Bzprpg - Ko-Wahi

[Nuju Metru]

IC:

Disregarding the revived Joske's indignant commentary, Reordin turned to the Book of Chronicles, Takua's singular device that looked like a more primitive Onu-Koronan task pad. Its bulbous blue lens was flashing intermittently like a warning, and on its screen was written, "Low Battery Life. Review episodes before expiration?" Next to the top red arrow was the option "Yes;" next to the bottom one was the option "No."

 

Reordin, logically, pressed the up arrow, indicating "yes."

 

The screen went black for an instant, and Reordin was afraid he had been too late; but, soon enough, his concerns were assuaged, because a picture came into focus. Reordin saw the inside of a canvas tent, and a wind from outside battered the cloth back and forth. Into the frame, moving as if captured from life, was the Matoran whose face had been burned into Reordin's memory ever since he had led the Rahkshi away in that volcanic canyon. Reordin, though he always did his best to repress emotion, felt something in his throat as he saw Takua again; even a shadow of Takua's presence was inexplicably comforting, reassuring to the Ko-Matoran... but ghostly. It was different than losing a friend in battle, because those friends did appear again after their deaths. It was jarring.

 

Takua sat down in front of where the Book of Chronicles must have been, and gave the camera the same smile that Reordin remembered. "Hello," the book said in Takua's voice, in synchronization with the image of Takua speaking. It proceeded to speak.

 

"The fact that you are seeing this almost certainly implies my death," said the Takua in the screen. "It's nothing you should feel regretful about, because I faced my demons a long time ago. I only regret that I could not be there to answer any questions you may have; as such, I will explain everything I know, and I hope that you won't find yourself short-changed of something crucial because of my negligent forgetfulness.

 

"I hope that I was able to tell you, dear observer, before I was killed that you have a very important duty to the people of this island," Takua went on, peering earnestly into the camera. "That is, of course, if you are who I intended to be the one to hold this journal. I've resolved to keep it on my person at all times, especially after recording this crucial message and, if it's in my power, to destroy it if I am captured. If it is in your hands, know that I have either trusted you with it and I believe in your destiny to be one of our next heroes... or else, you must be my great enemy; if this is the case, I would encourage you to stop your hunt for simple happiness. It can never be yours, and your quest for it is vain in every sense. The hope of the universe will always stand opposed to you, and never with you. But I digress: I will begin in earnest."

 

In the small viewing window, Reordin saw Takua pull a familiar object into view: Tahu's Essence Stone. "This," Takua said, holding it up in front of the camera, "is an Essence Stone; but, as naming something can draw focus to it, I will simply refer to it as a 'stone' from here on out. This stone functions, at its most basic purpose, somewhat like a Toa Stone... when given to a Matoran with an aligning destiny, that Matoran will become a Toa, assuming the proper circumstances. But the stone is more than this: it holds in its temporal shell far more than just the customary Toa energies of its donor. These kind of stones hold vastly stronger power than the average stone, for one; this is reflected by their immutable elemental affiliations, and the fact that few to no Toa have enough raw power to funnel enough of it into such a stone and remain living.

 

"The transmission of so much energy, though is no clean process; when so much of a being's fundamental essence is sucked out of them, other things follow suit. You see, this kind of stone holds a portion of the soul of its donor. How much soul this is, I cannot say I know, but the stones are certainly aware of the presence of their fellows, and may even hold some of the personality of their sources, traits that may integrate themselves into the character of the recipient. In short, these stones are very special items, and incredibly rare. I may have the only six in existence - at least, I have them now." Takua's image grinned. "I took them from Makuta, and directly under his nose. Let that be your lesson - our enemy's sureness of his dominance is the greatest chink in it.

 

"The six stones I have were derived of the First Toa," Takua continued, spinning Tahu's stone to himself. "This is Tahu's, and I'm looking at the other five right now. They will not remain in one place for much longer. By the time you see this, I will have hidden the six stones in various places across the island, in methods that should not be in the vocabulary of Makuta's dumb servants. In my satchel is also a map showing the location of these stones.

