BZPRPG: Onu-Wahi

IC(Kaerhi):

"Painfully true."

I don't think this Toa can take a hint.

IC:

"Kinda like right now..."

Now, Velan permitted herself to smile.

IC(Kaerhi):

Kaerhi nearly jumped off the rock. "EXACTLY! You get it!"

IC:

"You're really easy to aggravate."

IC(Skakdi):

"I'm a Skakdi. It's natural."

IC:

"That, and you're a male. Males have temper issues."

IC(Kaerhi):

"Females are emotional. Males are angry. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

IC:

"But what if there was a female without emotion? You'd have a problem then."

IC(Kaerhi):

"I wouldn't have a problem. Those weak Toa would have a problem. Maybe even some Vortixx."

IC:

"Without emotion, one wouldn't have the constraints of feelings."

She took the time to recline back on the rock, keeping a close eye on the Skakdi, but making it look as if she was staring up at the sky.

"One could be just logic. Cold, Hard, Logic. Merciless. Unforgiving. Lethal. Taking actions that would only create a favorable outcome for the individual."

"It would be like reaching Nirvana."

IC(Kaerhi): Kaerhi studied her. He couldn't place her. She didn't wear her personality out there like he wanted her to. To read it like a book.

"I would prefer to rid myself of the weaker emotions. Fear, Sadness, Hate.....That would be perfect."

IC:

"Then the other emotions would become the weaker emotions."

IC(Kaerhi):

"You could be right. Or you could be very wrong. Shame we can't test it."

IC:

"What if I already have?"

IC(Kaerhi):

Kaerhi narrowed his eyes and looked at her. "What does that mean?"

IC:

"I said I tried it."

IC(Kaerhi):

"You....got rid of your emotions...?"

IC:"Understood."Tarnok said quietly, expression unchanging, but behind his eyes... A new emotion appeared, as hidden as he could make it. But it was there. He nodded, pivoting sharply on one foot, and moving towards the door. The secretary felt quite sad as she watched him go, though the exact reason wouldn't occur to her until later.

She was watching the departure of the last remaining member of Seventh Squadron.

IC: Leli

"We have to go see her," Leli said determinedly, jogging slightly to catch up with Tarnok's admittedly longer strides. "I don't care what some doctor says-"

Immediately, the green-armored Matoran stopped. Her eye flicked across the Onu-Matoran's face, and the expression there was all she needed to see. She remained silent until they had walked out the door and were out of earshot over everyone else. Gently, but with a little pressure to make the Ussalry member stop, she placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him slightly until she could slip into a hug.

It was all Leli did, all she could think to do, so she tried to make it count.

IC:

Truth be told, Tarnok barely noticed.

The Onu-Matoran stopped, but it was a sluggish response, as if his body was running on autopilot. The lights were on, but nobody was home. He barely noticed as he was embraced, barely noticed that Leli was trying to take his mind off of it, comfort him, if only a little. He didn't notice anything.

If you ever went to the instructors of the Ussalry, the high ranking officers, Tarnok's own squadmates, the first word they would use to describe him would be "driven". And if you asked them for the second, they would say "cold". He was never known for being a particularly compassionate man, he was never the officer that you had a drink with after working hours. He was passionate, but he was not empathetic. He took the most efficient path possible, always working towards his goal. While not the friendliest guard, he was always the one to offer to fill in for someone else's watch, and was eternally patrolling after hours. No one knew what his home life was like, or his social life. He didn't mention it, and they never thought to ask.

Even after being assigned to Seventh, none of that changed. He was always quiet, and when he spoke, he made sure that his words counted. His opinions, though rarely offered, were always well thought out, and showed a surprising philosophical depth. His squadmates hadn't quite trusted him at first; who worked as hard as he did, without wanting to gain something out of it? He had to be looking for a promotion, or a raise, or some other benefit. But as time went by, they accepted him. The Onu-Matoran was as dependable as the rock they stood on, and never wavered from the path laid out before him. He followed orders without hesitation, and had been known to take on opponents he had little chance of beating, simply because it was his duty. Seldom was thought given to his own safety. If his mission demanded that he take a risk, he took it. If his duty demanded that he take a risk, he took it with nary a complaint.

