Strike From The Shadows

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Truahkia / ColiseumTruahkia turned back around and headed off as the rest of the group did. He didn't appear to be moving any faster, but he did manage to catch up to Lhikan."Do we have maps of those tunnels, and the ones in the levels above and below it, that we can use? Or is it part of the Fikou Web?"OOC: Fikou Web, for those unfamiliar, refers to the twisting tunnels of the Archives and the area beneath Metru-Nui that's just a jumble and nobody can really navigate well in. No maps or anything. Just getting lost and eaten by Rahi or wild Rahkshi.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[The Swimming Beard]

IC: Sontarok kept up the ice blast, hoping to hold off the Dark Hunters before the inevitable.

[Athmos]

IC(Zadahk C862-A): In a attempt to save power and itself, Zadahk shut down mid-air, causing it to flip through the air uncontrollably, swinging the Skakdi around like a toy in the hands of a Matoran.

[Grantaire]

IC: What Sontarok didn't seem to realize was that attacks travelled horizontally, not vertically when fired from the ground. Thus, the only thing his teleporting did was buy him a few more seconds before the attacks hit him. Zacax, however, had even less time to react.IC:Borak had just regained his feet as the toa charged at him. Pard had closed in, and casually Borak sent the sword that was aimed at his own back at Korvus's head. At the same time he magnetically sent the toa flying with another burst of power. He hardly bothered to look where he landed; at any rate, it would be away from him enough to not be a bother."All right you slackers!" he bellowed in his loudest sea voice. "Stone skakdi, earthen skakdi, get moving! Air, why aren't you blowing!"The skakdi, almost guiltily, ceased from their barrage of attacks. What came next was far worse. From under the toa, the ground earthquaked and fractured, threatening to consume the warriors. At the same time, a water skakdi linked weapons with an air skakdi, and a small stormcloud gathered, sending hail and lightning down upon the toa's forces. The rest of the skakdi prepared their own attacks, and some were assigned to shield the main crew from any counter elemental attacks.Then Borak saw Naho, charging Naho. A wolvish smile lit his face."Stay with me, Pard!" he roared, before grabbing that skakdi by the arm and lifting off into the air via his magnetism powers. They landed together. Naho's charge had brought her just beyond the range of the storm. But in front of her the captain landed."Toa!" he bellowed, charging his blade with shadow. "Perhaps you will consign to a duel?"IC - to Grochi:Both skakdi were prepared for a counter attack; the blasts and disks were still barely dodged. The first skakdi, armored in blue and green armor roared, and in response, vines grew up out of the ground beneath Thirteen and wrapping around him. Smirking, the skakdi charged his eyebeams again, preparing to kill the now helpless vahki.

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: KorvusKorvus activated his Kanohi, halting himself in midair and turning to face the two Skakdi generating the storm. With both swords still ablaze and pointed in front of him, he flew forward like a bullet. A bullet that just so happened to be covered in white-hot plasma.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Zyke the destroyer

[ZTG]

OOC: Shadow Guardian: It's not the mask of emulation, it's the mask of Kanohi copy. Zacax is able to quickly copy a mask power and use temporarily.IC: ZacaxZacax was hit and sent back several feet...he got up slowly and looked at the situation. Zacax had never used the power of quick travel...well he had to try, he didn't have enough time to move. Zacax activated the copied power and teleported away to Tahukama.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Zacax

[Void Emissary]

IC: [Lithus] - Ga-Metru, Port StrikeNoting that her arrows were far less than effective against the snipers, Lithus decided to focus on the ground troops. Mainly, the Skakdi who were causing the earthquakes.Arming her bow again, she took a running start at the earth and stone Skakdi generating the fractures in the ground, sending an arrow flying at each of their chests.-Void

[otter]