 

"You and the others who have been chosen to accompany you on this quest must gather these six stones. I hope I will be able to lead you to at least one or two of the stones before my death, because once you have one stone, finding the others becomes much easier: each stone glows and pulses with a heartbeat when it nears its fellows. They also become harder to hold, somehow - I believe that Tahu's becomes hotter, for instance. A simple tap of one to another will nullify the stones' indicators towards each other, so that stones will only seek those that have not been 'registered' yet.

 

"Once these six stones have been gathered, you and the others will not immediately become Toa. To transform, you must bring the stones to the Suva Nui, which is in Le-Wahi; wholly by accident, the Nui Rama Swarm built its nest around this secret Suva... Perhaps they were attracted to its natural energies. In any case, you must make it past the Nui Rama somehow, get inside, find the Suva and, by placing the stones in the six notches there, you should transform."

 

Takua replaced the Essence Stone out of the field of view. He fidgeted in his seat, repositioning, before continuing. "But the stones are not all that must be gathered. The Great Spirit meant for you to have these stones ever since they were wrenched into existence against the will of the First Toa, but he also remembers that the power of these very Toa was, it seemed, not enough to defeat Makuta on the first attempt. There is a failsafe in place for your use; I cannot tell you what it is, because I have never seen it myself. I have only been to the failsafe's Keeping Place, and only been there once, in the wake of the First Toa's fall... Though I have searched throughout the jungles surrounding the Kini-Nui many times in attempts to relocate the Keeping Place, I have never found it since. I believe that it cannot be found unless the Great Spirit wills for it to be visited.

 

"It is a steep ravine in the jungle, with a white waterfall on the impassible far side. Positioned at the ravine's edge is a stone tablet, on which are written the six clues that I distributed amongst my former Company written in the Bird Speech; I was only able to understand them then because the Great Spirit inhabited me at the time. But, returning to what must be amassed: just as the six Makoki Stones opened the First Toa's path into Mangaia, so too does the Keeping Place have its special keys. These are six crystals, one stowed in each of the temples of the Koros, regarded by most as merely cosmetic artifacts. It's a wrongful assumption. I am sure that the clues inscribed on the tablet related to these crystals, and perhaps to the challenges that may await you in the Keeping Place.

 

"But I speculate, and in doing so, digress. Once you have transformed into Toa, unlock and enter the Keeping Place, and claim your failsafe. It may be the edge you will need to combat our mighty, misguided foe. I do not believe the Great Spirit would have taken such precautions to guard it from unwanted entry if what lay inside was not this powerful." Takua cleared his throat in the image. "I have spoke a long while. This is all I can think to say. Good luck; may the Red Star watch your progress kindly."

[25K Now!]

[iC: Rannin]

 

"So, Bruntoa. What is the plan now?"

[Vezok's Friend]

