BZPRPG: Ga-Wahi

IC: Skyra - Ferry, Ga-Wahi -"I got it about a week ago now I think. I have a friend who has a mark too, and what happened was I found out there was this temple that if all the mark bearers gathered to they could supposedly remove the marks for good, but they needed all the marks to open the temple. The original mark bearer of fear died...so I...agreed to replace him." I sighed. "I figured it was worth the risk if it would get rid of these marks for good. Now I'm not so sure...a lot of the mark bearers don't want to have their marks removed...it proved to be rather futile trying to reason with them."

IC, Perkahn:(Ga-Koro)Perkahn's gaze fixated on Nikarra. No longer in any analytical way. Just plainly curious. This was, of course, some sort of trap. He was pretty sure of it. But then again, they were the hunters, not the prey. They didn't choose the battleground, the prey chose it, because the prey fled and the hunters followed. The prey was Dorian. What hunting ground he'd flee to they'd have to adapt to. So by that logic, every moment of the hunt was potentially a trap. He scratched his chin, thinking, while observing what the others would say or do.Another problem in this was the very nature of his task. He did not want to leave an untamed Mark Bearer alive just like that. It was too risky. Her power was too great, and although they dismantled her rather easily here, it was mostly due to their strength in numbers and the fact that they surprised her. She had a Mark. And Perkahn would much rather see such power tamed, bowed and broken. Power was no toy. He understood Tank now, and his kith - these malevolent Mark Bearers posed just as much a threat to the island with their selfishness and unwillingness to let go of this power as Makuta did.

OOC: I didn't see it mentioned that the ferry had left. I'll edit if I'm wrong.IC: TarnokTarnok caught the ferry woman as she started back to the helm of her ship. "Excuse me miss, you wouldn't happen to have room for one more, would you?"She glanced at Helios in disapproval. "I don't carry Ussals.""How much extra?""Fifty widgets." She said smugly. "That should cover it if he soils my deck."Tarnok resisted the urge to pull his badge, and handed over the money. He moved to the rear of the ship and climbed aboard. He walked past Skyra and Merror to take a seat a little ways down. Not so close as to be suspicious, and close enough to hear. He settled Helios down with some good, and watched the Toa out of the corner of his eye.

IC (Lohkar)"An interestin' offer," said Lohkar, leaning against the wall. "A widget for your thoughts, Perkahn?"IC (Merror)Merror nodded grimly."So now it looks like you're stuck with it," he said.The Toa of Fire didn't say more, because a Matoran had just boarded the ferry. Merror had learned to be vigilant, and he had noticed that this Matoran had been following them all the way from the healer's hut. Perhaps it was just coincidence; perhaps he had good reasons; or perhaps they were more sinister. Merror didn't want a confrontation, but neither did he want to be caught off-guard, so he tried another approach.He turned to the newcomer."Going to Le-Koro too?" he asked amicably. "What business sends you to the tree village?"

OOC: Actually, Tarnok is a Matoran.IC: Tarnok"Going to visit some old friends." Tarnok lied easily, his face showing no indication of deception. "And I needed a vacation. I thought Ga-Koro might be nice, but it proved far too wet and chaotic for my tastes."

IC, Perkahn:(Ga-Koro)Perkahn straightened himself and rested against the wall, using his elbow for support. His eyes glanced at Lohkar, and then at Nikarra."Why are you so eager to just go ahead and lead us to him?"

IC-Grochi:"Why, isn't it obvious, Perkahn?" Grochi asked suddenly. "She's planning a deception-that, or she thinks that he'll be strong enough to take us all on. Simple."

IC: Nikarra"Because you know that whether I'm lying or not, I'm your only lead. Otherwise, you would've just left me out there and not gone to all this bother."

IC: When the commotion started and a gunshot echoed throughout the tournament, Sulov ducked under the stands and unsheathed his saperka. He peered out from a crack between seats in a crouch. Others charged forwards and were shot at, while a few of the newer warriors or ones simply frightened by the incredible speed and power of the thing fled. But a sight of ebony claws grasping a barreled piece of metal only convinced him to move to a better vantage point. The exile sheathed the blade and put his prosthetic before his chest. He had learned in combat with a vortixx previously that saperka was tough enough to withstand the shells spat out by the 'pistols' oft carried by their kind. Assuming their projectiles could penetrate the stands, his thorax would be protected against the shot.Now Sulov scampered towards the hall itself. The Crucible might have been set into a state of pure commotion, but he could navigate it all the same. Many combatants were still on the field, and several had left; the total number of obstacles had decreased. The skill he had in making his way through Le-Wahi jungle came into play as he ducked and weaved through a scene of chaos thus lessened by a lack of people. He soon came to the wooden wall and ascended it, prosthetic a makeshift piton.From his new perch on the roof Sulov could see the Crucible and its immediate vicinity. A few matoran and toa were charging out the hall's door. The stands below had not changed much in state, still in chaos. And there on the field, before Cylund, was a vortixx in flowing scarf holding the pistol that had been fired as he glared into the stands.So this was the attacker. A deluded man with gun fighting against what he perceived to be actual war. Sulov felt pity for the vortixx--he genuinely seemed both real and good at heart--but resolved that he had to take him down all the same. A sufferer of mental illness with a weapon could be just as dangerous as any true criminal. And as the former commander had learned from experience, all of this kind carried two weapons.Shimmering scarf-not illusion. Vortixx, He concluded. Two tech items-pistol one. Scarf?

