Six Kingdoms: Rebirth - Gameplay

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Skorm (Radioactive Swamp)

Groaning, Skorm released his shadow, again feeling the sunlight. Blisters were formed all over his body, even his mask. It burned. Well, everything felt burned, but the sunlight didn't help. The toa clambered to his feet. "... I'm okay, just a bit scorched." He looked around; Skyra was landing, Irna had Kei, good. Skorm then doubled over and spit up the remains of his meager breakfast back at Metru-Koro.

"... I may not be okay."

Then Skorm felt it; words echoed around his head, feeling like someone was throwing a spiked ball around. Turning around to face the swamp, Skorm backed up, nearing the vehicles. "Did anyone else... feel that?"

OOC: @Toru Nui @TL01 NUVA @Conway @Burnmad @Tarn @Snelly

[Onaku]

IC: Iradra - The Taku

"Of course. I'll help in any way I can." Iradra stepped away from the patients and made herself ready to follow Triage out on another round through the village.

@Tarn

[BULiK]

IC: Knichou, Po-Koro

Knichou slowly climbed down the second ladder to exit the ship, and could immediately see on the horizon where Nale and Arkius had built the tower. He walked over to them, equipment in hand. He gave them both a nod, and cracked a tiny smile at Nale.

"Well done, this shouldn't take too long for me to install..." He said, crouching at the base of the tower to get to work. He started off by generating an enclosure for his equipment with his powers over metal. He then spent his time forming a long copper antenna in the core of the tower that he connected to the radio device, giving it what was hopefully a long enough range.

While all this was happening, he began some small talk to break up the silence as he worked.

"So... are you coming back to Metru-Koro with us or staying here, Arkius?"

Edited April 23, 2020 by BULiK

[Nato G]

6 hours ago, Conway said:

IC: Parnassus | Mega's Scrapshop

"You chose a good hostage, Barius. This one's got spirit," the Aspect said, leaning over to inspect the upside-down figure more closely. "What's your name, my friend?"

IC: Reson - Scrapshop

"Ma name's Reson," he said, trying his best to sound defiant despite his current position of vulnerability, "But I don't think we're goin' to be friends." 

17 minutes ago, Onaku said:

IC: Rangi - Dead Forest

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it, just gotta know how handle yourself. Trust me, I've cut myself worse before, this is nothing to worry about." Rangi gave an enthusiastic 'okay' sign while patting his hound on the back. He then noticed he'd pricked another finger.

IC: Xane - Dead Forest

"I'll take your word for it," he replied, though he sounded far from convinced. 

[Onaku]

IC: Arkius - Po-Koro

"I'm... honestly not sure. The people of this village seem hesitant to leave, despite evacuation being the safest course of action. I don't know if I can just... leave them here. And then there's that Ulkarr guy... there's something not quite right with him. He talked about a strange ritual that could bestow power upon others. A ritual involving a still-beating heartlight and grafting some 'kraata' creature into the recipient that can't ever be removed. Not to mention his use of... shadow. None of that sits well with me, and I don't know if I'm comfortable leaving the matoran alone with someone like him."

@BULiK @Tarn

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

The strange creature fell from the air, then twisted itself into a standing sort of shape, propping its head up at Matoran height. At least, Taja supposed that was its head. The cruel jaws and blood-red tongue suggested a mouth, but it was attached to a face the likes of which she had never seen. It was utterly alien, despite its ability to understand her speech and reply in return. She didn't understand exactly how that mouth was capable of forming words, but it managed. 

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe you," the Toa replied hesitantly. "What kind of being are you? And what kind of help do you offer?"

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Po-Koro

"We are known as Aspects," she crooned, "We offer power, in exchange for favours. And after what has happened here, I believe what I offer may be of interest." 

OOC: @Eyru

Edited April 24, 2020 by Nato the Traveler

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

Taja didn't trust this Aspect—although, if she was being honest, she didn't trust many people. Jaa. Nixie. Sans. Knichou? She still wasn't a hundred percent sold on the airship captain, but he seemed alright. The De-Toa didn't make a habit of taking people at their word, and she wasn't about to start now—especially when this new acquaintance looked like something out of a nightmare.

Still... she should know better than to judge by appearances. Perhaps, despite its alien form, it was more or less benign.

"What kind of favours?" 

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Po-Koro

"Anything I desire. Think of it as a contract, one that will benefit you far more than I. I give you power, power that will remain a part of you for as long as you live, and in exchange, you are bound to fulfill a single wish on my behalf." 

OOC: @Eyru

[Tarn]

IC: Nale Vella - Po-Koro

Nale spoke as she watched Knichou work. "That...sounds terrible. Who would ever go through with that sort of thing? When I met him he seemed...normal. Maybe a little odd, but nothing so gruesome as that."

IC: Triage - Po-Koro

Triage returned to the village with Iradra in tow. "We're gonna be doing some walking, we won't have a van around to...nevermind. Keep an eye out." 

@Onaku@BULiK

[Onaku]

IC: Iradra - Po-Koro

Iradra nodded, keeping an eye out for anyone still injured in the village, though for the most part she'd been thorough in healing anyone she'd come across on her earlier journey through the village. If there was anyone left yet unattended, it would truthfully come as a bit of a surprise to her.

