Kal the Guardian

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann, Apex, Sidra

Viltia pondered Sidra’s words. She didn’t feel like she was getting lost at all. It was just that helping out Nektann was the most important thing she could be doing right now. Why couldn’t Sidra feel that?

But…

Sidra had always been right, well, at least as many times as she could remember right now, which wasn’t much. But she trusted Sidra. So maybe… her friend was right?

It didn’t make sense, but her friend hadn’t steered her wrong yet.

Viltia searched through Boss’ memories of Zakaz. “Well… only if you think so. Hey, could I at least go regrow the foothills of Irnakk’s Tooth? Out of everywhere on the island, that’s the best place to sustain plants if I grow them there. And right now they are pretty bare.”

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Le-Metru Nuva NPCs - Various Species - Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Morangad

Morangad felt two minds just outside the clearing. One was scared and the other strangely at peace. They both were in immense pain.
 

OOC: @Burnmad

IC: Hahvok - Za and Ja Krana of Ice - Independent

Location - Dead Forest

With - Marrow, Providence, Zak-Yak, Takadox

Hahvok really didn’t like the way the tall blue being spoke to him. It was like he was inferior to everyone else. He was fairly sure he wasn’t. Zal scrambled down off of himself, once more hiding behind his main body. The blue one’s thoughts, the ones that he could actually read, were full of disdain for either him or his kind.

Hahvok delicately navigated the social interaction, taking care to mask his true intentions while also including a witty retort that would insure to the others that he had this situation under control, and that his intellect was on par with everyone else’s and far above the blue one’s.

“I don’t like you, Tall Blue.”

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Burnmad @Vezok's Friend

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann, Apex, Sidra

Viltia pondered this. Nektann’s feelings of loss at her leaving would fuel his rage and potentially destroy them all. But… he could potentially forget that, and only remember the good Viltia had done. It was hard to say.

She had already helped out the Skakdi, giving him a reprieve, however short it was. She even helped him regrow vast swaths of land. Maybe she had even been able to allow his mind to work better in the Tahtorak, allowing him to realize his loss, rage, and memory loss and then maybe even work on fighting them. Maybe?

The flaws were heavy upon her, though she knew about them. She couldn’t imagine not knowing about them. She was sure that if she had flaws, they would be unnoticeable and unchangeable to her.

Ultimately, she shrugged, shaking the trees. “Apex might be right. There’s a reason Nektann accepted me in the first place. He couldn’t control himself on his own. He was just so… alone.”

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann, Apex, Sidra

“Huh. So we beat it? That’s great!” Something lifted in Viltia’s mind and she noticed the kio of dead plants around her, seemingly for the first time. The raging storm of elemental energy inside of her was momentarily appeased as she released it to restore life to all the plants, regrowing them where they had wilted, repairing them where they had broken. Even in the dark, things seemed to get more green than they had a moment before. The brown of the bark grew more rich and the giant mushrooms started to glow once more.

Then she put a cap on the elemental energy again. It was outraged at the treatment and stormed all the more inside her. It sure was ornery. It didn’t like being contained at all.

Seeing Apex land reminded her of the rest of Sidra’s question. “Yup, though he can’t do anything right now, he can always choose to unmerge. I could as well, but he’s had such a hard time, and I want to help him out. I can see his memories, feel his emotions. As a Skakdi, he’s done horrible, wretched things, but there was a hope in him. A hope to regrow. I want to help him achieve that, since he can’t when he’s in control of the Tahtorak. When he’s in control, the loss, rage, and memory loss consume him completely, but I can handle them. Mostly.”

Viltia squinted at the village around Sidra. Wait, was this Le-Metru Nuva? It seemed like it was made out of twigs.

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Le-Metru Nuva NPCs - Various Species - Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Uraborask, Morangad, Sidra

Spark shrugged, “Yeah, okay. Follow me.” He sloshed through the water to the elevator that was descending down through rain drenched branches. Torch, Wing, a Matoran, and Beruv were there.

Beruv held up her lightstone, noticing Morangad in the dark of night and the drizzle of rain. She called out to him, “Hey, you want to join us?”

When the elevator reached the water, they all sloshed on, grateful for the immense strength and endurance of the Steltian as he raised them all up once more.

Up in the village with Sidra, the Zyglak remained motionless. A constant string of curses against the Matoran species could barely be heard as he whispered them to himself. There was no way Viltia was a giant monster. No way.

He continued to pretend to be unconscious.
 

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Burnmad @Nato the Traveler Feel free to have Morangad join everyone up in the village.

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann, Apex, Sidra

Viltia nodded, shaking the limbs around her, “Okay, so I was shooting at the glowy thing, and then something happened and I’m pretty sure I went into shock, because the next thing I remember, Wing is on my lap and her mouth is glowing. And, oh! Oh no… Uh, I may have accidentally knocked her over the edge for some reason.”

Viltia’s voice caused the entire village to shake due to its low rumble. “Then Nektann picked me up and ate me. We were in this star field and then I used my tethers to- Ummm, okay, so it just occurred to me that I have tethers like the undead things did. ...That’sssss probably not good. They feel so natural, though…”

Viltia’s mind wandered as she thought about how good she had felt in the star field. “Then I decided to help out Nektann and merged with him. He was piloting/is this Tahtorak. And let me tell you, I understand why he was rampaging. This body comes with baked in loss, rage, and memory loss. The memory loss is the worst to deal with, even though I know about it.”

Viltia blinked, the giant red optic disappearing for longer than a second. “Does.. that… explain…. What did we win?”

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann, Apex, Sidra

"I...Do not know. Never have I ever used the Rite of the Tahtorak, nor have I ever felt the need to create a beast of raw destruction. In ages past, in my time, I had spent my years overseeing my charges, that being this island and the life that inhabited it. And never had I lived to see the destruction one can inflict till today..."

Viltia was disappointed at this, but she guessed it made sense. There was a super slim chance of some random Aspect also knowing and being able to change a Taboo. A Taboo? Viltia searched Boss’ memories. Oh, Taboos were things Aspects could learn! She wondered if Sorilax knew any. She also wondered who Sorilax was and why she kept thinking about him.

Apex continued. Viltia was getting very good at hearing the little Rahi Aspect. "...And if you were to...F R E E   N E K T A N N," Apex said, voice strained for a moment. Maybe she needed to clear her throat. If Aspects even had throats? Probably not. "Then Miserix, the Aspect who sired him, would be the source of the knowledge you seek. I believe they dwell to the northern tip of the island, within a fortress filled with the other members of the misbegotten race that is the Skakdi."

