BZPRPG: Le-Wahi

IC: PayigesShe sighed, followed by a heavy face-palm. 'Dekuna, you've been knocked about a bit, you're no good to the people out there right now. I'll take you back to the village and let you rest IF you co-operate. ' She hit him over the head with the blunt edge of her Scimitar, hoping to knock some sense into him. 'You pillock.'OOC: Hope you don't mind the minor auto-hit.

IC: PayigesShe sighed, followed by a heavy face-palm. 'Dekuna, you've been knocked about a bit, you're no good to the people out there right now. I'll take you back to the village and let you rest IF you co-operate. ' She hit him over the head with the blunt edge of her Scimitar, hoping to knock some sense into him. 'You pillock.'OOC: Hope you don't mind the minor auto-hit.

OOC: I don't mind at all, though I should tell you that if a person suffers a second (if minor) blow to the head (the scimitar) soon after a head injury (the tree), the resulting brain-damage is much more severe than an ordinary head-knock. The end result is often death or permanent impairment.However, since you weren't meaning to kill Dekuna, I'll pretend I don't know that so we can keep going as we were.IC: "Back to the village? Yes, It's been a long time since I was in Ko-koro" Dekuna mused. "It would be nice to go home". He was still rather confused, but Payiges familiar voice was starting to bring him back to reality.

IC: PayigesShe forced a smile and said 'I'll slap you. Don't think I won't. I mean Le-Koro. You're in Le-Wahi, Dekuna. LE. BLOODY. WAHI.'

IC: "Cool," Barük shrugged, obviously far more interested in devouring the fruit in his hand than he was in the announcement of the name. He looked up a few moments later, tossing the now-clean pit over his shoulder. "So. What's our first move?"

IC (Dekuna): "Really?" Dekuna asked, and thought about it for a moment. "I suppose that would explain all the trees. Allright then, we can go to Le-koro, but what do you want to do there? It's full of noisy birds".OOC:

IC: Dervian weakly trudged towards Lake Pala. He had gotten enough medical treatment and rest to wake up and walk, but if he was attacked, he would be in Karz. "Just gotta walk on." He had been given his orders, and would wait there for the survivors of the Rama attack.OOC: I am NOT rejoining the attack. Open for interaction.

IC (Ketan)"Our first move, my gluttonous friend, is to destroy hope."Ketan stood, dusted off his back, and began to walk in the direction of Le-Koro. The Toa of Gravity followed close behind him."Matoran, as I have learned from experience, can hold out for eternity as long as they have hope. This island is a veritable stronghold as long as its inhabitants have hope. If the Makuta does not realize this, he will fruitlessly spend all his strength and fade back into the shadows."Unbeknownst to Ketan, Heuani was at this moment releasing the Turaga back to their people, a move that showed the Makuta's familiarity with the irritating defense of hope."Thus, we will destroy their hope, and conquer with it the first and greatest defense the Matoran have."His companion, while still looking as though he didn't particularly care about anything Ketan was saying, looked a little bemused.Ketan smiled. "It's easier than it sounds, my friend. All it takes is a single spark."

OOC: Lorax: The next Kal? IC: PayigesShe dragged him onto the back of Aki-Nui and set off for Le-Wahi, whilst shouting into the battlefield 'Hau Karda! We have a man down, I repeat, man down!' After a short trip through the dense jungle, they arrived at the village, and stopped at a nearby inn, the Fighty Fikou.IC: ZealokanHe awoke in a daze, his vision blurred. He shed the broken Glider from his back, and tried to stand. 'GAAAH!' He immediately fell, a broken strut from the Glider impaled through his torso. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the strut, and with one almighty yank, pulled it from his stomach, blood gushing out of the wound. Wrapping his torso in some of the wing fabric, he once again tried to stand up. He leant against a tree and assessed his injuries. Minor scrapes and bruises, not life-threatening, but a chance of infection. Stab wound, might want to see a doctor about that. And.... Broken arm. Great.Grabbing a sturdy branch as a cane, he set off for the long trek back to Le-Koro.

