BZPRPG - Ga-Wahi

[Razgriz]

IC:

From afar, a distinct )^: could be felt.

[Eyru]

IC (Akimoto)

 

Oh, for the love of-

 

Aki fought to keep from rolling her eyes. This whole situation was spiralling into new and hitherto unexplored dimensions of weird. It seemed like the Mata-Nuian's free-spiritedness had infected Soraph, who was having a hard time obeying her superiors. These Marines seemed cool enough, but then there was this odd hulk of a creature with a glint of crazy in her eye and Zuto Nui help her half a dozen people had almost died and they needed to get them back to the sub but instead there were all this dumb confrontations.

 

Of course, she didn't say anything. That was neither Honourable nor conducive to Order, and it wouldn't help anyway.

[Vestak]

IC: Jalkron

 

Jalkron examine the grate, checking for any release mechanisms that could send them plummeting into the water below.

[Constructelf]

IC: Ira

"Ooookay, where is she going?" Having accompanied Maeloc in pursuit of their runaway team member, Ira kept his eyes open. As much as he was hoping for a peaceful recovery, something deep down in him told him that, well, to put it in a filter-friendly way, stuff would happen.

 

GrrrrrrRRRRRAAAAAGGHHH-

 

IC: Asa

Asa silently eyed the newcomer, who seemed to have that Parakuka attached to her neck. Part of her simply wanted to leave, yet a morbid curiosity had gripped her; just what was this about turning into, uh, Raksha?

[Perp]

IC: Dessa

The Vortixx stalked off, walking through more sparsely populated areas of Ga-Koro, arriving near the south-eastern edge of the village.

If she got up high enough, she could probably see the grasslands further to the south through her binoculars. 

She found a rather tall hut nearby, and, looking around, discreetly scaled it and sat on the roof. She retrieved her binoculars.

As per her usual check of the electronic binoculars' functionality, she put the eyepieces up to her eyes and pointed toward a nearby lilypad, foot traffic crossing is regularly. The binoculars auto-focused, affirming that they still worked. She continued to people-watch for a few moments more.

Hmm, quite a few nice rear-en-OH MATA NUI THEY'RE RUBBING OFF ON ME WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

[Keeper of Kraata]

OOC: NOOOOO I HIT BACKSPACE TO DELETE SOMETHING AND MY BROWSER WENT BACK

 

IC: Fyura scowled at the Onu-Toa. "Zyou zhink I came here to fight? No, no, I came to zave kin. I just happen to happen to come across hypocrisy."

 

She adjusted her leather skirt, and clasped her hands to pop her fingers. She hadn't used Vayde in a long time. Her symbiont urged her to use the transformation to end these lying weaklings, turn into a hellion. Devour their energy. Greedy moron. No, she would show them the power of control. Fyura hunched over, her exhaling breath turning into a hiss. Her snout lengthened, her eyes narrowing and turning red. Her feet curled and her heels turned into a third joint in her legs. Her claws sharpened; her arms turned from 'lean' to 'meaty'. The spines on her back, normally straight and spiked, began to shift to a silvery grey; they grew symmetrical plates and knobs. The Skakdi's monstrous new form grinned.

 

She spoke now with clarity that she didn't have before. "You get faster! You get stronger! Better than any normal being." Fyura began pacing. "I'm not going to lie about the downsides. I miss my elemental powers. I really miss my laser vision. I really miss my iron blaster." Pointing a clawed finger at Whitehot, she continued. "But don't let this Toa lie to your faces! I am completely, one hundred percent in control here. If you're too weak to not listen to your hitchhiker's voice, well, you deserve everything you get. And you don't deserve the power it grants you."

 

There was one more parakuka; attached to the unconscious one-armed wretch that was under guard. Fyura pointed at her, and looked at Whitehot. "Since you seem to know nothing about Parakuka, here's some free advice. She'll be in a coma for a few days, and when she wakes up, missing an arm ain't going to stop her. She'll be like me! But, unlike me, she'll probably have less restraint. I suggest you plan for that. If I were in your position, I'd put a spike through her spine now, avoid the problem, but I'm sure that the Ga-Koro Marines will find something."