Viltia nodded, massive head displacing massive amounts of air, “Yeah, I know the place. Or, well Nektann does. He-”

She stopped, a beam of light distracting her as she forgot about Miserix for a moment. It had appeared right next to her. And from a massive hole in the canopy. OH! Right, she had grabbed a Toa from there and eaten her. And then that Toa had shown up... 

…

Okay, she was that Toa. That was a pretty silly thing to forget.

Viltia leaned down, shoving her head in the hole. It was dark down here. She shifted a bit. There we go! A lightstone lit up a cute, miniature village in the vision of her left optic. It reminded her a little bit of Le-Metru Nuva. There were three beings standing befor- Strike that, two beings standing before her. The Zyglak had fainted.

There was one Viltia couldn’t remember, and then the other seemed very, very familiar. Her mask made Vilita think of heat, joy, learning, and changed destinies. There was something about that mask. Or masks in general?

It was Sidra! How had she forgotten?! She could never forget Sidra. Ever.

Her voice bellowed with the force of a thousand waves on a stormy sea, “Sidra! It’s me, Viltia. How did you get so small?”

Memory loss was a fickle thing.

Apex found that out when Viltia stuck her whole head in the canopy, palm still raised to hold the Aspect, but with Vitlia completely out of audio sensor range. She couldn’t hear Apex no matter how loud the Aspect roared.
 

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Le-Metru Nuva NPCs - Various Species - Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Sidra

The Zyglak looked like he was going to be sick, grabbing a railing that dangerously shifted under his weight.

The female Vortixx answered Sidra, “It grabbed the whole platform, with the downpour sifting all the wood off its palm. Then it swallowed Viltia whole. It swung at something in the sky, then suddenly went still. Shortly after that the downpour stopped and this light rain began. Then the beast held up its hand and started, well, I believe it’s talking. It sounds like the deepest subwoofer I’ve ever heard from here, but I think I can make out individual words.”

The Vortixx squinted her optics, wishing she had a telescopic lens, “I have no idea what’s going on.”

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

IC: Le-Metru Nuva NPCs - Various Species - Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Sidra

The Zyglak momentarily looked at Torch before trying to catch up with Sidra, water splashing, noise not a concern that he thought about. The Rahi of the Fau Swamp were low on the priority list tonight. Torch started to move, but stumbled, unused to his new form. Wing moved to catch him, but she wasn’t used to her new form either and they both fell over into water.

Beruv yelled to Sidra and the Zyglak as she went to help the new Turaga and Toa rise from the water, “Just go! We’ll be up after you!”

The Zyglak got to the elevator just after Sidra. He pulled a rope next to one of the four corner posts. Up above, a wooden contraption with a spring was depressed, indicating to the Steltian that it was time to raise the elevator once more. He flexed his hands before starting to crank again. His work was essential, but it sure was annoying sometimes. Either you wanted to be up in the village or you wanted to be down below. Why was tonight full of so many beings wanting to be both places at once?

Once the elevator reached its peak, the Zyglak took off after thanking the Steltian, leading Sidra to the broken off bridge that once led to the platform Viltia had been on. There was a gaping hole in the canopy, revealing the Tahtorak as it stood basically right next to the village, only unnoticed by most because of the dark.

The member of Mimic’s species was gone, but the female Vortixx with the Ruru remained. As Sidra and the Zyglak arrived, she spoke, “I think it’s talking with something in its hand. It hasn’t done anything else.”

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

IC: Le-Metru Nuva NPCs - Various Species - Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Sidra, Uraborask, Morangad

"Thanks," Sidra nodded to Spark, slinging her new lightstone rifle across her back. "And I'm sorry for doubting you," she replied to Torch, bumping his outstretched fist with her own. "In all of the chaos... did we manage to identify whoever it was that infiltrated the village?"

Torch shook his head. It was weird to have holes for his optics in his mask. “No we did not. And that does concern me. Your doubts were well placed, I’m sure, but nothing odd happened that I know of, though my attention was on resupplying Kanoka and then the fireball.”

The Zyglak jumped the last ten feet to the ground, stumbling in the two feet of water and muck beneath. He walked towards the lightstone in Beruv’s hand. “Tooooorch?” He called out, halting as he saw Torch and Wing’s new forms. He shook his head to clear it. Torch was still a Turaga. He decided to deal with it later. He turned to Sidra, “I heard the Viltia scream (cursed be her Toa form) and went to investigate. The Viltia had that wavey silver stuff on her.” He motioned oddly with his arms, trying to wave them fluidly and failing, “Then a giant hand picked up her and the platform she was on.” He pantomimed a giant hand grabbing something, “When I looked up I saw a giant beast, twice as tall as our trees. It, uh…” His voice got emotional, “It ate the Viltia whole.”

His optics unfocused and then refocused before he shook his head to clear it once more, “But now the beast no longer attacks. It just sits there. What should we do?”

A Matoran finished climbing down from a nearby tree; they made their way over to the group right as the Zyglak finished. They offered their input, “From my guard post lower in the trees, I saw something fall from the platform after Viltia screamed. Its mouth was glowing just like the undead, but it had no tethers on it.” The Matoran pointed, “It fell over there.”

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Burnmad

IC: Le-Metru Nuva NPCs - Various Species - Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Sidra, Uraborask, Morangad

The LeviCart ran out of power again and this time Beruv let it settle into the water. With its weight, it wouldn’t be going anywhere. She climbed out, lightstone in her hand. She couldn’t believe her optics. Had Torch really just done that?

“Torch? Wing?” Sidra asked the newly transformed pair as she walked closer, “I… I think it’s over. Thank you... all of you.”

Sidra glanced back towards the crater, “I couldn’t have done that alone. None of us could have.”

Torch momentarily looked at his shorter body. In his hand, his sword had transformed into a simple silver staff with a flame at the top. Not exactly the best weapon in the Fau Swamp, but the outer edges of the protosteel flame looked sharp enough. He responded to Sidra, voice unmistakably his, but it had grown a little deeper, “You are wise, Sidra. I see that now. You are undoubtedly the one that our success rode upon.” He looked at the water that had settled over the pit. A flash of lighting lit the sky, but it already seemed like the storm was weaker and moving on its way. “Viltia and I only helped you defend your home. You cut their cords, drove them back, then paved the way for us to land a final blow. Without you, our efforts would have been fruitless.”

He held out his hand in the traditional Toa greeting, “Thank you, Sidra. You truly are one of us. And I’m sorry for doubting your intentions earlier.”

Wing, meanwhile, was standing stock still, just trying to take in all the new feelings she had. Apparently mutating wasn’t enough, and now Mata-Nui had thrown even more on her plate. Her body absolutely bursted with what she guessed was elemental energy, and her new limbs were even longer now. Bits of the foul smelling slime dripped off of her in the rain. Her tongue had come loose and she had to wrap it around her head again. Viltia needed to create a mask of mutation and undo this as fast as possible.
 

