Corpus Rahkshi

IC: Nymph (Library)
 

As Carth pressed the button, the sound of a shotgun echoed throughout the chamber beneath the earth. Ikira.

The Vo-Matoran fell to the ground, most of his right arm gone. 

The countdown reset itself:

00:10

00:09

00:08

...

As Arkie rushed over to Carth's side, a Nui-Rama appeared in the middle of the room, although everyone ignored it because #plotconvenience...

IC: Shock

"Sounds fun. Who are we going to stab?"

IC: Vitesse

A sigh emenated from Vitesse. Of course she had to meet a philosopher... "Look. There are only a few types of beings that are selfless, and they always throw them self in a situation where they

won't leave alive. Most beings would prefer to live, and as such, are generally selfish."

IC: Mortsia

Where the karz had this storm come from? True, a storm had been brewing, but.. Lightning flashed, blinding him. He needed to get inside, fast. At last, he reached the entrance. Hopefully the matoran would be safe...

IC: Draco

"Vitesse? Oh yes, I know her. Your will shall be done." Draco said, smiling cruelly.

IC: Nightmare

"We are going to have a short meeting. Then go find someone to Stab"

IC: Fíor - Library

I sit in silence for over a minute, my mind empty and therefore, somehow, free. My eyes open slowly, and I reach across, pulling a slim volume at random from the crowded shelf. The book is titled "City In The Dark - A Novel By Makuta Lorax". I've never read a novel before, although I know what they are. The concept always seemed pointless to me, but now it seems oddly inviting. I open to a random page, and begin to read...

As the Hammer began attacking the city, the questers turned, almost in unison, to see Spiriah hovering near the center of the square, Rahi-Nui metres away. The grey skakdi Karaihe was the first to attack as he sent a blast of Corruption Vision at the rebel Makuta, spouting Zakazian curses at the top of his voice. The blasts were easily deflected by the shadow-master. He smiled a humourless smile, which only increased as the nearby toa of Plasma's blast of unthinkably hot matter was absorbed by the Makuta's own power and redirected at another of the questers. 

"Get to the Turaga!" Kware yelled as he ran after the gigantic Rahi, now smashing its way through Katipo's lower level. Lariska landed beside the group, explosives still strapped to her armour. "The Hammer are attacking HQ." the Darkhunter informed the toa in deadpan tones. "And we're leaving."

I realize that I should start the tale at the beginning, so I proceed to turn to the first page.

IC: Rain - Dorms

Rain was perfectly content to remain where she was, leaning out into the storm from Fins' window. Though the winds crashed against her and rain streaked across her armor, she couldn't be happier.

IC: Char - Tridax's Office

Char smirked and sat against the wall outside Tridax's Office. Now she had at least shown herself willing to obey Tridax. Perhaps this allegiance would carry her further than assisting Vitesse ever could have.

IC: Shock

"Alright then! Off we go!" Reverting to flight mode, Shock sped off to one of the entrances.

IC: Nightmare

Nightmare flew to the Gym in order to collect his weapons

IC: Shark / Dorm

At last Shark reached his dorm, reentering through the window. "It is done," he told Rain contentedly.

IC: Liar - Hallways

Upon returning to the school, Liar began to aimlessly wander the halls in search of some excitement.

IC: Venom - Gym

Slightly annoyed that she had to waste her time at such a useless (if not somewhat entertaining) ceremony, Venom made her way into the gym, hoping to find an unfortunate victim to wreck opponent to spar with.

OOC: Both are open to interaction.

IC: Nightmare-Gym

Nightmare picked up his Knives and then went towards his staff.

OOC: Open for Interaction

IC: Malady (Hallways)
 
I quickly move to the side of the corridor, the blades whizzing past with no harm done. After they are past, I speed forward in order to send him a punch to the gut, being sure to spin myself around so as to put my opponent between the blades and me. If my punch connects, my other hand is ready to reach over his shoulder and tear his weapon from his grip.

IC: Acinaces (Hallways)

I stop my walk at the sound of someone crying on the floor. Turning, I spot them; a green Rahkshi with an Ussal under his legs. "Hey," I say, crouching down. "Are you okay?"

