Keeper of Kraata

I should have taken it up via PM as well, my bad.

I'm sorry, I know Dasaka are psychic, but how did she determine that Raiyo was going to go for the storm drain? All she has done, as of her last post, is crawl over and look around confused, before focusing on the storm drain. How would Higashi know what Raiyo's intent is?

IC: One of the Marines on the boat grunted at Red. "You know, we put you on this boat, we can just as easily throw you off. " Aokora cleared her throat. "Well, it actually probably works differently for lesterin than it does for toa. Zaara can move water kind of like a water toa; Lesterin generally don't have active elemental powers, right? Maybe that amulet is giving you some sort of... passive power?" IC: "My part? I am but a humble archivist. These power struggles are above my interest; I simply seek information. As for you... Well, I can tell you that the Koro is well-guarded." Maeloc's mask shifted to the side, in a look of forlorn sadness. "One cannot enter the Koro without meeting the guards. If you were to travel there, I'm sure one of us would be able to find you." The turaga snorted, glancing at the Fyura as the merest smile crept onto his face. "Karz, Fyura might be able to arrange it herself!" Fyura chuckled. "Don't vorry, Ah'll vouch vor ya." "You got some of it, I hardly think their standards are too high."

IC: Askha rapidly blinked as reality came rushing back to her senses. By Zuto Nui I hate Sighteyes like that... almost worse than Sydelia. With a few glances, she ascertained the situation around her. Maripi was gone, she had no idea where. That was a thing. That dashi, Raiyo, was here. The dasaka that was most likely the Sighteye was still doing her thing. Focusing on someone? It seemed business was finally getting down to it. The closest threat seemed to be the one with the Haunoru. Askha's hand went to her shoulder, and her Mindarm drew her falcata. Her body twisted as she threw the falcata, forcefully propelling it towards Yukie. If she could get him off of the Toroshu, she could buy some time. IC: Raiyo crawled over, looking around. Running headfirst into something was never pleasant. Then nearby, she saw closest escape route: A storm drain, at the far street corner. She just need to get Relisai there...

IC: Both Fyura and the onu-turaga chuckled, and Maeloc's smile returned. "Oh, you can't buy it. Everyone that I know simply... asked for it. But, for someone like you to get some of it... going to Ko-Koro would be your best bet. I would keep that quiet, if I were you."

IC: Maeloc narrowed his eye, and his lenspiece adjusted to gauge her reaction. "We have taken to calling it Antidermis." He glanced away from the Dasaka to glare at Fyura. "Stop that before you drain the poor girl into unconsciousness." Fyura grumbled and wrestled her arm away. She had enjoyed the little snack; acted as a nice pick-me-up. The energy reminded Vayde of Toa; then again, his palette consisted solely of Fyura, a few fire beetles, and whoever she had drained in the caves...

IC: Fyura grinned as her hand flexed, and her Energy Hunger kicked in. There was a glow as the strength from Soraph's hand was absorbed into Fyura. "She calls it 'energy hunger'," Maeloc said quietly, almost a whisper. "Instead of the parakuka absorbing her life force, she can feed it the strength of others. This ability is entirely unique to Fyura, though I have heard of similar abilities. All of which are granted from the same source."

IC: Fyura and Maeloc exchanged a look. "It's your power," the Archivist said. "You figure out a demonstration." Fyura nodded, and stood back up. The massive fe-skakdi looked around for a moment, then came upon an idea. Fyura extended her arm, palm down. "Grab my arm. Ay promise zis vill not hurt."

IC: Maeloc's mask twisted into a thin smile. "That, miss Soraph, is a topic I am able to answer." He prodded Fyura, pointing down. The skakdi knelt. "The Parakuka is very similar to another of the Makuta's creations, the kraata. They are vicious beings that control rahkshi. The Parakuka, however, is a parasite. Once it bonds, it drains the life force from the host, slowly. The bond is somewhat symbiotic, though; as you saw, it allows access to the stolen energy for short periods, which can be used to trigger the... transformation. It is formidable; I've heard that the Toa Maru had trouble with turaga that had been bonded with them." As he talked, we gestured to the slug clamped beneath Fyura's external spine. "However, besides the fact that the parakuka is stealing life energy, there are additional downsides. It comes with a loss of many of the abilities creatures like us enjoy." The onu-turaga pointed to Fyura's eyes. "In the skakdi's case, she has lost her vision powers, and her elemental powers. Toa are deprived of their mask powers. And, for reasons unknown to anyone, the Parakuka exhibit a strange aversion to foriegn technology. Simplistic tech created on the island won't trigger it, but anything more advanced found in the possession of creatures such as Skakdi or Vortixx, or found in..." the turaga cleared his throat when he realized how much he had carried on. "Well, they don't play well, let's leave it at that." Fyura grunted in a forlorn fashion. "I meez my lazer vizhun." "I'm sure you do," Maeloc responded nonchalantly. "However, Fyura here is uniquely gifted among Parakuka-bonded beings. She has... developed a unique ability that aids with her bond." The skakdi's eyes widened as she realized what Maeloc was saying. Fyura's look of surprise shifted into a wide, gleeful smile. The Archivist smiled. "Would you like to see?"