OOC: No way. The thought itself is scary.IC (Dekuna): During the ride back to Le-koro, Dekuna began to recover his wits. He managed to absorb some of the sounds of the jungle, the buzzing of the rama, and the pounding of Aki-Nui's hooves. The sudden rush of energy shocked him to greater awareness. He remembered where he was and how he had come to be there.Inside the Fighty Fikou, they found a Le-matoran trained in healing, who told Dekuna to go to bed and stay there for as long as possible. He needed rest. Dekuna rolled his eyes at this advice, first his right and then the left, but he did it anyway. As much as he wanted to go back in search of the rest of the team, he knew it would just make things worse."Did you see where Uar, Tangrua and Zealokan all got to?" he asked Payiges. "I didn't see them since that battle broke out and we all split up. I hope they're all OK."OOC: Talking on "man down", I think Uar is the only HK left in the fight. Dekuna is concussed, Zealokan is impaled, Tangrua has stopped fighting to talk to his cousin, and Payiges and Aki are now helping the wounded. Maybe you could say that the rama won this one, at least with respect to the HK.

OOC: We've enough Kals as it is IC: Payiges'I think Uar's still out there, Tangrua's gone off to talk to his cousin or some such, and Zealokan..... I don't know. I didn't see his Glider up in the air. Maybe he got injured and flew off.' She ordered two coffees, and handed one to Dekuna. 'It's not Epic Tea, but it'll do for now, sound boy.' She smiled sweetly at Dekuna.IC: ZealokanHe cut his way through thick undergrowth, sweat on his brow as he boiled in the hot jungle air. 'And the worst part? I have to buy them all drinks now.' He chuckled weakly, and continued on his way. Suddenly, a Brakas dropped in front of him, hanging from a branch by its tail. 'Oh, hello, you little monkey, you. I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to be on my way.' The Brakas cocked its head in confusion, then suddenly snatched his makeshift cane out from under him, causing him to land hard on his broken arm. 'GAAAAAAH!!! You son of a Brakas! Well, considering you are one, I guess that means-nevermind! Just gimme my darned cane!' The monkey seemed to laugh at him as it swung its way through the jungle canopy and out of sight.Dragging himself upright, he groaned in frustration.'I HATE THIS STUPID JUNGLE!!!!'IC: Payiges'You hear that? Sounded close.'IC: Aki-NuiThe Kane-Ra raised its head in alarm, then seemed to shrug as it went back to eating a large bale of hay.

IC (Dekuna): "You're asking a toa of sonics if he heard something" Dekuna grumbled under his breath as he accepted the coffee. "I did" he replied more loudly. "It sounded a lot like our favourite toa of kinetics. Speak of the devil... but he doesn't sound too good. Like he's in pain". He suddenly felt the urge to get out of this stupid bed and go look for Zealokan himself, but he fought it. His instinct for action had served him well on many occasions, but now he couldn't do anything himself. It was so frustrating. He hated being injured."Maybe you and Aki could go out and look for him?" he suggested to Payiges.

IC: Dervian reached the ILS HQ at Lake Pala. "There. Destination reached. Ahhh." He sat down and waited.OOC: Still open for interaction.

IC: Payiges, Aki-Nui'Sure, I'll go and get Aki.' She walked briskly out of the inn and over to the stable where she put the bull. 'Hey Aki, wanna go find Zealokan?'His head went straight up at the mention of the Kineticist's name. Help Silver Friend find? Blue Friend back ride. He brayed in agreement and gestured to the saddle on his back'Sometimes I wonder what's going through this guy's head...' She said as she mounted the Kane-Ra. 'C'mon buddy, we've a Toa to find! Yah!'IC: Zealokan'Oh yes! Thank Mata Nui!' She shouted as he came across a path leading straight to the village. Holding his arm against himself, he limped slowly along the path. Up in the distance, he spotted a large red shape, with a smaller blue shape atop it. 'Excuse me! Is this the way to the village?''Zealokan?'Wha... Payiges? Aki? Is that you!''Yeah, we were just trying to find you. Where'd you go?''Rama overwhelmed me. Took out a lot, but I was scratched and clawed to Karzahni and back. Lost the Glider, too.''Awww, that's a shame,' Payiges said. In her head, she was fist-pumping and dancing a jig.'I know, right? Not to mention my arm.''Ouch, that looks bad. We'll get that looked at when we get back to Le-Koro.''Speaking of Le-Koro, could you.... let me on?''Depends, will Aki let you?' The Bull grunted. 'I'll take that as a yes. Hop on.'Within minutes, they were back at the inn (and Aki-Nui back in his stable), Payiges leading Zealokan, now with a cast-and-sling on his arm, up to Dekuna's room. 'Look who I found!''Everyone's favourite Silver Toa,' Zealokan remarked sarcastically.

