Mission one: Mansion of Despair (Shaku)

Intelligence.

That was not the highest thing on these guys priority because if it was, the pair that sought to combine probably would’ve thought out their plan more. Maybe move to where they were not right in the direct path of a blast as powerful as the one the boy let out. As the wave went out, the pair were smacked with it having gotten themselves quite stuck with the spell they were trying to use. There was the sound of some form of screaming before silence hit the field as the blast ended. Outside of the crackling of burnt grass and the heavy scent of something similar to burning flesh, the field was cleared of enemies for now.

Blinking, Sephtis stood still for a moment. He was trying to process what he just saw. Yes, he had a trick or two up his sleeve, but that sort of power? No…no he did not compare to that. Just what was the boy really?

“Hmph..” he say lightly to himself before coming out of the battle stance he was in. He suppose as long as he didn’t piss the other off, he would maybe be safe from that power…but then again who knew. It was hard to tell if what he saw now was the kid’s personality or if it the way he acted before the battle was the real him. Either way the hunter would approach with caution as he dismissed his sword. He would stop a respectful distance from the boy not really showing fear as he watched the other carefully. Maybe he would’ve said something, but just as he was thinking to do such a thing. A loud groan that came from everywhere and no where sounded off in the area as the ground shook and then opened up below them.

The hole below them was over 50 feet wide and the powerful sucking wind that came from it would make it hard for someone to get away from it…unless one could suddenly teleport of course; however, Sephtis did not have such an ability and so would fall downward into the darkness unsure if the other had fallen with him or not.

Regardless, the fall wouldn't last long and would quickly end with a splat and slosh as Sephtis landed in something that was like liquid and yet thick at the same time. This was new sensation was not comfortable at all and not being able to see thanks to the darkness only made this already unpleasant situation more uncomfortable.

"Saki?" he would say in quiet tones as he kept his cool as he fell silent to listen to what was around him and for sounds that the kid had fallen with him or not.
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Information:

Tsk. All these things were good for was to aggravate him. He didn't actually like fighting all that much, even though once it came down to that, he wasn't an opponent one would want to pick a bone with for no reason. He could be rather dangerous when pushed around, which was probably obvious enough...but he still didn't really like it. He couldn't do much about it though, as it wasn't entirely his own fault.

His gaze would eventually turn towards the other, his expression moreso neutral for now, but he would do nothing, as if waiting for Sephtis to act first. That would not happen, however, as the ground suddenly decided to eat them. There was something he could have tried to do to get away, but to be honest, there was no real point. As much as he'd rather just get away from here at this point, running away doesn't make problems leave. Even though he suspected this had little to really do with him. He wasn't the one searching for anything. He was only tagging along with the other for convenience...which was turning out to be more of an inconvenience than anything else.

He would frown once they splashed down into something. This was really starting to get on his nerves. Regardless, he would just stand still, trying to decide whether it was possible to see something in here or not. Aside from discarding his coat and tossing in somewhere behind him, probably into the weird liquid. It would just get in the way if he dragged it through this environment, plus he already singed it a bit before. Might as well not bother.

''What.'', he would respond when the other called out to him. It would seem he was in a rather irritable mood right now. Although still fairly calm when it came to taking in the situation. ''Is it going to be this dark all the time?'' He didn't really like the prospect of walking around blind. Makes it very easy to run into something bad without even knowing. He could always light this place up with fire, or at least try, but he wasn't extra keen on wasting energy outside of battle....

OoC:

Somewhere far from the pair something watched them in the darkness. It presence mixed with the dread of the area hiding whatever it was well. The hidden thing would grin to itself as it smelt the two that was now in its domain. It had been a while since they had toys. They wondered: Would these toys break quickly or actually last? Curious, the hidden thing would continue to watch the pair, moving an invisible limb to touch the rocks next to it feeling them with power. Their guests needed some light, lest they fall and be ended too soon.
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Was this really a good thing or a bad thing?

