Light

IC: "I've done some schematic type drawings in the past, so I could possibly help... Though most were maps-" Ronah caught his glance and sighed. "I try to ignore it. It's intended to make us angry, to make us exacerbate the situation, as much as it is to incite rebellion. Better to just act like it doesn't bother me and actually do my job."

IC: "Figured you'd rather have working versions, but..." Ronah's face flushed. "I apologize."

IC: "Came from there, mate." The Sergeant sighed, holding up his arm. Only his fingers, covered in burns, were visible outside the bandage. "Repulsed from the walls. Too late to help the old defenders."

IC: The two Ihu-Koronans followed Enforcer, the Sergeant continuing to bandage his hand as they walked. Neither Highlander looked like they were going to say anything until spoken to, but Murrae looked especially nervous.

IC: "Then we'll certainly help. That cable car is something of a lifeline. One of many, but a lifeline nonetheless." The Sergeant reappeared from a distant building, a light green Toa of Plantlife with the unmistakable form of a mask of Healing on her face in tow. Tamara turned to address her. "Murrae, see to this man's friends, then hurry back. We can't have you gone for long. Sergeant, if you're well enough to travel, escort Ms. Murrae to the outpost, then take the cable car to Ta. We need someone to get down there." The Sergeant's gave shifted to Enforcer. "Lead the way, mate."

IC: "Sorry, mate, but we can't spare-" "Sergeant, we can spare at least one." The Vortixx scrambled to stand and salute, but a hand on his shoulder pushed him back down. Tamara looked the Enforcer up and down, and sighed as she walked around from behind the Highlander. "We have to hold every outpost we can, even if they aren't ours. Find Murrae and tell her that she needs to take a quick trip, and to get her supplies." Now she let the Vortixx stand and rush off. "Won't be more than a couple of minutes. What outpost, may I ask?"

IC: "The question ain't who's here, it's who ain't." The gate guard, a scrawny Vortixx in the plain, off white uniform of the Ihu-Koronan Highlanders looked up from wrapping a bandage around a badly bleeding arm, gesturing with his good hand to the throng of refugees around the gates of the city. "Seems like the whole #### population of Ko-Koro packed up and ended up here. Whatcha fine people need?"

Skis don't work so well uphill. This post was authorized by Ghosthands and details what exactly is happening with Ihu and the refugees bound for there. So... Fun times. XD

IC: Skis didn’t work so well uphill. Fifteen men and women. Four injured, three dead, those who could walk carrying the bodies of the deceased and those who couldn’t. The Lieutenant wasn’t an issue, he’d been burned to cinders under the fire of a Brotherhood member as he used his own abilities to hold back the tide of oncoming animals. Repelled from Ko-Koro’s walls, the Highlander detachment had suffered crippling losses. They were too late. Five minutes earlier, the walls would have been theirs to defend- not assault. Acting Lieutenant Terenor sighed and called a halt to let his troops rest and the injured stragglers catch up. Other refugees surrounded them in their march, every fugitive carrying their belongings or nursing some manner of wound, following the regular stone steps to Ihu where they could and forcing their way through the snow and brush where they couldn’t. Ihu-Koro’s brand new walls promised safety, security… And, most importantly, warmth. Most of the refugees had been forced to leave without proper equipment and belongings, walking through the snows of Ko-Wahi in barely protective shoes. None were freezing to death -the trip from Koro to Koro was far too short for that- but the bodies of the mortally wounded trying to flee the carnage littered the sides of the path, the snow running red with blood. The gravediggers were going to have a busy day tomorrow, and the cemetery was going to have a lot more residents. The march resumed despite the protests of a few soldiers, the massive tree in Ihu’s center visible on the horizon. New stone walls graciously gifted by Po-Koro surrounded the center of the town, a town that was once quiet but that now clamored with the sound of preparations and the calls of a people in exile. Hastily constructed buildings dotted the landscape around the walls, most built against the stone of the fortifications, seeking to suck the most warmth out of the stones, massive heat sinks that they were. Earlier (and more assertive) arrivals were setting up their homes in the streets, now visible through the gates. The gates were still open, thank Mata Nui. A blizzard was looming on the horizon, and while the huge tree and walls promised shelter, the path to the city was completely obscured when a storm was raging. * * * As Terenor’s soldiers bandaged wounds, ate, and mourned over the bodies of their fellow Highlanders, he turned away from the heat of the fireplace and walked onto the balcony outside, a small Vo-Matoran leaning on the railing. Ahka Tamara looked up at the Lieutenant, her left hand on the Rena ore sword at her hip. She sighed, then looked back toward the distant smoke rising from Ko-Koro, eyes drifting over the refugees in a desperate struggle for heat. “Get some men on the walls and send word to the other Akiri asking for supplies. We can’t feed all these refugees, nor protect them for long.” Terenor saluted and stepped away, leaving Tamara staring into the distance.

