BZPRPG: Ko-Wahi

IC:Arankhe

Arankhe similarly looked up at the guard tower from her black cloak, the various heads and blades of the several weapons pointing out in various directions. She attempted to look as menacing and imposing as she could. Shoulders high, but by no means standing tall and proud. Hand sat on the hilt of her sword. Other hand hidden away.

What with being a tall, massive one with thick armor, numerous weapons and a face hidden by more armor, she would guess she looked at least a little menacing.

IC:

"Somethin' off the main path." Krayn's eyes swept the street, the Toa turning down the first side street to his left. Any building on the main approach to the Sanctum would have been more damaged during the assault, and more importantly, would have a higher degree of traffic running past it. Something off the beaten path would be better.

"Think there's some two-story buildings 'round here, if I remember right. Little work, one of 'em would be perfect."

Kale Ironshaper "Sen"- Ko-koro

IC: "Sounds good." Came the reply. The silver Toa's head was already turning as he scanned the buildings in the area.

"What about that one." He said, pointing to a building that was noticably larger than it's neighbors. "Two stories tall, big enough for the entire group with room to set up defences. I can see some holes in the roof and what looks like damage to the walls but nothing that should compromise it's stability. I should be able to fix them up with some effort."

The building he was pointing to had probably been some form of inn before the koro had fallen. Taller than most of the other buildings in it's immediate vicinity it provided a good point of view to see if anybody hostile was coming. The door was hanging on only one hing and there were several dark patches on the roof where snow had fallen through holes sustained when the forces of darkness had swept through the koro. Several spots on the walls were missing chunks and there was even a hole in one spot

Overall it was just enough run down that it was unlikely that somebody else had taken up residence in it while at the same time not being too damaged to fix back up again in the limited timeframe that the Aggressors were running under.

IC: Arcturia

 

"I'm not inclined to trust you."

IC:

"Your loss, then," I say, smirking lightly, although my heart is not in it. This dance begins to bore me, and Arcturia's adamant solemnity and taciturn nature leaves much to be desired by my own verbiose person. I can already feel my fingers itching for the hilt of my sword as I wonder if violence would add spice to our interaction.

"What should I do to earn such trust from you?" I ask, although I don't particularly care.

IC: 'Kinerya' - Arriving at Ko-koro's Gate -

 

 "Hey! You guys up there! You've got a group of mercs who are cold as ###### right now and are looking for work. So why don't you open the gates eh? Did I mention it's ###### cold!?"

IC:

Rynekk remained taciturn, his expression unreadable. No outward sign of a hammering heart. The sweat that seemed to drench him was hidden by the folds of his cloak, billowing softly in the arctic wind. He stood next to Skyra -- Kinerya -- and watched for danger, knowing that it could come from any direction.

-Void

IC: Arcturia

"I don't give my trust that freely. Or at all."

She could see her destination quite a ways up the mountain path, nearly at the peak - Ihu-Koro. They were coming to a break in the road - a courtyard and what looked to be a complex built into the ice lay in front of them. A cable car station down to the eastern side of the island lay to the right, and the path to Ihu-Koro continued to the left. Several figures were present in the courtyard.

The scent of blood was stronger here. She wondered if there would be anything of value to obtain on this journey.

Or perhaps more trouble.

OOC: Arcturia and Vyartha are at Obsidian Outpost.

IC: Xhalia - Obsidian Outpost

With how much noise her own feet were making, it was a miracle that the Vortixx was even able to hear the people arriving behind her.

Tilting her head to the right (since it would've been rather pointless to do so in the opposite direction) in order to put them in view, her first instinct was to attempt to engage in conversation, partially to give them a friendly warning about what lay ahead and partially to kill some time while the individuals running the place delt with whatever it was they were currently up to.

"Looks like we're going to be here a for while," she mused, trying to break the ice. "It appears that they've got some sort of... issue that they have to deal with first before they can start letting any of us across."

OOC: That's Arcturia and Vyartha.

IC: Veteran - Obsidian Outpost Courtyard.

"Look out, mates," he grumbled to the others, turning towards the sound of voices, "seems we got more visitors." 

