BZPRPG - Po-Wahi

[Visaru]

IC: (Komisk)

"Are we all prepared to begin our journey?"

 

IC

Dorgath smiled enigmatically and stood tall, as he had been for the last few minutes, observing the dozens of other brave men stepping up to answer the call. Truly, today, was a good day. Mata-Nui smiled on them all. Dorgath could tell this was a mission of great importance to his lord- why else would so many men be brought to this bar to answer this call to arms?

Not to mention the signs presented to Dorgath, as clear as day. Last night he had dreamt that Mata-Nui spoke to him 'Your calling is coming soon,' the voice had spoken, 'a chance to strike at the heart of the enemy and fulfill your calling as my hand and voice.' The voice had spoken in a lisp. The lisp of the speaker, asking for heroes to step up and help him. But that was not all- the yesterday Dorgath had lost what savings he had to a crook, a robber in a back alley who had slit his purse before Dorgath could turn on him with his spear. Dorgath had wondered why his lord saw it fit to take all his earnings. Why would he punish Dorgath for doing the work of God? But it was made obvious when the speaker had offered this monetary reward. Mata-Nui had taken the money to push Dorgath into this quest. All the signs were aligned, his mission set clear before him- follow this brave man through the dark and the horror, through thick and thin, and help him succeed in his quest.

This was his mission, his destiny. As clear as day, illuminated in clarity with Mata-Nui's light.

Dorgath looked up from under his hood and clenched his spear tightly, standing tall and righteous, as he spoke his next words.

"I am ready."

[Some Random Phrase]

IC: Fotioks

The small Su-Matoran, Fotioks, staggered into the inn. Exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated, he promptly fainted on the floor.

[Silvan Haven]

Telen- Po-koro- Sentinel HQ

 

IC: Telne had been the one to bring the message in and he was hardly going to abandon the mission now. Even had he not already been involved in the task he could hardly of left a fellow Sentinel to die.

 

He raised his hand.

[Ghosthands]

IC (Stralix)

 

"I need to gear up first," Stralix said. "Unusually, it seems, I don't carry a full arsenal everywhere I go. I'll meet you at the gates."

 

The inventor left the inn, making his way back to the expo and finding the small group he'd been conversing with.

 

"Lenat," he addressed the Vortixx apologetically, "sorry to bail on you like this, but there's a situation in the Dark Walk. Duty calls."

 

He turned to the Matoran.

 

"Farzan, would you mind giving me a hand with something?"

[Geardirector]

IC: Farzan (Tech Expo)

 

"Huh?" I mumbled as my head bolted upright from where it'd been busy looking at schematics I'd started drawing in the sand with a rusty pocket knife, courtesy of someone else's pocket, perhaps, but what would anyone want with a rusty knife anyway?

 

"It'd be a pleasure, Stralix" I said simply.

[Some Random Phrase]

IC: Fotioks

The Matoran slowly drifted out of unconciousness, and dragged himself upright. He lurched for a moment, trying to keep his balence

OOC: Open for interaction.

[NorikSigma]

IC: Baranx-[sentinel HQ]

Baranx raised his hand. He was prepared to do his duty.

[soularin]

IC: Xenin

 

The Toa of Crystal stood along with the other heroes who vowed to lay their lives down for the safety of the island's people. This was his chance. This was glory. This was recognition.

 

His stump of an arm rose high in the air, the mighty fist of crystal clenched in determination.

 

"I'm not afraid."

 

IC: Vail

 

The Toa of Fire spotted a vague fuzz on the horizon.

 

"Hey, I think that's Po-Koro!" he exclaimed, pointing excitedly.

 

It better not be a mirage.

[Voxumo]

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge looked out to what Vail had pointed out and shrugged

"Naw.. bet ya anything it's just a giant piece of sand lint on the horizon.. surely that must be it."

[Some Random Phrase]

IC: (Fotioks)

FOtioks clambered onto a bar chair and called for a drink.

