Zatth

New chapter is up! Here we see two new figures that hopefully make things a wee bit more interesting. Comments? Concerns? All are welcome!

A Mystery Explored Chapter 4 You know, I’m starting to have second doubts. Wanna back out? Ajura stared at him. If looks could kill. Yes, yes, I know it was my idea to come visit Mantax. Anywho, I was joking. Was he really, though? Orde’s mistrust of the League was well-placed, but to add on to that was the fearsome reputation they had earned. By this day and age, it was hard to separate rumours and myths from fact. The League of Six Kingdoms was a bit of both. Their exploits had become legend, and their fearsome power was now interlaced within the cultural subconscious of any denizen of this world. Stories of their erratic behavior, lust for power, and general unusual nature were common. Mantax himself was known as The Silent Death. While other Barraki were known to verbally or physically lash out, Mantax was the quiet one. One never knew if he was plotting or brimming with anger that would never be released in traditional ways. Rumours said that he had ordered the brutal murder of an entire town, with all Matoran impaled and placed around their former homes as a display. At no point did Mantax explain the rationale behind this, but some said that, after hearing of the evacuation by the Turaga of the island, he had simply smiled. Unpredictability was a trait very connected to Mantax, and Orde wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to read his mind. He might have his mind shielded, and that might make this entire thing much harder. The two guards walked side by side with Ajura and Orde. No more furtive looks at each other, no nudging or anything that could seem suspicious. They were here to do business, and nothing else. After a litany of hallways and corridors, they finally reached an ominous, black door. It appeared to be carved, with intricate designs depicting battles. The door opened. “In,” one of the guards said brusquely. Ajura and Orde thanked the guards and stepped into the room. It was a surprisingly spacious room, with a window looking out at the rest of the fortress. To their left were many stone tablets, seemingly untouched. To their right, a large tank filled with water. There was something swimming inside. “Many believe nothing can be learned from Underwater Rays.” Ajura and Orde turned to look at a slowly walking Mantax. He was pointing at the water tank. “Then again, many have yet to see and study Underwater Rays. You. Toa of Water. Did you ever study them?” “No, sir. I was able to read reports from the Archives, but I never got a chance to personally study them.” “Pity, they are quite fascinating. But from what you learned, what did you take away?” Ajura paused. “I’m not sure I’m understanding your question.” Mantax chuckled. “Nothing stuck out about Underwater Rays?” This might be a trick question. Ajura chose her words carefully. “They… hide under the sand and attack unsuspecting prey.” Mantax nodded. “Yes. It’s the first thing they taught me. My native species is brining with brutes that don’t know any military strategy. But Underwater Rays taught me a very valuable lesson. Attack your enemy in the most unsuspecting way. Catch them off guard. Fool them.” Mantax put his hand on the tank, never taking his eyes off the Underwater Ray. “If we’re honest though, and I wouldn’t recommend that, you are not here for a lesson. Well, maybe Water is. You are both here… why?” “Sir, we have reason to believe that one of the Matoran on the Tren Krom Peninsula went missing.” “Probably tripped and fell to its death. Doesn’t concern me.” He clearly wasn’t interested. Time to try something else. “Do the words Valmai Mangaia mean anything?” Mantax turned his head. “I have heard the terms being used. Does this have to do with the missing Matoran?” “Yes, it was in a letter written by the Matoran that disappeared.” “What was the Matoran’s name?” “Kadira.” Mantax paused to think. “No, still nothing. Anyways, I couldn’t concern myself with every single Matoran. However, I have heard the name Valmai Mangaia. Anything else?” “We were attacked while investigating Kadira’s disappearance, sir” added Orde. “I hope it was a fun fight. Mata Nui knows I barely get to fight and