06-22-2018, 01:04 PM
Kopaka obligingly stepped out of the somewhat comically isolated transportation booth into the sweltering steam of the Greens. Granted, the steam rapidly began to condense into tiny, dancing flurries as Kopaka tossed his heavy cloak to the side. The garb had been intended to keep his identity discreet while in the Syntech pavilion, but out here in the density of the jungle, he was once again able to let his elemental potency run rampant.
The Toa was, however, here for more than mere relaxation, however. After the somewhat pathetic trial of partnership with that mercenary urchin-girl, Dawn, the biomech had been considering other potential sources of assistance towards promoting his clout within the Omniverse. In terms of numbers and experience, Dawn had be the ideal partner. Professional. Clean. Obedient. After spending a few months in reflection, however, Kopaka had come to the conclusion that their inherent disconnect had been a matter of conviction. It wasn't enough to have a capable ally in the Omniverse; a good partnership necessitated mutual belief in a larger ideal. The question then arose...who could possibly match the Toa's zeal for blood, ice, and the duality of the mortal coil?
Some brief browsing of the Dataverse had given him the answer he required. Hecate Rothchild, known also as 'Dark Hecate', had been mentioned in great detail a few weeks ago on various forums and media. For all external appearances, she appeared to be every bit the obsessive psychopath that Kopaka had come to accept as his true nature. She seemed as reasonable a choice as any, and since the Prime known as Warren Zimmer had been so kind as to mention that she lived in the Tangled Green, the Toa made it his prerogative to pay her a visit.
It didn't take long to locate the woman's base of operations. Both through use of the Kanohi Akaku, and his own sensitivity to disruptions in the natural environment, finding an oversized gothic cathedral in the middle of a humid rainforest was trivial. Normally, being that the beast of his darkness was currently unbothered, Kopaka would have waited patiently for someone to answer his knocks at the gate. After waiting for the better part of half an hour, however, the Toa called upon the Miru and vaulted the towering walls in a single blast of blue vernier.
Cursory inspection indicated that the base had been abandoned for at least a few days. In rooms where the windows had been left open, a small layer of half-orange leaves littered the floors. Food had been left out to fester, and the basement...well...
...it appeared Hecate was Kopaka's sort of Prime, after all. Emboldened by the discovery of the murderess' charnel dungeon, the Toa made his way onto the gray-slate roof of the fortress, scanning the surrounding forest for signs of activity. At first, nothing but the sound of buzzing and birdsong greeted him, but at length, the Toa did spot a small column of scavenging raptors circling a distant point in the forest. While it was entirely possible that they were scenting the corpse of some half-eaten brush meat, it was at least some place to start.
Once again, Kopaka was not disappointed. It was a campsite, strewn with the flesh and offal of battle. While actual corpses had been removed, remaining bloodstains indicated a fierce battle of blade and spear. Judging by the state of the tents and their amenities, however, it was also apparent that this incident had taken place quite some time ago. Kopaka pieced the events he was aware of together.
A betrayal towards Zimmer.
An abandoned fortress.
A battlefield in the forest, long past.
Based on the information he had, bloodlust defined the Hecate woman...but that did not mean that she was infallible. Certainly, a small encampment of natives would appear to be an ideal target for a death-hungry Prime, but the Omniverse was a place where demigods constantly threaded the dangerous needle of agency and hubris. Captured, perhaps? Dead?
...No. Some of this blood belonged to a Prime. Kopaka could detect that much. If she were dead, Hecate's blood would have evaporated into its component Omnilium long before he'd arrived. The girl was still alive, but injured, and gone from her sanctum of gore. Captivity proved to be the most logical conclusion. The faculties of his senses could not actively track the biometrics of a Prime based only on biological residue, but, a keen eyed tracker like the Toa was very capable of following a blood trail through the forest. Using the incredible perceptory aids of the Akaku, the warrior of ice picked his way slowly through the underbrush.
Whoever had kidnapped the Prime girl had made no effort to disguise their passing. Twigs were trampled underfoot, smears of blood on drooping leaves, and even muddy bootprints all served as a map for Kopaka. In time, over the course of several, humid hours, the bionicle was lead to a small, nameless village near an equally small river. As he trudged out through the bush and into a clearing, several of the inhabitants pointed to him in awe and alarm. Their demographics appeared to be both elven and human, but all were equally pathetic in the eyes of Kopaka.
