a goose

The Mystix were once notorious across all Mata Nui: bat-like warriors who appeared seemingly from nowhere to assault Le-Koro, led by their would-be Emperor, Ignotus. Their attack was repelled, and the attackers themselves banished by our dear, departed Matau, from there to retreat into the shadows and plot their return. Rumour spread of a new leader in their midst - Zarnarax, brother of the now-dead Ignotus (stabbed in the back and left for the Rahi in the Drifts, some say), had taken charge, and laid out plans to conquer Mata Nui non-violently through guile and political machinations.

But that was many years ago, now. Preoccupied with the terrors of Makuta and Its eventual defeat, and the turmoil that followed, most have long since forgotten or ceased to care about the mysterious race. Few now speak their name, relegated only to fireside tales and the drunken braggadocio of Gukko-riders. Fewer still ask the question:

What became of the Mystix?

FATE OF THE MYSTIX
PART ONE: OF FANGS AND FLAME

alright shitbirds, this is the fruit of blood, sweat, tears, and an utter inability to set limitations upon ourselves. this is the biggest, most masturbatory goddamn jam you have ever seen in your entire goddamned lives, courtesy of myself (you're bloody well welcome), @Wotz (welcome back buddy), and @Pteronura Brasiliensis (yeah, he's here too). this is in effect not only the official announcement that the chiropteran mystix are back (details in my profiles post), but also the most overwrought and self-indulgent possible recap of just what it is that happened to them at the end of arc 1. no retcons have occurred, no new canon has been added, but that stuff happened literally 8 years ago and even we didn't remember it, so it'd be wild to expect any of you to. you wanna make a mystix? read this post or like, shoot me a message or whatever and i can give the rundown. you wanna keep up with the Grand Mystix Plotline of Arc 3, or get directly involved? you'd best read this, AND throw me a line on discord or in PMs, because we are quite literally going places with this. so you dickwads had better read this utter circle-jerk of a truly epic, novelette-length jam and you had better bloody well enjoy it

thank you

honk honk mothertruckers

IC: Ronan

As the light of the entrance faded behind them, Ronan unsheathed her right-hand sword. They may not have been able to see, but they could - to some degree - hear. And so she did; she had no sensory advantages, nothing to give her an edge. Only her instincts and her ears. And her instincts told her that, although Death was not yet walking with them, It was not far behind.

Or far ahead.

Her grip on the hilt of her sword tightened.

Just now, Rahisaurus said:

Was it me? Sorry if so, I'm new. Which would be the better topic?

oh no, he did it himself in ko

i called him out for it in DMs lmao

IC: Aerus (Echelon's Lair)

"I got caught in a web," Aerus said, with a rueful smirk. "Wrong place, wrong time. We met in Ko-Wahi; he'd just been melted out of Merror's latest attempt to stop him without killing him. The two Matoran who did it must've realised their mistake pretty quickly, given that they were already dead by the time he caught sight of me."

He remembered the chill that had passed through him when first he saw the two reanimated Matoran flanking the Necromancer; he had his Tryna back then, and it wasn't yet infected, and still he looked utterly demonic. Aerus had tried to hide at first, for all the good it had done him. Blue on white snow stood out almost as much as black and acid green.

"He asked me why he shouldn't kill me. I told him I was good at reading people. Then he monologued about how evil he was for a while, and gave me the choice of how I'd follow him. I chose the option where I kept breathing."

Funny that Aerus had had this conversation before, with Merror himself. He, and his rightfully suspicious compatriots, had asked why Aerus stayed with Echelon, and why he had gone back to him when given the chance to escape. He made his vague excuses, about how he could only leave because Echelon allowed him to, but the truth was…

The truth was he didn't really know. It scratched at the inside of his skull like nails on a chalkboard, to pride himself so on profiling others and still not understand why he himself kept making the most dangerous decision of his life. All the times he had nearly died…

"How about you?" he asked, suddenly aware of how he had drifted into silent thought.

for anyone who wants to stroke my ego by listening to the podcast's theme

IC: Ronan

Ronan placed a hand on the hilt of her sheathed shortsword, and nodded. She knew that not a one of them was ready, and some less than others. But Death was her oldest and most loyal companion, and she had never doubted It would follow her into this accursed darkness. She had no fear - only caution, and her own wits.

But then, Death and her wits had always seen her through so far. What more could she ask for? Let this nightmare finally begin.

