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BZPRPG - Ko-Wahi


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IC: Agrona - Ko-Koro Warehouse

As Korero appeared, I felt myself clutch at Oreius' mask underneath my cloak. He must have known that the Toa's visage was missing if he did not realize it when rushing from the crowd. I needed to get the mask to safety, but I could not abandon Eisen. One Maru was formidable enough, but two would have no problem dispatching my ally. Not to mention, with Korero's ability to teleport I would not get far. I stepped out from the shadows and into view, dual kukri blades drawn.

"You are as welcome as the plague, Stannis Maru," I hissed, "You're no guest. Neither of you are." I looked at Stannis' wound, dripping blood on the floor. He should be our first target if he was already wounded. But with Korero here to protect him, that would not be so easy. If I could keep him away from Eisen, perhaps he could make an opening.

I shifted my gaze to the wiry Toa of air, my voice becoming much more song-like.
"Back so soon? Oreius' death must have been very swift for you to abandon him so quickly." The insects underneath my cloak buzzed angrily and I readied my blades. "Come to me, child. I will send you to him shortly."

Edited by Palm
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OOC: been a long time

IC: Vine - approaching Ihu-Koro

"... Moss. Of a rare breed adapted to the Ko-Wahi mountainous climate. But growth is slow, not suitable for insulation nor for decorative purposes."

A Bo-Toa covered in multiple layers of coats and cloaks clutched a handful of moss, muttering half-remembered trivia while poring over every detail of the plant. After finishing his meditations, he cupped the moss in his hands and breathed warm breath into it, before rubbing it into a rock. Infusing the moss with his elemental power, he watched with satisfaction as it rapidly spread over the stone, before getting back up and resuming his course towards the nearest sign of civilization.

Ko-Wahi had become a turbulent place in an equally turbulent time. To think that the Spirit's Shadow being bound would not herald the Omnipresent Spirit's awakening, but rather the awakening of a small shadow inside each and every heart. But Vine wouldn't know much about it beyond those surface-level fears; he had sequestered himself from the world after an epiphany. Not of some grand spiritual realization, that would come later. No, the epiphany was just how much of an idiot he had been in his youth. Fortunately, the icy wastes of Ko-Wahi would not bring many reminders of his former folly.

Ihu-koro. Vine didn't remember the place being so lively the last time he visited. Truth be told, the village never made much of an impression on him at all. But he needed to resupply, and Ihu-Koro was preferable than making the trip all the way to Ko-Koro. Nothing but darkness resided there now. But perhaps the same could be said of here? Unsure of what to expect, Vine took his first steps into the settlement.

Edited by Constructman
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IC: Arabeth/Ihu-Koro

The Toa of Lightning slowly came to, her head still swimming. As her vision cleared, she realised someone had brought her into the village and laid her unconscious body under shelter, amidst several quietly dozing drunks.

Her body still ached from the strain of the battle she'd fled and the cold she'd endured in the journey, but for the first time in a while, she felt safe.

That's as good as it's going to get...

Lying there in a state of lethargy for what must have seemed like hours, the mercenary finally decided she'd recuperated enough to find proper food and shelter. Her limbs creaked as she slowly got up and began to survey the village. She was still near the entrance, and decided it was as good a place as any to ask for directions. In addition, the people of Ihu-Koro were likely to be safer to approach then, well, most other places.

1 hour ago, Constructman said:

IC: Vine - approaching Ihu-Koro

"Excuse me, would you know where I can find food and board?"

 

IC: The Warden/Ko-Koro Warehouse

3 hours ago, Palm said:

IC: Agrona - Ko-Koro Warehouse

As Agrona stepped out of the shadows, Greisk hung back, staying out of view of the Maru. He readied his weapons silently, attention trained on the newcomer.

Cyrena, the Anxilia, had noticed the avenue of escape the hostages had undertaken, but she did not need to posit to Greisk as to whether they should notify their... colleagues. She already knew the answer was no.

 

IC: Lunefeld/Near the Warehouse

8 hours ago, Vezok's Friend said:

IC [Sisk - Skies above Ko-Koro]:

Lunefeld activated his Huna and retreated for cover once he saw the flight struggle and one of them taken down by a sniper, one of the Nightfall, if memory served. As he pressed up behind a wall, he scanned the battlefield, looking for another volley of projectiles, and not a moment too soon.

A second group had dove on the sniper's position from a different angle, flanking the Skakdi. Anticipating their attack, Lunefeld reached out with his power again and manipulated the gravity fields around the path of the projectiles once they were loosed, irregularly changing the gravity along the approach path of the projectiles. He watched with satisfaction as most of the disks and explosives veered off-course, cockscrewed through the air or simply seemed to lose all momentum. A couple of spears landed several steps from the sniper, but he had done his job. He scanned for the next volley, Huna still activated.

Edited by NorikSigma
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IC (Rorg)

An unexpected pattern emerges, although I should have foreseen it. As the winds change direction, a wave of riders approaches from another direction. I have little cover—the overhanging roof will not shield me from much, and I am otherwise a lone man standing against a wall to face a firing squad. My fingers move without conscious thought, reloading my rifle quickly but not quickly enough to shoot down the hail of projectiles that begins to fall.

My hand moves for the door, but before I can grasp the handle, I see the storm suddenly abate as disks and explosives shift in the air, their momentum changing direction or vanishing in an instant. My mind flicks through possibilities and lands on the most likely: an ally. I remind myself that Ko-Koro is still ours. We took it in a night, but we will not lose it in a day. Not to the Maru. Not to anyone. We have planned for these eventualities, and we will run this scenario through to its inevitable end.

The latest attack thwarted, I raise my rifle again. My scope finds another rider. I watch patiently as he guides his mount into a banking turn, wait for a gust of wind to force his abrupt ascent—

Another shot rings out and another rider falls, but I have already turned my eye to the next. Each bird is a point of heat against the unforgiving sky, a set of coordinates that will eventually align with the barrel of my gun. These riders are skilled, but they cannot dominate this Wahi like they have their birds. The mountain is unyielding and the wind is inexorable. They must submit to the pattern of the storm or be destroyed, and in their submission they make themselves known to me.

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OOC: Listening Recommendation

IC [Sisk - Skies above Ko-Koro]:

Another pass, another rider down, though Sisk caught a glimpse of him crashing into a powdery snowbank - still moving - and thanked the spirit for such luck. 

By the time their enemies had dealt with the second volley - definitely gravity control the way the disks dropped - a third and a fourth had been loosened. They knew the Koro's unlawful defenders were skilled and had elected to overwhelm their defenses with sheer volume. Don't give them time to breathe, the briefing had said.

But the Gukko riders that had loosened them didn't race past in a straight line anymore after the first sniper attack. The first flight split in two, half rising pulling sharply up, disappearing into the grey, two immediately going low and turning sideways to break line of sight. The second flight scattered entirely, the four birds going off in different directions. They'd reform once they were back in the clouds.

Meanwhile, Sisk had rejoined the holding pattern, two other flight leads on Kahu nearby. "We lost another!" one shouted. Sisk nodded. "I saw! The winds forcing us in their line of fire and someone's pulling the disks off-target!"

"We better go ballistic!"

"Agreed!" Sisk shouted. "I'll take point!"

Losses had been expected, but maybe they could avoid them while keeping up their attack's momentum. The two other flights formed up around Sisk's own. While the rest of the Gukko force kept up the initial zigzagging attack, a dozen birds rose together behind them. In formation as a flat circle they ascended until they were high above the area they'd taken fire from. Then Sisk rolled into a vertical dive, or rather a graceful fall, his Kahu folding back its wings, the others following suit. Without their lift, the birds were much less susceptible to the storm wind and coming in much faster than before. 

Coming in straight from above, the backseaters opened up with their Madu and Kanoka. The disks tore at the legacy's cover, the explosive fruit tore craters in the ice, sending frozen shrapnel flying. At the last possible moment, Sisk yanked back on the reigns. Skyscratcher's feathers flared, immediately catching the air. The dozen birds split in a starburst pattern, each racing away in a different direction. 

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IC: Lunefeld

Still cloaked, Lunefeld took the chance to move back to the cluster of buildings near the arena where the duel had taken place, where he and Sylus(where was he anyway?) had been observing the duel. The birds had by now changed their tactics, and now a small group were making much steeper dives, going almost straight down before launching their attacks and pulling up.

I will gladly oblige their descent.

While their attacks ripped through some of the cover in the open, throwing shrapnel in the air, Lunefeld worked his power again, and needed no subtle application of force this time. He sharply raised the gravity of several of the riders as they screeched down, hampering their re-ascent, causing some minor hits by surviving Legacy guards. Lunefeld noted that one of them was clearly killed on impact upon smashing into the hard ice at full speed, and watched as a second rider was slowed enough that pulling out of the dive was not enough to save the Gukko nor its rider, both riddled with crossbow bolts from several Legacy troops brave enough to peek out of ever-diminishing cover.

As he manipulated the high-gravity nodes around to catch some of the shrapnel and toss them at the retreating riders, his mind focussed on the wider situation. What did they hope to achieve? They definitely did not have the numbers to inflict strategic damage.