Speaking of ye old Ihu I have the first real post about the city coming up soon. AND I have a couple of military positions I need filled. So... If you wanna talk to me about em, send a PM XD

Speaking as the often-absent head of the Po-Koronan guard/Sentinels, Po-Koro has about the same size military as the others. We've been beaten, sure, but numbers are supplemented by Ihu-Koronan Highlanders who are on contract with Po. But what Alex says is correct. Guards from the 2012 arc are extremely skilled because, well... By the time the Rahkshi assault happened we were down to half strength, but those left were only the ones who had managed to survive. So you have three types of troops, essentially. The original guard, who may not be the most talented buuuuuuut have enviable levels of toughness. The newer ones are a mixed bag, roughly on par with the slightly newer members of most other militaries, and the Ihu Koronans who... there aren't many of them and they're about the same as your average member of another military, if unorthodox. This is speaking for NPCs, of course. PCs are entirely up to their players.

There's the flaming gafna too, though the crowd there is... Interesting. XD

IC: “Sorry… you’ll have to pardon the questions. We understand your situation, but men are dead and we’re fighting an unknown enemy that most likely outguns us. Once we get out of this, I assure you, all the warmth will be back.” Tera didn’t respond to the compliment besides a slight, subconscious blush that barely reached her cheeks, mind consumed with alternatives and strategies.

IC: Ronah rubbed her left eye with one hand while she stretched out her other, the water surrounding the canisters but not quite making it to Jokaro's back. "Insurance. Gas can't leak through, unless you packed some really nasty explosives in there." "If you don't walk I'll drag you, but otherwise I'm inclined to let you keep your dignity."

IC: Ronah glanced apprehensively at the bag. "Are they sensitive to water?"

IC: "Not anywhere, I hope." Ronah clamped a pair of handcuffs on his outstretched wrists, smiling slightly. "No guarantees on when the Akiri will see you, but we'll do our best."

So yeah. I realize I've been gone with no explanation for a while. Had this slight contest thing to enter. But ladies and gentlemen, enjoy.

IC: Night in Po-Koro. The desert caused a stillness unlike any other. Ta-Koro's lava bubbled. Le-Koro's creatures called all through the night. Nowhere in Leah's domain could you get away from the sound of the surf. But here, on a cool, calm night on the outermost edge of Po-Koro, you could find complete and absolute silence. It was intoxicating. The stillness brought back surges of the time he had spent as the Wanderer, alone. Things came full circle, it seemed. At the beginning he had been set apart, chosen to receive the words of the Great Spirit himself, chosen to be Takua's successor. He had been alone. And he was alone again. This time, not so honorably. He had become, in a way, a Master of Shadows himself. Never had he dreamed, never had he imagined, that he would have to resort to concealing secrets in the darkness from his brothers and sister in destiny. He was alone; not in any kind of noble knowledge, but separated from his brothers by a simple, small, powerful thing. He was cut off by a lie. Cut off when he decided to hide the truth in the crevices of his mind and hope that the problem would just vanish into the darkness, into the silence. Into the silence... Stannis adjusted his bite slightly and turned away from the pitch blackness punctured by the lights of stars that was the desert night, his gaze turning toward the illumination of Po-Koro. Soon. Soon he'd have to face the truth. But not tonight. OOC: Ladies and gentlemen... It is GOOD TO BE BACK. Authorized by the Toa Maru as per contest regulations.

IC: Seren dropped his cigarette and extinguished it under the heel of his boot, looking Demos up and down as he walked to Syvra's side, keeping a careful eye on the both of them. "Welcome back to the team," he said to Demos, his tone gruff but impassive.

