Corpus Rahkshi

[Onaku]

IC: Helkyrie - Her Room

 

"I... don't know. I haven't really had tea with anyone before... not since..." She trailed off. It was painful just to think about.

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Jayar / Forest of Kaam

 

 

It was difficult to see what was going on from his position trapped in the canopy: through the leaves he could catch glimpses of the chaos below. Sight insufficient, he added sound, listening intently to the sounds crashing from the forest floor. By a combination of those fleeting glimpses, messy noises, and mere guesswork, he was able to discern some of what was going on. It seemed that... Era?... had been caught up in vines similarly, while Snake and Shield were, thankfully, left free...

 

Why then had Shield fallen frozen to the ground?

 

Jayar had been one mind with Shield - his understanding was swift and harrowing. Confronted with foliage-wielding foe, he would face the specter of his mentor and closest friend. And that would be agony for him.

 

"Shield!" the healer yelled down. "Shield, he's just an imitator! You don't need to fight Root's memory - you need to fight for it!"

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Grim - Halls:

 

Uunrak's wandering a would eventually cross paths with Grim's regular patrol.

 

The AdaptiRahk gave the newcomer a quick once over, noting that they hadn't seen this particular Rahkshi before. There were several explanations, the most likely of which was that they were just a new arrival.

 

"Greetings," the warrior of Gorast rumbled.

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Vlad / Courtyard

 

 

"Vell... ve just vent over it, pretty much," Vlad told Garrotte. "You train or spar in zer gym, get somethink to, er, 'eat,' read a book, sleep, talk vith somevun... fend zem off vhen zey try to kill you or somevun you care about..." He paused. "Or take up a hobby, I guess."

 

* * *

 

IC: Lucid / Helkyrie's Room

 

 

Lucid put a hand on Helkyrie's shoulder, smiling with soft sympathy. "Then we may determine a new custom here," she said.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Sergei Rahkmaninoff

[Onaku]

IC: Uunrak - Hallways

 

The visage of Grim was certainly an imposing one. The headplates of another rahkshi on his shoulder, and a very tough armour from what Uunrak could see, Grim definitely did not seem like the kind of person you'd want to mess with.

 

"Uh, heyyy. This is Corpus Rahkshi, right? Are they accepting new arrivals?"

 

 

IC: Rōzu - Refectory

 

Rōzu looked up from her plate of slop, taking a quick look around herself at the refectory, and in essence, the school itself. "It's good. I think it may actually be what I need... for what's to come." There was a stoic yet very grim look on her face at the last few words.

 

 

IC: Helkyrie - Her Room

 

Helkyrie smiled softly, thinking for a moment. "... Maybe fishing would be good?"

Edited September 2, 2017 by Onaku

[silo]

IC: Snake - Kaam

 

I'd been behind the other two, making myself useful by looking out for something dangerous. Ironically, this had distracted me from a hazard under my nose: something had tugged at my foot - it had felt like a root or rut, and its endpoint was me lying surprised in a deep ditch. Recently I've come to appreciate ironies such as this, so I'd lain there bruised for a moment, cursing under my breath. And when I'd risen, something had happened...

 

I'm used to feeling panic and fear, but I always used to like the feeling...the feeling of being on the knife's edge of danger, just outrunning the sword. But now that there are other people to worry about, people so integrally locked to me, I feel desperate. Strange, but maybe not...

 

Scrambling to my feet, I draw Whisper's Bane - my shortswords have been my constant friend, but Bane is my only option if I want to stop a Makuta or one of their servants. I aim at the figure in front of me, who's drenched in shadows. I can hear Jayar shouting to Shield beyond the figure. I see the creeping vines...#### tripped me up! But more importantly, they remind me of someone I once knew...I can't place it.

 

I keep my presence secret - though my own presence doesn't worry me as much as that of my prone friends - after all, they can't move quickly at the best of times. But while I'm creeping silently and Jayar's shouts ring in my ears, it comes to me: the plant-covered rahk, someone Shield used to know. I look at the stalking figure and I'm overcome by something like a blend of nostalgia and dread - I'm fixated, or maybe horrified is a better term...irrationally at that.

 

I raise the bow, I can see that Shield's in distress - in the desperate moment I feel a strange lack of selfish pride. But there's something else, something stopping me. I can't fire at...a...friend. I begin to panic in earnest. I'm being irrational - why can't I shoot, or why won't I? The likeness of this being...I...

 

I close my eyes and open them and release before I can start thinking again, sending a concussive arrow towards the being I know can't be...Root.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Sil

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Lucid / Helkyrie's Room

 

 

"Then tea will be followed by fishing," Lucid agreed. She set her empty cup on the table and stood up. "Do you have a place in mind? Somewhere with water might be nice."

[Onaku]

IC: Helkyrie - Her Room

 

"I don't know... maybe on one of the lower pillars in the Causeway?"

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Lucid / Helkyrie's Room

 

 

"I bet that would be nice," Lucid agreed. "Away from both the school and the mainland. Shall we go?"

[Onaku]

IC: Helkyrie - Her Room

 

Helkyrie nodded. Putting away all the tea stuff, she opened the door to her room, holding it open for Lucid to walk through. "Where do you think we could get fishing rods, though?"

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Lucid / Helkyrie's Room

 

 

Lucid nodded acknowledgement of Helkyrie's kind gesture as she walked through the door. "I'm not sure," she mused. "Dervaki probably has at least 23, but I doubt he'd lend them to us."

Edited September 3, 2017 by Sergei Rahkmaninoff

[Onaku]

IC: Helkyrie - Dormitory Hallway

 

"Who's Dervaki?" Helkyrie asked as she closed the door behind them.

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Lucid / Helkyrie's Room

 

 

"Not someone you want to meet," Lucid answered.

[Nato G]

IC: Glass

 

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Glass smiled.

 

"Assassination, right? Forgot who won that one. I mean, I know I survived, but that's all."

 

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"Speaking of winning," I readied myself, "These people came for a fight. Let's make it a good one." 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Grim:

 

They raised their singular eyebrow plate.

 

"Accepting? As far as I know, unless withheld, all of the intelligent breed of Rahkshi are sent here."

 

"This is indeed Corpus Rahkshi. Are you in need of assistance?"

[Nato G]

IC: Canvas - Infirmary

 

"Okay... yeah, let me handle it." Canvas all but bounced up to Sliver's side with a grin that exuded excitement. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

 

IC: Sliver - Infirmary. 

 

"You don't look injured," I made a point of ignoring the question. I had little time for feigned interests and meaningless small talk, "What do you want?" 

[Onaku]

IC: Uunrak - Hallways

 

"Well, I... er... kind of got here on my own. Are there any forms I need to fill out? I doubt anyone was expecting me."

 

 

IC: Helkyrie - Dormitory Hallways

 

"Oh... okay."

Edited September 3, 2017 by Onaku

[Click]

IC: Garrotte - Library

 

"Where might I meet others as kind as you?" Garrotte asked sincerely.

 

 

IC: Canvas - Infirmary

 

"Uh, no. I'm not. I'm looking for my sister. Kinda tall, gold armor with lots of designs, bit of blue on her back. She's always been artistic." Still Canvas grinned innocently.

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Lucid / Hallway

 

 

"Don't worry about it, you won't," Lucid assured Helkyrie. "Anyways, where do you think we should look?"

 

* * *

 

IC: Vlad / Courtyard

 

 

"Er..." Vlad's eyes widened slightly, that sounded surprisingly heartfelt. "Nice people are scattered all over, I guess. On average zer vorst place to look ist probably zer Gym though."

[The UltimoScorp]

GM IC Kaam:

 

Era's sonic blasts reverberated through the wood with an unearthly twang, and it split and splintered, but did not shatter out right, and with each crack, more wooden tendrils emerged, to ensnare and entangle the blind Derahk further and immobilize her.

 

Jayar was being similarly entangled, though his lack of struggle made it much easier to wrap him up in lengths of living wood.

 

Fang's attempt to free himself from the ice was explosively successful, as the super heated plasma flash boiled it, causing the ice on his feet to explode out from the pressure, sending tiny shards of Ice flying harmlessly away. Several globules of plasma also flew away, spattering across Kat's armor, digging a few scars into the metal plating.

 

 

The Bo-Toa leapt away, catching the edge of the sonic ripple from Whisper's Bane, but with his thick coat it seemed not to affect him greatly. The grasses and weeds beneath Snake erupted upwards, dense and thick, to entangle his feet and trip him up as the Toa sprang forward, the thorny club swinging at the KualsiRahk's head.

 

Cao swung a painfully yellow fist out at the shadowy shape like a very stretchy morning star, but it passed curiously right through the shape, and darts of ice shot out from among the trees at both him and Fang.

 

Kat desperately looked around for the source, but it was nearly impossible to determine just where their elusive attacker was in her sleep deprived state.

[Click]

IC: Fang - Forest of Kaam

 

Fang winced as ice and plasma flew across the clearing. Some of it even splashed against Kat, who was still looking pretty dazed. But they had bigger problems.

 

Taking stock of the situation, Fang realized the others had returned just in time. However, Jayar and Era were nowhere to be found. A vine-covered figure gave Fang a pretty good idea of where they could be though.

 

Giving a roar of anger that was only strengthened as icy darts embedded in his back, he charged the Bo-Toa, plasma already igniting in his hands.

[Onaku]

IC: Dissent - Library > Gym

 

Losing interest in sticking around in the Library, Dissent moved on, making her way through the unfamiliar hallways until she arrived at... an Arena? The two rahkshi on the platform and the audience stalls screamed tournament battle. Now this she'd have to see. Making her way to the stalls, she took a seat and watched as the battle was about to begin. From the looks of things, there was no Makuta in sight. Just rahkshi doing things they wanted to do, proving themselves to each other. This was something she could get behind.

 

 

IC: Helkyrie - Dormitory Hallway

 

"I don't know. Maybe the armoury might have something we could use? Or maybe we'll have to make fishing rods ourselves..."

[silo]

IC: Snake - Kaam

 

I gasp and teleport away, freeing my feet from the vines and the figure's murderous advance. I get my bearings. I realise that I'd been almost...fixated by the figure - my near-instinctive teleportation had been sluggish, as if my own self-preservation had for once been countermanded by confusion or awe. I think I'd even winced as I'd seen the arrow arcing towards its target.

 

And again there's a lack of that electric feeling I used to get hopping out of harm's way: now all I can sense is the desperate demoralization by the deadly threat surrounding us.

 

I take aim more carefully (hesitantly, even - there's still that lingering recollection...): I've put a few bio between me and my assailant. I fire at the figure again, shooting for its left side now facing me. Then I teleport again, around its other side.

 

But I feel strangely guilty about teleporting, a feeling that surprises me more when I realise that I'm equating it to 'running away' - something I'll freely admit has never worried me before. At least my movements might draw this being further away from the stricken Shield, I concede. And anyway, I need to play to my strengths for the group's sake, if not mine. 

Edited September 3, 2017 by Sil

[NorikSigma]

 

 

IC: Glass

 

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Glass smiled.

 

"Assassination, right? Forgot who won that one. I mean, I know I survived, but that's all."

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

"Speaking of winning," I readied myself, "These people came for a fight. Let's make it a good one."

IC: Glass

 

Glass nodded. He raised the staff to guard position and slowly inched his way forward.

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Shield - Forest

 

I was struggling to breathe, visions of my best friend's dead body flashed through my brain.

 

My vision turned black, and I fell even more downwards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Shield, he's just an imitator! You don't need to fight Root's memory - you need to fight for it!"

 

 

In what seemed like both a fit of anger and inspiration, I pushed myself upwards, breaking the imaginary botanic bonds and snapping out of my state.

 

This wasn't Root, but it was someone insulting his memory. 

 

I yelled and jumped upwards, slashing my sword at the Bo-Toa.

 

IC: Rider - Refectory

 

Those last words unsettled me.

 

"What....do you mean?" I ask, curious yellow eyes pointed at her.

Edited September 3, 2017 by Okuyasu Nijimura

[Nato G]

IC: Canvas - Infirmary

 

"Uh, no. I'm not. I'm looking for my sister. Kinda tall, gold armor with lots of designs, bit of blue on her back. She's always been artistic." Still Canvas grinned innocently.

 

IC: Sliver - Infirmary.

 

"Oh. You're her sibling. Delightful." I closed the file I'd been skimming through and placed it back with the others, "I haven't seen her, so go bother someone else." 

 

IC: Glass

Glass nodded. He raised the staff to guard position and slowly inched his way forward.

 

IC: Exxan - Gym.

 

For a moment, I considered simply flinging my opponent out of the arena with a couple of well-placed air blasts. But... this was the final round, and it was Glass. He deserved better. We could do better. 

 

Let's give the people a show. I drew one of my throwing daggers, and flung it towards Glass' chest. 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Grim:

 

"I don't believe so, I'm sure Icarax will have made note of a new mind entering the school. If you are in need of direction, I can assist in getting to where you need to go. If there is nothing else however, I must continue my patrol."

 

 

IC Diode:

 

The blow strikes true, clobbering the Electric Rahk across the spine causing him to release a reflexive burst of electricity and a cry of pain as he stumbled forward from the blow, twisting around to look at her assailant, "What in Karzhani is your problem?!" She exclaimed.

[Click]

IC: Canvas - Infirmary

 

She fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, that's the thing. No one seems to know who else to bother. That guy over there," she indicated Dormirahk, "Told me you were with her in one of the assignments. Do you know who else she worked with?"

 

 

IC: Garrotte - Courtyard

 

She hummed tonelessly. "Perhaps I can try the Refectory. I might as well experience this 'grey goop' for myself, and perhaps make some friends as well."

[Nato G]

IC: Sliver - Infirmary. 

 

"In case it escaped your notice, your sister wasn't exactly the nicest rahk around." I turned to face the other rahk, "Generally speaking, I try to avoid people whose personalities are as... abrasive... as my own." 

 

I tried to recall the last time I'd even encountered Rain. We'd worked together during the Visorak assignment... she'd gotten a new suit after that, if I recalled correctly... then there'd been the attack on Phantom-on-the-Water, when Gorast had singled us out as her favourites... Wait, who leveled up with us? There was the weird mute with the mind controlled Matoran, and the gender-bending sonics rahk, but I hadn't seen either of them since then. So, who else?

 

"The other prefects. Draco, Grim, Shark. One of them might know something." 

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

IC: Era - Forest of Kaam.

 

My expectation had been for the branches entangling me to explode in spectacular showers of splinters, like most trees did when they were on the receiving end of a Toa-strength sonic assault. I would've dropped to the ground, taken a moment to refocus on my surroundings, and then proceeded to retaliate against who or what ever had just attacked me and, presumably, my friends. 

 

But that wasn't how things went. 

 

Instead, the super-wood ensnaring me remained decidedly undestroyed, and continued to entangle me further. The more of it that piled on, the more energy it was going to take for me to annihilate it, and while I was certain I was capable of doing exactly that, my attacker could very well just summon up more vines to grab me once I was free. So instead of struggling further against the branches, I focused on pushing my hands through the branches I'd already damaged, so I could still use them to 'see' what was happening beyond my snare. 

 

What my echolocation showed me was nothing good. Jayar trapped like me. Shield jumping. Fang charging. Snake teleporting. Cao reeling from a volley of projectiles. Two attackers. Not Rahkshi. Too small to be Skakdi. More upright, like Matoran. Toa.

 

Probably in the forest looking for the Hand, just like we were. As if this mission wasn't hard enough already.

 

I couldn't fire at the Bo-Toa without risking hitting Fang or Shield, so I instead sent a focused blast from one of my hands towards the fuzzy, indistinct figure that had just fired at Cao and Fang. 

Edited September 4, 2017 by Nato The Traveler

[Coconut Fella]

IC: Phantom - Ruins on the Water

Patting the ground with her shovel, Phantom and Gaever's makeshift grave was complete. She stood alongside Gaever, feeling some tiny portion of the weight she felt. It seemed the world Phantom had woken up to was a sad one.

"Now?" She questioned Gaever.

Edited September 4, 2017 by Coconut Fella

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Jayar / Forest of Kaam

 

 

It rapidly became apparent that waiting was not an option - the vines were not content just to hold him, but began to grow thicker and more numerous. Noting their advance, Jayar began explosively to claw at the tendrils around his arms, hastily slicing through the leafy bonds until he could reach his dagger. That better blade procured - thankfully its small size made it usable despite his constraints - he would redouble his efforts to slash through the grievous greenery towards freedom. With the Toa distracted, perhaps he could make it...

Edited September 4, 2017 by Sergei Rahkmaninoff

[The UltimoScorp]

GM IC Kaam:

 

Whisper's Bane struck true, striking the Bo-Toa in the arm, tearing away the wood and greenery beneath, as well as disorienting the Toa. Shield's attack also found purchase, though he found himself thrown off slightly by the sonic pulse from Snake's shot. A red line appeared as his xiphos drew across the now open arm. The Bo-Toa backed up, greenery quickly growing to cover the wound, and likely deaden the pain with medicinal herbs.

 

A bramble bush thick with thorns and tangled gnarls rose from the earth to meet Fang's charge, in an attempt to keep him away for a little while.

 

Cao was struck in the shoulder by an icey dart, and grunted in pain, but the Elastirahk was quick in thought and in action, and swept up a stone from the ground whipped it, sling like, in the direction the missile had come from.

 

Kat finally seemed to get her bearings and moved to cover Caoutchouc, her thicker armor could hold the ice barrage away better than his stretchy body. And she hoped it would provide an additional target to try and locate their attacker.

 

Jayarand Era both would find that the vines attempting to get around and immobilize them had stopped moving at all, and in such, perhaps the chance for escape! Era's sonic blast hummed through the clearing, and although dissipated slightly by the multitude of branches and greenery of the forest, it struck the figure in the chest, and she would hear a cracking sound as something- armor, bone, something else?- broke, and the figure stumbled away behind a tree, and out of her perception.

 

More importantly she would pick up a third figure, high above, out of her current arc of fire and descending upon the battle below.

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Gaever / Ruins on the Water

 

 

Gaever gazed at the ground for a moment.

 

"We proceed," she decided grimly. "...Everything proceeds," she added, more quietly. The darkest tragedy would have no effect on this uncaring universe. The sun and stars continued their endless cycle oblivious to the oblivion far beneath them. Living things had to try to somehow imitate that easy progress.

 

She turned away, back to her search for supplies.

* * *

 

IC: Jayar / Forest of Kaam

 

 

It seemed the vines had ceased to grow and constrict - his allies must have provided a needed distraction. Jayar again intensified his efforts to cut himself free, determined not to miss perhaps his one chance to do so.

[Nato G]

IC: Era - Forest of Kaam.

 

"Above you!" I called out, hoping at least some of my companions were able to hear me. 

 

With the Bo-Toa seemingly distracted for the time being, and the vines subsequently rendered immobile, I once again tried to rip them apart, this time unleashing a focused, continuous pulse of concentrated sonics towards one specific spot, hoping to create a gap big enough for me to escape through. 

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Vlad / Courtyard

 

 

Ugh... refectory slop. For the vampiric Vorahk, a contender for Corpus Rahkshi's cruelest aspect. But, it was necessary for subsistence, and it had been a while since he had 'eaten'... and maybe it would be more tolerable with a friend.

 

"Vould you mind if... I join you?" he asked Garrotte. "I might as vell 'eat' now too..."

[Click]

IC: Canvas - Infirmary

 

She chuckled, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "Yeah... thanks anyway. We'll uh... just be going!" She promptly turned on a heel.

 

 

IC: Garrotte - Courtyard

 

It hardly takes a moment for Garrotte to decide. She nods. "I don't mind."

 

 

IC: Fang - Forest of Kaam

 

Fang stopped struggling for a moment to look up at Era's shout. "Era, Jayar!"

 

Igniting one hand, he swiftly cut through the brambles to aim a focused stream of plasma slicing across the vines a safe distance above Jayar and Era.

[Sergei Rahkmaninoff]

IC: Lucid / Hallway

 

 

Lucid shrugged. "Perhaps we should go to the Library. We might find ancient tomes containing arcane spells to ensnare fish." Helkyrie might be noticing now that, for all her kooky wisdom, Lucid was not the best person to ask where to get fishing rods.

[Coconut Fella]

IC: Phantom - Ruins on the Water
Phantom also turned from the grave, ready to set her efforts towards a more hopeful project. She kept the shovel on hand, dangling it from her fingers. Within minutes, she had found her next quarry. A pile of broken shards of what must have been masks. The building they were in was mostly collapsed, but one corner still held a table and the many pieces. A small hammer was resting alongside them. Rather than gathering Gaever's attention to another potentially time-consuming side project, Phantom got hold of a burnt yet sizeable piece of tarp, and scooped the shards into it. If anything, it was doubtful these were worn by anyone that died in the razing of the village, so it was doubtful that this was any less respectful than regular looting. Though why anyone would keep random scrap on hand is anyone's guess.
...
Except that was exactly what Gaever and Phantom were doing, so, no judgement was passed from Phantom. Dragging the bag of metal shards, she trundled back out of the collapsed structure.

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Shield - Forest

 

N-numbing h-herbs.

 

Yeah.

 

I spun my xiphos in my hand, charging at the Toa with a fury I don't think I had exhibited since Visorak.

 

I again shot upwards, shield forwards for a painful uppercut.

 

IC: Crate - Library

 

One thing I take solace in as I recoil backwards, arms sizzling from the electric shock, is that I was right about their variation in the end.

 

Not that there was any doubt, of course.

 

"You think you're so intelligent?" I ask, fangs gritting together as the shock went away from my arms.

 

I project an image of myself on top of the bookshelf beside the electric rahk, in an attempt to distract them.

 

I then throw my baton, aiming for the head yet again.

[Onaku]

IC: Helkyrie - Hallway
 
"Perhaps another time. For now I'm content with the basic non-mystical method. Which, I suppose, requires that we make fishing rods. Which, on the other hand, the library might have something on."
 
 
IC: Dormirahk - Infirmary
 
Waving an awkward goodbye to Sliver, Dormirahk subsequently followed after Canvas.
 
 
IC: Uunrak - Hallways
 
"Well, I'm not really familiar with the layout of the school. Do you guys have any maps? Or tour guides?"
 
 
IC: Rōzu - Refectory
 
Her expression softened somewhat. "Sorry, it's... nothing. Nothing you need to worry about." She put her spoon into her plate of slop, having eaten about half of it before getting tired of its bland and unappealing taste. "There has to be something else to eat around here, right? Something... off the books?" Strangely enough, despite retaining her stoic expression, Rōzu still conveyed a mischievous smile to Rider.