Friar Tuck

Similar, but not the same by any means. Chronn's is a custom mask, one that I approved due to a well-done argument presented a long time ago, one which included weaknesses. This is a normally-approved mask that has been severely tweaked out to be severely more powerful than the normal version. That in itself is significant. Second, Agni's mask, while he will indeed see, hear, and feel everything of the victim right before death, he remain detached and thus will not physically harm him or cause any sort of damage, unlike Chronn's mask. Thirdly, Chronn's mask only sees the last minute of the victim's life. Agni's goes back up to six hours, albeit less and less information. So yes, I'll give you similar... but on a very superficial basis. It's ok Rene, this mask truly is special due to it's additional properties. Nothing comes close. Honestly it was fun coming up with that and writing that post

IC [Central City Library; early afternoon] *click* "Time travel, unlike a lot of people seem to believe, is not impossible. It is very much possible; only, it isn't easy to, to attain. I mean, think about it -- its, uh, its complexity could be construed as a safety mechanism. If time travel were simple to achieve, half the imbeciles who surely exist elsewhere in the universe would have discovered it and -- well, would probably have wrecked the space-time continuum by now." My eyes darted about the terminal, my finger hovering over the replay button as I listened to that short speech for the fifth time. The matoran on my screen was Doctor Kora, Ph.D., a De-Matoran theoretical physicist at the Mata Magna Institute of Science and Research. He also happened to be the technological advisor to Mata Magna's Council, and this short speech was given during a televised interview before he was hauled off to speak before the Mata Magna's security forces. Obviously I couldn't find what was said there, it happening behind closed door- "Toa Aishta?" I gasped slightly as a feminine voice spoke behind me, slightly spooked. The Agori librarian looked at me concerned. "I'm sorry; are you alright?!" "Yes, yes... I'm fine. Just a little absorbed, that's all." I gave a pleasant smile, brushing my fingers against my mask. The librarian gave a sympathetic nod. "Oh, I understand," she leaned in close, as if divulging a secret. "You would not believe how often this happens. By the way, I managed to retrieve the books you requested... though I must say, our electronic database is by far easier and more comprehensive-" "Oh! Thank you." I said quickly, snatching the books. "Yeah, I know, but my professor is a bit of a hard-butt, if you know what I mean. Rather old-school... " "Ahhhh... one of those. I think I know who you're talking about too." She winked at me. "Well, good luck on your project. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call." She walked off, and I breathed out a huge sigh of relief. Dodged a disk there. Good thing I was still young enough to pass as a student. I looked over my spoils; Space and Time, A Beginner's Guide to Time Travel, The Theoretical Application of Advanced Mathematics to Loopholing, Time Travel for Dummies... it was a rather large, if not daunting stack, not including the avalanche of material available in electronic version. I sighed, pulling out a bottle, shaking it as I did. I had a LOT of research to absorb. Good thing I brought a lunch. Slurping my shake loudly I began to read my third book of the afternoon...

IC "I have come to you...to grant you a wish." The mask's voice was ancient, but it did not sound old. It emanated power and radiance, but not overbearing nor oppressive. It spoke no audible words, but its sounds echoed across the chamber and through his mind. And by its own admission Agni was both here... and still there. "But... how?" "This is a place of opposites, where the contradicting can reside in unison, a place where the impossible becomes possible. A place... within your own mind." The mask was solid, immovable in appearance, yet Agni sensed it smiled. "Your caution is to commended, but not needed. I am not the power, but the messenger in this instance." For the longest of moments Agni stared at the mask, frowning, trying to make sense of it all. For all he knew it could be Mata-Nui speaking to him in person, or some strange entity come down from the heavens. Yet at the same time he was standing in very gate of enemy... "How do I know you speak truth?" Agni spoke slowly. "The validity of my statement cannot be proven until you present your request," spoke the mask, as one with great patience and understanding, "and thus as it stands you cannot make certain of my intentions. For the time being you must trust your instincts... and the fact that if this were a trap, it would have been sprung already." Angi stood there, his inhibitions slowly disappearing as the conversation continued, noting the truth in the mask's words. Still, he wasn't fully convinced. Yet. "You spoke as being the messenger... " Again, The Toa of Fire got the sense of a smile. "Indeed, noble Toa, the power I have is not for me to use, but only when requested on by others. I am but the servant, not the master. Therefore I grant you this boon not out of my own doing, but out of the desire of another. Another mortal such as yourself. A friend." Agni's stomach fluttered for a second, a thread of connection running through his head. "A... mutual friend? Such as?" "That is something I cannot reveal!" the mask said with some slight force. His tone lessened, this time friendly. "But suffice to say you have a young admirer, someone who looks up to you and respects you enough to instead of keeping this new power for himself, is willing to share... and hopefully make up for some past conflicts." The mask sensed there was no more doubt in Agni after that statement. The infinite light here seemed to shimmer and wave as the mask began to weave and call upon its power. It glowed like a thousands suns, but it did not hurt the Ta-Toa's eyes, an orb of liquid lightning surrounding the two of them. "Now pray tell, noble Toa, what is it that you wish for? What is the greatest desire of your heart?" There was a moment as Agni thought, but he already knew the answer. It was just summoning the courage to speak. "I want to be able..." He closed his eyes, taking a long breath as the weight of this moment settled on him. "I want to be able...to bring justice to those that hide in the shadows...and to avenge those that suffer because of them." The orb around them pulsed, Angi feeling waves of power and pleasure roll off the entity. "A wise choice and eloquent use of words, noble Toa. It is with great pleasure and distinct honor that I grant you your desire. Behold!" That one word echoed across the void like a tsunami hitting land, almost blowing Agni back, yet at the same time never in danger of falling over as the orb of energy condensed and began to fuse into a solid mass, quickly manifesting itself into the shape of... a Kanohi. A Kahoni Agni knew well. It was in the form of an incredible and unique Mask of Psychometry."Behold, Toa Agni, the physical manifestation of your wish. Just like any other Kanohi of its kind, it grants the wearer the power to see into the past of any object that he touches, though it can only work on one object at a time. This Kanohi, however, is special; while not able to work on living beings, it gives the wearer the ability to see the past of the dead. If in contact with a dead body that is whole or mostly intact, the wearer can observe their final moments from the victim's point of view in perfect clarity. Should the body of the victim be too badly damaged, however, or if the wearer only has single body parts to work with, the mask can only provide its wearer with vague glimpses of the victims, random physical feelings, sights, and/or sounds." There was a moment of silence as the floating mask gave Agni a moment to absorb that. The look of sheer shock on his face meant he had a hard time processing this, but was able to remain upright. So the specter continued."In addition, there are further limitations to this special masks and its powers. For one, it can not recreate the dead person's thoughts and due to its complex function, and it can only access a short timeframe of the victims past, after which the information it can provide becomes more and more limited as the memories become more and more degraded."From the point of death until one hour previous, the wearer can relive the dead person's last moments in perfect clarity, including all senses as well as the person's emotions. For the second hour before death, they are privy to the victims full sensory input, but none of their feelings or emotions. In the third hour, the wearer loses the victim's sense of touch. For the fourth hour, the sense of smell and taste become inaccessible as well. With the fifth hour the sense of sight disappears as well and by the sixth hour, the only remaining memories are that of the victims hearing, continuing to the point of garbled nonsense." The world around him began to swirl like a tornado, the floating mask in the center. Agni began to feel his feet lift off the invisible surface he had been standing on, and the last image he saw was that mysterious mask... and these last words. "You have been granted a great gift, detective, one uniquely suited for your skills and abilities. Pray you do not abuse it, nor violate the trust of the one who has provided it to you." His world went black. * * * When he opened his eyes, he was back in Kini-Nui, atop the atoll he had been previously standing on. The temple was there, Angelus was there, everything was there just as he remembered it. Everything was as it was before he had had this vision. Except, not quite. There was ONE difference. He looked down, feeling something in his hands. It was that mask.

Me either! *grabs plothole cannon* *sickening sound of whining, like something large charging up* I perfected this little sucker while working in the Bzprpg; will work a number on a plot if used correctly. It has two settings: Buckshot for when you need swiss-cheese style holes, for those times when a lot of little things need to go wrong, or Megatron when you just need a hole the size of truck to roll on through. I kid, I kid. BTW, Krayzikk: congratulations. Well done. Look forward to seeing you more in action. I also look forward to see how this plot is actually going down. There are so many possibilities at this point, not including messing with the space-time continuum with the Vahi. Should be exciting!

