Rahisaurus

IC: Siika (Ko/Le-wahi border) Siika took the lead, and strode onward towards her fishing spot. Her hopeful mood dropped as they rounded a bend in the bank and saw the dock, but no boat tethered to the mooring she'd left it at. However, as they got closer, she realised it was still there, but sitting lower in the water and hidden behind the small dock. Coming up alongside it, she realised why - there was water in it. Sighing, she hefted the boat out of the water, emptying it, and stood it up on one end to inspect it for holes. Nothing obvious was wrong with the hull, so she threw it back in the water and shrugged. "Well, let's hope this thing floats," she said, masking her leak-related worries with a little too much false confidence, as she plopped herself down in the boat and almost capsized there and then. She untied the oar from where it had been fastened to the boat and beckoned Mar. "Perfectly safe!" ooc: @Geardirector (don't suppose the matoran have invented flex tape yet?)

IC: Siika (Ko/Le-wahi border) Siika looked up from the path for the first time in a while - she had been absent-mindedly staring at the track - and suddenly recognised where she was. The sled trip down the slopes of Mt. Ihu had disoriented her for a while, but now she realised where their path was leading them. "I just noticed we're heading close to my house, about a kio north of here... If you wanna stock up on supplies we can detour there, but if not, I've got an unofficial fishing setup at a pier a little further along the bank. As long as nobody pilfered it, my little rowing boat should be there too." ooc: @Geardirector

IC: Siika [Ko-/Le-Wahi Border] She matched pace alongside the Toa, her heavy footfalls leaving deep 3-toed prints in the snow. If the trail west was still part of their previous quarry's directions, then it seemed likely there would be more traps and ambushes to come. She took Mar's advice to keep her eyes peeled seriously, but figured she could leave the ears part to him. "Any time; brother." The Skakdi held out her large fist toward him, palm downward. She'd seen some of the island's residents do it after the liberation of Ko-Koro. She hoped it meant what she thought it meant. ooc: @Geardirector i just realised i have been using the same colour for siika's speech as you did for Mar

IC: Siika [Ko/Le-Wahi border] Siika peeped out from behind her shield, thankful that Mar and Karv's combo move had been aimed away from her. Seeing no moving Nui Rama, she picked herself up and made her way over to him. "Heck of a technique you got there," she said, in the kind of gruff appreciative tone you might hear between two mates playing darts at the local pub. "I got a little scratched up, but hopefully the mask corruption doesn't spread through their claws.. right?" "... speaking of - who's out there making corrupted masks these days? I thought Makuta was done with?" ooc: @Geardirector sorry for the delay!

IC: Timak [Po-Koro Suva Temple] Timak flinched as Ranok started to yell. The town crowd nearby shifted into frantic motion, some heading closer to investigate, others panicking and making themselves scarce. As he continued his search for the mysterious voice, it kept whispering to him, seemingly aware of the fact he could hear. The chiding words spoke of diplomacy and reason, but the leering tone and almost audible corruption warned otherwise. The Toa was finding it hard to pinpoint the voice's origin in the crowd, even with his sonic powers amplifying his perception, but something caught his eye... an eddy in the current, a point in the crowd where the frantic townsfolk seemed to subconsciously flow around, like a school of fish around a shark. And at the center, a taller, hooded figure. Timak's eyes met with his for a brief instant and the whispering became as clear as crystal, searing through his perception like a hot knife. Then the crowd swirled in front of him, and the prey lost sight of the hunter. He staggered backward a little, breaking his rigid distant stare with a shake of his head. He looked around at the others, relaying the sinister message to the group. "He's playing with us. I caught nothing more than a glimpse, then I lost him... and I fear he intends to wait until the sentinels have given up on us." ooc: @ARROW404 @Snelly @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel @Harvali @a goose