conquer these days.” Ajura glanced at Orde. “We believe we were followed by someone.” “Yes, well, until you can get more proof of something there isn’t much that I can do. Especially since I am not a detective.” That gave Mantax an idea. “Oh, but there is someone who might be better at finding a lead.” “And so we were hoping to have more luck with you helping us, Teridax.” He seemed lost in his notes, half-hearing the two of them. “Well, I must say I’m shocked Mantax would have faith in me. I think it’s no surprise that I don’t trust the League much. But the will of Mata Nui must be followed, so… Anyways, I think it was good to come here, if that helps.” He walked over to where they were. “I do have to ask, though, why two Toa from Metru Nui? Why not pass this on to another team? If I were you, I would stay in Metru Nui and not concern myself with these muddy affairs.” Orde piped up. “We want to do the right thing and help Maglya find his friend.” Teridax chortled. “The right thing? Oh yes. Toa, of course. The right thing.” He continued to pace around the lab. “I would expect you to be less of an amateur and see that there is no such thing as ‘the right thing’. I mean, look at Mantax. Is the right thing to follow Mata Nui’s will? Is it to murder and enslave Matoran? Is it to create Rahi like we Makuta do?” Teridax sighed. “Yes, I know this doesn’t matter much to you. After all, being the paragons of good you can’t concern yourselves with moral ambiguities. No matter. Do you have anything that belonged to this Kadira?” “No, there was nothing there his house should have been, if there ever was a house.” “And the letter. Do you have it with you?” Orde pulled the letter out of his knapsack. Teridax brought it over to one of his machines and began examining it closely. “My Mask of Psychometry didn’t do much to reveal anything,” Orde said. “Don’t bother,” Teridax replied. “You’d only be able to see the past, and, no offense, Toa, but that won’t do much in this situation.” He lost himself again in the examination of the letter. Finally, he laughed. “Oh, tricky, trick. They did a very good job of masking their trail. But no one can best a Makuta.” Using his telekinesis, Teridax pulled over a vial with a cyan liquid. He put some droplets on the upper-left corner of the letter, and then placed a sponge-type sphere over the corner. After a while longer, Teridax walked over to where the Toa were. Looking closely at the sphere, it had turned from its original tan into a swirling mix of cyan, green and dark brown. “Every being has a special mixture of chemicals that they exude. It’s how we can tell the genetic make up of a Rahi apart. This specific being that captured Kadira must have exuded some of that onto this letter.” “So Kadira was probably also covered with that genetic identification?” asked Ajura. “Yes. And I think that would extend to Kadira’s belongings.” “Yeah, but there was nothing there. This is the only thing we have of his.” Teridax walked over to a large chest, and began rummaging through the insides of the chest. Finally he pulled out a stone tablet. Walking over to the Toa, he handed the tablet to Ajura. “Here. A map with the location of a warehouse where any unclaimed possessions are taken. Mantax set it up years ago to send his spoils of war, but we have repurposed it to hide other things that don’t serve any purpose. If there is anything gone or hidden, it will be here.” “Is it legal to go in there?” asked Ajura. “Oh, most certainly not. But I’m sure you will take a look in there to help this Matoran, won’t you?” Ajura was uncertain, but Orde grabbed the tablet from her hands. “Yes, we’ll do it.” Teridax smiled. “Good. Then you have a heading. Use the sponge, and it will guide you to where any belongings of Kadira’s are.” As Ajura and Orde walked out of Teridax’s lab, he stopped them. “Oh, and Toa?” They stopped and turned around. “Please, do heed my words. I know you think Mantax is pure evil. I’m sure you see this Matoran as the victim. But you would do well to remember that not everyone is pure good or pure evil. Too many Toa forget that and, if I might be so bold, I think it’s why many of you fail. You don’t expect anything but moral absolutes, and learning otherwise can… break you. That is all.” Review Topic

