It was unusual, at least in the time he had known her, for panic to take hold of her senses, to bring uncertainty to her normally composed, almost serene, demeanor. Worry etched itself across his features as he crouched beside her in the dark, his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his blade, ready to heft the mighty weapon in an instant. Unconsciously lifting his free hand to settle gently on her shoulder as she spoke, asking for a moment. “Take the time you need lass. Settle your thoughts and calm your nerves.” With that said, he gave a slight squeeze to her shoulder and stood from his crouched position, walking a few feet away to stand a short distance from their camp, his pale eyes scanning through the surrounding trees, curious what could have possibly unsettled his companion as much as it had.<br/><br/>Mostly ignoring Levani as she took her required moment to gather her belongings up and settle them in her pack, Kallo stood quietly, arms crossed over his broad chest, his senses focused on their surroundings. He was keen to figure out what might be lurking in the forest around them, knowing well that whatever it was, to draw such a reaction from her, had to be worse than any of the black they had faced together so far. Silently wondering the extent of the black she had actually witnessed, he recalled her reaction to seeing the twisted form that had nearly bested him the night she found him nearly dead in her field, the hatred and fear that had swirled around her. Shaking the doubts from his thoughts, he reminded himself that she had handled herself better than he'd expected thus far, and he had no reason to doubt her abilities or commitment now, even with her rattled nerves.<br/><br/>Absently taking the pack from her as she handed it to him, he turned his attention, at least partly, towards Levani curious as to how she was going to lead them to this new threat, something he had not been able to sense in any way. With an arched brow, he watched as she inhaled and exhaled deeply, appearing to sniff the air as though she were an animal. After a brief moment, Kallo opened his mouth to ask what she could possibly hope to accomplish with her actions, though his words were quickly cut off as she ushered a command and quickly set off, obviously following a scent that he could not discern.<br/><br/>Deciding it was best to keep his curiosity at bay for the time being, he quietly followed his companion through the forest, his pale gaze constantly scanning their surroundings. The further they traveled that morning, the more unsettled Kallo began to feel, something was wrong with the forest in this area, a feeling of dread falling over his mind, though he could find nothing visibly different with the forest in this area. His thoughts were drawn to memories of the time he faced the dark lord, remembering the same feeling of despair, the same palpable darkness that saturated the air around them, though merely an echo, like a shadow cast from the raw power he had witnessed that day.<br/><br/>Lost in memories as he was, Kallo nearly stepped on Levani's heels as she stopped, clearly listening intently to their surroundings, her breath held in anticipation. As he was about to ask why she stopped, his pale eyes widened as he heard something in the distance screech, followed by the resounding clamor of a toppling tree, the earth beneath his feet rumbling with the impact of the massive trunk. Fear settled in his stomach, knowing that they had found what Levani had felt back at their camp. Kallo's sharp, pale eyes immediately focused on the enormous beast that had felled the ancient tree, his breath catching sharply in his throat at the thought of what it would take to best such a creature. Even with Levani's help, he knew this would be a hard fought battle, one that he would certainly not walk away from unscathed.<br/><br/>Nodding slowly at Levani's instructions to focus only on it's belly, he watched as smaller creatures, twisted from the corruption of the black, began to find their way up the rocks towards the path they stood on. “Lass... I need you to listen closely.” Taking a deep, steadying breath, he pointed further along the path that circled around the side of the rock face. “I need you to get around behind these creatures, quietly, while I keep their attention. I don't know the full extent of your abilities, but one things I've seen you do might make this a winnable fight. You know those root things that you impaled the wolves with?” Motioning to the hind legs of the massive beast that loomed in the distance. “If you can manage to snare it's legs... I think I can get an opening to it's stomach.”<br/><br/>Noticing the distraction in her normally focused gaze, Kallo reached up and placed the palm of his hand to her cheek, turning her gaze to his, fearful blue matching uncertain gold. “I don't know what's gotten in your head lass, but I need you. I won't survive this fight without you.” Pausing in his words, pale orbs searching for certainty. “If it doesn't tax your strength too much, I could also use that golem of yours to help me with these smaller creatures.”<br/><br/>Silence fell over the pair as he searched deep within the golden pools of her eyes, hoping for answers to questions he was too afraid to ask her, questions he might not get a chance to ask if this fight didn't go as intended. With the smaller creatures clawing up the rocks towards them, slowly closing the distance, he knew he was out of time to say what he truly wanted to say in that moment, to tell her how he had grown to feel for her since she had pulled his nearly lifeless form into her hovel. “Lass... I...” Taking a deep, steadying breath, he steeled his nerves and offered her a warm, loving smile. “Tugann gra dom neart.” Using the tongue of his homeland gave Kallo the strength to say what he needed to, without worrying over her response before the impending fight. As quickly as he spoke the strange words, he slipped his free hand around Levani's waist and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers in a firm, yet tender kiss.<br/><br/>Without giving her a chance to react, he offered a boyish grin, full of mischief, and turned to sprint to the edge of the path that overlooked the twisted creatures that were climbing to meet them. With no hesitation, Kallo leaped off the edge of the path, landing nearly ten feet down the rocky slope, sending rocks scattering down the slope before him, directly into the path of the climbing creatures. Using deft footwork, he managed to keep his footing as he slid down the rocky slope, his sudden action catching the twisted creatures by surprise as they scrambled to avoid the falling debris. The rocky landslide captured most of the creatures attention, sending several sliding down uncontrollably to slam onto the granite bottom, causing injuries to a few, disorienting a number of them and killing two outright. The ones who weren't caught in the slide turned their attention to Kallo and raced down the slope behind him, eager to sink their teeth into his flesh.<br/><br/>Reaching the bottom of the slope, he pushed off with his legs, leaping clear of the debris, landing in a roll to absorb the impact of his fall. As he rolled to his feet, he pulled his massive blade from it's half sheath on his back, baring his teeth in a primal snarl, ready to meet his foes head on. With the blade held in both hands, the steel swaying slowly in front of him, eager to rend the flesh of the corrupted creatures, though he held his position, buying a bit of time for Levani to get around behind the larger beast, now that he had most of the creatures focused on him, desperately hoping that he had broken her uncertainty and she had taken his instructions to heart.