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Burnmad

Maybe, like, one or two...

IC: Le-Metru Nuva NPCs - Various Species - Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Sidra, Uraborask, Morangad

Torch was on his hands and knees, shaking slightly. That, THING, had touched his mind and drained him completely. It seemed as if it had looked at his very soul, laying everything bare. It was a harrowing experience.

The flood waters, about two feet deep, had been evaporated by his attack, but now they surged back in full, filling the pit and making it seem as if the ground were even and level. They swirled around his limbs, clearing away his vomit.

But the village’s combined attack had won them the day. They had destroyed the creature that had threatened all of their lives. And it had been Sidra who had led the charge, who had stopped the creature from escaping and setting up events that ultimately led to its death. She could have run at any time, he knew her mask allowed her that.

He let his suspicions fade away, for once letting his anger go. In that moment he felt at peace. The village was safe, and it had learned how to cope with the Fau Swamp and its dangers. After this fight, they would only be stronger. He had done his Duty. He had kept them safe.

Beruv pulled up in the LeviCart next to him, she had pulled a lightstone from her pack and was illuminating where she was going. Wing threw herself from the cart, floundering through the standing water to Torch. She embraced him and he returned the hug. She shook her head, “I’m so glad you’re safe, and that we’ve won!”

She immediately pulled back, concerned with how emotional she got just there.

Torch just smiled, pulling himself to his feet. He looked at Wing, slightly concerned by her mutations and the slime now on his body, but something else filled his Heartlight. His Destiny. It had been achieved. He had done what he had been created for. And it was time to pass it along.

He pulled out his silver sword, gleaming in the light of the lightstone. Then it began to glow with its own light. “Wing,” he said, voice calm and warm, “I have accomplished my Destiny. Now it’s time for you to begin trying to fulfill yours.”

Wing looked shocked, face incredulous at the claim.

Torch touched the tip of the glowing sword to one of her shoulders, “Wing, you have proved yourself time and again that you will keep us safe in this swamp. Through Unity we prosper.” He pulled up the sword and touched it to her other shoulder as now his own body began to glow, “And I pass my torch of Duty to you.”

Wing’s body began to glow as well. Then it started to expand as she grew taller, even as Torch’s body shrunk. When it was over, a new Toa of Air stood beneath the village, her mutated body, elongated limbs, and light green coloring making her look a lot like Sidra. Next to her stood a Turaga of Fire, his body still more fit than any Matoran, but far weaker than the Toa he once had been. He truly stood for the term “Champion” Turaga, instead of the old, dottering ones you often saw in Metru Nui, their limbs all weak from disuse and their heads filled with incomprehensible visions.

Yes, Torch was more at peace now than he had ever been.

Far up above in the massive banyan trees, their limbs unnaturally gigantic and strong, Le-Metru Nuva sat, partially devastated by the former pounding rain. Broken branches, leaves, bark grown shingles, and broken railings were everywhere, strewn about haphazardly. But for the most part, the buildings were intact, the bridges still safe.

A cheer rose up from the trees, specifically from the guard posts, at the defeat of the Grand Untethered. This cheer let those higher up in Le-Metru Nuva know that the battle had been won, filling their hearts with a hope of survival that had almost been stolen away from them that night.

The Zyglak blinked awake, pushing himself up. The female Vortixx stood at the beginning of where the bridge had broken away, not caring about the light rain that still fell upon her. Using her Ruru, she continued to study the giant beast. Its behavior had changed drastically after it had eaten Viltia. She hoped against hope that they might still make it through this, that the beast might not notice them and simply leave.

She spoke to the Zyglak without turning her head, “I heard a cheer, so those undead things must be defeated. Go tell Torch about the monster. It stopped attacking after it ate Viltia. Maybe she’s still alive?”

The Zyglak felt sick to his stomach at that statement, but nodded. He scrambled to his feet and ran for the elevator, which the Steltian had just finished cranking back up. He started to ride it down, cursing Matoran, Toa, and Turaga under his breath in an effort to console himself.

Spark sloshed over to Uraborask in the knee deep water of the clearing. He holstered his pistol in a belt that most certainly wasn’t originally designed to do so. The weapon threatened to fall out with each step. “Well look at that. We won!” Spark tried to see the Skakdi’s jeep in the glow of Beruv’s lightstone. It was completely submerged under water in the large pit. “Hope your rig there is waterproof. This flash flood water ain’t draining in just one day.”

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Burnmad Permission to transfer NPC Torch's Toa Power to NPC Wing given by Vezok's Friend.

IC: Cravious - Skakdi of Lightning - Zakazian

Location - Cravious’ Protodermis Mine, North northeast Mountains (7, 7)

With - Whira

"I do have one question: are you sure they will be able to help us forge a Mask of Shadows? They seem hard workers, yes, but will they be useful to us?"

Cravious’ smile dropped, “Well, they refuse to tell me about mask making, which means they know something. But none of them have displayed that level of technical skill or knowledge, so we’d still have to figure out the ingredients and methods ourselves.”

He shrugged. His face read as ‘what ya gonna do?’.

Out of the corner of his optic, he noticed an orange and white Matoran very obviously trying to sneak out of the common room. Something in Cravious’ mind rearranged and suddenly he realized that that Matoran had always managed to be absent when he was asking about how to make Kanohi. He sneered, finger pointing at the Matoran. His voice sounded kind of creepy, “I see you this time, Melt.”

Melt froze, looking at Cravious, then bolted for his room. Cravious swiftly took off all his gear and weapons and sprung after him, his harsh laughing filling the enclosed space, “I’ll get the information this time, you little sneak!”

The Onu-Toa looked up from the broken minecart. He saw Cravious, realized what was happening, then rolled his optics and shook his head at the ridiculous nature of Skakdi’s actions. He took note of Whira, realized it wasn’t Sagacious, but remained where he was and went back to work.

The Tiokaha in the room looked disgusted by the actions, but also didn’t move in to intervene. Perhaps this was more common than one might first think.

Cravious caught up with Melt in Melt’s room, tackling the Matoran to the ground. Melt yelled out in surprise, not fear or hurt, and twisted in Cravious’ grip, getting a leg free and kicking him in the face.

Cravious only grinned harder as his head was impacted. He was clearly enjoying this little “fight” too much. Melt got his other leg free and tried to scramble away. Cravious was ready for this and grabbed Melt’s feet, stopping the movement. The Matoran flipped onto his back, freeing both his feet once more. He bunched up his legs and kicked as hard as he could.

The kick threw Cravious’ head to the side, forcing him to readjust and allowing for Melt to rise. Melt started pounding and punching with his fists. Cravious resisted the blows with a raised arm and got to his knees, where he proceeded to block or deflect all of Melt’s attacks. The movement was well practiced and fluid, like he had trained well for this type of thing.

