Corpus Rahkshi

IC: Whakatio

Whakatio woke up. Her suit felt unnatural. She tried moving it. She stayed where she was. Her eyes went to Poly, who was standing over her. "What have you done?" She growled, her mouthparts not moving.

IC Poly: We st up our Sister, our eyes filled with compassion and worry.

"You are adjusting to a new body. It will take time to find your stride."

We looked to Tube. Our sister would be all but helpless for a day or two. We needed a shelter.

...

The cave.

"Brother Tube, take the empty suit to your room, then meet us outside the Cauldron, across the Causeway. I will be waiting for you. Be cautious, the Matoran are none too pleased with our presence."

We lifted Whakatio, and started across the causeway.

IC: Whakatio

Whakatio tried to scream for help, but images of the dead previous owner filled her mind. Her body was not her own. She had no idea what Poly was planning, but she was scared. She waited in the suit, the images of the previous wearer making her sob.

IC: Tube - Causeway

"I... I..." they stammered. Somehow, they couldn't promise that they would. They were standing there with Whak's old, familiar armor, now left empty without her. She was stuck in another armor, unable to move.

I need to listen to new master... but...

And that was the most significant thought Tube had ever had. That one "but," a small expression of independent thought. The smallest act of resistance against their master they had only just met, and a preference for Whak. She had been with them after Checkers left. They should stay with her.

But all that independent thought was giving Tube's small mind a headache. "I... I... want to stay by her," they pushed out, nearly collapsing with the effort.

IC: Phantom eyed Raptor's attempts at defence with the glint of amusement in his eye. Finally, the Rahkshi grew a spine.

"Or I could just kill you and be absolutely one hundred percent sure that you'll never bother me or my home ever again."

He swung at the bone-sword Raptor had claimed, hitting it with enough force that the Rahkshi's arms shook and rattled. 

"I kind of like the sound of that option better."

IC: Suvak raised his eyebrows. He honestly hadn't expected to see that many signatures for the proposition. He thought eight would allow Metal to get close, not the numbers needed to get the show but enough that he'd find friends of similar mind. Still, a deal was a deal. 

"Well then, lets get organising. What sort of time frame were you thinking of? When did you want this to happen?

IC: Revenge-Captive

"We didn't do anything!  I barely knew this village existed!  If you let us go we will find the ones who did kill matoran and bring them here!  Than you can punish those who are guilty!"

IC Poly:

We regarded Brother Tube.

A slip up in this moment could be disastrous. We set Whakatio in Tubes arms.

"Wait here with her, then. We shall take care of her old identity."

We hefted the old suit, and flew off outside the school, headed to our room.

IC: Tube - Causeway

Tube let out an enormous sigh of relief as Legion left. For now, they were not in trouble for not obeying. But they would worry about that later.

"Are you okay?" they whispered down to Whak. "Is it... smelly?"

IC: Era - Hallway.

"But he still agreed," I pointed out to Hoto. "That's something, right?"

____________________________________________________________________

IC: Exxan - Gym.

Slinking out of the library, I returned to the gym to find Kat and Fang still there. The Omega impostor was, thankfully, gone.

IC: Jayar / Hallways

"And I do see his point," Jayar confessed as they approached the Library. "If, by some fluke, one of us ended up imprisoned, we'd need some figure of authority to assist. It would be a miserable vacation if we were stuck in some cell the whole time. Thankfully, we have Grossh... Who is he, anyways?"

IC Mar'jik: 

Mar'jik was bored. Very bored. Didn't want to spar, didn't want to read, but wanted to do something. Turning into the Infermary, he looked about for Palma.

IC: Fang - Gym

Fang heard someone walk into the Gym and looked up from his metal-coated hand. It was Exxan. He jumped away from Kat and back to the work table, trying to look busy and silent.

He looked back up as Exxan came closer and nodded a greeting.