They're stalling for time. Preventing aid for the ongoing battle in the Warehouse, or some other plan yet to reveal itself.

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13 hours ago, NorikSigma said:

IC: Arabeth/Ihu-Koro

"Excuse me, would you know where I can find food and board?"

IC: Vine - Ihu-Koro

A Vo-Toa had approached him, perhaps mistaking him for a local. "Spirits bless you, but apologies. I just arrived and I don't know this town very well. I'm very much looking for the same thing."

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IC:

"She's right. Look what you've done to the yard." 

The situation had changed and not all for the better, a fact that made the Toa of Iron's mouth quirk into a frown. Necromancer. He wasn't a fool, as much as the situation still appeared to be going their way that would change. Fast. Fyrua and Karnak had not returned to speak of victory, and he did not hear any commotion from below. The hostages were gone. With them went any hope of holding the Koro much longer, even if they repelled the invaders. Something made more unlikely by the bird cries outside and the rhythmic report of Rorg's rifle. 

The Brotherhood would have come in handy. Or the Piraka.

"It's time for you to leave, Wanderer." Eisen's gaze wandered to the dripping blood from the Maru's shoulder, and he smiled. The fight wasn't worth waging, nor was he overeager to pit his luck against two Maru, but it wasn't a losing proposition. Not with Agrona watching his back, her little pet lurking in the corners and Lunefield about unseen. No, it was a fight they could win. But not one worth fighting. It would only waste time. "Walk away, if you'd like. Or we can get to know each other better."

IC:

Krayn whistled, a quick, low sound. Kale had gotten the job done, that was for sure.

Not that it was a full deterrent, he could still hear the yelling. And some would quickly come up and over the wreckage under their own power. It had bought time, but not an abundance. And they would still have to clear the gates. He started walking, quickly, and gestured for the others to get moving.

"Good work, Kale. Let's go. Do not stop for anything, if we get surrounded we're done for. We need to get out and regroup."

Edited by Krayzikk
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On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

 

 

  Breaking Point: An OTC Mecha RPG

 

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IC:

I had quickly turned and started to move towards Cyrix, but before even getting close to the man it was obvious that his injuries were bad enough I couldn't do much more than stop the bleeding with the mask. Just as I finished doing that much, Krayn whistled out to us all. Just the news I didn't want to receive; it was time for us to run, with a member of the group who wasn't easily capable of doing such. "I hope they aren't broadheads, too," I replied to him. "That would prove rather problematic for all of us."

I put Cyrix's arm around my shoulders, so that I could support his weight. With the two of us in the middle of the group, we'd be as well protected as possible—which would be necessary, with neither of us really being in shape to fight with what we were doing. "If you feel like your leg is giving out too much," I said to him, "Let me know. I'll carry you up over my shoulders like they do in the Ta-Koro guard."

I really hoped that wouldn't have to happen. I was probably the smallest Toa in the group, after all.

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profiles i guess

i'm a south american giant otter now

 

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Kale Ironshaper- Ko-koro- Warehouse

IC: "Agreed. I'll clear the path, you all focus on getting out."

The terse words floated back over Kale's shoulder, his eyes still focused on the hostile land ahead of them. Most of the Makuta worshipers were still stuck behind the collapsed building but the koro was full of the thugs. More arrived every minute as the noise and commotion echoed out across the town. Even with what looked to be a raid by the Gucko Force, this place was not a friendly one. Ko-koro's day of liberation was coming but today would not be that day.

Screams and cries of alarm split the icy winter air around the party as they moved out. Exploding Madu Cabolo sent gouts of frozen stone flying every which way. Stray disks sliced through flesh and slammed into the shaped ice of a dozen statues and buildings. It was absolute chaos. Thankfully, that chaos meant that the infiltration team was having a much easier time slipping through the ruined streets than might have been otherwise possible. Injured people weren't exactly rare at the moment and none of them were wearing any obvious objects that identified them as members of one of the island's Guard companies.

That wasn't to say that the trip was entirely unnoticed however. As they ran and stumbled towards the icy walls of the koro, Kale could see figures in nearby alleyways and side streets casting furtive glances in their direction. Someone might have spread a physical description of the group. Hard to guess , considering how short they had been in active combat. Not impossible though. The watching eyes grew in number as the group grew closer to their destination. Each one a new source of worry to Kale's constantly roving gaze. He'd have to do something about them soon.

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"I serve the weak. I serve the helpless. I am their sword and their shield. If you want to strike at them, you must go through me, and I am not so easily moved."

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IC: 

Step, step, step.

The sound of his own breathing.

A rush of anticipation, building in his chest.

Alfon followed close to the rear, listening to each of these things in turn. An oppressive kind of silence had descended upon the group since they entered the tunnel. That left him alone with his thoughts. Worst case scenarios stampeding through his head. Not the sort of thing that usually crossed his mind, but the task ahead wasn’t like anything he’d faced before. Even with the Hive Assault on his resume, friends and a Toa Maru to watch his back, he felt bits of his confidence slowly fragmenting, letting all the bad ideas seep in through the cracks.

Step, step, step.

The sound of his own breathing.

A rush of anticipation, turning to ice in his chest.  

Alfon tried to grit his teeth—they’d been chattering nonstop from the cold—and was surprised to find his jaw already clenched hard enough to ache. Ril kept marching up ahead. Skrihen and Reordin formed a tight line. Only Plagia stood behind him. He worried about her the most.

Relax, he thought, working a deep breath out of a sniffle. Something like this would have excited him years ago. It should have still excited him now. Ever since he’d started travelling the island, little more than a mercenary taking on small-time gigs, a part of him had always longed for greatness; a chance to truly make a name for himself. It was a pipe dream, sure, juvenile and a tad idealistic. Better reserved for preteens than for a grown man wizened on the ups and downs of life.

But, at the very least, he'd make something worthwhile of himself. The ILF, for all its faults, had been his answer to that for the first time.

This is where I’m meant to be.

Words for someone who believed in destiny. The thought almost made him crack a smile. He didn't think of himself as such, and yet the words comforted him all the same.

“Easy, guys,” he whispered. “Any louder and the whole Koro’s going to know we’re here.”

He got a couple of smiles out of that. A look that said, I would slap you but #### splatters. The air seemed to weigh just a little less.

That was more than enough for him.   

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OOC: Eisen bits supplied by Alex.

IC | Stannis Maru 

7 hours ago, Krayzikk said:

"It's time for you to leave, Wanderer." Eisen's gaze wandered to the dripping blood from the Maru's shoulder, and he smiled. The fight wasn't worth waging, nor was he overeager to pit his luck against two Maru, but it wasn't a losing proposition. Not with Agrona watching his back, her little pet lurking in the corners and Lunefield about unseen. No, it was a fight they could win. But not one worth fighting. It would only waste time. "Walk away, if you'd like. Or we can get to know each other better."

For a moment, Stannis seemed to consider on the offer. Eisen was not surrendering, but he was offering an opportunity to disengage until another time, and it was tantalizing. By the signs, the battle was growing and possibly tipping; Eisen seemed dispirited, at least to the point of not needing to keep fighting. Disengaging would not present a victory to either of them but it also meant neither would lose. That's fine, right?

But it still didn't sit well with Stannis. In the past, to onlookers, it seemed as though time was inconsequential to him. Time was a millstone, and whether it turned slowly or quickly it still ground the meal with the same result. But this was not the same Stannis Maru as he was a mere year before, depressed and self-isolated, disdaining the fight. He remembered all the times he dueled with villains, each time stopping just short of defeating them—either out of circumstance or hesitation or lack of will—and he was not proud. He encountered the Piraka and could not defeat them; he fought the Dark Toa Echelon and did not pursue him; he combatted smaller villains, too, and each time spared the blade. But Stannis was not a merciful man. Not really...

And he decided that a mutual victory was a mutual defeat, and that it would help Eisen more than him. Parting ways and leaving this unresolved was not an option anymore. 

 Finally, he spoke in a firm tone, akin to a teacher laying out lab instructions clearly to the class. "Do you know how I was christened 'The Wanderer,' Eisen?

"By meandering about the point?" Eisen sardonically retorted. 

"Do you know where I was first so called?" Stannis pressed. 

"No."

"It was here, in Ko-Koro," he said softly. "In the Sanctum. From the same breath Turaga Nuju anointed me 'Wanderer' and gave the knowledge to defeat your old master. My history is here, Eisen, in the ancient halls of this city, on the walls you desecrated with blood and blasphemy. This is my home just like Po-Koro is, the Massif is, and it is you who are unwelcome.

"So, let's know each other until we are like friends," he said menacingly and gestured with an open palm. "Your turn."

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IC [Sisk - Skies above Ko-Koro]:

The wounded Gukko squawked in distress, two arrows sticking through it's wing. But her rider, also injured, held on with gritted teeth, skillfully banking away through a gap between buildings, putting it between themselves and the legacy thugs. They cheered, but it was short lived - the next flight of birds suddenly rose from behind rooftops after a low approach out of sight, hitting their position with another volley of projectiles. Snow and ice shards were kicked up en masse and a building partially collapsed on them. Figures lay in the snow, injured or worse. Those still able to run, scattered - only to run into the crossfire from the other Gukko that had approached simultaneously. Nearby, similar scenes played out as two more groups carried out similar strikes against pockets of resistance.

