BZPRPG: Ga-Wahi

IC: (Mons Shajs/Ga-Koro)

Shajs really hoped that this was his silky bed. Being Captain, he was beyond the bloody hammocks of his sailors. Only the finest bed, with finest feathers and finest silk, would serve for him. He found that it was not covered in silk. No, it was linen, linen. But his leg was bleeding, and this doctor was going to treat him. Weirdness aside, he couldn't have a bleeding leg. The tropical air of Le-Wahi would make it foul in a matter of days.

So he went to the bed, and, almost stumbling, got onto it. He laid down, and spawled over the covers. He was Captain, screw proper sleeping position. She saw, in this light, that the Skakdi was covered with a mix of raw, festering boils, and soft, purple lumps. All in stark contrast with his grey armor. His body also showed signs of balms, oil and powder, scattered in patches and oily areas of skin. His eyes stared blankly to the ceiling, a small chattering of teeth revealed his chills.

It was obvious that a while of huddling in his home a self-medicating with teas didn't do the Corporal any good.

IC: Rannin

"I am a janitor."

OOC: Do not fret my fellow Sarsi, this is a timeskip to the following evening. No one is aware of where Vail is, or what he's doing, and I do not intend for anyone to find out. *coughIrairacough*

IC: (Outskirts of Ga-Koro)

Vail stole silently across the damp forest floor. His eyes blazed with a luminescent glow, and the slow pulse of his heartlight glared against the pale moonlight that shone through the foliage above. It was a full moon that cast long rays across his path. Their mixture with the leaves above created a portrait of fluttering shadow patterns beneath his feet, and the crisp air left its tingling remnants in his lungs as each breath passed through his body. Ferns swayed along with the gentle breeze, lulled by the seemingly eternal calamity.

This precious serenity went unnoticed by the Ta-Toa, however. He paid no heed to the night's beauty, instead caught within a tight grip of frustrated concentration. He forged ahead solemnly, and studied the ground as it passed before him. His fingers restlessly caressed the jeweled pommel of his blade. His entire being was consumed, driven solely by one icy craving that slowly slimed its way down his spine. It burrowed into his warm interior like a parasite, forcing the light within him to a dark corner in the back of his mind. The light begged and pleaded with the enclosing darkness. Its frail fists pounded repeatedly against the tightening pitch, but to no avail.

For the darkness was hungry.

Vail's cloak swirled behind him as his pace quickened. Not one leaf crinkled. Not one stick cracked beneath him in his hurry. His feet tread onward with an aquired grace that could not be outdone. His movements were flawless, droning along with the rhythmic chirping of insects that seeped from the underbrush.

If only the trail had been more clear, he would have located his target hours ago. He hadn't seen a single lousy footprint for at least a kio. He didn't know how much longer he could last against the awful knawing that continuously gorged itself on his insides.

CRUNCH

The Toa of Fire stopped dead in his tracks. A sick smile gradually elongated itself across his features. Those who disturbed the night were never fortunate.

The being's breathing was shallow, the approaching footsteps heavy with exhaustion.
Vail stealthily slipped behind a broad tree trunk. He licked his lips slowly in anticipation.

Those who embraced the night however, were always well rewarded.

The footsteps grew louder, and louder, then stopped altogether. Vail squinted in an attempt to dim the light that emanated from his own eyes. His body inched slowly around the trunk. He was grateful for the loud panting, as it smothered out nearly every other sound. Vail craned his neck to catch a glimpse of his victim's position.

A Lesterin was leaning with his back against the tree, his rust-colored armour soaking into the warm hue of the bark.

Easy enough.

In one swift movement, Vail clamped a hand over the Lesterin's mouth, which invoked a muffled scream. The victim's body convulsed violently against the intrusive grasp. He was strong, but Vail's mask was stronger. The merciless grip slowly brought the Lesterin to his knees. His blue orbs could only watch in horror as the crimson Toa unsheathed his steel queen.

Vail didn't even pause. There was a flash of silver followed by a soft gurgling sound that escaped the Lesterin's lips in a short gasp. The natural sound for someone to make after having their throat impaled to a tree.

Vail immediately stuck his head beneath the blood flow, taking greedy gulps of the warm liquid. He savored its metallic taste. It had been too long since his last kill, too long since he had drank the wine of the dead.

After a minute or two he withdrew his head and pulled out a golden goblet from within the folds of his cloak. He thrust it under the steady flow that trickled from the immaculate puncture, and relished the pleasant tinking sound that now echoed around him. It filled the empty silence, as well as his cup.

