BZPRPG - Westside Zakaz

[Nato G]

IC: T’harrak – Razorfish Island

“As long as we’re not putting her people at unnecessary risk, I don’t think she’ll be a problem,” she replied. “We all want the same thing.”

For now, at least…

She wasn't truly worried about Gashril turning against her. The way she'd been talking, it sounded more like she would just take her people and leave in search of new allies if T'harrak and Sohmak's leadership didn't live up to her standards or align with her goals. It was the rest of the Skakdi in the Fort whose allegiance she was less certain of. Sohmak was a stranger to them, and T'harrak was the coward who'd left their last leader behind to die. They were both outsiders, and if the truth of their arrangement came to light it wouldn't take much of a push to rally the other Skakdi against them. 

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. 

There'd been enough blood shed already. 

@Techn0geist

[ARROW404]

OoC: Whoo, when this place moves, it moves!

IC: Gashril - Fort Razorfish;Vaa

Gashril tilted her head to the side slightly as the gauntlet whizzed past her, rapidly growing bored of the bout, though she didn't allow it to show. Pure bouts of power held little importance to one of her philosophy. After a few more traded blows between the two, she acted like someone had called her and walked away from the Sarke ring. Where had Sohmak gotten to, exactly? Glancing off the way he'd gone, she figured he must have decided to pay T'harrak a visit.

Time to eavesdrop. She made her way through the hall to the fort's walltop, looking out toward the forested region to look for signs of activity. The work was kicking up plenty of dust to give their position away. Based on that, she reached out with her vision power to see if she could get a hit on T'harrak.

Ah, there she was. And talking to Sohmak. Bingo.

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax- Razorfish;Vaa

Jojax had only seconds to get out of the way. Perhaps a more practiced combattant could have. But Jojax only braced herself and hoped it didn't hit anything vital.

CRACK!!!

The Carpenter's hammer skidded to the floor allong with a lump of jagged, twisted, metal. The crowd cheered at the sight of The Mask of the Bloody Demon being defaced.

 

Jojax turned slowly to face The Scorpion.  Her eyes seethed with rage. Smoke billowed and red liquid began to spray as she activated her now assymetrical mask.

"This mask belonged to my father you Karzed Lester;nii sonavahordikaaaaAAAAAAA!"

She let out a bestial yell as she charged her opponent, no regard for self presurvation, just brute streingth and primal fury.

 

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Razorfish Island

He made to say something to the contrary before catching himself, swallowing the words down. There was no need to be foisting his anxieties on T'harrak, assuming she wasn't already thinking along the same lines.

"Well... keep on keepin' on, yeah?" Sohmak lifted one of his Sluggers, forgetting for one moment that the tinkerer couldn't see the thumbs-up buried within the construct, and frowning the next moment. "Hrmm... I'll give a shout when the next shift is due out. Trustin' you'll find a deputy so you ain't have to be out here all day. I ain't mean me, neither." With a chuckle as his only salutation, the brawler turned abruptly and started back to the fortress. Gashril had missed her window.

 

The strategy did have one distinct flaw; anything less than a perfect KO left the Scorpion unarmed, save for his vision power. A competent-enough bare-knuckle fighter, Jojax's charge still brought on an uneasy gut-feeling.

He fired his Impact Vision again, centre mass. His gut-feeling deepened, the beam of concussive force momentarily swaying the wrestler but failing to slow her in the slightest. He wondered what Nakihl magic resided within that mask, if the Bloody Demon was more than a tacky ring moniker.

But he had precious little time to ponder this, the wall of flesh and hate closing fast on him. The knot pulled tight in his stomach, sweat beading on his brow. Unexpectedly, the Scorpion found himself frozen in place, his feet leaden weights at the ends of his legs. All he could do was stance up and brace for impact.

 

OOC: @Nato G @ARROW404 @Smudge8

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax- Razorfish;Vaa

Jojax barreled headfirst into the Scorpion, knocking back into the scattering crowd. With some amount of sense knocked into him her foe tried to scramble to his feet. Jojax wrapped one hand around his leg and another around his wrist.

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

The crowd responded to Jojax's adreniline fuled cry with cheers of their own. But Jojax didn't hear it through the blood pumping through her ears. 

 

She began to pull... 

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Razorfish Island

As the brawler approached the fortress, he heard a cheer cut through the delta ambiance. They were meant to be training. He'd not been gone too long, had he? Sohmak quickened his pace.

 

The Scorpion couldn't turn his head far enough to hit his opponent-turned-assailant with an Impact Vision beam. He winced but refused to cry out, wouldn't give Jojax the satisfaction. He felt joints begin to pop in ways they shouldn't, microtears in his musculature turning macro—

 

"JOJAX."

The crowd noise immediately died, Skakdi parting like a technicolour sea to make way for the Spineless Slugger, closing behind him as he entered the circle. He seemed twice as tall as before.

"Put 'im down. Now." Sohmak spoke softly, quiet as the windup before the haymaker.

 

OOC: @Smudge8

Edited April 30, 2025 by Techn0geist

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax-Razorfish;Vaa

Unfortunately for Jojax, she couldn't hear him over the adrenalien coursing through her body. She only registered that someone else was stepping up to chalenge her. She snarled, spun around, and hurled The Scorpion  at her new foe with all her Kanohi enhanced streingth.

 

 

 

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

The brawler's eyes widened. In the little time Jojax left him to react, Sohmak raised his great exo-gauntlets in front of him, planting one foot back as the Scorpion impacted the protosteel mass with a pronounced THUNK, then to the ground below with a quieter thump. The lack of pained groaning concerned him.

Lowering the Sluggers revealed pinprick pupils and grinding teeth. Sohmak was much calmer than his appearance showed, however. Looking and sounding dangerous was as much a skill as being dangerous.

"Stand. Down. Jojax." CLANK went the crush-jaws of his infernal apparatus, his words drawling, deliberate. "Or I will make you."

 

OOC: @Smudge8

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax-Razorfish;Vaa

On 5/20/2025 at 9:05 PM, Techn0geist said:

"Stand. Down. Jojax." CLANK went the crush-jaws of his infernal apparatus, his words drawling, deliberate. "Or I will make you."

Sohmak's words connected with something in the back of Jojax's mind. She would have paused, if she hadn't already lept at him with all her streingth while he was talking.

Stupid. You're serving yourself to your opponent on a silver platter.

OOC: @Techn0geist

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

Had he chosen to retaliate, the brazenness of Jojax's latest blunder would have put a very swift end to her efforts. But in a rare instance indeed, this was not a fight Sohmak wanted to entertain. A simple hop to the side and the wrestler sailed past him, eating dirt.

"LAST CHANCE" Sohmak roared, adding in a low murmur "Ancestors, look at y'self..."

The Spineless Slugger now turned his attention to the thrall, demanding to know "Did Jojax challenge the Scorpion?" Met with silence, he bellowed his query again.

"DID JOJAX CHALLENGE THE SCORPION?!"

Shifting eyes and conflicting mutters provided his answer, and he glared again at Jojax with narrowed eyes. "You ain't even make it official, right? You attacked 'im cold, didn'tcha?"

 

OOC: @Smudge8

Edited June 29, 2025 by Techn0geist

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax-Razorfish;Vaa

Jojax began to scrabble back to her feet with a bestial snarl. But before she could steady herself her mask sputtered out and she fell facefirst into the dirt again. Her senses were returning to her. But, realising what had happened, she was too ashamed to say anything, so she just laid there.

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

Spitting or kicking would have been cheap, and would've taught Jojax nothing but resentment for the pecking order as it stood. No, the lesson had to be lasting.

Wordlessly, Sohmak strode over to the chunk of the wrestler's mask that had been hammered free. A strange feeling came over him, the part-face of an old rival staring up at him from the dirt of the courtyard; at once comforting in what it once represented, and upsetting in what it stood for now.

Sohmak raised his great clawed foot and brought it down with a brilliant CRUNCH, breaking the lump of mask-metal into smaller fragments. He repeated this punishing motion again and again, finally twisting his heel and rendering what remained into metallic flakes and protodermic dust. The Spineless Slugger cast his blazing red eyes around a now-subdued audience, but not once did he look back at Jojax.

Now he came over to the Scorpion, lying face-down and still as before. Turning the fighter over with his foot, Sohmak saw his eyes were open, unmoving. He watched him carefully, for what felt like too long a time.

The Scorpion blinked.

"Get 'im up. To the infirmary." he quietly commanded, two Skakdi draping the Scorpion's arms over their shoulders and dragging him away.

"Next shift out." And now he looked to Jojax, his glare seeming to say not you.

CLANK.

"T'HARRAK," the warlord boomed "BRING 'EM IN." His head span with how they would handle Jojax going forward. The day was off to a wonderful start.

 

OOC: @Smudge8 @Nato G (permission obtained to destroy the mask-fragment, thank you Smudge!)

 

[Nato G]

IC: T’harrak – Razorfish Island

When Sohmak had said he’d “give a shout” when the next shift was due, she hadn’t expected him to mean it literally. But the De-Skakdi clearly understood better than her how well sound could carry.

Even above the crunch of cracking rock and grunts of exertion from the workers, T’harrak could make out the occasional cheers and shouts from the direction of the fortress. And Sohmak’s roars carried well above the rest, especially when he started shouting distinct, familiar words like “Jojax”. Whatever was happening down there didn’t exactly sound productive.

"T'HARRAK. BRING 'EM IN!"

“Alright, that’s us done for the morning!” T’harrak shouted, clapping her gauntlets together to get everyone’s attention. “Sohmak’s calling us in. Make sure everything’s clearly marked for the next group!”

Brief bursts of Heat and Laser vision flared in the dusty air as the workers burned messages into the rockface: the letter ‘N’ for ‘no’, to mark areas that were unsuitable for digging, ‘F’ for ‘finished’ in the few spots where all that could be safely removed had been, and ‘D’ for ‘dig’, where it was still safe to continue carving into the rockface. She’d made sure to include Skakdi with x-ray vision in each group; they’d be able to supervise the rest and ensure no one caused a collapse.

As the Skakdi filtered away from the mountainside and began working their way back towards the fortress, they joined up with the group who’d been gathering lumber. T’harrak had set a few of them to work constructing sleds out of wood and vines, to make it easier for the Skakdi to drag wood and stone back to the fort. The sleds were now complete, but had only just begun being loaded; it would fall to the next shift to finish piling up the supplies and dragging them back to the fort. And then the real work would begin.

As her group passed the incoming shift, T’harrak broke away to pass on her guidance and instructions. By the time the conversation was done, the remainder of her party had already continued on by and made it back to the fort, leaving her to walk the rest of the way alone.

 

OOC: @Techn0geist and @Smudge8. Left you a bit of a window for any dialogue you wanted to have before T'harrak arrives.

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax-Razorfish;Vaa

Jojax's face was burning, her heart still pounding as she recovered. She lay there a little longer as the rest of the fort shuffled off, all whispering and mumbling to one another. A few looked like they wanted to stick around and see what happened next, but Sohmak's glare quickly changed their minds. Eventually Jojax got enough streingth back to struggle to her feet. She glanced over her shoulder at Sohmak before looking down at her feet. "Can I go?" she mumbled.

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

It took all his will not to start spitting the most vile obscenities in response to her query. To the brawler, it reeked of naught but petulance. Sohmak inhaled deeply.

He had the ineffable quality of always surprising folks with his height, and now to Jojax, he seemed to blot out the high noon sun.

"Foreman's gonna wanna 'ear 'bout this" was all he said, holding his tone as level as possible. No was the implicit answer.

 

OOC: @Smudge8 @Nato G @ARROW404(forgot to tag you in the last post, sorry!)

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax-Razorfish;Vaa

Jojax didn't know wat was worse, dissapointing her boss, or having to report what happened to her closest friend. She merely held her tounge and waited nervously.

OOC: @Techn0geist @ARROW404 @Nato G

[Nato G]

IC: T’harrak – Fort Razorfish;Vaa

T'harrak had long ago learned to recognise tension. Tension in a contraption about to break into pieces. Tension in a crowd about to break into a fight. 

So as she entered the courtyard, T'harrak immediately noticed the hostility simmering between Jojax and Sohmak. Not that of a conflict on the verge of beginning, but of one that was recently over, with neither party seeming satisfied with the outcome. The kind that could fester into resentment if not resolved properly. 

It was the kind of tension best broken with a friendly smile and supportive banter... neither of which were T'harrak's forte. But she was in charge now, and though she could comfortably hide behind Sohmak for some parts of that role, morale was still her responsibility. 

"So..." she said, pausing before the pair. "What did I miss?"

@Smudge8 @Techn0geist

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

"Jojax pummelled one of your workers and one of my best fighters into infirmary." He spoke suddenly, and bluntly. T'harrak's attempt at introducing levity died on the vine. "Same fella, for the record. Walked in on 'er tryna tear 'im in 'alf. Sarke or not, it's low."

The muscle of the warlord dyad joined the brains at her side, looking down on the wrestler and tutting. "What do we do about it b—?" Sohmak felt his palms become clammy inside the Sluggers, hoping now the upward inflection of inquiry would mask the abrupt stop, catching himself before he could say boss.

 

OOC: @Nato G @Smudge8

[Nato G]

IC: T'harrak - Fort Razorfish;Vaa

T'harrak let out a long, tired sigh. The warriors pummelling each other to a pulp was exactly what she'd been trying to avoid by putting them to work. And she certainly hadn't expected one of the Skakdi who'd been present for the disastrous attack on Fort Garsi to be the one causing problems. Surely Jojax of all beings understood the severity of their situation? 

"I uh... I think we should hear from Jojax," T'harrak said. The suggestion was as much an effort to stall until she could come up with an idea as it was a genuine hope to stir some self-reflection from Jojax. "What do you think your punishment should be?" 

@Smudge8 @Techn0geist

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax- Fort Razorfish;Vaa

Think, Jojax, Think! What would dad say?

"Yer a sorry excuse for a skakdi and yel never be worthy of the mask. Yeh better give it back before ya hurt yerself again."

...

#$%&#$&%$! She couldn't say that. She didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay... She wanted to be respected!...

...

She wanted to be accepted.

"I-i-i'm not sure." She stammered out after a moment. "I'm not good with makin decisions like you, boss." She'd do anything they came up with, as long as she could stay.

 

OOC: @Nato G@Techn0geist

[Nato G]

IC: T'harrak - Fort Razorfish;Vaa

That makes two of us, T'harrak thought to herself. She liked making things, fixing things, giving other people the tools they needed to solve their problems. Nothing she'd done in her brief, meaningless existence had prepared her for holding the lives of others in her hands.  

"Look..." she sighed, "...I get it. It's been a rough couple of days. Tensions are high, everyone's stressed and afraid, and most of you are too stubborn to ever admit that. But that doesn't excuse attacking our allies." She paused, still wracking her brains for a suitable punishment. If Jojax had proven anything lately it was that she was a formidable fighter, one that T'harrak was in no rush to alienate. Making her afraid or resentful would just cause more problems. She needed something that would motivate Jojax, make her want to prove herself.

"Let's make this a warning, shall we?" She suggested, glancing at Sohmak. "First and final. One more outburst, and you're... no longer welcome here." 

@Smudge8 @Techn0geist

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

The brawler had made to speak, struggling to conjure the word sycophant, and so the moment was seized upon by T'harrak. He was glad she had in the end, ever the diplomat in a world of ruffians and roughhousers. For appearance's sake, he still scowled.

"First an' final," Sohmak agreed. Tough, but fair.

 

OOC: @Smudge8 @Nato G

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax- Fort Razorfish;Vaa

The sinking feeling in her stomach rose a little. "Yes Mam, er, Sir... Both of ya I guess..." She continued to stare at the floor. "Is there somethin else or can I go?"

Yel never be worthy of the mask... 

OOC: @Nato G@Techn0geist

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

He wasn't about to correct her, knowing how right she unknowingly was about who was calling the shots. T'harrak was also right, everyone was too tense around here. Sohmak was too tense.

"Yeah, there is somethin' else..." he stepped forward between the two women, standing fighter-to-fighter with Jojax now. "You ever 'ave any 'angups 'bout that Bloody mask, what it means to ya... bring 'em to me. Don't make it no one else's problem, savvy?" She was a scrappy dog alright, but it helps everyone to throw a dog a bone.

 

OOC: @Smudge8 @Nato G

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax- Fort Razorfish;Vaa

Jojax nodded and gave a slight smile. "I'll probably take ya up on that...But I need somethin to do, get my mind offa things."

OOC: @Nato G@Techn0geist

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

"You're out lugging trees an' rocks with the next two shifts," he said without hesitation, and a smirk in return. "Figure that strength o' yours will make it feel like just one, right?" Sohmak stepped back, bringing T'harrak back into the fold. "Right, geek?"

 

OOC: @Smudge8 @Nato G

[Nato G]

IC: T'harrak - Fort Razorfish;Vaa 

"You're the boss," she said, nodding. It would keep Jojax busy for the day, at least. 

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

"Damn right I am," he replied, his smirk becoming a grin, which quickly evaporated as he addressed Jojax again.

"Kuuwe," he ordered Jojax, slipping into Old Skak:Dii. Go.

 

OOC: @Nato G @Smudge8

Edited November 17, 2025 by Techn0geist

[Smudge8]

IC: Jojax- Fort Razorfish;Vaa

Jojax nodded and, not wanting to cause any more trouble, jogged out the door to get to work.  

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

A sigh cleared the fighter's lips the moment Jojax passed the courtyard's gates.

"I knew 'er ol' man," he exhaled, his body taut but relieved to have a moment's rest. "Might've already mentioned. Fearsome rotter."