 

Fyura turned back towards Soraph, grinning. Her Skakdi smile was just as large as it had been before her transformation. "So, girl, have I answered your question? I don't think a demonstration is needed, ah?"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"That's right, everyone listen to the raving maniac with the hunchback about how you don't deserve unlimited power," Whitehot droned, clearly bored now that she knew there was no fight on her hands. "Back off, miss. You're harassing foreign dignitaries."

 

-Tyler

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

Tyrus moved like lightning, switching to a fighting stance as naturally as he breathed. One hand latched itself to the hilt of his sword, but he made no move to draw.

 

Not yet.

 

IC:

 

Holy ######!

 

I thought I was going to faint. Or maybe vomit.

 

Or both.

 

-Void

[25K Now!]

IC: Treize

 

"This is the first time I've seen a transformation and it's really freaking me out," said Treize, barely managing to rein in her shock.

[Toa Fanixe]

IC:

 

Soraph gasped as the transformation. It was totally unlike anything she'd been expecting. From what she'd heard the Parakuka were parasites, all consuming slugs that drained their hosts. But here was proof they could just as easily give, and the results are incredible, if not terrifying. She felt regret for not standing up for the Parakuka earlier - if the Dasakans could have studied them, learn to duplicate that sort of power...

But what was done was done.

 

"Yes," she said to Fyura, "that was demonstration enough. Thank you for teaching us about the creatures. Now I think it'd be best if you left."

 

Privately, using her Willhammer powers to speak directly into the newcomer's mind, she said :Could we meet another time for you to tell more about those things? Maybe in a day or two?  Tell me when and where. And think the answer, don't say it:

 

Not sure if the Skakdi was yet safe to be around, Soraph still got ready to withdraw her dagger.

[25K Now!]

IC: Treize

 

O   O

__

Edited March 6, 2015 by Umi Tryon

[Eyru]

IC (Akimoto)

 

what in the name of Zataka's saggy left-

[Snelly]

IC: Darien

 

"I could go for a drink Captain, how about you?" 

 

IC: Arisaka

 

Arisaka seemed on edge, probably why she looked ready to summon her soulsword at a moment's notice. 

[Eyru]

IC (Jin)

 

"You guys go to Polzin- I'll see about my contact," I said. "We'll meet- what? Back here, in two days?"

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Vayde snapped harmlessly at the mental intrusion. SHES MINE. FIND YOUR OWN. THIS ONE FEEDS ME-

 

:Shut up, Vayde.: The girl's telepathy was strange, but not unlike Vayde sharing its thoughts with her. :I'm busy... for a while. But... I'll try to stop outside of the Koro... tomorrow morning. I'll try.:

 

Fyura pushed the thoughts that weren't her own out of her head, and gave up the change. Chuckling, her limbs returned to normal, she lost the weight she had gained, and her spines returned to normal, if slightly less orange. The physical changes were accompanied by sickening pops as her normal frame returned. She was breathing heavily as she went to retrieve her battleaxe; her vision was starry and blood roared in her ears. The skakdi had to use two hands to remove her axe, and cradled it in her arm, the blade going over her shoulder. As she turned, her smile faded.

 

Maeloc stood beyond the crowd, tapping his foot. "Are you off your soapbox yet, or do you need to let the high come off?"

[Constructelf]

IC: Asa

Asa instinctively recoiled when Fyura transformed, hand flying for the axe on her belt.

 

"... I-I recall the late T-Toroshu Karen working on a project that w-was supposed to empower Dasaka much l-like this," Asa absentmindedly stammered even as she assumed hunting stance, as if confronting a boar or a bear. Her body relaxed as the Skakdi returned to normal, but she still eyed the being warily.

 

IC: Ira

"... Why is she showing off?"

 

Ira clicked his teeth in disapproval as Fyura came into sight, her Parakuka activated. "Just hurry up and come back, okay Fyura?" he half-muttered, but Fyura had already deactivated as he finished his sentence.