The thought crossed the hunter’s mind as it called out the kid’s name and got a rather unfriendly answer. Being in the dark, the hunter couldn’t see the expression on the boy’s face or understand what his deal was. All he knew was that he was currently blind with a potential threat next to him. The situation couldn’t get much worse, now could it?

To the hostile answer and then the question that followed, the hunter would let out a light “Hmph” in response. How was he supposed to know if they would be forever in darkness? This place was just as odd and new to him as it was to the boy. Besides…even if he did have information why would he share it with this one? Sure they might’ve started off on a good foot, but now the situation had changed just as the boy had. The hunter wasn’t sure what to think of the boy, but for whatever reason Fate had placed the together, so for now he would just deal with it and pray they would not have to cross each other in battle.

In any case, after the sound was made, Sephtis would become silent as he listened to the sounds of the boy moving and then something splashing into the ooze or whatever it was they were in. Shortly after that sound, there was a light hum in the area that caused the hunter to duck slightly as his eyes automatically turned upward to see if something was coming down upon them; however, the only thing that occurred was that the area around them began to glow from thin veins of light that ran in odd patterns along the walls that surrounded them. The light was a dim green that settled eerily in the room, but it was bright enough to show them exactly where they were.

The area they were currently in was a large circular area that stretched out for 40 feet in any given direction. The whole room was filled with black liquid that drifted lazily passed them or popped grumpily here or there. The place held no scent. No enemies. Wherever they were they appeared to be a safe zone for now…or as safe as one could be with Saki at their side.

For the most part the room did not seem to have any defining exits. Were they trapped? The hunter frowned at that idea. The last thing he wanted was to be trapped with this kid. There was no way he was going have that. Regardless of feelings, the hunter would easily move past the boy going further into the area, at a slow pace thanks to the sludge. As he moved, he scanned the area looking for exits. However, on ground level there was nothing.

“Hrmmm…”

The hunter would ponder this predicament for a moment, his eyes scanning the walls until he spotted a dark spot a few feet above where they were. It looked like a large hole or something. Perhaps the way out? Curious, the hunter sloshed over to where it was located to get a better view from a different angle. When he was close by the black tainted wall, the hunter would look up again observing the way the wall seemed to cave in right where that black spot was. It was definitely hole.

However, instead of being glad about this hole, the hunter’s eyes would lower as his mind settled on one tiny problem. That hole was a good 20 feet above him…and while he could jump, he didn’t think he could reach that without a boost. As for climbing…forget it. The walls were too slick for him to get a good grip on them, so that left one solution….

Remaining neutral, the hunter would turn to face the boy wherever he may have been in the room. He took note the jacket was missing, but tossed that trivial matter to the side. The true problem was if he and this kid could work together. From the brief time he knew the kid, he knew he could be civil around the boy; however, that other side of him that came out in battle….it made it hard to trust him, but it seemed if they were going to get out of here, they’d need to pull together on this one, but would the boy understand this and cooperate? Guess there was only one way to find out.

“….”

A moment of conflict and then...

“…Saki…” the hunter would call to him in a calm quiet voice that easily carried over the vastness of the room. The sound bouncing off the walls where it collided. After calling the boy’s name, he pointed upward at the hole above and then waited to see what this one would do.
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Location: The Round Room:

Well, so much for an answer. He wasn't sure what was Sephtis' problem now. It's not like he went out and harmed the guy or anything. Plus, he was here only because the guy asked him to tag along, so technically it was an inconvenience more to him than to Sephtis, who planned on dealing with this all along. He didn't have to lift a finger at all. Plus, the other didn't even know, but he probably shouldn't even be doing this. Would the other deal with those things up there as easily as that had he not bothered to stay around? That was food for thought, had he really cared enough, and wasn't suddenly distracted by the greenish light.

