Wotz

OOC: yeah I saw that after I posted lol IC: Kahlynn Inside, Kahlynn squeeled in delight at being known as "the guy with the whiskey". On his cold external shell, however, his uncaring eyes occupied Vygel with drooped eyelids and the utmost relaxation. "Yeah, cheers," he said. "I'll be sure to spend it on something like, uh, a wheel or something."

IC: Kahlynn "So, walking," Kahlynn almost yelled to anyone who would listen in an attempt to break the silence. "This is fun." OOC: is this treasure hunt thing still going on

some kind of meat substitute #### someone already made that joke

Every Le-Matoran. We'd just party and speak illegible slang all day and night. Like, seriously, what jobs are there in Le-Koro? None. It's just fun all the time. Or maybe Takua. We could go travelling together and stuff.

IC: Kahlynn A few of the widgets clattered to the floor and rolled away into oblivion as Kahlynn snatched the handful of coins out of the Toa's hand. He then gestured calmly to the tray in offering.

IC: Kahlynn Kahlynn turned slowly, and stared at the Toa for a few seconds as if he was some kind of freak, waiting to see if he was joking. When no affirmation came, he replied. "Well, you either pay me in some form, or you're one of these fine gentlemen I just bought them for. If you're intending to just take one of my hard-earned shots for nothing, you can- well, you can take a long walk off a short cliff." The Skakdi folded his arms and pushed out on his biceps to make them appear bigger to the stranger. "What's it gonna be, kiddo?"

OOC: Cheeky retcon-that-could-always-not-be-a-retcon here, but it's not like anyone was gonna respond to him in Ga anyway. IC: Kahlynn A tray with every square centimetre of its surface covered by shot glasses slammed down on the table in front of Zauk and the others. Looking up, the assembled group saw a grinning, red-armoured Skakdi draped in ragged poncho. "My name's Kahlyn," said Kahlynn. "I'm fairly sure someone said 'adventure'? I'm a gorgeous tracker - that's 'gorgeous at tracking', but also, yes, 'gorgeous and a tracker', you didn't have to - and now that I've bought you all, like, a million shots each, maybe you wanna have me on board?" There was a silence as he waited, arms folded, that stupid grin still plastered on his face. When no one replied, his teeth faded out of view. "Or maybe you don't like tequila?"

IC: Kuhrin "How dare you speak to me of cowardice," Kuhrin whispered, his voice coming from up ahead- no, to the left- the right- everywhere at once, its source darting to and fro. "I suppose your ego is too swollen for you to understand that you are inferior," the voice was circling them now, a Muaka toying with its prey. "To understand that you are not worth me lifting a finger to come to you, that you cannot see me because I will it to be so, that you cannot kill me because that is the way I like it." Finally it came to settle directly behind Rhea. "Let me show you the error of your ways." Kuhrin lifted his hand to her head-level, and unleashed a torrent of incredibly high volume white noise, which spread out, unseen, into a rough trumpet shape from his palm. Snow was flung into the air by the sheer force of the vibrations, but Kuhrin remained stock still, absolute, not moving whatsoever from his position - standing there, arm outstretched, open palm. His empty face showed no remorse, no satisfaction, no acknowledgement whatsoever that the world existed.

"Good. Now run along, like a good boy. Leave this place."

Silence for a second. Two seconds. Then Desuka made his break for freedom. The monster doubled over, clutching its head, writhing in pain, desperately trying to fight off the invasive mind of the Toa. It planted its claws in the snow and attempted to stand, but its muscles ached with exhaustion, its lungs burned. Where had its energy gone? It opened its mouth to scream, but the cry twisted and morphed in the air like a broken record until it formed a chillingly familiar voice. "You've made me very cross," Kuhrin announced, his words ricocheting around the clearing. "Desuka here is a perfect example of what happens to people who make me cross." A pause as the creature rolled onto its back, its body shaking and lurching in the snow. "Very soon, he will change back into his usual self and continue wasting away in isolation. That is, if he recovers from his mental and physical wounds." For a moment, his voice switched back to the screaming of the beast, which was cut short by the return of his demanding tone. "Stop following me, or I will dismantle every last foundation of your soul, just as I have done to my brother. Do I make myself clear?"