OOC: And now... The Shadow King. Quincy spoke. "He calls himself the King of Shadows... He took up residence here recently." "Well. I got much better to do than marinate here in the same wardrobe for five years. Summers, get over here. I'm gonna break your neck." "...What." Zack stared at him flatly. "Oh, c'mon. I'll break your neck, you'll flip out, go Phoenix, and then we'll torch our way out of here. It's...5% foolproof." "That's not going to work. Well... It won't work the way you think it will. Jean Grey managed to defeat the King but that was at full power and he was imprisoned. Here, in his domain... You might not even be able to manifest it." Quincy gave a sideways look at Tali. "He seems a little... Odd." "I'm totally serious...when I've got something to take seriously. No offense, but you kids seem a bit beaten into the metaphorical fetal position." Alaric rolled his eyes and played with his hair, pushing it back into a complicated wave with his fingers before grinning reassuringly at the power controller. "Tali...come on. It's me, Ric. Tell her how many times I've let you down." "I've been here for a year, Ric. Quincy has been here for five. During that time we've been tortured, beaten, run like animals for miles. Excuse us if we're not quite as hopeful as you are." Her expression softened and she sighed. "You haven't failed me yet, but... It's been so long in here." "Tal, I wanna believe ya. Honest." Ric shrugged at Zack, who shrugged back. "All I'm seein' is forest." "He just absorbed three minds. He'll be here soon." "He'll be here soon...Tal, sweetie, I'm glad you're alive. Honest. If you want to escape, I'll help you escape. But I have a hard time being scared of some abomination who makes the same crapass excuses as the Papa John's guy." The area chilled, the shadows thickening. Quincy shuddered and Tali pulled closer to Ric. Lynae and Zack shared an awkward look. "Not to sound cliche, but... He's heeeeeeeere." I am the King. Talk gasped and stumbled backward, the shadows in the forest starting to congregate and combine, caressing the ankles of the watchers like so many snakes slithering into a nest. All the ankles- except one pair, Zack’s feet deliberately avoided. The shades lightened as they wrapped around each other, forming a perfect but limp replica of the blonde woman standing with Ric and Tali. Perfect- except for one flaw, the eyes not blue but a pitch black. Darkness flowed around the woman, puppet strings seeming to go upward from her limbs. And this is my domain. The woman’s lips moved, but the voice seemed to come from the gloom behind her, like bad ventriloquy. "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog..." The replica’s head snapped up and focused on Ric, lips spreading in a grin and revealing slowly elongating eyeteeth. Levity. Impressive. I can see inside your head, Alaric Carlisle, you have no fear. But hate… Your hate is… delicious. The puppet’s tongue ran around her lips, which were slowly plumping, barely discernible to the eye, her gaze turning to Tali, the shadows around the ex-teacher’s feet running up her body and to the edge of her shorn hair, brushing her cheek. She froze, eyes looking pleadingly at Ric. This one, this one is terrified… AND THEN THERE’S YOU. The grin spread wider, eyes glinting as they focused on Lynae, the gloom spreading away from her feet and leaving her in a circle of light. The replica’s facial features were softening, the hard Nordic lines of the blonde woman’s visage transforming into a delicate, beautiful, noble face. You… You I’ve enjoyed watching. The amount of pain, the amount of hate you’ve created is simply delectable. What you did to your creator… Even I was impressed. That poor girl was just the icing on the cake. I am the god of Hate… and you are my perfect disciple. The puppet advanced toward Lynae, getting a little bit shorter even as her proportions started to shift and the vampire stepped backward. “No. No, I’m not. I’m not the kind of person Thomas was, if you knew what he did to me-“ Oh, shut up. The puppet’s hand shot up, and Lynae found herself unable to speak. You know you loved it, that feeling of domination, of killing. And Kristen… You relished intimidating her, scaring her, drinking her lifeblood. Lynae stumbled back but the shadows forced her forward again, the puppet’s transformation completing, her eyes turning from black to ice blue… A perfect duplicate of Lynae stood there, her face mere inches from the vampire’s. Look into the mirror… And DESPAIR. The shadows solidified, binding Lynae in place. The replica caressed Lynae’s cheek- and then bit her neck, fangs sinking in. Lynae screamed as her form seemed to unbind from the point of the bite, cracks of darkness wracking her body. Boils started to appear on her skin, open sores where her flesh was starting to disintegrate. They spread, growing larger along the cracks, her entire body falling apart as the shadows started to bulge like veins, taking Lynae’s flesh away, all of it flowing into the puppet’s mouth. The screams continued until her vocal box was destroyed, her body consumed, the shadow veins retreating back into the puppet’s mouth. The replica turned away now, liking the last drop of shadow leisurely from her plump lips, looking knowingly at Ric. She had quite the thing for you. Adorable, really.