Edited March 6, 2015 by One-Eyed Construct

[Razgriz]

IC: At the Marine Headquarters, having just started getting the perpetrator through processing, the familiar sensation of :^) returned.

Behind the desk came a stern reminder to focus on the task at hand, and not whatever vibes the Sergeant was giving him.


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

IC: "So that's what it's like."

Ruefully, I scratched "Parakuka Transformation" off the list of Things I Hoped to Never Witness In My Hopefully Long and Happy Life.

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

"That isn't power."

 

Sinshi regarded the being before her quietly, with... Pity. She had watched the transformation in silence, watched as the Skakdi's body contorted and reformed itself. The Umbraline listened to her speech, and with every word, her stomach turned. Fyura had never exactly been pretty, but her transformation had rendered her downright monstrous. More Rahkshi than Skakdi, more beast than Toa. Her Parakuka had granted her what she saw as power, a twisted transformation to match her twisted heart. And worst of all, she believed every word.

 

"Look at you. You're stronger, you're faster, you say you're better. But it isn't you. Not a single ounce of that strength, a single iota of that power, is yours. You say it belongs to you just because you can ignore that voice in your head, but it's just the opposite. That voice in your head gave you that power. It robs you of your own vitality, and it gilds its cage with the promise of power beyond your comprehension." Her tone was calm, but every measured word was imparted with all the weight of a hammer. "It took from you every power that had been your own. Your vision, your element, even your equipment. Everything that came from inside you is just fuel for its craving."

 

"Everything special about you came from a slug."

 

"True power comes from the self. True power comes with the hardship to attain it, and the wisdom that comes with it. It isn't raw strength, or speed. In your shortsighted ambition you gave up everything to obtain a strength that wasn't even real. One that will eventually kill you. Real power isn't something that's handed to you. It's something you earn." She extended her hands, palms up towards the sky. She felt the sun beating down on her skin, drying the water from body as she stood. Her mind was clear. Her heart was clear.

 

Just like Araya taught me.

 

Within her hands she felt her soul. Gleaming, shining, radiating all of the power of her spirit. Two beacons of her power, perfectly identical, cerulean in the midday sun. Perfect in every way, she knew without having to look. They were weightless to her, for why would she feel the weight of her own soul? She held them up for Fyura to see, and in the back of her head she knew, for the other Dasaka to see. She hadn't ever shown them openly, not without the threat of imminent battle.

 

Now she had.

 

"This is power. This is mine. There is no fuel for these but my own spirit, but the strength I can find within my own soul. You used to have that strength as well, but you traded it for empty promises." In an instant, the blades faded and Sinshi crossed her arms. 

 

"You should go. If you cannot see through your own delusions, at least take them where we do not have to deal with them."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

"Maybe two beers on me." Goldie's gonna flip when he hears what he missed.

 

-Tyler

[Constructelf]

IC: Ira

"... Whoa." The Ta-Toa stared at the brilliant shapes of energy this Toa (Sinshi) had summoned. Plasma? No, that didn't seem right...

 

IC: Asa

Asa silently looked on as Sinshi delivered a rebuttal to the Skakdi's words of power. When the Menti unveiled her dual Soulswords, Asa couldn't help but feel a twang of... Jealousy?

 

Sometimes I wonder... If not for the sins of my mother and her mother before her... Would I be like her? A true, proper Dasaka? A Menti?

[GSR]

IC: Soraya [Ga-Koro]

 

And this carousel went 'round, and 'round, and 'round, and...

 

And there was actually important things to be tended to.

 

She waited for Sinshi to finish her little speech - actually, it wasn't half bad, and that was a nice trick with the swords - and then looked up, straight into the monster's eyes. 

 

"In other words: nobody cares.  So shut up.  And go away."

Edited March 6, 2015 by GSR

[25K Now!]

IC: Treize

 

"I'd be up for that."

 

This was not something she was going to get used to.