Aha, gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. So we're thinking the same thing but at different detail levels. I can roll with that

That ain't a library. More like an internet cafe. -Toa Levacius Zehvor The Library isn't a descriptive locale in the topic overview, so that means its up to the player's imagination, unless barred the the consistent and coherent continual posting of the location by a majority of the members... and so far I haven't seen much reference to said location. It is also logical to assume that that Central City would have a standard library somewhere, one that you see today; according to Legolover, the technology here isn't that much for advanced from today's tech level. There fore if this is a densely populated center by all accounts there should be a public location of general and specific knowledge for anyone to research, usually held in one building, mostly comprised of books and perhaps a vast assortment held in electronic form. I just happened to of called it Central City Library for continuum story sake Therefore my character is going to the library as what a library in the traditional sense is. Now I will more than happily alter my imagination if a staff member who is in charge of things like public works were to tell me otherwise, giving me an apt description of the main library, or if they told me I had two locales mixed up with names. If that is the case I would like to know so that my posts are accurate and can recton to the correct location.

IC [Aishta's Garage, Ga-Koro-Nui; ???Morning???] Time. Time is relative. I've heard that all my life, everyone from science geeks to everyday grocery baggers, just... taken for granted. Laws of space and time, relativity... all assumed. Life, structure, the cosmos, the government... all taken at face value. Now worth a can of beans. My life, everything I knew, had been flipped upside down. Upside down, inside out, scrambled and then reorganized into something incoherent. I didn't know how long I sat there. How long I simply stared at that device. How long in motionless denial I bit my lip, my hand covering my lower face in shock, denial, and even defilement. It didn't matter. I could sit there for a week while the world outside moved only for a few seconds. I could live out my whole lifespan in the course of a day. Or I could watch an entire forest rise up from a desert floor and then die out in the course of an afternoon. That wasn't all however. If this device, on such a low setting, could alter the flow of time, what's not to say it could bend it to the point of breaking? Like moving oneself into the future? The past even? The very events in history we take for granted, the idea that our decisions move the future... all thrown out the window. But that wasn't the worst part. No, it wasn't that I found this in some mad scientist's lab, or even some stolen, illegal black-market technology; even something from out space would have made more sense. It wasn't any of those. I had found it built into a police airship. The government had time travel. Enough said. I forced my eyes to blink, red and dry from crying. This... this was too much to take. I had pulled myself out of the muck and mire of gang life, out of the hopelessness and bleakness that should have been my life on the promise of stability. On the guarantees that if you lived your life as a law-abiding citizen, you would be safe. Protected. Upheld. Those promises were now shattered, shattered into a million tiny pieces never to be reunited again. This wasn't some top-agency project. This wasn't even military. The freaking law enforcement had it. If this boiled down to them... As angry and sad as I was, I was also afraid. Terribly, deathly afraid. If they had this much power- No. I would not let them control me. First, however, I needed to understand what the Karzahni I was dealing with. I was a mechanic... not a physicist. Good thing I still kept my library card current. * * * Half-hour later I locked my front door, the world around me sometime a little after noon even though I physically felt almost a day had passed. I had made sure to turn off the device, seal it up and stash it away in the dark corner, a place few would find it if they came on by to check up on me again; even if they did, the only copy of the blueprints were on a thumb drive safely disguised and attached to my necklace. Yes, necklace. I was showered, properly dressed, and presentable; a rarity for anyone that knew me. As sad as it was I needed to do that if I was going to go back to Central City - the nicer parts of town had dress codes, and that is where I was going. I was still upset, cranky, prettier than I cared to be, and I was heading right into the den of these people. I prayed to the Great Beings that someone didn't cross me the wrong way. I gave a fake smile and nod to the boy behind the counter, taking my chute ticket. Central City Library was the first place on my list.

Bwahahaaaaa... Sorry guys. Hope the suspense doesn't- Kill you! Mehehehe.

That's ok Nutrients; when I'm done I'll make sure to have a Mr. Fusion installed. It'll take care of all my energy needs. Heaven knows Aishta and her garage produce enough garbage to dump in that thing BTW Krayzikk, that may be true now, but by the time I'm done you'll be dethroned and the laws of space and time will bow down to me. I'll make sure though to send you a nice fruit basket every year while you're buried away in my inescapable prison

IC [Keeping Place; night] The last syllable of that final word Heuani spoke came out more as a spat than as comprehensible, audible form of communication, the Shadow Toa finding himself hunched over slightly, spittle dripping from the corner of his lip. He blinked away the stars, once his vision cleared all he could see was a golden shoulder, one that had a mouthful of bile splattered on it. My shoulder. With my fist embedded in his stomach. Pause. Stop. Rewind. When I saw Heuani standing there... I went into overdrive, but not in a good way. Somehow, someway, he had managed to follow me here, which I thought was impossible. It took me two weeks of searching and the proper orientation of the temple crystals to unlock the only passage into here, and it only teleported one person here; of that I was sure. There was no way he could have followed me using that path. The only thing I could think of was that once I unlocked it, as was my destiny, there must have been another door opened, the same on that I was going to use to let Stannis and his Company inside. Heuani must have known about it, and simply waited for me to unlock this place... then casually stepped inside. The Toa knew no bounds; nothing was underhanded or sacred to him. He didn't play by any rules. Which was one distinct advantage he had. That's when he approached me. Started talking. Weaving his captivating web. His honeyed voice doing numbers on my willpower. Speaking both praises and criticism to my actions. Commenting on my mask... fingering my face. Karz no. Over my dead body Heuani. Pause. Stop. Fast-forward. "I was wondering when you'd start monologuing." Heuani looked up - yes, looked up - at my face, out eyes meeting yet again. Only this time I didn't have darkened irises; oh no, mine were burning bright, sparking and blazing with fiery vengeance as he trembled slightly, grunts coming out of his mouth as pain washed out from his abdomen where my fist was still imbedded. "You like that? The whole paralysis, eyes-glazed-over thing? Yeah, it's called acting." I leaned forward, down into him, our masks almost touching, watching his face as I gave a satisfied smirk. "Your powers of persuasion and immobility don't work on me; sorry, I don't swing that way. I was just waiting on the monologue; best time to make a move. You super-villains are so predictable. So, how does it feel to be hit and hurt by such a lesser toa?" There was a flurry of lethal movement. I pushed one to many buttons... so worth it though. In a testament to his skill he in one fluid movement he not only recovered but managed to reach down and pull out his sword, making a clean cut through my abdomen. Or where my abdomen should have been. Had it been any other toa on the island that said toa would now be in two pieces laying at his feet. His reflexes, his speed, the legends... the reports didn't lie. He moved like a cat, as quiet as a panther but as powerful as a Muaka. Truly he was a skilled swordsman and a devastatingly quick opponent. Luckily for me, and unfortunately for him, I was the Fastest Toa on Mata-Nui. He pulled back the upstroke and looked where I should had been, a scowl on his face as he scanned the area, his eyes finally settling on a location across the ravine. I stood there stoically, fists clenched, as we stared each other down, the lazy river and deep gorge in the earth separating us. The moment, the momentum, the scene had shifted. The birds still flew, the water still gushed; even a little snail that was slowly progressing on the moss near the tablet still inched, but it all seemed muted, quiet, distant as the two of engaged in a battle of wills. Heuani turned to face me, the transparent sword dangling loosely in his hand, his bemused look returning- It was a this point that I reached up and, without ever breaking eye contact, brushed off Heuani's bile off my shoulder with a few flicks of the wrist. Precise, determined, exaggerated flicks. There are some things widgets can't buy... like the look on his face. That's right Heuani; eat it. That's how much regard I hold for you. In a single motion I pulled my launcher off my back and attached it to my forearm, loading a disk as I did. There was a distinct click as the disk locked in home, already I could feel the slight tug of my elemental energy heating up the ammo. Twisting slightly I raised my arm, pointing my launcher right at Heuani. And paused. A single moment of silence as we stared each other down. He was the better close-quarters, but I had range; he was stronger, but I was faster. Without his mind-numbing siren's call the battlefield was even... or as even as I was going to get it. I didn't foresee this going easily. Then again, I didn't foresee him cake-walking over me either. The fact that I landed the first blow and could get away proved it. With a single thought I fired, my volley streaking across the ravine.