IC: Timak [Po-Koro Suva Temple] Timak ran behind the group as they entered the temple, and tried not to be distracted by the many stories in the carvings he'd never seen before. No sooner had he stopped and looked around, than he heard the whistling stop. It had been driving him almost feral on the way here, making him tense up like a cornered animal, dominating his focus. Now, the silence almost felt blinding - until he heard the whisper. Timak drew his vibro-blade and began feverishly scanning the surroundings. He watched Kanohi and Ranok fly to the nearby water tower with unease, uncomfortable that they were outside his reach. ooc: @ARROW404 @Snelly @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel @a goose @Harvali

IC: Siika (Ko-/Le-Wahi Border) Siika peered over the top of her shield, quickly spotting the struggling Karv. She readied her spear to throw, but after a second to take aim, she cursed under her breath. There was too much movement, the two battling rahi rolling about in a flurry of snow and loose dirt. There was no more time to waste. She jumped out from behind the log, shield held high against the remaining Nui Rama, running to the kavinika's aid. Two of the insects bore down upon her, one colliding with the shield and the other finding its way around onto her back. She roared, easily reaching the one on her shield with her spear, its carcass falling twitching to the ground with a hole through its thorax. She grunted with pain as the other's claws found away around her pack and her armour, scratching at her thick scaly hide while she continued running, trying to shake the attacker away. She bashed at it with her shield, once, twice, before a third impact managed to catch the infected kanohi over its eye casing. The mask popped loose and the bug went limp for a moment, dazed enough for the Skakdi to dislodge it. Reaching Karv, she hesitated for an instant while she tried to figure out how to pry the two apart, before plunging her foot into the writhing mass of chitin and claws, flesh and teeth. Thankfully she managed to land a heavy stomp on the Rama's abdomen, pinning it. She drove her spear through its head. Karv rolled free and caught his breath for a second, before bounding off toward Mar again. Siika was left on the other side of the fray, looking up at the remaining five-or-so bugs. She dug the base of her shield into the dirt and hunkered down behind it, but stuck one hand out with a raised thumb for Mar. ooc: @Geardirector

IC: Siika (Ko-/Le-Wahi Border) Siika heard the yell, huffed, and immediately un-stowed her tower shield again, wondering why she'd bothered putting it away as she strapped it firmly to her arm. Crouching behind a thick tree-trunk (which was still not quite thick enough to fully hide her) she braced her shield against the tree and brandished her spear. She figured she could spare enough energy for one vision shot at the bugs, so she signalled to Mar - pointing two fingers at her eyes and then at the Rama - before squinting in their direction and letting loose. A faint thunderclap-like noise echoed off the trees as one of the insects lost a wing, careening out of the sky and hitting a trunk. It was still moving though, so someone would have to finish that one off. Realizing she wouldn't now have much hope at another ranged attack, she quickly unhooked some rope from her pack and tied it to the base of her spear. That way if she needed to throw it, it would limit her range but she could at least haul it back. "Got any good ideas to take these down, Mar?" ooc: @Geardirector

IC: Siika Her large lizard-like shape appeared further up the hill, just as Mar looked up. She bounced down the last few bumps and attempted to stop by twisting the shield to the side, successfully drifting for about an arm's length before promptly tipping onto her side and landing face-first in the snow. Thankfully she stopped just short of a tree trunk which definitely would have stopped her otherwise. After she got up and dusted herself off, she jogged over to Mar, stowing the shield on her back as she looked around. "Hope you know where you're going, all these trees look the same to me. Seems like a nice place for would-be ambushers to hide, too." ooc: @Geardirector

IC: Timak [Po-Koro] Timak nodded, thankful for Aurax's leadership, and stood straight again. He took one last moment to look over the busy town, and he siphoned off a touch of elemental power to help focus his hearing on wherever his line of sight landed. He saw the rest of the group start to hurry in the direction of the Suva, and was about to turn to follow, when his gaze touched upon the tram line on the outskirts of the village, back near where they'd entered. A whistle broke through the usual humdrum of the crowd; a reedy, cutting sound, as if the whistler's lips were made of paper. When he recognised the tune, it sent shivers up his spine. Quickly catching up with the back of the group on his long legs, he settled into a brisk stride behind them, uttering a harsh whisper. "We are hunted. RUN." He kept his hearing in the forefront of his mind, glancing back nervously, obsessively, at every sound. ooc: @ARROW404 @Snelly @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel @Harvali @a goose