Three riders lost and counting...

Sisk pulled out of his steep dive and banked, eyes scanning the village below. That's when he saw the irregularity - where the ice exploded, shards went flying and suddenly stopped by an invisible circular wall. Were those tracks in the snow behind it? The next moment, his backseater yelled 'incoming' and he pulled Skyscratcher into a barrel-roll. He felt something whiz past his head as they passed the spot. Definitely someone there.

"Fire when i say!" Sisk called out to his second, yanking the reigns. He was not giving their attacker the time to readjust. Skyscratcher turned on a dime via back flip. The instant his beak was pointed back at the spot they'd been attacked from, Sisk yelled "Fire!" and the disk launcher behind him began thumping rapidly, blasting the street below to smithereens.

 

IC [Leah - Underground]:

Suddenly, their self-made tunnel, instead of just parting into another cavernous space just ahead of them, opened into a much larger room. As clumps of earth moved and fell, an echo-y sound could be heard. Leah held up a hand, signaling the Matoran to stop, while she raised her staff and stepped forward - out of the tunnel and onto a smooth floor. Looking around, she couldn't see or hear anybody else but herself and the group behind her. But to be on the safe side, she reached out with her element, feeling for the moisture in the air, trying to find the slight disturbance caused by breathing. Once she was sure they were alone, she waved the Matoran forward. As they emerged from the tunnel, their expressions became puzzled. "Are these...bunk beds?" the eldest asked.

Leah looked around. "Yes...apparently." she said, a bit hesitant. Then she spotted the symbol on the wall. She looked at Sulov.

"Sanctum guard?" she asked. 

Edited by Vezok's Friend
Fixed Typos
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IC:

"Defeat."

Eisen laughed at the word he'd singled out, shoulders rising in a single shrug. The ceasefire had been offered and rejected, and nothing more need be said about it. Rather than dispirited the Toa of Iron's eyes came alive, any defeatism abandoned. There was a life to his motions that hadn't been there a moment before, a certain abandon in his step absent before. He stabbed his sword into the ruined ground, releasing its hilt and dropping his shield alongside it. A second blade swung out from his opposite forearm, the soft sound of smoothly crafted metal clacking into place and locking. Every movement was springy and relaxed, without a hint of stress.

"You give me faith, Stannis. I knew you could never kill a God."

An unseen force rocketed towards Korero's front like the fist of an angry god, intended to knock him towards Agrona, and give the witch hapless prey.

Eisen himself blurred into motion. Both of the weapons on the Maru's person were polearms, a halberd and an ironic Rahkshi staff. Against a halberdier range was the enemy, they could control the ebb and flow. Strike with impunity, knowing the swordsman could not close the distance. Eisen had several defenses against this. But the basic fact remained unchanged; he needed to be close. Left foot first, steel-toed boot cracking down on the hard floor, with his arms pulled into a close guard not dissimilar to a boxer's stance. His cloak trailed behind him, flowing from his right shoulder. Right foot next, closing the distance and throwing his forward momentum into a right jab at the Toa of Stone's abdomen.

His left remained in close, prepared to intercept the halberd on his still armored forearm if it came from that direction. Extended as he was his right was the weaker angle. If the Maru was as smart as he seemed Stannis would exploit it, and discover Eisen was smarter. He was open to attack during his approach, he knew; until he closed, Stannis' reach exceeded his own. He didn't care. His preparations would be sufficient. Or, perhaps, they wouldn't. It didn't matter. He would strike, and strike.

He knew now, with every fiber of his being, that his Master could still see. And in the eyes of Makuta he would have no fear.

fK5oqYf.jpg

 

On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

 

 

  Breaking Point: An OTC Mecha RPG

 

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On 9/23/2019 at 9:05 PM, pokemonlover360 said:

IC Yasurek-Infernavika-Some tunnel in Ko-Wahi:

IC: 

"I'm ready, let's go!"

Mimira twirled her hammer a bit in one hand. She'd been waiting for this since they set sail for Ko-wahi, there was no way she was gonna miss out on this! She was gonna prove to her older siblings and everyone else that she had what it took to be a real adventurer! 

On 9/26/2019 at 8:01 PM, Wade. said:

“Easy, guys,” he whispered. “Any louder and the whole Koro’s going to know we’re here.”

 

IC: 

"Sorry. I'll try to be more quiet from now on." Said a silky voice from just behind Alfon. Taleen smirked a little, the assassin didn't seem too concerned despite where they were heading, at least from the outside. Who knew what was going on in her mind? 

"Last time I was here the brotherhood nearly did me in. I can't wait to return the favor...with interest."

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Skyra | Hakari | Oceanna | Taleen | Arisaka | Zanakra | Kaminari | Drakkar

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IC (Rorg)

The storm cannot be tamed. If it moves in accordance with some higher order, it is a pattern too vast for mortal minds to fathom, and is perceived as chaos. Though I may discern a sequence here or there and make use of it, I cannot bend the tempest to my will. I am no Toa, afflicted by hubris to think that the earth or the sky will respond to my orders. We are insects on the face of the world, and any response to our commands is pure coincidence, a convergence of patterns beyond our comprehension.

I digress. The storm cannot be tamed, and so my next bullet goes wide of the mark.

In spite of their losses, the riders remain relentless in their attack as they bombard the city from multiple angles. My lack of cover has thus far not resulted in injury thanks to my unseen ally, but it is not a pattern I hold any faith in. As the assault continues, my odds of escaping unscathed dwindle. As if to punctuate this thought, a projectile explodes nearby—I cover my face from the ensuing shower of snow and ice.

It is nearly time to retreat. I raise my rifle once more as I press my body against the wall, ready to duck into the warehouse after my next shot.

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IC: Lunefeld - Ko-Koro Streets

He was almost too slow. Several projectiles zipped through the air towards Lunefeld while he was concentrating. He heard the whizz of the disks just in time to dive away, blindly throwing his power out behind him. The projectiles only partly deviated, and they tore up the street as he rolled into the nearest building wall. He felt some shrapnel rip through his cloak and crack against his armour. The break in concentration turned off his Huna's power for a second. He was not too worried for the moment as the rider was pulling out of the attack, though he had to figure how he was detected. The Toa watched as the snow thrown up by the attack fluttered down.

Footsteps.

Lunefeld activated his Huna again, and let a forth a circular push of gravitational energy, throwing up much of the snow on the ground. That was merely a decoy, as he pulled out his staff and smashed through the door of the nearby building, already weakened by the recent strafing attack. He ducked in and watched through the window, concentrated on the rider breaking away. Channeling his frustration, he focused his power on the rider, aiming to rip the gunner off the Gukko by pulling in two directions. He hoped the sniper was still watching.

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IC [Sisk - Skies above Ko-Koro]:

The snow that had been thrown up was blown away in a second by the downdraft created by Skyscratcher's wings, letting Sisk spot  a figure disappearing into the adjacent building. He started rising again to adjust their aim, but the next instant an invisible hand to hold of him, yanking at him hard. Training reflexes kicked in, and he leaned low, grabbing onto the saddle. He could still feel himself sliding, little by little. Behind him, he could hear his backseater grunting with effort as well. Sisk adjusted his grip, holding onto the feathers on Skyscratcher's neck instead. He pulled on the right side, pushing on the left, trying to make the bird understand...

Lunefeld could see the bird struggle for a second longer, then the large Kahu disappeared from view overhead, no longer visible from his vantage point. Wings were flapping audibly for a moment, followed by a thud and then silence.

Meanwhile, the Gukko Force kept pressing the overall attack. Rorg could see another flight of Gukko burst out of the clouds, overhead and to the left, heading for his general position. They appeared like ghosts for a second as the clouds clung to their wings, unwilling to let go immediately. Just then, he could hear another bird call, coming from the opposite direction. Both groups dove to initiate their strafing runs, racing headlong towards each other in the process. 

 

 

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On 9/26/2019 at 9:10 PM, NorikSigma said:

IC: Arabeth - Ihu-Koro

Won't hurt to tag along.

"I suppose we could look around then. The blizzard outside has not been kind."

IC: Vine - Ihu-Koro

"Very well then," Vine replied. Beginning to follow behind Arabeth, he asked, "I didn't recall seeing this many people in this locale the last time I was here. What happened?"

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IC | Stannis Maru

22 hours ago, Krayzikk said:

Eisen himself blurred into motion. Both of the weapons on the Maru's person were polearms, a halberd and an ironic Rahkshi staff. Against a halberdier range was the enemy, they could control the ebb and flow. Strike with impunity, knowing the swordsman could not close the distance. Eisen had several defenses against this. But the basic fact remained unchanged; he needed to be close. Left foot first, steel-toed boot cracking down on the hard floor, with his arms pulled into a close guard not dissimilar to a boxer's stance. His cloak trailed behind him, flowing from his right shoulder. Right foot next, closing the distance and throwing his forward momentum into a right jab at the Toa of Stone's abdomen.

