Day Run: The Garden

[Void Emissary]

IC: Calik Raktu - The GardenKairan wasn't alone in his attack. Calik joined him, sending a stream of fire at the black sphere from the ground."Mr. Bossman, "he called over his shoulder, "If you've got something to do, I'd suggest you do it now!"-Void

[Cosmic Titan]

IC: The GardenThis sphere created by the robots seemed to be light based so Sol tried to push it back.And then he rocketed foward thru the air to where Zanth said the heart would be.IC: Near the Ring HQ"Hey you! Yay you! You are not a deity in any sense of the word. You are a pawn just like Lyxek. All Rhashahk wants is to not be dead. I'm sure he will manipulate whomever he wants to do such a feat."He may not know the truth but to him this sounded logical to him."But if you really want Lyxek dead. Then be my guest. Saves me the effort of hunting him down."IC: CentralSlate held the other beings hands and braced himself to be teleported.IC: The GardenToxin forgot all about what he was doing."Rhashahk... Rhashahk..."He heard distant chanting. And his mood suddenly shifted so that he was now gleeful.The spider mech nearly collapsed but then got back to its feet."He is almost back! He really is! Oh his family has grown so much since he was forced to leave! He will be so proud of us!"By this point Toxin, or whatever he was, was prefectly insane."Oh Rhashahk how I long to meet you! I have heard of your greatness from my breathren! Your Feranaki! Even if they are mindless and rude to me!"OOC: Hey Dalmia can't just copy what Castiel did. Well Castiel absorbed the souls of Purgatory but still suspisiously close. And suddenly that short story you wrote makes a lot more sense to me.

[Magnus Greel]

IC: KNPD HQ Entrance - CitadelOne everyone had grasped another's hand, Hexxon focused. The shadows cast by the looming buildings and towers and the darkness from clouded sky swallowed the group, leaving only a plume of dark energy where they had been standing. An instant later they reappeared at the KNPD entrance, past all the dreadful Feranaki that would have blocked their way."He we are," the Odinan whispered. He released Sanshou's hand, as well as removed his other from Anar. Glancing at the doors, Hexxon placed a hand on one of the barriers. "Are we ready?"IC: The GardenBoth Greel and Rocky rocketed forward at Zanth's command, one dashing on all fours while the other raced through the air with his boots. The Rock Lion, his mane blazing with pale light that revealed the Garden's flora in his path, fired his heat vision at the shadowy sphere of blackness. His flying master had pulled out one of his larger blades, grasping it in hand as he concentrated his telekinesis on their target, intent on making its inky surface crack apart. IC: Ring HQ Entrance - Ring HQDalmia's dark deed against Vailian and claim to murder Lyxek had spelt out his denouncement. If that wasn't disloyalty, then the insects didn't know what was. That also left with who to side with -- the enemies of the Ring, which include fellow Dark Hunter Reaper, or Lyxek's band of criminals, which he didn't know too well.Wasponax dragged his injured mech over to the assembled beings. He wasn't sure of just who to join, though Reaper, he was definate, would.

[Parugi]

OOC: Blade: Should've been clearer and said "center of the forest," since I had literally just mentioned the center of the Garden beforehand. :PParagon: The sphere is actually completely different from what the mechs are doing. Jsyk. They're at eleven different points in the Garden, firing eleven beams in straight lines toward the Garden's center; the only sphere is made of darkness and is around the heart. =)Unless you're referring to the circle they made with each other, in which case I apologize for misinterpreting.But yeah, I actually don't know who this Castiel is. But it sounds awesome, if it's as similar to Dalmia as you say. IC - Nakari - West District: The Nakari turned to face Theron, dropping a half-eaten body out of its mouth as it let out a screech. With surprising speed for its size, it began to charge forward, clawing its way over debris.IC - Sanshou/Group - Citadel: Sanshou glanced at the dozens--hundreds of Feranaki gathered around the Citadel. Surprisingly, they did not move to attack--yet. They seemed entranced by something. She could swear that they were... whispering..."Rhashahk... Rhashahk..."She shook her head, drawing two daggers from her belt. "Let's go." With a nod, Hexxon pushed the door open--just wide enough for them to slip through. Sanshou went in first, drawing her scarf over her face and sliding in without a sound. Activating her mask, she peered through the darkness, looking for anyone.The Artanian furrowed her brow in confusion as she saw how empty--and dark--the Citadel was.Did he really send them all to the Barrens? Sanshou wondered. Strange... She straightened up, still prepared to hurl a dagger while she waited for the others to file in. "Close that door soon," she whispered. "If nothing else it'll make for a temporary barrier between us and the Feranaki."Elithes--who had joined and followed the group in complete silence--chuckled at the thought. "Vishful zhinking, unfortunately," he whispered back. "But, zhey seem distracted, so ve'll see..."IC - Sphere/Zanth - The Garden: The attacks slammed into the dark sphere, glancing off of it. Zanth frowned--not only at the result of their attacks, but also at the fact that everyone was charging to attack it.That had not been what he meant.He paused as he heard a noise nearby. Narrowing his eyes, he stopped, looking around. Though the forest was dark, he could still see the shapes emerging from the ground, clawing their way to the surface... The Sherif's eyes widened, grabbing his maces. It was going to be impossible to get them to hear him over the sounds of their attacks. He would just have to hope someone would notice...As the attacks momentarily ceased, the group was given a chance to actually look at the tree. A number of orange spots decorated its surface, their shape eerily resembling eyes. The tree spanned far higher than the rest of the forest, climbing higher, higher than the eye could see; similar trees could also be seen nearby.Horaka sia cotellus... A whispering voice seemed to whisper in their minds, like a breeze cutting through the morning air...IC - Vailian/Dalmia/Others - In front of Ring HQ: Selirah partially succeeded. The bleeding began to slow, though it was impossible for the Mask of Healing to completely replace Vailian's hand--at least, that was the case with so much energetic interference from Dalmia's actions moments before."You," Dalmia answered Marx, his voice still maintaining that same, unbreakable calm. "are a worm. A worm who does not understand the true nature of this universe. Let your ignorance bring you death."A powerful burst of energy shot forward, appearing as a glowing sphere that expanded around Dalmia. Black beams of darkness and bolts of pure energy jumped forth from his body, connecting with the sphere as it rushed forward, aiming to strike the group. Illuxio jumped in front of it, activating his shielding systems, amplifying the amount of energy poured into the sheilds. The two barriers met, pushing against each other for a moment, before sending out an explosion to the left and right.As the smoke cleared, both parties were unharmed, though electricity jumped across Illuxio's body. Dalmia continued to simply stare at him."Impressive, to a degree," he said. "Perhaps it is not so far-fetched that you found a way to survive the destruction of your own universe." He spread his wings, beginning to float a fet feet in the air. "We'll meet again soon. I have a ringmaster to destroy." Crackling energy appeared in a large, vertical circle around him, its outline jittering about. With a loud bang, black energy erupted around him, and he vanished, teleporting away.Kovian covered his face, looking at where Dalmia had been a moment before. He shook his head, lowering his gaze to Illuxio. The Toa planted a hand on the robot's shoulder as he moved forward. "You all right?"Illuxio nodded. "We need to stop them. Now.""We will; don't worry," Kovian said. He waved for the others to follow. "Let's move!" With that, he started toward the entrance to the Ring base, nodding at Wasponax as he moved. By the looks of it, no other guards had come forward; if they had, then they had either been knocked out--or killed--by Dalmia or had joined the assembled beings after seeing what the Ring would lead them to. Illuxio followed, hesitating for a moment as he looked at the still-injured Vailian, though decided to leave him alone."Good to see you again, Wasponax," the Toa of Ice said to the insect-like Dark Hunter. He observed the suit of armor that Wasponax had purchased. "When'd you get that?"

