Six Kingdoms: Rebirth - Gameplay

[BULiK]

IC: Knichou

Knichou heard the screaming too. Knichou immediately pointed to where it was coming from, for from his high vantage point he could see a strange creature touching... Taja?!?!

"Go! I'll be there soon," Knichou shouted down to Arkius and Nale. Knichou knew they would both get there before him, and quickly rushed to materialize the final pieces of the windmill. After more tweaking and giving it test spins, Knichou finally was satisfied with his work, and began climbing back down. Once on the ground, Knichou connected the windmill's spinning rod to the hand crank power system. The radio was done, now the Taku crew would be clear to leave, or they would be if it weren't for whatever was going on with Taja.

[Crimson Jester]

IC: Korruhn, Ice Suva

Korruhn held his guard, especially in light of the revelation that the Dark Hunter had somehow accessed the mask, and presumably the sword as well. He looked around at the ornate two-storey structure again, and the half-dome of the Suva inside. The craftsmanship was impeccable--almost so that Korruhn questioned the very nature and manner of it's construction. It was almost too clean and free of toolmarks to be constructed by hand, and the materials, although they seem to be familiar, have weathered far less than expected for something so old. Korruhn could feel something, but he wasn't sure what. All he knew for sure is that it had to have something to do with the temples on Metru Nui.

"I presume that's where the sword came from, as well?" Korruhn pointed at the ancient, unique sword. He turned back to the heiroglyphs while awaiting an answer. Each was perfectly spaced and sized, and not a nick could be seen. They were still entirely legible, and the charcoal paint in the grooves still clung to the stone as it did the day it was applied. Suddenly, Korruhn stopped dead in his tracks. They were alarmingly similar, too much so. The stroked, the shapes, even the way they appeared to be carved was uncannily similar to those he saw on Metru Nui. There had to be a connection.

"Is this the first place you've looked? It appears this island is littered with ruins."

OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Nato the Traveler

If Sidra doesn't actually have the sword out, let me know and I'll correct that.

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | The Wastes, Mega’s Boss’ Garage

Mega did her best to put on a brave face. For once, her weapon didn’t bring a sense of safety as she held it weakly in her hands. Her shouts caught the attention of several skakdi, who stared as she got closer from where they worked on their war rigs. A purple skakdi lifted her chin and gave a menacing smirk, pointing Mega out to her companions. A green skakdi shouldered a large grisly looking ranged weapon. Mega couldn’t tell what it was, or what it shot, but it certainly looked painful. A few of the warskaks dropped off their rigs, feet landing in the wet sand. The sand clung to everyone, a point made acutely aware to Mega by the pair of brown skakdi picking their teeth. She saw the crawling worms on several of the raiders, different hues of pulsing kraata dangling from their necks in a disgusting display of subservience to a dark master.

Two jarring jeweled toothy grins with violently glowing eyes appeared. The two skakdi blocked her path, towering over her. At her eye level she saw three legs and one large hip. The left skakdi spoke first;

“You’re late, Runt. We got impatient. You want to talk to Boss? Over there." Her voice was a crackle of some old injury and smoker's lungs. It sounded dry and course.

The right skakdi extended her hand and pointed towards the garage. It wasn’t hard to see who was in charge. 

And he was smoking her cigs and sipping her coffee.

OOC: @A-tak-nid, @ZippyWharrgarbl, @Dane-gerous

Edited April 24, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Mega - Zakaz, The Scrapshop

That f-

"HEY!" Mega yelled, her fear metamorphosing into a streak of anger as she saw the Boss lighting her smokes, and the familiar strong smell of her coffee permeated the air, even over the oily and engine centric smells that took most of it up. It was one thing to steal her engine parts and equipment. The disgusting, thoughtless nerve on this monster went beyond that.

She began to walk over, a bundle of anger and upset as she saw Skakdi using her tools and dirtying up her floor. She might not be able to stop them, but she could certainly give them a piece of her mind. It wouldn't help, but at that moment she didn't care.

Zsann trailed her, and though she barely noticed it might have inwardly boosted her confidence. She wasn't completely alone, even it didn't entirely register.

"I AIN'T DONE NOTHING TO YA! YET HERE YA ARE, TAKIN' MY STUFF, USIN' MY TOOLS, DRINKIN' MY COFFEE AND SMOKING MY CIGS! YA'LL CHILDREN? YA SURE ACTIN' LIKE IT! SPITEFUL LITTLE SKAKLETS WHO AIN'T KNOWN LOVE SINCE BIRTH!" She yelled up to the entirety of the garage, including the Boss. The Matoran was shaking, but the complete shock and enragement at the sight of her worst fear polluting her only home trumped any sense she had in her head. 

