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'I understand. In that case, let us discuss how you might return more quickly. Tell me more of your encounter with Banda Toro. What were his abilities like? And please be specific.'

"Alright, uh. So he could transform into one of those flying dinosaurs. Like a pteradactyl or pteranodon, maybe. Oh, and his body could shift and stretch into a more T-rex-like head, too. And he could swallow attacks whole, just gulp down huge chunks of molten metal without much difficulty. In fact, uh... with the benefit of hindsight, I'd say that a lot of his power revolved around his ability to eat things."

'Yes, that makes sense. What else?'

"Ah... well, I also fought Bloodeye not too long ago, and I saw him pull a live cruise missile out of his mouth. And it was definitely soul-strengthened."

'A live missile...'

"He used it in the fight. It was stupidly powerful. I don't recall Banda doing anything quite that crazy, but I've got a feeling that he could have, if he'd wanted to. Their abilities seemed identical, though I assume Bloodeye is stronger overall."

'Perhaps that ability requires significant preparation. You said that you thought Banda was on a scouting mission, no? That a fight was not supposed to break out?'

"Yeah."

'It could have been the case, then, that he did not fully prepare himself for said fight. Meaning he would be even more dangerous if he did.'

Not the most comforting thought in the world, to be sure. "Do you think if he swallowed something else, I'd be able to see it arrive here?" Ignoring the fact that he was currently blind, of course.

'Not likely. And if you did somehow see something, it would have been reduced to its base elements, unlike you.'

Hector didn't want get off topic again, but he just had to ask something else now. "Is this, uh, realm or whatever--is it shared between everyone? Or is this like my own personal realm where only my element resides?"

'That is something I have been trying to discover for quite a while now. Testing the material in these realms for some unique, identifiable feature has proven incredibly difficult. I still have a few ideas left for experimentation, but I've not been able to find the time, as of late. It seems there is always a more pressing matter or idea that steals my attention.'

Dang.