Toru Nui

IC: Skrall (Tajun Arena, Ready Room) - Glory “Yes,” Skrall admitted. “Poor wretches, who can never know the glory of combat themselves, only contribute to it.” He seems genuinely saddened by this. “That is not ‘more’. Why is one not here to serve? To draw?” @Nato G

IC: Skrall (Tajun Arena, Ready Room) - Pronoun Trouble That didn’t make sense. Or… did it? Skrall tried to minimize any confusion leaking through to his face, just to be certain. “‘Just a warrior’?” He repeated. “What more is there? Leadership? You are not the leader.” He spoke in earnest. ‘You’. Skrall didn’t necessarily like using that word, but if he was discouraged from using ‘I’ and ‘me’ then logically, he should avoid ‘you,’ ‘he,’ ‘him,’ ‘his,’ ‘them,’ ‘their’ and ‘it’. As well as ‘she,’ and ‘her,’ but that went without saying. However, this limited vocabulary was difficult to maintain. Sometimes he forgot, and other times he couldn’t think of a way to impart his meaning without it, at least not quickly. @Nato G IC: Xyde (Ferrum, Gates) - Video Killed the Radio Star Xyde decided to let the Glatorian handle the dismantling of the bloodstained barricade. They had brought many pairs of spare medical gloves, yes, but it was best to avoid contamination wherever possible, even if they were certain they were all already in the early stages of infection… whatever this was. Ferrum was one of the Big Five, it wasn’t a small, tight-knit community like Precipere. So for the entire village to succumb at such a rapid rate… it was the stuff nightmares were made of. And there was nothing - NOTHING - they could think of that could explain it. In fact, the more Xyde examined the situation, the more it didn’t make any sense. The Ferrumites had dug mass graves - at least in the beginning, it seems. There was a period of time where they thought they could contain the spread, which meant it couldn’t have happened overnight. But then why didn’t they send any messages? No warnings, and no calls for help? Truth be told, they had forgotten about Tueris’ implants, but perhaps it was for the best that they utilised both them and the telegraph station. All joking aside - and this was no joking matter - they weren’t altogether confident in the new technologies that came out of Tajun. What did he call it? ‘Video’? It would never catch on. Why were they thinking about that at a time like this? They would stop thinking about that now. @a goose @Nato G @~Xemnas~ @Burnmad @oncertainty

IC: Lutenus, Vraek and Skrall (Tajun Arena, Ready Room) - Draw Swords Vraek’s concern dissipated once she realised the Skrall’s lack of breathing was due to cybernetics. ‘Nobody’s perfect’? He could speak for himself. “Oh, I don’t mean to judge, it was merely an observation.” Lutenus tapped his cybernetic eye. “I was not aware that such technology was available in the north.” The opponent’s words made sense. The spread of information about them may prove harmful to the Legion, but the laws of this land likely did not permit Skrall to stop it. But… “Why does a warrior learn to draw? Are words not enough?” @Burnmad @Nato G IC: Xyde (Ferrum, Gates) - Contagion It was so, so much worse than Xyde had imagined, even in the worst-case scenarios they had thought of on the way here. So many gone, even children… and if their suspicions and instincts were correct, it was only going to get worse from here. “From how the bodies lie and the apparent speed at which the plague spread,” they spoke up, tempering their voice to remain composed, “I’d say it’s carried through the air. If so, we are likely all already in the early stages of infection. We need to find the cause of this, and for that, we’ll need to go inside. It’s the only way to know for certain how to keep this from happening elsewhere… and possibly, determine how to cure it.” Possibly. “If we can use their telegraph station, we’ll be able to send our findings, without going back and risking the spread of the contagion.” @Nato G @Burnmad @a goose @~Xemnas~ @oncertainty

IC: Lutenus, Vraek and Skrall (Tajun Arena, Ready Room) - Drawing a Blank Sneering, Vraek waves a hand dismissively. “The ‘Spikit scat’, as you so elegantly call it, is hardly fine dining, but it is not supposed to be. Its purpose, rather than slake your refined palate, is to provide nutrition. This is, after all, gladiatorial combat, for which we must prepare ourselves, not gorge ourselves.” “Iconox is not well-regarded for its cooking, in case you couldn’t tell,” Lutenus remarks to the Skrall. His eye looks over his mouth and chest. “You don’t appear to be breathing,” he says, like it’s perfectly normal. Vraek scoffs and is about to retort about her tribe’s ability to cook, but then Lutenus makes the observation of the Skrall’s breathing - or lack thereof, causing her disdain to be replaced with visible concern for his well-being. Skrall is just about to leave when he notices something. There is one of them in a secluded corner of the room, who appears to be… writing? No, no, writing goes from left to right, these movements were far more erratic. So unless the southern writing language was very different, this was… drawing? Why? Why would a warrior draw? It must be some manner of plan, or observational sketch of the enemy. As such, it was his duty to learn of it. What else could explain the impulse to march over and ask her what she is doing and why she is doing it? Unfortunately, having been raised in a crude and rigid society, Skrall ignorantly assumes that everyone he meets is male, foolishly believing that he would recognise a female if he saw one, what with their inherent powers of witchcraft. He also believes that the southerners would not allow one to compete in their Games, due to the obvious advantage that power gave them, and the idea of someone not being either male or female, or being both, or anything like that had never crossed his mind. As such, in Skrall’s mind, he is going to ask him what he is doing and why he is doing it, when it was not the case. Diverting his course away from the exit and towards the corner in which Kehla sits, Skrall wonders if he is about to commit a mistake of some form. For the first time in his life, he is going to speak to someone outside the Rock Tribe. He had not said a single word directed to the once-Skrall they escorted and sold to the Renegades, nor the Renegades themselves, nor any of the southerners when they entered this Village of Water. This could end badly. A consequence he would accept, rather than shirk his responsibility to the Legion. Skrall looms over Kehla, perhaps far more ominously than he intends. “Drawing,” he says, matter-of-factly and without venom, only curiosity. “For what purpose, and why?” @Burnmad @Nato G

