NorikSigma

IC: Sukiru (Sting) - Arena

 

She turned her dive into a quick roll to slip under the axe, finishing with a stab toward Reaver's calf as she came to a stop behind him.

IC: Zekev [Reaver] - Arena

Spotting Sting's roll too slowly, Zekev could only continue barreling forward, hoping Sting would miss if he moved too far forward.

It worked, but now Zekev was at a distance from Sting, which was not the best position to be in.

Zekev advanced again, firing another blast of laser dead centre, but slower than before, so as not to present another opening like previously.

IC: Hassan

Hassan looked up at the Scout, towering over the pair despite its relatively small Walker size.

"A scout undergoing maintenance?"

IC: Paladin - Vs Glass

 

The electricity flowed like a river through my shield, causing me to exclaim in agony, as the tesla burned my arms and numbed them.

 

I moved my shield to the right, attempting to knock the staff away.

IC: Glass

Glass let go of his right hand, and threw as hard a punch as he could towards Paladin's now exposed face.

IC: Sukiru (Sting) - Arena

 

Sting staggered to evade the laser vision, giving Reaver enough time to close the distance between them. She was going to have to be very careful now...

 

Slipping a dagger into each hand, she weaved to his right to get behind him.

IC: Zekev [Reaver] - Arena

"Yah!" Zekev swung right, axe out front, using the momentum to put more speed behind his blow and hoping to hit the other Skakdi before sh could respond.

IC: Paladin - Vs Glass

 

My sword thrusted forwards, towards Glass' shoulder, followed by a slightly less graceful bash to the face with my shield.

IC: Glass

Given the distance between the two, Glass was able to dodge the thrust, but the shield attack caught him by surprise. He raised the staff to block, pouring his energy into the weapon, pressing hard against the shield, hoping to cause the other Rahk's muscles to lock up and trap him in this position.

IC: Glass

Glass swung his staff down, attempting to push the kick away, but he was too slow. Glass staggered back, almost falling but catching himself in time. Hoping to keep the distance, he circled around Paladin again, pondering further options.

IC: Sukiru (Sting) - Arena

 

Oh boy, he was closing in fast, and distance was her best advantage. She backpedalled away while fishing for another dagger and chucking it low, toward his thigh.

IC: Zekev [Reaver]

Zekev dodged to the side, the dagger just glancing off his thigh armour. Resolving to bring combat close, he looked up and fired a blast of laser vision, before charging Sting, shield in front of him.

IC: Paladin - Vs Glass

 

Before the electrified staff hit me, I had my shield out, and I parried the stab, electricity flowing through the shield and making my arms burn.

 

I gritted my teeth from behind my helmet, and went for a strong diagonal slash for Glass's face.

IC: Glass

Glass shifted back, dodging the strike a little too slow with the sword deflected off his faceplate.

Glass hopped left, aiming to attack from the side of Paladin's guard and keeping his distance, Glass stabbed forward again.

IC: Sukiru (Sting) - Arena

 

Seemed it was up to her to make the first move. She could already tell this was going to be a long battle...

 

Sting pulled out a dagger, considering its weight and edge for a moment before hurling it toward Reaver's sword arm. She wasn't intending to do any damage (though an early strike would be a boon), but just poke at his defenses.

IC: Zekev[Reaver] - Arena

Zekev dodged the single dagger, and returned to his guard stance. He increased his pace, closing the distance between the two,

OOC: Whoa, sorry, this RP is moving a lot faster than I thought... I'll try to keep up more.

 

IC: Sukiru (Sting) - Arena

 

The rest of the course had been much simpler. Her bioluminescence helped her find the drain for the pool which allowed her to pass there, and the only other thing standing in her way was a Kanoka launcher which was easy enough to deactivate with her knives.

 

After all of that, the healing was probably the worst part. But it was a necessary evil, as Dark Hunters don't get breaks.

 

She licked her sore lip as she studied this "Reaver." Another Skakdi, like her, armed with medieval weapons that she would have to stay far away from. Easy enough.

IC: Zekev

A Skakdi in blue and black, missing a few teeth, adorned with a belt of knives.

