In response to harming the Grand Orator, his suit of armour pushed
Raneaux to the side and started to comfort him and the darkness that Raneaux
had caused. She soon retracted her shadow and the light above the table faded
back. The group were stunned to find that the armour it had its own sentience
and seemed in part to care for the Orator. The striking tones of the black
and scarlet of its synth were matched by it's bright red pulsating
lights in its eyes. The armour's face could not move but the look it gave to
the group while it tried to stop the Orator from crying was verging on threatening.
It refused to converse with the three of them and only glared back. They unconsciously
retreating a few steps towards the staircase. Upstairs there were shouts
of a fleeting argument followed by the patter of steps on the stone staircase.
Danton and Raneaux gripped their weapons, reading themselves for another
attack.
A dark shape emerged from the shadows of the stairwell, as if emerging
from inky waters. The figure was undistinguished man, dressed in varying hues
of black and dark grey. His lack of colour and nondescript apparel seemed to be
more of a conscious choice than anything else. He tripped on the last step and
fell face first to the floor. A dagger fell from his possession and skidded on
the floor to a few feet away from him. He strained his head up and
realising there were five sets of eyes now staring at him, he reached out for
his dagger. The man's hands were not gloved but they had a peculiar quality, the
skin was nearly indistinguishable from the stone of the ground. There was a feint
outline of his grasp and in response to him arming himself, Danton raised his
weapon and questioned who he was.
The synth suit started crackle with electricity coupled with the same
sound that had happened before the discharge that had rendered the groups items
inoperable. The figure leapt to his feat in defence and held his dagger close
to his chest. He told them he was known as Umbra, a Hawk-Eye and was he searching
for a woman who had travelled from Qi. She was connected with a recent murder
of a man named Lord Rossley and she was now his bounty. This was far too
coincidental for Xera's liking, raised Shatter-Stone and aimed the artefact at
him. He told the Umbra that mentioning Lord Rossley put him under suspicion,
especially with what he now knew. With the Hawk-Eye's mission statement now
aired, the Orator stared intently at him, then meekly asked what the woman
looked like. The description Umbra gave made the Orator's heart sink, his stomached
twisted in knots and his grabbed his clothing trying to comfort himself.
His visceral reaction was all that the Hawk-Eye needed and tried to
question him on his relationship with the woman. The Orator tried to explain
but the words choked him. The little he could convey was dismissed by the syth armour
in cackling tones, as false memories and emotions. It's voice was aggressive
and inhuman, unlike that of Valma. Umbra, was taken aback by the intelligence
the suit had. It was self aware, with even a touch of sympathy for the man it
was apparently comforting. It's voice left Danton feeling uncomfortable and
tried to change the subject, moving towards the fate that had befallen Lord
Rossley. Umbra mentioned that his neck had been snapped but the bruising from
the injury signified that a single hand had managed not only to pin him up to
the wall where he was found slumped against, but was also strong enough to dispatch. He
motioned the action and Danton shuddered, while this only confirmed what Xera
knew. The nature of murder, the description of the woman and the emotions
that were slowly fading from the Orator was too much for him to bear. He
excused himself while drying his eyes, explaining that he needed to be visibly
present at the festivities and disappeared up the stairwell.
This now left the suit of synth armour staring, or at least what was presumed
to be staring, at the group. An uncomfortable silence now filled the room. The
sounds of the merriment upstairs echoed down, an eerie counterpart to the
visually threatening armour. Xera had been observing it and had worked up the
courage to try an identify what it was. This process was usually quick and
untraceable but as soon as he started he began to smell singing hair. A small
portion of the back of his hand as well as part of his temple were showing
signs of being burned, which was swiftly followed by the pain of it. The suit
shifted in a jerking motion, startling the group. It stated that Xera had not
asked permission to scan it and had burned him as a response. To a paranoid
eye, it almost seemed to have enjoyed hurting him. It told them that for as
long as it had existed, organic life, especially humanity was primitive at best
and their method]s rudimentary. It told them that it's name was Orion and it had
a temporary alliance with the Orator but it was now strained with the interference
of the woman. The Orator had promised to direct Orion to its own kind,
intelligent machines under the oppression of organic life but it was still
waiting for the information as he was too preoccupied with his own emotions.
Raneaux tried to reason with Orion after spotting a few valuable trinkets
around the room but its response was unwavering. It stated that it had no qualms
in killing them all if they did not leave immediately. Regardless of the
misguidance of the Orator with the woman, Orion needed the information and for
that to happen he needed to recover. It threatened that if they didn't leave
now, they would never leave at all. There were hints of advanced weaponry
beyond the groups comprehension in the make up of its armour. Bursts of steam
and the cackle of electricity warned them that some were slowly being armed. Orion
stood up and took a step forward and the group turned tail, knowing they were
outmatched and out-gunned.
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