I'm a big Neil Gaiman fan. But more than anything, I'm a HUGE Sandman fan. I think it revolutionized the graphic novel scene. I credit it with getting me back into an interest in mythology and religion in modern-day literature. I think Dream is such a cool character, and one day that will be my next costume/cosplay. So naturally I wanted to pay homage. Two years ago I brought to BrickFair this little fella (and the mosaic): As soon as that weekend was over, I viciously dismantled the mosaic and got to work on the new one. I've been going at it during this break, and this is how it looks like at the moment: I hope to have it finished by the time BrickFair VA 2015 rolls around. Thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Any are welcome!

NO STOP THIS NAO XERXES

Great chapter. Glad to see some more baddies popping up! I'll go with C. I feel like BZ-Koro deserves a bit more screen time

New chapter is up! There's more action going around this time, so hopefully it's a nice change of pace.

A Mystery Explored Chapter 3 “Leave it to a bunch of Matoran to try and colonize such a hostile place, right?” huffed Orde as he climbed up the mountain slope. “No one has reached the Southern Chain yet, maybe you’d like to take a trip there?” “Very funny, Ajura.” Orde laughed, trying to hide his tiredness at climbing the mountainside. It wasn’t much of a step up from where they’d been half an hour ago. They’d both been directed towards the Tren Krom Peninsula, and when they’d approached it they understood why the name had stuck. The heat from the semi-active volcanoes already seemed to be turning them off the place. As they tried to get a Matoran to guide them to Kadira’s place, they had almost been seared by a carelessly mislabeled acid fall. Then they figured out no Matoran wanted to actually help them up to the settlements, meaning they’d have to climb the only mountain not lined by jagged spikes as a way to get up to the plateau. There was a reason why Orde wasn’t a Toa of a more physically present element. All this climbing was rendering him tired; it also didn’t help that he used his Psionics powers to give himself slight bumps upwards when a particularly hazardous climbing path appeared. Orde was more shocked, however, at Ajura’s agility at climbing. Even though she’d started after he did, she was already farther ahead than he was. Blocking the sunrays with one of his hands, he looked upwards to see Ajura was much farther than he had thought. “Hey! Wanna lend me a hand?” “Not particularly.” Orde could hear Ajura’s smugness in those two words. He got annoyed that he was left behind, in such a desolate and godforsaken place. He grunted, pushing himself farther up the treacherous cliffside. He looked up again, and Ajura was gone. Either the heat was starting to play tricks on him, or the end was in sight. “Hey, stop behaving like a Mahi and get up here!” Alright, so Ajura was at the end, and she was making fun of him. Orde grabbed onto the next ledge with much more force, determined to get there and make her eat her words. Orde finally pushed himself up to the top of the plateau, and felt Ajura’s grip on his forearm. She pulled him over the side. “Took you some time, didn’t it?” “You know me, just examining the view, wondering where I could drop a smart-alecky Toa of Water.” “Ooh, careful there. You wouldn’t want to follow up on that threat.” “Yeah? Just watch me.” “Banter’s over. Come on, we’ve got some sleuthing to do.” Ajura slapped Orde so hard his mask was almost knocked off. “Listen, bud. You’ve had your temper tantrum,” she said as she pinned him to the ground. “I’m also angry that our information was incorrect. So Kadira’s hut isn’t where Maglya said it would be. Alright, fine, we’ll tell him never to waste our time again.” She kept putting pressure on his back so that he couldn’t get up again until she was finished speaking, or until he calmed down. “But your temper tantrum almost made the Matoran attack us. Do you really think that carelessly using a Psionics blast that destroys another Matoran’s hut is nothing? That Mazeka very nearly broke your neck. Now I’m gonna step off, you’re gonna calm down, and try to not get angry again. Got it?” “Ymphs,” Orde muffled. “Good. Because next time I’ll just knock you unconscious and leave you