BZPRPG: Ga-Wahi

IC (GREED)

 

A SUDDEN PAIN TORE THROUGH GREED'S SHOULDER; HE TURNED TO SEE HIS BRILLIANT GREEN AND SILVER ARMOUR MARRED BY HIS OWN CRIMSON BLOOD. A CLATTER BEHIND HIM TOLD HIM TO LOOK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FOR HIS ATTACKER, AND HE FOUND HIM: SLOTH.

 

“YOU WOULD TURN ON ME TOO!?” THE TOA OF AIR SNARLED, HIS VOICE RAW. “TRAITORS!”

 

THROWING OUT A HAND, HE BEGAN TO WRENCH THE VERY AIR AWAY FROM THE TOA OF WATER, LEAVING A SEMI-VACUUM OF LOW AIR PRESSURE. HIS TOOTHY SMILE WAS EVIDENCE OF HIS DESIRE: TO SEE THE TOA COLLAPSE, GASPING FOR AIR, OR TO WATCH HIS BODY EXPLODE AS THE DIFFERENCES IN AIR PRESSURE RIPPED HIS BODY APART FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

 

BLOOD FOR BLOOD.

 

NO ONE TAKES WHAT IS MINE!

IC - Decaia - Ga-Koro:Given that he had actually hit and harmed Greed with his throw, it took Decaia a moment to realize that the air was being sucked from the area around him. When the surprise finally wore off (What--? ... Oh.) his hand involuntarily shot toward his throat, his chest heaving as he began to gasp for nonexistent air. He felt the vibration of his other tomahawk as it dropped, clattering soundlessly onto the lily pad at his feet. It was not long before Decaia, too, had fallen, moments away from passing out.

Forcing himself to hold on, the Toa of Water willfully followed whatever instincts awakened in his stomach. Locking eyes with Greed, Decaia activated his mask for a split second, creating a moment's worth of visual delay through its powers. Immediately after deactivating it, he thrust a hand forward and upward, connecting his mind with the water below the Toa of Air's feet. A column of water erupted around Greed, momentarily disrupting his vision and allowing Decaia to catch a brief reprieve from the vacuum.

Seizing this opportunity, the Toa gasped, breathing deeply as he shifted into a kneeling position, both hands forward now as he willed the liquid around Greed to form into a large, swirling sphere of saltwater. Decaia clenched his hands, waiting for Greed's inevitable teleportation out of the bubble...

IC: [Atonal]

Atonal shook his head. "No problems. I'm good to go as well."

OOC: Tivanu from Ko-Koro to Ga-Koro

IC: Tivanu

Tivanu sighed very heavily as he stood at the gate of Ga-Koro. He had his lava hawk, Kive-phu, On his shoulder who seemed restless given all the fish that were around in the water.

As he approaches the first lilypad he seemed hesistant to step unsure if it would support him. With a solid step he walks onto it and takes a sigh of relief as it supports his weight.

Oh thank Karzahni

"Well i guess we need to find a job, girl. We are running low in widgets."

OOC: Tivanu is open for interaction

IC:

As Kynera surfaced, there was a hand waiting for her, ready to help her up and out of the Ga-Koro waters again. As she looked up she found a pair of yellow eyes looking back at her with an expression that almost seemed feral, but controlled. "Come on, take it." Rewera urged her, reaching down further. The Aitua was dripping with water as well. She and Ravage had done the only thing they could when the plasma had incenerated a portion of the village, allowing the Valkyries to escape and the balance of the battle shift again: They had jumped off the floating pad and into the water as well, emerging just in time to see Kynera fall as well.

------------------------

Next to Ta and Nokth, Kehua was still standing and holding his ground. The large Toa had activated his mask of intangibility and emerged from the previous attack unscathed. He glanced at Wrath. "There's no civilians left to evacuate. Guess you're stuck with me." his meteor-hammers began to fly in circles as he began to whirl the massive iron-spheres. "Must be your lucky day."