IC: Timak [Po-Koro] While the sound bubble had been nice for a few minutes of respite, as soon as Kanohi started panicking, Timak had dropped the barrier to make sure the others could hear whatever happened next. Perhaps not the best thing from Kanohi's perspective, but Timak thought it best that everyone could easily hear and respond to him. He took a step back as Kanohi started making unexplained clicking noises, and was as concerned as the rest of the group at the poor Matoran's agitated terror. When they finally got a written explanation, Timak stood straight, his eyes darting around the village to hopefully catch sight of anything unseemly. He was, after all, taller than most of the crowd. So far nothing jumped out as being dangerous. He turned to Aurax, his furrowed brow hardly masking the internal turmoil of nervous energy that was twisting his gut into a knot, but said nothing. His promise to guard the Matoran was about to be tested, and he felt some innate responsibility to take charge and lead them away from danger, but he knew that many of the group knew Po-Koro better than he did (which was not at all). Eventually he spoke to the group collectively. "Does anyone know the fastest route to a safe place, or defensible area?" ooc: @ARROW404 @Snelly @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel @Harvali

[IC: Siika, Mt. Ihu Slopes] Siika heard Mar's words as though he were close behind, so when she turned to acknowledge him, she was surprised to find he had hardly got moving yet. She looked back to her path and concentrated on her route - there were plenty of rocks and trees to avoid on the way down. Before too long, Mar caught up, which was not difficult given her improvised method of travel - clearly the skis would have been a better option, had they fit on her oversized skakdi feet. She had no trouble staying behind him from this point, the challenge was instead to keep up. She found herself struggling to mirror Mar's nimble slalom between Ihu's various hazards, often needing to shove against a rock or trunk to assist with the shield's limited ability to dodge. After a while, Mar was shrinking out of shouting range, and the route was getting more and more treacherous as they came down from the barren heights into the more wooded areas below. She saw Mar make a swift s-turn around a large boulder, disappearing out of sight behind it. She wasn't confident she could make that dodge, and she would only get further behind by trying. But, maybe she didn't have to go around it... It was a risky thought, even for her, but she was rapidly approaching the rock and the time for other ideas was gone. She scowled in concentration, judging the distance. Almost... almost... Now. Holding her breath, she pitched forward, digging the front of the shield into the snow. Momentum carried her head-over-heels until her nose grazed the cold ground, then her glare intensified as she activated her impact vision. A heavy THUD resounded. The recoil was just enough - she felt herself thrust away from the ground, still rolling forward, coming upright just in time for the shield to graze the top of the boulder on her way over, sparks jumping from the collision. She landed heavily on the other side, but not heavily enough to knock the wide grin off her face. She even seemed to have caught up a little. ooc: @Geardirector

[IC: Siika, Ko-Wahi slopes] Leaning forward on her makeshift sled, Siika felt herself picking up speed. Her brain then decided that now was a good time to finally register Mar's comment about veering off course. "Oh yeah, Mar?" "What exactly am I aiming for, is there a landmark or something?" ooc: @Geardirector

[IC: Zassani [Burning Steppes, Dig Site] Zassani leaned idly against one wall near the door, regarding the carvings on the opposite wall with bored disinterest. His ears perked up at the mention of traps, though. That would certainly make this day a lot more interesting. "You said tomb, eh? Heh. Don't worry, I bet no zombies" - he drew out the word, waggling his fingers mockingly - "ever seen a gun like this. Blasts anything in a 2-bio radius from the impact, even makes a funny little round hole in the floor". He raised his pride-and-joy with a grin. ooc: @BBBBalta @a goose @Ghosthands @NorikSigma @BULiK

