Harvali

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro

Before he knew it, Kanohi had found himself in the chaos of Po-Koro. The city was even more built up than Le-Koro and Ga-Koro, there was a scent of ash lofting in the air from the Iron Mahi station. The closer the party got to it the more Kanohi was reminded of the Charred Forest of Ta-Wahi. Po-Matoran walked about, there seemed to be thousands of them, their feet hammering against the stone street.

The smell alone would have been unplease f, but the clanging machinery and the stomping of feet was a cacophony. Trolleys traversed the cityscape, clanking against the stone paths. No one else seemed particularly bothered, but Kanohi found himself recoiling.

Kanohi felt a kinship with De-Matoran in a thunderstorm, overstimulation bombarding him violently. He could see flames in the tinge of ash in the air, he could see the fire. It wasn’t there, he knew that rationally, but a lot of what felt real to Kanohi was not tangible.

He clutched one hand around his audio sensors, while the other hand pressed his wooden armor not only to shrink in stature but to muffle the sights and smells of the city. He was compressing himself.

Kanohi found himself missing Le-Wahi. The jungle had its own noises, but it was not the city. And at that thought, he turned to Lapu. He scribbled a message on his tablet. “Would you like to wait with me somewhere in the city that is less … city like? I am a bit overwhelmed by all this, so I would understand if you need a break too.”

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

…

IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia 

Kardaka flinched at his words, clenching her staff tightly. It wasn’t just the description of the city, it was, it was his desire to leave. There was no judgement to him, no. But suddenly she was reevaluating her past decisions, she found herself doubting her own motives.

She had left Po-Koro to meditate, to try to find the answers as to how the Akiri could have abandoned Unity. But in leaving, she had disconnected from the problem. Had she ran from it? Should she had confronted the Akiri? Should she have guided her people away from isolation? Had she ran from her Duty?

It was all too clear that she was not just lacking in wisdom. She lacked courage. 

Kardaka dipped her head in thanks, before wobbling towards the Iron Mahi station. No wonder she had failed to find answers in the desert. She needed to return to Po-Koro, she had a Duty to fulfill. 

OOC: @Visaru

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Forsi

Kanohi hesitated at Nichou’s recounting of Stannis’s Companions, before aggressively clicking his telegraph. Nichou’s had kept a sensor listening for news of Dece? He had heard nothing, which might have been for the best, but the fact that he had kept tracks of news of that unimportant cross-wired freak of a Fe- Matoran? It made Kanohi a bit less stable.

Was it too late to tell Knichou, sorry, Nichou, who Kanohi had been? Should he tell them all? Or had the opportunity passed after Aurax was exposed. Kanohi fidgeted with a mix of guilt and unease, the social situation was difficult to parse and fear overwhelmed him.

Then Kanohi caught sight of something. Lapu was offering Kanohi small plants. The vigilante dipped his head in thanks, thoughtful Kapu, he had needed a distraction. He turned them over in his hands, scratching at the plants with his metal fingers, letting the juice trickle down his hands.

Matoran had a lot of diversity in their anatomy, some were mostly mechanical, others leaned towards biological. Kanohi was more mechanized that most, and his mouth was … underdeveloped. He could only digest by leaching energy from food, and chewing was beyond him.

As he fidgeted by scratching the fruit it released the aroma of enzymes in the air, but Kanohi found himself distracted. Aurax, Nichou, and Timak were discussing the Suva? It had been a long time since they were relevant, maybe since the Toa Mata fell. The Toa Maru had not used them as far as Kanohi knew. Though, his anxiety suddenly wondered if the Makuta’s conflict with the Maru would have been different if they had harnessed the Suva. Would they have fallen too. Or might Makuta have been defeated back then?

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

…

IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia 

Kardaka staggered, she only kept upright thanks to her staff. She almost slid down it, staring at the ground as her vents wheezed. Akiri Hewkii was deposed? Or had he just stepped down? And what of his replacement? Had he picked her, or was she elected? Would she be any better? How could Verak not know? 

She dragged herself upright and weakly asked, “I must admit this is a shock. Um, may I ask how the Koro has changed? It’s not … worse is it?” What if this Renaka had declared war on another Koro? Or had enslaved Matoran?

Maybe things had gotten better? But Kardaka did not find that thought comforting. If she still did not understand how Po- Koro had become corrupted, she knew no way to prevent it from happening again. She needed to understand what happened to Hewkii and her fellows, to have ruined the Unity of the Matoran.

OOC: @Visaru

IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia 

Kardaka nodded, but spoke cautiously, “Yes. Though I hope the city is a bit less … lonely than the desert was. Have not seen other people in some time, too busy meditating. There was plenty of Rahi, that’s one reason I have my staff, to ward the beasts of the desert away and corral them. But Rahi are not people.” 

