It was getting near late afternoon. The group had headed off for shelter, probably at some house or inn, but Ian had made his way away from the group. He was standing, alone upon a cliff now. He looked rather emotionless, and had a strange, clear haze to his eyes. It had formed just an hour or so ago, and since then, he had become rather quiet, and finally slipped off from the group. Now, he was here, apparently waiting for someone. At the sound of metalic footsteps behind him, he turned. A dark green robot was landing, just coming out of it's flight mode, and sitting a messy, blond haired gentleman down beside him. The robot got his bearings, then looked at Ian, hesitantly.


"Master?" he shakily asked.


Ian's face twisted into a look of frustration. In a voice not quite his own, he growled, "YES, it would be me, you steel-for-brains-dolt!"


The robot blinked in surprise, and the other man, the "professor", as his title and job were, spoke up. "Ah...sir...we got your hailed message to bring us here..but we weren't expicting you to be in...well.."


Ian sighed in frustration, shaking his head. "When you're not of this world at the time, you make due with what you have." He looked angry again. "But just let us return to the task at hand, professor! Mind you, this body can smell the scent of your emotions of doubt and treacheory naturally.," he snapped.


The scientist straightened his bowtie nervously. The robot looked closer, half increduiously. "Wow..it is YOU. I mean, not like a good trick or anything, but really you!"


Ian rolled his eyes, half yelling, "Of COURSE it is, you prestegious PUTZ! Did you think I would be resigned to my rest until you dimwits brought about my revival?!" He seemed to get more reprimanding. "By the way, why the hell don't you have some of the weapons or the MAIN weapon yet?! That Council is coming along MUCH faster then you two!" He angrily pointed to the robot. "With YOUR speed-" He pointed to the professor. "and YOUR brains, I should have returned in my OWN BODY by now!! I'm sick of using this, oh how I HATE this body, instead of my own, which now has nearly multiversal dominating power! I had it seven years ago, back when that damned 'Infinity' fought back against me for those wretched humans, so with all the power I obtained on my second coming, I should be a dynamo of evil might!! So why the bloody hell aren't I BACK in my OWN body yet?!?!"


The robot waved his hands nervously, in a manner that asked the ranting boy to calm down a bit. "Easy, boss, calm down a bit. We had some hitches; those Council dudes beat us to the punch a few times. But..um..we did do something when they got the sword first!"


Ian raised a brow curiously, motioning for the robot to continue. It grinned and said hopefully, "We raided a lot of those palaces where the element folks were while they were away; tore up things rather nicely, made a royal desicration of the places." It smiled hopefully, wishing this would cheer up his master.


The teen stared at him, flateyed for a time. He then, rather sarcasticly and questioning commented, "You failed to beat a bunch of sorry excuses for demons in retrieving the BIG, VERY obviously powerful pointy thing that could have probably brought me back at quarter strength?" The robot's grin faded as his confidence in his deeds did. "You realize, I could have hired a sentient dust-buster and it would have beaten the pants off you?"


"Well," the professor spoke up, "judging the ratio of sentient appliances as opposed to their competance level, it's highly unlikely-," he trailed off. The boy was looking rather unamused. "Um..nevermind..," he muttered.


Ian looked coldly at the two and shook his head. "Though HIGHLY incompetant you two are prooving, I'm giving you both another shot."


The two saluted. "You can count on us!" they said in unison.


Ian shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. Taking it as a gesture to leave, the robot reassumed it's flight mode, and the professor hung on tightly as the two screeched off into the distance.


Ian groaned, shaking his head. "Idiots.." he muttered, starting to walk down the hillside of the cliff. As he neared a tree near the bottom, an orange skinned figure leapt out and caught him in a headlock. "What's the meaning of this?!," Ian growled. "Let me go! Release me, curse you!!"


CR growled, struggling to maintain his grip against a VERY strong resisting young man. "I thought following you would proove wise. Looks like I was right! Seems someone's trying to use you to speed up their return!"


Ian struggled, prying at the arm around his neck. "Agh, dammit, release me, meddling C'l-," he began to say, but was cut off as the breath was squeezed out of him.


CR growled, his eyes glowing bright orange. "NEVER say my name, traitor! Now, RELEASE your hold on the boy!"


Ian closed his eyes, rasping for breath. "For now...but...I'll not release..this prize...not yet!! He's my ticket back! He's of the bloodline-"


The voice was cut off as the boy was forced into unconsciousness. His eyes were noticably clearer too now. CR slung him over a shoulder, and walked of to slip back into the group unnoticed.