Villagers scattered into their thatched hovels as the Toa began to walk up the central street to a large keep in the center of town. Curses and whispers of vindictive hatred followed him, but he paid no mind. Insult was expected from those in a position of weakness. When the guards eventually surrounded him, halberds leveled at his chest, Kopaka was completely unsurprised. For being of partly elven influence, these shabby forest squatters had all the grace and poise of feculant apes.
"Your name, Prime! And your business in the village of–" on of the guardsmen said. He was dressed in a stitched leather hauberk, reeking with an entire day's sweat. A yellow sash stretched from shoulder to waist, and light ivory trousers hung about his legs. Kopaka spoke over him.
"Where is the Prime woman?" he said in a loud, stolid tone. The men sneered.
"We needn't tell you naught, now–" the vocal guardsman quipped again. Kopaka let out a long sigh of coiling mist.
"I desire no harm of thee, but harangue me further and I shall return thy village to the forest." the Toa commanded. Another round of harsh scoffs.
"Wots that? You think you c'n do us like that white-haired bint? You ain't the first Prime we'll 'ave put holes in–"
There was a sudden blast of air as Kopaka called upon the Kanohi Miru and jumped to the roof of a nearby hovel. The seven bare-footed picketers whipped around to face the Toa as he leered down at them from atop the sagging roof. Elemental fury was gathered into the tip of the Ice Sword, before being cast into the sky. A beam of white-blue potency shot up into the low-hanging clouds. A minute passed, and snow began to fall like a blanket. It whirled around the indignant Toa, coating and whipping around him like a cloak.
"So, she is here? Bound she may be, but this one is not. I demand my answer of thee, lest I pry it from thy softened head." Kopaka shouted above the gathering gale. The trembling secondaries had never known snow before. They barely even knew what cold was. Now this hulking metal man stood above them all, commanding the elements like a symphony, with evil light in his eyes. The contest was over.
"She...she's gone! We put her to the block this mornin', but some elven Prime wif a talkin' cat sprung her! We dunno were she be, we–"
And just like that, Kopaka was gone, vanishing from sight with a flash of sparks from his mask. The snow, however, remained, and the forest went silent for miles around.
After inspecting the aforementioned theatre of blood and death, Kopaka pursued Hecate's stained path back into the trees. There was a new trail to follow, and a new prize to be won...
The Toa was, however, here for more than mere relaxation, however. After the somewhat pathetic trial of partnership with that mercenary urchin-girl, Dawn, the biomech had been considering other potential sources of assistance towards promoting his clout within the Omniverse. In terms of numbers and experience, Dawn had be the ideal partner. Professional. Clean. Obedient. After spending a few months in reflection, however, Kopaka had come to the conclusion that their inherent disconnect had been a matter of conviction. It wasn't enough to have a capable ally in the Omniverse; a good partnership necessitated mutual belief in a larger ideal. The question then arose...who could possibly match the Toa's zeal for blood, ice, and the duality of the mortal coil?
Some brief browsing of the Dataverse had given him the answer he required. Hecate Rothchild, known also as 'Dark Hecate', had been mentioned in great detail a few weeks ago on various forums and media. For all external appearances, she appeared to be every bit the obsessive psychopath that Kopaka had come to accept as his true nature. She seemed as reasonable a choice as any, and since the Prime known as Warren Zimmer had been so kind as to mention that she lived in the Tangled Green, the Toa made it his prerogative to pay her a visit.
It didn't take long to locate the woman's base of operations. Both through use of the Kanohi Akaku, and his own sensitivity to disruptions in the natural environment, finding an oversized gothic cathedral in the middle of a humid rainforest was trivial. Normally, being that the beast of his darkness was currently unbothered, Kopaka would have waited patiently for someone to answer his knocks at the gate. After waiting for the better part of half an hour, however, the Toa called upon the Miru and vaulted the towering walls in a single blast of blue vernier.
Cursory inspection indicated that the base had been abandoned for at least a few days. In rooms where the windows had been left open, a small layer of half-orange leaves littered the floors. Food had been left out to fester, and the basement...well...