IC: Hoto - Hallways

"It's just... the assignments he came up with never seemed to... be fair to us. Almost like he was against us. And when he asked us to write a letter... I don't know, though, maybe it's just me."

She shook the thought from her mind and tried to answer Jayar. "We met him in the last assignment when we wandered into his workshop... looking for Suvak. He's the one who made my staff..."

IC: Era - Hallways.

"He seemed genuinely interested in us," I added, to Jayar, "I don't think he'd ever met a Rahkshi he could hold a conversation with."

____________________________________________________________________________________

IC: Exxan - Gym.

"Hey guys...." I cleared my throat, "....sorry about storming off like that."

IC Vector:

Vector walked into the library, hoping to find fun and adventure.

IC Fog:

Both of Xara's attack's worked, Fog slumping to the ground for a minute, his eyes seeing stars.

Have to force a draw. Best way to gain influence is to gain respect.

He released a cloud of fog, battering Xara with wind as he tried to pull his dirk free.

IC: Xara - Gym.

He had dared to attack me, and now he was going to pay for it. The blast of wind blew me backwards, the knife ripping free of my arm. I braced myself against a pillar after sliding backwards a few bio and stabbed forwards at his chest, using the extra reach of my staff to close the gap between us.

I sent another crackle of electricity blasting from the staff at the same time, just to make sure I definitely hit him. 

No one attacks me and gets away with it....

IC: Mantis

 

Mantis grunted, his spine almost cracking. He resisted, trying to keep his limbs apart. Suddenly, he jumped up - as much as he could allow - and let himself fall on top of Rail, his spines digging into Rail's side. He knew he had his leg and arm pinned too, but it was the best he could do. He shoved harder.

 

IC: Raptor

 

Raptor tossed aside the mask and dove for Phantom's discarded sword, feeling him slice off the tips of his spines.

IC: Stronghold and Toxin/3rd Person/Gym

Toxin looked in the direction he was pointing. Apparently it was a Rahkshi that was being attacked by Rail. And Rail was the last person Stronghold wanted to see. Either way, they needed to talk with his opponent. They waited for their battle to end.

IC: Rail - Gym

Rail felt the weight of the other Rahkshi begin to shift on top of him and stepped forward to compensate. He felt the spines dig into his side, piercing farther than they had before, but it served only to further fuel his anger.

Looking up, he noticed the two Rahkshi that broke up his and Xara's fight during the riot, who seemed to be pointing towards his opponent.

"You put up a decent fight, but it's over and you know it. Continuing to resist will only end with the snapping of your suit's spinal column, which will render you useless for whatever your friends seem to need you for at the moment. Since I'm feeling generous, I'll allow you to tap out this time, but heed my words; this is a one-time offer. If you continue to struggle, or decide to challenge me again in the future, I will break you."

He shook his body as much as he was able, giving his foe a very unfriendly reminder about the pain in his limbs before returning to his previous position.

"Now show me that you're more intelligent than the majority of the student body and accept your defeat at my hands."

IC: Jayar / Hallways

It occurred to Jayar that fate, in its inexorable desire to inconvenience everyone, would likely dictate that the next assignment be ideal for a blind Rahkshi to carry out, and Hoto and Era would have to choose between the first assignment in their favor and a vacation.

Anyways...

"That's likely so." Jayar said to Era. "Unless he's met a Shadow Kraata, he would never have had the chance. And even if he had, it's not the same. We can choose free will, something even the most brilliant Shadow Kraata is unable to do. I do hope we've impressed him enough that he is willing to help us out."

IC: Mantis

"Never. I'm no coward." Mantis yanked his arm and leg apart, ignoring the back-breaking (literally) pain.

"I refuse to surrender."

IC: Raptor

Raptor slid back from the impact. He readied his sword. It was heavy and awkward, but at least he had something to defend himself with. He charged Phantom, feigning a slice at the hunter's fleshy arm, but stopped short and thrust his weapon at his gut instead.

