The Island Of Pain

[Magnus Greel]

OOC: And the laser beams?IC: Southwestern SeaThe amount of concentration required of the wind to break Vertan's focus was enough that Arillan's was lessened on both Skakdi - or Reptak, specifically. He floated doward, already planning of an effective attack when he heard the Toa's words. ''Member of Team Patronage?'' he said, coming to a rest on the floating buoy, his twin talons curled around the edge. ''Wait! Stop this senseless attack! A member of Patronage cannot fight another!'' Then, he said, with a smirk on his face, ''Vertan - you're partners with a Toa.''IC: Southwestern SeaVertan went rolling through the air from the attack, but didn't fall - merely came to a slowing stop, due to his decreased gravity. His first thought was to prepare another fire attack, but paused at Arillan and then Reptak's sentences.I'm allied with a Toa! As if this day couldn't get worse... I despise Toa.''I, Vertan of Team Patronage, love fighting anywhere, especially against weak Toa like you! Think about taking our treasure? We'll see about that...''He waited for a response from both Arillan and Reptak, all the while raging at his placement on such a team.OOC: At first, I thought they could fight, just not severly injure or kill, but then I remembered this:

IC: Blades appeared in a shimmer of light, deflecting Jontan's sword and Arilan's halberd."Patronage will not fight Patronage" Intoned one of the newly arrived Caretakers.

IC: Yawning Sunder/Eastern SeaHexxon swam through the waters of the Yawning Sunder, his Kanohi Kakau glowing in the dark waters. He still held all his equipment, except for the cache box. It was probably smashed, somewhere in the rocks at the waterfall's base. Having the cache itself didn't matter to him; he already had a container for his Kanohi.So, that's - what? Four masks now? I'm on a roll. Too bad it didn't have anything else, though. I could do with a power up right now. The whole breathing water thing was new to him; he hadn't used a Kaukau before, but he knew its power and shape. The time he was spending swimming out of the chasm of the Sunder would give him time to regenerate the elemental energy he had used - which wasn't much, but still. Now he headed back to his mountain home, where he could rest until the next hunt. Or solve that riddle, he thought. Edited November 20, 2011 by Magnus Greel

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

OOC: Yeah, technically Caretakers should be popping up to tell Arillan and Vertan they can't fight. But you've started skirmishing now, would you prefer to be left alone to fight or do you think adding Caretakers trying to stop you would add something to the fight?

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Eastern Sea Hexxon floated in the water, thoughtful, his head and shoulders above the waves, and his Kaukau switched off. His eyes were fixed on the riddle next to the map, moving back and forth as he read the lines. He was in the perfect spot to head back ''home'' on the mountain, but he could also head for the hidden cache's location. I think I got it. It obviously said to begin at Ashring - Dragon's Roost, more accurately - and to stay away from the desert. ''Follow those with fish'' meant that one would have to do some swimming, and navigate around the island in a counterclockwise path. But when to stop might be the question. Did it mean to head inland after moving west from the volcanic coast, to get to the Shimmering Maze? That was his first guess, but he knew from the minds of Sledge, Trian, Qayzaf, and Felix that there had been a special cache in there before, and the content of that prize was now his. So, he knew it wouldn't be inside the maze, or below - that would be redundant. But maybe it tells one to go around until one is south of the maze? he had speculated. That was his second, final guess. If I really want to go, I can always use my Kualsi to teleport there in a few moments, by traveling to the farthest spot in my range of vision. It's an even bigger opportunity for me, for it must be located in the sea, and I can spend almost as much time as I want searching the seabed for it. Giving a shrug, Hexxon removed the Kaukau from his Mask of Quick Travel. Once there, his powers would be fully recharged, and he could just disguise his presence from all the other contenders. They would never detect him. With that, he looked to the south; just two teleports would do; one from here, and then one west. Then he would be directly west of the Shimmering Maze. The Toa of Psionics vanished from the spot, leaving the waters of the east alone.

[Oblitus]

IC: Urik: Shadowtangle:Urik yelled in agony as the beasts around him tore away his body, leaving a horrid sight. His burnak had left him to die. Dying by beasts- the worst way to die.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: Escape plan.Edited last post.IC: Arillan / Southern SeasArillan focused on the buoy, and it began to rise up. "Well then, if I can't fight you, brute, other means must be taken of leaving."As he said that, he caused the air to swirl together extremely fast around the two. Water splashed everywhere, and the (salty?) water splashed them across the face. Whilst Arillan could not affect his own gravity, he had managed to find an easy solution."Such a shame, really. That means I have to let you live."The winds grew faster. Sure, the one Skakdi could disperse him, but he was in a pretty bad situation. Trying to clear the water from their eyes, both were essentially blinded as Arillan began floating northeast, back to the mainland.IC: Levacius / Eastern SeasLevacius sighed. "Parched Wastes? Why would anyone in their right mind want to be there? But, if you all agree, we can go there first."-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Southwestern SeaUnfortunately for Arillan, Reptak was perched ontop the buoy, and close to the Toa. He had only caught himself in his own storm, getting water on his face as well. There was an easy solution for the green Skakdi here: laser vision. The lasers from his eyes, being composed of bright, searing light, evaporated the liquid, and he blew the rest away. His head whipped in Arillan's direction. ''Unfortunately, we have to leave you alive, too. Such a same - and how ironic. Did you really think you could beat two Skakdi?'' Because he, too, was blinded, Arillan's concentration on both the buoy's gravity and the winds would begin to deminish. And having a gold blade at his chest wouldn't help. Reptak then exerted a small amount of his will upon the winds, in order to slow them down somewhat. IC: Southwestern SeaVertan wasn't being idle. He used his impact power to blast the water from his eyes, and then a little heat to evaporate it. What was this Toa thinking? Taking on two Skakdi and putting up a hasty getaway?Not if I can help it. There better be some backup for this ''Arillan'' character, because I'm just about ready to pull him apart. I didn't going swimming around this sea just to get crushed by an arrogant Toa!Focusing, he began building up a heat attack.OOC: TPtI, is the cache with the buoy, or underwater?

Edited November 20, 2011 by Magnus Greel

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: Yes, that would be a good question to have answered.You know, I want to bring up a thing I noted on BS01 -

Skakdi can only use their elemental powers individually if they have a weapon that can channel it, such as Thok's Ice Gun. In any other situation, they must work in tandem. The following combined attack has only been seen performed by Skakdi:

Don't two skakdi have to combine their powers into one? Like a burst of wind and fire or something?IC: Arillan / Southern Seas"You were foolish to attempt taking the cache from me," said Arillan.The windstorm around Veran vanished, and redirected into a powerful current. Arillan caused the buoy to lose all gravity, and the object, now nothing more than a balloon, went flying over the mainland, leaving Vertan at sea whilst it hovered over Toothy Bane."Now get off my treasure!" he shouted, using a powerful gust of wind that would knock Reptak, off balance on the wet, slippery device, down to the pointy crags below. In order to focus on that, he began to bring the buoy down closer to the ground.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Parugi]

IC: Elynirus / Parched Wastes"Interesting," said Elynirus. "Yes, I've heard of Patronage. Soldiers paid in food and treasure by the Shepherds for doing their every blasted whim."Looking around, she said, "My home has been destroyed in south Shadowtangle. I would like to ask for permission to join your expedition. It would be easier to find food. If I need to offer something, than this is all I have."Taking the bag of water, she took a large gulp before tossing the rest (about a gallon) over to Nostalas feet. "You guys no doubt could use some. And in a fight, I'm pretty handy. I can't use any elemental powers, but frankly, I don't need them."

IC - Nostala - Parched Wastes: Nostala picked up the waterskin, and then tossed it gently back to the Toa-like being. "You don't need to give us anything, aside from your help in surviving," the Artanian said. "That's a good enough offer to let you stick around, at least in my book."

[Oblitus]

IC: Orssa: Parched Wastes:"If we are to survive, allies must be chosen. We must be glad to have each other," Orssa mentioned wisely.IC: Terizov: Eastern Coast:"I concur with Levacius. It is not in our best interests. But if the majority wants to go, I will accompany," Terizov assured

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Elynirus / Parched Wastes"Very well," replied Elynirus, bowing her head and picking up the sack, which she placed over her back once more. "So do you have any particular goal in mind? Or perhaps a location you have taken as a home?"-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Oblitus]

IC: Orssa: Parched Wastes:"As you can see we are travelling to some ruin that we can find to use as shelter and nurse our wounds," Orssa answered.

[Simulacrum]

OOC: Geez, will you give up and leave me alone?IC: All Characters / Stony leap fightning Suicavel Zeus yelled and fell to the ground in pain, Hades instantly flicked his hand at the sky, making the shadows cover Suicavel, and then starting to tear him apart. Before Suicavel could teleport to a shadow, he absorbed all the ones in the area. "Run. NOW!" He yelled as he grabbed Zeus and took off behind Darkon.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: Apparently I have to quit now.IC: Suicavel / Stony LeapSuicavel screamed in pain as the sunlight hit him. A hand of shadow covered him quickly, and soon vanished. Suicavel was gone.*Resting in the Shadowtangle, Suicavel contemplated the last battle. He still had a large amount of elemental energy left, but that group was soon going to be in Parched Wastes. He would have no protection from the shadows there.Those two were weaklings by themselves, though together proved a problem. Especially since, out of nowhere, they had received assistance.He privately wondered to himself how hard it would be to destroy Stony Leap. Surely the full strength of a toa could easily destroy it! Save, of course, the metal reinforcements on it.He had barely escaped the sunlight. That was the first time in a while he had been hit directly like that. It was painful. The dark armored toas last attack was weak, but the sunlight... pure inferno!Whilst going through the jungle, he found the dead body of Urik, ripped to shreds. The corpse - well, what was left of it - was fresh. He had a mask of sensory aptitude, and a longsword.He frowned. He would much like to drain some more life force from someone, but at least he had found some new treasures. Placing his clawed hand on the mask, he inspected it. Just another mask, and not even one worth of a trophy. Still, he decided to keep it, placing it on his back. Really nothing more than armor.The longsword he left; it was useless to him. Retreating deeper into the darkness, he decided it was time to rest a little longer. The day could not last long.IC: Elynirus / Parched WastesElynirus nodded. "In that case, I will simply follow and help defend you in case of attack. Though I doubt anyone would attack so large a group...."-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Oblitus]

IC: Orssa: Parched Wastes:"You should be surprised how much danger we get ourselves into," Orssa smiled.

[Magnus Greel]

OOC: I found that under the ''Combining Elements'' section of the Elemental Powers page. I believe that's when they purposely put their two elements together, while they can use them separately. Also, I found this quote from Destiny War, where two Skakdi use their powers:

Axonn crouched down behind a low stone wall, and watched the Fire and Ice bolts fly by overhead. Beside him, Brutaka was peering around the crumbling bit of cover now and then, hurling a blast from his sword.

So, if they could only use their elements together, then the two Skakdi would only have succeeded in making an instant seal, instead of having the bolts fly overhead.IC: Southwestern SeaArillan had only succeeded in making the buoy lighter; he needed something to push the object to the island. Though Reptak wasn't going to give him that chance. The gust was indeed powerful, but the Skakdi had found a good holding on a section of the buoy, and had even dug his claws into the surface. He gripped tightly to it, refusing to give up. ''Be careful,'' he said once the wind died down, ''you don't want to deal with a Skakdi's temper.''Two laser beams of energy flashed from his eyes, slicing off the part of buoy Arillan stood on. Then he aimed a kick at the Toa, in order to keep him off his feet. IC: Southern SeaImmediately after the winds vanished, Vertan ducked underwater, escaping the air current, and then he kicked forward with his powerful legs.Up above, Reptak was fighting with his teammate, who also needed his help. They were most likely beyond the range of using their powers together, so Vertan would have to get up there quickly.But then a thought occured to him. Was the cache underwater, in the ''dregs'' of the sea, or inside the buoy? If it was inside the buoy, then Reptak might easily get it. If it was down here, Vertan could look for it.He made a cursory search of the seabed, needing to get back up soon.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Arillan / Toothy BaneArillan stayed on top of the buoy, and activated his gravity powers. The piece remained where it was. The same could not be said, as from 150 feet in the sky the rest of the buoy plummeted, taking Reptak with it."Farewell, Skakdi, and rot in Karzahni!" shouted Arillan, holding onto the piece of the buoy, hoping that the cache within wasn't too badly damaged. Doubtful; those boxes were likely built to survive this kind of beating.Unlike Skakdi, who died just like everyone else.Letting the gravity power loosen, Arillan began lowering himself down slowly, so he would be able to investigate.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Magnus Greel]

