BZPRPG - Onu-Wahi

[Geardirector]

IC: Ferron (Papa-Nihu Reef)

 

Ferron stifled a cough instigated by the dusty air in the tunnels of Onu-Wahi, his powerful frame hunching slightly as he contained the outburst of air. He snorted, looking up to see he'd finally reached the end of the tunnel, opening before him to the Papa-Nihu Reef. The sun was just rising, it's pink aura draped across the sky like a warm cloth.

 

The frequent winds out here had even settled a bit, leaving a gentle breeze that grazed against the Toa of Iron's rugged features, tugging at the gray cloak he was wearing, and making his weapons and supplies rustle where they were slung or stored.

 

Ferron smiled, forgetting his troubles for just a moment.

 

"Almost makes it worth it, doesn't it brother?"

 

Ferron didn't react to the sudden manifestation of another of his teammates, at this point he had essentially resigned himself to the fact that these visions weren't going away anytime soon. Instead he simply nodded.

 

"Almost" he mumbled as he looked to where Barok was standing to his left.

 

The dignified Ta-Toa was balancing on the balls of his feet, taking a deep breath as he relished in the morning glow, as he was so often wont to do in life. His Calix was adorned with a reserved smile, and his yellow eyes glowed with unbridled passion of the moment.

 

"This is what made it all worth it to me, at least" he said.

 

"I was never big on this sort of thing" Ferron replied where he stood, crossing his muscled arms as he looked out on the rocky shores.

 

"I noticed" Barok replied with a hint of smugness, before his face darkened.

 

"Look, Ferron," he said gravely, "I just wanted to tell you to be mindful of the path you now tread, it is a dangerous path, and one that might not be worth walking in the first place"

 

"I stopped giving a Kinloka's behind a while ago, Barok," Ferron replied, "this is how it now must be"

 

"Dealing with bounty hunters, hunting madmen, chasing shadows... you've changed, Ferron, and I refrain from saying for the better, or worse for that matter"

 

"For better or worse is a useless phrase" Ferron scoffed, "something that can just as easily be good as bad, at its base level that applies to everything"

 

"Hence why I'm using it now," Barok replied sternly, "they say you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. At this point, either one is entirely possible for you"

 

Ferron's eyes glinted with metallic fervor as he finally turned to actually look at Barok.

 

"Well, then so be it" he said staunchly, tightening his hands into fists as he said it.

 

Barok shook his head, looking at Ferron with evident concern in his face.

 

"When did you become so blasé, Ferron?"

 

Ferron didn't answer at first, instead his hands silently moved towards the rahi-hide satchel he had slung over his shoulder, opening it to dig out a small hide flask. He put it to his lips and took a swig, giving a sigh of satisfaction as he put the flask away again.

 

"Ever since I had to suffer seeing what I love be taken from me a second time" Ferron finally replied, his voice shaking a little.

 

"My, you have changed," Barok remarked, "I never thought you the man to require alcohol for the courage to speak his personal issues"

 

"I have a lot more baggage to carry nowadays" was Ferron's honest reply.

 

"Perhaps" Barok mumbled solemnly as he joined Ferron in scouting the horizon.

 

"In any case, I wish you the best" he said, before fading away with a last word of caution

 

"I just don't think this quest will lead you to what you're really looking for"

 

Ferron remained quiet for a while as he waited for Rhea, contemplating Barok's words. He had always respected the deputy when he was alive, so why was it now that he failed to lend his words the same weight, was it because they clashed so clearly with what Marinna had said?

 

But then again, they'd always been a little at odds with each other, if anything they together had run the team, no either alone.

 

Ferron let loose another heavy sigh as he took another look into the tunnels to look for Rhea

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, outside secret lab):

 

Teede shrugged and got up. "Whatever", he said and walked to another part of the tunnel where the entrance to the secret lab was. He began chipping at the earth with his rod and eventually uncovered a hidden lever. He pulled it and a new entrance opened.

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

The archaeologist followed Teede silently, alert for any foul play.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Mj. Spoilers

[Toatapio Nuva]

OOC: Hold your Rahi. It's an entirely different room.

