Day Run: The Garden

[Aordain]

***Tanuki stared at the roaring inferno as he came out into the stands, covering his ears to drown out the noise of the crowds, voicing their joy and bloodlust. Dotted across the enormous range were several figures of various races, either scrambling atop mounds of stone, or outright flying. A mountain was vomiting, sickened to the point of a volcanic eruption-as was Tanuki. What had he gotten himself into? This didn't look like a gladiatorial fight-this was a nightmare. Tanuki gripped the edge of railing and continued to peer out, watching what was to come for him...

[Voltex]

IC: Vertak, day Run Arena:Vertak groaned."What do we do about those two?" he asked, poitning to Hexxon and Kaytana. "The one can make them float or something... the Skakdi could be taken out easily if he were distracted, but I dunno what to do about him. He seems wary of us, though. So good on you there."-ibrow

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Team Comet: the Arena:While waiting to see the results of his Shadow blasts on Calik's rock, Hexxon had tried using his telepathy on Kaytana's head to remove and sooth the thoughts and feelings inside her mind. And his eyes still moved from Vertak, but then to his partner this time instead of the Toa of Fire. So far, the procedure seemed to be working; by using his Suletu, he grasp onto the strong, emotional thoughts of fear, doubt, regret, etc. and pulled them out of her mind. Then he pushed memories of hope and excitment into place. Kaytana stirred, that look she normally had was returning. He didn't know how long that would last, because he had no knowledge of that sword's powers. It might succeed, or fail after a few seconds.But, of course, all those negative and unpleasent thoughts had to go somewhere, and Hexxon certainly didn't want them. So, what did he do? Naturally, he sent them to the mind of another.Vertak.Yes, it was a good move. Give him a taste of his own medicine. It might have been something Kaytana would suggest. The Matoran was in sight, so it should work.OOC: I'm not sure if Vertak has mental shielding of any kind, so it won't affect him if he does have it.

Edited November 24, 2011 by Magnus Greel

[Kal the Guardian]

IC / Day Run / THE Cave:Swerv remained mostly quiet as they entered the cave and Alan brought everyone up to speed. He was about to say something when a vision of Swerv’s past stepped forward. It was VRONX! His brother! He hadn’t seen him since his shattering and becoming Agony. He was left speechless as Vronx addressed Alan.IC / Day Run / THE Cave:Draxion gave Elithes a strange look as the Matoran handed the Rahkshi’s mask over to Kerid. Not that he minded, but he would have to ask Elithes about it after the meeting. The least Elithes could have done was ask Draxion before moving it again.Shrugging mentally, Draxion focused on what Alan was saying.And then Waiter stepped forward and Draxion frowned. He knew that Toa from somewhere.IC / Victus Dead / Talking with Zanth:Brother nodded his head, “Well, they should be relatively easy compared to the God. Does anyone know the specifics of how Rhashahk was defeated before? That’s something we need to find out.”IC / Day Run / THE Cave:Waiter stepped forward and said, “That’s the plan? Half of the island isn’t even inhabited by the native Ko-Matoran. And the other half is either here working for the Ring or KNPD or only interested in the Day Run. The Ko-Matoran overall just want to be left alone and aren’t in any condition to fight.“What you want to do is start riots at key points so that we can send those who actually care for the island after the Ring and KNPD. And even then they would be distractions for us trained fighters to strike where it hits the hardest.“In my opinion, I don’t think we’re even ready for that. We have a lot more to learn than what you just told us. Mostly about the beings who defend the KNPD and Ring, and who holds what objects of power.“Now is not the time for a revolution that few will join even with the Guild and Day Run’s help. Now is the time to scout out and test defenses. At least, that is my opinion. I’d like to hear what everyone else thinks.”With that, Waiter stepped back, rejoining everyone else. Glancing at Syrifar, he gave the robot a small smile and winked.

[Parugi]

OOC: Greel and Infinitus: Both Vertak and Tarius have mental shielding, yes.ToD: Allow me to prod you along. IC - Rhindon - Arena: "I have more tricks," the sword answered. "Once they come closer, I'll have even more. Until then..." A purple aura suddenly surrounded the blade. An instant later, a massive output of energy began to occur; the shadows within the arena's field began to writhe and contort, transforming into a mass of shadowy tentacles that began to lash out at those combatants that were near them. An example of the sword's power nearest its maximum potential, being able to affect so many spots of shadow at once.As it happened, that put Hexxon, Kaytana and Marx at the epicenter of an attack, as all three were in highly condensed areas of darkness.IC - Elithes/Illuxio/Kerid/Kaorus - Cave: Kaorus was silent, as was Kerid; both had heard most of this at this point.Elithes, however, was curious at this news -- mainly about the Director being an AI. How had he not seen that before? Still, though, he waited to speak -- at least until Waiter gave his opinion. Strange; the Matoran hadn't even noticed him. "Indeed," he said. "Even if zhe population vas villing to fight, ve're in no condition to do anyzhing considering zhe lasting damage from zhe Skakdi vraid eleven years ago. It'll be difficult turning zhem against zhe KNPD, vregardless of vhezher or not zhey dislike zhe tyvranny."Illuxio raised an eyebrow, and then nodded at both Elithes and Waiter. "Right. Not to mention, just because we have one activation key doesn't mean we're at a strategical advantage here," the AI said. "As things are, the Nox is the only one I know of at the moment. For all we know, Lyxek or the Director could have all of the other ones already."IC - Zanth - Victus Dead: "No," Zanth answered. "He was forced into as simple a form as possible and split into two pieces. No one knows how."

