[h3][center][i]Heading for a Shortcut[/i][/center][/h3]

Christopher had no plans to take the roads on the trek to Kyora. With the Wanderer having left well ahead of them, he knew that there was no way they could catch up with the man on the road; chasing directly after someone who could keep up with a horse easily on foot was a waste of time. So, rather than taking the roads, he would take his group straight through the fields and hills, beyond into the forests, before they finally emerged at Kyora itself.

That was his original plan, anyway. Drosil's suggestion of a "shortcut" appealed to him even more, but it did little to change up his initial plan. Instead, it just gave them a specific point to head for, rather than just the city of Kyora itself. By Christopher's guess, considering their group, it would take them two days to reach the shortcut, with the time lost easily being cut off from an otherwise three or four day journey. With plenty of supplies in mind, the group departed the Capitol, Christopher only leaving a message behind for the King as an afterthought.

The first day of their journey was entirely uneventful, there being not much to see besides those fields and rolling hills that they passed through. They rested for the night under clear skies, and woke up to the same... except for one spot, where one particularly dark cloud had gathered, straight ahead in their path. Christopher, ever the wise one, had just a couple words to say:

[b]"Well, shit."[/b]

Having already dedicated themselves to their current course, the group went straight on. For awhile, the cloud remained as it was, not seeming to get any bigger (or closer, for that matter), and it certainly didn't seem to be drifting in any direction with the wind either. However, that cloud would be the source of all their problems, and their delays.

As they approached the forest line, that black cloud suddenly billowed outward, and the sky became overcast. It happened so quickly that Christopher barely had any time to swear before it went dark over ahead, and whatever that first syllable he uttered was lost beneath the sudden roar of thunder as lightning tore into existence all around them. The strikes blasted all around them, almost seeming to fence them in on either side; with no cover behind them in the form of the field they had just left, Christopher chose to keep something tall nearby to draw away the strikes. He chose the forest.

The storm was blinding, the deluge so heavy that it was almost like they were swimming rather than running. Dry ground suddenly became mud beneath them, and even with the water all around fires suddenly erupted as wood was struck by electricity, heat billowing only to sputter out beneath the wind and rain. Faster Christopher pushed himself, but despite the increase of pace it still wasn't fast enough. The strikes seemed to pick up in pace, and though the idea of a lightning bolt being strong or weak was ridiculous in his mind, the newer ones seemed to be stronger. Looking for something, anything, they soon came across a boulder that, having been shattered from the ground long ago, had been worn down from the side (perhaps by the weather, animals, or something else entirely) to create a sort of natural outcropping. It was the best sheller that they could use, barely big enough for the group all together...

But nearby, something already sat right on the outside of the edge protected by the rock. Simply sitting there in the rain, it was not a person; it was simply a suit of armor, black and white, with long tattered cloth hanging here and there and its face open to reveal that there was nothing within. Even while sitting there, it was clear that it was taller than any of them (though if Shadar had been the one out, it would have been just under his height).

With it was a large greatsword, the point within the ground and the top resting against its torso and shoulder.

Despite how it gave Christopher's stomach a paranoid twist, he realized they didn't have a choice.

[b]"Fuck it, here we go- get under, get a fire going if you can!"[/b] They huddled together beneath that rock, even as the rain continued to pelt down around them. They, unfortunately, did not have the resources for a fire-

But nature suddenly provided as a strike of lightning suddenly crashed down into the armor. It did not so much as twitch as the electricity crackled over it, before the energy suddenly jumped to the nearest tree, lighting it aflame; Christopher, without even the slightest bit of hesitation, left the shelter to rip off the lowest burning bough to bring back to the group.

Now if the travel party had happened at any other point Alice would have pointed out how traveling off the given route was a bad idea but she didn’t feel up to mentioning that-or just about anything else. As more and more members joined this group Alice kept to herself and kept her guns close. 

Almost immediately after setting out there was something like a stone in her stomach. It caused her to be constantly looking over her shoulder and her head swinging on a swivel. Something whispered in the back of her mind that she was being paranoid and she believed it until the point Christopher had to open his mouth. She couldn’t blame him for speaking everyone’s thoughts on the weather on the horizon though. 

