Bzprpg - Ta-Wahi

[Constructelf]

IC: NorkaronNorkaron suddenly head lunged/bit for Kiarani's foot. If this attack connected, the bioelectricity in her body would be completely drained an in addition to killing her opponent instantly, she would have for a short time a powerful surge of energy.OOC: You completely ignored Londar saying helloEDITIC: DyzaeraOnly for Dyzaera to kick her in the head, knocking her out. Edited again

Edited September 12, 2012 by Constructman

[Krayzikk]

OOC: Yes. It didn't matter to Kiarani.Also, I think you might be ignoring the fact that a lunge is not possible. Norkaron is encased in earth, with only her head sticking out of the ground.

[Constructelf]

IC: Dyzaera"Good day to you, but I must return to Ga-Wahi my home." She flew off.OOC: Dyzaera to Ga

[Krayzikk]

IC: KiaraniKiarani waved a nearby Guard over, the same one who had just finished booking the bartender. "This Toa attempted to cause damage to the village with an artificial lightning storm. A foolish plan that wouldn't have succeeded, but nevertheless, one punishable by law."She handed Norkaron's mask to the Guard, who slipped it into how bag. His expression was one of surprise, that one Toa had brought two brings to justice in less than an hour. The Ta-Toa bent over, and cuffed the Lightning Toa's wrists and ankles. "She can't use her element well right now. She used up most of her elemental energy summoning the storm, and without her mask, she can't summon more than a mild static shock. Take her, and book her."

[Constructelf]

IC: NorkaronNorkaron knew that she was beat. She would have to simply bide her time and wait for an opportunity to absorb some more electricity.OOC: If Ionic Storm is 100% power, and without their masks toa lose half of their power, I'm pretty sure she can still throw a few grenades around

Edited September 12, 2012 by Constructman

[Krayzikk]

OOC: Toa lose more than half, according to canon. Furthermore, she used up a lot of elemental energy creating the storm you described her summoning. She should have almost nothing. IC: KiaraniThe Guard walked away, the bound and weakened Toa tossed over his shoulder. Within a few minutes, she would be in a cell.Kiarani followed, to make sure nothing went wrong.

Edited September 12, 2012 by Krayzikk Champion of RPGs

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: Stannis seemed stoic as usual, not showing any sort of raw emotion at the sight and sound of the mysterious matoran. He was greeted last, but while the matoran smiled broadly as he did so, Stannis remained impassive, as if he expected something first before he could welcome the man into his proverbial house. Stannis above all was not fazed by the cheer the matoran seemed to spread about the bleakness around them. "I have gathered the others and have done as asked," he said. "Destiny has brought us all together, you included, but now I want to know your name, stranger. I want to know to confirm either my hopes or my nightmares."His tone wasn't an incredulous or distrusting one but rather a stern voice of a truth seeker who had lost truth once too many. It was a solid sort of curiosity that wouldn't go away, a determined mind that was going to stop at nothing to reach the fact. If there was a trait Stannis possessed that Sulov and Reordin could cherish it was his sheer steadfastness and blunt enthusiasm that seemed to flourish at that moment.

[Nuju Metru]

IC:"Yes, Stannis, you have done all that you were told, and done it admirably," the Matoran replied. "I owe you my complete honesty - though I have never lied to you, I may not have disclosed the full truth when I first met all of you. My name is Takua."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Charred Forest, Ta-Wahi)Reordin snapped to attention mentally."Takua is dead."-Teezy

[Nuju Metru]

IC:The Matoran chuckled grimly. "Death was, it'd seem, my best disguise," he said to Reordin. "Until recently, when I had no choice but to emerge from hiding, Makuta was satisfied to believe that his minions had killed me. Since this gave me valuable time, I didn't see much reason to arouse his attention... Yet, even now that he knows I'm not dead, I'm sure that Makuta keeps the knowledge close to his chest; he doesn't want me to be snatched by anything but his own loyal fingers, so that nobody else forces my secrets out of me before he does. Now that he knows I slipped through his lesser servants' grasp, I don't expect he'll trust anyone else with the job."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Charred Forest, Ta-Wahi)Takua, the Chronicler, the one Matoran sought for so long by Makuta and his minions, had survived for a century, after everything that had happened. He had outlived the rest of his Company, the rises and falls of so many lesser teams, the kidnappings of the Turaga and the unveiling of the Parakuka, and now...here he was. He had basically sacrificed himself just to bring this group, these six Matoran that so far were showing nothing but cold caution towards each other, together. Takua's was the voice of a man who had already deduced his fate and accepted it; Reordin felt for him, but at the same time, he made no movement of comfort towards the Ta-Matoran, nor did he apologize verbally for something they both knew he had no control over. Instead, all he could think of was how he really, really wanted a cigarette."And the Mata?"-Teezy