[Silvan Haven]

Kaelen- CaveIC: The pieces were starting to come together in Kaelen's mind. It seemed that he had gotten himself into something big when he joined the Day Run."Excuse me." He as he stepped forward. "I think I have something to add. Shortly after joining Team Wing, I ended up following a series of energy pulses into the city. After arriving at the source, I found a battle going on in a warehouse in the Northern District over a sword of immense power. I joined against the Ring member Dalmia just as it was ending, but was unable to prevent him from making off with the light half of the blade.Dalmia left the dark half with the matoran who had found it first as way of thanks for locating it for him."He paused for a minute to pull out his datapad and push a few buttons on it. A recording of Dalmia's voice played over it's speakers."As for your question, little Matoran -- the garden is the place of birth; birth brings with it death; the plague will bring about that death," he said. "Lyxek succeeds in his plan and brings about the events of Keremutu; Keremu's return heralds the second release of the Great Plague; and that plague opens the way for the world to crumble. From the standpoint of an... anarchist, such as myself, it's a very amusing notion...""This was followed by...""The Heart!?" the Sword suddenly screamed, sending out another pulse that managed to disrupt Dalmia's helmet again, temporarily stunning him. "The HEART!? NO! NO! YOU CAN'T! I-!" Dalmia had recovered, sending his own pulse of energy into the sword. It screamed in pain. "Ma-Matoran! You mustn't let... this Lyxek... ARGH! THERE IS A WAY WITHIN THE GARDEN! THERE IS A SECOND! THE HEART CAN BE STOPPED -- YOU MUST BREAK ITS OTHER SI- ARG! THIS PLAN... CANNOT BE COMPLETED -- YOU CANNOT LET HIM REVIVE THE DEA-""And, after a bit of talking, this.""Gynel was once a place of sanctity for lost and newly-dead spirits, assisted in their travel to the next life by the Matoran of Ectoplasm," the Sword chimed. "Even when I and my other half were a normal being, that much was true. But ever since its ruler, the God Ruaki, was overthrown by the God of Arrogance and the God of Pride all those years ago, a great shadow has hung over the place; even with his supposed slaying in the past year, darkness still looms about the island. I doubt you would find anything but death and a place of misery were you to go there.""Which brings me to a question I've ben wondering about for a while. What really happened at the final Night Run? Because whatever did happen has alot to do with what is going on right now.In particular, what went on inside that cave? I know that somebody was "Sacrificed" But other than that I'm in the dark."

Edited November 24, 2011 by Silvan Haven

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Team Comet: the Arena:Those silly, little fools. They wish to defeat me - a master of Shadow - by using Shadow? It is a lost effort at best. Any tendrils of darkness that came close to Hexxon moved away immediately, obeying his command, before dispersing. They wouldn't have touched them anyway. The shadows fled, pushed out of the way, the purple glow of the sword sticking out. That weapon definately was not acting like a normal tool, from what they could see. ''Hexxon?'' Kaytana asked, the treatment apparently working, though the discouraging feelings might return. Then she saw their opponents, and all the waving tentacles. But she was not afraid - not anymore. ''Is that glowing sword the source?''He wasn't really listening, his attention was on Vertak and his troublesome weapon. He was being cautious as ever, waiting, watching for an attack.Well, we need them gone. It's time Team Comet had some glory here, she thought. Kaytana pointed her right arm at the pair, and made a fist. Several mechanical whirrs and and hums came from the prosthetic limb. Then a thin, rectangular slot on the bottom of her forearm slid open, revealing different machine parts at work. Something was deployed, brought out of the slot by two, small, hand-like apendages, both holding an arrow that seemed to be made of wood. The Skakdi smiled, this was it - time to put her powers to use. Just as she shot the arrow at Vertak, she fired her vertigo eyebeams at him, sending two attacks at once. The arrow was filled with a poison, not one to kill - oh, no. It contained a numbing venom, one that would last past the ten minutes left. Meanwhile, Hexxon had delivered his own assault; with a wave of his weapon, bolts of Shadow appeared in the air before them. Then he sent them, and they rushed for the occupied sword, looking very much like miniature comets. Their black heads were orbs of dark energy, and they had a tail of purple which streaked through the air towards their targets. OOC: If the ten minutes are up and there are still people standing, what happens next?