His left remained in close, prepared to intercept the halberd on his still armored forearm if it came from that direction. Extended as he was his right was the weaker angle. If the Maru was as smart as he seemed Stannis would exploit it, and discover Eisen was smarter. He was open to attack during his approach, he knew; until he closed, Stannis' reach exceeded his own. He didn't care. His preparations would be sufficient. Or, perhaps, they wouldn't. It didn't matter. He would strike, and strike.

He knew now, with every fiber of his being, that his Master could still see. And in the eyes of Makuta he would have no fear.

The match was set, the kindling and starter laid out tidily by then, and all that was left to do was put the flame to the shavings and begin the fast-paced duel both parties had come prepared for. Eisen's chosen response signaled to Stannis that he was overcome with his own zealous brashness and taken the bait offered.

The Maru's mind briefly examined the difference between the two warriors and their benefactors. Time slowed to a brief halt to him. He breathed in... and out. He could hear the screeches of birds from without, the sputtering of cannons, and the grunt of exertion from Korero as though the sounds were isolated. Eisen's footfalls clipping on the icy floor sounded like bangs of a drum in his ears. But Stannis was at peace.

Defeat.

You give me faith, Stannis. I knew you could never kill a God.

Perhaps.

But your god sows fear and inspires you to appease him; mine merely stands with me and protects me. I am not his slave but He my guide.

Eisen barreled at Stannis with the grace of a great cat and the bladed punch threatened to disembowel him on the spot, but Stannis reacted finally and deftly moved a little back and aside of the strike even as it narrowly sliced the air ahead of his abdomen. Instead of attacking with his weapon, he merely slid to the side—to Eisen's left—and dragged his pole arm behind him. It was quickly apparent that he was not trying to deflect or counterattack Eisen but was attempting to catch his feet and topple him instead. 

The Fe-Toa should, by that point, have tired himself from both his fight with Oreius and the fight with Stannis, meaning he could only keep up a constant melee onslaught for a limited time. All Stannis had to do was ensure an exhaustion outcome, an entirely doable feat considering Eisen's new brazenness and seeming righteous , and by then the attacks would be sloppy and allow Stannis to end the fight swiftly. Time, as usual, flowed differently for the Wanderer and he had taken the opportunities to examine Eisen freely and fill in the blanks about his enemy, with particular attention given to his Kanohi and its application. Stannis knew enough to apply that knowledge against Eisen; meanwhile, he intended to keep his enemy guessing. 

Come, now. Let us see what fear begets. 

A slight smile spread across his lips. 

Edited by EmperorWhenua
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On 9/27/2019 at 5:53 PM, Vezok's Friend said:

IC [Leah - Underground]:

"Sanctum guard?" she asked. 

IC:

I shrugged my shoulders. The tunnel closed behind us.

He told me about it over drinks a while back,” I said, cocking my head to one side as I met Leah’s gaze. I knelt, laying a hand down on the cold floor, feeling for where the earth shook. “A secret tunnel in the barracks, for when the guards wanted to get away for a while. Figured this was the exit Echelon would know the least about—”

(Do you feel that, Sulov?)

I felt the way the earth shook.

“Leah,” I said, nodding towards the far end of the room. I tensed.

Someone — no, someones. 

Approaching.

-Void

 
 
[ BZPRPG ]

 

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IC:

"I think last time I was stuck on a boat you were moping around, too." They were leaning over the port side of the Infernavika; it was mid-morning, and the tide was giving their vessel sullen little licks with only occasional waves. All Reordin wanted was a cigarette; as usual, all Skrihen wanted to do was take him down a peg. Or cheer him up. Her definitions of the two usually overlapped. "We were headed to Onu-Wahi to recruit your friends in the Ussalry for the Hive raid, remember?"

"Mm."

"Your boyfriend Sulov and his gang. Remember? Even as a Matoran, he was huge. And that accent he used to have, remember? You were the only one who could ever understand him, so you were the only one who knew when he was being serious and he wasn't. We were on our way back from Onu-Wahi to the port at Le-Koro again when you decided to do chin ups on the prow. Remember?"

Reo blinked for the first time in a minute.

"Stannis was there."

Skrihen blinked in turn.

"Why the Karz would he have been there? No. We were almost in Le-Koro and Sulov started skipping numbers on you. You thought he was cheating you out of your gains, or your glory, or something. You started yelling at him to give you back your reps, remember?"

"Did Leah come with us?" Reo asked quietly. Skrihen's hands tightened, and small, angry vines began to sprout from the wood betwixt her fingers. "She was at the Hive Battle, too. Sulov skipped twenty-nine." 

"No," Skrihen answered sullenly, "that twig wasn't there. And Sulov skipped fourteen. It was you and me. You were so busy yelling at him that we hit a wave and you went tumbling off completely. We had to fish you back out in a net, and then you spent the whole trip back to Lake Pala yelling at Sulov even harder. But I knew you enjoyed it, because it fed my Mark for a day and a half. Do you even remember? It was you and me. And Volin and Kethrye. No Stannis, no Leah."

Reo's eyes had wisps of shadow frozen inside them, but otherwise they were inscrutable ice, and the scrapes and bruises the crusade had left on his handsome face had left his gaze hollow and numbing. He stared into the waters off the volcanic coast for a long time, trying in vain to make them freeze.

"Then no," he said finally, softly, "I don't remember."

Skrihen stared at him for a long, long time, before she turned to go find Plagia.

...

"Bodies above."

Though he was no Fire Toa like Oreius, it didn't take a specialist to detect heat in the midst of an icy tunnel. Reo raised one of his axes, as point man of the formation, and gestured behind him for Alfon to do the same. Skri was in the back, guarding with her enormous sword; he didn't need her hacking him to pieces just to take care of any Legacy forces in the bunks, something he knew she was in the mood for. Frankly, he wasn't sure how much he would have minded anymore. Maybe he had died at the Hive all those years ago, or in the tunnels of Mangaia; maybe Makuta had stolen his heart as he had stolen the First Toa's, and that explained the emptiness left in his chest. I have no heroes. I have no Turaga. I have no Akiri. I have no Koro, Reordin thought. They're all ghosts. Even me. I'm the last soldier in a dead army. The ghost of the Sanctum Guard.

"Get ready." Whether he was speaking to himself, the trio behind him, or murmuring a silent warning to those above, he wasn't positive. "Breach."

The trapdoor flew open in a pressurized burst of frosty air, and Reo grabbed onto the lip of the floor and pulled himself up with free runner's grace, ready to fight--

--and met with Sulov and Leah, taken aback by his infiltration. The hostages were behind th--

The hostages!

But as he searched their faces, his own visage imperceptibly fell Most of them were familiar; one or two had worked in the Sanctum, and he'd known them by name. But none of them had a chin like Hafu's statues that would never crumble, none of them had given him his first sip of beer, caught him with his first girlfriend, or told him war stories of the old Guard with liquor and the blood from that night's beating on his breath.

They would have killed a Maru's family member out of spite if they'd known, he reminded himself. The cold wind in his empty chest began to howl again.

"Sister," he said tonelessly, though the axe had been sheathed and he raised a casual hand in greeting. "Hey, big guy. Good looking out."

-Tyler

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SAY IT ONE MORE TIME 

TELL ME WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND

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6 hours ago, Vezok's Friend said:

IC [Sisk - Skies above Ko-Koro]:

IC: Lunefeld - Ko-Koro

The sound of the fall registered clearly, but Lunefeld knew that did not mean much. Nonetheless, the rider was out of sight.

He crept out of the building, mask still activated, and spotted two groups diving in opposite directions, converging on-

The sniper.

Lunefeld recognised him as one of Nightfall, and most likely the shooter that had already downed several flyers. It would not do for him to die.

He exerted his power for a brief moment, manipulating gravity around one of the flights of riders, while looking around to see where the previous rider had fallen.

3 hours ago, Constructman said:

IC: Vine - Ihu-Koro

IC: Arabeth - Ihu-Koro

"You... have not heard? Ko-Koro is under... new management," she said, her guilt swelling up again.

I should have stayed and fought.

"Followers of the Dark God. Refugees have been streaming out of the village since the capture."

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IC:
 

The Toa of Stone moved deftly and definitively, but without wisdom. His foe had been prepared for any eventuality, but not for so swift an end. 

Stannis flowed left, avoiding the strike only narrowly but escaping the blade unscathed. The movement was clean and practiced, the haft of his halberd following the path to connect with Eisen's leg. But it was here the trap clanged shut. The cloak at Eisen's right lashed around the staff, constricting into an unbreakable vise grip at the swordsman's mere thought. The weapon was locked, and with only one hand on the haft Stannis had not the strength to contest it. But Eisen had not been idle, as no true fighter would be; his stance ironclad he stepped in with his left foot with the surety of a Muaka's pad, his left arm still tight and coiled. 

