Perp

IC: Ember - Ostia, deck of the Fowadi A grin spread across her face for the third time that day - a record high. Turns out that this trip was a good idea after all, even if Po-Wahi was too arid for her taste. “A noble goal, aye. I could get behin’ that any day o’ the week. An’ it seems like there’ll be a might bit o’ fightin in the months ahead…” She stopped for a moment behind Kale, letting her eyes adjust to the dim, lightstone-lit cabins and corridors of the Fowadi - much, much larger than she was used to. “Cannae tell if I’m jus’ short or the vaessels I dun serv’d ‘board were made fer Matoran.” ___ __ _ IC: Jokaro - Po-Koro, Technology Emporium Nodding as Farzan complied and stood back, Jokaro steeled himself for what was next. He took a deep breath, praying he wasn’t going to end up in the hospital that day. “Patero, uh… V2? Yeah, V2 Patero prototype test firing… three, two, one…” THWUMPSHHH Well, he wasn’t dead, and the launcher had worked, releasing its air normally without anything flying apart. A small victory, but the next test would be the kicker. “How about that?” he chortled to himself, weighing the launcher in his hands. Definitely lighter, and the position of the pump would be more ergonomic once the form of the handle itself was modified. Recoil was more significant, but that was mostly due to the lack of a stock or even the pumphandle to brace himself on - something he could test later. Loosening up the clamps holding the breech closed, he slid the metal cover aside and bent down to reach into his pack, retrieving one of the more reliable munitions he’d carried with him on his grand tour - a smooth sphere of wood, perfectly sized to fit the interior diameter of the patero barrel snugly. He loaded it into the breech before sliding the cover closed and tightening the clamps again best he could. With the launcher now loaded, he dared not stare down the barrel as he pumped it this time, electing to, instead, awkwardly pump it from the intended position with this upgrade, only made so due to the perpendicular nature of the handle to the vector of the launcher itself. Eventually, the launcher’s bladder was primed all the way, and he once again called out when he was ready: “V2 Patero prototype test firing - live munitions! Three, two, one-” CHHPOOMPHSHHHHH Jokaro was thrown off his feet as the overpressured barrel failed at the breech and exploded, bits of the haphazard trigger mechanism tossed across the room. “Ow…”

IC: Safina - Near Ko-Wahi Dark Walk entrance Reaching down, Safina accepted the ice shard offered to her. “If you can provide shelter for my Exo-Matoran so it doesn’t freeze up while I speak with the Lieutenant, then I will gladly do what I can to ensure the safety of the expedition.” She turned the shard over in her hand, passing her thumb over the symbol. “What is this, by the way?”

IC: Safina - Near Ko-Wahi Dark Walk entrance The Turaga stayed her hand from the switch, turning back to the Guardwoman whose eyes had grown wide, her gaze distant. Safina nodded grimly at her question. “Darkness.” She took a breath before clarifying. “The shadows down those tunnels… they’re not natural. They… consume the light. They’ll play tricks on the mind, nag at you to turn back. If you don’t, and press on, they will ensnare you, deliver you directly to the jaws of the waiting beasts. “What the sellswords and I found within,” she gestured to the machine around her, “you’re looking at it. The rahkshi we slew were disassembled by Onu-Koronan engineers and built into this vessel. But I suspect that task may not be so easy now…” She wasn’t helping matters by being cryptic, and the Guard’s face showed it. “Bring the strongest light sources you have available, and as many of them as you can. Your new recruits will be the most susceptible to the manipulation of the shadow, and will need guidance all the way through - ideally they should not be at the front of the formation. If you have ranged weapons, they are your first line of defense once the rahkshi descend upon you. Allowing them to get close will be your downfall.” B4 whirred again as the photovoltaic cells kicked in and began to recharge the idle Exo-Matoran. “But all this is honestly moot if their tactics have changed in the wake of his return. I fear they will have adapted somewhat.”

IC: Safina - Near Ko-Wahi Dark Walk entrance She grimaced, closed her eyes, and shook her head; a d###ing trio if there ever was one. “Not enough. There were about as many of us the last time we went down there, mostly seasoned Toa. We only got so far until the rahkshi began to overwhelm us.” She would pray for the new recruits. Fresh faces unaccustomed to combat would never hold up against the forces of Makuta, especially if he himself was directing their every action. But, who knows - “ --maybe the Highlanders will make up the difference,” she muttered, and moved her hand over to the canopy switch.

IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, outside the Magma Lounge Her strike deflected, Torana shifted her weight again as she countered with a left hook to Saeva’s ribs - exactly the same side and target of Saeva’s strike to her own, at exactly the same time. The two Toa’s arms tangled upon each other, Saeva’s punch impacting weakly and Torana’s own interrupted and slipping past its target. Improvising, she opted to grapple instead, her left arm reaching behind Saeva as her right came back down and took its own shot at the Ta-Toa’s midsection.

IC: Safina - Near Ko-Wahi Dark Walk entrance Glancing past the Guard, she caught sight of the others in the distance forming up and taking positions, preparations seemingly coming to a close, and the real thing imminent. She made a low noise at the back of her throat, returning her gaze to the one before her. “It’s not exactly a question of ‘if,’ I’d say… More like ‘when.’ The rahkshi are terrifying enough in their own right. If he has returned… well…” The Turaga suppressed another shiver as the wind blew more snow into the canopy. “How many are you sending in?”

IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, outside the Magma Lounge The stars orbiting her vision began to fade, and Saeva drew nearer. Torana, still not ready to strike back just yet, relaxed her legs, ready to duck out of the way when the next blow came. She didn’t have to wait very long, as Saeva braced herself and delivered her kick. Whoa there! Leaning back as well as her spine could allow, her forward foot left the ground for a split second as Saeva’s kick passed her torso by a hair’s breadth. But Tor- What was it her brother had told her all those years ago? “Find yourself a girl and settle down…” No, that wasn’t it. “Keep yourself steady, Tor.” That was the one. Alright, Sareta, you got your wish. Let me return the favour... Pushing her weight back forward, her forward foot once again contacted the cobblestones underneath, her forward momentum anchoring her there - “Steady, Tor!” - as she leaned forward and delivered a right cross, leveled at her friend’s face. Blow for blow.

IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, outside the Magma Lounge She had her. No question. Tor had nary a moment to stabilize herself before Saeva was on her, stupid grin still plastered on her face and having the time of her life. The least Torana could do was pay her back, blow for blow. As Saeva’s fist swung towards her face, Tor swung the shinai up into- Wait. The shinai wasn’t in her hand anymore. Her brain registered the bamboo weapon on the ground a couple feet away - inadvertently dropped during her roll - a microsecond before impact. ⭒ ✦ ⭒ ⭒ ✦ ☆ ✦ ⭒ ☆ ⭒ ⭒ ☆ OW ☆ ⭒ ⭒ ☆ ⭒ ✦ ☆ ✦ ⭒ ⭒ ✦ ⭒ The hit sent her stumbling away, but luckily she managed to stay standing, albeit shakily. She took a few more steps backward and instinctively raised her arms to guard against further strikes as she started to regain her composure and clarity of vision.

IC: Safina - Near Ko-Wahi Dark Walk entrance She thumbed the cockpit canopy button, and the glass screen swiveled open. Completely unnecessary, but she thought it rude to speak to others through it. The icy blast that threatened to freeze her solid right then and there provided a compelling counter-argument, however. “I’m departing Ko-Koro for Onu-Koro,” she replied as the canopy finished its upward travel. “I was simply pondering on the darkness within the chasm, and couldn’t help but notice your preparations outside it. I decided to pass by before heading to the Ussal Highway.” Her voice grew grim, and lowered as much as it could be to be heard over the howling gale: “You’re going down there?”

