BZPRPG: Ga-Wahi

IC: Liikyra

The dark-armored Toa's golden eyes stared out from under her grey Kanohi towards the rapidly disappearing Vortixx, their gaze questioning. His behavior had been... puzzling. Still, she was glad that they made it, even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances. Liikyra had heard about the Rahkshi attacks on the other Koros, who hadn't? Though never before had she ever seen so many in one place. They were lucky to have gotten past there in time. Her heart was still racing from that.

After a moment, the Toa of Earth propped herself up on her elbows, before sliding the (surprisingly) partially-intact sled out from under her with her foot. Moving it off to the side, she sank back onto the lily pad floor. To say the least, it was far more comfortable than what she had been laying on before. Fortunately, the movement didn't cause any sharp stabs of pain, nothing that she couldn't deal with, at least. Hopefully, a doctor would be around to see her, hopefully Kughii would be back soon, hopefully those couple hundred Rahkshi outside wouldn't decide to attack. There was a lot to hope for, at the moment.

Eventually, her eyes grew heavy as she stared up at the leaf roof above her, and her thoughts began to blend together into a single word: tired. She began to drift into a light sleep, which was a welcome reprieve from the traveling.

* * *

The Toa of Earth woke with a start, she had no idea how long she had been out, though it couldn't possibly have been that long. A light azure glow filled the area around her, as she blinked to try and clear her vision. Dominating her field of view was a Toa clad in blue and green armor. His mask was glowing faintly, and he held a hand up to keep her down. Her eyes flicked to his face, and the his other hand, which was hovering above her ribs, before focusing on the glow emanating from it. It took her a moment to process what was going on. His Kanohi was one of Healing, and she could feel the strange tingle as her ribs were mended together by the mask's power.

 

The doctor finished not too long after, and left to treat others. The very first thing the Toa of Earth did was stand up. She had been laying down for far to long, and the lack of movement was killing her. A few experimental stretches later, and Liikyra simply waited for Kughii to return.

Edit: This post has been erased, due to the fact that my character has been moving for the last six months while I was in hiatus.

 

-Elrond

OOC: Feels good to write myself again.

IC: Kughii

Ga-Koro had changed. Once happy people now wore the grieving faces of defeat and bloodshed. Huddled by their weaving, matoran busied themselves with tasks to distract themselves from the horrors of reality. Some even attempted pained smiles as Kughii or other greater beings strode past to shoulder the burden, but these were no more than crude attempts seen through a mirror of warped glass. The larger beings patrolling the streets didn’t bother keeping their weapons contained, and Kughii could see small scuffles breaking out in the alleys. Kughii instinctively donned his face-mask for protection and slung Samsara’s large sheath off his back to rest on his left shoulder like a death-dolling purse.

“What happened here?” The adventuring vortixx murmured with the grind of the air-funnels, a familiar blue tint from the lenses accenting his field of vision. Makuta’s sons on the Doorstep, but there’s something deeper that flayed these beings hearts, Kughii thought as his lips fell into a tight line of uneasiness. He saw thunder clouds crackling above the docks on the far side of the village, heard the screams of combat float gently by in the swirling breeze of the storm. A low pattering of rain had begun throughout Ga-Koro, the rain clattering off the carapace of all those outside in a murming of *ping-ing ping p-ping*.

The rain accentuated the aching of his muscles. The balls of his feet screamed, the heels were sent the pain of a thousand needles, and his thighs -- Kughii simply tried to forget about the burning pain there. Air filled him with a chill as his lungs inflated. He found himself gasping for more than he needed, but couldn’ts stop himself.

Kughii’s feet sloshed through the thin film of water in the roadway towards a small building lit with a warm red light. Small lanterns hung outside, their bodies swaying in the wind. He sighed happily as warmth entered his body on crouching through the door. A small counter greeted him, along with a terrified matoran.

“GAAAH! Stay away,” The woman screamed. A sharp meat cleaver swung widely across her body to ward off Kughii’s advances. He paused, his body still partly in the doorframe and hand holding up the sodden entrance cloth. Kughii removed his mask with an apology, then reached a free hand into his small leather satchel. The cleaver wielding matoran’s eyes bugged until they seemed to spit out of the opening in her kanohi.