IC (Dekuna): "Or ours at least" Dekuna said without a hint or sarcasm. "I think my armour is more of a grey. Anyway, judging by the state you're in, you owe us all drinks the next time we all get together, but it's good to see you're still alive. That's more than I can say for a lot of people out there today. Tell me, did you see much of the rest of our team? I lost track of Uar and Tangrua once the rama started bombing us, but I only pray that they are both still in one piece."

IC: ZealokanHe chuckled. 'I knew I shouldn't have taken that bet. Alright, I'll buy us drinks, but you're robbing me, mate. We might have to make a special trip to Ga-Koro, just so we can get some Epic Tea.'He looked at Dekuna solemnly. 'Sorry, boss, couldn't see 'em though all the Rama. No idea where they are.'

IC: Matatu walked into Le-Koro. He had been looking for a job, and Le-Koro was where he started.OOC: Open to interaction.

IC:The Parakuka-infested Turaga loped and leapt down the side of the hive, taking massive strides across its surface, clawing through the air like demonic apes. The army below cried out as they saw their village leaders, the wise elders who had kept them safe, disfigured and warped into something horrible; worse than that, they could tell that the mutated Turaga, each of whom had just killed a Rahkshi apiece, now had clear and rabid intent to kill their own people. Truthfully, the Turaga's intents were not their own: though the Parakuka they had been paired with were only in their infancy, the Turaga were still physically weaker, and so the initial conjunction of host and parasite favored the Parakuka. The slugs' directionless bloodlust, stirred by Heuani, became a berserk rage in the mental chaos of the first bond.The army below acted courageously in response to the incoming Turaga. Not allowing their trauma or grief at seeing the perversion of their leaders impede their efforts, the army took every measure they could to slow the Turaga down. Each one was stopped in succession as they descended towards the army below.A bomb full of tranquilizers quickly slowed Nuju to a stumbling halt; the Turaga of Ko-Koro fell to the earth, unconscious, and was carried away. Nokama was pinned against the hive by a barrage of dead Rama, a barrage which did not relent until she was seen to slump, transform back to her normal form, at which point a Toa with a Kadin caught her body before it fell to the earth. Whenua, mid stride, was grabbed by a number of Toa with a Pakari, and held down - though he scored some gashes on one or two of the Pakari users, their combined power was enough to keep him subdued. Onewa was able to kill a member of the Ta-Koro guard with a vicious slash to the throat before he ran head-on into a conjured wall of stone, knocking himself out. Matau was distracted by a number of lightstone shards which irritated his reddened eyes, and then captured in a metal block by a Toa of Iron, who had to renew the thick layer of ore continuously, as Matau's powerful limbs incessantly dented and cracked it until he returned to his normal form. Vakama was secured in a similar manner, though he was suspended first in a vacuum before being seized by a Toa of Ice's frozen prison.All six Turaga were subdued. Heuani smiled, and turned away from the army below. Makuta would be pleased that everything had followed the plan. The Toa of Shadow's eyes happened upon the unmoving bodies of the Rahkshi in his path and, on a whim, grabbed the separated head of one. He faced back to the battle, held the head out in front of himself and punted it into the battlefield below with a light, liberated laugh. He dissolved into a shadow, and was gone.Meanwhile, the ground forces split the way as Sulov and the Ussalry galloped forward as fast as the crabs could scurry, and pounded through the writhing plug of Rama larvae in the entry tunnel. As Heuani had left, the coordination of the Rama had dissipated similarly. Without his mind to direct their movements, the Rama became a disorganized swarm; still opposed to those attacking their hive, but no longer with a larger pattern. Without a direct command to press forward, the young bugs offered far less resistance than they had; the force of collision of the Ussalry sent them squealing back into the hive on instincts of self-preservation. The nut was cracked; the hive had finally been opened. With a triumphant cheer, the attacking force surged in through the tunnel. They slaughtered every remaining Rama they could see, hacked at the pillars of the structure with sword and axe and elemental blow.But when somebody remembered the idea of razing the hive, the army murmured in excited consent, and drew back out, save a designated force of Fire Toa, who combined the final reserves of their near-exhausted elemental energies to spread flame all around the inside of the hive's narrow passages. It was not a quick process; the wicker-like wood of the hive was damp, but with enough heat finally took flame. Their duty done, Toa of Fire escaped (having some trouble finding the exit tunnel in a labyrinth of tunnels) and watched with the rest of the army as orange flame began to lick out of apertures in the hive. The blaze grew slowly, then faster, turning the whole immense hive into a torch.The bright, hot flame was a beacon against the darkening sky. Heuani had been correct - it had been a fine day, and it turned into a finer night. Evening had come in earnest, a fine, cool one with clear sky and sparking stars. The huge fire crackled and roared and gobbled up the air greedily, sending a pillar of dense smoke spiraling upward to be seen by people all over the island. Some of the surviving Rama managed to escape the burning hive, but these were used as target practice among the army - a joyful game where nobody was afraid of wasting arrows. Shoulders, long tensed, eased at last; wounds were tended to; friends clapped each other on the back and whooped in rejoice of their mutual survival. It was a moment of pure rejoicing, for the dead could wait, the Turaga could wait: all that mattered in that moment was the victory. In the heavens above the blaze, the Red Star gleamed; surely an omen of victory, a reminder from Mata Nui that triumph was possible.The celebration carried on through the night, until the hive had been reduced to a pile of ashes, warped wood, melted mud, and scattered stone. It was only then that a confused murmur rose up from the army. For something at the center of the hive had not been destroyed. It was a tall obelisk of dark, jagged rock which stood as a menacing silhouette against the starry sky. It had been hidden by the thick skin and flesh of the hive, but now that the hive was removed, stood unobstructed and mysterious in the middle of a charred plain.When daylight arrived, the ominous stone was approached by a curious group. It was a thick column, perhaps fifteen feet wide, and eighty feet tall, with a rough, granite surface. At the base of the column were six clean notches with flat bottoms. Above the door, in large letters, were carved the following words: :m_d: _ _ ...OOC: Hive attack is over. Congratulations.

