sunflower

IC: Dehkaz [Po-Koro, Tech Emporium] If he was one to, Dehkaz would have certainly laughed at the almost comical look of confusion, surprise, and incredulity that stared up at him from behind the worn Huna. Even so, a chuckle of sorts resonated from within his chest, and he regarded the Po-matoran as he explained, "An idea." "I've done some initial design and calculation work, but unfortunately I don't have the time, nor the equipment, to explore it further. I figured perhaps you and your associate might find it interesting to do so, Mister…?" Dehkaz continued, letting the rest trail off in question.

IC: Dehkaz [Po-Koro, Tech Emporium] Dehkaz's eyebrow raised as the Po-matoran spoke, no, commanded with an upturned finger, still completely engrossed in his work on what now was beginning to resemble a modified pressure launcher. He appeared to be completely unaware, and a bemused smile crept partway across Dehkaz's Kanohi. Well, far be it for him to decline, and so the amused Commander rolled up the stack of parchments once again and stepped over to set them down where instructed. Dehkaz took a single step back, arms folded across his chest.

IC: Dehkaz [Po-Koro, Tech Emporium] Dehkaz was about to speak, until the constant clang of some work being done deeper into the Tech Emporium continued even past Farzan's short recount of events. Krayn appeared singularly uncomfortable from the racket, and Dehkaz couldn't blame him. Still, the toa of Sonics was otherwise in good spirits, and he seemed happy enough to engage with the eccentric young inventor when it came to acquiring more than a few gadgets to round out his arsenal. Skyra was busying herself with examining more than a few of the weapons on display, expressing her desire to obtain practically everything she saw. He'd have to remind himself to let her know they had half of the weaponry stowed on the ship already. "I'll be browsing," Dehkaz excused himself, leaving the two of them to discuss specifics as he made his way further into the shop. While not incorrect, the Fowadi's captain did keep and eye out for any new particularly interesting pieces of technology, he did have other things he wanted to bring to the inventor's attention. In particular the stack of parchment sheets he held under one arm, which he decided to leave on Farzan's desk for him to get to at a later date. Unsurprisingly, said desk was occupied by an assortment of mechanical gizmos and parts, and finding a clear space would be a task in of itself, though the space was also occupied by another matoran who was working on some mechanism of his own. Dehkaz stopped for a moment, but the matoran appeared to be completely engrossed in his work, and so with a mental shrug, Dehkaz simply placed the stack of parchments down on the desk anyway.

IC: Leli [Onu-Koro Entrance] Leli's reply was cut short as the tunnel they had been traveling down opened up as it merged with one of the more well-traveled underground highways beneath Onu-Wahi's surface. There their journey was accompanied by a few others, as they passed merchants and travelers of many different Koros moving to and from the Koro of Earth. From there it didn't take much longer for the four of them to make it to the entrance to the village proper, stopping briefly at a Ussalry checkpoint to confirm their identities. Tarnok, naturally, was recognized immediately. The guard took a few moments to register the crystal-encrusted matoran as the Light Division commander though. Still, they made it into Koro without issue, the great expanse of the underground city's cavern before them.

IC: Kalih It had taken the shipwright the better part of the rest of the day to traverse the rest of the distance down Le-Wahi in the vessel. While initially cautious about taking the self-powered ship on the open ocean, it nonetheless proved to be incredibly seaworthy. The lack of masts and spars made it rock far less under even the strongest of winds he encountered, indeed it's method of motion allowed him to sail headlong into the winds themselves at a full clip, and the metal hull cut through even the largest of waves like a blade through soft parchment. Even so, despite the Kavinika's impressive seakeeping he still kept relatively close to the coast, not so close as to beach his find in shallow water, but close enough that he felt like he could reasonably swim to shore if needed. Making it to Nokama Port had been largely uneventful for Kalih, the spit of land that used to be the Kumu Islets slowly rising out of the ocean as he approached. There didn't seem to be very many vessels docked there at the moment, but it was difficult to tell from this dis- A bright orb of light suddenly shot into the sky from the island, before bursting into a brilliant flare some distance above the outpost. ... What?

IC: Dehkaz [Tech Emporium] The toa of Magnetism greeted the lanky inventor with a nod, before turning to indicate the one of his traveling companions who hadn’t immediately made for deeper into the gadget-filled building with a tilt of his head. “Farzan, this is Krayn, he’s a good friend of mine, and he’s in the market for some gear. I have a good stash of equipment back on the Fowadi, though I think he’s looking for something a bit more… suited to his particular talents. And don’t worry about expense, I’ll cover it.”

IC: Dehkaz [Po-Koro, Iron Mahi Station] The toa of Magnetism nodded in acknowledgement, emerging from the doors of the mechanical transport to step out onto the loading platform. Unlike the one which they had embarked from a few hours earlier, Po-Koro's station was partially enclosed in a large roofed building, the seamless blend of stone and iron in its construction harkening to the advancement the Koro had undergone. "Sure thing," Dehkaz confirmed, scanning the crowd for a moment before returning his gaze to the assembled group of toa, "We'll see you both there." Pausing a moment to tilt his head over to one of the station's exits, Dehkaz spoke to Skyra and Krayn, "This way, I've got a a decent place for you two to do some shopping; not too far actually."

IC: Leli [Tunnels] "You bet we could've!" Her mood seemed relatively improved. "Don't know why Tall, Dark, and Regal tried to pull us away so quickly, we've handled worse before!"

IC: Dehkaz [Iron Mahi to Po-Koro] The toa of Magnetism watched as both Krayn and Skyra took the opportunity to catch up on some much needed shut-eye, impressive given the periodic bumps on the tracks as Iron Mahi made its way through the sandy expanse between the two villages. Their passenger cabin was quite, save the creaking and groaning of the metal shell that they found themselves in, punctuated by the soft singing coming from none other than Dorian. For the briefest of moments, spurred on by his idle mind working on it's own accord, Dehkaz thought about doing his best to see if the mercenary had any more insight into what exactly had happened-- and what was going to happen. But the thought died as he looked across to where the two toa sat. Instead, he produced a piece of parchment from the satchel which he carried from the Fowadi, and an accompanying stylus, and began to make a few marks on the page. * * * It wasn't much longer until the Iron Mahi pulled up to its Po-Koro station, a whistle announcing its arrival, along with the sudden increase in volume as the chatter from workers and passengers began to filter in through the crystalline windows.

IC: Lii [Odaiba, Outskirts] "Yes, yes it is fine," From her position near the middle of their procession Lii corralled the younger initiates back from the tree line as they moved to get a glimpse as to what had stopped their march forward, her words almost uncharacteristically soft as she did so, "There are no demons-Cerri don't push your sis- hey you all start shoving and then I do too." With a bit of doing, and a firm grip on the shoulders of one of the more spirited of the bunch, Lii managed to assuage the torrent of questions and fears from the youngest cadre of their clan. Doing her best to remain outwardly as calm as she could, though keeping up appearances did little to temper the constant beat of her pulse that she felt in her temple, nor the slight shake of her hands as adrenaline left her body, Lii hefted the youngest of the bunch, Yu, up onto her back when she wordlessly held up her arms. As much as it tore at her pride, it was possibly for the best that the Grandmaster was the one to talk to the Imperials. One of which, the one that had spoken out earlier, moved forward to their group. Lii had caught snippets of conversation, and while still very reserved about the entire situation they found themselves in, nonetheless moved forward to direct the wounded of the practitioners forward. "Many have sustained minor injuries," In sharp contrast to the inferno which had surrounded her body before, Lii's words were of ice, "Broken bones and cuts are the worst of them."

IC: Leli [Tunnels] For the briefest of moments Leli's eyes went wide, and she stumbled over her words as she cursed the Onu-Koroans' night vision. "Uh nothing," She said, before realizing just how stupid that sounded, "I mean, nothing really on my mind. Just drifting off, I suppose." ... "...What about you?"

IC: Dehkaz [Iron Mahi to Po-Koro] "A bit, Krayn," Dehkaz said, understanding sweeping over his complexion as he realized where Krayn's sudden confusion was originating from. "Like I said earlier, the island has both changed considerably over the past few years, and barely changed at all in others. One thing has become more than abundantly clear, institutions," He glanced over to Shaddix, before returning his gaze to Krayn, "are slow to act at best, ineffectual most of the time, and completely corrupt at worst. Trusting them to be able to keep the greater good in mind in any of their actions, whether it serves them directly or not, is not something I'm willing to gamble on. Not with what's at stake." "The Guard is better than most, but they're still Guards at the end of the day. They were built to defend the Koros back during the war, and that guiding function hasn't changed much in the decades since. Pushing any of the villages to take proactive action again anything and risk leaving their villages with weakened defenses is a non-starter for nearly every Akiri. Unless, of course, an entire village is under the sway of Makuta." "The Aggressors gives us a means to act outside of the structure of the Guard, with those who are not necessarily members," He acknowledged Skyra and Praggos with a nod, "To do the things that the island's Guards won't or can't do themselves. I've been working to gain the support of Koros, and give them the opportunity for some of their members who would do more good in a less structured environment to join us, but we don't need their support. We have a ship, we have supplies, we have a crew. At the end of the day we are not beholden to the whims of any one of the Akiri, nor will we have to wait for the go-ahead from any one of the villages to act." Dehkaz paused a moment to collect his thoughts, his gaze unfocusing before returning resolute and steely-eyed back to the toa of Sonics' own, though his tone was quieter, more solemn than it had been a breath before. "We do more good together as a team than we ever did alone."

IC: :Arms: [Khy;Barr, Deuandra's Sanctum] The massive behemoth gave a toothy grin, or perhaps he was bearing his fangs; it was difficult to tell. Arms reached down, extracting from the mess of armor plates which adorned his form an empty vial which still held within it the ruby residue of whatever liquid had filled it previously. The glass jar appeared nearly comically small in his grip, and it was some wonder it simply didn't shatter from the mere touch of the warlord's appendages. "Many," the giant requested, his asymmetric three-eyed gaze fixed upon Deuandra. "Travel far."

IC: Dehkaz [Iron Mahi to Po-Koro] Dehkaz listened for a time as Dorian spoke, arms crossed and brow furrowed in contemplation, lips pressed together in a neutral expression that spread across his Kanohi. His violet gaze was fixed on the toa of Iron sitting across from him; his increasingly frantic barrage of ramblings seeming to just barely containing the turbulent sea of emotions which undoubtedly roiled just beneath the surface, perhaps only held in check by scarf which the mercenary had pulled up just beneath his eyes at times. While the Fe-toa had only been back to civilization for a short time, Dehkaz had quickly caught onto the fact that letting Shaddix talk was far more enlightening than asking him questions ever could have been, though Dehkaz wasn't entirely sure how much more Dorian could take if he continued to get lost in the confines of his mind while dispensing bits of useful information, let alone stand up to someone picking his brain. Dehkaz empathized, Shaddix looked a man that had been thrust into events, not out of his depth but nonetheless forced to survive in an otherwise unforgiving world by the strength of his own will alone. It was not an enviable position, nor one that he felt particularly comfortable leaving the toa of Iron by himself. Even so, information was still information. While he might have removed himself from that particular aspect of Mata Nui for some time now, despite its best efforts to keep its blackened tendrils wrapped around his life, Xa-Koro had been his home for the better part of his life right up until that ceased to be his life. Granted, he would never had called the ramshackle collection of buildings which housed those deemed unfit to live amongst the rest of society home at the time. There were always whispers, backroom dealings and opportunities passed along by word of mouth. It was no great secret that the most lucrative assassination contracts and mercenary jobs could be had if one was effective enough, Mata Nui's social elite utilizing those in the dregs of civilization for their dirty work was a tale as old as civilization on the island. They were, in more than some ways, the only reason the village had sustained itself for such a long time, and would have survived for even long if not for it's untimely sinking beneath the waves. Before, its demise and subsequent migration of its population to Ko-Koro had felt like one taking advantage of a freak accident. For the sinking to be intentional... certainly linked events much more strongly than before. "You're an Aggressor, Krayn," Dehkaz spoke up, his voice certain, "Nothing will ever change that. You'll always be welcome, and the Fowadi will always be at your disposal. Resources aren't an issue, and a place to stay even less so." His gaze had shifted from Dorian to rest on said toa of Sonics. While as grim as it always had been, there was an assuredness to the look which was difficult to mistake for anything but. "If 'they' are incredibly dense enough so as to try to keep you away, it'll be over my dead body."

@Perp

IC: Kalih [Fau Swamp, Kavinika] While initially weary of experimenting further with the odd collection of levers and dials that surrounded the wheel, eventually the Ga-matoran's curosity won out over his caution. It didn't take long to figure out that the large lever was some sort of speed control, though the exact mechanics of the windless motion were still somewhat lost on him, as were the technical reason for the numbered spots along its path of travel. Absently Kalih patted Haa's armored side, the Keras having busied himself with doing some exploring for himself along the metal vessel. Probably looking for a place for a burrow. The smaller lever vexed Kalih for a time longer, it made no obvious changes to the ship's motion when flipped from one position to the other. It took flipping both levers for him to finally determine its function, as a satisfying clunk of mechanisms shifting sounded from beneath his feet even as the ship was provoked into motion by some unseen force. This time backwards and away from the river shoreline, freeing the vessel from its semi-beached status at last. Not wanting to get too far away, and not entirely sure he could control the ship's motion well, Kalih brought the large lever back to an upright position, and the Kavinika began to lazily drift along with the river currents. He felt rather proud of himself for that one. Not wanting the momentum of his good luck to die off quite so quick, Kalih flipped the smaller lever back forward, and turned the wheel hard to port. Pausing a moment to take stock of his situation, and calling to Haa to not climb over the side just yet, he moved the large lever one position forward. The ship complied, and at a sedate pace began to move under it's own power down the river.

OOC: Tarnok, Kellin, Cancer, Leli from Ga-Wahi IC: Leli [Tunnels] The sky above was engulfed at once as the four of them made it to the entrance to one of the multitudes of tunnels that crisscrossed under the rocky, desolate surface of Onu-Wahi. Leli, laying back against Cancer's shell with one leg bent, watched as the stars above disappeared into just plane darkness one by one. It was unsettling, as if they were being swallowed whole by the earth itself. Perhaps it was just because her night vision wasn't anywhere as good as those that lived in her Koro. Especially when they passed underneath one of the lightstone lamps hanging from the wall, the sudden increase in luminosity all but destroying what she could see of the surroundings for a moment. Blinking the spots from her eyes, Leli sat up letting out a small huff, resting her head on her knees as she hugged her legs. Traveling wasn't... the most exciting thing for her. She tilted her head to the side, enough to get Tarnok in her line of vision, the Onu-Matoran having elected to walk for a bit on their trek, and wordlessly watched him for a time.

IC: Dehkaz [Iron Mahi to Po-Koro] "About three hours or so, give or take depending on how the winds are across the Motara," Dehkaz answered, settling into the seat across from Krayn, before continuing, "Needs to slow down through sandstorms, but it's better than being stuck outside in one of them."

IC: Lii [Odaiba, Outskirts] Lii's eyes flared, and if it weren't for the inferno already blazing around her they might've burned. Imperials! Of course they were. Her fists tightened. "Perhaps I do!" She snapped back, "It would be preferable to cooperating with your kind, Toroshu." The title sounded more like a curse than an honorific, and there was a heavy pause as Lii stood nearly motionless save for the jagged aura around her form. And then it disappeared, the flames dying nearly as quickly as they had come, and she let out a breath of annoyance. The warrior turned promptly on her heel, and stalked off towards the younger of their group without a word to reassure them that they were not going to face the demons again, before the Grandmaster could say more to her.

IC: Leli [Ga-Koro] Leli leaned over the edge of her perch atop Cancer's shell, kicking one leg up for balanced as she did so. It was a precarious position, what with the crab's bumpy trek over the bridging pieces of plant matter as they approached the Koro's gate to the shoreline. "Uhhh, I don't see- oh!" Leli kicked her leg down some to swing herself back up to an upright position, turning to her two (three!) traveling companions. She smiled, and pinched her fingers together. There was a small crack as the bit of Stralix Powder between them ignited from the pressure, and the tell-tale smell of it going off drifting from it. "Yup!"

IC: Lii [Odaiba, Outskirts] She winced involuntarily as the unsettling feeling of muscle, skin, and natural armor began to mend itself from it's own accord, driven by the Grandmaster's Kanohi. He was, of course, correct. It wouldn't do if she was unable to train with a compromised limb, let along unable to defend what remained of their temple. She wasn't too proud to admit that, and bowed her head in thanks and respect. ...Even if there was a small part of her soul that fought against such a motion. Didn't mean she had to like the new Grandmaster, of course. Lii opened her mouth to speak, even as Shunkyou's gaze drifted to the treeline in a recognizable watch for approaching danger. Perhaps something had made his bones ache? She wasn't quite sure how that worked, but had heard other Grandmasters say such things before when she was at the temple. Words never left her mouth, as a new voice, unfamiliar and completely filling the space all around sounded out from the very environment, as if every tree was speaking at once. "Who are you?" It was calm, measured even, but still unfamiliar. Lii reacted in an instant, the ache in her legs all but forgotten as the jolt of surprise delved deep into her gut, snapping in an instant into the wellspring of energy that flowed within her Soul... and up through her spine, out through her limbs, down to every fingertip. A fiery crimson inferno shot to life around her form, blazing bright before settling down to a tightened, jagged aura, as Lii took a single step forward and settled into an easy offset stance, the motion putting her a half step between the Grandmaster and what she only assumed to be the actual location of the owner of the voice ahead of them. Her hands were raised but still relaxed, prepared but not necessarily aggressive. "We might ask the same!" She called out to the world, finding it odd to address a voice that came from everywhere. "Show yourself, none of these tricks!"

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] The toa of Magnetism gave a nod as Krayn joined back up with the rest of them on the deck, the de-Toa blinking a few times from the midday sun. "This way," Dehkaz called, leading the assorted group of toa down the gangplank and across the Fowadi's berth to the port town of Ostia proper. The white-stone buildings were a bustle of activity, merchants and traders of all sorts making their way through the streets as they ascended through Ostia. Despite the activity, it wasn't long before they had reached the higher tiers of the village. There the whitewashed ocean dwellings gave way to more traditional Po-Koroan buildings, before civilization stopped completely and nothing but dry landscape stretched out as far as the eye could see, broken up by a singular line of tracks for the Iron Mahi. The mechanical marvel itself was easy enough to see, still outside the station which Dehkaz had stepped out onto not too long ago, various beings milling about around it as cargo and passengers made their way onboard. Gaining transport for them, while the majority of the Iron Mahi was used for freight this far out to the coast, wasn't particularly difficult, as Dehkaz gave a nod to the matoran checking passengers before they entered, the Bo-matoran nodding in return. He'd been on the line enough times over the past few weeks that those working the station obviously knew him by sight alone. Dehkaz waved the others onboard, and moved to find an empty cabin for them.

IC: Lii [Odaiba, Outskirts] Her legs hurt. Perhaps it was because the pain of the ten-thousand-steps had long since faded from her memory in the years since, her body having forgotten the actual hardship she endured. Or perhaps it was because she had been singularly motivated then, each step carrying her towards a point, a destination in her mind, an obstacle to be overcome for her journey to begin. Now each step took her further from her home, away from where she should be. Or maybe it was just the hastily bandaged gash along her right thigh, obscured by her crimson robes. Lii winced. No, no. It did not hurt. She was fine. But it didn't help her mood. When the demons attacked she had been sent ahead to secure the path, away from the fighting, away from the beasts. Her! They sent her away! Clan Long's strongest fighter. Or soon to be. ...Would have been! How could she know for sure if she wasn't given the chance to test herself against an enemy as strong as the demons had been. Something to push her to the limits of her capabilities--as distant as they may be--and give her the chance to go beyond them. She couldn't know! But no, instead she had to ensure the safety of the initiates, herding the group of young ones down the same ten thousand steps to the plains of Odaiba below. And all she got for her trouble was the gash on her leg, courtesy of one of the dying spasms of one of the demons, one which she didn't even get to kill. Or even trade blows with. Lii let out a breath, and did her best to push the thoughts from her mind, her gaze wandering to the front of their congregation as they made their way forward, stopping on the Master Ment-err, Datsue Shunkyou. She heard that he had held the line with the other Grandmasters, his Rage burning so intensely that none could approach without being reduced to ash. He got to prove himself, why didn- Ughh. Lii bit her tongue, stemming the tide of thoughts. "Where are we headed though?" Lii asked aloud, moving to fall into step next to the newest Grandmaster.

IC: Kalih [Fau Swamp, Kavinika] So some of the dials were labeled, that was useful. A few of them were not, that wasn't. The wheel was responsive, that was something at least, though it took some doing for him to get it turning. The fact that it seemed to be designed for a being twice his height wasn't helping matters much at all. Still, it turned and appeared to do exactly what he imagined it to. The lever to the right of him, though, that was what had caught his current interest. It was marked, sure, but without any sort of meaningful indicators. Or at least, ones that were not very descriptive. Simply the Matoran numbers , , , , and . All in all, decidedly unhelpful. There was a second lever, smaller, and only possessing two positions as opposed to the multitude of the first. That one was currently flipped forward, and he didn't really want to try to move that. He really hated not knowing what something did. To Karz with it. Kalih pushed the larger lever forward and braced himself for... nothing to happen. Well that was anticlimati- The vessel suddenly lurched forward, the sudden movement nearly taking him off his feet, before an ear-splitting grinding sound emanated from the fore of the ship, and the Kavinika stopped dead nearly as suddenly as it had started moving. The bow undoubtedly ramming itself into the shoreline before him. Distantly, the Ga-matoran heard a splash, but he didn't pay it much mind, instead working the larger lever back from the completely forward position which he had placed it. The grinding stopped, thankfully, as did the ship's motion. Angry chittering sounded from the deck behind him. "Okay... Alright." Learning here.

IC: Dehkaz [Ostia Docks, Fowadi] Dehkaz nodded in acknowledgement, it was good enough a reason for him that she went seeking this out on her own volition, even if the Po-matoran couldn't yet find words which described a conscious reason why. "My first mate, Kale Ironshaper, is a deck below us. He'll get your bunk situated and give you a walk around the Fowadi." He motioned the the door which him and the rest of the small assemblage of Aggressors and friends had just exited through. The toa of Magnetism paused, the trace of almost what could be described as a smile playing across his Kanohi, "Welcome aboard."