Hum. This might be a little tricky.

Zekev pulled out both his shield and axe, shield raised in front of him. The daggers looked like they were of the throwing sort, and he didn't want his day to end with a missing eye. Or any of his days, for that matter.

 

"Now, now, I can't expect the expert to reveal their techniques. It's like learning magic from a magician, or finding out my secret ingredients.

 

"Although I wouldn't mind," Hassan added in a hushed voice.

 

IC:

 

"Well, just so long as we keep this between us," Gwen said, her grin a sideways slant as she pushed open the steel double doors.

 

The hangar ceiling was a sky full of sparks spilling out from mechs, those vast shapes leered over by the dark spots of engineers and mechanics and pilots fussing about when they would be Walker-bound again. Scissor lifts and cranes rose and poked at the battle machines like parents helping a child, until the machines and the machinery seemed to blend into one whole. The din of power drills, saws, welders, lifts, hydraulics, shouts and hollers and orders from up-top to the overseers, from the overseers to the engineers, from the engineers to the pilots. Gwen walked through it all.

 

"--servo Three-Six-Nine-Eight by thirty degrees!" 

 

"--repulsers at five-and-a-half percent!"

 

"--I said absorbers, not distributors you godda--"

 

"Talal! Hey, Talal!"

 

The heavy thump of boots on concrete and Rook was on her left, already pushing a clipboard into her hands.

 

"Three Scouts looking for a re-jig," he said, voice flat and sharp. "Clear out the servos, streamline the hydraulics, make 'em sing. You can do that? Good? Good."

 

And he was gone again, disappearing into the din. Gwen, for her part, just started flipping through the pages.

 

"A'right then, Hassan," she said. "Ready to see the magic happen?"

 

-Void

 

IC: Hassan

Hassan nodded eagerly.

"Anytime."

IC: Paladin - Vs Glass

 

My entire body shuddered as the electrified javb hit me.

 

A burning smell began to fill my smell receptors.

 

I responded with a stab, my arms still feeling raw.

IC: Glass - Vs Paladin

Numbed as he was, Paladin's stab was easily deflected, his guard still open. Glass when in for a harder thrust this time, ensuring the staff stayed in contact for longer than before.

IC: Paladin - Vs Glass

 

I charged forward, swinging my sword at my opponent's face.

IC: Glass - Vs Paladin

Glass stepped back, letting Paladin's swing open his guard up enough for Glass to slip in another electrified jab.

IC: Zekev[Reaver] - Obstacle Course

Zekev had caught his breath by the time Nidhiki let them loose on the obstacle course, and unlike the run, he was ready for this. While he had difficulty catching up after an extended period of inactivity, getting over, through and around obstacles was still his forte.

Zekev easily climbed the first few walls in his way by lowering his body density to lighten himself, and increasing it when he smashed through a series of parallel wooden stockades. Doubtless he was meant to pass between the barriers evidenced by the markings on the floor, but he wanted to keep his momentum going. He'd caught Nidhiki's look of distaste as he finished near to last in the run, and Zekev wanted to make up for that. He most certainly did not want remedial training.

The path split ahead, both into a sealed hut, and Zekev took the one that did not have a rotating saw swinging across it. Almost immediately, however, he regretted his decision, as the other path narrowed and then shrunk to reveal the opening of a tunnel.

He faltered, remembering the long and troubled relationship he'd had with tunnels and the threats lurking within. Even if this tunnel was not trapped, he'd have a hard time crawling through this one, tiny as its opening was.

But he couldn't afford to turn back, and indeed, couldn't, as he turned to see that the entrance he'd come in from was closed, and the door, covered on spikes, began to move towards him.

A blast of laser vision showed that it wasn't worth running heading into it at high density, so Zekev cursed and got into the tunnel.

"Oh, it's not that long-" before he could finish, the tunnel began to rotate, and he felt it move backward.

Toward the death spikes.

"####!" Zekev attempted to scramble forward, but the rotation of the tunnel prevented him from getting a good grip.

"Get a grip, Zekev. Heh, getting a grip."

