02-09-2016, 05:30 AM
Kopaka reflexively looked out to the rolling waters of the ocean as Teucer's voice came drifting over the winds. The Toa found it odd, suspicious really, that the spirit was able to somehow predict such catastrophes from his prison. The likelihood that Teucer was himself the warlock in disguise was lent another point of evidence, but that didn't change the fact that the tides of the ocean had indeed begun to swell. It was subtle, but watching the frothing waves it was clear that they had become more violent; more voluminous. Gali would have likely thrown a fit to see such a perversion of her particular element taking place, but for the Toa of Ice, all it meant was a change of course.
Originally, Kopaka had intended to travel along the coastline for a longer time before turning towards the mountains, but now it was apparent that said plan was not going to work. Slowly and calmly, Kopaka turned towards the jungle behind him and adjusted the sack of food on his back. Travelling the same direction that the augmented human had fled presented a very real possibility of encountering the wounded man again. The biomech would have to be extra diligent as he tromped into the thick underbrush.
The thick, misty air of the jungle was a pleasant reprieve from the sterile air of Coruscant. Hanging plants, colorful flowers and small pools of water all seemed to glow with their own special verdant radiance. Kopaka did, of course, miss the clean and pure slopes of a snowy mountain, but any pervasive suffusion of nature helped the Toa feel more at ease. That being said, after traveling a safe distance from the coastline, an indicator presented itself in Kopaka's HUD. The gently pulsing symbol indicated that his systems required an injection of energy to maintain themselves. Kopaka needed to eat.
The Toa looked around for options. Any of the plants that choked the surrounding landscape could serve as a perfectly adequate boost to his internal reserves, but what Kopaka needed was a high energy source of nourishment. Something that moved. The Toa could, of course, just reach into his improvised haversack, but Kopaka felt it prudent to save those provisions for his travels through the barren mountains.
Had his Kanohi Akaku been functional, searching through the mud and tree trunks for hiding rahi would have been trivial, but there was no point in dwelling on impossibilities. As the biomech trudged deeper into the jungle, he kept both his audio receptors open for potential meals. Opportunity presented itself when Kopaka came to a small clearing where a small, pudgy bird of some kind was pecking in the dirt for insects. It became aware of the Toa staring at it from several feet away, and elicited a few worried clucks.
These clucks became frenzied squawks as Kopaka switched his mask from the Akaku to Miru. With a flash of cerulean verniers, the Toa surged high into the air, keeping his keen eyes pinned on the hapless fowl. The guinea hen made a waddling beeline for the bushes, but a moment later Kopaka landed on top of the feathered prey. There was a distinct crackling of snapping miniature bones as the hen was pinned under the Toa's cold, protosteel foot, but the prey was not yet dead. Removing his foot from the body of the bird rahi, Kopaka watched as it writhed and twitched in place on the ground, trying to coordinate its broken wings and lets into some semblance of mobility. The Toa had always maintained a grim fascination with the throes of death. The Toa Code so very rarely permitted him to kill anything; when the opportunity presented itself, he preferred to relish it. What thoughts were racing through the bird rahi's fear addled mind? Could it feel the full extent of its pain? Did it even hold a concept of death?
It was pathetic, and Kopaka would be lying if he were to say that he didn't elicit some dark form of satisfaction in watching the morbid display. After some time of staring at the bird thrashing, the guinea hen stopped its tumultuous heaving and simply stated up at Kopaka with a single, shimmering black eye. Its breathing accelerated noticeably as the Toa bent down and scooped the bird from the dirt, staring directly into those inky windows. With a simple squeeze, Kopaka shattered the bird's throat, causing it to instantly go limp.
Now that there was no longer a spectacle, Kopaka removed his mask with a pop-hiss and gently lowered it to the ground, keeping a firm grip on the bird. Without further hesitation, the biomech began pulling the hen's body apart, thick sloughs of blood trickling into the mud below. The Toa shoved the gory chunks of rahi directly into his oral cavity, feathers and all, where it was rapidly broken down by a series of metallic radulae and grinders. Cooking was not really something the Toa held a concept of, and seeing as how he didn't have taste-buds, it would have been redundant anyway.