IC: Dornak and Maxas (Streets of Tajun, Outside Celrys’ Workshop) - Resuming Mission Scodonius’ death was not an accident. Maxas knew this to be true. Someone who had managed to evade suspicion of wrongdoing all these years would know better than to… do whatever it was that supposedly led to him dying. That had been vague. He heard someone yell ‘good ****ing morning, Tajun’ in the distance, startling him. Then again, perhaps he was reading too deeply on this one. If he wasn’t careful with his investigations, this could make him an even bigger target of the conspiracy than ever before- “Maxas!” His caravan of thought was again disrupted by the arrival of a certain red menace. “Maxas old boy, have you - have you seen, er, any Skrall in town?” “No. I have not.” “OK! Thank you!” He said, a little too cheerfully and abruptly before scampering off towards the arena. “Maniac,” Maxas muttered derisively. What was he thinking about? Oh yes, about how everybody wants to kill him. Best he go to the arena as well, to avoid being ambushed and shanked in a dark alley like Kirbraz almost certainly was, or something. Then- Wait a minute. As he passed by the CelTech building, he saw that Jungle Glatorian who had been with that suspicious Iron Glatorian. In the company of… was that a very pale Fire Glatorian? He grabbed some notes he had on his water business and pretended to read them with interest, more interested in what they might have to say. @Snelly @Alex Mason IC: Lutenus, Vraek and Skrall (Tajun Arena, Ready Room) - Local Restaurant Recommendations This barracks does not smell nearly as awful as the old one back in Roxtus. Even so, there’s no reason for Skrall to linger too long here. He has little he wishes to say to the opposition in any case. Save perhaps the promise of their defeat. Perhaps it would be best to observe a few matches first, if only to prepare himself for what, precisely, he is marching into. Unfortunately, the Games are just about to start, so Vraek can’t drink the memory of last night out of her mind. Not so much due to Karak’s company - though he is still a selfish, thundering buffoon - but due to the other memories she tries to forget that resurfaced from staying in a room with another Glatorian. Speaking of intoxication or lack thereof, apparently that person whom she initially thought was drunk and sleeping just outside the Arena Hotel’s entrance? No, he was dead. She can never speak of this to anyone. Well, at least Karak was honest, unlike some Glatorian she could name. Fortunately, the worst that had happened - thus far - was that her and Lutenus’ lockers had been placed close to one another, so they both tried to avoid eye contact when they initially placed their equipment in there. The journey from Atero to Tajun with Lorqua had been fairly uneventful. Not like his last journey here. Not at all. They weren’t too late, they had managed to catch the opening ceremony, and oh how he wished he had. Bile had risen in Lutenus’ throat and burned the back of his tongue throughout Ackar’s speech. Good fighter, terrible perception of the current cultural climate. The Games hadn’t ‘stopped’ the war. They merely prolonged it through a new medium. And of course, the Glatorian were expected to fight it for the Agori. For what? Such worthless concepts of ‘kinship and camaraderie’? Well, that is the old man’s opinion, and he is entitled to it, even if he was wrong and foolish. Automatically detecting a possible threat, the eye fixes itself on one of the Skrall warriors. He has never seen one before, but the resemblance to the Bone Hunters is clear. What is he saying? Asking for better food than the one served here? His cybernetic eye whirrs and clicks as he analyzes him. “Oh, there is this place just down the street from the southern entrance,” he begins to explain before he can remember that he hates the Skrall, actually. “Terribly expensive, but there’s-” “Am I to presume the cuisine in Roxtus is better?” Vraek interrupts, voice dripping with scepticism. Lutenus’ head swings around to glare at her, the aperture of his cybernetic eye shrinking. @Burnmad IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Rock Steed Stables) - 0 Days Without an Accident “Nuth, you wretched beast!” Taldrix throws up her arms, standing on the edge of a coalescing pool of blood. “You were already fed today!” The Rock Steed doesn’t seem to care, still hungrily munching on the dead corpse of a slave who had gotten too close to his pen. Sighing, Taldrix pulls out a form for accidental deaths and starts filling in the details.