@Tarn

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The Aspect's explanation sounded like it was selling something. If she would benefit so much more from the exchange, then why was this being even interested? Taja found herself reminded of an eccentric Po-Matoran who had tried to sell her a "state-of-the-art telescope" for "nine easy payments of $20.99—so cheap I'm practically giving it away—I'm losing money here, darlin', c'mon—"

She slowly lowered her launcher, deciding that the strange being may not be entirely trustworthy, but at least it wasn't an immediate threat.

"As a Toa, I'm bound to serve the Matoran," she said. "I can't serve two masters."

She gestured to the wreckage around them. "But if you're really here to help, you could help us repair the village. Erect defenses. And I'll find a way to help you out in return. Without making a contract out of it."

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

[BULiK]

IC: Knichou, Po-Koro

Opening his eyes after focusing on growing the copper antenna, Knichou began to climb halfway up the radio tower, forming the iron bars of a makeshift ladder into the structure.

"If you do stay here and things go crazy, you should be able to contact us with this as long as we're not too far away. I definitely would agree that news of this ritual is worrying..."

Eventually reaching the top, Knichou began slowly forming the parts to a makeshift windmill. The first step was the gearbox, which would take some trial and error to fine tune.

[Nato G]

3 minutes ago, Eyru said:

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

"As a Toa, I'm bound to serve the Matoran," she said. "I can't serve two masters."

She gestured to the wreckage around them. "But if you're really here to help, you could help us repair the village. Erect defenses. And I'll find a way to help you out in return. Without making a contract out of it."

IC: Whisper - Po-Koro

"I'm afraid I lack the necessary appendages to perform such tasks." These new beings were proving increasingly disappointing to Whisper. They weren't the same kind of Toa the warskaks had driven to near extinction. They were principled and purposeful, lacking the vengeful desperation that made the natives so amusing. "I did not come here out of altruism, but because it is my nature. The power I offer could by of great help to you and your people, but a bargain must first be struck. The task I seek to see completed would not interfere with your duties." 

OOC: @Eyru

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

Taja looked around at the cripple village. The Skakdi raiders had done so much damage in so little time. And had she been here earlier, would she have even been able to stop it? She was uncomfortably aware of her own inexperience and lack of useful skills. Her knowledge of the stars would have been useless in a battle. All she had was her fledgling powers, and a mask she didn't even know how to use.

This power the Aspect offered... she couldn't trust it, but she also couldn't deny that it was tempting. The power to help the Matoran. The power to defend them. To be the great Toa-hero she wished she could be. To walk in the footsteps of Lhikan and Tuyet and not feel inadequate. What if the stars had set this creature in her path for this very purpose? What if this was a test to see what she was willing to do for the sake of her people?

And what if it wasn't?

...

Well, what if it was?

"What is this bargain you speak of?"

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Po-Koro

"The nature of my kind is something of a mystery, even to ourselves. Much of the information has been lost, in temples and ruins across the island. The skakdi are not the most cultured or literate beings, and have been of little use in recovering this knowledge," Whisper chose her words carefully. Her desires were deeply personal, her Grand Wish one that may earn the ire of her fellow Aspects, and she was not eager to delve into specifics until a bargain had been struck.

"There is a particular piece of information I seek. I would simply ask that if you happened across this information during your travels, or crossed paths with another who had found it, that you inform me the next time we cross paths." 

OOC: @Eyru

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

The Toa frowned. All she had to do was agree to let the Aspect know if she learned anything about her own kind?

"That sounds easy enough. So I just keep my ears open... and you give me power for doing that?"

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Po-Koro

"It's as simple as that," her head did something that could have been interpreted as a nod. "There are many powers I could bestow. The power to heal yourselves and others, or to melt the very molecules of your enemies. The power to bend the weather to your will, or conquer the minds of the beasts of the wild. The power to sow confusion, fear, and rage among those who oppose you, or to know the thoughts of others."

She shifted a little closer, roiling with eager anticipation, "There are dozens more beyond that I could offer. So tell me, what kind of power do you seek?"

OOC: @Eyru

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

What kind of power did she seek?

From the moment she transformed, Taja had felt out of her depth. Less than an hour after presenting the Great Disk to Turaga Dume, she had been firing blasts of sound across a battlefield in Ko-Metru. Now, a week later, her entire universe had come to an end and fallen out of the heavens, crash-landing her on an island populated by bloodthirsty Skakdi and alien creatures like the one that writhed before her now.

She missed being an astronomer. That life seemed unfathomably distant now, like a dream she'd woken up from and of which she could now remember only the faintest outline. She missed feeling competent. She missed knowing the answers to questions, and she missed the excitement of not knowing an answer because that meant she would get to discover it.

What did she want? Above all, she just wanted to walk the path that was set before her, and to do it right. To do it well. To fulfill the expectations she had for herself, and the expectations the Matoran had. She wanted to be the Toa that Sans believed she could be—a Toa worthy of the power she'd been given.

"I... I want to be strong. For my people." She hadn't planned on being vulnerable with this creature, but the words seemed to spill out of their own accord. "I want the power to fight on their behalf. To always be ready to defend them. To never be caught off guard or found wanting. Can you give me that power?"