It was here perhaps that Stannis' error became clear to him. In trailing his weapon it became locked on the outside giving his opponent absolute control over its movement. In his bid to outlast the same Toa that had felled his brother Stannis surrendered the only strength his polearm gave him, and gifted inside control to the southpaw who favored his left. Whether Stannis realized or not he wasn't given the breath to adapt. In close quarters the Fe-Toa was king, and his coiled arm drove the blade towards the completely undefended ribs on Stannis' right side, on a point-blank trajectory through his liver. The Maru's only free hand was nowhere to block, he could no longer disengage, and he could not force the halberd's blade towards Eisen's face with one hand. With two, perhaps, but he was out of time. And the dark Toa's own right arm was free to bar it even if he wasn't.

In seeking to win the war Stannis had likely lost the battle in a breath.

Once the conclusion ran its course, he would help Agrona finish the Toa of Air. Then they could collect Rorg and Karnakie and leave what remained of Ko-Koro to its heroes.

Edited by Krayzikk
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On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

 

 

  Breaking Point: An OTC Mecha RPG

 

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IC | Stannis Maru

Eisen's prehensile cape was a trick Stannis hadn't expected—somehow that had evaded his attention, and the error would cost him his main weapon. With some effort he could leverage his considerable physical power to wrest his halberd free even one-handed, but he didn't have the opportunity to do so, so he had to release his grip in exchange for freedom of movement; he would have to recover the halberd in a moment. 

Eisen's large knife held in his left quickly dove to gut him with a second strike, but this time Stannis was too slow to block it and would have to suffer the attack. He managed to duck away just in time to avoid the majority of the blade, but the punch did slice clean through his breastplate and cut a new slash on his chest, not deep enough to strike vital areas but not shallow enough to be shrugged aside either. A flash of pain descended on his face, quickly fading and replaced by his damnable blankness.

And in response, fueled with calm fury at the very near miss, his left hand burst to life and brown energy flared from his palm like a lantern unveiled. The halberd, as it was, was not the strongest weapon Stannis had at his disposal; as was the case with all the Toa Maru, that status belonged to his might in elemental power which he was finally bringing to bear. 

Eisen's focus was peeled to his slight left in aiming his blade's punches at Stannis, giving the Maru leader the chance to create an attack right in Eisen's trajectory. The counterattack took the form of a literal block of stone racing to collide with Eisen head-on. Stannis rolled away deftly, though now with much more pain, and quickly stood up facing Eisen a toa's length away. Blood already seeped through his chest armor, but he was undeterred as he swiftly pulled the Rahkshi staff free of his harness. The weapon was a gift from Sulov Maru from right after they had exited the Keeping Place as newly apotheosized toa and a token of loyalty. It was an ironic choice for a backup toa tool but Stannis kept it both due to the emotional connotation and his habit of having twin polearms on his back. Stannis flourished the weapon in a twirl with both hands and its ends instantly lit up with the same brown glow as his hand. He was sure Eisen would manage to deal with the stone block thrown at him...

Mata Nui be my guide. Mata Nui be my protector. Mata Nui be my strength. 

... But that was only the start. 

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IC [Leah - Sanctum Barracks, Underground]:

Reordin had barely enough time to get out his greeting before Leah had him wrapped in her arms, almost tackling the other Maru to the ground in the process. She felt the perplexed looks of the rest of his infiltration team on her, but paid them no mind.

"Good to see you too, Reo." she held him for a moment, wishing they had more time. 

The moment passed, and she took a step back, all business again. "We got all the Matoran out. Legacy kept them locked up in the Rime district warehouse. Stannis was there last we knew, he stayed to buy us time. Oh and he summoned a Blizzard from legend as cover. Korero went to check on Oreius, they'll be back soon."

She nodded towards the former hostages. "The path you came in is clear? Is it safe to send the Matoran out that way?"

[Sisk - Skies above Ko-Koro]:

The dark Toa of gravity had barely turned around halfway when the massive, winged silhouette was upon him, filling his entire field of view. 

The large Kahu were generally peaceful creatures, but they also attracted large predators in their jungle environment. Fighting off Nui Rama, large snakes, very determined Muaka and other Rahi with their sharp talons and beaks came natural. It was an instinct the Gukko Force had honed and that Sisk now made use of as he had Skyscratcher pounce on the Toa with outstretched claws.

They'd landed on the edge of the roof and then kept still, pretending to have gone down, waiting for their attacker to emerge again. He may have been invisible - but the snowflakes drifting around him, now that he was in the open created a vague outline that wasn't. That's what the tamer had been waiting for. 

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7 hours ago, Vezok's Friend said:

IC [Leah - Sanctum Barracks, Underground]:

IC:

I watched Reo Saporta walk in, sheathe his axe, and I realized how much I had been kidding myself. The time I’d wasted trying to figure out how to be Sulov Maru, Sulov Uhunga, Sulov Koskium — balancing what the island needed against what I was, what I needed against what the island might always be.

I watched Reo Saporta walk in, and that all turned to dust in my chest.

This had been his home.

And now…. 

“Did … did she just say that Stannis summoned a blizzard from legend?” I heard one of Reo’s comrades whisper — a short, scarred woman with a sword strapped to her hip. “What the ###### does that even mean?

-Void

Edited by Conway
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[ BZPRPG ]

 

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IC:

Skri was the last to enter the room, and in a rarity, perhaps the quietest.

It was amazing how quickly she got used to being around these Toa, these modern day titans. She was more curious about her surroundings than the other Maru. Their quiet reunion perhaps was undercut by the groan of metal but it was more likely that no one else could hear it. Or maybe it had just been the leather wrap ground against the hilt. The mercenary silently returned the weapon to her back, taking care not to hit anyone with its length. No one was behind her, it wasn't much of a risk. But who knew where Taleen would be standing. 

She elected to look around, padding softly around the room. Ko-Koro had never been her favorite place, Sanctum outposts even less. It was something of an opportunity to see one. An unnerving sight to see it disused, though, when it was so clearly lived in. The scuffs and wear on regularly used parts, worn and smooth wooden bunks reshaped over the course of decades. It may not have been home, but it was a sanctuary. A place where brothers and sisters in arms had lived, laughed, and leaped to the defense of their village. It had been abandoned quickly, with the intent of returning. Belongings still sat ready and waiting, though with a thin coating of dust now. She silently padded from bunk to bunk to look at each in turn, keeping a wide berth around the hostages and Maru. Let their heroes give them comfort, it wasn't what she was there for.

Her fingers lightly traced over the surface of each pair of beds, feeling where it had been changed by repeated movements and where the tree's grain had once been. Where there were still knots in the wood, and which fixtures had been replaced or repaired over the years. The newer material was always obvious. 

Eventually she stopped to look at one when her fingers brushed against something carved, not worn. It hadn't been abandoned as recently. The small handful of objects left behind had been organized, considered, and left out when its owner packed. A spare knife, a few assorted knickknacks. A carton of cigarettes. She palmed the carton and turned back around to the rest, drawing one out and flipping it between her fingers. Maybe Ril could find the time to give her a light. Or...

"I dunno. Beyond you or me." Skri answered Plagia softly, holding up the cigarette between two fingers. "Give it a zap?"

fK5oqYf.jpg

 

On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

 

 

  Breaking Point: An OTC Mecha RPG

 

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13 hours ago, NorikSigma said:

IC: Arabeth - Ihu-Koro

"You... have not heard? Ko-Koro is under... new management," she said, her guilt swelling up again.

I should have stayed and fought.

"Followers of the Dark God. Refugees have been streaming out of the village since the capture."

IC: Vine - Ihu-Kor

"That bad?" Vine said in surprise. "I had suspected that the Shadow was making a resurgence, certainly in the hearts of people, but for its followers to capture one of the original six Koros even after its defeat? Terrible, terrible news..."

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IC:

Despite himself, Reordin rolled his eyes at Leah's explanation, biting on the edge of his lip to keep from cracking a smirk at the gesture. No doubt Stannis missed him fiercely; it was either that or he was trying to send some grand gesture to the Toa Maru of Ice, that he could be replaced by a few spoken words from the legend. Meanwhile, the Great Spirit only knew what he had ripped out of the universe in exchange for a cold, blustery wind that made you wish you were dead. The only thing Reo could think of was the experience of listening to Stan's philosophy - and there was no way the Wanderer would ever give up his own voice.

He was surprised at the fond tone his mental jabs had taken, and tried to squash it even harder.

"Never meet your heroes, Plag," he said dryly to the Vo-Toa behind him. "A blizzard. What a prick. The path behind us is clear, and leads out to the Infernavika. She should still be waiting out under Three Brothers Bridge. Some of the crew might be hitting the Koro as a shore party, but they'll be safer there than anywhere in the city. Will Korero be able to reach Stan?"

-Tyler

Edited by Tyler Durden

SAY IT ONE MORE TIME 

TELL ME WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND

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IC:

"Excellent." Taleen spoke out, who had somehow managed to make her way towards the barracks exit, ahead of everyone else. "If all the hostages are accounted for, then all we have to do is remove those who are unwelcome here." The Toa of Sonics then gave a somewhat chilling grin. "So if you all don't mind, I'm gonna go on ahead and get to work." 