IC, Perkahn:(Ga-Koro)Perkahn crossed his arms. She was right, of course, but there was something extremely wrong with the whole picture. "... And you're just gonna help us? Just like that? After all that disdain for death, not a single thought of just dying at our hands to protect your prettyboy boyfriend in your head?"If there was a table in front of Nikarra he'd definitely have marched straight up and positioned right in front of her, a glare in his eyes and a demand on his lips. Fortunately, there wasn't, so he kept to the demand."What do you want out of this, girl?"

IC: Nikarra"I don't have to tell you." The positions had been reversed -- suddenly, Nikarra was the one with the power.

IC (Lohkar)"That's right," said Lohkar. "You don't 'ave ta tell us anything. Similarly, we don't 'ave ta save you from a potentially rather unpleasant and lengthy stay with the Ga-Koro Marines. So what'll it be?"IC (Merror)Merror nodded."Things have been rather chaotic in Ga-Koro recently," he said. "I wish I'd got here sooner; perhaps I could have stopped things getting out of hand."

IC, Perkahn:(Ga-Koro)Perkahn laughed.Yes, Perkahn laughed. Guffawed, laughed his arse off at the situation. Here she was, this little sad excuse of a Toa, sitting tied to a chair in a dark room in a world bent to anyone's will but hers - and she thought they would bow before her just like that."Wrong. See, I don't give a Karz about whether you're our only lead. You're a Mark Bearer and don't seem to be willing to give that Mark up any time soon, so for all we care we can just chuck you in the water and go look for a better lead. We've got the cards here, dearie, so now own up yours. We're not stupid. You're as much a lead as the next person. If you mattered to this Dorian fellow, you'd be with him, not here in this dark room."

IC: Nikarra"See, that's where you've made your mistake. I do matter to Dorian. And if he's still alive and he finds out about this, there'll be Karz to pay. The reason I refused to sell him out earlier isn't some misplaced respect, it's fear. If you had any sense, you'd feel that fear too."

IC, Perkahn:(Ga-Koro)Perkahn crossed his arms, a victorious grin on his face."Well then, how about we test that theory? Let Dorian come to us? Lohkar, what do you say, enough space on the Infernavika for this girly?"

IC (Lohkar)By this point, Lohkar had removed his Arthron."Love," he said, grinning. "If we were scared o' your blue-eyed boy, d'ya really think we'd be here?"He turned to Perkahn."Oh, there's some lovely accomodation down in the brig," he said. "Shouldn't be a problem."

IC, Perkahn:(Ga-Koro)Perkahn had won this fight, yes. Inevitably. It wasn't difficult - nothing hard about beating a person completely tied up and surrounded. The real question now was if Dorian was going to come for this girl, what he doubted... at least without publicity, they were nothing."Lohkar, you people, deal with this living problem of a girl, get her to the Infernavika. Since we've a small army here, I'm sure you can think of some way. I'm going to go arrange for... Dorian to hear about this. Oh, not just Dorian, pretty much the whole island's gonna hear, and then we'll see if our plan will work out. What's your name, by the way, girl?"

IC: TarnokTarnok shook his head. "No offense, but I think more Toa around would have made things worse. Whichever side they're on, they always lead to an escalation of conflict."

IC (Merror)"I disagree," Merror replied. "It depends on which Toa. True, most Toa are completely incapable of dealing with a situation in any other way than blasting it to pieces. But I always try to settle things peacefully, if I can. If not, if I have to fight, I do my utmost to ensure the safety of everyone nearby. I've never believed in 'collateral damage'."IC (Lohkar)Lohkar nodded. Getting a captive Toa on a chair out of Ga-Koro wouldn't be easy, but the Lesterin always had a few tricks up his sleeve.Looking around, Lohkar spotted a large crate at the back of the room. He opened it. Empty. Perfect."Right, Gunner," he said. "Would you care ta give me a hand with our cargo?"

