Tarrasqing a Question

[Alain the Carnedge]

Alain reacted a few different ways to the new person. His facial expressions rapidly changed from surprise to confusion to a mask of absolute indifference within the space of a few seconds. He found them an interesting new arrival, and deduced that they weren't at the party before, judging from how much they stood out. He then started to analyze the spartan, simultaneously moving past Aang to greet the new arrival, though he decided not to unveil what they were hunting at the moment in case they were here to sabotage their efforts. "Should I assume you're not here for the Masquerade? If so, it's over already. Sorry to disappoint."

Alain shrugged at them, trying his best to maintain a poker face as he took a few steps back so that he could mutter to his fellow monster hunters. "We'll discuss the fire thing later. This could be a problem. He definitely wasn't at the party before, he kinda...well, stands out. Perhaps he heard the news of the so-called Tarrasque slayers and wants to join us in defeating the beast." He froze for a split second to consider how he'd explain about thirty seconds of staring into space as he analyzed what's-his-face. He wasn't a good multitasker, and spacing out probably wasn't a good excuse, not for how long it'd take. So he took the alternative route.

"Alright, so give us your story. The long version if it's required. If we think you won't stab us in the back, then we'll decide what to do with you. But if you're just lost, I guess we could take you to..." He hesitated for a second, considering whether he should give them any information at all. It could've been risky, giving their first location to a mysterious person. But he decided that perhaps it'd persuade the spartan to give up more information if they "promised" that he could go to the only relatively safe haven in the Pale Moors. He also remembered that he'd be outta there before any problems could arise if the warrior was actually a vampire out to destroy human life, so Alain proceeded as normal. "...Darkshire, perhaps." He very quickly checked the acquired data before they could start giving him their life story. That wasn't definitely wasn't part of his job.

From what Alain could see of this new warrior, they were in possession homing shield that was also very good at blocking, along with a spiked glove that had a pyromancy enchantment. While shield-users were at a slight disadvantage against Alain due to how obnoxiously difficult it was to block a scythe, the mercenary still didn't want the fight. Taking up arms against a giant monster that despises any form of life which could also utterly crush anything in it's path with relative ease needed every bit of strength he had, and more importantly, getting into random fights with lost spartans also wasn't in the job description. Wasn't his problem if the warrior assassinated his new pals, he just hoped that they saved it until after they'd killed the beast. He was fairly confident he could take them out if all else failed.

The new arrival didn't look all that impressive, so Alain was just about to pretend he was listening and ask the others about what to do. Then, he noticed there was another profile open. At first, Alain thought it was some kind of mistake, but then he rolled his eyes at himself, hoping his eyes were obscured enough that nobody noticed. There weren't any problems with this type of magic, at least not this type of problem. It either always worked or didn't work at all when he tried it in his original universe, so he figured that he might as well have a look. It wasn't like he was actually going anywhere, not at this rate. So he just continued hoping that the dynamic trio would keep the conversation rolling and forget about the bounty hunter as he checked the new data.

The spartan had inexplicably gained a lot of pyromancies, at least according to the analysis. The shield and fist had disappeared from their things-that-kill list, but there was the noticeable addition of swords that could be summoned and shot at will. The warrior could also now survive normally-fatal injuries and regenerate from said injuries, while also being capable of fusing with another person. Alain furrowed his brow in brief confusion before taking a wild guess. Another entity was granting power to the spartan, more specifically giving him access to magic, which is why it conjured up two profiles instead of one. It also explained why the magic thought they didn't have their shield or gauntlet. Alternatively, it was a malfunction, in which case the mercenary was going to feel like an idiot. Either way, he was done for now. He could analyze Kuzan on the road, best to stop before they wondered why the not-so-assassin was giving their new friend a completely blank stare.

The profile faded from his vision, and Alain started to become concerned. Each moment they spent here was another that they lost knowledge about what they were up against, and lost time to prepare for the battle itself. Telling this warrior about the hunt could prove an advantage or a disadvantage as he could ally with them, or betray them in hopes of stealing all the glory. Part of why Alain was here was because of the fame gathered from this. Who doesn't want a slayer of a nigh-unkillable beast on their side? But having another fire user, even if his powers weren't natural, was a distinct advantage against something that they needed flames to put down. He wished his analysis came with mind-reading at times like this. But alas, it did not, and they would need to make a decision about whether this warrior was trustworthy or not. He didn't look like the villainous sort, but appearances can be, and usually are, deceiving. Decisions, decisions. But for now, he'd pretend to listen so that they could get back on the road quicker. Surely the others could come to a decision without his input, the trusting goody two-shoes that they were.