Corpus Rahkshi

IC: Draco

"Quite a few. Enough to destroy a nearby Matoran village." I say, remembering our field day with Gorast. That was quite a while ago. I think to myself, smiling slightly at the nostalgic memory. "That said though, not every single Rahkshi here is training to be a warrior. There are some who would prefer to stay within the realms of the arts or something other than fighting. I'm not sure why we are allowed this freedom, but I guess it's because this place is still an experiment."

IC:

"Welp. RIP Matoran, I guess."

Her tone was pleasantly light, clearly joking... and while, to many of the Universe's other inhabitants, that kind of 'humour' would probably be regarded as grim, Rahkshi had never been famous for having good taste. In fact, as far as Blizzard was concerned, her words had been pretty tasteful compared to some of the jokes she might have made instead.

Besides. It was pretty much a given that Matoran village + eager Rahkshi couldn't equal anything else, right?

"Huh."

The gold-armoured girl scratched her chin thoughtfully as Draco explained the deal here. Makuta Antroz had told her very little, but had made it sound more like this was the kind of place for training her breed of Rahkshi into elites. What use other skills could be to that process, Blizzard hadn't a clue; but then again, her worldly experience wasn't wide. Perhaps there was more to it than she thought. Maybe a Rahkshi with an appreciation of... she didn't know, poetry, for example... might make a better soldier in the long run. Who knew?

"I'm mostly here for the warrior bit; if I've got these powers, I want to make the most of them. But I'll probably dabble in the other things too."

It couldn't hurt, right?

IC: Draco

"Admittedly, that's probably the best path to go down. With Icarax as the Headmaster now, he respects raw strength and fighting prowess above all else. That said, there are definitely a lot of other Rahks here you could get involved with. Musicians, poets, cooks, you name it."

OOC: Sorry if the wording of this is a little bit awkward, but this is my very first RP post. Here goes:

IC: Explota

No blowing stuff up today, Explota.

The brown Rahkshi looked around. He was somewhat lost in the halls of Corpus Rahkshi. Thoughts kept invading his mind, thoughts of using his powers to make a small explosion, in hopes of getting attention. He had to suppress them. He couldn't.

BOOM!

Oops. What have I done? Explota hoped that he had not scared away those who might help him in his first day here.

OOC: Explota is in a hallway somewhere, and is open for interaction.

IC: Blizzard

"Well... huh."

Rahkshi cooks. That was a mental image that Blizzard hadn't known she needed, and the female-identifying Rahk covered her faceplate with one hand to stifle a snort of amusement. It wasn't really at anyone's expense - she hadn't even met one of these cooking Rahkshi, and Blizzard wasn't going to judge on that fact alone - but just... cookery. it was so outside of anyone's expectation for one of their kind that... how could she not laugh? Just picturing an armoured form, much like her own, hunched over doing delicate kitchen work was simply too entertaining.

And as for herself?

Blizzard wasn't sure. She'd try her clawed hand at anything once, but she couldn't claim great enthusiasm for throwing herself into any of the creative pastimes. Still, she was fully prepared to surprise herself.

"So what's the deal with specific classes? Are they organised... or do we just teach ourselves whatever we feel like learning?"

She couldn't really imagine any of the Makuta taking the time out of their day to teach Rahkshi anything that was really non-essential, so Blizzard's widgets were on the latter. Still, as the newbie here, she figured there was no harm in asking the question; she'd rather ask, even if it made her look a little silly, than end up looking far more dumb later on because she'd assumed something that turned out to be wrong. Scratching beneath her chin for a moment as she awaited Draco's response, the weather control Rahk's attention was drawn by a muffled explosion from further down the hallways.

One armoured eyebrow quirked upwards as she swung her head in the direction of the sound.

"Just your average day at school, huh?"

(OOC: I figured she and Draco are probably near enough to Explota to have heard him... if you want him to join in their conversation here, Laval, then you're welcome to ^^)

IC: Explota

The Panrahk turned his head toward the new voice.

"Oh! Hey, I'm sorry about the explosion. I just create them sometimes. It's something that I can't really help. Do you mind if I hang out with you guys?"

OOC: Explota doesn't know Blizzard or Draco yet, so maybe they should introduce themselves. I'm sure Explota would like to join the conversation.

IC: Danger-Gym

Danger Smiled, Than he lifted his sword and charged Carraig, shouting at the top of his lungs.

