Corpus Rahkshi

IC Catatonic: I moved through the crowds, drawing looks left and right, but hopefully, if I didn't cause any trouble, the Guard would let me be.

As I walked the streets, I scanned the bustling crowds, looking for any signs of Suvak.

OOC open for interaction

IC Vir and Mahrika

Malebranche First Tier

"Well," Mahrika reasoned, "the farthest point would be the other side of the tier." He spotted a cable car station not far ahead. "All right, we can probably stow away in a car loaded with goods."

Vir nodded and followed him to the station, trying to calm their apprehension.

IC: Era - First Tier.

"Don't be stupid. You can't walk back from here. Karz, I don't even know what direction the school's in." She was mumbling, but I could hear her well enough. Sonic powers were handy like that. "Being blind is a limit, but you pushed past that, didn't you? Sure, if you head into that city, you might not find Suvak, but at least you can say that you tried. If you don't try, then you definitely won't find him. The only way to improve yourself is to step outside your comfort zone, push your boundaries, and overcome the obstacles that get in your path." 

I kept my hand raised, hoping she would take it. "You didn't give up on me when I was still learning my way around the school, and I'm not going to give up on you now. Please... don't let your weakness define you... prove that you're stranger than that." I waited, hoping I'd finally gotten through to her. 

IC: Pyre, War, Famine, Death, Pestilence

Death asked Mar'jik, "Should we start searching the places we expect to find him. Or least expect to find him? Also how wide is this radius?

IC: Rain - Malebranche - First Tier

Rain shrugged and followed after them. "Beats walking, I guess."

As she boarded, she caught sight of a Turahk spine in the crowd. Karz, she didn't have much of a lead. It probably would help to get away from all those attractive shops, but she couldn't bring herself to even look away from all of their gaudy colors.

IC: Hoto - Malebranche - First Tier

Era had called her bluff. She had no idea how to get back. Even if someone else could see the Academy from here, her "vision" wouldn't extend that far. She didn't know how to respond, but Era wasn't letting her just sit in the Crawler and wait. If she wanted to drag Hoto around, then she might as well come along. She hated to be the cause of her friend getting behind in the assignment.

Hoto reluctantly took the hand and got to her feet. "Where to, then?" she sighed.

IC: Root - Malebranch - Sixth Tier

Alas, the parts bins had yielded nothing as of yet, and Root was attracting unwanted attention. Normally, he would revel in their gazes as any true hero must, but these Matoran were not admiring his noble qualities. They were beginning to wonder why he was searching through their bins. He would gladly offer an explanation, and had attempted it, but his screeches were foreign to the Matoran, and they simply looked somewhat panicked and got back to work for a short time. But their eyes still followed him. Perhaps it would be prudent to observe another factory before things became... strenuous.

IC: Sidonas - Infirmary

Sidonas, tired and impatient, yet really wishing he had his legs, took the wheelchair back to his dorm and started to work on rebuilding his own legs, since it seemed that crippled Rahkshi were left in the dust. He started by grabbing some of his scrap metal, some bits of servo's he had managed to salvage, and his pie gun, which he had to deconstruct for parts. Over the next few hours, he began to 'Borrow' more supplies from dorms os students who had gone...wherever they went. He found components for a protosteel welding tool he could mash together, small bits of metal to use, and a bucket of white paint. At that he started to piece together his scrap-built legs. He had just finished constructing the frame and was about to put his schematics to reality when he fell asleep out of tiredness and sheer exhaustion.

OOC: So much for leg repair after 3 years in a waiting room.

IC Vir and Mahrika

Malebranche First Tier, Intra-tier Cable Car

Mahrika held up a hand as they arrived at the cable car station. He watched the cars, waiting for one to be loaded with cargo rather than passengers.

There. The car was burdened with several sacks and boxes whose contents didn't concern Mahrika in the slightest. The workers finished loading it and the car was pulled by its cable away from the station. In seconds it would be carried over the business district, and then across the hazy crater of the volcano. But first it would pass just above a few small shacks.

Mahrika scrambled up a shack, using its corrugated exterior for traction. Once at the top, he leapt into the air and caught the bottom of the cable car as it passed over. The acceleration pulled at his grip, but not enough that he feared falling. He pulled himself into the car itself and watched to see how the others were doing.