IC: Lutenus (Outskirts of Atero, Training Ground) - The Boys Are Back in Town (To Kill Help You) “Thank you, but no, that will not be necessary.” Lutenus responds, before sighing. “A ‘good fighter’... what else could I be, hmm?” A flash of anger comes across his face. “What else would I be? Carpenter? Thespian? Accountant? No, no, I am Glatorian, after all. ‘Tis my lot in life to bleed and bleed others in turn for the glory of Tesara… and the amusement of paying spectators.” More sounds of machinery escape him, and his bitterness fades as easily as it appeared. “Ah well. Tesara is a nice place to live.” Far nicer than any of the others, at any rate. “It is only right that I do my part to ensure it remains so.” More than that, it was only right to ensure it became the only ‘nice place’ left. The pointless, ridiculous Games would only continue until either one stood supreme, or all crumbled to dust. No other settlement in Bara Magna was worthy of inheriting the paradise that he knew would come. If either Iconox or Roxtus won, an unfortunate precedent would be set, as he warned Lorqua. And if Ferrum won, it may be enough to draw them back from the brink. But how precisely could they win, with no champions? Del. Glatorian of Ferrum. Possibly the only Glatorian of Ferrum left. And if his Lord’s will be with him, the last. @Techn0geist @oncertainty IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - I Don’t Want This Other Path, Either It looks as if Vraek really is going to try and make good on her threat. But then her gaze turns to the frightened receptionist. Then, back to her spear. Her eyes widen for just a moment with fear and familiarity, before she returns to a calmer composure. “Were it not for the laws of this land, I would slaughter you like the beast you are,” she hisses, her voice as cold as Iconox itself. “But I am willing to compromise. Your ‘tradition’ prevents you from treating me as an equal and accepting my unwarranted generosity, but MY tradition refuses to let you sleep in the street. Therefore, we must…” she gags, disgusted by the very prospect. “Share the room.” @Alex Mason @a goose

IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - Yes, ‘Escalation’ Is Right Vraek blinks for a moment. “Because I’m a-” She begins saying in a barely audible voice, just before fury grips her. “You dare?” She says, quietly, before raising her voice. “You DARE?!” Then she draws her weapon, completely forgetting about everything else. “I will shove my spear so far down your throat, you’ll resemble a VOROX with a very short stinger!” @Alex Mason @a goose IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Outside Somnii’s Cell) - I Don’t Care About Your Trauma That wasn’t helpful - this was Bara Magna. You could find death everywhere. She rubs her eyes in frustration. This wasn’t going to work if even a simple conversation felt like it took a year to complete. She quickly writes down another message. ‘SPECIFICS.’ “I don’t suppose there’s anything else you’d like to tell me?” @a goose

IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - Crimes Against the Agori Lexicon “Are you having a stroke?!” Vraek asks in confused contempt, following Karak, trying to decipher the attitude he was giving her. “Does your tortured grammar convey that you would rather sleep in the streets out of petty spite?” @Alex Mason @a goose IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Outside Somnii’s Cell) - Trust Issues “Also malfunctioning? All of them? That’s far too big of a coincidence.” Taldrix considered the words she saw through the bars, scrawled on parchment. If it came down to whom she trusted more, the Aula Agoria or the Ghost… it was neither. One could only trust another to do whatever was in their best interests - or rather, what they believed was in their best interests. And while the Ghost having interest in obtaining further power for himself was understandable, this mewling tribal brat trying to ‘warn’ her was not. Why would any of those self-pitying worms ever value the lives of Gatherers? Unless whatever was down there threatened her life still, even all the way here. ‘WHAT IS IT?’ @a goose

IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Outside Somnii’s Cell) - The World? But That’s Where I Keep All My Stuff! What the- It just occurred to Taldrix that she hadn’t resumed their audible conversation for a moment. Somnii had been discussing how they were unable to find - or invent - a culprit for the telegraph station’s destruction. “You, ahem - said earlier that, with the station inoperable, you left Ferrum to get help. Was that what you were doing when we abducted you?” ‘Found’ wouldn’t have been the right word, may as well be honest about it. “You said that taking the regular, safer route out of the canyons was ‘unfeasible.’” So, there really was something out there. Something that put more fear into this girl than being trapped in a camp full of murderers, sadists and worse. This didn’t tell her much, though, but fortunately there was a card prepared for this eventuality. ‘HE CLAIMS THAT THERE’S G.B. RUINS.’ ‘HE PROMISES US THE TECH BENEATH THEM.’ @a goose

IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - You Can’t Insult Me If I Don’t Understand What You Mean ‘Talk out of neck?’ What was that supposed to mean? Was that a ‘polite’ way of saying that she was talking out of her- Wait - there was a room, and he was offering to… give it up? Or share it? Unacceptable. “Oh no, YOU take the room! If you’re left out there, you’ll probably end up either murdering someone or being murdered. I’ll…” She tried desperately to think of something. “...Go… elsewhere.” Scarabax’s Delight it was, then. A thousand curses. @Alex Mason @a goose IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Outside Somnii’s Cell) - In, Over and Under …What difference would that make? The Ghost did say what he was after specifically was underneath the ruins, but still. She simply gives a shrug and a quizzical look. @a goose

IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - A Technicality So there was a room available. Oh, well that was a relief. First things first, though. “Can you not perceive the distress you are causing this woman,” she asks Karak, scathingly, “or do you just not care? I don’t-” Wait. She swerves back to the receptionist. “‘Technically’?” @Alex Mason @a goose IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Outside Somnii’s Cell) - Pen Pals What is she doing? Is she… gesturing that she wanted to write something to her? Taldrix had considered this possibility, hence why there were numerous blank parchments with her - to either write down new messages or allow Somnii to do so. The problems were A: this may just cause sounds that would be detected by the Ghost’s infernal device, and B: she really doesn’t want to get close to the plague bearer. There is also something in her eyes, some horrible madness. But considering that Taldrix was having two different conversations with her at the same time, she doesn’t know if this was related to the destruction of the telegraph station or the Ghost’s hunt for the ruins. Or, quite possibly, it was just a symptom of the dream disease. She hadn’t told her what exactly the Ghost was looking for to have some leverage, but she wouldn’t be surprised if the Iron Tribals had found Great Being technology and were hoarding it for themselves, despite the delusions of being somehow superior to the Gatherers just because they were too weak and cowardly to take what they needed conventionally. Although the suspicion that the item knew more than she was letting on was growing, she simply makes a noise in response and left it at that. “Hrmm.” Mostly to ensure that the Ghost doesn’t suspect anything, if he is listening. Though Taldrix doubts he could be listening to her all the time from now on, she has no real way of knowing… for all she knows, the device does nothing, and this was all some sort of mind game, but she refuses to take that chance. Not that it was stopping her anyway. She writes down another note. ‘STEP AWAY FROM THE BARS.’ She would then very slowly try and pass several sheets of paper through the bars onto the cell floor, along with a spare stylus. Couldn’t let any noise be heard - but also, couldn’t actually get close to the Aula Agoria, lest risking contagion or altercation. @a goose

IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - Quiet! “Quiet!” Vraek snaps back at Karak. “I am trying to have a conversation.” @Alex Mason @a goose IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Outside Somnii’s Cell) - Unsynched Subtitles “Someone driven to madness by the plague, you think?” ‘HE’S AFTER SOMETHING IN THE CANYONS.’ “I take it you couldn’t find anyone to blame for it, in any case.” ‘THE PLAGUE COMPLICATES THIS.’ @a goose IC: Xyde (Iron Canyon, Cave) - Pep Talk “There are no guarantees about this, but...” That was nowhere near as comforting as Xyde intended it to be. “Sometimes terrible things happen and then you die, but sometimes… sometimes terrible things happen and then you have to keep on living.” @~Xemnas~

IC: Lutenus (Outskirts of Atero, Training Ground) - Observations “All communication with the Iron Tribe has abruptly ceased,” Lutenus answers. “There’s not a single possible answer as to why that I like.” The unblinking gaze of his metal eye redirected to Ahmoa’s fingers drumming on the axe. “I see I’ve upset you, somehow. My apologies.” His mouth opens to say something else… and then his eyes appear to lose their focus, looking at Ahmoa but not acknowledging him. “I…” His eye makes a bizarre clicking sound. His attention turns back to Ahmoa. “I’m sorry, what were we talking about?” @Techn0geist @oncertainty IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - Room 404 A sigh. “So there are no rooms available?” Vraek began to weigh her options should this be the case. She would rather chew her own arm off and get it cybernetically replaced than spend even a single second inside Scarabax’s Delight again, and tracking down Jeizmel and asking if she could stay with her was far too humiliating even to consider. Well, it was either an even seedier hotel or it was the alley for her too, alongside the fool behind her. @a goose @Alex Mason IC: Skrall (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Marketplace) - Every Man Has His Price Tag Skrall boarded the first caravan, not perplexed by how the transaction - if such a word could be used in this context - had taken a considerable amount of time, blaming it on the notorious avarice and belligerence of the Renegades. The feeling couldn’t be shaken that something very, very wrong had just taken place. Selling a brother to these peddlers as one would sell a broken sword. To say nothing of what unspeakable things would befall the once-Skrall in this cesspool. Was failure, however great, deserving of this? @a goose @BULiK @Vezok's Friend @Burnmad @Nato G @oncertainty IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Outside Somnii’s Cell) - A Deal Is a Deal “No.” Another page. Taldrix had her end of the deal to keep up. Information concerning the Ghost… what little she had. ‘HE’S NOT ONE OF OURS OR YOURS’ Taldrix then showed Somnii the other side. ‘HE CLAIMS HE’S A GREAT BEING’ Well, that wasn’t technically true seeing as he held some contempt for the title, but there was only so much you could put on one piece of parchment with the font size she was using. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to elucidate why exactly your telegraph station conveniently ‘malfunctioned,’ as you put it?” @a goose

IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - Weapon Snobbery Oh Great Beings, she was definitely not getting paid enough for this. “I ‘fear’ that you’re probably going to end up sleeping in the alley outside if you can’t control yourself,” Vraek explained, turning back to address the interloper. “The establishment WILL forcibly eject you from the premises if you don’t wait to pay for accommodation and you don’t stop touching your… weapon?” She looked at it with some confusion. “What in the Lord of Ice’s name is even that? A sharp club?” Turning back to the receptionist, she whispered, though still loud enough to be overheard: “Please say that whatever room you give me, it’s one far away from HIM.” She jabbed a thumb at Karak behind her. @Alex Mason @a goose

IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - Depending on You Vraek wasn’t paid enough for this. “Oh you’re here for the tournament, good for you,” she sneered at the strange Glatorian of uncertain origin. “Now wait your turn, you have to pay like the rest of us.” Then she turned back to the receptionist. “‘Depend on’ what, precisely?” @Jesse Pinkman @a goose IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Outside Somnii’s Cell) - Cue Cards The last person Taldrix wanted to see or speak with right now was that spoilt princess, but the list of people she did want to see or speak with at any point was a blank page. Unlike the various pages of parchment she had in her hand. “How are we feeling now?” She asked, visibly not caring in the slightest. Before Somnii could respond, she held up a page that read the following, in big letters, so it would be easy to understand. ‘HE CAN HEAR EVERYTHING WE SAY’ Taldrix then flipped it around, revealing more. ‘SO DO NOT MENTION OUR DEAL’ @a goose IC: Xyde (Iron Canyon, Cave) - In My Professional Opinion If anyone else had asked this, Xyde might have replied with a sort of sarcastic comment. ‘No, I would instead skin them and eat their gizzards.’ But they knew that Aurax was simply worried about what had befallen his home, his friends, his family, his neighbours, his people. Lords knew Xyde would feel the exact same way, if the position were reversed. Not that anyone beyond Precipere would care in that scenario. “Yes, of course,” Xyde answered. “I’ll help anyone in any way I can, don’t worry yourself.” @~Xemnas~

IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - Alone on a Friday Night? Me Too “It’s fine.” It was not fine, but nevertheless, Vraek steeled herself and then searched herself for her own personal funds. “How much for one bed, for one night?” @a goose IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Taldrix’s Chambers) - Meanwhile, at My House - Oh, No, Sorry, It Just Looks Like It Taldrix returned to her chambers. There was some important information she had to put to papyrus. Scattered pieces of parchment lay across the floor - crumpled up failed drafts, neglected self-reminders, to-do lists, transaction receipts, item data, memos, frenzied spice-induced scribblings, and Element Lords knew what else. Small sacks of spice were kept here and there, and combined together they formed a miasma of temptation that Taldrix resisted bitterly. After all, she needed full cognizance for what she was going to do next. She’d have to do it silently - and thus, slowly. She began writing various messages in large letters on broad sheets. Of course, this would be for naught if the little princess couldn’t keep her mouth shut… @a goose

IC: Lutenus (Outskirts of Atero, Training Ground) - Whispers Del. “Ah yes, that was the name. Del.” Lutenus repeated, feigning recognition. “Del.” He repeats again. “Del.” And again, seemingly staring off into space, both of his eyes seeming cold and dead, some sort of buzzing clicking sound being faintly heard before he snapped back to life. “I’ll have to speak with Del when we arrive in Tajun. I’ve heard whispers of something terrible happening in Ferrum - you haven’t heard anything yourselves, have you?” @Techn0geist @oncertainty IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - Frosty Reception Oh no. She couldn’t be mean to this one. The Glatorian sighed wearily. “There is a remote possibility that I may be booked. Under ‘Vraek’. Glatorian for Iconox.” @a goose IC: Skrall (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Marketplace) - A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Lose Skrall was very confused about the conversation his brother was having with the once-Skrall. Apparently, the once-Skrall did not feel comfortable seeing former brothers, which was understandable - less so was his brother’s need to mock him for it. It was also odd that the once-Skrall felt the need to state that the one before him was not a Sister, which should have been obvious. Had his mind been so damaged by… whatever it was the Sisters did to him in order to conjure infant Skrall, that he had mistaken him for one of them? He looked to the rest of his brothers, to see if they understood what was happening here. @Vezok's Friend @Mel @Burnmad @a goose @BULiK @oncertainty @Nato G IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, the Tower) - The Tower (XVI) “Of course, sir.” Taldrix left, being sure to close the door, as ‘requested’. She resisted the urge to take off the device the Ghost had ordered her to place behind her ear and stomp it into little pieces. Making her way downstairs, she considered how much of it she was to relay back to the Aula Agoria. That was the deal, of course - info about the plague for info about the Ghost - but deals could only ever end mutually beneficial if both sides had leverage. Stuck in a cell with a fatal disease, the princess didn’t really have much in the form of leverage. Not to mention the monitoring device would pick up- Oh no. She had to continue monitoring Somnii in order to verify the stages of the plague for the Ghost. But then her insolent tongue would undoubtedly give away their arrangement. Make it seem like she was consorting with the product for personal gain, which was true. Rubbing her eyes with her fingers as she came to the bottom of the staircase, she wondered how exactly she was going to wriggle out of this one… @a goose