------------------------

Rhow had followed Iraanus and the others as they moved to attack those adversaries that had decided it was time to make a quick exit, but she did not have a ranged weapon. Impact vision would have come in handy right now...

But before she could lament the fact or look for something suitably sharp to hurl at Anyanka's back, she heard something whimpering beneath a pile of rubble. A nearby hut had collapsed halfway in on itself...and its occupant. Rhow sprinted over to where the noise was coming from, and started to remove pieces of wood and debris, until she saw a larger part of the roof underneath. And somebody was underneath it.

"Hey!" the Skakdi called out. There was a short silence, then: "Help me! I'm trapped!"

"I can see that." Rhow snarled back. While she wanted to help, empathy and tact were not among her strong talents. "Are you injured?"

"Not much...I can move."

"Okay, hang on." Rhow said, then looked for a good place to get a grip on the portion of the roof. She found a suitable enough handle and curled her fingers around the edges. Her arms tensed and flexed as she started to lift. As soon as the opening became large enough, a Matoran crawled from underneath the rubble as fast as she could. "I'm clear!" she announced and Rhow let the roof fall back into place. She looked at the matoran, who was trying to say something, but Rhow cut her off. "Go, get out of here. Help others if you can."

The Matoran nodded. "Yes...thank you." she said, then ran off, as Rhow rejoined Iraanus. "How we looking?"

OOC: Hey Vox, I'm going to interact with you because I can.

IC: Rhinal

Rhinal was confused. Beings were fighting one another all over the place, random bystanders of every species were running around and freaking out, and basically Karz was hitting the metaphorical fan. Wish I knew who was in the right here...

He noticed a Skakdi coming through the gate with a bird of some kind on his shoulder. Rhinal decided to speak to the being, since he had nothing better to do. He had no idea what the Skakdi's opinion of Toa was, but he didn't care much at the time. "Do you have any idea what's going on here?" he asked. Maybe the other being knew something Rhinal didn't.

OOC: Sorry Master of Masks, this is shorter than would be expected.

IC: Riaril

Gabel gave a long sigh after Vera’s request. Her breath floated across the table, and the malodorous mixture of tobacco and fish soup curled Vera’s tongue. There was a downcast look of regret in the toa’s eye before she placed down her chopsticks with a faint clatter.

“Students have never been my strong suit,” Gabel’s remark disappointed Vera, but she spared the matoran’s feelings little compassion as she continued; “And I’m hardly the caliber of healer like Cael or some of the other Ga-Koro residents. So before I agree to anything rash; why would you single out a traveling doctor you’ve never met until this morning as your teacher of choice? What passion do you have for medicine?”

Gabel’s last question was tart, a curt retaliation which seemed to cause a fire in Vera’s eyes. Gabel left her food alone, her golden eye and scarred face staring at the matoran across the table as she leaned back, her body touching the wall with a soft sound, right hand diving into her coat to retrieve a lighter an cigarrette. The smoke wafted about Gabel’s head like a poisoned halo once she had lit up. Vera could see there was nothing virtuous here; Gabel was just an over-the-hill doctor who’d given up.

OOC: Lol Souds like as good of reason as any

IC: Tivanu

Tivanu suddenly turned on his heels when he heard the voice. The sudden movement caused Kive-phu to lose her balance on his shoulder. She was able to right herself but was a bit startled. He ran his right hand over her side and said in a soft voice

"Ehkn noke, Kive-phu."

The bird immediatly calmed down and nesteled back into his shoulder but her attention was also on the owner of the voice. Tivanu looked at the owner to discover it was a Toa of water, Judging by armor color, And a he given the masculinity of the voice.

Hmm odd, never seen a toa so willing to speak with a skakdi.

In the nicest voice he could conjure up he began to speak

"I truly do not know what is going on. i just arrived here myself. But to me it seems all Karzahni has broken loose."