He adjusted his hands so that they grabbed the wall of the tunnel to his side, so as he pulled himself along, he still moved forward. It helped that his sense of balance had been trained over the millennia due to his constant use of his density manipulation.

Just as Zekev launched himself out from the end of the tunnel onto the ground, he heard the unmistakable sound of whooshing flame. Looking back, he saw the tunnel engulfed in flame.

And not a second too soon.

Zekev  got up and continued onwards, worried he'd lagged behind.

He'd exited the hut by now, and the path continued onwards, ending abruptly after a corner at a high wall. Zekev made himself slow down and examine the wall. The only way over seemed to be a rope that dangled from a vertical bar that was suspended over the wall.

"Climbing? Doesn't seem so-" Zekev stopped, catching the sound of gears turning softly, and levers clanking away...

"Karz!" Zekev felt the floor giving way, and reached for the rope immediately. And not too soon. The floor fell through, and far below were two large saws, one over the another, steadily whirring faster and faster. Below, Zekev recognised the telltale glow of magma.

This is training? Zekev started grumbling as he pulled himself up, climbing the rope. He stopped when he heard more sounds of gears, although this sounded more like hinges...

Watching in horror, Zekev watched as the vertical bar pivoted ever so slowly and started to point downwards, causing him and the rope to slide lower and lower.

"Gah!" Zekev hurried to pull himself up as quickly as possible, but that just made the rope slide further down.

Calmdowncalmdowncalmdown

Zekev took a deep breath, probably not a good thing to do as he slid inexorably down towards a buzzsaw above a pit of magma.

The Skakdi activated his ability, lightening himself as much as he could. The bar slowed its pivoting, buying the Skakdi some time. Zekev struggled to pull himself up the rope, fueled by his desire to not die. Near enough to the top of the wall, Zekev reverted his density to gain advantage of the increased muscle density to haul himself forward towards the top of the wall.

The bar broke, and Zekev just managed to grab onto the wall. He watched as the bar and rope fell into the pit.

“I really hope I don't need remedial training...” Zekev hauled himself up and hopped over the wall, landing on the nice hard floor on the other side.

Hope that's the last I'll see of that-

The sound of rumbling cut killed that train of thought. Zekev looked back and watched as the floor began to crumble into the evidently-much-larger-than-assumed magma pit.

Oh nononono Zekev broke into a sprint as the floor opened up, showing that they were nothing more than sturdy retractable panels, which helpfully explained how the maze was reusable.

Zekev began to feel his lungs hurting, and began cursing himself for not keeping up with his fitness.

The Skakdi though he ran past a few other trap, but couldn't be sure as he sprinted past them.

Rounding a few more corners he finally made it to an upward ramp, abruptly ending with two downward platforms, leading to the finish line. A few recruits were already waiting.

I really need to step up my game.

Zekev dashed up the ramp- just as metal plates shot up from the floor of the ramp to slow his progress.

“Outta my way, steel plates!” Zekev dispatched them with blasts of laser vision, strong enough to slice vertically through the thin plates, enabling him to smash through them easily.

He felt the ramp tilt as the floor beneath it opened up, and increased his muscle density one more time, using his legs to push himself forward just enough to get off the ramp...

And fell face-first towards the platforms. He was too slow in lowering his density to soften his fall, and hit the floor with his big ugly noggin. Hard.

"Gurrk..." Zekev got up and stumbled across the finish line. His head hurt from the constant shift in density, his body ached from the fall, and he could barely catch his breath, but when Zekev saw other recruits still traversing the maze, he could only grin.

"I'm not the last!”

IC: Glass

Although he twisted out of the way, Glass was unable to dodge the shield. It connected with his faceplate and sent him staggering back.

Regaining his footing, Glass held back and waited for Paladin to advance.

IC: Glass

Glass did just that, knocking the stab away and jabbing quickly and briefly at Paladin, letting his electricity flow into the staff as he did. Hopefully the charge was enough to sting the other Rank.

IC: Zekev[Reaver]- Finishing laps

If one was on Odina watching the procession of freaks and misfits, they would have noticed a hunched, panting Skakdi trailing at the back, bestial smile turned down in a frown.