[IC: Siika, Ko-Koro] Siika clumsily made her way out of the hideout's secret exit, a small tunnel that opened somewhere outside the city. She rolled her shoulders as she stood up straight for the first time in a few minutes, having had to hunch through the passageway. Despite her intimidating frame, she was holding the skis they'd found at arms length, eyeing them nervously, as though they might come alive and bite her somehow. She regarded the slope towards the Kini-Nui with a grimace. "I've never done these before," she said, waggling the skis, "... promise ya won't leave me behind if I fall off?" Placing the skis on the ground, she stepped onto them. She let out a dry chuckle. "Heh." She pointed at her feet and waited for Mar to notice. The skis, likely built for Matoran, were only about thrice the length of her foot. Thinking for a moment, she reached backward and pulled her brand new tower shield from its place on her back. She admired the pristine finish on the surface, smiling at her reflection in it. It'd probably not look as good after what she had planned. Her moment of quiet stillness ended with an abrupt shrug, followed by the clatter of the shield on the icy ground. "Time to improvise," Siika gruffly remarked, sitting on the shield and scooting towards the edge of the slope. I guess I can steer by tilting it, she thought as she shifted it again, feeling gravity start to pull her forward. Probably. ooc: @Geardirector

IC: Zassani [Burning Steppes, Dig Site] (previous post) Zassani watched the other team members arguing back and forth. He rolled his eyes, a pained look on his face. "Gods am I glad I never had the privilege of working with you sorry lot already." He spat the word 'privilege', blackened spittle appearing on his lip, which he wiped on his arm. "Let's just get in, get out, and get paid." He turned with a grunt, and plodded through the dust to reach the entrance. @a goose @NorikSigma @BULiK @BBBBalta @Ghosthands

[IC: Timak, Po-Koro] Timak had walked alongside the rest of the Matoran quietly, and as he did so, he was lost in thought. Mostly these thoughts were curiosities about the surrounding landscape, or the village they were heading towards, some of which he voiced to the group. He'd just about gained a basic understanding of where they were going when the group started to slow, the others feeling the fatigue of a long day's walk. This led on to the more interesting thoughts rattling around in his head - he wasn't tired. Sure, his feet ached, but other than that, he felt like he could do this for another day or two without going to sleep. Guess I'm still getting used to the difference now that I'm a Toa, he thought. The next morning he rose quietly before the others woke, having spent the night listening to the sounds of the desert. He hadn't slept long, only an hour or two, just enough to top up his batteries (so to speak). As the group neared the city, the ambient noise gradually grew in volume until it was uncomfortable. Timak strode through the crowds with his jaw clenched in an uneasy grimace. He noticed Kanohi's hands were over his ears, and the writing on his tablet confirmed that the poor Matoran needed an escape from the cacophony. "That makes two of us," Timak said in a quiet whisper, which Kanohi was still somehow able to hear. The lean Toa matched pace with the Matoran, and reached his left hand into the space in front of them before giving him a smile. Then he snapped his fingers - but the snap was silent, and suddenly the noise of the crowds and machinery were hushed. One could almost see the edge of the noise-dampening bubble in the shifting sands at their feet. "There. What's the use of having powers if you can't have a few comforts?" Timak said lightly, smiling to himself. ooc: @ARROW404 @Snelly @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel @Harvali

[IC: Timak, Road to Po-Koro] Timak ambled ponderously through the sands. They couldn't help overhearing the conversation up ahead, and caught Aurax's glance while the subject of memories was being discussed, and felt a sting of loss deep in their chest. Once again they were reminded of some part of themself they'd never know about, left behind on that grey shore through the endless fog. Shielding their eyes from the sun with their hand, swapping periodically as each arm got tired, they strode loosely within the group. Unused to matching pace with the shorter-legged members of the group, and distracted by the heat, every so often Timak found themself almost stepping on Aurax's heels and had to slow down again. At the mention of a Suva they perked up. After their long period of silence, their voice came out a lot louder and croakier than they expected. "I've never seen one. A Suva. I heard that Toa use it to store artefacts of power." Under their breath, they mused. "I wonder if they'd mind me borrowing anything?" Timak looked up from the rhythmic plodding of their toes in the dust and interrupted their own thought with another. "How much further?" they asked with an almost imperceptible whining tone to their voice. "My feet ache." OOC: @BBBBalta @BULiK @Snelly@Tarn @Lady Takanuva @ARROW404 @~Xemnas~ @EmperorWhenua @Mel