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @A-tak-nid @ZippyWharrgarbl @Burnmad @Nato the Traveler @Conway

[Void Emissary]

IC: Irna | Fau Swamp

The figure who approached them was ... strange. The manner of their speech, even stranger. Irna had heard of figures who would retreat from civilization into the wild places of the world, garbing themselves in moss and stone and honing their inner capabilities. But to a Zyglak like her, whose village meant the difference between life and death, solitude had never seemed like much of an option.

Setting Keitara down inside the hauler, she turned to Waveahk and whispered, "Do you really think we've been poisoned?"

OOC: @Burnmad @Toru Nui @Tarn @Snelly @Keeper of Kraata @TL01 NUVA

IC: Parnassus | Mega's Scrapshop

"Let's not be too hasty in our assessments, Mr. Reson," Parnassus replied, before their attention was caught by the figure of a shouting Matoran -- the owner of this establishment, from what the Aspect could tell, who had brought with her another Skakdi and some sort of wheeled vehicle. They grinned and leaned back on their hover-bike, glancing between the Matoran and Boss -- and then, towards Barius. That particular warskak was ambitious -- ambitious in a way that an Aspect could well understand -- and Parnassus was more than a little curious as to how all this shake out in the end.

"Wagers, anyone?" they said.

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Burnmad @Dane-gerous @A-tak-nid @ZippyWharrgarbl @Unreliable Narrator

-Void

Edited April 24, 2020 by Conway
Forgot that Irna was aware of the threat of death; changed her dialogue accordingly

[Toru Nui]

IC: Waveahk (Fau Swamp Outskirts, Cargo Hauler)

Waveahk whispered back to Irna, eyes transfixed on this strange purple entity that came from the swamp. "Plants are Tekmo's area of expertise. If he says they've been poisoned by whatever Keitara did, it's better safe than sorry to assume we've been poisoned too. Besides, then we'll be spared his bleating of 'I told you so'."

@Conway@Burnmad@TL01 NUVA@Tarn@Snelly@Keeper of Kraata

[Burnmad]

IC: Barius - Mega's Scrapshop

Barius grinned. He appreciated the Matoran's spunk-- albeit in much the same way that one was amused by a skaklet getting sassy. But he reckoned Boss would feel similarly.

"For shorties, there's a wide range of... permissible behaviors between those that get ya killed. Ain't like a Skak-- one of us talks back, he gets beat at the very least. That's the way of things. But a Matoran can show a bit of spine just on virtue of the fact that they're pretty much harmless. I reckon she settles for not getting strung up, once she realizes her position, and she scampers outta here with her tail between her legs."

His grin widened as he looked at the Aspect. "How's about we wager yer favor? I'm right, I get a slug for nothin' but the heartlight ya make it outta. I'm wrong, I'll pull double duty; two favors."

OOC: @Dane-gerous @Conway @Unreliable Narrator @Nato the Traveler @A-tak-nid @ZippyWharrgarbl

IC: Morangad - Ground Zero

The figure neared the crew of the cargo hauler. He seemed wizened, but strangely vital at the same time. He wore animal-skin boots, and a raggedy strip of cloth over his mouth and nose. A spear was slung over his shoulder.

This time, he spoke aloud.

"Who... did this?"

His voice was raspy from infrequent use. As pointed as the question was, he didn't seem angry, per se. He had more the look of an elder about to launch into a lecture.

His eyes danced over the bunch, taking in the nauseousness that had rapidly overtaken them. "Eh, that can wait. We all require attention-- I feel... ill. I do not often feel ill."

OOC: @Conway @Toru Nui @TL01 NUVA @Tarn @Snelly @Keeper of Kraata

Edited April 24, 2020 by Burnmad

[Voltex]

IC: Mahryo - Abandoned Camp

"I found a hole!" Mahryo calls. "I'm going in!"

He does just that, climbing inside.

@Unreliable Narrator@Toru Nui@xccj@Jakura Nuva

[Taka Nuvia]

IC: Zsann - Zakaz, following Mega

Zsann still kept a respectful distance to Mega as she followed her. She could not help but be slightly amused by the amount of anger that seemed to fit into the matoran, although she could understand why Mega was upset.