The Turaga swallowed, and tried to act casual, though her fingers drummed her staff with unease. But she need to broach this topic, it was what drove her away from Po-Wahi and it’s colonies. Still, it was best to be indirect. So she mustered her courage and asked, “Ah, So, um, it’s been some time since I stepped foot in a village of Stone, and news is sparse in the desert. Are there any new laws of Akiri Hewkii I need to be aware of?” 

That much was true, she did not know what new laws the dictator of Stone would have passed since she left in horror at the destruction of the Virtue of Unity. But she more wished to know if things had changed, namely if the Akiri might have stepped back from his prior imperialism and isolation of Po-Wahi from the other villages. If perhaps things had improved for the nation of Stone.

Or even if he had been deposed, perhaps by an alliance of the other villages or the Toa Maru. But that seemed unlikely. The other villages were also divided from each other, and the Maru had not addressed the situation before. She could not help but worry things had only gotten worse. 

OOC: @Visaru needless to say, she’s a bit behind on the political situation

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Forsi

Kanohi shook his head at Nichou’s question. He had spent much of his time on Mata-Nui traversing Le-Wahi to protect travelers and Rahi, the trails of Po-Wahi was unfamiliar to him. He still had to regularly remind himself it was one of the most northern regions of the island.

More importantly, Kanohi had finally noticed Lapu was … it was hard to say, the cross-wired Fe-Matoran was not skilled at identifying social cues. But even so, Kanohi worried Lapu was distressed. And no wonder, this desert was a far cry from the humid air and green jungles of Le-Wahi.

It was kind of the Toa to come, but Kanohi could not help but worry for him. Wearing all that wooden armor, and wasn’t it wilting? These were the plants of the jungle, were they even capable of surviving in the desert? If he lost his armor, well, Kanohi could not read Lapu’s mind, but the Fe-Matoran knew he would feel incomplete without his own armor.

Kanohi walked over to Hakari and scribbled a note, “do you know where we could get some desert plants for Lapu? So he could use them to grow armor for Po-Wahi? I worry his wooden skin might not be comfort in this dry heat.”

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

…

IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia 

Kardaka flinched at the brown Toa’s words, but made a smile nonetheless. It was good to hear the familiarity of Toahood, even if it was inaccurate. “Ah, I’m a sister, but thank you, brother. It was not long ago I gave up my Toa Power, I must admit I am still not quite used to my new size.” 

She paused and blushed. There had been a delay before she realized Toa had complimented her, “Ah, my apologies, thank you for your kind words on my staff. I am afraid it’s been a some time since I talked among people. I was lost in the desert, I suppose you could say.”

The Turaga looked away. Did that sound wise? Turaga were meant to be wise, she was no longer some young Toa with power enough to shatter a plateau. She was supposed to be an elder giving wisdom to the future generation. But if she did sound wise, it was fraudulent. She still could not begin to understand Hewkii turning away from his Unity with the other Akiri and isolating Po-Koro. It was … this was the Virtue their village held most dear, and their leader had abandoned it to fortify and expand. Like some perversion of Unity, but only for Po-Koro. Horrific and unnatural. And she still could not comprehend it. 

OOC: @Visaru

Kardaka has reached Ostia.

Also, does anyone know what the color of Kardaka’s post introduction is? Bzpower won’t let me copy it into her dialogue, and since I am on mobile I am left guessing what it’s called. It’s not orange, brown, or gold. 

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Forsi

It was hard to see beneath his many masks, but Kanohi was also a bit overwhelmed by the changes to Po-Wahi. He had vaguely been aware that Po-Koro had built more settlements and their technology had advanced greatly since he had been this far north, but the changes were still shocking.

Ga-Matoran and Po-Matoran wandered the streets, stopping among the many stalls. Forsi had apparently started out as a military fort, likely part of the former Akiri Hewkii’s imperialism. After tensions between the villages of Stone and Water cooled, the fort expanded into a trade hub, allowing the two peoples to exchange goods to each other. The city indeed had a bit of a Ga-Matoran influence, there were aspects of the architecture that recalled Ga-Koro. It was a meddling of cultures.

Kanohi kept close to Hakari as they emerged from the ferry. He would soon have to say goodbye to the Lesterin, their ways were diverging. They had known each other only a short time, but it had been good. And it had been good to travel with others again. And though she and Lapu put him on the path to reencounter his old companions, he did not want to abandon them quite yet. 

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

…

IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia

The Turaga of Stone had wandered a long time through sandstorms and the beating sun. But eventually she had gotten lucky. She had caught sight of a glint of metal, rediscovering the tracks of the Iron Mahi. She had followed them until at last she had spotted a metal structuring towering above the horizon.

