The Dark Ages [Dark Data]

[Hiro Protagonist]

After his verbal joust with Samus, Hiro was feeling quite self-satisfied. Who the hell was this hypocritical tin can to admonish him on the use of corruptive power? Especially when they had a glowing reactor on their chest leaking bad juju?? Hiro didn't need to pour over the technical specs gleaned by his googles. The amount of energy coming off of it, plus the fact that Samus hadn't used it during the last fight, told him all he needed to. That was an "oh shit" button, just like the program Okor's wraith had left in his wristcomp. Although that one had come in handy during the Darkshire fight. His wrist had been numb for hours from the OM drain, though.

Crouched over the burning purple crystal, Hiro had a finger on his goggles and the other making swipes in the air. Full on hacker analysis mode. "Yeah....mmhmm. Oh, really?...interesting. Woah, no way. Hoof, what a punch!" 

Samus folded their arms in front of their chest and cleared their throat conspicuously. "Would you mind enlightening us on your findings? Since you seem to be more than capable of vocalizing to yourself."

Hiro stood up and grinned. "Like Okor said, it's a heart. There's a lot of biodata in there, which leads me to believe it most likely is meant to bond to someone's body and replace their actual heart. Can't be good in the long term, but it might make the difference between life and death against these Darklings. That last fight was rough, and I think we're getting closer."

He tapped the Liberator attachment to his armband. "Look, see? All those purple blobs are concentrations of dark power....and then further up, there's a huuuuge mess of 'em. 'S gotta be their headquarters. So I say we get a move on, right?"

The companions nodded and began to get ready to travel once more. Hiro picked up the chunk of Dark Power gingerly, and handed it to Okor. "Can you carry this for now? Like, without it bonding to you? Someone else might need it in a pinch." He cleared his throat. "Also, I don't think you're the most likely to need a eleventh hour evil power up."

"I will carry the burden for now. Simply having it on my person will not extend it's effect to me. I have dealt with far worse in my universe." The Plagued Paladin spat. "Besides....there is much I can glean from it that you are not able to, and vice versa. I believe it to be a ....fusion, of two power sources."

Hiro nodded as Madotsuki confirmed Okor's conjecture. "I can see what he's talking about, Hiro. Sigils and swirls and all sorts of eldritch markings. Your tech analyzed the scientific aspect of it, but that's not all there is to see."

The hacker shrugged and pulled out his pack of cigarettes, lighting one and blowing the blue smoke out through the forest trees, leaves shushing in the breeze. He turned to Samus and gestured with his free hand. "You coming? Or do you disagree with our decision enough to leave? Either or, time's a wasting. We need to keep moving before we get ambushed."