I'm Sorry, But the King You're Looking For is....

[Albert Wesker]

He never did get the answer to his question, instead having any information he was about to get abruptly cut off by a distinct rumbling noise, the ground seeming displeased by something or other by the way it rumbled. In response, Colonel merely bent at the knees, shifting his posture to a wider stance, ready to spring into movement and action at the drop of a hat. His eyes moved slowly over the area, as if looking for some sign of trouble from the ground below -- or anywhere else for that matter.

The one with the massive blade, Zack, looked about to speak up, before the ground in the midst of them exploded in an erupting geyser of molten earth.

Already prepared for action, Colonel took three quick steps backward, spinning on one heel and making a quick, powerful hop well out of the immediate area, breaking into as swift a run as he could manage in the direct opposite direction of the magma eruption. His progress was stymied by a series of further eruptions, pelting the surrounding area with chunks of glowing molten rock, many of which missed him in his retreat by mere inches, the heat uncomfortable enough at that close proximity, but sending a very nerve-wracking reminder of the pain it would cause if it actually hit him. To say nothing of the injury it might likely cause.

A series of quick, relatively short hops and a final, more powerful leap carried the soldier navi up and out of the immediate danger of the flooding lava, and another leap, impacting with a rocky ledge which he took the chance to aggressively use as a launching platform, kicking against it for the last bit of additional height to reach the peak of a higher ledge with enough room to stand. He landed heavily in a crouch, kicking up a cloud of dust and grit with the impact, his eyes sweeping the area for any signs of further eruption in his immediate vicinity, before slowly rising up to stand and survey the surrounding area.

He had ended up on a rough, rocky ledge well above the immediate danger of being flooded by the flows of lava, but not quite high enough to give him an unobstructed view of the area at large as he'd had from his previous perch before joining the little gathering. He didn't see much aside from swirling clouds of dust, heat haze and magma flooding virtually everywhere that wasn't 'high ground'...but after a few tense moments he heard someone call out.

Peering more intently through the haze, his eyes finally fell on the distorted form of.....someone, hazy and blurred thanks to the heat and grit in the air. A quick series of brief dashes and leaps carried him along the cliffs and ledges, finally bringing him to a rough, rolling halt several feet from who he now realized to be Zack.

His breathing ragged from the infernal air, and partially choked by the heavy, ash-thick breaths he'd been forced to take, he felt more than a little awful, but it didn't show on his face as he merely stood up, shaking his head to clear the dust from his mind. "Think the other two made it out of that intact?" he asked simply.