IC-Thirteen:Thirteen pulled against the plants, only to find it couldn't move. This wouldn't work. It quickly targeted the Skakdi who had trapped it, the one who also had the laser vision, as it quickly loaded a disk.>Loading disk: 117.>Targetting...>Target aquired.'For the Law was given by Moses,' states the beginning of John 1:17. This was the part that described what the Vahki was doing: It was giving this Skakdi the law. In an painful, painful way.>Disk fired.The disk, a Ta-Metru Reconstitute at Random disk, blew threw any obstacles that either of the Skakdi put in its way, moving through a quick blast of laser vision with ease, though making it slightly unstable. Not good for the Skakdi.The disk connected with the Skakdi's chest, knocking him backwards, as his brother turned to see what happened to his brother in horror.The Skakdi's bestial grin widened, flesh rotting a peeling away as though it did not belong there, the skull opening up to be viewed, a pebbly, yellowish-white cranium. The Skakdi grew tentacles sprouting from its back, its spines only turning into more of them, whipping about without any command of the transforming being, a cold, wet mucous dripping from them. The armour turned to multitudes of small scales, a squamous covering for a horrifying being to wear.Its hands lengthened, metallic bone shooting out from the finger tips, turning into long spiked claws with which it could kill a being, a deadly poison concocted from the creature's own blood dripping out onto the stones before it as it stared in horror at what was happening to it.It let loose a scream as its legs began to grow together into a long, centipede like appendage. The scream was a scream of horror, of bloodshed, of pain, anger, sadness, death, all rolled into one burbling yell, a bloody mixture frothing out from the former Skakdi's mouth as C-013 watched impassively.Soon the transition was done, the plants holding the Vakhi down shriveled and dead, the former Skakdi bubbling and growling at its new form, easily driven to insanity by what had been done to it.It was now nearly fifteen feet long, though it maintained a height similar to that it had before, long, bony claws digging into the ground as it pulled itself along, its long, fleshy bottom half trailing behind it, barely held up by lightly moving bone spurs. The tentacles whipped out as it came near its brother for help, grasping the still-normal Skakdi by the throat, destroying his trachea and snapping his neck at once, his body falling heavily to the ground.V-C-013 stepped forward, slowly, but gaining speed as it charged at the former Skakdi. It turned, looking on its mechanical adversary without recognition, all memories broken to shards of ephemeral glass by what it had witnessed happening to its body. The Vorzakh grabbed it about the 'waist,' or its closest approximation to a waist, the tentacles going limp as it reached up into the air, throwing the creature into the water. A bloody foam came up from the creature's mouth, still gargling its own bodily fluids as it fell to the sea floor in the port, its new form rendering it unable to swim.That former Skakdi would die before the transformation wore off.V-C-013 turned, viewing his position. Not good. Reinforcements would have to be gathered. It charged, knocking aside any Skakdi that got in its way, juking around its teammates, running straight through buildings with nary a scratch as it moved back to the Colosseum for aid.OOC: And...he's out of the fight. That was fun, Zar.

[ZTG]

IC: Zacax and Tahukama"Hold on master let's get you out of here!" Zacax said dragging his master off, away from the battle, "Zacax...hand me one of my herbs, it should at least rid of my paralyzation..." Tahukama said,

[Krayzikk]

IC: Song"Well!" Song clapped her hnds together. "Let's get to it!"

[Grantaire]

IC: Unfortunately, lasers were different from impact vision. Only protosteel could withstand regular lasers, and Zacax's armor had nowhere that defensive abilities, being standard metallic protodermis. A laser eyebeam slashed through his upper leg, and as he began to fall, and heat beam hit his flailing hand, half melting the armor, and charring the flesh beneath; the only thing that saved his hand being his inherent resistance to heat. The toa's screams were practically unheard in the storm.OOC: Zacax. Please. You do not get hit by heat and laser vision bolts, the attacks stated as heading at you, and just fall over. As you admitted that they hit, I proceeded with the logical consequences, excluding your characters invulnerability.

[The Lorax]

IC: Ko-MetruAm I dead? Dradak thought. He pried his eyes open, only to see the face of one of frost beetles two inches from his own. He gasped and pulled back, and with the intake of breath his senses suddenly returned to him. He could feel his heart throbbing, though it was less severe than before. He could hear the tower groaning as the structure settled. He could also feel a piercing pain in his left arm, although the rest of his body was surprisingly unharmed.The frost beetles, on the other hand, were perfectly silent. Finally, the truth occurred to him. By some freak stroke of luck, the two frost beetles had somehow absorbed the brunt of the impact, and their remains had isolated his body from the rest of the tower.A shudder suddenly reminded Dradak that his life was still in danger, and he pulled at his left arm, which he could see was pinned under one of the beetle's legs. The motion caused the pain to shoot up his arm into the shoulder, making him grimace and almost cry out. Dradak willed the ground under the arm to soften, and he managed to pull it out completely, although the pain was even worse than the first attempt. He formed a layer of clay over the arm and willed it to harden, forming a makeshift cast, then he submerged himself underground.OOC: I know, I know, that's probably too lucky to be believable. Still, I think this is slightly more realistic than having a character who is known for his nervousness overcome a being with fear powers.