So what was this...some sort of cave? It looked akin to that. Great. He wasn't really a fan of slimey places like this. But there was no choice right now. Although, he would stay in place, simply watching the other move about, waiting for anything to happen. He didn't intend to waste too much energy unless there was a point to it, and it's not like Sephtis was bothering to tell him what was being planned, if at all. So he would do nothing until he knew what grounds he stood on. Had he been alone, maybe he would have taken some initiative, but what for if the other was more interested in doing it?

He would look towards the other once Sephtis turned to look back at him. His stance on the matter would probably be hard to gauge, but he evidently didn't seem happy, nor really fine for that matter. He stood there silently with his arms crossed, the violet energy from before crackling around them resembling small bouts of lightning.


Though, he would look towards where Sephtis was pointing, giving a faint frown. ''You want to go up there.'', he would state matter of factly. That...wasn't impossible. It wasn't extremely high, and he could probably do something about it...as much as he would rather not to for several reasons. He would sigh. ''Do you have any way to do so? I'd rather not resort to special methods unless I have to.'' Hopefully, the other wasn't asking him to come up with a solution all on his own. Technically, he had one, but he would rather not have to do it that way.

That said, he would move a bit closer meanwhile, stopping a slight distance from the other with a light flinch. ''...'' His expression was somewhat conflicted, but he would focus his gaze on the other. It's not like he hadn't noticed the slight change of approach from the guy, even if he didn't know the reasons. ''...you know, if you have a problem, say it. I don't like playing the guessing game.'' It almost seemed like he was flipping back and forth, but he wasn't necessarily hostile for real. Besides, what good would it do for him to get into a fight?

This wasn’t a matter of hostile rather than a matter of confusion. It was true Sephtis didn’t attempt to tell the other his plan had he any at the moment, but that was because he honestly didn’t know what to do with the kid. On one hand he wanted to trust him, but with the personality switch he wasn’t sure if he could. As a result, they had now come to thin ice so to speak and thus why the hunter choose to stay quiet and cautious around the other.

Was he ungrateful for what occurred up above? No. He was actually quite relieved. To be honest while he was a hunter and could toss powers around. The methods used on him long ago were very different than whatever made the boy what he was. His shadow…it had been silenced a while back from a different battle. As a result, the hunter was slowly decaying from the inside out making him the weaker of the pair, even if on the surface he did not show it.

Sure, he could’ve handled a few of those things up top alone, but to be honest all four would’ve worn him down greatly….Still, grateful or not that did not, change the fact that the hunter had no clue what to do with this one.

When the stare off contest occurred, Sephtis would keep a neutral face watching the other’s body language that honestly just suggested he was displeased and nothing more and when the subject came to the hole issue, the hunter would nod at the other first set of words and then digging into a pouch, he would pull out a bundle of rope that had a rather sharp hook on the end. He would show the hooked end to Saki.

“No stick…” he would say as he pointed towards the wall. If the other looked carefully, the walls around them would indeed gleam with its slimy coat that made it slick and quite a pain to figure a way around. The hunter would put the item away and hold up one hand revealing the black nails upon it. “Kimb? Nein…” the hunter would say pretty much concluding that the normal methods up that he had were out of the question thanks to the slime. Sure, he had other things that may or may not work in the situation, but to even begin to think about using those meant that he first had to get back on even ground with the other. Something that was not exactly happening at the moment.  

As for the special method comment, the hunter would give the other a light frown of thought not exactly sure what that was supposed to mean. What could this guy fly or something? Heh…he doubted it was that simple with this one. Regardless of the look or thoughts, the hunter’s attention would remain on the other as he got closer perhaps coming over to help; however, the boy seemed to shift personalities once more as he stopped.

It started with a flinch and then that odd attitude from before came out. To its words, the hunter face would go blank as he shook his head.

“Mmm…progem…” the hunter grumbled as he folded his arms across his chest. “Mmm..ooo…progem...not Saki, ‘ut ooo…” the hunter would pause as he concentrated on the next words. He was sure he wasn’t going to get it out completely right, but the question had to be asked.



Yeah….that happened. In any case, the questions were simple enough, but would the other understand what he was saying?