Kardaka had found herself at the top of a cliff overlooking the endless ocean. Rows of buildings were carved into the cliff side stacked on top of each other, and industrial elevators linked each layer of structures. She had not left Po-Koro much, but she suspected this was Ostia. And that meant the tower was the radio station, one of the many new inventions that had emerged after the defeat of the Makuta.

It was strange that this was not named a Koro. Maybe that was a part of the Matoran losing their way. This settlement after all had been the result of Akiri Hewkii fortifying Po-Wahi, building new villages to strength the nation of Stone. 

But even with her unease, Kardaka’s optics blinked frantically. If she was capable of shedding a tear, she might be crying. It had been so long since she had seen other Matoran, heard the hustle and bustle of people. It was awe inspiring, returning from the emptiness of the desert to the city.

Swallowing, she began to ride the lifts, descending into the city. First she needed to learn what had transpired since her voluntary exile. If Akiri Hewkii had gotten even crueler, and if the unity of the Matoran had disintegrated further.

“Ah, the ports,” she winced at her own voice, it rumbled like gravel. It had been so long since she had needed to speak, her vocal processor had grown stiff and lost its lubrication. And the roughness, it alienated her. She swallowed, leaning on her staff, before continuing to descend the city to the ports. She still needed news, and ports might mean travelers from other villages. She might learn a lot of what she missed.

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Kanohi wrote his answer, then hesitated. He needed to be careful, he might have said too much and might risk exposing himself. So many here had once known Dece, he might want to restrain himself more.

Without noting the irony, he drew his lighter and burnt his first draft of his message into ashes. Then he scribed a few circles to simply say, “I will join you.” His hands twitched as he showed the message to Aurax, he preferred to specify more. But he needed to be discreet. Despite his arson.

Wandering again. He had wandered plenty of times in Le-Wahi, following his visions or distant cries of distress to find people in need. It would be different in a big group though. He had not done such since the Companions.

And on the topic on companions, he wrote a third message, just for Hakari. “It would be good to travel with you a bit longer, Hakari. I hope you will find your homeland and her friends of old. You and Lapu were the first companions I have had in a long time, and I will miss you, but I hope you will have success on your adventures.” He showed it to her, looking away from her gaze. 

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

Anyone interested in interacting with a lost (in many ways) Turaga of Stone? She’s currently wandering the desert trying to follow Iron Mahi tracks to find any town

IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - The Motara Desert

The Turaga of Stone was hopelessly lost. Kardaka had been wandering for what felt like sixteen months, trying to follow the tracks of the Iron Mahi. But every time she had followed the tracks for a few days, a sandstorm had kicked up and blinded her. When the storms faded the tracks would be buried and she would have lost her sense of direction, and so she would hike in a random direction hoping to run into more tracks.

Kardaka was a Turaga of Stone blast it. Her elemental control was weak compared to a Toa, but she still could sense the rocks in the Motara Desert even during sandstorms. Yet she so easily lost her way. And that was only her struggles finding her way in the desert. She still had yet to understand why her Koro had abandoned Unity.

Maybe things were better now. Years might have passed since she left Po-Koro, forsaking her Toa Powers in shame for Akiri Hewkii driving a wedge between the villages, stockpiling weapons, and demanding submission for his own Koro like the Makuta himself. How? How could the right hand of the late Turaga Onewa betrayed the virtue Unity, how could such a beloved Po-Matoran go so wrong? And how could the whole Koro follow him into his madness?

The Makuta was gone, how could the Matoran have turned on each other?

She sighed, she was no closer to understand what went wrong after the Toa Maru succeeded than when she went into exile, hoping to meditate and understand. She lacked the wisdom of a Turaga, despite her body.

Kardaka stumbled as she walked, thrusting out her staff to catch herself. She leaned on the long staff, before using its leverage to push herself more upright. Her large feet were unsteady, far too big compared to her legs. And in general, as a new Turaga, her body still felt wrong, too short and stocky. It lacked the lean height of a Toa.

Her hand reached for her canteen and she took a deep drink, before capping it and continuing her trek. With each step she used her staff as a cane to stabilize her balance, trying to keep herself upright. She let out a sigh, her journey seemed utterly endless. And it felt like she was only going to get more lost before she had her answers. 

OOC: Kardaka open to interaction

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Kanohi listened to both Ranok and Aurax as each spoke of events gone past. Some Kanohi knew like the days of the Companions and the fall of Ko-Koro, but much he did not. Dece had been imprisoned and tortured for some time by the false Makuta, and after that Kanohi had lived in the jungles of Le-Wahi rescuing travelers. He had not been knowledgeable of current events for some time.

