Timageness

IC: Thankfully, when the Le-Toa's gust of wind blew the Ta-Matoran into a wall, it also had the side-effect of lifting Verulas temporarily off of his feet as well, thus stopping the Bo-Toa from unintentionally taking Korero with him on his way down. He skidded back along the carpet before looking up at the new arrival. "Likewise," he said, smiling. "Korero, is it? You're starting to develop a habit of saving my bacon, not that I mind of course; it's nice to not have to go flying down another set of stairs while I'm here, but it is kind of making me wonder who's out there protecting all of those defenseless Matoran..." He turned to the Ta-Matoran, getting a better look at her new hand. "Hmm... In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have cut the old one off; I think I liked that one better, especially since it couldn't burn people to ash. Then again, these things do tend to happen when you go around forcing others into making split-second decisions while you're trying to kill off the defenders of a hospital..."

IC: Verulas struggled to open his eyes, the blood running into his right one from the new wound on his forehead not helping at all as the Ta-Matoran's voice made his headache much worse. He slowly pushed himself upwards, realising that she was in a position to attack him before he could even properly defend himself. If he was to survive this encounter, he would need to take her by surprise. He looked around, not seeing anything he could use or even get to in time until he looked at the closet mirror and saw the reflection of a potted plant resting high up on a shelf near the doorway. The person who lived here had taken horrible care of it, and he didn't have the time to rejuvenate it, nor turn it into anything fancy. But he had found his distraction nonetheless. "How could I NOT? You're too ANNOYING to FORGET!" The roots of the plant forced their way through the pot in an attempt to latch onto her face as he ripped a knife from his leg and charged directly at her, aiming to tackle her down the staircase.

OOC: Silo, there is no ground beneath Verulas; he's on the roof of a building. I think that I can manage, though. IC: Verulas didn't notice the Vortixx's attack until it was too late. As his arrow flew through the air, the Vortixx used his power to fracture the frozen earth beneath the building he was on. The crack shot towards him, making its way through the structure as well before the force hit the Bo-Toa and knocked him on his back. He rolled to the side, barely escaping the boulder-sized chunk of rubble that flew towards his face as he was pelted with much smaller debris, but that soon became the least of his problems. The Vortixx's attack had weakened the frame to the point where the section upon which he was resting began falling into the street. Verulas slid downwards, curling himself up before it collided into a nearby house and propelled him through a closed bedroom window. Glass dug into his skin as he rolled across the floor and smacked his head off of a dresser, causing him to black out.

IC: Verulas didn't expect his shot to do any life-threatening damage to his target, but what irritated him was that he didn't account for his Fa-Toa ally to move his target; a mistake that hopefully wouldn't occur again. He knew he had recognized the Vortixx from somewhere; he was the Makuta-worshipper that had attacked the hospital and that had escaped from them earlier. He didn't recall him having the power to fragment things like that before, but if he was here, then that meant that the Ta-Matoran was... The sound of her voice was all that he needed to confirm his suspicions as he caught sight of a De-Toa entering the fray and aiming a literal wall of sound at the pair. Time for some mind games. "Aww, what's the matter? Did you miss us? If you two wanted us to kick the Karz out of you again, all you had to do was ask!" The Bo-Toa created, readied, and fired another arrow, this time at her as a distraction, knowing full well that angered opponents tended to be sloppy ones.

IC: Verulas felt the wall start shaking beneath him, his body trying to regain his balance as the section he was standing on crumbled away. He fell through the air, his uninjured shoulder impacting the side of one building as he landed on the roof of another. Luckily, nothing had been broken when he hit either, but his body sure did hurt like Karz... The Bo-Toa grimaced as he picked himself up, activating his Volitak as a long, curved branch of wood appeared in his hands. He remembered his previous fight with the Ta-Toa as he strung a vine between its two ends, knowing that, while he did have experience using a variety of different weapons due to his job, he was better at throwing knives than archery. When the bow was complete, he moved to the other end of the building and caught sight of their Votixx and Ta-Matoran attackers. He crouched down, creating an arrow with his free hand before notching it and pulling it back. Taking a deep breath, he aimed at the Vortixx, accounted for the wind, and fired.

IC: "Okay, then," Verulas shrugged. "Wall it is." A vine shot from his hand, wrapping itself around one of the battlements as he used it to climb up. He groaned in pain as he pulled himself over the edge, leaving the plant tethered in place for others to use as he made two more so the Ko-Toa wouldn't end up doing all of the heavy lifting. Whoever this "Korero" person was, Kimala was sure as Karz making reaching him a very big deal. Wait a minute... The Bo-Toa turned around, looking back up at the flying Toa in the distance. Air powers? Teleportation? No, it couldn't be... Only one way to find out... Three mist-bomb plants appeared in both of his hands, only to impact the side of a nearby building moments later. Hopefully the ensuing green cloud would be enough to catch the Le-Toa's gaze.