IC:

Rewera looked at Kynera and returned the nod. "Maybe.", she agreed. Once this was over, they would have to sort out what had happened anyway. Right now, the combatants were split into two parties...the Arete who had moved the plan and those of their number whose hearts were no longer in it and now siding with the defenders. Once the immediate danger was over, Rewera planned on sitting down whoever was left and get some information. Depending on who wins this fight...she mentally added.

OOC: Best reason ever right? lol

IC: Rhinal

"Something like that," Rhinal said. He looked back at the chaotic mess before them, hoping that the beings in the right (if there were any) would reveal themselves. Unfortunately, they did no such thing and Rhinal was left as confused as before. He looked back at the Skakdi before him. He didn't look like someone who was particularly heroic or trustworthy, but since he hadn't already joined the melee and/or started killing Matoran yet, Rhinal figured the Skakdi must be relatively civilized and therefore, fairly safe to talk to. At the very least, he won't slit my throat without a good reason... "Maybe they're all drunk," Rhinal said.

IC: Tivanu

Tivanu paused slightly as he considered this and smiled

"I think this is a bit more fighting than being drunk could cause. I think there is something major going on but i am hesitant to enter the fight,"

IC: Rhinal

"You're probably right," Rhinal said with a vague hint of a smirk on his face. "It's the same thing for me..."

OOC: Not sure what to do now... lol

IC: Tivanu

Tivanu sighed a bit as he looked into the scene. with a heavy shrug he turned to look at the toa

"Well perhaps we could team up a bit, I would rather have somebody looking out for my back in a fight. I'm sure you feel the same."

With a small smile that still looked rather savage he extended his hand

"My name is Tivanu."

OOC: Well i would say we can either head into the battle or we can head to another wahi

OOC: Hmm. I think we should go somewhere else... your pick as to where since Rhinal doesn't know anything about the island.

IC: Rhinal

"I'm Rhinal," the Toa of Water said, extending his hand and shaking Tivanu's. "I like your thinking," Rhinal said. He looked at the chaos before them. It would be somewhat noble to jump in and try to help anyone who was innocent, but since they were all fighting like dogs there was no way to tell who was evil and good. "Should we go somewhere else? If we go into that mess we'll probably kill the wrong people and it'll suck..."

IC: Tivanu

Tivanu pondered this for a long time as he brought his staff to tap at his chin

"Well i don't know about you but i think perhaps.." He paused as he truly thought about this "Perhaps Onu-koro or Ta-koro? Either are decent places and would be better than here currently. Maybe when the fighting dies down here we can head back."

He offered a small smile as he finished speaking

OOC: Well i provided two locations. i am honestly not sure which one would be better and am leaving the final choice to you

IC (GREED)

THE TOA OF AIR WATCHED IN PSYCHOPATHIC DELIGHT AS HIS OPPONENT DROPPED TO ONE KNEE, GASPING. HE REVELLED IN THE FEELING OF POWER, OF SQUEEZING THE LIFE FROM ANOTHER TOA. AS SLOTH HAD TRIED TO TAKE HIS LIFE, SO HE WOULD TAKE HIS.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE, EYE FOR EYE, LIFE FOR LIFE.

THEN THE WORLD WARPED AROUND HIM AS HE WAS SURROUNDED BY WATER. THE SEAWATER FORCED ITS WAY INTO HIS MOUTH AND DOWN HIS THROAT; THE TOA OF AIR COUGHED, BUT HIS ELEMENT, HIS LIFEBLOOD AND SUSTENANCE, WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. AS HE HAD DONE TO SLOTH, SO THE TOA OF WATER HAD DONE TO HIM.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE, TOOTH FOR TOOTH, BREATH FOR BREATH.

GREED GRIMACED SOUNDLESSLY AS HIS LUNGS BEGGED FOR AIR, BUT HE TURNED AWAY FROM HIS BODY'S COMPLAINTS AND KEPT HIS FOCUS ON THE BLURRY FIGURE OUTSIDE OF THE BUBBLE, MAINTAING THE NEAR-VACUUM AROUND HIS OPPONENT. THIS WAS A BATTLE OF ENDURANCE; WHO WOULD DIE FIRST? WOULD THE TOA OF WATER SUFFOCATE, OR THE TOA OF AIR DROWN?

