Six Kingdoms: Apocalypse -- Gameplay Topic (IC)

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Saybo: Metru-Koro Ruins 

Saybo nodded.

“Yep.”

[Vezok's Friend]

IC: [Nixie, Vhisola & Co. - The Taku]

Akamu scoffed at the Vahki’s explanation. Because less oversight was exactly what the overzealous machines needed. Vhisola elbowed him in the side and gave him a look.

“Thanks for the info!” she said. “I’d heard there were new models but never met any...I guess that’s a good thing, actually? Means I didn’t break the law and...uh...yeah, we better get moving. Do I smell coffee?”

She motioned for Akamu to follow and they filed back into the ship behind Rose.

“Where are we going anyway?”

OOC: @BULiK@Tarn@Toru Nui

 

IC [Zataka - Kini-Nui]

The titan was silent for a moment, flashing back to when she’d first arrived, scouring the stained dirt and Kalmah’s remains for every little piece of the Kanohi she could find. She’d spent that entire first evening and night checking and checking again until her fingers were sore to make sure not even a sliver was missing. But even with all that, Viltia’s innocuous question sent a brief flash of panic through her. Just the remotest chance of the mask might be irreparable was a horrifying thought.

“...yeah, I do. It’s all there.” she finally said. “That’s our ticket home.”

She'd very much noticed the subtle widening of Viltia's eyes and the quickened pace of her breathing. The Toa was clearly excited - and she hadn't even told her what mask it was yet. But for that...she had to be absolutely sure Viltia knew her stuff first. She knew from the interaction with Axonn the Toa was honest, but that last bit of paranoia still kept holding the titan back from sharing all the information right here and now.

“So...how do we fix it?” 
 

OOC: @Kal the Guardian

[Tarn]

IC: Nale Vella - Metru-Koro Ruins ("Datrox Plaza")

"Oh, alright."

Nale looked to Aurax's unattended airship, then glanced to Knichou. She pointed to the parked vehicle.

"Are we flying that?" she asked Saybo. "I mean, the alternative is we use jetpacks and carry you."

@BULiK@~Xemnas~

IC: Triage - The Taku (Bridge)

"From what I hear: the monsters that keep threatening the island, and a general aura of scariness."

Triage took another sip, taking a seat in Knichou's chair and swiveling it to face the windshield. Even if the role had been thrust upon him against his will, he was beginning to realize he could get used to these surroundings. Especially the view and the coffee maker.

@Snelly

IC: Rose (MC) - The Taku

Rose grunted to Vhisola in a way that sounded like "I don't know." She looked to Arnex, who also didn't know.

@Vezok's Friend@Toru Nui

[Toru Nui]

IC: Ulkarr, Enra and Gnabol (Tobduk-Koro, The Taku, The Bridge) - Brain Power

"People are aboard now. My work here is done."

"Actually, you did not do anything."

"Yeah, Berys-"

"MY WORK HERE IS DONE. I’m tired. Can I get some of that black brew?" Gnabol asked Triage.

@Tarn@Snelly@BULiK

 

IC: NU-8020S (Tobduk-Koro, Vahki Transport, Exterior) - There's No Man or Machine Who Can Stop Me

Well, that was true, but also it wasn’t, Dume was the one who defiled her race in their conception. But Dume was dead, and so was Pridak. Aurax seemed to be off-limits, Takadox was no longer of any importance... so Ehlek was the only one left. Then...

"Very well. I will be accompanying you, of course. I have always been able to resist Ehlek’s control. I will be able to access his command network without being commanded."

@EmperorWhenua

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Saybo: Metru-Koro Ruins

”Yes, we can take Barraki Aurax’s airship,” Saybo said. “I will fly it.”

[BULiK]

46 minutes ago, ~Xemnas~ said:

IC, Atamai: Kini-Nui

Atamai nodded as Zataka left. “Okay everyone, as I said, there’s no need to fight,” he said. “Or do you want me to get Zataka to come back and settle things?”

IC: Exuze, Kini-Nui, Templeside

"He started it."

Edited June 22, 2021 by BULiK

[Snelly]

IC: Vashni - The Taku (Bridge)

"Ah I see..." Vashni had heard plenty about these monsters from others of course, had yet to see one herself. "Do think that Ehlek is...sorry I can't seem to get him out of my head..." Something inside her kept telling her that she needed to make sure Ehlek was stopped, it wasn't enough for her to leave it to others, not this time. 

OOC: @Tarn @BULiK

IC: Varian - Metru-Koro Ruins -

"I shall join you as well." The exo-toa said as he came up from behind them. 

@BULiK @Tarn @~Xemnas~

[Tarn]

IC: Triage - The Taku (Bridge)

Triage nodded to Gnabol and waved casually to the half-empty bag of black brew next to the coffee maker to mean "yes." He looked over his shoulder at Vashni. "Oh, Ehlek...I still don't understand what's going on with that, but I doubt it has to do with the volcano."

He stared into the dark reflection of his drink for a moment.

"You've really got it out for him, don't you? I saw it in your memories."

@Snelly@Toru Nui

Edited June 23, 2021 by Tarn

[Snelly]

IC: Vashni - The Taku (Bridge)

"I...I was there Triage, in Le-Metru before the world we knew ended. I was with Stannis and we confronted Ehlek. I used my mask of mutation to make him into a air breather, which scared him so much he jumped through a window and ran. I thought that would be the last I'd ever hear of him, but clearly that was a mistake. I wish I'd mutated him further, into something that couldn't hurt anyone..." 

OOC: @Tarn @BULiK

[Tarn]

IC: Triage - The Taku (Bridge)

"I uh--I saw most of it. Ehlek clawing at his neck like that..."

Triage took a more somber sip of his coffee before continuing. When he spoke again, his tone seemed more comedic than anything--an attempt to lift the mood. "Surprised he showed his face again after that, knowing there was someone around who could turn him into an eel or something. Maybe he's afraid of you."

@Snelly

[Harvali]

 

IC Kanohi - Tobduk-Koro

The cross-wired Councilor winced he … he had not realized Stannis had sway over Aurex. Was that why the legendary Toa had encouraged him and Vulimai not to interfere with the League? He claimed he had revoked control over the Barraki but still...

”Ehlrek, he will need to be d-dealt with,” Kanohi swallowed, remembering the tales of Matoran experiments. Between his war crimes against Vahki and Matoran, he could not be left alone. There was no peace while people suffered under him.

Kanohi suddenly caught a flash of reflected sunlight. Looking down he winced and turned towards Councilor NU, shuffling in his arms a long curved blade, shaped like a familiar staff.

He spoke up, “Apologies, Councilor, I almost forgot. We started making Kanoka Blades. This one is for you, a Kanoka Blade of Weakening. I … mean it to be your badge of office, if that’s okay. It’s made from a disk with a level of six, the same as my Kiril Staff.”

The far smaller Matoran offered the blade to his equal, adding “Sucordak will forge more. If w-war must come, Tobduk-Koro M-must be prepared to defend itself and the refugees.”

OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Toru Nui

…

IC Kardaka - Tobduk-Koro

Kardaka stood back, leaning against her Badge of Office. It looked like the bulk of the refugees had been leeched of poison, maybe all of them. Between normal disks of remove poison and these blades crafted from them, they had been able to trade hundreds of Matoran.

She turned to the Av-Matoran, and said, “I have done my part, where can I go to help this Admin?”

Avka pointed to the sky, her heartlight stopped, was the Admin already dead? But then she recognized in the distance that there was a floating shape. The Aqua Sphere. Right they … she could not remember the details, but that felt right for the Admin.

“Stay here,” she said, wincing at her bluntness, “help all you can. I will speak to the Taku’s crew about finding a way to the sky”

”Okay just, hurry.” Avka fidgeted nervously, still looking at the sky. If the Admin was destroyed, would anything be left of the Ruins?

The Turaga of Stone meanwhile hobbled away, shuffling her feet. As she moved she could feel through the stones below her steps, some rattled, mining was being done in this village. The land might suffer. But at least she felt less bad about taking this Kanoka Rod.