If the silver Rahkshi could do it, so could Vir. Probably. Maybe. Vir climbed the next shack in line and leapt for the cable car. But they mistimed it, and ended up hanging from the car by one hand. They let out a gasp and glanced down, hoping the car was still low enough to fall from safely. Fortunately they felt the first Rahkshi grab their wrist, helping them to get a hold of the car with their other hand and climb in.

IC: Era - First Tier.

"Thank you," I said gratefully, giving Hoto a quick hug. "Let's rejoin the rest of the group and see what they've decided." Zivon finally returned, sitting on my shoulder and pecking angrily at Hoto. He hadn't been too appreciative of her shouting earlier. 

IC: The decision to check the Crawler itself was an inspired piece of outside-the-box thinking. It was wrong, but that didn't stop it being a very clever path to pick. Sadly, Suvak had used his head start to more than just wait around in the same place. He'd vanished from the Crawler, and the attempts to spot him in the first Tier by air were unsuccessful as well. He'd gone to a little more effort than walking a few feet away.

At the gates to Tridax's estate, a small but opulent mansion with a distinctly charred looking garden surrounding it, Exxan was greeted by a pair of Rahkshi (though as yet they had not noticed the sneaking Toxin), one of Limited Invulnerability and the other of Anger. Not his kind of Rahkshi, unfortunately, the sort without much reason of their own. They glared at their mentally superior cousin, hissing through the gates, waiting for...what? Orders from the mansion? For Exxan to declare himself?

Fang's quest was a lonely one. The Caldera was a barren and desolate place, and there was a lot of ground to cover. If he wanted to find Suvak simply by searching every square inch of it then he'd be there a while

IC: Exxan - Second Tier (Tridax's Estate).

Normal Rahkshi. Excellent. I was tempted to stay there and study them for a while, but I knew I didn't have time for that. "Is Suvak in there?" I asked. A stupid question, I know. They probably didn't even understand me. But it was worth a shot. "Can I come in?" 

IC Malebranche

Where would he hide? The lower levels were out of the question. He'd melt.

He decided to visit the bathhouse on tier the third, pushing open its steamy doors with a flourish and greeting the workers with rahkshi noises.

Albeit, peaceful rahkshi noises.

IC: Rail - Refectory

Rail entered the refectory, grabbing a tray of slop before finding somewhere quiet to sit down. He then supported his head with his arm, stirring through the substance before him in a clear display of boredom.

IC: The Twins (Illusive) Terrain Crawler.

Our search of the Crawler proved unsuccessful, and the two of us regrouped to discuss our options. "Where should we look next?" Silencer asked. I thought it over, peering at the list of locations. Finally, it hit me. I jabbed a talon at a heading on the page in front of me: Factory district. 

"Why there?" Silencer asked me, clearly confused by my choice. 

I raised my hands, signing quickly. It's a more obscure location, the book even says it's easily overlooked. And if they've got factories running all the time, then it'll be harder for his noisy footsteps to be heard. It's the perfect hiding place for someone like him.

"What do you mean?" 

All the metal, armour, weapons... A cyborg would fit right in down there. No one would bat an eyelid if he walked past them. 

"I like the way you think, but..." he shook his head, "...it's still too general a search area. We need to narrow it down more." 

The last place anyone would want to look. I pointed again, this time at another line: Malebranche Sewage Works.

IC: Glass

"I'm fine. The cats... It's just... They did something to me," he stared at Xara, eyes wide with... Something.

IC: Xara - Malebranche.

"Ah... okay..." I was pretty sure there was something very wrong with him right now, "...maybe we should stop things here and go back to the Crawler. Let you calm down a bit?" I was starting to worry that Sand wasn't safe with him. 

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IC: The Twins (Silencer) - Sixth Tier.

It took us a while, but we eventually worked our way down to the sixth tier: the factory level. From there, we wound our way through the narrow alleyway between the stone factory buildings until we arrived at the entrance to the Malebranche Sewage Works.

"Are you sure we want to do this?" I asked Illusive. He nodded grimly. "Here goes nothing..." I sighed, pushing open the entrance. 

IC: Jayar / Malebranche: Vapour Gardens

Jayar entered the bathhouse, earning a few strange looks. Nevertheless, he persisted, examining the pools of water and hallways for the cyborg Skakdi.