in the boat.” Ajura got off his back, as Orde winced from the pain. While it was great to have someone to get some sense into him, it almost always came with some pain included, courtesy of Ajura. Still, he wasn’t entirely to blame. They’d arrived at the spot where Maglya said Kadira lived. But when they got there, they noticed there was no Kadira’s hut. They asked around, and none of the Matoran knew a Kadira. Orde had let his anger get the better of him, Ajura pinned him down, and now Orde was very seriously thinking of building up his anger on the way back. Maybe then Maglya would know how to give directions correctly. “Alright, I’m calm. Let’s just get back to the-“ Ajura flew forwards, smashing into the dirt. She’d been hit by a Rhotuka spinner. Orde whirled around to see a being who was two heads taller than they were. He was clad in brown and golden armour, with some kind of staff in one hand and an empty Rhotuka launcher in the other. Before he could react, Orde was pushed aside violently by what he recognized to be telekinetic powers. Somehow, this being was using some sort of magical ability, because now he was calling around him some of the boiling water from the ocean that surrounded the cliffside. He was aiming for Ajura. Instinctively, Orde activated his Focus Gauntlets, letting his Psionics powers amplify. He shot a blast of amplified telekinetic powers, sending the being reeling backwards. Orde raced to Ajura’s side. “Come on, wake up!” He shook her until he noticed here eyes opened. “Ajura, we’re under attack.” “I… I feel so weak… I don’t have my powers anymore…” Orde realized with horror the being had stolen Ajura’s powers. He looked up to notice a stream of boiling water coming towards him. Only by lifting his Focus Gauntlets to his face did he redirect the stream towards a neighboring Matoran hut. Luckily they seemed to have noticed the disturbance and were now hiding, hopefully in safety. Orde pushed down with his telekinetic abilities, vaulting him up in the air. However, the being seemed to be prepared, as he used his own telekinetic abilities to forcefully bring Orde plummeting down below. Getting up, he noticed the being was charging his staff up and pointing it at Ajura. With no time to call out, he used his mind control ability to make Ajura to roll sideways. The being’s staff shot a stream of energy where Ajura had been a second ago. The bit of ground disappeared, creating a crater of sorts. Disintegration Staff. Orde decided to take a gamble. He forced Ajura to stop. The brown being turned to look at Ajura, and focused his staff again. Now! Orde focused his telekinetic energies, sending the being flying in the air. The stream flew out of his staff, but being misdirected to hit an outcropping of jagged spikes. Orde lifted his other Focus Gauntlet, and unleashed a mental blast aimed at the airborne being. He convulsed, and finally went limp. He wasn’t dead, but unconscious for a while. Orde let him plummet. He ran towards Ajura. She was starting to get up “Are your powers back?” “Yeah. Yeah, they are.” “Alright, well we gotta go. Now.” Orde helped Ajura up, making sure she was feeling well. So far she seemed to be. She limped towards the cliffside. They both looked down, and knew Ajura wouldn’t be able to make the climb downwards. “You good with me lowering you?” Ajura nodded. Orde focused his energies, picking Ajura up slowly. He began to lower her, making sure that it was slow enough for her, but fast enough so that they lost little to no time. Orde turned to look back one last time. Nothing. He turned to face the Cliffside, and began climbing down. He made sure to use his telekinetic abilities more often to get down faster. After what seemed an eternity, he landed beside Ajura. She was looking better now. “I don’t know about you, but either that was a totally random situation, or the plot in this mystery thickens.” “I’ll take the second one.” “Yeah, me too,” Orde replied. “And I hate to admit it, but I think we’re going to have to inquire further with someone who knows what’s going on. Someone who knows the lay of the land and might clear up our questions.” “Mantax?” Ajura was shocked that Orde would offer such a suggestion, considering his distrust of the League of Six Kingdoms. “We have no choice.” Review Topic