Upon closer inspection, she realized what had struck her as odd earlier. Skakdi with frills, not spines. She made sure not to stare at any of them for long, though. In fact, she focused on appearing as natural and I-belong-here as possible, while keeping an ear out for when things would turn bad. As they very well could.

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @ZippyWharrgarbl @Burnmad @Nato the Traveler @Conway @Dane-gerous

[Toru Nui]

IC: NU-8020S (Wrecked Campsite)

The portable communication device no longer possessed any meaningful information. NU-8020S saw that Mahryo was entering one of the numerous holes in the surrounding cliff faces. These holes were most certainly not a natural phenomenon. Somebody dug them.

She had the two other Vahki with her follow as she went after Mahryo through the hole.

@Edelgard@Jakura Nuva@xccj

 

IC: Tekmo and Waveahk (Fau Swamp Outskirts, Cargo Hauler)

"We're heading back to our camp, Metru-Koro, up north. We have healers there, very good healers if I do say so. I'm sure you'll be welcome to come with us. It doesn't seem like there's any medical professionals around here." Tekmo gestured to their swampy surroundings.

Waveahk rested his weary head on the dashboard. "I've not even spent a day with you people and I've already contracted a terminal illness of an unknown nature. It's not your fault Irna. It's mine for assuming things might go well for once."

@Burnmad@Conway@Tarn@Snelly@Keeper of Kraata@TL01 NUVA

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Boss

Boss didn’t give any indication he heard her. He took a sip of his coffee. He flicked the ash of the cig off in the direction of one of the unfinished technicals parked in the garage.

“Guar needed his tire pressure checked. You found the automatic air pump yet?” Boss asked one of the skakdi passing him with their arms full of tires.

“Not yet Boss, not sure we got one here.”

The muscles near Boss’ lips twitched. He blew smoke and let out a dissatisfied sigh.

[Lady Takanuva]

IC: Keitara (Catatonic Catastrophe)

As Irna gently lay the feverish toa on the seat of the hauler, Keitara let out a muted groan. Her breath was shallow and perspiration ran in rivulets on her exposed organic tissue.

As she slid nervelessly to rest on the seat the rear panel on her armor shifted slightly, knocked loose by her meteoric impact with the hauler. It was nothing major. A casual glance would likely not notice it. But closer inspection would yield a glimpse of… something. Something magenta and gold, and strangest of all… organic.

(OOC:@Burnmad@Conway@Tarn@Snelly@Keeper of Kraata@Toru Nui)

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Mega - Zakaz, The Scrapshop

"I'M TALKIN' TO YOU!" Mega yelled up to the Boss, the ignorance being the equivalent of pouring gasoline on a fire. The temptation to blast the coffee cup out of his hand in anger was becoming harder and harder to resist. "Oh, ya'll real big and tough, ain't you..."

With that last bit, she raised her rifle and shot into the roof above her three times. The sound was unavoidable, bouncing off and around the garage almost deafeningly as she held a smoking rifle pointing up top. 

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @A-tak-nid @Burnmad @ZippyWharrgarbl @Conway @Nato the Traveler

[Nato G]

3 hours ago, Crimson Jester said:

IC: Korruhn, Ice Suva

"Is this the first place you've looked? It appears this island is littered with ruins."

IC: Sidra - Ice Suva Temple

"This is the only temple I've checked out so far. Spent hours shoving the karzing Suva around to figure out how it unlocks." 

OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Crimson Jester

2 hours ago, Conway said:

IC: Parnassus | Mega's Scrapshop

"Wagers, anyone?" they said.

IC: Reson - Scrapshop

"If that's your attitude towards this kinda situation, we definitely aint gonna be friends."

OOC: @Conway

[Tarn]

IC: Nale Vella - Po-Koro

The moment Arkius bolted towards the lights (and screaming), Nale glanced to Knichou, before activating her Kakama and speeding past the running Onu-Toa. Once she came to a stop, she found what appeared to be a Toa of Sonics and...something? Nale kept her distance, not sure what she was even looking at. Once Arkius caught up, she raised a hand as if to say, "hold on," then slipped behind a damaged building.

Whatever was going on, she didn't want to get in the middle of it just yet.

IC: Triage - Also Po-Koro

The medic walked along, hoping they wouldn't find any more bodies of those he couldn't reach in time. A flash of light nearby drew his attention, and Triage looked over his shoulder at Iradra. "Should we...check that out? Or uh, you know, not...?"

