Astris Janus

I like the backsotry and your art style. The antimatter looks a tad rushed/rough and his torso seems short, but other than that it looks awesome.I like him. Astris Janus

This I like.I love the posing. She seems... seductive. And I like your hands. Very nicely done.Yeah, I don't go f or that backstory much either, but I'd give it a shot.Overall, great job man! Astris Janus

Hey there BZP.Soo, my internet has been dead for a while and as a result I haven't been able to post this. And then I saw there was an Art Comp I could have actually entered... *sigh*Anyway, I got this app for my tablet called Draw(er) and it has been amazing. This was the second image that I drew with it and I'm pretty happy with it. So, I present to you... (Black 'n' White version here) Will post a coloured version when it's done Coloured version now up! Comments and Criticism are much appreciated. Thank you! Astris Janus

Very nice. Very nice indeed. :)You've pulled off the whole biomechanical look very well. You can tell that they're alive but also mechanical in nature very clearly which is something I sometimes struggle with so I applaud you for that.Their weapons actually look like weapons which is awesome. The water in Riku's pic does seem a little rushed, but water can be annoying at times.*looks at Koku* ... Ah, I see so much hate in your future. :PI really love how they all have different body types. It's something that I find rare with Bionicle art, especially in the chest area, so good on you. ^_^Your use of Bionicle pieces is superb (especially the Toa Nuva legs/bell-bottoms ).Overall, truly awesome. I evny your ability. Astris Janus

Member Name: Astris JanusTheme: Alternate UniverseWord Count: 598Title: CounterpartsFear.That was probably an accurate description of what Darque Persona was feeling right now. He wasn't really accustomed to fear; to be fair, not much could scare him.But now, as he watched an alternate version of himself prepare to experiment on him, he felt scared.Under normal circumstances, Darque would have turned into sand and escaped by now, but he was dealing with someone who knew his powers intimately. Other than having opposed elements, their powers were the same, and so Lyght had placed a power restraining band around his head. This made Darque more worried.Not that he would let himself show it. No, he had to play it cool; not let his counterpart, known as Lyght Spiritus, believe he had the upper hand."This has been a most fortunate day," Lyght said. "Already I have managed to find and capture and alternate version of myself whose powers oppose my own, and then I acquired the final piece of my device.He was pompous. Darque didn't like that."Now, I can harness your power and meld it with my own to gain supreme power." Lyght leaned over Darque's tied down form. "And all because of your issues with Olmak Anomalies.""Look, they're not my issues," Darque corrected. "I just contributed. I didn't know that my powers and his would be able to make a portal to an alternate multiverse."Lyght paused. "His power?" he queried. "Who is-"The large windows exploded and heat instantly filled the room. Lyght formed a barrier of white snad to protect himself. When he dispersed it, a silhouette was standing in the frame, flames burning brightly behind him."You left me behind," the silhouette said, stepping off the the window. The Toa had gold and red armour and a fused mask of invisibility and shielding."Vanus," Darque said with a hint of relief. "Took your time.""Ah," Lyght said. "You must be your multiverse's counterpart of our Sunakav.""Sunakav?" Vanus asked, before he was hit square in the chest with a blast of ice. As it froze his torso, another Toa dropped down to confront him.He looked almost exactly the same as Vanus, but his armour consisted of deep and light blues. He carried twin scythes coated in a thin layer of frost and wore a manical grin across his mask.Vanus raised his heat and melted off the ice before drawing his twin fire greatswords."This is going to be fun!" Sunakav cried before he charged.Lyght turned back to his subject. "That deals with your friend. I don't think that either of them can win that fight. They should be perfectly matched against each other." He picked up a remote. "Now, back to the matter of extracting your essence.""I really don't see how this is a good idea," Darque responed."I need your essence to become more powerful. It's as simple as that.""Yeah, but what if I rebel inside you? I'm not very cooperative.""I'm going to destroy your consciousness in the process.""You really thought of everything.""I try.""I almost feel proud of myself."Suddenly, Lyght was knocked down by another explosion. Vanus ran to Darque and took the band off his head. Feeling empowered, Darque turned to sand and shifted out of his bindings."How did you beat Sunakav?" Darque asked."I didn't. I just threw him through a wall and slowed him down. Come on. We need to find an Olmak Anomaly and get back to our multiverse.""How?""I have no idea."And they ran out of the lab. ~~~

Member Name: Astris JanusTheme: Amor Omnia VincitWord Count: 548Title: Blaze Fires erupted everywhere, even from the combatants themselves, consuming them in a golden blaze. Aela watched in horror. Ash fell on her feathered wings and the heat unsettled her. “This is why we needed you,” Mark said grimly. She looked up to him. “This is because of Mucro?” “In part. Technically, the Blaze is an entity in its own right, even if it is a form of magic. It is using Mucro’s body though.” “Right, and how do you expect me to stop that?” “I believe the phrase is ‘Amor Omnia Vincit.’” Aela looked around. “Are you sure this will work?” “Not at all,” Mark replied, “but I know that nothing else seems to work.” Aela paused. “… I’ll try.” She took flight. Looking across the battlefield, she saw one thing that both sides had in common; they were both retreating. All seemed afraid of the flames that burned everything. It had been 5 months and Aela was now used to them, but this… Mucro wanted to stop the fight, but this wasn’t what he wanted. Finally, she saw him. He hovered just above a charred tower, wings of golden flame formed from his back and an aura of pure heat surrounded him. His horns were ablaze and his eyes glowed, but seemed… vacant. Aela flew closer to him. She felt her jumper begin to singe and her hair begin to frizz. “Mucro!” she called. “It’s me.” Mucro slowly turned to face her. His gaze was empty but intense. She was sure that if he wanted to, he could turn her to ash with the slightest inclination. “It’s Aela.” She felt the air cool slightly. Aela smiled and glided a bit closer. “You told me about this; how the knowledge burned itself in your head; how it would come out when your life was threatened; how it was all incredibly powerful and dangerous, but healing and protective. That was our second date. Well, our second real date.” His eyes were still vacant, but the flames seemed to ebb. “You showed me your place that night. Your apartment above your bar, which was all very cool. You took me to the roof, and cooked dinner on the grill. “That was when you showed me these flames. These beautiful, golden, radiant flames, surpassing even that of hellion fire. You told me that they had a life of their own and that, occasionally, you were feared they might take over. I told you I wouldn’t let that happen. I told you that I would help you control them.” She was now close enough to reach out gently clasp his hand. His skin was practically glowing with heat, but she didn’t mind. “Mucro, come back to me.” She looked deep into his eyes… His gaze suddenly focused. The aura dispersed and all the flames extinguished. Mucro nearly fell to his knees, but Aela was there for him. He fell into her embrace and they held each other for a time. “I love you,” he said. “I love you too,” she replied. He could hear the smile in her voice. It made him feel amazing. *** Mark opened his eyes and smiled. He had watched it all through his magic. They were lucky this time. The plan had worked. “Amor Omnia Vincit…” ~~~