Wait, so I'm FULLY in charge for a weekend? ... Shweeeeeet. *rubs hands* Meheheheee... :evilgrin:

So what does Tucky do in his spare time, many people wonder, when he's not assisting Nuju ruling the Bzprpg with an iron fist and writing the greatest plot known to man? Reverse engineering and building time-machines of course.

OOC: sorry 'bout the delay folks, but things are snowballing in the Bzprpg Now back to everyone's favorite Vo-Toa! IC [Aishta's Garage, Ga-Koro-Nui; morning] Ever so slowly... A gentle twist... Half-turn back... Done. "Done." I breathed, gazing over my handiwork. It was ugly. The best way to describe it was a Visorak in the center of its web; an oblong, oval object with several leg-leg protrusions, several bio-long wires making a loop around my workshop and connecting back to the main device. Whatever it was, it was unlike ANYTHING I had ever seen before, though I guessed this wasn't the original design - between the protrusions and lengthy wires it appeared to have been modified to be installed directly into a vehicle. It was all speculation at this point, particularly what it did, but it was built, constructed with the leftovers I had laying around. And this ugly hunk of junk cost me a fortune in spare parts. I hated to see what a brand-new model cost. I hoped it was worth the effort. If the government was willing to dump this much cash into it, it HAD to be useful. Alright Aishta, moment of truth. You have no idea what will happen when you power it up, how it works, or even the mechanics behind it. Sure you want to go through with this? ... Karzahni yeah! There was an arc of electricity between my fingertips and what I figured was the power core, sparks and bluish bands of electrical power swarming over the device. There was a brilliant blue glow, a whine, and the sensation of something charging up as it began a runaway power fluctuation. With milliseconds to spare I dove behind a desk as my workshop was bathed in light... then nothing. Slowly my eyes crept over the lip, scanning the room, only to note that the freakish device sat without harm happily humming away fully activated. That... was weird. I crawled to the device, pulling myself upwards, inspecting it with a critical eye. Fully activated, but if the gauge was right at a very low setting, the display giving me a set of numbers I could make nothing out of. It was as if the blasted thing was speaking a foreign language. Now I may not be the most eloquent speaker of Matoran, but in machine-speak I was an expert. Just by hearing the engine I could tell you how long overdue your oil change was, or how many miles within three. I couldn't make heads or tails of this thing. My eyes narrowed. Challenge accepted you pompous piece of polymorphed plastic. Jacking in my diagnostic software I began a full-frontal assault. * * * Three hours later, I admitted defeat. Humiliating, humbling, spirit-awful defeat. To a machine no less, I thought glumly. Neither myself nor my own computer could make heads or tails of this *bleep*-child of a device, everything in it so alien to anything I had ever encountered before. So much so I might as well have came from outer space. Somehow that wouldn't of surprised me. Frustrated, frazzled, and hungry, I left it alone and went back upstairs to grab lunch. I had been down there all morning, the single clock I had down there saying half-past one. Sauntering into the kitchen, I began to ransack the fridge- Wait, what? I peered over the fridge door to the coffeepot, sitting in the coffeemaker, my eyes focusing on the time display. 10:30 Slowly I approached it, a tad confused. It was one of the few clocks in this place that was on time on the sole purpose that it NEEDED to be; if I didn't have my coffee in the morning, well, I just wasn't Toa. How could it have the wrong time? Odd. Shaking my head I adjusted the time setting, turning around to resume my scavenger hunt. I took a step... and froze. Like in a B-rated horror film my head slowly turned to the living room, where I kept that old antique pendulum clock I got as payment for a job one time. It was notoriously known to be not on time due to the simple fact that I often forgot to keep it wound and the weights adjusted, but it was always at least within the half-hour. Not now. 10:07 My eye twitched, a slight knot forming in my stomach. This... this was weird. Both the coffeemaker AND pendulum clock wrong? Once was chance, twice was a coincidence. But three times... I dashed to my bedroom, glancing into the bath as I did. As I read both times - which, by the way, I made sure to keep in sync at ALL times - my heartlight promptly stopped flashing. 10:35 I took a breath, shooing the butterflies away as I made a bee-line to the basement. Alright, calm down, the answer was obvious: the workshop clock was wrong, pure and simple. For one reason or another it had stopped working... by moving forward several hours... in line with my biological clock that said early afternoon. Why then was I so hungry? I got up late as usual- I choked on my own bile as I got a glance at the basement timepiece. 1:50 I stood there like an imbecile, trying to wrap my head around this new insight. In the one to two minutes I had been upstairs, this clock had jumped forward fifteen. The one that was three-hours ahead of the rest of the house. The same three hours that I had spent down here alone with my new contraption. The answer was obvious, but the logical side of my mind, which happened to be most of it, refused to accept that conclusion. No, no, there HAS to be another explanation! Rummaging through a drawer I pulled out a pair of stopwatches. I synchronized them both, and after starting the timers I left one in the basement while I went back upstairs, looking at my clocks. 10:35 I took a long, slow breath. According to them the few minutes downstairs didn't happen. I was beginning to freak out. Easy Aishta, no need to panic. Just wait a moment and go back downstairs, compare the times, everything will be fine. I waited a full minute, long enough to gather my wits and calm myself down. Cool and confident once again I ventured downstairs, comparing the times between the two stopwatches. I had bought them both at the same time. Same brand, same model. Both counted time at exactly the same rate. According to conventional wisdom, they both should have the same time since I started both at the same moment. The one in my workshop had three times the amount of time passage on it. Which only left of conclusion. I stared at the device, it humming away without a care in the world, blasting away what I knew of the world and how it worked into a chard of swiss cheese. It was at this moment in time a single sentence, one I had heard long ago, popped into my head, more now appropriate than ever before: “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” The truth was staring me at hard in the face from the workbench.