IC: Xxeth

Xxeth was secretly wondering what Ambages wasn't dead yet. He looked at the assembled nightfall. I wonder how upset they'd be if I just shot him? It was a tempting thought, but that's all it was. Fortunately he could control his impulses, unlike his ADD addled siblings. It's a wonder they didn't get themselves killed already. If only he could be so lucky, though it certainly wouldn't be very satisfying if he didn't kill her himself. It was a shame Skyra couldn't just waltz right into Ko-koro to die, even she wasn't that stupid. 

IC: 'Kinerya' - Arriving at Ko-koro's Gate -

 

It was a long trek through the snow, even as I kept the wind from battering our faces the harsh cold froze our faces, the snow was sticky and slowed us down, and it didn't matter how many blankets I covered myself with I was ###### cold. Brrr.

 

But for better or worse we arrived at Ko-koro's gates, and by the time we did we were all more than happy to see it. Don't let anyone tell you Ko-Wahi is a great place for a vacation, they're either ###### liars are they live there. 

 

I took a long breath, before shouting toward the guards stationed above us, who stared at us with an expected amount of scrutiny. "Hey! You guys up there! You've got a group of mercs who are cold as ###### right now and are looking for work. So why don't you open the gates eh? Did I mention it's ###### cold!?" I said this with as much attitude and ignorance as I could muster, because that's who Kinerya was, she was a bratty ###### who liked to kill for money.

IC:Arankhe

Arankhe similarly looked up at the guard tower from her black cloak, the various heads and blades of the several weapons pointing out in various directions. She attempted to look as menacing and imposing as she could. Shoulders high, but by no means standing tall and proud. Hand sat on the hilt of her sword. Other hand hidden away.

What with being a tall, massive one with thick armor, numerous weapons and a face hidden by more armor, she would guess she looked at least a little menacing.

IC:

 

Rynekk remained taciturn, his expression unreadable. No outward sign of a hammering heart. The sweat that seemed to drench him was hidden by the folds of his cloak, billowing softly in the arctic wind. He stood next to Skyra -- Kinerya -- and watched for danger, knowing that it could come from any direction.

 

-Void

IC (Ko-Koro gate guards)

The gates' heavy hinges creaked as they were hauled open just wide enough for six being to file out. Four of the six had weapons raised, the fifth held a heavy ledger, and the sixth, a Lesterin, came forward to meet them with arms folded as the others stepped aside.

"Those boys up there aren't the ones who let ya in," he said mockingly. "They're the ones who shoot you if you try any funny business."

IC: 'Kinerya' - Ko-koro's Gate -

"Oh." I said innocently, giving the Lesterin a smile. "Well that's good, it was getting hard to shout to your boys up there. And uh....don't tell them I said this but, they aren't as easy on the eyes as you." 

"Looks like we're going to be here a for while," she mused, trying to break the ice. "It appears that they've got some sort of... issue that they have to deal with first before they can start letting any of us across."

IC:

"What makes you think that we intend to use this cable car?" I ask, arching an eyebrow. Through questions, I fish for facts, and perhaps this woman has them for me.

"And uh....don't tell them I said this but, they aren't as easy on the eyes as you." 

IC:

Streams of frosty breath wafted from Rynekk's nose as he sighed.

This is going to be a -long- day, he figured.

-Void

IC:Arankhe

Arankhe remained silent, regarding the group with the cold(pun possibly intended), black gaze her thin visor slit offered. Her gaze switched every now and again, but she mainly focused on the ones pointing weapons at them. If they had to fight their way in, they would. She'd fought more imposing people in street gangs. On her own. She could fight this lot if she had to.

IC Sentinel:

Wondering what was taking the others so long, Kotak peered through ice and stone to see yet another group in the courtyard.

With a huff of discontent, he snatched up his Rahk staff, and made for the door.

IC: Xhalia - Obsidian Outpost

"Well, like myself, you just arrived at a cable car station, there isn't much else in this direction besides the Tren Krom Break, and the pair of you don't look like the type to suddenly go jumping into the lava," Xhalia drawled, choosing her words carefully in an attempt to remain civil. "Of course, I'm open to the possibility that I'm wrong; for all I know, there could be any number of reasons you're here right now. With the current state of the Wahi being as it is, however, I just thought that it was more likely that you were attempting to leave."

IC (Echelon)

And so it began.