Aw. I missed one. Oh well. Here we go again:Member Name: Astris JanusTheme: The GameWord Count: 600Title: Initiation Lusio watched through a dozen screens as the initiate ran through the maze. The cameras had night vision, but Lusio was sure that he couldn’t see. Tre. That was his name. A human of exceptional skill. Tre, with sword in hand, was holding off a chimera. He pushed it off him and flames suddenly erupted from his sword, sending the beast away. “Impressive,” Lusio said into a microphone. Tre turned in response to this. “Thanks.” “So you’re enjoying the game?” “Heck yeah.” Lusio let a smile pass his lips. Good, he thought, I like a challenge. “So, you’re a cerebreon, right?” Lusio dropped his smile. “How did you know that?” “I didn’t,” Tre replied. “I just thought that I felt you probing my mind before.” Lusio looked to the board in front of him. There was a marker that represented Tre, along with another dozen different shaped makers representing Lusio’s assets. The Guild had requested that Lusio test this one; they saw something different in him. Lusio shifted one of the pieces towards Tre. On the screens, Lusio watched as a dire wolf charged toward Tre. Just before the impact, Tre ducked. The dire wolf sailed over his head, and he made a strike at the wolf’s right flank, downing it. “Come on,” Tre taunted. “You’ll have to do better than that.” “How did you see that coming?” Lusio saw Tre turn and look directly at the camera. He tapped the side of his head three times, before the camera cut out. Lusio nearly panicked. One camera was down, but he still had eleven. Same with his assets. “You might think you have something,” Lusio began, “but no one beats me at my own game.” He moved three more pieces toward Tre’s marker, now on the move. He saw Tre enter another corridor, sword ablaze. Lusio tapped the space beneath Tre’s marker, activating the traps. The floor dropped from beneath the area, but not before Tre jumped backwards. From the ceiling, giant spiders descended. Tre struck at one, his sword flaring up even brighter. The spider caught fire and hissed in pain as it retreated, exoskeleton popping as it did. The other spiders backed away as he waved the sword around him. Lusio couldn’t understand how this man was predicting his every move. But it didn’t matter. Everyone struggled with this next asset. Thunderous footsteps rang thoughout, as a steel golem stormed down the passage. Tre sheathed his sword and pulled out a gun. The golem was advancing on him as he lined up a shot. It was mere meters away when he pulled the trigger. Runes flared up along the length of the gun and the bullet was released with tremendous force, landing dead centre of the golem, sending it flying back down the path and crashing into the wall. Now, Lusio was impressed. This was proving to be a challenge. He tried to extend his consciousness and reach into Tre’s mind. What he received was mental backlash. He grasped his temples in pain, and after it subsided, he switched on the microphone. “… Tell me,” he began, “how have you been doing this?” “Aw, are we feeling a little overwhelmed?” Lusio smiled as he moved the rest of his assets towards Tre. “No one has ever beaten my game. What’s your secret?” He watched as beasts of all kinds raced towards Tre. “Well,” Tre began, “no one can beat your game fairly. Sometimes…” The cameras blacked out and Tre’s marker disappeared. Lusio felt a blade against his neck. “You have to cheat.” Lusio smiled. “Welcome to the Guild.” ~~~

Member Name: Astris JanusTheme: The Legends of LhiiWord Count: 489Title: The Impossible Once, there was a Matoran called Lhii. As you all might know by now, Lhii was the greatest lava surfer in all of Ta-Koro, second only to Tahu. Lhii just had a sense for the ebbs and flows of the lava, as if he could feel Mangai Volcano’s whims in his bones. I believe that once saw him do the impossible. The lava was particularly active that day, and large amounts of smoke billowed from the brim of the volcano. I was taking a stroll somewhere above Ta-Koro and there I saw him, standing on an outcropping overlooking a steady stream of lava, board in hand. I chose not to make my presence known, merely observing him. He had his eyes closed, breathing deeply. He appeared to be waiting, but I had no idea what for. We waited for another minute or two, before his eyes shot open. “Now,” I heard him say, as he jumped off the ledge and onto his board. Suddenly, lava erupted from a gap in the volcano and the lava became much more erratic. He took to the change in intensity almost instantaneously, swiftly manoeuvring his board, avoiding any sudden eruptions and pockets that formed. It was a majestic sight; the glow of the lava playing off his yellow armour and Pakari, flames trailing behind his board, the occasional spark thrown off the edges. He turned just as a wave broke, and rode through the middle of the curl, keeping just ahead of its collapse. He seemed to reach out, just nearly touching the lava as he passed it. I could see that the lava was heading into another gap in the volcano. Lhii was heading straight for it. I knew that the breach would lead into a tunnel filled with magma. I tried to call out to him and warn him, try to make him change his course, but he didn’t hear me. He just ducked and entered the gap. I think I nearly choked. I was sure that Lhii was gone. No one could survive that. … After a while, I turned to return to Ta-Koro, and inform the other Matoran of what had happened. But there was a rumble from below that stopped me in my tracks. I turned, and saw another opening below. The lava swelled for a moment… And then it erupted! And with it followed Lhii! And for a moment, he flew… … Lhii landed on another stream and came to a halt, stepping off onto a bank. I met up with him and we returned to the village. I never did find out how he managed to survive that. Lhii showed me that nothing was impossible that day. *** Turaga Vakama finished his story and watched as the Matoran left. He paid special attention to Jala, as he met up with Tahu who had also listened. Lihkan, he thought, my old friend. Your legacy shall live on… ~~~