Hm. That helped none. He could see that already. You can't climb a slick wall, nor really stick something into it by normal means. But what was he meant to do here? It's not like he could do either of those things himself. There wasn't a difference in that. ''I see that. But...what am I supposed to do? I can't get up there by normal means either, that much I know.'' He wasn't particularly enlightened just yet. There was possibly one option, but that didn't differ a lot from the other he had in mind before. Would fire evaporate that slimy substance? He didn't know, but trying that could be dangerous amongst other things. His fire was fairly hard to control in terms of power, and this place wasn't big. He'd risk cooking them too, and he didn't have a weaker version of those. Therefore, probably a worse idea than the previous. That is, if he really had to resort to doing it in this manner...but by the way things were progressing, it seemed the other had no clue how to get up there by natural means.


This time, he wasn't really sure what the other was trying to get at. Not that it was easy to understand in general, but he was actually having trouble grasping the point this once. Trying to go off what the given words sounded most similar to worked most of the time, but he wasn't a master at phonetic puzzles. His confusion was probably noticeable, and he would frown as he tried to make proper sense of this. ''Are you asking what I am?'', he countered eventually. He'd have to make sure he way any close before attempting to come up with an answer. Even though...he didn't exactly have any. For how easy the question sounded, it was equally as hard to give a meaningful answer to.

The hunter would glance at the other for a moment as he let he question sink in. Hmm, what to do indeed. Sephtis didn't have magic to get rid of the sludge around them, but he wasn't completely out of ideas.

He would rest a pale hand on the wall and then after a moment of concentration, he would channel his earh power into the rock softening it enough from the inside to get it to mix with the energy and i turn bend to his will. Slowly, the wal would begin to buldge and then extend outward until a small stepping stone appeared big enough for someone to stand on.

Once that was done, Sephtis would drop his hand to his side as he turned to look at Saki.

"Neh ump ere," Sephtis began. "Meh un..tin ump. Neh oost meh, he would finish before watching Saki to see if he understood. Sure jumping by normal means would get them no where, but perhaps by giving Saki more height and then getting a running start before jumping...perhaps if timed right, the other could give him a boost to reach the bottom lip of the hole and from there get up on steady ground so he could help Saki up. A stretch? Maybe, but that was the only logical thing the hunter could think of.

In any case, Sephtis would give the boy time to think or gives his opinion on the proposed plan Whatever happened would happen.

However, the mood turned a bit tense when Sephtis tried voice his concern when it came to Saki and who he really as. The boy too a while to answer, his face showing confusion before he asked a question. To his words, the hunter nodded. "Saki hab tro oice. So Saki tro permsens?" the hunter would ask, trying to understand the shifts in the boy's behavior when that strange electricity acted up. If he could understand this a more about the boy perhaps they could get back on even ground.

Information:

Right. The other could use the earth. He did see that during the battle out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't really focus on that. Although, this wasn't a lot. And while the idea behind it was logical enough, that didn't mean it would be easy to pull off. Not that he was weak by any means, but it was easy to see from his appearance that he wasn't a big muscle guy. Far from that. He probably looked more like a tall stick than anything else. Which meant...''How heavy are you? I may have other powers, but not necessarily this. I doubt I look like I lift weights on a daily basis.'' If someone thought that, then they probably needed glasses. Regardless, he would move closer to inspect the rock a bit as he waited for an answer before they proceeded anywhere. He didn't want to snap himself in half. Afterall, if Sephtis jumped on him, it would also mean extra force towards him from that, and he did have his limits.

He would turn his head to the side in thought as the other confirmed the question. Well, two...yes, but probably not in the way Sephtis thought. What the other saw and heard up till now was still him, even with the difference in attitude and somewhat his tone. On the other hand, the reason behind it was of a different source. But even he was a little confused. He's never really gone as far as this before. There was no need to do this kind of fighting before he wound up here. Still, he understood a few things. There was one thing he could...do. Even though it did pose a bit of a risk. Yet, with the current situation afloat, it should probably be alright. Theoretically speaking. He would frown. ''I'm not exactly....'', he would trail off for a bit, then shake his head. ''Alright then...I'll do it this way. You'll get your answers better this way. Just be careful...'' He wasn't all that eager, but it was the only way to go if the other wanted actual answers that made sense. That is, if he was willing to give them.