@Onaku@BULiK@Nato the Traveler@Eyru

IC: Jutori - Campsite

Once the wall had been put up (with Vashni's assistance), Jutori gestured to Atamai. "Alright, now you just gotta reinforce them. Then we can get everything else set up and settle in for the night."

@Snelly@~Xemnas~@pokemonlover360@Harvali

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Boss | The Wastes, Garage

“You been told you cuter when you’re feisty?” No need to be so emotional, little lady.” He spoke slowly and calmly, like a man talking to a wild dog. He set the tiny coffee cup down on the first step of the rolling ladder he used as a seat. Then, Boss pulled his newly acquired pack from a pocket and shook a fresh one out.

“Cig? You seem tense.”

[Eyru]

IC: Oreius | The Archives, Onu-Metru

Blast this thing to karz... 

The Toa of Fire thought back to the other things the voice has said, hoping he would find a clue there.

"ToaStannis" was input as "ToaStann" when he realized there was an eight-character limit.

That ruled out "StannisoftheMaru", and "MetruNui" seemed too obvious.

"Destiny" was too short, for all Stannis had prattled on about it. What about "3virtues"? That seemed to fit the criteria, but Oreius got the feeling he was getting off track. The voice said he knew it, and he was just guessing now. If he knew the passcode, then it was either something obvious or something that the voice had already said.

The voice had said he was a welcome one, right? So maybe Stannis had programmed his name as one of multiple passcodes, for multiple possible "welcome ones." But "ToaOreius" was too long while just "Oreius" was too short.

I know the passcode already because I'm a welcome one, he thought. 

Welcome one...

Welcome one...

Welcome... 1?

He quickly typed it in and waited breathlessly for a response. If this really was the passcode, he was going to kill Stannis.

Edited April 24, 2020 by Eyru

[BULiK]

IC: Knichou, Po-Koro

Knichou climbed down the ladder and tested the radio on the frequency he told Berys to listen on.

"You hear me Berys? Over."

"Loud-clear, captain. Over."

Satisfied with his work, he began walking over to where the flash was. He didn't think he needed to be there immediately, and was already somewhat drained from that level of elemental power usage, so he chose to not let his Kakama aid him. When he eventually arrived, he saw Nale motioning for Arkius to stay back. He slowly caught up to Arkius's position, staying silent.

Edited April 24, 2020 by BULiK

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Yaushe - Mega's Workshop, Impromptu Parking Lot

Yaushe couldn't exactly drive up to assist Mega, but she set about checking her systems to make sure they were primed for a speedy getaway. She really, really hoped Mega knew what she was doing.

[Onaku]

IC: Iradra - Po-Koro

"Someone might be hurt, come on!" Iradra rushed ahead, making her way for the source of the commotion and... well, screaming.

@Tarn

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Dead Forest

Petrified trees and charcoal stumps blocked most of the skakdi’s view, but they could at least make out the red glow of the river of lava alongside which they’d been walking earlier. They remembered back to when they were hiking up Irnakk’s Tooth and saw a series of strange ruins -- probably further to the East from where they stood -- and the temple on the island surrounded by lava. The last they saw before following the sound that led them to Rangi.

In the quiet of their thinking the party heard the softest chimes on the wind. They didn’t come from any particular direction. They just were. Same with the soft childish giggles occasionally echoing from the branches of the trees. 

Enra knew these were the Dead Forests, and called such because many skakdi believed them to be haunted.

ooc: @Nato the Traveler, @Toru Nui, @Onaku

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Mega - Zakaz, The Scrapshop

Despite every nasty thought she had in her head of the Boss, she really, really did need a cig at that moment. 

Silently storming over, she went up a step to the Boss, taking the cigarette with an outstretched hand, and stepping off again. Her furious glare didn't go away, though, as she lit the cig and immediately took a drag, rubbing her face and still shaking a bit.

"Ya'll are OUT of here." She said, taking the cig out of her mouth momentarily after the long drag. "I got friends from that there Metru-Koro now and I'm gettin' real sick of your lot goin' round like ya own the Wastes." She continued, still shaking. The fury hadn't gone entirely but the cig helped to calm her a little bit. 