… 

Minion IC Sucordak - The Second “Forge” of Vakama 

Sucordak nodded vaguely to the two Vahki as he continued to forge disks of weakening, best not to get involved. Kanoka and the products made from them, that was his field. Not dealing with Vahki affairs.

[Snelly]

IC: Vashni - The Taku (Bridge)

"Fear was definitely an emotion I felt from him." Vashni couldn't help but smirk just a little. 

OOC: @Tarn @BULiK

[BULiK]

1 hour ago, Daniel the Finlander said:

OOC: aaaaaa stop posting so fast

IC: Niidak (Tobduk-Koro)

"Hey, I checked the engines," she told her. "You can tell the Captain we're good to go, I suppose."

1 hour ago, Tarn said:

IC: Rose (MC) - The Taku (Ramp)

"Feels like we just got here," Rose said. She shrugged and started walking back up the ramp. "Whatever, we were going too long without action anyway."

  IC: Arnex, Tobduk-Koro, The Taku, Entrance Ramp

Arnex gave Niidak a thumbs up. The Onu-Matoran walked to the nearby communications station and pressed a button to dial the bridge. Those on the bridge heard Arnex's voice through the intercom as she transmitted, although by now Triage and Vashni were deeper in their own conversation.

"Bridge, this is Arnex, Niidak reports the engines have been inspected and are good to go, over."

<< A-firm, let us know when everyone is aboard and we're clear for takeoff, bridge out. >>

1 hour ago, Vezok's Friend said:

IC: [Nixie, Vhisola & Co. - The Taku]

“Where are we going anyway?”

1 hour ago, Tarn said:

IC: Rose (MC) - The Taku

Rose grunted to Vhisola in a way that sounded like "I don't know." She looked to Arnex, who also didn't know.

"Good question, Vhisola..." Arnex replied. The Onu-Matoran pressed the button to transmit again. "Hey Berys, one more thing, where are we going exactly?"

<< The volcano, that's where those giant monsters are coming from, >> the speaker outputted.

"Ah.... right.... thanks," Arnex responded with a gulp. Once she stopped transmitting she looked over her shoulder at Rose. "Might get that action after all..."

IC: Berys, Tobduk-Koro, The Taku, Bridge

Berys continued to check his systems, listening in on the bridge's conversation now that his call with Arnex was over. He sipped his coffee and swiveled his chair so he faced Triage and Vashni.

"Sounds scary..."

IC: Knichou, Metru-Koro Ruins

Knichou chuckled as Aurax sped off before he could solve the Su-Toa's speed problem with a new creation. He thought about plans for the future as Nale conversed with the Barraki's minion. There was a lot to do...

1 hour ago, Snelly said:

IC: Varian - Metru-Koro Ruins -

"I shall join you as well." The exo-toa said as he came up from behind them.

"Great, Exo-Toa Unit," Knichou said to the machine. He stopped Nale's shoulder massage to turn to face it. The commander pointed to Aurax's airship "Go ahead and board, then await further orders."

Knichou turned back to Saybo, crossing his arms.

"Go ahead and get her started up, we'll be there in a moment."

Edited June 23, 2021 by BULiK

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra Daring - The Past - In Airship above ??? island -

I sharpened my blade with a stone as we all sat around the command room. I'd finally done it, I'd successfully survived Brutaka's brutal training and now I was on my first real mission. I wasn't alone of course, we were a team of Toa that had been formed specifically for this mission. 

A few of the other Toa I was familiar with. Tillian, Toa of Gravity and surf rat, had quickly become my rival for the affection of Liara, a fellow Toa of Air. It was a totally friendly rival, well mostly. Then there was Havon, Toa of fire. Not gonna lie, the guy was kind of an idiot, I was pretty sure he was gonna be the first to die, but we got along well. Then there were two senior Toa, Bruntoa, Toa of Earth, and Klane, Toa of Plasma. 

Klane was in charge of the operation. Brutaka had used his mask of dimensional bull#### and sent our small airship above an island that was critical to the League’s supply chain. It was a pretty straightforward operation, we were going to wipe out everything on the island, scorched earth. 

“Hey, you’re not nervous are you Skyra? Your hands are shaking.” Tillian pointed out, in front of everyone! 

“Of course I’m not nervous! I’m just excited, that's all!” Okay so I was thinking about how up till now I’d never killed anyone before, and that there was no way I wouldn’t be killing someone once we started this. I understood that the no killing rule for Toa had an exception when fighting the League, but it still unsettled me a bit. 

“Sureeeee, whatever you say buddy.” Tillian said while grinning stupidly. 

“#### you!” 

I let out a squeak and Tillian did something similar as Liara hit both of us on the top of our heads. “Will you two stop bickering?” 

“Man, I wish I was those two…” Havon added, what the heck dude?

“That’s enough..” Klane spoke up and we all became silent. “I know for the four of you this is your first mission, so it’s natural to be getting the shakes. But get that out of your system now, we’ll be launching in five, get in your Toa canisters.” 

We all scrambled into our canisters, preparing to be launched into the island. I made sure I had my kaitas and Midak Skyblaster of course. During training I’d scored so well with target practice they gave me the Skyblaster, so that was sweet. 

I felt that rush of adrenaline as the canisters launched out of the airship. The canisters protected us from a lot of the turbulence and rough landing but you’d still feel quite a bit. I was admittedly anxious still, but this mission was gonna be fairly easy and straightforward. This island wasn’t well guarded, as the League didn’t think we’d ever be able to strike so deep in their territory unnoticed. 

When my canister landed and the lid popped open I climbed out to see Havon getting decapitated by a Skadki of Plasma. I couldn’t even so much as cry out for my friend as my instincts kicked in and I shot the Skadki in the face with my Midak Skyblaster, killing him instantly. That was the moment my innocence ended. 

I dove behind my canister for cover as other League soldiers took notice of me and started firing. What the #### was going on here!? How did they know we were coming? 

It wasn’t long before I got answers, but they weren’t what I wanted. Nearby I saw Brutoa and Klane pinned down behind another canister. But then something happened that made my heart stop. Brutoa stabbed Klane through his heartlight. 

Klane gasped as blood spilled from his mouth. “B-Brother...why?” 

Before the Toa of Plasma’s eyes Brutoa grinned as his form shifted into that of a male Vortixx, wearing a Mahiki on his face. “For the League.” Klane slid off his blade and slumped onto the ground, never to move again. 

Now it all made sense, we had a spy in our midst. He’d managed to pose as a veteran Toa and lead us into a trap. Of course I was too shocked to really think much about that, too much was happening and I couldn’t think straight. I just stared at him, feeling betrayal and rage. 

The Vortixx turned to me, still grinning as he revealed a Rhotuka launcher on his other arm, he fired it. I barely dodged it, but where it hit the ground instantly was covered in acid. He was already charging another shot.

“I’ve only known you for a short time Skyra...but I’ll be glad to silence that incessant mouth of yours!” He was closer now, the chances of being able to dodge him were pretty much impossible. I raised my Midak in order to fire but I was sure that he would be quicker. 

The Rhotuka never hit me though, as a familiar Toa of Gravity on a surfboard flew in between us and took the full hit in the chest. My Midak still fired after, hitting the Vortixx in the chest and sending him flying backwards. 

“Tillian!” I ran over to him as he lay on the ground, covered in nasty burns from the acid...it...it was eating away at him, I couldn’t even touch him. “Why did you do that!?” 

“L-Listen Skyra…” Tillian placed a hand that wasn’t covered in acid on my shoulder, I held his hand with my own. “...I’ve always liked you...even though I knew you were into Liara...I started gunning for her to get your attention...sorry about that…” He winced. 

“What the ####!? You can’t say something like that right now! This...this is serious! You’re dying!” I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but tears were all over my face. 

“Skyra…” His voice sounded awful, it was hard to hear it. “...I need you to do something for me…”

“S-Sure...fine, what is it?” 

“Survive this...survive this war...for everyone that fell here today...do whatever you have to, but just survive. And don’t forget to keep...smiling...” His eyes closed their last. 