IC: Nikarra"My name is Nikarra." Admittedly, not her original plan, but it would work anyway. There were a lot of people who wanted her dead, and a lot of people who wanted her alive. The latter would be helpful, as would the former, because they wanted her dead at their hands, not another's.

IC: Kitsune & Co, Ta-Koro"This Kearstunn," Briani said, speaking loud enough to be heard. "Will he be able to help?" Kitsune was silent for a moment, her eyes wide and frightened as she thought of what she could do, become more and more panicked as she realized there was nothing she, or possibly anyone, could do. Even Raion didn't speak, though his eyes had the look they had when retorting with an insult.

IC, Perkahn:(Ga-Koro)Perkahn scratched his chin and smiled. "Narcara. Got it."The Toa of Iron rubbed his hands together. This was the perfect plan. Sure, it was likely he'd also get trouble on his back... but surely, what moron could believe a person he cared about dated a known murderer, psychopath who wrecked the Ga-Koro docks and Tillian's wedding, and power-crazy maniac? He was going to win this, oh yes he was.He nodded to the others. "Going to reach you people in the Infernavika by Gukko bird, a day later at the absolute most."And that was when the Toa exited the cafe, speeding off with his Kakama. It wasn't particularly long until he arrived at Casa Juturna; maybe fifteen minutes. Point being, he was there, approaching that rather well decorated porch and house he got to examine during the wedding.He knocked on the door."Tillian! You there?"

IC: TarnokTarnok didn't respond immediately, just looked at Merror with a piercing gaze.He searched the Toa's face for any signs of deception, of untruth, of insincerity. He seemed to be staring into Merror's very soul. The Toa looked sincere, seemed sincere. Certainly he'd done nothing to suggest that he wasn't sincere. The tiny spark of idealism in him, the spark that had managed to survive everything he'd seen, wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe there were still heroes in this world.But the rest of him knew there were no heroes left, except the ones people made for themselves. Most people idolized important figures, proclaiming them to be legends, to be heroes. Many of them thought of themselves that way.The hard truth was that real heroes died alone, all but forgotten. Tarnok had seen one real hero in his life, and it was someone he had known for years. Someone who had decided to stand up, and be the hero that was needed.He could see many of the qualities of a hero in the Toa before him. The capacity for compassion, for mercy and for courage. But at the same time the capacity to stand unyielding against evil.After a long minute, he spoke. "What's your name, stranger?"IC: Jikal"If we could find him, then maybe he could. But we'd be hardpressed to find him."

IC (Merror)Merror could see the emotional struggle in the Matoran in front of him. The mistrust - but also the hope. He reached out and clasped Tarnok's hand."My name is Merror," he said. "These are my friends, Pirok, Skyra, Skeldan and Weta. I know how many Toa fail to live up to their duty, but we're going to change things, I promise you."There was kindness and sincerity in his voice, coupled with a kind of calm, determined ferocity. Merror was a Toa who was passionate about what he believed in.OOC: I'm going to bunny Gunner slightly here. Hope you don't mind, ETTV.IC (Lohkar)Lohkar was now behind Nikarra. He drew his cutlass, raised it above his head and -CLANG.He brought the flat of the blade down on the Toa's head with enough force to knock out a Skakdi."Sorry about that, love," he said, sheathing his cutlass. With Gunner's help, he lifted the chair, with the unconscious Toa bound to it, into the crate, which he lashed shut securely with the spare rope. Lohkar was an expert with knots. Not even the legendary Vortixx escape artist Hari Hudieny could have escaped that crate...

IC: Tarnok"I haven't been honest with you, Merror." Tarnok said, looking the Toa in the eye. "I'm not going to visit some old friends in Le-Koro. I've been following you, for quite some time now, as I suspect you've noticed. I was suspicious.""I am Tarnok, Ussalmatoran of Seventh Squadron, formerly under the command of Sulov Koskium."

IC: MerlaMerla walked around, pacing in circles, waiting for something to do.OOC: Open for interactionIC: ValjaValja returned to Ga-Wahi. She entered Ga-Koro and started pacing around.

IC (Merror)Merror smiled good-naturedly."To be honest, I did notice you," he said. "But note this - rather than confronting you at swordpoint, I chose to try conversation instead. And you see? A peaceful solution. We're not all as bad as you think, Tarnok."