[IC: Siika, Ko-Koro] The Skakdi woman lowered the squirming miscreant slowly, reluctantly. "What if he runs and tells his friends before we get there?" she growled, as his face came into contact with the icy cold floor. She peered down at him, still gripping his ankles. "I mean, I don't wanna actually hurt the guy, but.. " - her shoulder wound twinged from the extended effort and she suddenly released him as she hissed through her teeth, watching him crumple to the floor - "ah... What do you think? Do we let him go?" Her face showed genuine conflict as she looked at Mar for answers. She'd never thought about what she'd do when she actually caught one of them. @Geardirector

[IC: Siika, Ko-Koro] Siika stifled a noise of genuine excitement as she stepped the other side of the table, not trusting that the culprit wouldn't escape without Mar's blade at his throat until she was ready. She stood directly behind the matoran, looming over him, hands on hips. "Let's try a new angle," she chuckled ominously, lunging downward and grabbing the guy by the ankles, hoisting him up at arms length to dangle between herself and Mar. She shook him vigorously for a few seconds, then waited. "Anything filtering down into that head of yours?" she said, tilting her head comically. Nothing. Karz, well there goes her only good idea. "Alright." She marched him over to Karv, dangling his face right in front of the kavinika's maw. "Wanna get to know our good boy here?" came the rhetorical question, as she transferred one of his ankles to the other hand, now holding him aloft with just one arm, freeing the other to search in her backpack. Finding what she needed, she brought the hand back to reveal the bag of fishing bait she still had. She smushed the whole bag in her hand, mashing the contents (worms, and bits of old meat and bread) into a delectable paté, and then inverted the bag and smeared the contents all over the subject's mask. Karv smelled it straight away, and began licking. The matoran's view was filled with glistening teeth, and his lungs with hot smelly dog-like breath. "Let me know if you taste any little nuggets of truth down there, eh boy?" ooc: @Geardirector

[IC: Siika, Ko-Koro] "I've got him" the voice of Mar said, directly into her ear. "That was quick" she said, turning her head to where she thought the voice was. Oh. Siika groaned and pushed the last very tired matoran off her, this one having been drunkenly persistent in his valiant fight. Some of the others had given up and wandered off, and the rest were out cold, either from the drink, or Siika's "encouragement". She picked herself off the floor to find a distraught bartender peering at the carnage from over the counter, her eyes flicking from smashed cup, to upturned table, to a pair of awkwardly positioned snoozing matoran in the corner. Siika offered a shrug. "Bunch of loonies, all I did was ask for a drink." she murmured, and waited for the shocked bartender to traipse back into the kitchen, mumbling erratically about the damage. Then she sneaked around the corner and found the door Mar had gone through, entering quietly. Standing in the doorway, she could see Mar had had his own struggle in here, from the remnants of Stralix powder on the floor and the discarded diskettes. The figure he was pinning against the table seemed a little familiar - the same black paint, the red creeping at the edge of their eyes - but as she got closer, she let out a sigh. "Not the one I ran into." came the gruff remark, her face reflecting her disappointment. "That means there's more than one of them, as we feared." ooc: @Geardirector