“Don’t come any closer!” The matoran was hysterical. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

Kughii complied quickly, the jingle of coin bouncing off the small business’s walls as four round widgets landed on the counter. She stared dumbstruck at the radically different reality then her tortured mind had conjured. Her jaw sagged slightly at the sight of currency -- the glimmer in the lamplight reflected in her greedy eyes. She dropped the knife to the floor with a clatter, both hands shaking as they reached for --

-- Kughii grabbed both hands with his.

“UUAA--”

The two stared deep into each other’s eyes, a connection forming that would last beyond all time. When Kughii opening his mouth to speak, wiser words had never graced the inside of this forlorn shop.

“I have money. You have meat-buns. Let’s be friends.”

*****

 

Liikyra's wait ended when a waft of warm food turned her stomach into a roaring grinder. Looking up, Kughii had returned with a voluminous package under his arm, a meat-bun placed perfectly between his lips as if they had been created for that sole purpose. After sitting down cross-legged besides his shorter companion, Kughii offered the bag and chewed. Swallowing the rest of his savory morsel, the vortixx glanced down at Liikyra's ribs, an eyebrow raising slightly to hint concern.

Lenat- Ga-koro

 

IC: The Vortixx did his best to follow the Matoran, jumping from building to building and hauling himself up when he missed the edge, but it seemed that his companion was better at that sort of thing then he was. He stopped right before the large building as Voutok climbed up the side and disappeared over the top.

 

When the De-Matoran spoke, Lenat turned and peered across the village, looking for any sign of a Marine. There seemed to be a distinct lack of them at the moment though.

 

"None in the streets, but I can see the HQ from here."

IC: KynaeraMiddayGa-KoroKynaera's spear struck Greed's side. The winds ceased as if in shock. Greed's eyes were wide, glowing almost as brightly as the sunlit wave that now bore down on the lily pad the three Daedra occupied.It struck with a roar like a Muaka's. Greed was washed away. Sloth vanished behind a wave; Kynaera couldn't see what happened to him before she, too, was struck by the water and spun into the murky depths of the waves. She flailed, turned right-side up, was turned upside down again by the current, and finally surfaced a few meters from the lily pad with a gasp and her cloak's hood stuck to her head, covering one eye.Greed was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Kynaera's spear.She tread water for several seconds, cursing her misfortune, before kicking out and swimming back to the lily pad.She didn't notice the Rahkshi on the shore till she had lifted herself onto the edge of the lily pad.

IC:"Karzahni."

 

A voice spoke up, the curse flying from the lips of the Lieutenant almost unbidden. It was a rare occasion for the crisp, staunchly formal officer, a lapse in judgement. But with the sight arrayed on the coast, it was hardly unwarranted. All others could see the horde, they could see the force allied against them, but Krayn could hear them.

 

Every screech, every clink of their armor, the scratch of their staves as they eagerly adjusted their grips. The screams of those caught on the coast reverberated through his ears chilled his blood, mixing in with the cries of the Rahkshi of Fear to hellish effect. His heart raved, his blood pumped, adrenaline coursing through his body. For the first time in a long time, Krayn Inzaka was truly terrified.

 

The screams washed over him, and he took an involuntary step back. These were unnatural forces, creatures of the darkness, they were looking into the souls of all present with the hunger of a Muaka, they were vicious, unrelenting neverending in their pursuit they were going to attack there were so many they were outnumbered they couldn't win they were going to die what about Le-Koro what about Tillian what about his friends what about the villages there would be nothing left-The De-Toa forced himself to take a breath, dialing down his hearing, blocking much of the sound from reaching him. That sound... In and of itself, it caused intense panic. But for a De-Toa, who could hear every individual screech, every tonal variation, every-Calm down.

 

He rebuked himself silently, forcing his limbs to still, forcing the panic down, where it could be ignored. He looked at Dehkaz, hearing his question for the first time, and his eyes narrowed.

 

"We plan."

 

IC:Liara, for her part, was crouched over a Matoran, a casualty of the war that had raged around them. Not yet noting Tohi's presence, her fingers moved to the small being's neck, feeling for a pulse. After a pause, she sighed, and used her first two fingers to close the being's eyes.

