Snippet #2458183

Michael nodded to both the man with the elk and Luna. "I thank both of you for helping me," he replied. "Then, I suppose I can go on the expedition as well. We might find some interesting bit of his...wait, never mind." Abashed, he reminded himself that the Aether probably had no recorded history, aside from what the other Seekers would have seen.

They were getting closer and closer to the settlement by now. Luna was already walking into town with a confident look, and Michael was ready to follow...but abruptly, he heard a hissing noise from above, and realized it was coming from his Guardian. Looking up, he was worried he would experience another trauma attack...but instead, he saw it grasping one of its lava tentacles in its hand, as though it was a whip. It drew its arm back, ready to slash...

"H-hey! Stop! Guardian, stand down! Now!" Michael ordered, but the magma titan simply remained motionless in that same position, like it was ready to attack at any time. Trying to find the source of it all, Michael turned and noticed a robotic suit holding a gigantic gun...where was the user aiming it at? Was that what was bothering his Guardian?

Leaving the claymore with the man on the elk, Michael moved towards the suit as close as he dared to, raising his hands to show he was unarmed. "Please, put the gun down!" he pleaded, hoping the user wouldn't open fire on him. "I'm not here to attack you!" Although, with the Guardian in position to strike, his words probably weren't too convincing.

Suddenly, he saw something else--a black girl was getting attacked by another girl...was "girl" even the right term for the second one?! Monstrous appendages soaked with the girl's own blood were bursting out of her body, with blades at the ends, and they were hacking away at the black girl. Eyes wide with horror, Michael began to run towards the two, forgetting about the robotic sentry, but they were gone long before he could get close. "What is...going on in this place?" he wondered as he gasped for breath.

Meanwhile, the colossal magma titan continued to loom above the city, whip in hand, still poised to lay waste to anything it believed would threaten its young master.