...it appeared Hecate was Kopaka's sort of Prime, after all. Emboldened by the discovery of the murderess' charnel dungeon, the Toa made his way onto the gray-slate roof of the fortress, scanning the surrounding forest for signs of activity. At first, nothing but the sound of buzzing and birdsong greeted him, but at length, the Toa did spot a small column of scavenging raptors circling a distant point in the forest. While it was entirely possible that they were scenting the corpse of some half-eaten brush meat, it was at least some place to start.
Once again, Kopaka was not disappointed. It was a campsite, strewn with the flesh and offal of battle. While actual corpses had been removed, remaining bloodstains indicated a fierce battle of blade and spear. Judging by the state of the tents and their amenities, however, it was also apparent that this incident had taken place quite some time ago. Kopaka pieced the events he was aware of together.
A betrayal towards Zimmer.
An abandoned fortress.
A battlefield in the forest, long past.
Based on the information he had, bloodlust defined the Hecate woman...but that did not mean that she was infallible. Certainly, a small encampment of natives would appear to be an ideal target for a death-hungry Prime, but the Omniverse was a place where demigods constantly threaded the dangerous needle of agency and hubris. Captured, perhaps? Dead?
...No. Some of this blood belonged to a Prime. Kopaka could detect that much. If she were dead, Hecate's blood would have evaporated into its component Omnilium long before he'd arrived. The girl was still alive, but injured, and gone from her sanctum of gore. Captivity proved to be the most logical conclusion. The faculties of his senses could not actively track the biometrics of a Prime based only on biological residue, but, a keen eyed tracker like the Toa was very capable of following a blood trail through the forest. Using the incredible perceptory aids of the Akaku, the warrior of ice picked his way slowly through the underbrush.
Whoever had kidnapped the Prime girl had made no effort to disguise their passing. Twigs were trampled underfoot, smears of blood on drooping leaves, and even muddy bootprints all served as a map for Kopaka. In time, over the course of several, humid hours, the bionicle was lead to a small, nameless village near an equally small river. As he trudged out through the bush and into a clearing, several of the inhabitants pointed to him in awe and alarm. Their demographics appeared to be both elven and human, but all were equally pathetic in the eyes of Kopaka.
Villagers scattered into their thatched hovels as the Toa began to walk up the central street to a large keep in the center of town. Curses and whispers of vindictive hatred followed him, but he paid no mind. Insult was expected from those in a position of weakness. When the guards eventually surrounded him, halberds leveled at his chest, Kopaka was completely unsurprised. For being of partly elven influence, these shabby forest squatters had all the grace and poise of feculant apes.
"Your name, Prime! And your business in the village of–" on of the guardsmen said. He was dressed in a stitched leather hauberk, reeking with an entire day's sweat. A yellow sash stretched from shoulder to waist, and light ivory trousers hung about his legs. Kopaka spoke over him.
"Where is the Prime woman?" he said in a loud, stolid tone. The men sneered.
"We needn't tell you naught, now–" the vocal guardsman quipped again. Kopaka let out a long sigh of coiling mist.
"I desire no harm of thee, but harangue me further and I shall return thy village to the forest." the Toa commanded. Another round of harsh scoffs.
"Wots that? You think you c'n do us like that white-haired bint? You ain't the first Prime we'll 'ave put holes in–"
There was a sudden blast of air as Kopaka called upon the Kanohi Miru and jumped to the roof of a nearby hovel. The seven bare-footed picketers whipped around to face the Toa as he leered down at them from atop the sagging roof. Elemental fury was gathered into the tip of the Ice Sword, before being cast into the sky. A beam of white-blue potency shot up into the low-hanging clouds. A minute passed, and snow began to fall like a blanket. It whirled around the indignant Toa, coating and whipping around him like a cloak.
"So, she is here? Bound she may be, but this one is not. I demand my answer of thee, lest I pry it from thy softened head." Kopaka shouted above the gathering gale. The trembling secondaries had never known snow before. They barely even knew what cold was. Now this hulking metal man stood above them all, commanding the elements like a symphony, with evil light in his eyes. The contest was over.
"She...she's gone! We put her to the block this mornin', but some elven Prime wif a talkin' cat sprung her! We dunno were she be, we–"
And just like that, Kopaka was gone, vanishing from sight with a flash of sparks from his mask. The snow, however, remained, and the forest went silent for miles around.
After inspecting the aforementioned theatre of blood and death, Kopaka pursued Hecate's stained path back into the trees. There was a new trail to follow, and a new prize to be won...
C O L D