IC: Lutenus (Outskirts of Atero, Training Ground) - Eye See You The Glatorian’s head snaps to gaze down on Mard and Ahmoa, cyber-eye looming over them, as if looking straight through them. His smile said ‘OK, I believe you,’ but his eye said ‘you ####ing liars’. “Kind of you to say, but there’s no need for…” But then, his voice trails off, and his smile fades, replaced by tiredness and confusion. “For… for… for…” The eye loses focus on the two Agori and the aperture begins opening and closing rapidly while making noises it probably shouldn’t be making. “For your ah, ‘pity bet’, as it were.” He finishes, and suddenly its as if nothing strange happened at all, and he begins to walk away. But then… “Well, we should be going - oh!” As he pretends to only now suddenly remember, he stops and turns back to the training ground proprietors. “I never asked. Who was that Iron Glatorian you were with, earlier? I believe I vaguely remember them from somewhere…” He did not, of course, but moving his gaze towards the horizon while holding his chin in his left hand in thought may convince them he did. @Techn0geist @oncertainty IC: Vraek (Tajun Arena, Hotel Reception) - No Reservations About a Reservation Though she had briefly entertained notions of letting Jeizmel stay with her at her lodgings in Tajun, Vraek knew this couldn’t be so. Her room at the arena’s hotel would be a one-Glatorian sized room - if Metus knew what was good for him that was, as bookings for people who weren’t named Strakk or Gelu were under his jurisdiction. Or at least, Strakk was. Gelu had quit and taken up a disreputable mercenary profession. Which left the position of Iconox’s Second Glatorian open… not that Vraek cared about that sort of thing. She didn’t. Didn’t at all. Catching a brief glance of what she assumed was just a sleeping vagrant and not the recently murdered body of Tajun’s Atero councilor, she enters the arena building. Vraek walks up the counter and dings the bell. Reserved or not, she refused to spend the night in Scarabax’s Delight. Again. @a goose IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, the Tower) - Be Aware of His Stinger Tail! She was beginning to doubt that the Ghost respected anything, much less his own people- Wait… four eyes… were… could the Zesk… the Sand Tribe… what?! Taldrix wants to look to see if there was a stinger tail or a scar where a tail would be on the Ghost’s waist, but there’s no way for her to do that without looking like she was checking out his- “No sir, I believe that’s everything. I’ll continue to monitor the Aula Agoria and report on her condition.” @a goose IC: Xyde (Iron Canyon, Cave) - Bat Cave “I’ll take third.” Xyde trudges into the cave alongside the others. It didn’t seem any more inviting than the valley itself, but it was a shelter - in the same vein that a dagger was a scalpel. They imagine that this is the sort of place that Ash Agori were expected to live in and swap stories about any recently ‘defiled’ graves. What was it with people demanding that their belongings be buried alongside them? They were DEAD. Did they think they’d be able to take their prized possessions with them into that undiscovered country, from which no traveler returns? Hopefully, the people of Ferrum hadn’t been summoned to that place just yet… @Nato G @~Xemnas~ @a goose @oncertainty @Burnmad

IC: Skrall (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Marketplace) - Witchcraft! Ah, of course - their games. Skrall had nearly forgotten. But would the south really abandon their independence, something they clearly prized by refusing to truly unite under one banner, merely because the Skrall would utterly demolish them in their arenas? Though, given how demoralizing that might be, they may eventually give up purely to save themselves further degradation- Wait, what was everyone looking at? There was… what once, may have been Skrall, behind metal bars, watching them. He gave a glance to the scout, as if to say ‘see what I’m talking about?’ Wait, did he really just say he didn’t believe in witchcraft? They had a conversation about this on the way here Skrall could only half-remember - did he really not believe that existed? How had he survived this long? Something just crossed Skrall’s mind. Logically, both the Renegades and the southerners must have females - unless they grew like plants, which somehow Skrall doubted. And, just as logically, these females must have powers of their own. Hopefully, this disqualified them from raiding, or the arena. Skrall would raise this point, but he had been obliquely commanded to be silent, so he did so. @Vezok's Friend @Mel @a goose @Burnmad @oncertainty @Nato G IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, the Tower) - Easy Come, Easy Go Now, what Taldrix wanted to say was that she wasn’t offended at all, because she knew that the fault lied with the average Gatherer, half as smart as a Zesk and about twice as ugly, but that might not be the best thing to say to someone who shared the Zesk’s four eyes. What she was about to say may also not be the best thing, but if she pretended to be subservient too much, he might get suspicious. “I imagine you told Crucius and the others what you’ve told me - or a version of it, anyway. I can’t say it offends me. Who wouldn’t pledge allegiance to you if they were convinced of ULTIMATE POWER being their reward?” Something takes over Taldrix, as she looms over the map. “The desert would be at our mercy.” And then she snaps back to normal. “Of which there is none.” Now, if it turned out whatever was left in the canyon wasn’t as impressive as the Ghost made it sound, or if they lost too many men to the plague or the beasts known to roam that area trying to uncover it… well. If the Ghost thought it was easy gaining control, he shouldn’t be surprised how easy it would be to lose it all if he couldn’t keep his promise. Even if Crucius and those two buffoons outside still stood by him after that, they’d be significantly outnumbered by the rest of the Gatherers, and Taldrix sincerely doubted even a Great Being could survive that many angry people with sharp implements. @a goose

IC: Skrall (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Marketplace) - Be Careful What You Wish For Skrall began mulling it over. The scout’s comparison of him to a poorly-handled Spikit seemed to indicate that he believed that he only wanted to crush the Renegades because they were closer, not because they were… repulsive. They treated their slaves abominably and won them through foul means. The Skrall did not do such things… not in the same way, which was the crucial difference. There was no similarly between the Legion and the Renegades apart from something of a shared origin, nothing more. Nothing. As for his proposed strategy of attacking the tribe with the food first, this too sickened him. He would have vocally objected, but the Special Operations Skrall had commanded silence, without outright saying he was commanding silence, which was also insulting. Defeating the south by starving them would lack honor, especially since… Skrall searched for the right word. It was apparent that most of them were servants, but were not slaves, but also not warriors. They had those strange circular pieces of metal with little value to barter among themselves with. How very strange. The deaths of these people would stain the Legion’s conquest. Surely, their target should instead be… He froze as he contemplated the implications of what the scout proposed. A victory through such dishonorable means was bad enough, but then there was the tribe with the water, and the tribe that forged using lava, using the metals from the other two tribes. The southern tribes could only survive independently of each other through trading and their games. His eyes go wide in realization. There was no feasible way for the Skrall to achieve an honorable victory without either conquering every tribe at once - which clearly, none of his brothers here would have any confidence in - or by striking at their hub, the city known as Atero. A city full of those who were not warriors. Skrall decided he preferred thinking with his sword. @Burnmad @a goose @BULiK @oncertainty @Vezok's Friend @Nato G @Mel IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, the Tower) - Her Understanding “Yes. I think I do understand.” Taldrix said, nodding her head. “You came to us, and not the tribes, because we are easier to control. None of that democracy garbage in the tribes, where you win based on how well you can lie and how much wealth you can throw around. You came to us, because if they helped you, you’d have to give them their share. They might even have tried to destroy the ruins, if it conflicted with whatever religious nonsense is being peddled nowadays. And the Skrall would never listen to you, being so far up their own backsides that their meals are recyclable.” She tapped where Ferrum is on the map. “I also understand that you were so interested in Ferrum’s plague because it happens to be close to where these ruins are. We’ll be at risk of contracting it the more we operate in this region, so we need as much information on it as we can…” She turned to the Ghost. “This would be my reasoning if I were you, at least, sir.” @a goose

IC: Maxas and Vraek (Streets of Tajun) - If You Need Instructions on How to Get Through to the Hotel… “Oh, think nothing of it. I should…” Vraek trailed off, scanning the crowd. Where was he? He was never this late before… was he held up? Or did he have one of his schemes hatched? Vraek noted how dark and less oppressively warm it was getting. She turned back to Jeizmel. “We should retire for the night, it’s getting late.” Hopefully this time there would be less of a hassle with her reservation at the Arena Hotel. “I will see you again, I’m certain. Goodnight, and… keep yourself safe.” The Ice Glatorian then turned on her heel to leave - and almost tripped over a nervous Water Agori, who very quickly ran way. “Ah! Hrmph.” Hopeful that nobody saw that apart from Jeizmel, Vraek began wading through the crowd to the hotel… @That Matoran with a Vahi IC: Skrall (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Marketplace) - Mixing Work and Politics Skrall took only a little sip of the water ration handed to him, to conserve it. “The fact remains - the Renegades are a blight upon these sands. They may not steal primarily from the Skrall, but they do steal from the southern tribes. When Roxtus conquers the south, as it must, they will most likely begin stealing from us. Whereas, the opposite would be true - conquering the Renegades would perhaps make the southerners…” He struggled to find the right word. “Less hostile?” @a goose @Vezok's Friend @Burnmad @BULiK @oncertainty @Mel

I've always imagined that the real reason why the Shadowed One hated the Makuta so much was because Vamprah - for his own amusement and to keep the Hunters from getting too full of themselves - kept breaking into the fortress, wrecking up the place and scaring people.