 

She stood, grimly looking at Tohi, and doing her best to disguise the weariness behind her eyes. "Hello. Not much to be done here, I'm afraid. Did I miss anything? A lot of people seem to be running way from the beach."

IC (Lohkar)

 

Lohkar winced as the sound of the screaming Rahkshi reached them. It was like a fingernail orchestra on a demonic blackboard, a chorus of unholy shrieks and screeches that set a chill into the blood of anyone who heard it.

 

Shaking off an involuntary shiver, Lohkar leapt down to where the crew were gathering.

 

"Aye, a plan," said the pirate captain. "Zmija's already below; she's got the cannons. Doomie'll give 'em Karz with the launcher. The rest of us can fire ranged weapons from on deck, or move onto land an' fight 'em hand-to-hand."

 

He paused, and looked around at his crew.

 

"Mates, none of ya signed up for this," he said. "If there's any man or woman here who wants ta run, do so. I won't stop ya."

IC:

A few days ago, seeing a Matoran die would make her sad. Now she felt anger. Her fingers itched to grasp her blade and cleanse the village. Powerful forces were combating and the Matoran were stuck in a crossfire.

The beach, right. Picking up the coal again, she scribbled just two words to pass the information along quickly:

Rahkshi. Many.

She turned towards the beach, trying if she could see them. She had no idea what a rahkshi was. But there was no way to see much of the beach from here. Turning back to the hut, she wanted to write some more, but thought better of it reaching out and pulling another Matoran out fo harm's way. Any safe place where we could send them? she wrote quickly, but didn't know whether there was such a thing as 'safe' left in this village.

IC: Iraanus lowered his outstretched arm as the wave crashed over the lilypad, cleansing it of the evil which had plagued it and this village. He calmly strode toward the massive plant, ignoring a Fe-Toa who sprinted up to him, demanding his help in evacuating the Matoran. Yes, he had noticed the rahkshi. But he could not worry himself with their presence - for the moment, at least, there was a greater threat.A purple armored Toa was dragging herself from the water. One of the ones who'd surrounded the coffin, he remembered. Before it all went to karzahni and everyone started switching sides. Iraanus looked down at the Toa, casually pointing his launcher in her direction. "Who are you?" he demanded.

IC: Tellus

 

Tellus was, for a moment, tempted to take the offer. They stood no chance against that army, that was for sure. But, as he looked around at the faces of the crew of the Infernavika, he saw the strength present in each of them, watched as the fear drained away. And, in their strength, he found his own.

 

"Cap'n," he said slowly, clearly choosing his words with care, "I think I speak for all members o' the crew when I say that I'll stand with ye."

 

For a moment, he was tempted to continue. He was tempted to talk about the promise he'd made when he'd signed up to be a member of this crew, how he'd rather die knowing he'd kept it than live knowing he was a coward. But he didn't. Because, quite simply, it didn't need to be said.

 

"Now, we better start strategizin'." He looked around again, at the determination stamped on the faces of those around him. "But, before we do, I want ta ask ye one simple question: Why are we sailin' inta that mess? Now, I know what ye're thinkin', that I want ta run away. But that's not what I'm after. I figure that if we all want ta make it out o' there alive, we're goin' to 'ave ta do some careful thinkin'. And I think we should figure out what we want ta accomplish before we figure out how we're goin' ta accomplish it. Otherwise, we'd be puttin' the cart in front o' the Ussal, so ta speak.

 

"So, why are we bein' heroes?"

IC:

 

"We're not bein' heroes," I stated simply in response to Tellus' question, "But it's less painful to try and defend a village like Ga-Koro than try and avenge a place like Xa-Koro."

 

Lowering my sword until its tip dipped gently into the damp wood of the deck, I waited a moment for that excuse of an answer to sink in, simultaneously giving myself time to breath in a lungful of ozonized air -- the first sign I could sense of the impending thunderstorm.

 

"Captain, should the need arise," I added, turning my attention to Lohkar, "I'll be happy to lead the ground team in this fight."

 

-Void

IC: Dehkaz

"We'll need them as well, then," The gunmetal-armored Toa of Magnetism said, indicating the pirate's sleek ship just off their starboard bow. He seemed unaffected by the Rahkshi's harsh scream, at least on the surface. Underneath it was a completely different story, though the Major wasn't going to let fears, both old and new, reach the surface. Dehkaz's dark gaze settled on Krayn again, and he started again.

"Sir, if you don't mind..." He said, holding his hands out, an aura of cyan energy rippling out from them as he gathered a portion of his elemental power. Handy thing, magnetism.

IC:"Not at all.""Launch me. I'll coordinate between the ships from there. But be ready to haul me back if the need arises." The De-Toa said, straightening his coat, subconsciously. "Inform the others where I went."

IC: Dehkaz

 

With a flick of his wrist, Dehkaz picked the Toa of Sonics up into the air, before directing him over the gap between the two warships. Releasing his magnetic hold, he dropped Krayn onto the deck of the Infernavika. If the situation had been different, Dehkaz might have allowed himself a small smile at the thought of dropping a guard member directly onto the deck of a pirate ship.

 

"I suppose you can hear me just fine then?" The Toa of Magnetism asked, as if Krayn had never left the deck of the Fowadi.

IC:Krayn landed lightly on his feet, holding his hat to his head with one hand. The crew of the Infernavika was gathered a short distance away, deep in conversation. Any other person wouldn't be able to hear them, but for a De-Toa, it was simplicity itself.

 

"Yes." His voice said, easily audible to the Toa of Magnetism on the other deck. Slightly louder, so he could be heard by those a short distance away. "Excuse me."

IC: [The Fourth]

 

"My sisters are in the village," said the Fourth quietly.

IC: Kaithas

 

I watched the fight between Greed and Kynaera for a few instants, but set to work fortifying the village. Until-

 

Rahkshi.

 

My sword was immediately at my side, though I made no move to use it.

 

I may be Courage, but I ain't stupid.

 

The Rahkshi seemed to be waiting, so I would too. But if they tried to attack-

 

-Well, I'd die. But maybe I could take one with me. You never know.

 

IC: Natalia dashed after the others.

 

OOC: Natalia to Ta.

IC: Lenzo

 

I walked around Ga-Koro, unsure of what to do. Ferum was chattering incessantly about random things, but I kept ignoring him. He seemed irritated.

 

OOC: Lenzo open for interaction. He needs something to do.

IC:

 

"Does it matter?" Rhow asked from behind Iraanus. "We'll all be dead soon enough if those Rahkshi out there decided to cross the bridge."

 

.

A low growl escaped Rhow's throat, the Skakdi equivalent of a 'hmm' as she glanced back over her shoulder and to the beach, where the legion was waiting for some unknown signal. She turned and looked at Kynera with a ponderous expression in her eyes, studying the Toa. It felt odd...after a lifetime of war, they were here, in this place and the roles were reversed. The savages had stepped in, to protect the people from their own supposed champions

 

"A chance to make up for this mess, I'd say."

 

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

 

"So, what do we do?" Kehua asked, though Rewera knew he already had figured out the obvious answer. "Nothing." she said simply. "There's too many of them for us to attack them. All we can do is wait...it shouldn't take long."

 

"The shadows are in turmoil." Kehua said, nodding in agreement. "The balance is shifting."

 

His sister could feel it as well. Something was happening with the darkness on the island. It had been ever-present, but now...it seemed to be moving, excited - or worried - for some reason. And the Rahkshi were merely another sign of it. Rewera ran a finger down past the side of her head. "But we could...make it a little less easy for them to get across."

 

Kehua nodded, then squatted down in front of the walkway connecting the village to the beach. His fingers closed like vices around the edge, then he leaned back and pulled. Of course, Rahkshi could fly. But like this, they would be forced to do just that, which would mean more chances to bring some of them down before they made it across. Wood scraped against wood as the massive Toa pulled the walkway further back, until he reached the other end of the platform. The Rhakshi had no way to cross on foot...and Ga-Wahi was completely cut off.

 

No matter.

IC: [The Seventh]

 

Within a frozen hut, isolated from the rest of the village days prior, the Seventh was curled up in a fetal position, eyes dull and lifeless as she stared at the now rotting fruit she had been making earlier with Wraith. Every so often, she would twitch her hand, as if to reach for the nearby knife, but would always pull it back, clenching her hand into a fist.

 

"Why did you leave me ...?"

IC:

 

As the Fortune pulled into Ga-Koro, Beynii looked at the mass of Rahkshi not far from the village, which was partly flooded from the recent conflict, and in a definite uproar.

 

"Trieze... I have a bad feeling about this."

IC: [Treize]

 

"Moi aussi," muttered the Ga-Matoran. "Why must we have such terrible luck?"

IC:

 

"Maybe because we're bad luck magnets?"

IC: [Treize]

 

"More like I am," replied Treize despondently. "Maybe we can try carry people onto the boat while ..."

 

She paused, eyes turning towards the village.

 

"Je ne comprends pas ... why does everything look so chaotic?!"

IC:

 

"Maybe it's because a group of malicious individuals pretended to be good guys, and subverted control of the village. However, their eventual actions led to their true nature being exposed, and this is the fallout of that," Beynii theorized, musing on the thought for a moment before laughing at the absurdity of the idea.

 

"In all seriousness, it was probably some criminal. Like another Mark Bearer or something."

IC: [Treize]

 

"That sounds stupid. But let's quickly head down to find out."

IC:

 

Beynii nodded. When the ship pulled into port, Beynii warily pushed the ramp so that it would connect the ship to the harbor.

IC: [Treize]

 

Treize quickly descended the ramp, looking around for anyone to provide her with answers. For some strange reason, the docks were rather empty, with very few people actually loitering around their ships. It was rather surprising actually, especially when Ga-koro was usually incredibly busy.

 

"Beynii, help me find answers."

OOC: Considering the nature of the last posts of Tyler, and the fact that they haven't posted in two weeks, I'll assume they moved away from the fight. If needed, I'll edit this in order to correct it later, just in case Tyler tries to prove me wrong.

 

IC(Mortis, Ga-koro docks): With the other members of the fight retreating, Mortis returned to the others, still keeping his barbed sword unsheathed and at the ready. It sounded like there were a few Rahkshi to take down. It didn't worry him. He had a vague recollection of facing Rahkshi sometime before in his life, though he just couldn't place the memory. What he did remember was that as long as the Skakdi stayed together, they could take down 2 or 3 sons of Makuta easily.

 

When he finally saw them, He stifled a gasp.

 

The Rahkshi were as numerous as savannah grass on a Po-koronian plain. They looked peaceful, but would cut as soon as you walked through them, lethally and subtly, like a papercut. They had formed ranks of all different shapes and colors, which suggested that every possible combination of powers were there. Not to mention the possibility of a Kaita or Nui fusion. The Rahkshi were formed in straight ranks, bordering the entire land-side of the koro from all sides. Escape would probably be impossible. Battle would be impossible to avoid. "We've stepped in it, haven't we?" Mortis mused.

 

-Elrond

IC:

 

"Answers, yay!" Beynii exclaimed, starting to trail behind Treize.

ICe: Treize"See anyone we can ask?"

IC:

 

"What about him?" Beynii asked, pointing at Mortes/Mortis.

IC: Iraanus shrugged at Rhow's comment. "Given the circumstances, I'd say it does. We'll need all the allies we can get if we want to have any hope of holding those things off, however impossible a task it might seem." He fingered his weapon's trigger. "And it'd be best to get rid of our enemies while we have the chance."

Suran:

The Marines Private stood still near the edge of town, staring at the Rahkshi horde with his arms folded. He observed as a powerful Toa pulled the town's bridge away from the land. As impressive as the feat was, he didn't know what it would accomplish. From what he had heard, Rahkshi could fly.

 

The Lesterin turned and walked quickly through the town, hand on the hilt of his sword, keeping his eyes out for any other Marines.

 

Things were grim, he knew. Even with two ships to defend them, the town would be overrun by Rahkshi in such numbers. He might be able to hold off a few that relied on physical contact... No, that wouldn't be good enough.

 

OOC: Suran open for interaction. New character, act like he's been here all along.

IC - Decaia - Ga-Koro:

 

Decaia could not begin to put into words how thankful he was to Kynaera. The breaking of the storm allowed him to finally push Greed away from himself, gave him a reprieve from pouring so much energy out of his body, gave him a moment to relax.

 

And then the wave hit, and that relaxation was broken. With his body weakened already from the loss of his mask, and the low amount of elemental energy left in his system, Decaia, like Greed and Kynaera, was helpless to the force of the ocean as it suddenly rose up, toppling and enveloping the remains of the lily pad they had been fighting on. The Toa of Water felt himself buffeted by the waves from all sides, unable to gain even a moment's concentration in which to use his remaining power to right himself. All he could do was hold his breath and let the wave carry him away.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, he felt the water crash back down to the ocean, clouding his vision with bubbles. Weakened and dizzied, Decaia barely managed to manipulate the water enough to give him a slight push to the surface. Before long, however, he broke the reflective surface, gasping for air and grasping frantically for the nearest lily pad. He did not relax until he had a firm grasp on the plant with both hand, allowing the Toa to pull himself up and onto it, where he lay for several moments to catch his breath, eyes closed in silent thanks to a higher spirit.

 

They shot open as a spine-chilling scream cut through the air. Shakily, the Toa rolled over, looking towards the shore. There, in perfect formation, stood dozens of lizard-like creatures, beasts that Decaia had never seen before. Even so, he had a feeling deep in his gut that he--and the rest of the village--was quite possibly in trouble.

 

"And I thought... Greed was the problem..." he muttered to himself, teeth chattering with every word. He groaned, pushing himself to his feet so as to get into a kneeling position, one hand placed on his throbbing head, the other on the ground for support. "No rest yet, Sloth... come on..."

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Decaia saw a distinct glint of light from the ocean beside him. He turned his head, mouth opening slightly in surprise. As if Mata Nui had recognized and was honoring his determination to continue fighting, Decaia's Mask of Sloth bubbled to the surface of the water, floating just out of the Toa's reach. Decaia smiled, holding a hand out and gently willing a current to form in the water, carrying the mask toward him. He scooped it up from the sea, shaking it to dry it off a little before placing it back on his face. Immediately, he felt some of his strength returning to him, enough to let him rise to his feet.

 

"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's get back to Ta and Nokth and then figure out how we can help out here, eh?" Weaponless, near-powerless, and with his soaked cloak still clinging to his body, Decaia moved, making his way back to where he had last seen his allies...

IC: [Treize]

 

Treize nodded. "Alright. Hey you! What happened?"

OOC: Disregard this post

OOC: Disregard this post.

Lenat- Ga-koro IC: The Vortixx did his best to follow the Matoran, jumping from building to building and hauling himself up when he missed the edge, but it seemed that his companion was better at that sort of thing then he was. He stopped right before the large building as Voutok climbed up the side and disappeared over the top. When the De-Matoran spoke, Lenat turned and peered across the village, looking for any sign of a Marine. There seemed to be a distinct lack of them at the moment though. "None in the streets, but I can see the HQ from here."

IC: VoutokThe De-Matoran took his eyes off of the group he was observing outside the gates when his hearing picked up on a much closer being: a Toa-sized being walking quickly through the streets bellow. Upon closer examination, Voutok identified him as a Marine."Better yet, I think I found a Marine down there" Voutok pointed toward the fast-walking being. "Maybe he can direct us to the rest of them." With that, the De-Matoran turned the dial of his headphones to "4" and cautiously stepped off the side of the building, drawing one of his bladed discs and using it to slow his decent by sticking it into the side of the seaweed-coated structure as he neared the ground-level, landing a few yards behind the figure."Hello?" he called to the blue-armored figure (the closer he got, the more Voutok seemed to doubt that the being was a Toa), "Are you with the Marines? I'm looking to help, but haven't exactly had any luck finding the right people or opportunities..."[OOC: There you go, Draezeth]

IC: Suran

"You would be hard-pressed to find somebody not needing help," said the Lesterin. He looked the De-Matoran up and down and nodded, "I am in the Marines. We seem to be scattered, but I will help you with that you require if it is within my power to do so."