IC: "It's near the back, outside of the wall," Verulas said, resting his hand on his sword as he spoke. "I had to make an extra little trek around the other side of the mountain to get there, but I didn't have to go through an entire army to do so, so I'm counting it as a plus. I should also point out that it has a bit of a rat problem, Frosty over here might have to make an ice bridge at some point, and the members of the Ko-Koro guard that were stationed there during my last visit were about as friendly as a hungry Takea Shark, so they're going to need some convincing to let us by them." He paused, catching his breath as he caught sight of the burning village and pointed to the approximate location of where he found the sewer grate. "Right about there," the Bo-Toa continued. "I'm not saying that it's going to be an easy journey, but it sure as Karz beats the alternative. Last chance to back out, people."

OOC: I wasn't expecting a group that size when Verulas joined the "Kimala's crazy suicide mission" bandwagon either, but hey, it happens. And can we stop with the whole "Verulas has a crush on Kimala" thing? Because it is so not like that. At all. IC: Verulas shrugged. "Fine with me," he said. "I hearby grant you the title of Sparky the Second, which is what I'll be calling you until we're on a first-name basis. Or, you know, whenever I feel like it. Just try not to zap me like the last Sparky did, and we'll get along just fine." He then turned his attention to the teleporting Fa-Toa. "As for you, welcome aboard! It's always nice to know when there's another pessimist on the team. And to answer your question, apparently we all want to die horribly today, and there's no better place to do that than in a city that's currently under siege by a bunch of psychopaths. I sure do hope that I get gutted with a spoon!" The Bo-Toa had spent years perfecting his particular brand of sarcasm; he could do this all day.

IC: She was so going to get herself killed one day... Verulas sighed, scratching the back of his head in frustration before speaking. "Well, if you're going, then I guess I have to go to. Part of the hospital job requires me to watch the backs of the other defenders until everyone makes it out, and I just don't see how that would be physically possible from the inside of a bar in Ta-Koro. And don't go trying to talk me out of it either; my mind's made up." The Bo-Toa quickly checked to make sure that his knives were properly sheathed before following Kimala. "Besides," he said, his mouth half smiling. "If I don't go, who's going to show you guys to the secret sewer entrance that'll lead you right past the majority of the Makuta-worshipping crazies?"

IC: It quickly became apparent that the Vortixx wasn't amused by his joke, and he seriously began wondering how hard it was to get on his good side, if he even had one at all. Verulas sighed, turning around and rolling his eyes just in time to notice that Kimala had returned and to catch parts of her conversation with the Ko-Toa. What he heard made him stop dead in his tracks. They were not seriously considering what he thought they were considering. He listened for a moment longer. They were. The Bo-Toa made his way over to them, diverting from his previous path towards the cable car. "Please tell me that my ears were lying to me when they told me you two were going back inside the city," he said, stopping just short of the pair. "Because that is, without a doubt, the worst idea I've heard in a very long time."

"Sure," Verulas said, a smile forming on his face as he began walking towards the cable car. He turned around when he had made it about halfway there, continuing to back-pedal before speaking again in jest. "Unless, of course, you want to stick around here so you can stare at the snow a while longer..."

I asked a similar question concerning the old races here about a month ago, Miras, and the general consensus was "no." I believe there was also a KFC joke concerning the Valkyr involved somewhere in that conversation.

IC: "So true. Wouldn't want to board a ship only for it to sink after it left the docks," Verulas said honestly as he gave one of the straps on the Su-Matoran's backpack a slight tug to adjust its position. "And the trip should allow me to settle my business there as well. Maybe I'll even grab a few drinks on my way in. It's been a while, and I sure as Karz could use them after how hectic this last job turned out to be."

IC: "Believe me, that's something we actually both agree on," Verulas said. "But it could've been worse; he may have walked out half-blind, but at least he walked out. He could just as easily be dead right now, and then both sides would've lost more than just an eye since we probably would've started killing each other at that point." Sensing that he was close to hitting a nerve, he decided to turn his attention back to the refugees. "So, how much longer do you think it's going to take to get the rest of them across?"

IC: "We do," Verulas said. "From what I've seen of her, the likelihood of her gunning for you unprovoked is slim to none. Agree with her methods or not, she was trying to do what was best for those that she was protecting, allies included. Taking the Ba-Toa's eye was probably meant more as a scare tactic to get your team to stop attacking, and she had no way of knowing that you had already ceased fire before she did it." The Bo-Toa turned his head, staring right at the Vortixx. "If it was possible to protect those you cared about in a way requiring minimal bloodshed after a long, tiring day of fighting and death in a failed attempt to defend your home, wouldn't you at least try to give it a shot?"

Hmm... My current theory is that Kentoku was either once a piece of Mata Nui that got separated and reformed due to shifting tectonic plates, or was a piece of the Great Spirit Robot's body that fell off and landed some distance away when it crash-landed (had to work around both possibilities concerning the robot).But then again, their connection could also be something entirely different.

IC: Maybe the others would have to wait... Verulas caught sight of the Vortixx who had drew on Kimala standing rather inconspicuously away from everyone else. He pretended not to notice as he blended himself in the crowd, circling around its edge before eventually coming to a stop next to him. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall behind them. "I've "arranged" for the other Vortixx to set up a meeting concerning my recruitment into your organization," he said quietly. "But you should know that one of the stipulations of my membership will be that neither you, nor anyone else in your group, is allowed to go after the Crystal-Toa for reprisal of any sort. Since we're working on the "eye for an eye" system, you guys getting an extra set should sort this mess out completely." He paused, taking a breath before continuing once more. "And if your Ba-Toa still has an issue with this arrangement, then after I return from Ta-Koro... he can have one of mine."

So I'll just assume that Okoto becoming a separate location once we get enough info (sort of like Kentoku) is entirely out of the question then. Oh well. Still, it would be pretty cool if PC's could eventually be able to travel between islands.

IC: The Bo-Toa had decided that he would take one of the last car rides across the break, hoping that he'd either end up riding with a particularly chatty merc on his way to Ta-Wahi or at the very least catch a ride by himself. It seemed like he'd be waiting a while though, as there was still plenty of patients, doctors, and supplies that needed to be transported first. Verulas sighed as he went to go help the others, figuring that there was no better way to keep himself busy while he waited. OOC: Any Outsider interaction would be more than welcome.

IC: Verulas leaned himself up against a tree as he watched the rest of the defenders prepare for the trip to Ta-Koro. He had scouted the area around the outpost for a little while before grabbing an hour's worth of sleep somewhere separate from the group and heading back. By the time he had returned, everyone was up and about working. They had almost reached the end of their journey. Once they hit Ta-Koro, the job would be complete. And that's when he'd make himself scarce. The Bo-Toa didn't see any real reason to stick around afterwards; he'd already been paid, and his services had been delivered. He figured he'd find somewhere peaceful to bury the Su-Matoran's belongings and, if the meeting concerning his recruitment into the mercenaries' organization hadn't yet taken place, hit the road once more to look for his next job. Po-Koro looked a bit... barren for his tastes, and Onu-Koro sounded like a cave-in waiting to happen. Maybe he'd find something to occupy himself with in Le or Ga-Koro...

IC: Verulas shrugged before returning to his feet. Small talk wasn't exactly his area of expertise; knifing people in the back was. "Yeah, well, whatever," he said casually. "Take it however you want; I just call things like I see them. I'm going to go take a walk." He side-stepped around Brontes, deciding that he was going to go explore around the outpost a bit more as he left the other two Toa to their own devices.

IC: "Yeah, well... Like I said, I take care of my allies," Verulas said as he briefly looked up at the fading stars. "Besides, you pulled more than your share of the weight around here today; it's only natural that you'd need to rest for a bit. Needing a break once in a while doesn't make you a burden." He paused as he glanced back at her. "As for the help, don't worry about it. The world could use a lot more people like you running around and helping others, and a lot less people like me fighting for whoever's shelling out enough widgets. It doesn't need any wise-cracking pessimists with bad attitudes, crazy knife skills, or knowledge of guerrilla warfare; people do when they want something done that they don't want to dirty their own hands with. It needs people who actually give a Karz about each other and are able to protect those they care for, people who are willing to do whatever is necessary so that others stay safe."

IC: As Brontes went off to grab a doctor, Verulas sat himself down near the cot they had rested Kimala on. He figured she'd merely tired herself out, but she was in battle both inside and outside the hospital and there was always the possibility that she had suffered some type of internal injury, so he didn't want to take any chances. The Bo-Toa watched as blood slowly trickled down his body, leaving spots in the snow as the tiny streams began to freeze in the cold. The wounds hadn't opened themselves too badly; they were certainly much worse when he had received them compared to now, and he didn't think he was going to die from them or anything, but they still sure hurt like Karz... His eyes diverted back to Kimala for a moment, making sure she was still okay for the time being before shaking his head. She was a tough one, but wounds, exhaustion, and the trauma of losing a city were things that just couldn't be out-muscled. The universe sure had a funny way of always putting good people through the wringer.

IC: Oh Karz... Verulas caught the Crystal-Toa passing out in the corner of his eye, his body shifting to catch her and prevent her from falling on her face. The weight of the extra body he was supporting sent pain radiating throughout all of his wounds at once, forcing him to his knees as curses escaped from his gritted teeth. He felt the wounds on his shoulder and side reopen themselves, blood soaking through the bandages wrapped around them as he threw the closest of her two arms around his neck and forced himself back to his feet. Well, at least she decided to take her nap when they weren't being attacked... "Sparky...! A little help would be most appreciated...," he growled as he began dragging her over to an empty cot. "And go grab a medic just in case!"

IC: Verulas continued walking to where Kimala had seemed to set herself up, placing the Matoran he was carrying nearby before trying to strike up some friendly conversation. He figured that one of the mercs would come by to collect him at some point, probably while everyone else was still sleeping to maintain the secrecy of the meeting he had arranged. Hopefully that happened sometime before the trigger-happy Vortixx showed up. While he was waiting, however, he had some time to kill. "So... Kimala, is it? Figured you'd want these two back since we arrived and all," he said, assuming that Brontes had followed behind him to off-load the sled of medical supplies that the Fe-Toa merc had stuck him with. "Quite the view, huh?"