After several of these deflections, Cravious just grabbed one of Melt’s fists mid-punch, slowly rising fully to his feet. He lifted up the Matoran by Melt’s hand. Melt tried to kick and punch Cravious, but to no avail.

Finally the Matoran settled, a look of defiance on his face.

Cravious studied the little mongrel, weighing the situation. If his hirelings had avoided telling him about Kanohi crafting for this long, then this information was very important to them and he was going to have to pay dearly. But Whira was a force of change in this world, and this would be an investment into her. And once she was more powerful, so too would he be as well. And when he had more power, money tended to flow in easier.

He made his decision, “What’ll it take?”

A range of emotions crossed Melt’s face. Surprise. Suspicion. Confusion. Thoughtfulness. It finally settled on smug. “You know there’s a reason why I’ve never told you.”

Cravious stared at him.

“It’s very precious knowledge to those that are left.”

Cravious continued to stare with a slight frown.

“But I think we could reach an agreement.”

Cravious frowned in full. He wasn’t going to like this, was he? “Good.” He chucked Melt onto the Matoran’s bed.

Half an hour later Cravious emerged from the room, holding several sheets of paper. He looked down at the papers and then at the common room, “A pool table won’t even fit in here!” He turned to face back into Melt’s room and was greeted with silence. Cravious grumbled to himself before continuing, “Fine, I’ll make it work.” He walked back over to Whira, annoyance clear on his face as he grumbled under his breath about this costing him a small fortune. A Matoran in the corner looked very excited to hear about a pool table.

“Well, I have some answers.” He held up the papers. One of them had a long list of demands on them, but a couple of the others were rough sketches of some kind of casting mold. “Apparently there’s these things called Kanoka, which I’m now legally bound not to sell to Skakdi or Aspects.” He held up one of the sheets, which bore his signature as well as Melt’s. “These Kanoka are made by protodermis ore and apparently have powers. There’s some vague merging process I’ll need to figure out, as merging them apparently gives you new powers. If the Kanoka is high enough in power, you can make a mask out of it. Any shape will do.”

Cravious shook his head, “That’s all he knew, or any of them know. There’s a lot to figure out. How do you make different Kanoka? How do you make them more powerful? How would you merge them? How do you know what power each one has? This is going to be a giant headache. A nightmare.”

Cravious smiled, “This’ll be so much fun.” He grabbed his stuff and hit the light to the tunnel that led outside. “Need anything before we go?”

OOC: @~Xemnas~

Well, based on a YouTube video I saw of the game, and assuming the sizes of the overworld are canon, normal mobile Nektann Drones are about knee height for a Toa.

IC: Sorilax - Aspect of Light and Silence - Aspects of Makuta

Location - Kini-Nui (7, 10)

With - Sala, Nuju

Sorilax watched the proceedings with caution and then an increasing amount of awe and intrigue. The portal was a thing of beauty, as unknowable and potentially dangerous as Taboos had been to him just a few short days before. It crackled before him with obviously damaged parts surrounding it.

The portal couldn’t seem to decide where it led, and the way it flickered filled Sorilax once more with caution. He didn’t want Sala to get hurt. Even though he was still in Avagah, a portal could unleash anything.

Sorilax took a small moment to appreciate that he wanted Sala to remain safe wholeheartedly. It felt good not to be inherently selfish.

The portal solidified into a shimmering rainbow. Sorilax could feel the whole spectrum of Light, and it encouraged him as it reminded him of his new Element. But then new sounds could be heard. Footsteps.

“I’m not sure if I should be disappointed or impressed,” came a voice from beyond.

Sorilax looked at Sala, surprise on his face. He turned back to the portal.

A Ko-Matoran stepped through the tear in space, a heavy burden of treasures covering him. His cold blue eyes carried with them a deep and piercing nature. For some reason he flickered, like he wasn’t actually there, or maybe he was only partially in this reality. The Matoran dumped his treasures down the steps of the portal, not caring for their integrity. Those seemed real enough.

Sorilax relaxed. Unless this was an Aspect in a Matoran, Matoran were friendly and sought Moral Light. Most likely there was nothing to fear. Perhaps they might even make a new friend, just like the Air Suva and Vhisola.

The Matoran seemed to ponder something as he looked past them. “A Makoki stone. That explains it, I see now.” He paused and then addressed Sorilax and Sala. “I’m Nuju, researcher and philosopher. Who are you?”

Sorilax held up his left hand in greeting, the one without his Taboos, “I am Sorilax, an Aspect of Makuta, but follower of Light. I study all things living, ancient structures such as this, Aspects themselves, Taboos, and I too ponder the meaning of all things on occasion.”

He motioned to Sala, “My friend in the ACR here is Sala, a Matoran, my fellow researcher and a chronicler of his old world and now this one as well.”

Sorilax studied Nuju. The way Nuju shimmered was very concerning. “Are you quite alright, old chap? You seem…. Hummm… a bit rough around the edges. I am quite willing to help you if I can.”

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann, Apex

"Tell me, oh Viltia. If you're goal is to help in this island's restoration, do you believe yourself strong enough to hold command over the creature?”

Apex’s voice just barely carried to her ear after a bolt of lightning struck her, neutralized by her Tahtorak body. The implication of “holding command” was a funny one. Nektann was graciously sharing with her. He could end things whenever he wanted. She realized that for some reason, the knowledge of her new ability wasn’t affected by Nektann’s forgetfulness.

Although, maybe Apex meant defeating the mental weaknesses of the form. That was certainly possible.

“Nektann can part with me whenever he wishes, taking control again. But if you mean fighting the rage, loss, and memory loss, then yes. I can. I will.

“The hardest part to deal with is the memory loss. The other two flaws are easier to notice and then not act on.”

Viltia pondered some of Nektann’s memories within her, “Hey, you’re an Aspect, do you know if we can remove the downsides to this Tahtorak body?”

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

3 hours ago, Unreliable Narrator said:

 

• a rahkshi staff of hunger
•  
• a poorly designed nektann drone that refuses to do any task but sweep floors.

I'm assuming only stage 4 powers for the Rahkshi staff?

To everyone, does anyone know how big mobile Nektann drones are? I know Sidra has small ones, but what's the normal size.

Back to the GMs, what is the original designation for the mobile Nektann drone?

There are:

Scout Nektann
Black Nektann
Debuff Nektann
Combat Nektann
Repair Nektann
Master Nektann
Guardian Nektann
Key Master Nektann
Defense Nektann

And I have absolutely no idea what makes them different other than their names and colors. The images for them on BS01 makes it seem like they were part of some video game maybe.

