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Raul just looked over at him, uncertain.

Melchor wasn't taller than him, and yet it sometimes felt as though he was. Something about the man's presence was always mildly oppressive. As a child, Raul had been terrified of him. It wasn't until he grew older and understood the side effects of very powerful souls that he began to reconsider how he felt about the fabled Darktide.

Also, it didn't help that Melchor was quiet as a mouse when he wanted to be. Someone with that kind of oppressive field density to his soul shouldn't have been able to sneak up on him so easily, and yet it had happened more than a few times.

The drone was still up there, seemingly looking around still.

"Orric," said Melchor.

The little ethereal blackbird just nodded and seemed to understand. Reaper and servant moved toward each other, but they were interrupted by the additional arrival of Leo.

"Allow me to check it out," the man said.

Melchor's gaze lingered on him. "It's fine. You should continue keeping watch."

"No," said Leo. "You shouldn't waste your hyper-state, pal. A materializer can check out that drone more easily than you can."

Hmm? Was that what Cousin Melchor had been about to do? Use a hyper-state to go investigate that drone up close? That seemed a bit risky to Raul, but then again, knocking it out of the sky with a stone would've probably drawn a certain amount of suspicion, too.

Melchor still had a counterargument, though. "You're more recognizable than I am."

"Dunno about that," said Leo with a shrug. "But they've already sensed my soul in the buildings, anyway. It should be me."

Melchor made no response and merely frowned.

Leo returned a smile. "Alright, how about this?" In an instant, black sheets of boron materialized around him, covering his whole body in armor.

Armor that looked... noticeably familiar.