IC:Leah had followed Reordin after he and Stannis were done arguing, or rather debating. For one, dinner was ready. And they would need to fix the hole in the roof, as well as any other damage. And besides, she wanted to see who this Toa Joske was that had literally dropped in on them. As it turned out, he was a familiar face, who had been a star Kolhii player as a Matoran. Leah didn't recognize him at first, but then the facial features of the unconscious Toa suddenly seemed familiar to her, especially after hearing Reordin mention his name was among those on the list Takua had given them.Reordin went to clean up a bit it seemed, reaching for Takua's satchel that had been near the bed when Joske had fallen on it. So leah decided to do the same, moving parts of the ruined roof to the side and away from the other beds, so the floor wasn't littered with broken pieces of wood and stone.She was about to fix up the bed, when Joske stirred and sat up. Leah tensed up, reaching for her batons. But Joske assured them that he was more concerned with the cold in Ko-Koro than he was with them...until he noticed what Reordin held in his hands."What the... what are you doing with Takua's satchel!? Is that his journal beeping? Why in the name of karzahni do you have them?"Leah turned around in surprise. She knew Takua had left them behind a few things, but the journal was news to her. She quickly made her way over to Reordin, looking over his shoulder. Reordin tinkered with the tablet-like device for a few seconds; and then he appeared on the small screen: Takua. Alone in a tent, his few belongings spread around him, he started to speak. And what he said made the hair on Leah's neck stand up. It had been long since she had heard the chroniclers voice; and even so, it had been so long ago that this might have well been the first time. And Leah knew she was not going to forget the sound of it very soon.Eventually, the chronicler bade them farewell and stopped the recording. Leah went over what he had just said in her mind, absent-mindedly leaning on Reordin a little as she thought. "Incredible..." she muttered. "So many questions that we couldn't find the answers to, yet here they are, just like that."She didn't say it aloud, but to Leah this seemed like destiny poking them in the ribs. Just moments ago, they had been arguing about the nature of their quest; and immediately afterwards this message had been revealed. And not only that, but it told them exactly what had to be done. Stannis's choice in which order to best retrieve the stones made much more sense now. If they got the last stone in Le-Wahi and the Keeping Place was there as well, it was the logical route to their final objective. Which happened to be the structure underneath the Rama-Hive that they had discovered after the battle. The plot thickens... Leah thought, then something else came to mind."Hidden lines..." she muttered, then noticed she was still leaning onto Reordin. "Oh, sorry." She stood back up straight and looked at her fellow soldier. "Remember the writing they found on that stone that was hidden in the Rama-Hive?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Company Safehouse, Ko-Wahi)

 

A Suva. Fan - freaking - tastic. Of course there would be a Suva.

 

Reordin watched the screen blink out despondently and didn't answer, letting each member of the Company marinate inside their own thoughts and theories for a second, before setting the tablet down quietly inside the satchel, giving it the burial they could never give Takua. Leah's voice finally snapped him out of his thoughts, and he turned to look at her as she pushed away from his side and directed a question at him.

 

"Err...yeah, it comes to mind," he replied. "Huge, black-as-night obelisk thing, right?"

 

-Tyler

[Franco]

OOC:

Why did they always have to play the Po-Koro Rock Anthem so loud and obnoxiously? Oh, wait, nevermind. That's just the pounding in my head. Slowly, stiffly, and quite painfully I might add, I lifted myself up to a sitting position. First thing I noticed was that I was not bound or in any way restrained, still fully entangled in the remains to the hay bed. Second, it seemed Oreius (or whom I at least assumed was the matoran) had patched me up a bit... or at least made a half-hearted effort to do so. His buddy was sitting not to far away from me, drilling me with that stare, his pistol never once wavering from my chest. This guy was hardcore, I could feel it. If things weren't what they were I would have tried to make friends, or at least conversation with him, one professional to another. I went to rub my forehead due to this massive headache- My heartlight skipped a beat. Or three. Slowly my had lowered to my lap, the headache and feeling of severe weakness suddenly making sense. Oreius was looking at me out of the corner of his eye, and Mr. Hardcore stiffened slightly once he knew I knew. In fact, as I looked around, the other matoran seemed a little uncomfortable and on edge, spotting my mask on a create clear across the room... along with my hammer. Might was well. "Look, if I was going to harm you I would have already, or at least tried," I said bluntly, sighing and shoulders sagging a bit is a sign of resigned submission. "I may be a Toa, but I'm inexperienced at best, barely survived a suicidal fall from an avalanche after being attacked by a Muaka, am without both my weapon AND my mask, and in case you didn't notice, I'm a Ta-Toa; this cold in wrecking havoc on me. I'm more concerned about making through the night than fighting through six armed and spooked matoran." At that I gave a glare to Mr. Hardcore. "You have every advantage and I'm not about to play stupid; did enough of that today. Not to mention it would violate the Toa Code." I mumbled that last part, but at that point I was already beginning to ramble, the cold clearly affecting me. I can't believe I was actually looking forward to crawling back to Agni, that tyrant. I stifled a sneeze, shaking my head. That stupid ringing noise, it wouldn't go away... that's when I noticed one of the matoran digging through a satchel for a blue-glowing object. It took me a full second or two to register the sight and that sound. "What the... what are you doing with Takua's satchel!? Is that his journal beeping? Why in the name of karzahni do you have them?"