IC: Ember - Ostia, deck of the Fowadi “Too right, Toa Kale. Haven’ we all..” Ember followed the Toa of Iron through the door, descending into the starkly-lit corridors of the giant ship, and marvelling at just how spacious its compartments were compared to other vessels she’d served and taught aboard. “Was first mate meself back in the ol’ fishin’ days… ‘S a lotta fine and gruelling work, lad. Rewardin’ though, if ye’ve got the spine fer it an’ a good skipper.” Her expression darkened a fraction when he mentioned Onewa and the fate of his fellow Turaga. “I remember th’ day they called me back ‘cross the Break - was chaos and madness o’er the whole island.” A few voices, quite distinct, emanated up from a few decks below. Her expression darkened further. “Lost too many good folk that day, an’ the days followin’.” ___ __ _ IC: Jokaro - Po-Koro, Technology Emporium ...what? He wasn’t one for poetry. He simply grunted, nodding in agreement. Finally, they arrived at the target range - a ramshackle affair not unlike the launcher being held together by hope and prayer alone. “Well,” he began, setting down his pack and turning the launcher over in his hands, “guess a dry-fire would be in order first. Let’s hope this thing doesn’t explode on me.” Pumping the launcher up with the new position of the handle, but the handle itself’s old geometry turned out to be a hassle. Jokaro gave up on holding the pistol grip in his main hand, and elected to just put the launcher’s back-end on the ground and work the pump with both hands, the barrel pointing up at his face. It it misfired now, he’d be in for one h### of a concussion. Fortunately, that did not happen after he gave the launcher the requisite number of pumps. He rifled through his pack, and some other junk he’d brought along, clamping a bent sheet of metal over the exposed breech. Satisfied, he picked the contraption back up, turning it towards the open end in the range. “You may want to stand back,” he intoned to Farzan.

IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, outside the Magma Lounge It was only by mere inches that she’d been able to dodge out of the way of Saeva’s charge and deliver her own blow, and doing so had put her off balance as she adjusted her stance to her new position. What she wasn’t counting on was for Saeva to improvise, swinging her legs back around to sweep Torana’s when she was still regaining her footing - the hit connected and the Vo-Toa began to topple. But let it be known that Torana Avaliona, slippery ###### as she was and daughter of the Le-Wahi jungle, was not one to fall ungracefully. Rather than stumble over, she allowed herself to fall sideways, catching the ground with shoulder and hands, executing her roll and re-planting both legs on the ground, pushing herself up with her other hand as she raised her head to get eyes back on the Ta-Toa.

IC: Ember - Ostia, deck of the Fowadi “Ah, I knew a lil lass like ye when I was a wee one…” Being drawn into another memory, Kale once again brought her back to earth. "If you'll come with me I'll get us started on the tour while you two keep talking." Now she was the one to turn pink. Well, not really, since she was already red, but she was excited to head belowdecks for the first time in years. “Aye aye, right behind ye. Might I also inquire as tae yer rank ‘board the Fowadi, Toa Kale? Are ye also a vet’ran o’ the Guard?” ___ __ _ IC: Jokaro - Po-Koro, Technology Emporium He brushed the dust from his shoulder, quickly bundling up his fallen pack and the ramshackle launcher sitting on the workbench. “You had any bright ideas of your own for new technology in my absence, Farzan?”

IC: Safina - Near Ko-Wahi Dark Walk entrance The wind began to pick up as she made her way down from the ridgeline, freezing cold and miniscule shards of ice biting at her even through the small gaps where the Exo-Matoran’s windshield fit into place. Conditions were not ideal for B4, and she’d need to get to the Onu-Koro tunnel soon before the suit’s joints froze up completely. It was times like this where regrets about taking the suit crept into the back of her conscious mind. Was she lying to herself when she surmised that use of B4 was simply an extension of her abilities? It was stronger, tougher, sure… but it couldn’t move as fast as she was, feel the pain of an enemy’s strike and react accordingly… There were times that it felt more like a burden than a boon. The suit seemed to whine and whirr in response, struggling to trudge through the deepening drifts. “Easy, B4,” she whispered, as if reassurance would help it carry on, “It’s just a squall, it’ll pass…” She couldn’t know that for sure. Now she was passing the myriad fortifications surrounding the Dark Walk, and she could get a closer look at the forces stationed there - checking their weapons and armor, ensuring their equipment and defenses were prepared, standing in formation. They were going down there. For a moment, the darkness came back to her.

IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, outside the Magma Lounge Bull, meet flag. While Torana was expecting another strike from Saeva’s sheathed blade, a tackle worked even better. Prepared this time, her legs snapped straight as she pushed herself aside, the angle of her stance carrying her out of the way of Saeva’s charge. At the same time, she brought the shinai up in a one-handed strike as Saeva shot by, aimed squarely at the Ta-Toa’s ribs. DŌ As long as she was having fun.

IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, outside the Magma Lounge Karz she’s faster than I remem- She brought the shinai up to meet the downward arc of Saeva’s sheathed blade, deflecting it to her left as she broke her two-handed grip and hopped a couple steps to the right and back, bringing her own weapon back up to bear as she made some room between the two of them. The lightweight shinai was no match for the sheer mass of Saeva’s sword when it came to blocking like that. Attrition was not going to cut it. Attrition alone never cut it. She took another step back, shifting the position of her feet and loosening up her knees a bit. Grinning, she opened her guard up, shinai still held with one hand. “Come on, Sareta, you can hit harder than that!”

IC: Ember - Ostia, deck of the Fowadi She raised an eyebrow. “Tae Red Starr ye say, lass? Hmm…” Unlike Rynekk beside her, she couldn’t claim to have ever seen anything stranger than a living, sentient mask - but then again given all the strange things she had seen, it probably wasn’t that much of a stretch. That said, if anything were to stretch the boundaries of her experience, it would be the Red Star. Reaching into her satchel, she pulled out her sextant. “Ye know what this is, aye?” she said, addressing all around her. “Young’ins like ye pro’ly dinnae - feel free tae make an ol’ seadog feel better if ye do - anyway... Is a sextant. Clever lit’l device made fer measurin’ angles ‘tween the horizon an’ stars fer navigatin'.” Looking down, she thumbed over the engraved markings on the arc. It was the only thing she’d been able to save from the wreck of the Brined Anchor all those years ago… She raised her head to the gathered few and continued before she got too lost in the memory. “Thing is, tae Red Starr ain one to be measurin’ with. Not ‘cause it moves unlike th’rest, mind ye - is path ‘cross tae sky is well-charted - but ‘cause is said tae be cursed, aye. Legends aplenty o’ ships that do, an’ get totally lost at sea, sometimes never returnin’. Others ‘bout freak storms seemingly brewin from nothin’, crimson lightnin’ shearin’ down tae th’ waters like Mata Nui chuckin’ spears at takea - and tae Starr a bloodlet eye, peerin’ down through th’ swirlin’ clouds… “But those are jus’ legends, aye. No-one in my day measur’d by the Red Starr for fear of ‘em comin’ true regardless. I’ve met men that claim some’a those tales to be theirs, but…” She trailed off, flipping the sextant over in her hands before looking up at the diminutive figure of Luten atop Kale’s head, giving her a warm smile. “But if yer a result of the Starr’s queer nature, Miz Luten, I’d like tae believe they are just tall tales.” ___ __ _ IC: Jokaro - Po-Koro, Technology Emporium “AH!” Jokaro spun around in his chair, spooked at the sudden appearance of Farzan behind him. “Karz, don’t do that… wait, what is this?” He eyed the peculiar metal tube in front of him, held aloft by Farzan, to whom he gave a suspicious, questioning look. … … “Oh, right. The barrel.” He plucked the pipe - that’s honestly what it was at this point, anyway - from Farzan’s grasp, spinning back around as he got back to work attaching it. “Well, it’s not going to fit too well into the mounting plate here, but…” he began muttering, speaking mostly to himself. “If I use this as a spacer - yes, that’ll work. We’ll have to machine some new grooves here, so we can install a breech cover that fits properly… but for now this piece of junk is just for testing purposes, I think. Nothing a bent piece of sheet metal and some clamps can’t fix. Hrng!” He struggled to twist the new barrel into its mounting plate all the way, but eventually it was secure enough for his liking. He looked to Farzan. “We’ve got a testing area or firing range around here, right? You don’t just go shooting into the ceiling?” A bit of dust from what looked to be a rather recent impact mark in the ceiling above them fell onto Jokaro’s shoulder.

IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, outside the Magma Lounge It’d been a long, long time since she’d wielded a short blade, and she was definitely rusty with anything other than her old polearm; Saeva’d definitely have the advantage here... but Torana was quicker - she at least knew that. Let’s see how this goes. Turning the shinai over in her hands, Torana ran her palm over the length of the “blade,” feeling the texture of the grain. She twirled her wrist around, sussing out the balance of the weapon before settling into a low stance, left hip forward and both hands on the grip, the tip of the shinai pointed square at Saeva’s head. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. “Let’s do it.”

IC: Safina - Ko-Koro exterior Darkness. An abyss so deep that by clawing oneself back out of it, the other side from whence you came likewise becomes the abyss, stretching upward forever. Nothing beneath your feet. Nothing above your arms. Neither falling nor rising. Bereft of all senses, each slowly dissolving into the void until all that is left is that silent echo of oneself straining, pushing back against the abyss. But there is nothing to push against, nothing to grasp between teeth or palms and tear into but exactly that - oneself; and to lose oneself to the abyss is to do exactly that. To lose oneself in the abyss of the mind. That all-encompassing darkness that perverts every corner of self until nothing original remains and the whole is corroded forever. Until a handhold is found. Not immediately, not even in the next moment or the next or the next. That single stone onto which one must fixate or slip further - it finds you, and you find it. A chance meeting made only more common by entropy and the changing of all things. Some call it Destiny. Others call it Luck. The abyss calls it a falsity, or a mirage, or some other petulant lie - and you call the abyss a liar and deceiver, lest the abyss take you again and that handhold disappears. And if you’re one of the lucky few that can climb from the abyss after being drowned in its siren song for god-knows-how-long and touch your fingers to your face, and exclaim that yes, indeed, you are free of that darkness, and fill your lungs with new life… To see the sun again and know that it, too, emerges from the inkstained tapestry through which it peers - its fire becomes yours to burn away the tendrils of dark, excise the tumour from your mind. Emerge. Artathi, she intoned, her inner voice reverberating deep within the throngs of her being, grant me my sight to see the path before me. Grant me the wisdom of the stars. Grant me the strength to move my limbs and the clarity of mind to feel all the world. Silence. Be with me, Artathi. A murmur in the dark: I am here. ___ __ _ Safina stared at the gaping maw of the Dark Walk for a long while. Watching the Sanctum Guard milling about around it, scurrying to and fro, erecting further icy fortifications and watching the chasm for movement performing combat drills. There was more activity here than usual - another imminent assault to clear the passage, perhaps? It was scarcely a matter of months ago that she was striding down the goliath cavern, with a small group of others - mostly Toa, she the only Turaga. Piercing through that memory was the sensation of how the shadow seemed to squeeze at their throats, choke the very life out of them as they carried on deeper and deeper into nothingness. It was not long before the banshee-wailing of the beasts down below cut through the all-encompassing, pure silence. They cried out for their father, for the nurturing cold caress of his will. When they, too, were met with that silence, they cried out for blood, their only directive now to kill. All had heard the rumours, of the return of that darkest darkness dwelling beneath the deepest recesses of the world. A presence guiding the Rahkshi, spurring them on with greater intelligence, driving them upwards in careful, calculating steps, stopping short of the light. Perhaps they, too, were preparing, drilling - watching the surface for any premature incursion. Nestled carefully on the overlook, Safina sat within her Exo-Matoran - a tangle of deep-black mechanisms and servos, matte against the blinding white of Ko-Wahi. She powered down B4’s systems again, conserving and regenerating power as she continued to watch, gazing deeply into the ominous pit before her… The deepest darkness, nestled within a halo of blinding white.

don't tell arms

IC: Ember - Ostia, deck of the Fowadi Ember’s expression scrunched up, as if she had taken a bite of the sour remana-fruit, common fare on Ga-Koronan ships and the flavour of which she so vividly remembered… And as sour as those fruits were, the tiny figure before her was totally the opposite. But she was still as befuddled as before. “Yer… his mask…? But ah can see ye there jus’... sittin’ up on ‘is head… How can- oh…” She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. “What a strange morn ‘tis today. This sun be bakin’ me ‘ead fer sure…” ___ __ _ IC: Jokaro - Po-Koro, Technology Emporium It was only after several hours’ work that Jokaro got the new trigger system working to his liking. Whereas standard patero design simply had the trigger pivot on a pin, which in turn pushed a plunger that opened the spring-loaded gas seal (a simple yet elegant mechanism, he noted), Jokaro’s solution to the reconfiguring of the air pump was… brutalist, to say the least. He decided to hijack the trigger pin on the previous iteration, attaching small steel bars that wrapped around the bulk of the pump body which now blocked direct access to the plunger, thereby creating a cam system. The ends of the bars met where the pump’s plumbing ended, allowing the strip of metal to be bent down into a rudimentary straight-pull trigger, rather than a pivot. It was crude, rickety and a veritable mess, but pulling the bar backwards and hearing the click of the gas valve plunger releasing meant that he’d at least done something right. To cap it off, he chiseled away at the wood of the old pistol grip, trying to get it to fit into its new position at least six inches rear of where it previously sat. It was horribly mismatched, and he had to use some of the spare wood from the breech cover (it wasn’t going to fit the new barrel diameter anyway) in order to secure the connection. At long last, he sat back and admired the horribly ugly half-completed Frankenstein's monster that was the patero launcher in front of him. He heard the lathe powering down behind him.

IC: Ember, Ostia, deck of the Fowadi She watched the Fe-Toa and Skyra exchange obscenities before the former began to cross the deck, Ember watching him like a hawk, trying to wrack her brain for exactly why he seemed familiar. Her eyes shot open when Kale explained who he was. “Thass Shaddix?” she blurted incredulously, before relaxing her posture and crossing her arms. Her gaze once again became that of scrutiny. “Hrm. Thought he’d be taller.” After a pregnant pause during which the Ta-Matoran continued to size up the mercenary with laser-focus, Kale managed to snap her out of her stupor. "Ember and...Tekmo? Welcome to the Fowadi, mobile base of the Aggressor task force. We are always looking for new members." “Ye’ve got an impressive ship here, Toa Kale, but I’m afraid I AH-” She had completely tuned out Luten’s announcement of her arrival atop Kale’s head - a sight the startled Ember was not prepared to see when she turned around. That mystery could not wait any longer, as she now examined the miniscule form atop her Sanok mount. “Pardon, lass but… what are ye?”

IC: Verakastian - Fortress Khy;Barr, the Foundries Karzahni. That’s where he was. This must be Karzahni… The moment that Gohkar stepped out from behind Lord Arms, Verakastian felt yet another jolt pierce its way through his heart. The Distiller was, by far, the one of Arms’ top lieutenants that unnerved him the least - be it his general easygoing attitude towards Verak himself, or the fact that he mostly (mostly) kept to his own passions in much the same way the Armorer did, or… Mata Nui, he could never understand half of what this man was saying. And he just… clammed up, every time, for fear of misunderstanding a phase, or an intonation, or pronunciation... Knowing just how explosive Lenfiddich could be, it wouldn’t surprise Verakastian that saying the wrong thing in response to what he perceived to be a sentence would result in serious harm to his person. He almost never opened his mouth around him. He couldn’t help but feel that his warm smile and brotherly attitude was but a guise, his eyes hiding barely-contained malice. But at least he wasn’t- "It seems the freedom you so coveted has still left you craven, gunsmith." No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no- Anyone but him, please. He’d rather be within arms reach of Vana than be close to- The skeleton was with him. The deathshead visage of the warlord who had once enslaved him, prattling around behind his living brother who wore such a similar face to the once that had occupied Verakastian’s sight in his final moments. Reduced to nothing but a puppet. He shuddered again, watching its unnatural movements. The old warlord was not long dead before Dinsmokk had raised him again, the body’s flesh still decaying over the months as the bones continued as if nothing had happened. One day, the rest of the flesh had simply disappeared, the skeleton picked clean, the faded ivory spotless. Verakastian, under no circumstances, intended to find out where that necrotic tissue had gone. And now, here he was, surrounded on all sides by those he feared the most. His worst nightmare. Had the foundries’ heat not already caused him to perspire, the beads of sweat would’ve been a tell-tale sign of his terror. That, plus his body language, tone of voice, hand tremors, heavy breathing… It was about the time that Arms bent low to release Vana’s bindings that he found enough drive within himself to push past Gohkar, muttering “I must go” or something to that effect and called after the two Kaiakan brothers. THUNK-THUNK-THUNK-THUNK-THUNK-THUNK “Corlius, Larex!” They shut off the impact hammer and wordlessly turned to face him. Verakastian took a few moments to catch his breath and steady himself. “Where- where is your brother...?” Larex and Corlius’ expressions twisted in puzzlement, before they both casually pointed at each other, still silent. “No! No. You- hrrng. Y-your other brother.” They blinked, and then finally spoke in unison. “Moh?” “Yes, Moh!” They shrugged. He sighed. “Well, find him! We are…” he turned to look over his shoulder at the motley group assembled behind him, half hidden by shadow. Wincing, he removed the goggles and rubbed at his eyes, smearing the lines where his eyewear had kept out the carbon on his face. “...leaving Khy;Barr. Temporarily. You three will stay here, and-” He lowered his voice, ensuring the others would not hear him. “...and make sure the skathi do not burn Lord Arms’ library in our absence. Understood?” Once again, they paused as if in thought for a moment, before nodding in unison. “Mmh…” he grumbled, before turning back to whence he had come, and slowly returned to the four others. He wasn’t counting the skeleton.

IC: Jokaro - Po-Koro, Technology Emporium The characteristic sound of the lathe spinning up dominated the room as Farzan began taking material off of the patero barrel bit by bit. On the other side of the workshop, Jokaro pulled a stool up the bench and retrieved his tools and magnifying lenses, stowed nearby. The next couple hours were spent poring over the internal workings of the launcher, and consulting the myriad notes he’d inscribed over his grand tour of the island. The first time he’d felt frustration with the weapon had merely been a few days into his trip, down on Naho Bay where he was spearfishing with the local Ga-Koronans. He’d purchased himself a small boat from a local fisherwoman looking to make an upgrade, and soon paddled himself into a quiet corner of the bay. There, he would wait for akodi fish to come close enough in order to spear them. He didn’t end up catching very many. On the second day, he was even less fortunate. He’d decided to take a quick nap whilst relaxing on the bay and listening to the sounds of the waves rolling in. He woke up to a moa bird trying to steal his scarce bounty of akodi and tanta, and, understandably, tried to prevent this from happening through application of force with his only paddle. Emphasis on only. Clearly, the bird did not take kindly to this, wresting the paddle from Jokaro’s grasp with laughable ease and tossing it much too far out of his reach, and flying away with his day’s catch to boot. Embarrassing. The tides carried his paddle further and further away, and his raggedy vessel away from land. With not much else on his person to use, it didn’t take him long to try to use the blast from his unloaded patero to propel him to safety. It was a long, long day. Pump-pump-pump-pump-pump-pump, fire. Pump-pump-pump-pump-pump-pump, fire. Rinse and repeat, ad nauseum. By the time that he got close enough to another boat to signal for help, his arms felt like they were about to fall off; it especially didn’t help that the location of the patero’s pump meant that he was constantly having to switch hands and move the thing around, let alone aim it in the right direction. That was the second thing that he felt needed improvement - placement of the pump-handle - and that’s what he was working on now. Having replaced the blown gas seal and removed the pump and trigger mechanism, Jokaro went to work, intent on flipping the former so the handle and pump direction were facing opposite of their original position. Turning the pump housing and its plumbing around a-hundred-eighty degrees was easy enough; the tough part was that the trigger mechanism was now blocked. If he moved the whole trigger assembly rear of the pump, though…

IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, outside the Magma Lounge “Hmm...” She examined the Yari’s blade, the hazy orange Ta-Koro lamplight casting fiery reflections off its polished edges. Finally she turned to Erzu, flipping the Yari over and extending the blunt side towards him, palms upturned underneath the handle and fingers open. “Trade you.”

IC: Ember - Ostia, deck of the Fowadi She turned her head back to Kale and broke the handshake, just in time to get a glimpse of a small, crystalline figure sitting atop the disk launcher operated by the Ko-Toa to whom she had not yet been introduced. ...tae f###...? She shook her head. A mystery for another time. She did not know who… or what… that was. Turning around again, she spied the figure that Skyra had made such a fuss about, and though he seemed familiar, she couldn’t place him. She elbowed Kale lightly, watching the pair down the gangplank carefully. “Who’s that, lad?”