[The Mugbearer]

IC: Sirius

 

He finished his previous drink and after that just waited for others to do the same. He didn't really thought, just aimlessly looked around in some kind of meditation. Eventually he put out his laser pistol and began to check all it's features automatically. It looked like everything was perfect, not a single malfunction. He then remembered about his rifle and rocked his head: there was nothing he could do now to make the thing work. Even with it's lenses fixed it would be useless without it's mysterious power source. Then he heard a voice of a matoran who gathered the fellow volunteers to help. He was asking if everybody is ready.

Old Vortixx stood up and activated the laser pistol which made a loud chink.

"Ready to set the sail," he said.

[Geardirector]

IC: Melna (Po-Koro Inn)

 

"Let's go" Melna proclaimed bravely, before turning to her new companions.

 

"Don't worry, guys" she said, "I promise I'll be watching your backs this time"

[The Mugbearer]

IC: Sirius

 

Sirius grinned at Melna's proclamation.

"Girl," he said, "Don't underestimate this old Vortixx. It might be so that he'll end up watching your back."

Edited April 17, 2014 by The Mugbearer

[Geardirector]

IC: Melna (Po-Koro Inn)

 

"If you say so," Melna replied with a smirk as she offered Sirius her hand.

 

"Whaddya say, guys? Let's stick together and we'll get through this just fine"

[Ghosthands]

IC: Farzan (Tech Expo)

 

"Huh?" I mumbled as my head bolted upright from where it'd been busy looking at schematics I'd started drawing in the sand with a rusty pocket knife, courtesy of someone else's pocket, perhaps, but what would anyone want with a rusty knife anyway?

 

"It'd be a pleasure, Stralix" I said simply.

 

IC (Stralix)

 

Stralix nodded his thanks.

 

"Follow me."

 

He led the Matoran back through the Expo's crowds to where he'd left his Ussal cart. From a locked box, he withdrew his flamethrower, hooking the feed up to his backpack, and then several grenades of various shapes and designs which he slotted into his bandoleer. Having closed and locked the box again, he turned to a large object that was covered by a tarpaulin, which he pulled off.

 

It revealed a machine of some sort, made mostly from bolted metal, about the size and shape of a chest of drawers. There were several circular holes in the top, seemingly the openings of tubes running down into the device. On one side, there was a large hand-crank, and next to it a lever.

 

"Ok," Stralix said. "Here's what I need you to do. Once it gets dark, move this machine to the middle of the Bazaar, taking care not to drop or knock it. Give it a good crank until the lever moves up into place, then - and make sure everyone stands well back - pull the lever and move away immediately. Got all that?"

Edited April 17, 2014 by Geisthande

[Geardirector]

IC: Farzan (Tech Expo)

 

"Well, of course, Stralix, I can do that" I said, somewhat absent-mindedly as I tried to get a fix on what the device might be.

 

To my surprise - and, and even more surprisingly, not chagrin - Kreff had followed me towards where Stralix's Ussal Cart was situated, chirping curiosly in my direction.

 

I ignored the Ussal for the time being, looking at Stralix.

 

"Don't suppose I can expect a straight answer regarding what exactly this is?"

[Some Random Phrase]

IC: Fotioks

After ordering and paying for his drink, the Su-Matoran drank thirstily, rehydrating.

[Ghosthands]

IC (Stralix)

 

The inventor looked up from checking his gear, and smirked slightly.

 

"Well, that would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?"

 

He gave Farzan a pat on the shoulder.

 

"Anyway, I'd better get moving. The Dark Walk isn't going to secure itself."

 

With that, he moved off towards the village gates.

[Geardirector]

IC: Farzan (Tech Expo)

 

"Alright, then" I said as I loaded the device on Kreff's back, taking care not topple it, which was more out of concern for the device itself than for Kreff.

 

"I'll be sure to take in the show" I said with another triple-wink (smashing) before taking off.

