Shifters

The Next Step

Joana sat absentmindedly atop the late Vilan's throne, looking down as several hundred lightly armoured soldiers casually rested themselves in  the circular clearing. After climbing down from the raised stone platform they'd  retrieved Josh's newfound blade before descending the mountain via Joana's portal. On Josh's insistence, they'd returned to the primitive village, hoping to find the villagers who he'd unknowingly slain to be alive. However, just as Joana expected, it remined as devoid of life as it had been since her earlier passing. Before his decision to travel there could be viewed as a waste of time, a subtle vibration trembled through their soles as signs of the Resistance's approaching army became prevalent. Deciding it would be better to wait for their arrival rather than expending extra energy heading towards them, their little group awaited the rumbling mass of soldiers just outside the massive, wooden gate. As the two collided, Joana and Shaw had stepped off to one side, conversing silently for a few minutes, before allowing the soldiers to recuperate momentarily within the safety of the sturdy walls. 

Coming to her senses, Joana's eyes roved what remained of their army, this time with greater perception. Although strong in number, many within their ranks bore minor cuts and bruises whilst others nursed more serious injuries. Unlike Josh and Herman, they had not fared as well during their journey through the Silent Forest. The reanimated skeletons, given the army's large number, had resorted to sneaky, guerilla tactics, attacking their unprotected flanks with small teams whilst using the large forest as cover. 

Scouring the jumbled mass of soldiers carefully, Joana assessed the damage through veteran eyes, letting out a lengthy sigh as she finished. Of the three thousand strong army, two hundred were missing whilst dozens wore wounds that would undoubtedly force them into an early retirement. 

"See," she muttered to herself, "this is why I wanted to go alone."

Witnessing the pained groans of the more seriously injured men, she repeated in a harder tone, "I should have gone alone."

Shooting another glance across the gathered crowd, her eyes stopped dead in its tracks as she spotted Josh sitting quietly, staring at his left hand intently. If it had been anyone else, they would have thought his actions to be odd but she knew better. Very much aware of the ring that spun around his middle finger, she watched with interest as his gaze remained uninterrupted. Still unsure of all its capabilities, she was however certain that without extreme focus no one, not even her, would be able to see it's dark slender form. Noticing his unshakable will as he continuously stared at the oddly shaped jewelry, she couldn't help but wonder what thoughts were flying around inside his head. 

In the time after he'd recounted the full, unredacted version of his story, Joana's silence was spent on three important realizations. The first and perhaps most unnerving was the fact that Josh was anything but ordinary, and with the untold abilities he possessed through the ring's assistance, the seemingly helpless boy she'd saved had suddenly blossomed into a major, potential threat. The second, though not as terrifying as the first, nagged at her just the same. Seeing as though both hers and Shaw's talismans had ultimately failed to siphon the entire truth out of Josh, it most assuredly meant that they were ineffective against him.  With the inability to truthfully discern his inner thoughts and intentions, someone graced with his capabilities would most likely be infinitely dangerous to keep around. And finally, a suspicion Joana had not yet spoken aloud clawed desperately from the back of her mind, resurfacing within her immediate thoughts. Seeing as though Loopers were tasked by their creator with guarding the most dangerous of beings that were powerful enough to alter an entire multiverse's structure, she quietly wondered if Josh could possibly be one of them. After days of travelling alongside him she'd dismissed the thought as a mere speculation. However, on learning the concerns of both the Saintess and the self proclaimed Goddess, Joana no longer knew what to think. Burdened by a notion she was hesitant to let fester within her mind, Joana threw a levelled stare at Josh as a burning thought, no, more of a fear slowly devoured her already dwindling mental state.