As Aurax finished his tale, Kanohi had a realization. He pulled out his tablet from out of his masks and began to scribble out circles in charcoal. He inscribed a rough timeline based off both stories, the script was messy, but it summarized the major events of the island. Leading to the fight with the mad botanist and Aurax being reborn. 

Ever since the torture, certain things seemed jumbled. Nichou shifted in his mind from a Matoran to a Toa of Iron named Knichou who wore a legendary mask. Kanohi had known Nale before he met her, though in the vision she was a Toa. His visions still had use in them, but there was confusion instead of clarity.

So perhaps this list of events should ground his mind. Should he become confused again, he could pull out this paper and remind himself of what was real.

Kanohi did not dare put his own past and life here. Cowardice or not, he still feared being tracked down. And the weakness of Dece might diminish the few accomplishments of Kanohi.

The cross-wired vigilante stowed away his notes, before writing a more public message. He turned around the tablet and held it out to Aurax, showing him the message, “I am sorry for your adopted home of Iki. Is there something we can do for your second people?”

Kanohi had not heard much of this land across the sea, but Rahkshi had devastated Mata-Nui  for a millennium. These refugees did not just resemble Matoran, but they had suffered their enemies. And for a civilization to be wiped out and the survivors driven from their home, it was Ko-Koro on a bigger scale.

A thought brushed against Kanohi’s mind as well. If Aurax had been reborn among the Dashi, perhaps his Destiny was a bridge of sorts. To unite two war ravaged people against the Makuta. But it was clear that despite his visions, Kanohi was not important enough to know fate. And right now Aurax had enough to worry about without being asked questions of his Destiny. 

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Kanohi was not a genius. He was decent at tinkering, but he was not capable of inventing something that could change the course of Mata-Nui. His social finesse was limited too, he struggled to parse the subtexts in conversations, and often overcompensated. Neither was he a great hero. As a vigilante he focused solely on rescuing people, not making decisions or working as a group, nor did he ever fight. Working with heroes such as these was new for Kanohi. He had not tried to since the Companions.  

The point was, he was not the best at reading the intent of fellow Matoran. His thoughts were jumbled, trying to process if this claim was a sick joke, some sort of humor he messed. Was Elta taking advantage of his social struggles to mess with him? But he was saying this to the others, and he likely did not know who Kanohi had once been.

And that vision, the cactus was plucked from Aurax’s corpse. Was that the point of the vision? That if the botanist had claimed the cactus, he would have stolen it from Aurax? Because Aurax would not have remembered who he was if he had not ingested the substance?

It seemed impossible, that after all this time Aurax could be back. Kanohi would be a fool to believe it. But Aurax had been chosen to be among the Wanderer’s Company. He was one of only a few in the Companions who had been selected to have a great destiny. And then he had been slain, killed before he could become a Toa. Stabbed by a medic Rahkshi.

It had always haunted Kanohi since he first witnessed visions of Aurax’s death. That if even a chosen one could die before fulfilling his destiny, it only stressed how unimportant Dece was. But … if Mata-Nui or someone else had intervened in a death, it would have been someone whose destiny was cut short. Someone denied their fate.

And … the idea that a former member of the Companions as well as the last Matoran member of the Wanderer’s Company was brought back to life, shortly after the Makuta returned? It felt like the work of Destiny.

Kanohi ultimately decided as a vigilante, he was no fighter, but a rescuer. So he wrote on his tablet the simple message. “The Makuta has returned, despite the work of the Toa Maru. If there was ever someone to return from the dead, it might just be the one member of the Wanderer’s Company who died before he could become a Toa. I may be gullible, but I chose to believe Destiny is working now to fix the course of what went wrong when the Toa faced the Makuta.”

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Kanohi had followed the group, but had not partaken in the cactus for two reasons. Firstly, his visions were already nonsensical enough since his captivity, he did not know what this cactus would affect them. The strangely colored De-Matoran, Ranok was his name, right? Kanohi though he had implied there was something sketchy about Miracle Cactus. The cross-wired vigilante had enough mental health struggles without trying a substance he knew nothing about.

The second reason he hesitated though was he did not eat. Kanohi did not like chewing food, or digesting with his mouth. He was not even sure he could do it, the idea repulsed his body too much to try. Instead, he would draw the energy out of food through his hands, letting meals crumbled to dust at his touch.

The Matoran were a sliding scale of animalistic to mechanic, and he tended towards the latter.

So instead of partaking in the cactus, Kanohi had stood watch in case anyone had an adverse reaction, or if allies of that Lesterin struck back at them for shutting his operation down.

The vigilante still was unsure of many details surrounding this adventure, from what they knew he had spent the past few years as a merchant, until suddenly my he changed in manner and personality. From the sound of the timeline, he changed around when Hakari regained her memories. It’s possibly he had reverted to his personality from before he washed on Mata-Nui’s shores.