Member Name: Astris JanusTheme: VisionsStory: FatesToa Radeic sped through the chute system, using his powers over sound to block out any distractions. He checked the device on his wrist. “Twenty minutes,” he whispered.Time seemed to slow as he looked down, his eyes fixating on a Matoran being terrorised by a Visorak. He released a quick concussive blast, accounting for the change between liquid protodermis and air, and knocked the Visorak off its feet, allowing the Matoran to escape. Under any other circumstance, he would have gone down there and helped the Matoran more thoroughly, but the situation was dire… *** From the beginning, Radeic had the gift for seeing visions. Some would say gift, others would think it a curse. Radeic had mixed feelings. It had helped him before, seeing things that would happen and then being able to stop them, but sometimes the visions made no sense. This was a problem at first, leading Radeic to believe he was going mad, but that stopped once he acquired a Kanohi Rode. Now he could tell the difference between the true visions and the mere delusions. *** Radeic saw his stop, and cut through the chute, using soundwaves to cushion his descent. He landed next to a railing, over-looking a large gorge half full of silvery liquid. He checked the device again. Fifteen minutes. He checked that he had everything. The sword, the Kanoka, the scales, the venom, the torch, everything was here. He just needed one more thing… *** The last vision Radeic had seen was disturbing. At first, he wrote it off as another delusion, but it kept recurring and, with the use of his mask, he learned it to be the truth. He had panicked at first, but eventually managed to calm himself. He formulated a plan. The vision was terrifying, but it had shown him how to stop it.He just needed to collect some items; the sword said to be able to sunder protosteel walls with the merest slice; the scales of a Kanohi Dragon; a level 8 reconstruct at random Kanoka disk; venom from a Nui-Jaga; and an ever-lasting torch of legend.These items would be hard to find. But he had to try. He was more worried about what he had to do with the items, but that didn’t matter right now. Now he had to get them, because he only had one week left.One week until his island was destroyed. *** He looked over the railing. It was a long fall. Even with only ten minutes left, Radeic hesitated. All the items were strapped to him and he knew that had to do this, but still he hesitated. The outcome was still uncertain to him… *** One thing had plagued Radeic. Every time he saw the vision, the ending would change. There seemed to be two outcomes, one good and one bad. He tried to use his Rode to determine which result was true, but they were both the same. It would appear that he couldn’t see what the results of his actions might be. This was new to him. Occasionally, he would see what would happen if he didn’t follow the vision, and while that was bad, it seemed that if he did follow his visions, there was a chance that it would be worse.But he couldn’t worry about that now… *** Radeic wished he had thought about it before. He wasn’t sure what to do.He took a deep breath and calmed himself. He had to take the chance.“For the island,” he said, leaping into the energised protodermis below. ~~~ Words: 598

Chapter 4: Two for One The Agent was standing still, watching the red and gold Toa go off into the distance."Yes," he said, "I do realize he's getting away." He paused. "Yes, I will go after him. I'm just formulating a plan... He has an unusual array of powers. I need to take that into consideration... Well, do you have a better idea?" He paused, and then sighed. "Fine, you go..."A moment passed and the Agent did nothing.Then he shot off at supersonic speed. *** Vanus hadn't been attacked by the Agent for a whole minute. This, to most people, would be a relief. But Vanus was concerned. This either meant that the Agent had given up, or the Agent was planning. The former would be great. Really excellent. The latter, however, was more likely and was truly terrifying.That was when the Agent appeared beside Vanus' vehicle, a supersonic boom following soon after. The Agent released a punch. Vanus moved the vehicle half an inch out of the Agent's reach, narrowly escaping the devastating blow. Recovering from the miss, the Agent prepared to release another punch, when Vanus braked. The Agent flew far ahead of Vanus, who had turned and started off in another direction. The Agent stopped, turned back and released a burst of supersonic speed. In a split second he was next to Vanus again. The Agent splayed his hand, sending out a wave of fire. Vanus turned left and moved out of the flames, but the Agent simply followed him and raised the heat.It took a moment, but the Agent eventually realized that Vanus was going around in circles.Literally.He had also come to the conclusion that the reason for this was so that the vehicle's sphere's axis of rotation was in line with him. It was from this single point that a burst energy was released. The Agent tried to fly out of the way, but the surge of energy managed to go through the Agent's right forearm, deactivating the nanites and revealing an orange hand and black arm. The Agent reformed his armour as Vanus drove away again.Something's not right, Vanus thought. The last time I hit him with an energy bolt, his hand was white. But this time, his hand was orange. And five minutes ago, he was using ice. Now he's using fire...He changed his elemental power...The Agent caught up again, and this time both of his arms ended in blades. The Agent released another wave of flame over the glass sphere. Vanus began to turn again to try and align the sphere's axis of rotation with the Agent again. Before Vanus could do this though, the Agent started to focus his powers. The wave of flame was becoming a beam of heat, and Vanus knew this wasn't going to end well. The beam sliced through the sphere, cutting out a neat, circular piece of glass.The Agent stuck his hand into the sphere and released a torrent of flames. Vanus wasn't really affected by the fire, being a Toa of Fire and all, but they did block his sight and that was worrying. He had to use his backup plan.The fires that the Agent was pumping into the sphere suddenly became hotter and more aggressive. There seemed to be more fire than he had intended. That was the Agent’s main concern, until the sphere fragmented into thousands of pieces. Shards of glass flew everywhere. The motorcycle that was within the sphere shot out of the cloud of fire and accelerated away.The Agent's reaction was instantaneous. He projected a forcefield in front of Vanus. Fortunately for Vanus, this was the kind of forcefield from the Mask of Forcefield control, meaning that something with enough force would pass through it. And Vanus was moving very fast.Vanus slipped through the forcefield easily and continued to get away. The Agent started to fly after him again, focusing his mask power again. Two more forcefields appeared, this time either side of the motorcycle. They started to close in on Vanus. Without the extra force from him moving forward, Vanus knew he wouldn't slip through them. The forcefields pushed against him, grinding on the edge of the cycle.Then, it fell.The cycle fell to the side as one of the forcefields pushed downwards. It spun on the ground, flinging Vanus off and away."Ow..." Vanus said, pulling himself off the ground. The Agent stopped in front of him again."You will come with me now," Agent stated.Vanus looked around for something that could save him. Anything at all.He saw ripples in the air.Vanus grinned. "You can take me," he said as he got up off the ground. He ran for the ripples as they started to glow blue.The Agent made a grab for him, but was too late. As soon as Vanus got to the glow, it rapidly became a full blown Olmak Anomaly. Light began to stream from Vanus' eyes and mouth."You can take me," he repeted. "If you think it's worth the risk."Vanus threw his head back in pain. Then he looked toward the Agent again and said, "I'd get away, if I were you."The Agent turned and shot off at supersonic speed just as the huge explosion was released.After it was over, Vanus lay on the ground. He was slipping out of consciousness, and he knew that this time he wouldn't be waking up for a while."Three Olmak mishaps in one day," he managed to say just as he was passing out."Worth it." *** A cloaked being had observed this entire fight through a viewing portal.Vanus was down. This wasn't good for the plan. He needed to be off Enlightened for the plan to continue. The dark one left at almost the same moment the fused one arrived. In order for the plan to work, they both had to be off Enlightened. No one could do anything while either of them was on Izumal.But all he had to do was be patient. Master Manas Ko had commanded that he wait for him to leave before any action was taken. It wouldn't be too long. The fused one would find a way to escape.And then, he could strike. ~~~