IC: Holistic

(Near Library | With Vitesse)

"Of course, behaviour of sentient beings in such a situation is understandable - survival is our highest priority, after all. But such extreme form of sacrifice doesn't interest me, although it would be fascinating to finally see this mythical person who is willing to give up their own life in order to save someone else. I want to hear if you are familiar with people who are fully extroverted and care more about the comfort of others than their own. Master told me such people don't exist, but I think it's entirely possible. I assume you have more social experience than I do, so tell me the truth."

IC: Rider

He sniffed. "No. No I'm not." The Ussal clicked sadly.

IC: Vitesse

"Honestly, I never have seen one. But it would seem most Toa would give their lives to save a single matoran if that was the only way to save them, or give up their powers for a new batch. I have... No true social expierience out of this school... Only fear of what's to come. And even then, a part of my past is here..." Vitesse said, sighing.

IC: Mortsia

Well... What now? Answer: read. As such, Mortsia swung to the library on the ceiling.

IC: Nightmare

Nightmare got his Staff, and began flying at full speed to the cave

IC Kat:

"We go to Malebranche. For now, Rahkshi aren't an uncommon sight there. We find someplace to lay low, and we keep ourselves out of trouble, build ourselves up, and eventually.... We head for the Southern Islands."

IC: Snake - Empty classroom

"The lands to the south are savage, but at least they're mostly free of matoran...Chirox an' Bitil, aren't they?"

IC: Holistic

(Near Library | With Vitesse)

"Toa? They're not real people, just simple creatures that are little more than dumb animals. Anyways, it seems like my assumptions were false. How long have you been in here? And why do you fear the future? I should also mention that I arrived here recently, although you might have realized this already when I inquired about the refectory's location."

IC: Vitesse: Library

"Hold up. That... That makes no sense. Toa used to be matoran. They only gain abilities, not lose intelligence. Who... Who was your 'master'? Also, that was then, not now. Now... Well, I have more to look forward to, but even so..." Why was this Rahkshi thinking this way? The answer was obvious: the Makuta could easily influence Rahkshi when they are young.

IC: Acinaces (Hallways)

"What happened?" I inquire, my voice steeped in genuine sympathy.

IC: Nymph (Library)

"Watcha' reading?" I say, poking my nose over Fíor's arm in order to try and get a better look at her book.

IC: Rider

"All my friends are gone." Rider sobbed. "One of them abandoned me, the other is dead. WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!"

IC: Nightmare

Nightmare sped through the doors and continued towards his cave.

IC: Palma looked round at Malattia.

"Yes. Are you injured?"

IC Grim:

Slightly disappointed, Grim lowered their staff.

"Release him, then," they spoke, disappointment clear in their  voice.

IC: Rain - Dorms

Rain reluctantly pulled herself back into the room and shook the water free of her face. "Good," she sighed. "Got any other plans for the day?"

IC: Hoto - Empty Dorm Wing

At the word "Malebranche," Hoto suddenly remember something. She squirmed in Jayar's grip to reach into her armor and pull out a small golden medallion inscribed with a fist. "Kat, I have this. Grossh... one of the smiths on Malebranche, gave us this. We might be able to get in his house with it."

IC: Acinaces (Hallways)

"I don't know," I say in reply. "But it looks like you might still have one friend," I continue, indicating the Ussal.

IC Kat:

I blinked, then grinned.

"Well, that solves that problem. Good thinking, Hoto!"

IC Doubt

So... What was this about again?

Doubt looked at Tridax with some confusion. Bring him in here, stab his arms, break one of his mandibles, and then let him go because... Why? What's the point of that?

Also, Sliver's presence was increasing his boredom... And slightly his pain. Or maybe that was because his arms were bleeding.

IC Caoutchouc / Empty Room

Malebranche?

Something about the city had seemed shady to him during their time there. There had been a lot of faces, he guessed those faces were not true faces, but masks. A city of masks, and now an illusive smith that had bestowed some kind of token to a blind rahkshi. The anxiousness in the pit of his stomach was slowly growing, but he chose to stay silent.