41 minutes ago, Unreliable Narrator said:

3 sealed canisters of defiled Energetic Protodermis, collected the sink hole where the Grand Untethered was defeated. Each canister contains enough purified EP to be used for one taboo.

Are the canisters defiled or purified? Or are there 3 of each type?

Also, is this an official ruling that EP gets used up when you do a Taboo that requires it?

Actually, I did think we wouldn't get loot. I thought that the Taboo, puzzle sphere, and time skip were loot enough. Man, now I'm getting hyped up. I already was super happy we were able to complete the challenge and now we're getting even more!

IC: Cravious - Skakdi of Lightning - Zakazian

Location - Cravious’ Protodermis Mine, North northeast Mountains (7, 7)

With - Whira

Cravious led Whira as they wound their way down three flights of stairs and many steep steps. The room they ended up in was a square that could house a three by three of Cubes two Cubes high. In short, it was massive. All of it hewed from the rock.

Near the stairway was an elevator with no apparent power source. There was an odd handle that stuck out of what would have been a motor. Cravious went over to it and grabbed the handle, his Lightning element visibly flowed from him and into the machine. It was obvious the handle had the same technology that other tools had that allowed Skakdi to channel their elements without another. The elevator, batteries now charged, rose up.

Cravious turned away, leading Whira across the space, past minecarts, pickaxes, shovels, and a couple piles of scrap parts. They stopped before the rock wall on the far side of the massive room. Cravious felt the wall as a distraction, his foot finding a small rock in the wall near the floor and pushing it in. No need to give Whira all his secrets.

Once again a hidden door slid forward from the wall and moved to the side. A long and dark tunnel greeted them. Cravious pounded a button just inside the passage and a row of lights slowly lit the interior. He motioned Whira to follow him and started talking as the door closed behind them.

“Only Sagacious, and now you, know that I have non-Skakdi workers. Long story short, I saw Matoran slaves worked far better than Skakdi, but nobody would sell any to me. So I took matters into my own hands and went looking for some yet to be discovered camp. You see,” Cravious held up nine fingers, “By my estimations in addition to talking with the beings here, only nine tenths of the population of this island is Skakdi. There are far more other species than you would think upon a quick glance.”

Cravious held up a single finger, “Ah, but here’s the catch, they can hide really really well. They can hide from vision powers and Mesi alike. But I’m not like other Skakdi. No way. I found this group struggling to survive up here in these mountains. They didn’t want to become my employees at first. We had some great fights about it.”

He grinned widely while he remembered the battles, “The things a Toa can do with his element, it’s crazy. It’s their honor that did them in though, as soon as I offered a 1v1 combat tournament and they accepted, I knew I had them.”

Cravious waved his hand in the air, “Anyway, one thing led to another and eventually they caved in. Now they mine ore for me and in exchange I keep them hidden and well supplied.” He nodded to himself, “They are way better workers than Skakdi. You wouldn’t believe it. They can produce double or sometimes triple of what a Skakdi might. Might be the best investment I ever made.”

They reached the end of the tunnel to find another large room, though this one was much smaller than the first. It looked to be some type of common area. There were chairs and a few tables off to the side by what looked to a cooking area. There were many shade dwelling plants and a few small cactus set around the room. The ceiling was painted blue, with a yellow sun around one of the main lights. The walls were painted green and brown, depicting a Zakaz that hadn’t been around for some time.

There were many doors that led to other rooms. One was open and Whira could see a surprisingly spacious living quarter with doors inside to even further places. The air also felt clean, which was unexpected this far underground. A vent could be seen in one corner, which meant there were probably more around. Cravious had gone all out, it seemed.

And indeed he had. With as brutal as he was in some regards, his greed led him to be gentler in others. He had found through experimentation and observation that happy, free workers worked far faster and more efficiently than angry slaves. And more speed and efficiency meant more ore, which meant more vehicles and weapons, which meant more money. And that’s what life was all about, after all.

Near massive double doors that looked like they could be locked or barred five different ways sat a black Toa working on a minecart. It seemed one of the axels had broken and he was attempting to repair it. He had one wheel removed and was working on the next.

A couple Matoran and a Tiokaha were either eating or lounging around the common room. One Matoran looked up and saw Cravious. His face carried no surprise at the sight and he just looked back down at what he was doing.

Cravious hit a button at the end of the hall, turning off the lights behind them in the passage. He turned to Whira, “Any questions?”

OOC: @~Xemnas~

IC: Saybo - Toa of Water - Aurax

Location - The Coliseum (4, 9)

With - (Great Being) Aurax

Saybo pondered his options in concern to sleeping arrangements. On the one hand, he needed to keep Aurax safe at all costs and should watch over him all night. On the other hand, Aurax was a Great Being and didn’t need his help to remain safe. Only his physical vessel could be harmed anyway, not the real Aurax. But that didn’t stop Saybo from weighing his options.

He needed sleep, yes. But he had also been trained to be able to stay still and awake for days at a time if need be. Ultimately, he figured Aurax’s new terrifying-

No wait, that was just the fear talking, those weren’t actually his emotions.

Aurax’s new, not terrifying, power of fear would be enough of a deterrent to keep the Great Being safe for tonight. It would be better for Saybo to be at top power and well rested in order to better serve the new king.

But better safe than sorry. After the receptionist took Aurax to his sleeping quarters, he would find the closest available room to sleep in just in case.
 

OOC: @~Xemnas~

IC: Cravious - Skakdi of Lightning - Zakazian

Location - Cravious’ Protodermis Mine, North northeast Mountains (7, 7)

With - Whira

Cravious nodded, leading Whira up into the Cube. For a moment he wondered if she knew about his secondary mining operation to the west that he hadn’t mentioned, but then he dismissed it as being a term referencing the one mine he had mentioned, just in a different way.

As he ended the conversation, his mind shifted to other things. It was odd to feel all five of his hirelings’ minds and know their locations at all times. It gave him a sense of power, a sense of security, and a sense of control. He told Sagacious where to take them and then they were moving again.

He focused on his power, trying to turn it off like turning off his vision or unique power. All minds around him disappeared and a slow grin spread over his face. This was very good. This meant he would be able to turn it off should anyone try to force feed him mental data.

Two days passed as they made their way around or over large sand dunes. A couple times they had to change direction to avoid sand worms, but with Cravious’ X-Ray and Telescopic Vision, safety was easily obtained.

Several stops were made for the Nui-Jaga, as it had to go out and feed. But those stops never took long, the thing was a really good hunter. It was kind of scary, actually. Not scary to Cravious, of course. But… to his hirelings, he was sure.

Cravious would need to grab food for it next time he was in the Rig. If the Rig was even still there. He had doubted the Gadunka initially, but when the Skakdi over the radio wouldn’t shut up about the destruction, it made it very likely that all his investments there had been destroyed. And hopefully that good for nothing detective, too.