Thanks for the that Bones! ^_^I am always a little worried that my writing is a little over discriptive or has unnessecary details, and it is something that I need to work on. I wasn't entirely happy with the explaination of Vanus' "personality surfacing" either, but I wasn't sure how to fix it at the time. Might try soon-ish.Yeah, Darque shouldn't have been walking. Especially since he just was talking about how they would be sending someone. Just changed it to dash, and now it looks a little more urgent. :PI just fixed that typo. Yes, it was meant to be Muaka.And I'm hoping I find out the background mystery too. I say it's there, but Master Manas Ko won't let me know about it. :PNew Chapter will be up in a couple of minutes. Thanks again for the comments and criticism Bones. Astris JanusEDIT: New chapter now up! Still working on the next Act, so just sit tight!

My Expanded Multiverse epic, Dual Sides and it's Review Topic.Astris Janus

Act 3: The Chase Darque had swooped down to catch the thief and missed. The thief seemed to have side-stepped mid jump, causing Darque to go down into alley way. Darque saw that the ground was heading towards him at a unsettling speed and quickly unfurled his wings. His wing tips caught on the sides of the buildings and broke off, stopping him from correcting his fall. Darque cursed, and refurled his wings around him to take some of the shock off him. He hit the ground and glomoslphur ash was thrown high into the air. The ash cleared and Darque got up, dusting off some of the glomosulfur ash and black sand. He coughed. "Stupid ash..." he said, "Right. Let's go."The black sand that once made up Darque's wings now began to gather around his waist down. It was pulsing, and each pulse was bigger than the last. Each pulse pushed Darque up higher before going back down. In the space of five seconds, he was a quarter of the way up the skyscraper next to him. He went back down, and the mass of sand quaked, before it shot him into the sky. *** The thief had watched Darque fall between the buildings as he ran. He turned back while he jumped to the next building. Good, he thought. Just a bit more time for me and a bit more motivation for him. He jumped to the next building. That was when he saw a black flash streak across the sky. Darque landed on the building in front of him and released a stream of shadows from his claws. The thief stopped in between the skyscrapers and dropped like a stone.Darque moved closer to the edge and looked down. He watched as the thief fell away from him, before the thief stopped falling. Darque turned his head quizzically. "Oh, what?" he said.The thief shot back up, punched Darque as he flew past, sending Darque reeling back, and flew over the skyscrapers at a startling speed. The thief looked back as Darque landed on the roof of the building. He grinned. Excellent, he thought. That'll rile him up. Now I just need to-Before he even realized it, the thief had dropped the nanite maker and was sent flying backwards by swift punch to the mask. *** Zph had just seen Darque fall between the skyscrapers and was trying to keep up with the thief from the ground. He was also trying to reason why the thief had taken their nanite maker. The most obvious reason would be sell it. It would be worth a lot to anyone on any planet. Or he could make an even bigger profit from making the nanites and then selling them himself. But this would only make sense if the thief knew what the device could do. And if that was true, why didn't he just make another portal when they got it. But, teleportation and portals are rather dangerous in this world and there is a chance that his powers need to recharge. Another option could be that the thief was actually after Darque and just stole the device to get Darque to follow him. That would mean that he had some hidden purpose for him, but what could it be?Zph saw the thief flying away at great speed. It was time for him to act. Pushing off the ground, he activated a burst of supersonic speed, sending glomosulfur ash everywhere. He reached the end of the street and made a sharp left. He stopped in front of the first building and made a massive jump, going right past the roof by 2 bios. The thief was coming towards him but looking back to see Darque. As the thief began to look forwards again, Zph released a powerful punch to his face. The thief was sent flying backwards and had dropped the nanite maker. Zph grabbed it in mid-air before landing gracefully on the roof of the building. *** Darque got up off his back. "Ow..." he groaned. "I did not see that coming."He looked around. The thief was hurtling back towards him and Zph was standing on a building. Darque wore a sumg look, before focusing his powers. Black sand surged out of the sleeves of his cloak and formed two pillars behind him. Then, a sand web began to spin itself between the two pillars. The thief hit the web, pulling it off the pillars and wrapping itself around him. The thief landed on the next building in a bundle. Darque reabsorbed the pillars of sand and jumped to the next building.Darque watched the thief struggle in the web of black sand he was caught in. Zph eventually arrived with the nanite maker."Okay, who are you?" Darque asked."You can call me Rama," the thief replied."Rama?" Zph asked."Yeah," the thief replied. He was still squirming around, trying to get out. From what Darque and Zph could see, he was smiling."What do you want with the na-" Darque stopped himself as Zpf shot him a quick look."I don't want that device," Rama said. He had stopped struggling and his mask had started glowing. Suddenly, a solid blade of blue energy cut though the web and Rama rose above the building."I will get what I need from you eventually," Rama continued. "All you need to know for now is that we know everything about you." A portal opened up behind him. "And I mean everything."Darque's eyes widened. He made a grab for Rama, but was too late.The thief slipped through the portal as it closed. *** Rama exited the portal. He was in a dark room where more cloaked beings were sitting around a large table."Did you get his attention?" one of the beings asked."Of course," Rama replied."But you didn't capture him," another being said."...No, I didn't."The second being grumbled. Rama heard another being muttering."Is there something you'd like to say to me, Kopen?""I said," Kopen began, "that I could have done this better.""I'd like to see you try."Kopen stood up. He was a whole head taller than Rama. "You want to fight, insect?""Bring it, Kopen!""That's enough," said the being at the head of the table. Rama and Kopen stopped and looked to the being. "No one will be fighting now."Rama and Kopen stared at each other for a moment, before saying, "Yes, Master Manas Ko," and sitting down in their chairs."The plan is taking shape," Master Manas Ko began. "Soon we will have both sides of the coin trying to get us, and then we shall snare them. The next part of the plan cannot be done as long as the fused one remains on the Enlightened planet. Once he has left, Muaka will do what is needed. Until then, we shall continue things as normal. This meeting is dismissed." ~~~