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My Bzprpg ProfilesGhosts of Bara Magna

Skyra | Hakari | Oceanna | Taleen | Arisaka | Zanakra | Kaminari | Drakkar

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14 hours ago, Constructman said:

IC: Vine - Ihu-Koro

"That bad?" Vine said in surprise. "I had suspected that the Shadow was making a resurgence, certainly in the hearts of people, but for its followers to capture one of the original six Koros even after its defeat? Terrible, terrible news..."

IC: Arabeth - Ihu-Koro

"Yeah. I hope the other Koros are planning on retaking it before these ###### use the Koro as a base to spread further."

They passed by what looked like a modest tavern.

"Want to check this out?"

22 hours ago, Vezok's Friend said:

IC [Sisk - Skies above Ko-Koro]

IC: Lunefeld - Ko-Koro

Lunefeld bit back a curse as the Kahu lunged at him. He barely managed to dodge the worst of the blow with a roll and brief application of his power, but the giant bird still managed to knock him flat on the floor, and it was now standing over him.

Snarling, the criminal drew his Derringer and took aim at the beast's face, and squeezed the trigger, unleashing a close-range blast of hot lead into it. He didn;t wait to see the result, focusing instead on pushing himself up and to the side, aided by his elemental powers, before lunging back into the building.

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On 9/27/2019 at 8:06 PM, Snelly said:

IC Mimira:

OOC: Hey Snelly, just out of curiosity what mask does Mimira have? I was looking up what she looked like and discovered her profile doesn't actually have a mask listed.

IC Yasurek- Infernavika- Ice Tunnel:

Yasurek grinned. "Good to hear someone else is excited," he said. His brow furrowed a bit in thought. That's our Mimira, always ready for action. It's probably too dangerous to bring her along though. No, I trust her. She's proven herself dependable enough, and at the end of the day, it's not my choice whether she goes or not.

He hefted a pair of glaives and strapped them to his back before turning back to Mimira. "Just make sure to stay close to me or one of the others if they come too. I know you can take care of yourself, but that's no reason to go wandering off and getting in trouble."

With the last bit of equipment attached he addressed the rest of the crew, "Alright gang, final call. Anyone else going ashore, now's the time to say so."

I am pokemonlover360, master of hardly ever posting. You might know me from the many posts that I haven't made.
I'm around. If you really need me and I haven't responded quickly, send me a pm.

BZPRPG 2021 Profiles Six Kingdoms Profiles: Kilo-M9 NUVA, Ysocla Naenoic

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IC (Rorg)

I fire, but I do not wait to confirm if the shot lands. The riders are too many, and their next approach threatens the integrity of my location. I pull the rifle from my eye and turn, reaching for the door handle as another wave of birds falls from the sky. They loose their cargo as I pull the door open, and the street erupts as I stumble through, half-carried by the force, the door slamming shut behind me.

My eyes take a moment to adjust to the darkness of the warehouse; I activate my thermal vision so as not to be caught off guard. 

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13 hours ago, NorikSigma said:

IC: Arabeth - Ihu-Koro

"Yeah. I hope the other Koros are planning on retaking it before these ###### use the Koro as a base to spread further."

They passed by what looked like a modest tavern.

"Want to check this out?"

IC: Vine - Ihu-Koro

"Nothing better to do," Vine said. "Might as well check if they're open for business."

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IC:

It was a little unnerving to hear your own heart.

Krayn always could, of course, but he learned not to. All Toa of Sound did, or Matoran, or Turaga. You’d go mad otherwise. Like knowing that you can see your nose. You always can but you never notice unless you’re looking for it. Krayn could always hear his heart, but it was filtered out. Dampened the way he dampened any other sound. 

Right now it was racing and he had much, much more time to think about it than he wanted. Kale’s ploy had bought them time and an ever diminishing cover of belonging, something reduced by the wounded Toa in their midst and falling with every passing second that they moved away from the fight and not towards it. It made him far tenser than any fight ever had or ever would, hanging in the infinitesimally small space between peace and war. He would’ve been happier if all Karz would break loose, at least then there was a release for the tension. Instead it continued to mount. Every pair of eyes that watched their progress, which felt glacially slow, considering whether or not they were suspicious. Whether or not they were a foe.

And he could still hear their pursuers, nipping at their heels ever more closely. They had begun as whispers, barely heard through the din. The Gukko Force bombarded overheard each pass a report of violent fragmentation, a painful explosive chorus. But between their passes, in the moments that his ears were permitted to recover, he heard them louder and louder. Their words became discernible, their plans, their threats, their curses. Too far to determine their number, too close to be confident of escape. 

And this chase continued, and continued, and continued. Through the Koro, towards the gate, where uncertain fate awaited. If they arrived unharassed, they stood a chance of escape. If they arrived engaged in combat they were trapped, pressed between their pursuers and the men at the gate. If they moved beyond it they stepped into range of the heavy Pateros on the walls. 

They had stepped over enough bodies in that open tundra to know how that would fare.

He could see the same tension in Kale whenever the Toa of Iron checked a new potential target, suspicion ratcheting higher and higher. The other military man knew as well as he did that their odds of survival dropped exponentially if they were forced to engage before reaching the village’s walls. Praggos would know, too, but he was preoccupied; he had a wounded man to support and keep stable, he was leaving tactical reasoning to the other Guardsmen. Krayn could only hope the others hadn’t figured it out themselves. There was no need for them to worry first. Plenty of time for that if the worst came to pass.

The minutes stretched on and on into eons, every bit of sound given plenty of time to reach his ears and ratchet the tension up a little higher. The wall was in sight, now, but their pursuers were so close. They were trailing behind by mere moments. This far out from the battle, their presence became suspicious. Those furtive glances became hands on weapons, muttered discussions and every word was another stoke of the fire. The pressure built and built and built, and when it gave it would give explosively.

But they were almost there. If they could reach the gates, they stood a better chance of surviving the Patero. Kale was fast. With his element they could block many of the projectiles, and the Maru had told them about the Gukko Force. If they could get out, just get out into the opening, they had a chance. The margin was razor slim and closing fast. 

Then the Madu hit.

The unripe fruit struck the ice a few feet from him, and its explosion hurled him violently to the ground. Shattered ice rained down, but he couldn’t hear it. More fruit struck the ground, but he couldn’t hear it. The birds and their riders passed over head but their paths were so strange, moving in ways that couldn’t be natural.

And he couldn’t hear them. That was more distressing than he wanted to admit, he heard everything. Always. He had to try not to hear, and now he couldn’t hear a thing. He could feel the vibrations in his hands, when they weren’t overcome simply with the feeling of the ice and snow beneath them. But the sound… His vision swam, he pushed himself roughly to his knees and saw that his luck has run out. The mercenaries behind them, or maybe they were cultists, or opportunists, it didn’t matter because they had arrived. And they were ready to kill. He could see it in their faces, even with how they swayed before his eyes, and with the violence that their lips moved in unheard shouts.

His hand closed around his revolver again, brought it up, and he trusted that his Kanohi would allow him to hit the distorted figure. His eyes would not.

The head of the Skakdi in front exploded, but he heard neither the shot nor the impact. Simply felt the kick and saw the result.

He shouted at the top of his lungs for the others to keep moving. He was sure of it, but he didn't know. Krayn staggered to his feet, turning fully to face the hounds that had chased them through the village and retreating only in the stablest backwards steps that he could manage. Every move threatened to send him toppling to the ground, but he kept steady. The trickle out of his ear had already cooled and began to freeze, and he couldn’t hear his hurried breaths. Only the beating of his heart, faintly amongst the ringing. He heard them as they reverberated through his body, pumped harder and harder to keep him alert and alive. He fired another shot and dismayed to see it fly wide, powder puffing off of an icy wall. 

The whole world had shrunk only to what he could see, the foes in front and the icebound landscape. He had no idea how long he had been on the ground, moments before, or if the others had heard him. It was all confused.

But he had to laugh at how he had gotten here. His old Force had spited him one last time. It wasn’t their fault, they didn’t know who was good or bad. But that they would be both his salvation and the ones that denied it to him was an irony too great to bear. The whole thing had been a wash from the start. From the second Skyra engaged they had wasted time, wasted time fighting, talking, picking up more and more strays because of course they would. Not one of them had it in them to begrudge someone in need. Even if it had doomed him. 

Another shot, clipping one of the mercenaries in their shoulder. His mask wasn’t working reliably. He couldn’t concentrate, and his eyes had betrayed him almost as much as his ears. Some were charging closer, but others were smarter; they began to fire at him with bows, with firearms, and with powers. Some of the attacks went wide, perhaps to strike at the group somewhere behind him? Others were near misses, and every time he moved to evade he staggered and risked falling into the snow. The Madu didn’t seem  to be raining upon him anymore, thank Nui, but there would be no rescue from that quarter. They couldn’t land under siege. 

There was no rescue.

The thought struck him like a hammer blow, sinking in from the rational to the emotional. There was no one coming to save him. His friends were gone, escaping or escaped. It was exactly what they had all agreed upon, it was exactly what was necessary. But the fact was little comfort. For the third time in his life Krayn looked death in the face. For the second time, no rescue was coming. For the first time there was no one to change their minds. It wasn’t a choice, it wasn’t a request denied, there was simply no one left. He was alone. He should have taken his retirement, let someone else deal with Ko-Koro. 