The dunes eventually turned to earth, which quickly turned to rock. Now they wound through mountain passes and traveled plateaus. It took a lot longer to go shorter distances. At this point Cravious made sure they weren’t followed, and they spent a day sitting and waiting in a dead end valley to see if someone had indeed been following their tracks. Luckily, it appeared they were in the clear. A couple hours later, they were parked at the base of a tall spire. There were several spires all around them, smoothly carved from solid rock and seemingly washed out by some gigantic force of water far in the distant past. Probably a Tahtorak if Cravious had to guess.

Mountains were around them, though they were nowhere near the height that Irnakk’s Tooth mountain range was. No snow capped anything here. The rocks were full of reds and yellows and browns and the air was still and seemed to suck their moisture out of everything it could find.

Cravious stepped down the garage ramp, breathing in the dry air. This dusty smell was so much better than the Rig. Even though it tried to clog his lungs, this was far more pure than the air you breathed there.

He went over to a small rock and reached down to it. Instead of picking it up, he twisted it. It turned with a metallic grinding noise. Two giant doors lifted from the ground, loud metal groaning noises filling the air. They opened to reveal that a large portion of the rock before them was actually a disguise. The doors lifted and then settled out to the sides.

Cravious savagely grinned, squinting in the bright light of the sun. He lifted a hand to shield his eyes and peered down. Several pallets of raw protodermis ore were prepared for them. Very good.

His employees waited like they knew they were supposed to. Cravious motioned for Whira to come join him as he descended several flights of metal stairs down into the hollowed out rock and the large room below.
 

OOC: @~Xemnas~

Wait... did we... actually win? No way!

I know it's not over over yet, but wow. That was some powerful writing in Le-Metru Nuva. Good job, everyone!

Now we just need to figure what that orb is. Potentially the Krom Sphere from SKE, whatever that was.

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann, Apex

The Rahi Apex finished it’s cute little growl and spoke once more, "You are Nektann? The warlord who once imprisoned me, now turned monster? Tell me Nektann, who has wrought such retribution upon you and put you beyond my grasp?"

How was Viltia supposed to answer that? In a way she was Nektann right now, but it was still her mind in control, she was pretty sure. What could she say? Well, the truth always worked for Viltia before, no need to stop now.

“I’m kind of Nektann, I guess? Well it’s more like he’s a part of me. The poor Skakdi was in such pain, full of loss and not able to remember much. So I merged with him to help ease his suffering and help him regrow the island. Let me check his memories real quick.”

Viltia didn’t have time to check distant memories and so couldn’t verify the imprisoning of Apex part, but knowing Nektann as intimately as she did, she wouldn’t put it past him. He certainly wasn’t the most morally upright being in existence, despite her pity for him.

His most recent memories were full of loss and regret, with little other emotions. Rage filled them too, but mostly Nektann’s mind had been too muddled to accomplish what he truly wished. Then she saw a volcano. Irnakk’s Tooth. Two Skakdi struggled on the ground, watched by Irnakk himself. It was an eerie scene. Boss’ vision sure was weird, not at all like her’s.

He fought with the one called Barius, one of the objects of Nektann’s rage and regret. BARIUS. She didn’t even need to connect to Nektann’s emotions to hate the Skakdi. He embodied everything that disgusted her about his race. If she saw him again, he wouldn’t be seeing her anymore.

Because she would kill him.

He would be dead.

But all for Nektann, of course, not just for herself. It was all for Nektann. Nektann needed the island to be green, to somehow clear his mind fog, to reunite with Miserix, and to be free from Barius once and for all. And she was going to help him do it, since he couldn’t do it on his own. Her own hatred had nothing to do with it.

Maybe.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been searching memories, but not too long she thought. “A Skakdi named Barius did this to him. Miserix performed the rite through Nektann and Irnakk watched from above as Boss and Barius fought, before Barius ultimately won.

“Now, as a Tahtorak, Nektann has a hard time remembering even small things and he is consumed with loss and rage. That’s why he’s so destructive. It’s affecting me as well, but I’m one step removed, so I can actually fight the feelings.”

The storm inside her angrily wished for release, trying to fill her mind with tsunamis and hurricanes. Who knew raw elemental energy could be so temperamental?
 

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann, Apex

The little bug hovered for a few minutes and Viltia’s mind wandered. She had restored the path of destruction Nektann had inadvertently caused in his search for a better island within half a day’s journey, but there was a long stretch of devastated island beyond her current reach. His footsteps could be seen out in the marshes as far as the optics could see.

And this Kio wide circle of dead plants that she was standing in, why were they all dead? Them remaining dead seemed important to her, but she couldn’t recall why. Then she noticed a singular spike of life. She couldn’t see it under the canopy, nor in the light rain at the start of the night, but she could feel it. It was a tree, and yet more. She couldn’t quite fully sense it, and it crackled with a broken energy. It… seemed sad and defeated, hoping to be restored to full life.

Viltia tried to use her power to fix it, but somehow it refused her, even though she used the raw storm of elemental power provided by her Tahtorak body. It stuck out in her mind, even with Nektann’s forgetfulness. She needed to help that tree later, restore it to full life and embrace its experiences. She couldn’t let herself forget it. She tried her best to focus on it so she would remember it later.

The small insect finally decided to land on her. She was so excited that the half alive tree was instantly forgotten. She pulled it close to her eye. It wasn’t a bug at all. It was some Rahi she had never seen before. It, well it looked like a ton of Rahi haphazardly mushed together. This swamp produced some really insane creatures. It didn’t matter, though, it was absolutely adorable.

Then it started to talk! That was so cool! She listened intently, barely hearing the cute little Rahi in the thunderstorm and due to the vast distance it was from her audio receptor as a Tahtorak.

"I am Apex, Aspect of Nature, that be true and absolute. And, I now demand of you, what is it that brings you to my domain, and why is it you have brought destruction yet now bring regrowth to it and equal, if not greater measure towards one or the other?"

An Aspect? Sorilax had warned of their corrupt and conniving nature, how he himself wasn’t to be trusted. Boss’ memories had taught her another view of Aspects]. Emotionally, they were very important to Skakdi, but sifting through Nektann’s memories devoid of emotional connections, they really were selfish and power hungry. She- wait, who was Sorilax? She tried to remember, but Nektann’s memory flaw kept the information from her.

Well, she would be careful. Maybe this Aspect could lead her to Miserix. Nektann wished to be reunited with her, and Viltia hoped to do so after helping Boss turn the island green again.