He remembered Suvak's briefing. A city of renowned for production of goods. Nynrah itself was a famed producer of goods, mainly weapons and their ilk.

What else would a city like Malebranche craft, if not for weapons?

What kind of usage would an unscrupulous arms dealer have for Rahkshi, especially sentient and learning ones such as them.

Weapons.

IC: Rider

Rider smiled a little. "Claws is loyal, I realize that now." Rider scratched Claws' back a little.

IC Caoutchouc / Empty Room

Almost as an afterthought, he licked his lips.

He could go for some seafood about now.

IC: Nightmare

Nightmare arrive at his Cave and quickly ran to the back to make sure his launcher was still there.

Good. it is.

IC: Alpha/Gym

That was strange. I never knew a Rahkshi that disliked darkness. But nonetheless...

"What do I do?"

IC: Shock

Shock flew into the cave. "Whaddup?" He called out to Nightmare.

IC: Draco

Draco flew out of the Headmaster's office. Now... Where would his rival be? Probably not the infirmary, unless she picked another fight... Nor to sleep, as she would be afraid of him murdering her in her sleep... So that left the gym, refectory, and library. Let's see... Gym is closest... Draco reverted to flight mode, and flew off to the gym.

IC: Malattia

"Not really... It's more of a request..." Malattia dug through their bag, taking out the case of pills. "Do... Do you have this type of medication? It's a synthetic adrenaline, and is for a.... Condition, I guess you could call it, that I have."

IC: Vlad / Gym

"Talk to... zer... rainbow Rahk... about zer Matoran," Vlad sputtered. "I'm just... goink... to go." He was shaking as he made his way out of the Gym, fingers clenching and unclenching in the rhythm of the throbbing pain of darkness, as it struck again... again... again!

Ivan fluttered along beside him, concerned, as he half stumbled and half ran through the hallways, confronted by menacing shadows at every turn, and with no bright light in view. Even the windows offered no respite, for the sun was obscured by the dark clouds and pouring rain.

OOC: Vlad open to interaction in the halls.

* * *

IC: Shark / Dorm

Shark took a moment to think it over. "I'm considering forging some of these Kanoka into my blade," he decided. "I thought I would find something about forging in the Library. But," he calculated a smile for Rain, "if you had anything else in mind you needed me for, I would be glad to help." She had after all proved incredibly useful to him; if he wanted to maintain this usefulness in the future it might be wise to offer reciprocation.

IC Flabbergaster

 

At the very thought, the floor began to segment, lifting up stone pillars here and there. One of them carried cheese curd up as well, him clumsily keeping his balance.

 

"Now, let's try this again, shall we?"

IC: Glaciem Ignis - Gym.

You know what they say, sis?

What?

The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Our blades swung through the air, crashing into the stone pillar with enough force to smash halfway through it. The pillar wavered for a moment, then began to fall, along with the unfortunate blob balanced on top of it... 

IC Kat:

 

"We go to Malebranche. For now, Rahkshi aren't an uncommon sight there. We find someplace to lay low, and we keep ourselves out of trouble, build ourselves up, and eventually.... We head for the Southern Islands."

IC: Xara - Empty Dorm Wing.

"I saw a map a while back," I piped up, "We should just be able to follow the river straight to the city." 

IC: Hoto - Empty Dorm Wing

 

At the word "Malebranche," Hoto suddenly remember something. She squirmed in Jayar's grip to reach into her armor and pull out a small golden medallion inscribed with a fist. "Kat, I have this. Grossh... one of the smiths on Malebranche, gave us this. We might be able to get in his house with it."

IC: Era - Empty Dorm Wing.

"You still have that," I said brightly, "Come to think of it, I didn't even ask you what your trip was like...." 

IC Grim:

 

Slightly disappointed, Grim lowered their staff.

 

"Release him, then," they spoke, disappointment clear in their  voice.

IC: Sliver - Tridax's Office.

I sighed, tugging my claws free and letting the captive drop to the floor. 