Joske's Kakama-speed attack was too fast for anyone, even someone with the quickest of reflexes, to counter in time—unless they already knew it was coming. Before Joske could attack he had to think about attacking, and anything he thought, Echelon would hear.

Even as he broke into his lightning sprint, Dark Magnetism was pushing him farther to the left, pushing him just far enough off-balance for the tip of the flamberge to whistle a good few inches past the Dark Toa. As Joske slowed himself and recovered his balance, Echelon wasted no time in going on the offensive. He reached up with his free hand towards the head of one of the four monolithic totems that formed the Temple of Peace, and shadows flared up across it: a second later the carved stone shattered under invisible strain, splintering into a dozen shards and chunks that floated down to orbit the Dark Toa like asteroids. He thrust his staff forwards, and sent them hurtling at Joske.

IC: Xhalia - Obsidian Outpost

IC:

Out of the corner of my eye, I see two figures taking notice of our presence. I pretend not to care, however; it does nothing to show weakness in these lands.

"This is large for a cable car station," I say.

-Void

IC: Veteran - Obsidian Outpost Courtyard.

"Evenin', mates!" He called out as he approached the newcomers, "Where're you lot from?" 

IC: Xhalia - Obsidian Outpost

"Ihu... well, at least I am, anyway," the Vortixx said, redirecting her attention towards the approaching Ta-Skakdi. "Figured that with everything currently going on in this region, I'd be able to get a few jobs in and maybe line my pockets with widgets while I was up here. No such luck, unfortunately."

IC:

After he finished looking over the building itself, Krayn pondered something a little different. The surrounding buildings were quiet, with the barest minimum of background noise. He could hear anyone approaching clearly. The upper level of the abandoned building was a good vantage point, with a few perches ideal for long range engagement, should it be necessary.

"I think this'll be jus' what we need."

IC: In some seedy bar, surrounded by some seedy patrons, one seedy Ko-Toa glanced up from the receding foam of his swill. Sitting up fully on his stool as opposed to the easy slouch he had before, he gazed back down-- nothing worth seeing in here anyway, and it was easy to get lost in a drink you were swirling incessantly. Something primal had risen up inside him, something he knew better than to ignore.

Somewhere, there's one ####a fight going on.

An odd premonition; the kind you knew you most likely couldn't hope to act on in time to get any real accomplishment or whatnot out of it, but a premonition nonetheless. Something that got the blood flowing better than anything else today. Might be worth taking a trip around town, or somesuch. Downing the rest of the glass, he slapped a few widgets down onto the counter and made his way out the doors, into the cool, crisp air that was as natural to him as an oven was to a firespitter.

You never knew what you might stumble into here. Like everyone always said, there was really only one way to find out.

Balmung his trusty companion as always, Sigmund prowled the streets, looking for trouble.

OOC: Open for interaction.
 

IC: Arcturia

She took a wary glance at those addressing them from the courtyard, but said nothing and continued along the path to Ihu-Koro.

IC: 'Kinerya' - Ko-koro's Gate -

 

"Oh." I said innocently, giving the Lesterin a smile. "Well that's good, it was getting hard to shout to your boys up there. And uh....don't tell them I said this but, they aren't as easy on the eyes as you." 

IC (Ko-Koro gate guards)

"Ooh, we've got ourselves a charmer here, lads," the Lesterin crowed to his subordinates, who laughed darkly at 'Kinerya'. One particularly grizzled Skakdi gave her a leer. "So, milady, who are ya, and what's your business in our city?"

Kale Ironshaper "Sen" -Ko-koro- Aggressor Base

IC: "Perfect, lets get working." Kale said as he moved toward their new base. The first order of business was to fix up the damage to the walls. No reason to leave ways for heat to get out or enemies to get in.

He was soon busy forming seamless seals over the holes and filling in the dented areas.

 

IC: 'Kinerya' - Ko-koro's Gate -

 

"Oh." I said innocently, giving the Lesterin a smile. "Well that's good, it was getting hard to shout to your boys up there. And uh....don't tell them I said this but, they aren't as easy on the eyes as you." 