 

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Secret lab):

 

The room on the other side of the door was very different from what Shadd had expected. It was a very small one with a box-like machine at its center. Seven levers were sticking out of it.

 

"Your call", Teede said to Shadd.

[ARROW404]

OOC: Edited

 

IC: Shadd

He raised an eyebrow. "What is this?"

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Secret lab):

 

"Levers connected to activites in the lab", Teede said. "Now take your pick. Turn any of them."

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

He examined the device for as long as he dared, then pulled down one of the levers, using his makeshift staff to do it from a couple of feet away.

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Secret lab):

 

Teede jumped up and down in glee as the lever went down, indicating that he wasn't completely sane. The machine made no sounds, only the friction between the metals of the lever and the box could be heard.

 

Teede giggled. "Great choice. My favourite."

 

IC Kirgan and Hile

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Secret lab):

 

Down below in the quarantined lab, Kirgan, Hile, Xaron, Azthran and Krayzek could hear a hatch opening in one of the many rooms.

 

"I'll check it out", Kirgan said, walking to the direction of the sound. "You guys keep that Vortixx in sight."

 

Kirgan found the correct room easily, but was horrified by what he found there. From an open hatch came a large group of stone rats. Hungry stone rats. And stone rats were the kind of Rahi that would eat anything in their path. Including Matoran.

 

With a scream, Kirgan ran back to the othets. "Stone rats!" he yelled.

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

"Shut it or you get the stick," he grumbled and glared at the Onu-Matoran. He didn't know whether to take Teede's reaction seriously or as reverse psychology. If worse came to worst, they did have a Toa of Ice in there. For now, he had to figure everything out. He held up his staff menacingly. "If they don't come out of there alive, you can kiss your shiny black Mahiki goodbye."

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Secret lab):

 

"You wouldn't kill me", Teede said. "You'd lose the biggest wonder of your time, for I don't belong in it."

 

He pointed at the box-machine-thing. "Pull another lever."

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

"Matoran don't die when they lose their masks," he reminded him. "You stand to lose a lot more than I do. Your freedom, for example." He slowly reached for another lever and stopped. If something bad had happened, he was going to give his allies some time to deal with it. "What did that last lever actually do?" If that lever had really been Teede's favorite, then Shadd had some hope that the rest couldn't be any worse.

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Secret lab):

 

"You saw what happened to your friends. It can happen to you too. I'm not the only one who can lose his freedom. As for the lever, it did something inside the lab. Now pull another one."

[Mr. House]

IC: (Aryll Vudigg)

 

"Why did you kill the Matoran?" Aryll said, keeping an armored fist upon The Phantom's shoulders.

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

"Trap me, you trap yourself. I'm not letting you out of my reach."

 

OOC: Gonna wait for the guys inside the room before I go on.

 

IC: Phantom

The phantom shook his head as his vision swam. That Toa of Lightning was suddenly not near as funny as he was a moment before. In his place, the phantom saw the image of a Rahkshi, holding its Staff of Hunger out at him. He could feel his strength draining already.

 

With a gasp, his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Mj. Spoilers

[Ehksidian]

IC: Xaron

I had half a mind to walk up to that Vortixx and threaten him with a knife. My brain, however, said that wouldn't be effective. So, I didn't do it. I just sat there and watched them.

And, suddenly, a bunch of stone rats came rushing into the room, right after Kirgan.

"What the Karz!"

I took my fancy new dagger out from the shell of my arm (where else would I keep it?), and attempted to stab one of the rats which tried to eat me. I got it in the gut, and the thing fell onto the ground, writhing in pain.

"Gah! Stupid freaking rats!"

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea / Nero ] - Onu-Wahi / western coastline

There was nothing flamboyant about Rhea's entrance. One moment, the empty depths of the tunnel curved away into blackness; the next, a slim white-armored female Toa of Plasma materialized in the gloom, the hood of her traveler's cloak flipped backwards to reveal wide emerald eyes that caught the light of the rising sun.

She stepped easily out onto the beach, boots crunching softly in the sand, her gaze flicking once across the rolling gunmetal sea as she smiled. As always, she had packed lightly, neatly, and with trained precision; her knapsack, twin longswords, and other gear rested in their various places of situation with perfect militaristic arrangement.