IC: Lutenus (Outskirts of Atero, Training Ground) - That Two Minute Training Match Lasted Almost One Year “That is correct. I don’t believe we’ve wasted any serious amount of time. Although…” Lutenus’ cybernetic eye whirred around, as if taking stock of the position of the sun and clouds in the sky. “I believe it would be prudent to leave as soon as possible.” The eye then snapped to face Mard and Ahmoa, his face following after a short delay. “Thank you for your service, gentlemen.” He then trudged over to them to hand back the dulled axe to Ahmoa. OOC: I realized upon re-reading earlier posts that Lutenus asked earlier what the price was for an hour, and Mard pointed towards a sign with the prices, but at no point did Lutenus actually give them any money, though he did fetch some coin out of his pocket when he asked. I’d like to say he did give them the money, I just forgot to mention it. @oncertainty @Techn0geist IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, the Tower) - The Old Country “You’re looking for something in the canyons.” She said aloud, looking over the map. “You believe that there might be remnants of the old civilization out there?” Was he really only assuming control of the Gatherers just to search for answers? What happened to his people, and if he’s the only one left? What would he do if he wasn’t the last of his race, and found more of them out there? Would he abandon his position among the Gatherers to join them? No, no, anyone with his intelligence would never give up power that easily. But what if his fellow Great Beings didn’t care much for the Gatherers? After all, their very name implied that Agori were lesser beings. Taldrix couldn’t blame the Ghost for disliking that epithet. But at least it wasn’t sanctimonious slander like ‘Bone Hunter’ was. If it were bones she was interested in, she’d have stayed in Roxtus. In any case, she couldn’t trust that whatever the Ghost was spending precious manpower and resources to find existed, and that it wouldn’t be bad for her if it did. ‘Answers to the questions that plagued them both?’ Well. They’d see, wouldn’t they? @a goose

IC: Skrall (Bone Hunter Stronghold, Marketplace) - He Is Not Immune to Propaganda Skrall didn’t seem convinced by the ‘quicksand’ explanation. Depravity was weakness. His comrades did not seem to believe in the Black Legion’s invincibility and infallibility - not to the same extent as their superiors did. Perhaps that was why they were their superiors - this lack of confidence was potentially holding them back from elevation to what would otherwise be their proper place. As opposed to himself, of course, whom he was fairly certain was always going to die as one of the Warrior-class - preferably in combat, though that should go without saying. Once more, he looked with sadness at those who were once his brothers, enslaved to the will of the vile Renegades, who now would most likely perish ingloriously in forced servitude. Not that Skrall had a choice in servitude anyway. But servitude to the Black Legion was superior and vastly preferable, being to the benefit of all Skrall - and eventually, all people - and not the Renegades. There was an obvious, clear difference. And it was obvious. There was no doubt. It was obvious… What were they talking about? The possibility of the Renegades ambushing them as they left for the south? He decided to focus on that. If he thought too much about what he knew to be true, he started to foolishly question it. @Vezok's Friend @a goose @BULiK @Burnmad @Nato G @oncertainty IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, the Tower) - Happy Endling Not the last survivor, then - the last descendant. Did he kill any others that might have lived? He seemed a little too happy at the prospect that he might be an endling - the last of his race. It was possible that he was right to do so, if the Great Beings were as powerful as the myths claim, that power would inevitably be used to lord over the Agori. Specifically, the Agori known as Taldrix. But then, here he was, leading the Gatherers. So it was likely that no one in this scenario was an innocent party. Except the Agori known as Taldrix. That Agori examined the table before her… @a goose IC: Xyde (Iron Canyon) - On the Menu Xyde had been expecting some snide comparison between their people and the carrion birds perched above them, but it didn’t seem to be coming. At least, not for now. Perhaps later. Or if anyone was thinking it, it was being kept to themselves. Perhaps that was a little harsh, but then, so was the environs. They wondered if this was how livestock felt, surrounded by creatures that only saw you as a potential future meal. If they could understand their situation at all, of course. They felt the need to glare defiantly at the scavengers above for a few moments, before trudging along, following the others. @a goose @Nato G @~Xemnas~ @Burnmad @oncertainty

IC: Maxas and Vraek (Streets of Tajun) - A Gnawing Feeling “Call me Vraek, please…” Jeizmel’s vocal disapproval of their leader did not go unnoticed. “But yes. The games won’t start for some time I think…” She then scanned the crowd. “Hmm… no Skrall.” Or Lutenus, for that matter. But he’d be here soon, no doubt. They’d all be here… Something gnawed at her, and she couldn’t keep herself from asking. “Pardon me, but…you will be cautious without me?” Though Tajun’s own dangers were many, she wouldn’t put it past Metus to try and silence his detractor. Maxas did his best to integrate with the crowd - a Water Agori in Tajun wasn’t unexpected, after all. No one would dare try to accost or assassinate him in front of so many witnesses… Wouldn’t they? @That Matoran with a Vahi IC: Taldrix (Bone Hunter Stronghold, the Tower) - Unreliable Narrator It was often said that there was some sort of cataclysm that turned a supposed paradise into the wasteland they knew now. ‘Punishment for our sins,’ she had heard it said. Personally, she had thought that the world was always like this and places like Tesara and Tajun were just exceptions. The ‘tribes’ hoarded food and water for themselves, but of course, the Gatherers were the bad guys, for doing what they didn’t need to do to survive, and would do in an instant if they did need to. What was she doing again? Oh right - learning ancient lore. “Then… what happened, sir? Are you the only one left?” It was important to remember that this information was not necessarily true, or even accurate. The Ghost was no doubt telling the version of the story where he comes across as the good guy… or, as ‘good’ as a Gatherer would care for. The fact that he seemed glad that his own race was gone disturbed her. Obviously, Taldrix herself was happy to hear that - supposedly - there was no more of him. But these were HIS people they were talking about - HE should not be happy. @a goose