[IC: Siika, Ko-Koro] Siika leaned over to Mar. "Do I feel comfortable? ... You know you're talking to a Skakdi right?" Without further warning, she stood up abruptly, her stool clattering to the floor behind her. "THIS DRINK TASTES LIKE MAHI FLUIDS!" she bellowed, before smashing her ceramic tankard on the floor. Just for good measure, she picked up Mar's and smashed that one too. "Now who's gonna serve me something with a PUNCH?" growled the Skakdi, baring her teeth to the room in a wild grin, using her impact vision to punctuate the final word by flipping the nearest table. For a split second, silence. Then, chaos erupted as half the room's occupants fled for the door, or vaulted out of the windows, and the other half - mostly comprised of drunkards or bashed-up scoundrels who came in here for this exact reason - yelled in reply, beginning an assault of half-full drink cups and food on the roaring Siika. She deliberately left her spear and shield on her back, not wishing to actually injure anyone, as 3 of the 7 remaining patrons ran towards her. She sent a hasty wink in Mar's direction, then turned to face them head on. She grabbed one by the torso with both hands, depositing them firmly onto their back with a thud, winding them. The other two took the opportunity while her hands were occupied to grab her legs, one each. Roaring in mock-anger, she threw herself onto her back, hurling her legs in the air and propelling the two matoran over her head. She continued to make a target of herself, throwing matoran off her whenever they got a little too proud of themselves, almost like a big muaka plays with her cubs. Hopefully this was enough to keep eyes off of Mar while he did whatever he needed to do. ooc: @Geardirector

[IC: Siika, Ko-Koro] Siika followed Mar into the drinking room, hunching herself down on a stool at the end of the bar. She spent another widget on two pints of the cheapest alcoholic beverage they had, handed one to Mar, and settled to observe the occupants. If anyone noticed the big shark-like woman squinting at them from across the room, there would probably be one of three reactions: hiding, picking a fight or running. Siika decided she could deal with the feisty ones. Mar could go after the runners, she thought, with a smirk. ooc: @Geardirector

[IC: Timak - Forsi, from Ga-Koro] Timak followed the group to the ferry, and after a minute to look around for Kimala, boarded the boat and sat down somewhere quiet, leaning their back against the side. They thought back to the conversation from before. The Toa of Crystal seemed to have her head in the right place, and Timak was none to argue with a more experienced Toa, but they were disappointed to see her leave regardless. They had hoped to get a little more wisdom from her before they parted ways. Unable to think of more, they had said a simple goodbye. The ferry trip itself was uneventful, thankfully. The De-Toa used the time to relax and meditate in their element, letting the soothing sounds of the waves rush over them, into their body, and feeling them revitalise him. It was an odd duality, being so sensitive to noise, yet using it to survive. They hummed softly to theirself, rocking with the boat. --- As the boat landed, Timak gazed upon the new scenery in wonderment. Such a short trip across the bay, and yet such a drastic change in environment. Even the sea air here felt warmer, the plants clinging to the coastline more suited to the arid environment. Walking to the Iron Mahi station, the Toa turned to Nara, who happened to be next to them. "This is a strange place. I've never been somewhere so dry, and the sounds are all different... The footsteps are muffled in the sand, yet peoples' voices carry further in the still air." --- At "Papa Podu's" (Timak thought the name sounded strange... what was a "Papa" anyway), they ate slower than everyone else. They chewed each mouthful for too long, mutedly staring down toward the plate, though unfocused on the food. The Toa wasn't particularly happy at having been dragged out to the station only for it to be closed, but they knew it wasn't anyone's fault, so they simply stewed on the disappointment. Eventually they tuned back into the conversation. Timak blinked a couple of times and looked up from their plate. "Didn't Aurax say he used to live here?" -ooc: @~Xemnas~ @Harvali@ARROW404@Mel@Lady Takanuva@Tarn@BBBBalta@EmperorWhenua@Rahisaurus @BULiK

[IC: Siika, Ko-Koro] The Skakdi shrugged her huge shoulders and fell in step behind the Toa, noting his confident stride. "Alright buddy, you look like you know a spot already. Figures." She smirked. "Takes a shady fella to know one, I guess," she teased. "So what do we do once we find somewhere? Just start picking the little guys up and shakin' em till the answers come out?" she said, talking with her hands, eventually using both of them in a rather vigorous shaking motion. ooc: @Geardirector