[Prowl Nightwolf]

IC: The Archeologist smiled. "Well, there is a bright side to all of this. I mean, this stuff is pretty advanced for back then. If there are traps here, it means something worth protecting is here." The ga-matoran examined the now dim lightvine as the gears inside the walls ground away, as if in protest to Jalkron's meddling. "I don't think these are normal lightvines; these are much thicker, and seem to shut down when other light touches them. I think they were part of the trigger for these sawblades." She took out a knife and a small jar from her backpack, and took a cutting. She would find a bo-matoran to help her identify this vine. The small chunk she took glowed from the inside, before fading.

 

"Well, let's press on!" Aokora said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

 

Around the bend, Jalkron found that the vines recessed into the wall, ending. The tunnel continued; several bios later, it opened into a large round chamber with a metal grate making up the floor. Three bios below, there was glittering water, moving gently back and forth. There were no other entrances, though markings similar to the door that had opened in the cave above were on part of the wall.

IC: Jalkron

 

Jalkron examine the grate, checking for any release mechanisms that could send them plummeting into the water below.

 

== Ga-Koro - Cave - Temple ==

OOC: Amnesiac Ga-Matoran

 

IC: Walking as close as she could with the group being unable to see all to well without the use of their light stones. She didn't notice that Jalkron had stopped until after she had bumped right into him. "Oh I am sorry. Why did you stop; is there another trap?" She could hear the sound of water coming from below them but didn't realize until after she felt the floor change from beneath her feet. "What is this?"

[Nato G]

IC: Zaara - Chamber.

 

"I guess we go down?" Zaara asked. "I can melt through the grille if we can't find another way." 

[Prowl Nightwolf]

== Ga-Koro - Cave - Temple ==

OOC: Amnesiac Ga-Matoran
 
IC: "That is just fine for myself and Aokora as we are both Ga-Matoran and are excellent swimmers. Well I think so anyway. I am not sure about the rest of the group though." The Amnesiac said of Zaara's suggestion. Kneeling down she felt the grate with her free hand.

[Snelly]

IC: Arisaka

 

Arisaka was staring at Sinshi. 

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Fyura threw her head up at the sky, smiling. She didn't know. She didn't know about her Hunger. Vayde told her to leap on her, drain her of every last drop of strength. She could probably induce a second transformation, he told her; then she could-

 

"Fyura, do I need to dock your pay?" Maeloc shouted. To the others behind him, he whispered, "Say nothing; restrain the ##### if you need to. I'm going to defuse the situation before we end up with a lot more than a loudmouthed skakdi."

 

The Archivist walked forward, emphasizing his staff, almost exaggeration his gait to lean on it. Well, with all the running he had done, he half didn't have to fake it. Maeloc had heard the latter half of his underling's speech; it was probably wasted on these uptight foreigners, but she did show some examples of Makuta's ideals. There was promise, he thought. Fyura walked back, and he swore the bit of her spine that looked like a tail was tucked between her legs. "We will discuss this when we get a boat. As for now, I don't want you to say another word inside the Koro." Fyura nodded.

 

Turning to the crowd, he mentally screamed. Of course she would be ranting ideology at two of the three groups he had specifically said to avoid. All it took was the six Toa Maru turning the corner and his life would be perfect. Maeloc breathed in; time to get into character. Now, there was that annoying foreman he had shanked back before he joined the Legacy; how did he speak?

 

"I-I'm so sorry, she just ran off when we entered the gates! Something about 'smelling blood' or something, you know how these slug-spines are. I'm so sorry about this. We were just passing through because we need to hire a boat, a-and I promise, she won't be a problem again." He looked over his shoulder, feigning nervousness. "I don't think I'm going to even enter the Koro when she's on contract with me. I hope she didn't cause any damage!"

[Razgriz]

IC:

"'kay."

[Snelly]

IC: Darien

 

"Alright then, let's go." He wanted to forget what he just saw. 

