Timageness

My first impression was that Verulas just stumbled into the Ko-Koro branch of Umbrella. Both situations do sound interesting, but I kind of doubt that's the case here.

IC: Verulas reached the staircase and proceeded to go down when he felt the Matoran's tiny hands press into the small of his back and throw him off balance. He tumbled down the steps as they dug into his side and back before his body landed in a heap at their base. "What's the matter soil-head? Not so fun when it's you falling is it?" Verulas looked up at him, anger contorting his face as he righted himself, the thought of what he was about to do forcing him to grin. Two could play at this game, and there was no one around to protect the pipsqueak now. A vine shot from his hand, wrapping around the Matoran's leg as he pulled, tripping him up and forcing his backside to hit every single step on his way down. "I don't know," he seethed as he landed in front of his feet. "You tell me." He pulled out one of his knives and put a small cut on his leg as he clamped his free hand over the Matoran's mouth, preventing him from calling for help as the poison started to take effect.

Specimens in the lab, huh? Interesting. Can you please clarify that a little? And what is the likelihood that this Riaril would take them with her vs. her opening the cages and letting them fend for themselves down there?

IC: Really? Still no free doctors? This is a hospital for Nui's sake! Verulas was ducking through rooms since he left the lobby, trying to get the attention of the medically-inclined, but no luck. There were rooms filled with them packing equipment, aiding patients, and in the case of one room in particular, two of them were- No, it was best not to think of what occured in that room ever again. He was getting irritated and was about to drag the next lab coat-wearing person he saw back with him when he overheard that a lower level had been cleared out. Would he run into one down there? He made for the stairs, bobbing and weaving through other people moving about when a Matoran carrying a box of medical supplies that obscured his face bumped into him and fell backwards, his cargo dumping itself on the floor. "Ouch! Hey! Watch where you're going, soil-head!" "You're the one who blocked your own vision and walked into me, shorty," he said as he continued walking. "Have fun picking up your stuff."

Well, the village did just get their cans handed to them by the Piraka, so an angry group of Skakdi-haters breaking into the place for you two wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility...

Yeah... Grokk was spewing out bad omens from the beginning. You can't really say he landed you in jail since Natharius saw them and continued following him anyway. At least you two can scam other prisoners out of their smokes by setting up cockroach races. That seems like something Grokk would do...

Okay. Verulas is currently running around, looking for a doctor for another character, and I was planning on having him get lost. Realistically, what are his chances of stumbling into the morgue and bumping into the body of a Su-Matoran he knew for an "oh no..." moment?

IC: Verulas smiled as he raced up behind her. Humor was good for times like these. It made things less stressful, kept people calm. Allowed them to fight when death stared them in the face. He moved past the wounded Toa, spinning around mid-run and saluting her as he continued down a hallway in search of a doctor. OOC: I'm planning on having Verulas get himself lost in the hospital for a little while, so if there are any docs in the house, feel free to help Kimala out with those injuries.

Does anyone know where the morgue is in Ko-Koro's hospital? Is it on a different floor from the lobby?

OOC: Ah. IC: Verulas nodded before jogging up the steps and elbowing the door open, taking a quick look around for any medical staff not busy with the evacuation and found none. On the other hand, he did find a stretcher standing awkwardly in the middle of the lobby. Perfect. Just perfect. At least she would be awaiting help more comfortably and out of the cold. He wheeled it back out the way he came, sliding down the snowy ramp before landing next to the Toa of Crystal once more. "C'mon, get on. Waiting out here's not going to help. Let me at least take you inside where it's warm while I go medic hunting." OOC: Anyone know what level the morgue is on btw? Just curious.

IC: Verulas stole glances at the Vortixx as he said the bit about escaping prisoners and noticed him tied up in the snow, most likely preparing to unleash his threatening death-stare upon everyone again. It wasn't fearsome by any means (Verulas thought that the look Cancer had given him at their first meeting was more terrifying), and the last two Vortixx he had encountered had gotten him used to their species attacking him, so he expected the violent outbursts. Despite this, he still felt uneasy about him for reasons he couldn't explain. Yeah, those ropes should totally hold him... until the next secret lunatic pops out from hiding and frees him. The Titan was tough; he could tank well, and teleportation's always handy. The Skakdi looked like he'd seen action and could handle himself. Verulas was no slouch either. And Kellin and Cancer proved to be an effective team. But those five were the only ones uninjured enough to keep the place safe. And if more of the Votixx's friends showed up, they were in trouble.

OOC: Whoops. Sorry Major. I've only been on BZP for about a month. Please excuse my previous ignorance. IC: Stubborn too, huh? He was liking her already. "Yeah, but they're either preparing patients for transport or packing up for evac," he said, sticking with her just in case she passed out in the snow and he had to make good on his offer. "We'll have to free one up to look you over, but otherwise they'll get you patched up. And as long as the prisoners don't escape... again, we shouldn't have any problems getting you inside." OOC: Silo, assuming Krayzikk doesn't start trying to pound Mortem back into the snowbank he woke up in, Verulas ripped off his cloak and tossed it nearby. It shouldn't be too far from his current position, but whether it's still invisible or not depends on how you designed it.

OOC: It's cool, Mj. No worries. IC: The Toa had made her allegiances clear, causing Verulas to let out a sigh of minor disappointment that could've been mitaken for one of relief as he sheathed his weapons, still keeping his left hand at the hilt of his sword just in case. Blankets and hot chocolate it was then. He walked up to her, the sight of her wound becoming clearer and clearer in all of its nasty glory. She had apparently stopped the bleeding using her own powers, effectively corking the wound, but he could still tell from the look in her eyes that she was in some major pain. The gamble was gutsy, and it had paid off at the cost of possibly agrivating the injury further, but it was a split-second decision that probably saved her life. This earned her some respect. "Then I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming you to the hospital," he said, stepping aside. "You need a hand getting in?"

