Braedon let out a content sigh, savoring this brief moment of quiet well enjoying some fruit while waiting for the girls even though he found Johns bodies need for frequent snacking rather annoying. Alice had for reasons unknown and no doubt being better that way, accompanied Rebecca somewhere to help her get her armor on leaving him with an opportunity to have some time on his own. Turning his attention to the assorted pieces of armor Elena had salvaged from the defeated goons he slowly but methodically began to mix and match various plate sections, using what fit and worked best in his own opinion. He didn't really care about how it may look, instead practicality was paramount. He meticulously tested each piece, ensuring no sharp edges poked through his cloak or rough weld joints scraped against his skin. Though initially a touch large, the integrated pieces surprisingly looked decent on him and covered more than he had thought they would.
What followed however, was truly astonishing and took him by surprise. The cloak, as if alive began to ripple and flow like water, engulfing the metal plates bit by bit before seemingly managing to to absorb the armor entirely well making the steel a part of itself. The metal now felt significantly lighter and having taken on a dark metallic sheen, becoming a deep gunmetal black that perfectly matched the shimmering midnight hue the cloak had taken. Over his chest a broad plate now sat, its surface gleaming. His left arm was entirely encased in this newly formed black metal and adorned with an intricate, almost grotesque, manner of snarling demons and beasts. It was still unfortunately immovable but the steel he could feel was thicker and would prove to be a solid protective shield when moved with his chain or failing that possibly twist his body enough to leverage its weight into a swing to strike his opponent. His right arm, by a stark contrast that oddly seemed to work, also felt lighter yet with a thinner layer of armor that seemed focused on movement and flexibility etched with what appeared to be various angels, skeletons and reapers. Thankfully, this arm retained its full range of motion, bending and moving without difficulty and oddly a slightly more ease than he had expected. Even his legs now sported some light armor to complete an outfit of deep midnight blue with gunmetal accents.
"To quote John in a situation like this 'God bless plot armor!'" Braedon mumbled to himself, an amused smile touching his lips. "At least this way I'll have some actual protection, definitely better than a haphazard collection of ridiculously colored mismatched parts." He pulled out his scythe. It too had changed, now bearing a faint black line down its middle and the handle having subtly reshaped to better settle into his grip, it now even seemed to carry the feeling of being an extension of his hand and he could have sworn it was letting off the feeling of acknowledgement and enjoyment of its new, darker aesthetic.
A sudden, excited voice cut through the air. "We're all set! Let's head out! Ooooh, you also got kitted out! You look even better than normal and that arm looks wicked but it would definitely be better if it was John though." Alice bounded in, her cheeks flushing with a slight dusting of red as her mind playing scenes of John embracing her in this darker outfit. Her usual blue and white outfit remained pristine and the familiar scythe of hers known as "Mr. Stabby Stick" was held firmly at her side. Beside her, the fully armored Rebecca presented a truly bizarre contrast well acting as a silent sentinel of steel next to her.
Braedon nodded. "Then let's head out. Elena, keep the place as safe as possible please, just like before but make sure your own safety and that of the other plants remains top priority, I don't care if you end up having to abandon the place if it means you all can continue to live and survive." His gaze then shifted to Rebecca. "Now, if you would kindly lead the way for us, we can sort this mess quickly. I really don't feel like dealing with waves of idiots growing in numbers as they look for their previous groups before ending with their boss finally shows up or having them contact other groups and making the situation worse by swarming us. I truly want to avoid that escalation and the problems that would spawn from it. So, let's do this the quick and simple way. There's still a little light left and it will probably be dark when we reach their base which will hopefully make it easier for us to strike from the shadows. Hopefully, we can use that to our advantage." He finished, gesturing for Rebecca to lead the way without further delay.
As they walked towards their destination, a quiet determination settled over the group. Rebecca led with practiced efficiency, her armored form moving with surprising grace. Alice, ever vigilant, scanned their surroundings but a playful smile tugged at her lips as her excitement about the coming bloodshed built, but even so she remained ready to react at a moment's notice. Braedon for his part, seemed almost detached his attention primarily fixed on the path ahead and the unsettling destruction that had occurred while they were gone. Buildings had crumbled well others where annihilated or in some places simply ceased to exist anymore, instead replaced by unsettlingly flat and smooth ground, many homes seemed consumed by the verdant nature but his focus kept being drawn to the random smooth patches of ground, they were profoundly out of place and confusing; he tried to convince himself that some powerful skill or weapon had been tested on those places and it left behind this bizarre result yet he couldn't bring himself to believe that. The sheer scale of the devastation hinted at a force far beyond what they had previously encountered well acting as a silent promise of greater challenges to come.
Creatures were visible everywhere now as well like an alien ecosystem thriving amidst the ruin. Not just the familiar Shelbie and their predators the Fluff Balls but a entire host of other bizarre organisms now seemed to be wondering around. There were Venus Fly Traps and Pitcher Plants but their vines seemed to uncoil with lightning-fast strikes to pluck unwary Fluff Balls midflight, dropping them into their gaping mouths. Weird flying rats swarmed and flew in large packs – or flocks, whatever you called a group of them – seemingly being shot out of the sky by a mass of dog-sized pods embedded in the ground far to there left. It was unknown what they fired or how they aimed yet they hit almost every shot with frightening precision, something worth looking into later he mused, a possibly good defense they might be able to make use of with Elena's help.
The rat-birds that hit the ground regardless of whether dead or merely stunned were quickly collected and carried away by an entirely new creature possibly working with the odd pod launchers. At first they resembled large, hand-sized ants but they seemed to be made entirely of hair that changed hues depending on how the fading light caught them. They had buttons for eyes and cardboard mandibles that crunched with surprising force. On their heads, fused with their forms were what appeared to be fingers, each twitching like antennae in tune with an eerie, almost silent hum their bodies emitted. The Fallen rat-birds, at least the ones lucky enough to survive were swiftly dispatched by their cardboard mandibles and loaded onto their backs. Well watching this scene, a sudden and unsettling burst of motion caught his attention. A patch of creeping grass sprang from the ground before quickly wrapping around a few of these hair-ants before somehow gliding swiftly away with what was most likely its captive meal, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
Observing all this, Braedon could only think that reality had truly taken a strange turn, morphing into a world John would absolutely revel in and love. Yet, despite the inherent fascination he held for this transformed world, a persistent worry gnawed at him. He knew they needed to establish a foothold now more than ever. A semblance of stability they could grow from. As great as he found this changed world, he was keenly aware that John might not cope without some foundation already in place or proper aid, Fae was already gone now and that left only Alice now and well he didn't dislike her he was skeptical of her motives. After all, even if he was an independent being residing in John's mind like the others, they originally came from him at first and that it also meant they were intrinsically tied to him at a base level. If John died, so would all of them – the ultimate cost for choosing to bind themselves to him, to experience physical sensations and a level of freedom impossible otherwise. It was a sacrifice they would forever thank John for yet knew It was also a burden for him, the knowledge that should he parish he would be taking many along with him. Yet they still held a profound gratitude for him allowing them to exist and gain their independence yet he, along with the others where more than aware of the fact that their existence wasn't something others around him could ever truly understand. With that weighty thought lingering, he followed onwards into the fading light, moving deeper into the bizarre and dangerous landscape.