Edited June 23, 2012 by Parugi

[Half-Dragon]

IC: Theron | South District | Fighting a NakariThis time Theron was ready. He stood in a practised stance, his blade set to meet this Nakari the same way it met the first: Straight through the torso. The beast came closer, and this time he saw the cunning gleam in its eyes. It knew what happened next. So did he. It bounded in for the first blow... and he stepped aside deftly, just as he was ready to do, and swept the sword at its legs instead. They weren't the only ones who learned from their mistakes.=H-D=IC: Srizz | CitadelThe assassin immediately drew his sword and turned to face the newcomer. A Matoran - well, it used to be. This one looked to have had some rather extreme modifications made. He raised his blade and stood ready to defend, but made no attempt to attack or look threatening. "And you're the expert, I suppose," he remarked. "Maybe you'd like to tell the class why I shouldn't disembowel you for probably being in on this mess? Safety first, and all that."-=H-D=-

[Parugi]

IC - Elithes/Sanshou - Citadel: "Have you vreally forgotten me, Srizz?" Elithes asked. "Team Shurikan, Gynel, zhe orvriginal Day Vrun? You vere on my team vith Kovian."

Edited June 23, 2012 by Parugi

[Magnus Greel]

IC: KNPD HQ Entrance - CitadelHexxon watched as the rest crept inside the Director's abode, surprised to see Elithes appear without warning. How he missed this particular Matoran following them was strange, though that could be pondered on about later. Besides, they could use all the help they could get, so the Team Comet leader was fine with his presence here.He slipped inside after Anar, and gently closed the door behind him. Usually, it would have been a welcoming sight to walk into the darkness, though the shadows here weren't entirely normal... along with the sheer silence and emptiness throughout the building. There was something he didn't quite like about the place now. It didn't have that same feeling of justice and security it had before when he was an officer.IC: The GardenBoth Greel and Rocky came to a slowed stop, seeing as nothing they -- or anyone -- had thrown managed to penetrate the sphere's surface. Somewhat disappointed but surprised to see the eye-like orange markings appear on the tree, he looked back at Zanth, beginning to say, "We might need som-- ".His sentence was interrupted by the Sherif's stance. It seemed he was preparing himself for some type of battle position -- against what, though?Tapping his pet on the jeweled shoulder, Greel tighted his grip on his sword. The Team Slight member cautiously approached the group leader, attempting to see what was coming with his goggles.IC: Ring HQ Entrance - Ring HQWasponax limped after the running Kovian, a shielded hand clutching the damaged appendage. "I got it with my pay earlier," he began. "I needed something to stay out of the cold and to get around easier." The Dark Hunter had the mech shake its head. "But it's not important at the moment." Its mechanical features gained a look of worry and confusion. "What are we going to do? Shouldn't we be helping those who hired us, and not their enemies? What exactly is going on?"As they passed Vailian, the insects stared at him. Should they bring him, too? He was an ally and brief partner, after all.They sighed. This was one of the reasons why he listened to superior's decisions and not his own.

[Void Emissary]

IC: Calik Raktu - The Garden/Near the Strange TreeHoraka sia cotellusSuddenly, Calik stiffened, his attacks over, every nerve in his body on high alert. He hadn't imagined that sound, it was real. Something had said those words.But what?Igniting yet another fireball in his hand, the Toa glanced around, looking for answers. At first, all he noticed were the odd orange markings on the trees, all of which were eerily similar to eyes. Then, he saw Zanth and Greel brace themselves in fighting position. Not facing the trees, but facing something else.Calik didn't know this "Zanth", but he trusted Greel, and if Greel thought there was trouble, there was probably trouble. Readying his hammer, the Raktu approached the other warriors wordlessly.-Void

[Kal the Guardian]

IC / The Garden / On the back of a Mech:Swerv jerked in surprise as the mech began connecting via light. He hesitated, expecting to feel something weird or have his systems fail or something. Strange, he was certain the mech he was on would have noticed him by now. Was he really that insignificant?IC / Ring HQ Entrance / With Kovian’s Group:Draxion’s hoverbike had been taken out by one of Dalmia’s attacks, which thankfully had not upset any of the explosives within it. Climbing out of it, he locked it down, since it could still fly, somewhat. Cloaking himself in invisibility, he continued on with the others.What Dalmia was now, he didn’t know, but he was still as confused about the being as ever.IC / Citadel / With Waiter:Brother’s left eye twitched and he cringed as the Director spoke. Why couldn’t he control the shadows? WHY? He was not going to die in here; that was for certain. He would do almost anything to leave this room, where he was in no control. He needed to be able to control, to manipulate. Without that, and without his power, he was nothing.And he hated it.But he could not show it, not now. Putting on a neutral face he had put on so many hundreds of times in the past, Brother slowly got to his feet and dusted himself off, even if he couldn’t see any dust. Pulling back his hood, he stared at the red light. It took several moments before he could force his legs to stop shaking. Once he did, and he was sure his voice wouldn’t crack, he spoke with false confidence.“If you don’t know who I am, then how can you call yourself head of the KNPD, let alone of this facility? I used to own a business here; I should be in your records.”Inside his armor, Brother’s Kraata twitched. He felt so lost without any control. He was falling apart and it had only been a few minutes. What was happening to him?IC / Citadel / With Brother:Waiter stood, not himself, barely awake. Kill the Director.Kill.. for. The Director.Kill the… Director?Waiter was standing, but he was not aware of it. As he was enclosed by the red light, he dropped his crossbow, no longer being able to kill anyway, or even see past the red light. He was cut off from the world, both mentally and physically. He began to foam at the mouth before he suddenly slumped to the ground, unconscious. His mind was his concern at the moment, and his conscious had been taken over, meaning that his subconscious needed to fight back.And the only time the subconscious had free reign was in his dreams.And so, Waiter dreamed.The ocean, he was back in the ocean. But something was wrong, and his mirth was cut short. He took a deep breath and dived deep. Something was wrong.IC / The Garden / With Zanth’s Group:Sevorik stood with his weapons at the ready, next to Desoria, who had her axe drawn, and also next to Zanth. “What is going on here?” he asked in confusion, trying to take in everything that was happening with the mechs and whatever it was that beings were attacking.

[Burnmad]

IC: Artorre: Southwest of City:Artorre took a long look at whatever he was supposed to be seeing, feeling however he was supposed to be feeling upon seeing this thing the author of this post doesn't know anything about other than its being in the southern barrens, turned his motorcycle toward the city and drove off towards it. He spoke into his team crest."Anyone wanna tell me what's going on in the City?"OOC: Someone mention the attack on the Citadel, please.IC: Aranai: Ring HQ:Aranai ducked, one of Dalmia's attacks barely missing her head. She wanted to fire at him, but was pretty sure it wouldn't have any affect.OOC: So what's the Tyis/Kaorus group waiting on right now?