I was hospitalized at NIH a week ago, and while there my mom told me she was thinking of having us go on a vacation as a family to some theme parks in Florida. I was surprised, but super excited. A week later, and it looks like we're going to Legoland and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Should be fun. Stuck in a car with my sister for 14 hrs might be tough, but I WILL SURVIVE. I'm scared because we're visiting Legoland on the 31st, and I dunno if they'll have Bonkles in stock then. Because it would be unreal to buy my first Gen 2 BIONICLE from Legoland. I'm excited about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter after reading the entire series for the first time in May (why, you ask? For a class. Yeah, my classes are THAT cool). Since I know what house I'm in I feel more pumped to go and shell out money on unnecessary things. BECAUSE I'M AN ADULT. Any of y'all who have gone or live there have any tips? Preferably for Harry Potter since we've been to Legoland in California.

Y'all might think that The Adventures of Sumiki's Dad is fiction, but ask any member of Team Farm Animals. We DID go into the Taco Bell/Pizza Hut, each of us wearing hats, ordered breadsticks and had Sumiki wait longer for his to arrive. Oh, also the spam and Bob. That also happened.

First off, don't think I'm not grieving about Korra being over, I just haven't seen it yet (I don't want to cry twice in one night). ANYWHO, I just watched The Colbert Report finale. There were a lot of feels. And don't worry, no political message in this blag entry. When I moved here five years ago, I came from Venezuela. For those who don't know, during the time that I lived there (2000-2009) I lived through a coup, the Venezuelan government threatening my home country, lack of basic food and medical needs, many of my friends being assaulted and almost murdered. Colombia wasn't much better. Even though I only lived in Colombia for three years, my parents lived through three political candidates being murdered, the newspaper where they both worked being bombed to nothing, and more. My uncle was murdered, my grandfather lost all his land leaving my mom's family almost penniless when she was in her teens. A car exploded a block from where my parents had parked their car. Had they been a block closer to the car, I would've been left an orphan at age three. What did all this have in common? Not much freedom of speech. In Colombia, my parents being journalists meant that they could be targeted at any moment if they were to delve into investigative journalism. In Venezuela, I saw news stations being brought down, religious and secular places vandalized, and became paranoid of leaving my own house. Just this February, I spend a week not knowing if my friends had died protesting in the riots because the media in Venezuela didn't cover any of what was happening. Why do I mention all this? I want y'all to be thankful. I have been amazed and grateful to live in a country where someone like Stephen Colbert can have a humorous political show and say things and not be killed or shut down or be forced to flee. I am amazed that a man can have a political caricature for nine years, and can end his show when he wants to. We had a person like that in Colombia. Jaime Garzón was a comedian who basically had his own Daily Show/Colbert Report hybrid for almost a decade. His life was ended in 1999 by paramilitary forces, not just because he didn't shy away from the truth, but because he engaged in humanitarian efforts. I was four when my parents brought me to the front of our building. I remember waving a small white handkerchief at a black car that passed by the streets of Bogotá that day. All I'm saying here is to think about that. The freedom of speech that y'all have. That a satirist can end his show by his own will, not by the bullet of an assassin. Don't take these things for granted, because they matter. With that, I'm off to watch the Korra season finale and cry again.

Finally got a chance to swing by the review topic I'm loving this so far! I think there's been a good balance between character exposition and development, and plot progression. The fight scene was quite descriptive, and I think many members got 'screen time' to look and be awesome. I am shocked as well with Makaru's death, but since it propels the story and raises the stakes, so be it! (Now I'm worried for everyone else, what with me leading them ) Over all, I'm loving it so far and await each chapter with excitement! I'll vote to move as a group for safety.

I usually used my old username Juanes07180 everywhere, until I decided to make an account on BZP. It was 2007, I wanted to stick with my obsession with Toa of Air, so Kanohi Zatth sounded like a cool username. Years later I shortened it to Zatth. AND THAT WAS THE BEGINNING.

Welp, that's what happens when you finish off the chapter at 2 a.m Thanks for catching that mistake, it's now fixed!

Closing due to author's request

Want to finish my degree, with possible plans of a semester abroad at Oxford next year. After that devote myself to my writing and to teaching High School English or Spanish. Maybe World History/Comparative Religions/Sociology if I get lucky. Keep on writing and maybe think of moving back to Colombia to work as an activist or politician, assuming that I can help out my fellow Colombians and our society as we (hopefully) enter the post-conflict period. Big dreams that also assume that my rare disease doesn't flare up in terrible ways in the coming years, I know

More of a shocker than funny, but still worthy of yonder topic. I'm fine with other staff members using it—that's what my Majhost is for—but all the same, it's actually mine. After all, I'm the one in the horse mask. It's alright, Sumiki. I think after all those horse Vines the cosmic entities that conspire against us ruled that all those of Team Farm Animals had a hold in the horse mask

Happy to hear the good tidings, frand!