IC: Aerus (Echelon's Lair)

The action could hardly have been more suspicious. Aerus felt the predator in Syrik that had been dormant for most of their conversation tense up - the Toa’s face was, as ever, impenetrable. But in those indecipherable eyes, Aerus could swear he detected a hint of… warning.

Marionette. The word conjured in him again the image of a spider; at first, the spider that toys with its trapped prey, but then…

He had read of a rare spider, deep in the Le-Wahi jungle. Not all spiders, after all, were Fikou. This spider did not stop at building a web - it built another spider. It would gather leaves and twigs and spin them together into its own image - only far larger. Then, it would use its web to puppet it. Aerus could no longer remember exactly why - whether it was to fool predator, prey, or both. All the same, the thought sent a chill up his spine, and he began to feel the prickling caress of crawling legs upon his skin.

He wanted to know. He doubted Syrik was lying, it was quite likely it wasn’t relevant to Aerus - but it was very clearly relevant to him. Something stirred inside him, a desire, much as it had when the Necromancer was alive and his journals forbidden: knowledge, for knowledge’s sake. His mind was whirring - questions to ask, what words to use, the best way to pry what he could from Syrik - and then he stopped. Something about the Toa’s tone, his eyes, his careful smile, had set off a siren somewhere inside Aerus, the silent cry of ‘danger’ that had steered many a Rahi away from the underbrush.

For once in his life, Aerus chose not to speak, and simply nodded his understanding.

2 minutes ago, Pteronura Brasiliensis said:

i'm the orders

hi the orders, i'm dad

IC: Aerus (Echelon's Lair)

Aerus nodded. "Neurological, as I understand it. Somehow related to my nervous system. If ever there was evidence of the physical power of the mind...”

He thought back to the cave collapse in Le-Koro, the temporary loss of sensation in his arm that was the first true hint of things to come. Since then, he’d had many interesting conversations with doctors who could not seem to decide whether or not his bouts of psychosis were related to this, but agreed for the most part that at the very least, his peripheral nervous system was #####ed. The damage could not be reversed, and he just had to stay active, perform his exercises, and hope that that would slow it down. Easier said than done when in near-constant pain, and still not an actual solution.

“My hope is that there could be something in there that was little use to him and his grand goal of overcoming death itself, but would make significantly more of a difference to someone whose body is wasting around them.” A vain hope, most likely, but he needed something to keep him going.

IC: Aerus (Echelon's Lair)

"Well, it seems safe to say the secret to immortality is off the table." Aerus' valiant endeavour to make it sound like a joke was mostly for naught; the bitterness found its way into his voice all the same. "So I'll settle on something that might stop my body crumbling around me."

He shrugged, and tapped his cane on the floor. His voice, tempered as it was by his increasing weariness, was still clearly young. Too young by far to be walking more like a Turaga than a Matoran. "Based on his recent notes, it seems like all of the good ##### in that ouevre is locked behind that cipher."

IC: Ronan

Ronan watched her companions' bickering impassively. Even she could tell that tensions were getting high, despite the fact that she didn't fully understand why that was the case.

Silently, she looked over each person present once again. Her eyes drifted quickly past Skri and Plagia, without settling at all on the Lieutenant; Kehuri caught her interest, as did Zueya, and she took a moment, sizing each of them up. Skorm, however, was where her gaze lingered longest.

Finally, she looked to the Lt., now that everyone seemed to be focused once again on his orders.

IC: Kaelynn (Great Jungle, approaching Pala-Koro)

Isn’t that…?

Kae adjusted for the minor miscalculation as she realised their true destination. Props to the Lesterin who had put her up to this - she’d managed to stay even with Kae, despite her Calix. Unfortunately for Trava, Kae had been holding back one pretty significant ability.

The timing had to be precise, but she knew what she was doing - she waited for the exact peak of momentum in the arc of her current swing. And then, she didn’t throw the next hook.

Instead, Kae flew forwards, combining her control over the wind with her own inertia to breeze ahead (literally) of her opponent, tossing her a mock salute in mid-air before throwing her next hook - much further ahead than she could have without the boost - to repeat the process.

OOC: @Geardirector

IC: Ronan

"Our Turaga friend just informed us that the darkness here is unnatural. We must conclude, based on her experience, that any light will struggle to penetrate it."

