Hunted

[Tafu]

IC (Outpost Central): Almorn received a reply but he couldn't understand it. It almost sounded like one of the odd sounds that his rifle would make when there was a maintainence error. The mind he was connected too was also odd. It could think, but not in anyway that he was familiar with. There also seemed to be a lot there, but he couldn't see any of it, as if he was standing inside a large, pitch-black cavern.Where are you? What do you want?

[Constructelf]

IC: TakatarTakatar opened one of his books and started looking for info that could help him discern the origin of this call. Flipping open a book on myths and legends, he started looking inside...

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: The following post is rated PG-13. Viewer discretion is advised. Hopefully you're not as imaginative as I am, because then it could be a lot worse.IC: Levacius / Tunnels Near Outpost CentralLevacius continued wandering down the dark tunnels. Somehow, he had winded up in a very unfriendly area. It was mostly stone, and completely free of Ul'Kar. It was still quite sticky, though. It was also red - the entire floor was coated in blood. In fact, it was dripping from the ceiling. He looked up. There were bodies hanging up on the ceiling, held by the stalactites. It reminded him closely of ancient Zyglak rituals that he had viewed during his travels across the Matoran Universe, but was much more ramshackle.This was not the worst atrocity he had seen in the tunnel. All too often, things like this would come up. The crazy would hide out here in the darkness, capturing and killing for sport, insane rituals to mad gods, or occasionally for food. He did not want to dwell on that matter further.He didn't question where the occupant might have gone. It was possible he was out hunting. It was equally possible he had be taken by Ul'Kar, and that for once the black slime had done the world some good. But bad things never seemed to happen to bad people, now did they?The call was growing stronger. He wished he could question its motives. He would have to find it first.OOC: I'll meet y'all at the sword. Also - foreshadowing?IC: Halnara / Outpost CentralAcross the top of the top of Outpost Central flew a robed Skrall. A female one, at that. Hardly a common sighting. With her mind free, focusing on only the joy of flying, she soared over the tops of the center most buildings, enjoying the preciously short time she had to do so. It wasn't like flying through the sky, of course - just flying in a reasonably large cave.As she moved, she scanned area, looking for anyone she recognized or anybody who just looked amiable.IC: Ghaieden / Kra-Karda (Suva Ul)Before the dark altars to Ul'Kar, in the heart of his power and divinity, kneeled an ebon-armored Vortixx, his eyes closed as he prayed to his dark master. Soon, he would go out, unless he were to be given another task by their lord. But for now, he would keep up with his dark devotions.For as long as they continued, his life would as well. He would continue praying until the day he died, he feared - otherwise, that day may come much sooner. And he would live. Unconsciously, he grasped the amulet around his neck. Yes. Unlike the Brotherhood, he would survive.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Krayzikk]

IC: FuryWithout warning, the mind lashed out, lancing into Almorn's memories before he could defend himself. The probe was accompanied with excruciating pain, but as suddenly as it started, it stopped.Come and find out. The response came in a voice that spoke of untold mysteries, and an unfathomable knowledge. It was a response he could understand because knowledge of the language had been stolen from his mind.

[otter]

IC-Kar:

"Ah, Ghaieden," came the vibration from the black mass, seeming to spread through the ground more than through the air. The fluid rippled, seeming to seep up and out from the small dip in which it rested, forming up into a vaguely humanoid mass, solidifying, somewhat.

It reached out a hand, pulling Ghaieden up, before grasping his chin and pulling up his face, to look it in the eyes. Its own eyes had a slight reddish hue to them, constantly moving, mesmerising to stare into, and Kar knew it.

"Have many more come to me?" Ghaieden seemed about to answer, but Kar merely shook its 'head.' It turned, looking out at the city which it now had control over.

"No," he muttered. "Of course not." Its head snapped back to the Vortixx it held, a quick crack showing just how fast it had moved.

"Speak, fleshling," it growled. "What have you come to tell me?"

[Tafu]

IC (Outpost Central): Why should I?The lash of pain had been too fast for Almorn to cry out, but he wasn't pleased either. Random knowledge wouldn't help if he didn't know how to use it and the fact that the... thing... had hurt him made him less inclined to look for it. Now if one of the Ghosts was still alive, the knowledge would be more useful.However, he had also pieced his rifle back together and he was now walking toward the group that he had previously spotted.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Ghaieden / Kra-Karda (Suva Ul)"I have come to continue my deovtions, my lord." he said. "For you are all powerful and all knowing, and I live only for the chance to bring your glory to the mist drinkers and force them to submit to your power."OOC: Mist drinkers. Yep. That's a thing now. #childrenofthewell-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Highly Suspicious Person]

IC: SkrallSkrall recovered from the strange call. He turned to Kublai. "Shall we start that duel?"

[otter]

IC-Kar:

Kar looked at Ghaieden, long and hard.