That said, he would end up briefly crouching down, his head bowed down, so the other wouldn't be able to see his face thanks to his messy hair getting in the way. But surely Sephtis would notice something was up. The violet energy would give one more crackle before dissapearing. The other had been able to smell something on him before, right? Well, now it would be doubly as noticeable, if not even more. ''You certainly love to spend time on concerns in a situation like this. Are all people like that?'' A completely different voice would suddenly ask, as he stood back up, giving Sephtis a pointed look. Something was off. ''But I should be happy you care so much. For your answer. I am no human. And the two of us are not the same.'', he would state, giving the other a slight grin.

What was going on...?

Sephtis would watch the other quietly blinking a bit as he was asked a question about weight.

“Hrmm..” the hunter would look up to the left calculating just how much he really would weigh. It took a moment, but eventually crimson eyes would lock back on the other who had moved closer to examine the step he had formed earlier. Not too bothered by promixity, the hunter’s gaze was calm for the moment.

“..un…tro..ive….” the hunter would respond back to the other. “Neh amble tat?” he would ask as he tilted his head back at the other. It was true the boy did not look like a weight lifter, but if he could display such power as shown above, Sephtis figured that maybe the kid could handle his weight. A far-fetched conclusion, maybe, but in the current situation, this was the only thing that made sense to the hunter. If the kid had another way, then he was all ears. In any case, the hunter would see what the boy had to say before proceeding any further with the plan. After all, they needed a plan to work for them both…otherwise the point was moot.

Anyway, the situation moved from how to get out back to the boy as Sephtis did his best to clear up exactly what he was asking in regards to the behavior. The response from the other was…less than expected.

At first the boy seemed unsure of things or hesitant about something when he answered, but then finding some form of a solution, he settled with a rather odd demonstration. Saki warned the hunter to be careful, the words causing Sephtis to furrow his brow in confusion about that one. Be careful of what? The thought floated by and then was pushed to the back of his mind as the boy began to do something.

The boy would bow his head and crouch in a fashion that made Sephtis feel very uneasy. He couldn’t read the boy thanks to his hair blocking his face…and when that strange energy from before activated once more, the hunter took a step away from the kid out of instinct.

He didn’t exactly know what was happening, but the energy the boy put out…It could be considered frightening to some, but for this hunter, the spike was similar to the ones that belonged to the creatures he hunted...just a bit more controlled? Now that was new...

The hunter managed to hold his ground after the first step back as he took note of the behavior change and then the voice that came from kid. As soon as the voice hit his ears, Sephtis knew without a doubt he was speaking to something that was not the boy. No this being was a thing, but not a chaotic and unthinking one. This one was chaotic, but had a level of control Sephtis had only seen twice in his life. Once was when he used to have a shadow of his own….and the other time was when—

No.No. No time for memory lane. He had a something to deal with didn’t he?

To the first set of words, the hunter’s lip would curl lightly into a small lopsided frown.

“Hmph. Not know, ut..iff ike to gnome…wuff ifff wift,” the hunter would say doing his best to answer the question posed. He couldn’t speak for others, but as for himself he was much more comfortable knowing what he was dealing with now than worry about whatever it was later. He would let the other take what he said as he would.

In any case, the hunter’s small frown only deepened with the next set of words. So…he wasn’t off base. There was indeed two in one, but this one was not Saki….Not human...

“Mmm…not Saki?....Tin oo?” the hunter would ask as he kept a careful eye on whatever this new person really was. The scent was powerful and burning like a shadows, but the behavior was so different than the usual kind that the hunter could not help, but to be curious as to what exactly was before him now.