The more and more they traveled the heavier that stone in Alice’s stomach got until it was suddenly dark and the storm was upon them; thunder ripping through the air causing Alice to cover her ears with her hands and close her eyes. Despite working with guns Alice was not one for loud noises and this sent her into an adrenaline rush. She forced herself to open her eyes and follow after Christopher towards the forest- struggling to keep her footing as the ground was turning to mud faster than she could take her steps.

The flames around them are what did it for Alice. She was seeing double for fractions of seconds on and off. First of the world around her and second in a long repressed memory of building burning and muffled screaming. Her foot caught on something as she fell forward. It took her a second to realize she was in a less than palatable position before she pushed herself off of the ground and focused on the person ahead of her’s back. [b]”GO GO, PLEASE JUST GO! DON’T FUCKING STOP!”[/b] It was unlikely anyone could hear her over the sound of the storm above.

Her ears were ringing from the sight of the odd armor atop the boulder- or perhaps it was from the thunder- but she followed regardless. She was under the overhang-stumbling slightly due to the mud caked onto her boots and legs- and made it a goal to get as far under it as possible. Alice pushed her back to the wall with heavy panting and wide eyes before slumping down. Her pack and weaponry was already heavy enough but the addition of water and mud made it feel so much heavier and she could feel it screaming in her adrenaline filled muscles. 

Her hands were shaking as she struggled to shuck off her pack for the fire starter in there when the lightning strike hit the armor. She could feel the lingering shocks of the strike as she touched the metal case on her back-taking the more than static filled shock in her left arm. The sniper dropped the case and her weapons atop one another before turning and seeing Chris racing towards the flaming tree. [b]”GET BACK HERE YOU FUCKING LIGHTNING ROD!”[/b] Her heart was in her throat at the sight as she prayed a strike wouldn’t hit him directly.

When he made it under the overhang she felt her mouth get ahead of her, [b]“What are you doing you idiot?! Why did you run back out there!? You could have died!”[/b] She kept a few steps from him as he did have a flaming branch in his hand.

[b]”Could have, but didn’t.”[/b] His answer was simple, even as he brought the branch closer. They didn’t have much to make a fire with, but he was intent on doing what he could; he wasn’t going to start this trip only to freeze to death out in the middle of nowhere. And so, using what little stock of wood and tinder they had collected in advance of the storm, he was able to get a small fire going. It was better than nothing.

Alice clenched her jaw tightly closed as she surveyed over everyone else before going to work and aiding in building something of a fire while the storm kept up outside. [b]”Well at least we have fresh water.” [/b] She tried to calmly say as she put her water holder just outside the outcropping to catch the rain before turning back and digging through her soaked bag for the dried food she’d stashed away. She offered it to those around her, [b]”Want any? It’s bland but it’s something.”[/b] before returning to her position as far back as she could manage in the outcropping.

Three people half his age and only one veteran among them, that one with a damned limp. Nasir was silent for almost the entire trek. He had almost nothing to say to these pups and old tools. They did seem sharp enough though. They never complained or wanted to run back once the march had began, that was good at least. The strange feeling of being followed did seem to penetrate all of them though. A few times before the weather had turned, Nasir had considered extending his Cohesion to them, but, thought better of it. He would keep what he could do to himself until it really became needed. The last thing he wanted was these green-landers able to hear his thoughts and he wanted nothing to do with their likely weak minds. 

His age did start to really show itself once the march drew on and the weather started to turn against them. If weather was what it was at all. Nasir could feel the malicious presence with them. This was no normal storm. His knees and feet ached as they moved through the quagmire of the woods. He hated this place. At least if they ended up in a terrible storm in the desert the ground was either hard enough to where it changed little or the sand would just let the water sink down. This was terrible. Muck and mud with every step. The Commander was astonished he did not lose his boots during the worst of the run. During that maelstrom they were blinded by dark and flashes of light in equal measure. He even found himself with the young woman in their party clinging to his robes and screaming something at him. He was not afraid, but, there was ample reason to hurry and seek shelter. Nasir had seen what happened to people when they were caught out in terrible storms and this was something even more powerful than the average natural horror. 

The shelter they found was about as impressive as the land in general. A hollow in a rock to hide from the storm like rats. Not only was it insulting for someone of his station, but, it looked like a trap. No. With the strange suit of armor near them, it was almost certainly a trap. Then again, the young man who seemed to have been their leader did not seem like the type to avoid traps. A fool in mind and spirit it would seem. This idea was only solidified when the man ran out into the storm with those guantlets on his hands and grabbed a flaming branch and returned. Nasir was about to give the boy a talking to when the woman who had grabbed him early started in first. Good. She might be scared of storms but at least she had some sense. 

Dark eyes peered at Christopher over his soaked veil. Nasir then spoke, "Who trained you? You disrespect your teachers and you have forgotten the face of your father." The Commander reached his left hand up and pulled down his veil, exposing his equally soaked beard. "You travel with two people with magical talent would could make a fire with ease and instead of asking or thinking you ran off into danger." maybe they were all green-landers, but, Nasir could not stand for unprofessional behavior in his companions. He wanted to reach out and slap the child in the face. However, he was not his Commander nor his teacher. He would slap him with his words instead. As the other settled down, Nasir stepped closer to the young man, eyes hard and serious. "If you had been injured, one of would have to go out and get you, perhaps getting injured ourselves. Are you stupid or just so poorly trained that you do not understand how to work in a team?" the accented hisses of Nasir's voice was audible over the storm just barely. He was not going to raise his voice to this child. He needed a lesson, not an argument. 

The Commander reached back and grabbed his water skin and brought the top his mouth, taking a long drink, eyes still locked on Christopher. They would be traveling far yet and Nasir knew this little storm would be only the beginning of their problems. He needed all of them to start acting like the soldiers they were supposed to be. Combat was planning and execution. Brash actions would only take them so far, and all too often, it would only take you into an early grave.

Cold, gray eyes fell on the Commander as he moved towards Christopher, and a soft groan escaped from between bitten lips as the older man began to (justifiably) chide the brash lad. Joy had been quite content with shivering miserably against the wall of their shoddy shelter—it wasn’t the worst place she had rested in, that was for sure—and keeping an ever watchful eye on the bizarre suit of armor while they waited out the storm. Now those wonderful plans were ruined, and all because the H’kelan didn’t know what kind of shitstorm he was stirring up. The woman was cold, wet, her body hurt, and now she was about to have a headache unless she intervened. She put a gloved hand on the ground and slowly pushed herself up, grimacing at the sound of her joints popping. Joy made a mental note to never let anyone follow a shortcut ever again as she stepped over to the two men.

And then she stopped. The boy’s problem was that he didn’t understand the basics of consequences, a hard lesson to learn when one was practically unkillable. The Paladin had failed to teach him such, and it would do nobody any good if she coddled him too. So she waited, placing one hand on her hip as the other wiped mud from her pant leg. Maybe Christopher had actually listened back at the castle and had taken the lesson about not getting provoked to heart. She fully doubted it, of course, but perhaps the boy would surprise her.

Christopher's gaze went to Nasir, and it was filled with just as much venom as the Commander held towards him. Even with the bough held down to properly start the fire, he began to speak. [b]"Hi, nice to meet you too, my name is Christopher. Since you obviously don't know, I happen to be Divineborn, so if I had been hit by a lightning strike you could have left my ass out there and I would have woken up eventually. I have no idea who my father is, if I have one, so I guess you're right when it comes to that? I have no idea how the fuck that was supposed to be anything but a garbage insult, though. I'm aware that magic is available, but I also happen to know that it requires resources and might not be as easy at the moment as you make it out to be, just from what I've heard through the grapevine. And that's where my teacher comes into this, I guess- the fact that I am, oh, I don't know, the only person who could take a lightning strike to the face, I went and did what I could. I don't give a damn that it could have been done easier, especially since, unless fucking Alice or Vesta are the Divinesdamned Grand Wizard now, you exactly haven't been forthcoming with what you can do. Who the fuck are you, again?"[/b]

Joy cocked an eyebrow. Had the boy even taken a chance to breath? Still, she was rather surprised that he had actually attempted an explanation instead of just swearing up a storm as was the usual case. A bit long-winded, perhaps, and certainly not very eloquent, but it could've been much worse. Her shoulders relaxed. It wasn't exactly what she had hoped for, but she was glad she hadn't interjected. Who knows, maybe Christopher was actually lea—

Suddenly, Christopher tossed the branch up, using his newly freed hand to snap his fingers, before he caught the wood once again and held it back down. [b]"Wait, that's right. I don't give a damn, and I don't care that you're following along. That means I don't give two shits whether or not you leave. So unless you've got something I actually care about hearing, old man, shut the fuck up and do something rather than just berating me."[/b]

—Never mind. Joy hung her head, her fingers gripping the bridge of her nose as her head rocked back and forth in disapproval. She didn't know the Commander very well, or at all, but she was certain that he didn't seem like the kind of man that turned the other cheek. He had the same vibe about him that the Direwolf did, a vibe that she wouldn't be surprised to find out that she also radiated. It was that air of someone that had been worn down throughout the years by countless trials, yet instead of crumbling into dust they just grow tougher and harder. It was smart not to piss off people like that; assholes always seemed to live longer. She stepped forward, wondering how she had become the designated peacekeeper.

"Christopher, need I remind you what happened last time you angered an [i]old [/i]man?" she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "And this one happens to serve as a representative for his Queen of a country where, for once, we might actually have a lasting peace with. I rather you not sour the relations between our two lands because he happened to call a spade a spade."

"Even if he was a prick about it," she said, folding her and turning her glare to Nasir. "Commander, may I remind you that we are no longer in H'kela nor are we H'kelan soldiers, so I will not be okay with you talking to any of us as if we are [i]idiots[/i]. Feel free to share your opinions, but remember that they are just that. However, as the kid's new teacher, let me offer my apology. Christopher had a very religious upbringing," she said, turning her head back to the boy, "so he had no chance to learn any common sense." 

"Now, I don't know about the rest of you," she said, heading back to her spot on the ground, "but I am very excited to sit here in quiet contemplation while listening to the rain, and I will ask nicely that there be no more interruptions."   

[b]"Yeah, yeah."[/b] The explosion having passed, Christopher's voice seemed almost... muted, in a sense. In stark contrast it was in that moment the fire suddenly flared upwards, having finally caught properly, and the young man stepped back with the branch. Briefly, he smacked it against the ground a few times to weaken the kindling flame, before stomping it out fully; and then he suddenly flung it back out, into the rain and away from the party. [b]"The difference this time is I don't care enough to throw a punch right now. If I'm all it takes to sour shit, though, then things weren't going to last in the first place."[/b]

Down he went then, settling down next to the fire, stretching his hand out towards it. For him, it seemed like the moment had passed entirely; there was no tension in his shoulders, and he didn't even look towards Vesta or the Commander. He just seemed... tired, as he stared into the fire.

As the Christopher shouted at Nasir and Vesta chastised him, Drosil was busy near the back of the cave atop of Sir Mauls, muttering to himself as he gestured faintly in the air in front of him. The language that flowed forth from him was soft as a gentle breeze, thrumming with a slight tinge of power, each syllable alighting the pattern that he was tracing in front of him, an intricate array of sigils and and magic formulae that wound ever tighter and tighter into themselves, creating a seemingly infinite spiral of faint magical energy. This was an exercise that Drosil had often been forced to repeat over and over again during his early days in the academy, meant to help the newly initiated draw out their latent magical ability and shape it. The goal was to achieve a solid form and potency to the magic, and while he clearly had form for it, the potency was very much lacking. If he'd been at his previous high, the light from the runic overlay would've been enough to act as illumination for them in this damp overhang. As it was currently, it was barely as luminescent as a firefly's bottom.

The mage had been taking to the queen's advice with a zeal that was near all-consuming, hoping to draw out anything that remind within him to the fore to help in his secondary task of studying his tie with the Shadow Spirit he had summoned, try see if he could find any fault in his seal that would cause his current state of deterioration. Unfortunately, this task was being met with little luck, so he had little better to do than meditate and try to rebuild his magical ability from the ground up. Still, he couldn't help but find Christopher's attack on Nasir to be a bit much, and couldn't help but comment on it, if only a tad.

"You may be remarkably hard to kill, Christopher, but Nasir is right in advising caution. There are plenty of fates worse than death that you could run into, especially if your healing ability were to suddenly leave you or become unable to catch up to you before death claims you. A lightning bolt carries enough energy to completely shut down and destroy the brain, among other things. Do you really want to test out if you're ability is able to let you comeback from being fried both inside and out?"

From beneath Drosil, Sir Mauls clicked and clacked quietly, a majority of it's attention focused on the large suit of armor that rested nearby. Like most of the others, the Deathcrawler didn't trust the strange fixture, it's presence causing it to shift uncomfortably in place. Adjusting itself slightly, the creature found itself positioned closer to Alice, a few of it's legs stabbing into the ground near where she sat. Noticing this proximity, he rose his head and turned to look at the gunner, head tilted slightly as it examined her, seeming to evaluate something behind those cold black eyes before deciding to return his attention back to the suit of armor.

[b]"Noted, Drosil. With that said, I know I wouldn't have been the first person to be struck by lightning, and while I'm not certain it could put the nail in the coffin I sure as hell know I don't want to freeze my ass off here the entire night."[/b]

Though it seemed clear that Christopher was attempting to wrap a bow on that response then and there, within him that venom coiled and hissed. Drosil, of all people, preaching caution? And it seemed the mage had missed the fact that it was partially for his sake that Christopher had fetched fire rather than relying on magic, even as the Jasian struggled to make something only slightly glow. And that venomous part wanted to lunge and bite in, to let the mage know just how things stood, and to retaliate for a betrayal, whether it might have been intentional or not. The rational side of Christopher, so weakened as it already was, was struggling not to break, and in that moment Christopher opened his mouth to continue, closed it, opened it once again and then froze, caught halfway between speaking and not-

Whether or not Christopher would actually say anything would be a question that lost its chance for an answer, as someone else spoke ahead. The voice was new, and came from behind Christopher:

[b][i]"Enough."[/i][/b]

Loud but not a yell, the voice echoed with power. Deep, there was something undeniably masculine about it, but to qualify it as human was an impossibility thanks to the reverberations of the syllables and the way it seemed to block out even thought. Struck utterly dumb in confusion, Christopher's gaze went over his shoulder with his jaw utterly slack to try and figure out who had spoken-

He barely snapped out of his stunned state as the suit of armor suddenly lunged upwards to stand, and with that same movement drew the greatsword from the ground; with a single hand it swung the blade down, Christopher yelling as he dove to the side, scrabbling across the ground to avoid the sharp edge. Instead of hitting flesh it struck wood and earth, and the ground beneath them quaked as the fire splintered and was utterly destroyed, a deep split crumbling beneath it.

[b][i]"If I wanted to listen to asses squabble, I would have stopped at a farm."[/i][/b]

Struggling to his feet, Christopher managed to get out a, [b]"What the fuck-"[/b]

And then the left arm crashed against his ribs in a heavy blow, silencing him after the sharp exhale and taking him off his feet with ease, sending the boy tumbling out into the rain and mud without the slightest hint of grace.

[b][i]"You especially."[/i][/b]

Alice kept her mouth shut as she watched everything unfold in front of her. Alot of things that were said were uncalled for-even if what Chris did WAS stupid. She felt a weary sneer pointed towards Nasir before glancing over Joy and sighing at Drosil.

She chewed on the dried out meat in her hand as she patted down her weapons and wrung out her now stringy hair. It was going to be hell to tame when it fully dried but she would get there when she got there. 

The sniper remained very still as Sir came and curled some what close to her. She had always been weary of the giant being as she was not a fan, by even the slightest of imagination, of bugs. However, Sir Mauls had clearly shown he was a good being over and over and Stark seemed to have taken a liking to him shortly after meeting him so maybe he wasn't to- 

Her head snapped up and her hands were on her pistols as the deep voice rang out and sent chills down her spine. She put a bit of distance between herself and the armor out of instinct as the sword was brought down where Christopher had been standing before saying a snappy line and quite literally swatting the ever loving daylight out of Christopher into the grass and rain.

Alice saw red for a very quick instance as she all out sprinted in the direction Christopher went, [b]"Chris! Shit, hey, talk to me!"[/b]

Christopher was slow to get up; after turning with his face towards the ground, it took him awhile to slowly uncurl as his world spun and he held himself up by his one hand. Briefly he retched, nearly vomiting, but the moment passed as he struggled to his feet, head throbbing as he almost staggered even while standing still.

[b]"What the... actual living fuck..."[/b]

The armor did not speak again yet, instead slowly straightening. The tattered cloth that hung as a cape fluttered wildly in the heavy wind, thick with rain. The sword was slowly pulled from the ground, before suddenly swung out to the side in a viciously quick movement, air hissing as it was sliced and drops of water spiraling from the blade as, slowly, it began to turn, empty helmet staring in the direction of Christopher and Alice.

Alice couldn't really help herself when she got close to make sure he was actually alright-somewhere in the back of her mind she wished Lady Diane was present. She gave a short exhale of breath before her magic surged in her body and her back was to the hurt boy. She was all but snarling as she, all five feet over her, squared off towards the armor and pulled out both of her pistols with a steady hand despite the rain storm around then. [b]"You disgusting fucking waste of space and time! I'm going to melt you down and use you as a shovel in the stables buried deep in the shit pile you belong in!!"[/b] The words coming out of the woman's mouth were pure stupidity but she wasn't going to let this thing hurt her friends. Not going to happen.

Without another moment her fingers pulled the trigger on either of her pistols-focused on the joint where his shoulder would be holding that massive sword before leaving the last two bullets towards the center of the helmet and one over the center of the chest piece.

Even as Alice shouted the armor stood still, silent, waiting. And yet though it was stationary, movement began to pass over it in the form of trails of electricity that sparked around the armor, jumping along with vibrant life. The intensity of the electricity began to pick up, more and more trails actively appearing around the armor-

When the shots came, the sky split open as lightning crashed down from above, hitting the armor directly. In all directions the leftover electricity flew, outwards and upwards, dancing along the ground and tearing along the rock; each bullet met its fate in that electricity, dissolving away in a wash of energy without ever reaching the armor. As the world continue to ring with the roar of thunder after the strike, the greatsword was lifted to be placed on the armor's shoulder.

[i][b]"Impressive."[/b][/i]

Sometime later Alice knew she should have paid more attention to the electricity ability was a big red flag for someone like her covered in large metal pieces but her fury was too high right at this moment as she dropped her first set of pistols and took the stupidly bold route and began to march towards the armor-drawing her short blade from the small of her back. [b]"Fuck off you sentient chode."[/b] Alice snarled as she rotated the short blade in her hand before beginning to close the space between them.

The armor did not respond to either her next insult or her approach, simply continuing to stand as it was; perhaps that was due to the fact that she was only able to proceed for a few steps before Christopher's hand grabbed at her arm, holding her tightly and trying to pull her back, in order to stop her-

[b]"Stop, stop, stop, there's no point-!"[/b]

[b][i]"Dysfunctional."[/i][/b]

[b]"Leave it be, Alice! It- if it wanted to fight, I'd be dead right now!"[/b]

Alice didn't stop glaring where she assumed the eyes would be in the suit of armor with a deep frown. She kept glaring as Chris grabbed her-preventing her from going to stab the damn thing in the joints. [b]"No fucking point my ass! This fucking twat bitch slapped the consciousness out of you because we were being loud in the middle of no where during some fucking storm where we were trying not to die from. Divineborn or not you're our leader in this fucking hell march and I'll be damned if I see you get fucking hurt [i]again[/i] you fucking brat. Now let go of my arm so I can dismantle this taint muncher already!"[/b]

Christopher's arm shifted, going to release her wrist to instead loop around her arm, keeping her held back in an almost pitiful, half hold that only worked considering the fact that Alice was so intent on the armor, rather than the Christopher himself-

[b]"Leave it, leave it, LEAVE IT dammit! I really don't want to piss this thing off!"[/b]

The uneasy feeling that he had upon first seeing the armor was returning and growing, and its silence made him thing that it was only a matter of time before it exploded.

As easy as she knew it could be to break out of Christopher's grasp her anger was subsiding as she was more worried about Christopher himself. [b]"Shut up Chris."[/b]  Alice wasn't letting her eyes off of the armor, ready to sprint if needed and drag Christopher with her, but she was relaxed in the hold he had her in-putting her short blade away. [b]"Stop yelling already."[/b] She quietly stated as she broke her gaze at the armor and actually looked to Chris. [b]"I thought you fucking died you idiot and don't you give me that I'm a Divineborn shit again or I will disarm you instead."[/b] Alice may have let a pun slip but this was one of the rare instances it was unintentional-especially given their situation. [b]"What do you want to do then?"[/b] Green eyes looked back towards the armor again while waiting for his answer.

Slowly Christopher relaxed, letting her go and stepping away, his gaze focusing on the armor as well. Standing there quietly, it slowly lowered the blade, turning it and sticking the point in the ground-

[i][b]"Considering the argument that was wasting breath is finally over, perhaps what your companion asked for before: quiet."[/b][/i]

[b]"What the fuck are you?"[/b]

[i][b]"At the moment, a hunter."[/b][/i]

Alice has to physically bite down on her bottom lip to keep from a quick lipped series of words from coming out of her mouth. However the fire that was in her throat petered out as she quickly caught onto this binge important and some what alarming, [b]"A hunter of [i]what[/i] exactly?"[/b]

[b][i]"Focus on your own prey, and I'll focus on mine. Especially since your prey is a predator."[/i][/b]

[b]"Wait, what do you know-?!"[/b]

[b][i]"I know that the Phantasm and Fire will finally be colliding soon. It's taken them long enough."[/i][/b]

Alice kept very still, despite the sting of the rain on her chilled skin and the breeze biting through her drenched clothing, before questioning, [b]"What do you mean that it's taken them long enough. They used to work together."[/b]

[b][i]"You can work together with someone and still hate them. We've seen that enough today."[/i][/b]

[b]"We both know that isn't hate. That's a stressful situation and strain from extreme physical workout. [i]He[/i] claims that another Gifted wants to fight him and that he was the reason for a dignitary's death. He is a Gifted-that's not what they do."[/b]

[b][i]"In a way, that's all we did when you think about it- kill officials."[/i][/b]

[b]"I'm not talking about people like us. I'm talking about-"[/b] Alice caught herself as the emotion was leaking into her voice. She took a moment to breath before rephrasing. [b]"Kill or be killed-we all know that's how life works. Death is another step in life we all must take-I know. However, [i]He[/i] made it sound as though this Gifted did it for sport-to send a message even. I understand the power of a show but not from someone like this Gifted."[/b]

For a moment, the figure was silent, and then:

[b][i]"You've romanticized us. Simply because we stood against the God Kings didn't make us good; we simply had a common enemy. And the Devil's Fire is, undoubtedly, was one of the evil of our number."[/i][/b]

Alice felt her fists clench viciously tight at the armor's words, [b]"I've romanticized nothing. I was there. I lived through that war. I watched the people and placed I love die in front of me because of the God Kings and watched The Gifted fight for people like me. I watched all of them save us from letting the world go up in screams and blood. No one evil would do something like that. They'd have slaughtered any and everyone because they had the power to. The evil do not protect the weak."[/b]

[b][i]"And I'm telling you you're wrong. Evil surround themselves in the weak all the time; the weak surround evil all the time. Wake up."[/i][/b]

Christopher's hand immediately gripped Alice's.

She simply stared at the armor with a stony face for a long moment before her mouth formed more words with lack luster phrasing. [b]"Now that you've said your piece are we allowed to stay under this rock until morning or are you going to try and hurt another one of us?"[/b] Alice's hand didn't even react to Chris'-just staying clenched and cold.

[i][b]"So long as you lot maintain some control over your mouths. Especially that one."[/b][/i]

[b]"Oi."[/b]

Alice swatted the back of Christopher's head in reaction to him pointedly making a noise at the armor. [b]"Come along you irresponsible little brat."[/b] She quietly stated as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the over hanging, [b]"You-dry off and be quiet."[/b] She quietly but harshly stated before turning back into the rain and retrieving the pistol's she'd dropping in the rain. She returned under the overhang without so much as a glance at the armor before taking her spot again at the back of the dry spot-quietly grumbling to herself about being hungry.

Christopher approached only with the slightest bit of hesitance. Though he had already stated that if he was going to be killed by this figure it would have happened already, but something about it was still... unsettling. And despite his misgivings he still approached, doing his best to dry off in the cold once again.

And the armor continued to loom.

Drosil merely ignored the poison within Christopher's words, instead letting his mind wonder into speculations about the potential limits of the boys remarkable healing ability. [i]I wonder, could he truly come out of being struck by lighting completely unscathed, with no side effects? The boy's current state is a clear sign that his ability had it's limits, so it's not a stretch to think that taking in such a huge amount of energy into his body so suddenly was something within the realm of ending his life. Not to mention that his reckless nature often leaves him open to rather crippling attacks, so it wouldn't be difficult for another foe as strong as, let's say, The Advisor to take another limb from him, or even possibly his head if they were feeling particularly bloodthirsty.[/i]

Before he could continue his current train of thought, however, the cave was suddenly lit up with a flurry of action as the suit of armor from before launched a sudden attack at Christopher, knocking the boy back out into the rain. Drosil reached down to grasp his pistol with his spare hand, but he soon found himself hanging on for dead life as Sir Mauls reared up on it's back legs, letting out a clattering hiss at the strange speaking armor. However, before the Deathcrawler could launch an offensive, Drosil was quick to whisper words to the beast in the arcane tongue, working to calm the creature before he escalated the situation. The soft tones and the hidden power within the words soothed Sir Mauls agitation, and as they lowered themselves back to the ground, Drosil watched the suit of armor with a wary eye while keeping his pistol trained at their back. However, Alice soon proved that such a tactic was ultimately useless as she unleased a volley at the armor, only for it to seemingly call lightning down from the sky in order to defend itself. Clearly, this thing could kill them all with ease but felt no inclination to do so because that was how little a threat they were to it, that much was clear from the way it spoke to and treated them. Not wanting to cause further hostility, Drosil kept quiet, apart from the odd whispered phrase to Sir Mauls to keep him calmed and passive.

Soon, the situation died down to a uneasy truce between the two sides, with the suit of armor wishing for quiet and Alice playing as Christopher's baby-sitter. And the armor just sat there, once more completely still as if it hadn't moved an inch. Drosil momentarily considered to try and speak to the armor, to find out what was their deal. However, considering that they didn't seem like the party very much, he thought i best not to bother them. Besides, he needed to focus on not only his exercises, but also the plausible route the group wold be taking through the ruins to the proper warp gate, as well as remember the positions of all the sentries and traps. With that in mind, he went back to what he was doing prior to the stranger's interruptions while also bring to the fore thoughts of the ruins, wondering if things had stayed the same since he'd last been there.

Silence fell over the group, the armor itself seeming especially quiet. Save for the harsh cracks of thunder, which always roared almost immediately after flashes of lightning, there was no noise beyond the consistent, heavy fall of rain... And then, slowly, the helmet of the armor turned, looking over to the side where Vesta remained. For a moment, it seemed to stare (for it was impossible to tell where it was truly looking, with no eyes to speak of), and then it said:

[i][b]"You consider that boy your student, then?"[/b][/i]

From where he sat Christopher nearly responded, it being clear from the way his head upturned ever slightly; but then he relaxed once again, looking back towards the ruin fire rather than saying anything.

There was no hiding the annoyance in Joy's sigh as she realized that the armor was talking to her. Once it had become apparent that she wouldn't need to step in and pry it to pieces (or that she wouldn't be able to pry it to pieces), the older woman had been quite content with  just sitting there until the storm had passed. However, considering her unnatural company, she had a rather strong inkling that the storm would not have a natural end. Shifting ever so slightly, she lifted up her head and gave the living armor a look that was withering enough to turn it into rust.

"He is," she said, and then she held her tongue. Obviously, she had no intention in bantering with the thing. 

The armor did not crumble or waver, and simply continued.

[i][b]"Good luck, then. Keep him on a short leash, then. He'll get himself killed one day."[/b][/i]

Christopher, try as he might, couldn't hold back a, [b]"Hey, fuck you too."[/b]

[i][b]"One day soon."[/b][/i]

"Only if he doesn't take his lessons to heart," said Joy, her eyes not moving from the empty helmet.

It was then the armor made a noise, one that was quite unexpected; hard to tell at first, it could only be described as very soft, very slight chuckling. It continued, even as it once more settled back into position, helmet turning from her.

[b][i]"Indeed."[/i][/b]

Joy only added a quiet "hmph" as she settled back against the wall, her eyes never leaving the armor.