OOC: lookie me, invoking the twelve-hour rule for the second time in two days. It would seem officially Joske is moving faster than the Bzprpg. Bound to happen sooner or later IC [Keeping Place] It was surprisingly sparse. For all the profound riddles, secret doorways, and impressive architecture, the inner chamber was astonishingly... normal. Bare. Empty. A Single, massive room with but a lone pedestal in the center of it, a shaft of light illuminating it from a hole in the ceiling. And on it was a mask. That's it. I raised an eyebrow and walked forward, my footsteps making long echoes in the chamber. The size of the room was deceiving; it took me significantly longer for me to get there than I first anticipated, as if this place sought to build up suspense in me. Intended or not it worked, by the time I reached the pedestal my breathing was shortened as I hesitated to touch it. Finally, here I was. My new mask. Reverently I reached out and picked it up, feeling the metal between my fingers. I had never seen anything like it before; it was as strange as it was beautiful. The best way I could describe it was a cross between a Great Rau and a Noble Huna; truly it was one of a kind. What it did though, even its name, was a myster- I saw something flutter in the shaft of light, and deftly I caught the note that fell from the back of the mask. Pulling it into the light I read it's contents, my eyes widening as I recognized the handwriting: it was Takua's. Dear Joske, If you are reading this then you have succeeded in the first part of your destiny. What you bear in your hands in the Mask of Conjuring. It is an extremely rare mask, though I am unsure if it is the only one, and this is why: it is one of the few masks in the known universe that is limited by your mind and imagination, as this Kanohi allows its user to program a limited power into the mask for a brief period of time. Prior to use the user must describe in detail the power desired, and when done at least one weakness. Be warned, if the phrasing is spoken wrong, it causes intense psychic backlash in the user's mind. The user can use a programmed power for only fifteen minutes, and after the time is out, the user must wait thirty seconds to activate the mask again. I paused, my hand trembling. I was partly ecstatic, my mind already thinking of ways to use it, but at the same time terrified; if I wasn't careful, I could fry my own brain trying to use it. I looked about, even walked around the pedestal a few times, but found no instruction manual for it, further increasing my fear. I needn't of worried however, for I continued to read the note. Another weakness of this mask is because it takes time, any enemies nearby can hear in detail what power to expect and what its weakness will be. Because of this, I suggest to program this mask alone lest you tip your hand to your opponent. This may be frightening, but I have taken the time to instal a program that will download user specifications and instructions directly to your brain; there is a chance you will be using this mask rather soon, and it is better that you understand how it works as quickly as possible. I bid you farewell and good luck my friend. You're going to need it. I stared down this new toy of mine for a minute, fully weighing the pros and cons of such a mask. The power of this mask was theoretically unlimited, but at the same time binding. Such great power came great responsibility, and Takua in his foresight must of realized that at this point I would be responsible enough to wield it. I prayed to Mata-Nui he was right. With reserved deference I removed my Kakama, feeling a bit dizzy as I did so, and then put the Mask of Conjuring in its place. At first nothing happened. Then I felt a sledgehammer hit my face. * * * Takua... if you weren't dead... I'd kill you myself... Slowly I struggled up, the sense of consciousness returning to my mind. I didn't know how long I was out, but I had been out, and hard. Apparently whatever program Takua used to directly upload the user manual of this Kanohi didn't like the idea of my being conscious while it happened. I blinked around a few times, trying to shake away the blurriness- No, my vision wasn't blurred; there was something there. Writing. In the corner of my visual range. Upload Complete. Syntax Translation Active. Awaiting User Input... That last phrase... it stayed. Or more like... blinked. At regular intervals. Just... waiting. Then it hit me. Of course, it's awaiting for what power I want to program. I sat there and thought for a minute, the user guide immediately filling my thoughts with proper usage and programming requirements. Computers and this whole "technology" jargon wasn't my thing, but it came installed with a translator that would do its darnedest to take what I said and form it to proper programming language. Takua had made it almost idiot-proof. And yes, when it came to things like this I was quite the imbecile. Still, I wondered just how far I could push it... "Mask, prepare new program." There was a mental beep, and I could feel it waiting on my every word, ready to take what I said and turn it into a viable power. I grinned to myself; this may be the stupidest thing I'll ever do, but I wanted to find out just how far I could take this mask. I mean, seriously, any power? Yeah, right. While (activated), powerout "Give user three wishes to grant to any individual he so desires" endline; wishes equal three; if (wish does not equal three) powerout "Granted wish cannot be used to grant more wishes, only one wish per person, wish cannot be used to make someone do something against their moral alignment, wish cannot directly benefit user" endline; if (wish equal zero) powerout "prevent user from granting wishes to any individual ever again" endline; I stopped talking, mentally preparing myself for a slap across the... the... Power Coding Accepted. Compile? I blinked, unable to believe what I was seeing. "Yes, mask, compile." Compiling Program... Complete. Input recipients? I didn't even hesitate. "Angelus, Angi, Cael." Searching mental database... Recipients found, 1/3... Recipients found, 2/3... Action complete. Activating... I could see my mask glow, a sudden sensation of power, then nothing. It... worked!? Thirty-second cooldown initiated. User prevented from accessing programmed power from mask. Banned power uploaded to database. Awaiting user input... I took a breath, not completely believing what just happened. I had just granted my three greatest companions a free, practically unlimited wish?! I... I couldn't believe it. Yes, I could never pull that same stunt again, but the very fact that it worked... "Mask, prepare new program." While (activated) powerout "Replicate powers granted by the Kanohi Kakama" endline; if (used) powerout "Prevent user from moving across liquid surfaces" endline; "Compile." Compiling Program... Complete. 15:00... 14:59... 14:58... In the upper right-hand corner of my vision I noticed a countdown timer activate. So every fifteen minutes I would need to re-activate it... meh, not bad, all things considered. I hated to have the weakness of not being able to run across water, but until I could get a more firm grasp of this mask and what kind of tactics I would use against Heuani, my usual methods would be needed. Hence the copy of the Kanohi Kakama. With a mere thought I was a red streak, my world blurred as I shot out the door. I wasn't exactly sure where I'd end up, but now that I had managed to open the Keeping Place I needed to get to Stannis and the others. And find Cael. A small part of me felt I was already out of time. OOC: alright... Tyler, VF, here is the point where I fulfill my promise to you. I had said I would give those who struggled through me on this a gift, and here it is: your characters have been granted a GM wish each. Now keep in mind the limitations I've already outlined PLUS the fact this is THEIR wish... NOT yours. You MUST think like them and what THEY would want, not what you want for them. I will do what I can to make then come true, but I am obligated GM wise to edit it if it proves to be too much strain on the game. Both of you please post how it is you came to know of this and what you wished for, and I will post a reply among Joske's posts. Have fun!

OOC: Joske from Ta-Wahi to... here??? IC [Location unknown; night] Well, this ISN'T exactly what I remembered last time I looked down... I found myself standing in the Le-Wahi jungle, before me a steep-sided ravine. Above me forest birds winged despite the darkness of the near-midnight sky, and the roar of foaming white waterfalls, which caught the starlight like sequined veils, echoed calmly about. The sides of the ravine were strong, smooth stone. Risking unbalancing myself I peered over the edge, only to see rocks, shrubs, water. But on the lip of the side of the ravine on which I stood, the one opposite the waterfalls, right by my foot, I noticed something that was far more interesting: a stone tablet positioned in the ground like a sign. On this tablet were carved various characters made out of scratched lines and dots. I faintly recognized the writing. But I didn't know exactly what. In fact, I didn't know exactly what this place was... in any sense. My first instinct was to connect this ravine with the one cutting through Kini-Nui; indeed, the shape, size, and even look of it fit the description. The problem was when I looked up, there was no temple - no massive rock structure, no towering spires... I wasn't there, yet I was. This portion of the Le-Wahi jungle looked familiar, yet didn't. In fact, that could be said for this whole place. I was here, now, and real, but in the faintest of aspects it felt surreal. It was as if all my senses were heightened, everything as clear as day despite it being night and dark. Sounds were clear and crisp; sight was piercing all-observant; feeling was exact and sensitive. I had a heightened awareness of me and now, of here and real. The only thing I could chalk up was that this was a locale along the ravine near Kini-Nui, this strange sensation I was experiencing was directly due to the Keeping Place and the strange powers of the nearby temple. So pulled my attention back to the here, the now, that stone tablet, and the long drop before me. That tablet was the only matoran-made structure that I could see, which meant that it held great importance to this place. Bending down to take a closer look I studied the etchings, and after a while I finally understood why they felt familiar: it was bird-speech, the language of the fliers. Not that I understood it at all - the few times I ever had the unfortunate honor of speaking with Turaga Nuju that's all he spoke, so I had to deal with Matoro to understand the old one. Slowly I stood, gazing at the serene scene before me, my mind churning slowly. Here were a set of clues to guide me on this last and final leg, and I didn't have a single inkling as to what they said. Or did I? Something tugged at me, as if an understanding that was having an issue coming out. It was as if I knew what the words meant despite never having studied the language, but I had a wall, a barrier preventing me from grasping it. It was an odd feeling, the sensation that I knew yet I didn't. My mind continued to spin as I tried to- That's it. My mind. I was thinking too hard. This wasn't an issue of the head. It was an understanding of the heart. I found myself laughing out loud. Throughout my entire journey it had never been about how smart I was, how intelligent my mind, how brilliant my intellect; it was all about who I was on the inside, the condition of my soul and heart, what I believed, and how I put that in practice. The mind never once came into play; it was all about my spirit. Each temple had a different challenge, a unique test, one that evaluated my condition from the inside out. As I stared at the tablet I reviewed the lesson from each temple: Only those without wickedness can conquer it – the Temple of Courage. Only those truly faithful can find it – the Temple of Faith. Only those at peace can enter here – the Temple of Peace. Proof of Riches – the Temple of Prosperity. Only the most creative can unlock it – the Temple of Creation. Only the pure in spirit can grasp it – the Temple of Purity. Not all had been written on the doors, and I had never even visited one, but through the course of my adventure I had come across each line, every lesson required to gather the crystals. Each had a profound impact on my life, only now in hindsight did I begin to see the pattern. Each temple was preparing me for something, a final lesson that would present itself when the time came. A test that laid at the bottom of the ravine. In that instant I knew what the tablet said. Yes, I did not know what it read, I still could not understand the language. But it wasn't an understanding of the head that I knew - it was an understanding of the heart. My heart knew what it said. That's all that mattered. I grinned; good thing I did something like this before. I stepped back, jogging to the edge of the forest before turning around back the the ravine. I cracked my neck, stretched out my legs, took a runners position, then after mentally counting to three I took off, sprinting towards the ledge before jumping at the very last second, making a leap of faith. I closed my eyes, arms outstretched as in the dark I felt the wind rush past my body, enjoying the sensation of weightlessness, completely confident that there were no sharp rocks at the bottom ready to tear my body limb from limb. I disappeared over the edge. * * * Whiteness. Pure, unadulterated, whiteness. And within this whiteness was a door. Stretching for as far as the eye could see was this infinite plane of white nothingness, the only object visible besides myself was a massive, stone door. Plain, uninteresting, yet absolutely absorbing at the same, I knew what this door was. It was the entrance to the Keeping Place. But not just an entrance... no, I had already entered when I was teleported to the jungle. This was a final test of sorts, a way to gauge the worthy, for those who managed to somehow get to this point and tried to go deeper yet were not what they pretended to be would not be able to come back from this place, forever trapped in infinity. But I was not concerned. I had already passed the test. I just needed to prove the answer. I walked to the door, the sound of my footsteps echoing across this place despite no walls, my eyes comfortable, not blinded by the sheer amount of light that surrounded me. This challenge would present itself to the Wanderer's Company as well, that much I knew, but probably in a different form; the test would no doubt be unique to each individual. For me it was a door, one that required a password, a key to opening. Proof that I knew what laid beyond, what I sought, that I was destined for this. Proof that I was who I claimed I was. I stopped at the door, staring down the gate that barred my entry. Raising my chin I took a breath, knowing what I had to say. Each temple had a riddle, has a phrase, had a lesson that pertained to that crystal. The phrase had to be learned before one could gain entry. So be this door. There was a seventh riddle, a seventh phrase for this sacred ground. One only gleaned after understanding the previous six. That phrase was the key. That was my last test. Did I take the previous lessons to heart? Only those without wickedness can conquer it. Only those truly faithful can find it. Only those at peace can enter here. Proof of Riches. Only the most creative can unlock it. Only the pure in spirit can grasp it. What did all of these mean? Simple. "Only heroes can understand it." I spoke aloud, raising my head and lifting my arms wide. I felt the sensation of satisfactory pleasure from this place, and before me the massive door opened. OOC: to be continued