 

IC (Ko-Koro gate guards)

 

"Ooh, we've got ourselves a charmer here, lads," the Lesterin crowed to his subordinates, who laughed darkly at 'Kinerya'. One particularly grizzled Skakdi gave her a leer. "So, milady, who are ya, and what's your business in our city?"

 

IC: 'Kinerya' - Ko-koro's Gate -

I gave them all a smile, a smile that was as dangerous as it was cute. The sort that would hopefully make the cretins think twice before getting too close. I carried a gun for a reason. 

Still, things seemed to be more or less going well, they clearly had no idea who I really was, because in my mind I wasn't that person, I was Kinerya. And if I believed I really was that person, even if subconsciously I knew better, then so would everyone else. 

"Name's Kinerya, K I N E R Y A, don't forget it. Me and my pals 'ere are just some mercs that really aren't liked by the uh...other villages." I let out a quick laugh, and it surprised even me how insane it sounded. "You kill the wrong person at the wrong time and that tends to happen." I shrugged. "So, we got to thinkin, Hey, Ko-koro accepts people like us, why not head there for some work? We clearly didn't remember how god COLD it was though." I looked back at the group with a glare, particularly Libero. 

"Hey guys, introduce yourselves already so we can go in, I'm cold!" 

IC:

Krayn, for his part, busied himself with scouting out the entirety of the building. Room by room the De-Toa checked for occupants, ferreting out even the slightest possibility of an unknown in their midst. The building had been abandoned in a hurry. Packs sat in some rooms, their contents sometimes intact, or more often scattered across the floor in a hurry. Knocked over when their owner fled. It took the better part of half an hour but, after checking every potential hiding place, he was satisfied that no one resided within. He gathered what supplies remained while Kale patched the walls, selecting a central room on the second floor as their staging area.
 

"How's it going, down there?"

IC:Arankhe

Arankhe's stance nor stare lightened up. At all. She looked at Kinerya for a moment, before looking back.

"Arankhe."

She didn't need to say anymore.

IC: "Iniega"

"Iniega," said the Toa of Water, her voice, while having changed little, adopting a light twang and a more chipper tone. "It's nice to meet you. Boss is a bit cuckoo though, so apologies in advance."

IC: 'Kinerya' - Ko-koro's Gate -

I gave Arankhe a look that said, will you please stop looking at them like that? Seriously it was like she was trying to give them the death glare. 

"Hey come on Iniega...it really is cold!" I shivered to demonstrate. 

IC:Arankhe

Arankhe spotted 'Kinerya' giving her a glare out of the corner of her eye. It was like she didnt want her to give them the death stare. She looked back at her. Not that you could tell, her helmet stopping you properly telling which direction she was looking in. She switched her gaze to 'Inegia'.

"She's right though. The cold isn't as fun as it sounds." She looked back.

IC: 'Iniega'

"That's exactly why I happen to be wearing warm armour."

IC (Ko-Koro gate guards)

The Lesterin rolled his eyes. People like these were widget-a-dozen around Ko-Koro these days, eager to prove how crazy and edgy they were. He was already bored of this conversation.

"All right, all right, enough o' the god panto routine," he drawled. "You, Mr Strong 'n' Silent, gimme your name an' get outta my sight."

IC (Merror)

After Agni spoke, the three Toa remained silent by Utu's body for a little while longer.

Merror was the first to move away, but not to leave: the Toa of Fire disappeared into one of the run-down huts nearby, and after a short search, came out again holding three rusted shovels, two of which he handed to Agni and Praggos, before summoning a wave of heat to clear the ground of snow and setting to work digging with the third.

"Come on, give me a hand," he said gruffly. "We can't just leave him here to be eaten by wolves. He should have a proper burial."

The earth was frozen hard, but with a little help from his element, it began to give way to the Ta-Toa's shovel-strikes.

IC:Arankhe

At first, only a quiet, but deep and aggressive growl escaped Arankhe's mouth, mostly to herself. He'd just called her a man. That was rude.

Changing her voice to sound audibly female, Arankhe stated for the second time,

"Arankhe. I said that."

IC (Ko-Koro gate guards)

The Lesterin clapped a palm to his face in frustration, and pointed to the disguised Rynekk.

"Not you," he said. "Him."

IC:Arankhe

Oh. Whoops.

"Oh."