IC: Nightmare

"A certain Rahkshi named Vitesse knows about your fear of Flowers, thus, you must conquer it in order for no one to use it against us." He said

IC: Blitz

I heard sobbing from behind me. With steely resolve, I changed direction and stepped into Raptor's dorm. I shoved everything into the satchel, and a bunch of pieces of scrap metal into my own bag. Then, when everything felt ready, I slung them over my shoulders and left the room, heading for the main exit.

I got to the causeway and transformed, heading to the Cauldron.

* * *

Once there, I found myself a small cave, unpacking and setting everything down on the stone 'floor'. I took the scrap metal and pulled some carving equipment, and started chiseling away.

A few hours later, it looked barely different. I was only starting to get the hang of it. I took a break for a few minutes, looking over the scientific notes for the hundredth time. I still understood less than a third of it. I didn't even notice as hours went by.

* * *

I'd spent a lot of time at the Cauldron now. The pieces of scrap metal were looking much more like armor now, and I could understand about half of Raptor's insane scribbles. I'd also been able to make a primitive bow, but I hadn't had much success at using it yet. My arm still hurt from the backlash I'd gotten when I had tried for the first time. I'd gotten used to pain now - I had scars all around from where I'd accidentally cut myself.

* * *

I could now hit a target half the time using my bow. The armor was almost ready for fitting, and I had delved to the deepest parts of Raptor's sciences. I was confident enough to experiment on my own.

* * *

Today was the day. I gently picked up each piece and fit it onto my own suit before hammering it into place. It hurt, of course. It hurt like . I only hoped it would be worth it in the end. It seemed unnatural, and with each piece my movement became ever stiffer and stiffer. After my entire body was covered in silver plate, I got to the last, hardest part - the head. I reached up to my own faceplate, braced myself, and pulled. Hard. With a sickly crunch, it separated from my Kraata case, sending spatters of blood all over the rock surrounding me. I stumbled, shrieking, my Kraata exposed to direct sunlight for the first time. I instantly slammed the replacement on instead, its carefully carved clips clicking into place with more pain than I could ever imagine. I looked down - down at the crisscrossing streams below me - and, in the reflection, saw not myself, but Raptor. Grinning. Then I stepped forward, falling directly down, onto the sharp rocks below. I would survive, though. My armor (so much intricate work) would be battered severely, but that was the intention. I had carefully measured to make sure that I could survive the fall and wouldn't get swept away by the waves.

Everything went black.

OOC: I feel so happy now. BTW, this post is intended to span a very large amount of time, so I will bring Blitz Raptor back to Corp Rahk when a plausible amount of time has passed.

IC: Burst- Tridax's office

Now... Tridax was releasing the prisoners? Did that include him? Even if he was free, Burst doubted he could get far until the

poison wore off. What would he do when it did? Palma could reverse the worst of his suit's damage, but the armor's constant mending was beginning to effect it's usefulness. It was starting to break more easily than it did before, making Palma angrier and angrier each time he went back to the infirmary. When this was all over, he should try to acquire a new suit. And was there really a rebellion going on? It seemed someone had already been executed for it, but who knew how many were still out there? Truth be told, if there really was a rebellion, Burst didn't know which side he should support...

IC Doubt

Doubt caught himself on the way down and landed casually, raising his hand up in a slapping motion to Sliver and hissing slightly before heading out. He didn't bother to look at Grim; they'd probably talk later.

Right now he had to head to the medical place, the... Ah, what did the other Rahk call it... Infirmary. Rest, and try to get that terrible feeling of having Tridax in your head out.

IC Flabbergaster

Ah, the duo had decided to shatter the pillar. That said something about them.

Flabbergaster still stood, arms crossed, until the pillar teetered. Then, he stepped off of it, half way down, and landed on his feet in a crouched position to absorb shock. "Excellent." He slowly stood.

"But, let's try something different, more casual." He suddenly lunged, swinging his leg in a circle as he lashed out his fear powers on them.

IC Vaalku/Dallior

Hm...? Vaalku had fallen asleep.

He opened his eyes momentarily to check around him before closing them again, barely noticing and entirely ignoring the fact that he could feel his legs.