[Ghosthands]

OOC : Korero, Wokapu and Seria from Onu-Wahi

 

IC (Korero)

 

-- and were replaced by the bright sunlight and golden sandstone of Po-Koro. The bustling Bazaar was right ahead of them, currently taken up by a multitude of stalls run by beings of all shapes and colours, all showcasing one kind of technology or another. A few amazed Po-Matoran stood nearby, staring at the three beings (one of whom they quickly recognised as a Toa Maru) who had appeared out of thin air in a white flash.

 

Korero let go of his passengers' hands as they came to terms with their sudden change of environs: one's first trip with the Hiko tended to be disorientating.

 

"Welcome to sunny Po-Koro."

Edited April 17, 2014 by Geisthande

[Some Random Phrase]

IC: Fotioks

After regaining his balence, Fotioks asked if he could rent a room at the inn.

[They]

IC: Hewkii

 

 

A small cheer rose up from the assembled sentinels post Korru's rousing remarks. Hewkii tapped his foot quietly under the table, letting his knees bounce to remove some of the mounting nervous energy. Having so little information about the incident was disturbing. Was it an enemy force? Or something worse? In any case Hewkii had to take a deep breath before speaking.

 

"Thank you Captain Korru. I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of this mystery." He stood and made his way to the door of the war room/mess hall, turned left down the carved tunnel hallway with grand windows looking out on the canyon, and quietly made his way to his office.

 

OOC: Alright, Palm or EW, interaction available with Hewkii.

 

EDIT: I fleshed this post out some more, but nothing impacted the story otherwise. I fixed the horrible sentence structures and removed some stuff too.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Kughii

[Emzee]

IC: Wokapu – Po-Koro Bazaar

 

The world spun violently the first couple seconds after the bright white flash faded away. Wokapu’s eyes had long since adjusted into the peaceful and non-stimulating dimness of Onu-Koro, but now, between the heat, the brightness, and the unexpected sensation of traveling miles in the blink of an eye, the Toa of Air opted to not move a muscle – instead waiting for his world to stop spinning.

 

“Um, thanks,” squeaked Wokapu, “… for the heads up”

 

One could almost see the spiral shapes that rolled within Wokapu’s irises.

[soularin]

IC:

 

Vail sighed and squinted into the horizon.

 

"Well whatever it is, we wont be able to see it for much longer. C'mon, lets get a move on before the darkness swallows us up!"

 

The Ta-Toa slid smoothly over the crest of a sand dune, muscles rippling as he broke into a run down the incline.

[Ghosthands]

IC (Korero)

 

"No problem," Korero replied, with a grin, and vanished like the Cheshire Cat with another white flash.

 

OOC: Korero to Onu-Wahi.

[Voxumo]

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge smiled as he reached the top of the dune.. With a mild thought he formed to ski-like pieces of metal on his feet and two poles in his arms as he attempted to littterly sky down the dune and when he passed Vail he stuck his tongue out at the toa of fire

"Better catch up!"

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"L-let's just get this over with, okay?" I said, as if the words would fill the hollow feeling inside of me. Of course they wouldn't, no more than Melna's words would and Sirius's words would. Maybe Day's words would work; the intonations of a colossus, reassurance beyond all else, even without any proof to back it up. But he was silent as always. No, there were no assurances that day.

 

Not for me, not for any of the others. But maybe for the Sentinels.

 

If we were lucky.

 

-Void

[soularin]

IC:

 

Vail's eyes widened as Voulge swooped past.

 

"Hey!" he yelled, "That's not fair!"

 

He tried pumping the iron faster, but his legs would only carry him so fast. The Fe-Toa was getting farther and farther ahead of him every moment.

[Voxumo]

IC: Voulge

 

Voulge brought himself to a stop a good 50 feet infront of vail even as a huge, karz eating smirk creeped it's way to his face and he stood there just staring at Vail

"Well well.. seems someone is a bit slow."

[The Mugbearer]

IC: Sirius

 

At first, Sirius looked at Melna's hand and his look was puzzled. Then he remembered something and said with relief:

'Ah! I see,' he clenched his fist and stretched it out to her. 'I guess that's when this old-fashioned tradition of fist-bumps come in, right? You maskbearers always do this before something big is happening.'