IC: Desuka Desuka found himself in mid-run, metal whips lashing at his feet on one side and a tidal wave of plasma speeding towards him from the other. Instinctively, he leapt forth and sprang off the boulder in front of him, using it to propel him into a back flip up into the air and over the blast of heat in an athlete's high jump. He came down a few feet behind where he had come in, and used this precious millisecond to attempt to assess the situation and find out exactly what in sanity's name was going on. Two opponents, both armed, keeping their distance. They moved with ease, experience. Highly adept. But so was he. Reaching out with his powers over sound- Nothing. He tried again. Still nothing. Just to confirm his suspicions, he went out on a limb and attempted to activate his mask. It wasn't responding either. And then, he remembered. ... The monster whirled around, gripping its head in pain, wailing. As it cried out, its tone shifted from a roar to something not far from a voice - an intelligent, tortured voice. Then, as suddenly as the screaming had started, it stopped. The beast looked up, the fury back in its eyes, the savagery of its movements returned. Baring its teeth and claws, it growled at the two Toa who dared to oppose it, and waited for them to make their move.

IC: Desuka As it shot through the air over Rhea, the creature gritted its teeth and braved the streak of searing pain that had materialised down its underbelly. Before it had even hit the ground, the pain had been nudged aside by the fury unlocked by its prey's insult. Skidding to a halt in the snow, the beast used its momentum to whirl around 180 degrees to face its opponent. Just in time, it threw itself to the ground as the swirling mass of heat turned the ice and rock behind it into a pool of steaming liquid. Not only had this being dared to scar its torso, but it was now throwing balls of plasma as well. The projectile might as well have struck, as the creature was ablaze with its fury. Using its anger to power its movements, the savage grabbed a part of the rock that jutted out from the rest, and pulled. The ice had made it brittle, and with the monster's extreme strength, a huge boulder about the size of Rhea was torn free from the mountain. The beast turned and lobbed the rock into the air towards its foe, then chased it as it sailed through the air, and then dropped suddenly down. Rhea was directly underneath the boulder, while the creature was rapidly approaching on the ground.

IC: Noka For a brief moment, Noka was overcome with rage. Need something? Was she now a needy child that had been forced upon them? Need something... She needed her grandfather back, she needed to find Kuhrin, she needed- She shook her head. "Let's go." The faster they left, the faster they'd find Kuhrin.

IC: Noka Noka responded by giving Khervos an empty stare for a moment, shrugged, then turned back to her spot on the wall. Her fingers gently stroked the hilt of her sword. She itched to draw it, to cut through flesh with its cold, lifeless blade. But she forced herself to relent. These people wouldn't understand. Their small minds did not reach far enough to comprehend her urges. Soon, she would have to have some time away from them, just for a few minutes. But for now, she remained stoic, unmoving.

IC: Desuka The beast drew closer to the ground too, slowly easing into a four-legged run. Faster and fast it moved, ploughing through the snow like it was water. Nothing could come between this unstoppable force and its prey. There was silence in the air, save its heavy breath and the snow being brushed aside. Within seconds, it was in range. Its size was to be marvelled; its sheer strength radiated from its powerful armoured body. With an almighty pound on the earth, the wolf launched itself into the air, pouncing directly towards Rhea.

IC: Desuka blind rage The snow, the ice, cold, can't feel my- can't see anything, just white, red. kuhrin's panicked face - "...are nearby, they're coming-" they're going to hurt me "-they're coming for you, Desuka!" THEY'RE COMING FOR ME Must defend home, must defend- kill -myself. Kill before they kill me. silhouettes There. People. I see them. Shapes in the mist. Coming closer. coming to hurt you They're coming to hurt me. coming to kill you They're coming to kill me. have to kill them ...Before they kill me. ... The snow in this part of the mountain was fine, and formed a sort of fog and mist that prevented Rhea and Ferron from seeing more than a few meters ahead in any direction. The tracks they were following acted as a rope to cling to, to make sure they stayed on the right path. Or, at least, it would, had they ever been on the right path. Up ahead, a towering shape began to become visible. A hulking mass of bicep and torso with normally sized legs that looked stumpy in relation to the rest of the being. The snow crunched and condensed beneath its feet. As more and more of the creature became visible, Ferron noted that its feet matched the tracks exactly. They weren't just like that of a beast - they belonged to one. It looked as if the creatures spine had burst from its back and grown into bladed spikes. Its face was like that of a Toa that had been split open into a mess of teeth and yellowed skin. Its fists were clenched, spiked claws embedding themselves in the palm of its hand. It was hideous. Suddenly, its pitch black eyes caught them in its glare, and the beast opened its face to let out a blood curdling roar.

