Gervasius stopped, frozen in place as he took stock of the battlefield, for that's what this was now. It hadn't been bad enough that the woman standing before him had been tramping about, destroying those metallic beasts and anything else that had crossed her path, but now she had issued a very clear threat. Granted it was a weak one, and the language of her entire body had seemed to shift from confident to uncertain in a heartbeat, but it was still a threat nonetheless. At least if the aiming of her staff was any indication.

Speaking of which, how had he'd been able to understand her? Again this timeline, this world whatever and whenever it was, was completely foreign to him. He doubted a version of his empire even existed here, let alone a Chronarch, so why was speech not a greater barrier between them?

[I]"Perhaps that force, whatever it was, is responsible for this common ground,"[/i] he mused, eyes darting about, taking every detail of the environment. His mind marking off the places that of greatest tactical import even as it pondered these things. [I]"If so, good. One less thing I need worry about."[/i]

Planting his feet, Col subtly assumed a more defensive stance, though he kept his blade pointed towards the sidewalk and his gaze locked on her.

Finally he spoke.

"Who are you?"