Edited March 6, 2015 by Grochi Cat

[Geardirector]

IC:

 

Soraph gasped as the transformation. It was totally unlike anything she'd been expecting. From what she'd heard the Parakuka were parasites, all consuming slugs that drained their hosts. But here was proof they could just as easily give, and the results are incredible, if not terrifying. She felt regret for not standing up for the Parakuka earlier - if the Dasakans could have studied them, learn to duplicate that sort of power...

But what was done was done.

 

"Yes," she said to Fyura, "that was demonstration enough. Thank you for teaching us about the creatures. Now I think it'd be best if you left."

 

Privately, using her Willhammer powers to speak directly into the newcomer's mind, she said :Could we meet another time for you to tell more about those things? Maybe in a day or two?  Tell me when and where. And think the answer, don't say it:

 

Not sure if the Skakdi was yet safe to be around, Soraph still got ready to withdraw her dagger.

 

IC: Vilda Mako (Ga-Koro)

 

"Soraph" I said, quietly, walking up beside her.

 

"I saw the way you looked at that Skakdi. I hope you weren't up to anything that could be seen as disregarding of authority"

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC:

 

Whitehot was daydreaming about Salamander's Revenge.

 

-Tyler

[Vestak]

IC: Jalkron

 

"Wait.  If wee need to go down, I'll make the hole.  I'd rather not burn myself on the white hot metal around the edges of your hole.  Aokora, what do those markings say?" Jalkron asks as he points towards them.

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Aokora walked across the grate and held up her lightstone to the wall. "Before... Air... there... was... Water. Those... worthy... will.. swim... from... the... depths... to... the... stars."

 

Well, that was cryptic. Depths, stars... Aokora looked around the room. Nothing more on the walls. She held up her lightstone to the ceiling; on it, a symbol of the Three Virtues stood at the aperture of its dome. In the middle was some sort of cavity. Well, those might be the stars... the Archeologist pulled out another lightstone, and dropped it through the gate into the water below. It turned out to be quite shallow, not even reaching a matoran's knees. There was a small polyhedral object floating in the water...

 

Aokora smiled. "I think I got it. Let's try leaving this puzzle intact, hmm?"

[Void Emissary]

IC (Jin)

 

"You guys go to Polzin- I'll see about my contact," I said. "We'll meet- what? Back here, in two days?"

 

IC:

 

Nika didn't like this plan. Too many secrets, too many questions. But he would not argue with a female. It was not the way of the Vortixx to do so.

 

"'kay."

 

IC:

 

"I would suggest keeping an eye on your Skakdi companion," Tyrus warned the Turaga of Earth. "Others may not be so forgiving as us."

 

IC:

 

"well that just happened"

 

-Void

[Prowl Nightwolf]

== Ga-Koro - Cave - Inside the Temple ==

OOC: Amnesiac Ga-Matoran
 
IC: The Amnesiac Ga-Matoran was glad when they started using their Light Stones again. She was getting tired of stumbling in the dark and quickly took out her own Light Stone to better see the chamber they were currently in. Looking down at the grate they were standing on as Aokora dropped a Light Stone down between the grates to reveal the shallow puddle below. "Well that seems anti-climactic. Guess unless there is a trigger that fills this chamber with water we don't have to worry about drowning." She looked up to the domed ceiling and the cavity that cast its shadow along the wall. "So do you think that bobber down there fits in that cavity there? Like a keystone or something alike?"

[Razgriz]

IC: "I think today's just cursed, to be honest."

This coming from a relatively non-superstitious guy like me.

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

I looked over at the Toa person. What was his name again? Tarkus or something, I think.

 

"So, this is weird even by Mata Nui standards, right?"

 

-Void

[Nato G]

IC: Zaara - Chamber.

 

"We've still got to get through the grate to grab that key or whatever it is," Zaara said pointedly, tugging at the grates to see if it would pull free. 

[Palm]

IC: Pae - Ga-Wahi

 

"Fair," Pae agreed, "Do not delay."

[Eyru]

IC (Jin)

 

I'm out.

 

OOC Jin to Onu-Wahi.