There were no Aggressors anymore. 

That was the last time that he could have taken on the world. He had a cause, he had allies, he had a purpose. That team was unstoppable, unshakable. Naona, and Tillian, and Skyra. Then he had met Kale, and Dehkaz, and the crew that would grow to be his friends. They had fought, they had won, and over time they just… Separated. He had still seen them, from time to time, but they were further and further in between. Until some of them simply dropped off. And then a few more, and then a few more, and now the scattered few that remained were alone. Naona and Dehkaz were on their own quest. Kale was doing his duty, and leading their friends to safety. The friends for whom he now bought time.

At least until there was no more time to buy. 

A Vortixx closed in, sword raised, and he ducked gracelessly under the slash to put a round in their chest. They dropped, staining the snow. Another bullet fired, another moment purchased. Wasn’t that something. Shaddix had been there the first time he was about to die, too. Now a simple gift bought him a little more time to life for every cycle of the cylinder was a few more seconds to live.

He was still going to die. Here, in this godless wasteland with ice under his boots and fingers so frozen he fumbled to reload his gun. Under a sunless sky, surrounded by enemies, in a Koro he’d never much liked. He wasn’t going to retire. He was never going to earn the respect he deserved.

Krayn had decided in Ga-Wahi, so long ago now, that he would never die until he could walk proudly into Artahka and demand that the fool who had appointed Skyra to Commander apologize to him. Apologize for being wrong, and then finally give him the respect he deserved. What was he going to do now? This was no way to die. This was nothing worth his pride, this was an ignoble, ignominious death. Felled by a no name mercenary because someone got too trigger happy with their bomb. No one would know, no one would tell the story. 

Not here. Not like this, he uttered silently. 

Go to Karzahni, Jaron. You gave up and died. I’m giving Daring that earful for being so stupid. 

I survived the Rahkshi.

I survived pirates.

I survived serving under Skyra.

I survived the Mark Bearers. If Utu couldn’t kill me, I’ll be if these cowards can.

His second revolver slipped from its holster, leather sliding across polished metal with soundless grace. He had filled the other’s cylinder. Between them he had twelve bullets, with twelve names fated for each. If he had to reload he was dead anyway. 

A report from each, soundless but punctuated by a growl within his chest that he could feel even if he couldn’t hear it. His heart was still pumping, and that meant that he wasn’t dead yet. The mercenaries were too close, now, he holstered a revolver and drew a knife. A shot over the shoulder of a charging Toa and the target reeled, while the Toa drew in close. He was too dizzy to evade. The blade meant for his chest bit deep into his shoulder instead, the twist giving him enough force to drive his own blade into the mercenary’s chest. The dying man took a crossbow bolt for him while he returned fire. He abandoned the knife and grabbed another when the Toa dropped.

The pain drove away the last bit of clarity, and the next moments were a haze of smoke and violence. He fired until the revolver clicked empty, drew the second, and kept falling back step by step. If he could make it past the gate, he could risk the Patero. But he had to get there. Should he have arrived already? Was he still going the right way?

He didn’t know.

He couldn’t get his bearings. He realized, a little too late, that his heart rate was getting faster and weaker all the time. He’d been bleeding since the explosion, and the nicks and injuries since were adding up. No longer did clear thought come to mind, but he felt his back touch ice. The walls. The gate must have been somewhere, but…

Krayn slumped, breathing shallow. 

He couldn’t find it. Even if he could, he’d never be able to make it to the Force’s evacuation point. Frozen fingers dumped the empty shells, and shook as they loaded six more. He would hold on, for as long as he could. Maybe a counterattack would arrive in time. He hoped it was before he couldn’t aim straight anymore.

Because there were still bloodthirsty fanatics closing in.

* * *

-what do you mean stayed behind?

The words felt hollow and empty even before he heard his own voice; Dehkaz knew exactly what was meant being said. It sent a shock of dread plummeting into a cold pit in his stomach. His ask of confirmation more an act of defiance to the truth than anything else. Krayn had made a choice, yet it was the only option they had. A decision born of necessity in the face of grim adversity, one that any of them would have made in his stead in a heartbeat.

Only the one who it had come down to was Krayn.

The look in Kale’s eyes as Dehkaz had met the rag-tag group as they had emerged from the fortress of ice haunted him now. As did the short, out of breath response that followed, the words sounding foreign coming from his silver comrade. They had scarcely made it out alive, at the cost of one life.

Like Karz.

His breath came short and sharp, the fatigue of having trekked up to the citadel in the mountain forgotten for the time being as Dehkaz had set off in nearly a dead run, an urgency brought forth by dire stakes.

Past Kale and the assorted group of evacuees. Past the gate into the solid wall of ice. Past the assortment of buildings that made their claim near the edge of the village.

Snow gave beneath his heavy footfalls, his eyes darting between buildings searching for friend or foe alike.

He just needed more time.

* * *

Karz.

It was getting awful hard to keep the cylinder loaded. Hard to say if it was the cold or the blood dripping, despite his best efforts to keep pressure on. When he wasn’t reloading. Which was taking a long time, now, his fingers just didn’t want to do what he told them. They either shook or just didn’t move the way he wanted.

Probably not a good sign. 

Fortunately he was mostly being left alone. The people who’d been chasing him specifically were dead, or they were dying. But he could hear a couple coming. Someone coming, at least, and if someone was coming then enemies would be coming soon anyway. Hurried footsteps. 

Krayn fumbled the cylinder shut and shakily pulled the hammer back, blinking his eyes and willing them to see a little better a little longer.

* * *

Blood in the snow.

Bright crimson that melted away into the whiteness that permeated the entire fortress. Unmistakable, like a beacon taunting the living as it escaped the lifeless shell sprawled out across the street.

A lifeless shell that was not Krayn.

Dehkaz quickened his pace as he stepped over the body of the Skakdi, the wound to its morbidly grinning skull not one from any of the riders above. It was a trail, one that told a macabre story of one final stand after another. The mortal wounds were fresh; some by projectile, some by blade; and their lifeblood stained the ground on which he ran.

He was getting close now.

The question was whether he would find Krayn in a similar state to those he left behind.

The answer came as Dehkaz rounded a corner, the scene before him painting a grim picture of events that transpired only seconds before. Krayn, slumped against a wall. Surrounded by the remnants of those who had dared to end his time on this island. Splashes of red on the white snow, not entirely the De-Toa’s own.

All was unmoving.

Kra-

A Skakdi dashed out from an alleyway directly in front of Inzaka, left arm limp from a bullet wound while the other raised high; clutching a knife with wicked intent.

Dehkaz shouldered his rifle and fired two shots.

* * *

Half-lidded eyes sluggishly opened again at the feeling of fresh vibrations, the hand not pressed to his shoulder giving a slow, faltering wave. With the barrel of a gun.

“Commander,” He greeted, the word coming out unevenly and slightly slurred, like someone bordering on a drink too many. Not that too much fluid was the problem, judging by the pale complexion beginning to turn the former Lieutenant from gray to blue. “Sir. M’sorry, I can’t…”

He frowned a little, gesturing loosely at his ear. 

“M’not looking at a closed casket yet, am I?”

Not yet,” Dehkaz lowered his weapon, and while still weary of threats around, made his way over to Krayn. The relief that had washed over the Toa of Magnetism was short lived. Though he was alive and wisecracking, Krayn was not in much better shape than the bodies Dehkaz had passed over to find him. Taking a knee he continued, “We need to stop the bleeding, now.

He managed to lock eyes with the wounded Toa’s listless gaze for a moment, and the meaning was clear.

They both knew what had to be done.

Dehkaz turned his focus back to Krayn’s shoulder, the injury cut across it now exposed to the freezing air. Twin, brilliant blue lights reflected off the icy wall behind them as the Commander got to work.

Laser vision didn’t hurt quite as bad as he might’ve expected, though that probably had something to do with lingering on the boundary between conscious and not. And only brought it down from ‘unimaginable’ to ‘excruciating. The smell of cooking flesh was much, much more disquieting, but he was too out of it to worry much about that, either. The De-Toa clenched his teeth through the whole process, letting out as far as he could tell a minimum of sound. Whether or not Praggos could ungrind teeth was another matter. 

When Dehkaz was done, Krayn let out a ragged breath he wasn’t really aware he’d been holding. 

“Can… Kinda hear you, sir. Kale out alright?”

Kale made it out fine; the others too. They’ll make it.

Dehkaz turned away for a moment, the sounds of the battle above at this point nearly masking what could be heard from anyone approaching. Now was not the time for an unlucky lapse in awareness. He glanced back at Krayn, “Now we need to get out of this Mata Nui-forsaken Koro too, and I don’t plan on losing any other friends along the way.

Taking hold of the Toa of Sonics’ uninjured arm Dehkaz heaved him up and onto his shoulders, Krayn leaving a disconcerting red-splashed impression in the snow where he had laid. It was a miracle that he was even still conscious, continuing on by nothing short of sheer force of will alone.