IC: Draco

I simply sigh. Just your average day indeed. "Yes, I do mind. Do you have some sort of condition where you just have to make things explode? Not exactly something I would consider safe." I say, not bothering to hide my annoyance. Seriously. Why is it that for every normal Rahk, there's one just around the corner ready to commit arson or murder?

IC: Carraig

I frown a little. Not exactly the best strategy... I'm tempted to just end this quickly with a powerful thrust, but that would probably be too mean. I might as well take this opportunity to work on something... I lift up my sword, but instead of turning it over, I grab the blade, activating my power in my hands for safe measure. When the blade comes down, I lift my weapon horizontally, blocking it. I then rotate my sword, flinging Danger's sword arm to the side, and shove at him with the flat of my blade.

IC: Explota

"Perhaps if you were to give me a chance, I could actually avoid explosions like that," Explota retorted. "It isn't as much of a problem when I'm actually calm. The risk of accidentally blowing something up worstens when I feel an intense emotion."

OOC: Explota did not mean that as a threat. He just feels offended.

Revenge and Danger-Gym

The shove hit Danger Square on. He stumbled backwards and almost fell over. 

"Think it through!" Revenge called out. "Don't rush in blindly."

Danger nodded and adjusted his grip on his sword, he lunged forward again, this time trying to stab Carraig in the gut.

IC: Explota

"Okay, okay, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I know I'm overreacting," Explota apologized.

IC: Blizzard

So, there was a fellow Rahkshi attached to those explosions. Blizzard could hardly claim surprise; not only was there presumably not anyone else, except for the Makuta-in-charge, within several bio, but she had heard at least a little of the spontaneous explosions that some Panrahks were prone to cause. So, while her brows rose higher still as the scarred - presumably battle-worn - Rahkshi made his presence known, not even the slightest fraction of surprise registered on her armoured face. For a moment, she had opened her mouth to say something; Draco swiftly beat her to the punch on that count, however.

She also didn't bat an eye at his harsh response. Not all Rahks were going to get along with each other, that was something Blizzard had known practically from the outset - her fellows back in the Xia region, the ones who weren't of this advanced breed, certainly didn't get along much with her - so again, she simply took it in her stride. All the same, she had no such hostility of her own for the newcomer, and raised a hand in greeting in spite of Draco's sharp tone... and despite the other's equally sharp retort.

"First-day nerves for you too, huh?"

He hadn't said as much, but she was hazarding a guess... both because of the fact Draco didn't know him, and because of Explota's implication that something had him riled.

"Draco here's an old hand, but I'm newbie #1 around here. I guess that makes you newbie #2."

OOC: Sorry for the delay! I lost track of time... forgot this had been waiting on me almost a whole week ^^;

IC: Explota

"Yeah, I'm just lost. I sort of need time to learn my way around here. Do you think you and Draco could help me? Also, I never got your name."

OOC: About the delay, I was starting to worry that I would never be answered. It's fine now, though.

IC: Draco

For a moment, I was tempted to continue on with my harsh words, but then stopped. He's still young. Probably meant no harm. Besides, if he does try to attack me, I'm more than capable of taking him down. I sigh, shake my head, and say, "Sure. Come along if you want. We're touring the school. And..." I pause for a moment, and take a deep breath, before continuing, "I apologize for being so harsh in my words. You can never be too careful here, though."

Bah. Even though I wasn't wrong about my treatment, I couldn't just snap at every Rahkshi I met. I had a duty, not just to Icarax and the Brotherhood, but to my brothers and sisters. I couldn't just be a brute with a short temper anymore; I had a reputation to uphold, and I needed the student body to not just fear me, but respect me as well.

IC: Carraig

With the blade of my sword still in hand, I stand my ground and wait. When the blade was in range, I thrusted the handle of my sword upwards, so that Danger's sword would be right next to the handle, before the guard redirected the thrust. I then throw a quick punch at Danger's torso.

IC: Explota

"I'd be happy to come with you! Are there any interesting spots you would like to show me?"

IC: Exxan - Somewhere in the Hallways

After waiting in anticipation for what felt like months, no one came forth to answer my knock. Evidently, Suvak wasn't in his office. Or perhaps wasn't even at the school anymore. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen him or Tridax since Icarax's arrival. There were a lot of people I hadn't seen since then...  

Deciding not to dwell on the possible implications of that line of thought, I turned away from the door, and started back towards the library. This was a sign, I decided, a vindication of my belief that I was better off keeping to myself. This whole situation had been a waste of my time. If Dormirahk was wrong, then there was nothing to worry about, and there really was a serial killer on the loose, I had no desire to draw their ire.

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IC: Xara - Elsewhere in the Hallways

Having finished my meal in the refectory, I left that room behind, and - for reasons I couldn't quite identify, be it old instincts or morbid curiosity - I found myself gravitating back towards the gym. 

I had few fond memories of my time at Corpus Rahkshi, but the gym had been home to my most cherished moments. I was curious to see what had become of the place in my absence.

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IC: Illusive - Lost in the Gym Maze

I used to feel at home, at peace, in the serenity of silence. So much time spent in close proximity to my sibling had helped me acclimate to to the quiet, to find comfort in it.

Now, however, the silence around me held nothing but dread and darkness. I heard noises in the distance, occasionally, hushed whispers and the clash of weapons, as the remaining teams continued to navigate the maze, and combat each other. And in the midst of it all, I walked alone, fearing that I would be found, and hoping that I wouldn't be.

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IC: Sliver - Gym, SZRR vs Baby Wrigglers

Growing tired of waiting for an opponent to notice and challenge me, I took a step into the building, drew back on my bow, and loosed a broadhead at the enemy target that posed the most immediate threat to me: the other team's archer (Aza). 

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IC: Vyper - Gym, Team 4 vs Team 2

An assassin wasn't supposed to have a conscience. No remorse, no pity, no feelings of any kind.

But what I felt right now, watching my teammates fight to protect me, was guilt. Percy's one-sided struggle with the Vorahk was particularly painful to witness. He'd seemed like a good kid. Inexperienced and naïve, to be sure, but his heart was in the right place.

I couldn't just sit by and do nothing while he was savaged by a vampire. I straightened to my feet, leaned out over the rooftop, and flung one of my daggers down towards the Vorahk (Vlad).

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IC: Whisper - Plotting in the Refectory

"Hey?" I waved my hand in front of Thud's face, which seemed more vacant than usual, "Did you hear me?"

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OOC: Jeez, it's been forever since I posted. BZPGOT and Real Life have been sucking up a lot more time and motivation than I realised. I'm going to try to get back into posting consistently again, which should be a little easier now that BZPGOT is winding down.

Exxan, Xara, Illusive, and Sliver are all open for interaction, though characters are of course welcome to interact with the others as well, if they happen to be in the vicinity of where those character's current interaction are taking place.

IC: Blizzard

"Didn't I just say? It's Newbie #1, pleased to meet you."

She managed to keep a straight face for all of ten seconds, before quickly shaking her head. As much as her sense of humour amused her - though maybe the others not so much - the gold-armoured Rahk was still discovering how to put it to best use; and she didn't want to get stuck with such a dumb nickname simply for the sake of a joke. The opportunity had seemed a good one, but now that she'd voiced it, it seemed to have fallen a bit flat.

Some thoughts, probably, were better kept to herself in the future.

"No, no, it's not. It's Blizzard."

Still, her tone was light and easy. She hadn't meant any harm, after all; and she anticipated her fellow Rahks to simply ignore her not-so-great attempt.

"I wouldn't don't look to me for help; I literally got here ten minutes ago, too. But we can be clueless newbies together, right?"

If she was at all fazed by her supposed 'clueless newbie' status, Blizzard didn't give any impression of it. She already seemed at home in this place, as if knowing next-to-nothing about her surroundings didn't trouble her in the slightest; and as she fell into step behind the two male Rahkshi, her stride spoke, as ever, of that quiet confidence of hers.

She tilted her head again, though, in the Panrahk's direction.

"But I don't think I got your name, either?"

IC: Explota

"I'm Explota. It's a pleasure to meet you, Blizzard." The brown Rahkshi held out his hand, as if offering to shake.

GM IC Suvak:

Exxan would be brought out of his thoughts by the telltale clanking and whirrs of the very being he'd gone to see. Suvak hadn't been in his office but it seemed he was headed back to it from wherever he'd been. Judging by the scowl on his face, it hadn't been a pleasant somewhere.

GM IC Hand:

The gathered bunch from the village returned to the others, Reach looking none too pleased as he looked over Fang, Shield, and the others. "Well, it seems we found a friend of yours."

Fletch finished working on Shield, and gave him a pat on the back to let him know he'd finished, "You're all done, take it easy for a bit on that, don't want to tear it open again."

IC: Exxan - Hallway.

"Uh, hello there Suvak." I paused, realising this was one of very few familiar faces I'd encountered since returning to the school, "I'm not dead, obviously, and I was hoping to talk to you about something." 

GM IC Suvak:

"Of course you aren't dead why would you even bother to.....?"

The drill master barely bothered to look at the rahkshi speaking, but it was a good thing he did, and it took him by surprise. His eyes flicked over Exxan's body, taking in the scars he'd remembered, and a few that were new. It was possible but highly unlikely that someone had gone to such lengths to impersonate the widely considered dead student. 

"I....see." There was a dull whirr as some part of his cybernetics adjusted, and he regained his composure once more, "Right you had a question, I've a few of my own, so come in and we'll get to both."

He led Exxan into his office and sat heavily at his desk.

IC: Exxan - Suvak's Office.

"Thanks," he followed the drillmaster inside, and sat down on the other side of the desk. "You can go first."

GM IC Suvak:

"Right well let's start with the easy one I suppose. How in Karzahni did you survive on Visorak?"


 

Danger-Gym

Carraig made an expert block, then punched Danger in the gut. Danger grunted, drew his sword back, and made a swing at Carraig's torso.

IC: Exxan - Suvak's Office.

"Simply put, I got lucky. I collapsed the tunnel, with me and the Visorak still in it, managed to avoid being crushed to death, and after I dug my way out I came back here. Didn't really have anywhere else to go."

GM IC Suvak:

The Skakdi's brows furrowed, "Lucky, huh.... well, I suppose it doesn't matter. More importantly, why are you here?"

IC: Explota- Hallways

"Also, could we stop by the library on our tour? I heard the school has one, and I would like to see it."

IC: Exxan - Suvak's Office.

"A student named Dormirahk spoke to me in the library earlier. He's got it into his head that there's some kind of serial killer loose in the school, and tried to persuade me to help take them down." It sounded even more stupid when I said it out loud, "Now, personally, I'm not sure that I believe any of what he said, and I'm sure as karz not going to go painting a target on my back if there really is a murderer stalking the halls, but on the off chance that he's right, I thought it would be helpful to do what he hadn't, and actually inform a member of staff."

GM IC Surak:

Surak frowned, thinking over the students, "Dormirahk... Rahkshi of Sleep, if I remember correctly. Quite on the literal side, always dozing off." The Skakdi mulled it over. "A serial killer? I take it from your tone he didn't provide any substantial leads or evidence... I'd advise you keep an eye out, and I'll do the same in the meantime. That said, you misunderstand me, Exxan. Why are you back here at Corpus? By all accounts, you were written off as dead, and someone of your mental fortitude couldn't have missed that fact once you'd gotten away. You could have gone anywhere. So why are you here?"

IC: Exxan - Suvak's Office.

"I'm a sapient, intelligent rahkshi. It's not like I can just integrate into Matoran society. I don't belong anywhere. This accursed school is the only place where I come even close to being able to fit in."

IC: Draco

"We're going to be covering the entire school, so yes, we'll swing by the library. For now though, we're heading to the Refectory, as I need to check on something before we continue on." I say, waiting on the two to finish their greetings.

IC: Carraig

I spin my claymore so I'm holding it once again in the traditional way, then catch the swinging blade with the guard of my own sword. Bracing against the impact, I then slide my sword across Danger's own, and force the pommel of my sword violently so as to hit my opponent in the chest with it.

Ic: Revenge and Danger-Gym

Danger grunted and stumbled backwards again.

"You're still going to easy on him," Revenge shouted. "Keep pushing, don't retreat."

Danger gave his brother a confused look. "I don't see why this is so..."

"Stay focused," Revenge interjected, "you need to learn how to fight in order to survive."

Danger sighed, gritted his teeth, and charged again, swinging his sword rapidly back and forth.

Ic: Booger-Gym

Booger sighed and began to grope around absentmindedly for his club. A bolt of fear struck him, and he stood up, looking desperately for his weapon.

IC: Blizzard

The gesture was an unfamiliar one to her, as Explota held out his hand. So far in life, Blizzard's only interactions had been with her fellow 'old breed' Rahkshi, her Makuta, and the Xian rebels her squad had been assigned to exterminate; and none of them had ever simply extended a hand to her in this manner. The gold-armoured Rahk tilted her head for a moment, quizzical; then, folding her own hand into a fist, she bumped it lightly against Explota's knuckles. That was something she'd seen a couple of the Xian defenders do together, before she had run them down, and it seemed the closest approximation she knew to what her fellow newbie might be after.