Metal / Suvak's Office IC:

"Time has shown that the Porters are really good at spreading news, whether we listen to them or not. I would think if we announced it today for tomorrow afternoon, that would give all of the students enough time to group up and figure out what they want to do. I've already seen and heard some people who have been getting ready. Advertise that all talents are welcomed, and maybe figure out a prize or something - maybe a weapon, a meal, school-wide renown. I would think either the courtyard or the Gym would be the best places. The judge could be you, maybe Palma, and if you could somehow convince the Headmaster . . ."

Metal was quite proud of his little pet project. If it turned out half as well as he hoped, it would go fantastically. He could feel the tension in the air after hearing of the deaths, and he imagined this would be a perfect way to fix things up.

IC: Toxin/3rd Person/Gym

"Stop!"

He had had enough. He needed that Rahkshi conscious.

"Whoever you are, we need your help, one of our friends may be in danger, and we need someone that can help us commnunicate with this."

He held up Claws for Mantis to see.

IC: Mantis

"Forgive me, but I will not back out of this fight."

IC Kat:

I nodded to Exxan, turning to make a new knife.

"All good. We all have our ways of dealing with stress. You removed yourself from the situation. Can't fault you for that."

IC: Exxan - Gym.

"Alright..." I decided to change the subject, "....what did I do with that knife?" 

IC: Rail - Gym

"I'd listen to him if I were you. This fight is already over, whether I snap you in half or not," the Rahkshi of Magnetism continued. "Are you so dense that you can't realise that a life is more important than the belongings of a convicted murderer?"

Rail paused a moment as he pulled the Rahkshi's limbs closer together, letting his opponent's fingers brush up against his foot.

"Last chance. Stand down so you can walk out of here and help your friends, or you won't be walking at all!"

IC: Cuutuk - library

"I've been working on the song." He says, smiling.

He had snuck out in the middle of a conversation, and had retreated to his dorm. He had overheard a conversation about the talent show, and rushed all over the school looking for Melody.

IC: Hoto - Hallways

"He just sounded... interested, whether we impressed him or not. He wanted to know more about the Academy, and he seemed nice enough about it."

IC: Fang - Gym

Fang just nodded back to Kat, indicating she had it.

He pulled off another chunk of metal and began shaping it with his plasma, too lost in thought to bother speaking. And it was Exxan. He had already had enough of a headache from making weapons... for him.

IC: Mantis

"I have not, and will not, change my mind." Mantis spun around, albeit awkwardly, trying to dislodge his opponent's grip.

IC Vaalku

What the-

Vaalku would rather have run into Xara. While she couldn't listen to sense, this crazy Rahk from the mission flat-out denied sense existing. "Shut it, slobbermouth."

IC: Rail - Gym

The Rahkshi of Magnetism allowed a minute amount of slack in his own arms to prevent him from losing his grip.

"So be it."

Walls sprung forth from the gym floor, surrounding the pair completely and extending up towards the ceiling so that the other two who had just arrived would be unable to interfere. With his last remaining strength, Rail pulled the limbs as far as they could possibly go at the fastest speed he could muster, intending on breaking the spine of Bug-Boy's suit in one swift, painful motion.

He would let the others take what was left of him to the infirmary after the deed was done; there would be no point in causing him further injury afterwards.

He just hoped that his opponent had the strength to live with himself if it turned out that another student died because he was too busy settling a petty grudge.

IC: Sidonas - Infirmary

"I'll look around, put some posters up, see what I can do. If someone was killed, we'll solve it." He extended his arm to Recoil. "Coming with?"

IC: Whakatio

"It's not that it smells, I just can't move. And it is filled with memories of the previous owner. Gruesome ones, at that. I am afraid of what he has planned for me." Whakatio said.

IC: Illusive - Causeway.

This isn't you. Stop it. The voice was back.

Unable to rest, I'd wandered the halls for hours, and eventually found myself back out at the Causeway. I'd started to cross, heading back towards Phantom-on-the-Water. Then, halfway across, the voice had returned. 