[Voltex]

IC: Vertak, Day Run Arena:Vertak felt the prod on his mind, but it didn't effect him. Grinning when Rhindon's attack didn't work, with some of his strength returning, Vertak activated his light powers."They control the darkness. The light will blind them." he decided, releasing a bit of power in a flash that would momentarily blind the other two contestants, should it succeed.-ibrow

[Toa of Dancing]

Alan/Outer Day Run Grounds, Meeting CaveIC:

"As I've said, I'm not the natural leader. I need support and input. I'm too much of an idealist. I need you guys to be real. In any case, I know that it won't be instantly. However, we need to act immediately. Throw a wrench in their plans. We also need to use them against each other."

[Parugi]

OOC: Greel: Depends on who's left standing and whether or not the fight can actually end. If Marx and Hexxon, for instance, are the only ones left, and Marx can't land a hit due to Hexxon's intangibility, then Team Comet would probably just be declared the winner. If Marx somehow found a way to shut off Hexxon's density control power, though, and managed to land a few hits but both got knocked out, it'd probably be declared a draw. Or, who knows; Ehjoras might break the rules and create a platform of energy for the remaining fights to fight on.It just depends on how things turn out, in other words.Though this does remind me -- 8 minutes left.IC - Rhindon - Arena: Rhindon, meanwhile, merely sent out another blade of shadow to intercept the attacks from the two Team Comet members. What Hexxon didn't seem to realize (and for good reason) was that while he controlled the shadows, Rhindon, dark side of the legendary Sword of Ybrus, was darkness -- and in turn, he was ancient. His bond with the darkness was far stronger than that of even a Makuta, and his shadows more powerful -- they were not powered by rage and anger, but by the deeper darkness; fear, doubt, uncertainty, mystery. The very things that made up a shadow. The spiritual side as opposed to the emotional.And in that way, the sword was stronger. As Vertak launched his attack, Hexxon found his block against the shadows breaking. They lashed out again, chains of darkness launching through Team Comet's beings, attacking something far deeper and deadlier than their bodies.These shadows aimed for their spirits.IC - Elithes/Kaorus/Kerid/Illuxio - Cave: "If they even can be used against each other, more so than they already are," Kerid said, rubbing her chin. She was contemplating what Kaelan had let them hear. She looked at him. "You might be on to something; perhaps the answer to this war lies in the past and not the present?""If that's the case, then maybe you ought to give us a recap about the Night Run," Illuxio said. "You, after all, were around since it was first established; you know more about Ruaki than any of us probably do."Kerid nodded. "Unfortunately. Frankly, I almost feel as if those secrets are better kept locked away -- I'm sure I'm not the only one who still has nightmares about what went on on Gynel." She looked in turn at Alan, Elithes, Illuxio, Draxion and Swerv; everyone else who had been on Gynel. "Regardless... You're right. Although, some of what I know doesn't match up with what Alan's partner just told us. I'll try my best, however, starting from the very beginning of the timeline I've come to know."First off -- and this is essential to understanding last year's events -- the Night Run's owner, Daeja -- or rather, Makuta Jaeda, her true identity -- only ever had one purpose in the last one hundred or so years of her life: Obtaining ultimate power in the universe. Everything she did was a part of a web of schemes designed to give her that power, from her attempt to conquer the island of Exa-Nui -- ultimately what led to her death -- to the set up that was the death of Ruaki and the release of the Feranaki. The Night Run was one such plot."Around ten years ago, four years before the first Night Run tournament, Jaeda 'happened' upon the fabled island of Gynel. Before then, the place was thought to be worthless; it was devoid of life, and no one was willing to enter the land due to rumors of it being cursed. To my understanding, what Jaeda found there was far from what she had heard. The Pha-Matoran, Matoran of Ectoplasm, were scattered, fearful of their lives due to the Feranaki on the island that threatened to engulf them. On top of that, Ruaki was still present on the island, controlling them as he sought his revenge on the Gods of Arrogance and Pride for their betrayal. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but somehow Jaeda managed to imprison Ruaki and quarantine the Matoran -- picking up Ehjoras while doing so -- and clearing the land for the Night Run to be formed."What happened afterward should be obvious. The tournament was meant to draw the missing Gods -- Arrogance and Pride -- to the island; to test participants to locate them, the winners of each of the tournaments were forced to confront Ruaki, so as to forcibly identify them... that's why they never showed up in the following tournaments." She shifted uncomfortably, focusing her sight on the floor. "It didn't take long for us to locate the former; Tox appeared on the island during the third tournament, and returned for the next three years without much trouble on our part. The way the locks in the mountains reacted at his first step, we didn't feel the need to test him. However, the God of Pride eluded us; we continued to sacrifice the winning teams, to no avail. As we waited for him to show up, we worked constantly to construct the necessary machines to accomplish Jaeda's goal, our loyalty secured by the promise of a better world. One such machine was the power channeling machine -- the Siphon -- which granted Jaeda the powers of those that fell victim to the Feranaki -- such as the winning teams. That should have been a clue to her intentions."It was during the sixth tournament -- the last one -- that things started coming together, yet began to fall apart at the same time. At first, it appeared as if Pride hadn't come to the island, for the sixth year in a row. This in and of itself was unfortunate; however, things became worse when we realized who else had come to Gynel, and what was happening with the Feranaki and Pha-Matoran. The Matoran had started to try and escape their quarantine, and for good reason -- the seals on the mountains and on Ruaki had begun to weaken, and the Feranaki were beginning to escape their own confinement. That is why we had to close off a few areas over the course of the tournament. On top of that, Kovian, one of the Toa from Exa-Nui, had signed up for the tournament, unaware of Jaeda's presence. His appearance on the island, unaware as he was, threatened Jaeda's plan, for he had in his possession several Orbs that she had previously sought on his homeland -- and, in doing so, directly caused its destruction. If he didn't use them to defeat her, then his rage alone would have -- and did -- suffice. We were forced to hasten our search for Pride."Several days into the tournament, we found a match. A Skakdi of Light, a priest named Therapon, arrived on the island. His ramblings about 'searching for the higher being' matched what we had gathered from Ruaki. That catapulted our plans forward. The seals began to react, drawing Therapon and Tox, and before long, they had been broken. As we were protected from the seals' energy, we did as ordered and began to mobilize our troops, even as contestants descended into Ruaki's now-opened prison." She looked at Elithes and Illuxio. "Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure what happened in there."The AI rubbed his chin. "Well... We went in, all right," he said. "And we found Ruaki. Apparently, he had been transformed by his own powers into the giant snake-form we found him in after Pride and Arrogance betrayed him -- and, out of anger, he killed and infected Therapon, which is probably the sacrifice you're referring to. While we tried to talk him out of seeking revenge against the universe -- or, Srizz and Kovian did, anyway -- he seemed dead set on infecting it with the Feranaki, and ended up releasing them on the island, at which point Jaeda's army intercepted them and began fighting. Meanwhile, Alan somehow turned gigantic and started fighting Ruaki while we escaped with some robed guy's help. After that, I guess the robed guy used another contestant's life force to kill Ruaki; not sure how he did it, but that's my understanding of the event.""After that," Kerid picked up again. "Jaeda betrayed her forces, using the Siphon to take Ruaki's power over the Feranaki, and tried to spread the infection throughout the universe. The Brotherhood got wind of it, and they had intended to execute her for betraying them during the Exa-Nui crusade, assisted us in defeating the Feranaki and killing her." She looked up. "Needless to say... it was complicated. The island's been quarantined ever since, and most of the 'heroes' from that fight -- Kovian, Srizz, Sepcret, Schroedinger, Pandora and Aarock, just to name a few -- haven't popped up again in a while. These guys are the only veterans to make an appearance in the Day Run."Elithes looked at her. "So vhat exactly is it zhat doesn't match up?"The tournament organizer looked at him. "For one, Ruaki's betrayal and imprisonment. Like I said, I was told it happened ten, eleven years ago; his recording suggests otherwise. Why would Jaeda fabricate that date if it didn't make a difference in the long run?""Hm..." Illuxio closed his eyes in thought. "Who knows? Too late to ask her now, isn't it? Maybe it was for the same reason she lied to you about her intentions with the Feranaki. I just wish I could remember what Dalmia was talking about... a plague... That sounds a lot like the Feranaki, don't you think? But they aren't on this island... maybe they have something to do with this Keremu guy..." He sighed, frustrated at his amnesia.