IC: I don't move. I don't tense. The gun just stays where it is, and he does too. Here he's stuck. He could try moving or attacking, but he can see consequences. He could die. I could kill him. I would not like to kill him. No one should die. But I can't tell him that until we know we can trust him. And his story isn't complete or backed up. He's put the team in danger smashing into our shed and catching attention. He could easily be an enemy. "Name, race, kanohi, status, rank," I say again. "And prove it." Edited December 1, 2012 by Norman Efiks

[Friar Tuck]

IC

 

"Name, race, kanohi, status, rank," He said to me again. "And prove it."

 

Ok, he just went from Mr. Hardcore to Mr. Obnoxious. It was one thing to be cautious, but it was another to be so wrapped up in a single mindset that to ignore everything else around you, say the whole "Takua-speaking-from-the-grave" deal, it was downright cold. And there was no way he could have known this, but Takua was my friend. One of the few people on this whole island I could say that about. And my friend was now dead.

 

To say the temperature dropped a few more degrees would be an overstatement in this already frigid atmosphere, but the mood changed even more when my face grew hard. Ever since I became a Toa I struggled with emotion, and right now my indignation was completely focused on this pint-sized matoran who thought he was all that because he had a projectile weapon.

 

It was all in the eyes.

 

"Joske. Toa. Kakama. Famous Kohli sports star. Scout and Lieutenant of the Ta-Koro Guard, medical leave." As I spoke I rose to my feet, despite not only the protests of my injuries but also my own premonitions due to the fact that he could conceive this as a hostile act. I did it anyway, now towering over this matroan, a stream of hay falling from my shoulders. I leaned in close, the tone of my voice punching home what I said next. "And to prove it, only someone with years of physical training to perform near-miraculous stunts in the playing field AND front lines could disable his opponent with previously-said hindrances despite his condition- "

 

The words were barely out of my mouth before I moved, deftly reaching for the gun. The matoran was fast, very fast, and very accurate, his finger pulling on the trigger as I flinched, the sound of the shot reverberating throughout the room and causing those watching to instinctively look away. When the echoes finally died and all eyes returned to me, they found their crackshot friend's weapon aimed at the ceiling, man hand firmly encasing both his and the gun's.

 

" -while warning his opponent ahead of time. Satisfied?" My face didn't show it, but inside I was sweating bullets, so to say. I had barely beaten him, and I mean barely. Still, I gave a weak smile and with a twist of my wrist I forced his had to relinquish the gun, the sound of cold metal striking the frozen wooden floor. The smile evaporated as I released him, limping across the space to my stuff. "You know, he was my friend too. Dammed good one too. He... he taught me a lot of things over the years. Mostly Kohli moves. Guard Defense? Takua. Hammer Pass? Takua. That move I patented, Joske's Loop? Takua's. Most people don't realize this, but he was a good sportsman. Great even. But no one knew that. No one knew that."

 

I gazed at my own maskless reflection on the Kakama, memories flooding my mind, most of them good. Some of them... "In another life I am certain Takua would have been a great Kohli player, explorer and adventurer even, and I would have been the reclusive hermit-like wise man. Instead... oh spirtdammit Takua! THAT'S why you vanished! It all makes sense now."

 

There was a hiss and a click as my mask re-attached itself to my face, the color returning to its rightful bright red and power flowing back into my veins, mitigating some of the injuries I had. I flexed a forearm. "We used to hang out together a lot, even after the Toa Mata disappeared. He changed dramatically after that day, it was like another person slowly taking over. I thought it was just his way of dealing with the grief, watching them vanish without a trace, but as the years went on I saw him less and less until no matter what I did, I couldn't find him. It was as if he too had dropped off the face of the island. I simply thought he was caving in to depression or obsession even... " I picked up my hammer and twirled it a few times, my elbow screaming in protest, but I ignored it, my temperament a mixture of grief, amusement, and awe. "He wasn't slowly losing it; he was preparing. Watching. Learning. Takua was Mata-Nui's Plan B, or at least the spark to start the process. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell us; he couldn't. Not even me. Not until I was ready. We were ready."