IC: Rhinal

Rhinal considered. He had no idea as to the qualities of either area, but he didn't care. At least he'd be going somewhere. "Let's go to Ta-Koro, I guess," Rhinal said.

IC: Tivanu

Tivanu nodded slowly as he began walking in the direction that would lead them to Ta-koro

OOC: Tivanu to Ta-koro

IC: Bok

As Bok stepped out of the boat and looked at the waters of Ga-Koro, a memory flashed in his head.

*flashback*

He and four other Toa were in a small boat. "Well, I'm glad we managed to-" The Toa that was standing in front of Bok a moment ago was vaporized. A hideous monster climbed onto the boat.

*end flashback*

Bok blacked out.

IC (GREED)

HIS BODY CRIED OUT FOR PRECIOUS OXYGEN; HIS LUNGS STRAINED FOR AIR THAT WASN'T THERE. THE WATER SWIRLED AROUND GREED, IMPEDING HIS VISION, BUT HE COULD VAGUELY SEE THAT SLOTH WAS IN A SIMILAR STATE. THE TOA OF WATER KNELT SCARCE METRES FROM THE SPLASHING OCEAN, WHICH WAS ROILING IN THE TEMPEST OF WIND AND WATER. SPOTS BLINKED BEFORE HIS EYES, DANCING RED AND GREEN AS HE STRUGGLED TO MAINTAIN CONSCIOUSNESS.

FINALLY, HE COULD STAND IT NO LONGER. ACTIVATING HIS KUALSI, THE TOA OF AIR SLIPPED THROUGH SPACE AND VANISHED FROM THE SPHERE OF WATER, APPEARING BEHIND THE KNEELING SLOTH. HE STAGGERED, OFF-BALANCE AND DIZZY FROM OXYGEN DEPRIVATION, BUT ONLY FOR A MOMENT. HE RECOVERED, AND BROUGHT HIS SCYTHE AROUND IN AN ARC IN AN ATTEMPT TO DECAPITATE DECAIA.

IC - Decaia - Ga-Koro:

The sweet relief of air rushing in from all sides served as both a sign to Decaia that he would not suffocate and, along with the sudden rustling of a cloak behind him, as a warning for what was to come. As Greed vanished from the orb, dispelling the vacuum around the Toa of Water, Decaia gasped, releasing his control over the sphere before him and shifting his will downward. Any onlooker would see a swirl of movement now, as Greed spun, scythe primed to remove Decaia's head from his body; as the sphere of water slammed into the ground, exploding in a shower of liquid; and as the ocean threw a hand at its master from the side, knocking Decaia out of the way of Greed's attack.

Decaia sputtered and coughed as he rolled to his feet, wet cloak sticking to his equally drenched armor as he caught his breath. His tomahawks were gone now, one lost in his initial attack on Greed, the other in his attempt to avoid execution. But he still had his mask, down the visor of which water cascaded, warping his vision as he looked to the Toa of Air. Fighting through the pain in his chest and head, Decaia activated his mask, focusing on Greed, willing--no, commanding his body, his mind, his very being to slllooowwww dooowwwnnn....

IC: Bok

Bok woke up and saw a fight. Having no idea who to side with, he just charged over with his hammer hoping to at least scare them.

IC (GREED)

GREED SNARLED AS SLOTH DOVE AWAY FROM HIS SWING, COWARD THAT HE WAS. THE TOA OF AIR SPENT HIS MOMENTUM IN A TWIRL OF HIS WEAPON, THE SILVER BLADE OF HIS SCYTHE FLASHING IN THE WET AIR AS BREAKERS WERE WHIPPED UP BY THE RELENTLESS WIND AS A STORM BORE DOWN UPON THE HELPLESS VILLAGE OF WATER.

THEN, AS THE TOA OF AIR WATCHED THE TOA OF WATER, HIS SCARLET EYES VENOMOUS, HE REALIZED THAT EVERYTHING WAS MOVING IN SLOW MOTION, AS THOUGH CAUGHT IN TIME. HIS HATEFUL EYES TRACED THEIR WAY TO SLOTH'S MASK , WHICH GENTLY GLOWED.

HIS WRATHFUL ROAR WAS DRAWN OUT IN HIS EARS, THOUGH THERE WAS NO TELLING HOW IT SOUNDED TO THOSE UNAFFECTED BY THE MASK OF SLOTH. CASTING HIS SCYTHE ASIDE, GREED THREW OUT HIS HANDS WITH A SCREAM OF VENGEANCE, SUMMONING EVERY LAST DROP OF POWER THAT STILL BURNED WITHIN HIM. HE CALLED UPON THE WINDS, STRAINING TO INFLICT HIS WILL UPON THE AIR, THEN HURLED EVERYTHING HE HAD AT THE TOA OF WATER IN A MAGNIFICENT BLAST OF WIND THAT WHIPPED UP THE SEA INTO SPRAY AND BEGAN TO TEAR THE VERY LILY PADS APART ON ITS WAY TO ITS TARGET: DECAIA.

IC: Bok

Bok, running into the fray was blasted aside by this massive wind. But Bok was tougher than he looked. "You wanna fight? Come get it!" said Bok as he ran towards Greed and began to bring down his hammer towards Greed's head.

IC - Decaia - Ga-Koro:

For a moment, everything seemed to be working perfectly. Greed's movements had slowed down considerably, giving Decaia plenty of time to catch his breath. Still kneeling on the lily pad, he kept his eyes trained on the Toa of Air, watching as those crimson eyes turned to him, burning with a rage on par with Ta's. Greed seemed to snarl at Decaia as he cast his scythe to the side, though it was difficult to tell over the gathering howl of the wind all around. The storm above seemed to be growing into a tempest, tearing at the plants and buildings around him, certainly nothing to worry ab--

... God it.

Greed's hands moved forward. It was a slow action, but the force was still present. In an instant, a hurricane shot forth from the Toa's hands, slamming into Decaia, pushing him back to the edge of the lily pad. He barely managed to right himself, barely managed to raise his own hands and unleash a torrent of water in Greed's direction to meet the engulfing whirlwind. As the two attacks collided, the wind and sea raged harder, frenzied into an even stronger tempest as the two opposing elements clashed.

Despite his best efforts, Decaia felt himself failing already. Inch by inch he was being forced backwards. And having expended so much energy with his earlier actions, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to last like this for much longer.

Heh... So I guess this is the price of redemption, he mused. 'least I can say I paid in full...

A sudden whiplash of wind knocked his mask from his face, sending it hurtling into the ocean, where it sank into the raging waters. As the mandatory loss of strength swept over him, Decaia closed his eyes, sighing. What a bother...

IC: Rhinal

Rhinal followed Tivanu, intrigued to see another area of the island.

OOC: Rhinal to Ta-Koro

OOC: Sorry about the OOC only post, but did anyone even notice my post about how my character got into the fight and is about to whack Greed with a big hammer?

Edit: Any of the other combatants can feel free to attack me before I hit him.

[OOC: @ToaKapura: If I were you, I probably would not have dove head-first into a battle I knew next to nothing about and not tried to pick a fight with the first big guy with a scythe I saw. Just my personal take on logic and such.]IC: VoutokAfter moments of silence in anticipation for the projectiles Voutok had heardwith no signs of an explosion showingVoutok cautiously turned the headset down to a "2" setting. Nothing. Evidently, as far as the De-Matoran knew, the shots had already hit their mark...which was potentially a far distance away. Returning the headset to the "4" setting, Voutok rose from behind the counter of the ruined restaurant."Lenat? I think whatever I heard has passed now. We should get going; see if there's something that doesn't involve charging after people with giant scythes or wings or who try to flood or vaporize the village every three seconds that we can help with. If we're lucky, the Marines have sent in some more competent reinforcements."

OOC: Psst. If I were you, I would try not to sound so condescending and not be demeaning. Just my personal take on your seeming lack of politeness and such.

IC-Nokth:

"Well, I feel sorry for that new guy."

Lenat- Ga-koro

IC: The Vortixx nodded and readied his zamor launcher, leaping over the counter and dashing to the pile of rubble that used to be the wall of the restaurant. Peering over the edge he checked their surroundings. Upon seeing that nobody was paying any attention to the area they were in, he gestured to Voutok, using the hand signals he had picked up from his time spent around the Guard.

Its clear. Move up.

IC:

Rhow had had just about enough of the bad weather plaguing the village at the moment. The lillypads were shifting underneath their feet, bobbing up and down on the irregular rolling waves and it was starting to seriously go on the female Skakdi's nerves. Trying to move as fast as she could on the tilting floor, she made her way over to Iraanus.

"You know what!?" she called out over the wind, squinting against the water hitting her eyes.

Iraanus looked at her questioningly and shrugged. "What?"

"I think it's time we taught that windbag a lesson!" she shouted. Being close together, she could feel the power surging through her, allowing her and the other Skakdi to tap into their elemental powers as well. And from what Rhow knew, Skakdi working in conjunction was a rare sight on this island. Two Skakdi of water together - and coincidentally the only two Skakdi of water - would come so far out of left field, it would give the Toa of air responsible for all this nonsense a good pause. Rhow could see him face off against his former allies on what was left of the floating platform they had used to give the Turaga's body to the sea. The Skakdi however were a bit further away.

Rhow raised her arm - making a fist - brought it forcefully down on the ground. A shockwave rippled through the water as she forced it in the opposite direction of the stormwinds. The sudden reverse in direction coupled with the resistance from the air made the water rise up, until it towered over the fighters platform. The Skakdi didn't bother to differentiate between the good guys...all she knew was that these people were tearing up a village, the homes of the people that lived here. And if there was one thing she was familiar with, it was watching homes get destroyed through mindless violence. And she was not going to stand by and watch it happen again.

IC: Change of plans, then. Iraanus turned away from the extremely angry-looking demon and her friends, signaling to Sookus and Mortis to stay on them. The Toa of Plasma that Taoki, Kahlynn, and Destian had gone after didn't seem to be causing problems, so Iraanus quickly caught Destian's eye and jerked his head toward the demon. Hopefully five of them would be able to keep the demon and her allies busy while Rhow, Iraanus, and Viloz turned their attention to this Le-Toa, the apparent ringleader of this gang.

Iraanus could feel the power coursed through Rhow's being, and he allowed the elemental energy to burst forth from himself as well. The combined might of the Ga-Skakdi's powers surged through the stormy sea, bringing a cascade of watery destruction thundering toward the Le-Toa's lilypad.

OOC:

so

this is a post

I call it "post"

it is for kughii

:3

Kughii and Liikyra from Po-Wahi.

IC: Liikyra

...progress today. Sand began to give way to gravel, probably the best thing I've seen. I can feel the earth below us, it's not as deep as in the desert. Sand is... Sand. There's nothing quite like earth. You can do so much with earth, shape it, mold it, use it for shelter. Sand just falls apart, slipping through your fingers. It is nice to feel the earth again, there is a great lack of it in the desert, but that was why I went there in the first place...

A slender finger pushed more of the dark, springy material aside. Small clumps of the darker portions clinging to the bare metal as the finger continued to work it's way through the dirt. The soil was moist, with grains of various sizes. A small bit of volcanic ash was present, speckling the earth with small white flakes. It was very fertile land, and the abundance of vegetation was testament to this. The cold, dark grey metal continued to carve into the ground with an effortless elegance that was almost supernatural in origin. The letters it left in it's wake were smooth, showing the work of a controlled hand and mind.

…I've learned more new curse words on this “trip” than I ever expected to. I had no idea that one could speak, or rather curse, so fluently in Skakdi. I get my fair share of them, and to think that I went days without speaking a word. Everything seems to annoy Kughii. He really won't just shut up about... everything. The serpent borrows, the abrasive sand stuck under his armor, his knees. Me. There's a lot of complaints about me. I don't know why he's helping me, or even bothering to keep me around. It would be far simpler for him to just dump me back in the desert. Save us both the trouble. I'm just dead weight at the moment, good for nothing other than a convenient target for frustration. But still, he pulls me along on this makeshift sled through a desert. I'm grateful for it, of course...

Two golden orbs flicked around the swirling veil of cool, morning mist that filled the area. They had absolutely no trouble picking out the small details of the pale-persimmon armor in the low bronze light of early dawn, the faint white glow the only indicator that the Kanohi Mask of Power they were hidden behind was active. The Vortixx that the scarred armor belonged to was still asleep, one of the only times he seemed to be quiet. Liikyra watched him silently, no longer carving her message into the soft ground. They had been traveling for quite some time now, and her ribs had improved somewhat during the journey. A bit. They no longer shot swords through her at the slightest movement, even if there was the occasional spike of pain. With a sigh, the dark-armored Toa of Earth leaned back into the grass around her, a single hand motion covering the words she had written into the ground with more earth, burying their presence.

IC: Tohi

Spending hours at the abandoned hut, Tohi was quickly catching up with reading and writing, while also learning some information about the island and tiny bits of her own past. Whoever owned the hut before seemed awfully obsessed with her and her former team for comfort.

Deciding to call it a day, she went about putting the hut into it's former state, when a small piece of paper slipped out of one of the books. She picked it up and looked at what was apparently a wanted poster with a skakdi picture on it. And in her head, few of the dormant synapses suddenly sparked to life. "Saxtann..." She whispered for herself. When her broken memory didn't give her anything but the name, she rolled up the mugshot and took it with her, leaving the hut...

...just in time to see what she could only describe as the end of days. Just a few pads from her position, everyone was fighting. Her instinct told her to go there and help, but a voice in her head stopped her.

...you must choose your battles carefully...

...and he chose very, very badly...

... that was a stupid risk you took...

...I swear, you've got a death wish...

She growled in frustration, wanting to help, but she couldn't argue against that logic. Perhaps later. If there is anything left of this village at the end of the day, she was certain her mask of healing will be needed. With that she did a 180° and hurried back, stopping only after she reached the forge. "This place is a mad house!" she beeped, trying to catch her breath.

OOC: I didn't attack, my not-too-smart character did. And then it seems like everyone else followed his lead. And sorry about my impatient and noobish OOC post.

IC: Bok

The blast of water slammed into Bok, sending him flying into the water. Does everyone hate me or is it just my luck? wondered Bok. Bok climbed back onto the lily pad and saw the two Skakdi. Those must be some sort of hideous beasts thought Bok. He then picked up his hammer and began charging right past Greed toward his new targets-Iraanus and Rhow.

IC-Mila:

"I'd noticed," the large blacksmith replied. "I recommend you stay out of it, as I plan to do; instead, I'll be searching for Matoran who are in need of aid. Let our friendly overlords duke it out amongst themselves, eh?" Mila stepped back, slipping his satchel over his shoulder, his medium-length staff held like a swagger stick.

"Shall we, Tohi?"

IC:

It was a bright afternoon. Sunlight fell through a partly cloudy atmosphere to watch the people of Mata Nui going about their lives. The sea around the island lapped in its normal patterns, turquoise under the happy light. For the most part, the Koros were peaceful on this afternoon. Matoran walked the streets performing their daily businesses – buying and selling, farming, weaving, carving – and the warm glow from on high relieved a little of the weary tension that had sat in their shoulders for too long. On such a fine day as this, with no antagonistic Rahi in sight, none of their friends on the march, it wasn’t so hard for the more optimistic Matoran to feel that the Great Spirit may have blessed them with a rare good day. The wiser ones knew better than to hope.

Somewhere within close proximity to the Koros, unnoticeable at first, there were slight tremors in the earth. Perhaps a leaf or two rustled, or a pebble bounced, snows or sands shifted. The tremors could easily have been mistaken at first for wind, but it was not long before they escalated into discernible quakes. Anyone who stood by chance over the patch of disturbed ground would have been able to tell that something under their feet was moving, may even have been able to hear a rumbling crack. The faces of the first Matoran to notice blanched, and they quickly ran back to the safety of their Koros, shouted the alarm. Nobody could know what was coming from below him or her, but by the feeling of it, it had to have been big.

With the speed of wildfire in dry grass, the fearful word of the trembling in the earth spread, and it was only a matter of minutes before practically the whole Koro was peering anxiously from behind cover at the patch of ground which, by now, was visibly shaking, tossing dust and debris about. The patches were all situated someplace easily within view, right at the doorsteps of the Koros; it was clearly a strategically placed disturbance. The noise of breaking ground was a pervasive growl interspersed with sharp sounds of fracturing rock. The Matoran watched with unconsciously held breath. The warriors among them already had their weapons ready; if today was to be a day when they would fend off an assault, so be it. The Matoran of Mata Nui may have been small, but they were not helpless against Makuta's pet Rahi.

Against what emerged from the ground, though, they stood no chance.

The final cracking noises were loud as gunfire, and the rock of the earth shattered outwards like ten thousand arrowheads, injuring any who were too close. The ground exploded completely into shards, revealing a gaping maw of a tunnel, wide enough for the passage of a legion. And a legion marched forth from the earth, arranged in the formations of a well-trained army. At the front of the columns were brown, spiny creatures wielding sharp-edged staffs. Even the Matoran who had never seen one of these frightful beings before knew that these, and the countless others behind them, were Rahkshi. The many brown Rahkshi of Shattering, which had carved the way for those behind them, screeched in challenge and exploded nearby boulders as signs of force, then moved to the back lines to preserve their strength. The others strode out on their long legs in unison step, weapons held with deadly ease.

Line by line, the Rahkshi emerged from Makuta's secretly-developed system of tunnels, a project he had set his tireless sons to some weeks ago. Each contingent had carved through the earth on their straight paths, and all had simultaneously broken through the final barriers before their targets at the order of their master. Every breed, every shape of spine and pattern of staff, was represented in the ranks, each different color interspersed at random with the others. There were perhaps a hundred Rahkshi at the foot of every Koro, each one a warrior with more speed and strength than two Toa combined. There were no forces in any Koro that could give any challenge to such a host of the staff-wielding creatures.

None in the people in the Koros moved or spoke. They waited for the Rahkshi to make the first move, but the Rahkshi, once assembled before the holes they had stepped out of, stood in still readiness. If any were foolish enough to try and brave the creatures, they were killed before they even reached the tips of the staffs. After any futile attacks ceased and silence returned to the tense standoff, the scattering of red Rahkshi of Fear began to scream, and they were rapidly joined by all their brothers. The cacophony of a hundred shrill voices curdled blood for miles around; the likes of the sound had never been heard on the island of Mata Nui. The shrieks died down after a few seconds, leaving the Rahkshi standing as they were: ready, but motionless.

The people of Mata Nui wondered how long it would be until the army that spelled their doom would strike.

OOC: Would you believe me if I said I saw this coming? Edit: Also, peaceful? I wouldn't call a giant fight peaceful. I guess most means all but Ga.

IC: Bok

Bok was about to smash his hammer into one of the Skakdi when he heard the scream. The scream.

*Flashback*

Bok and about fifty other Toa were standing in a room, waiting for something. A door opened. Out poured hideous snakelike creatures. One Toa screamed "Rahkshi!" The Rahkshi began killing all of the Toa. Bok and a few others made it to a boat. And then the creatures on the island they left behind screamed that horrible scream.

*End flashback*

Bok was knocked to the ground by this flashback, but fortunately didn't black out. "We need to put aside our petty differences and worry about the real problem now. The Rahkshi."