Ah, yes, well, common PLAYER knowledge... not CHARACTER knowledge Thanks for that distinction Marius.

Well well Josh, surprised to see you back! Not really. They all come crawling back at one point Alright, cliff notes version: - Scene set one hundred years after the Toa Mata descended into Makuta's Lair; they never returned. They failed, ushering a new age of Makuta's reign of terror. - Heuani, a lieutenant of Makuta, begins to carry out his master's wishes, along with his own pleasures. The most powerful, charismatic, charming, and alluring toa on the island. Few come into contact with him without dying, but all are taken captive by his words. - After some time a Matoran named Stannis, The Wanderer, is commissioned and destined to not only become the leader of a new set of Toa-Heroes to pick up where the Toa Mata left off. He must find the other five matoran and the six Essence Stones, the stones that carry within them the elemental power and spirit of the original six toa. He thus begins his quest. - Joske, the Kohlii star, is given a Toa stone and is transformed into a Toa, the first in over a century. He is not sure why until much later by chance he meets up with the Wanderer's Company, which by then has six matoran members and a handful of the stones. It is determined that his destiny is to open up the Keeping Place, a locale that will hold the WC's new masks, as well as defeat Heuani, clearing the way for the Wanderer's Company to defeat Makuta - As the heroes get closer to their goal, the Turaga are assassinated in an attempt to derail their progress and destroy the hope of the matoran. All six Turaga died; none survived. - The WC complete their quest, and after collecting all the essence stones were transformed into a new toa team, the Toa Maru. They are waiting for Joske to return with news of his success - Meanwhile Joske has finished his quest, gathered the six Crystals from the temples scattered around the island, and is currently in the process of opening the Keeping Place. That is where we are currently. A lot more than that has happened, but that is the short version

OOC: from Kini-Nui IC [Ta-Wahi beach; night] I raced under the stars, a trail of sand the only marking of my passage. I ran towards the Great Telescope, towards the stone stairs, where there was another ancient place of importance, massive stone cliffs on my left, the ocean to my right. I ran towards that location, knowing that the Crystals I had gathered were guiding me to that spot. I ran because that was the only possible way I might be able to get to her in time. I ran against the clock, hoping and praying the Great Spirit that I wasn't too late. I was running to save Cael's life. I'm coming love... I'm coming... just... hang on. Hang on. Please. Hang on. A trek down a beach would normally be a laborious affair, but my Kanohi Kakama took care of that. Despite my speed the surface felt flat and smooth, my feet able to grip as if solid earth instead of a porous, shifting substance. Hang on. I ran because I had no where else to go. At one time I ran for the thrill, for the sport, for the adventure. Kohlii was my life, my love, my one desire and ambition... selfish ambition. It was all about me and what I could achieve. She had changed all that. Cael... Through her I found a new purpose. Through her I realized just how self-centered, how self-absorbent I was... and how to let go. How egotistic, prideful, and greedy I'd become... and how to give. That there was more to life than just Kohlii... there were people and feelings too. Winning was the only thing I desired... and then she replaced it. I love you. I fought back tears as I ran, gritting my teeth against the wind I generated, my fists clenched. I had found love, true love, someone to be with and care for, someone that superseded even my own personal dreams and desires. My world had become hers, and through that my eyes had been opened to something far greater, far grander than any stadium. I had found something worth fighting for, something that transcended even Duty. Something better than Destiny. Something that made Unity more than just a virtue. Something and someone that I could hold and cherish for centuries to come, a life and hope that I had been so ignorant to in my blindness. And now in an instant all that had been ripped from me. So I ran, clinging to the one shred of hope, my iron determination and stubborn refusal to give up fueling my desperation. I, Joske Nimil, the fastest Toa on Mata-Nui, was afraid; afraid of being too slow. So I ran like I never ran before. I ran to save the life of the one I loved. My chest heaved as I come to a stop on the top of the stairwell, my body shuddering at the sudden change in momentum and direction. Ignoring the pain I turned left, my back to the Great Telescope, following the compulsion of the crystals to the small dais of statues that was up before me. It was as if I being controlled by another force, my actions on automatic as I strode the last several stairs to the top. Here I had the greatest sense of compulsion... and then nothing. I was released. The gems faded, and I was left standing amongst the statues. To say it wasn't creepy would be a lie. I was at the edge of the circular platform, before me the two greatest rocks of legends: the Makuta Stone, a shard of the blackest protodermis, menacing and angular, and the Mata-Nui Stone, a perfect tan oval, serene and welcoming. Surrounding these two rocks were six stones, long been assumed to represent the Toa Mata, come to awake the Great Spirit and defeat Makuta, all cast in a dark, shadowy hue. These eight rocks were the foundation of almost all our legends, our hopes, our dreams, stories in which the turaga would gather and tell, these stones the physical representation of those characters. But Mata-Nui was still asleep. The Toa Mata had failed. The Makuta still reigned. And here I was. So much for the original legend. Walking slowly I took the time to closely observe the statues, using my element to bring light to what I could not see, my eyes sharp and perceptive this things not normally seen. My diligence paid off as I spotted the discrepancy: these stones each had an empty slot in them. Upon further inspection I could make out the symbols of the Virtues and the various Kohlii Skills carved onto the face of the stones. Bending down I took a finger and scratched away the centuries of dirt and moss; yes, this was the place. Only if one had taken the time to gather the Charms and Crystals would he be able to understand the carvings. The Skills were consistent with the Virtue and Crystal they represented, further accented by the Toa that represented that Koro. It was here that the secret of the stones would be revealed, and its connection to Heuani and the Keeping place. One by one I placed the respective Crystals into the slots, one by one causing the stones to emit a bright glow. As I did so I thought and meditated over each one, remembering the lesson that each temple brought. What it took to gather each charm. The work, pain, and change required personally to complete this quest. It was odd. After all the struggle, after all the self-searching, the sacrifice and tears, this was the easy part. Place and go. Put in and find out. It was almost anti-climatic. Then again, the journey to this point was incredible. Without the stones, the lessons learned, this part would be impossible, simple as that. There was no need for some final soul-searching. There was no need for a final lesson, or task, or even riddle. The task wasn't this - it was acquiring the crystals. It's not the mountaintop; it was the climb. The climb I made with Cael. As I placed the final Crystal in the corresponding slot, my thoughts consumed with my love, the entire dais glowed with infinite energy as the six toa statues shone brilliantly against the night. Arcs of power formed between each one, bouncing back and forth until a frenzied climax was reached, in which two bolts shot forth, one to the Makuta Stone, the other to the Mata-Nui Stone. The two shook violently as they were imbued with power, and I felt myself being lifted off the ground. In this moment a small slice of the universe was opened to me, a plethora of knowledge presented to my mind. The secret of the stones was not a singular purpose, but one of many, depending on the destiny of the bearer. I could have been granted great power, or ancient knowledge... but instead I was given another: transport. A gate. As the energies of the statues focused in on me, I found out one of the secrets: It would teleport me to Kini-Nui. But not to the temple - no, directly to the Keeping Place. A place where no mortal can normally go. A place that is hidden from view. A location that is well-protected and fortified from evil. A place that the only way through was to prove yourself worthy. I was about to be teleported there, past the shield, past the defenses, from which I could open from the inside out. I was about to accomplish the first part of my destiny. If I wasn't so distraught over Cael, my heart would have leaped for joy. There was a final flash of light, and in a burst of power I was gone, only a wisp of smoke to mark the trail of my passage. OOC: back to Kini-Nui