[Cosmic Titan]

IC: The GardenSol did not know what to do. Giant robots, random spheres of darkness. Not things he is used to dealing with.He felt something try to invade his thoughts but was able to block it out.He stood on the ground, confused.IC: Outside the Ring HQ"You are not a being of life. A being of life would not be willing to kill any life form." He bellowed in defiance. But Dalmia was gone..."Illuxio, I thank you for stopping Dalmia's assault." It was clear from Marx's voice he was terrified and full of rage. But his gratitude was sincere.He stepped infront of the injured Vailian. The light illuminating him from behind emphasised his appearance making him look even more like an angel of death."I offer you mercy and ask for your help against this fiend. I can try to heal you later or build you a new arm. If we survive."IC: CitadelSlate felt hollow. He felt like this place was trying to kill him."Last time I was here the Director tried to slay. And it seemed as if my powers were nullified by something.""This time I plan to obliterate the foul machine." He added more for himself than anyone else.IC: The GardenToxin ran for the sphere of darkness. He launched a barrage of rockets at it from a close range and seemingly lost interest in attack. And decided it would be a good idea to talk to this seemingly inanimate object."So how have you been? Is this your home? It could use some lighting."His sentences quickly degraded into little more than gibberish. But he did not notice this. He thought he was making prefect sense.OOC: Well Castiel is an angel from the show Supernatural. He absorbed the souls of Purgatory and then thought he was god.Yay I misread the part about the sphere of darkness and the beams of light. I thought they were the same thing.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Kairan==-Kairan and Zaydan both stopped and looked up, as Kairan frowned."What the... What does that mean...?" Kairan wondered, as he noticed the orange 'eyes' and wondered what they could be. He turned to looked over at Zanth, and noticed that the warrior was gripping his mace, as if something was about to happen."What's up?" Kairan called to Zanth, as he suddenly got a bad feeling about this.

[Half-Dragon]

IC: Srizz | CitadelSrizz peered closely at the matoran for a few moments... then smiled, sheathed his blade and extended a now mostly harmless hand. "Oh yeah," he said brightly, as if he'd just briefly forgotten where he parked his vehicle. "Sorry about that, man, been a little on edge lately. Feranaki, gods of death, all that good stuff. How you been?" If anyone had blinked they might honestly have believed Srizz was replaced by a shapeshifter in the instant it took for him to go from threatening Elithes to greeting him like an old friend.-=H-D=-

[Parugi]

OOC: Burnmad: They've basically split up to try and lure the remaining Nakari to a spot in West District. So just have Peacemaker find and attack one somewhere. IC - Nakari - West District: The sword cut into the Nakari's leg, eliciting a screech from it. Snapping its head forward, it aimed a bite at Theron's torso.IC - Sanshou/Elithes - Citadel: "Same as usual," Elithes said, smirking slightly as he shook Srizz's hand. "Defending islands from supernatural zhreats--typical stuff. Intevresting spin on zhings zhis time, considering I live here." He shrugged, turning on a flashlight and walking forward. "I love vhat your C.O. has done vith zhe place, Sanshou; much more velcoming zhan zhe last time I vas in here.""I'm sure it is," Sanshou answered distractedly, having moved over to a nearby map and observing it. She glanced up as the walls of the building shook. "I don't know about Hexxon, but I've been all over this building and have never seen any sign of the Director top-side." She placed a finger on a maintenance stairwell a few hallways down. "I suggest we start by going downward."IC - Kovian/Vailian/Illuxio - Ring HQ: "It's... complicated," Kovian said. "Lyxek only hired us to get that Rose. This--" He pointed around, indicating the darkened sky, the destroyed state of City, the chasm where the Searcher had been... "--is what happened as a result. Honestly, I don't know the whole story, but I know an incoming apocalypse when I see one; you're free to help whoever you want, but right now, helping Lyxek is quite possibly the worst thing you could do--for yourself and the everyone else." Kovian shrugged. "Your choice. I'm not letting him finish this.""I have one hand and no powers," Vailian answered, still gripping his new stump tightly in shock. "How do you expect me to help you fight Dalmia in this condition?"IC - Zanth/Sepcret/? - The Garden: "Remember those guardians I mentioned?" Zanth said, slowly shifting his gaze. Fleeting sounds could be heard, low growls and noises that seemed like nothing more than the blowing of the wind.Through the darkness, various creatures could be seen lumbering forward. They were wildly diverse in shape, some bipedal, some of them animal-like. All of them, however, seemed to be made of earth and plant matter, bearing appearances eerily similar to the Feranaki. They were emerging from the forest around the group, clawing their way from the ground, and some of them were even stepping out of trees as if they had been a part of them."Decapitate them," Zanth advised. "That will momentarily stun them while the Garden recycles their essence.""'Recycles' them?" Sepcret repeated, releasing her chain gauntlet."Like I said, they're part of the Garden," the Sherif said. "It's not going to let their bodies go to waste."You are mortals... the whispering voice said to the group. The orange 'eyes' seemed to shift slightly. Why do you come here...?IC - The Director - Citadel: "I do not refer to you, Older Brother," the Director said. "I know who you are. I know why you are here." The AI's gaze shifted to Waiter. "You are here for the same purpose as him. No notable records exist pertaining to him. Identify or be consumed."IC - Cluster Series - The Garden: The mechs continued to be unresponsive to Swerv's presence. As he watched, their lasers burned eleven lines into the ground, finally meeting at the very center of the Garden. A sphere of red light--the same intensity as the color of the lasers--erupted there.From it, a black void began to emerge. It spread outward, to the very edge of the glowing circle. The lines etched into the ground began to glow white. From three separate points on the outer ring, a series of lines began to spread, connecting with three orbs that appeared, equidistant from another, in the center of the summoning circle. Auras of different colors began to surround the mechs, an orange one encompassing CS-05; whatever it was, it quickly pushed Swerv off of the mech, throwing him a fair distance away.Finally, a pillar of dark energy rose from the middle sphere, shooting through the Searcher's hole and into the air...IC - Lyxek/Kerid/Dalmia - The Platform: Before the eyes of Kerid, Lyxek, Ehjoras, and Lyxek's group of guards, a gigantic pillar of darkness shot into the air, connecting with the circle of energy that had appeared earlier. The Ringmaster looked back at the Ring base, smiling wickedly as he saw the sphere around it shrinking, before disappearing completely.One down... he thought, looking forward again. A pair of crimson eyes, massive in size, had appeared in the center of the swirling energy, staring out upon the land. In the far distance, large clouds of nanobots swarmed out of the Day Run, beginning to form into a large shape above the island. Lyxek watched this with obvious, psychotic glee."What's happening?" Kerid asked. The large amount of energy was making it difficult to tell what was actually going on. Lyxek looked at her, a mischievous gleam in his eye."Rhashahk is returning," he said. "The heart's halves and the eye are releasing their energies into a focused dark zone. As Rhashahk pulls his mind and soul together, the mechanical organs will disappear, one by one, as long as he has enough soul energy to feed off of. Unfortunately, his body is gone, but that's okay--we figured out how to repurpose your nanobots to create a new one. It should be stable enough to contain his power." He laughed. "It won't be long now. Once the Garden heart and the eye are consumed, and all life on Kai-Nam is devoured, my deal will be complete."Kerid frowned, gritting her teeth at her situation. She glanced over at Ehjoras, who was staring in sheer terror at what was happening. If she could only get out of her cage...A sudden burst of energy caused the platform to rock. Lyxek didn't seem concerned--or surprised--by this. He merely straightened up, turning to face their attacker. His grin widened as he laid his eyes on Dalmia. The Ring member floated--or rather stood--in the air, one hand outstretched as he faced Lyxek. The Ringmaster smirked at him, noting the aura that surrounded his former ally."Why does this not surprise me?" he asked, grabbing his guitar and walking forward. Lyxek stopped and took a seat at the edge of the floating platform, one leg dangling in the air below and the other set, foot-first, on the floor of the platform. He adjusted a dial on his guitar. "Finally decided to try something, eh?""Decided? No," Dalmia answered, his voice entwined with those of the spirits he had absorbed. "Merely found an opportunity. The decision was made long ago.""You make it sound like you don't like me anymore," the Ringmaster said, boredly brushing off his guitar. "No matter. I take it we both saw this day coming eventually..." He struck a cord, though did not attack. Dalmia narrowed an eye at this. Lyxek smiled for a moment, before a deathly serious expression came over his face. "You know you won't win, right?""The Ring does not believe in absolute failure," Dalmia said. "There is always a chance at succeeding. That is your code. I embrace it. I will kill you; I will have control of Rhashahk, for he and I are connected."Lyxek stared at Dalmia for a moment. He shrugged. "Good luck, then."In response, Dalmia initiated his attack. A torrent of energy shot forward, aimed at Lyxek. The Toa of Sonics did nothing to block its progress, completely unreactive as it struck...

