The electric shock jolted Kituo, causing him to pause before resuming his tirade. The old man was no one to be trusted. Just what did he intend to do with the lantern? In his mind Kituo pictured him taking it away and leaving him alone to perish in the forest. There was nothing stopping him from doing so. He had weapons and armor - a bizarre armor at that. His fear intensified as it never ceased to do. Kituo let out another exaggerated and bloodcurdling scream. Either he was hallucinating or the lantern was responding to him with a brighter glow.

Wait a minute. It wasn't. A feint purple intruded upon the shower of green light that dared to obscure Kituo's vision completely. Kituo sat up, the heat of the lantern warming his stomach. He didn't mind the heat of its touch for it seemed more soothing than ever. Observing the battle of flashes between the purple light in the distance and the lantern's green glow, Kituo became so fascinated that he almost forgotten about the old man who was antagonizing him. 

He was snapped back into the moment by his voice which sounded rasping and scratchy - at least to his perception. With the exchange finished, Kituo whirled around to face the old man. Poking his bottom lip out in a passive protest, he wanted him to get the message.

"No," Kituo hissed. 

He didn't feel the need to say more. Further justifying his stance, the old man revealed that the egg had taken a liken to Kituo and quite frankly he reciprocated that sentiment for what was now a multitude of reasons. There was something inside of the lantern and Kituo had little doubts that it would emerge into a wondrous sight. Glaring up at the old man, Kituo received a greedy vibe. While it was possible that he was prejudging him, the stress that accompanied their encounter so far had given him all but a negative notion of the veteran warrior. If Kituo wanted to get out ahead in the confrontation he would have to do what he did best - flee.

He was stopped by a voice. The voice...of a girl? It surprised him, making him jump. His mind went to work as a swarm of questions swept through it. When Anise appeared he felt eased. He recalled catching a glimpse of her back at the clearing before dashing out. Remembering that made him feel worried. If she were there then Simon and the spear craftsman would undoubtedly be far behind. The must have survived the monkey-bat assault. Hopefully they would understand Kituo's decision to take off with the lantern and save his own skin. He was sure any other sane person would take the same protocols. Then again, given all of the duress, the status of Kituo's sanity was currently up for debate.

Kituo remained silent as an ensuing conflict erupted between the old man, Anise, and some strange rabbit guy - the last of the trio giving him the chills. The rabbit guy seemed to be in Anise's companionship but that didn't make him feel any less weary. After all, he was still unaware of who exactly was friend or foe. He had the feeling that a reunion with Simon and the spear craftsman was unavoidable if the girl had come. He couldn't bare to face them again. Not after what he tried to get away with.

[i]I'll slip away while they're all killing each other,[/i] Kituo thought, grief pulling him back. It was a very reprehensible idea and while it wasn't the best, it was the easiest to execute. Running had yet to fail as his most effective solutions to his problems. [i]Sorry guys, but me and the egg are getting out of here.[/i]

Kituo rolled over, his eyes passing over Simon, and he started to crawl away. He only cleared a few inches before an accumulating of familiar adversaries petrified him. The monkey bats had definitely followed them but they didn't seem to be worried about the humans squabbling among themselves. They were instead captivated by the bell.

Still their presence was enough to keep Kituo from moving. He didn't dare to utter a single breath, the earlier attack replaying as if no time progressed since his escape.