Seventh wasn't just his squad, and his teammates weren't just his allies. The squad was his purpose, and his allies the closest thing to family he had. Even if he was the forgettable one, even if he wasn't the one that people sought out for any reason, he belonged. He had a place in the world, and he had allies to help him accomplish his purpose. In his own way, he had been fond of them all.

Rubigo, the best engineer they had. They once had a conversation about the inner workings of the Great Mine. Rubigo probably forgot about it almost instantly, but that one memory was always what Tarnok associated with him. Because it was probably the only time they talked one on one, on a subject that didn't immediately pertain to their work. Kol, the deputy commander. He was one of the regulars. No matter who joined or left the squad, Uskey was always there, working to keep things in line, and to handle the hobs the commander didn't have time for. And in his last moments, he had been a hero. A real hero. Not someone who did a few good deeds and got the public's attention, not someone who was in the right place at the right time, but a real hero.

Gavarm was the team's spirit. He was the fighting will, the nonchalantly stubborn glue that held them all together. Probably the only one of the group that could ever hope to match Tarnok in a knife fight, he had been there from the beginning, and he would probably be there til the end.

Uyism. The Iroiit hadn't been on the squad long, in fact, she had only joined a few weeks back. But she'd made her way into the core of the group effortlessly, a perfect addition to the lineup. She was direct, to the point, and a tenacious fighter. In fact, he probably owed her the most. When he'd been lost, she'd given him the kick he needed to get back on track. She'd been nearby constantly for weeks, always ready to help, always ready to act. And the one time she had needed Tarnok to be there, he wasn't.

And Sulov Koskium. Commander of Seventh Squadron, the one man that could effectively tell higher ranking officers where they could shove their career tendencies and get away with it. Because he was that good. He had been an incredibly competent leader, and Tarnok dared say that he was the best. An effective fighter, a strategist, and solid as a rock. Dependable. He always knew what needed to be done, and he didn't dare shy away from it. He had gone to Pala-Koro knowing it would cost him his home, his career, everything he had come to love, and he did it anyway. Because that was the sort of man he was.

Tarnok doubted that he ever caught his attention, and he didn't need to. But he was the Ussalmatoran's role model. He was the picture of what a hero should be, and Tarnok prayed that one day he might have the dignity that he did. The last real interaction he ever had with him was Tarnok's fault, too. He'd been looking for him, and been pinned. Sulov had taken the loss of his hand in stride, but the memory of what Tarnok had needed to do to save him stuck with him like an old ghost. And now, he was gone.

One by one, member by member, Seventh had been whittled away to nothing. Kol was dead. Rubigo hadn't been seen for months. Gavarm had been spending most of his time at headquarters lately, working on Mata Nui-knows-what. Sulov had been exiled. And Uyism... Uyism had fallen in the line of duty, and it was hard to say if she would recover.

And through it all, Tarnok had tried to carry on. He had carried on through the loss of Kol, he had carried on through Sulov's exile, he kept moving after Whenua's assassination, and he did his best to stick to the path he had taken. He needed to be a hero. Not for himself, not for his pride, but because that was what Onu-Koro needed. When they needed a hero, he did his best to step into those shoes. But somewhere along the way, had he lost track of who he was?

Who was the miner, the one that emerged from the Great Mine that day, battered and bloody, all those years ago? Who was the Matoran that joined the Ussalry, to protect his village? Who was it that had fought alongside Seventh so many times?

Did he even recognize himself anymore?

He had always hoped to be a hero. Not for the fame, not for the recognition, not even for the village. He had hoped to be a hero so that one day, when he had passed, and it came his time to be judged, he could look Kol Uskey in the face. So that he could look Helios in the face. So that he could look Sulov Koskium in the eye, and honestly say, that he had done the very best he could for his village.

In the eyes of the people, he had succeeded. He had become a hero, he had become someone they all knew on sight, someone they looked up to. But he felt like he had failed. He hadn't become a hero, he'd become a failure. He had cost his teammates life and limb, he had failed to save Whenua, and he had failed to stop a single rogue Marine. He wasn't a hero, he was a failure. If he was a hero, he wouldn't hace failed, he would have succeeded.

This village needs its Sulovs. It needs its Kols, it needs its Uyisms, it needs its Whenuas. It even needs its Arkoms. It needs heroes to believe in, even if they don't believe in themselves. Because all of them have one thing in common; there was nothing they wouldn't give for their village. They did not do what they did for glory or gain, they did it because they were what was needed.

This village needs people like them. And maybe, one day, I'll be half the man they are. Maybe one day I can look them in the eye, and tell them that I did my best. But I'll never stand among them. And I don't deserve to.

This village needs them. But they have me. I'm nowhere near as great a fighter, as great a leader, as great a man as each one of them is or was. I'm half the hero they need.

He didn't move, instead staring almost sightlessly over Leli's shoulder, toward the ground. Already, he was working to rein in his emotions, to bring himself back under control.

Tarnok the driven, Tarnok the cold, Tarnok the hero. That was who people saw him as, who people believed him to be. And sometimes, they were right. He was cold, at least in their eyes. He would never admit it, not even to himself, but he was the most passionate of them all. He drew his strength from the bonds that sustained him, from the allies around him, from his team. And without them, he was diminished. Weakened. He was cold because he cared too much. He was cold because that was who he had to become, in order to fulfill his duty. Tarnok the cold.

But the truth was that with every bond severed, with every teammate lost, with every villager killed because he wasn't quite fast enough, another little part of him died. Another little part of an already battered soul chipped away. But he bottled it up, as he always had. He bottled it up because that wasn't what Onu-Koro needed.

This village needs heroes like them. But they're stuck with me. Stuck with Tarnok. I'm not smarter than them. I'm not stronger, I'm not braver, I'm not better, I can't match them, I can't be them.

So I'll have to do what I can. They're worth twenty of me. So I'll just have to work hard enough for each of them.

IC: VeritasVeritas headed in the tunnel wih a lightstone held in front of him, and a small map he got of the tunnels, in case he got lost. After what seemed like a few hours, he reached it, a small entrance. Interesting place, I'm surprised I never been here. he thought, baffled. Veritas went further in, and after talking with one of the head miners he began working, striking the sides.

IC: Whorok

Whorok had followed Tarnok out from the Ussalry's office where he'd been waiting to speak with him, but he remained in the back when the other Matoran gave him a hug. Tarnok's sluggish return was very familiar to Whorok. It was the type of behavior exhibited by a tired miner, someone so tired off all the endless toiling and digging and rahi ambushes and cave-ins that they just couldn't go on.

"The last thing we need now is for him to give up" Whorok thought.

Whorok was not the brightest lightstone in the cave, but he felt pretty sure that he knew the people of Onu-Koro, he could only hope Tarnok did as well.

IC:

"I must say, it has worked...

Mostly."

IC: Zaruthan Let's face it: No matter what, speaking is always my strong suit. I swear if I were to lose my memory completely or be reduced to a decapitated head in a jar, I will never shut up. Thus, it was hardly difficult to pressure two of our Mystix brethren into meeting with us. They weren't exactly the best or the brightest, but I used to have them under my command back in the old days as Air Commander. That was when Mystix weren't cowering in caves like an endangered species and having petty quarrels with each other. Actually, that last part was a lie. I was the king of petty quarrels. But alas, I digress. After finalising what I was going to say, I stood up on a rock and looked over the room. It was one of the smaller caves coming off of the main Mystix-occupied cavern. The doorway was covered by a boulder, so with any luck, Zarnarax wouldn't notice. "Settle down, settle down," I said, gesturing for them to deplete the volume of their talking, as if I was standing before a crowd of dozens, like when I was in charge of the Phantoms. For some reason, having less power felt almost... Better, in a way. But then again, I was a changed man now. "Just tell us why you've dragged us in here, Zar," said one, Divum, who was a relentless prick under all circumstances. I simply gave him a condescending look and then went about speaking. "As you know, I have gathered you hear for a purpose. You three were never fans of Ignotus in his time, and don't try to deny it. But here his brother comes, telling tales of how he is going to make things better for us. How he is going to play it cool, and bring Mystix back to the grand species we once were-" "Is this just another grab at leadership, Zar?" Tonitrium moaned. I tended to have a little more respect for him, even if he did always interrupt me. "I can assure you, once this is over, I will leave you forever. Leadership isn't on my agenda any more. Nothing is, really. Except to make sure I am remembered as better than the stain on the world I have been until tonight." I half expected them to scoff at my words and make remarks about how I could never not be a stain, but there must have been something in the way I said it, a little spark that jarred them and made them understand. It's hard to explain. "So what will you have us do? Charge in and pummel Zarnarax until he can take no more?" Tonit questioned after a long pause. "Essentially, yes." Aru cut in, getting to her feet and climbing on the rock, I stepped down and allowed her to take the spotlight. "Us three will do just that. But Zaruthan, on the other hand, with his... Duller colour scheme, will sneak round behind our target and force him into submission, perhaps kill him if necessary." It won't be, I told myself. I was feeling incredibly optimistic about this, and with good reason. The few other Mystix who lived in this network of caves were asleep, and there was no way any of those present would or could have stabbed me in the back. It was the perfect plan. "All we need to do now," I said aloud, taking back the attention of the two of them. "Is to lure Zarnarax out of his hole and bring his reign to an end." "But who will lead us when he is gone? And what if we fail?" Divum barked. "We won't fail. And I think your next leader stands before you now," I announced, a confident grin on my face as my eyes came to rest on Aru. Just then, there was a rumbling from behind me. My heart dropped like a rock as I whirled around to see the boulder covering our tracks beginning to crack and shudder. I gestured for the others to ready themselves for battle and position themselves around the door. Before anyone had gotten into position, however, the boulder exploded, sending all of us to the floor. The doorway was covered by a cloud of dust, and three pairs of clawed feet stepped through. I could feel my remaining colour drain away as I realised who the lead set belonged to. Zarnarax had heard everything. One of the Mystix accompanying him dropped to the ground with a sickening crunch. The source of his sudden demise was Divum, who was beginning to push himself off of the ground to fight back. Before his powers could even get a grip on a second victim, however, a diamond-cut spike of ice shot into his face, obliterating his features and sending him to the ground. The ice shattered and was absorbed back into Zarnarax to reveal a huge hole straight through his head. To be honest, I was a little surprised to see that Divum's skull had anything in it, but it still sickened me to see such a waste of life. Which is odd, as my old self probably would have burst out laughing at suck a death. "I should have known you'd try to kill me Zaruthan." Zarnarax said, his pompous disregard that he had just killed a fellow member of his own species made me fell ill. "Of course I had my suspicions, but of course your destiny has always been to target whoever's in charge. But now, I am targeting you instead, and your little crowd of chums." I staggered to my feet and stood so close to him that our faces were almost touching. If anyone didn't know better, they'd think I was about to kiss him. "Don't even bother. This doesn't change anything. I'm still going to bring you down. Aru, if you would show our good emperor the door?" At this, Zarnarax smiled, and it took just under half a second to realise what was about to happen, and it took about half a second for it to actually occur. A jet of water struck me in the back like a solid object, sending me careering forth. Zarnarax sidestepped surprisingly quickly, sending me into the main cavern. "Thank you, Aru, for showing our good traitor the door. Now, Zar, if you would kindly die, that would be most appropriate." I could barely breathe, and not just because I was drenched in water. "Aru..." I murmured weakly, gazing, sightless, at the trio standing above me. Zarnarax beamed at Aru, who looked like a small child being told off for doing something naughty. Surely she hadn't betrayed me? She was aiming for him, right? Before I could accept the truth, a sudden flash of lightning a huge crackle of electricity sent the three of them flat on their faces in front of me. Tonitrium stood behind them, the spears on his arms smoking, and a wild grin on his face. "Enough talk," he growled. I nodded, even as Aru came up to her knees. Almost instinctively, I leapt to one foot and struck her hard in the neck with the other. She dropped to the ground, unconscious, with a small splash from the little puddle. It made me feel a little better, but I didn't have time to enjoy my accomplishment as Zarnarax tackled me to the ground and I began to feel very, very cold. I attempted to combat the chill with my own power over heat, but he continued to make it colder and colder and colder and it was all I could do to keep the temperature balanced at something survivable, which was enough for me to began puching him repeatedly in the face with both fists until he let go. After standing back up and regaining my footing, I saw that Tonitrium was taking on the other Mystix that had been accompanying the Emperor, who appeared to be a Mystix of stone. This renewed my drive to fight on, and so I did, as Zarnarax began to attack once again. ... Hours had passed. In the world above, I wouldn't be surprised if the sun was beginning to cast its light again. It had felt like days. Still, we fought, harder then ever, exerting everything we had to bring the opponent to an end. He was aiming to kill. I was aiming to wound or maim. Despite this, you could hardly say I was holding back, and he definitely wasn't. Both of us had numerous scars, cuts and bruises, burns and numb spots. I wasn't sure how much longer I could go on. I had to end it. I had told myself that killing wouldn't be necessary, that with such a plan as ours, he would have no choice but to give in. But that was a simpler time. A million years ago, when Aru loved me and I was going to die from natural causes and all of us were going to go home in one piece and the plan was so indomitable. That time had passed. "It's time for actions, not words." Perhaps my old cocky self did have some wisdom after all, if extremely misguided. I conjured twin balls of plasma in both hands, and charged forth, rapidly heating the air around him, enveloping him in unbearable heat, even as the balls shot forth, followed by two constant rays. He ducked beneath the balls and sidestepped between the rays, receiving rather painful looking burns and scorch marks on his chest and back, which he appeared to ignore. I had no time to react as a blade of ice sliced through my chin and up the side of my face, blinding me in one eye. The blade immediately came back down and slashed across my exposed chest. I fell to my knee with a cry, which was met with a spear of ice stabbing straight through my shoulder and into the ground, nailing me there. Zarnarax stood on my back, and slowly brought the spear out, which tore the hole even larger. I groaned, my heated, glowing blood seeping from both my wounds and my mouth, burning the ground and my enemy's toes. Although I couldn't see it, his face assumed a look of utter disgust as he rose the spear into the air again. "You really shouldn't exist, Zaruthan. The universe wanted you out, and you came back in. Now, I'm fixing the stain you are on the world. DIE, AT LONG LAST!" With that, a sharp, cold pain shot through my chest and then my entire body as he brought the spear down, twisted it, and tore it back out again. Darkness began to creep in from the corners of the world, until the entire world was pitch black. There was no depth, no width, no length, no time, nothing. The only existence whatsoever was me, and a small cylinder of light around my now-kneeling form. I could barely keep such a simple stance as that, with the extreme pain that I felt so constantly. And I was growing colder. Ever colder. So, so cold. Yet, only one question came to mind and escaped my lips. "Is this death?" I fell back onto my back, and stared up at the nothing before me. This was it. This was my silence, my death. My end. "But you've come so far," hissed a voice to my right. Or was it my left? It seemed to come from all around me, wrapping me in some strange form of comfort. I knew the voice well. It was my own. From before I had died the first time. "You can't turn back. The world needs you now. I was supposed to die, but you must live." I sensed someone else's agreement. "You mustn't die, Zaruthan," Aclaraung, the only other who came close to having any faith in my ambitions. Another. "You can't die. How can I go on while we are parted?" Aru. She did love me... Did she? Was this just a sick hallucination brought on by my rapidly approaching end? Suddenly, Ignotus. The single being I hated the most. Of course he would be here. "No, my dear Zar, you must die. Die, Zaruthan. Die, Zaruthan! DIE!" "NO!" Ignotus' face came into view, as if he was turning around in surprise. His eyes were widened, his mouth hanging open. It would be comical if I weren't so enraged. I could feel myself letting off great wads of plasma from my skin, my body not enough to contain my fury. "I DIED ONCE, AND I SHALL NEVER DIE AGAIN!" I reached out and grabbed Ignotus by the throat, shaking him, heating him beyond imagination, he closed his eyes and tried to pry my claws loose of his neck, but it was no use. My grip was like iron bands around him. "NEVER DIE! NEVER DIE! NEVER!" I roared, repeating those words again and again with no thought for anything else. Slowly, the world began to be restored, light spreading out from the two of us, as if my actions were restoring it. Soon, the entire cavern was back around me, my blood and my wounds were back, but I didn't feel their pain. I was too focused on strangling the evil out of my former overlord. The organic components on his body began to roast and decay, his armour started to melt, and before me, his face started to become a lifeless, burning skull. His eyelids were blown apart by a sudden burst of extreme heat from within him, and smoke began to escape from his mouth and nostrils. Still, I kept on, chanting my mantra, feeling as if no force in the world could stop my anger. At last, I poured the remaining dregs of my elemental energy into him, causing a bright flash of light, blasting his torso open and sending me stumbling back. His mutilated corpse lay, steaming, before me. It was then that I noticed the colour of his armour. It wasn't Ignotus at all. It was Zarnarax. I had done what I told myself wouldn't be necessary. It was over. Around me lay the scattered bodies of the other Mystix, including the stone one and Tonitrium. Apparently either I had killed them in my anger, or they had killed each other. Either way, they were gone. Aru was the only other living being present, and she too lay still in the puddle from earlier. A deathly silence pounded in my ears. I was alone. It was over. OOC: ...AND SCENE

OOC: Aaaand...Returning character who has done nothing in months!

IC:

"Very good, Zar," the one Mystix left conscious would hear, as a third living being, much larger, slithered into the room, unable to take advantage of his full height in this space. Whatever light left in the room shone off of his golden-red scales, as he looked at the scene of battle before him.

"Very good. And Aru as well," he growled, nodding to the water Mystix. "Removing Zarnarax...I would imagine you didn't wish for his death, but he and his brother were stains on our world. So, I still congratulate you. Now..." With a single thought, Zarnarax's body burst into flames, quickly being rendered nothing but ash and armour.

"They can all be buried later, or cremated...Right now, however, I have an offer for you two, and the other Mystix. As the new leaders of the species, I would imagine you and Aru, once she is awake, would like to hear it?"

IC: Zaruthan

I wasn't sure what to think when they just walked in after all that. How long had they been there? Had they been waiting for me to almost die and end the fight so they could come and clean up the mess? I must say I was a little disturbed.

"I- I dunno. New leader of the species? That doesn't sound like my kind of role," I bit my lip as I realised how ironic my words were. "Okay, never thought I'd say that. But I suppose I'll hear it," I sighed. "After all, I'll be waiting for her to wake up as well."

IC(Kaerhi):

"Mostly?"

IC-Aclaraung:

"Well, it turns out that a few hundred thousand years ago, I became a father," the dragon-esque creature said. "Now they've made an existence for themselves, with a nice pocket hidden out in Ko-Wahi, directly descended from me. I've come to offer you asylum, to get you farther from the Matoran. I think it's time we all lie low a while, and my family would like to help with that."

IC: Zaruthan

I couldn't help but smile. To think I was going to run away and live as a hermit. The thought of a new life, away from civilisation, away from all the darkness and suffering I had experienced my whole life. And perhaps... Happiness. A world full of happiness that I had never known. I looked up at Aclaraung and nodded.

"Thank you. I would like that," I told him. "I would like that very much. I think Aru would too, but I have one or two personal matters to attend to with her when she awakes."

IC:

"Somethings take time. Freeing oneself of emotion is no easy task. Why do you think I was in Ko-Wahi?"

IC(Kaerhi):

"I didn't. I didn't care."

IC:

"Then you'll continue not to care, and wont know the answer."

IC(Kaerhi): I hate females. "Okay, I'll bite. Why were you in Ko-Koro?"

IC:

"The Wall. Ko-Korian knowledge. Possibly one of the most valuable things on this island."

IC(Kaerhi):

"And did the rock talk to you?"

IC:

"No. It what was on the rock was important."

IC(Kaerhi):

"And what was on the wall?"

IC:

"How to focus a being's mind so that they no longer require emotion."

IC(Kaerhi): "So you did this, blocked your emotion. Fine, fun. Now why are you going back?"

IC:

"Because, now that I've told you, it wont be long before other people come looking for the secret. And I've decided that others shouldn't have access to it."