Her voice came out like the crash of a thirty foot swell in the deep ocean, “I’m Viltia, I’m borrowing this body to help out my new and dear friend Nektann, he’s…”

The little Rahi seemed agitated and let out a bellow that sounded like an adorable little growl to her. Did she say something wrong?
 

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator Finally get to notice the Vuata Maca tree as Viltia. Man, that took forever to fit in naturally. It's been months.

IC: Saybo - Toa of Water - Aurax

Location - Vahki Hive below Coliseum (4, 9)

With - (Great Being) Aurax

Saybo nodded in compliance, dutifully following along behind his Great Being. The Toa of Water continued to keep the fear radiating off of Aurax in the corner of his mind. No feeling was going to best him, no way.

With the way Aurax moved as they walked to the elevator, Saybo could tell that his Great Being’s injuries should be healed completely by morning. That was very good. No doubt tomorrow would prove to be quite the trying day, and Aurax needed to be at his best to be able to rule his new kingdom.
 

OOC: @~Xemnas~

IC: Cravious - Skakdi of Lightning - Zakazian

Location - Northern Desert

With - Whira

Whira snorted. "Of course we're taking the Rahi with us, Cravious," she said, "I wouldn't leave any of my followers behind."

Cravious blinked in surprise. Oh. That made sense. He had just assumed she would throw away the Rahi. Interesting.

However he didn’t believe the part about not leaving followers behind. Even he knew you had to fire Skakdi from time to time. Okay almost all the time. Skakdi were horrible employees. Point being she had admitted to wanting power above all else, you didn’t get there without sacrificing a few pawns along the way.

On their walk back to the Cube, Cravious couldn’t stop marveling at seeing a Nui-Jaga up close. He watched how it walked, how its servos and connectors all worked seamlessly with each other. Things were much easier to study when alive. They somehow worked differently. Smoother, almost. It had to be the “organic” protodermis muscles. He would crack that some day.

The Nui-Jaga scuttled up the open garage ramp and Whira’s captivating purple optics glowed in the midst of her jet black face as she turned to face him. "Now that this task has been completed, where do you believe we could learn about the process of mask-making?" the Aspect asked.

Cravious’ mind immediately went north, “I have some hirelings up north working a mine for me. All Toa, Matoran, and a few Tiokaha that have remained hidden from the warbands all this time. Let me tell you, they are much better workers than any Skakdi ever will be.”

Cravious waved his hand in a dismissing motion at the short tangent, “I haven’t been able to get them to tell me how to make Kanohi yet, but perhaps there still might be something to glean there, especially with you along. At the very least we can pick up a ton more protodermis ore that they’ve been mining out for me.”

OOC: @~Xemnas~

IC: Saybo - Toa of Water - Aurax

Location - Vahki Hive below Coliseum (4, 9)

With - (Great Being) Aurax

"The signal originated from this point." Nuparu raised a holographic hand, index finger extended to point out the green dot. "Approximately 6 kio above sea level."

The Matoran paused.

"Well within airship range."

Saybo paid attention to this, focusing on what might come next. He wondered if his Great Being and he were about to embark on another journey of adventure. The Eclipse was still outside the Coliseum, waiting for Saybo to return.

At the moment, he paused in his relaying of the liquid protodermis, as it seemed OTIS had ceased running for a bit.

The droplets always on the lowermost joints of his fingers caught the odd lighting of the area, noticeable really only to himself with how small they were. He wondered for a moment if someone else might be able to find beauty in the sight, but he quickly dismissed the thought. There was no need to waste brain power on something pointless.
 

OOC: @~Xemnas~ @Eyru

IC: Sorilax - Aspect of Light and Silence - Aspects of Makuta

Location - Kini-Nui (7, 10)

With - Sala

Sorilax finished returning his scroll to his backpack and looked up at Sala, feeling slightly dizzy. He steadied himself on the Light table. It wavered slightly but held firm. In all his talk of changes, he had forgotten he had a new element. His inverted senses had given him a light headed feeling, despite not having one. Light may be much like Shadow in how Sorilax used to use the latter, but Light was still very much different.

Feeling the Light table, Sorilax smiled. Having the element of Light just felt… right. Like he finally was able to open his eyes and see the world after millennia of being blind. He tried to change the color of the table and it warbled before disappearing completely. Oh bother. Well, knowing most all of the intricacies of his old element didn’t exactly mean he knew how to control all parts of his new one.

He just grinned. He was going to immensely enjoy studying his new element. He couldn’t wait. But that was for later, right now Sala was asking for something.

"Wait a minute...Sorilax, the half-sphere, the one the Toa held, hand it to me. I want to see something."

Sorilax grabbed the half sphere of stone. It was beautifully sculpted. He could barely make out the tools marks. He handed it to his friend. A seagull cawed in the background even as a small gust of wind rippled the water around them.

Taking the sphere, Sala carefully approached the wall, before placing the half sphere within the socket.

Sorilax watched with caution. He still didn’t like what the writing on the floor had implied. And that poor, dead Ga-Toa certainly wasn’t a good sign either.
 

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Le-Metru Nuva NPCs - Various Species - Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Sidra, Uraborask

“Fire everything! Rip this thing apart!” Sidra’s voice roared over the downpour and thunder, reaching the audio receptors of the village guard that were just trying to cling to their trees and live. The time had come. They individually grabbed their last resort level 3 Kanoka, easily taking aim at the Untethered monstrosity in the glow of Torch’s fire.

With as great a precision as they could muster, Kanoka flew from lower tree branches that held guard posts. They struck the Grand Untethered with Weaken, Shrink, and Freeze powers, hoping against hope that Mata Nui would still deliver them on this strange island from what now assaulted them.

Spark slogged through the standing water that had mostly stopped being sucked into the sinkhole. He fired his pistol, the electricity of it jumping from the tip of the gun and arcing to the undead. “Take this, you loser!” He yelled, voice lost to the storm.

The LeviCart appeared from the path to the forging hut and mine. Beruv pulled it to a stop a safe distance from the pit. Accompanying Beruv in the cart, Wing held the five level 3 and 4 Kanoka Beruv had been carrying. With an accuracy born of years of practice, she flung them at the Untethered, the awkwardness of her mutations negated by the size of the target and her closeness to it. The last one, a level 4 disk of weakness, she threw with particular force, trying through willpower alone to kill the beast.

Torch built up his fireball into a burning furnace. Everyone in the clearing could feel its heat despite his efforts to keep it contained. It glowed a bright white, signifying the exact level of heat. As he grew it in size and heat, it became harder and harder to control. But he didn’t have to wait much longer. No more Kanoka flew from the sky, there was no more hope if he didn’t try to end it all right here and right now.

But he had a village to protect. Beings to keep safe. Torch raised his arms into the air, balled his fists as if he were grabbing something, and pulled.