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Kairan==-Kairan swung his sword at an approaching Guardian, even as he hoped to sever it's head before it could do any damage. He ignored the voice for the moment, as he knew nothing good could come of it, however, he whirled, and attempted to fire a bolt of lightning toward one of the eyes."To destroy the Heart." Kairan said, a determined look on his face, as he spun back toward the Guardians for the moment.-==IC: Selirah==-"Power isn't always absolute." Selirah said, as she closed her eyes."Knowledge is sometimes power, and that power can be used to strengthen anyone. You have knowledge of the Ring, and perhaps even enough knowledge of Dalmia to help kill him once and for all." Selirah said, however, she started to walk toward the entrance as well."However, if you aren't confident in yourself, then that knowledge is useless."

[Voltex]

IC: Djoser, Ring HQ:Djoser had stared in outrage as Dalmia betrayed everyone for himself, but had decided not to worry about it- he could practicaly feel Vertak nearby, and for once, he wanted to crush the Matoran with finality.IC: Vertak, Ring HQ:Vertak screeched to a hault in the Tumbler in front of Illuxio and Kovian, and he scrambled out quickly even as Dalmia vanished. "You..." he pointed at Illuxio, trailing off. "I... think I know who you are. You're like him, aren't you? Lyxek. You are Lyxek. Do you know how Dalmia can be stopped? Do you know how he and Lyxek can be stopped?"IC: Elittra, the Garden:Elittra stood nearby to Zanth, noting that he wasn't attacking and thus didn't attack herself."What is it?" she asked, turning her gaze to the sphere. "What is wrong?"

[Half-Dragon]

IC: Srizz | Citadel"Considering this is the second time in less than three years the universe is in danger, you'd think the bad guys would win for once," Srizz remarked nonchalantly to Elithes. "I mean, think about it: You have to save the place every single time, but you've only got to lose it once and BAM! All over." He shrugged. "Guess it's a good thing we're around. Hey, this doesn't make me a hero, does it? I would never hear the end of it." Then he noticed the looks he was getting. "Oh, right. Feranaki, Director, end of the world as we know it, working on that. Hey, whatsyourname," he gestured at Sanshou. "You know the lay of the land. Gimme some directions and I can scout the place out. I'm good at sneaking past Feranaki."-=H-D=-IC: Theron | South DistrictTheron brought up his Hau shield just as the Feranaki's jaws closed around his midsection, conscious of the acid dripping from its maw. Immediately he grabbed its head with one hand and brought his blade up with the other, readying to stab straight through its brain in a single motion while his immense strength kept it from shifting out of the way or letting go in time. Luring it in was good, but killing it here had some benefits too. One less to worry about if the mental shock trick didn't work. And if it used that energy transmission trick to get out, then at least he knew he had its attention and could get back to Plan A.=H-D=

Edited June 24, 2012 by Half-Dragon

[Cosmic Titan]

IC: The Garden"I am here to destroy the Coeur D'Ombre." He responded, his voice resolute.He stood infront of the strange plant. For his posture it was clear he was not backing down without a very, very good reason.IC: Outside the Ring HQ"You don't have to fight him directly. Rally any Ring members still loyal to you, that respect and will obey your authority. Or you could do whatever you were previously going to do. Your actions are not for me to decide."Marx could feel the darkness gathering and he could almost feel the being within the darkness that was trying to return.IC: CitadelHe didn't like this whole situation. All his nerves were telling him to flee. But he didn't want to back down.Something be it pride, arrogance or something else entirely. He could just not bring himself to back down and retreat.IC: The GardenHe saw the plant creatures and how they looked much like Feranaki.He stopped talking to the sphere of darkness and went over to one of them."Hello? Do you talk?" He asked it. Completely unaware of the danger he was in.

[Burnmad]

IC: Artorre: City:Artorre sped through the city, running over feranaki as he drove toward the Citadel. He wanted to see the extent of the damage done to it, not even knowing yet that the Director was actually evil.OOC: Someone want to tell him that?IC: Aranai: Ring HQ:Aranai quickly weighed her options in her head. Attack Dalmia and probably die, or stay down here and probably die. She turned and made her way to the nearest staircase up.IC: Peacemaker: South District:Peacemaker turned, took a sword off the nearest corpse, and sprinted off toward the nearest dot he had seen on the map. Before long, he saw a nakari and fired a crossbow bolt at its neck.

[Parugi]

IC - Nakari - West District: Unsurprisingly, the Nakari did translocate, shifting upward and appearing in the air above Theron, where it began to flap its wings to stay aloft. Shrieking, it unleashed more of its acid rain on the Toa.IC - Zanth/Guardians/?/Sepcret - The Garden: Zanth only continued to watch the approaching Guardians as the others moved toward the creatures. He took a deep breath, maintaining his calm as best as he could as images flashed through his mind of the five fallen Team Zero members. So much effort had been poured into finding the Garden, into stopping the Ring and the KNPD. So many lives had been lost, dozens of friendships formed and crushed. Iglu, Dreika, Dulain, Zaréna, Elyn, and, in a way, Suya had all given their lives to stop exactly what was happening now.What a lot of use that had been...Then again... the Sherif thought. We did always know that Lyxek's success was virtually inevitable, regardless of how many delays we threw in his path... The reluctance of the rest of the organization to help put a permanent end to his activities certainly didn't help. So, in a way, I guess we succeeded...He turned his arm, catching the face of a Guardian in the claws of one of his maces. Plant matter sprayed into the air as the claws closed, crushing its head. Zanth discarded the body to the side.Let's hope we did just enough to ensure he fails...The voice that was speaking to the group went silent for a moment. The eyes shifted again, seeming to blink.You wish to destroy me... it said. A hole seemed to tear open near the bottom of the trunk. Inside was a mechanical heart. Roughly the size of a Toa, it beat with a steady, slow rhythm. Cords connected its arteries and veins to the tree, which glowed orange with each beat the heart's four chambers. Even so, it seemed incomplete, as if something was missing from it... I wish you luck... this existence is not worth it. However, I fear you are too late... We are merging; soon, I will be rejoined, and these false names shall be shed...IC - Sanshou/Elithes - Citadel: "You may get your vish yet," Elithes said to Srizz, pointing out a nearby window. Even from the Citadel, they could see the action happening outside. The pillar of darkness did not bode well."Karz. that's.... impressive," Sanshou said quietly, staring outside for a moment. She pushed herself away from the window, poring over the map again. The Artanian pointed north-west, the direction they needed to go. "Right... Maintenance level is accessible through a stairwell that way. Shouldn't be too difficult to find--it's the only one that leads underground." She frowned. "Strange, actually, now that I think about it... if the Director's an AI then you would think his systems would be more easily accessible to engineers..."She shook her head, pushing the thought aside. Grabbing her daggers, she began walking in that direction, keeping an eye on her surroundings. After a moment, Elithes followed her.IC - Vailian/Illuxio/Kovian - Ring HQ: "Alternatively, Vailian, you could stay here and die," Kovian offered to Vailian. "Or go back to City--and die. You really don't have any good options here, to be honest. But consider what's going on around you, and tell me how any of it could possibly be good for you or the other Ring members."Vailian stared at the Toa of Ice. Kovian simply stared back, their gazes locked. After a few moments, the Hivena blinked, beginning to push himself to his feet."I'll help you stop Dalmia," he said at length. "But that is the extent of my cooperation, for the time being.""I am," Illuxio said to Vertak, too worn out to ask how the Matoran found out about his identity. "And I'm trying to figure that out. Being thrown through a dimension wasn't kind to my memory." He paused. "Wait... If this Lyxek is anything like I was--which he has been up to now--then he'll have computers in his throne room. There may be something there that we can use."IC - Lyxek/Dalmia/Kerid/Ehjoras - The Platform: Dalmia cut off his attack the second he realized that something was wrong.Something was very wrong.Lyxek was still alive. He could tell before the smoke had even cleared. Despite having taking a direct, slightly prolonged hit from a super-charged attack--an energy blast powered up by literally hundreds of souls--Lyxek had survived. Whether this was through his own power or with Rhashahk's assistance, Dalmia couldn't tell.Judging from the Toa's glowing hand, outstretched in front of him, it seemed to be a mixed case.Dalmia narrowed his eyes, launching another burst of energy at Lyxek. Again, the Toa moved his hand, seeming to absorb the attack, his expression still cold. The Ring member launched several more. Each time, they were deflected or taken in by Lyxek.That was concerning.Dalmia floated backward for a moment, trying to comprehend this. Lyxek smiled at his confusion, closing his eyes as Dalmia reached toward the Coder, drawing five cards from it. His eyes widened as he saw that they were all blank. Replacing them, he drew more, more, and more, all of them blank."What... the..." the Ring member cursed. Lyxek shook his head, opening his eyes. "I don't...""Dalmia, you're trying to use my own creations against me," he pointed out. "You absorbed the Collector with the correct notion that it would amplify your power--using your own connection with the Heart as a conduit for the souls that the Collector had taken. But I made it. The Collector is part of me--nothing you throw at me will affect me as it would others. And the Coder? Even Vailian knew the risks with using it: tick me off, and it will not obey you." He frowned. "And, Dalmia? You have royally. Ticked. Me. Off."The Ring member screamed a thousand screams as Lyxek began playing his guitar, sending a flurry of sonic blades at Dalmia. They slashed him, tore him, slammed him, crashed him, a myriad of effects hitting Dalmia all at once. Lyxek didn't stop even as Dalmia teleported to a different spot, seeming to know exactly where he would appear next. Dalmia gasped in pain and anger as more cracks began to spread across what remained of his visor, his visible eye ablaze with white fury.Lyxek finally stopped, leaving Dalmia to pant several meters away from the platform. He was bleeding in several spots, and multiple cuts had appeared on his body suit. He thrust his hand out, sending a shockwave at Ehjoras's cage in anger. With a flourish, Lyxek absorbed the redirected the attack. Dalmia growled."All that planning... wasted," Lyxek said quietly, bowing his head. He glanced up at Dalmia. "Tragic. Simply tragic. There's only one way you're going to beat me, Dalmia. I hope you realize that."The Ring member didn't answer. Slowly, he steadied his breathing, straightening up and staring straight at Lyxek. "No," he said. "I know more than one way..." He teleported again. Lyxek's smile flickered for a moment, unsure of what Dalmia had meant. Cautiously, he pulled himself back up, getting back on his feet and looking around, his gaze cold.The Ringmaster was thrown off balance as one of the platform's thrusters exploded. He frowned, narrowing his eyes as the four-armed guard--Jysk--moved to look over the edge. A moment later, three more thrusters exploded; with a groan, the platform began to descend.Very sly, Dalmia, he thought. Very, very sly... Well played.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Selirah==-"We need to get there, then." Selirah said, raising her hands in apology to Illuxio, as she had merely been passing by when she heard that part of the conversation."And we probably need to hurry, who knows what's going on now..."-==IC: Kairan==-Kairan turned around with a shocked look on his face, however, he then frowned and nodded, as he gripped his sword with two hands, and then began to run toward the mechanical heart, hoping he would be able to destroy it before anything happened... His first attack was a direct slash; he wasn't sure if it would be deflected or not, however.

[Magnus Greel]

IC: KNPD HQ - CitadelHexxon walked with the group toward the maintenence level, withdrawing his staff. Anar followed closeby to his master, glancing around the rooms and halls they passed. Both were preparing themselves for anything they could think of that the Director might use against them.The last time the Odinan had seen the KNPD leader was when he assigned him the task of hunting down the "rebels" he now worked with. He only wondered how the AI would feel when seeing him again, after he had resigned from the police force.I know how I'll feel when I see him again, Hexxon thought darkly.IC: The GardenUsing his telekinetic powers, Greel concentrated on several heads of the Garden's guardians. He could twist and tear off their craniums without getting near the bizarre creatures. In addition, he had opened his coat, revealing a number of daggers suspended on the inside, and telekinetically caused them to fly towards the guardians. Each spun in the air, acting like buzz saws to chop off more heads.Meanwhile, Rocky blasted his heat vision at them, sending concentrated beams of thermal energy to shear off the body part. Absorbed heat from the fires of his mane allowed the Rock Lion to spray a fury of flames at their enemies' faces.IC: Ring HQWasponax weighed his choices. The Ringmaster was planning on destroying everything, which he believed the Shadowed One would definately oppose. That was where his loyalty was -- with the Dark Hunters. If this was something his master wanted stopped, then the insects would do what they could to end it."I'm coming, then," the Dark Hunter said, hurrying as best he could in the robotic mech as he could.

[Void Emissary]

IC: Calik Raktu - The GardenWith only the light from the fireball in his hand illuminating his viewpoint, the Calik's battle seemed to take on new, nightmarish proportions.Swinging his hammer around, the Toa tore the head off of the nearest Guardian, sending it ramming into the chest of the one behind. Using the distraction to his advantage, he sped towards the Guardian, bringing his hammer down hard on its head, crushing it into a shrunken husk.Whirling around, Calik was expecting to see more Guardians, but was surprised to see a massive mechanical heart, embedded in the roots of the tree they had been trying to destroy. Nearby, Kairan was doing his best to slash it open, though he was too far away to see if he was having any success.Using his Calix, the Toa used the remaining body of the slain Guardian as a springboard, leaping through the air over the heads of his enemies, landing a few metres away from the Heart. Not even stopping to catch his breath, he ran at it, bringing his hammer down on the device.-Void

[Voltex]

IC: Vertak, Ring HQ:Vertak was about to reply when the explosions occured and he glanced up, to see what he thought might be Dalmia breaking something.If he's doing that, then things are worse than we fear. He thought. "Alright... I'll try and get into this room." he told them. "Would there be a password I need to put in, or something special, or what?"IC: Djoser, Ring HQ:Djoser could see Vertak with a larger assembled group of beings- one of them being Kovian. He decided to wait to attack Vertak; it wouldn't do to have himself blown to pieces by a furious mob.IC: Elittra, The Garden:Elittra responded to the half of the heart whom, she thought, sounded as if it wanted to be destroyed, by sending a blast of lighting towards it.

[Half-Dragon]

IC: Theron | South District | Fighting the NakariAgain he brought up his shield, having seen this one coming a mio away. But knowing he couldn't reach that height and had no reliable ranged attacks (throwing rocks and rubble was not a valid attack strategy) he resorted to the only weapon left in his arsenal: Taunting. Hopefully they understood Matoran. "Coward!" He called through the rain of acid. "Craven! Fight like a beast or fight not at all!" He took a few steps back, apparently to get a better view rather than looking straight up, and brandished his blade for effect. =H-D=IC: Srizz | Citadel"Can't see why," Srizz remarked. "If he's an AI he won't want just anyone poking around in his circuits. Control the only access point and nobody can, say, shut down his core whatever functions. Unless they fool him." He shrugged. "But if that's the only way in, he'll have it watched. I doubt he got this far by being stupid or careless. You know any places that don't connect, but have walls or floors that do? I'd rather not have to sneak past the guards if there's an option."-=H-D=-

[Burnmad]

OOC: I'm assuming there's nothing preventing Artorre from just strolling in?IC: Artorre: Citadel:Before long, Artorre came to the massive building. He parked his motorcycle, taking out the key, and walked over to the entrance.IC: Aranai: Ring HQ:Aranai continued jogging up the stairs. Maybe she'd somehow end up killing everybody.

[Cosmic Titan]

IC: The GardenSol put his hands together and launched a high power laser from his hands.He made sure not to aim for anything else.But he found it very strange this object seemed to be alive and want to die. But he wanted to detroy it and if that is what this thing wanted then he was willing to help. Two birds with one stone, sort of.

Edited June 25, 2012 by paragon

[Parugi]

OOC: Burnmad: Aside from basically every Feranaki gathering around Citadel? Nope, nothing's in your way. Except for them.IC - Nakari (Theron) - West District: In response, the Nakari hissed, landing on a building and swinging its tail--straight through the structure's side. The result was a cascade of stone and debris that rained upon Theron's position.IC - Nakari (Peacemaker) - West District: The crossbow bolt struck a weak point in the Nakari's neck, sticking it its flesh and catching its attention, although it did not paralyze it. Wtih a shriek, it began to translocate, shooting in the robot's direction.IC - Guardians/Zanth/The Second Heart/Sepcret - The Garden: The attacks were not deflected by the Heart--they were intercepted by Guardians, which sprung up from the ground directly in front of the tree. Even as they were crushed, shocked, or slashed, they did not fall.And, in fact, those that had been decapitated by the other fights were beginning to pull their bodies together again, continuing their advance. Zanth frowned."What...?" He held a hand out, launching a barrage of iron spikes forward. They stabbed into the faces of the Guardians, momentarily stunning them, though not killing them as expected. The Sherif pulled his hand back in confusion. "That's not right... That's not supposed to happen..."It would seem... the Heart said, in that same, airy, almost bored tone. that my proximity to them is having... adverse effects on them... They don't wish to see me die... How unfortunate..."So what do we do, then?" Sepcret asked, taking a step back. "If these things can't die, and we can't get to the Heart..."IC - Kovian/Vailian/Illuxio - Ring HQ: "There shouldn't be a password into the room, no," Illuxio said as they came to the door, having made their way through the eerily quiet halls. "The computers on the other hand..." He stopped talking as he saw Kaytana in the room, sitting on the steps leading up to the throne. The robot stepped inside, moving to the side to allow room for the others file file in.Vailian stepped inside, waving his remaining hand at Kaytana. "Stand down," he said. "Things are not going as they're supposed to." He directed Vertak and Illuxio to the computers, before looking at the Skakdi again. "Dalmia has betrayed us--from what we saw, he absorbed the Collector and is attacking Lyxek as we speak."IC - Sanshou/Elithes - Citadel: "In theory, the entire Citadel rests right on top of the maintenance level, so you could say that the floor we're standing on is connected to it," Sanshou said. "Although considering I've never actually been down there, I don't know for certain. So... No idea.""Say, I zhought zhat ve had two people in here alvready?" Elithes said, remembering what Zanth had said. Sanshou frowned, though nodded. "Hm... Anyvone know how to contact zhem?"IC - Lyxek/Kerid/Ehjoras - Platform: If Lyxek was concerned about the fact that he and his crew and prisoners were now in free-fall, he didn't show it. Gripping the side railing tightly with one hand, he closed his eyes, activating his mask. Slowly, the platform's fall came to a complete halt as its kinetic energy fell under his control. He opened an eye, glancing at his band."Don't just stand there," he said. "Get the emergency thrusters going while the platform repairs itself."The guards nodded, scattering to begin working on different sets of control panels. The Ringmaster caught Kerid's gaze, rolling his eyes in annoyance. Releasing his grip on the platform, he started toward Kerid's cage, snapping his fingers once as he walked. He smiled, taking a seat between the two cages, gazing out over the field of clouds."Stupid people are stupid," he said, shaking his head. Kerid, seeing nothing else to do, leaned against the wall of her prison, watching the growing darkness with Lyxek. "Regardless, Dalmia's gone--for now. No doubt he'll be back.""You seemed pretty confident in your ability to defeat him," the Tournament Organizer said. "Almost as if you knew you would win.""But I did," Lyxek said. "I have Rhashahk's blessing. Throughout all of my time since the First Revival to now, that is one of the greater things in my life that has remained constant. Had Dalmia not blown his chance, perhaps he might have been able to succeed against me." He smirked. "As things stand, he didn't. And so he will die, like all the others that I deem too troublesome to leave alive...""You still make no sense to me, Lyxek," Kerid said, sighing. She shook her head. "How is any of this going to benefit you? What use is a dead universe to you?"To Kerid's surprise, Lyxek began to laugh. "'Dead universe'? What makes you think that I'm going to let the universe die?" the Ringmaster asked. "Universal destruction is Dalmia's thing, not mine, despite what you may think.""So then your goal is...?""It's pretty simple," Lyxek said, pushing himself to his feet. "I want to live on. I want to become immortalized. What better way to do that than to perform the first ever ressurection in the history of our universe--the resurrection of a God, at that?" He smiled broadly, darkly, looking over the land with a new, frightening glint in his eye."Think about it, Kerid," he said. "It's a win-win situation for me. Rhashahk is coming back no matter what; that right there is going to get my name carved into history forever. I'm changing what it means to live this very day! No one will have reason to fear death after this, because the very visage of death will have been transformed from a permanent status into a temporary condition." He looked at Kerid, leaning toward her. "And even if you people choose to forget me--oh, I'm not killing you all yet, no; that wouldn't be fun--I will become immortal through Rhashahk's power. I'll be there to remind you.""That's... really... disproportional to what you're actually doing," Kerid said after a moment, taken aback by Lyxek's revelation. The Ringmaster smiled again. "So... you're reviving this God to get into history books... to become immortal... but then what?""Oh, there's more to it," Lyxek said. "For the most part, I'm leaving things alone, yes. However, I do want to have a bit of fun with this, and so I'm going to give myself a few additional abilities once Rhashahk is able. See, I've always been curious about how our universe would get by if no one had powers; so, for an undetermined amount of time, I'm going to remove them from the equation. They'll gradually come back, sure, but I want to run an experiment--one in which only a few select individuals have powers, one where no one has powers, and so on and on." He shrugged, crossing his arms. "And, of course, there are a few people and organizations that I want to dismantle. But the immortality thing is the biggest goal.""I still don't see why," Ehjoras piped up. Lyxek looked at him. "Anyone else--including me, to be honest, if I were in your position--would use this for bigger things. Universal domination. World building. Stuff like that.""And that is why your people are losing," Lyxek said. "You think too grandly for my tastes. Perhaps, eventually, I'll go off and create my own world, but for now, I'm content with playing around with this one." He turned as the thrusters began to hum, stabalizing enough for him to release his hold on the platform. The Toa began to walk away."Wait," Kerid said. "What about Rhashahk? You still haven't told us what you're going to do with him."Lyxek stopped. "I haven't decided. I'll probably absorb him." He glanced at Kerid. "But after seeing what he did to that AI's universe, out of nothing more than revenge? No way I'm letting him live long enough to do the same here. I'm not that bad."