IC: The Archivist didn't see any trouble letting this being know his name for now. "I am Maeloc, the leader of our little expedition. I saw you and the... others like you the other night. If I recall, I came in at the tail end of your colleague's rebuttal to Fyura's little outburst. The one with the ghost swords? Anyway, Soraph, Fyura tells me you wanted to speak with her about something. I guess I'm here to help her make sense."

IC: Nothing happened for a moment. Then, the water flowed up from the side of the boat, a gallon in total snaking its way around the Su-Toa's hand. One of the Marines, a Ga-Toa, raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

(Check Ko)

Oh god I'm going to have to port all my stuff over to asking Tyler rather than asking Nuju

I, for one, fully embrace out new Tyler overlord. I mean gamemaster. Anyway, I'll miss you. You were a good GM.

IC: Skorm and Gyro (Bionifight Facility) As soon as Gyro heard the voice, plugged into his maintenance cradle in his quarters, the assassin robot immediately ran a quick self-diagnostic. No virus, no intrusion. Was it already fooling his detection systems? Nothing else showing. Sensors online. Servos online. Hyperkinetic plating functional. All systems nominal. Detaching from the cradle, Gyro walked toward the door. Odd. There was something acting up... self-preservation protocols? They were being affected, but this was something deeper. Irrelevant. Gyro slid open his door, to be faced with Skorm. The Twi-Toa's mask was haggard. "They're saying there's an army out there!" Social analysis: Skorm was frightened. "You were in training to become a soldier, correct? This situation is similar." Ugh. That mechanical ******* had a point. Was this so different? Wait, yes! Yes it was! "This is completely different!" "Except now you don't have a choice to determine your role." "... I sometimes really hate you." The two hurried out of the facility, where a gathering force of fighters had gathered. Well, we have mechs, Skorm thought. That was something on the bright side. He thought back to the war back in he and Gyro's home dimension. Gyro was right, he had been training... but not as a frontliner. Gyro wasn't either, for that matter. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" "This unit is not capable of telepathy." "I mean we both go stealth mode and hit VIPs." Skorm narrowed his eyes, and ducked behind a ridge. Gyro dove into his sphere form and rolled beside him. "That tactical analysis is valid. Furthermore, main Cult forces are beyond this unit's engagement range."

You said all fighters are affected by the fear. So... how exactly does that work for Gyro? Being an emotionless robot and all?

IC: Askha narrowed her eyes, even though she was not seeing out of them. "Last chance, huh?" The menti felt the ground with her foot, feeling the outline of a paving stone as part of the street, feeling the cracks around it. "Well, in for dragon, in for a kio..." Askha gripped the stone with her Mindarm, ripping it out of the street, and flung it at the source of the voice. IC: Sydelia took a deep puff from the hookah, then exhaled. At least the gardens seemed to be isolated from whatever was going on in the city... First the Rora's announcement, then this chaos at the prison... Sydelia had not recieved any order yet on behalf of Clan Fursic, so she would currently remain for now until she was needed. OOC: Introducing Sydelia! She's up for interaction in the Gardens.

The one in Po-Wahi? Didn't that finish?

OOC: I'd say its been about an hour, so both amulets are activated! The Water one, on Zaara, allows the user to swim much better, and they can hold breath for a much longer time. Toa and Turaga can manipulate up to a gallon of water, while Lesterin get their affinity power switch the the corresponding element. Here's the problem... there aren't Ce-Lesterin! I'm working it out with Nuju what exactly it entails, but since most Lesterin powers are passive, Aine wouldn't really notice anything yet. IC: Vakua looked around. Something had just... thought about him? Fair enough, he was a somewhat unusual sight. Still... "You okay, Vakua?" Zueya was the only one who noticed. The De-Toa waved her off. Fyura, meanwhile, winced at the mental intrusion, no matter how expected it was. "Zhe vants me to join her." Maeloc sighed, and eyed the square. It was moderately crowded at least. "All right. I'm coming with you. Don't screw this up." With one last look at the rest of the expedition, the two walked forward. Cradling her axe in her arm, Fyura tried to normalize her stride as to play down her limp. "Ah... hello! Ghud to, ah, zhee you again." The Fe-Skakdi waved with her free arm, nervously smiling a toothy grin. Maeloc glanced around nervously. That mask... his lens piece dilated involuntarily as the De-Toa again glanced his way. Then something occurred to him. "Um, no offense sir," he said to Vakua, "but could you go wait somewhere else? It's just that, well, your mask is a bit... unnerving." Vakua's expression was inscrutable behind his visor piece. He nodded, tapping Aelied and Zueya on the shoulders, pointing around the corner. The three toa walked off. Casanuva glanced over his shoulder at them. "We'll join you guys in a sec." Fyura smiled as she shifted her weight to her good leg. "To answer zhour qvuestion earlier, it vent.. hokay. Ve got zum ztuff, but there were-" "Falling rocks." Maeloc interjected quickly. "We... hit an instability. Very difficult to explain if you aren't a surveyer." IC: Aokora leaned forward, off the vibrating hull. "Have you noticed anything yet? I'd like to be able to show something to the Akiri."