"I.. Really -pant- need to get back into shape," Zekev muttered to himself. He had let his body grow lazy and unused in the past year, spending more time loafing around than doing work at his last place of employment. It was time to get back into shape.

I mean, I don't wanna die from a heart attack in this line of work. Ignominious and all that.

He noticed the rest had finished their laps by now, and he trotted over slowly, still trying to catch his breath, and wondering if it was a good idea that he used his hunched height to calculate the laps he needed to run.

Name: Zekev

Codename: Reaver

Species: Skakdi of Ice

Appearance: Armed in white, blue and silver armour, and looking very much like the typical Skakdi, Zekev is a stubby and hunched, his mouth permanently affixed in a huge grin, as if he is constantly amused at something. With a prominent chin and large two-toed feet, Zekev looks as brutish as one can expect a Skakdi to be.

Powers: As a Skakdi of Ice Zekev has Elemental Control over Ice when used in conjunction with another Skakdi's Elemental power. He also possesses laser vision and the ability to manipulate the density of his body to an extent.

Backstory: Already a troublemaker and thug before Makuta Spiriah's experiments on the Skakdi, Zekev wisely saw the direction Zakaz was heading weeks after the island erupted into war, and hastily stowed away on one of the last intact ships escaping the island, landing on the Northern Continent. Subsequently, he used his skills to make a living for himself as hired muscle or conducting stealing jobs that required more force than subtlety. Eventually, Zekev was permanently hired as the bodyguard of the head of a criminal syndicate. However, in the recent past, that syndicate landed in the crosshairs of the Dark Hunters after stealing several antique weapons from Nynrah before the Dark Hunters got to it. The Hunters dispatched a task force that completely crushed the syndicate, and as the Hunters stormed the inner compound of the syndicate's headquarters, Zekev took the chance to kill the guards in the Vault, murder his boss and turn in the weapons to the Hunters. Knowing that the Hunters were still hurting from the war in Metru Nui, the Dark Hunters on the mission voted three for and two against bringing him back to Odina to recruit him.

Tools: Zekev carries a master-crafted shield from his time in the syndicate and a war axe from before he left Zakaz.

Skills: Zekev is rather strong, even for a Skakdi, due to lugging around two heavy weapons and his ability to increase his muscle density at strategic moments. He's also surprisingly agile for his brutish nature, and possesses good balance, occasionally augmented by lowering his density by a fraction. While not the brightest lightstone in the cave, Zekev's sense of self-preservation occasionally grants him flashes of inspiration and genius when confronted by dangerous situations.

IC: Glass

Glass sized up his heavily-armoured opponent, shield, sword and all.

"May the best Rahk win," he called out, before pulling out his staff. He slowly approached Paladin, staff held out front.

IC: Glass

"Well, about time to continue, " Glass commented. He walked up to the platform beside the one Exxan and Percy were on.

"Paladin, huh. Wonder where they are... "

 

IC: Hassan

 

He shook his head.

 

"Nope. That's why I needed your help in undoing the mechanic's shoddy work. It all looks so... arcane to me," he shrugged.

 

IC:

 

"I guess that's why they pay me the big bucks, then," Gwen said, pushing her hair out of her face with one hand. "But it's a cinch once you get some practice into it. I can show you a few tricks of the trade if you'd like. De-mystify the mystique, if you will."

 

-Void

 

IC: Hassan

"Now, now, I can't expect the expert to reveal their techniques. It's like learning magic from a magician, or finding out my secret ingredients.

"Although I wouldn't mind," Hassan added in a hushed voice.

IC: Hassan

He shook his head.

"Nope. That's why I needed your help in undoing the mechanic's shoddy work. It all looks so... arcane to me," he shrugged.

IC: Hassan

Hassan nodded, silent again.

"Yeah, we do."

IC: Hassan

"Then maybe it's not such a good idea to go back to the hangars..." Hassan suggested innocently.

IC: Hassan

"Yeah, I don't know if we're actually at war. Like, officially. Did they say anything on the news?"