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Infomerical:

He would turn his head to look at the other as he got an answer, and just blink a few times. One, two, five...so 125? But the question would be 125 of...what? Frankly, he had no idea. He suspected they weren't using the same type of measurement here, because 125 in his terms was definitely more than what Sephtis looked like...and god forbid that was a weight one person alone would want to try lifting. ''125...that number makes no sense to me. 125 of what exactly?'', he would ask after a moment of thought. Maybe something could be figured out if he got a more definite answer than just a bland number.

Regardless of previous confusions, Sephtis would soon have something else do deal with, which was probably more complicated than a simple dispute bewteen numbers. The Shadow would smirk thinly when given an answer. ''Even when knowing may be worse than being oblivious? I've heard everything that was said up till now. You sure you want more terrible things to deal with than you already have?'' Despite the kind of subject being discussed, the voice was more amused than anything else at the moment.

The Shadow would give the other an amused glance at the following question. After a momentary blank look, that is. He wasn't really used to that name, seeing is it was not his, and it was only made up as well. ''You can call me Violet Soul. I'm a Shadow. It's nice to meet you.'', he'd say with a grin. It seemed he was fairly unbothered by this whole matter, but al least it appeared he was being more or less honest with his answers for now. What would happen in the end was up to Sephtis, and the kind of stance the guy took towards this.

Sephtis would tilt his head at the other as he asked about the number given. 125 of what? Eh? The hunter would meet the other’s gaze with a blank stare of his own for a moment as his mind did its best to figure out why the other didn’t understand the number. It took a second, but finally his brain clicked as he understood what the problem was. Maybe this one did not automatically place pounds as the common scale of measurement.

“ouns,” the hunter would tell the other calmly before tilting his head curiously at the boy. “Neh no usp ouns?” he would ask curious as to what sort of system this one did use if not the one he saw as normal.

Whatever happened from that would happen and soon be a thing of the past as the situation changed. From a question or two, the boy had shifted completely in personality and scent, leaving Sephtis face-to-face with something that made him feel highly uncomfortable as he used all of his might to resist one single impulse….the impulse to kill what was before him.

It was a tough task since it was his nature to simply attack and destroy shadows without question; however, whatever shred of humanity was left in the torn hunter kept the urge at bay as he listened to what the other said. To the question posed, the hunter would meet the smirk with a small smile of his own although no humor or warmth touched his eyes or facial expression.

“Errable tings,” the hunter repeated. “Hmph. Cumm giff ‘or meh,” the hunter said to the other in honest tones. Yes indeed, terrible things were very common to be handed out the hunter. Whether it be from human or creature, the hunter seemed to always get stuck with the worse end of a deal. Perhaps it was just bad luck, but that was his situation. In any case, the response back had a simple meaning behind it. The hunter was ready to pay the price to know what it was he was dealing with. As long as this one did not attack him, he supposed he could handle anything….After all what could be worse than what he had already gone through in his life?

Regardless of feelings, the hunter would wait to see how the other would respond before asking a different question. To this one, the hunter found himself going from tense to simply perplexed. He understood this was a shadow. He could smell that already, but the behavior of this one….

A pale finger would reach up to the hunter’s lower lip and rest upon it lightly as the hunter gave the other stare of curiosity rather than tension like before.

“…Same…” the hunter said in a soft tone as his mind remained in thought for a moment and then shaking his head, he’d refocus on the other. “Neh…sadoo…’ut no act ike sadoo…” the hunter said as he leaned forward slightly to examine the other. “Sadoo ike hum. 'ot ike marks. Why?”

The hunter would ask his question trying to understand this particular shadow. He understood to a degree that not all shadows were the same and that some were even intelligent. But so intelligent that they were human-like? That was something he only thought he and one other was lucky…or unlucky enough to get stuck with. So how was it that this kid had a similar shadow? Was this a trend of the workers “work” or was this caused by something else?
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Informerical:

Guess that's out. He knew that pounds existed, but that's where it ended. He had no use in knowing them when he never used them for real. Made him wonder where exactly he was now anyway. Then again, the guy probably wasn't from here either, so this said next to nothing. ''No. Don't only like 1 or 2 places in the world use pounds?'' Not that he remembered much from geography and all, but still. ''I've never lived in a place that used them, so I didn't bother.'', he would shrug. This was probably moot. He suspected Sephtis wouldn't be able to translate the number for him just like that. And he wasn't a walking calculator either.