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

Edited April 24, 2020 by Eyru

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Po-Koro

"I can offer you just such a power, the ability to change your very nature to adjust to any obstacle or extreme - the power of adaptation," Whisper replied, "Are you prepared for me to bestow this power upon you? There is but one final step." 

For the first time, Whisper hesitated. She had long clung to her ambition, but been afraid to try it. Her Grand Wish was something that she knew many of her fellow Aspects would mock, condemn, or even persecute her for. Once she took that first step, there was no going back. 

But the fall of the strange metallic skull from the sky, the arrival of these new beings, it all heralded great change. Perhaps now was the time. She had nothing to lose, and everything to gain, from at least attempting this.

Besides, it seemed unlikely this Toa would be inclined to agree to the standard arrangement. 

"You must allow me to touch your heartstone as I recite the ritual."

OOC: @Eyru

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

Her heart was pounding.

Taja felt as though she stood on the edge of a vast precipice, one step away from either salvation or doom. For a moment, she stood completely still and absolutely silent, the sounds of the world banging fruitlessly at her ears. There was no going back from this moment. She somehow knew this with perfect certainty, without knowing how she knew it. It was a fact, like the existence of gravity or of air. She was making a choice that could not be unmade. She was making a bargain that could not be undone.

For my people.

"I agree," she said softly, almost imperceptibly. Then again, louder and stronger, with a confidence she did not feel: "I agree. Do it."

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Progress Requires Experimentation

"Goodbye. Hello."

Bracing herself for whatever consequences were to come, Whisper unfurled her wings and began to hover awkwardly before Taja.

"Step forth into the darkness and prepare the gift."

One of her tails curled away from the others, reaching towards the Toa's heartlight. 

"A star’s heart still beating, still lit. Two midnight horrors cry and shift."

Her claw settled against the luminescent orb of lifeforce. 

"Make them squirm inside the pit. Bind worm and willing host."

She could feel the Toa's heartbeat, quickening with anticipation. 

"Tear the yolk and spread its gold. Devour knowledge and their ghost."

She willed their bond to be sealed, felt her power seeping forth...

"Pray for prey forever sold. Hello."

She closed her eyes, almost afraid of what she would see when she opened them. 

"Goodbye."

OOC: @Eyru @Unreliable Narrator

[Sparticus147]

IC: Zak-Yak (Mesi Tunnels)

13 hours ago, Dane-gerous said:

"...Wait, I can still see him? And you. But you're both...fuzzy....you're not a...you're not a ghost, are you?" Vent's hands trembled just ever so slightly.

"Huh? You can see Zak-Yak and master still? Even when being super sneaky beaky boys?" Scampering his way over, Zak-Yak proceeds to stick his finger through Vent's form, immensely curious how he can see him but not touch him. "You see Zak-Yak, but Zak-Yak can't touch you...Why?"

"Good job...Zak-Yak." And like that, Zak-Yak's whole world collapsed upon that one sentence, completely ignoring Providence. "Zak-Yak did good job for master? Zak-Yak is good servant to master?" Staring deeply into Varian's...eyes?..waiting for additional positive reinforcement.

OOC: @Snelly @Burnmad @Dane-gerous @Vezok's Friend

IC: Uraborask (Rig Outskirts)

A few days dragging a muaka's corpse and one kavinika pack later, and Uraborask has finally made it back to the Rig. It wasn't that he necessarily hated the Rig, its just that he doesn't care for the crowds, the noise, the constant brawling, it was just to much for the quiet hunter. That's why he enjoyed his little shack, located off the Rig. No one knew who originally owned it before Uraborask, with rumor abound that Uraborask killed the original owner, but no one knew for certain.

Passing the rough scrap iron fence, Uraborask made his way around the shack itself, passing the several mounted skakdi skulls, the reason for them being their stated on the signs hanging off the still attached spines, "Thief, Coward, Trespasser." All had tried their luck against Uraborask, and he tracked each and every last one down.

Reaching the carving house located in the backyard, Uraborask forced open the metal sliding door with a unnerving screech, dragging the mostly intact muaka inside. Although one of the legs fell off due to decay and the sizable bites taken out of it and the jaw was barely hanging on, it was a good enough proof of kill.

Unstringing his bow and leaving it lying next to the door within the carving house. Uraborask looked about the room, shelves and bins filled with a variety of empty trophy plaques, carving and taxidermy tools, and a workshop for maintaining his personal gear. Satisfied that everything is in place as it should be, giving a once over with his vision of deduction, Uraborask made his way to his little cabin home. Just to rest for an hour or two before venturing into the Rig and finding that merchant who sent him to kill the muaka in the first place.

Edited April 24, 2020 by Sparticus147

[EmperorWhenua]

On 4/22/2020 at 5:34 AM, Onaku said:

IC: Okuo - Archives Depths

"Oreius... wait... I know that name. There were some stories, a particular Toa of Fire... could it be?" Okuo looked at the screen, at the feed displaying the toa standing before the vault doors. If the vague tales he'd heard were in any way true, then surely this Toa wasn't only a friend, but a hero. "Let him in. He's one of the good guys... or, well, he should be, if the stories are true."