Please Mata-Nui, do not return my memories from before I awoke on the shore.

Kanohi was jostled from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps. He shifted from his perch to see Eita shaking Nichou. Kanohi had been unfocused for much of this, and Eita was whispering, but as he grappled over to make sure Nichou was unharmed, he caught the last sentence.

”Aurax is back!”

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

The cross-wired vigilante nodded, they needed a way to secure the Lesterin. Though … ideally not something too rough. It was hard to describe, but as he looked at this stranger overpowered by a Matoran, blade at his throat and mobbed by a small army, it felt … familiar. Not precisely and not like how a vision would feel, but the feeling of being overwhelmed and helpless.

Kanohi’s heartlight flickered in memory of that cave in Ko-Wahi, that deluded Matoran binding and torturing him, and that terrible flame that smothered his throat with ash. He … Kanohi could not recall having someone at his mercy before, but these memories haunted him. As horrible as what the Lesterin had done to Rahi, in this moment, he wanted to be merciful.

He turned away from the Lesterin, only for his optics to zero in on his own Volo Lutu Launcher. The one he had bound to his arm using bandages he bought in Le-Koro. Bandages, meant to be attached to a chassis. Kanohi reached underneath one of his wooden masks and produced some of his spare bandages, offering them to Eita.

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Underneath his many wooden masks, Kanohi felt his face go red under Knichou’s stare. Ugh, no, his name was Nichou, and he was a Matoran. Not a Toa of Iron. Get that right. And Nale … she was not a Toa of Magnetism either, just a Fa-Matoran.

Why were his memories so distorted? Well, he knew why, staring at the flames for what felt like years, he was forced to have so many visions that many were nonsensical. A city of metal the size of an island, a barren island where a colossal god’s head lay crashed on the west side, those felt as real to him as Mata-Nui. He needed to focus on what was real. And the Lesterin, Hakari, Lapu, and Nichou were real. 

The vigilante realized he was staring while lost in thought, and turned redder. He shifted his gaze away away, hopefully any reaction had been buried by his masks while he had stood there silently. He grappled up to the rafters, to search for anything that—

Had … had that gold and blue Matoran captured the Lesterin? Kanohi grappled down, landing in a tumble besides Eita. As Kanohi looked up he saw some sort of coolant dripping off a mostly translucent Lesterin, his throat pierced by the Matoran’s blade. It was only a shallow thrust, but it looked like it was digging in deeper to his flesh. 

Kanohi felt his heartlight flash he … he had not thought of this. Obviously the Lesterin needed to be stopped, but he did not want anyone else to … die. But he could not defend the Lesterin against these new allies, not after the abominations he had made and his calloused disregard for life. 

But he could die.

Knocking out the Lesterin would make him no longer a threat but Kanohi was … he was no fighter, he couldn’t bring himself to harm another. Cowardice or not, he could not let alone else suffer. But it could save his life,

On the other hand, he could disarm him.

Kanohi reached to the Lesterin’s face and wrenched off his mask. Tossing it aside, he began to click frantically with his telegraph. “He’s powerless now, barely stronger than us. We have him.” Nothing further needed doing, right?

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Kanohi felt his heartlight sputter as vines encircled around Nichou, yanking the Matoran into the air along with another. He took a step back, clutching his Volo Lutu Launcher through trembling fingers, even as another vine entangled Lapu’s arm. Of course, the Toa was stronger than a Matoran, and his element was the jungle itself. The vine began to shudder, absorbing into the Toa’s chassis, even as the rest of the plant relaxed it’s grip, dropping Nichou and his fellow like a fabled Toa Cannister crashing to an island.

The cross-wired vigilante’s optics blurred as Nichou fell, he could see Aurax falling now, not through the air but through the jagged staff of a Rahkshi. And Nichou flickered in and out as milliseconds passed, shifting into a Toa of silver and red and back into a Matoran. But he, that was nonsense. Nichou was a Matoran, as fragile and weak as one could be.

He could not lose another Companion. Not when he could act.

Kanohi fired his Volo Lutu Launcher right below Nichou and with a lurch grappled at him, hoping to catch him as he fell through the air. As the vigilante hurtled through the warehouse he could not help but stare at that other Matoran as she fell. Failure, a real hero could save both of them from the fall. Toa Stannis could have with ease, same as any of the Maru. He would be lucky if he could help one.

Please Mata-Nui, have someone save this other victim, as I cannot. 

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Kanohi tensed up as he spotted the beast approach. Spiny Stone Apes towered over even Toa, and while the parasite that infested the Gukko had seemed uncoordinated in that Rahi and failed to fly, this parasite seemed to have more control. It puppeted the ape in halting lurches, but it did not flop, and the floor quaked at its fists.

