Bzprpg - Le-Wahi

[a goose]

IC: Myka (Le-Wahi)

 

Myka smiled. "You get used to it."

[Taka Nuvia]

IC: Zyron (Le-Wahi)

 

Zyron smiled softly. "I doubt I ever would. Although, who knows... maybe that, like travelling, depends on the company someone has."

[BULiK]

IC:

 

Dhurin sighed when Kehuri introduced himself. He relaxed his grip on his Kohlii stick. Dhurin attempted to chuckle, but what came out was more of a series of raspy, sharp exhales than any realistic laugh. After a cold glance at Naru, the Matoran of earth craned his neck to see Kehuri's head. "Well, you've... grown a lot," Dhurin blatantly stated.

[a goose]

IC: Myka (Le-Wahi)

 

Myka's smile grew slightly. "Maybe, when this is all over, we can try to find out."

[ARROW404]

IC:

 

Kehuri gave a half-hearted smile. "Yeah..." he stepped towards the Matoran, "You aren't looking so good, is everything alright?" Despite his nonchalance, he was still slightly on-guard. An Onu-Matoran above ground was a rare sight, and rarely without reason. And these days, all reasons seemed to be bad ones.

[BULiK]

IC:

 

"Nononono! It's okay! I'm... Perfectly fine... and.... stuff..." Dhurin panicked. His parakuka scrambled to tell Dhurin not to tell about it. If they know they will kill us, it told him, creating mental images to back up this claim. The Onu-matoran's eyes darted from one Toa to the other. He made a weak smile. The muscles in his arm tensed slightly.

[ARROW404]

IC:

 

It was obvious there most certainly WAS something wrong with him. Kehuri wasn't sure how to act now. He glanced at Naru, then back to Dhurin. "Well, this is Naru. We met up not long ago, and are heading to Pala-Koro right now... do you want to tag along? It's not safe to travel alone."

[BULiK]

IC:

 

Dhurin considered the offer. From what he had read in the news recently, Pala-Koro, It was full of people who would want to dissect him if they ever found out about his Parakuka. Well, the latter part wasn't his thoughts, but you get the point. But, maybe they had the cure to this thing and could get it off him. "Um... I suppose I could come" Dhurin nervously replied.

[ARROW404]

IC:

Kehuri's mask transitioned into a smile. "Looks like we've got our own little party here." He realized he hadn't consulted Naru about inviting him, though. He turned quickly to the Toa of Plasma, "Oh, sorry Naru, I didn't ask you opinion. Are you alright with him traveling with us?" Yet again, he'd acted without thinking things through all the way. He would make a terrible leader.

[Tabby: Toa of Cats]

IC ZharukZharuk slowly backed up to where Kethrye was standing, an arrow wizzing by his head, still keeping an eye on the Inferno. "Just shoot them?" he asked with a quizzical tone. "That might not be the most strategically advantageous, not to mention ethical. We could keep them alive, for both moral and tactical reasons.""But what was this threat that toa (Aparangi) just announced out of nowhere?"OOC Where's Miraul and co?And try not to flood Tabby again so that he won't torment us with his quoting.

OOc:Since you wanted to hear from Miraul...

IC:Three Toa traveled through the trees, the world around them a green blur, the smell of the swamps filling their noses. Behind them, a trail of hacked branches and cut vines clearly showed their path. Vilak stood in the lead of these Toa. His blade slashed through the thick wooden walls in front of him, foilage giving way to the mastery of the blade. Vilak's strokes were so swift and percise that branches and boughs lacked the time to snap, producing clean cuts.

 

Another group of four jogged along behind, with Takamaz and Hikari in the lead. As they jogged along, they encountered something Kakama Squad had been moving to fast, not coincidentally, to deal with. An agitated Fikou was now attempting to repair it's web, cut by the sheer power of Vilak's swordsmanship. Angrily, it began rubbing it's forelegs together, as though sharpening their metal edges in preperation for attack. Takamaz raised his hand to dispatch the Rahi, but Hikari pushed it aside.

 

Her mask glowed, and she held out her hand. A burst of webbing shot out of it, and snagged the spider off it's own web. Hikari then whipped her arm to the side, and the spider crashed into a tree. Bijackal finished it with his axe. "Nice catch," he commented,"so it looks like we have dinner tonight."

 

Hikari smiled, and whispered, "Thanks." A crystal blade cut the web, and they continued on.

---

Miraul's route to Xa-Koro lead them near Lake Pala. It was there they spotted the destruction and devastation that was Pala-Koro. Multiple buildings were still burning, and what appeared to be the remains of walls were destroyed-Takamaz guessed that an explosion from within was at fault, a sure sign of sabotage.

 

"What happened here?" Vilak wondered aloud.

 

"I don't know, but we should see if there's anyone we can help-though our presence might not be welcome here." Hikari added.

 

Divan pointed, "Over there-is that Ziraul covered in plant matter? And that group matches the descriptions I got of the Inferno."

 

"Kethryo-or is it Kethrye? He's over there. Let's find out what's going on. We don't want to repeat our last mistake." Miraul

pointed to the Toa of Ice.

 

"Logical." Divan answered.

 

"I'd be all for toasting them, but I'll follow your call." Vilak commented.

 

At that moment, one of Vilor's plasma spheres flew at Kethrye. It never hit. Three speeding blurs passed in front of it, too fast to follow, and the last caught the sphere in a magnetic feild. "Kethrye-or is it Kethro? Could you tell us what's going on here? I suppose you could say I've learned a little bit about reacting to quick since my first ten minutes as leader-something I should have learned from observing Vilak here years ago."

[sunflower]

IC: Naru [Le-Wahi]

The Toa of Plasma looked like she was going to say something on "not trusting strangers", but she didn't. Mainy because it seemed that the Onu-Toa knew this Matoran. Naru glanced over at the Matoran, beore finally shrugging. "Its okay with me," she replied, looking back over to Kehuri.

It would probably be a good idea to keep an eye on the Matoran, something seemed off about him.

[ARROW404]

IC: Kehuri

Kehuri shared Naru's sentiment, giving her a look that conveyed his concern. "Alright, lead the way then, Naru. I'll take up the rear, I guess." He slid his drill over his right hand and clamped it shut, ready in case something happened.

[BULiK]

IC:Dhurin found himself in-between Naru and Kehuri. He nervously glanced around, waiting for their trek to start. This kind of position was just like what happens when people escort prisoners...

[BenLuke]

At that moment, one of Vilor's plasma spheres flew at Kethrye. It never hit. Three speeding blurs passed in front of it, too fast to follow, and the last caught the sphere in a magnetic feild. "Kethrye-or is it Kethro? Could you tell us what's going on here? I suppose you could say I've learned a little bit about reacting to quick since my first ten minutes as leader-something I should have learned from observing Vilak here years ago."

 

IC: Kethrye ~

 

"Me? Tell you what's going on?" Kethrye said, letting out a hearty chuckle at that prospect. "Well, complete stupidity, as usual. But if you want more specific information you'd have the ask the sextuplet, or whatever, army over there," he waived an arm at whoeverthekarztheywere, he frankly dad no idea, and didn't really care either. "Preferably, of their corpses. They haven't exactly been a friendly bunch."

 

The Toa of Ice blinked. "Wait a minute you're. . ." the full realization forced him to action, his hand rising and beginning to glow with elemental energy waiting to be unleashed upon his enemies. "Last I checked, we were not what I'd call "on the same side". Why should we need you piraka's help?."

Edited December 4, 2012 by Javert

[Constructelf]

IC Zharuk"Ok, now I'm really confused."IC GennoCompletely unconcerned with what was going on, I kicked back and started napping.

Edited December 4, 2012 by Constructman

[Visaru]

IC- Laki - Peer's ships

 

Even at this distance, watching a city fall was impressive. Although only the faint outline of Xa-Koro was visible, the crunching and cracking and sucking sound of an entire town being pulled into the muck was audible even from this distance. Laki fancied he could feel the ship's deck shudder under his feet. It was awe inspiring- an island, standing there for millions of years, had vanished into the ocean, just like that. A single day had wiped a landmark from the map.

 

Xa-Koro was gone forever.

 

Laki turned from the sight, although some of the other soldiers were still staring in shock, confusion, or interest. The Le-Matoran had watched a town sink, he had seen an army form out of nothing and watched his life slip away through his fingers. What other sights would he see this week? An end to the rest of the island? A fall of an era? The birth of a new power over the land?

 

Laki didn't care. It was only a dream, right?

 

IC- Verak - Pala-Koro

 

Genno was awakened by a sort of sharp stick poking him rudely in the stomach. He grumpily opened his eyes to see a handsome, lithe, Toa of stone leaning on the obnoxious instrument, clumsy weld marks fresh in his armor.

 

"Wake up, brother! Things are happenin'! A village is in ruins, an' a team's in disarray! Don't tell me yer not gonna take advantage of the opportunity by doin' somethin' foolish, like sleepin'? Get up! Go live! Sleep tommorow night! Go meet the Turaga or somethin', fool!"

Edited December 4, 2012 by Visaru

[- JL -]

OOC: Wuelp from the mess that was once Kumu.

 

IC: Wuelp

 

Wuelp stared as a vortex of water sucked. Like a monster from the depths; Except, this was no ancient power. Just the efforts of a group of shadowy people. And Wuelp had helped. Without him, this might not have even happened.

T

he sad thing was, he felt no emotion, even as he stared from the Peer's ships.

[shadow pridak money gang]

IC: Dorian (Aurelia's Ark, Le-Wahi)

 

I hadn't been sure, at first, what to do as I watched Kumu fall, because the very spectacle of the sight, like I was in a theatre, had taken me totally aback. Behind me had laid heII, before me high water, and in between, a boy slash man who for the first time knew awe. I'd watched the whirlpool for a couple minutes, let it suck everything in, and then I decided to do the first thing that came naturally.

 

I threw darts.

 

One such dart whizzed over Grokk's knuckles as he dangled the golden scarf in front of me, grinning a lot more than he should have. With barely disguised impatience - and, okay, maybe a hint of longing for the scarf- I turned to him and rolled my eyes.

 

"Could you get that out of my face? I'm trying to concentrate."

 

"C'mon, Dor, pleaaaase?" Grokk begged, hiding his face behind the scarf and taking on a highly effeminate voice just for show. "Please, please, puh-leeeeze give me another chance? I promise that I'll make it so that you can get any guy you want if you--"

 

Another dart, this one skimming Grokk's knuckles. He turned to look at the growing cut in annoyance before turning back to me; I merely shrugged cutely and smirked.

 

"Next one's in your palm."

 

"Figures. We blow up an entire ring of islets, and the first thing you do is try and put your dart in another man's hand to make yourself feel better."

 

I should have left him when I had the chance.

 

-Tyler

Edited December 4, 2012 by Tyler Durden

[- JL -]

IC: Shinn

 

Taking advantage of nothing, Shinn flew back towards his home.

 

=====

 

IC: Clariax

 

In her desperation, she teleported towards Onu-Wahi, hoping to get to Onu-Koro. After all, healers there, they keep their mouth shut.

 

OOC: ^These guys to Onu-Wahi.

Edited December 4, 2012 by JL v2

[Krayzikk]

IC: Krayn

 

"Yes." The De-Toa replied, after a quick examination of his own crossbow. His other weapons were fine, he'd already checked them. His sword can exactly where he left it, his other blades sheathed correctly.

 

Brukin nodded in answer. His sole weapon, the massive zweihander on his back, was always ready.

[Taka Nuvia]

IC: Myka (Le-Wahi)

 

Myka's smile grew slightly. "Maybe, when this is all over, we can try to find out."

 

IC: Zyron (Le-Wahi)

 

Zyron too smiled, and nodded. "That sounds like a great idea to me." It really did. If Myka had meant what he thought she'd meant, of course...

[BenLuke]

OOC: Goodbye Kumu! It's been fun. Not really. Everyone who wants to post about the fallout, please do so in the Le-Wahi game topic. This one is closed.

 

IC: Voriki ~

 

     Voriki was drowning.

 

     Well, technically, he wasn't drowning yet. But as the waves washed across the islets, wreaking havoc on Xa-Koro's ramshackle huts and the screams of the disaster's victims, the Toa trying to tread water in the turbulence, the salty water washing into his eyes, realized the futility of it all. We're doomed, he though. That isn't something I'd have considered thinking myself; Inspiring it, yes, but actually being doomed?

 

      And, yet, even though all was hopeless, he continued on. Why? Instinct? Hope for rescue? One last spit in the eye at the passengers of the retreating ship who Voriki supposed to be the ones to hold responsible and the rest of the world in general? He himself did not know. He fought on for all of those reasons, and none of them. Probably a metaphor, or something of that nature, in there, he thought. But he didn't have the time, or strength, to meditate on the deep literary meaning of what his deeds. No, the subject of today's class was "swim for your life".

 

      Athletical feats not pertaining to the complex art of tracking a mark and sticking them with the pointy end of a melee weapon had never been his strong point, however, and soon he found him strength failing and his body drifting down into the dark depths of the endless ocean. this gave him the opportunity for any number of last words (Er-well, thoughts, he thought.) before finally kicking the bucket. Anything from "So long, and thanks for all the fish" to "You have defeat me! But I will be avenged!" to "I'll be back".

 

      What he eventually settled for was far less glamorous.

 

     Well, karz, he thought, before darkness enveloped him.

 

     "THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCURATE, DEPENDING ON YO.R POINT OF VIEW," said a loud, unearthly face as beside him, and Voriki knew it was the end, whether would he heard be reaper or hallucination. "IN ANY EVENT, YOU'VE CERTAIN TOOK YOUR TIME, D."

 

~Fin.

Edited December 4, 2012 by Javert

[a goose]

IC: Myka (Le-Wahi)

 

Myka looked over at Zyron, beaming. The serious expression, and the dark thoughts behind it, had vanished, replaced by her usual cheerful demeanor. She continued to walk in silence, unable to think of much else to do but smile.

 

OOC: If you don't mind, Taka, Myka and Zyron to Ta-Wahi.

[Vezok's Friend]

OOC: Horde, from Xa-Koro, last boat out before the BC's ships.

 

IC:

 

"Did you see that..." Viloz asked, his eyes rather wide and his mouth dangerously close to disengaging and striking a hole in the bottom of the ferry they were on. "I'm not blind, doofus." Rhow said, but she was staring just as much. The group of Skakdi were three quarters of the way back to the shores of Mata-Nui when they suddenly heard the rumbling behind them. At the distance, it was hard to see at first, but then, it was as if the islands they had left on this not too seaworthy boat was collapsing in on itself. And once the destruction became clearly visible they knew it was just that which was happening. It rendered the whole ordeal with the temple of the FoM rather pointless, but such thoughts didn't cross their minds as the Skakdi of water moved the boat further away.

 

Behind them, they could see there were more ships coming. Three or four, it was hard to tell with all that was suddenly going on. For minutes, the horde continued to watch. Xa-Koro was the first to disappear, then the neighboring islands followed suit and then the ocean rushed in, to cover up whatever had just happened. They continued to move towards the shore of Le-Wahi, until Iraanus suddenly spoke up.

"Say, are we moving at all?" he asked, looking at the water around them, which was suddenly very flat and calm-looking. Rhow looked at well and noticed that they were in fact standing still.

 

"No more energy?" Taoki asked, but Rhow shook her head. "We're good. Was feeling the strain, but I am not out of juice yet." She continued to look around and then ahead to where there was land. And then she realized what was going on. Where there had been waves lapping at the white sand of the beach before, corals and seafloor were visible. Rhow stopped concentrating on moving the boat forward for a moment and rushed over to the railing and looked down. She could see the bottom where there had been nothing but blue before. And then there was a crunch as the boat settled on the usually submerged rocks.

 

"What in Karzhani?" asked Kahlynn, looking at the sandy bottom underneath the boat as well. Rhow looked back out to sea and a suddenly realization struck her. "The waters flooding the caverns underneath the Islands, or what's left of it." she said. "So?" Viloz asked. Rhow started to grab her gear from the deck and looked at the rest of the horde with a haunted expression. "It won't stay there. And when it comes back we'll get turned over in this piece of cr...Look; we have to get out-Now. Run for the shore. And then straight for Le-Koro."

 

"Why there?" Iraanus asked, as the others grabbed their belongings as well. Rhow climbed onto the railing and looked for the sandiest spot near the rocks they were resting on.

 

"To warn them." she said; and jumped down, followed by the others.

[sunflower]

IC: Naru [Le-Wahi]

 

The Toa of Plasma nodded, recognising the look. With one last glance at the Matoran, Naru started throuigh the jungle, occasionally using some of her plasma power to burn through the underbrush.

[BULiK]

IC:Dhurin was getting nervous. Naru was looking at him. A lot. In a bad way. A bead of sweat rolled down his mask, and not just because of the plasma bursts Naru was making. But he still followed the two toa.

[a goose]

IC: Erux (Le-Wahi)

 

Erux stood before the entrance to the Le-Koro Highway.

The plan was going well -- for her, if not for Xylak -- and, at this point, it looked like victory was certain.

Smirking, she stepped into the darkness. When Xylak learned of the attack on Pala-Koro, her plans could take priority. The Dreamer had made too many mistakes. It was time to bring in Plan B.

First, though, there was the matter of the Matoran. She could only hope that this would work better than Xylak's other plots...

 

OOC: Erux to Onu-Wahi.

[shadow pridak money gang]

"In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again."

 

-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

 

IC: Dorian (Aurelia's Ark, Le-Wahi)

 

After about ten more minutes of fruitlessly attempting to throw darts past Grokk, I got aggravated enough that I stormed past him and then grabbed the dartboard before making my way to the double cabins Brykon had allocated for me to rest in. Doors were locked and shuttered, blinds of windows drawn back, and the room suddenly took on an aura of dead and complete night, the dim lighting of candles my only reprieve from ceaseless shadow. A bottle of bourbon lay beside one of the candles, and I smirked to myself, taking a glass and pouring a double shot of whiskey before knocking it back.

 

Instantly, I could tell something was wrong, because the drink tasted like complete bunghole - and not in the way alcohol normally does either - and had a weird bite to it, so with the reflexes of a trained assassin I dropped the shot glass on the ground. The sound wasn't one of sharp, crackling glass, like I'd expected, but it was almost musical, like wind-chimes in a light breeze. I smiled, despite myself, and then I plopped back down on the bed and closed my eyes.

 

Man, this bed was comfortable.

 

"Isn't it?"

 

The eyes snapped open again at the sound of the voice, soft, purring, like a feline's. No longer was the room lit by candles, or even by any sort of filtered sunlight; everything was black, pitch as coal, and through skin and bone something primal inside me shivered as I recognized the voice. I couldn't feel a presence around me, not yet, but after a couple seconds a creeping along my left arm made it clear that something had moved from the middle of the room onto the bed, approaching me.

 

Heuani.

 

"We have so much to talk about. Where should I start? Honestly, any beginning that comes to mind doesn't even begin to do justice," the Toa of Shadow chuckled lightly. Don't smile back. Don't ever give this brat the satisfaction of smiling back. Heuani, dream or not, was still as alluring as ever, and one solitary finger stroked my bicep, perfect and smooth, before snaking along my chest and circling my heartlight like a hammerhead drawn to fresh meat. "But I can try anyway."

 

"You know, you used to be such a little bird's bird, the pretty little hummingbird everyone else would watch and envy, and you used to drink away at life like it was nectar and you left nothing else for anyone else because that was what you DID. And God, you were amazing at it, and you were gorgeous, because you couldn't expect anything else of a pretty little hummingbird like yourself.

"But then you started drinking away at the nectar of the other hummingbirds, and that's when you screwed up. And then you kept on screwing up, because no matter how many times one of the other hummingbirds would toss you down, pin you to a tree, keep you from spreading your wings, you would peck your way free and then start flitting around all the **** over again.

"This island's cruel, though, Dorian, and you know what cruelty is? It's not how much you kick someone when they're down, no, that's just cowardice. Cruelty is letting someone stand, let them catch their breath, give them a measure of hope, and then you punt them in the diaphragm all over again and let them wheeze.

"This island's cruel like that, and she does the darndest things to people who crawl into bed with that side of her at least once, and you being you just kept on sneaking under the covers with her until she finally got tired of watching you soar and cast you down all over again. Except this time she made sure you stayed on the ground.

"You know what ground is? It's dirt, and dust, and bone, bone of every little living creature that came before you. The ones who mean something on this island, in this little corner of the sky, are the ones who can learn to walk on the bone and tolerate it because they know that there's much, much more where that came from. Until you can, and until you learn to stop dicking around like you're owed something by this island, this little ****ing KINGDOM of mine and my master's, then you have no place in it. You may have had a shot up in the sky, Dorian, but down here, you're just bone like the rest of them."

As he spoke, the incubus drew himself directly above me, suspending his body inches above mine by only the strength of his arm muscles. Just as he lowered himself downward, lips directly above my forehead to continue speaking, I shivered once, involuntarily. A hand wrapped around my wrist, but it brought no warmth, merely another chill.

"Yours is a life full of nothing, Dorian, because every time you have a chance to make it something you surrender to civility. You just keep on screwing up, and pretty soon you won't get the chance to do that anymore. We live in the real world, my little hummingbird, where men die and desiccate and don't get nailed to crosses in shows of mere affection before being reborn. Understand that, and you can be free again."

My eyes closed as Heuani drew back, lips brushing my forehead; the Toa stood up and walked away, towards the exit of the room. I watched him go for a minute before realizing that my abdomen was soaking wet, and when I reached down with a single Protosteel phalange and examined it closely, I could see it streaked with deep crimson blood, barely discernible from darkness. I stood up slowly and began inching my way towards the door, out after Heuani, even as the life drained away from me. When I cast open the exit, there was nothing at first. Then I saw it: a single, ancient oak tree, with a handsome young Toa of Iron pinned to the center of the bark, bleeding away, with a strange type of flamberge through his abdomen. Beside him was a fly. On his neck: a scarf.

"You'd better start flying, Dorian."

My eyes snapped open with a gasp, free from the dream at last. Candlelight illuminated my point of view all over again, which gave me a nice, clear view of the spectacle as I rolled off the bed and vomited. In my hand was a note, peeled from the bottle of bourbon just before I blacked out.

"Dor,

Hope you don't mind, but remember that crazy acid trip frog I was telling you I'd found? Amphibious grokkicus? Yeah. I got one to take a dump in your bourbon. Tell me how that goes.

-Grokk."

-Tyler

Edited December 4, 2012 by Tyler Durden

[Emzee]

IC: And so, they danced.

 

Alyo and Niici danced away their problems, their obligations, and their reservations, surrendering to the uplifting pomp of the Windriders’ music. They were playing their original single now; the song they had performed during Lewa’s Golden Mask celebration. It was the hit that had finally made them famous outside of Le-Koro, turning the band into a household name throughout the island of Mata Nui.

 

The Toa of Ice looked around at the crowds. They sang, they danced, and they cheered. Every seat in the stadium was filled.

 

The concert was a success.

 

Unfortunately, all songs must have a closing verse, and eventually, the concert was over.

 

OOC: Timeskip to 2 hours later. Also, I made some new profiles.

 

IC: Alyo, Kokkrihan, Tuuli, the Ga-Matoran elder, and the Ko-Matoran elder sat in the meeting hut near the outskirts of Le-Koro in the dead of the night. The elders, members of the executive board, had called for a post-concert meeting to examine the magnanimous offer that they were going to make to Kongu, as well as other offers for “adoption” of villages.

 

However, they were missing their Chief of Operations, which was a very uncommon oddity. Niici was never late to a meeting, and the Ga-Matoran elder started to worry. However, the Ko-Matoran elder whispered something to the Ga-Matoran, who responded in turn with a solemn nod.

 

“We should probably start this meeting off,” the Ko-Matoran elder said, “Niici will join us when she can”

 

“For those who have not yet met us personally, I am Koropaki,” the Ko-Matoran said, looking at Alyo, “As I’m sure you know, I hold one of the seats on the Cultured Gentry executive board, with me is lady Gaira”

 

“I’m afraid our third elder could not make it out here,” Gaira said, “There was business in Ko-Koro that needed his utmost attention”

 

“Let us get down to business,” Koropaki said, “I have already scheduled a meeting with Kongu regarding our proposal. If it goes through, the Cultured Gentry will be financially responsible for the improvement of the Gukko Force’s equipment and stations, and we will be responsible for the rebuilding of Pala-Koro. It is a decision that, up until the concert, was kept solely with the top-most executive board members, namely: myself, Gaira, our Ko-Matoran friend, and Toa Niici”

 

Koropaki paused to take a sip of water and clear his throat, “If anyone here has questions concerning this new adoption program, this is the forum to voice them. We need everyone here on the same level, so they we can each act independently in other villages”

 

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

 

Niici retched one last time.

 

Darkness enveloped the shaking Toa as she mentally bashed and berated herself, in hopes of getting her body to yield to her.

 

At least the arms, Niici pleaded, Start with the arms.

 

After mentally counting to three, Niici positioned her right arm, and then her left arm, below her, as if she were to do push-ups. Beads of sweat dotted her head and her arms, and they began to run down her body as she exerted all the force she could muster in her biceps. Her arms had begun to wiggle, and Niici feared the worst. Finally, Niici found herself on her knees, but upright, leaning against the wall of her hotel washroom. The world still spun, and Niici felt like she would melt or burst into flame at any moment.

 

Alright… almost there. Now the legs! Niici goaded herself.

 

She threw her upper body against the cabinet for support, being careful not to slip off because of her sweaty palms. She pushed both arms down against the cabinet, and with a heavy grunt, she began to rise.

 

“She’s extraordinary,” said the Ga-Matoran physician as the dark blue Ko-Matoran neared her one-hundredth pushup. “She’s so strong… has so much spirit… for someone with that kind of condition”

 

“She never gives up,” a deep, but kind male voice responded, “It runs in the family, you see. Nothing can ever stop us – any of us – from achieving what the Great Spirit commands of us”

 

“Do you believe she’s destined for great things?” the physician asked.

 

“No,” the father replied, “I know it”

 

I’m destined… for great things! Niici thought, gritting her teeth as she completed her elevation. Her hands remained pressed down against the counter; much of her weight was against it as well. Droplets of sweat began to dot the marble counter as Niici breathed deeply.

 

One-hundred and eighty degrees, Niici thought, It’s right there – the serum – right there in that cabinet.

 

Niici had to be careful; the worst thing she could do right now was move too quickly while her stomach churned and cruelly teased her. Her vision remained blurry, and the feeling of doing a million circular laps atop a Gukko Bird still lingered, intensifying with each sudden movement.

 

Normally, Niici would be chastising herself right now… for being so into the “scene” that she ignored her own physical needs. She was supposed to take her medicine every two days to prevent herself from become like this. The last four days had been so busy, however, that she simply had not stopped to think about her body. She may have been a queen, but that didn’t mean she was a goddess – not in this body.

 

Slowly, Niici rotated her body to face the aged, wooden cabinets that sat comfortably next to a sparkling mirror with a similarly clean sink. Purple and even reddish patches continued to pulsate around the Toa’s body as she moved, one particular red patch having steam move off it, like it was radiating heat. Niici continued to move as a snail, across the washroom and over the sickness basin. Finally, Niici could feel the metal knobs of the cabinet in her drenched fingers.

 

The Toa of Ice (and Fire) desperately opened the left door and felt around for the herbal treasure that would assuage her excruciating ailments. Soon, Niici felt the small jar and took it out, unscrewing the lid and dipping her nose in.

 

Where her vision still blurred and thus failed her, Niici nose went in for the save; this was the herbal medicine that she needed.

 

Wasting no time, she quickly drank the healthy green liquid. She knew it would take at least half an hour for the symptoms to go away, so she stumbled from her washroom, still in her sparkling but not rumpled dress, and she dived into her soft, lavish bed.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Emzee

[Visaru]

IC- Alyo - Cultured Gentry Meeting hut outside Le-Koro

 

The toa warily looked around at the group of Cultured Gentry members, remaining especially in awe of the two elders. The very idea that he was so close to them, so near those great gods of the gentry class, was almost unfathomable. Alyo, as a businessman, had not been lucky enough to gain a fortune without doing anything, via inheritance, marriage, assassination, a pact with dark beings, or however you might accomplish such a thing. Alyo got his widgets through hard work and a good sense of how and when to break the law. He had built his small company up from nothing; a century ago, this meeting would be laughably ludicrous.

 

But he was here, and his opinion was being asked for.

 

He stayed silent a moment, giving the others in the room time to speak, out of respect, and since he didn't have any particular questions about the new offer. Alyo was not one for meetings like this, and expected other, more experienced members to ask questions or make suggestions for him. One query, however, remained in his mind, one not about the offer, but about the way this elite club of lucky rich men worked.

 

As he saw that everyone else was silent, he voiced his opinion, "I, of course, mean no disrespect to you, elders," he nodded at Koropaki and Gaira. "But I feel I am unsure how exactly this organization works. Exactly how many decisions are made by the elite few? How much input do I, or Matan, or Tuuli, or any 'normal' member of the gentry, have? Do we just push around paperwork? This rebuilding was an expensive decision, one which I, and assume the rest of us, had no knowledge of prior to the announcement. So," Alyo paused to collect his thoughts, "Is there anything important about the function of your elite class that I - and the rest of us - need to know?"

 

Alyo looked at the elders, fairly proud of his short speech.

[25K Now!]

OOC: Darylhii from Onu-Wahi.

 

IC: [Darylhii]

 

Darylhii looked around as he exited the Highway and into the jungles of Le-Wahi. It would be difficult finding these 'Maasi', but he was confident that he would be able to discover them in his home region.

[ARROW404]

IC: Kehuri

 

Kehuri's eyes darted around the forest, realizing something had changed. It had been so faint when they had entered the forest that he'd failed to notice it entirely, but now that it was gone, he realized that there had been music playing. The endless sounds of pickaxe on stone was usually the only music in the caves, a sound that Kehuri had grown to find comforting, but what little music he had heard, he had greatly enjoyed. He wished he had been closer to the source so that he could have enjoyed it.

 

The Toa of Earth glanced at his "party" members. He could practically smell the anxiety coming off of Dhurin. "Was there a concert scheduled in Le-Koro?" he asked, hoping to alleviate the mood.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Draezeth

[sunflower]

IC: Naru [Le-Wahi]

 

"Not sure," Naru replied, cutting off a burst of plasma that burned through a fallen tree in her path. She hadn't been keeping up on events recently, having been running around the island. The Toa of Plasma glanced back for a moment, continuing on through the jungle. "Haven't really been keepingup with stuff recently."

[BULiK]

IC:

 

"Neither have I," Dhurin added. The Onu-Matoran knew he was a terrible lier, so he decided to add some truth into the mix.

[ARROW404]

IC: Kehuri"That makes three of us!" he chuckled. "The clueless bunch."After a moment he asked, "How far is Pala-Koro?"

[Light]

IC: I started to head toward the sound, unintentionally making more noise than normal. I was honestly too tired to care.

 

OOC: And cue Darylhii. Dang. I forgot to give him a codename.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: Aurelia stood at the bow of her boat as she looked past the portside railing at the destruction of the Kumu Islets. The actual destruction clocked in at over fifteen minutes after the initial explosion, she knew from the doctor's analysis but it wasn't slow enough for her. She relished the feel of the sheer omnipotence the obliteration afforded her. She smiled unkindly at the black hole she created in the sea as it swallowed everything around it like a hungry pubescent child released from its cage vehemently eating whatever food was within sight.

 

But what was more was the truth that by then her compatriot, the doctor who had truly engineered the destruction of the southernmost civilization, was deceased. It assured that Aurelia herself would gain the credit for the destruction of Xa-Koro, not sharing it with any other living person. The assassination would also make certain that the Peers would remain close and small, and any new members recruited would be certainly under the thumb of her machinations.

 

The doctor, much like the old scholar Huascar, were killed not because they were no longer useful but because they were too conservative. Their ways were old fashioned and bent towards honest domination, and while they supported the cause of societal dismantling they always struggled against the grain Aurelia and Ambages adopted. More youthful, more passionate, more absolute... more zealous and destructive. Huascar and his fellow were not cooperative with the experimentation their conspiring "friends" used, and with the erasure of Xa-Koro their old ways no longer were needed.

 

From then on it would be a team of two dominant Peers and the new blood who, hopefully, were just as energetic as they were. Unlike the Cultured gentry the power and influence of being a peer was not a bargaining tool for recruitment, it was something that was earned by being a good Peer. When the Peers started, they were seven in number. Ambages was just a humble artist who drew pictures with coloured clays and, while creative, was at the same social satus as a Ga-Koronan fisherwoman. Aurelia was simply a fruit basket saleswoman in a touristic plaza in Ta-Koro. Huascar was a mere librarian in a Ga-Koro archive under the tuetelage of Turaga Nokama, and the doctor was a snake oil trader in Po-Koro. The other three Peers had equally humble origins and were united under the loose banner of discontent with the society on Mata Nui. They consulted the stars and saw nothing of a diety, their prophesies proven to be flops time after time. With their disgust at the superstitions of Mata Nui they bonded to bring about a revolution fomented at the very grains of civilization. They would turn the belief in a false god into sand and scatter it like dust in the wind. They, painters and merchants, con artists and students, would kill a great spirit.

 

That was over seven hundred years before the wreck of Xa-Koro. Since then they plotted for decades in secret conclaves, pooled their wealths and resources together to aid each other and elevated themselves to the positions of prominence they held modernly. Over the centuries they built their empires up and inserted themselves in politics, learning the ways of the Turaga and the Great Spirit in an effort to understand what they were killing as well as they knew themselves. But they were pretenders, and as they climbed the ladder of leadership they each evolved into their own kings. But like any political organization, there was infighting. While they all believed in the same ideals, their bonding could only go so far, and so one by one their number diminished as their ambiguous leaders, Ambages and Aurelia, wanted a more liberal agenda. Those who disagreed or were suspected of disagreement were killed. And while the others grew farther and farther apart, the two devils grew closer and closer together.

 

Aurelia looked at her hand. Her fingers were adorned with rings of gold and platinum, but one stood out more than the rest due to its large diamond. A gift from Ambages, it was her engagement ring. A duplicate was worn about on a chain about the architect's neck. It was a symbol of how close the two beings thought and how they would be schemers together for life, but what's more, it was a promise that eventually, when gods died and their worshippers knelt down to their new leaders, when the island crumbled on its own weight and cities were consumed by nature, when people were crushed under falling mountain peaks and rivers swallowed valleys whole, at least two people would be holding hands in victory.

 

But only then would they fulfill their vows. Only when the world was ashes.

 

"Captain," Aurelia beckoned. She was at the bow of her ship for her own safety, a recommendation from her master-at-arms she agreed to for once. She was alone there save for her retainers and her adviser. "Give the orders."

 

"Aye, madam," he said as he bowed away.

 

The third boat separated from the flotilla and drifted off towards the eastern shores of Le-Wahi. The other two ships followed the western coast. One was going on a suicide mission; the other two to their new home.

 

 

 

And behind the fleet, in the distant horizon, was an assuring sight for Aurelia: The dense smokey bellows of the doctor's boat, following them. It wouldn;t catch up until they were in Ko-Wahi, but at least it meant Brykon succeeded.

[25K Now!]

IC: [Darylhii]

 

Darylhii slinked out of the bushes, revealing himself to all the Maasi.

 

"Greetings."

[Highly Suspicious Person]

IC: Nidiak

 

Nidiak casually threw an axe in Darylhii's general direction. "Go away. We don't like you or any of your friends."

[Constructelf]

IC Merla"Greetings. Are you headed for the concert in Le-Koro? or perhaps the tea convention? Or are you part of the Pala-Koro relief effort?"IC KokkinosThe toa of magnetism crept through the jungle, making sue that he was out of the Maasi's sight at all times. Then he heard another being's voice and he stopped cold. He gripped his serpent staff tightly."