A few minutes later, the only thing that remained of the hen were a few stray flecks of down, floating on the subtle breeze like motes of the hen's spirit. The Toa proceeded to shave frozen blood and gore from his metallic hands and face before replacing his Kanohi. After a few moments, the consumption indicator blinked out of existence, and the Toa continued deeper into the jungle, his mechanical joints whirring steadily, creating a staccato rhythm of grim determination.
There was no sense in becoming complacent; this was all just the beginning...
Originally, Kopaka had intended to travel along the coastline for a longer time before turning towards the mountains, but now it was apparent that said plan was not going to work. Slowly and calmly, Kopaka turned towards the jungle behind him and adjusted the sack of food on his back. Travelling the same direction that the augmented human had fled presented a very real possibility of encountering the wounded man again. The biomech would have to be extra diligent as he tromped into the thick underbrush.
The thick, misty air of the jungle was a pleasant reprieve from the sterile air of Coruscant. Hanging plants, colorful flowers and small pools of water all seemed to glow with their own special verdant radiance. Kopaka did, of course, miss the clean and pure slopes of a snowy mountain, but any pervasive suffusion of nature helped the Toa feel more at ease. That being said, after traveling a safe distance from the coastline, an indicator presented itself in Kopaka's HUD. The gently pulsing symbol indicated that his systems required an injection of energy to maintain themselves. Kopaka needed to eat.
The Toa looked around for options. Any of the plants that choked the surrounding landscape could serve as a perfectly adequate boost to his internal reserves, but what Kopaka needed was a high energy source of nourishment. Something that moved. The Toa could, of course, just reach into his improvised haversack, but Kopaka felt it prudent to save those provisions for his travels through the barren mountains.
Had his Kanohi Akaku been functional, searching through the mud and tree trunks for hiding rahi would have been trivial, but there was no point in dwelling on impossibilities. As the biomech trudged deeper into the jungle, he kept both his audio receptors open for potential meals. Opportunity presented itself when Kopaka came to a small clearing where a small, pudgy bird of some kind was pecking in the dirt for insects. It became aware of the Toa staring at it from several feet away, and elicited a few worried clucks.
These clucks became frenzied squawks as Kopaka switched his mask from the Akaku to Miru. With a flash of cerulean verniers, the Toa surged high into the air, keeping his keen eyes pinned on the hapless fowl. The guinea hen made a waddling beeline for the bushes, but a moment later Kopaka landed on top of the feathered prey. There was a distinct crackling of snapping miniature bones as the hen was pinned under the Toa's cold, protosteel foot, but the prey was not yet dead. Removing his foot from the body of the bird rahi, Kopaka watched as it writhed and twitched in place on the ground, trying to coordinate its broken wings and lets into some semblance of mobility. The Toa had always maintained a grim fascination with the throes of death. The Toa Code so very rarely permitted him to kill anything; when the opportunity presented itself, he preferred to relish it. What thoughts were racing through the bird rahi's fear addled mind? Could it feel the full extent of its pain? Did it even hold a concept of death?
It was pathetic, and Kopaka would be lying if he were to say that he didn't elicit some dark form of satisfaction in watching the morbid display. After some time of staring at the bird thrashing, the guinea hen stopped its tumultuous heaving and simply stated up at Kopaka with a single, shimmering black eye. Its breathing accelerated noticeably as the Toa bent down and scooped the bird from the dirt, staring directly into those inky windows. With a simple squeeze, Kopaka shattered the bird's throat, causing it to instantly go limp.
Now that there was no longer a spectacle, Kopaka removed his mask with a pop-hiss and gently lowered it to the ground, keeping a firm grip on the bird. Without further hesitation, the biomech began pulling the hen's body apart, thick sloughs of blood trickling into the mud below. The Toa shoved the gory chunks of rahi directly into his oral cavity, feathers and all, where it was rapidly broken down by a series of metallic radulae and grinders. Cooking was not really something the Toa held a concept of, and seeing as how he didn't have taste-buds, it would have been redundant anyway.
A few minutes later, the only thing that remained of the hen were a few stray flecks of down, floating on the subtle breeze like motes of the hen's spirit. The Toa proceeded to shave frozen blood and gore from his metallic hands and face before replacing his Kanohi. After a few moments, the consumption indicator blinked out of existence, and the Toa continued deeper into the jungle, his mechanical joints whirring steadily, creating a staccato rhythm of grim determination.
There was no sense in becoming complacent; this was all just the beginning...
C O L D