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((I presume that time has passed, thus the fire would have consumed the fuel and died already... if not, I appologize Miss Epine, and will edit this post accordingly.))

The man stumbled towards a tree. His hands braced against it, as he fell forward, down to his knees. Suddenly everything cleared about him. His labored breathing was gone, his hazy look was gone, his off kilter balance was gone. The man was sharp, focused, aware of himself, and everything around him.

His hands reached down, towards a crack into the tree, leading to a hallow, small, about half a man's size. However, it was not empty, nor did any forest denizen make it's home there. Instead, it was stuffed tight with blue-ish metal, plate and chain, two metalic shafts, a lance head, and a strange, skull like helm.

The man smiled, as he pulled out the first of the pieces, and started strapping on the strangely light armor, tightening the buckles, until it was snug, almost like a second skin of cold, stalwart metal.

Five minutes later, the man who met the Baron ceased to be. There stood only an armored figure, shielded from the world, not a feature shown beneath the steel that protected him. His knelt still, as the man screwed together to the two metal shafts, and finally attached the lance's head.

And there was the lance, everything was back. The soldier, the knight was back, the man was gone. A smile unseen came to his face, a cold, callous smile, much like that of the woman from earlier. He was ready. He had hurried up, so he could wait, and savor everything, fully enjoying each last moment, alone knowing what awaited that foolish woman.

Slowly he started walking through the woods, towards the once forested, now charred, crater, and towards the temple beyond.

((Alrighty, here's the setting... large old growth forest. In the center of it, is a relatively recent impact crater. In that crater, is the temple, surrounded by a relatively new growth forest, though it has now been charred by magical fire. 3nodding As you enter the forest, you'd be in the old growth part... if you don't know what an old growth forest looks like, look up say, "Olympic National Park" on the US Park Registry. 3nodding ))

The man's gaze went up, to the lowest set of branches, which, of course, were still quite a ways off the ground, and saw a man, hanging from a branch...

There was a frown on his face, just how the hell did he get up there? Immediately came to his mind the most plausible solution... someone chucked him up there... in a rage.
Still, he stopped, looking at the creature... Was this... could he be... one of 'them'?

"Get down here..." he said, his voice was calm, even, and deep, it had a silent authority to it, as the armored man waited for the man to comply.

((Sorry, my bad, thought you were a halfling for some reason... which is odd, because I don't think I would have taken one of the most annoying races in my team... sweatdrop Sorry, excitement confused me.))

(( ninja I fixed it, so just carry on... sweatdrop ninja It never happened!))

"Come on down... I have a proposition for you... one that will net you a lot more than 30 gold... if you're interested... However, we are short on time. We need to walk, and talk..." the man told him, in that same, even tone. Already, he was walking onwards, away from Kale's tree, and towards the crater, and the temple beyond, "Unless that is, you are afraid of a chance to get 100 times that meager sum..."

((You there Arc? O.o"))