IC Vault Hiripaki | Archives

"I cannot allow this Oreius, without an access code, but I will invite him in! " the voice said to Okuo.

And to Oreius, without the vault door, the speaker spoke up again after the moment of silence. "Toa Oreius, you are bidden a Welcome one to the Vault by the one before you! You may enter! Please input the access code. "

@Onaku @Eyru

On 4/22/2020 at 4:02 PM, Harvali said:

IC Kanohi - Metru-Koro

”Okay, and if possible, maybe share what Turaga Klawne told us of the Kaita. It … it might give the Matoran hope, if we could turn our unity into an avatar for a lesser spirit, make the virtues seem less shaky,” Kanohi then turned to Toa Stannis and said, “I can explain to you about that later, though Turaga Klawne would know more. For now, we should go.”

IC Stannis | Metru Koro

"Then let's go, Kanohi," Stannis said, beckoning him close. He did the same for Klawne, gesturing quickly for her to come to the old wizard, and smiling kindly as the cynical turaga hesitated for a moment as though she was reluctant to hold hope for anything. "Let's see what good we can inspire there."

As they came to him he stooped down to hold them and chanted something mostly to himself, wishing for instantaneous transportation for him and the people touching him across the land of Zakaz to a place they had been to before. He embraced them, not knowing what they would be dropping themselves into and earnestly concerned for what they could be able to do in Po-Koro. If war was already reaching the far-flung villages he worried he would have to fight sooner rather than later. 

At his thought, the three of them became enveloped in a wash of bright light that blotted their bodies from view. Suddenly, the light faded and they were not there and only a slight disturbance of the dirt on which they previously stood indicated their existence there an instant before. 

And in turn the three beings materialized in the center plaza of Po-Koro. Stannis released his grips on the others and stood up straight again. "It seems a few things have indeed changed since I was here last..." he said.

@Toru Nui @Harvali

Edited April 24, 2020 by EmperorWhenua

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Po-Koro

Taja fought the urge to close her eyes as the alien being suddenly unwrapped itself and rose into the air.

"Goodbye. Hello."

The Aspect hovered before her, its three wings flapping gracelessly.

"Step into the darkness and prepare the gift."

A single inky tendril twisted away from its writhing kin and approached her. 

"A star’s heart still beating, still lit. Two midnight horrors cry and shift."

She felt the Aspect touch her heartlight. She half-fancied that it could feel her heartbeat.

"Make them squirm inside the pit. Bind worm and willing host."

Her heart was pounding fast and hard like she had just run a race. It echoed through her bones like a drum.

"Tear the yolk and spread its gold. Devour knowledge and their ghost."

Was this the right choice? It was too late to turn back now.

"Pray for prey forever sold. Hello."

Stomach twisting, she finally succumbed to the urge and closed her eyes.

"Goodbye."

Silence.

Darkness.

Only the wind over the earth and the smell of rain.

The Aspect's tendril remained on her chest, its tip on her heartlight. It was stronger than it appeared: she could feel it pushing against her, harder and harder. She frowned and wondered what it was doing. Why was nothing happening? Was pushing her over going to accomplish anything?

She opened her eyes and looked down, opening her mouth to voice her query, but the words died on her tongue.

The tendril was gone. The Aspect had pulled it away.

And yet—the pressure on her heartlight mounted, like a great weight was pressing upon it. She reached a hand tentatively to her chest, but found nothing there. The pressure continued to build—it felt like her heartlight was being squeezed in a massive fist.

She doubled over and pressed both hands to her chest, a moan escaping her lips. It was unbearable. She could hardly breathe. If the pressure grew any greater, then surely her heartlight would—

crack

She had been bent over, but a sudden blast of light and heat exploded from her chest and propelled her upright. She stood, arms outstretched and chest angled towards the sky, barely managing to keep from falling over backwards. Her cracked heartlight released a shower of sparkling light; it fountained from her chest like a fireworks display, rising higher and higher with every passing moment—

(Whisper shielded her eyes against the onslaught, but Taja didn't notice.)

The pain was incredible, like she had been snapped in two. But even worse was the sense of emptiness as every ounce of light and warmth was sucked from her veins to fountain from her broken heart. The fiery pain was agonizing—excruciating—but it quickly faded and gave way to a deep cold that seemed to come from her very bones. First her fingers and toes, then wrists and ankles, then arms and legs—her blood turned to ice and the pain turned to loss as her life force escaped—

(Was she screaming? Was she silent? She couldn't tell.)

Only her chest burned now, but the pain was condensed and multiplied. It burned with the fire of a thousand suns, hotter and hotter and hotter until surely she was nothing but ashes now, surely she was dead, no being could withstand this, flesh and blood could not withstand this—

(Vaguely, as if from a great distance, she felt something squirm in the centre of the pain.)

The fire continued to withdraw until it was pinpointed on her heartlight, all the pressure and agony and heat that the universe could possibly contain blossoming from this single spot smaller than the point of a needle—

And then it was over.

Her arms fell to her sides. She crumpled to her knees, then to the ground. Smoke rose from her heartlight in gentle curls. Were any to look upon it, they would see its previously perfect surface split by a deep, ugly crack.

She was still. Her body was cold.

Taja, Toa of Sonics, was dead...

...

...and reborn as something new.

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Frankenstein's Desecration

The Aspect had fallen to the ground in the ensuing explosion of light, shielding her face with tails and wings. Wisps of smoke rose from her armour as she slowly cracked her eyes open again, gazing upon the new being she had created.

She hadn't been sure what would happen if she attempted to rend the rules of desecration like this. If any Aspect had attempted it before, they certainly hadn't deigned to share the knowledge with everyone else. In truth, she'd been expecting death or disaster.

What she'd accomplished instead was something magnificent, something beautiful, something beyond her wildest expectation.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her question motivated in equal measure by genuine interest in Taja's wellbeing, and a desire to understand if the Toa's mind had survived the unexpected process intact. "Can you hear me?" 

OOC: @Eyru

[Eyru]

1 hour ago, EmperorWhenua said:

IC Vault Hiripaki | Archives

 "Toa Oreius, you are bidden a Welcome one to the Vault by the one before you! You may enter! Please input the access code. "

IC: Oreius | The Archives, Onu-Metru

A Welcome One?

That was rich. Oreius couldn't hold back a snort of ironic laughter. He wanted nothing more than to turn and walk away, to forget he'd heard Stannis's name. He wanted nothing more than to continue down the tunnels, find a League soldier, and hurt him until he got some information. Stannis could keep his Vault.

But... there was someone in there. Someone who wasn't Stannis. Someone who was on his side. And allies were few and far between these days. He'd be a fool to miss this opportunity to meet a fellow soldier against the League. Two could do a lot more damage than one, after all.

So he sighed and stood as straight as his hunch allowed him. "Very well. What's the access code?"

OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Onaku

[EmperorWhenua]

IC Hiripaki | Archives

"Oh, you know the passcode, I'm sure of that, " the voice said to Oreius. 

 

IC Leklo | Ice Suva

The plasma toa carefully studied Sidra and gauged the merits of trusting her with anything, and his hesitation was marked by his militant stance with his glowing sword still held menacingly before him. On one hand, he wanted to lash out against her and kill her for murdering the man Leklo regarded as his city's leader for as long as he remembered and, in fact, the very reason he was a toa now for all that it was worth. On the other, he sensed Sidra spoke the truth about the Dark Hunters and that any former agents of the organization stranded on Zakaz were nothing more than rebels without cause, and while Sidra was a killer she also had no cause to aspire anything but scraping as much a life as she could down on the wasteland. On Metru Nui it would have been a different story and she would have been flayed alive, but here...

He interpreted her signals and attitude as nothing more than attempts at placation. Would Leklo place his anchor in a crevice as trustworthy as her? No, he realized, but at the very least he could count on her desperation to stay alive. "I share the sentiment," he said finally and the searing bright blade shimmered to cool blued steel before he slowly, reluctantly, stowed the weapon. 

On 4/22/2020 at 2:29 PM, Nato the Traveler said:

"Were the temples on Metru Nui giant puzzles? The whole layout of this place seems to be designed solely around unlocking the Suva," as if to emphasise her point (and to ease her means of escape if the situation took a turn for the worse) she attempted to swap back her mask. 

"They were," he said, "and almost all shrines held secrets, like how some contained the Great Discs. Aside from the Suva's presence, what more have you gleaned—Hey! Stop that!" Leklo abruptly blurted as he saw Sidra access some power, and the fact it came unannounced and at a volatile moment did nothing to becalm his anxiety of the encounter. In a flash his hand raced for the grip of his sword... and then stopped short of drawing it from the scabbard as he realized Sidra had not moved from her place and remained peaceful. But something had happened... right? Her Kanohi wasn't what it was before. 

"What did you just do?" he inquired and took a few steps closer to inspect the suva. 

@Nato the Traveler @Crimson Jester

Edited April 24, 2020 by EmperorWhenua

[Eyru]

IC: Oreius | The Archives, Onu-Metru

The Toa of Fire looked down at the keypad and fought back a growl of frustration. What blasted code was it talking about? The voice seemed to think he already knew it, but it had hardly said a thing to him since he'd arrived. What did he know? This was Stannis's vault. "Stannis of the Maru." He was a "Welcome one." Was that all?

The voice didn't seem malicious, but he got the feeling that it enjoyed wordplay. Taking things literally.

He paused, then typed "Passcode" into the keypad. It was worth a shot...

OOC: @EmperorWhenua

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: ICE SUVA 

Receiving request for transfer of Mask of X-Ray Vision, origin Forgemaster Dume, for Mask of Shadow Travel, origin unknown. 

Processing request...

Request approved. Receiving and Transferring.

Sidra felt the mask of X-Ray vision vanish from her face to be replaced by her old standby, the mask of shadow travel.

OOC: @Nato the Traveler, sorry I missed this earlier.

 

IC: Takadox, The Steppes (a few days ago)

Evening progressed as they navigated the rocky maze of the steppes Northwest of the large volcano his guide kept calling Irnakk’s Tooth. In what world was a volcano a tooth? This one, apparently. Sore and hungry, Takadox kindly suggested they make camp. Skerek made camp. Takadox supervised.

Their bedrolls were laid out under a sandstone overhang in the canyon they stopped. Skerek used a heatsone and some tumbleweeds to start a small campfire. He tossed small foul smelling bricks onto the smoldering tinder.

“What’s that? It smells awful.” Takadox complained.

“Mukau paddies. They burn longer than wood.” Skerek answered.

Takadox rolled over and fiddled with his iStone while Skerek prepared a simple meal of whatever new horrible delight skakdi apparently considered a delicacy. Every night he checked his iStone. Every night the only change was the lowered percentage of its battery. He shut it off and stuffed it away in his bag before choking down dinner and then laying down for the night.

The fallen warlord tried to keep his eyes open as night fell, tried to count the stars as his mind raced full of regrets. Eventually, he lost that fight. With throbbing temples, and an odd pressure just behind his eyes from lack of sleep, he nodded off.

 

Skerek’s terrified scream was the first sign of trouble. He blinked his eyes open, groggily taking in the rock near his head, trying to remember what time it was. Why bother telling time? Everything was different here. As far as Takadox could tell it was scream o-clock.

He groggily rolled over and looked towards Skerek’s bedroll, only to see several dark figures in the light of the fire’s glowing embers looming over the skakdi. Skerek’s frantic shouting abruptly ended in a gurgle. With Skerek’s bloody death Takadox’s mind finally made the maddening sprint from asleep to awake in a single jolt. Time felt slower for Takadox as his hearlight raced and his nerves flared. He pushed away from his bedroll and scrambled to his feet with a gasp. The group of attackers hunched over the spilling corpse of Skerek muttering to each other turned to look in his direction. He reached for his broadswords. Which were not there. Right. He lost those in last week’s chaos.

Takadox stared at the group who murdered Skerek as they rose and began lumbering towards him. 

“Would you kindly stop!” He commanded, his hypnotic gaze glaring. But the dark, vaguely Skakdi-shaped creature kept coming, hissing in its strange language and smelling fouler than the mukau paddies on the fire. Takadox tried again, his voice higher than intended; “Stop it! STOP!”

Strangely, nothing happened. Panic made him freeze up with his hand stretched out, he forgot his training, and one of the creatures barreled into him, slamming him and dragging him up the stone wall of the canyon. The dust and pebbles didn’t have time to settle. He coughed and gasped and kicked his feet against the wall without success, trying to breathe while being held aloft by his throat. Stars swam in his vision, and when they cleared he realized why the foul smelling monster couldn’t be turned: they were blind. Where the eyes should be, Takadox saw only smooth dimples. He saw enough teeth glittering in the glow of the campfire to be sure they were some kind of skakdi. 

More of the eyeless skakdi piled on, grabbing his limbs and dragging him along in their iron grip. He couldn’t pull away no matter how hard he struggled. They pulled him towards the campfire, holding him over it as if over a barrel - not close enough to burn him but enough to feel the heat. He coughed as the smoke entered his lungs. He was still trying to figure out why they bothered with this - considering the way they had ended Skerek’s existence - when another figure approached. The hesitation Takadox felt around him clearly showed deference to this newcomer. In addition to the weird malformations like the others of frills along the neckline and an incredibly hunched posture, the newcomer wore thick robes. More like rags, Takadox thought considering the robes he once wore while lounging at the Barraki fortress. Above the grotesque teeth a rotten soiled blindfold stretched across the face, though Takadox couldn’t tell if there were eyes beneath it. Was this freak some sort of shaman?

As the shaman approached, they mumbled incomprehensible gibberish Takadox couldn’t understand, but he heard several repeating phrases as the group communicated. There was a lot of “spih rhea harh” going around and Takadox didn’t like the sound of whatever it meant.

“Lovely language you got there. Speak anything civilized?” Takadox asked. If the moldy skadki monsters understood him they gave no indication.

Takadox was trying to figure out just what in Karzhani they were blathering about when the shaman suddenly seized him by the sides of his head. He wanted badly to use his power to stop this, but again it had no effect. Even so, the smoke from the embers just below stung his eyes and he was forced to blink. The shaman kept mumbling and squeezing and a dull throbbing pain overcame him, accompanied by his field of view shrinking, until there was nothing but blackness. The last thing Takadox felt before slipping completely into unconsciousness was his body being dragged away once more.

[EmperorWhenua]

IC Hiripaki | Archives

”Input not accepted. Please try again! ”

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator, The Steppes/Wastes 

Mahryo's continued searching proved fruitful! He noticed some strange looking holes in the canyon wall. They were round, probably big enough for a skakdi to squeeze through, and looked like sideways ant-hills. Soft sand and milled stone lay on the canyon floor beneath them. They looked fresh, not that Mahryo was a stone mason.

@Toru Nui@Jakura Nuva@Edelgard @xccj

[Nato G]

38 minutes ago, EmperorWhenua said:

IC Leklo | Ice Suva

"What did you just do?" he inquired and took a few steps closer to inspect the suva. 

IC: Sidra - Ice Suva Temple

"Easy there, I just swapped my mask back. I don't need Dume's handiwork on my face." Mentioning the Turaga by name was a risk, but a calculated one. Hopefully the remark would do more to pique the curiosity of the Toa rather than incite their rage. 

The information the Suva was giving her... it made no sense... or did it? Was this the same Dume, or a different being with the same name? It seemed like too much of coincidence for her of all people to find it. Perhaps there was some truth to Tuyet's words of alternate realities after all?

She didn't know, but these Toa likely knew more of Dume than she did. Maybe they could help unravel this mystery.

OOC: @EmperorWhenua

[Toru Nui]

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

"Oh boy, I can't wait for the Turaga's reaction to this debacle..."

"Excuse me, sir?" Tekmo spoke to Morangad. "I don't wish to alarm you, but I think you may be dying."

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

 

IC: Enra (Dead Forest)

"Mm-hm." Enra didn't sound convinced either. She continued leading the group through the Dead Forest. She scanned the surrounding area with her telescopic vision to find anything.

@Unreliable Narrator@Onaku@Nato the Traveler

 

IC: Klawne (Po-Koro)

"Oh..." Klawne looked around. The devastation was worse than she had expected, and yet, the Matoran still lived to rebuild. Which meant that the Skakdi either got bored halfway through, or some 'agreement' was reached. "I believe Toa Nale and Ulkarr should be around here, somewhere."

@EmperorWhenua@Harvali

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Mega - Zakaz, The Scrapshop

"HEY! CAN'T YA'LL READ, PLACE SAID CLOSED!" Mega yelled, now at the place entirely. She was trying her best to be brave but it was horrible to see her only home be gutted by War Skaks like it was nothing. Like it didn't even matter.

Years of scavenging and hard work undone without a second thought.

There were so many of them. God, if she hadn't stopped for that cig, for the Skakdi, she might have been able to get there before them. She might have been able to try and persuade them not to pilfer her stuff.

She wasn't sure what to say, even. What can you say?

"LOOK, I JUST WANNA SPEAK TO WHOEVER'S IN CHARGE, ALRIGHT?" She yelled again, still holding her gun weakly. She could still easen things up, right?

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

[pokemonlover360]

IC Ysocla - Tactical Panda:

Emerging from below deck the sudden onset of a new smell hit Ysocla like a brick wall. The rancid stench was contaminating the air on the ship with its repulsive fumes. She gagged from reflex, panning her eyes to look for the offending person or item. While she wouldn’t necessarily give either of her fellow crew members high marks for hygiene, they didn’t appear to be the source of the olfactory assault. A sudden idea popped into her head and she turned her gaze onto the new cargo crate. Before her eyes the side of the wall faded from view allowing her to identify the furs within.

“Those furs have better not be staying here for long,” she declared, attempting to breathe through her mouth as much as possible.

 

OOC: @Tarn@Dane-gerous@EmperorWhenua

 

 

 IC Kilo-M9 - Ruined Fort:

Companion Zadred is opening communications. Rerouting processing power to speech functions. Forming verbal reply.

“Affirmative,” the machine confirmed. “This unit is a Kralhi-Type Citizen Pacification Unit. Primary functions included protecting citizens and returning wayward individuals to designated work functions.” The mechanical enforcer paused briefly before adding, “Primary functions have been adjusted due to current situation.”

The machine took a brief glance at Zadred before saying, “Companion Zadred does not appear in citizen records. Were you originally from Zakaz in prior universe?”

OOC: @Onaku

Edited April 24, 2020 by pokemonlover360

[Taka Nuvia]

IC: Zsann - Zakaz, the van

So far Zsann had stayed in the van, just observing. This wasn't her world, nor was it her place. But then she reconsidered. The matoran had offered her a place to sleep, and help with equipment. She figured this could be a way to repay Mega. Debts were meant to be repaid. Always.

The Skakdi grabbed her greatsword, and casually stepped outside of the van. For now she would keep her distance, she decided while she slowly walked up towards the matoran and the scraphsop. But there was something about these pillagers that intrigued her, although from this distance she could not yet pinpoint what exactly it was.

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

Edited April 24, 2020 by A-tak-nid
fixed a typo

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Zai - Zakaz, Tactical Panda

"Not...our idea." Zai explained, doing similar to Yso to avoid the smell. She again ignored Korio, so she wouldn't have to hit him again and get a worse punishment. "Quid pro quo, Lady Yumiwak is performing a favour in exchange for the information she bartered for."

OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Tarn @pokemonlover360

[Harvali]

IC Kanohi - Po-Koro

Kanohi stumbled on the landing, falling on all fours. He … had never teleported before. As he shoved himself upright he caught sight of a Fairly large patch of green to the side of the village, with … a number of Mahi maybe inside it? Had a Toa of Jungle begun terraforming the barren landscape?

Then his sight unfocused, and he saw the rest of the town. Stone huts shattered and cracked, the few metal buildings ruptured and damaged, ice covering a chunk of the ground, Matoran limping around on crude crutches, and … and a few Matoran were dragging a mangled maskless Matoran of Fire.

”What happened?” Kanohi staggered upright before running to them, almost squeaking “is … is everyone alright?”

”No, everyone is ‘not alright,’” huffed Supaka, “while you abandoned us the Skakdi attacked, only reason any of we lived is because they seemed to lose interest. Twenty five of us are dead, run over or skewered. All because you and Toa Nale ditched us on a wild Guuko chase.”

”N … no.” Kanohi stumbled he … he hadn’t meant to abandon Po-Koro he … he … he hadn’t meant to let the refugee camp down. But the devastation, some of it had been patched by the disks of regeneration he had given them, and Matoran continued to hurl disks to mend things, but the sheer damage … it lingered. And … and twenty five dead? Twenty five more Matoran killed and slaughtered? He … he should have been there. He … he should have been there.

”It wasn’t your fault,” A Le-Matoran said quietly, “no one saw it coming until it was too late. Far as you knew, you were rescuing the only Matoran who was in danger. And us, we should have fled to Metru-Koro long ago.”

We aren’t running. Not again. Not from Skakdi, the league, or T-Toa.”

Kanohi didn’t fully register Supaka’s remark, all he could feel was the pistons thumping in his chest, feel his gears turning. Suddenly he was hyper aware of everything around him, from the grunts of Matoran straining to Matoran crying to disks whirling about. He … he let this happen. He should have been there. His hands fluttered with a raw anxiety like a poison. 

His heartlight flashed as lightning in a storm he … he betrayed everyone. Dalu, Jovan, Vakama. Shakily he looked back at the Ta-Matoran they carried, “was this…?“

”Vakama? No,” Kanohi briefly had a spot of hope, before Supaka spat, “Vakama wasn’t even in one piece. Ran over by one of their vehicles, turned to a smear on the ground. At least he tried to help the village, sent up that smoke signal as long as he could. He was a real part of Po-Koro, unlike some folks who just lived here.”

Kanohi trembled he … he had to do something, fix things. Just … just a little. But his warning, he … he failed he … focus on what he could handle … but they needed to know. He had a duty. A duty he failed. But he needed to mend the village. But worse was coming, far worse. And because he wasn’t there, the village was vulnerable, so very vulnerable. 

Finally he squeaked out, “the-the League. Metru-Koro. The Mask. Two days.” And then he ran away, arms all but flailing. With a swing he began to knock his Kiril Staff into the huts, regenerate their broken walls and roofs, even as his heartlight pounded. He … he failed Po-Koro. Just like Metru-Nui. Just like Okoto. He … he was a failure, abandoning his people when they needed him most. Monster. 

OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Toru Nui

 

Edited April 24, 2020 by Harvali

[Onaku]

IC: Varah - Po-Koro

Finally, Varah sighed and turned back to Kat, pointing to herself and then the village, indicating that she had to go. Waving goodbye, Varah made her way back into the village. There was work to do, now that the village was no longer in immediate danger. There were buildings to repair, walls to reinforce... bodies to bury. Varah's attentive eyes surveyed the village and the sorry state it was currently in. Some of these houses she'd helped with building. The walls, she'd quarried the stone for. Throughout this village she'd made her home were signatures of her handiwork, now marred and broken by unprovoked violence. Friends she had made in the week since the Great Cataclysm, since millions of people had perished and her old world had fallen away into darkness, now they too were gone.

She pondered what the point of this all was, before suddenly noticing the appearance of three people out of nowhere. A Toa of Stone she recognised as Toa Stannis, a Turaga of Earth she recalled seeing in the village briefly the day before the attack, and then Kanohi. His work ethic, though admirable, was self-destructive, and she regretted her inability to talk to him. As she approached, she picked up on the words of Supaka. He was tearing into Kanohi. "He was a real part of Po-Koro, unlike some people who just lived here."

That was too far. Supaka had gone too far. Varah saw Kanohi run off, frantically going to work trying to fix the village in some desperate attempt at making up for failings that were not of his own. Fury boiled up within her. A moment later, Supaka would feel someone poking him on the shoulder to get his attention. Turning around, the next thing he'd be aware of was Varah's fist making hard impact with his face, knocking him down to the ground.

Varah made no further move for the prone Su-Matoran. Her point had surely been made.

@The UltimoScorp @Harvali

 

IC: Arkius - Po-Koro

Arkius grunted agreeably. "I suppose we'll just have to wait a-"

That moment, Arkius' attention was drawn to a sudden shower of sparks and light from within the village. "What in the Karzahni is that???" Wasting no time, Arkius began to hurriedly make his way to the source of the unnatural activity. He wasn't sure why, but he had a bad feeling about this.

@Tarn @BULiK

 

IC: Rangi - Dead Forest

Rangi simply followed along, his hound steed moseying along after the two Skakdi, while the Zyglak kept his eyes peeled, trying to see any signs of unnatural structure among the charred foliage.

@Nato the Traveler @Toru Nui

 

IC: Okuo - Archives Depths

Okuo silently hoped Oreius would figure out this puzzle, and quick. The young Toa of Fire had been going at it alone for so long, he wondered what working with someone else would be like. Last time had been about a week ago, first with the Great Disk puzzle under the sea, and then with trying to fix the machine. Shame how the latter had panned out. Nothing to do about that now, though. Had to move forward. Had to strive to improve the future. There was nothing he could do about the past now. Only remember it. Learn from it.

@EmperorWhenua @Eyru