I'm going to give you a secret: two-thirds of the time those posts are written in the time-span of exactly NOW; aka the moment they are posted I am rushing off to work, chores, or some other life instance, so proof-reading isn't on the top of my priorities most of the time I try to go back later and correct what I see, but I think I usually get them all... you're the only one who seems to lament on my lack of spelling. If that's true, care for a job as my editor?! Though you bring up a good point, and something I must remind everyone about the challenge question: the true love part. If you did not choose her at that moment, you would never see her again. That was the point. Even if you gave her your seat and the turaga the other, you would have saved the dying man but never seen her again. That was the difficulty of her portion. It was either there, or never. Still, glad to see people liked it. The Heuani battle is fast approaching...

OOC: Joske from Ga-Wahi IC [Kini-Nui; night] The world a blur, a warped representation of what it really was, nothing but streaks of color and light. The Kanohi Kakama proved to be a difficult mask to master simply that when used to its max the effects it produced on it wearer were unsettling at best, and incomprehensibly insane at worst. And I'm pushing the upper limit of it. My body jerked forward as I stumbled to a stop, stuttering to a halt at the base of a massive stone stairway. Breathing heavily I straightened my back, making a grand sweep with my eyes at the scene before me. Despite the darkness, the lack of light and moon, the monolithic structure was no less impressive. The grand temple of Kini-Nui. Situated above a ravine, whose breadth was spanned by the bridge joining the two halves of the temple, Kini Nui was possibly the single largest and most intricate structure on the island. On one side of the valley I could see the upper temple area, which held a tall temple with its four spires, at the center of it laid the Suva Kaita. Surrounding this area were the six life-size carvings of the maskless Toa Mata, the destined original heroes of the matoran... the ones who failed. On the other side of the valley I could see the lower temple area, in it I could barely make out the Amaja-Nui and a giant statue of a Toa Head, all connected by a stone bridge.The temple itself was situated in a valley, one that was difficult to reach. This valley was heavily forested, tropical plants growing all around me and on the various parts of the temple. In the darkness I could make out many tall, pointed rock spires that filled the area surrounding this sacred place. At the bottom of the valley, running between the two halves of the Kini-Nui, is a stream that turned into a waterfall not far from the temple. All this pristine beauty masked a much more sinister undercurrent of the place. I closed my eyes. This is where so many things started... and just as many ended. Cael. I opened my eyes, looking at the ground, my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness. And now I could see it: footprints. Footprints in the damp dirt and bent grass that led up to the stone base coming out of the jungle, leading up the stairs. My heartlight beating in my throat I bent down and took a closer look at them, taking the few tracking pointers Angelus had taught our group over the course of the adventure. I was no master tracker, let alone jungle-bred hunter, but even I could make out some basic features of the prints: small feet, feminine shape, not deep... short distance between them. Hesitant. And they went right up the stairs. Into the heart of Kini-Nui. Mata-Nui, please, no... I rushed up the stairs, following the slight muddy trail as I bounded up them three at a time, a knot forming in my stomach. This... this couldn't be happening. Yes, it was completely in his nature, but why would he steal her? Why now? It didn't make sense... especially the fact that there were only ONE set of prints. If Heuani stole her away, wouldn't there be two? Unless... unlkess he shadow-walked all the way, popping in and out to slowly lead her here, like a tame Ussal. Oh Cael... I felt sicker as I crossed the threshold into the central dais, the possibilities of what he was doing to her running through my head. No one ever came back when he took them. No witnesses. No survivors. I was possibly the only one who had any insight in his more personal pursuits. If he did that to her, destroyed her purity before horribly killing- I froze. The trail... ended. Simply stopped. I dashed about the central dais, looking something, anything, that would give me a clue as to her whereabouts. Her tracks led here... then disappeared. Vanished. Gone. As if she had been... I gritted my teeth, nostrils flared, looking very much like a caged animal. This... I... couldn't... why- In this moment of self-doubt I was overwhelmed with that compulsion again. In my satchel the six Crystals burned with light and power, compelling me to move in a certain direction. Without anything else to go on I offered no resistance, wondering if maybe they had a solution, knew where he had taken her. Like a moth to a light I slowly walked across the bridge to the lower temple area, my feet scraping the cold, chiseled stone. Eventually I came to the edge... and stooped. Look down. I did so... and saw nothing. Or did I? Deep down in the darkness I thought I saw something. The bottom of the ravine? An arc? A... door? It was was too dark to tell, but that might be an entrance to Heuani's Lai- I moved forward, and was immediately repelled with a slight shock. Initially I was stunned, not sure what had happened. Slowly I approached the edge again, trying to move past the lip of the stonework. Again I was prevented... by an invisible force. I pressed against it, and it pushed back. I slammed my fist of it, only to have it bounce back with an energetic sound. No, not just force - forcefield, just like the one created with a Kanohi Hau, expect that this was protecting whatever was down there from intruders. Like me. And it probably made a full circle all around, meaning there was no way around it. Oh, that's just great. So now I know where to go but I can't get past the defenses- Another image flashed before my eyes. The Ta-Wahi beach. A giant stairwell. A place to put the stones. I blinked a few times, gazing down the hidden ravine. Perhaps there was a way to deactivate it? These visions were getting disorienting, but so for I was able to keep it together. After one last look into the bottomless black before me I turned, activating my Kakama once again. Looks like I was heading back to Ta-Wahi. On a hunch. Thankfully my hunches usually turned out correct. OOC: Joske to Ta-Wahi