One more check for hostile intent and Dehkaz started off, at a significantly slower pace than he had arrived, but with a far greater sense of urgency. Doubtless more inhabitants would be drawn to the sounds of fight just inside the citadel’s walls soon. One hand kept a firm grip on the half-aware Krayn, the slight hum of Dehkaz’s elemental power keeping him in place, while the other kept his rifle at the ready.

They kept out of the open, Dehkaz sticking near the walls and alleyways of abandoned homes of those that once lived in this village. Now empty.

A steely sense of resolve krept into the Commander’s conscious at the thought. They would deal with monsters later.

For now, the village gate was in sight and Krayn was failing to stay conscious any longer despite his efforts. He wouldn’t be keeping an eye on much of anything, as removed from immediate danger the former Lieutenant succumbed to exhaustion and passed out silently.

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On this eve, the thirtieth anniversary of that first colony, many are left to wonder; is the world fast approaching a breaking point?

 

 

  Breaking Point: An OTC Mecha RPG

 

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14 hours ago, pokemonlover360 said:

OOC: Hey Snelly, just out of curiosity what mask does Mimira have? I was looking up what she looked like and discovered her profile doesn't actually have a mask listed.

OOC: Oh right, uhhhhhh...I actually completely forgot what mask she's wearing lol. Let's just say it's a Kaukau.

IC: 

Mimira nodded. "I'll make sure to stay with the group! Strength in numbers!" She gave a salute.

363513066_tobecont.png.5b057f495e0794e9450207c84546738e.png
My Bzprpg ProfilesGhosts of Bara Magna

Skyra | Hakari | Oceanna | Taleen | Arisaka | Zanakra | Kaminari | Drakkar

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Kale Ironshaper- Ko-koro- Warehouse

IC: They were so close, Kale could see the gates as they rounded the last corner. A surge of hope brought his heart into his throat as he turned to check the rest of the team. Most of them were coming along fine. Praggos and his charge were both looking tired, maybe the medic could stabilize the other man long enough for someone else to take a turn carrying him. Krayn was still at the back of the group. He was looking as twitchy as Kale felt. They could both sense the hostile attention gradually bearing down on them. It was going to be close. A few more minutes and they'd be home free, but if they got bogged down in another fight they might never get out. Krayn's attention was fixed on a couple of nearby alleyways, his head tilted as if searching more by sound than by sight.

Before Kale could ask what the problem was a Madu fruit came whistling out of the sky and impacted far too close to the De-Toa. A cry of shock ripped itself from Kale's mouth at the same moment a flood of Makuta worshipers poured out of the alleyways so recently watched by the sprawled Krayn. Before he could do anything the other Toa was back on his feet, opening fire with the revolver that was suddenly in his hand and yelling for them all to run. There was something...off about him though. His stance was unsteady and his normally perfect aim seemed to be missing. That Madu had to have rattled him in some way other than the obvious. Their former Gucko force Lieutenant would have been hard pressed to face off against such long odds on his best day. Now...

If they left him now, Krayn was going to die.

Kale's fist clenched and the protosteel hovering around him hummed at the flood of emotions. Denial, anger, sadness, despair at the thought of losing a friend. Everyone here was supposed to be his responsibility! How could he leave one of them behind like this? To certain death at the hands of scum like that? But, once again, both men knew that there was no choice in the matter. They couldn't fight that many people and still hope to escape. Not short of a miracle. And those were in short supply within these icy walls. So instead the silver Toa took his rage and his pain and fed it into a single words that burst from his lips like the roar from a Kane-Ra.

"GO!"

He turned and left Krayn to his fate.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The guards at the gate knew what hit them. How could they not when they had watched combat breaking out just a few block away? It hadn't helped however. What remained of the Aggressors slammed into the forces at the gatehouse like unstoppable wave. Grief and desperation fueling their assault in equal measures. Someone destroyed the hinges of the massive door, leaving it to slowly fall over with a creaking groan. That wasn't enough for Kale however. He was still stewing, simmering, roiling in a sea of emotions that had been building for as long as they had been in Ko-koro. They had fought back, yes. Discovered vital intelligence even. But they'd been forced to watch as one of the grandest settlements on the island fell to ruin. Forced to flee. Forced to leave behind the Maru in the middle for a fight for their lives. Forced to leave behind one of their own.

As the others made their way through the now open archway, Kale turned aside and ascended the frozen gatehouse stairs. He was atop the wall in but a second and face to face with one of the ragtag "Guardsmen." The disheveled Matoran was desperately trying to pump the bladder of the Patero he had just fired on the charging party. Kale snapped a hand forward and part of the silver shroud around him followed suit, slamming into the other being's face and sending him slamming into a nearby merlon with the crack of snapping protodermis. His shattered mask following him as he sank to the floor.

Before someone with a more substantial weapon decided to take action, Kale ran to one of the nearby Patero artillery and placed a hand on it. The metal components flowed away from the rest of it. A pile of rubber and plastics collapsing to the floor as a giant metal spike formed above the Fe-Toa's head. He drew his right hand back and the spike followed suit, the somatic element allowing his power to more easily transform will into reality. The hand shot forward and again the spike followed. It split the chilled air for a second before smashing into another of the heavy siege machines. Metal groaned, plastics snapped, and bladders were ruptured as the two objects met in a racket that was sure to draw the attention of anyone who had somehow missed all the other sounds of fighting.

Kale's breath came hard and ragged as he turned to a third war machine, only to be forced to leap back as a burst of flame melted the snow right in front of him. A Skakdi with a flamethrower leered at him from behind its pilot light. Other figures could be seen and heard running to join them atop the walls of Ko-koro. Speed and fury only worked if you kept moving and that was something he was certainly not doing enough of right now. A quick glance told him that the others had made significant distance. Staying any longer would do nothing but get him killed.

So with one last glare at the ugly leer before him, Kale jumped over the wall.

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"I serve the weak. I serve the helpless. I am their sword and their shield. If you want to strike at them, you must go through me, and I am not so easily moved."

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OOC: I should mention I've been working on this post since before the Aggressors got to the gatehouse.

IC:

The minds of the Kalta became a whirring deluge of ideas as various issues were tackled as a group. The first problem: scaling the wall. As one, the Toa began running forward, and images sprang to mind.

Kalyss would activate her mask and dash up the wall, being a vanguard and keeping the way clear. Burning handholds? No, too long. How is everyone else supposed to get up?

Casanuva could jump. No, better yet, he could throw and lift. The mental image shifted to Casanuva haphazardly tossing Dakte far into the air, overshooting the wall. Zueya goes first, as an acrobat she can catch her footing the most, and Casanuva will gauge the distance and power necessary. Then Dakte, then Vakua, then Casanuva will jump himself.

Kalyss's Kakama shone, and she sped off at an angle to the wall, and reversed. Her momentum carried as she ran up the wall, an orange streak. The wind bit into her as the Su-Toa vaulted the wall. A skakdi and lesterin whipped their heads around, and began to bring their weapons to bear. Kalyss snarled and skated towards them, summoning up plasma around her. She then vented it at the ground in a thin sheet, and it rebounded off the ground and whirled into a burning, shin-level wave of force, and swept the two off their feet. Behind her, a matoran started wheeling a patero launcher towards the invader. Two combatants, one gunner on a patero. Five to six seconds to fire on my position.

Below, Casanuva reached the wall and knelt, his hands forming a foothold while his mask glowed. Zueya sprang forward and planted both feet in Casanuva's hands, gripping her extended staff for balanced. The Fa-Toa gritted his teeth as he heaved the lithe Vo-Toa into the air. He looked up to see her arc through the air, somersault, and roll onto the top of the wall. Less force, more angle. Dakte, up next.

On the wall, Zueya rolled to her feet, gathering up power. The other people on the wall were things that come to her naturally through the mindlink; it wasn't hard to aim when she already got a good look at a few sprawling targets. Zueya, finish off the two in the fading plasma cloud, Kalyss, take care of that gunner. Lightning arced from Zueya's staff, not to the recovering Lesterin and Skakdi, but to the ionized air around them. A burst of light and sound erupted as electricity crackled through the cloud, and jolted through the two Legacy warriors. They both fell, not dead, but still twitching. The stench of ozone filled the area. Two down.

Kalyss's mask once again activated, and she poured on the speed as she turned and zoomed straight towards the gunner. Plasma coated her fist, turning it into a superheated bullet as it slammed into the gunner. Thank Mata Nui she couldn't hear much; she did not want to hear what just happened to that guy's internal organs. Gunner down. Down the wall, stations were continuing to fire into the Koro or into the air, and guards were pouring out towards them from both directions. More incoming, both sides.

*      *      *

Fyura growled at Quoribay. "No! The Maru have found the prisoners, and there is a skirmish above!"

She hadn't seen this guard before. That didn't surprise her, she hadn't seen most of the Legacy's forces, and this was a secret prison. Vayde tickled at her thoughts: he thought he smelled weakness. And she was very hungry...

"Come on, we need to reinforce Eisen."

Edited by Keeper of Kraata

The times, they are a-changing...

 

 

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