These Matoran had nothing to do with his death. Attacking them won't accomplish anything. Killing them makes you just as bad as the one who killed Silencer. Zex is dead now. Why are you still doing this?

I ignored the voice. It couldn't be him. The real Silencer wouldn't be trying to stop me. The real Silencer would want me to avenge him. I kept walking, ignoring the voice's continued protests. Please don't do this! 

There were two Matoran waiting for me at the end of the Causeway, armed with Cordak blasters. One of them opened fire, while the other started shouting for help. I took to the air, avoiding the Cordak blasts, and opened the shooter's throat with Serpent-Fang as I landed. He dropped with a gurgling cry, and I whirled to face the shouter, striding forwards and impaling him mid-cry. 

The voice in my head had fallen silent, forgotten in the heat of battle. But that momentary distraction - me pondering on the disappearance of that mental voice - gave the Matoran reinforcements their opportunity to strike. A Cordak round slammed into the ground at my feet, throwing me backwards. I struck one of the Causeway pillars, bounced off, and fell, smoking, down towards the water below. 

Darkness. Ouch....

IC: Melody-Library

"Oh, Good.  Is it d-done?"

IC: Booger-Library

Booger shoved again, harder this time, intending to knock (Vaalku) to the floor.

IC: Rider

"Please, stop fighting. We can organize something for the Matoran, we never intended to hurt them." Rider begged.

IC: Vorzorak-Library

Vorzorak was being very serious about his training, both mentally and physically, so he was sitting in the library writing about his experiences since he achieved this new powerful suit of armor, and drawing images of every creature he knows, every rahi, every kanohi, everything in his little book, all 42 of his fellow rahkshi's powers, he was sitting there for hours, reading, writing, drawing, about everything he could fathom, he was drawing a picture of a black Fikou resting on the bookshelf in front of him. he was studying everything he could find in the library, wondering, What to do next? he decided to go towards the gym

IC Vaalku

The idiot shoved him onto his good side. Very well.

Vaalku pressed his hand down, hitting the floor with it first before anything else. With a grunt, he flung himself back up with his arm, intending to slam right into him, his left side sparking.

IC: "You assume that learning is itself not your true purpose," Tridax countered to Still's theory, "After all, knowledge is power, so the acquisition of knowledge is the acquisition of power."

 

IC: That sounded... oddly like a gilded cage. Perpetually learning, never doing. Power unused was like an engine left to rust. Still checked itself. Of course, that was what it had been doing the whole time, was it not? Learning, reading, consuming. But not applying it.

"Rrmph," The Rahkshi growled, a claw tapping the side of its head. A pensive pose for pensive thoughts, after all. "You've given me much to consider, Headmaster," the recorder chirped.

IC: "Oh the ones who actually did the killing will get theirs, believe me. You just get front row seats to the vengeance show. Hey, maybe we can actually get Vengeance involved, I hear he's gunning for Makuta these days."

His grandstanding cost him as Raptor's thrust hit his belly, sinking in a little before the densely packed metal and meat simply stopped it sinking any further. The Dark Hunter tutted and grabbed the blade with his free hand, pulling it out with a flourish that sent Raptor flying.

"The Matoran have decided matters on their own," he said to Rider, "Because they're not as pathetic as you seem to think. They have brains and they have resources."

IC: "You have more chance of getting a spine slug to tap dance than you convincing Tridax to take part in this," Suvak said, flatly. "And I'd advise using the courtyard. Otherwise you're going to have your volunteers being force to get out the way of sparring partners all the time."

* * * * * * * * *

"Then I trust you can be relied on to continue your studies and progress to being the best you can be?" Tridax asked Still

IC: Tube - Causeway

"We should put you back in your suit," Tube determined. "I liked it better."

IC: Rider

"Surely you would prefer to find the killer now (who is probably one of our friends) and make us watch him suffer? Then you kill us afterwards, of course."