OOC: Wouldn't they still be over the water?IC: When he felt the buoy fall, Reptak had simply dissolved into his crystal form, leaving the object to fall alone. Now he reformed quicly, blasting the piece Arillan stood on in two with his eyebeams. He then shattered his body again, ready to watch the Toa share the same fate as the buoy, and shifting around in the air excitedly.

[Void Emissary]

IC: RynekkRynekk turned back to the newcomers, and deciding to take a page out of Plagia's book, waved a said, 'Hi, there. Good to meet you.'Wow, I'm not cut out for this friendly stuff, he thought.-Void

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: We were moving towards the mainland, remember?IC: Arillan / Toothy BaneThe rope still connected as it was, Arillan swung around and caught his equipment. Causing the wind to blow up, he slowed his fall enough to place the Kanohi Crast on in place of the Garai. The system shock only lasted a second, and before he hit the ground, he activated it, bouncing up into the air.He kept repulsing until he finally landed in the wreckage of the fallen buoy. Before Reptak could reform, Arillan focused a whirlwind of air that tossed Reptaks pieces away. They would be able to come together, but this would be disorienting for the Skakdi at the best.Now, Arillan could find his prize.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Magnus Greel]

OOC: But what was pushing the buoy there? Decreasing it gravity would cause it to go up, instead of floating in all different directions.IC: With Reptak moving around in the sky, it was hard to get a concentrated air attack to disperse his particles, so only a large chuck was blown off. Indeed, it was not pleasent, but Arillan was underestimating his foe. The bits of crystal that still stayed together flew down toward the Toa, the bottom collecting into a pair of legs, and the rest of him followed, the blown away pieces returning under his will. His eyes flashed again, causing two laser beams at full intensity to fly at Arillan.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Magnus Greel

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: Wind. It weighed nothing, but it could still be pushed by the wind.IC: Arillan / Toothy BaneArillan found it easier to dodge now that he was on solid ground, and the beams missed him totally. He grabbed his pack as he did so, wrapping it back around him. The halberd was too large to do so with, so he chose to use that as a weapon."You underestimate toa," said Arillan. "Especially this toa."He didn't want to charge. Instead, he stood where he was, atop the buoys wreckage, and looking at Reptak."I found this Karzahni blasted cache first! I solved the riddle first! And I'll go through the fires of Artidax to make sure I keep it!" he shouted.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Simulacrum]

OOC: Glad to see that's over. Now on to naming.IC: All characters / Parched Wastes As soon as they crossed Stony Leap, the small band of warriors did as they planned to do before. In a few seconds, they appeared next to Kairan. "I'm back! And with friends!" Darkon yelled, oblivious that everyone was nearby.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

OOC: It was in the water. They buoy was just a marker.IC: Vertan's search was fruitful. While Arillan was occupied fighting Reptak, Vertan had uncovered the watertight box that was the cache

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Southwestern/Weastern SeaThere! Vertan spotted it! Quickly he scooped the cache, and swam off with it. He knew that if Arillan hadn't found that it wasn't in the buoy, then he would come back. So the Skakdi headed away. Reptak would know where he went, he was sure - he was smart.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Magnus Greel

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Arillan / Toothy BaneArillans sharp eyes darted across the field. There was no cache present.He sighed, and left his battle position. "Very well," he said. "It appears that I have lost out on my chance to gain the treasure within."He stared at Reptak. "Make no doubt, Skakdi, I could kill you without a moments thought. But I have more important things to do than catch that moron of a friend you have, and you aren't even worth it."He inspected Reptak. No Kanohi masks, weapons that only a Skakdi would use. "I will give you this chance to leave. Though mark my words, when I find you two again, it will not be out in the water. Your chances will be much slimmer then."-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Relapse]

IC:Kinika trudged through the sand. He had long forgotten where he was, and was running on next to no sleep. Things had become... Boring. Not so much that he could spare falling asleep with all the things around that could kill him...But each day was routine, lifeless. He wished he could just go home. OOC: Open for interaction.

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Toothy BaneReptak was angered by Arillan's statement, by calmed. This fighting wasn't getting them anywhere. Both had lost the cache within, the search was over.''Fine, Toa. But just so you know, we were in the water first, we swam along counterclockwise to the prize. We earned it, not scum like you.''Done and defeated, Reptak fell apart into dust and flew back to the sea where he thought Vertan awaited. He was quite wrong, however, as his Skakdi comrade was long gone. Talk about underestimating an ememy, he thought to himself. He bluffs, he knows I am more powerful, he knows nothing of me. I know when and how to deal with my opponents. Next time we see him... there won't be an Arillan on this isle.

[Franco]

IC: Grotir loped through the Ashring, evading spots of lava carefully. Her great stamina and long stride, not to mention excellence at retaining the same body temperature despite the high heat levels in the area, made her great for moving across the territory she had started out in. And if she did happen to start falling in-well, Teleportation was always an option.She had discovered she'd lost her shotgun and pistol; but although she was unhappy about the loss, she knew her macuahuitl and martial art plus her powers would do well in the field of killing for now. And when she found that cache-the one which was only a kio away and rapidly decreasing with each of her colossal strides-well...At the very least, the vortixx-rahkshi hybrid could expect to have some fun toying with the poor fools who came there looking for weapons before killing them. After that, she'd get accustomed to using the weapons gradually. Who knew? Maybe she'd get lucky, and they'd include another nice toy. One that fired, preferably.Continuing to lope around pools of lava and over rock, the distance between Grotir and the cache steadily decreased...

Edited November 21, 2011 by The Fearless Leader

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Arillan / Toothy BaneArillan placed his equipment back on, including his cloak and quiver."That Skakdi is strong, but like all of his incompetent kind he would fall. Though at least he was wise enough to escape while he could. Of course, beating him would be tough. These conditions were far from favorable. Though I wouldn't be surprised if he never sees his 'friend' again."IC: Elynirus / Parched WastesElynirus looked at the four and said, "Well met."She silently wondered how new this group was. Or what drew so many to it. Perhaps, though she didn't know why or what, she too had been drawn here.OOC: We're never gonna fight anything in this group, are we? -Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Parugi]

OOC: I'm sure we'll find someone stupid enough to attack us eventually. Or we could go after Team Patronage. IC - Nostala - Parched Wastes: Nostala squinted her eyes, ignoring the newcomers. Raising her hand, she pointed to some trees in the distance. "There's the oasis," she said. "The ruins won't be far from here."Given her better eyesight, most of the group probably wouldn't actually see the trees. Still, they were close; she knew that much.

[Relapse]

IC:Before he knew it, Kinika was in the Ashring. It was much hotter here, and the ground was rough. The Ashring... Theoretically a cache was around here. Maybe he'd get lucky.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Elynirus / Parched Wastes"I will not debate that," said Elynirus. "Though the sand blocks my eyes from seeing it. Blast this wind. Blast this desert. Why would you want to leave the cool Shadowtangle or Toothy Bane for these forsaken northern lands?"When the group came within sight of the trees, she said, "Ah, and there it is."-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Western SeaReptak floated over the western waters of the Island of Pain. Vertan was nowhere to be seen, he wasn't even under the water - a quick dip clarified that. His first thought was that maybe his Skakdi partner had left him - or drowned, or swallowed by a Takea, or been blown away. No, he's too strong for that... where is he? Then he knew the place where Vertan might be, an area he would love, and flew off to that location.