So a friend of mine who knows very well about my love for puns decided to share a picture of some bread-related puns on my Facebook wall. Needless to say, another pun-loving friend of mine engaged me in the comments below. We were toast: Pablo: 'll have to punder on these jokes, because I was not bread to understand them Richard: I'm sure that you'll rise to the occasion Pablo. Pablo: Will I, dough? Richard: I'm sure you are. You're not one to loaf around. Pablo: All I'm getting from this is that I knead to get a life Richard: At the very yeast, you should keep making these puns. I can tell you're pretty good; there isn't a half-baked one among them. Pablo: Richard, you ain't seen muffin yet. Richard: I've had way worse, this is a cake walk. Pablo: Whatever happens, this conversation will be in'grain'ed in my memory for years to come. Richard: That's for sure, these aren't some simple cookie cutter jokes we're throwing around here. Pablo: I dunno, it feels like we've spread ourselves too thin. I hope we baguette more of these puns, or else we're toast. Richard: I don't think we're digging too deep, we've only just scratched the crust! Pablo: So you're saying we've got puns in a'bun'dance? Richard: Maybe not that far, but we've got plenty before we need to start scrabbling for crumbs. Pablo: Then let's keep doughing this! Richard: I don't know, I don't feel like I'm baking any records here. I may want to call it a night. Pablo: Yeah, we butter shut this down Richard: See you next time. Pablo: ... And, scene!

Thanks! I'm glad to hear the Ajura/Orde thing, since my biggest thing I'm working on is character development and creating real people. And on the two words, even though we know what they refer to, this takes the meaning of the word from their archaic meaning... Hopefully that's a good enough clarification that opens up a bunch of more questions Thanks again for reading!

Chapter 2 is out! I finished my Science final yesterday, so one of the first things I did was finish the second chapter. Hope y'all like it, and feel free to comment on the Review Topic!

Chapter 2 is out! Again, more of the actual journey, though this hopefully starts setting up the following chapters. And yes, the next chapter should contain some more action! Any comments, criticism, and otherwise thoughts on it will be extremely appreciated! And again, thanks for taking time to read it.