IC: But the Ussalry was gone long before daylight. With a two-fingered salute to the other forces and their respective commanders, the crab-riders were marching back to their koro.OOC: Post is a little short, but I've got char dev about to go down.Ussalry to Onu-Wahi.

IC: (Uar)As he made his way back to Le-Koro and the inn where the rest of the Hau Karda was staying, Uar pondered the meaning of the message inscribed on the monolith at the hive's center. When he finally got there and opened the door, he found the rest of the team mostly in bad shape. "Well, they burned down the hive." he announced, not finding anything else to say.

IC-Mussiki:Mussiki, from where he was on Sulov's Ussal, went with the Ussalry back to Onu-Wahi.

IC: Reordin (Reordin's Hut, Pala-Koro)Reordin sat alone in the hut designated for the Sanctum Guard, drinking and waiting for any of the surviving soldiers to come through the door. Only two showed up.A whole battalion. Gone.Eventually, they both left to report the bittersweet tidings to Ko-Wahi, and Reordin was left alone to his own thoughts; they weren't exactly the friendliest, mainly consisting of Helixi's whisperings in his ears and his own tortured snapshots of the deaths of his men. As he took another shot (his fourth or fifth) of bourbon, Helixi finally felt the need to manifest."Hey, there, Saporta," his disassociative identity giggled. "You're not looking so hot."I could say the same for you."Oh, now, don't be mean. You should've known you couldn't suppress me for that long."It was worth a shot, Reordin thought, an idea entering his brain..."Well, speaking of shots, you look like you've had enough alcohol for one morning, Mis--"Her words cut off in a choking gasp as Reordin nonchalantly plucked his dagger from the table next to him and stabbed it through his cheek: Helixi wavered and screamed as his psyche tricked itself into believing she had been killed, and he gave a bloody smirk as the Ga-Matoran finally crumbled to dust before his eyes and scattered through the window. Metaphorically speaking.Reordin took a bandage and wrapped it around his cheek before taking another shot. It was going to be a bee-yoo-tiful day.-Teezy

IC:"Are you a masochist," a battered-looking Matoran who had just come in the door asked Reordin, "Or are you just looking to wake up?"