Edited November 24, 2011 by Parugi

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Team Comet: the Arena:Hexxon's wariness had paid off; at once after seeing the enemy light rush for them, he transported them through the shadows to a much safer spot of the Arena. There was less darkness here, and hopefully that sword couldn't reach them. Kaytana kept blinking to get the light out of her eyes, and at the same time felt those emotions returning. Fear, doubt - that same attack affected her earlier, which meant Vertak must've been the one who altered her state of mind in the beginning of the match. No, not again! she raged, her anger coming back, showing her the way. Maybe this is what Hexxon had done long ago. We've come too far, we have advantages here! There is no need to stand on a rock float, Hexxon can fend off the darkness, and we can't be physically injured like this! We cannot lose! She looked at Hexxon, who was dealing with a similar problem. He was, after all, a being of Shadow, so Vertak's Light assault hadn't just temporary blinded him, but actually hurt him, even when he was intangible. With his free hand at his mask, he tried rubbing the hated light that clouded his vision from his eyes. And he, too, was feeling that build up of the swords powers. How could this happen? I control the darkness! If that sword can bend the shadows than so can I! Kaytana thought and thought. As long as they weren't knocked out or delared defeat, they were still in. Maybe they just had to wait... yes. As time passed, more and more lava swallowed the remaining rocks that both Vertak and Calik stayed on. That would be the time to attack... when they could no longer stand. But there was another. I saw one other in the waiting room. It wasn't that Fire Toa, or that Matoran, or us... where is the last one?The Skakdi of the Green couldn't see that other competitor. Maybe he was just lost in the darkness. If only I knew his powers. If he could control either Light or Shadow than that would be a great help. Team up with him - temporary, of course - and worked together to throw off that sword's darkness.Hexxon seemed to be recovering, pushing away the sword's influence to lose, to not fight back. Its shadows did not seem to affect him like the ones he wielded from his inner darkness, but something different. How powerful might that weapon be? And why would a darkness controlling tool be with a Light bending Matoran? ''Come on, Hexxon,'' Kaytana urged. ''I think I got one last plan here...''