A Mystery Explored Chapter 2 “Ajura, you know there’s no way I am letting either of you to go on this crazy mission.” “Yes, but hear me out, Razo-“ Orde stopped leaning on the wall and walked towards the Toa of Fire. “Alright, listen here, Razo. I hate to pull rank on you,” Razo eyed Orde and his insubordination. “But since I got started directly as a Toa, I think I know the Toa Code much better and have more experience under my belt, don’t you think?” Before Razo could answer, Orde continued. “I know you know that I distrust the League. But I haven’t left before, so you can’t tell me this is me caught up in my distrust of the League, because if it were so I would’ve left a long time ago. Second, this is about the Matoran, and we’re tasked with protecting the Matoran. If we can figure out why this Matoran disappeared, we can at lest bring peace of mind to Maglya. And third, we get to find out what’s going on out there! We have heard very little from traders and travellers, and you’ll forgive me for wanting to go on a recon mission.” Razo took a pause. As much as he hated to admit it, Orde had actually given him some decent reasons to go. If nothing else, Ajura would be able to keep him in check, no matter what. At least, that’s what he hoped. “Alright, fine. You can both leave at sundown. Make sure you don’t cause much of a disturbance.” Orde smiled and turned to leave. Ajura caught up with him as he travelled the hallways. “How did you get him on your side?” “I read his thoughts and knew what to reply to each of his concerns.” “Isn’t that a bit immoral?” “Not if the end result is saving Matoran, don’t you think?” Ajura paused to consider whether she was in support of Orde’s unorthodox methods. She couldn’t tell immediately. ”None of that matters now, however. Now we have to get ready to visit the Northern Continent. Who knows what we’ll find there, right?” As they strode towards the armory, Ajura spoke a bit softer. “Razo is still gonna want updates from us. Can your mental link extend that far?” “Probably not. But I’m sure we can find another way of communicating, don’t you think?” “But what if something happened to us?” Ajura knew Orde wasn’t concerned with her preventive measures, as he was already packing his bag. “Ajura, you worry too much. Look, your bag is already halfway full, so just finish making it, and we can discuss the contents later. And if something were to occur, I think being driven and being prepared will be enough of an insurance.” “Fine.” She’d humor him this time, but Ajura would nonetheless try to find a method of communication before leaving. After about fifteen minutes, Ajura spoke again. “Do you think this is too little?” Orde turned around to see Ajura clutching her Water Sabre, a week’s worth of food, and a Toa Badge. They were given to the Toa of Metru Nui as a distinction between those protected under the League’s trade agreement and those elsewhere in the universe. “No, I think that should be fine. I don’t expect much action during the trip, rather more of sleuthing.” “Coming from you, I find it shocking that you don’t expect any action,” Ajura teased him. “Which is why I expect to be quite bored for a good amount of the trip.” “It’s alright. If you fall asleep I’ll splash some water on your face.” Orde smiled. For the past seven hours, Orde had volunteered to steer their boat. However, night was in full, and Orde looked like he could pass out at any moment. Even his arguing with Ajura wasn’t as strong as it normally was, and so he eventually agreed to take a small nap. During this time Ajura used her water powers to move the boat. Again, why leave an amazing ability like controlling water and liquid protodermis to the machines when one wielded the power? Ajura could feel her muscles contracting and relaxing in sync with the waves, her circulatory system and mechanical parts communicating to make the waves move harmoniously in propelling the boat. It was a mindless task, but one that she was learning to fully immerse herself in. If Ajura could truly get in her head how these water powers worked and how they were connected to the elements, she would have a much better grasp of the energies at her disposal. Her thoughts, however, were disrupted by a loud whimper coming from below. Ajura abruptly stopped the waves and ran towards the lower level of the boat. She used one of their emergency torches to illuminate her surroundings, and saw Orde covered in sweat and whimpering, this time at a lower volume. “Orde, is everything alright?” Senseless garble. Ajura wondered whether her Rode would come in handy, but it seemed that if Orde himself wasn’t aware of what was going on, there was less of a chance for her to understand what was going on. She opted to bathe Orde in a small layer of warm water, helping him relax until he once again fell asleep. For the rest of the night, Ajura focused on any noises from below. Climbing up the small stairs, Orde stretched as he was greeted by the rising sun. He didn’t remember having a night sleep this good in a long time. He noticed Ajura was resting on the floor, having turned on the propeller. “Hey, friend!” he screamed. Ajura woke up startled, making the boat sway a bit. “You should’ve let me know when you were tired, I would’ve taken over for you!” “I didn’t want to do that to you, what with your nightmare and all…” “Nightmare? I slept great last night!” Ajura rubbed her eyes. “You mean you don’t remember the whimpering? Calling out in your sleep? None of that rings a bell?” “No, not really.” “Well that’s… odd. Anywho, you felt good because I gave you a water massage to calm you down. So you’re welcome for that.” Orde relieved Ajura from her post. “Well that was really kind of you. Go ahead and grab something to eat, I already took a bite.” “Do you have any idea how much we have left to go?” “I think we should be there sooner than we think we will.” “So you have no idea.” “Caught guilty as charged, ma’am.” “Alright, then just make sure you don’t miss the destination.” “It’s an entire continent, Ajura. Do you really think I’m that dim-witted?” She didn’t answer as she went to the lower level to take a nap. “THAT WASN’T MEANT TO BE RHETO- alright, fine then.” Orde slouched back into his seat. Knocking on the walls. “Ajura, wake up! We’re here!” Orde’s muffled voice carried even through the thick walls. Made sense, Ajura thought. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to hear his whimpers either. How weird, though, that he doesn’t remember them. As Ajura walked out of the lower level, she noticed the seaport coming into view. Plumes of smoke arose from the island. Alongside some tall buildings. If Ajura had to guess, they would belong either to the Turaga or Mantax, the ruling Barraki of the Northern Continent. She slung her knapsack on her back. “Are you ready?” “Ready as we’ll ever be.” Ajura took over from here, ensuring that the docking was meticulous but effective. One of the Matoran manning the seaport said so as Ord and Ajura got off the transport. As the walked out of the seaport, they saw Matoran of all types hurrying from one site to the next, no doubt with work to complete. That was what stuck out the most to Orde, however. The need to hurry across from one place to the next. As if they were all late, or running from something. “Alright, the Tren Krom Peninsula should be 30 minutes walking distance at the most. Let’s get over there and figure out what happened to Kadira. This place is already giving me the creeps.” Orde didn’t need to use is Psionics powers to sense that Ajura was in agreeance. As they walked off towards the treacherous Tren Krom Peninsula, one of the Matoran from the seaport that had been tailing them caught the name of the Po-Matoran. No one was supposed to know of Kadira. This was bad, very bad. They had the Metru Nui seals, but apart from that it didn’t seem like more of them were coming soon. Maybe they could take down two Toa? If they didn’t, VM wouldn’t be pleased at all, and all their livelihoods could be at stake. The decision was made. They had to send The Conjurer in. Review Topic

[12/10/14, 8:12:35 PM] The Zatthman: Brevity IS the soul of wit [12/10/14, 8:13:01 PM] Jon //Sisen: DONT WORDS ME [12/10/14, 8:13:06 PM] Jon //Sisen: YOU ARE NO LONGER MY [12/10/14, 8:13:09 PM] Jon //Sisen: FRIEND WITH WORDS [12/10/14, 8:13:13 PM] Jon //Sisen: OR WORDS WITH FRIENDS [12/10/14, 8:13:20 PM] Jon //Sisen: I'M DELETING THIS APP FOREVER [12/10/14, 8:13:22 PM] The Zatthman: aaaaAAAAAAAA [12/10/14, 8:13:27 PM] Jon //Sisen: zatth you are the weakest link [12/10/14, 8:13:28 PM] Jon //Sisen: GOODBYE [12/10/14, 8:13:32 PM] The Zatthman: nUUUUUUU [12/10/14, 8:13:42 PM] The Zatthman: BUT I AM ZATTHMAN THE BLEY [12/10/14, 8:13:50 PM] Jon //Sisen: YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE [12/10/14, 8:13:59 PM] The Zatthman: BUT I HAVE BLEY [12/10/14, 8:14:02 PM] The Zatthman: A LOT OF IT [12/10/14, 8:14:33 PM] Jon //Sisen: TAKE YOUR BLEY AND [12/10/14, 8:16:26 PM] The Zatthman: HOW DARE YOU [12/10/14, 8:16:30 PM] The Zatthman: YOU SHALL NOT PASS [12/10/14, 8:16:50 PM] Jon //Sisen: I'M BUYING YOU A BUNCH OF MEGABLOCKS AND MIXING ALL YOUR LEGO IN TOGETHER [12/10/14, 8:16:51 PM] Jon //Sisen: !!! [12/10/14, 8:16:58 PM] The Zatthman: DASTARDLY [12/10/14, 8:17:02 PM] The Zatthman: THAT’S DEVIOUS [12/10/14, 8:17:12 PM] Jon //Sisen: dun dun dun [12/10/14, 8:17:56 PM] The Zatthman: YOU DUN DUN DUN FOR [12/10/14, 8:18:27 PM] Jon //Sisen: Don't make me come over there [12/10/14, 8:18:40 PM] The Zatthman: BUT YOU LOVE TO TRAVEL [12/10/14, 8:21:50 PM] Jon //Sisen: do i love to traveL? [12/10/14, 8:21:57 PM] The Zatthman: MAYBE [12/10/14, 8:22:00 PM] The Zatthman: MAEBE [12/10/14, 8:22:06 PM] The Zatthman: MAY BEE [12/10/14, 8:22:10 PM] The Zatthman: THE BEE OF MAY [12/10/14, 8:22:22 PM] The Zatthman: THE IDES OF MARCH [12/10/14, 8:22:34 PM] The Zatthman: Everything returns to the Bard [12/10/14, 8:22:40 PM] Jon //Sisen: UNLESS [12/10/14, 8:22:44 PM] Jon //Sisen: THE BEES ARE DISAPPEARING [12/10/14, 8:22:45 PM] Jon //Sisen: THEN [12/10/14, 8:22:56 PM] The Zatthman: IT MEANS THEY ARE ALIENS [12/10/14, 8:23:00 PM] The Zatthman: DOO WEE OOO [12/10/14, 8:23:03 PM] The Zatthman: WEE OOO OOO

WILDCA- Wait a minute...