Something in me changed that day, I’m not sure how to describe it. But after that the tears stopped, I picked up Tillian’s Cordak Blaster and became something I wasn’t before. 

The remaining League soldiers were near, but they weren’t aware I was still alive, there was smoke everywhere and it was night, I could use that to my advantage. The mission was a failure, the only thing I could do was survive now. Everyone else was dead save perhaps Liara, but I had not seen her so I feared the worst, all the canisters seemed to be accounted for...some were being blasted till they were slag. 

I couldn’t worry about Liara right now, right now I needed to figure out a way to not die. The original plan had been to retreat after the mission was complete to the southern end of the island where a small fishing boat would pick us up and let us slip away, but I had to assume that the Vortixx had informed the League of that as well. 

Well #### it! There was only one way this was going to end. I wasn’t someone who was good with being quiet, so I started with some noise. I unloaded the Cordak Blaster into what looked like a small cluster of League Soldiers, using the explosions and chaos to slip around their flank, the smoke was thinner over there, so I used my elemental power to blow it into their faces as I started to fire my Midak Skyblaster at them. They went down before they could even figure out where I was. Luck was on my side that night. 

Not wanting to stay in one place too long, I ran into the nearby woods. I could hear shouting behind me, obviously my commotion had most likely attracted all the remaining League soldiers towards me. I...didn’t really have a plan at all at this point. 

Then I fell into a hole. You might think that was clumsy of me, but when you’re being chased by a literal army through some woods and it’s dark it can happen okay? It was actually a real stroke of luck, the hole was deep enough that it kept me hidden from the League, they all ran right past me. 

Oh yeah, and Liara was there too. I almost screamed out her name but she had already covered my mouth before I could. She’d always been good at finding hiding places when Brutaka tried to find us for...stuff we did. 

Once the coast was clear Liara uncovered my mouth. “Liara! You’re not dead like everyone else!” I was happy that at least someone else survived.

“A-About that…” Liara’s voice sounded pained, my stomach dropped as I looked down to see...that was a lot of blood. 

“Oh ####...” That was all I could say, Liara put her hand on my shoulder, why was everyone doing that today!? 

“Skyra...you need to leave me behind. I won’t survive anyway, you have to tell everyone wh-”

“Yeah no, I’m not leaving you behind! How can you ask me to do that!?” 

Liara smiled sadly, “Yeah...you’re right…” I felt a prick go into my neck, I started to feel drowsy. “L-Liara...no...don’t…” I was quickly losing consciousness. 

“I’d ask for your forgiveness Skyra...but I won’t be around to hear it anyway…” Liara said. “I’m going to lead them away from you...you’ll be able to escape when you wake…” That’s all I heard before I passed out. 

Liara’s plan worked, by the time I woke up, neither Liara or the League were anywhere to be found. Soldiers sent by Brutaka eventually came when we didn’t return and found me. After giving my report I was praised for having the cunning and intuition to evade capture and/or death. 

Naturally my reward was to go on even more dangerous missions after that, though I didn’t mind. I had promised to survive, and that was a promise I’d always keep no matter what. 

And to keep smiling of course.

@Unreliable Narrator

Edited June 23, 2021 by Snelly
proof reading + song

[Crimson Jester]

IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula

”Taja?” Korruhn was surprised, in a good way. “You’re alright?! Last I saw, Metru Koro was beset by the ships of the League. It’s been too long; what brings you out here? Who else yet lives?”

OOC: @Eyru

[Tarn]

IC: Triage - The Taku (Bridge)

"Can't be scarier than what we're about to get into it," Triage said. "I get why you want to finish things with Ehlek," he then said to Vashni, "maybe you should go after him. Maybe Knichou and Nale could help, wherever...wherever they went."

IC: Nale Vella - Metru-Koro Ruins ("Datrox Plaza")

"I'm sure Aurax doesn't mind us borrowing his things," she said, smirking. Once Saybo and Varian were aboard, she turned to Knichou. "Shouldn't we be heading out already? Mi-Kiri's not waiting on us."

IC: Rose (MC) - The Taku

"Good. More monsters to shoot at, maybe," Rose said, enthusiastic. There was a twinkle in her optics.

@BULiK@Snelly@Toru Nui@Vezok's Friend

[Eyru]

IC: Axxon, Tuakana | Kini-Nui

Surprised by his blow's lack of effectiveness, Axxon was completely unprepared for Exuze's swift counterattack. He took the lesterin's blow full on the chin and stumbled back, spitting out a curse as he did. The sudden movement caused a spike of pain to lance through his lower back, and he had to choke back a grunt of pain. He swung his axe back and planted the blade on the ground to steady himself, then glared at the newcomer. 

"You will pay for that," he hissed through gritted teeth. Swinging his axe up again, he prepared to let it fall again when suddenly—

Everything stopped.

 

OOC: @BULiK @~Xemnas~ @Smudge8

 

 

IC: Taja | Kumu Peninsula

"Who else lives?" Taja repeated incredulously. "Korruhn... we all thought you were dead! After the attack on Metru Koro, we moved the city to a valley in the centre of the island, and—"

She stopped and shook her head. "No. I'm sorry, but we don't have time to go over everything. Listen— Whisper tells me you have a Makoki Stone. It might be our only chance at saving everyone. We need to get it back to the Kini-Nui."

 

OOC: @Crimson Jester @Gecko Greavesy

[Nato G]

IC: Sidra/Whisper - Kumu Peninsula

"I did tell you there were survivors in Kini-Nui," Whisper grumbled.

"Nuju sent me out here for the same reason," Sidra spoke up, tearing her gaze away from the strange insect Aspect to focus on the newly-arrived Toa, "Although I was actually looking for Stannis. He has one of the Stones as well, but decided to run off with it instead of putting it with the one already in Kini-Nui." 

@Eyru @Crimson Jester

[Snelly]

C: Vashni - The Taku (Bridge)

"Well, whenever we get into contact with them again I will ask them."  

OOC: @Tarn @BULiK

IC: Varian - Metru-Koro Ruins -

Varian got on the ship.  

@BULiK @Tarn @~Xemnas~

[Crimson Jester]

IC: Korruhn

The Toa was stunned at the revelation. He couldn’t believe it. He had a million questions, but no time now.

”I had an encounter with a Titan, Axonn. We defeated him, but I ended up halfway across the island. Long story. In the meantime, I have a stop to make. Where is Leklo? We need to find him on the way back.”

OOC: @Gecko Greavesy @Eyru

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Forgemaster Viltia NUVA - Toa NUVA of the Green

Location - Kini-Nui Valley, Twekohui’s Empty Bunker

With - Zataka, Muaka NUVA Proxima

 

A visible change came over Viltia. She was less casual, standing straighter. Her tethers stopped their flowing motions, most of them shortening in preparation for the work her arms would normally be doing at a regular forge. When she spoke, her voice had conviction and drive.

Viltia reached around her back, pulling out her Mask of Rahi Control. She swapped it out for a Mask of Growth in the Air Suva. With the warping of space, the mask changed in her hand. She held it out to her Muaka and gave him a mental command. His massive jaw came down on the mask. Once. Twice. Thrice.

She pulled the Kanohi away and set it into a wooden bowl that formed below it, a table forming below that to hold both up. Viltia pulled out a hammer from her sack that had been slung over her shoulder. She struck swiftly and with precision. The mask, which had been cracked and mauled, broke into many pieces with horrible crunching noises accompanying the actions.

Viltia held up the bowl, “Okay, so as an example, this is your broken mask. It’s destroyed beyond normal repair. I place it into the Air Suva’s forging space…” The contents of the bowl suddenly disappeared, mentally taken from the space they had been residing in, “...and try to piece it back together.”

She mentally worked at the Suva’s forge, heating and merging the pieces back the way they had been. When she was finished, the Kanohi was output into her hand. She held it up for Zataka to see. The Mask of Growth seemed thin in spots and had very obvious spiderweb cracks that had been fused back together. It did, however, have that silvery sheen that showed that it held power.

“Now, this would be around the best patch job I could do. The power would work for a short time.” Viltia took the mask in both hands and twisted hard. It broke easily. “But as you can see, structurally it is weak. And since it sounds like your mask is a Legendary type mask, the power might not be able to be contained when used, potentially harming the wearer.”

Viltia held up a finger as the mask pieces disappeared again, “Instead, what we need to do is melt it all down back into its base form of molten protodermis.” In the Air Suva’s forging space, the mask pieces melted down. Viltia made sure everything was evenly dispersed and pure and then morphed it straight into mask form, just as it had been. The mask reappeared in her hands, perfectly whole once more, “And then I just form it into a Kanohi again. If we were using a normal forge, first I would forge it into a Kanoka and work from there. But thankfully we can skip that step.”

She swapped out the Mask of Growth for her Mask of Rahi Control, putting it back in its pouch. “The only complication sounds like it's going to be the sheer power of the mask. Each Great Disc I made took weeks of learning with a normal forge. There might be a major learning curve with this Kanohi that I’ll need to overcome. Or maybe not, the Air Suva’s forging space takes care of most forging problems that would occur.

“Either way, I’m sure that I can help you out.”

 

OOC: @Vezok's Friend

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Kumu Peninsula

"That sounds like Stannis," Taja replied to Sidra. "He seems to have a habit of doing whatever he wants."

Korruhn's next statement took her by surprise. Leklo was alive too? Taja had more questions than she knew what to do with, and she was sure Korruhn did too. But they couldn't afford to ask them.

"There's no time," she said, shaking her head sadly. "We need to go now, Korruhn, or that last stop might just be the end of everything as we know it."

 

OOC: @Crimson Jester @Gecko Greavesy

[Nato G]

IC: Sidra - Kumu Peninsula 

The urgency in the Toa's voice took Sidra by surprise. With only half of the Makoki Stones accounted for, she'd thought - or at least hoped - there was more time. But it sounded like things were more dire than she'd realised. 

"Or, if you're done insisting on being selfish," Sidra said, recalling Korruhn's earlier request, "One of us can take teleport your Stone back to Kini-Nui right now, while you go off and do... whatever it is you're wanting to do, in your own time." 

@Crimson Jester @Eyru

[Crimson Jester]

IC: Korruhn

”I understand the urgency, Taja. I want to end this; and I also wish to record this so that our descendants don’t walk through this same blindness. My last task is short, and of utmost urgency if we are to understand why this happened, and has continued to do so.”

Korruhn shot a glance at Sidra. The Dark Hunter that exacerbated this entire ending, stole from him, and surely worse, was calling him selfish. Rich. In these dire times, Sidra showed she had truly not changed a bit. “Us? US?! Ha! Since when are you one of us, Dark Hunter! You may be one of someone, Sidra, but you’re nothing I’m associated with, and nor will I leave you in charge of anything in regards to the future of the Matoran people.”

OOC: @Gecko Greavesy @Eyru

[Smudge8]

IC: Mazor-Kini-Nui

Mazor glared at Exuse, "It doesn't matter who started it." He took a deep breath, trying to get the frustration out of his body. He gestured at Tuyet and Axon. "Look, these two were the main ones arguing, and they are frozen now. We can just leave. We have better things we could do than fight amongst ourselves."

@BULiK @~Xemnas~

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Atamai: Kini-Nui

Atamai walked over to the frozen-in-stasis Tuyet and gently moved her a little closer to Axonn. He reached over and moved her arm so that her hand was grabbing Axonn’s arm. 

“There, that should make it easier for you when the stasis ends,” Atamai said. 

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @Eyru And everyone else

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Niidak (Tobduk-Koro/The Taku)

She stayed for a little while to listen to the conversation between the two Matoran, as she also wanted to know where they were going in such a hurry. When she heard that they were headed inside the volcano which apparently was the nest of the giant monsters, she simply sighed. The ship would probably get damaged again and she’d have to end up helping with the repairs, if they’d even make out of it alive. All of a sudden being a crew member on a combat vessel seemed like a foolish idea.

She didn’t particularly care about her destiny however, so she simply accepted it. Dying in a volcano or a monster attack seemed preferable to being killed by Untethered, anyways. On the bright side of things, the ship was a lot emptier now, so she quickly claimed a free seat. Even though she wasn’t sitting on the floor this time, she still used her pillow. It was proving to be quite comfortable.

[Nato G]

IC: Sidra - Kumu Peninsula

"You need to pull your head out of your past and focus on the present," Sidra snapped. She'd accepted Korruhn's multitude of justified reasons for being hostile towards her and been ready to let this go, to move on and focus on finding Stannis, but it seemed like Korruhn was just as keen to dismiss one of his own kind as he was to dismiss Sidra. Whatever it was he wanted to do couldn't possibly be more important than stopping the end of reality itself. 

Sidra had learned from her mistake, tormented and tortured herself over it time after time, and she was still trying to make amends to this day. But even with a clear example of what not to do, and the benefit of hindsight to draw from, Korruhn was still making a conscious choice to make the same mistakes, out of spite.

And Sidra really wasn't in the mood to put up with it. 

"Since it sounds like you've been out of the loop for a while, I'll make it simple: there is no us and them anymore. Order of Mata Nui, League of Six Kingdoms, Dark Hunters... none of it exists. It doesn't matter that your species enslaved others, or that the Barraki trashed your city in retaliation, or that the Dark Hunters worked for both sides. The only thing that should matter to anyone right now is the thousand-or-so of us who are still karzing alive."

She took a moment to calm herself before continuing, "I get why you hate me. I hate me too, sometimes. But speaking as the resident screw-up who let her stupid selfishness sabotage someone's plans to repair the universe, trust me when I say it's not worth being on the wrong side of that fight. So for the sake of saving all of those people you claim to still give a karz about, please let us take the Stone to Kini-Nui now... while there's still time." 

@Crimson Jester @Eyru

Edited June 23, 2021 by Gecko Greavesy

[Crimson Jester]

IC: Korruhn

The anger seethed from Sidra’s voice; Korruhn thoroughly enjoyed it. She had sought to end his world, and succeeded. She sought the power of his people, and acquired it. And yet, she was still as helpless as she had always been. 

“It really is a shame that you had to burn so many bridges between us before coming to ask for my help; it most certainly colours my decisions.

I see what you’re up to, Sidra. You seen atonement, you seek acceptance. You are the one who will gain the most from this, won’t you? The Matoran world destroyed, factions crumbled, cultures annihilated into an unidentifiable mess. You get a home, a world that has forgotten your crimes, and I’m sure are one of the most powerful beings on this plane. To me, that’s not a scenario I strive for.

So, Sidra Nuva. If you truly have changed, then you will understand, and allow me to complete my task, and trust that I will get the stone to its rightful place. In the meantime, don’t you have more to find, anyway?”

OOC: @Gecko Greavesy @Eyru

[BULiK]

44 minutes ago, Tarn said:

IC: Rose (MC) - The Taku

"Good. More monsters to shoot at, maybe," Rose said, enthusiastic. There was a twinkle in her optics.

IC: Arnex, Tobduk-Koro, The Taku, Entrance Ramp

"We'd need a bigger gun..." Arnex mourned. But how could they make a newer weapon that could hurt riteborn if Knichou was go-

"Say... do you think you can try to, uh, 'unlock' the suitcase of dirty EP zamors Knichou has the armory?"

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Saybo: Airship

Saybo hopped into the pilot’s chair and turned the engines on. The ship roared to life. He grabbed the intercom and called out to the two Toa outside. 

“Are you going to get on?”

OOC: @BULiK @Tarn

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Kumu Peninsula 

Taja was surprised by the venom in Korruhn's voice. Then she clenched her jaw in frustration. She knew the other Toa was no fan of Sidra (she wasn't exactly the ex-dark hunter's cheerleader, either), but was Korruhn really willing to doom the world for the sake of his pride? To let everything collapse just so Sidra could lose everything? Sidra wasn't the only one with something to lose here. If Nuju was right, then everyone's lives were at stake. Would he really spit in all their faces just to "own" Sidra?

It was a depressing thought, but as Taja looked closer, she wondered if she had a clue as to where it was coming from. That rancor, that bitterness... she had felt those same emotions jostling for position in her own mind lately. Perhaps the result of her transformation --maybe Stannis had more accurately described the influence of shadow than she'd like to admit-- or perhaps for another reason altogether. Maybe Korruhn was feeling the same way, and maybe he was farther along than she realized.

"Korruhn," she ventured, cutting off any chance of Sidra replying and further escalating the situation. "Forget Sidra. Look at me. I've lost as much as you have. We lost our whole world, and all we gained was responsibility. I know how heavy it is. The burden of being a toa...  of trying to follow the rules of a universe that doesn't exist anymore... it's not easy, and it's not fair. But we were chosen for a reason. Something bigger than all of us brought us to Dume's office that day. Call it destiny, call it fate... I'm not even sure what I think it was anymore. But it was something. You became my brother that day, and hopefully you feel the same way."

She extended a hand. "So, for the sake of that bond. For Dume's sake. From one Toa to another. Help me save our people."

 

OOC: @Crimson Jester @Gecko Greavesy

[Nato G]

IC: Sidra - Kumu Peninsula

With her opportunity to retort cut off by the other Toa's timely interjection, Sidra simmered in stilted silence, waiting to see how Korruhn reacted... and preparing to take more forceful measures if that answer wasn't satisfactory. 

@Crimson Jester @Eyru

[EmperorWhenua]

OOC | Chronology is weird and Old Man Stan has a pretty wide quick-travel network. Done with CJ's ok.

IC Stannis | Kumu, again

Korruhn's shadow bled into the ground and intermingled with the darkness of the forbidden jungle of the Kumu temple complex, and with the subtlety of a whisper gently spoken in the quiet of a forest the Wanderer materialized at the far corner of the dark toa's penumbra an instant before the gauntlets had been gathered up in preparation to be thrown, and he took a steady step forward to reveal his presence to the others when Taja spoke her words. He stood in stark contrast to the world around him, and yet also completely enmeshed in it as though it he belonged in the liminal spaces nestled in dichotomy; the darkness blended with his greys and the occult lamplight with his browns, harmonizing just the same with the one man at the crux of it all. 

Gone was his great grey cape that Taja and Sidra were familiar with, the garment that covered his whole body and shared only his damnably grey eyes. Those silver eyes peered back with a pained expression as he fidgeted at a box at his side, jostling under the elegant cape that replaced his cloak. "Saving everyone... is my speciality, Sister Taja. Let me show you, and I promise... this will hurt you only... half as much as it will me."

He donned the Mask of Light, and all Understanding washed on those assembled. 

 

@Gecko Greavesy @Eyru @Crimson Jester

Edited June 23, 2021 by EmperorWhenua

[BULiK]

4 hours ago, Tarn said:

IC: Nale Vella - Metru-Koro Ruins ("Datrox Plaza")

"I'm sure Aurax doesn't mind us borrowing his things," she said, smirking. Once Saybo and Varian were aboard, she turned to Knichou. "Shouldn't we be heading out already? Mi-Kiri's not waiting on us."

IC: Knichou, Metru-Koro Ruins, Datrox Plaza

"Actually, Mi-Kiri might be waiting for us... and that's why there's one thing I should do before we leave," Knichou responded. "The island's disappearing, the universe is ending... we'll never be back in Metru-Koro."

"But that doesn't mean it all has to be gone..."

He reached an arm out towards Datrox's cenotaph. The iron fingers of the Ta-Toa's statue curled out of the way and the Obsidian Blade flew out into Knichou's grasp with frightening speed. The Fe-Toa took hold of the massive sword, one hand on the hilt, the other the blade, and smashed it over his knee. With the assistance of his powers over iron, the force was enough to snap the oversized protosteel blade off, which his other hand absorbed. In his right hand was left the precision-engineered grip of the weapon. This was what he wanted.

"We go up there to fight Ehlek, we're undoubtedly walking into a trap," he began, inspecting what was left of Datrox Karvan's signature weapon, twirling it in an imaginary slash to get a feel for what he was working with. "And we're probably going to be in close quarters..."

"I need to be prepared for anything, and while my armor is, my weapons, however, are not."

Knichou pointed his open left palm at the hilt of the bladeless weapon. His Kanohi began to glow.

"Not yet."

A stream of nanites, blacker than night, spewed forth from his armor and into the space where the blade should be. The mist of particles coalesced into a fog and then a jelly, before crystalizing like snow and compacting into icelike crystals. The entire blackened blade rippled when it was fully formed, the wave washing over the surface and perfectly aligning the molecular structure into a self-correcting, molecularly sharp blade. Not even actual obsidian was this sharp, and yet the re-forged Obsidian Blade had the strength of the finest protosteel like its progenitor.

The commander panted from the exertion of using both of his powers at once at such a level of precision, and slowly rotated the sword slightly to inspect it's flawless surface and feel it's auto-calibrating, perfect balance. The blade was shaped like a simple rectangle - almost like it was an ingot that had been elongated, or a sheet of metal that had yet to be machined. Its surface was eerily black, as if nearly all light that reached the weapon was absorbed. On the edges of the blade, the sword was slightly lighter, to help the wielder understand it's outline instead of seeing the shapeless black mass. The only other thing made visible by this outlining were five matoran letters embossed on each side of the blade:  - a throwback.

Knichou held the sword in one hand and did a practice slice. The blade transformed mid-stroke, forming the hardened edge of a katana that whizzed through the air in front of him. He then lunged forwards with a stab, and the Obsidian Blade sharpened to the precise, armor piercing point of a rapier. Knichou's left hand joined his right to tighten his grip as he pulled the hilt upwards in a diagonal block, and the blade widened to offer better protection. Both hands still on the hilt, Knichou raised the sword over his shoulders in a powerful strike, and the massive claymore formed similarly to Datrox's original weapon, ready to strike with intense force. Knichou twirled the Obsidian Blade in one hand, admiring its perfect balance, and it took the shape of a crystalline flamberge he had seen once before in a dream of Legend.

The adaptive weapon shifted it's shape to suit its user's needs with every blow, forming the best tool for each particular action. It was a sword that was a jack of all trades, master of all. The self-correcting nanite blade filtered the noise of Knichou's movements and shaped itself to the historical blade that was a perfect marriage with the intent of the strike he was about to make. It was lightweight and yet had heft, and this nimble nature combined with it's computational foresight of adapting to commander's own thrusts and parries made it exceptionally easy to use. Every swing calibrated the weapon further, increasing Knichou's familiarity with it and its familiarity with Knichou. Even a novice swordsman like Knichou was a formidable threat with such a weapon.

Finished inspecting his work, Knichou steadied his new weapon, with it returning to it's original blocky shape, and then commanded it to stow itself. Nanites retreated into the hilt and into his own adaptive armor until just the hilt remained, which he placed near the waistline on his adaptive armor.

While the former Ghost foresaw that he would summon many weapons in the coming battle, if this was the last weapon he ever designed, he would be satisfied. The Obsidian Blade was reforged from the supermaterial that powered the universe, it was the culmination of every technology the Ghosts had developed into an elegantly simple but impossibly deadly weapon that would be a force to reckon with in any age. With the metaphysical conundrum of its Theseus-like history and the advanced technology that made its operation indistinguishable from magic, the Obsidian Blade was truly one of a kind.

"Now we can go," the commander said, boarding Aurax's airship with haste.

Edited June 23, 2021 by BULiK

[EmperorWhenua]

IC Yumiwak | Tactical Panda II

I heard what happened to Opal. 

What a shame.

So I chose judiciously not to send Marrow—loyal to the cause of anguish and revenge as he was—to take a swim as well and risk destruction. I had the opportunity to mold the world as I needed it to be and bring things back to the verdant history I so longed to see again and I wasn't going to take reckless chances anymore, so the mental command I gave was for the dragons specifically.

[Korio. Zai.]

[See the head in the sea? Immolate it.]

[Render the Matoran g*d to ash. But do not touch the water.]

 

IC Zai | The sky

I hissed in understanding. My Mistress gave her bidding. 

I see a head. It is ahead. 

I urge myself to propel through the air and slice through its emptiness of the heavens like a knife. What's a knife? I do not know. I only know what I am and what I must do. I hiss, for they are all the words I can speak. Hatred, vitriol, passion, agreement—they are all one word: Hiss. 

'Hiss,' will be said in history. 

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Kas, Ignika, Turaga Lhikan, et al | Mi-Kiri, Elemental Temple of Light
Two teleported across the space between and grasped the mask of life as he fell towards the water in the pool below. The golden beam of light faltered as the thin wires connecting to the mask pulled taught then snapped like rubber bands. The lights in the room went out. The pool of water beneath where the mask once floated came up to Two’s chest as his body fell. The water felt saturated with the regenerative properties of the mask of life, and yet a painful cold crept through the rahkshi’s armor and seeped into Sorilax’s gaseous being. 

“W-wait—” shouted Mahrika as she scrambled forwards, but Kas dove after her. He threw himself bodily towards her, desperate to drag her to the ground and pull her back. She didn’t need to suffer, he realized after Sorilax freed him She didn’t deserve it. She’d suffered enough already from the lies of aspects, even though Kas barely knew the half of what truly happened in her past.

“Don’t,” he shouted as he tried to grab her by the leg, by the foot, by anything at all. “Let him go.”

Two placed the kanohi against his faceplate. Sorilax looked through his rahkshi’s eyes and saw the following written across the interior of the Ignika in a glowing matoran script:

 

Your life is forfeit

A greater cause commands

But why waste your life

When I have a sculptor’s hands

 

When heartlights stop

And souls are cast astray

Look to the stars above

And the dawn of a new age

Only those found worthy

Who burn bright, and hot, and fast

Shall have a hero’s welcome

When they don this mask

 

Those who would seek justice

Will find nothing to their joy

And those who seek their selfish ends

Will become my newfound toys

 

For curses I am keen to place

With just a touch you seal your fate

And if my power you cannot face

Your purpose I shall desecrate

 

For all Builders need Destroyers

When all is said and done

For Bone needs Flesh and Souls need Forms

And I am all in one

 

Along with this poem were many instructions, and Sorilax consumed this sacred knowledge in but a moment of thought. He realized suddenly the Mask of Life spoke truly from its perspective: life and death were entwined. For it was made of two such masks. One of Life Creation, and another of Death. Forged together they were the Ignika. Sorilax knew it was possible to create such a mask, and the poem was the key!
A wave of energy washed over Two and Sorilax from the Ignika. It bathed them in a violent blast that made the waters around them ripple. Two felt a new hunger: one for kraata. Sorilax felt his gaseous entity suddenly became one with the rahkshi he possessed: he was a prisoner in a cage of his own making. Then the Ignika, the Administrator of the many temples of the Builders, spoke again; 

“I curse you for your actions! You have chosen to pursue a selfish goal. The connection has been severed, and even now the legacy of the Builders crumbles to dust. There is no way to change the course of destiny now. Congratulations: you have chosen the path of death in your pursuit of life. But not your death! You will live through this. You will suffer in bondage with your creation. And your creation will hunger for his kin. You will be a predator, doomed to hunt the lives of others.”

As Ignika's voice increased in volume and command, The waters in the room began to slide towards one end. Kas overshot Mahrika, his body slipping towards the opposite wall. The pull of gravity shifted. Mi-Kiri was beginning to tip

One stared through the doorway and saw an aged turaga of fire surrounded by several of the vahki wearing kanohi mask necklaces. More of the dark cables extended from the turaga’s head and neck and slithered away into the darkness of the hallway. The turaga raised a hand, and in it was a mote of flame.

“Hello,” said the turaga; “I am MI-8811-04 of the Barraki Empire, and unfortunately I have been sent to entertain you. However, it seems you are occupied with entertainment of your own making. Vahki, the door please.

The vahki stepped forward and began to pull the door closed. One knew if the door closed all would be lost.

OOC: Two has been cursed with the following Psychological Flaw: "Kraata Cannibal: this kraata has an insatiable hunger for other kraata and will go to great lengths to consume them". Sorilax has been cursed with the following Physical Flaw: "Fused Form: this aspect's inherent gaseous form is physically fused to the kraata Two's rahkshi armor and is unable to leave." I also believe Sorilax has accomplished a Grand Wish milestone in viewing the inside of the Ignika and learning how to create a Mask of Life Creation. @Kal the Guardian and @Harvali, please know this encounter is still a deadly encounter and is not yet over. The stakes have been raised.

 

IC: Reliable Narrator | Elemental Ruins of Air, Earth, Fire, Ice, Stone, and Water

Anyone who stood within the elemental ruins scattered across the island suddenly found themselves shunted from the space, pushed out as if vomited by an aberrant force. The stones of the ziggurats shook, crumbled, and then exploded with a rain of boulders, dust, and dirt across the surrounding area. The interior spaces bulged, as if someone placed a bomb inside a bowl of Jell-O and then hit it with a bat before the bomb fully ignited. Starlight and darkness flooded the surrounding landscape like illegal fireworks late in the evening of a holiday, crawled up the sides of mountains, and then vanished. 

In the wake of the destruction came calm, then shock, and finally panic as to the source of the destruction.

Those who lived close to elemental temples would swear they heard the faintest words of thanks on the wind, and that their dreams became wild and full of strange ideas.

 

IC: Reliable Narrator | Suvas of Air, Earth, Fire, Ice, Stone, and Water

The suvas powered down as the connection to the servers in Mi-Kiri ended, locking away what treasures were stored within them and notifying those within range with an error message about sudden power loss. Those who lived near a suva swore they heard the faintest words of thanks on the wind, and that their dreams became wild and full of strange ideas.

IC: Reliable Narrator | Below Mi-Kiri
As the Kaita Acr hurtled towards the floating objects in the sky, the pilots of the divine machine noticed something strange: the larger sphere began to tilt and get even larger as they flew towards it. Or rather, the rate at which it was getting larger indicated it was falling towards them at around the rate they were flying towards it. A collision was imminent. The smaller object, some form of floating fortress built from a mushroom-shaped vahki hive, remained aloft.

Edited June 23, 2021 by Unreliable Narrator

[Vezok's Friend]

IC: Great Spirit Head

As the monsters circled high above it, they found the disembodied head suddenly staring up at them out of the corner of one massive, dead eye.

Despite the crumbling structure of what remained of the Metru protruding from the cavity, some sort of animus made itself known, as an eerie glow began to shine somewhere deep within the otherwise hollow eye.

The lids widened, causing debris to fall like tears turned to dust and the malicious iris rolled in its socket as it scanned sky above, fixating on the two dragons with its unsettling glare. 
 

OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Tarn

[pokemonlover360]

IC Kilo-M9 NUVA - Patiwairutiki's cockpit - The Wild Blue Yonder:

Proximity alert.

Performing evasive maneuvers.

“Lateral gale!” said the machine, focusing on the air around Patiwairutiki. The atmosphere around answered the call, though the crosswind that arrived was a bit less gentle than the earlier corrective gusts. The two pilots were rattled about as the sudden force began to curve their trajectory. In the nick of time their redirected ascent carried them past the now falling aqua sphere, giving the duo a chance to view the buildings within.

“This unit is 100% certain that neither this unit nor Ally Jutori is responsible for that. There is nothing that can be done to slow the sphere’s descent. For now, the target is the floating fortress. This unit is sharing a plan of attack.”

Using the shared mental link, a diagram would appear before Jutori’s mind’s eye depicting a super-deformed image of the Kaita ACR raising past the floating fortress before arcing back down on top of it. As the chibi mech prepared to land on the fortress it drew its claymore and plunged the blade into the center of the structure. A point early on the illustrated flight path was marked, “restore gravity here.”

“Patiwairutiki will reach the target in approximately 20 seconds. Please be ready to restore gravity. Alternatively, there are approximately 20 seconds for alternate proposals if Ally Jutori has any.”

OOC: @Tarn@Unreliable Narrator

[Nato G]

IC: Xaril – The Far Shore

 

Home

Blinding brightness gave way to murky mist as Xaril stumbled through the portal. Green grass was replaced with scuffed stone midstep. The vibrant valley was gone, replaced by a rocky ravine that rose up on either side of him, thin ribbons of wilting weed clinging to its craggy clefts.

He wasn’t especially surprised by the change of scenery. He understood how portals worked, after all. It hadn’t been so long ago that he’d passed through the Barraki’s portal into Metru Nui… though at the same time it felt like forever ago. What did surprise him was the profound absence of any one or thing else nearby. Where was the Bohrok he’d followed? Where was… wait… No.

He knew this place.

He’d played in this canyon as a child, clambering around and causing chaos with his friends. He knew every curve and crevice and contour in these rocks, and the memories came flooding back as he took in the familiar terrain. He broke into a run, following in the footsteps his younger self had once frolicked. He knew that if he followed the ravine east, he’d…

You don’t belong here anymore.

You did this, you monster.

You don’t deserve this.

…be home.

The mist still hung heavy, reducing visibility to just a dozen or so bio in any direction, but Xaril recognised his surroundings immediately. The layout was burned into his brain, as were the images of what had transpired here that dreaded day.

He was back in the town square, the marketplace… the site of the final massacre.

It was exactly as he remembered it. Exactly.

The withered remains of his kin still littered the streets, desiccated and drained, their broken blades and fragmented firearms strewn around them. Scorch marks and bloodstains marred the stone structures and scattered shanties that were still standing. The sight of it all, so viciously visceral, so irrevocably real, brought a bounty of bitter, long-buried memories bubbling to the surface.  

He remembered the drought and despair and desperation. He remembered the blood and bile and brutality. He remembered the furtive fear and frenzied fury. He remembered the savagery and sorrow. And he remembered sobbing silently in this very square when the bloodlust had abated and he’d found himself the last one standing.

The only one still standing.

Nothing stirred as he strode through the desolate scene. Nothing, save for the fog, and the ghosts he always carried with him. Their whispers and pleas grew more feverish the further he walked, the phantoms of those he’d slain in this place becoming the most vicious and vivid.  

This is madness!

We don’t all have to die.

Just put down the gun, please!

Why are you more deserving to live than the rest of us?

A faint tremor rumbled through the rock underfoot as Xaril left the settlement behind and ascended the uneven steps leading up to the coarse cliff face that overlooked the island. It was the only place on the entire spirits-forsaken island where one could see over the lingering mist. It was here that he’d spent innumerable afternoons and evenings staring out at the sea or stars, dreaming of a life beyond this isolated isle. It was here that he’d taken his very first leap of faith, donning his Kanohi Kadin for the first time.

It was here that he’d meandered in mourning and misery in the aftermath of the massacre, waiting for starvation to claim him, only to instead sight salvation, in the form of the ship that had eventually carried him away to more civilised lands.

He stepped up out of the mist and found himself in a tiny patch of paradise. Tufts of lush life rose up amidst the mossy rocks of the clifftop, the access to sunlight allowing grasses and greenery to take root. Tattered trees trembled in the biting breeze, their minuscule leaves flapping like valiant flags. Tiny insects buzzed amid the branches, while a few small lizards sunned themselves on the stones, scattering as another tremor rattled the rocks.

Xaril ignored the rumbling and sat down on the ledge. The occasional quakes were nothing new to this accursed island, a comforting commonality that had helped lull him to sleep on more than a few childhood nights. Below him, the swirling seas roiled around the ragged rocks and crags of coral exposed by the low tide. It was a sight he’d seen untold times beforehand, and he almost didn’t spare it a second glance, but a strange flicker of brightness caught his eye. Beyond the shimmer of sunlight was another source of light, below the surface. Whatever it was, it was sunk deep, and from his current elevation Xaril couldn’t be quite sure what he was looking at… not that it mattered.

The water was another world, one that he wanted no part of.

The world above was where he belonged.

This place is what you deserve.

This place is where you’ll die.

 

Hope

As the days dragged on, Xaril drifted dazedly between dreams and despair.

For weeks he’d scrounged and scavenged, scouring every surface of the island in search of what scarce scraps of sustenance he could find to sustain himself. The plants atop the plateau had been picked clean within the first week, the last insects leeched of life by the second, and then he’d spent the third week hunting down the reptiles and rodents.

Now there was nothing.

Nothing but him.

It was hard to keep track of how long he’d been here. Harder still to remember where and when he even was. His memories of his life on the island and what he was going through now blended and bled into one another, daydreams seeping into reality. Sometimes he walked alone down the streets, sometimes his phantoms followed him, and sometimes the city was bustling with beings he’d once called his friends and family.

Some days, as he tore at tiny tufts of moss on a mountainside, or clawed at the shore for crustaceans, his desperate thoughts turned to the thought of flying away. He knew it wouldn’t work. He’d tried it before, the last time he’d been stranded here. This island was too isolated, too distant, he’d blacked out and almost drowned on more than one occasion in the past while pushing himself to fly away.

He didn’t even know what direction the nearest landmass was in.

It was hopeless. It always had been.

Now you remember how it feels.

This is where you belong.

Here. With us.

In death.

Day after day Xaril wandered the rocks and ruins, navigating the tremors and terrain, and the torments conjured by his own mind. A lesser being would have given in to depression and despair long ago, but Xaril had lived too long to let himself simply surrender. He wasn’t hoping for a miracle, didn’t expect to be rescued, but after eons of existence, endurance was all he knew. After all that he’d done, all that he’d survived, there had to be a purpose, a point to it all.

He wished that were true, but he knew it wasn’t.

He’d wandered the world for millenia, and until the day he’d seen the severed skull of the Great Spirit for himself, he had never once been given reason to believe there was a higher power or grand plan. The Great Spirit may have been real in the physical sense, but his only presence in the universe had been through melancholy and misjustice, rampant chaos and random cruelty.

As yet another day drew to a close, Xaril flew out of the fog and up to the clifftop, where he collapsed against the tattered trunk of a tree he’d drained weeks earlier. He didn’t feel comfortable sleeping down in the village, not even in what had once been his home. A threadbare blanket and a growing bed of shed bark and browning leaves were comfort enough for him.

It reminded him of the hard marches and long campaigns under the League, of setting up camp in the wilderness and ruins, drifting off to sleep under a sea of stars. He’d had direction back then, a purpose both simple and meaningful. He’d served under leadership whose motives and intentions he could understand and respect. He missed those days, more than he’d expected.

Afternoon faded into evening, and Xaril lay back, staring up at the distant stars. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky to obscure his view this night. The stars, he’d noticed, were the only things out of place in this world. The colours and constellations were different from those he’d looked up at as a child, different to those he’d seen through the eyeholes of Metru Nui. And each night, there seemed to be fewer of them.

He wondered what would lose the last of its light first: the night sky, or his own heartlight.

As if in answer to his question, a sound like a thundercrack struck the island, as a colossal quake rocked it to its core. A great chunk of the cliffside sloughed away, and Xaril found himself floundering in freefall before he found the focus to activate his Kanohi and fly back up to semi-stable ground. He’d barely found his footing before yet another seism shattered his surroundings.

He activated his Kanohi again and soared in a high circle over the island, watching as it crumbled apart and cascaded into the sea. Piece by piece, the place he called home was unmade, chunks of rock churning the fog and crushing his childhood. Gigantic waves battered the island, rising so high that when they broke, their waters flooded the streets of the empty village below. Unbidden, a single tear crept from the corner of Xaril eye, and as he turned his head and raised his hand to swipe it away, he spotted a lilting flicker of light in his periphery.

He turned fully towards it, and stared in disbelief. He blinked, shook his head, pinched himself, before finally deciding that what he was seeing wasn’t a hallucination or hazy memory intruding on his perception. It was real.

It was a boat.

With the same rash thoughtlessness that had brought him to this horrible mockery of a world in the first place, Xaril sped towards the vessel, stumbling from the uneven landing on the shifting deck. Unlike the miniscule exploratory boat that had saved him the first time, this was a veritable warship, the likes of which he’d once sailed upon in service of the League.

In fact, he realised, this was a ship he’d sailed on before.

He knew those banners.

He knew-

“Ah, Xaril, there you are,” the clicking of spurs accompanied the sight of a silver-black being as tall as Xaril himself striding out of the ship’s upper cabin. The being spoke in the guttural tongue of his species, one of several languages that Xaril had learned over the years. “How went your efforts on the island? Did they die with honour?”

A Mask of Clairvoyance sat upon the warlord’s face, while gilding of gold, blue, and white traced wave-like patterns on his battle-scarred armour. A spear was slung across his back, and a book was open in his hands, his baleful red eyes fixated on its pages. As if summoned by Xaril’s earlier reminiscing about life under the League, here stood Barraki Mantax, hunter and warrior and scholar, just as Xaril had last seen him before they’d parted ways during the conquest of the Archives.

But Xaril didn’t hear the Barraki’s words. He didn’t even really process the fact that he was looking at the warlord he’d once served, the warlord he knew to be dead, who’d never been to this island, who Xaril hadn’t known until centuries after he’d left this place behind.

All he felt was the ache of hunger, and the compulsion to feed.

Vile violet light engulfed his hands as his Hunger power flared to life, and he seized the surprised warlord by the throat, slamming him against the railing. Evidently his Kanohi hadn’t shown him this coming. For a fleeting moment, Xaril felt fresh life energy flowing into him, before Mantax broke his weakened grip and shoved Xaril’s fatigued form away.

“Where is your honour?” The Barraki snarled, unslinging his spear and levelling it at Xaril. “If you’re going to act like an animal, then you’ll be put down like one!”

The spear came down, and Xaril caught the flat of the blade between his palms. The violet light radiating from his hands grew to engulf the weapon as Xaril channelled his power through the tool, digesting the Barraki’s energy and revitalising himself in the process. Teeth gritted in irritation, Mantax threw all of his weight and strength against the weapon, leaving Xaril unable to do more than shunt the spear slightly aside, letting it bite into his chestplate rather than pierce his heartlight. Pain blossomed and blood spurted as the blade punctured the metal and sunk deep into the muscle beneath, but for as long as the weapon remained in contact with his body, Xaril could continue to channel his power through it.

As Mantax’s strength waned, Xaril’s grew, and he shoved the spear back, managing to jab the butt of the weapon into Mantax’s neck. A startled gasp escaped Mantax’s mouth and he lost his grip on the weapon entirely as his hands rose to clutch at his throat. Xaril sprung to his feet and flung the spear aside as he pounced at his prey, only for Mantax to sidestep the blow and follow it up with one of his own, landing a crushing punch to the head that knocked Xaril right back to the deck. Snarling, Mantax drew back his fist and started to lean down to pummel Xaril some more, forcing Xaril to launch a clumsy two-footed kick at the warlord.

It wasn’t intended to be a particularly devastating blow, just a frantic effort to put some more distance between them, but it proved more successful than expected. Mantax was sent stumbling back into the railing, which – already damaged from the first time he’d been slammed up against it – broke, sending the warlord tumbling overboard.

By the time Xaril found his footing on the trembling deck and returned to the railing, there was no sign of Mantax in the seething sea. Were his mind in a more stable place, Xaril might have wondered what became of the warlord, or why he’d been on such a huge ship alone, or even why he’d acted like he’d been expecting to see Xaril here. But Xaril didn’t wonder about these things. His mind was focused on only one detail.

The ship was his.

He was free.

Pressing a hand to his wound, Xaril ran for the bridge, fumbling with the unfamiliar controls for a few moments before finding the anchor release and taking the wheel. He was panting, every breath sending a fresh stab of pain through his diaphragm, but he didn’t care. He didn’t know where he was going, but he didn’t care about that either. He just wanted to be away from here, away from the memories and the madness and the malice. If this universe was anything like the one he’d left behind, then there was a whole world waiting out there for him to rediscover, and he was all too eager to see it.

But he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

All that he could see was the wailing wall of water wafting towards him, a wave so vast and vicious it blotted out the horizon. Xaril felt his heart sink into a despair more cruel and crushing that anything he’d previously endured.

It wasn’t right.

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t-

And then the wave broke upon the boat like a brutal battalion. A murderous mass of water, shattered glass, and splintered wood slammed into Xaril as the wave breached the bridge and sent the entire ship toppling and tumbling into the torrent. Xaril’s view of the sky being was replaced with the bleak blackness of the water as the weight of the warship bore down on top of him.

Panic and pain paralysed the tormented titan as he was tossed and turned in the turbulent tides, the warship seeming to evaporate around him as the seas shredded it asunder. For a moment, Xaril thought he glimpsed a flicker of light and colour on the darkness of the ocean floor, a rounded rainbow rift just like the one that had brought him to this accursed place.

And then the waves cast Xaril upon the rocks and he saw no more.   

 

Fall

Xaril was surprised to wake up.

A part of him didn’t even want to.

He’d had neither dream nor nightmare, but the absent unawareness of unconsciousness had been a welcome alternative to the mire of misery he found himself once more immersed in.

He was sprawled facedown on the coarse shore, the sand beneath him stained red, rocks and rubble arrayed around him, debris and detritus drifting nearby. He coughed up water and groaned in pain as he rolled onto his back, trickles of ichor to still oozing from his aching wound. The ground rumbled beneath him, another quake carrying the promise of worse to come. The searing sun stung his skin as shadowy shapes stood over him, their faded faces contorted in cruelly condescending expressions.

Just lie down and die.

Stay here with us.

You belong here.

“No,” he growled, “I can’t… I won’t…”

Not for the first time, he wondered why he was still here. He was an endling, a butcher who’d brought his own kind beyond the brink of extinction. He hadn’t been the strongest, or the smartest, or the most savage, but out of a civilisation of hundreds, he’d been the sole survivor. He didn’t deserve to live. But here he was.

You can let it end any time.

That’s why you’re here.

To die with us.

“Shut up!” The phantoms scattered like ash as he lurched upright, forcing himself to his feet. “Wish me dead all you want, but without me you’d be-”

And then he understood.

Without him they’d be gone.

Every member of his species, every enemy he’d slain, every lifeform he’d preyed upon, they all endured within him just as he endured in the world. Without him, there would be no one left to remember his race, no one to carry the last slivers of their spirits onward through the world, no one to offer their vengeful remnants new sights and experiences for thousands of years after they’d perished.

That was why he always survived.

He was a second chance.

He was a time capsule.

He was an ark.

And he had to escape this island before he was completely crushed by it. The beach around him was half-buried in broken boulders, and what he could glimpse of the island’s interior reminded him of a collapsed sandcastle. Even as he looked on, another tremor rattled the haphazard rubble, sending scattered shards of stone skittering in all directions.

There was nothing left for him here.  

A grim conviction gripped his gut as he activated his Kanohi and flew out over the ocean, searching for the glimmer he’d glimpsed the night before, the same shine he’d seen on his first day. The way out had been waiting for him all this time, in the one place he would never go.

Sure enough, there it was, stark and shining against the distant seafloor before him: the portal.

The familiar fear flowed through Xaril like a toxin as he circled the spot, the terror at the thought of being swallowed by the sea and never finding the surface, of being dragged down and drowned, of his legendary life being lost to mere liquid. He knew what he had to do. He knew it was his only choice. He knew he had to try. And so he did.

He didn’t dwell on what he was about to do. If he dared think about it a moment more, he knew he’d never do it. He flew directly over the portal, adjusted course to fly straight up… and then he steeled himself, clung to what courage he could find, then ripped his Kanohi from his face and plummeted.

He hit the choppy water like a crimson cannonball, the weight of his bulky body and angular armour causing him to sink like a stone. He struggled and sputtered as he sunk, flailing in the filth as he fought down his own desperate desire to don his mask again and fly skyward.

And then he fell through the light and left the dark behind.

 

Free

 

OOC: I originally thought about breaking this up and releasing it in parts, but with time being short and this story being small fry compared to Sidra's 13,000ish-word Far Shore Adventure, I decided to just put it all up at once. @Unreliable Narrator

Edited June 23, 2021 by Gecko Greavesy