[Toa of Dancing]

OOC: See, that's why you're the GM. You can write explanations like a boss.

Alan/Outer Day Run Grounds, Meeting CaveIC:

"There are a few others. Khad, for example. But for the most part, we are the veterans... Yes, I never have figured out how I did that. Best I can figure out is that that coin acted as some sort of catalyst for my mask to go haywire, simultaneously bringing me back to life and causing me to become temporarily godlike," mused Alan as he thought of all that they said.After a few moments, he said, "It's not surprising that the sword - Ybrus, I would assume? - would know the story of Ruaki. It's also not surprising that the sword has to do with the Heart... Hmm... Did it sound like it was trying to say there was another side of the Heart in the Garden? If so, that's one goal. Problem is, what exactly is the Garden, where is it, and how do we get there?"

[Parugi]

OOC: IC - Kerid/Elithes/Kaorus/Illuxio - Cave: This was a question to which no one currently had an answer, though Kerid had an idea."Perhaps Team Zero would know," she suggested. "They've been searching for something ever since they came to the island, coinciding with the Ring and KNPDs' formations. Perhaps this garden is what they're looking for?"

[Cosmic Titan]

IC: Marx floated in the shadows but they turned angry. He focused his thoughts and launched himself out of the shadows. He had not been in a shadow of a object but in the background shadows that were everywhere. But something tried to control them and turned them angry Marx did not want to find out what happened when you were damaged in there. He flew high in the arena and looked for the attacker. He felt the attacker before he saw it. It was a Matoran and a sentient sword. He was sure of it. He could just feel the way they manipulated the shadows together.

[Voltex]

IC: Vertak, Day Run Arena:"Six or seven minutes left." Vertak managed, pulling himself to his feet and suprisingly not collapsing. "And they're retreating. It's working."If they keep dodging, they'll win. Vertak thought. We have to stop the density control and shadow control... we need to knock out the Skadki."The Skakdi will be easiest to get rid of," Vertak began, "And that one guy... Calik... the lava should've caused some sort of damage to him. He'll be easy enough. There was a Toa of fire somewhere- I'm not sure how effective the explosion would've been on him."He took a moment to breathe in deeply a few times, coughing once or twice."But Hexxon... the guy teleporting- you're more ancient and powerful as far as shadow is concerned, but he's going to beat us with his density control. We need to get rid of it somehow. If he's gone, the Skakdi is too."-ibrow

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Team Comet: the Arena: Kaytana had explained her plan to the recently recovered Hexxon - who had used his mask once more to rid themselves of the discouraging thoughts - and the appearance of Marx out in the open just made it better. ''Just like I said: if we can get him to help, then we can take out that Matoran and his sword.'' she told him.Hexxon thought about. Right now, with the time limit nearly halfway over, they had to watch out for everything and anyone. Even now he kept his eyes trained on Vertak and his weapon, while she watched Marx. And both felt the need to whisper. ''Why not wait until he attacks? We can either wait and dodge the sword's and his assaults till the end, or aid that other competitor once he starts. That way, it will give more than that sword and little one can block. Plus, the rock on which they stand will only be consumed by the lava, and there doesn't seem to be much more land left to stay on.'' ''Very good,'' Kaytana agreed. ''Now let's just watch - and dodge, of course. Gives them a harder time.''Both Skakdi and her partner kept a close eye on - for her - Marx, and - for him - Vertak and the sword.

[Parugi]

IC - Rhindon - Arena: The sword was silent for a moment. Then, "Throw me."

[Voltex]

OOC: lol.IC: Vertak, Day Run Arena:Vertak almost laughed out loud at what Rhindon had said, but decided it would be too painful and a very bad idea in the rapidly sinking arena. So instead, he grabbed Rhindon."I'll release another flash. Stun them a little bit." he whispered.Then he threw the Sword of Ybrus, at the same time letting out another flash of light, aiming to blind Marx, Hexxon, and Kaytana.-ibrow

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Team Comet: the Arena:Keeping on eye on Vertak allowed Hexxon to teleport far away with Kaytana from the oncoming blast of light. Having escaped at the first sign of danger, the blindness that came with the brillant attack didn't last very long at all. After getting to their new location, both had shielded their eyes to avoid the full effects. ''Just have to keep this up and wait,'' Kaytana whispered, rubbing her eyes. Then she resumed her careful watch on Vertak. If she spotted even the smallest spark of Light or Shadow, they were getting away before it could get to them. Hexxon, too, massaged his eyes to get the light out. It affected him differently than his Skakdi companion, being more painfull. But with being exposed to such a small amount, it was something he could shake off. He then glared at that sword; if that weapon came toward their new location, he would transport them away again.