OOC: These knowledge towers are big - like multi-story bulidings. I said this was a small one, but even so, I can't see a pair of frost beetles absorbing the impact - by all rights they should be squished paper-thin.

IC: Knowledge Tower - Ko-MetruThe expression of pleasure in the fight on Hahlok's face disappeared as a nearby Knowledge Tower collapsed on the battle down below. He frowned, staring down at the wreckage of crystal. With his thermal imaging, he found the remaining Frost Beetles of Karorahk's, and saw that their number was less than before. Evidently, some had perished in the crash. That wasn't a surprise, though, for anything that large falling would kill those in its wake."No Toa could have survived that," the Skakdi said, his eyes dimming to their normal shade of red. He was unable to locate the heat signature of their quarry, and presumed him dead. But Toa, he knew, weren't that easy to kill, unless it was a novice one. "His chances of surviving that are slim, but I want to be sure of it. You should have your Rahi try and check the rubble for a body."Hahlok turned to the exit, but not before taking a last look at the fragment-strewn battlefield. If his partner's soldiers couldn't find a sign of the Toa, other Dark Hunter sentries might want to know that an intruder could be hiding in the area. Of course, the sound of the crash would also have alerted them before the Skakdi could.

IC (Karorahk, Ko-Metru): Karorahk looked over at Hahlok as the tower crashed down, covering the street below in crystalline rubble. The Skakdi was smiling, but then again, his race were always grinning. "I'll check" he replied "But it might take a while. There's only two rahi left and a lot of rubble to dig through. I'll see if I can summon any more." He set the remaining two frost beetles to work, and then looked around for any other creatures that might proove useful.

IC: GrontakGrontak followed Krokk and Mala when they went to get explosives. He still wasn't sure if their plan would work, but he thought it better then nothing.

IC (Krokk and Mala, Onu-Metru): Krokk thanked the large hunter for his assistance and walked away, heading up through more levels of Onu-Metru until he finally reached the surface, Mala close behind. To get to Le-Metru, they would need to cross the no-man's-land of Ko-Metru and then sneak into enemy territiry to get to their target. We'll take a chute Mala thought-spoke into her two companions' minds. She and Krokk were in near-constant telepathic contact and had been working out the details of how they were to go undetected, but she sent this message into Grontak's mind as well. It's the fastest way.Without waiting for an answer, Mala triggered her power and became lighter than air, foating up towards a chute overhead. They couldn't get on at a chute station like other travellers, so she would need to break into this one. Drawing out her electro-chute blade, she turned the dials and then plunged it into the chute's outer lining. The magnetic field projected by her weapon disrupted the one holding the liquid protodermis within the chute. Like a boulder in a swift-flowing stream, the sword created a rippling, splashing, wedge-shaped tear in the liquid's surface as it rushed past, before it moved on to where the magnetic field remained in tact and resumed its normal flow.While Mala was breaking into the chute, Krokk was not idle on the ground. Out of the ground spouted a gigantic beanstalk, which grew upwards towards the chute. Leaves with stirdy stalks grew out at regular intervals, forming a spiral ladder for him and Grontak to cimb into the breach Mala had made.IC (Hatann, Po-Metru): Below the sculpture fields, Hatann cautiously edged into a dark cave. He was doing what very few sane beings in this universe would - he was looking for catapult scorpions. Bad tempered, powerful, savage and huge, it was lucky that these creatures seldom ventured from their caves. If they did, though, one would probably take a lot of stopping.A vicious hissing sound came from the back of the cave, followed by a dull orange glow. Hatann tensed and readied his power. He had found his quarry, but the hard part was still to come. It would be a matter a split-second timing, or else he would end up as a rahi's dinner.Incensed by the intrusion into its terrotory, the catapult scorpion whipped its tail forward, sending a ball of burning magma towards the Skakdi's hiding place. Hatann saw it coming, and leapt to his right - straight into the magma's path. The molten rock collided with his body with a sickening thud, and he was thrown backwards across the floor.Hatann got up smiling, now wreathed in his own orange glow. His feet sank into the floor slightly as the rock melted beneath him. No magma could hurt him now - he was made of magma. He advanced towards the scorpion, but the creature showed no fear - that was not in its nature. It came to meet him, it sharp pincers clacking in the gloom.Hatann didn't wait for it to gut him. Tapping into his gravity powers, he leapt up and over the rahi, so high that he almost touched the roof of the vast cavern. He landed behind it. "Gah!" he yelled, and touched his molten fist to its armoured hind leg. The rahi recoled in pain and kicked out, though Hatann leapt over the limb. "Gah!" he roared agin, and moved after it, hearding it towards the cave entrance. It was difficult, but the rahi slowly gave way, and allowed itself to be chased out of the cave. From there, it moved out through the empty canyons on a destructive rampage. Catapult Scorpions were considered the natural enemy of every living thing but the kikanalo, and this one fit the mould. Before it could do too much damage, however, Hatann would direct it to somewhere more populated, somewhere with more toa for it to rip and squash and burn. Somewhere like the Po-Metru chute station.OOC: Hatann and catapult scorpion open for interaction... if you dare. They will be arriving at the station once dark has fallen.OOC: Wow, that was a long post. I'll get to Turano and Dekuna a bit later on.

[ZTG]

IC: Zacax and Tahukama"Zacax...." Tahukama said, "Go...leave me here...just go....I'd rater have you safe..."Zacax pulled out his sword and struggled to get up. He was in pain...his left leg was sliced off, his right hand burnt...his mask began to glow and with the aid of the copied power of quick travel, he teleported away from the base. He made it next to Naho yet again.

[Simulacrum]

IC: Song"Well!" Song clapped her hnds together. "Let's get to it!"

IC: Ayana, Le-Metru (Building)Ayana nodded as she stood up, putting her room keys in her pouch. As she descended down the stairs and past the lobby, the small crowd gathered there jeered and stared, but Ayana ignored it, pushing aside the sounds of scorn. In a few minutes, she reached a small, dilapidated building, obviously deserted. After forcing an entry, Ayana stood in the center of the stone and metal structure, windows casting light into the square space. As Ayana stretched and limbered up, she looked back at Song. "Would you mind helping me with something?" She asked as she rotated her shoulders.

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

OOC: Zarayna, what about Korvus's attack on the two Skakdi?IC: NomadNomad exited the chute in Po-Metru and breathed in the dry air. He was home.OOC: Nomad open for interaction

[Krayzikk]

IC: Song"Of course. What?"

[Grantaire]

OOC: oh snap, missed those.IC: Unfortunately, the crew was not the only Hunter fighting forces. As Korvus dived, energy bolts flew around, in front, and at him; most probably another sniper had arrived, this time with a machine gun of some kind. Meanwhile, the skakdi, oblivious to the diving toa continued their storm.

[ZTG]

IC: Zacax"Naho..." Zacax said breathing heavily, "I'll get help...you guys try to fight as long as you can..." Zacax then used his copied ability again and teleported away from the port, and was outside the chute station, as he was able to see it from where they were.

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC: KorvusKorvus spun as he flew, avoiding some of the bolts. However, one of them struck him in the back and he veered off course and crashed into the ground fairly close to his targets. Luckily, the plasma absorbed most of the blast and he quickly got back up to fire a jet of his element at the Skakdi.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Zyke the destroyer

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: Spiderblade... Spiderblade... does whatever a six armed, eight limbed creature capable of multiweapon fighting does...IC: Spiderblade / Po-Metru ~ Sculpture FieldsSpiderblade dropped from one of the towering statues above, landing in front of the caves entrance from which Hatann had just chased the scorpion.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited July 7, 2012 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[ZTG]

IC: ZacaxZacax hobbles inside the chute station with his sword as his crutch for now. He gets into the chute for The Coliseum and is sent there, hoping to get there fast.

[The Lorax]

@Lev: Eh? I though Spiderblade couldn't talk.IC (Hatann, Po-Metru): "As nice as catapult scorpions do taste," Hatann replied to the arachnoid hunter "I have another job for this one. I'll be driving it straight into the chute station. With it smashing through walls and throwing lavaball around, I'll go in and scalp a few toa. You can come along if you want." He didn't stop to talk - he had to keep jogging after the scorpion to keep it from wandering off track.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

OOC: Talking? What talking? I don't see any talking in that post what are you talking about?IC: Spiderblade / Po-MetruSpiderblade followed behind Hatann as the Skakdi moved. The chance to kill someone was always an interesting one for him to pursue....-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[The Lorax]

OOC: Ah, the power of edits. Good one. :PIC (Hatann, Po-Metru): Since the other hunter didn't object or leave, Hatann took that to mean "Yes, I will come". "Good to have you along, then" he shrugged. "The more the deathlier".

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Spiderblade / Po-MetruThe mute freak leaped ahead of Hatann, grabbing onto one of the sculptures and clambered up as quickly as he could, scanning the area for Toa or other Hunters and taking everything in about their surroundings, before leaping to the next statue and crawling down.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Relapse]

IC - Naho - Port StrikeNaho stopped short, a grin on her face. The pirate captain honestly believed she would duel him on his own grounds, with a home field advantage."Not today, boy. Call me later. We can dance another time," she said, not attempting to hide her sarcasm at all.He was suddenly distracted, for a moment, as the air in his lungs was replaced by water. She didn't overdue it- if he was lucky he'd regurgitate it in a matter of seconds with no ill effects. By then, however, she would be gone. She emulated the ability she'd seen a Skakdi use in conjunction- air, and blew her way through the storm, and she wheeled around him and through the tanks, not a strike touching her. She wove her way towards the fort, looking for a weak spot.

Edited July 7, 2012 by Shadow Guardian

[The Swimming Beard]

IC: Grontak"How am I supposed t oclimb that?" the Rahi asked. He was not used to climbing, and preferred to avoid high places.IC: SontarokSontarok retreated about 7 feet, then shot a small, concentrated blast of ice near the center of the Dark Hunters.

[ZTG]

IC: ZacaxZacax was closing in on the Coliseum. He hoped he would get their on time.

[Simulacrum]

IC: Song"Of course. What?"

IC: Ayana, Le-MetruLeaning down, Ayana activated her mask as she plunged her hands into the stone, after a second, she ripped a very large chunk of stone out of the floor. After a few more seconds, she had crushed the stone into several smaller pieces. Looking back up at Song, she finally spoke. "Would you mind telekenticly attacking me with these?" She asked, and then threw them into the air.

[Krayzikk]

IC: Song"I can do that."Song said, raising her hands. As she did, the rubble rose into the air at roughly chest level."I must warn you, however. I won't be holding back. None of these blows will kill, but they might cause serious injury."

[The Lorax]

IC: Grontak"How am I supposed to climb that?" the Rahi asked. He was not used to climbing, and preferred to avoid high places.

IC (Krokk and Mala, Onu-Metru): "You put your foot on each step and walk up them!" Krokk growled at him angrily. "Dig your claws in to hold on if you have to, but get a move on of I'll throw you up!"

[Simulacrum]

IC: Ayana, Le-MetruAyana hefted her hammer up, holding it in expert hands. "Good." She said, and waited for them to come.

[The Swimming Beard]

IC: Reluctantly, Grontak began to climb, making sure to carefully dig his claws in on each step.

[Krayzikk]

IC: SongSong nodded. "Alright."With a single hand movement, a boulder hurled at Ayana from the left, and one from the right. Song had decided to start small.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

IC: Exathia / Fort McNowhereExathia let out a long sigh. The plan that Naho had proposed... it was a longshot, but whatever.Raised her shield, she charged towards the wall along with the Toa of water, praying to Mata-Nui that it would work.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[The Lorax]

IC (Krokk and Mala, Onu-Metru): Krokk started to climb up after Grontak, and when they reached the top he absorbed the plant, dived through the opening Mala had made and pulled the rahi along with him. Mala herself removed her blade and then dived into the chute just as the tear closed up, returning to her normal density. In an instand, the three hunters were whipped away into the chute network, travelling south through Ko-Metru.

Edited July 20, 2012 by The Lorax

[ZTG]

IC: ZacaxZacax reached the coliseum, and got out of the chute and hobbled inside to find Lhikan fast.

[Oblitus]

IC: Valyet:"Reaper. Follow me. I have a devious plan to disrupt commerce in Ko-Metru- permanently." And with that, the Toa of Lighting began to climb the frost covered mountains, headed towards the main chute station.

[Krayzikk]

IC: Reaper"Query; Will doing so result in quicker ending of this island's conflict?" Reaper replied, in a monotone.

[Oblitus]

IC: Valyet:"Now, now, don't get testy with me. With the shutdown of Ko-Metru's Chute Station, the Protectorate would have to send in reinforcements to prevent the Dark Hunters from capturing the Metru. It will divert their thinly stretched resources, and further weakening them. Of course, I have my reasons," Valyet answered down to the Vahki before resuming to climb.