Once the liquid reached the brim, he lifted the grail to his mouth.

"Cheers." he said to nothing in particular.

IC Lai Lai

(Ga-Wahi, Naho Bay):

"A travelling one?" Lai Lai offered hopefully, but already suspecting the answer.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

"If not that, then maybe a janitor who knows how to fight" I said quite suddenly "I've been hoping for a sparring session for some time"

I checked my disk launcher, still in good condition, as usual, Miru still firmly seated on my face. The only thing missing was my hammer, I'd have to go get that.

IC: Rannin

"Actually I work for a hospital here."

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

"Yes, well, forgive me if I assume that you don't carry that big sword around just for show"

IC: Rannin

"Well if you insist."

In one fluid motion, the Toa of Iron had settled into a defensive stance, his hands gripping onto his sword.

IC Lai Lai

(Ga-Wahi, Naho Bay):

"A fight? Cool!"

Lai Lai took a few steps back. "I'll be watching from a distance, thank you."

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

"If you'll just hang on a second," I said, "I'll have to get something"

I closed my eyes, calling upon my mask and element simultaneously, shifting the gravity around me even as I started levitating off of the ground. Despite the haphazard execution, and the many, many ways this could go wrong, I remained calm, as Colx had taught me.

I reached out with my hand, touching the "launchpad" of gravitons I'd moved from all around the area (as a result, you would able to see trickles of sand starting to drift off the ground weightlessly), and was subsequently pulled away at a hilariously breakneck pace in the general direction of Ga-Koro, using my Miru to stay in the air.

"This will only take a secoooond" I called as I was launched away.

About a minute or so went by, before they would be able to see my figure once again barreling through the air by the end of something.

As I landed back on the beach with a strong thud that sent shivers up both my legs, they would see that I was now carrying my large warhammer, not quite as gargantuan as Rannin's sword, but still rather sizable.

"There we go," I said, "now I'm ready"

IC Lai Lai

(Ga-Wahi, Naho Bay):

"I suppose there's no way a gravity Toa would just walk to the village."

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

"It was a choice between making you wait one minute or ten, take your pick" I replied sheepishly.

IC: Rannin

"Want to have the first move?"

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

"Alright" I replied as I loaded my launcher again. Whistlers and Aerodisks weren't going to be of much use here, but the Buzzers might prove effective if I just used them right.

Hammer in one hand, launcher in the other, I threw a sideways swing with the hammer at Rannin, taking good care to make sure I had a good view of him.

IC: Rannin

Steel clashed against steel as Rannin raised his weapon, parrying the hammer strike away from his body. While it would be useful to take advantage of the momentum he had obtained, Rannin had become a more defensive fighter over time. So he simply waited, watching his opponent recover and waiting for another strike to come.

Besides, it would be interesting seeing how Helios fought.

IC Lai Lai

(Ga-Wahi, Naho Bay):

"Haha, yeah!"

Lai Lai was enjoying the mock battle.

IC Jarkale

(Ga-Koro, Ship):

"I wonder what's taking Ignitus and JL so long", Jarkale said to the other voyagers. Their two companions had left to Kini-Nui to speak with the Abettor, but had been gone way longer than supposed to.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

"Alright, so he chose to go for his weapon rather than his elemental power" I assessed, putting the lessons Colx had imparted me with to use.

I grabbed the hammer with both hands (the launcher carefully tucked away where I could quickly reach it), and swung the hammer down at Rannin from above. As the hammerhead descended, I threw in a little extra force behind it with my powers, raising its weight in the event of a block.

IC: Rannin

Rannin didn't block. Instead, he shifted his sword back, and as his mask began to enhance his strength, he swung it straight into his opponent's hammer, the massive force behind his weapon forced straight into Helios'.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

Rannin's strength and my momentum turned out to be a fruitless draw, the weapons bounced off each other, forcing me a few steps backward.

"Alright, obviously close quarters is a bust" I figured, opting for my elemental powers again.

Unfortunately, the beach was relatively lacking in large rocks or similar objects I could've thrown at him. Fortunately, there was sand as far as the eye could see.

So I raised a large patch of sand with an anti-gravity well, and directed it to "blow" right at Rannin.

IC: Rannin

A steel sheet slammed into the ground in front of Rannin as the sand blew past, the grains scouring the sheet instead of Rannin. He was not a fan of sand, and if he could prevent it, there would be no sand hitting him any time soon.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

I smirked, that sheet of steel could be useful.

I was running low on elemental energy at this point, and would have to switch to other tactics for a while as it recharged. So I decided to attempt a surprise attack.

I quickly called my disk launcher to my hand, before I lifted the metal sheet into the air, and then discharged two disks in rapid succession. The Buzzers barreled at Rannin at a breakneck pace.

The steel fell to the ground with a low "thunk" as the loose sand absorbed the shockwaves. I wasn't completely out of elemental energy, but I decided to tone it down and recharge for later.

IC: Rannin

Rannin's sword shrunk, and his grip promptly shifted. As if he was playing a sport, he swung the weapon in rapid succession, striking both discs and sending them flying into the air.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

"Alright, maybe just one more" I grumbled as I hefted my hammer in both hands, and used my element one more time to send one of the disks flying at the back of his head.

IC: Rannin

In his early days, Rannin had not exactly been a master at evading attacks. He had always simply pounded through everything, heedless of whatever came his way. As his experiences grew, he learnt that evasion had its own benefits, especially when getting hit would hurt a lot.

He ducked, letting the disk fly past his head.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

I quickly brandished my hammer and swung it at Rannin from above again, hoping to take advantage of his current position.

The disk settled into the sand beside me as the hammer fell.

IC: Rannin

Rannin moved. One hand shot up to meet the hammer-blow, Pakari-enhanced strength pushing back against the weapon as he rose to his full height, hitting the hammer away from his body. He gave his opponent a smile, pulling back to settle into a neutral stance. The blade of his had returned to its natural size once more, its metallic surface shining in the sunlight as it awaited its master's orders to counterattack.

"Apologies," said the Iron Toa, nodding his head. "But it is my turn now."

He shifted, and the metal slab of a blade thrust forwards.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

"Oh Boy"

Ideally, I would've used my powers to slow him down, dodge and strike from behind, but that was out of the question at the moment.

So instead I waited until the blade was inches from me, spun away with a graceful pirouette and aimed the hammer at his side.

IC: Rannin

Rannin would not let his opponent gain more momentum, and moved his body in turn, rotating his weapon into the path of the hammer, his arms rattling as the two weapons collided. Not to be deterred, a wicked looking spear emerged from his shoulder, shooting forth at Helios.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

The spear nicked my own shoulder, resulting in a small trickle of dark red blood oozing forth, I grunted, and dislodged my hammer from the lock with Rannin's sword before thrusting it at his gut like a battering ram.

IC: Rannin

His arms rattled as the hammer thrust straight into his sword, pushing Rannin back. In hindsight, blocking the blow had not been a good idea, as it had forced him back onto the defensive, his former momentum having dissipated. But he would manage. He always did.

Rannin's next move would have to be something that his opponent would not expect; something that would differ completely from their current style of combat. And he knew exactly what he was going to do that would fit the criteria.

Two tentacles whipped forth from his shoulders, each one holding a a small sword of their own. He pulled back from the battle, allowing for them to reach their full length. It would drain his elemental power reserves, but hopefully he'd be able to finish the battle quickly.

"Ready?" he asked, pointing his sword at Helios as his tentacles did the same.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

I couldn't help myself.

"Ummm" I said ever so eloquently, before I raised both my weapons again.

"Do your worst" I threatened.

IC: Rannin

"Thank you."

Rannin's sword immediately extended straight at Helios, rapidly increasing in length as it rushed to impale the other Toa. His tentacles moved in tandem, writhing like snakes through the air to strike at his opponent's sides.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

From the front and the sides, perfect. Gave me just the right window of opportunity I needed.

First, I threw the hammer at Rannin, and then I jettisoned myself into the air like a cork out of a champagne bottle, before descending again with as much weight and momentum behind me as possible, my armored boots shooting straight at Rannin from above.

IC: Rannin

Rannin dropped his sword, letting it fall onto the sand with a thud. He would not be able to retract the tentacles quickly enough to stop Helios, but he had another plan. His hand grabbed onto the flying warhammer, wincing slightly at the pain that shot through his arm, and swung it upwards to meet his opponent.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

Saying that my momentum was "behind" me was really just a figure of speech, in reality I was concentrating gravity in the immediate area around and above Rannin and myself. Much easier and more efficient than making new gravity.

So the hammer was effectively a lot heavier, and so were my disks.

I fired off a pair, knocking the hammer away as I descended to make impact on Rannin.

IC: Rannin

That was unexpected.

But it bought time for his tentacles to return as they whipped back to slice away the disks, before dropping their weapons and shooting up to grab onto Helios' legs.

OOC: The hammer and the disks were sort of a seperate thing, They knocked the hammer away and veered of course, nowhere near Rannin at all.

However, the part about "buying time" still applies, so the outcome is basically the same.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

Even tough Rannin's tentacles caught onto my legs, I still weighed a ton (and then some), so there was bound to be some sort of aftereffects. Plus, it would be interesting to see how long he could hold me. A couple seconds, tops.

IC: Rannin

Rannin buckled, forcing every aspect of his concentration to swing his tentacles downwards, hoping to send Helios flying into the ground.

OOC: A timeskip you say, Requiem? Sounds alright to me. My apologies for taking so long.

IC: Theriss

No rest. Not an hour, not a minute, not a second. It was another night in which her mind and thoughts challenged her desire to sleep. In the end, her thoughts had won out and held grasp of her weary mind deep into the night hours. Again the events of the previous day plagued her, lashing out at any hope she may have had of getting a peaceful sleep for the first night in a long while. The stress of leading this team and the constant work towards finding good deeds to perform in order to increase profits had already been enough, but the arguments that had started to arise were more than she wanted to deal with. Why couldn't this team hold together for more than a short period of time without someone doing something stupid?

First it had been Geklan. Though he was not truly a part of the team, he often held a presence at their meetings and celebrations. He had long ago earned her respect as a businessman, with a silver tongue and great skill in the art of parting and individual and their money. Those traits were ones she believed that she too possessed, they were what had given her an edge in her business fr so many years. But the side of him that he had showed not long ago was one she had truly never expected to lie beneath his hauntingly cheerful exterior.

Then had been the unexpected meltdown of Barthel, one that he had most certainly brought upon himself with his actions. If he was that afraid of being touched, then why hadn't he specifically asked them never to touch him? He could have solved all his problem with a single request, but instead he decided it better to suffer through his fears. That was something that made little sense to her, this team was created to halt something that caused her suffering. Why would he intentionally allow himself to deal with his fears when they could so easily be halted? Did he hold some sort of pride in acting as though his fears ere nothing? Was it something he never thought about except during times that it occurred? Was it that he wanted so greatly to forget that he held those fears in the first place?

Alongside these thoughts was an aching sense of something important having been forgotten. But through all that was filling her mind, she could not recall just what it was that had been so important. She knew she would remember eventually, but the question of if it would be in time was the most important. Being late to something wasn't really her style, a late arrival could cost a person greatly.

And then there was the money. Never before had she had any problems with quickly and efficiently counting her earnings. But the day earlier, she couldn't even keep the numbers straight in her mind. She had required assistance in something as easy as counting and dividing up the team's pay. That was a sign to her that something was very wrong at the moment. When she couldn't get her mind to focus on the most important part of this group, then it was very clear that the stress of everything was getting to her. It it hadn't been for LoJak...

That was the important thing, the thing that she had forgotten. She had a dinner with LoJak. It was no doubt past the time they were supposed to meet, but there was always the slightest of chances that he may still be waiting there for her arrival. If that was the case, than perhaps a late arrival would be better than none at all. Pushing aside all the negative thoughts that haunted her mind, she decided that she was going to the restaurant anyway. If he wasn't there, then she would merely apologize in the morning. If he was, then she would merely explain her lateness.

It took her only a short time to ready herself to head out into the night. Her armor was given a quick polish, to make it appear even more regal than it already did. She left behind her spetum, not expecting that a weapon was something she would need. But the brass knuckles, those she kept on her at all times. They were far more easily concealed and, with her mask's power, just as dangerous. When she was certain she was ready and as quickly as possible, she left her home and walked into the Koro's night air.

It wasn't that far a walk to the restaurant, but it certainly seemed to stretch on far longer. When she reached the restaurant, she pushed aside her haunting thoughts as best she could, her face once again reverting into the calm expression that she almost always presented. Her mind at bay for the moment, she peered inside to see if LoJak was still there.

IC: Helios (Naho Bay)

A muffled "ooomf" escaped my mouth as I was slammed to the ground with all the force of the world weighing me down. My environment spun, my toughts whited in and out.

I raised a finger into the air.

"I give" I croaked.