[Burnmad]

OOC: Sorry, I should probably quit watching TV while I read important posts. >.<IC: Artorre: Citadel:Artorre slowly slashed his way through the feranaki in between him and the KNPD HQ. He sent a wave of fire at several others.IC: Peacemaker: West District:The android dodged the nakari."Come on, you incompetent insect! Come get me!"He ran off toward the location they were supposed to be leading the nakari.

Edited June 25, 2012 by Burnmad: Toa of Emoticons

[Kal the Guardian]

IC / The Garden / Flying:“Whoa!” Swerv yelled as he was thrown from the mech, tumbling and twisting through the air. Data raced through his brain as he collected information as he continued to fly, trying to get his bearings and control his flight, which was rapidly descending into a fall. He quickly got the picture of his progression and what he needed to do to even out his fall.Twisting his body of his own accord, he stopped tumbling when-CRASHHe ran out of air to travel through.Although something soft and spongy seemed to have stopped his fall. Still, he was disoriented, and some of his systems had gone into reboot. He wasn’t sure what he had hit, but hopefully it was friendly. And hopefully it wasn’t a guardian of the Garden because that would be bad. But no being he knew was that soft and plant matter-y like.Yeah, it was a guardian, wasn’t it?IC / Citadel / With Waiter:As the Director’s gaze turned away from Brother, he slipped a hand into his cloak and almost activated his communicator, on all frequencies. Then he realized how dumb of an idea that was. Against an AI that was like yelling, “I’m calling for help, kill me now”. Slowly moving his hand to instead come to rest on his sword hilt, he took a deep breath and responded.“I don’t know his real name, but that Toa gave me a bit of trouble. So, I tracked him here to kill him, but realized he could be more useful in this little game you have going on here, Director. I nick-named him Waiter, but that won’t be in any database.”There, Brother had said it. Director. If that really was to whom the voice belonged. Then again, the room they were in confirmed it, which Brother realized all too well. At least with Lyxek he had had a body to attack.As for protecting Waiter’s real identity, well, despite Brother’s evil ways, he couldn’t fathom what Waiter’s mind was going through as something seemed to affect his mind. Whatever it was, Lurinost, the Director, it was something Brother had not had to deal with in a long time, and as such, he couldn’t imagine the pain, and that earned his pity.At least for the moment, as Brother himself was mentally breaking down, although not due to any outside mental prodding.IC / The Garden / With Zanth’s Group:“HA!” Sevorik said to Sepcret, “They aren’t Feranaki. This is nothing.” Then again, he might be saying that because his body was immune to damage. Either way, he nodded to Desoria and they began to advance towards the second Heart instead of staying near Zanth.Sevorik grinned as he spun one baton, the other lashing out at the nearest guardian. The thing ducked and counter attacked. The Vortixx anticipated as such and jumped back as Desoria flanked the thing and chopped off its head, continuing to hack away with her flaming axe head at its body.Still grinning, Sevorik moved on, begging to, with Desoria’s help, cut a path through to the second Heart, though the difficulty increased quickly. And Sevorik was having to rely more and more on his power to dodge. But with Desoria spewing flames at anything that got too close, they were still making progress.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Kairan==-"Let's try a different approach, then." Kairan said, as he pulled out his new staff, and aimed it at one of the guardians directly in front of the heart quickly, hoping this would work as he hoped it would, and that Greel could help with part two.

[Half-Dragon]

IC: Theron | South DistrictTheron saw the debris too late - there was no time to react, not even to shield himself, before the rocks and rubble were upon him, crashing down on the massive Toa like rain. In mere moments he was buried. For a few moments it seemed as if that were the end of him... but then the rubble began to shift. A brief quiver in one of the topmost rocks turned into a thundering burst as the rubble was flung aside, revealing Theron standing with the largest piece held over his head. His armor was scratched, bent and dented in places, but though the worse for wear he didn't look hurt. He looked livid.For a moment he forgot the plan. He forgot taunting and fighting defensively. He had a very big rock and now he hurled it with all his might at the Nakari, wanting nothing more than to crush it like an insect.=H-D=IC: Srizz | CitadelSrizz stroked one of the throwing knives strewn across his body, one that was in fact forged by Zyglak, though nobody needed to know he had more than one of those just yet. "I don't know about comms, but... How far down are we talking? If the floor's two, maybe two and a half bio thick, I think I can get us through. Just find me a place where we won't be dropping down into a great big cavern and going splat at the bottom."-=H-D=-

[Voltex]

IC: Vertak, Ring HQ:Vertak ignored Kaytana's presence, instead deeming to just follow Illuxio. The AI was the only one that would know the password, and there was no point in having it shared verbally when Ring members were around to hear them.

[Parugi]

IC - Nakari (Theron) - West District: The Nakari's screech was cut short as the rock slammed into it, knocking it off of the building and causing it to fall to the ground. As it struggled to get back to its feet, it was obvious that several of its bones had been broken by both the impact and the fall.Still, it managed to stand up, crawling toward Theron at a much slower pace.IC - Nakari (Peacemaker) - West District: With a low hiss, the Nakari chased after Peacemaker, leaping and running from building to building as it attempted to catch the robot...IC - Sanshou/Elithes - Citadel: "Like I said, I don't know," Sanshou said. "No maps exist of the maintenance level--destroying the floor could drop us into a hallway, into a reactor, or inside of a number of other things." She sped up as the stairwell appeared. Opening the gate that blocked it, she peered down. Even with her Ruru, it was shrouded in darkness after a certain point. "Although... I think I can safely say that the floor is more than two feet thick."IC - Kovian/Illuxio/Vailian - Throne Room: Illuxio stopped in front of the primary control panel. Activating it, he began inputting a series of code. A red flash indicated that it had not worked. The robot frowned. "Guess I'll have to hack it..." Placing his hands directly on the panel, Illuxio closed his eyes, connecting with the system and beginning to work his way through it from the inside-out...Kovian, meanwhile, took a step toward the throne, staring up at the Turaga floating in stasis above it. Why was he still here? "Vailian," he called. "Who is this, again?""That would be Lyccir, the Ringmaster of the first Ring," the Hivena answered, taking a spot next to the Toa of Ice. "Lyxek captured him a week ago. Beyond that, I don't know much.""Illuxio, see if you can deactivate this field," Kovian said, nodding in thanks to Vailian. "We might be able to use him."Illuxio didn't answer, still focusing on breaking into the computer. After a moment, he opened his eyes. "I'm in," he said. The robotic being began shifting through information and files, noting which things were most pertinent to the situation. One by one, the various screens lit up, displaying a number of files and programs--the base's layout, blueprints for the platform that Lyxek had taken out of the place, information on the Collector...After a moment, the stasis field around Lyccir disappeared, causing him to drop.IC - Zanth/Sepcret/Heart/Guardians - The Garden: As if in response to Sevorik, the ground beneath the Vortixx's feet shook, and a large shape began to rise from it. The Guardian was monstrously large, flat, similar to a centipede in structure, though its face was little more than an upside-down skull. Its back split open, turning into what was essentially a mouth--which aimed to devour the Dark Hunter as it appeared.IC - The Director - Beneath Citadel: "Identity acknowledged," the Director answered after a moment. The AI's gaze shifted back to Brother. By now, the Rahkshi's eyes would begin to adjust to the unnatural darkness; through the shadows, Brother would be able to see a large, circular shape, from which the light was emanating. "You have come here in a misguided attempt to destroy me, leaving Lyxek free to continue his plans. Explain."IC - Lyxek - Platform: Lyxek flexed his arm. The many, many nanobots from the Day Run were almost finished building Rhashahk's new body--a gigantic, snake-like form that hung in the air, curled and floating within the clouds. It wouldn't be long now; all that remained was for the AI to be uploaded. Once that was done, and Rhashahk joined with it...The Ringmaster smiled. It would only be a matter of activating the control module that he carried. For mere moments, Rhashahk's mind would be his to dominate; in that time, a whole lot of things would change...