...not that it even mattered a while later. ''You're funny.'' Would be the only response that Sephtis would get in return for his answer. Whatever the Shadow's agenda was, it seemed that he was at least amused by this scenario. Which meant he wasn't likely to attempt killing the guy or anything such as that. Nor was he stupid. He had his own way of getting up there, but he didn't know what was beyond, so it would serve him better to keep a potential help alive, regardless of personal opinions.

He would watch the other space out with no obvious reaction until he got a response at which he would just shrug and stick his hands into his pockets.



What did this guy expect? He wasn't in the position to act like a normal Shadow, even if he wanted to. Neither of them would live long in that case. ''But I do think that most humans suck.'', he would roll his eyes. ''They call our kind monsters, but they would willingly make one of their own into one.'' How ironic. ''Chit chat aside though, you wanted to go up, right? I say screw trying to figure out weights. I can get up there without extra help. Unless you don't trust me to pull you up afterwards.'' This one would be left up to Sephtis. Would the other give it a go or not?

“Not know...” the hunter would say as he pushed back his hat slightly and scratched his head. As far as he knew pounds were the common way of measuring…yet Saki here measured on a different scale. Interesting, but not very helpful in this situation. If he couldn’t translate weight to the other, then the idea from before would be out of the question. So it looked like they were back to square one again.

As distressing as that was, the hunter wouldn’t linger to long in despair as he found himself with a completely different being than the boy sometime later. As he spoke with the strange shadow, the hunter wasn’t sure what to think on the matter. He couldn’t exactly put full trust in this creature…After all he didn’t even fully trust the boy before all this. He had simply been working with him out of convince…and for survivability. Cold? Perhaps, but the truth nonetheless.

In any case, the hunter would simply tilt his head at the shadow as it said he was funny. He honestly didn’t have a response to that and didn’t quite understand what the shadow found so amusing about his bad luck. The creature was strange that was for sure, but the hunter supposed that was okay as long as the creature remained non-hostile.

When it came to the explanation of what the other was, the hunter would take in the information carefully as his mind finally came to an acceptance. This boy and shadow…they were definitely like him. The only differences being were how they were made and where they ended up at the end of the journey so to speak. The fact the kid still had his shadow explained the power differences and the scents from before. Now did this all bring comfort to the hunter?

Not really, but at least knowing what he was with help calm earlier tensions. He did not like what this conversation had unearthed in regards to others with shadows; however, the hunter would file the information to deal with later. At the moment, he settled with the facts: he needed to find his marks and destroy them before something bad happened, but more importantly than that he had to figure out where he was and how to get back on the right track. His ally in the matter just happened to be the kid and his shadow.

Right. He could work with this.

He settled with that as he simply gave a nod in response to what was given, a quiet sign of acceptance. As for the words that followed, the hunter let out a light snort.

“ell meh ‘out it…” the hunter muttered bitterly. It was an ironic fact that humans called things they did not understand monsters while failing to realize that the real monsters were themselves. The experiments to create creatures like himself and this kid among other cruel acts were proof enough of that. Bitter thoughts aside, the hunter would hear what the other offered in regards to getting up to the hole.

“No choice,” he replied as he gave the other a thin smile. For now it would seem the hunter was okay with working with his strange ally.

Infomerical:

That conversation obviously got nowhere, even though it probably might not have mattered anyway due to the recent development. Who knows.