"Good morning, Ferron."

Behind her, a shadow moved, and a second, much larger warrior swung lightly from the tunnel, moving in an odd, but efficient, simian half-crouch. Rhea turned slightly, watched the new arrival a moment with detached thoughtfulness, then suddenly seemed to fully recognize his presence.

"Ah, and yes... Considering the circumstances, I thought it best to recruit a third member for our party, at least temporarily... a seasoned hunter and tracker with considerable more skill than I personally can muster, not that I am by any means a novice. Meet Nero. Nero the Axe. He's worked with me before, and has some experience with the Drifts of Ko-Wahi."

The rangy, muscular Le-Toa straightened up to his full height, eying the equally massive Toa of Iron with a proud, bestially calculating eye.

"Mornin'."

[Voxumo]

IC: Syvra

 

"Well... This is perhaps a bit frustrating since mata-nui only knows what the brotherhood could be up to but at least you warned Po-koro.. However i am sorry for taking away from your time."

[Geardirector]

IC: Ferron (Papa-Nihu Reef)

 

Ferron first threw a simple nod in Rhea's direction when she made her presence know, but had to concede to giving the second arrival a more elaborate response.

 

"Morning to you too" he said simply, noting the animalistic traits the large Toa of Air sported

 

"I see you come prepared for every eventuality, that's good" he complimented Rhea off-handedly as he turned his gaze back to the shore.

 

"Alright, we'll be starting over there" Ferron said, pointing towards a small outcropping a little further ways down.

 

Ferron took off at a slow but steady pace, the morning sun occasionally blinking in his prosthetics, highlighting the somewhat weary stance of the Toa of Iron as he lead the way onto the rocky outcropping.

 

It had just barely been about twenty-four hours since he'd last been here, and nature had been kind to the spot, little wind, no rain or waves. Because of this, it was still possible to spot patches of what was unmistakeably dried blood staining some of the rocks, Ferron looked away at the sight, his fists involuntarily tightening.

 

He quickly turned towards another corner of the small patch, his eyes evidently searching for something, before his whole frame bent down to pick up something from where it had been wedged in between two rocks.

 

"Alright," he said as he turned to the two Bounty Hunters, "Kuhrin ran off in that direction"

 

His metal finger pointed towards where a patch of blue could be seen edging against the gray.

 

"And this is what's left of his old mask" Ferron continued, raising the hand holding one half of a rusted through, broken Great Mahiki.

 

"You think we could use this in any way?" he asked.

[ARROW404]

IC: Onepu

"Not at all. Safe travels."

[Voxumo]

IC: Syvra

 

Syvra dipped his head to Onepu

"May Ak'rei'an guide you."

 

And with that he walked back towards the center of the village towards the fountain and sat down seeming to be taking a momentary rest

 

OOC: Syvra open for interaction

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Kirgan and Hile

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Secret lab):

 

Hile wasted no time. He launched his Volo Lutu at the other side of the room and flung himself to the other side of the stone rat colony. He began waving his hands and yelling at them, attracting their attention. Unfortunately stone rats only cared about eating, nothing else, and would not change direction. The Rahi were eating at the various items and equipment scattered around the lab and threatened to do the same to the Matoran and Toa. Xaron had taken out one rat, but a dozen more were headed his way.

 

Kirgan looked around frantically, trying to find a solution. There was a lot of stuff in the room, but he didn't know how to use any of them. Out of desperation he grabbed something that most resembled a weapon. However, it turned out to be a level he accidentally pulled. This caused a door to slam shut somewhere further in the lab. Noticing many similar levers in the room, Kirgan got an idea.

 

"Xaron, we need to turn these levers!" he shouted at the Fa-Matoran. "They'll close up the doors between all these rooms and we can separate us from most of the Rahi!"

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea / Nero ] - Onu-Wahi / western coastline

Rhea crouched, sensitive fingers brushing lightly over the area as she measured footprints, tested the age and spatter pattern of the all-too-obvious bloodstains, swiftly but thoroughly examined every dip and scuff and cranny in the sand. She was good, one of the best...