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @ZippyWharrgarbl @A-tak-nid @Nato the Traveler @Conway @Burnmad

IC: Vent - Zakaz, The Tunnels

Vent covered their mouth as they tried not to scream as Zak-Yak did that, but managed to calm themselves down. It was okay. It was just a power. Just like my own, right?

Rufus sniffed Vent's leg, gnawing on it gently as if it were a tough piece of grass.

OOC: @Vezok's Friend @Burnmad @Snelly @Sparticus147

[Void Emissary]

IC: Parnassus | Mega's Scrapshop

Parnassus' grin grew wider as they heard the gunshots ring out.

"How wide's that range, Barius?" they said, rolling their eyes at Reson's moralizing. They extended a single hand, patting the stomach of the warskak's massive ACR. "Way that this is going, seems like this is an easy enough wager for me to win."

OOC: @Burnmad @Nato the Traveler

IC: Irna | Fau Swamp

Maybe it was Waveahk's words. Maybe she would have felt this way regardless -- but the longer they waited here, the worse that Irna began to feel. Like something was boiling inside her stomach. She tasted bile at the back of her throat, and her skin felt warm, scratchy. She felt herself slump to the ground next to Keitara. With one hand, she absently squeezed the woman's shoulder. With the other, she pulled out another bula leaf and bit down on it weakly.

"Kei," Irna murmured as she chewed. "What's going on?"

OOC: @Toru Nui @TL01 NUVA

-Void

[Nato G]

16 minutes ago, Unreliable Narrator said:

IC: Reliable Narrator | Dead Forest

In the quiet of their thinking the party heard the softest chimes on the wind. They didn’t come from any particular direction. They just were. Same with the soft childish giggles occasionally echoing from the branches of the trees. 

IC: Xane - Dead Forest

"Well, that isn't creepy at all," he grumbled, glancing at Enra, "Is everything around here just plain wrong?" 

[Toru Nui]

IC: Ulkarr and Klawne (Po-Koro)

Klawne couldn't help but notice the lights and screaming coming from nearby. She sighed wearily, and made her way over from where it was, not particularly bothered whether Kanohi or Stannis followed her or not.

Ulkarr also noticed the commotion, even from beyond the village boundaries. His sensitivity to light may have had something to do with it. It was probably worth investigating, so he made his way back inside towards the source of the problem.

@Harvali@EmperorWhenua

 

IC: Enra (Dead Forest)

"Seems like it, yeah." Enra kept zooming in and out as she looked around with her telescopic vision whilst making her way to the temple. Children giggling when you couldn't see them was never a good thing. She hated children.

@Unreliable Narrator@Nato the Traveler@Onaku

[Lady Takanuva]

IC: Keitara (the Mother of all headaches)

The additional heat of Irna's now fevered palm (possibly aided by the sting of a small amount of zyglak oil from her palm) slowly dragged Keitara back to the land of the living.

She opened one surprisingly fuzzy eye. Glancing down, she saw her crush slumped next to her, chewing listlessly on a bula leaf.

"Irna?" she croaked. Her throat felt like it had been scoured with sand, and her mouth was sour and sticky with dried saliva. And her head. She winced audibly as the voices from outside, in addition to the beat of her own circulatory system, drove rail spikes of agony into her head.

"Agh." she said, intelligently. "Irna… what… was that real?"

Then she saw the pallor of her friend, the sheen of sweat and oil coating her shivering body. She looked exactly like Kei felt.

"No…" Kei rasped. "I...It can't…" She couldn't tell if she was still fully awake or not. Part of her was sending the message that here was Irna, hand on her shoulder. That was important, right? 

She turned her head towards the zyglak. That simple action nearly caused her to black out again.

"Irna," she croaked woozily, "the light. It- augh, I feel like… sunburned inside. It was the light. There's… there's something wrong with my light."

As fever gripped Kei's brain she began to babble. "Never… meant to hurt...scare away… not to my friends...keep them...safe… burns. Burns like… blind fire… there is blind fire in my veins…"

 

(OOC: @Conway)

[Harvali]

IC Kanohi - Po-Koro

Kanohi was pressing his staff to a hut when the screaming hit him. The stone tent crawled and squirmed as the stone slab grew and regenerated, forming the third side of the stone hit. More of the huts were mended now, and Kanohi was calming. He was taking care of Po-Koro, he was fixing things, he was doing good. 

But then came the screams and lights, and his senses ruptured with pain. The sudden din knocked him off his feet, catching himself on the butt of his staff. He stumbled, forced himself upright, shaking. He … he needed to know what the source of the roar was. If a Matoran was hurt…

He hooked a hut with a ball of gravity, wrenching himself from the ground and hurtling him through the air. He made his way across the village, wincing at the damage that he yet to repair. As he grappled to find the source of the noise, strange, there was a Matoran pacing in that field of weeds, head down. That seemed … odd.

And there, was that a Toa of Sonics thrashing and screaming, as some … what was that many tentacles Rahi? He had never seen something like it before. It was … what had happened to this Toa. What had gone so wrong in Po-Koro after he abandoned it?

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Eyru @Tarn @BULiK @Onaku

[Vezok's Friend]

On 4/22/2020 at 11:10 PM, Biological Chronicler said:

IC:Balkan - The Rig @Vezok's Friend

He had disguised himself as a red-tinted skakdi with triangular teeth.

"Any idea where I can find a boat around here?"

IC [Kunok McGrokk]:

The trader harrumphed, then looked past Balkan, back along the long way he had come from, towards the Rig. Then he turned back to the newcomer and cleared his throat.

“How bout a little impression: ‘Hello McGrokk, how are you today?’ - ‘Fine, how about you?’ - ‘Splendid! Say, would you know where I might find a boat around these parts?’.”

The sienna Skakdi tilted his head and raised both eyebrows. Get it? Manners. One thing he wished he had on stock for sale. So many needed them.

“So. Boats. The old rust bucket back there finally run out of everything floating?”

OOC: @Biological Chronicler
 

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Kathrine of the Flame - Po-Koro:

She waved goodbye to her helpful rescuer/rescuee and was about to start looking for Arkius to see what the heck there was to do to help out around here when she, like so many other, heard all the screaming. it was the heat that intrigued her the most however. it felt.... familiar, in a way, and with a lurch of her stomach that she couldn't explain, her body was moving before her mind could process what was happening,

 

She had to capture that heat, keep it from going out, keep it ali-

 

All at once it was gone, and Kat rounded the corner at a dead sprint on the scene, her inner fire churning, nearly coming to existance around her for reasons she could once again not fully explain.

 

"Is everyone okay?!" she asked, dreading the answer.

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

The Toa laid still for a long moment. Whisper's questions seemed to fall on deaf ears. Or could the Toa's mind no longer comprehend her words? Was she even still alive? The transformation had surely changed her mentally; it had hardly spared her physical form.

Her body, once dark gray, was now a deep, dark red, only a few shades removed from black. Her armour was now blacker than black, so dark it seemed to absorb any light that fell upon it, making its edges and details difficult to make out. It was darker than midnight, darker than the deepest shadow, like a great knife had simply cut an armour-shaped hole in reality to reveal the void. Her mask, too, was this impossible black. It was like the force of the explosion had burnt away all her colour, leaving only absence. No matter how desperately her armour drank in the light, it remained empty. 

Her heartlight now cast no light at all. It was cold and dark, and a jagged crack ran through it.

Then, almost imperceptibly, her chest expanded. It was followed a second later by a quiet puff of air that disturbed the dust. She still breathed.

Taja felt as though everything was very far away, like her mind was separated from her body by a vast gulf. She tried to command her eyes to open, but the strength required to do even this was overwhelming. It was all she could do to keep breathing. Even this simple action took concentrated effort.

At last, she managed to force her eyes to open, struggling as though her eyelids weighed a hundred pounds apiece. The world swam dizzyingly, colours and shapes blurring into one another, then gradually came into focus. She saw the sand. She saw the sky. She saw the Aspect waiting for her like a bad dream.

"What..." she croaked, her voice scarcely more than a whisper. She tried again. "What did..."

Her voice seemed too quiet. Everything was too quiet, like some irritated god had reached out and turned down the universe's volume knob. She could hardly hear anything.

Her mouth was terribly dry. But she had to speak. She had to know. She summoned the words one last time, silently groaning under their impossible weight.

"What... did you... do... to me?"

[Vezok's Friend]

IC [Abandoned Camp]:

The smell that hit Mahryo as he entered the tunnel was...not good, to say the least. It wasn’t all that intense, but there was something rancid in the air. Looking around, he and the Vahki could see the tracks were clearly visible on the ground and led deeper underground - where they quickly disappeared into the darkness. The light just didn’t reach that far and even with adjusted eyes, it’d be hard to follow the trail, especially if the tunnels started branching.

 

OOC: @Toru Nui @Edelgard
 

[Nato G]

40 minutes ago, Eyru said:

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

"What..." she croaked, her voice scarcely more than a whisper. She tried again. "What did... What... did you... do... to me?"

IC: Whisper - Po-Koro

"I... don't know," the Aspect sounded utterly delighted by the admission, "I meant only to give you the power of Adaptation, as promised..." as a shadow elemental herself, the new power residing in this Toa felt all-too-familiar to her, "...but it appears I have managed far more." 

Aspects couldn't change a being's element, could they? And yet she had somehow done it. Still, Whisper got the sense that what had just happened was a profound fluke; if this was the consequence of every unorthodox desecration, every Aspect would be doing it. 

Perhaps they had both gotten lucky. Or maybe this was meant to be, a sign that- It was only then that Whisper realised the desecration had attracted an audience. 

OOC: @Eyru and everyone else

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Balkan - The Rig @Vezok's Friend

He sighed audibly. He was not used to this sort of thing in the least.

"I was just hoping you had some reccomendations. I would want to have my boat fail on me in the middle of a storm."

[Jakura Nuva]

IC: Lueiji - Abandoned Camp

Lueiji is quick to follow his brother in, not wanting to be left behind.

"Wait for me!"

@Edelgard @Unreliable Narrator @xccj @Toru Nui

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Boss | The Garage

Boss sipped his coffee while waiting for the matoran to calm down. He turned from her to the grey skakdi standing a few paces back with a greatsword in her hands. He gave a polite, gold plated smile and asked;

“Hey… She yours? You should teach her better manners. I think it’s time you were on the road again. Along with her,“ Boss nodded towards the matoran, “and your friend in the van.”

OOC:

7 hours ago, Dane-gerous said:

@Unreliable Narrator @ZippyWharrgarbl @A-tak-nid @Nato the Traveler @Conway @Burnmad

 

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

"More...?"

Her head ached. No-- everything ached. Taja felt like she'd fallen out of a chute mid-air and woken up on the ground.

And why was everything so quiet?

She raised a hand to wipe the dust from her eyes, then frowned. That wasn't her hand. It was the shadow of a hand, black as ink. 

She heard the sound of someone approaching. Or multiple someones. She knew she should move, sit up, stand to her feet, something, but she couldn't muster the strength. 

The ground felt soft. If everything didn't hurt so much, she might have just drifted off to sleep. Instead, she just laid there, trying and failing to do anything more than keep breathing. 

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Yaushe - Concern

If vans could sweat, Yaushe might well have been.

Mega had driven her and gotten out of the driver's side. The windows were tinted. How the did he know she was there? Did he know? She didn't like this at all.

[Burnmad]

IC: Barius - Mega's Scrapshop

The grin on his face faltered, but only ever-so-briefly. "Are you accepting the wager, then?" He extended his hand, which was huge even outside of his armor, easily dwarfing the Aspect's own.

The word of a Skakdi meant nothing-- except when it came to bets. At least, ones that were made in public.

OOC: @Conway @Dane-gerous @Nato the Traveler @A-tak-nid @ZippyWharrgarbl @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Morangad - Fau Swamp

The Tiokaha's face scrunched up at the cargo hauler that the group was retreating into. "How far is this... Metru-Koro?" He'd never heard of such a settlement before. Granted, he hadn't left the swamp in some centuries, but... he wondered whether these folk were from the head that had crashed into the island last week.

Gods, he hoped not.

OOC: @Toru Nui @Conway @Tarn @Snelly @Keeper of Kraata @TL01 NUVA

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Kathrine of the Flame - Po-Koro:

 

Well....everything seemed okay? That wiggly, rahi-looking person with all the wings and arms and stuff was pretty weird though. they looked kinda spooky, but they didn't seem to be.... trying to hurt anyone so Kat paid them little mind. The Toa on the ground seemed confused and shaken by something. They....also looked weird. and felt weird. Kat ignored this, however, since pretty much everyone around these places seemed strange to her, and stepped forward, offering a hand, "Need a hand up?" she asked, with a warm grin on her face.

 

@Eyru

[Vezok's Friend]

IC [Kunok McGrokk]:

“Soooo...where are you planning to go that requires you sailing into a storm, hm? The islands down south perhaps? Heard they’re haunted. Might be monsters there. Or you trying to get close to the big noggin? Across that lake. Definitely has monsters there.”

OOC: @Biological Chronicler