OOC: Rare instance that I evoke the twelve-hour rule IC [Temple of Purity; ???] During this entire time she stood there there stoically, impassionately, without emotion or even movement as she listened to my monologue. There was that single instance where I thought I detected mild surprise, but without visual or audible cues it was impossible to tell. We faced each other, the silence heavy as I waited for her to respond. At long last I got it. It was the widest grin I had ever seen. "Well spoken, Noble Toa!" she said, the laughter in her voice like a thousand splashes of water, ringing throughout the chamber. "Only the purest in spirit could come up with an answer like that, and argue it so passionately that I have no choice but to give you what you seek. Behold, Noble Toa, the Crystal of Purity." She waved her hand, and all four heads gurgled to life, the purest of waters springing forth from their mouths and into the pool below. Beneath her the platform opened up, the dais slowly rising, a light blue gem resting peacefully on its stand. Confidentially I stepped forward and seized it, feeling the smooth, cut stone in my hand. As I marveled at it the specter lowered down to my level. "Your words are truer than you know. Indeed every living being has a Destiny, a purpose set upon them at the time of their birth and creation. It is this force that guides then, drives them into the future and places unseen. Yet it is not all-encompassing; there is such a thing as free will, and the ability to act upon that. It is not so much that individuals escape, overcome, or somehow evade their destiny; it is simply the choices they made in their life allowed them to drastically alter what it is they were meant to do, either for good or for evil. The same could be said of the Toa Mata - they were destined to fight the Makuta. Yet they did not win, as was prophesied. Was the prophesy wrong? Not necessarily. It is hard to predict the future, Toa, and even harder to take into account free will. The Toa Mata were not defeated because they were destined to, but because of the decisions made by those in that team while they lived. Had different choices been made, there would have been different outcomes. You are one of the few who have grasped this truth and are poised to make the most of it. I pray you do not squander it." I just stood there, taking in her words, putting to heart the lesson I myself had just taught. I looked up at her in wonder, a faint smile on my lips "Who are you?" "No one of consequence." was the reply, again dodging the question. Suddenly she bent down, scooping her hand into the water and pulling it out, only this time something small and clear held within. Turning around she handed it to me. "Your answer has compelled me to give you a parting gift. From these fountains do not flow simply purified water... it is purified protodermis. Within that vial is the purest form of that substance, drawn from this very pool. It is a very special vial, Toa - an endless vial. As long as you remain as pure as you have shown yourself to be here, that vial will forever remain full, no matter how long you pour its contents, the liquid within coming directly from this pool. This place is one of the best-kept secrets, and once you leave it will be sealed once again. That shall be your one and only link to this place." I turned it slowly in my hand, marveling at the design. The vial was clear with a hint of blue, ornate designs etched on every surface. It looked like glass, but it was very clearly made of something unlike anything I had ever seen before, looking fragile but from what I could gather almost unbreakable. The designs on it were beautiful, like ocean waves or summer breezes, mixed with ancient symbols and strange creatures. I could not begin to hope to understand the significance of their meanings, but I bowed respectfully all the same. "Thank you for this gift; I will remember those words of warning and wisdom. I take it then we will never speak to one another again?" No sooner had the words escaped my lips did a clear tube slide around me, the sounds of gears and old mechanisms grinding to life. The Ga-Toa vanished before me like a vapor, but not before she spoke these last words. "I suggest you hold your breath." There was the sound of rushing water, and the last thing I saw as I looked up was the ocean coming down to meet me. * * * I broke the surface, coughing and sputtering for the umpteenth time that day, my arms flailing in the open air. I'm sure I looked quite stupid, but after my most recent adventures look really weren't that important anymor- Mt thoughts were rudely interrupted as I felt a pair of hands grab my shoulders and with ease lift me up and out of the water, landing heavily on some sort of flat surface. Now not only was I flailing and coughing, but I was dizzy and disoriented as well. I heard voices, but the rushing in my ears audio receptors prevented any sort of meaningful vocabulary spring forth. I tried swatting the voices and hands away. "Give *cough* me *coughcough* a minute... *cough* " As my senses returned, I was gradually aware of my surroundings. First things, I was on a boat... more importantly, laying in the bottom of it, and by the looks of it the same one Cael and myself had used to get out here. Second, it was night; directly above me there were stars set against a navy-blue background. I had spent over a half-day down there... no wonder these people were freaking out. It didn't seem like it was that long. And yes, it WAS people, people I knew; as my eyes and ears finally adjusted I noted it was Agni and Angelus. And they were highly concerned. "JOSKE! Are you alright?! What happened? Where's Cael?" Immediately I was upright, frantically looking around. I hit Angi with a stare. "Isn't Cael here? In the boat?" His face grew confused and worried. "No... she wasn't here when I showed up. I assumed she went down after you due to your extremely long absence. She's not with you?" For the second time that day I felt the sensation of dropping like a rock, except it landed on my stomach. "If she's not here, not with you, and definitely not with me... then where in the name of Mata-Nui could she have- " It was in this moment that two different events happened at once. The first was my vision... or more correctly my nightmare, the one that began haunting me almost a year ago, when I was still a matoran. I thought after meeting Heuani for the first time I put it past me, but as I found myself in a different place and time; clearly I hadn't. Not only that, but it was too real to be a dream, or even a nightmare - it was a vision. My eyes glazed over I was in a dark chamber - a chamber I knew all to well. While normal beings would have been blinded by such deep pitch, I for some reason was not... especially Heuani, for he was a Toa of Shadow. The vile Toa preferred, for obvious reasons, the darkness to the light - he felt more at home, more powerful, in the darker places of the island. This place, far below the surface, was such a place. Unlike the tunnels and caves of the Onu-Matoran, this place was not carved out by the hands of beings. Perhaps it had been a long-dry river, or a pocket of lava. I didn't know. I didn't care. All I cared was the scene playing out before me.Heuani was lying down, hands behind his head, as a lithe Toa of Water stroked his head and chest. It was clear she could not see in this darkness, but apparently she didn't mind; Heuani was one with the darkness, and Heuani was magnetic to her. This Toa was fawning on him, holding him, kissing him... Heuani had chosen her because she was beautiful: doe-eyed, smooth, excellently proportioned. It was obvious he was enjoying it."Heuani," she breathed in his ear, "You are... magnificent." And clearly she was too."I know," he replied lazily. He could, after all, take any Toa he liked from the surface whenever he wanted. All it took was a brief trip to the world above, appearing from a shadow, a few minutes of conversation, and then they were his. Males, females, it didn't make much difference to Heuani, as he found both amusing in their ways. This creature of shadow would take a new hostage whenever he got bored with the previous one. He took beauties and intellectuals and loons, and all would provide a new kind of entertainment to him. He had picked her for a specific reason, however... a much more sinister reason."Get off me," Heuani said to the Toa, in an almost casual tone."What is it?" The Toa of Water asked, disentangling herself with the grace of a dancer."I have to go do important things," Heuani said easily."Aren't I important?" she pouted, not wanting him to leave, not even for a moment, his hold on her complete."Of course," Heuani replied smoothly, cupping her chin, "You are... magnificent." Of course, she didn't understand the irony of his words... she had no clue.The Toa of Water sighed contentedly. "Be back soon, then," she said, twirling her finger around his shoulder as Heuani stood."Don't worry about that," Heuani said, deftly snatching her finger, and pulling her close to him. He kissed her lips, the Ga-Toa lost in waves of ecstasy... and I watched as he used his mask power.The Kanohi Felnas, the Mask of Disruption. Through the contact of their lips he corrupted his plaything's ability to control her element. Shocked and panicked, the Toa of Water sputtered and gargled as Heuani coaxed her own element to drown her. She thrashed and tried to strike him, now confused and conflicted, but Heuani was stronger, and held her in place as her lungs filled with her own water. It was excruciating to watch, this woman coming to the realization that her own element was killing her, but unable to stop it. Eventually she stopped struggling, the Toa of Water going limp in her killer's arms. Heuani lowered her to the floor. "You bored me," he said to the corpse with a shrug and a grin. "Besides, I have an even more important date to keep... one that will prove to be much more... entertaining." As he strode away the body shifted one last time, gravity doing it's work even down here in the shadows, and for the first time I got a full look at her face. Every time I had seen this play out on my head her face had always been obscured, an object always in the way, or her head turned away from my vantage point. Never had I the chance to see her face. Never had I cared to. But now in this moment I was forced to watch as the ultimate reveal was pressed upon me. I knew this Toa of Water; I knew her like no one else did. It was Cael. I blinked, and I found myself slowly rocking in that boat, Agni gripping my shoulder, a near-panicked look on his face. "Joske... Joske, are you alright? What did you see? You look like death warmed over." It was here that the second thing happened. Now that all the Crystals were in close proximity, they began to glow. Blow with power, with purpose... with knowledge. They were all together, which meant their bearer had to get the Keeping Place. Had to go now. No sooner had the vision ended was I overcome by a tremendous drive to leave and head inland, like a an outside force compelling me to move. Both this force and the vision had the same destination in mind: Kini-Nui. I stared out into the distance, unable to wrap my head around what was going on... but my heart did. Knew exactly what was going on. In my shocked and dumbfounded state a single tear rolled down my cheek. "No... " "Joske, what is going- " His voice was drowned in a sonic boom that practically capsized the boat. My Kakama was active, and with all the speed I could muster I ran across the water, tears leaving a wet stream behind me. Heuani had taken her. He had come when there was nothing I could do to stop him, seducing Cael to follow. Here I thought he only wanted me. I thought there was a shred of honor in him. But this... this was below low. Taking my love and using her as bait. Shield. Handicap. I went from water to land, willing my mask to move me faster. Heuani would pay if as much a single scratch was on her. Dearly. OOC: for those of you who are wondering, Joske's continuing and troubling dreams are rooted in this post of Nuju's. Joske's been re-living it on occasion for quite some time now, trying to figure out what it meant. Oh, by the way, Joske to Kini-Nui

This is my choice Specter; the hero I choose to be. Behold, the ultimate denial of the no-win.