"And do you truly serve me, fleshling?" it growled, the formerly benign hand suddenly a claw at Ghaieden's throat. "Or are you merely another of the fawning creatures that come to me, thinking that I shall protect them? Thinking that, by following me, they shall be safe from me?"

[Krayzikk]

IC: FuryBecause I can give you power. The power to protect those you seek to protect, and the power to find those you wish to find, if in fact they still live.

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Kublai)"Indeed. Unless I am gravely mistaken, these are the dueling fields..." He gestured to a small arena with a large open space at it's center. "I will take my position." It was little then a small diamond surrounded by bleachers but it was nonetheless a field of honor and blood. This was a scared place to all Skrall A place where the might and worth of all who would call themselves warriors were tested what it looked like matter not. What it was used for was much more important. Kublai took up a position in the center of the arena and turned to face the none-name."We begin."

[Highly Suspicious Person]

IC: SkrallSkrall grasped his weapon in both hands and slowly began to circle Kublai.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Fortis (Ghettos, Av-Metru)Surviving in the ghetto takes a certain something. Thriving there, and building an empire there...that took greatness.From the very night that Fortis had become a Toa and started his own little street crew, mystery had surrounded him like a fog. What was his whole name? Had he lived here, as a Matoran, and did he have family that his life as a budding crime lord could protect? How could he afford to walk around the streets as if he owned them so soon in his young life, with the cocky gait that a deity in disguise wields as he walks into his house of worship, or a politician carries the night he hears of his election? What the Karz was he doing in a part of the city like this, when he had the clothes and the manners and the oh-so-sharp tongue to become one of the best and brightest Av-Metru had to offer? All of these things were chalked up to part of Fortis's enigma, that shawl of what-the-karz that he wore year-round.The observant in the ghetto, however - few in number they may be, they were there - had quickly noticed something about the new hotshot cruising the Skirts - short for Outskirts; those in the ghetto never liked using the proper name for something if they didn't have to - and that was that his layer of mystery was, in fact, a layer of something, all right. His sharp clothes didn't seem to change often, cycling only when they got too damaged or dingy to pass off as new and something new was donned in its favor. His accent, slick and refined, like an oil tanker, changed in mid-syllable and often switched regions entirely if you paid attention right. These changes had marked the observant as enemies; the young Fortis, from the very first night of his existence as a Toa, had wanted a kingdom, and he knew you couldn't build it without constructing on top of a few gravesites.Soon, though, the decades passed, and with them, both the observant among the inhabitants of the Skirts and any wavering nuances Fortis had yet to completely iron down in his litle act disappeared into the sands of time. He was an opportunistic sort, and what's worse, he was a fatalist: he would talk a big game, and then, if you showed him what was up, he'd back off; never, though, would he back off to the point where he couldn't toss a knife right into your spinal column. As his rep grew, so did the size of his little ghetto militia, and now, as Fortis walked the streets confidently, smiling at the girls he found attractive and winking at the boys with them, he could safely say for the first time that they were truly his streets.This place was often called a cage by those who lived towards the center of Av-Metru itself; they said it was a stinkhole, a place where only those who either lacked drive or lacked morals made their niche. Fortis, indeed, lacked the latter, but as he made his way down the sidewalk, whistling a long-forgotten tune from the surface, no one could convince themselves that he wasn't chock full of drive. Yeah, maybe the Skirts were a cage; Fortis wouldn't deny that. But instead of prowling around the cage, trying to find a way out, the Toa of Iron had reveled in it, taken it as his birthright, and he was happy with it: for now, he had the influence to keep the ghetto in check. Anything more than that and he wouldn't be able to handle, not without getting his face pounded in a couple times before he could.And, believe it or not, he pondered, brushing past a middle-aged looking Toa who was counting his bag of widgets and slipping the man's wallet out of his jacket pocket as he did so, he was cool with that.-Teezy

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Kublai)Kublai stood immobile. He had let his warriors instincts take over completely, he could hear each footfall and determine the position of his foe from it. He did not need to see his foe to locate him...he merely had to listen. It mattered not where the none-name decided to strike for Kubali would be ready. But it would tell him something of then none-name. If he struck at the back that met he was clever and pragmatic. If he struck at the front the meant he had honor and would not be reliable for missions that required a pragmatic touch. The sides meant he was in between the two. All of these held something useful.

Edited October 1, 2012 by Basilisk

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Ghaieden / Kra-Karda (Suva Ul)"Well, that's how it usually works." Ghaieden replied, letting lose a small bit of his sarcastic, Vortixx tongue. He immediately regretted it, and quickly added, "But I am your most loyal servant, my lord!"IC: Halnara / Outpost CentralHalnara pulled herself to a stop on the ground near the dueling field, about midway between Almorn and the group assembled there. What was going on here? -Toa Levacius Zehvor

[otter]

IC-Kar:

Kar's unseeing glare focused, again, on Ghaieden's eyes, a force, unfamiliar, penetrating through to the deeper recesses of the Vortixx's mind. Kar's expressionless face almost held the feeling of a sneer of disgust as he releasted Ghaieden, dropping the Vortixx to the ground.