IC: Raiyo quickly breathed as she pulled her Toroshu behind her, rushing to get out of the alley. She couldn't fail in this. "Whoa, I'm coming too!" Askha said through gritted teeth, grabbing onto Relisai's arm with her free hand.

OOC: Hellooooo again guys! Let's just move us forward. IC: The Su-Toa guard glared and spewed a line of plasma from his hand, coating the floor. Casanuva held Ferrite up, and channeled a wave of magnetism down the hallway, pushing it back into the guard's faces. Having bought some more time, he turned to the group around him. "Alright, we need to get out of here! We don't know how much longer we have. Anyone who's getting out probably already flew the coop!" He stepped through the hole in the wall, covering his mask at the glare of sunlight.

So this is finally happening. Finally. Much apologies for slipping out there, the quest is like 98% done. Combination of burnout and a lot of other stuff, I have some ideas that will keep me more active again! ... right as school is going to start soon. Great timing there, me. Oh, right! I went back to Keeper of Kraata.

OOC: All players have given me permission to use their characters. Apologies for the incredibly long overdue post. IC: Maeloc had turned, seen the matoran bringing down a rock. That had been his last memory before waking up in the boat, to the sky. It seemed... peaceful. He was missing his mask; his head hurt like all Karz, and his vision was once again symmetrical. The Archivist groaned. "Boss? Zyou all raght?" The turaga was overcome by the skakdi's breath, and her yellowed teeth filled most of his vision. Uuuuugh. The Onu-Turaga waved her off. Leaning up, he felt his maskless face; much of his head was taken up by bandages. He realized that his vision was lurching up and down; they were in the boat. Seeing his Akaku lying next to him, Maeloc grabbed it and put it back on. The sudden movement sent a lurch of pain and nausea, and he staggered. "Please tell me we were actually somewhat successful." Krakant handed him the Ice amulet, and Luyn telekinetically dropped the black and gunmetal amulet into Maeloc's palm. As he was looking around, he saw Ira driving the boat, with the rest scanning the environment for any sign of pursuit. The turaga clutched the amulets in his palm. Well, they didn't fail... though he doubted his superiors would be happy. The fact that the Legacy was, unofficially at least, seeking the Amulets being known would likely dampen that spirit, however. His musing came to a halt, however, when their boat ran aground on the coast. The expedition's members swiftly disembarked, Ira burning the boat after they salvaged a few medical supplies from it. "I take it we're returning to Ko-Koro now?" the Ta-Toa asked. "I suppose we are." Maeloc looked at his staff; the false spade head was gone, left at the temple. Ugh, he'd have to get a new one made when they returned. He looked up from the staff's head to come face-to-face with Fyura. The Fe-Skakdi made a faint whining sound. "Oh, right. We have your... thing. With that visitor." The Onu-Turaga looked out over the ocean at the island they had retreated from. His lenspiece clicked as it zoomed in on the entrance; nothing. For now. "Alright, but we have to make it quick. If she isn't there, we're leaving." He waved the group behind him as they quickly made their way towards the entrance of the Koro. "You all stay nearby, but not in sight. Don't want to spook her by accident, but close enough to lend a hand. This shouldn't take long." An assortment of bemused, annoyed, and dutiful looks were given to him in response. They soon reached the Ga-Koro gate. By luck, the one that Fyura had indicated was there, along with... what was... was that... The De-Toa with the Suletu. There was possibly a Fa-Toa with him, in addition to several other toa. Hmm. Maeloc's fingers twitched when he saw the De-Toa's head perk up and look around. Realizing the thin ice he was standing on, he concentrated on the ground. Resting her axe against a tree, Fyura waved her hand high. "Hey! Over 'ere!" * * * By the time Zaara had melted through the rock the Po-Toa had left, any trace of the opposing party was gone. Taking what spoils they could, the Ga-Koro expedition made their way back to the entrance. True to Maeloc's word, the only remnants of the boat that had ferried them there was a bit of smoking wood on the rocks. Aokora groaned, then winced at the exertion. "Those heartless... Whatever. We can't change it now. We have to make it back to Ga-Koro. Tell them the Legacy is looking for these amulets..." Aokora grimaced and leaned on the wall. "I can make it back!" Orca declared. "I'll let the Marines know, and then they'll send some boats to pick us all up!" "Can you swim all that way on your own?" Red asked skeptically. Zaara shrugged. "She is a ga-matoran. Aokora would be able to do it to, but..." The Su-Toa trailed off as the Archeologist slipped into a coughing fit. Orca walked over to the ledge, peering off. She backed up, and took a running start, diving out of the cliff into the water. She surfaced, looking back at the cave entrance, waving. She then took a deep breath, and started swimming towards Ga-Koro. She eventually flagged down a patrolling Marine ship, which diverted. About ten minutes later, several Marines were helping the expedition into their boat. One of them properly bandaged Aokora. "Don't worry, we'll get you back." Aokora hacked and grabbed the Marine's arm, shaking her head. "No! We need to see Akiri Hahli immediately!"