IC: Reordin (Pala-Koro)"Caffeine just doesn't do it for me," he grumbled, sitting up on the bed and twirling his scotch glass idly around his index finger. "What's up?"-Teezy

IC:"Same as you," the Matoran replied. "I was fighting, and now that the battle is over, I have to move on to other things. May I sit down?" he asked, gesturing to a chair.

IC: Reordin (Pala-Koro)"Yea, sure," he said idly, hooking a chair with his foot and sliding it over to the beaten up looking Matoran. "You want anything?"-Teezy

IC:Skaarn's Rhotuka flew past the Turaga with no discernible effect. He was about to force the spinning disk to make a roundabout and fly past the Turaga again and delfect more attacks, but he didn't get the chance. He was hit by Madhrihk's beam of ice, and suddenly found his legs, arms and most of his torso frozen and encased in ice. He tried to break free, but the recent fighting had drained his strength. "Release me you coward!" he yelled at the Toa that had imprisoned him, as well as any or all member of Island Liberation Squad.You're gonna get it now.Be quiet!

IC: Skrihen"I'd take a nice tall glass of something alcoholic." Skrihen said, as she walked into the hut, blatantly ignoring the sign that read Sanctum Guard Only. Her eyes literally glowed a bright lavender, feeding off the extreme amount of joy in the area. "How'd it go, Reordin?"

IC:"Just a listening ear," the Matoran replied, pulling the chair up to face Reordin. The Ko-Matoran's bandaged jaw opened as he took another swig of liquor. The Matoran watched this, and crossed his hands in his lap patiently. "I fought with the Ta-Koronian Guard. I saw a lot of friends be killed, and I can that tell you did too. Makuta is merciless, he throws our lives around like darts and doesn't even watch where they fall."

IC: Reordin (Pala-Koro)As Reordin listened to the Ta-Matoran talk, he scanned the guy's face; he couldn't remember seeing him at briefing, but then again, he certainly bore the characteristic scars of someone who had fought in the battle..."True enough," he finally said. "What point are you getting at?"-Teezy

IC:The Matoran looked up as Skrihen came in. "Hello," he said to her with a nice little smile. "I'm sorry to intrude, but I hope you don't mind if Reordin and I just chat a little. Trading some war stories... Mutual friend. I'm sorry." He was very polite, and Skrihen nodded with understanding, leaving the two alone.The Matoran turned back to Reordin, ignored his direct question. "There is darkness in you, yet you fight against Makuta. Why?"

IC: SkrihenSKrihen stopped short, and looked between the two. Even through her Mark high, she knew she was interrupting. With one last glance, she exited she hut.Once outside, Skrihen grinned. She was absolutely euphoric, high off everyone else's joy. She looked around for people to talk to.

IC: Reordin (Pala-Koro)Reordin didn't answer right away, merely lit up a cigarette and looked past the Matoran. He cast the lighter onto the bed and inhaled softly before pushing the smoke out."As a military man," he finally said, "you're trained to see things in terms of black and white. And there's always this fine line between black and white that people cross in a war; once you cross that line, you can never be white again. You're just...gray. And the thing about gray is that no matter how much black you try and take out, no matter how much white you can try and pour back in...you're always gonna be gray. I figure that the greatest thing any of us can do with our lives is try and find our way back towards the white. And if we don't, hey - at least we didn't fall any farther towards the black."He took another puff on the cigarette and finally met the Ta-Matoran's eyes."I want to help. I want to help because deep down, people are good inside, and I figure they shouldn't have to suffer the way they do. No matter how gray I grow to be, I want to be able to look back on my life as it's ending and think, wow. I really fought the good fight. Because if there's no bigger meaning, if there's no bright tomorrow waiting on the horizon...then I figure that, in the meantime, the smallest act of kindness can be the biggest thing in the world."-Teezy

IC: SkrihenSkrihen casually grabbed a drink off a nearby table, the occupants too drunk to notice. With a grin, she chugged it down, and looked around for anyone she knew.