[Geardirector]

IC: Melna (Po-Koro Inn)

 

"You catch on quick" Melna replied as they executed the fist bump. One part of her was excited, the other worried, like it or not her two companions were both less than excited about the new task at hand, and as a first for Melna she'd managed to notice it.

 

"Next time," she thought "they'll get to decide"

[Light]

IC: "I'm sorry that we're bloody late, but I got held up by the Lieutenant Tarkin, mighty killer of fun and relisher of boredom."

 

Two more had entered the War Room, one a smiling Ko-Toa with skis on his back and the other a Fe-Toa who was shielding the fact that she was about to laugh by pretending to facepalm. Both had the Guard insignia of the Ihu-Koronan Highlanders on their shoulders, though the ribbon of the Ko-Toa's Corporal ribbon had "of Awesome" scrawled on it.

 

The Ko-Toa was the one who had spoken, and he continued. "Corporal Smiley and Sergeant Diane reporting for duty."

[Geardirector]

IC: Korru (Sentinel HQ)

 

"Then let's not waste any more time" Korru said with gloom, "let's head out"

 

The Sentinels passed through the gate soon after, on Kikanalo-back the lot of them, although Xenin had to make due with sharing Telne's ride.

 

The Sentinels were no strangers to Po-Wahi's harsh sunlight, the Captain least of all, this was where he belonged, on Kikanalo-back scouring the desert drifts, feeling the hot sun boil his body and the strong winds wear down his armor. Needlenose lumbered below him with the same comfort while Baranx followed behind on his newly assigned steed.

 

Korru's sharp eyes soon caught wind of the entrance to the darkwalk in the distance, his mask scope and eyes narrowing at the sight.

 

"This is it, boys" he said "watch yourself, and be ready for anything"

[Relapse]

IC: (Komisk)

 

"Each of you thould go home and gather whatever you need for the journey. Meet me at the gate in a half hour, be ready for a long trip," he said cheerfully. And with that, he walked out ceremoniously and headed home.

 

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

 

A little while later, he stood at the gates. It was with a bit of an admiration in his gaze that he noticed Stralix's arsenal was now rather impressive, especially considering the reduced state of his own weaponry. "I've called in a few favorth," he stated cheekily, "and a merchant caravan ith allowing uth acceth to their wagon train."

 

"...and that's the latht easy part of thith journey."

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

It would look pretty bad if the Doc was ready to head off before I was, wouldn't it?

 

"Well, if we're ready to get going, let's not be wastin' no time, then" I said, slamming my empty glass onto the counter and sending puffs of sand and dust into the air. "Those Sentinels need some help, now don't they; and who better t'help 'em than the Ussalry, best people when you got tunnel problems, eh?"

 

I rose to my feet, stirring up more sand and dust. Karz, there was a lot of the stuff around there; probably enough to kill you if you weren't careful. Breathe in enough and it could clog your lungs, drowning you in mud. Probably lots down in the Dark Walk too, along with whatever rogues or beasties are running around in the shadows. Enough to kill you if you weren't careful.

 

In fact, one might've been enough.

 

I shuddered.

 

There was a picture in my pocket, one I always kept there. It was a tiny drawing of a girl with black armour and grease-stained overalls and such a cocky smirk on her face that you couldn't help but grin and roll your eyes whenever you saw it. Delta. It was the only picture I had; not a painting of my other sis, or Mum, or Dad. Not even one of myself, no matter how surprising that might be to the guys who thought I was nothing but a puffed-up pretty boy from the wrong side of the tracks. No, there was just her.

 

Because there weren't any more smirks, cocky or otherwise, were there? Every smile or grimace or tear, or cheer or shout that she could've ever made was buried under six feet of earth back in Onu-Koro. Every invention that she could've made, that she could've brought to the expo -- man, she would've loved it here -- was nothing but a gleam in a corpse's eye. Me, I'd probably end up under thirty feet of rock, and by the end of today, someone'd be carrying around a picture with my cocky grin on it. Maybe Mum, maybe Dad. I don't know. You can't make judgement calls on these sorts of things.

 

I had a pencil, not much more than a piece of charcoal I'd picked up in the bazaar. I flipped the picture of Delta over, pressed it against my thigh, and started writing. It wasn't much, just another soldier's letter to his family, scribbled in the heat of the moment. Nothing that hadn't been sent a thousand times before. Colloquialisms aside, probably nothing different from the last letters those Sentinels down in the Dark Walk had sent home. Dear Mum and Dad. In Po-Koro, on assignment. Won't be coming home for Naming Day this year. Something came up. Love you both, say hi to sis. Private Dalrin Stratos, Light Cavalry. xoxo

 

PS:

 

"Hey," I said to Rungui, letter in my hand, "when this is over, can you make sure this gets back to my family? Just in case..."

 

I'm so sorry.

 

"...just in case I can't?"

 

-Void

[Tabby: Toa of Cats]

IC(Miraul):

Agreeing with the plan to meet at the gate, we walked over there early-we had no equipment to gather, after all. Vilak dashed off, and bought some rations, just in case this proved to be a multi-day excursion. I myself began to list mental possibilities as too what might be threatening the guards. Rahkshi were a likely-hood, and there was no shortage of them in the Dark-Walk. There might also be unknown possibilities, the last shadows of Makuta. It's things like that which have long worried me, and there's little that can be done to prepare for dark monstrosities.

 

I watched as Hikari made some crystal disks for Reynar to wield should he have need, before she began producing an excess of Lightstones, something everyone would need before a trip to the Dark Walk. Divan turned his attention to our blades, his mind all he needed to sharpen them. Takamaz waited patiently, having little else to do.

 

I turned too Komisk, and stated, "If anyone needs a lightstone, their weapons fixed, or lacks something to fight with, send them to Hikari or Divan. We'll be happy to help ensure everyone is prepared."

[Geardirector]

IC: Melna (Po-Koro Gates)

 

Melna fiddled with the pommel of one of her dual swords where she stood, front and center among the gathered adventurers and warriors that had answered Komisk's call. Lux and Day were somewhere nearby, she'd assured herself of that, same for Sirius.

 

She twitched with the excitement of a Hapaka who was preparing to play catch, taking in the appearance of the other people in the eventually somewhat substantial crowd. There was a Skakdi over there, packed to the brim with weapons, and the lisping Matoran had brought some friends. She could spot a glimpse or two of Sirius' peg leg where he humped about, and she saw Lux and Day standing nearby as well.

 

She breathed once, heavily, trying to contain her bubbling excitement by reciting her old saying.

 

"Keep calm and DFTBA" she said to herself, breathing.

 

OOC: Melna is open for interaction from anyone with Komisk.

[soularin]

IC:

 

Vail slowed as he finally caught up to the Toa of Iron.

 

"Like Karz I'm slow! You looked like a Ko-Matoran, what with the skis and all."

 

He laughed through bated breaths as he leaned on his knees and allowed his pulse to settle.

 

"Well, at least we're almost to the Koro I think. I haven't been in a long time, do you know if they close the gates once it gets dark?"

Edited April 18, 2014 by Requiem

[The Mugbearer]

IC: Sirius

 

'I am in no need to prepare for I have no home and all my bearings are with me, good friend,' said old Vortixx to Komisk before he took off to meet them at the gate after a half of an hour. All this time Sirius spent aimlessly wandering around the Tech Expo. He arrived at the rendezvous point just in time to hear Komisk's talk about merchant's wagon.

'I am afraid there would be nothing elegant enough to suffice my needs, good friend,' he shrugged. 'Unless this merchant have something to power my rifle.'

[NorikSigma]

IC: Baranx-[sentinel Force near Dark Walk]

 

Baranx gulped as he heard Korru's orders. He could almost taste the nervousness and tension in the baking hot air. He struggled to keep Little Rhin need control.

 

He checked his bow, arrows and knife to make sure they were ready for combat. He looked around for any danger.