IC: Noka "Will I?" Noka questioned hopelessly. All she could imagine Onu-Koro being was dark and empty. Before anyone could answer her, she went on. "We should be going soon, if that's where we're heading. The sun is setting." She nodded out of the window at the orange glow on the horizon beneath a pale sky.

IC: Noka Noka shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Where did the trackers go?"

IC: Noka Noka forced a thin, sheepish smile, and took Tuli's hand in her soft grasp. "Hello."

IC: Noka She didn't say a word as she dug the grave, or as her and Khervos carried his limp, frail body outside and into the hole. She remained in utter silence as she sealed her pain away forever beneath several feet of earth, and placed a stone tablet over it with the words in Matoran text: HERE LIES KUTSAN BELOVED DEMON AND GRANDFATHER They stood by the grave for some time. She was helpless, lost. This was her status quo, however painful it was, and now it had been torn away. The desert sands were suddenly unfamiliar, the sky was suddenly a slightly darker shade of blue, the sun's light was suddenly that little bit colder. She did not belong in this new world, this strange, wild realm of dead grandfathers and murderous ex-boyfriends. It was not her home, yet here she was, trapped, present but not all there. Eventually she spoke, breaking the empty quiet with a voice hoarse with sorrow. "Take me to Kuhrin," she pleaded meekly to Khervos. "Please."

Because apparently posting links gets you compliments: "Quick and pointless, that's the death for me!"

IC: Noka As the pair of them approached the house again, Noka began to form her swimming thoughts into a speech to give to her grandfather, and fought off the shaky queasiness that had washed over her upon realising what she was about to do. After years and years, she was at last opting to fight the demons that she had previously allowed to harm her. This was the beginning of a new era in her life, the start of the new Noka, a strong, brave Noka, who didn't let harsh words get to her or allow evil to go on existing. A Noka that no longer blamed herself for other peoples faults, and brought retribution to those who did cruelty. She burst in through her hut's rackety door and stood triumphantly in the doorway for a few seconds, staring into the main room. Marks in the floor showed where an armchair had been dragged from Kutsan's bedroom into the centre of the room. He sat there, slouched, holding his cane across his lap like a pet, his head resting on his shoulder as he slept, silently. Her face fell slightly into confusion. She began to move closer, and it began to become clear why the room had turned so quiet. He was utterly still, his eyes staring straight ahead, gazing at the doorway blankly. He had come to wait for his granddaughter to come home, the lonely old man who had so little left to cling to, and he would never stop waiting. Noka stood over him. No longer was she the strong, brave, new Noka. Instead her shoulders sagged, her dry eyes focused on attempting to process what this was. The open scar on her face had begun to sting from the heat, but she was numb to its pain. A small trail of blood trickled out of it and off the edge of her mask, the droplet exploding on her toe, but she did not feel it. No grandiose speech came from her lips. Not a word was uttered. She simply stood in silence before her dead grandfather.

IC: Noka Noka stared at the handkerchief for a moment as she listened and pondered his words. Perhaps a part of her didn't want to accept that the people she had loved could change. Was the grandfather she loved the same man as the Kutsan who abused her? Was the Kuhrin she had loved the same Kuhrin who had killed two people? Questions cascaded through her mind, desperately searching for some kind of secure fact, but none could be found. Kutsan, at least, had grown bitter with age. He had grown to hate the world that had been cruel to him, and was simply awaiting his inevitable death, when he would die alone and afraid. He was blind to those who loved him. Noka had stayed by him this long, and she wasn't going to give up on him now. At last, she reached out and took the handkerchief. "We're going back inside," she told Khervos firmly. "And I'm going to tell my grandfather what I should have told him a long time ago."

IC: Noka Without looking directly at Khervos, Noka scowled. "It's not that simple. The world isn't as black and white as you might like it to be, Khervos." She summoned the courage to look him in the eyes, attacking him with her fire. "He's my grandfather. He raised me from birth, something my parents never seemed to be able to care to do. Everything he does is because he cares about me and wants the best for me, even if I may not agree. It's not exactly like he knows any other way to keep me disciplined. He's my grandfather, Khervos, he's my own flesh and blood. You think I'm going to leave him, a senile old man, to rot away on his own? "That's why I haven't told anybody. That's why nobody needs to know - because they will all make the exact same assumptions and jump to the exact same conclusions as you, all blind, stupid, stupid-" she broke down into sobbing, covering her face and dropping to her knees as the sand before her was speckled with dark patches where her beads of sadness struck.