OMMN THAT IS MAD!!I never thought I would see this. A real VNOLG Ignika!Well done man! Although it's not acurate with the game, I love the darker, kinda gritty gold that the mask has been painted in.Soo awesome!Astris Janus

If this isn't what you see, I really want to know what you do. :PI love it. I mean, you've given the Toa Kaita a cohisive form! They don't look kinda flawed anymore! I've always known that the Toa Kaita should be like one bigger Toa, but now you've actually shown me what the could very prbably look like.I like that Akamai's chest is quite broad. He's the Toa Kaita of Valor, and it gives him this sense of pride and bravery that fits him.Generally, I had accepted that Wairuha was male, but I love your female take on him/her. I was wondering what happened to Gali's axes, and then I saw the arrow tips. A very nice touch.Overall, amazing work! Good going!... Oh, and your rendering is awesome. Astris Janus

Wow! Awesome work man!I love how it's simple but manages to capture the essence of each set. Only complaint is that, like it was said above, it could have used a bit more contrast, The glowy bits just don't have enough... glow.Overall, great work!Astris Janus

Not bad. Not bad at all.I like your style. It has this kinda organic feel to it, and yet remains very Bionicle-esque. I think his left leg needs to be shifted, by which I mean that his left foot is facing sideways and his right foot is facing front on, but both of his legs look the same. In my experience, when a foot is turned, so is the leg, so his left leg should be side on.Other than that (and besides adding a little shading), he's quite good. Nice job.Astris Janus

Chapter 3: A Time to Run The Agent began to rise into the air, Vanus floating at an equal level with him. They started moving towards the city fast. Not dizzyingly fast, but fast. Vanus tried to move, but only succeeding in moving his hands, feet and his head. Vanus was trying to find a reason for an agent to be sent to get him. They obviously wanted him for something, and it was something to do with that explosion. Maybe they want me for power, he thought. No, they have their own form of power. They wouldn’t need me. Maybe they see me as some kind of threat. Vanus shook his head. No. There’s nothing that I can do that would make me a threat. Fire’s no threat to them, I can’t fuse with them (not that they know that I have the power of fusion), and my weapons would have no effect on them. And I don’t think that my energy would have any real negative effects on them. Unless...Vanus moved his hand so that his palm was facing the Agent. He aimed as best he could at the Agent's shoulder. Quickly, he charged a bolt of energy and fired it. As soon as the bolt passed through the Agent shoulder, all the nanites that it touched fell off and deactivated, revealing a grey piece of shoulder armour.The Agent stopped suddenly, jerking Vanus’ body forward. He turned around, and was met Vanus’ huge grin. “So,” Vanus said, “that’s why you wanted me...”The Agent’s nanite suit reformed over his shoulder. Vanus fired another bolt of energy, this time through the Agent’s right hand. Again, the nanites deactivated and fell to the ground, this time revealing a white hand and dropping Vanus to the ground. The Agent fired bolts of ice from his left hand, while the suit reformed over his right. Vanus dodged most of the bolts, but was eventually hit. The bolt hit his left leg, covering it with ice which was now spreading rapidly. “That ice will eventually cover your entire body,” the Agent said. “It would be pointless to try and escape.”“Yeah, well,” Vanus said, “I’m not planning on trying.” He launched a stream of intense flame from his hand, melting the ice instantaneously. “I plan on succeeding.”Vanus ran from the Agent. He didn't care where he was going, as long as it was away from him. The Agent splayed his hand, releasing a wave of ice, covering the ground. Vanus created a small explosion at his feet to propel himself off the ground and away from the Agent’s ice. Vanus summoned his scythes from his suva, pulled them from his back and semi-absorbed them into his hands by turning his forearms into a state between liquid and solid protodermis, and merging with his scythes.Vanus changed the shape of his scythes in a split second, so that they could be attached to his feet like skates. Vanus landed on the ice, just keeping his balance, and completely absorbing his now modified scythes, making them appear on his feet.“I wasn’t aware of all of your powers.” the Agent said. “Then again, I don’t think anyone could know everything about someone as unusual as you.”“What? Not even Gears?” Vanus asked, as he materialized his scythe-skates on his feet.“Gears?” the Agent asked.“Never mind,” Vanus said. “You have to either have to live on another planet, or go off-world often.” He summoned his pair of Fire Great-swords, and skated towards the Agent. The Agent broke the sound barrier as he punched in the chest Vanus, sending him flying backwards.Vanus got off the ground. "Ow..." he groaned. "That’s not going to work." The Agent was walking towards him. Quickly, Vanus shifted his legs to liquid and merged with the ground, before making a proto-silver sphere around himself. The Agent walked up to the sphere and placed his hand on it. He rapidly cooled it down, and then he rapidly increased the heat of the sphere by removing the ‘cold energy’ from it. He did this a couple of times, before taking several steps backwards. He ran towards the sphere and shattered it with one devastating punch.It was then he realized that the sphere was completely solid and not hollow, and that Vanus was not inside it. The Agent looked around.And then he saw it.A large sphere of gold and silver arose from the ground. The Agent raised his hand and covered the sphere in a thick layer of ice. As the Agent walked towards the sphere, the ice began to melt from the inside out. When the Agent was standing next to sphere, the ice exploded in steam, throwing him backward. The proto-gold and proto-sliver exterior was now glowing red hot, and quickly melted off the vehicle inside of it.The vehicle was a thick proto-glass sphere, with a metal framework like that of a soccer ball on the inner surface of it. There was a kind of motorcycle inside of it, and on the motorcycle sat Vanus."How did you make this?" the Agent asked."Like you said," Vanus replied, "you don't know everything about me."Vanus leaned forward, closed his eyes, and sent a surge of energy through the vehicle, pressing a pedal with his foot. The sphere-cycle shot off like a rocket, accelerating rapidly.Once he was a good distance away, Vanus opened his eyes."Time to run," he said to himself. ~~~

Very nice. Liking the simplicty of the blakc and white one. I personally am not a fan of the static-like effect on the first one, but yeah. Pretty cool, man.Astris Janus

Awesome! It's back!Can't wait to see what will be in store for episode 6. I don't think that the Bohrok will be showing up just yet. The next episode will probably be more about the Shadow Toa(or Shadow T.O.A in this case) based on the ending of episode 5. But, you never know.Can't wait for it!Astris Janus

Act 2: Hit the Ground Running Under cover of darkness, two shadowy beings ran towards an Olmak Totem hovertower. One of the beings raised a hand, releasing a jet of silver into the hovertower. There was some blue sparks and the surface of the hovertower swirled violently like liquid. It eventually calmed and stoped. A wall melted aside, and the nanites formed into a set of hovering stepping stones.The other being raised his hand. The space around the two beings lit up somewhat, revealing them to be Zph and Darque. Zph was carrying the nanite maker with realative ease, managing to stand perfectly straight even with the weight of the device on his back. Darque had a strap made of gold nanites over his shoulder and across his chest. He was holding a ball of shadow in his right hand, and a blade of black sand in his left."We need to move quickly," Zph said. "Our nanites maybe flawless, but the way we just infiltrated caused a disturbance. They are bound to send someone to investigate."Darque looked around. "Let's go," he said.Darque and Zph dashed up the stepping stones, the melt door reforming behind them. They stood in the spherical room, staring at the Olmak Totem in front of them. It bore the symbol for Industrial on it. They looked at each other. "You ready?" Darque asked."As ready as I'll ever be," Zph replied. "That is how the saying goes, right?""Yes."They turned to the totem. Zph placed his hand on it, and disappeared in a blue flash. Darque sighed. He placed his hand on the totem and concentrated on going to Industrial. There was flash of blue, and a sense of disorientation and nausea shot through him, before he appeared in the Guild headquarters on Prothamus."We're here," Zph said. "Now what?""We need to get out of here without anyone knowing," Darque said. "I'll turn to sand and keep to the walls and shadows to get out of here. You create a cloak-field and try not to collide with anyone or anything."Zph nodded, and disappeared before Darque's eyes. Darque closed his eyes and focused his mind. His entire body turned to black sand and he shifted out of the room. Sticking close to the walls, he made his way to the front entrance of the Guild. Still as sand, Darque watched the entrance, waiting for the perfect time to leave.It was then he saw the door open without anyone being there. If Darque's body was still intact, he would have slaped his forehead. Zph... he thought to himself. He shifted, keeping his mass close to the ground, and went out the door. The door closed behind him and went down the street and into an alley way. He reformed into a solid mass and Zph appeared in front of him."Well," Darque said "that went well.""Yes, it did," Zph replied.They stepped out into the street. Even though there are many varied species on Prothamus, Darque and Zph still seemed somewhat out of place. Especially since Zpf was a silver nanite android and Darque was a unusual Toa-like being. "What are we going to do now?" Zph asked.Darque looked down the street. "We should find a place to stay." he said. "Come on."They walked down the street, getting some glances from passers-by. "Once we've found somewhere to live," Darque began "we will make some money in the upcoming Clash match, and then find somewhere to work. Maybe they'll have some jobs for us at Weapon's Science.""And then what?""We live our lives."Zph stopped walking. Darque turned to him. "What is it?" he asked."There's a disturbance." Zph replied."Define disturbance.""Some form of spatial anomaly."Darque paused. "...That can't be good."Suddenly, a portal opened behind them and a cloaked being jumped out of it. The being was about the height of a Toa, wearing a faded white cloak with dark blue trim. The being also wore an unusual mask.The being grabbed the nanite maker off Zph’s back. “Thank you for that,” the being said. “See ya.” The being jumped on to the top of one of the nearby skyscrapers and began to run from rooftop to rooftop.Darque was stunned, but quickly snapped out of it. “Who was that?” Zph asked.“No idea,” Darque replied, “but when I get my hands on him, he’ll wish he never met me.” Darque generated a mass of black sand which he turned into a pair of wings on his back. “I’ll chase after him. You circle ahead and block him off.”“Right,” Zph replied, before he turned and ran down the street. Darque looked to the top of a skyscrapers. With one large flap of his wings, he was sent flying high into the air, unsettling some of glomosulfur ash beneath him. When high enough, he stopped rising and stabilized himself. He searched for the mysterious being who had taken his nanite maker. This wasn’t too hard because the nanite maker was a large, shiny, silver device that stood out on any planet other than Izumal.And that it did.Darque quickly located the being that had stolen his device, and closed his wings around him as he swooped down towards him. I don’t know who you are, Darque thought to himself, or what you want from me. But I swear, you’re going to pay. *** The thief quickly looked back to see if Darque was still following him. As soon as he confirmed this fact, a grin spread across his face. Excellent he thought. Soon, he will fall into our trap and then all we will need is the fused one. He jumped to the next rooftop. Once we have both sides of the coin, our plan will finally take shape. His grip on the nanite maker loosened. Better keep hold, he thought, as he regained his hold. This is the only reason he’s following me. HIs grin became ever slightly more sinister. But soon, he'll have more than one reason to chase me. ~~~

Chapter 2: A Grand Night Out For the past hour, Vanus had been wandering the desert. The silver ground seemed to go on forever, only broken by patches of gold, some of which had plants growing from them. Vanus was starting to tire. Though, he really couldn’t complain about the weather. The climate on Izumal was controlled by... well, whoever was in control of Izumal. All the clouds were drawn in to the central tower of Izumal’s city. This provided the city with all the water they needed. Although Vanus knew all this, he didn’t know whether or not this meant that it could still rain. He was hoping to find some form water. So far, nothing.But his luck was about to turn.Vanus looked around to see if there was anything around. And then he saw something. A large, gold tree. And beside it, there appeared to be a pool of water. Vanus jumped for joy, and then ran towards the oasis. Finally! he thought. Water! And if I’m lucky, something to eat. He got to the oasis and jumped into the pool. As he swam, he noticed that there was another plant was right next to the tree. It had thorned vines and spiked fruit all of which was covered in gold, as was common with all plants on Izumal. Thornax fruit? Vanus thought. I could make a stew. Though, that would probably taste foul. Vanus sighed. “Desperate times...” he said to himself. *** As he was eating his freshly made Thornax stew, Vanus considered the situation he was in. I’m stranded on Enlightened, in the middle of a desert, with nowhere to go. He looked around. There were some mountains in the horizon, and on them there was an Olmak Anomaly or two. Those could lead somewhere else. As long as it’s not Tyrant, I should be fine. He finished his stew and reabsorbed his protodermic bowl and spoon. If I can get to one of those, and not lose control of my powers, I could get off this planet. He stood up. “Well, Izumal,” he said, “it’s been fun, but I’ve got to go.”Vanus began to walk towards the mountains, when another Olmak Anomaly formed right before his eyes. He sighed. “I’m just a magnet for trouble, aren’t I?” he said. The anomaly got larger and more powerful, and Vanus began to glow electric blue.“Not again.” He began to levitate, and his glow became brighter. “Not twice in one day...” The anomaly got bigger as he was pulled into it. Beams of light streamed from his eyes and mouth, and his head thrown back in pain. Then, he looked straight ahead, with a dry look on his face. “This is just not my day...” he said, before releasing a huge explosion of energy that went far and wide. The resulting energy wave managed to reach the edge of the city and some of the hacker camps.After it was all over, the anomaly was dispersed and Vanus was physically drained. He was on his hands and knees, feeling light headed an tired. I’m going to pass out... he thought. I’m going... to... And that was it. He was unconscious. Flat on the ground.One long moment passed.And then his eyes shot open.Vanus quickly got off the ground. “Why am I so... refreshed?”‘We’re not quite sure actually,' said a voice inside his head. 'Our assumption is that, although you expelled a ton of energy, you also reabsorbed a larger amount of energy, both from the explosion and the anomaly itself.’Vanus grinned. “Good to hear you again, Vakarma,” he said. “I’ll assume that the recent explosion caused you to resurface again?”‘ You betcha!' another voice said. 'By the way, it’s good to see that you’re not in trouble anymore.’“No more than any trouble that you’ve been in, Astris.”As a side-effect of Vanus' unwilling fusion, Vanus was developing a personality of his own, instead of simply being a combination of Astris and Vakarma's personality. Another side-effect of the fusion was the brief resurfacing of Astris and Vakarma's personalities when large surges of energy go through Vanus.‘Well we’ve never been stuck on Enlightened.' Vakarma said. 'Get off this planet soon, Vanus.'‘Oh, and one more thing,’ Astris added.“What’s that?”‘GET US UNFUSED!!!'Vanus heard their laughter fade away. Considering the situation they were in, they had quite a good attitude.Vanus smiled. Then his expression turned dead serious. “I have to get out of here,” he said, before pointing towards the anomalies on the mountain. “And one of those is my ticket out of here”He quickly created a canteen and filled it with water from the oasis. Then he made a protodermic strap, attached the canteen to it and set off for the mountains. And then there was the all distinctive sound of the sound-barrier being broken.Vanus flinched. “Please...” he said, as he turned around. “Please, don’t be an Agent. Just be a civilian on a hoverplatform...”It wasn’t.The Agent stopped suddenly right in front Vanus. He was a Toa, wearing a Mask of Forcefield Control, and his nanite suit was adorned with unusual flaming-ice designs. “Should I assume that you aren’t here to welcome me to Enlightened and give me something decent to eat?” Vanus asked. The Agent looked around, then looked directly at Vanus. “What caused the energy surge?” he asked bluntly.“What? No ‘hello’ or ‘hi?’”The Agent made a blade from his nanite suit. “Answer the question.”Vanus sighed. “I made it,” he said.The Agent tilted his head slightly. “You?” he asked. “You did that?”“Yeah.”The Agent nodded. “Then you must come with me.”“Wait, what?” Vanus said. “Why should I go with you?”The Agent raised his hand. Instantly, Vanus rose in the air, limbs locked together.“Oh,” Vanus said. “That’s why.” ~~~