But Nero was better. One glance, and he knew. Height, weight, gait... everything. As he worked the trail, these things would become more distinct in his mind, forming a vivid picture of the one he sought, and all without his ever having set eyes on the renegade Toa of Sonics.

Rhea was the crime scene specialist, cold and analytical and intelligent; Nero was the predator, who acted less on detail and more on the primal energy-that-runs-through-all-things. Call it instinct, call it skill, but before this hunt was over, he would be able to track this quarry over bare stone and blowing snow and lashing rain... not because he could find the trail, but because he knew where the trail would lead. He would know the stride and posture and direction of the hunted, yes, but more importantly, he would slowly learn its very habits of thought, and then... then, there was no place to hide.

These things took time. But for now, the path was ridiculously simple to discern. Even one with no training whatsoever could have walked it, for Kuhrin was not yet seeking to conceal his passage in any way.

Nero's eyes glinted as he drew breath, cast a long wolfish glance toward the blue-grey horizon, and then turned and accepted the Kanohi fragment from Ferron's grasp.

He turned it in a massive, weather-beaten hand, watched the sunlight gleam dully on its rusted surface, and then he raised it to his nostrils and sniffed it once.

"He was injured."

A second, deeper sniff, then a noncommittal shake of the heavy ape-like skull. Rhea watched him, eyes narrowed, and then she too took the splintered remnant and examined it.

"A Mahiki, Great Mask of Illusion... this tells us something, I believe. Even in a mentally unstable condition, this one values stealth, treachery, and deceit, does he not?"

She was watching Ferron coolly, knowingly.

[Ehksidian]

IC: Xaron

"Gotcha!" I yelled back at Kirgan, and ran towards the nearest lever. I pulled the thing, and heard...something happen. I wasn't too sure what happened, though. Another rat attempted to get the jump on me, and I swatted it away with the flat of my dagger. Another one tried leaping at me.

"Go away you stupid rats!"

I shoved my dagger through another rat, and kicked the corpse off towards more of the rats. It got eaten very quickly.

"Oh, karz."

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

The archaeologist flipped the original switch back up. He hoped he hadn't pulled it too late or too soon, but what else could he do?...

[Geardirector]

IC: Ferron (Papa-Nihu Reef)

 

Ferron nodded.

 

"Yes, he does. He tricked me into healing his injuries, so he's in perfect shape, physically, it's his mind that's degenerated"

 

His hands disappared within his cloak, and the rustle of metal could be heard, his hands emerged holding a heavy repeating crossbow. Ferron turned the crank, clicking the magazine into place.

 

"Let's hope he hasn't gotten just too far ahead yet"

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea / Nero ] - Onu-Wahi / western coastline

Rhea shrugged, smiled dryly. "There is no such thing as 'just too far', Ferron. We could work a trail weeks old if need arose. The important thing is how to make up the twenty and four hours' lead this runner holds. He will be moving fast, no doubt expecting pursuit, and for us to catch him... we will need to move faster still."

She eyed the big male Toa of Iron as she handed back the fragment of Kanohi, not bothering to hide her concern. He was strong, and practically radiated raw physical endurance, but speed...? She didn't know. That was something different entirely.

No help for it. If he can't keep the pace, so be it.

"Fast, I say. This is easy tracking now; we must gain time while we can, before we hit the Drifts. Nero, lead on."

The Axe nodded once, rolled his heavy shoulders to loosen the muscles, and was gone. Muscular legs driving with all the speed and efficiency of a long-loping wolf-Rahi, battered combat boots digging nimbly for traction in the sand-laced stone. He followed the trail at a dead run, eyes darting ahead to catch every unnatural mark amidst the landscape, his gait swift and silent and unhesitating.

Rhea shifted her knapsack into a more comfortable position on her shoulders, grinned playfully at Ferron, and exploded from dead standstill to flat-out sprint in milliseconds. She was every bit as fast as the long-legged Nero; faster, actually, for short distances, and for all her comparative lack of rugged stamina, she was yet a hardened athletic product of the Ta-Koro Guard. The elite. The indomitable. She'd done three-day forced marches on more than one occasion, over some of the toughest terrain on the island, and still had energy left to take down the enemy at the destination. Not bad for a slightly-built female, not bad at all.

Time to see if Team Forgemaster could come out alongside Team Bounty Hunter... starting odds, two hundred to one.

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Above secret lab):

 

"You fool, I said pull another lever, not the same one", Teede said, annoyed.

 

 

IC Kirgan and Hile

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Secret lab):

 

Though the Matoran trapped in the lab couldn't see it, the hatch where the rats were coming from suddenly closed again. This prevented the rest of the rat colony from invading the lab, but there were already a lot of them devouring everything save the walls themselves.

 

Kirgan did his best to avoid the jaws of the stone rats as he tried to pull down the levers in the room. Hile backed Kirgan and Xaron up by distracting and fighting the rats, using some exotic techniques learnt during his long travels.

 

"I wish we had voodoo", he muttered, kicking a rat into submission.

 

It took some time, but eventually Kirgan and Xaron discovered the lever that closed their current room, the one with the time machine, off from the rest. Only a group of about a dozen rats remained in the same room with them.

 

"This should be easier", Kirgan said.

[Geardirector]

IC: Ferron (Papa-Nihu Reef)

 

Rhea's words seemed to have an almost unnatural effect on Ferron, and his uneven legs sprung into a powerful charge as he darted after the other two, he didn't catch up, but he didn't remain far behind. His muscled legs pumped out nonstop motion as he fed on his natural endurance, sustaining his resolute run even while weighed down with weapons and armor.

 

"Krell, Zuriana: This is for you"

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

He smiled a little bit. Annoying Teede could only mean he hadn't been planning on that. "Hold your Rahi," he said in the most infuriatingly laid-back tone he could muster. "I'm gonna do it." He reached for another one at a deliberately casual pace and pulled it down. This one couldn't possibly be as bad as the first, given Teede's reaction... right?

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, above secret lab):

 

Teede's look of annoyance turned into a wicked grin as he saw another lever being pulled.

 

 

IC Kirgan and Hile

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, Secret lab):

 

There was another creaking sound. Kirgan could hear it even over the ongoing stone rat battle. "What now?" he wondered aloud.

 

Suddenly in each room of the lab, a different hatch opened. Kirgan and his friends saw water beginning to rush in, filling the room they were trapped in. Worse, the machinery around posed a threat as an electric shock could knock everyone out at any time.

 

"Any idea how we're gonna get ourselves out of this one?" he asked with a gulp.

[Shadowhawk]

OOC:

Few hours' timeskip. Also, whenever you're ready, I guess we can move on into the actual Ko-Wahi topic.

IC: [ Rhea / Nero ] - Onu-Wahi / southern wilderness

High noon. Cold winds blowing in the rugged northern foothills of Mount Ihu.

They'd broken free of the coastline an hour or two ago, heading deeper inland on a dead straightaway course for the Drifts of Ko-Wahi. Kuhrin's trail was still plain, showing an apparent lack of concern for pursuit, but their pace had slowed nonetheless. The increasingly difficult, mountainous terrain hindered progress, and snow was becoming considerably more evident. Not a lot of it, yet, but the few half-melted patches in the shadows were testament to the lurking fury of the alpine slopes ahead.

Nero the Axe paused for breath on a craggy weather-beaten ridge, only a mile or so distant from the designated border between Onu- and Ko-Wahi. Rhea halted beside him, enjoying the momentary respite, her gaze flitting over the surrounding landscape.

This vantage point gave them a splendid upwards view of some of the island's most dangerous wilderness. The white-cloaked shoulders of brooding Mount Ihu dominated the blue-grey sky, dark timber and rock and wind-swept glaciers spilling down across its flanks in an awing demonstration of raw vastness and eternal power. It was places like this that jerked the breath from a traveler, smashed him down to the irrelevant midget he truly was, and yet stirred pride and strength and, above all, within his heart renewed the joyful throb of existence... of freedom... of life.

This was the untamed, the almighty, the arrogant wastes that had outlived realms, outlasted heroes, the land that ever commanded even the very thoughts and cultures of the tiny specks of moving flesh that dared set foot upon its stone-laced outer hide.

Rhea gestured, her empty left hand taking in the entire brutal coast-to-coast expanse of ice and stone, and said simply, "He's in there, Ferron. In there."

EDIT (OOC):

Just to clarify, in response to a recent inquiry by a person involved, that last statement was intended as a dramatic blanket statement only, not a concrete pindown of Kuhrin's whereabouts. So yeah. Don't take it seriously regarding metagaming and bunnying and whatnot.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Shadowhawk

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

Seeing the grin, Shadd instinctively raised the lever again. "I'm getting tired of your games, scientist."

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, above secret lab):

 

"And I'm getting tired of you. So I guess we're even", Teede said with a smirk. He stood in front of Shadd with his arms folded, looking intently deep into the archeologist's eyes.

[Geardirector]

IC: Ferron (Onu-Wahi Surface)

 

Ferron didn't pant, truth be told he didn't do much else but keep his concentration fixed forward, with a powerful glint in his eyes as he maneuvered the rocky landscape, standing beside the rangy Le-Toa like a noticeable contrast. They were both the big, strong type, no doubt about that, but Nero was the beastly, brutish type, Ferron was reliable, defiant, and strangely comforting. He could look like the kind of guy ultimately more likely to give you a pat on the back strong enough to knock the air out of your lungs, while Nero seemed more or less in various states of extremely violent intentions.

 

Ferron continued his assessment by diverting his gaze to Rhea, for the first time really taking notice of the female's alluring appearance, partly hidden as it was beneath her garments...

 

He coughed, slapping himself mentally, this was neither the time nor place for that sort of thing.

 

"The Beauty and the Beast, in earnest" Ferron said to himself, letting it serve as his final opinion in the matter as he took heed of Rhea's words.

 

"Then what are we waiting for?"

 

He went forward without waiting for an answer, stepping into the cold depths of the Wahi of Ice.

 

OOC: Ferron and company to Ko-Wahi

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

"We're not even close to even." He wasn't usually violent, but this Matoran's attitude, coupled with the fact that he was clearly using him to torture his acquaintances didn't sit well with Shadd.

 

Opting for a quicker attack, he thrust the end of his pole at his enemy's stomach. He'd figure out a way to get them out without this guy's 'help'. Once he was out cold, that was. And this time, he wasn't willing to negotiate. Or let him anywhere close to anything that looked like a button or lever.

 

IC: Aar

"Karzahni," he said under his breath. The tunnels twisted and turned here, and split too. However, the ground wasn't all stone here, so he had an easier time tracking whatever it was. Judging by the size and depth of the prints, it was bipedal, so more likely a Skakdi. He doubted it could be an undiscovered species of Rahi.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Mj. Spoilers

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, above secret lab):

 

Teede leaped back by reflex. The pole still hit him, but not as hard as it was intended to. The force was still enough to knock him on the ground.

 

"What are you doing?!" he cried out, scrambling.

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

"Stopping you!" Shadd cried, throwing his whole body at Teede, arms spread wide to grab him if he dodged again. Even the fact that he seemed clueless every time Shadd attacked ticked him off. This guy was definitely going in the slammer!

Edited February 6, 2014 by Mj. Spoilers

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, above secret lab):

 

Just before Shadd fell on him, Teede lifted his legs and tensed them. When Shadd landed on Teede, his torso was met with a kick that sent him flying backwards.

 

"You can't stop me! No one can stop the Arrival!" Teede yelled and got up, stumbling a bit. Before Shadd could attack again, Teede opened an instrument panel of some sort and tried fiddling with the various buttons and levers on it, nervously taking backward glances at Shadd, now the biggest threat to his plans.

[ARROW404]

IC: Shadd

He scrambled to his feet and feinted at the panel Teede was working at, before turning the attack around and going for the back of his head. He could ask about this 'Arrival' once everything was safe. It had piqued his curiosity.

[Toatapio Nuva]

IC Teede

(Onu-Koro, Great Mine, above secret lab):

 

Shadd's hit connected, dazing Teede. He clung to one lever on the instrument panel, but his legs gave away. Stunned as he was, he kept holding on to the lever as he fell, turning it in the process. As a result a slab of solid protodermis fell in front of the doorway, effectively sealing both Teede and Shadd into the small room they were in.