[Voltex]

IC: Vertak, Day Run Arena:Vertak felt a twinge of frustration that his attack hadn't done anything at all (or very little) once again, but shrugged it off and waited to see what Rhindon would do.

[Toa of Dancing]

Alan/Outer Day Run Grounds, Meeting CaveIC:

"Well then, we need to contact them. I would have invited them to the meeting but for the fact that I don't have access to do so in any way. Any suggestions how?"

[Parugi]

IC - Rhindon - Arena: Almost as if in response, a portal of darkness opened underneath Vertak as Rhindon flew away, causing him to fall into a vortex of shadows momentarily. A second later, the portal closed, just as the island became engulfed with lava.Above, Hexxon and Kaytana would see nothing more than the sword flying toward the spot they had been in before, as well as Vertak disappearing. Another portal opened on another island, presumably where the Matoran would fall from -- though it closed a moment later. That was odd...Suddenly, more portals opened, seven of them, all around the floating Team Comet members. From these, the sword swiftly shot from one to another, passing through the pair with each transportation, too fast for them to immediately react. As it went through the seventh, purple, glowing lines appeared in the air that the sword had flown through, emitting energy that Hexxon and Kaytana would soon find out could still hit them despite their present state -- even disrupting their intangibility in some spots.With this distraction in place, an eighth portal opened directly above them, from which Vertak -- sword now in hand -- fell through...OOC: Five minutes before the arena becomes completely covered in lava.IC - Kerid/Illuxio/Elithes/Kaorus - Cave: "Perhaps we could simply send them a message through the Day Run," Kaorus said quietly. "From the sounds of it, things are soon going to become too much for even them to handle alone. I'm sure they'll be willing to help out.""Sure," Kerid said. "Except for the fact that they disappear so often it would be difficult to even get such a message through to them.""Veren't zhey signed up for a match today?" Elithes asked. "Zhat means zhey're still avround, at least for now. Somevone could simply approach zhem vonce zhe match ends."

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Team Comet: the Arena:Team Comet was surprised to see the sword appear, slice through them, and vanish, only to come back again. Kaytana looked around frantically to find where the weapon would be next, and spotted the portal above. That Matoran was coming through, with his sword! It was the perfect time to attack, with them being so close. Grinning madly, she releashed her eyebeams directly at the pair, and kept the energy constant. Even if she missed the first time - which she highly doubted - the two still would have the beams coming at them.While Kaytana attacked, Hexxon was occupied with their current state, and so didn't notice what was happening. Wherever the streaks of purple touched, spots of them began turning more dense, more heavier. Even more shocking, the effects seem to spread, even when he tried to revert the areas to an intangible state. They had to get away from the energy around them, or else they would fall to into the lava and lose - and possibly die. Hexxon built up the shadow energy requiered to teleport, which might leave Vertak falling to his own death - or they might even be caught in the field and get transported with them.

[Toa of Dancing]

Alan/Outer Day Run Grounds, Meeting CaveIC:

"As far as I know, only one member of their team is actually participating. Vertak, I think. Though he may have a way of contacting the other members of the team... So be it. In that case, is there anything else we need to do before we contact Zanth and Suya?" asked the kasuba as he jotted down the goals on a small pad from his satchel.

[Voltex]

IC: Vertak, Day Run Arena:Vertak whipped out his dagger, blocking Kayatana's eyebeams with it and losing it in the process. He then sliced Rhindon around him iin a spin attack, releasing another bright flash of light to distract his opponents.Vertak pulled off his chain, whipping that around as well; it seemed impossible that Team Comet would escape this without coming to harm, and being forced to retreat from him and Rhindon again.Take that.-ibrow

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Kairan/Cave Near Day Run==-Kairan stayed silent through the entire explanation and such, and thought about what had been said for a moment."So, one thing to do, is to get Team Zero on our side, and attempt to find this Garden. Then what? Do we attempt to take the supposed other half of the heart? What then?" Kairan asked, as he thought a little more."Does anyone here have any idea what the other items that are needed as keys are? We know at least of the Sword and the Mask..." Kairan said, but continued on with a small smile."However, one thing we're gonna need to do; is eventually get the items that either side already have." Kairan said, his sword on his back. Kairan had no clue how that might actually happen, but it seemed pretty clear it was a requirement for any plan to save the world or anything to happen.

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Team Comet: the Arena:Kaytana cursed as her eyebeams were blocked, but her words and energies faded as they teleported again. The two reappeared away from Vertak, leaving him to fall into the lava, and from here, there didn't seem to be any rock floats.Hexxon had been oblivious to the Matoran's arrival above them, busy watching his body become heavier, and so wasn't blinded by the Light attack and the teleportation had saved him from the majority. He had still felt the intense light shine down on him... it wasn't pleasent, especially being a controller of Shadow. But his Skakdi friend was temporary blinded by the blast, needing time to recover. So now Hexxon could watch Vertak hit the molten rock, and he was warily watching him and that sword. Just a spark of Light or Shadow or purple energy would make him flee again; he was already preparing the power for it.All this attacking was somewhat in his favor. He knew anytime he saw a portal open to run, any purple energy to teleport, and any light to close his eyes and leave. He was learning from these assaults, and what they might just do next. From the looks of it, the Matoran always hurled Light, and the sword either fired those beams that inflicted fear or created shadows.

Edited November 27, 2011 by Magnus Greel

[Parugi]

OOC: If it hadn't been for that error... that attack would have turned out sooooo much differently... XPAlso 2 minutes.IC - Rhindon - Arena: Ehjoras's prediction seemed to have been correct; at this point, the lava had risen so much that there were very few rocks left to teleport to, and those that were still present were fairly small. But, they were still there -- and Rhindon had one more trick up his sleeve as a result.Shadowshifting Vertak to another, nearby rock, the sword aimed itself at the floating Team Comet. It didn't launch an attack this time, instead merely focusing on the area around them. Immediately, a purple, aura-like sphere, barely visible in the glow of the lava, appeared around Kaytana and Hexxon, possessing a diameter of twelve feet -- more than enough to encompass the enemy team. From there, the same effects from the energy ropes began to take hold, forcing everything intangible within the sphere -- including the air -- to become more dense. And now that the sword was aware of the fact that that power would work on the two, it could force the effects to temporarily stay once they were out, giving Vertak about twenty to twenty-five seconds to attack once they were out of the dense zone.Before they teleported -- as they were likely to do -- the sword sent them a parting gift: slaps from solidified tentacles of darkness that burst from the inner walls of the sphere.IC - Cave group - Cave: "We'll take the other half of the Heart," Kerid said. "And we'll try to either destroy it -- as your partner's recordings suggested we do -- or, if that fails, we'll study it. Try to use it against Lyxek and the Director.""As for the keys," Kaorus said. "Perhaps local lore would be a good avenue to follow on that search. Early settlers of Kai-Nam -- not those who worked to make the place habitable, but those who came shortly after that was accomplished -- had many stories that they would share, some of which, it seems, were true, if this Garden and Heart truly do exist." He went silent for a moment, thinking. "Supposedly there were a pair of jewels on Niakar's Trinity that possessed some unknown power, though they have never been found, and as such it's debatable whether or not they exist. Another myth was the legend of the Yin Yang Gauntlets, golden gloves that were powered by the wearer's inner light and shadow."

[Magnus Greel]

IC: Team Comet: the Arena:The sword's prediction was true: Hexxon had indeed teleported them, for the same reason as before. Although neither had seen the glow of energy, both felt the sense of heaviness return. Not a good sign. Team Comet emerged from their portal high up in the air, for he still felt denser even after vanishing. This time the shadow transport didn't disappear, but remained underneath them as a circular platform for them to stand on. While Hexxon tried desperately to reduce their density (his eyes constantly on the watch of the sword as he did so), Kaytana, having her sight returning, looked around for Vertak. She was disappointed that he hadn't hit the lava, and he wasn't in the air anymore, so he must be on a rock raft somewhere...There! One of the last of the floats supported Vertak on its surface. Both had been blinded, beaten by tentacles, flooded with discouraging emotions, and sent falling toward their deaths by those two.Alright, Matoran, she hissed. Now it's your turn!Vision fully recovered, the Skakdi of the Green hurled her eyebeams at Vertak - who had his back to them - and another arrow containing numbing poison.OOC: Is the lava here real, or synthetic?

Edited November 27, 2011 by Magnus Greel

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Kairan//Cave==-"Makes sense." Kairan said with a nod."We might not know much about this 'Heart' that wasn't said here... But given everything that has been happening, it's pretty obvious it's something that's dangerous. But at the very least, I agree that we need to keep this second heart out of both The Ring and the Director's hands.

[Parugi]

OOC: Synthetic, since it, and everything else in the Arena's field, is made of nanobots. It can still burn you, however -- though since you'll get teleported out of the arena before you actually land in it, death isn't a concern. ^_^Anyway, I'mma let ibrow respond to that one; seems like it might be a finishing hit for him if it's decided that it hits him, so I'll leave it be.IC - Cave group - Cave: "Indeed," Elithes said. "I don't vant zhis var to be zhe death of my island. So now ve are brought back to zhe original topic -- how do ve stop zhe Vring and zhe KNPD from getting zhe ozher half of zhe Heart? Zhe civilians are obviously a key component, but ve need a vay to convince zhem to help us -- and it needs to be discreet.""One thing I wonder," Illuxio said quietly. A thought had crossed his mind... Perhaps by voicing it he could make more of his memories come back to him... "If the Heart is split in half... does that mean it's only at half power right now?"Elithes glanced at the hologram. "I suppose ve'll find zhat out vonce ve get a chance to study its ozher half."