 

I turned to the assembled group of matoran before me, not sure where this was coming from. Somewhere deep within, but it wasn't me... it was as if someone else was talking. "We're the second-string team here guys. The Toa Mata were the starters, and they should have won - but they didn't. Somewhere, somehow, things went wrong. We're the backups, as incredible as that seems. Mata-Nui needs the bench-warmers and replacements to finish the job, and that's what Takua was doing. Taking a bunch of nobodies, a couple pint-sized warriors, and one egotistical madman to save the island. I-I became a Toa... and you're next. All of you. You are all destined to be transformed into toa... just like me."

 

I was meeting each of their gazes individually, and now I was staring at my own hand. I still hadn't fully recovered from the shock of the transformation; it continued to amaze me, even all these weeks later. "But my destiny... my destiny is not yours. No... I understand now. The urges I've felt over these last months, the visions I've had... they all now make sense. Ours our connected, most definitely, but not the same. You need to get those Essence Stones, and quickly; the Rahkshi is out of the cage, and it won't be long before Makuta's servants begin targeting you if they haven't already. You need to become toa like me as soon as possible."

 

"What about you?"

 

I looked up, but was unable to pinpoint which on of them said that. I smiled weakly. "Me? Takua paved my way, and yours... it's my job to finish that. I'm... to help you." I closed my eyes, my hand turning into a fist. "There is fight that is my own to wage it seems, now those dammed nightmares make sense. But you're going to need more than Toa Powers to stop Makuta- " I gave a dramatic pause.

 

"I know where the Keeping Place is... and how to get the Temple Crystals."

Edited December 1, 2012 by Friar Tuck

[Vezok's Friend]

IC:

 

Leah nodded at Reordin. "Yeah, exactly that place. Sisk and some other firends of mine had taken a look at it, but couldn't figure it out. I never thought that those words would ever have a meaning for me..." She wanted to say more, but just that moment, Joske stood up from the remains of Leah's bunk after Sulov repeated his question of name and rank. And from the look on the Toa's face Leah could tell he was not going to just answer. A moment later, Sulov had his question answered and his gun taken away. Leah felt a pang of guilt, but Takua's journal had taken up most of her attention and she had forgotten to confirm Joske's identity for the others. She wanted to apologize to Joske and Sulov for that, but the stone-cold Matoran and hothead Toa were still glaring at each other, until Joske broke contact. He walked over to his belongings and retrieved them along with his mask and tool.

 

She listened carefully to his words and couldn't help but to continue to feel sorry, both for the loss of Takua and their initial treatment of the Toa of fire. Even Sulov would have to see by now that their surprise-visitor had not dropped in on them to hinder them. More likely the opposite was the case. She had to chuckle once at the thought that crossed her mind: Chased by the Muaka of destiny to bring us more information.

She looked around at the others. There was obvious doubt on some of their faces and they had one question: If he knew so much about them and their quest then, what was Joske's role in all of this?

 

"What about you?"

 

"Me? Takua paved my way, and yours... it's my job to finish that. I'm... to help you.""There is fight that is my own to wage it seems, now those dammed nightmares make sense. But you're going to need more than Toa Powers to stop Makuta- " He paused for a moment and then dropped the metaphorical bomb: "I know where the Keeping Place is... and how to get the Temple Crystals."

 

Leah let out a long breath, which she didn't realize she had been holding for a few seconds by now. There was a moment of silence. Leah knew the next questions were in all their minds: Where? And how?But then she realized something else. Stannis' words of looming danger came to mind and how Takua had ended his recording a few minute earlier. Before the others could ask the question, she spoke up:

"I believe you, Joske. I knew I'd seen you before, but with so many revelations in one night, one things seems to drive out another." "But before any more is revealed, is it safe to do so now? Before we can even attempt that place you speak of we need to find the ones on the map first. If the dark ones minions are already on our trail, is it safe to reveal more information before the other stones are retrieved? If one of our number is captured before then..." She let her voice trail off and looked at the others, especially Stannis.

[a goose]

IC: Nekron & Incommodo (Ko-Koro)

 

"Well, I'm leaving to kill my sister." Nekron growled. "And you're going to stay out of my way."

Incommodo stepped aside silently, allowing Nekron to pass. "You don't want me to kill her, Arkrak? I won't. But that doesn't mean I'll stop him from killing her for me."

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

"I'm a Toa," said the Toa of Sonics, his voice resolute. "No matter how useless or pathetic I may be, I still have to adhere to my tenets. I will not let you knowingly kill somebody."

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

Nekron stopped, and turned around slowly, a vicious smirk forming on his Mahiki. "Hah. Toa. Toa are outdated, Arkrak. You have to get with the times.

"Some people are too dangerous to be left alive."

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: "Perhaps...Joske, was it? Sorry, I was never really into Kohlii. Perhaps Joske should split up from the rest of us?" Lepidran suggested, back in 'helpful mode' now that they seemed to have let the Toa into their little group, "If he knows where the Keeping Place is and how to get all the crystal-stones are then he can go get them himself without telling the rest of us. I mean, he has a Kakama-mask, we'd just be slowing him down. And he stands the best chance against any shadow-agents that might attack him."

 

He paused to catch his breath. As with all Le-Matoran Lepidran spoke fast, so had said all his reasons in pretty much all one breath.

 

"And its not like any of us here can even speak bird speech. I only do insects."

Edited December 1, 2012 by Lord of Adders Black

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

Arkrak sighed, shifting his dao from hand to hand. "Well that's subjective, isn't it? You may consider Toa outdated, but to me, they've always been the beacons of hope, guiding those unable to fend for themselves through the hostile darkness towards the safety of the light."

 

His eyes hardened. "Maybe I won't matter in life, but I will stay true to the tenets of the Code. Because I'm a Toa. And as a Toa, I must let justice be done."

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

"And what would you consider 'justice', in this case?" Nekron growled.

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

"A fair trial. If she is guilty as you have said, she will confined to a cell for her crimes."

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

"Arkrak. You've met Nikarra. Do you really think that a cell is going to hold her?" Nekron asked, sceptically.

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

"If she escapes, then I will chase after her. And throw her into a better one."

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

Nekron raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "I'm done with this."

He flicked his hand, magnetically flinging Arkrak a short distance away, and turning to walk off into the distance.

IC:

 

Tarrhus walked through the snow. He hated the cold, especially given that he lived in Ta-Koro, but this was a necessary evil. Slowly, a shack-like building came into view.

He sped up, happy to see some chance of shelter. Opening the door, he stepped inside--

Only to find a shrine to Makuta.

He stepped back, slightly, looking around. The room was empty, apart from the shrine and a few other things left lying around. So much for shelter...

Lezac crept in behind him, then sniffed the air. "Justice."

Tarrhus shook his head. "Nah, nothing here, Lezac."

"Justice," Lezac repeated, walking around Tarrhus and lifting a tiny piece of light grey material off the ground. "Justice."

Tarrhus' eyes widened. "Well, would ya look at that. Seems like Elax has been causing a little bother... hanging around in a shrine to Makuta, huh? I'm not surprised. Where better for a murdering freak?"

He turned around, and walked out. "Come on, Lezac. We're heading to Ko-Koro."

[Vezok's Friend]

IC:

 

Leah held up a small whistle for Lepidran to see. It was a high-frequency whistle that would call Gukko-Birds that heard it from a long distance. "Hey, just because I don#t speak the language like Turaga Nuju doesn't mean I don't know what the birds are saying. If there is need, we can quickly get a high-flying ride.""But I agree...perhaps Joske going after the Keeping Place while finish our task at hand would be best."

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

Arkrak landed onto the snow with a large thud, causing the Toa of Sonics to wince. He slowly pulled himself up, and began to push forward, following Nekron's retreating back. "I'm not letting you go."

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

"Good luck stopping me." Nekron snapped, still walking.