That done, she turned, again, to Draco as he laid out a rough plan for the tour. A library, too? She marvelled slightly.

The Makuta who got this place built sure had thought of everything... even the most unlikely things for a species whose main reputation was for being engines of destruction. This 'experiment' certainly seemed to be no-expenses-spared, and that fact alone was enough to convince Blizzard that she wanted to take full advantage of all that was on offer. And who knew? She'd not had reason to read much before, but maybe she'd find something interesting, when they reached that point in the tour. If the girl Rahk had one goal here, it was to try a bit of everything, no matter how out-of-the-ordinary it might seem.

She gave a nod of acknowledgement, the pendant around her neck swinging a little with the motion.

"In that case, lead on!"

IC: Draco

"Follow me then."  I say, turning to head to our original destination of the Refectory. Given how we had already walked a fair distance before picking up Explota, it didn't take long for us to reach. As we walk in, I look around. There were a couple of Rahkshi socializing, but other than that, it was relatively quiet. And clean, I thought to myself. Guess he finished. "Here we are: The refectory." I say to the two fresh Rahks. "The food here isn't the greatest, but it'll be nourishing enough to keep you going. Speaking of which... If you two want to get something to eat, now would be the time."

IC: Carraig

I block the first couple of hits, but a few strikes get through. Thankfully, my armor deflects most of that that got through, though one strike did dent my armor on my upper-arm. Growling a little in pain, I activate my powers, and wait for the next strike. When it comes, I reach out to grab the swinging blade, allowing my arm to move back slightly so all of that force didn't just stop painfully. I then attempt to pull the blade, and by extension, Danger, towards me, while aiming a headbutt at my opponent's own head. This might hurt...

IC: Explota- With Blizzard and Draco in the Refectory

"I suppose. What even is served here, anyway?" asked Explota.

IC: Revenge and Danger-Gym

Carraig's expert move caught Danger off guard, If he was watching Carraig might have seen a look of terror on Danger's face as he realised what was about to happen. Moments later Danger was sitting on the floor rubbing his head.

"Come on," Revenge shouted. "Keep going, get up!"

"Do I have to?" Danger Moaned. "That Realy Hurt."

Danger began to help his brother off the floor. Danger was still rubbing his head. "If you want to survive around here," Revenge said, "You need to learn how to defend yourself.

IC: Draco

"The only thing served here is the gruel. Again, not exactly the best, but it's better than nothing."

IC: Carraig

"True, he does need to learn to defend himself." I say, rubbing my own head, though still standing. "That doesn't mean you can beat it into him in just one training session though. If I had to wager, I'd say even the best warriors here struggled with even holding a sword at first. But they learned, not because they sparred once or twice, but they trained for a period of time. These types of things take time to develop. Plus, I don't think continuing on would be healthy."

IC: Explota- Refectory, Talking with Blizzard and Draco

"Doesn't sound to appetizing, but I'll try it anyway. I am rather hungry."

IC: Revenge and Danger-Gym

Revenge sighed, "I suppose you're right, Thanks." Then, to Danger, "Let's get you to the infirmary, just in case."

As they walked away Danger turned and gave Carraig a friendly wave.

IC: Booger-Gym

Booger was in hysterics, missing his only reliable source of companionship he began to pound on the outside of the walls of the Assignment arena shouting, "Give me my stick! I want Crusty back!"

IC: Blizzard

"Gruel. I guess none of the Rahkshi cooks you mentioned ever made it as far as the school kitchens, huh?"

She couldn't claim to be vastly surprised; even with all the different kinds of classes here, they were still essentially being trained up to become war machines, and war machines were supposed to be able to function on even the worst possible food. Still, anticipating it didn't mean she was enthusiastic to learn just how bad the slop they served here was able to be... but, as long as they were stopping here, anyway? She might as well find out now as later.

Besides, she was a growing kraata and was at that point in life where appetite had very few limits; if there was the option to put food in front of her, she'd eat, whether she actually felt hungry or not.

"Yeah, I could eat. If we need to get used to the stuff, might as well start now."

She paused for a moment, considering Draco. "What about your thing you needed to check on here? That all under control?"