[Oblitus]

IC: Umaroth: Ashring:Umaroth steadily walked upon the volcanic rock, blasting with heat. He grimaced, but shook the pain off. He needed to get somewhere, and somewhere fast. He saw a being in the distance, one who seemed to be a Vortixx/Rahkshi Hybrid. He had not known its origins, but was curious. He knew they were both near the cache, the cache that he would get. He dashed past it with his Kakama, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. The proximity was getting closer, closer- he was almost there.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Rakata

[Relapse]

IC: Kinika saw a blur coming towards him. That must mean... He was close to the cache.He made a decision that he would probably regret. He stuck his foot out. The effect would be to trip him, but... Now his foot hurt like karz. He needed this cache. His throat burned. His body ached. His armor was pathetic, and if the cache had supplies to fill his needs, he'd do anything to get his hands on it.

[Oblitus]

IC: Umaroth: Ashring:Umaroth was flung into the air. He shifted his gravity and landed softly on the ground. He turned and took a long stare at Kinika, cold white eyes seeping through him. He shuffled towards the cache, and sped along.

[Relapse]

IC:Closing his eyes, Kinika became invisible. He rushed (limped) towards the cache, unseen by others.

[Oblitus]

IC: Umaroth: Stony Leap/Ashring Cache:Umaroth could see a glimmer in the distance. He got closer, and saw what appeared to be a cache in-between the Stony Leap and Ashring.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Rakata

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: You two do both realize Hexxon already got the cache in Ashring, right?Magnus Greel broke through the rock, got the cache, and got swiped away by water into Yawning Sunder with the caches treasure, an Akaku, in hand. You're already late to the party.IC: Arillan / Toothy BaneArillan set himself down against the cold, shady rocks of Toothy Bane, and contemplated for a moment on his next course of action. He was tired, but not badly injured.He was virtually alone here. So few came to Toothy Bane. Shadowtangle and Parched Wastes got all of the attention.Still, he would stay here for now. He had no reason to go north. When the map changed next, another cache would likely be nearby, and he would be in the perfect position to claim it.IC: Levacius / The Griffon IILevacius looked over the map again. "Haven Cove is empty, we all know that. Shimmering Maze was just rebuilt, so it's likely not a hot spot at the moment. Dragons Roost? No idea why anyone would want to go there. Same for Ashring, it's a barren wasteland. Shadowtangle is our best bet during the day, but not really that good of a spot to be, with all the Rahi. Terizov, you would be our ultimate defense mechanism there."He looked down. "Perhaps Parched Wastes would be the best."He drew a line with his finger from where they were to off of Ashring, due east of the cache. "I suggest we drop anchor here. The cache is no doubt claimed, but perhaps we can intercept whoever is there. Or, perhaps find those who have not yet realized it's been claimed. The worst the could happen? Nobodies there, and we continue on to Parched Wastes. If we find nobody, we take the ship and travel back down to Haven Cove and dock there. We can set up a base came and wait for the map to change."Amalia, Terizov, both Reya and I are blacklisted. What does this mean? I don't know. Perhaps we are barred from the caches. Perhaps we have a bounty on us. Whatever the case."Levacius sighed. "So, do any of you have a better proposition than this one? Speak now or forever hold your peace."-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Oblitus]

OOC: Darn. Guess I've kept my hopes up too high. Better luck next time. :PIC: Umaroth: Ashring:But, instead of a cache, it was a piece of shrapnel. Umaroth grabbed the piece on metal and compressed it together. Now it was just a speck of dust. Umaroth shrugged off the loss and ventured further until he could see the fortress- or atleast it's remains. Nothing of vaue was there, just broken parts of the structure. Umaroth walked past it, continuing on to the inner parts of Ashring. IC: Terizov and Amalia: Eastern Coast:Both Terizov and Amalia kept silent, waiting for someone to speak.

Edited November 22, 2011 by Rakata