Surprisingly enough the Shadow would remain quiet when he got either none or too basic responses to what he had said. It would seem that he didn't have a big interest in small talk unless he saw a meaning to it. Or at the very least, something engaging enough for him to bother giving his time to. Either that, or maybe he just didn't care enough. It's not like he was buddies with the guy, and he was pretty sure the other didn't view him as such either. Therefore, the point was somewhat moot. The less talk, the less chance they would get into some sort of argument eventually. He could tell the guy didn't like Shadows that much to begin with, and while on one side he couldn't care less, on another, he'd rather not have that turn into trouble when he did not want it.

Instead of bothering with a response, he would frown at the wall. Honestly, he had a feeling the guy could have done more than that with the spell he used on it before. But he wasn't in the mood to discuss that right now. Maybe it was just that he viewed those powers a bit differently as a Shadow. Frankly, he was tempted to just burn this whole place down into ashes, but that would most likely not help.

He would have to settle for something else. Thankfully, fire wasn't the only thing he could do. He would use a blast of concentrated wind aimed towards the ground to push himself upwards coupled with jumping up. Seeing as it was only a couple of feet, that wouldn't be a big deal to cross. Wind was always good at blowing things somewhere if used right. Even though it wasn't as good as actually being able to fly. Regardless, what mattered was that he could fling himself up towards that hole, even if the landing wasn't extremely smooth. ''Tsk...'' He would take a moment to move about, eventually crouching at the edge, staring down at the other. What would Sephtis do?

Whoosh?:

The conversation between the boy and the hunter would slowly dwindle down to near silence as topics that were going no where ended and others that needed no more explanation came to an end. Perhaps if the pair was more conversational or friends even, the current talk would’ve extended; however, the pair did not fall into either category and so ended up keeping to themselves in the end.

This wasn’t too big of a problem considering most of the problems from before had been taken care of via conversation and demonstration on the boy’s part. Sephtis knew what he was dealing with and while the situation was indeed strange considering he was the one to destroy shadows, the hunter was able to swallow dislikes and pride in order to survive and get out of the current mess they were in. They still needed to get out of wherever they fell to and Sephtis still had targets to hunt. Whether he found them here or elsewhere was another matter entirely and quite frankly came in second place to the current need to get out of this slime pit.

For now, the hunter and shadow had come to a silent agreement to work with each other more or less. Yes…more or less indeed. While the shadow had suggested a way to get up to the hole, he did not seemed pleased with the short answer Sephtis gave when he was given a choice to take a chance or not. The frown was hard to decipher and trying to figure out the other’s thoughts was a moot point. Much like the hunter, he hid his thoughts well.

Displeasure aside, the shadow would reveal a second power to the hunter as it summoned wind to push itself upward and towards the hole above. Sephtis would hold onto his hat with one hand and slightly guard his face with the other as he watched the other use this trick to get up. There was a moment shortly after the other had gotten up to the edge of the hole where Sephtis had to wonder if he would fall backwards or something.

The guy appeared to be unstable, but by some miracle he managed to regain his balance and stay up in the hole. Once up, the shadow would look down at him below. As crimson eyes met golden ones, the hunter would quietly study the other for a moment thinking. Heh. That wind was enough to get the shadow up, but not enough to get him up. It was true he could use earth and one other power; however, both powers were not the greatest for climbing. In fact the other option couldn’t be used for climbing at all.

“Hmph….” the hunter would let out the sound softly before speaking up louder for the other to hear.

“Un ‘or ‘ime ‘ease,” he would say to the other hoping that the other would understand that to mean that he wanted the creature to use the wind again. As he asked this of the other, he would take a few steps back from the wall. If the creature granted him the request, the hunter would get a running start before hopping to the small platform he created earlier and then pushing off of it for more height. From here he would enter the wind and use its power to get up close to the edge of the hole. From there, he would take a lunge for it and managed to catch onto the edge of it. A good attempt that didn’t quite get him fully in the whole. So hanging from the slippery edge doing his best to keep some form of grip on the surface, he would wiggle his way up into the hole and next to the other with or without help.

If the other did not grant the hunter’s request…well then the hunter would have to figure another way up.

Informerical: