Despite his fondness for the idea of a decisive, immediate departure, Malachi found his exit attempt short-lived. The sealing chamber's only doors sported a seal of their own, magical in nature. As he drew close to the sorcery, the Heavies hummed, almost hungrily. Malachi considered walloping the door with them, but if they simply devoured the magic without actually opening anything, he could very well be stuck in here depending on how much stone surrounded them. With an exasperated groan, the brawler turned about to see the others. Surely one of the 'heroes' got proper instructions on how thing whole thing was supposed to go down.

When he looked, however, he didn't see many heroes. Another girl, not quite as little as the last, had awoken and begun to unwind. More perceptive than his brutish look might suggest, Malachi caught the wary glance she gave him, though caring about it didn't even occur to him. To such great and mighty heroes as these, surely his appearance didn't intimidate. One well acquainted with the magical arts, however, could probably [i]feel[/i] the Heavies' aura, like someone constantly breathing in. Apprehension from someone like that was understandable -mutual, even- but anyone who stood for peace and the innocent had nothing to fear from Malachi Ghundrach. Still, hearing suggestive words from the child set him on edge.

Next, yet [i]another[/i] little girl, also white-haired, earned from him a curious glance. This one, at least, didn't lead with improper speech, instead commencing the other girl's chiding. Her criticism died in her throat, however, as she turned to sudden, somewhat astonished introspection. For his part, Malachi looked incredulous. This was a gathering of the Alliance's most legendary figures, right? Not a children's academy? Not that he knew any of them. Celebrities and rumors never occupied him, after all. In short order he rerouted his attention to the slab of stone hurtling through the air. After a narrow miss with Byron it exploded against a wall, hurting nobody but coming too close to making the catman to catpaste. Malachi snorted. “Gonna squash a little girl pullin' stuff like that.” Only after saying that, however, did he see the near-accident's perpetrator. A living statue of gleaming metal appeared from the sarcophagus, moving with such poise as to render the brawler impressed. “Whoa, that's somethin' ya don't see everyday.” Forgetting the lid incident, as it hurt nobody, he gave the automaton an approving nod.

Then, the teeniest mite summoned a sword, preparing to throw down, and so earned Malachi's express disapproval. Before he could properly express it, however, she completely lost focus thanks to whatever was going on with the third girl. He guessed he could thank her childishly short attention span for the moment, though there was no guarantee that she wouldn't haul off and start fighting any moment. Malachi liked a good throwdown as much as anyone, but here...? 

An escape from his quandary presented itself in the form of the catman, who'd approached the door with an expression Malachi couldn't quite place, but nevertheless related to. Out of everyone so far, the fuzzy-eared one seemed to be most sensible, remarking on how weird everything was. Malachi heartily concurred, telling him, “You can say that again.” He watched, hopeful, as Byron began to work at the door. Not wanting to interfere, he took a step back and pulled his hands behind his back to keep the Heavies away. A few moments later, the exit came open, revealing the same stark mined-out mountain corridor he'd strolled down maybe an hour before. Byron, who Malachi already internalized as a comrade, let out a puzzling, subtly disturbing statement before he proceeded forward. Leaving the children to their bizarre conversation and potential infighting, Malachi hustled after him.

Catching up after a moment, the huge man gave vent to his thoughts. Whatever his conclusions, he was far from stupid, and evidence was piling up. In a low, heavy voice, he said, “You...think it worked, do ya? I thought it didn't, but it makes sense. There'd still be people here if not.” He took a deep breath, fixing his eyes on the passing rock wall. “Maybe I didn't want to think so.” For now, he said nothing more, mulling over worrisome thoughts. Before he could come to any conclusions, he needed some real proof. He couldn't just accept as it was that his rashness had propelled him into making a terrible mistake.