"Very well, my 'most loyal servant,' as you put it," Kar said, perfectly imitating Ghaieden's voice, "Go out. Find more, and bring them to me...if they haven't already been taken," he said, a small hint of annoyance seemingly present in his voice.

"Before you do that, though, there is something I need you to obtain from Kra-Karda. Deep within the city, there is a house of science, a laboratory. There is much there that I would like quickly recovered and brought within this place." He stepped back, melting into his pool again, and was silent once more.

[Highly Suspicious Person]

IC: SkrallSkrall slowly made his way towards his opponent until he was just outside the other Skrall's reach. He continued to circle Kublai.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Ghaieden / Kra-Karda (Suva-Ul)Ghaieden stood up quickly and attempted to regain his composure. With what little dignity he had in his current life, he turned and left the temple. He wondered - what could this possibly be that he was searching for? A weapon against Kar? No, that would be impossible. Only the most cliche storybook villains ever brought their one weakness into the middle of their base of power. But what could a god possibly desire?-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Constructelf]

OOC: Tyler, up for interaction?IC: TakatarThe toa of gravity continued flipping through his book in search of an answer. Finally, he found one. A tale that told of a ruler of a distant nation, long before the Ul'Kar came, who had a magical sword. A sword that seemed to have magical properties, for it protected the ruler from the wars of other nations and struck down whoever dared attack him. However, after refusing a bribe by a wealthy businessman, the king was mysteriously struck down in his sleep. A call went out across the island offering great wealth and power but the night it stopped, the king's sword went missing. "It can't be," Takatar though, startled at the call's similarity to the myth. "Isn't it just a story?"OOC: Story provided by Krayzikk

Edited September 30, 2012 by Constructman

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Kublai)Kublai stood still, not even making the smallest movement. The none name was being cautious and moving slowly and that meant one thing. The none name was afraid, afraid that the moment he launch an attack it would be beaten back. He was not wrong. But this still disturbed Kublai, a Skrall would fight no matter the odds if it were wise to do so. Perhaps the none name did not think this fight wise...why had he agreed to it then?

[Tafu]

IC (Outpost Central): Almorn paused for a few moments and then cut the connection with the psychic being. He had no use for more power. If he wanted to find his comrades, he could just make the journey back to Av-Metru and start asking around; he didn't need 'power' to do that.However, the mental pull was still there and he had the impression that others were feeling the same thing. He might want to find the source simply to keep it out of the hands of less than pleasant people.He found that he was approaching the dueling fields and could see that two of the Skrall were now fighting. Then another Skrall landed in front of him. He faintly recalled seeing her before, but he was terrible with names. The only one he had memorized so far was Yolof.Nervously, he raised a hand and said, "Hi?"

[Samus Aran-Bounty Hunter]

IC: Sar'Jah (Outside Outpost Central)He had heard the call. And he pondered about it for a second, before deciding: He would very much like this power. The power to be able to find whatever he wanted, without worrying about distractions... That would be marvelous.Sar'Jah registered someone talking to him. "Huh?"Zakaro

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Halnara / Outpost CentralHalnara turned - she hadn't seen Almorn. Must have passed her notice. "Oh, hello!" she replied cheerfully. "Do you know what's going on here?"-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Highly Suspicious Person]

IC: SkrallSkrall suddenly lunged forward and stabbed at Kublai's abdomen.

[Havelock Vetinari]

IC (Kublai)Kublai brought his blade to bare to parry the attack. The movement was quick and seemed utterly instinctual, he followed this by aiming a kick at the knee joints of his enemy. This attack was designed to bring his enemy to the ground and render him helpless. It had worked many times before, although the general technique was a bit basic. If his enemy caught the kick...which seemed unlikely, he would be off balance and a well timed punch could floor his foe. Kublai had made this move many times before, it was more instinct then choice and he was completely balanced as a result.

[Void Emissary]

IC:Cliff spun around to see Halnara suddenly appear, cheerfully asking Sar'Jah about what was going on. Sighing in disappointment at having almost drawn her sword for nothing twice, the Skrall allowed herself the smallest of smiles, though it still came out as more of a smirk, before cautiously approaching the female newcomer."Hello... Who are you?" Cliff asked, slightly drawn towards Halnara's joyful demeanour.-Void

[Tafu]

IC: (Outpost Central): "Uh, no," Almorn replied, "Not really. I was on my way over there in order to ask that very question."He paused and then asked, "Um. Would you happen to feel some sort of... tingling in the back of your mind?"