The vigilante swallowed, seeing those familiar flowers. The Gukko’s parasite used those flowers to search for light sources, it had been drawn to heartlights and fire. And it had burnt itself to ash trying to reach fire.

Kanohi shifted towards Hakari, and tapped her thigh. Then cautiously and without facing her directly, he offered her his lighter once again. He did not know if this parasite would be as weak to fire, nor did know if it would be as simplistic as to not recognize it was burning itself. It might be smarter than the first, and that might be why it puppeted the ape so well.

Still, no one here wielded the element of Fire, his lighter was one of the few weapons they had, especially given how fast the first plant regenerated. And Hakari knew how to use his lighter against such an infestation. He trusted her to succeed and return the lighter too.

As for the vigilante himself, he now saw his many targets. The plants were spreading and trapping the group here, they might be able ensnare the Matoran or even the taller people if they got close. And the Spiny Stone Ape was certainly another threat too. And that voice came from somewhere, though he could not tell where. He needed to be ready to rescue anyone who got too close to the plants, or got in reach of the ape. It was a lot to focus on, hopefully he could manage. 

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

That was the cactus? Such a small thing, this was the miracle the botanist plucked from Aurax’s corpse. Obviously his visions were not always the most literal, but still, it did not resemble Aurax at all, it looked simply like an inert plant.

Kanohi was not a fighter by trade, call it cowardice or prioritizing life over death, but he knew that if fighting started, he would fill a support role. If he could focus, he would be grappling around to rescue people in the fight, or shuttling them around the battlefield to wherever they needed going.

He stumbled slightly. Focusing would be the problem, he was still a bit disoriented from Hakari shunting him and Lapu to Ga-Koro, the sheer speed of a Kakana was astounding. How was Hakari able to withstand the sheer turbulence of running that fast, let alone having the reflexes to turn and adjust at that speed? Was the mask giving her a degree of agility and durability too? 

Lesterins were certainly powerful to able to harness the powers of masks. On their own this green Lesterin would be a great threat to the Matoran, but thankfully they had their own Lesterin, not to mention Toa were even stronger than that. And the Maru far stronger. Self-depreciating aside, with the sheer number of folks present, they should be able to defeat the mad botanist quickly.

Still, Kanohi recalled his parasitic plant, he could not help but suspect there would still be dangers. The vigilante prepped himself to dive at any of the party present, to grapple them to safety if something went astray.

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Kanohi nodded at the strange Matoran. He was dressed in crystalline armor, his chassis blue and gold. It was an odd combo, one would expect a Matoran of Stone or Crystal to don crystalline clothes. But much the same could be said for Kanohi, a Matoran of Iron dressed in hand-carved wooden masks, who had spent much of his recent life grappling across the jungles protecting travelers.

The cross-wired vigilante scribbled another series of circles, before showing it to the whole group. “That sounds like I good idea. I am not sure where to track down the Lesterin, all we know is he is green, male, and dresses in a cloak.  The latter might mean he wishes to hide his identity.” Kanohi winced, that hit a bit close to home. He continued, “I am not sure of his element either, though Jungle is possible given his work.”

Kanohi paused and wrote down, “according to the merchant, the Lesterin claimed he was a trader from Seprilli. We wondered if he was trying to provoke strife between Le-Koro and Seprilli, by causing Mata-Nui to believe the parasite was a terrorist attack. The plant had tried to spread to the merchant, if it had gotten a foothold in Le-Wahi…”

He then turned to Hakari and wrote, “Hakari, about when did your memories of Seprilli return? If our foe’s memory returned at around the same time, and if his plan with the merchant was to cause tension between islands, maybe he came up with the plan when his memories returned. And then maybe his mannerisms changed then too. If we look for a green male Lesterin who suddenly began acting different, maybe we could have a lead?”

Then he added, “but do any of you have any other ideas for tracking this individual down? Maybe by looking into the rarer plant trade?”

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

The cross-wired vigilante’s words seemed unnoticed by Lekua and Nichou, and maybe that was for the best. Kanohi did not know how much the general population remembered Stannis’s Companions, his recollection and endorsementof the earlier group might have been suspicious. Made them figure out who he was. Or rather, who he used to be.

A Ga-Matoran and Hakari both spoke up with concern, and beneath his masks Kanohi blushed. He scribbled down with his left hand, “I am a bit stressed, but I can manage. I have to. Stopping the Lesterin is more important than any unease I feel.”

Then a strange blue and gold Matoran spoke, Kanohi felt his heartlight pound again, “I wrote something down, before showing it to Eita, “Hakari here is a Lesterin, they are tall beings with the passive elemental abilities of Matoran, and the ability to use masks of a Toa. They hail from a distant land, recently Hakari’s memories have started to return of that land, she remembers it was once known as Seprilli.”

