka's mention of...rising dead, which made her eyes widen as she appeared to look at something far off. A shaken Rose's hand, still on Skyra's shoulder, gripped tighter. "Oh no...oh no no no..."

@Snelly

Edited March 11, 2020 by Tarn

[Nato G]

OOC: mobile

IC: Vyarik/Revenant - The Coliseum

A lockdown? Unacceptable.

"I require access," the Revenant reitorated, in its stilted, emotionless tone. It pulled out its iStone to show the Vahki the message calling for Dume's death.

"I am a Dark Hunter. My colleagues are breaking the alliance with your Turaga. They must be prevented."

[Toru Nui]

IC: Tekmo (Silver Sea, Temple Aftermath)

"...Right then." Tekmo began furiously packing as quickly as possible. If the bizarre curse afflicted Metru Nui as well... where didn't it afflict?

 

IC: Waveahk (Po-Metru)

Waveahk submitted himself to the Vahki. He wasn't sure if he was now the cause of a city-wide lock-down, but it was highly unlikely that this was a coincidence.

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Vahki | Coliseum
The Revenant's request for entry met the formidable stubbornness of a vahki during lockdown. As far as the unit considered, the shrouded wasteland warrior posed a threat to the continued security and well-being of the individuals inside. A kanoka disc appeared into its mandibles. Revenant's shared consciousness realized the vahki were simple machines attempting to copy the complex unity of its own mind. It would never work. Something that never lived couldn't have empathy for the beauty and horror of the Truths.
"Arrest the Dark Hunter. Surrender," blurted one of the taller vahki nearby as a squad began to encircle Revenant. A strange coiled rod raised out from the spines of the Coliseum Vahki and hummed with a crackling energy from its place on their backs.
As Idlyx placed his weapons on the ground he felt himself tugged to his knees by two vahki, bending his wounded leg even more awkwardly. Matoran shrieked and ran for cover in the pools of the water park. 
"Surrender Hunter. You will be imprisoned for betrayal."
Waveahk experienced a similar fate to Idlyx as the vahki swarmed him, tried to pull him down and restrain him for transport to the Coliseum prisons.

Ooc: all reporting Dark Hunters who announced their affiliation are being arrested. If you don't want your character arrested perhaps get creative… But I think we know who else is in the prisons of the Coliseum.
 

[Toru Nui]

IC: Waveahk (Po-Metru)

Waveahk did not struggle or attempt to fight back as the Vahki came upon him, willingly letting the machines take him to the Coliseum.

[Vezok's Friend]

IC [Zataka - Coliseum, The Gardens]:

Why in the spirit's name did you decide the jolly giant was the best choice to make contact…

Zataka watched the elevator close again. She turned around again, looking at the broken window. It was unlikely that the hunter would double back, but better safe than sorry. She was certain that he’d find another way back in. She tried pinpointing him with her mask, but with everything going on he’d managed to get out of remote detection range, unlike Sans and the Matoran.

Can’t be everywhere at once...but someone else can. she thought to herself, heading over to where the Vahki that had escorted the Turaga had been scrapped. She looked at the first fallen enforcer - it was nothing but junk at this point. Its companion on the other hand... There was some life - or power - left in the Vahki. Broken servos and actuators whirred, causing sparks to fly. Its head twitched in rhythmic fashion, and optic sensors were active, but reduced to staring ahead at the same patch of ceiling they had been since the unit fell.

“Error - Error - Error - “ came the repeat, electronically warbled stutter of a self-diagnostic program trying to cope with a unit broken beyond repair.

Zataka seized the Vahki by its neck and lifted it up, looking into the ‘eyes’ first, before turning them toward the gardens and broken window. She hoped the audio receptors were similarly working. “Your Turaga has escaped the attack, but so did the hunter. He’s somewhere on the Coliseum exterior. Send reinforcements to the top floors; secure all possible access points: ventilation shafts, service tunnels, plumbing, elevators and drain pipes. There was one assailant, but the total number of hostiles is unknown.”

Hopefully whatever system the Vahki operated by got the message. She dropped the machine and started to systematically scan the gardens for signs of where Jarbali and Dume had disappeared to, eventually making her way to the door the Turaga had tried to escape through earlier. Behind it, she found a short hallway that led into an office, which was surprisingly spartan: A desk, a full-length mirror and across from it a door in the glass facade leading to a balcony. Zataka quickly made sure that one was properly locked as well. She figured this was Dume’s place to welcome visitors and hold meetings, not his actual work space. Satisfied that the room was as secure as could be right now, she headed back to resume her search for the missing Turaga. 

:The gardens are clear. Moving to the rest of this level.: she transmitted to the others in her impromptu party via her Kanohi. :What is your status?:

 

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Ga-Metru Bay (Utterly Useless)

"Ah....maybe? Ta be honest, ah never went ta check." 

He was still staring, and his head was as fuzzy as ever. Malnourishment and dehydration was setting in heavily. 

If the Matoran were to check the back of the boat, though, there'd be a pair of oars. 

IC: Kovac Krossfari - Coliseum (Elevator Malfunction)

As the door closed, the vigilante felt an odd rumbling. Taking it as nothing but the technology carrying the elevator up, he was sent flying to the ground as a much sharper sensation rocked the elevator, as the miniature room plummeted instead of going up.

"Oh, Mata Nu-"

CRASH! 

IC: Leonn - Ko-Metru (Looking for his contact)

The shades were now on his face, as the spy began to walk through the chilly Metru. The Skakdi of Air stood out heavily with his jungle green skin, which didn't exactly help his objective. It'd be fine.

 

[Smudge8]

IC: Mazor-Barraki Fortres

"Ok," Mazor replied, "But fair warning, last time I did this the sky went crazy." He began to work with the cube, repeating the pattern he had been doing almost mindlessly earlier. 

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by Smudge8

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Kohara: Ga-Metru

Nixie went to the back of the boat and pulled up a pair of oars. "Good. That'll save us the swim at least," said Kohara. She looked briefly at the sides of the boat and, luckily for her, there were holders for the oars to sit in. "Let me have them."

Kohara took the oars from Nixie and placed them in their holders. She began to row the boat back to the docks near the Great Temple. 

[Nato G]

OOC: mobile 

IC: Vyarik/Revenant - Coliseum

The Revenant decided to comply, for now. It knew from its shared memories that the city's prisons were beneath the Coliseum... which meant the Vahki would have to bring him inside to imprison him.

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Barraki Fortress
As Mazor manipulated what the Barraki referred to as a Krom Sphere, all six warlords held their gaze on the pattern he formed. In the end, the silver cube became a silver sphere, a round ball in the palm of his hand. Outside the stars shifted once more, and the twin solar eclipse ended at long last. Daylight streamed through the windows of the throne room. Takadox rushed to the window and looked out. Mantax blinked, eyes readjusting.
"It's near evening," Takadox stated. "Incredible!"
"Yes," Carapar acknowledged. "It's incredible Mazor found the Krom Sphere so easily after all your searching. The Captain of the vessel said they stumbled upon a grotto as pure coincidence. Isn't that right, Mazor?"
"How dare you," Takadox began, but Pridak cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"I'm grateful for you finding it, but let's not bicker about the small individual successes. Metru-Nui falling is all that matters. Mazor, we will use you to maintain your command of the Krom Sphere during the upcoming invasion. At a certain point in the conflict you will need to follow me to complete a confidential objective. In the meantime, relinquish the sphere to us for safekeeping. It will be returned as we enter the portal to Ko-Metru. Speaking of: Takadox, how is your agent fairing in making contact with our host?"
"He's doing excellent. Just recently he said they'd made contact and are securing the portal location." Takadox's red pupils flickered towards Carapar, the Krom Sphere, and Mazor himself while he spoke. A sneer found its way onto his face. "Yes I think everything is going according to plan…"

IC: Reliable Narrator | Ko-Metru
"Hey kid," said a voice behind Leonn. "You wanna buy some freedom?"
Turning around the skakdi wearing shades found himself staring down a green Turaga in a shady alleyway. Nidhiki leaned on the side of a dumpster casually, waving a finger over a lit candle playfully. He seemed bored. 
"You're not the brightest are you? I've been walking behind you since the chute station. What took you so long?"

 

Ooc: 

We are back into time flowing normally across the matoran universe. It is late afternoon/early evening. The red ring on the horizon line is still present. The stars have changed their alignment once more.

Edited March 11, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Leonn - Ko-Metru (Contact)

Leonn frowned a little at the comment, but lowered his shades to get a good look at the Turaga. It certainly was him, in the metal and flesh. 

"Issues with some rogue Dark Hunters. It seems they've been appropiately dealt with." He explained. Nidhiki didn't need the details, nor did he care, most likely. The Skakdi seemed to be the only agent under Takadox's employ that had any actual curiosity.

"Turaga Nidhiki, I presume?" 

He didn't presume, truthfully. He knew. If he hadn't been sure, he wouldn't have opened with his small talk about the Dark Hunters. 

[Tarn]

OOC: To clarify, just in case: UN confused my character with Toru Nui's Dark Hunter in the GM post. Idlyx isn't laying down his weapons but he is being restrained.

IC: Idlyx Haeve - Coliseum

"Stupid...machines...!"

The considerably larger and tougher Kekamaire fought the pain in his knee to stand to full height and throw the Vahki attempting to restrain him off. With a huff, he lowered his head and impaled the one he'd just been speaking to with an antler before tossing it behind him. The Vahki landed on its hive-mates (who were still active) and Idlyx moved as fast as he could with a limp towards the nearest exit out of the water park.

Being semi-honest had backfired, and now he'd have to find some way out of here. He made it to the hallway and pressed against the wall. Kanoka launcher...loaded. Gauntlets as ready to stab and electrocute as ever. It was just Vahki, right?

Nothing to worry about.

[Onaku]

IC: Okuo - Ga-Metru

"Well." Okuo sighed with relief, taking a seat in the boat. "You know, everything considered... that went well. We got the disk, no one got hurt, and we've got a boat back to the city in the bargain." As the red and azure ta-matoran drummed his fingers on the side of the boat in thought about the events of the day, a comparatively bright light suddenly dominated his vision, forcing him to peer and shield his eyes before looking back up, his eyes adjusting to see an afternoon sky, no more the dark and frightening double eclipsed firmament that just moments before had loomed over the city. Yet still the crimson horizon lingered. "Well... I don't know about you all, but I'd call that a good omen."

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Nixie | Ga-Metru

"I'd call it more work," Nixie grumbled to herself as she noticed the sky change and listened to Okuo. He wasn't entirely wrong though. If prophecies could be rewritten and destiny changed, it would be only a few hours until she could see what the future now held. She hoped the future looked brighter. Without meaning to her eyes met Taja's as Kohara rowed the party toward shore.

IC: Nidhiki | Ko-Metru

"Call me Papi," Nidhiki joked as he grabbed his staff from its place leaning on the alley wall and beckoned for Leonn to follow deeper into the poorly light space of the alley between two knowledge towers. "Let's not keep Nuju waiting."

Edited March 12, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Thom - Ga Metru Bay (After The Storm)

"You lot fancy goin' for somethin' to munch on? I mean, ah reckon ah'm not gonna last much longer if ah don't." 

The Skakdi suggested, draping his blanket over him again. 

[Onaku]

IC: Matrak - The Universe

Iim anha kaf uen

My mind over the void

Iefen anha kaf uiefen

My existence over non-existence

An atrim, an haen iefen

I think, therefore I am

A ghostly spectre, one of what looked like a gangly cross between a humanoid insect and a toa, faded in and out of existence throughout the universe. First it appeared in Ga-Metru, floating over the waters near an immobile boat upon which several matoran, a toa, and a skakdi had gathered. Like a faint flickering silhouette, it faded into view, and then out again, an eerie etherial sound accompanying it like the cry of a man caught in between moments.

This same event happened across the city, as aboard an airship belonging to a particular former Nynrah Ghost, in full view of him and his passengers, the ghostly form seemed to emerge and then dissipate again right in their midst, the unnatural howling lingering right at the edge of their hearing as the spectral visitor disappeared.

Outside the chambers of the Barraki, where several servants to the Legion awaited their comrade to finish speaking with the warlords, this strange aberration faded into view of everyone, the halls filled with the quiet and sombre call of a being trying desperately to hold onto reality before slipping away again.

An atrief kaf uen

I am above the void

As Leonn spoke to the presumed and confirmed Turaga Nidiki, a strange feeling took hold of them, as well as everyone present nearby. There was something in the air, not a smell, but a feeling, like vibrations carrying through the bodies of everyone present, yet faint and barely perceptible. All the same it was highly unusual, and were anyone there to focus on this feeling, these vibrations, they would realise that they were slowly hearing a sound emerge into the very edge of their hearing, so distant and so faint that it could barely be registered, yet it could so clearly be felt. As those present continued to listen, they would hear this sound passing across into their full hearing range, realising now that it was an unnatural and haunting sound, like the cry of a person taken and spliced into an endlessly stretched recursion, a cry caught in the midst of eternity.

As those present began to realise this, they might also catch a glimpse of a faint image, the visage of a person, a strange being one might almost mistake for a toa if not for their alien features, began to fade into view in the middle of the street outside the alleyway, a shimmering and flickering silhouette that struggled to come into view. A light breeze seemed to pull towards it, and as this vision of an outlandish visitor became clearer, so did the cry, now permeating throughout the block like a muted siren. As the seconds went by, the sound changed, where as before it was the insistent droning of a pained howl it now seemed to be a shout coming to an end, the visage of the being fully solidifying and their mouth closing on what turned out to have been a yell of immense exertion.

Matrak fell to his knees, panting, groaning, sweat pouring off him as his body recovered from the experience. This wasn't the first time he'd almost lost hold of himself in the void, but that didn't mean it was any less terrifying.  As his mind caught up to him, he quickly processed what he'd been through before filing it away within his conscious, deciding that he would work through it later. He looked up, noticing now that there were several strange beings, about half his height and clad in white, looking at him in confusion or in fear with their piercing blue eyes. Now that he thought about it, it was eerily quiet here. His scream of exertion must have disturbed the peace here.

Slowly the Eakai stood up, trying to take in his surroundings, his gaze moving over the small crowd before he approached one who seemed less frightened than simply bemused by the situation to open a dialogue.

"Ehn atkaehl, an atrief Matrak." It didn't even take a moment for the green being to realise his mistake before he quickly corrected himself. "Apologies, let me start over. Good day, I am Matrak. Could either of you tell me about the geopolitical situation of this world?"

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra - Temple Aftermath -

Skyra's whole body tensed up, despite her reservations of returning home, hearing that it was infested with the undead wasn't the most comforting thing. Le-Metru in particular was mentioned...it made Skyra wonder if her old house was still there.

"Well, ####." 

@Tarn

[Onaku]

IC: Okuo - Ga-Metru

Okuo looked over at the emaciated skakdi, his own stomach feeling like a tightly wound rag stuffed into a pressure cooker. "Yeah, honestly, I could really go for some chow myself. I've been running on fumes for at least the past two days n-"

Suddenly a low howling sound registered at the edge of Okuo's hearing, slowly getting louder. He looked around at everyone on the boat to see if they could hear it too, before turning to look for whatever the source of that noise was. The moment his eyes came to the spectral figure floating over the water, he froze up, his eyes widening in surprise, bewilderment, and a dash of fear.

"G-guys? Am I the only one seeing this?"

Edited March 12, 2020 by Onaku

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Vhisola | Ga-Metru

"Huh what?" Vhisola asked. She popped her head out from the small canopy in the center of the little boat's hull. Her gaze followed Okuo's posture out to sea, but seeing nothing she shrugged and said; "maybe it the lack of food catching up to you. Patchy here was saying the weirdest things a moment ago, and I know I for one am getting a little hangry."

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Leonn - Ko-Metru (Going To Meet Nuju)

A subtle chuckle at Nidhiki's jest. Too old, and too short for me, I'm afraid.

Following his contact, Leonn felt a very odd sense of unease around him, an odd noise at the edge of his auditory peripheral. 

He shook his head, focusing on the mission at hand. Presumably this Nuju was an insider that Nidhiki knew. Though, as always, Leonn had to be prepared for a trap of some kind.

Amber eyes glimmered curiously. "My employer tells me of a portal you are supposed to be responsible for?"

IC: Thom - Ga Metru Bay (This Is Getting Old)

"Ah'll be honest, ah dunno wot ah'm seein' at this point. Feels like ah'm sleepin'. I need somethin' to drink."

Edited March 12, 2020 by Dane

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Vhisola | Ga-Metru

"Were you making that noise Patchy?" Vhisola asked. "When I was rummaging for some rope I heard something weird. Some sort of howl or something. It couldn't have been the squid could it?"