[Voltex]

IC: Vertak, Ring HQ, Throne Room:Vertak activated his gravity powers to "catch" the Turaga as he fell, walking over as he lay Lyccir on the floor and kneeled beside him, placing an arm on the Turaga's shoulder and shaking gently."Hey, Turaga Lyccir, you hear me?" he asked. "If you can, it's Vertak... and things have gone from worst to even worse."-ibrow

[Void Emissary]

IC: [Calik Raktu] - The GardenCalik snarled in frustration at his lack of progress against the so-called 'Heart'. Every attack made on it seemed to be blocked by one of the Guardians.And speaking of Guardians, there was suddenly a giant one rising straight out of the ground, just a ways away from him."Oh good, another plant-thing," he half-grinned, "At least we can kill them."With that said, he leaped into the air, coming down with his hammer primed to bust a hole in the Guardian-Centipede's body.-Void

[Half-Dragon]

IC: Srizz | CitadelSrizz sighed. "Looks like there's one way in. There goes the control element, and probably surprise too." In the blink of an eye his colors had shifted to grey and dark green, ideal colors for blending in with darkness. Light was funny like that - black didn't really work like people thought it did. "I'll check it out. Stay silent." The way he said that last part sounded like most people might say 'good luck.' -=H-D=-IC: Theron | South DistrictThe Toa approached cautiously, well aware that this could be a trap. Nakari were smarter than they looked; they'd proven that time and again. With every step he tensed further, waiting for it to translocate or spit acid, but aside from a token spray no such attack came. Finally, at the last few yards, he leapt into action without warning, clearing the distance in a single bound and bringing the edge of his massive fullblade up, over his head and down at the Nakari's skull, hopefully too fast to react.=H-D=

[Magnus Greel]

IC: The GardenGreel noticed the blows to the guardians before the Heart did not incapicitate them. Worse, they blocked the group's target and prevented anything from striking it. Even the combined barrage of assaults he and Rocky threw on their opponents didn't seem to last long...The Team Slight member called his blades back to their proper pockets within his jacket, and withdrew his golden spear. Advancing towards the earth-plant hybrids, he aimed the pronged weapon at them and blasted its navy blue energy mist. Hopefully, the teleporting and vertigo powers of the spear's power would clear the way. And to guarantee an opening, he tried tossing the guardians away from their spots with telekinesis.IC: Throne Room - Ring HQKaytana was, after being informed of the situation, shocked at first. Not only did Dalmia's betrayal surprise her, but also Vailian helping the Ring's enemies in and allowing them access to the Ringmaster's computers. The Hivena even let them free that imprisoned Turaga! Then, as each one had passed her or stood in the room, she glared at them, especially at Vertak. Even after all the time that had passed, she still harbored sour feelings toward the Matoran and his sword from their actions against her in the Day Run Arena. Now, she was furious that he wouldn't allow her to challenge them.Everything her fellow Ring member had told her didn't make sense. Even if this group had it in their goal to defeat Dalmia, they were still planning to stop Lyxek's schemes as well. And here he was feeding them information from the personal equipment of Lyxek. It didn't even worry her that Dalmia was against her master. She was fully confident the Toa could deal with any threats from the reptilian being. Standing up, the Skakdi pulled out her personal transporter. "I told you Lyxek could handle Dalmia," she muttered to Vailian as she stomped away, her back to all present. Once at the entrace to the throne room, she placed the silvery disk on the floor. She proceeded to withdraw two egg-shaped objects, her crimson slits gazing at them, and stood on the transporter.

[Kal the Guardian]

IC / Ring HQ / With Kovian’s Group:Draxion kept glancing around, expecting Dalmia to be back at any moment. Where had he gone? Why had the sky gotten so dark when they were outside? Where was Ehjoras? Where was his mask?Draxion slowly spun his staff in his hand, letting the others, like Illuxio, take the lead. And was that Kovian? Weird. Draxion had thought he had disappeared, never to return. Well, that was obviously not true. Then again, it seemed Illuxio was some other dimension bad guy or something.If only the Rahkshi’s eavesdropping skills were better, he would understand what in the world is going on.IC / Citadel / With Waiter:“I,” Brother frowned, “It is my belief that you were created only to cause war. Created by Dalmia, almost like how I believe he has manipulated Lyxek. Seeing as you are here, doing nothing to stop Lyxek, I unfortunately conclude that my theory is true.”Brother squinted. His eyes, used to darkness, even more so as a Rahkshi and yet with these unnatural shadows, had already started to adjust to the dim. A large sphere seemed to be housing the red light. Perhaps through which the Director was able to see?IC / Citadel / Dreaming:Deeper and deeper he swam, never needing to draw new breath. The water pressure began to build, yet still deeper he went, focused upon his destination. Strong currents fought to pull him every which way, trying to dislodge him from his path. Many times he was delayed, loosing light as the surface above him faded from view.He swam and he swam, starting to tire, even with his connection to the water. It was pitch black, and nothing could be seen. The water had become still, and all was silent, even himself and along he went. But he was not alone. The Water Terrors were there, surrounding him; watching his progress as he swam along.Dim lights could be seen out of the corner of his vision, tempting him to look into pallid eyes, devoid of decent life. And, inevitably, the noises began, distorted by the crushing water depth. All manner of death and decay wailed and shrieked at him, horrors of the kind not heard by many, land or sea dwellers.These sounds had haunted his dreams, and continued to do so. He would never forgive Endless Boundaries for what they had wrought in him. He would take these sounds to his grave, and perhaps beyond, where he might face the real terrors in the dark.Finally, a pinprick of light shone forth, immediately reducing the gloom around him, although it revealed the dark, horrible shapes of the monstrosities that flocked around him. The light began to grow as he swam ever deeper. The pressure finally got to him, giving him a headache as he neared his destination.The light doubled, and then tripled, revealing more of the nightmares around him. He kept his eyes forward, focused solely upon his goal. The sounds continued to get worse, causing him to start hallucinating, seeing shapes pass in front of the light where none ever crossed.He absolutely hated making this trip. His subconscious began to break down because of what was in his own mind. And the light, it was just as far away as ever, no longer getting nearer. He began to doubt if he would ever make it, that he would end up losing strength and being devoured immediately. But then he would never see Sevarinous again, who had faced worse than him. He needed to remain strong, for brothers who still lived.And he was there.A giant sphere of pearl, swirling engravings stretched around and covered a light so bright that it had to be contained by the outer sphere else it lit the whole ocean and its location was made known.It was who he was. This, before him, was Vronx. It was Waiter. It was the Guardian of the Abyss. It was Swerv. It was purely him and no one else.It was cracked and chipping, evidence of the Director’s far reaching influence. Even Waiter’s core had been touched by the Director. He placed a hand upon one of the cracks, and it began to mend. Once he was finished here, he would need to see what else the Director had damaged, and somehow purge him from the ocean that was his mind.IC / The Garden / With Zanth’s Group:Sevorik stopped grinning as the ground beneath him rose up to devour him whole. That was not going to happ-He was invulnerable. Sevorik grinned again as he allowed himself to be eaten, beginning to slash and stab as he was devoured.Desoria, as always, was ready to assist Edge, and danced around the thing’s head, sending several flaming axe and fireball attacks at it.

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Kairan==-Kairan simply dodged around the rather large Guardian, and fired off a blast of lightning toward the Guardians in front of the heart, hoping it pierced through them to damage the heart. However, he also didn't know the effect the lightning would have on the guardians.