[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/h6OCm6X.png[/img]
Level 7 - EXP 16/70
Words: 1354 // +3 EXP
Reindrix Clearing - The Frozen Highlands[/center]
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Without the assurance of an armored stagecoach or a capable team at his back, Ramattra's return journey to and through the Reavers' Woods was especially harrowing. The whispering wind through the pine trees that stooped over the path seemed hauntingly conspiratorial, and every shadow that danced in the moonlight was damnably suggestive of savage marauders ready to pounce. He could rely only on the speed of his inconspicuous dog sled as he followed the furrows left by the Seekers' stagecoach through the snow.

Eventually, the solitary omnic reached the clearing where the Reindrix retrieved by the others had been hitched to the wagon. The Seekers weren't there, of course, but the area was by no means empty. A lone figure, clad head to toe in a heavy, hooded [url=https://i.imgur.com/VIGNIO3.png]black cloak[/url], was fighting off a trio of reavers, though judging by the ash piles on the floor, they hadn't been the only ones to attack him. As Ramattra watched, the man in black deflected the arrow of a reaver archer with a machete-like sword, then blinked away from the heavy reaver pugilist to sink his blade into the archer's ribs. As the reaver swordsman charged, the stranger pivoted to use the archer's body as a shield. For a brief moment, the swordsman exchanged blows with him, but as a duelist, he was outclassed. A slice to the leg downed the reaver, and the next second his dark mane was slick with lifesblood. When the pugilist approached to take revenge, the black-robed man seemed to accelerate, moving faster than out to be possible. A flurry of unblockable blows opened grievous cuts all over the heavyweight, concluding in a thrust to the glowing eye within the pugilist's skull.

As Ramattra approached, his dogs slowed down, wary of the scent of blood. When the man in black turned, though, he took one look at Ramattra and sheathed his sword. He approached slowly, holding his hand out for the stalwart huskies to sniff, then stroked their heads one by one. "Difficult to follow at a discrete, safe distance when some of you keep doubling back," he remarked in a low, somewhat growly English accent, his tone neutral.

Ramattra, cautious with the intent the mysterious swordsman had withheld, watched the figure's movement with each of his sensors. He had no reason not to trust the man, seeing as the wolves the sled had been mounted to took to his gesture so eagerly. As far as Ramattra was concerned, he was sitting in the driver's seat of the hooded fighter's vehicle. Unfortunately, with the distance between him and the rest of the Seekers, this dog-operated sled was his only reliable form of transportation... And he had given up the rest of his coin to Kit earlier for his service against Scrapbeak. His means for negotiation were short, and as far as he was concerned, he was strapped for options.

Unfortunately for Ramattra as well, the monochromatic figure didn't seem remotely interested in the Omnic's presence, approaching the dogs as though they were familiar. For a moment, Ramattra thought the man was speaking to the dogs for abandoning their post to transport a stranger with a strange, large sack. But then it occurred to him, the Seekers could have been followed by this figure, especially given their uncertain motives, and have made themselves marked as some form of threat. Seeing the man lower his weapon made the tension brewing in the Omnic's circuits less reactive, as he courteously stepped out of the wagon to move closer to the mysterious man.

[color=bc8dbf]"To whom do you speak?"[/color] Ramattra answered back in his industrialized voice, staff clutched in one hand, large sack of metal in the other. The Omnic was smarter than to resort to violence, having seen the stranger's ability to hold his own against multiple well-armed combatants. If the Omnic were to attack this person right now, he was sure to lose the fight- if this man were a threat, this would not be a conflict Ramattra could handle all on his own... He grasped his staff tightly out of the hooded figure's eyeshot, prepared to defend himself if needed. [color=bc8dbf]"Who are you, exactly?"[/color] There was something about this man that screamed importance, that screamed a mystery unanswered, and Ramattra's introduction would surely have to wait for that reason. 

The man in black turned his head toward the Omnic, though his eyes couldn't be seen within the darkness of his hood. "Addux. Just someone with a vested interest in the destruction of Galeem's Guardians. You don't need to think of me as a friend, but I am the enemy of your enemy." His gaze shifted to the trail through the woods. "Without knowing Baldur's location, the Midnight Walk is as good a choice as any. It's said that it always leads you where you're meant to go, even if you lose your way." He turned back to Ramattra and crossed his arms. "My plan was to follow along and help if needed. Since you helped yourself to my sled, perhaps you'd be so good as to give me a lift to the next location." His gruff tone was a little sarcastic.

A lot of the buzzwords Addux used were foreign to Ramattra, who had joined the Seeker’s ranks to get closer to his own goals. Galeem? He had heard the others reference the name, but it served him no purpose, and any time it had been brought up, Ramattra would somehow always forget. Ramattra was still bound by the iron weight of Galeem’s influence, still very much disoriented with the state this world was in. However, it was reassuring to the Omnic that the stranger meant no harm. He loosened his grip on his staff and became less reactive to Addux’s movement. [color=bc8dbf]“I am the Omnic Ramattra. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”[/color] There was more genuine appreciation than normal in his voice, performing his best attempt at friendly negotiations with the sled-owner. [color=bc8dbf]“I apologize. I fear I am not the most knowledgeable on our operations.”[/color] Ramattra explained, indicating his confusion about the World of Light. 

[color=bc8dbf]“Well, in any case. I apologize for using your steeds. I was in quite a bad position.”[/color] He returned to the sled's driver's seat while Addux had his back turned, still skeptical about introducing the stranger to the team… He had an air of secrecy, and whether his intentions were in line with the Seekers or not did not prove to relieve Ramattra’s worries. With no bargaining chips, no way back to the Seekers, and the owner of the sled right next to him, he had no other options. With a mechanical sigh, Ramattra gestured to the side of the large bag of scrap, where Kit had previously sat. [color=bc8dbf]“Go on, I have no qualms with your request. It is your property, after all.”[/color] 

The gaze of Addux lingered on Ramattra for a moment. He'd assumed that this machine, traveling with the Seekers as one of their own, simply featured a natural red eye color, but his behavior was giving him doubts. If Galeem's influence still bound him, it would be much more difficult to explain why a shady-looking Organization member might be on his side. Fortunately, the fact of the dog sled's ownership seemed to be enough to convince the omnic to cooperate, so Addux counted himself lucky. With a curt nod of thanks, the stranger seated himself, and the ride through Reaver Woods could continue. Ramattra's new acquaintance soon proved himself to be the taciturn type, so without any further conversation, the pair proceeded along the Midnight Walk, their advance silent but for the pant and patter of sled dogs, and the whistling winter wind through the pines.

The expedition was expected to last over a week, and regrouping with the others at the Krat Zoo was likely to bring about more random encounters in the wild. They followed the path the Midnight Walk led them, the Omnic more concerned for his well-being with a mysterious stranger in his company rather than the dangers around them.