Maybe they don't feed it before going into battle, or rarely do when the ship is docked. That way it sort of becomes an active defense, and could be avoided via an unexpected attack at sea. An alternative idea as to why it sticks around could involve having some crew members attach a harness to it (after it was fed of course, or not if the captain wanted some entertainment), thus effectively tethering it to the ship (and making sure the guard-shark doesn't swim away). If the pirates did something similar to themselves when on deck, they wouldn't have to worry about falling overboard, and you could have them only feed it enough to keep it alive (yeah, it's cruel, but these are pirates we're dealing with after all).

OOC: Just a heads up Perpetual, everyone (except for the medical staff and the wounded) are actually outside of the hospital (unless there was a time-skip that I wasn't aware of... in which case feel free to completely disregard that part of the OOC post). And that forecast part was Verulas' thoughts on what the invaders were doing to the city. He's not crazy, honest. IC: "Good. Now you're caught up," Verulas said as he shifted his attention from the Skakdi and refocused it back on the Toa of Crystal. "Now I'll ask again; friend or foe?"

I suppose one of the pirates could train their pet monkey or bird to feed the shark. Wouldn't have to risk them becoming food if they did that.

IC: Okay... "Don't worry about it. Staying knowledgeable is staying alive. One: I assume the big guy's in charge; he's the one who gave the order, and I don't see anyone else around telling him otherwise. Two: Wouldn't know; haven't been inside the place since it became total Karz. I imagine dead and wounded lying in the streets is in the city's forecast, with a high chance of decapitation, dismemberment, and/or explosions. I seriously doubt the attackers destroyed the gate and mutilated the guards just to walk through the place and pick some snow-lillies. Now that I think about it though, they do seem insane enough to have done just that. Three: No idea, though I'm assuming somewhere not here. Nobody told me anything about the destination, so I'm just going to stick with the "follow the people ahead of me plan" and see where I wind up. Beats the Karz out of the "stay here and die" plan. That cover everything?"

IC: "From what I heard back in Ta-Koro, Makuta worshippers and the Brotherhood of Ak'Rei'An. I've never heard of either before now, but if you take these two as an example, they seem to be complete lunatics. They've practically declared open war on the city. As for the hospital, the wall was mostly due to the Vortixx, with some assistance from the Ta-Matoran. She decided to get cute and attack our friend Kellin here after giving him and the Titan a false story about a Rahkshi sighting. Bet he wasn't expecting the hickey she gave him either," he said, mentioning the De-Matoran's neck wound. "As for me, I figured that the Ko-Koro Guard would like a little help with their defence. I also figured, correctly I might add, that one in my line of work would be handsomely rewarded for providing said help. Might as well line the pockets while I'm here."

IC: "I think everything inside is being taken care of. Wouldn't want anyone getting... cranky about misplaced or broken items now. As for defense, having another body around to guard the place couldn't hurt. It's already been attacked by two crazies, one who I suspect just walked up firing before being captured the first time, and another who snuck in with the injured. If the city has fallen, you can bet we'll be seeing more of them soon." Okay, he passed inspection... for now... That just leaves him with the Crystal-Toa... OOC: That cue is for Kimala, btw.

Post #10110 Onarax. It was an example for the Rahi pet question.

...And the Viking Toa of Ice idea dies amidst the bloodied snow of Ko-Koro, waiting for someone kind enough to modify their concept and transform him/her into an actual character before leading them into glorious battle.

IC: And now we have an unknown Skakdi checking out the hole in the wall... Verulas, who caught the scarred warrior approaching in the corner of his eye, was slightly befuddled as to how he was able to get so close without being questioned by the rest of the group. He'd have to keep an eye out for him as well. He turned his head slightly, still keeping the Toa of Crystal (who was slow to answer his question) in his sights. "They're in the process of evacuation," he said, loud enough for the Skakdi to hear (hey, he asked). "In case you didn't hear the explosion, the gate of Ko-Koro has fallen. If you're here to help, help. If you're here to get paid, talk to Moneybags over here. He's the one with the coin," he said gesturing at Kellin. "And if you're here to get crazy," he continued, pointing once more towards the unconcious Ta-Matoran, and then the defeated Vortixx and the Titan. "Then I suggest you go and do that somewhere else."

That is a very interesting question, one I would also like the answer to. I could see a Toa of Ice wandering around with 2-3 dog Rahi, leading them on a hunt or into battle Viking-style (I play too much Skyrim).

IC: The sound of crunching snow distracted Verulas from the Titan, commanding his attention towards the newcomer, a large and muscular, yet clearly still female, Toa of Crystal. From what he could see, due to the distance still between them, she moved as if wounded. Maybe she was injured while defending the city? Then again, the Ta-Matoran was also hurt when she arrived, and she turned out to be an enemy... He had been paid to guard the place, after all. It never hurt to be more thorough. "Friend of yours?," he said, notifying the Titan of her arrival before walking off without waiting for his response. He drew his sword and a throwing knife from their respective sheaths, moving in her direction, and stopping just a few yards away from the rest of the group. "Hey! You! Crystal-Toa! Friend or foe?" He knew there would only be two outcomes to this situation; either she'd get patched up and it'll be all blankets and hot chocolate for her, or it'll be laser-fire and explosions for him. He didn't mind either way.

Well, Mortem never got cut with it (despite Verulas' suggestion to do so), so if he woke up and escaped, he could always take Dayeth with him.