IC [Temple of Purity; ???] I didn't know how long I sat there. Minutes? Hours? Half a day? More? Time stood still in that dank chamber, only the occasional dripping of water marking it's passage. I sat there alone, nothing but the silence and my own thoughts. My own inhibitions, hope, dreams... all wrapped up in this little thought exercise. The choice of a lifetime... I spent my time weighing the options, sifting through my emotions, grappling with my own worldview. Who would I choose? What kind of hero would I be? That was the question, wasn't it? "The friend represents people, doesn't it?" I began, thinking out loud. "The people around me, friends I've made, those I'm sworn to protect, organizations I am a part of... loyalty. Loyalty to a person, to a group, to an ideal. Loyalty as a unit, to those I've made connections with, those while working together we are strong, one mind and unit... Unity. My best friend could also be described as Unity, the bond I share with others. By choosing this Virtue I am proclaiming myself a champion of the people, warrior of the many, willing to sacrifice the few for the sake of the many... even if that meant giving up my morals and my future to be the protector those less able to do so, going to any lengths to protect what I thought and felt was right. "In the same sense then, the Turaga represents Morality, the hero that stands always upright no matter the situation. This is the type of choice that allows said person to travel the road less traveled, take the moral high ground, able to defeat darkness and evil with his mere presence, a true paladin, a warrior that is never compromised, able to take the beating and give one out a hundred fold to those that dwell and lurk in the shadowy places of the world. This man can bend down to the lowest of levels, able to reach into the very depths of Karvahni itself and pull wretched souls out of the brink, a source of hope and encouragement to anyone who even gazes upon him. This type of hero represents Duty, the Duty of a warrior to champion the light, to be that shining star in the heavens. He can only do this though at great personal cost, having given up any chance of a normal life, even to the point of alienating his friends in his pursuit of overcoming evil. To him there is never any grey, only black and white, and thus there will be few that truly follow him, only those that are inspired and dependent on him. He must sacrifice all to make and keep himself pure. "Which leaves us the lover... the future. She represents all that a person hopes for, dreams for, all the excitement and adventure promised to those working as a hero. She is Destiny incarnate, what is to be yours at the end of the road. This is the path taken by dreamers and wanderers alike, searching for their personal promised land, or those with iron determination to take what is rightfully theirs. As much as this may be the most hopeful of paths, it is my nature the most selfish of them as well. The person who takes this, searching for his destiny as his only purpose in life will in the end give up what makes the present so special, never able to make or keep many friends, and will willingly throw away his morals for the sake of his own desires, nothing more important than him and his happiness. It is after all his Destiny. To Take what is rightfully mine and worry about the rest later. This is choice with the most promise... but the most temptation." I sat there as I finished speaking, the specter silently hovering, impassioned to my words. I looked up to meet her gaze. "There is no right answer. There is no wrong answer. Just what YOU believe is the right path to take. Each one has a benefit, each has a downfall, but all are equally viable for a hero... or a villain. Unity, Duty, Destiny, this is who we are, molded by the choices we make... and I don't like any of them." My eyes blazed with slight defiance as I stood. "Yes, there is a positive to every choice, but there is a negative. No matter what I choose I will have to give up something, something great and wonderful in its own right. No matter the path I take I will always be forced to lose something. No matter WHAT I do it is a lose-lose-lose situation; this is a no-win. And I don't believe in No-Win scenarios." I threw an accusing finger at her. "You have presented me with an impossible choice, one that I MUST follow, but I don't believe that to be right. There is always a way out, always another option, all it takes is to be clever, bold, and willing enough to find it. It may also require sacrifice, but it would be better than what I am presented with now. I refuse to believe that these are the only choices, that Destiny is utterly and completely predetermined. Destiny exists, don't get me wrong; it is the force that drives you to a destination, a conflict, a future crossroads that you must traverse. There is order within this universe, and if there is order there are certain paths that everything and everyone must take, this much I understand. But I refuse to accept the idea that my ultimate destiny, the outcome of my life is wholly and completely predetermined. I refuse to accept that my fate is written in stone. I may be Destined to fight Huani, but no where does it say that I am destined to win... or to lose. The choices I make, the things I do, are what determines my future, not some abstract idea. I may end up at a certain place, but how I get there and the path I take is MY choice, NOT someone else's. And once I get there, the outcome of that event is up to ME and what I do, not what some ancient tablet predicts. Destiny may not be up to me, but my Fate IS. And I REFUSE to let it be any other way!" The fire in my eyes was intense, a passion so great that even the specter seemed mildly surprised. "I don't believe in the no win. There is ALWAYS a way out.... isn't there? That's why there are four heads, not three." I pointed to the statues above her. "The very fact that there are four heads suggest that there is yet another option, one that exists but is not easily seen. And that is the choice I will make Specter... I choose the fourth head." The world before me was crystal clear, the solution as bright as day. It had been hidden from me until now, but now that I could see it, I seized it... and didn't let go. Once again I pointed a finger at her, a victorious smile on my face. "Behold, Specter: I choose not the three outcomes presented. You rightfully said that there was only space for one next to me... but you never said I could not give up MY seat. So this is what I would do: I would give up my seat and my reigns to my best friend, helping the dying Turaga onto the passenger side. If he was truly my friend he would understand that this is what I would want, that I could trust him with not only my steed but with my money, my life... but the life of someone else. He would rush to Po-Koro with the old one, seeing to it that he got the best medical care, knowing that soon we would meet again and that a life would be saved. I meantime would remain at the wayside, at that desert stop, with the love of my life. We would sit there and wait together, sitting under the stars, patient until my friend returned, or another caravan passed by. I would be patient, for that is possibly the greatest Virtue, for while I may sacrifice that time, I know it would be so worth while in the end. I would be willing to wait a little longer to enable the future of all three." I stood before her, defiant, chin raised high. "This... this is the outcome I would desire. This is what I view as the best possible outcome. I refuse to accept the notion of a no-win." I took a breath. "This is my choice, Specter; the hero I choose to be."

IC [Temple of Purity; ???] The spirit gazed at me with approval, nodding her head in my direction. "Very well then." She waved her hand, and I found myself in a different place... a different time. I was a matoran again, small and hardy, riding an Ussal through a tunnel, one with a light at the end of it. As the bright sunlight assaulted my eyes I raised an arm to block it, buying time for me to adjust. It was here that I noticed a slight discrepancy... I actually didn't do it. More like, I didn't feel like I was in control of the body I was in, as if I was merely watching through this set of eyes. The mysterious Ga-Toa's voice cut through my thoughts, bringing me back to the present. As she presented her question, her case, her story, it was acted out before me, as if I was a active observer instead of a passive participant. "You are riding an Ussal on your way from Onu-Koro to Po-Koro in hopes to reach the Village of Stone before nightfall. As you exit the tunnel system, you note that your surroundings are quite hot and bright; you are near the Motara Desert, and once you enter into those sands there is not a good resting spot until Po-Koro. Therefore the builders of this highway wisely placed a rest stop, a small shelter, near the entrance of the cave, to help facilitate those traveling between the two cities. It is a place where caravans would stop and re-supply on water, or individuals would hang about, hoping to catch a ride with someone like yourself so that they would have to brave the trek on foot. As you approach this stop you indeed notice someone. As you ride closer, you realize it's not one, but three people here, waiting. Waiting for you. As you pull you finally get a good look at those standing there. Before you this is what you see: "To the left is your best friend. You haven't seen him in years, and haven't had a decent conversation for even longer. From the looks of it he has been in the desert for some time, wandering, in need of a friend. The reasons of your separation are lost in memory, but the fact of your fast unbreakable friendship is certain... unless you were to do something now to harm it. In the center is an elderly Turaga, but this Turaga is not well; in fact, the old one is dying. He still has some time left, but unless he gets medical help soon he will not make it. Po-Koro is the closest village, and unless he gets on your Ussal he will not make it. Finally to the right you see the love of your life. You've never met, but after meeting her gaze the both of you are certain that you were meant to be; you both are perfect for each other. She is merely passing through, but if you do not take her now, you will never meet her again. Should you leave her here and one day take another you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will never be as happy as if you took her now. "These are the three individuals you see standing before you, and as you look at your Ussal you realize that you only have room for one to ride with you. So, Noble Toa, you are left with a choice, and that choice is my question to you." The light, the world, the story faded, and I found myself breathing heavily, standing in that dank, dark room once again, the ghostly Ga-Toa hovering before me. Her face was somber as she finished, her voice low and serious. "Which one do you take with you on the rest of your journey? The best friend, the dying Turaga, or the love of your life? May your heart decide." It was as if an astronomically large weight was placed on my chest, a slowly I fell back against the wall, slightly aghast. There was no wrong answer here, that much I could see, but I had to make a choice. And impossible choice. No, a choice that reflected who I was. I sank to the floor, breathing deep. I needed some time to think.