IC: Vlad / Malebranche: Great Food Market-->Second Tier

Vlad attempted to ask several locals if they'd seen Suvak, but no one could understand him, and everyone seemed to want to sell him things.

At last, he escaped that madness and found himself descending a stairwell to the second tier. He scanned the streets for any sign of Suvak.

IC First Tier

Although Still was able to make it through the bazaar unmolested, it was unable to find conversation pertaining to Suvak. Too many colorful characters passing through in search of weapons, like a one-eyed, one-handed Steltian, an angry Matoran with some odd spider-leg attachment on his back... and so on. But, on the other hand, the would-be warlord that the Rahkshi was shadowing employed... colorful language, language it could use. Quietly disengaging itself from the corpusculent thing's entourage, which was meandering towards a lower level anyways, Still walked towards a well-worn stall. Its recorder quietly whirred, and then barked out: "'Ey! I'm lookin' fer me boi! Half Skakdi, half machine! Ya seen 'im around?"

Still shrugged, almost apologetically, towards the vendor in response to the boisterous playback.

IC: Deadeye

*Everyone else is taken.*

I can see that. Guess we're going to have to go with the mean Rahkshi and Squid.

Deadeye relunctantly moved towards the group, with his head down.

IC: Fang - Malebranche - Ninth Tier

Nothing could survive down here, Fang decided. He had only been in the Caldera for a few minutes before his Kraata began to feel crispy. Even he was unused to such temperatures.

He did enjoy the isolation though. The few other beings down there couldn't understand him, and the mind numbing task finally left him open to thought. His search grew almost absentminded as a result. He didn't expect Suvak to wait in this heat, but as long as he was alone and not melted, he was going to enjoy it.

IC: Rain - Malebranche - First Tier

Rain swiftly ran along the metal roof, trying to mimic Sparky's boarding. She only slipped once... maybe twice, but by the time she reached the car, she was running out of roof. With a quick jab of her staff, she hooked around the handle and swung aboard.

"Easy, right?" she gasped. She looked up to see the colors of the Bazaar vanishing behind the high stone walls. It was for the best. They were descending to... the second tier, but she hadn't paid enough attention to the pamphlet to remember what it was.

IC: Root - Malebranche - Sixth Tier

The Matoran were beginning to be hostile. Even menial factory workers didn't appreciate their work being disturbed, though it was for a great quest. A Matoran walking past leaned over and "accidentally" struck him with a shoulder. Root whirled around, not just to regain his balance. The few Matoran who could meet his gaze returned only threatening stares. There were still a few part bins to search through, but it seemed better to move on to the seventh tier. Root strode out of the building indignantly, hearing some whispered insult as the door closed. The vermin couldn't recognize a true hero!

Root sent a tangling vine, already brown and withering from the heat, to snag a freight cable far above, then slid off toward the next tier.

IC: Deadeye

Deadeye boarded with Rain and Squid, staying silent.

Ic: Siren (third level)

Siren had been making her way through the levels, finding nothing on first or second. The residential area was, as to be expected, lovely. For Matoran that is. She continued to work her way through the streets, looking in hidden back allies, while drawing some curious and frightened stares from passing Matoran.

Ic: Hashan (fourth tier)

A hunt was good and all, but completely tedious if you wanted to get things done quickly. He had wandered into a nearby warehouse, and began smashing boxes out of the way in order to find Suvak. he was making an awful lot of noise.

Ic: Rotary (fifth tier)

Rotary was awfully excited by the assignment, and had whizzed off to a car as quickly as he could. He had found himself on the fifth level, full of Matoran giving him scrupulous looks, but he ignored them and just smiled happily and continued walking. He had found himself in a mine somehow, and so descended into the depths. It was only here where the looks were starting to pick up, and he started to feel very very alone.

Ooc: everyone open to interaction.

OOC: Rain is with Mahrika (whose silver paint has her confused) and Vir. Squid is actually on Team Era.

IC: Rain - Malebranche - Second Tier

A flash of green caught her eye, and Rain glanced away from the disappearing shops to see Crazy hop in. In an instant, she went from panting to vengeful assassin, a knife seemingly flying from her bag and into her hand as it levelled as the Rahkshi's neck.

"What do you think you're doin', Crazy?" she hissed.