OOC:Mostly my mistake, easy to mistake 'Strong and Silent' as the giant armored lady who hasn't said much.

Kale Ironshaper "Sen"- Ko-koro- Aggressor Base

IC: "Almost done with the ground floor." Kale called back as he finished sealing one of the cracked areas. "The second story looked less damaged, although I think the roof had a hole in it."

IC (Agni):

It took me a moment to notice the shovel Merror was holding out to me. Once his words managed to get through to me I felt a moment's urge to laugh. As if Utu Kotore of all people would have cared about getting a proper burial. If he had any say in the matter, he would probably have preferred to remain the way he was now until the cold turned him into his element for all time: frozen on his knees - bent, but never broken.

A moment later I was right beside Merror, digging, channeling heat into the shovel to make our task easier. By the time we were done, using my element and the physical exertion had become quite noticeable. But we weren't done yet. Now we needed to move Utu. But before we did, I stepped up next to the body once more, picking up his broadsword. Or rather, I heaved the weapon up with difficulty. Overall, it was only a bit over a head's length shorter than myself, completely unwieldable for anybody smaller or weaker than Utu. 

"What are you doing?" Valria asked.

"It's not for me." I simply said, strapping the weapon to my back in its scabbard.

Then I looked at Merror. "I would remove his Kanohi too...use it to mark the grave."

IC: Muatara

^{Location: The Drifts, Coastline}

A lone iceberg approached the shores of Ko-Wahi. Underneath it was a Proto-Drake, trying to the best of its ability to push the huge ice chunk towards the island, and up above in the sky, a lone fishing bird. On the iceberg itself resided two beings, each who had been intimidating at their prime, but who were now washed up and defeated after being trapped out on sea for months on end. 

But now, finally, after all this time, the iceberg reached land once more, and the two beings stepped off the iceberg and onto the frozen shores of the Drifts. A tiokaha and his frost bear companion had arrived on Mata-Nui.

IC (Merror)

As Agni retrieved Utu's massive sword, Merror leaned on his shovel to catch his breath and inspect their combined handiwork.

The grave wasn't the full six feet deep (they'd hit solid rock after a mere four) but it would be enough to protect the ex-Mark Bearer's remains from the wildlife and the elements.

"I would remove his Kanohi too," said Agni, as Merror came over. "Use it to mark the grave."

The older Ta-Toa nodded, and bent down to pull the large Kakama from Utu's face and place it in the snow nearby.

Now came the hardest part: lifting the titan's corpse into its resting-place. Merror gripped under the gigantic shoulders and Agni took the ankles, and with much huffing and puffing they managed to half-lift half-drag Utu into the grave. After another few minutes' shovelling the displaced earth had been moved back in and patted down into a soft mound. Finally, they each gathered a half-dozen stones and piled them into a cairn, on top of which they rested Utu's mask.

"There," said Merror at last. "It's done."

IC: Chivinix

20, 21, 22, 24.

The large insectoid otherwise known as Chivinix sat atop one of the sturdier rooftops, watching the streets below. As a person passed by who didn't notice him, he counted them out. Why he did this? Well one can't rightly pretend to know. Infact maybe he didn't even know. His gaze drifted towards the doorway of a rather seedy bar, or more correctly a rather seedy looking Ko-toa who exited the joint. Would the Ko-toa notice the vortixx sized insectoid hidden in rather plain sight atop the building across the street, or would he be like the rest of the patrons who left, drunk out of their mind with senses dulled. Chivinix leaned forward, eyes watching the Ko-toa carefully, mind ready to add him to his growing list.

ooc: For reference the Ko-toa in question is Sigmund.

IC: Veteran - Obsidian Outpost Courtyard.

 

"Evenin', mates!" He called out as he approached the newcomers, "Where're you lot from?" 

IC:

"Here and there," I reply, hands hanging by my sides; they ache in the cold, but there is too much uncertainty here to risk impeding their movement by sliding them into my pockets. "But I believe that a better question would be: Where have we arrived?"

IC (Ko-Koro gate guards)

 

"All right, all right, enough o' the god ###### panto routine," he drawled. "You, Mr Strong 'n' Silent, gimme your name an' get outta my sight."

IC:

"Libero," Rynekk said, bowing his head to a surprisingly respectful degree.

-Void