OOC: @Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)

IC: Ronan

"For one thing, we'll most certainly be outnumbered. Secondly, with the rumours the Rahkshi have rediscovered their cunning, unless you took them on before You-Know-What, you can expect more capable opposition." Ronan's voice was soft, and matter-of-fact, as if she were reading off groceries instead of reciting their odds of survival. "On top of that, as we've just learned, we'll be in total darkness. The Rahkshi will have the home field advantage, particularly because we're travelling toward a destination, so we'll have to deal with them both ways. Only a few of you seem to know each other, so we won't be functioning with the polish of a coordinated group. Also, they'll have the drop on us; from what I understand, there's no such thing as the element of surprise in the Dark Walks."

Ronan looked directly at Skorm, still maintaining her unaffected demeanour. "I think that's about it."

OOC: @Keeper of Kraata

IC: Ronan (Dark Walk Entrance)

Ronan listened in silence to the Turaga’s tale, her face pensive. This was not truly news to her - she knew of the dangers of the Dark Walks, if not firsthand. Their deadly reputation, it seemed, was no exaggeration.

A hint of frustration crept unbidden into her mind, and was quickly banished. It was little use to dwell on Ko-Koro’s foolhardy decision to send new recruits into those depths. Funny, though, that like the Turaga, they too would travel as ten. She looked over her fellows once again; Which of us, I wonder, will not return?

IC: Ronan (Dark Walk Entrance), Aerus (Echelon’s Lair)

The arrival of the latest newcomer was announced by the soft crunch of footsteps on snow, steadily approaching the group. Icy blue eyes appraised the gathered Highlanders, set in an indecipherable face.

"Am I late?" The question was presented without inflection, a genuine and unemotional query.

-    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -    -

Well then. That’s interesting.

Aerus walked to the drawers where the correspondences were filed, his cane tapping against the floor, and scanned the symbols embossed upon them.

“These,” he said, straining with the unexpected effort of opening a few - This is what happens when you fail to keep up with your exercises - “Will have the most relevant information on the Akiri and the Toa Maru. The inter-Koro politics are a tad more… dispersed, but all correspondences are reliably in chronological order - newest at the front - so it will be possible to assemble a timeline.”

Aerus took a moment to catch his breath, and then smirked. “As for Xa-Koro, some of that I can tell you myself: it was destroyed by Ambages, as part of a group called the Four Peers.”

He still remembered his own encounter with Ambages: he had come to Echelon and Makuta’s other followers, offering a way into Pala-Koro. Moments later, the Dark Toa Ronkshou had appeared, and provided them equipment - Aerus’ revolver included - via Ahkmou, and his group of ‘Kufa’s. He had been interested, if not entirely surprised, to learn that Ambages was not just acting in his own interests, and that it was the Cultured Gentry itself that supplied their weapons to Ahkmou. That Ambages was also a member of the Peers, prior to his death in Ko-Koro, had been a surprise to him - as was the existence of the Peers altogether. This was enough motivation to have sought out mentions of the former Vizier in Echelon's journals and correspondences, in order to satiate his curiosity, but without having encountered the Peers he had little interest in them.

“I had a brush with him, but he was representing the Cultured Gentry then. I can’t tell you much about the other Peers, but Echelon had a lot of contact with them.” He indicated another drawer with his cane. “Between that, and the old man’s journals, you should find most of what you need.”
 

OOC:  @Krayzikk @Void Emissary @ARROW404 @Daniel the Finlander @Perp @Visaru @Leaf oh god i'm so sorry to be tagging this many people this feels like a crime

IC: Aerus

Oh thank Mata Nui, he’s not another Makuta freak.

Perhaps it was the suspicious nature he had developed in his time around Echelon, but Aerus got the distinct feeling Syrik wasn’t telling the whole truth. That, however, seemed mostly irrelevant, except to his own curiosity - after all, it seemed they each knew enough to come to an arrangement.

“Quid pro quo, then? I can work with that.” It would certainly be easier than breaking down Echelon’s old cipher from scratch. “If it’s intel that you’re after, the communications between his spy network have their own code. Naturally, I’ve broken it down too. It’s still filed by sender, rather than chronologically or by content, though, so I might be able to give advice if you’re looking for anything in particular.”

I sound like a #####ing librarian. Still, a decent - if transparent - way to express an interest in his motivations.

IC: Aerus

“It would appear he made a habit of that.” Something imperceptible had changed - Aerus couldn’t put his finger on it, but the tone had shifted somehow. A different kind of glint in Syrik’s eyes, perhaps?

“Might I ask what you want with a dead Necromancer’s notes? I presume that’s why you’re here.” Same as me.

IC: Aerus

No #####ing way.

“You cracked his old cipher?”

Providence. Once again, Aerus’ disbelief in fate was being tested.

IC: Aerus

Bingo. A student, then, pending evidence to the contrary.

Aerus couldn’t help but smile as he shook the - unexpectedly - young Toa’s hand, pleased with himself for narrowing down the options so quickly, even if much about this ‘Syrik’ was still a mystery. He had brought them one step closer to even footing.

“Funny, I was thinking something similar. Wouldn’t have expected him to have another spare key.” Even in death, Echelon found ways to surprise, consistent though he was. “I wasn’t his only Matoran associate. He had spies scattered around the island, had me ferry messages back and forth at times. But I can’t say I’ve seen another breathing Matoran in here.”

IC: Aerus (Echelon's Lair)

Aerus somewhat unnecessarily brushed off his shoulders, and then leaned down to pick his cane up off the floor. Putting his weight on it was a relief - he could already feel the beginnings of a shake in his knee, which bade poorly when combined with the light-headedness he was suffering after his upside-down sabbatical from gravity. He had no interest in being further degraded in front of this man, whoever he was, by falling.

"My name is Aerus. I handled what the corpses couldn't." 'The old man' - Aerus had referred to him as that a few times himself. It implied some level of familiarity, as did the fact that the Toa had known where to find the place, how to open the door, and gone directly to the study. Aerus hadn't known Echelon to bring any allies here - it was strictly a place for those he controlled, Aerus included. That didn't necessarily mean such had always been the case, but Echelon had been rather a private fellow. Had the Necromancer controlled this man, then?

Aerus sized him up. He was physically imposing, if subtly so - not built like a powerhouse, but clearly capable. He thought to how lazily the Toa had moved his wrist, to turn Aerus and set him down - comfortable with his element, then, too, and the same element as the old man himself. Certainly strong enough to rival Echelon, if not necessarily to defeat him, which made him an odd choice to be brought so close. The elemental commonality brought up another possibility - a student, perhaps? It was hard to picture Echelon as a mentor to anyone.

His clear physical capability did not necessarily disqualify him as a servant - Utu, after all, had been a behemoth, but one mentally under the Necromancer’s sway. If the stranger had been vulnerable to such control, Aerus doubted he was now - his eyes were unreadable, but still held the glint of intelligence. Furthermore, the stranger dominated the room, moving with the confidence and coiled-up threat of an apex predator in mind and body. He had not necessarily always been such - although in Aerus’ experience, predators were more easily born than made - but the thought of the Toa’s Elemental Magnetism struck him again. Subjugated, he would be almost redundant given Echelon’s own mastery of Magnetism, and physical prowess was something that Echelon could easily have found elsewhere.

Aerus considered his deductions, and came to what he felt were the two most likely conclusions:

As he had speculated, the man might have been a student, even an apprentice; it was hard to imagine that of Echelon, but there was enough evidence to lead him there.

Alternatively, like all Toa, he had not always been such; who was to say that Aerus was Echelon’s first living Matoran servant?

“Quite the opposite - a tenant, then?” Aerus narrowed his eyes, warily. Aside from the flourishes of his magnetism, the stranger lacked most of Echelon’s theatricality - cloaked in grey, an unadorned staff. Had he wanted to kill Aerus, he could likely have done so immediately, even if those flourishes suggested that he could still be inclined to play with his food. The fact that Aerus was no longer suspended in mid-air meant only that he had - correctly, in all honesty - been judged not to be a threat, but that was hardly a guarantee of his continued safety. No, what had preserved him so far was curiosity, and he had a thin line to walk between keeping the stranger curious, and not #####ing him off.

IC: Aerus (Echelon's Lair)

Aerus gritted his teeth - being manipulated by elemental magnetism was a uniquely unpleasant experience, and one that he hadn't particularly wanted to relive. But surprising even himself, in the face of this stranger, rather than intimidation he felt... annoyance?

Squatters? Do I look like a squatter to you?

"And what are you?" Aerus hissed. "His landlord?"

IC: Aerus (Echelon’s Lair)

No.

No.

Aerus’ hands were shaking, his ring finger twitching, tapping a panicked rhythm against the handle of his cane.

Breathe.

He counted to four, each breath held as long as he could bear. The footsteps were still approaching, but they weren’t Echelon’s. Nor were they Utu’s, although… something about them was closer to the latter than the former. He cursed himself for not having spent more time studying the gait and sounds of those with whom he had shared this icy tomb.

They’re getting close.

There were two possibilities here: ally, or enemy. Fortunately, both would be judged such in relation to the Necromancer, not to Aerus. His insignificance was to his advantage; hapless victim, willing servant - he could turn on a dime. His first instinct was to cower, to convince whomever arrived - ally or enemy - that he feared the one was the other. Fear was how he had survived, after all. Heroes and villains alike wanted, craved, fear - especially in people like Aerus. The little people. Helpless villagers were what made them feel powerful, be they protectors or conquerors. Fear, always, was the way forward.

And yet...

Closer.

Aerus steadied his hands. Stood confident, in his study. And he waited.

No fear. Not today.

32 minutes ago, capMARVELOUS said:

how do you do that thing with your text lol

if you write something with enough implications of cosmic horror, it just happens

BEAUTIFUL MADNESS AWAITS

Hey, you! Yes, you!

Been having odd dreams lately? You know the one. The monolith beneath the reef. The voiceless chorus that beckons you B̷̘̀Ë̸͇́Ḻ̸̆Ô̶̼W̶̖͝ , like the gentle tug of a mother upon a wayward child's sleeve. The agonising relief of waking, slick with sweat, sheets sticking like seaweed, to suffocating safety. And then, that terrible joy of realising that you hear still the silent call, the call from B̸͙͔̩̺̺́̇̓͌͝E̶̢̥̫̣̬̖̦͉͑̍̈́̚L̴̝̾͑͑͘͝Ỏ̸̥̳͇̖̳͊̐̈́̚͘W̴̧̱̱͗̆ : That you are w̸̗̺͠ą̴̉̈́n̷̗͂́t̴̔̈́͜e̶̦͌d̶̺̺͒̔ . That you W̵̧̧̼͇͗̍̚͝A̴͚̓N̵̢͙̤̞̥̟͉͎̝͈͐̑͗̋Ť̴̗͎̮̪̬̫̜͕͍͎̬̈́ . That you are n̸̪͇̅ͅe̸̲̗̠͆̂̒e̴͇̙̅̓d̵͖̐̚ë̸̹́̈́d̶̘͔̙̈́͋ . That you Ń̴̢̨͎̻̟̣͐͗͗̏̀̚Ē̷̫̖̹̤̬̑̋͐̎̓̃̾̓͒͐̄̂͆̀͗̈́̿̚̚͘͘͝͠͝Ẽ̴̡̧͓̼̩̼̙̯͉̖͕͕͍̰̠̱̩͑̌̓̏̅̌͜D̷̡̛̛̠̳̥͔̰̯̩̗̺̠͌͗̿́͐̐͆͊͐̾̑̑̀̉͐͗̋̋͂̾̑́̍͘͘͘ͅ .

We've been having that dream too. We all have. Come with us. Come B̴̧̡̡̺̪͉͓̙̳̟̦̪̬͙͚̥͎̅̓ͅ ̷̧̰̩̞͈̘̭̜̺͎̮̩͈͉̰̞͇͔͑͌̇̽͛́̀̈͗̿͂́̚̚͝ͅͅȨ̴͖̞̙̹̩̮̦̔͋͊͐̀̏̔͗͜͠ ̴̡̯̻̙̩̣͚̞̤̑̃L̸̛͕͚̙͚̦̩̫͈̲̫̫̮̪̓̈́̍̈́̇͂̿̈͆̏̇͐̐̀̈́̕̚̕ͅ ̶̡͔̙̥͍͕̣̹̗̖͙̠̙͑̀̓̅̈́͂̃̎̀͜Ó̴̭̲̹̟͙͓͚͖̆̍͌̒̓̍̅̋̾͘͠ ̵̨̛͓̱͕̙̹̭͕͖̝̋̊͛̈́̏̈́̎̉̃̈̌̎͂̃͋́̚͜W̵̼̲̽̍̌ . Find your fate.

Terms and conditions apply, always ask your parents' permission before going online. Interested parties are advised to contact, here or on discord, myself (Blue), Perp (Perp), or Grav (sunflower). We look forward to having you.

B̴e̸a̸u̶t̷i̸f̶u̷l̵ ̷m̴a̵d̴n̶e̸s̸s̷ ̶a̸w̶a̶i̷t̶s̶.̴