IC: Root - Malebranche - Seventh Tier

The vine snapped high above the gleaming towers of the Processing Level, and Root was forced to transition to flight. Not only was it more noticeable (as if a plant covered Rahkshi could get more noticable), but it was much less heroic than swinging on vines across large chasms. Real life just had to take the fun out of everything.

Root landed with a flip to try to improve the adventure of the moment. He had quickly sought out the largest building of the Tier: The Great Smashing Plant. The heat would drive others away, and the constant clanging would make it simple for a metal Skakdi to slip around unheard. Root stepped inside and tried to be as stealthy as a bush in a forge can be.

IC: Floor

"So where do we start off?" Floor was happy for Hoto and all, but they were running on a tight schedule.

IC: Glass

"I'm calm, it's just that the cats... I didn't know such evil lurked under them. Except Sand. She just seems annoyed."

Sand gave a pft, whatever look and gave Xara a questioning glance.

IC Vaalku

"Rider, you take our guest and search the tier above. Revenge and I will check things here." Rider and their new companion (that's you, flash) headed up to the next tier while Vaalku and revenge started their search through the bad gases and toxic waste.

IC: Deadeye
Deadeye scowled. "WHAT, did you call me?"

IC: Bullseye/1st Person/4th Tier - Actor's Cradle Amphitheatre

He was sneakily walking around the amphitheatre away from the prying eyes of Matoran.

OOC: Edited after learning that Rahkshi could write matoran

OOC: I believe K and A are the most common letters in Matoran, and if your character is literate they learned to read Matoran. Rahkshi doesn't have its own written language.

IC Vir and Mahrika

Malebranche First Tier, Intra-tier Cable Car

Vir recoiled as a fourth Rahkshi leapt into the cable car. It was the green one who'd sat adjacently on the Terrain Crawler. Evidently Rain didn't like him any more than Mahrika, considering her threat.

"Calm down," Mahrika ordered. If he just wants a ride across the city, he can have one."

As the track of the cable car lifted it higher, they began to pass over and between the business district's towers.

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves. I'm Vir."

"Mahrika."

OOC: Why does Mahrika not like him? Just because he didn't want to speak to him? Also how did Rain know Deadeye was crazy? During his talk with her, he remained pretty sane.

IC: Rider

Rider nodded.

OOC: Yes. But he doesn't dislike him enough to want Rain to attack him, as you can see.

IC: Revenge-Cable car

"WAIT! We need a spot to meet and orgonise our search after we cover these two tiers."

IC Vaalku

"...Very well, 6th tier we meet. Got it, Rider?"

IC Kat/ bathhouse

I slipped inside, garnering more looks.

Fang had a point, we would be hard pressed fitting in anywhere.

Even so, I raised my hands, palms out, in a gesture of 'I'm not here to hurt anyone'

They seemed placated, well, the matoran, anyway.

The few Skakdi that were there kept their eyes on me.

Speaking of....

<b> I scanned the inside of the bathhouse, looking for the gleam of Suvak's cybernetics.</b>

IC: Revenge-Cabe car

"Need's to be more specific," Revenge looked around for any large signs on the sixth Tier.  "How about Malebranche Sewage Works."

IC: Rider

"Sounds good to me."

OOC: Mostly assumption based on his eye color.

IC: Rain - Malebranche - Second Tier

Rain lowered the knife slightly but continued to glare at him. "I don't need you following me around everywhere. I'm finding Suvak on my own, but I'm stuck with these two. As for you..." She leaned in meaningfully. "What's stopping me from shoving you out of this car before you do something stupid?"

IC: Booger-2nd tier

As soon as shiny had left the craft Booger had followed him, he would have attacked sooner but he had to catch up first. Finaly, it was time.  Booger charged Shiny wailing and swinging his club wildly.

OOC: Oops, you mae a double post.

IC Vaalku

"Very well then. The cable car stops soon, so be ready." Vaalku tightened the strap holding his teardrop container on. "By the way, do any of you know if Suvak's robotics support his life, or just help him exist?"

IC: Deadeye

"How about because I AM NOT HURTING YOU IN ANY WAY. Admit it, the only reason you are holding a knife to my neck is because I'm different."

IC: Revenge-Cable car

"It doesn't look like it, maybe something under his faceplate, but other than that I think that they are functional."

IC Vaalku

"Good. If I can figure out the electrical impulses generated from his cybernetic implants, I can track him to some extent, but it would run the risk of damaging his circuitry somehow."