Edited September 12, 2012 by Tyler Durden

[Nuju Metru]

IC:The Matoran's face clenched slightly, darkening with new lines. He swallowed, and looked up again after a long exhale. "I don't know, not exactly," he said. "When I left the underground... I already knew it was over, that the First Toa had failed... After all, Gali's connection with me was cut, too sharply, and the darkness seemed to thicken. I felt my will grow heavy... But something else in my head, something calm and ancient, told me to run, and told me where to run. I followed it; the rest of me couldn't... I wasn't able to..." The Matoran paused, choosing his words. "You... can't understand the sensation, fundamentally, you can't. I was the first one to know that they had fallen, to feel that stone of despair. After all, as you all have since that day, I had pursued truth and goodness with every fiber to help bring the Toa to his lair. So when, in just one instant, I simply knew that we had been overcome, The knowledge was too... awesome, and far too terrible... If it hadn't have been for the other presence in me, I probably wouldn't have moved. The Great Spirit saved my life."He cleared his throat, clapped his hands once. "But more on the Mata. I don't know entirely what has become of them since I fled Mangaia, but I do know something. And it, it's the... crucial something, and it's why you've all been gathered, and why I was saved that day."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Charred Forest, Ta-Wahi)Reordin tried to place himself in Takua's shoes, tried to imagine the voice of the omniscient echo in his head, tried to imagine it giving him guidance, a path to follow, a life to build, but he couldn't. The closest he had was the buzzing of hornets that burned bright in every soldier's head during a combat situation, that primal fight or flight instinct that couldn't be replicated by anything short of all-out combat. The moment where your life was in such jeopardy that you have half a mind to dig your own grave and lay down in it, waiting for the end...while the Ko-Matoran may not have been able to understand what Takua felt when the connection broke, he had a feeling he knew exactly what he was referring to when he discussed his will growing heavy, his legs unable to serve him."Alright, then. What about this...something?"-Teezy

Edited September 12, 2012 by Tyler Durden

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: Faith and trust in something higher and in a purpose had led Stannis to cross paths with Takua twice already and had given him the purpose to be there now. The feeling of a new direction and goal, the feeling that he and those with him were chosen by Mata Nui to bring about the realization of a prophesy ... it tantalized his skin more than anything. "Then say it here, in the presence of gods and men, so that we who were chosen can do as destiny wills," he said.But as he said it, he knew that it could never be that simple. Nuju was taken away right as he shared something great, and danger truly lured around every corner. Like almost everything he did, Stannis made his request on a leap of faith, a bet that destiny would be fulfilled no matter what. Faith was his shield and sword, and he both hid behind it and used it to stab at the darkness.

[Nuju Metru]

IC:"As I'm sure you all remember," the Matoran began, "Makuta recently let loose his Rahkshi on the island again. Batches of them roamed the island, terrorizing Po-Koro the jungles of Le-Wahi, and elsewhere with more surreptitiousness. But to intimidate and murder wasn't their intention; the destruction the Rahkshi caused was merely a side effect of their true purpose. The Rahkshi were dispatched to search for items, six items of power, that had been stolen from directly under Makuta's nose, something that he had thought unthinkable. "I know this because I was the one who stole these objects, and set your journeys into motion. Of course, doing so has since earned me a good deal of... unwanted attention, from Makuta, and broke the peace I'd lived under since my company and I escaped the Kini-Nui. But the Great Spirit told me that the time was right, so I moved. I snuck into Makuta's lair, broke into his vault, and took these six objects from their deep place there..."The Matoran stopped speaking, and grew utterly still. Most of the others froze, save Lepidran who shifted his weight, and broke a brittle twig: the sound echoed around the trees, and the Matoran listened carefully as the noise faded, as silence resumed. It did, and as perfect a silence as those assembled had ever heard. The Matoran nodded to himself, and finished his sentence."...essence stones."

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Charred Forest, Ta-Wahi)"...Essence stones."They sounded like a beauty product, and Reordin's hope started rapidly sinking, but the Sanctum Guardsman remembered well the attacks on Le-Wahi and Po-Koro by the Rahkshi, and he remembered the stories of Onewa's hut, ransacked during the attack on the latter, almost as if they had been...searching for something."What are essence stones, again? I must have missed the paragraph on them in Stopping The Ever-Growing Darkness Attacking Your Island for Dummies."-Teezy

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: Intuitively, Stannis could understand what Takua -- oh how he loved to know that name again -- had referenced. "Essence stones can contain the energies of something or someone who lets it loose," he said, mainly to Reordin. "They are very rare and powerful. Most people choose to call them by their plebeian name: Toa stones."The sheer ignorance of that soldier bothered Stannis just as he was sure his faith bothered him. It was subtle, but the barbed conversations and glances between the two men said enough.

[Nuju Metru]

IC:The Matoran looked a bit peeved. "This is no time for joking, Reordin," he sighed. "And please, try not to call them by name if you can avoid it... Names like those are picked up too easily by Makuta's ears. It's the sort of thing that will convince him that you are important, which is just a faster way of being killed."

Edited September 12, 2012 by Leon Czolgosz

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Charred Forest, Ta-Wahi)​"Okay, so...what makes these thems any different from any other thems that people have found hundreds of times over the last century?" Reordin asked, returning Stannis's withering glare; the scholar was gradually getting under his skin just as efficiently as he was getting under the scholar's. "Or, for that matter, what makes them important enough to be sought after by all these Rahkshi?"-Teezy

[Nuju Metru]

IC:The Matoran gestured gratefully to Stannis. "Yes, please, let's call them that. Toa stones are, after all, the closest objects in theory to the... things... I stole. But Stannis is incorrect in assuming that the two are the same. A Toa Stone, as we know, is imbued with Toa energies by a Toa, who consequently becomes a Turaga, and this stone can then be given to a Matoran to turn them into a Toa. Fairly mundane objects, a part of the normal cycle of a Toa's life."On the other hand, Toa Stones," here the Matoran gave everyone a meaningful look, to be sure they understood he was not talking about Toa Stones, "while also vessels of a Toa's power, are far more than that, and far more potent than the normal varaiety. They carry elemental, even a little bit of personal, affiliation with their donors, so that their recipients will adapt the element and perhaps even some of the traits of the giver. In effect, these items are extractions of the fundamental essences of their original owners. Toa Stones are exceedingly rare, because in most cases, the creation of one will kill the Toa who gave it, because they take so much life force from the Toa in question to exist. "But not all Toa are created equal. The First Toa had vastly more raw power, more substance of soul, than any Toa before or since. Makuta was easily able to extract enough of them to fill such stones, which he kept as trophies in his vault. Until I took them."

Edited September 12, 2012 by Leon Czolgosz

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: "So, what you're saying," Lepidran asked, "is that whoever owns these could become the Toa Mata reborn?"With the analogy to Toa stones he figured thats what Takua was driving at. Assuming this was really Takua. He could see a secret society giving themselves the name Takua and trying to spread the word in his name, acting as Chroniclers and spreading hope and wisdom through the island. Kill one in Ko-Koro and another pops up in his place in Onu-Koro. Maybe that was all Takua had been all along, a group of Matoran working tirelessly to be more than just a group, but a symbol...No, no, he was over-thinking this. Takua was known to all, he couldn't have been many passing off as one, someone would spot the differences in personality.Then again, that would explain the odd fashion choice of a blue Kanohi on a Ta-Matoran...

Edited September 12, 2012 by Lord of Adders Black

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Charred Forest, Ta-Wahi)"So these things don't just have the kinds of mom-and-pop abilities most Stones have, then, I'm assuming."-Teezy

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Aurax: Aurax who had said nothing, was suddenly very surprised at what Takua was hinting at. "So you want us to go get them... and, in a sense, merge with the original Toa?" he asked in a half whisper, too amazed to really speak.

[Constructelf]

IC: NorkaronNorkaron slowly started to absorb energy from the environment. In a few minutes, she would have enough to bring her back to, well, not so full, but still decent power

[Nuju Metru]

IC:The Matoran adressed Aurax's comment. "No, he said. "It's less that you will 'merge' with the First Toa than inherit a good measure of their power and perhaps find yourself beginning to emulate them, I'd suspect. These stones are not common devices; the degree to which personalities intertwine is, as such, basically uncertain. All I know is that the Great Spirit intended for you to have them, and that they're the first step in becoming the next mighty heroes of the island."The Matoran now spoke to the whole group. "As you have probably ascertained, it is all of your destiny to take upon these six stones, and become Mata Nui's next great champions. Where the First Toa failed, we must hope you will succeed. One final time, I ask all of you: is this a duty you are willing to perform? Are you ready to sacrifice your previous lives, to become new beings, and thereby give your people their chance of liberation from the oppression of shadow?"

[Constructelf]

IC: LondarLondar decided to take a walk. He went through the town, waling in circles.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Reordin (Charred Forest, Ta-Wahi)Reordin took a second to consider Takua's question. Could he do this? Would he be able to do this? Even the Chronicler had his doubts; he remembered poignantly the words "I was worried, at first, that I was wrong about you..." and the more time the Ko-Matoran spent with Stannis, the more he figured that the Ta-Matoran's doubts were well-founded. What was he doing here? He didn't have faith. He didn't have anything to cling to, nothing to believe, no greater destiny to fulfill. His place wasn't here. It was with the growing village of Pala-Koro, with the new promise of a second life...And yet, the purpose of Pala-Koro had been to defeat Makuta; if they knew he'd had a chance to try and take that objective by the horns and stare it down, and failed, what kind of person would he be? What kind of soldier would he be? The answer, Reordin realized swiftly, was that he wouldn't be one at all. And if he wasn't a soldier...he couldn't be much of anything else. So when Takua poised his question, his one final lifeline, Reordin was the first to raise his hand."I'm in."-Teezy

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: Stannis merely nodded; it was a duty he swore himself to long ago.

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Aurax: Aurax thought about Takua's words for a moment. Here Aurax was, being given the chance to save the island. He wouldn't be able to go back to his old life as a weaponsmith after that, he knew, but he also felt that this was his duty. He would take any risks that his new task required. Aurax nodded. "I'm ready," he said simply.

[Franco]

OOC: POV shift in 3...2...1...IC: I don't get it. Essence stones. The original toa. Destiny.Something missing here. What? I know I don't get much. I didn't learn at a school, like Gavarm. I didn't study the story of the toa or Makuta, really. All I know I got fighting.It's been no cakewalk. Gaining and losing. That's a fight. You gain stuff, like a win or maybe a weapon to use for the next. You lose...And their faces are in front of me again. The kids and the aunts with holes in their smiles, Muv snorting happily, Daylah's light eyes laughing, Kol grinning, the team posed for our exiting-academy portrait with goofy kanohi and clown poses. And then the second round: The family pallid and rotting, Muv's eye-stalks closing one last time, Daylah in pieces beneath the water, Kol coughing out his last breath at the hands of his tormentor, the team dead. I think about this for a little bit.You lose lots. You lose even if you win. War is karzhani, I think. No side can say it's won. Not really.But.The gain is still there.I got stuff. I got better at fighting. And I got something deeper. I got the right thing done. I made myself so I won't do the wrong thing. I proved it, The Dream. You can do anything with work. Right. I got some stuff.And I gotta get more. It doesn't matter that the dream is far out, now. It doesn't matter that I got nothing. I gotta work. Gotta do my Duty for the dream. And power helps Duty. Power can change stuff. Power is strong, and power can save people.Toa are strong. Toa can change stuff. Toa have power.So I'm gonna be one.I ignore the urge in the back of my head to resist (emotional not gut) and nod.

Edited September 13, 2012 by World's #1 Dad

[Eyru]

IC (Oreius)Oreius held his tongue, even as the Matoran revealed things that made him want to shout in surprise and victory and ask thousands of questions. This was not the time. But as the Matoran -as Takua- continued, explaining the concept of these things, these essence stones, and the power and possibilities they promised, Oreius felt more and more bewildered and awestruck. It was all almost too much to believe. Mata Nui had chosen him, an ordinary Ta-Matoran, and placed him on the path of destiny. This path didn't lead just anywhere, but to assuming the mantle of the First Toa themselves. It was a staggering idea. These six Matoran, all pretty much average, had been plucked from their commonplace circumstances by quirks of fate and chance and gathered here, under the dark gray skies and among the charred black trees of Ta-Wahi, to assume a destiny much greater than anything they hcould possibly have expected.It was amazing, Oreius thought, how destiny worked. Everything feel into place, no matter how unlikely the odds. Even the smallest details fit perfectly into a grand plan; nothing was left out. All that was left was to accept this staggering responsibility, this giant destiny; and walk out whatever path it put before him.Oreius was aware that this was a monumental decision. If he said yes, his life would change forever. Everything he had ever known would vanish; the life he had constructed over a century of work would crumble to dust. He would never be the same. Even as his thoughts whirled around this choice, the Ta-Matoran felt an overwhelming urge to run, to get out of this place and get back to Ta-Koro, to return to his old life, where maybe you couldn't save the island but at least you could do your own small part and leave the big battles to others, to real heroes, and trust that everything would turn out.After all, Oreius wasn't a hero, was he? Not really. He was just a regular Matoran who wanted to protect his village and his island. That didn't make him a hero, did it?But was it really his choice? Once again, Oreius found himself recalling these past weeks, and how, from the moment he had chosen to abandon his familiar life in search of greater things, destiny had pulled him from one place to another, connecting seemingly random events and encounters to piece together the decision that lay before him. Nothing had been left out; every single decision and encounter, no matter how small, had somehow drawn him here, to this place, where he could choose to accept the burden of the fate of the world on his shoulders.No, it really wasn't his choice. He had already made that decision, weeks and weeks ago, when he had resigned from the Guard, his beloved Guard, and told Turaga Vakama that he was abandoning Ta-Koro in search of something that would allow him to strike a blow against the darkness, something more than waiting in anxious preparation for the Makuta's next attack, and hoping that he would survive.He had made that choice without knowing where it would lead him, and through twists and turns it had led him here, back to Ta-Wahi, back to the beginning, where he was faced with a mirror of his original decision.Was he willing to give up everything... again? To set aside everything he knew, everything he was, and take up a new title, new powers, and a new life? No longer would he be Oreius, Guard of Ta-Koro. He would become a Toa, a Toa! but not just any Toa: he would take up the mantle of the first Toa, and with it the heavy destiny to end the Makuta's reign of shadows and fear.The Ta-Matoran took a deep breath. He had already made this decision. The others were making that choice now, but he wasn't. He had already made it long ago, the day he had set down his Guard badge before Turaga Vakama. This was not a decision: it was merely a consequence of that choice. "I'm- I'm not worthy to carry on the legacy of the First Toa," Oreius said, looking at Takua (Takua! He remembered the funeral they had given him; he remembered grieving over the Chronicler, and here he was, alive!). "But I know, somehow, that this was meant to be. And if it means getting the chance to strike back at Makuta once and for all..."I'm in."

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: "Do you even need to ask?" Lepidran said, "Well, I suppose actually you probably do...what I mean is I'm in too."

Edited September 13, 2012 by Lord of Adders Black

[Constructelf]

IC: NorkaronNorkaron continued to absorb minuscule amounts of electricity from the environment. She couldn't do it too conspicuously or else her captors would notice.IC: LondarLondar continued to stumble around town. He went into another bar. "One jug of beer," he asked. "One jug comin' up," the bartender said. He poured a very large glass of beer and before his horrified eyes, Londar drank it all up in less than one minute. "Thanks," Londar said and handed him a sack of widgets. He left the bar and continued to stumble around town, eventually going into the charred forest.OOC: Does the charred forest link to anywhere?

Edited September 14, 2012 by Constructman

[Nuju Metru]

IC:"Then we are all in accord," the Matoran beamed. "My friends, look around you. Learn this place. Here you stand, with those who will be forever your companions, in life or death, victory or defeat. You are the Wanderer's Company, but the age of wandering is over. The road is straight, your foe fixed. Retreat is no longer an option. The days of darkness have reached their apex, and a sunrise must be approaching!"The Matoran rubbed his hands together. "Now, the first step on our path is in recovering the stones we need. You see, I couldn't carry them with me for very long; together, they were a heavy burden for someone of our size! But I also couldn't risk their capture, in case I was found; our best shot at unseating Makuta would've returned to his grasp too easily. So, I stashed the stones around the island, in places where Makuta either cannot reach or would not think to look. I will lead you to the first one; it's fairly close. Let's go; feel free to talk amongst yourselves. I'll answer any other questions you all may have as we walk."With that, he picked up an unassuming satchel hanging from the stump he'd first been sitting near, donned it, and started walking at a brisk but manageable pace away from the cluster of trees where the Company had convened.

[Franco]

IC: I wait for the others to form up again behind the Matoran and start walking a little. Then I follow. Look around, and don't give much attention to the talk. If the Ta-Matoran's correct saying that the name of these 'essence stones' is enough to alert Makuta, then watch is needed. And right now we're just matoran--matoran who said that we're fighting him with the power of the original toa. This is the perfect time for an ambush to cut this whole thing short. Someone's gotta guard the rear. Might as well be me.

[Eyru]

IC (Oreius)Oreius followed after the Matoran, tugging at his armour, which didn't fit quite perfectly, and had begun pressing uncomfortably on one side. He still wore it; even after weeks away from the Guard, it was drilled into his head that your armour and weapons were your life. He hardly ever noticed it now; the metal plating was like a second skin.Seeing Sulov take the rear, the Ta-Matoran moved to the right of the Company, walking with his Guard staff in his hand and his eyes on the blackened trees. The charred forest, which had felt comfortingly familiar only a half hour earlier, now loomed, full of menace. It wasn't due to any change in the trees themselves, but in the knowledge that the Makuta could be watching them at any time, even now, and at a whim could unleash any number of terrors upon them.Oreius shook this pessimistic thought out of his head. It was true that the Makuta was dangerous, and the threat of death was only the more real now that he was in the company of the one person to have ever eluded the darkness -for a hundred years, no less. But hope had never shone brighter: they were in possession of six Toa Stones that posed a real, tangible threat to Makuta's reign.The Guard couldn't keep back a small smile, even as he scanned the burnt branches of the forest. Finally, they had more than destiny on their side.But he still had questions, more than he thought Takua could answer in a lifetime. He decided to start with the one that had nagged him the moment the Matoran had revealed his name."Er... Takua," he began. "How did you possibly escape Makuta's notice for an entire century? I mean, you're just a Matoran, like us. How did you do it? Where did you go?"

[Nuju Metru]

IC:"I'd think that much of it stemmed from Makuta believing me to be dead," the Matoran responded over his shoulder, "I assume that he read the subtle signs that could've pointed him to my existence as either bizarre coincidence or as someone else's trail, a trail he didn't see the need to concern himself with. Of course, I stayed in as many hidden places as I could, and avoided drawing attention to myself as best I could, too. But Makuta's arrogance was still the surest shade under which I could hide from his seeking eyes."

Edited September 14, 2012 by Leon Czolgosz

[Eyru]

IC (Oreius)This was good news. All the legends spoke of Makuta as an omniscient, all-powerful darkness without weakness or flaw. It was good to hear that he could make mistakes, just like anyone else. He was arrogant; he was weak because he underestimated just how badly the Matoran wanted to be free of him.Oreius stumped along, digesting this piece of information, then decided on his next question to ask, while they had time for questions. He had a feeling that, before long, events would be moving too fast to allow for any."I suppose that his ignorance helped you to steal the ess- um... the Toa Stones. But that still doesn't explain how you did it. I mean, I've heard stories of the Rahkshi, who attacked Po-Koro and Le-Koro, killing dozens of Toa. How did you get past monsters like that, and probably worse, I'm sure if these things are as valuable as you say they are?"

[Nuju Metru]

IC:"The Great Spirit guided me to a back door," the Matoran said. "Until I used it, I don't think Makuta even knew it existed... thankfully, my way was clear. At that point, before I stole from him, Makuta's confidence was still detached from his pragmatism; he'd had no reason to keep a guard deeper in his lair, so there wasn't one. I was sure that this wouldn't be a mistake he'd make twice, and this was why it was so crucial for me to take what I needed to from him the first time I got inside."

[Eyru]

IC (Oreius)Once again, the guidance of the Great Spirit came into play. Oreius had always believed in Mata Nui, but he'd had a harder time accepting the idea that this supernatural being cold communicate with mere mortals, and even guide them. He supposed that's all that destiny was: the will of Mata Nui; but this was different than chance and quirk that worked together to fulfill destiny. If what the Matoran was saying was true (and he said it so casually), Mata Nui had personally spoke to him, and guided him. It was an odd thought for the Ta-Matoran, and one he was sure would come back to him again and again.Oreius was silent for a while; the only sound was of the Company's steps on the rocky ground. The Matoran led them through the Charred Forest without hesitation or any sign of doubt, navigating the maze of black trees as easily as Kapura once had.Finally, he spoke. "So, these Toa Stones..." He gave the words emphasis so Takua would know what he meant. "You said that creating them means that the Toa they come from... well, die. But the First Toa, as you said, had more power than any other Toa. So... do you know if they survived? Maybe... they're still alive?"