Silvan Haven

The Gucko Force and Ihu-Koro Highlanders are the only Guard forces attacking Ko-Koro. Aside from that it's mostly PCs trying to get out. And wrecking the place as they do so, but hey. Kini-Nui, the portal in the Vault was unlocked. Echelon is dead, Dorian is dead, and there's a short but nasty storm overhead. Ta-Koro, Not much. Mostly character interaction. No idea about Ga-Koro.

Kale Ironshaper- Ihu-Koro- Hosptial IC: Obviously that hadn't helped matters, as much as it had needed to be said. Skyra was breaking down in front of him. Hearing about Krayn after being plagued by her own doubts already. His reaction was instinctual, there was no thought about it or the awkwardness of the physical motion. As the other Toa raised her hands to hide her face he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. The words that followed were quiet. "I don't know. If it had been any other situation I'd say yes but...we had half the koro after us at the time. All we can do is hope that Dehkaz got to him in time." OOC: @Snelly

To be fair, it probably would have worked a lot better for Daniel's character than for the guy who just got thrown in jail.

Kale Ironshaper- Ihu-Koro- Hospital IC: It was there for just an instant, his carefully built mask of solidity cracking at that single question. For a moment anyone watching could see the still bleeding wound that lay beneath. The desperate struggle to not let it grow and consume him. but then the moment was gone, and the mask was repaired. With a sigh, Kale settled into a nearby chair and looked at Skyra with the same face he had seen on other Guardsmen when they delivered bad news about a loved one. "Krayn stayed behind to give us the time we needed to escape. Dehkaz showed up and went after him but...he was looking pretty shaky even before we left." OOC: @Snelly

Turn around and go back in the cell?

You could always just talk. There a are a million other things to do than try and break out.

Wrap up topic is only going to be around for a couple weeks, then we get a timeskip. It's really not the place to be doing something that can easily take a month to finish.

Kale Ironshaper- Ihu-Koro IC: When the Aggressors had escaped from Ko-Koro, they had done so with a fair number of wounded. Some had been allies wounded in the attempt to aid the Maru. Others had been part of the task force. Which group they belonged to didn't matter however, it was Kale's job to make sure they were all taken care of. A role that he had become increasingly familiar with over the course of their captain's long absence. So it was that the silver Toa had been making his rounds of the hospital when Skyra spoke. He paused at the young woman's words. Obviously her actions in the battle and the resulting chain of events bothered her. Which was a good thing, she had made mistakes that bore thinking about. Only, Kale knew how jumbled things could get on the battlefield. Making sure everyone followed the same plan was one of a leader's primary roles and challenges. If there had been a failure it had been as much on his head as hers. "Then become better." The words were neither hard nor soft. Hot nor cold. They simply were. If he shared the blame of her mistakes than he also shared the responsibility to help her get over them. OOC: @Snelly

A man can hope.

Welcome back.

Portal between Kentoku and Mata Nui was opened. Makuta came out of both ends.

Two down, four left. Four more islands/locations?

Who's got plans?

It's not really a battle to retake the koro at the moment. Sure the Gucko Force is there, but there aren't enough ground forces to really take and hold the town. All the good guys are currently escaping to Ihu-koro. If you want you can dump your characters there.

The cult has been scattered for the most part. All of their bases have been destroyed but there are still a couple characters puttering about.

Kale Ironshaper- Ihu-Koro IC: Between breaking through the defenses of the koro, deflecting shells designed to break through stone walls, and running up the side of a mountain to reach Ihu-koro, Kale was exhausted. He couldn't act like it though. A leader had to keep their head up, to present a face of confidence and stability. It gave the people following them something to hold on to, the illusion that there was somebody around who had the situation under control. So even if his lungs burned, his legs wanted to collapse and his mind ached, he had to keep standing. To keep moving and seeing to it that his people were taken care of. Or at least that's the front that he tried to put up. Anyone who knew the young man could see it in his eyes. Leaving behind Krayn like that haunted him like few others things did. It was both a failure on his part and the loss of a good friend. Behind the screen of professionalism lay a raw, open wound. "Ten...five percent. Probably less. He was already wounded when he sent us on ahead. The chances that he survived long enough for Dehkaz to find are...not good."

To be honest I barely knew who was part of the group before we all vanished for a year. Right now I'm operating under "Come with me if you want to live," logic.

Kale Ironshaper- Ko-koro- Warehouse IC: They were so close, Kale could see the gates as they rounded the last corner. A surge of hope brought his heart into his throat as he turned to check the rest of the team. Most of them were coming along fine. Praggos and his charge were both looking tired, maybe the medic could stabilize the other man long enough for someone else to take a turn carrying him. Krayn was still at the back of the group. He was looking as twitchy as Kale felt. They could both sense the hostile attention gradually bearing down on them. It was going to be close. A few more minutes and they'd be home free, but if they got bogged down in another fight they might never get out. Krayn's attention was fixed on a couple of nearby alleyways, his head tilted as if searching more by sound than by sight. Before Kale could ask what the problem was a Madu fruit came whistling out of the sky and impacted far too close to the De-Toa. A cry of shock ripped itself from Kale's mouth at the same moment a flood of Makuta worshipers poured out of the alleyways so recently watched by the sprawled Krayn. Before he could do anything the other Toa was back on his feet, opening fire with the revolver that was suddenly in his hand and yelling for them all to run. There was something...off about him though. His stance was unsteady and his normally perfect aim seemed to be missing. That Madu had to have rattled him in some way other than the obvious. Their former Gucko force Lieutenant would have been hard pressed to face off against such long odds on his best day. Now... If they left him now, Krayn was going to die. Kale's fist clenched and the protosteel hovering around him hummed at the flood of emotions. Denial, anger, sadness, despair at the thought of losing a friend. Everyone here was supposed to be his responsibility! How could he leave one of them behind like this? To certain death at the hands of scum like that? But, once again, both men knew that there was no choice in the matter. They couldn't fight that many people and still hope to escape. Not short of a miracle. And those were in short supply within these icy walls. So instead the silver Toa took his rage and his pain and fed it into a single words that burst from his lips like the roar from a Kane-Ra. "GO!" He turned and left Krayn to his fate. --------------------------------------------------------------- The guards at the gate knew what hit them. How could they not when they had watched combat breaking out just a few block away? It hadn't helped however. What remained of the Aggressors slammed into the forces at the gatehouse like unstoppable wave. Grief and desperation fueling their assault in equal measures. Someone destroyed the hinges of the massive door, leaving it to slowly fall over with a creaking groan. That wasn't enough for Kale however. He was still stewing, simmering, roiling in a sea of emotions that had been building for as long as they had been in Ko-koro. They had fought back, yes. Discovered vital intelligence even. But they'd been forced to watch as one of the grandest settlements on the island fell to ruin. Forced to flee. Forced to leave behind the Maru in the middle for a fight for their lives. Forced to leave behind one of their own. As the others made their way through the now open archway, Kale turned aside and ascended the frozen gatehouse stairs. He was atop the wall in but a second and face to face with one of the ragtag "Guardsmen." The disheveled Matoran was desperately trying to pump the bladder of the Patero he had just fired on the charging party. Kale snapped a hand forward and part of the silver shroud around him followed suit, slamming into the other being's face and sending him slamming into a nearby merlon with the crack of snapping protodermis. His shattered mask following him as he sank to the floor. Before someone with a more substantial weapon decided to take action, Kale ran to one of the nearby Patero artillery and placed a hand on it. The metal components flowed away from the rest of it. A pile of rubber and plastics collapsing to the floor as a giant metal spike formed above the Fe-Toa's head. He drew his right hand back and the spike followed suit, the somatic element allowing his power to more easily transform will into reality. The hand shot forward and again the spike followed. It split the chilled air for a second before smashing into another of the heavy siege machines. Metal groaned, plastics snapped, and bladders were ruptured as the two objects met in a racket that was sure to draw the attention of anyone who had somehow missed all the other sounds of fighting. Kale's breath came hard and ragged as he turned to a third war machine, only to be forced to leap back as a burst of flame melted the snow right in front of him. A Skakdi with a flamethrower leered at him from behind its pilot light. Other figures could be seen and heard running to join them atop the walls of Ko-koro. Speed and fury only worked if you kept moving and that was something he was certainly not doing enough of right now. A quick glance told him that the others had made significant distance. Staying any longer would do nothing but get him killed. So with one last glare at the ugly leer before him, Kale jumped over the wall.

Hormd- Kini-Nui IC: "Is your conversation over?" He wasn't one of the aliens but the old monk was also no fool. Despite the lack of vocalization between the two "Toa," they were still showing much of the normal body language of two people engrossed in a fairly serious conversation. Physical motions, facial expressions, and body posture that just didn't happen outside of a discussion. Over his many centuries and many walks of life Hormd had grown accomplished enough to read signs as plain as these. The tone in his voice wasn't that of an annoyed bystander though. Rather it was was one mild reproach. Of a grandfather or old family friend reminding guests of social courtesies. "In answer to your question, I am sorry to say that I have no idea what your companions have gone to do. Despite caring for his temple Mata Nui and his servants rarely let me in on their plans."

Kale Ironshaper- Ko-koro- Warehouse IC: "Agreed. I'll clear the path, you all focus on getting out." The terse words floated back over Kale's shoulder, his eyes still focused on the hostile land ahead of them. Most of the Makuta worshipers were still stuck behind the collapsed building but the koro was full of the thugs. More arrived every minute as the noise and commotion echoed out across the town. Even with what looked to be a raid by the Gucko Force, this place was not a friendly one. Ko-koro's day of liberation was coming but today would not be that day. Screams and cries of alarm split the icy winter air around the party as they moved out. Exploding Madu Cabolo sent gouts of frozen stone flying every which way. Stray disks sliced through flesh and slammed into the shaped ice of a dozen statues and buildings. It was absolute chaos. Thankfully, that chaos meant that the infiltration team was having a much easier time slipping through the ruined streets than might have been otherwise possible. Injured people weren't exactly rare at the moment and none of them were wearing any obvious objects that identified them as members of one of the island's Guard companies. That wasn't to say that the trip was entirely unnoticed however. As they ran and stumbled towards the icy walls of the koro, Kale could see figures in nearby alleyways and side streets casting furtive glances in their direction. Someone might have spread a physical description of the group. Hard to guess , considering how short they had been in active combat. Not impossible though. The watching eyes grew in number as the group grew closer to their destination. Each one a new source of worry to Kale's constantly roving gaze. He'd have to do something about them soon.

Wonder how long this one will last. On a totally unrelated note, would there happen to be any newly minted Akiri who would like a telegram hooked up to their village?

Unfortunately Kaita and Nova Blasts have been banned for normal characters.

Hormd- Kini-Nui IC: Homrd had vanished at the same time as the mysterious group of Matoran, although in a different direction. Now the light on his lantern could be seen coming back down one of the small foot trails littering the area. A tune accompanied it. On e that was likely older than many of the people gathered. It was a simple melody, one that spoke of hearth and home. New beginnings and clean spring days. A homely song for an old man. "Sorry for the delay. I wasn't expecting guests." Came his old leather voice. Well worn but still soft all the same. "Since it seems that you all are going to be spending some time here I took our mysterious visitor's advice. Please, make yourselves comfortable while we await your companion's return." He was carrying a reed basket with a plain white cloth over the top. A large waterskin was hung over his other shoulder, although he showed no sign of burden from either parcel. In a few moments he had walked to the center of the clearing and set his burdens down. Pulling the cloth from the basket to reveal a wholesome if plain repast. Smoked ham of some sort, a douzen rolls of brown bread and a wheel of soft cheese. Reaching in he pulled out a collection of mugs and wooden platters, setting them on the ground nearby. "You'll have to forgive me. I was in such a rush I completely forgot the forks."

It's already half sunk.

Kale Ironshaper- Ko-koro- Warehouse IC: It was a good plan, Krayn was a skilled tactician and Kale agreed with him. The building the other Toa had chosen was a multi story affair with a large helping of powdery snow on top. When it went down there would be debris and floating ice crystals all over the place. Perfect cover for a retreat in the face of a superior force. Of course any structure that large had to meet certain structural requirements, but this particular building had suffered as much as any of the koro's others under Nightfall's tender mercies. Someone had knocked a hole in the side of the ground floor. Whether it had been in the fight for the town or the subsequent looting made no difference. What mattered was that it was a weakness that could be exploited. Kale was beside the building in a blur of motion. his eyes roving the remaining walls and corners even as he draw power from the tools of the fallen Makuta worshipers. Battered blades and buckled shields faded into flakes of rust, the building itself groaned as structurally important nails followed suit. Disregarding the ominous noises Kale walked to a wall adjacent to the destroyed one. One hand rested on it, then the other. The lead slug from an air gun thunked into the wall nearby as lines of silvery metal spread out from the two contact points. Hardened steel punched through the mortar holding the various stones together. Robbed of their cohesion there was little they could do when the silver Toa hauled back on the lines, gathered them into a ball and hurled it through the new severely weakened wall. Moved more by will than physical force the gleaming sphere sent cut stone flying into the interior of the building, followed a second later by more stone exploding outward as the makeshift implement of destruction was pulled back through the side of the building. That had done it, if the snapping and cracking sounds now emanating from the structure were anything to go off of. A rather nasty looking kanoka disk slicing through the air next to him drove the point home. It was time to go. Kale took the hint and exited as swiftly as he had arrived. Behind him wooden supports snapped and stone cracked as the building collapsed in a pile across the street. It was hard to see if it had done much else what with all the snow and stone powder in the air. but that had rather been the point after all. He didn't stop when he reached the rest of the group, just slowed down to a normal walk. They'd have gotten ready to move while he was dealing with the building. A group of professionals for the most part. He did give the emerald Maru a nod of acknowledgment as he passed though. A thought crossed his mind as the destructive ball of gleaming metal rusted to nothing behind him. Wait, Krayn had said 'between us.' Well karz, no point worrying about that now.