He wrote more, “The Lesterin we seek is a botanist, who also seems to remember some things of Seprilli, based off what the merchant said. He has some mastery of plants, he was able to turn a flower into a parasite that could puppet a Gukko as a marionette. Maybe he would also be seeking this miracle cactus, since it’s a rare plant. I feel like the merchant had mentioned he had said to her that he was after a miracle too, though I forget her wording, it’s been a few days.”

That last part was from his most recent vision, not what the merchant said, but hopefully Hakari would not question it. More importantly, it now hit him that Lekua and Nichou were here along with Kanohi. And his vision was of something being ripped out of Aurax’s corpse. Was this a coincidence? Or were some of the former members of the Companions being driven back together after what felt like decades? Was this Destiny?
 

N-no, it couldn’t be. Kanohi was too unimportant for Destiny to take notice of, and this was Dece’s past and that name mattered far less. Still, he knew enough about interpreting fate with his visions to take notice. 

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

The masked Fe-Matoran suddenly stumbled, his heartlight dilating as he heard a name he had not heard in ages. Lekua, here? And could that voice be, Nichou? He … he had gotten a vision of Nichou in Ga-Koro, but that seemed like almost a year ago. To be here, with two of the companions…

What if they identified him? And with the three of them here, then Aurax in the latest vision might not be a metaphor. This might be about their fallen better. But Dece can’t say that, he … he can’t face Nichou and Lekua, he could not stand before them exposed. Kanohi could stand, but if they identified him…

He could not mention his visions to them. He could not bring up seeing Aurax. He … he was not sure if they knew Dece had visions, but if they did, he could be outed instantly. And then others would come.

He clicked his bracelet, trying to destress. He did not pray to Mata-Nui much, but he plead with the god of Matoran that Nichou and Lekua could not see the traces of Dece beneath his masks. He needed to be this mysterious vigilante.

Kanohi’s hands were shaky as he wrote something down. “Lekua? The name is familiar, I heard it before I think.” He paused artificially, to try to seem like he was lost in thought. He continued, “Weren’t you a precursor to the Wanderer’s Company? Perhaps a hero like you could help track this Lesterin down. The parasite he inflicted a Gukko with seemed unnatural, maybe the work of a follower of the Makuta. It puppeted the bird likes marionette, Hakari fought it so she may know more.”

It wasn’t lies, but it was less of the truth than he wanted to tell the Companions. His circles were a bit more sloppy than usual, though hopefully it was not too noticeable. Hopefully his masks would not only cloak his optics, but his flashing heartlight.

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Kanohi offered the taller Lapu a hand to squeeze as they approached, if it would help steady his uneasy. The vigilante knew from experience how overwhelming sensations can be, he dreaded his raving anxieties and fears, but the hustle and bustle of the city was not the most pleasant either.

But as they approached, Kanohi spotted a Toa both leaving the tavern. Interestingly, he looked like he was of the element of Sonics. Kanohi was hardly an expert on elements, Jungle and Iron felt more familiar to him, for some reason, but he believed he had heard that De-Matoran had enhanced hearing and could easily be overwhelmed by noise. He might know where to stand to avoid overstimulation.

And indeed, the Toa began to huddle to the side, perhaps overwhelmed from the noise of the bar. Kanohi’s hand drifted in the direction of the Toa, feeling a pang of sympathy. 

A thought struck him. There were a few coincidences potentially piling, to run a Toa who could suffer sensory overload? At a tavern named for the Rahi whose tooth Kanohi used to focus his visions? It was a big island and many of the Element of Sonics lived here, he easily could be reading too much into it, like he often did with his visions, but something about it nagged at him. The vigilante struggled to believe that Destiny had him on its radar, he did not matter. But maybe Lapu would be significant in the optics of destiny. Or Hakari.

Either way, Kanohi chose to embrace the coincidence. He started to lead their Odd Company to the Toa, when a green Matoran approached them. 

Kanohi reddened beneath his many wooden masks at the bard’s words, but ultimately nodded. Perhaps a storyteller like a bard would know.

Writing was slower than speaking, but great an ally as Hakari was, she could be a bit loud, and that might overwhelm the larger of the two strangers. But Kanohi was silent except for clicking and the sound of a charcoal stylus smearing paper. He should take point.

The masked Fe-Matoran wrote down on his wooden tablet using the charcoal, “I cannot talk verbally, so forgive my speed, but we are looking for a green Lesterin. We are not sure of his exact element, but from what we understand, he has knowledge of strange plants, as he fed a Le-Matoran merchant’s Gukko a parasitic plant. We were told by the merchant he might still be in Ga-Koro.”

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly  @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel Hooray, we met before it’s been a year into arc three, we made good time.