IC: "Great words," muttered Bane , "But can you afford to live them?" He had been sitting outside the tent, and had caught the tail end of Reordin's words.-Bane

IC - Komisk - HutKomisk limped towards the Sanctum hut, one hand (two fingers of which had been totally irradicated) clutching a wound on his arm, which hung limply at his side. A bone had been broken. One eye was swollen shut, but he had the suspicion he wouldn't be seeing out of it again. Ever.Two ribs had been snapped, but he couldn't clutch the painful wound. The shin of his left leg had been fractured, which burned like fire. Worse than fire. He was broken and drained. Blood stained virtually everywhere on his armor, not all of it his. He held back a tear at the sight of one of his dead comrades, whose eyes were still opened, and lowered his head. It should've been him.His collected sword hung loosely from the sheath. It didn't even fit. One encounter had left his crossbow in (literally) bloody shambles, and his saperka was bent in a fashion similar to his left ankle.With sad eyes and a quieted voice, he took a seat in the sanctum guard hut and took a drink, ignoring Saporta and the Matoran he was talking to. He immediately felt contempt for the Matoran who looked pristine. He probably didn't even help in the battle. Although, with one eye bad and the other blurred, he couldn't even see the drink.Now, he realized, would be a really good time for him to roll over and die.

IC: [Plagia] - Pala-KoroUnfortunately, Reordin and his companion were destined to be interrupted again, though more silently this time. A young, female Toa knocked on the door, her senses barely registering anything at this point. She just stared forwards, at some imaginary point in space, as if that spot would answer her questions.Walking into the room, the two occupants could now clearly see her. And what a queer sight that beheld them.Plagia stood before them, utterly silent, holding what appeared to be a body over one shoulder and... yes, a disembodied head in her hand. Brown, dried blood was caked on her armour, and dead eyes, glanced listlessly from Reordin to the Matoran, and back."Do either of you have a shovel?" a hoarse, weary voice crackled from out of the Toa's mouth.-Void

IC - Komisk - HutHe only half-heard the words Plagia said. One ear was either full of blood or bursted. It hurt like heck, anyways. He reached back and, not even looking, took the saperka which was strapped to his back and offered it up. He still didn't seem to find his voice.

IC: Kethrye -Kethrye brooded, refusing to partake in the feelings of joy washing over the rest of ILS and it's allies.It wasn't the deaths, nor the numerous injuries that his friend had received during the battle that troubled him. Well, they weren't the only things. Both of those, while unfortunate, were hardly unexpected. This was war, and in war people die. But that doesn't make it any less horrible, he thought, walking through the haphazard collection of buildings the Island Liberation Squad had build over the last few months. No, the death of beings who had been his friends, and others who he didn't even know the name of, was not what Kethrye was focusing his mind on. He was afraid that if he did give himself time to consider it be would be crushed by the sadness and reduced to an emotional wreck. And that, he thought. Would be an embarrassing state for one of this motley group's deputies to be in. Makuta had sent one of his most powerful servants to attack them, reminding them of the seemly hopeless mission that faced the ILS in attempting to defenestrate* the Master of Shadows's metaphorical dark tower. What there's always hope, he thought. There's always hope."Where's Reordin?" Kethrye said, a blunt edge in his voice, walking up to the female Toa of Jungle. He graised his hand ans gestured towards the Sanctum Guard hut. "Drowning his sorrows in alcohol?"

IC: SkrihenSkrihen turned her glowing eyes to Kethrye. "Yeah. He's having a conversation with an old friend. Why?" The Toa's voice was undeniably cheerful.

IC, Verdi: Verdi shrugged. "Well, I guess we didn't need the nets after all," he said. "Should we go back to the village?"