[Samus Aran-Bounty Hunter]

IC: Sar'Jah (Near Outpost Central)Even as the Skakdi got up, he heard most of the conversations happening. Once he had stretched out a bit, Sar'Jah turned to find two Skrall fighting, and another group of beings discussing things. He heard a snippet, one about a 'tingling in your mind' and cut in. "A tingling? More like a call, in my opinion."Zakaro

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Halnara / Outpost Central"Nope." Halnara replied to Almorn. She stopped and thought a moment. "Well, maybe. I don't think so."Happy people were not prime candidates for Fury's tests, it would seem. War, and blood, and glory? Not really in her philosophy. If one couldn't tell that by her somewhat strange choice in headgear.She turned to Cliff. "Oh hi! Name's Halnara. Just trying to see what's going on."-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited September 30, 2012 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: Hearing the psychic call, Kul'kahoun decided to comply if only to see what was reaching into his mind. It couldn't be a Ce-Toa, elements were ineffective against him...the Makuta were all gone as far as he knew...Hmm, a mystery indeed...Gathering up his possessions, the Zyglak started wandering in the direction the call seemed to be directing him

[Constructelf]

IC: Takatar (Av-Metru downtown)Takatar decided not to follow the voice until tomorrow. He went home and flopped down on his bed. He needed a break. Fortunately, tomorrow he didn't have any classes to teach, so he could explore all he wanted to.

[Krayzikk]

IC: FuryFury's candidates were in motion, all making preparations in some way or another to find her. And when they arrived, or at least, those who made it, she would have her pick of the lot.Two minds were already on their way, but one was closer than the other.As he walked Levacius would feel a presence even older than him slip into his mind. You are old, Toa.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Levacius / Tunnels"I'll take that as a compliment." Levacius replied as he moved through the tunnels. He had many years of experience with psionics users - his lieutenant on the Griffon was quite the skillful user of her powers. Even without that, he would have recognized the voice having the same mental signature as the call from before. He was prepared to defend himself against some form of mental assault if necessary, but he doubted anything would come. "But I have a feeling that you are even older still - whatever you are. Whichever one of the powers that be of which you serve."-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Krayzikk]

IC: FuryI serve no one. The reply came, almost indignant. I was old when this universe was new, I serve no force left in existence.

Edited October 1, 2012 by Krayzikk Champion of RPGs

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Levacius / Tunnels"Live I haven't heard that won before. Please tell me that you're not a spirit that was bound in the days or yore to a powerful weapon that has been attempting to gain freedom for a hundred thousand years. That ones the oldest, right after lizard like sea demons. Bad experiences with those."-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Krayzikk]

IC: FuryWhether you've heard it or not is irrelevant. It is the truth. I serve no one. Can you say the same, old one? Toa, I find, are the most honor bound, insufferable beings.

[ZTG]

IC: ZacaxZacax kept walking and stopped at the Outpost and decided to pull our his Gear Grind Staff and take a look at the teeth, making sure they were not becoming dull. He hated it when his tools became dull, so much refining had to be done.

[Void Emissary]

IC:"Oh, well, I suppose I should tell you," Cliff replied, clapping a hand on Halnara's shoulder in a sisterly way, despite her never having any even akin to a sister throughout her entire life, "Me, two other Skrall, and the Skakdi whose lyin- no wait, now he's standing. Anyway, the four of us have joined forces to head into the tunnels and find the thing that keeps calling everyone except for you!"Cliff suddenly realized that she was smiling more than she ever had, and immediately switched back to a snarl, trying to keep from letting her guard down for too long, "But yeah, the other two Skrall are fighting in the field over there right now. Now, what about you? What are you doing here?"-Void

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Levacius / Tunnels"Never said that I wasn't." he responded. "And never said you were, either. I don't debate your freedom from anything other than being a cliche. And trust me, I had a lot of time to read all about cliches before an oversized pudding ate my library.""Yeah. I'm honor bound. And I'm insufferable. They're not connected."IC: Halnara / Outpost CentralHalnara seemed to make a motion as though she were going to put her arms up too, but quickly correcter herself and act like she hadn't done anything. After Cliff finished off her first statement, Halnara attempted figure out what they were talking about. Yeah, there was something there. She hadn't really noticed it, though, because of reasons mentioned before. Hmm. What could it be...?Cliff resuming conversation brought her out of thoughts. She replied, "Just looking around. Too tired to fly any more. I thought to myself, 'hey, other Skrall!' and decided to come on down.She looked out at the field and pointed to Skrall. "He's not very good, is he?"-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Krayzikk]

IC: FuryPlease tell me you don't follow that ridiculous code Toa love to flaunt as the reason for their moral superiority. More beings have died because of it than have been saved.Not that I care. I just find the hypocrisy amusing.