[Blessed Blade]

-==IC: Kairan//Cave==-"Well one thing is to get this 'Team Zero' to help us, and potentially track down the second half... The second thing we do, is storm the place, find the second half, and either destroy that half, or attempt to bring it somewhere it'll be safe." Kairan said, though he wasn't sure exactly how well that plan would work in actuality.

[Voltex]

OOC: I was waiting for you to reply, Parugi. :PRhindon's the only one who can get Vertak out of this mess; obviously Vertak is going to fall in eventually, but I don't think he's down yet.IC: Vertak, Day Run Arena:Vertak silently cursed as Hexxon and Kaytana teleported away again. There had to be some way to manipulate what they were doing- some way to....He was falling. Into lava."Rhindon? Help?!"-ibrow

[Parugi]

OOC: Wait, how is he falling again? We're on another rock. IC - Cave group - Cave: "Doen't vreally answer my question, but... vright," Elithes said. He was silent for a moment, thinking. Then a thought dawned on him. "I zhink I have a vay to convince zhe citizens to help us."

[Toa of Dancing]

Alan/Outer Day Run Grounds, Meeting CaveIC:

"Indeed... Those gauntlets sound very familiar, Kerid. Something you gave to two certain competitors just a few days ago... Now, let's meet tomorrow morning at nine. I'll hopefully have Team Zero with me then."

[Silvan Haven]

Kaelen- CaveIC: "Can we contact them through the Team crests?" Kaelen said after the long explanation. "You know how they are made, so surely you could tap into their Team network. I think that the situation is extreme enough to bypass a few rules."

[Parugi]

IC - Cave group - Cave: Kerid's eyes widened she Alan pointed that out. In truth, a similar thought had been creeping up on her; now things made sense. Why would Lyxek have volunteered Vailian for the opening match if not for the gauntlets? An attempt to fix the relationship between the Day Run and Ring... right."Checkmate," Kerid said to Alan, shrugging. "I guess that means the Ring has one of the Gauntlets as well. Which means that Eeko is in danger, assuming they haven't taken the other one form him at this point." She thought about Kaelan's point. "That's not a bad idea, though I'll have to talk to Ehjoras; even I'm not entirely familiar with the inner workings of the Crests -- Jaeda, Shroedinger and Pandora were the only beings to have ever figured out how they actually functioned, and none of them are here." She looked at Elithes. "What was it you had in mind?""Simple," the Matoran said. "Corvruption is vrampant in zhe KNPD, and zhe Vring is entirely composed of scum. Everyvone knows zhis -- including some old friends of mine, in and out of zhe Guild of Tyis." He looked at Kaorus. "You, the Guild and I can vork to spread information underground. Ve can divrect civilian dislike toward people like Lurvrinost and Lyxek. Organize vrallies, zhat sort of zhing. Soon enough, zhere vill be protests, chaos; and vhat can zhey do to stop it? If zhey kill the populace, zhen zhe island will come to a stop. If zhey attack at all, that vill increase civilian anger. Zhey'll have no choice but to eizher leave or spread zhemselves zhin -- and zhen, ve can strike." He looked around. "Not to mention, a mass upvrising vould give us time to search for zhis Heart, assuming Team Zero or somevone could tell us how to get into zhe Garden."

[Toa of Dancing]

Alan and Eryn/Outer Day Run Grounds, Meeting CaveIC:

"Indeed, that would be great. So... it's settled? We meet tomorrow after contacting anyone we need, everyone who can spreads more truth about the two organizations and stirs the citizens against them, and I - or whoever contacts them - talk to Team Zero.""I can formulate and send out the messages in a few seconds, if you wish," said Eryn to Kerid. Indeed, she already had them ready to fly throughout Kai-Nam's computers. It wouldn't go to all of the computers, of course, just to people that it would affect.

[Void Emissary]

IC: CalikCalik was really tired of fighting. And he was never tired of fighting. But this was barely fighting as it was.He might've even managed to get to the top of the rock if a couple of well aimed shadow blasts hadn't completely disintegrated the rock he was holding. Oh well. Maybe next fight.Until then, he thought, as he fell towards the laval, adieu to all, and may the lousy glitch who spewed all this lava burn in the ice of Karzahni.OOC: FYI, Calik's not out yet.-Void

Edited November 28, 2011 by Emissary to the Void

[Voltex]

OOC: Burn in the ice of Karzahni... sounds painful.IC: Vertak, Day Run Arena:Vertak landed on the rock, spotting Calik extremely close to leaving the match a ways away.Well, at least I can try and make sure I'm not first out. He thought grimly, aiming and firing a wave of light at Calik and his surrounding area.The wave was a laser of light, designed to both cut through anything Calik might find to pull himself to safety or stand up on, and also to blind him, in hopes that he would stumble into lava.-ibrow