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

The snow below Arkrak exploded, a wave of vibrations slamming him off his feet and flying in front of Nekron, although he did end up landing face first. He quickly scurried to his feet and turned to face the other being.

 

"Well I do need that luck."

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

Nekron frowned, and used his Kualsi to teleport around Arkrak.

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

Arkrak swerved around. "We can do this all day."

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

"Alternatively, I can stop holding back, crush you in your armour and walk away laughing." Nekron growled.

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

"What stops you from doing that though?"

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

"I think you have me judged all wrong." Nekron growled. "Just because I'm trying to kill someone doesn't mean I don't value life. No one should die if they don't have to, and I don't see anything you've done to deserve death."

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

"No one should really die at all," replied Arkrak.

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

"And that's where we have to disagree." A blast of magnetism threw Arkrak back. "You want to fight for Nikarra's life? Okay. Defeat me and she lives."

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

This time, Arkrak was merely pushed back a few metres, and was not sent falling into the snow.

 

"Alright then," he said determinedly. "Let's do this."

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

Nekron smirked, and launched himself at Arkrak, propelled by Magnetism.

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

Arkrak dug his feet down into the snow below him, and let loose a sonicboom at Nekron.

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

Nekron fell to the ground, clutching his head, as the attack hit him. Slowly, he picked himself up off the ground, glaring at Arkrak. "No in-battle chat? That's disappointing."

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

"I'm concentrating," he replied, throwing off more waves of sound at Nekron.

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

However, Nekron was prepared this time, and gritted his teeth, taking the attacks. This time, he went for a different approach; he tried to use his powers to separate Arkrak from his Kanohi.

[25K Now!]

IC: [Arkrak]

 

The Toa of Sonics felt the pull of his opponent's powers on his mask, and quickly grabbed onto it with his free hand, holding it down, not wanting it to leave his face. With his other hand, in which his dao was being held, he began to fire more, but weaker, waves of sound.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Company Safehouse, Ko-Wahi)

 

"We can figure things out in the morning," Reordin pointed out, as the last of the Company finished up their dinner and Sulov began to clean. Reordin knew better than to offer help: the Onu-Matoran found fixing things, making them clean again, therapeutic, and took the slightest offer of help with a careful declination and a resolve to work harder. "We've had a long night, and we need to rest up for tomorrow. Any volunteers for first watch?"

 

-Tyler

[Vezok's Friend]

IC:

 

Leah tentatively raised a hand. "I'll do it. I don't know about you, but I can't sleep right now. Plus I don't have a bunk anymore, so..."

[a goose]

IC: Nekron (Ko-Koro)

 

Nekron grinned, sensing the blasts weakening, although still having some difficulty keeping up his own concentration. His ears were ringing, and he expected to be deafened for some time after the battle. Nonetheless, he put more focus into pushing the mask off Arkrak's face, manipulating the very magnetism that was keeping it attached.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Company Safehouse, Ko-Wahi)

 

"Alright, then. Stannis, Oreius, you'll relieve us, and then Sulov and Lepidran can take the morning shift. Try and sleep as much as you can. I know it's been a big night, but we're still gonna have to stay sharp for tomorrow. Ko-Wahi's...well. Just get some sleep."

 

Reordin and Leah made their way outside, leaving a room full of quiet in their wake. The Ko-Matoran kept walking until he reached the dock Stannis had been at, sitting down and sitting so that he could rest his arms comfortably on his knees, looking out to the west, where Ko-Koro lay nestled in the snowdrifts like a diamond in the rough.

 

-Tyler

[Vezok's Friend]

IC:

Leah followed Reordin outside, but didn't sit down. The truth was, she couldn't. The Le-Matoran felt energized and would have liked to go and continue the quest right away. So instead she paced back and forth a few times, until she decided she needed to get rid of the excess energy. She started by stretching rather thoroughly, before she took out her Bo-staff and started to go through one of her standard excercise-routines. Her muscles remembered the movements so well by now, that she could easily keep an eye on the slopes surrounding them while in motion.