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

Kanohi honestly had forgotten most of his memories of Ga-Koro, and even if he recalled it accurately, the landscape had changed. A local would know where to search, even if they had been a way for years the older hits would still have been a clue. But to him, the landscape and his memories blurred together.

Still, the vigilante recalled where Hakari and him came after they rescued the merchant; an inn. People talked and gossiped in the tavern, it had been somewhat overstimulating. And Lapu tracked them down there too.

Kanohi wrote down, “somewhere travelers come and go, where people talk. Maybe an inn, or a tavern?” Then he paused, stunned into stillness. His optics had caught sight of a coincidence.

He pointed to a tavern standing in the distance. The Great Takea was written on the side, that was the beast whose tooth he had used to make a spear when he first arrived on Mata-Nui, the tooth he had hollowed out and used to make his lighter, the flame that helped him focus his power.

Ga-Koro was the village of Water, it was not remarkable to see the King of Sharks referenced. But in terms of coincidences, he felt drawn to follow that path. 

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly get ready, we are about to bump into some folks

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

When it became that Hakari was more exhausted than injured, and that Lapu had been more disoriented than hurt, Kanohi relaxed. The Fe-Matoran still offered both of them his hands if they needed support standing, though in truth Matoran of Iron were known for their inventiveness and their endurance, strength was not his greatest aspect. 

The short vigilante also took in the city. Ga-Koro like Le-Koro felt like it was in between eras, the old huts and lily pad platforms still clung here, but now there was better manufacturing, metal and composite wood was not uncommon, and faintly he could see the greenhouses if the village beneath the sea.

That was another point. From what Kanohi understood of the industrialization of the island, Ga-Koro was becoming the pharmaceutical center of the island, the greenhouses used to grow rare plants to synthesis into medication. And if there was such advanced medicine here, maybe he could get something to help his vocal processor. The damage was mostly from smoke, heat, and ash, maybe the people of the Village of Water would have something to soothe his throat so he could speak again.

Aurax’s corpse would come first though. His carcass mattered more than Kanohi’s voice ever could. 

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro

For all his flaws and faults, Kanohi could take a tumble. Not just because his passive connection to the element of Iron granted him better endurance than other Matoran, but because of his lifestyle. Grappling across Le-Wahi every day, lurching suddenly as he was tugged along his Volo Lutu Launcher, smacking into branches, twigs splintering on his chassis, crashing to the forest floor; the vigilante had developed an ability to roll with the metaphorical punches.

Kanohi stood up. He admittedly was a bit shaky, greater durability or not, the Fe-Matoran was not used to traveling at the high speeds of a Kakama. Still, he was familiar with being whipped about by his grappling, it was not something totally unfamiliar.

The Matoran vigilante went to bother of his distressed allies, looking over if they needed any medical care. Hakari mostly seemed exhausted, though Lapu falling on her could not have helped. And Lapu himself seemed stunned. Luckily Kanohi still had some medical supplies left over from modifying his Volo Lutu Launcher, and tried to help bandage any bruises on the two tall folk. He was not a fighter, but he could help people.

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly 

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - the Southern Border

Kanohi shook his head firmly, his hands still unsteady. Aurax, this beast was going to do something to Aurax, take something from him? Was he going to d-defile his corpse? Was there something l-left behind from where the Rahkshi had s-stabbed him? His heartlight was frantic, they needed to reach Ga-Koro now. 

He wanted to refuse her, for a moment thinking it would be faster for the three of them to run or grapple under their own power. Then he remember she was Lesterin, the Kakana she wore was not just a style choice. She had access to a Great Mask of Speed.

Shakily he wrote below his earlier message, his handwriting still unsteady, “Time is of the essence, we have taken too long to reach Ga-Koro. I would not wish to burden you, but you carrying me while using your mask might help us reach the Village of Water in time to stop the villain. But we need to go as a group, we cannot leave Lapu. Is there a way for you to haul the two of us there? Otherwise, I can manage.”

He found himself hesitating to explain why he was so rattled. He … he trusted them, but what if someone was watching, listening. His visions were not as glamorous as a prophecy, but his knowledge of the future, he knew it would be tempting for the followers of the Makuta. He could not risk anyone learning who he used to be.

But would Nichou realize who he was? He was in Ga-Koro, and they had been companions before. Kanohi, his memory failed him, remembering too many conflicting visions, but he thought Nichou had known his power. And if he met him in Ga-Koro, he might be exposed…

But they had to save Aurax’s corpse. Maybe that’s why he had been driven to Ga-Koro, what his recent visions led to, to help a friend Dece had been too weak and unimportant to save. That now Kanohi and Nichou would work together to help make sure Aurax’s remains were not mutilated. And that would be w-worth being a target. Right?

OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly