Matoran und Panzer

[Nato G]

GM IC: 

 

The handful of Manas on the stairs skirted away from the roar of the flames, but they didn't go far. The two Toa needed to find a way out, and fast. There were a few doorways scattered around, and another staircase continued on upwards, while an elevator stood nearby, partially blocked by a particularly ugly crustacean. 

 

But without a map, the Toa had no idea where they were going...

[Voltex]

IC: IKIRA

 

Knowing that having so many of them clustered around Carth was pointless, Ikira pulled out her shotgun again, stepping between the Nui-Rama and her teammates, aiming the gun at the creature.

 

She did not fire; it would not do to catch its attention.

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Carth:

 

 

"Ugh..... wha.....why can't I feel my arm?"

 

 

IC Kat:

 

The group continued moving through the tunnels, keeping a careful eye and ear out for signs of trouble.

[Nato G]

GM IC: 

 

The muffled cries for help were slowly getting closer as the group moved deeper into the tunnel... 

[Constructelf]

IC: Sora

"It was forcibly removed via gunshot as a punishment for your insubordination and rashness."

[Not Quite Dead]

GM IC:

With an unnatural jerking motion, the Nui-Rama started at Ikira, bringing it's clawed left arm down towards her in a ferocious swipe

 

00:05

 

00:04

 

00:03

 

...

 

* * *

 

Safely inside the elevator, Oblitus inserted the key card at the base of the control panel. A whirring sound came from behind the device and rings of light encircled the B2 and B3 buttons.

 

* * *

 

At his next interaction with the sword, Shard would find a curious mental wall between him and the entity. Like some alien cage had been dropped over the presence in his mind.

 

* * *

 

The figure, about half again as tall as Gamma, ignored the Ba-Matoran as he walked to the table. Across it, Stiehl wore an ugly expression. Like a child that had been caught stealing from a jar of treats and planned to murder their parents to horde the sweets for themselves.

 

"Hostages, Stiehl?" It laughed, an eery tenor sound. "Have you already given up on finding the ring?"

 

Now standing, the Skakdi spit on the ground before him. "Bah, I've had it with your ring and tall tales! We've been camped here for three moons with no luck! And my men and ship sent out to this Pharos you blathered on about, gone! Good men and equipment, money and time wasted!" Despite the beige warlord's affronted tone and fierce words, he had stayed rooted to the spot. Body language betraying that getting any closer to the figure would be a grave mistake. "No, I think our partnership ends here, Toa." The last word was foreign to Gamma, unknown. But it was spit like a curse.

 

"Naegling, Hrunting, kill him!"

 

The two pirates flanking Stiehl moved to arms. A brutish Vortixx armed to the teeth and a burly Skakdi with a broadsword as long as Gamma was tall. They stepped down off the raised platform and shoved past the dinner table palisade.

 

They stepped down off the raised platform and shoved past the dinner table palisade.

 

They stepped down off the raised platform and shoved past the dinner table palisade.

 

A look of confusion registered in their faces. Tentatively, the Vortixx took a heavy step forward, down off the raised platform. Thrice more he marched, shoving past the dinner table palisade. Abruptly and without warning, the Vortixx now stood back at Stiehl's side.

 

Well, the bottom half of him. The top half of the warrior was smeared onto the wall to the far left, a torrent of blood painting the wall. It was like he'd been ripped apart and thrown at the wall, the waist and legs collapsed, twitching.

 

"W-what?" The self titled pirate king took two hasty steps back, drawing a compact firearm of some sort. "All of you, kill him! Open fire!"

 

Gamma was left cowering in the midst of this.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Kaneo Takarada

[Nato G]

IC: Oblitus - Ascension Elevator. 

 

"Yes!" It had worked. Perfect. I let my hand linger over the two buttons, trying to decide which one to press. I could explore this place a little more.... or leave. Judging by the sounds wafting up from the basement, it'd be best to leave while the Manas were distracted.

 

I pressed the button marked B3, hoping it worked. 

[silo]

OOC: Tir, you missed Zeleran firing a kanoka at the Rama.

IC: Olis - Ascension

"Elevator." I manage, nodding to the mana guarding it. Hopefully Einefus would get the picture and remove the crustacean from the equation.

Edited June 8, 2015 by OLISI

[(Daedalus)]

IC: Einefus Ingrayv (Ascension)

 

"Stairs?" I ask at the same time Olis says "Elevator."

 

I don't really want to square off on the manas, but looking at Olis, he might not make it up the stairs.

 

"El'vatuh, den," I say.

 

I stretch out my hands and loose jets of flames at the ground in front of the manas. My hope is that the flames will get under it and do some significant damage. Oddly enough, I'm beginning to feel the strain on my powers. It is not yet significant, but I can feel it.

[Voltex]

IC: IKIRA

 

Ikira rolled to the side to dodge the attack, swinging her shotgun up as she stopped, kneeling down on one knee, and fired at the Nui-Rama.

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Carth:

 

I furrowed my brow.

 

....

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh?"

[Makuta Miras]

IC: Arkie (C i r c a d i a n  P u z z l e  T w o)

 

"Zel said not to press the button," I say helpfully, taking aim with my crossbow and launching a bolt at the joints holding its wings to its body.

[Nato G]

GM IC: 

 

The lone Manas shrieked and retreated away from the elevator. The two Toa would have to hope that Olis still had enough power to keep the elevator going once they got to it.... 

[Not Quite Dead]

GM IC:

00:02

 

00:01

 

00:00

 

Soundlessly, the holographic numbers and Nui-Rama disappeared and the pedestal lowered into the floor. It seems, funnily enough, that the button and countdown were a mere test of nerves. More hard light enemies would've been spawned with every anxious pressing. So all in all, the party of the Jattiko had gotten by fairly well in their third obstacle.

 

The door at the far end opened, revealing another set of stairs, longer even then the ones they had descended from the chess board to this room.

 

* * *

 

The elevator doors closed, shrouding Oblitus in weightless dark and silence. He was taken much further down into the earth this time. When the doors opened, he was assailed by the stench of formaldehyde. The room was long, dark and tall. To his right stood half a dozen tubes. Each nearly ten times his height, inside were what could only be described as monsters : A giant Manas, a humongous and primitive bipedal creature, a long coiling serpent and others far stranger. All were clearly dead, flesh preserved by the amber fluid inside the containers. They were in various stages of autopsy, their age or how long they'd been stored impossible to ascertain. Lights under the tubes gave the whole room a dim underwater appearance.

 

On his left was a large metal structure. Lights dotted it's service and a simple command console lay dormant, humming and whirring came from within. Past that, there was a barely visible edge in the darkness. The edge of a trough or pit of some sort that ran the whole length of the room.

[Nato G]

IC: Oblitus - Ascension Level B3. 

 

Trying not to look at the monstrosities contained within the tubes, I approached the console, trying to see if I could activate it. 

[Timageness]

GM IC: Treize Expeditionary Force - Following Logan's Trail

The "head" of Kain's Exo-Suit bobbed up and down as a sign of acknowledgement, causing Pe Ell to turn his attention away from the pair as he began heading further off into the jungle.

"And just where the Karz do you think you're going?" the Ta-Matoran's voice said through his speaker system.

"I'm scouting ahead. If what we heard was true, then Logan was assaulted by numerous hostiles, the exact number of which are currently unknown at this time. If we end up with a fight on our hands trying to rescue him, I'd like to know who exactly we'll be up against."

"And if you get caught?"

Pe Ell stopped in his tracks for a moment, positioning his mech in just the right position for them to tell that he was glancing over his shoulder as he spoke.

"I was able to follow you undetected, wasn't I? Though in hindsight, that wasn't actually too difficult."

Kain merely grunted as he began moving once again, eventually disappearing completely from sight.

"I don't know what it is about that guy, but something's telling me he's about fifty different shades of wrong," Kain finally said. "And that's forty-nine more than I'm willing to put up with."

 

GM IC: ???

Luckily for Suko, the chest that was clogging up the inside of the overturned log was made entirely out of metal and not wood, though whatever documentation that might have possibly been preserved inside the container had likely been reduced to a pile of smoldering ashes due to him not wanting to take the extra ten seconds to discover if he could just simply pull it out into the open or not. Either way, when the heat eventually died down, the Ta-Matoran would find himself to be the proud new owner of the box's remaining contents.

Unless he was going to attempt to set that on fire too, that is; in which case, he would receive nothing but the gems already in his possession. 

Edited June 9, 2015 by Timageness

[silo]

IC: Zeleran - Circadian

Pleased that his assumptions about the button had been correct, Zeleran was about to stride forwards when he remembered Carth. "What is his condition?" he asked the group huddled round the injured Vo-Matoran.

 

IC: Olis - Ascension

Finally, I guide us into the elevator, the thick steel doors sliding shut behind us with a reassuring clink. I take a few seconds to re-charge, leaning against the wall in exhaustion until I get my breath back. "Up?" I ask to the obvious answer. "Up." I reply to myself. Placing my hand on the glowing purple symbol, I prepare to pour my new-found elemental power into it. 

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Gamma

Gamma looked up, to see a bunch of pirates fighting what seemed to be an oversized Matoran. He cowered back down, afraid of Steihl and his pirates.

[Some Random Phrase]

IC Elerc:

The Venture's clanking legs skidded to a stop as the team approached the wreckage. "Doseki," he addressed the Matoran over teh Venture's radio, "I think we'd better put this on hold."

[Makuta Miras]

IC: Arkie (C i r c a d i a n L e v e l T h r e e)

 

"He's awake, and the dressings are almost done," I reply, one eye on the next doorway, the other on Carth.

 

IC: Suko (Ihu Foothills)

 

I make to open the box.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Miras the Omniscient

[Not Quite Dead]

GM IC:

The party of the Jattiko would note that Carth's blood had clotted and flesh scarred at an amazing rate, as if sped up a hundred fold. Several days of scar tissue had formed over the gaping wound and continued to form and heal at an accelerated rate. It seemed he wouldn't be bleeding out any time soon.

 

* * *

 

The console came on by with a touch of the screen, springing to life from some sort of standby mode. There was a long list of folders titled with dates and codenames, several had mentions of containment cells one through six, those had to be the tubes that were now to his back. Others were more cryptic, at the bottom were several large prompts and a clock of some sort.

 

[WASTE DISPOSAL]

 

[CONTAINMENT CELL CONTROLS]

 

Welcome Back! Time since last access, 00:01:51

 

The console had been accessed less than two minutes ago.

 

* * *

 

Above the dungeons of Circadian, the pirates were quickly decimated. The stranger flashed around the room, pirates fell from grievous injuries inflicted by invisible weapons. Any attacks to the figure were bent away from him, appearing like some odd trick of light. It took less than two minutes for him to corner Stiehl, who held his ground with sword and pistol raised. The sole survivor out of twelve.

 

The stranger was silent as he stalked towards the pirate king. To his credit, Stiehl did not go quietly, as he made it to within five meters of the false noble, a short and violent skirmish broke out. The Skakdi knew something about the stranger that others had not, he managed to land a glancing blow on him, shredding the right side of his cloak with a blast of razor sharp wind. That was to be his last movement, the stranger retreated before commencing his final attack. In another trick of light, a dozen of the knives from the table appeared in the air around Stiehl, like arrows they pierced his body from all directions and he fell, defeated.

 

Gamma had been untouched in the blood bath, either beneath notice or purposefully left, the cloaked figure turned to him.

 

"Your name."

[Nato G]

IC: Oblitus - Ascension B3. 

 

My breath caught in my throat, and I went still, listening for any sound of movement nearby. There were only a handful of beings in this building besides myself and the two Toa upstairs, and unless the Manas had learned to operate terminals, it could only mean one thing...

 

...Ascension was somewhere in here with me. 

[Voltex]

IC: IKIRA

 

Her eyes narrowed as she saw the rapid rate at with Carth's wound was healing.

 

"We need to move on," she said, pointing at it. "It's... healed."

[The UltimoScorp]

Ic Carth:

 

I felt oddly better suddenly, and my mind cleared. I saw Ikira Standing over me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"YOU SHOT ME!"

[Voltex]

IC: IKIRA

 

"And you thought it was somehow a smart idea to blatantly disregard the order given to you," Ikira said shortly. "If you're fine, then get up, because we need to get moving."

 

She adjusted her shotgun in her grip, frowning when her mechanical arm clicked.

[The UltimoScorp]

Ic Carth:

 

I frowned, still slightly confused as to how  my arm was healed.

 

 

But also thouroughly angry that I DIDN'T HAVE AN ARM.

 

"You..... you blew my arm off.... BECAUSE OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"

 

Electricity surged around me, more from my fluctuating emotions than any intent to harm Ikira,

 

....not that she'd know it, of course.

 

 

"How the karz am I gonna pilot my Exo, now?!"

[Voltex]

IC: IKIRA

 

"Follow orders. If we cannot remain organized down here, we will die," the Su-Matoran said. "We cannot blindly rush into action."

 

She warily eyed the electricity surging around Carth; the barrel of her shotgun was immediately directed towards Carth's face.

 

"De-power or I will fire again," Ikira said coldly. "If you attempt to strike at me, I will be forced to defend myself. We cannot afford a fight. If you truly feel the need to harm me, I advise you wait until we have succeeded in our task. We may need all of us to pass a challenge later on. Blind revenge in the heat of the moment will get us nowhere."

[The UltimoScorp]

Ic Carth 

 

"All I did was push the button!I thought it was a bomb! And you, in the heat of the moment, shot my arm clean off! It was a split decision, and it wasn't a great one on my part, but at least I didn't nearly kill someone over it!"

 

I sat on the floor, looking incredibly hurt, despite not being actually wounded.

 

"All I wanted was some adventure..... not to be trapped in a puzzle tower looking for things for someone else....."

 

my eyes became wet with stray tears which made their way down my mask.

 

The electricity around me became less pronounced, more like static than lightning now.

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Gamma

Gamma looked up at him, shivering a little. "G-Gamma."

[Not Quite Dead]

GM IC:

Oblitus was more than a little paranoid. If the artificial deity had been in the room with him, he would be dead. Ascension had departed with much haste, plans had to be enacted and carried out. Already, it's sole enemy was gathering power to the north, the machine god's intelligence had told it as much. It needed speed and finesse.

 

And the strength of it's brother.

 

No, Oblitus was mostly alone down there. The only living presence was not likely to pose much of a threat, so pitiful as it's voice was.

 

"D-don't shoot!" The voice came from the dark beyond the pit's edge, past the pit and on even ground with Oblitus, far from tube's amber light.

 

* * *

 

The third stairway still beckoned to the party of the Jattiko.

 

* * *

 

"Gamma."

 

The stranger repeated it once, examining the Bo-Matoran the way a pharmacologist might examine a monkey used for drug testing. With pity and regret and a sense of grim purpose.

 

"You are of the Heavy Armor outside, correct? I presume that the others have been sent below?"

[Nato G]

IC: Oblitus - Ascension B3. 

 

"Who's there?" I challenged, disk launcher raised and pointed in the voice's direction.

___________________________________________________________________________

 

IC: Lufon Vance - Office.

 

The engineers downstairs had met with little success, so I'd busied myself with working through Silat's orders.

 

I had to admit, he was smart. Vingt wasn't strong enough for a direct war, not even with the Dragon by our side, so he'd come up with a plan that would weaken and destabilise our enemies. 

 

All I needed to do was find some mercenaries to carry out the operation... 

[Constructelf]

IC: Sora

"Ikira, we need to get moving. I suggest you don't provoke Carth further until we're out of here. Carth, save it for later. Take a breather and come back when your head is clear. We still have a mission to follow, one that involves complete obedience to Zeleran unless he proves himself grossly incompetent." Turning away from the squabbling two, Sora peered down the stairway that beckoned to her group.

 

"How far down does this go..."

[Voltex]

IC: IKIRA

 

Determining that Carth's electricity was more due to some sort of instinctual reaction rather than a conscious effort to cause her harm, Ikira nodded to Sora.

 

"You're correct," she said, glancing back to Carth as she moved to follow. "For what it is worth, I do apologize. My action was rash."

 

She then turned away, following Sora towards the staircase and gripping her shotgun tightly. Whatever was waiting for them down below, it was something of a comfort to have the weapon in her hands.

[Makuta Miras]

IC: Arkie (C i r c a d i a n  L e v e l  T h r e e)
 
"Come on, Carth," I say in an attempt to lighten the Vo-Matoran's mood. "We'll get out of here, eventually. But look on the bright side- if we do get this magical artifact, we might be able to overpower Stiehl and his pirates, eh? And for your arm, if we find anything other than this big magical thing, I'm sure it'd be valuable enough that we could sell it on and use the money to buy you a mechanical replacement." I sit down next to him, gingerly putting my arm around his shoulders, ready for some sort of electrical shock. "See? It isn't all bad."

 

IC: Suko (Ihu Foothills)

 

"What are you then..." I mutter, crouching down and putting my hammock, full of jewels, on the ground next to me as I attempt to open the box.

 

IC: Lohi (Seize)

 

"I'm bored."

[silo]

IC: Zeleran - Circadian

The "grossly incompetent" comment was edited out of Zeleran's experience by his subconscious, as a subordinate could not possibly have said that. "Let us proceed." he instructed, striding towards the stairs.

[Dane-gerous]

GM IC:

Oblitus was more than a little paranoid. If the artificial deity had been in the room with him, he would be dead. Ascension had departed with much haste, plans had to be enacted and carried out. Already, it's sole enemy was gathering power to the north, the machine god's intelligence had told it as much. It needed speed and finesse.

 

And the strength of it's brother.

 

No, Oblitus was mostly alone down there. The only living presence was not likely to pose much of a threat, so pitiful as it's voice was.

 

"D-don't shoot!" The voice came from the dark beyond the pit's edge, past the pit and on even ground with Oblitus, far from tube's amber light.

 

* * *

 

The third stairway still beckoned to the party of the Jattiko.

 

* * *

 

"Gamma."

 

The stranger repeated it once, examining the Bo-Matoran the way a pharmacologist might examine a monkey used for drug testing. With pity and regret and a sense of grim purpose.

 

"You are of the Heavy Armor outside, correct? I presume that the others have been sent below?"

IC: Gamma

Gamma nodded. "A-are you going to hurt me?"

Edited June 11, 2015 by Agent Epsilon

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Carth:

 

"O-okay...."

 

I sniffed, and took Arkie's hand to get up. Unconsciously, I held the remaining stump of my arm. as I followed the others.

 

IC Kat:

 

This tunnel was frustratingly long. The other soldiers had stocked up on grenades, so at least we had some decent firepower.

 

What I wouldn't give to be in the old girl down here..... 

 

"See anything yet?" I asked the group.

 

IC Tor:

 

I sighed, glad that back up had arrived. 

 

"Take this one to the jail, and let them know he came willingly."

 

I looked at the younger Ga-Matoran. "Maybe a little prison time will teach you not to go on a rampage. Nice place here in seize, we even have a psychiatrist. Fix the root of the problem."

 

I nodded to the police forces.

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Kulkakahn

Kulk sighed. "That was easier than expected."

[Not Quite Dead]

GM IC:

The stranger laughed wistfully.

 

"Of course I am, if you do not do exactly as I say, your death will every bit as gruesome as that pirate's. You are going to join your crew down in the crypts and explain to them I have taken care of the pirates threatening them and that they will be repaying the favor by retrieving the mask interred down there and presenting it to me. Simple enough?"

 

* * *

 

"J-just me, I'm unarmed!" The voice in the darkness seemed to move, then stumbled. Metal impacting the ground masked by a pained gasp.

 

* * *

 

The first sign that something was wrong Lufon would have noticed was a low rumble, followed shortly by the report of what had to be the largest cannon he'd ever heard. An ear splitting super sonic shriek was accompanied by a shell bursting out of the lower engineering levels and speeding off into the distance before impacting a distant building, taking off it's entire upper floor.

 

More rumbling from below...

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Gamma
Gamma nodded quickly. "O-ok."