Sohmak shook some tension out of his arms and started stretching them. "In every sense. Makes sense why she 'as such a big chip on 'er shoulder. Sarke's meant to help blow off steam but it's the core of 'er worry."

A lightstone moment.

"Let's do a Sarke night. Once we got all this fort stuff out of the way, 'course, an' we're a little... safer. Might help Jojax 'member how fun it's meant to be. No dad loomin', no Bloody Devil hauntin' 'er."

"An' face it," he added with a grin, "this place ain't look like it's seen proper Sarke for a time. You lot need a big city brawler to show you how it's done." His hands itched in the depths of the Sluggers once more, unclear now if the scheme was more for Jojax's sake, the fortress's, or his own.

 

OOC: @Smudge8 @Nato G

[Nato G]

IC: T'harrak - Fort Razorfish;Vaa 

"Hrm." T'harrak grumbled, wringing her hands. For all her disdain of Sarke, she was quickly coming to understand it was a passtime not so easily dispensed with. "I suppose having a designated Sarke night would give people something to look forward to, and discourage impromptu bouts. We could make it a regular thing. Scheduled and organised, instead of..." she gestured vaguely at the damaged courtyard. 

@Techn0geist

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

"'xactly! Somethin' for the lads to look forward to. Keep their spirits up, an' keep 'em fighting fit." Not that he needed much help with that, of course. "I'll get to work on organi-nising once you reckon we're close to done with the upgrades."

Pivoting without so much as a breath, "Ay, you had any more ideas about gettin' these things off? Sohmak queried, looking around before lifting the Sluggers up to ensure no one's torso would be annihilated.

 

OOC: @Nato G

[Nato G]

IC: T'harrak - Fort Razorfish;Vaa

"Some," she nodded. "I'd need to give the whole thing a close examination to see how it fits together. That said, I want to be clear about expectations..." she hesitated, taking a moment to figure out the best phrasing. "Obviously my goal will be to remove all this while causing you minimal harm... but you need to understand that my main area of expertise is explosives. This is a little outside of my usual purview." 

@Techn0geist

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

An uncomfortable pause filled the air between them. "...right... well, we'll uhh... do all we can without 'splosives first. I'd sorta prefer to keep my arms if possible. Kinda 'ttached to them." Of course he immediately leapt to the worst case scenario, reading between the lines of T'harrak's statement; no arms meant no Sohmak after all.

"A geek's a geek though, right? Anyone on this rock can figure it out, it's you." A rare show of respect for the Intellectual class of Zakaz.

 

OOC: @Nato G sorry again for the wait

[Nato G]

IC: T'harrak - Fort Razorfish;Vaa

"I meant more that I might not be able to keep the Sluggers in one piece," she clarified, Sohmak's unease all too apparent. "But I promise I'll look for other solutions before I resort to blowing anything up." 

@Techn0geist

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

"Screw the Sluggers," he interjected, his eyes suddenly ablaze. "If you gotta break 'em, break 'em. Break 'em to a million bloody bits."

Sohmak shook his head, as if shaking his fervour loose. "Look, you know how I made my name in the city. With hands I ain't seen in weeks. I'll do the same out 'ere. These damn mittens are for pissants and geeks anyway—" the sudden stop revealing what he sought to obscure as he flailed to recover.

"...geeks like Syn-tak," he over-enunciated.

 

OOC: @Nato G

Edited May 21 by Techn0geist

[Nato G]

IC: T'harrak - Fort Razorfish;Vaa 

"A geek's a geek though, right?" T'harrak arched an eye ridge at him. 

@Techn0geist

[Techn0geist]

IC: Sohmak - Spineless Bay, Fortress Razorfish;Vaa

The look of gormless confusion had just started to settle on Sohmak's face before he broke into echoing laughter. He had been got, by his past self no less!

"Hooo, an' that's why you're the brains runnin' this show. Nah, you mus' be a special kinda geek 'cause I can stand ya, anyone else's gettin' walloped for that smart alec stuff." All spoken through a big grin, big by Skakdi standards even.

 

OOC: @Nato G

[Nato G]

IC: T'harrak -  Fort Razorfish;Vaa 

Nice save, T'harrak thought, clenching her teeth to hold back from actually giving voice to the sarcastic remark. She narrowed her eyes at Sohmak, trying to discern what thoughts were hidden behind that oversized smile. Could he actually stand her? Or was he just tolerating her because he needed her? As long as they were both benefitting from their arrangement, did the answer even matter?

"Good to hear," she finally replied, forcing her face to form a smile of her own. "I think we've all had enough walloping already." 

@Techn0geist