The white ball of fire, now larger than the Grand Untethered itself, descended upon it. Water started to evaporate before the ball even made contact. Great swathes of steam rose up.

Spark scrambled to get clear, powerful legs propelling him away in the sludge. Beruv steered the cart back where she had come from, away from the fire’s destructive force. As Beruv steered them away, Wing looked across the clearing at Torch with concern as he sat on the lowered elevator. This was a lot of power to control and not just let loose. She hoped he would be okay.

The fireball continued to descend, hopefully spelling out doom for the unknowable nightmare that had assaulted the village in the trees.
 

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Unreliable Narrator @Sparticus147 @Burnmad

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann, Sidra, Uraborask, Apex, Morangad

Viltia merged with Nektann among the stars, not giving a thought to whether it was her body that remained or Nektann’s. Either way, he was now a part of her, not the other way around. She could feel his memories just like she could feel a tree pulling energy through itself, or how she could feel each leaf shivering in the wind.

With the merging came forgetfulness. But what she had once considered a weakness now became her strength. Her tendency to focus too hard on her powers was able to break through the fog of haziness, allowing her to remember herself.

That being accomplished, she found where Boss resided in her and relished in Nektann’s memories, savoring his experiences. She learned of Miserix, of Aspects, of Zakaz, of the savagery this Skakdi had done and led others to do. She saw multiple raids and horrible rituals. Her mind pushed back against her new love of all, with her hatred of Skakdi trying to resurface.

But then she found his emotions, his hopes and dreams. She felt them as if she were the one who had had them. In that moment, she was able to empathize with Nektann in a way she never would have been able to before. She felt his loss, he want for fresh life to spring forth. It aligned closely with her own feelings, and she knew she couldn’t ever hate Skakdi as much as she used to.

Her hatred was regressing. At least for now. At the moment she only wanted to help Nektann, to cut through the haze he had as a Tahtorak to help him where he couldn’t help himself. She was the only one who could bring about what he couldn’t. He had entrusted himself to her for the time being, and she wasn’t going to let him down.

She blinked giant red optics, her body heavy with the weight of thousands of Toa. No, not her body, Nektann’s borrowed one. The Fau Swamp lay sprawled before her like some miniature diorama, trees nothing more than twigs. The wind blew and a storm raged, but nothing affected her body.

Inside she felt the tumult of a storm, spewing forth with unbridled and never ending energy. It was an energy she could now tap into and control in a way Nektann, with his mental haze, never had.

Viltia experimented, trying to sense the plant life around her. The storm of energy inside her body provided her with immense power and she suddenly sensed every single plant for half a day's walk in a circle around her. Viltia smiled, the motion looking like a growl on her Tahtorak face. She would be able to help out Nektann even more than she had hoped.

With a glee at new life being made, Viltia regrew every tree and shrub and mushroom Nektann had ripped up or trod on in his mistaken search for a better island. She stopped off where the circle of dead plants began, though she wasn’t sure why she did that. A better island would start right now, with her, and it would be accomplished using his raw power.

Her mind turned to the rain. It felt weird, yet natural, to have the element of Water at her fingertips. She leaned on Boss’ ability to wield it, gleaning the knowledge from his memories before letting them rest once more.

The rain around her was an unintended consequence of the raging storm within her. But the storm, though unruly, could be contained. Her focus turned to it, commanding it to hold fast.

All at once, the downpour simply stopped. It was raining one second and the next nothing came from the sky. The clouds remained, as there was more to them than just her power. Then lightning struck and suddenly a light rain started up, this one completely natural.

The raging ocean inside her protested at the containment, but no harm came of it, so she ignored it. Now her mind turned to other matters. She had been in this swamp for a reason. What had it been?

Le-Metru? No, she had only been there once as a captured slave. But that was close.

Nektann’s hazy memory mixed with her loss of memory due to the shock she had been in threatened to cloud her mind completely. But she managed to break through.

Le-Metru Nuva! How had she forgotten?

But what about Le-Metru Nuva? Hadn’t they been in danger or something?

Something moved about in the sky, distracting her and allowing Nektann’s memory weakness to hide her thoughts of her village. It was an insect. She loved insects. She loved all life. But it was so small, she couldn’t tell what species it was.

She opened her massive maw, her voice spewing forth sounding like crashing waves combined with a roar that caused trees to tremble. Her words ruined the awe the sound of her voice inspired, “Hey there, little one, what species are you?” Her massive arm displaced the air in large quantities as she gently held out her hand, palm up, essentially asking Apex to land on her so she could inspect the tiny bug more closely.

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @Sparticus147 @Nato the Traveler @Burnmad

IC: Cravious - Skakdi of Lightning - Zakazian

Location - Northern Desert

With - Whira

Cravious gasped as he felt his Kraata change shape, feeding him with more power. It felt like there was an elemental touch to the change. Maybe Shadow? Whatever had happened, his Kraata power had grown, as evidenced by him suddenly being able to feel the minds of Whira and the Nui-Jaga. He couldn’t read any thoughts just yet, but he could sense where they were at all times. It was a start.

So helping out Whira really did help him out. He smiled savagely in the dark of the cave. He couldn't wait for more.

The Nui-Jaga sounded like it was dazed and confused, chittering to itself. At least it didn’t immediately try to attack them.

Whira turned to Cravious. "Let us be off," she said.

Cravious looked in her direction with surprise and then a look of suspicion, “That’s it? We just leave it here? Isn’t it under your command or something? We have room for it on the Cube should we have need of it later.”

Cravious wasn’t about to let a potential new ally in their quest go to waste.
 

OOC: @~Xemnas~

IC: Hahvok - Za and Ja Krana of Ice - Independent

Location - Dead Forest

With - Marrow, Providence, Zak-Yak, Takadox

Hahvok looked with confusion at the tall blue one. His mind hadn’t suggested having any knowledge on Hahvok, yet he had called out the name of Hahvok’s species and knew where Hahvok had slept before awakening. Perhaps… the blue one could control and protect his mind? Hahvok wasn’t sure. Right now the blue one was thinking about almost dying to several things, so why his thoughts didn't linger on Bohrok, Hahvok wasn’t sure. Were Bohrok really that unimportant?

Hahvok wasn’t sure how to think about that.

Well. He still had to find his purpose. It didn’t matter what some random being said. He would know when he found his purpose, even if others considered it unimportant. Everything else up to this point had been clear as ice to him. He would find his purpose and accomplish it.

If this blue being wouldn’t help, then he would need to search elsewhere. Maybe following these other beings might help him. The first mind he had found had at least spoken with him. Perhaps he could start there.
 

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Burnmad @Vezok's Friend

All five PCs in one post, and even most NPCs? I feel like I just unlocked some kind of achievement!