IC: Gunner - Floating CafeWithout another word, I activated my elemental power to create a cushion of air underneath the crate, which would allow me to move it about with ease."Alright then," I said, "Let's get a move on. The less time I have to spend within spitting distance of the Marines, the better."-Void

IC: Skyra - Ferry, Ga-Wahi -I smiled at the matoran, well it was more of my usual cocky grin, but whatever. "Someone from the Ussalry? Nice to meet ya!" I said with a salute. I looked to Merror. "Say Merror, you never mentioned exactly what you've been doing since last I saw ya. I think it's your turn to tell us a story."

IC: Tarnok"Not all." The Matoran agreed. "Some are good, others truly evil. And yet more are guilty by inaction."He turned Merror's grip into a handshake. "But either way, I've long stopped counting on Toa to come to the my, or the Matoran's, aid when we need them. We've had to learn to fight our own battles, including rogue Toa."He looked at Skyra. "Also, Commander Daring. I noticed your association with the pirates. I'd keep that under wraps, if I were you."

IC-Skeldan:"Why, what's the Ussalmatoran doing here?" Skeldan asked with a smile, looking up from his lute. He fistbumped Tarnok quickly with a smile and a knowing wink."Skeldan, from the third Toa squad. How is the Ussalry doing these days?"

IC: Skyra - Ferry, Ga-Wahi -"Ah yes, that..." I sighed. "That's all rather complicated, mostly because my little sister decided it would be cool to join them. As much as I loathe the idea of her being a pirate, it's her decision to make. At least they seem to be trying to turn a new leaf, will see if they actually do or not." Just thinking of the pirates of the Infernavika put me off a little bit, but I didn't show it. "As for interaction with them, my plan was as little as possible. Whether or not that happens depends entirely on my sister."

IC: TarnokTarnok raised a skeptical eyebrow at Skyra, as if to say Really? Just, really?, and looked at Skeldan. "Quite badly, actually. Kol Uskey is MIA, presumed KIA. Sulov Koskium has been dishonorably discharged and exiled, and Seventh Squadron is down to only three of it's members remaining."

IC (Merror)Merror chuckled, and sat down again."I'm surprised you let her join up with pirates," he said. "But you're right, it's time I explained why I've been gone so long."He sat back in his seat and sighed."After Hafu disappeared, in Po-Wahi, we managed to catch up with Vidar and Echelon," he said. "While Vidar made his escape, I was fighting Echelon. I eventually forced him into retreat, and he led me on quite a merry chase. We battled across the island, until finally we ended up in the Ko-Wahi drifts. By that point, my elemental energy was practically depleted. He managed to corner me in an ice cave."Just as he was about to finish me, I had one final idea. I began to absorb all the heat nearby. But this being Ko-Wahi, there wasn't a lot of heat. Except in Echelon's body."IC (Lohkar)Lohkar nodded."Couldn't agree more, mate," he said. "Let's get goin'."Lohkar put his Arthron back on, and led Gunner outside. From there, they began to make their way to the docks, and lowered the crate into a small skiff. The customs officers were far too busy dealing with the aftermath of the fight, so Lohkar and Gunner were able to get out of the Koro unnoticed. Lohkar rowed the small boat out across Naho Bay, until they reached the northern shore."Right," he said. "Let's get our cargo ta the ship, eh?"

IC: Skyra - Ferry, Ga-Wahi -I was more than happy to get off the topic about pirates and focus on Merror's story. "Ah, so you froze him basically? I didn't know Toa of Fire could do that."

IC: Tillian (Casa Juturna, Ga-Wahi)The Tillian who opened the door was considerably darker and more gaunt than the one that had just gotten married days before; his eyes were shadowed and deep purple bags hung underneath them, only a grim glimmer of recognition shining in them as he observed Perkahn."What is it?"-Teezy

IC, Perkahn:(Casa Juturna)Perkahn's head tilted backwards in surprise. He didn't expect to see his old friend in such an ill condition. Most likely, if he would've, he would've not come here in the first place."Two things. First, how are you feeling? Second... can I come in?"

IC (Merror)"Have you never tried to absorb your element?" Merror replied. "Just as you can absorb the air around you, I can absorb heat and flame."He continued his tale."As I was saying, I absorbed the heat in the cave. It froze him solid, and to the best of my knowledge, he is still trapped there now."

IC: Pirok"If you don't mind me asking, what would you do if he ever got out?" Pirok asked.

IC: LiaraA loud snoring echoed down through the home, loud enough so as to be audible to both Perkahn and Tillian.The source of the noise was one Toa of Air, who's face was buried in a pillow. Shortly after talking with Tillian, Liara had moved down the hall to her own room, and donned a set of pajamas, before collapsing into her bed. She fell asleep almost immediately, and remained in this almost catatonic state.