Act 1: Darque’s Prize Darque was crouched behind a large rock at the entrance of his cavern, watching the sun set on Enlightened.Technically he was looking out for Agents, but that doesn’t matter. He was waiting for a group of hackers who were bringing him something. He had helped them escape from an Agent a few days ago, and they wanted to repay him.Frankly, he didn’t care. If there was any chance to mess with Agents, Darque would take it. Not that he wouldn’t like to get something. He was just wondering what the heck they were going to give him. They said it was something that only their camp had.Darque looks like a Toa, with large claws that are probably his toa tools. He also seems to have hair which is made of long, thin strands of black protodermis. It’s unknown if that is actually some form of hair or if it’s part of his mask. He has black armor with shades of dark grey spread throughout. He always wears his old, tattered cloak, which has a large collar that manages to cover all of his face up to his eyes. No one knows what his mask is or if he even wears one.“They will be here soon,” said a voice from the cavern. It didn’t seem to have any sign of emotion in it. A nanite android walked out from the cavern’s entrance. “I can see them,” it said. “About 185 bios away from here. They are in a hovercraft and there are two of them. One Glatorian and one Dendrokan.”“Can you see what they have with them?” Darque asked. “They said they would be bringing something. Something only they could bring.”“There does appear to be some kind of machine in their back seats. I’m not sure what it is.”“Is it a food replicator?”“It doesn’t appear to be anything that is in my databanks.”“Interesting.”“90 bios.”Darque stood up. “What did you say they were again?”“One Glatorian of water and a cyan Dendrokan.”“There wasn’t Dendrokan when I stopped the Agent. There was a Toa.”“I would assume that they switched people.”“Yes, but why?”“45 bios.”“Have they seen us yet?”“I do believe they have. 20 bios”“How much closer now?”“18 bios.”“And now?”“17.”“And now?”“Why do you keep asking that?”“Killing time. Making conversation. Now?”“9 bios.”“Okay.”The craft stopped about two meters away from them. “They’re here,” the android said.“Yes, I realise that,” Darque replied, “but thank you for pointing out the obvious.”The hackers got out of their hovercraft and lifted the machine out of the backseat. It was rather large, and had an assortment if glass cylinders on the front of it. “You’re Darque Persona, right?” the Dendrokan asked.“Yes, I am. Where’s that Toa from before?”“I was sent in his place to show you how this works.”“Thanks again for saving us,” the Glatorian said.Darque shruged. “Think nothing of it.”“You have an android?”Darque looked at the android, and then back at the Glatorian. “What do you think?” he asked sarcastically.“Where did you get it?” the Glatorian asked.“I stole him and reprogrammed him myself. His name’s Zph.”Zph nodded. “So,” Darque began, “what does that device do, exactally?”“It makes nanites,” the Dendrokan said.Darque cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”“Yes. But the nanites will only work for about three days, and they’re only meant to do basic stuff. We’ve also provided a smaller version for you too.”Darque eyed the machine. “How does it work?”The Derokan touched a hexagon on the nanite maker. Instantly, groves in it and the glass tubes lit up. There was the light hum of a motor coming from it. Above it, a holo-screen and holo-keyboard were projected. The Dendrokan picked up a proto-silver rock off the ground. A compartment opened and a hexagon above it lit up.The Dendrokan began to explain how to use the device, “Just press this hexagon to turn it on. Select what you want, and then insert any kind of metal into this compartment.” The Dendrokan placed the rock into the compartment. He touched the hexagon above the compartment, and it closed. “After you put it in there, press this button and press enter on the keyboard.” He pressed the enter key on the keyboard, and the humming turned into a whir. After a couple of seconds, one of the smaller glass tubes on the front of the machine began to fill with silver nanites. After it was completely filled, there was the sound of the tube depressurizing, and the Derokan removed it. He threw it to Darque, who caught it and then carefully examined it.“Seems flawless,” Darque said, as he passed the tube to Zph. “But there’s not many of them.”“If you want more, then put in more metal.”Darque walked around the machine. “They are flawless,” Zph said, as he examined the nanites. “I practically can’t tell the difference between them and the real deal”“For now, that is,” the Dendrokan said. “Eventually, they’ll degrade.”“This is excellent,” Darque said. “Thank you.”“Thank you for saving us,” the Glatorian said.“Think nothing of it.”“We need to go,” the Dendrokan said. “This meeting may have drawn the attention of Agents. If you ever need help, we will be glad to help.”“Likewise,” Zph replied.Both groups nodded as a silent goodbye and went their separate ways.“Close the door, Zph,” Darque said as he walked back into the cavern. Zph picked up the nanite maker, entered and grabbed the boulder that Darque was hiding behind. With one quick motion of his wrist, Zph moved the boulder in front of the entrance to the cavern. With a few more steps, it was locked in place.Zph followed Darque into the depths of the cavern. The room eventually turned into a corridor and a stairway was formed. At the foot of the stairs was the actual cavern. The walls had various macrochips on them. There were some desks, chairs, a couch, old food replicators, a few computers, and a Gadget hooked up to a large holographic projector with a long cable. Darque jumped on the couch, while Zph placed the nanite maker against a wall. The Gadget hopped on to the couch next to Darque.Darque pressed a button on the Gadget. The image of the famous reporter Toa Hanashi was projected in front of the couch. “In other news,” she said, “another bank robbery has been thwarted by the Fusion Toa, Vanus.”“Ha,” Darque said, “Vanus. That gold and red freak.”“What is it that you have against him?” Zph asked.“It’s nothing.”“If it was nothing, you wouldn’t care about him at all, let alone about him stopping a robbery.”“It’s nothing.”Zph sat next to the Gadget. “What does he have to do with your existence?” he asked.Darque looked at Zph intently. “Why would you think that Vanus has something to do with my existence?”“It was logical. You don’t want to talk about it and the main thing you don’t ever want to talk about is your origin.”Darque turned away. “You know, we’ve got a nanite maker now.”“Yes, and?”“Do you think that we could use our nanites to hack the Olmak Totem hovertowers?”Zph hesitated. “Yes, but only if we make the nanites close to the time we try to hack the tower. Why?”“Because,” Darque began, “We’re going to leave Enlightened.” He turned to Zph.“Tonight.” ~~~

IdenAstris Janus

I like it. A bit rough, but very nicely done. And I applaud the idea of making BZP-tan. ^_^Like Waffles said though, please try not to save as a BMP. I highly recommend PNG for this kind of thing.Astris Janus