Poppy walked alongside her once professor, Neo was behind them with a large group of injured students, trying his best to carry several heavily wounded first years.
Luke was wearing his bandana, refusing to show his face.
His armor upgrade had probably been the best among the team, Poppy was surprised to actually think that her once Social Society teacher had actually looked cool...
He wore a red stetson hat, this one unlike his last however, had crimson bellflowers growing along its side.
Only Poppy really understood the meaning and properties of certain flowers.
But this had been quite a shock, as these flowers possessed the abilities of strength, meaning that along with a ironite hand, the one they called "Bandit" now possessed inhuman strength when he popped one of the flowers.
"Why don't you take off the bandana?"
She asked, tilting her head as his crimson eyes slowly gazed down at her.
His crossbows swung lazily in each of his two hands, but it took probably the entire span of a hallway before he answered her.
"They don't need to find hope in a man like me..."
Poppy narrowed her eyes, tapping the polearm of her mighty spear as she stepped.
"Do you have no pride?"
Luke shrugged.
"Pride is a weapon to be used against you..."
Poppy sighed.
"Pride is also what people can find faith in, do you think that the gods of this world gained their followers by having no pride?"
Luke chuckled.
"I am no god... And more than that, I want no followers... I am happy in the comforts of my own world, and if it means I get to have a cool codename when fighting alongside the future generations, then I am fine with that."
He twitched, as Poppy tightened her grip around the spear.
"What was that?"
Neo whispered from behind them, as all of the students quieted down.
"We are almost at the armory... I suggest that the strongest of the students take arms and stay back with the injured... Neo come with us."
Luke ordered, as he stepped ahead of the group and towards the small metal door in front of them.
The three of them slowly walked forward, until Luke was resting his palm of the surface of the door.
"Ready your weapons..."
He whispered, as he pushed the door open with enough force to shake the walls.
Behind it...
Sitting on one of the armory tables, was a man dressed in blackened plate armor, two chained maces resting on each side of his hips.
His helmet was shaped of that of a snarled beast, and his eyes were hidden behind a black visor.
When he spoke, his voice made Poppy shutter, it was deep and grotesque, like some sort of wild animal.
"I am glad to see that my advisories have arrived in time... Rider alerted me that I would have a chance to face off against the legend known as the Bandit."
The man didn't bother to stand up, and stretched his arms behind his head and yawned.
"I was growing tired though, almost hoped that you would show up early..."
Luke stepped forward, using his thumbs to cock the levers of his crossbows.
"State your name soldier..."
The man only continued to stretch.
"I am the one they call The Iron Thorn... Mercenary for hire, and the man who will strike you down..."
Luke seemed to flinch at the name, but his voice was stern when he spoke.
"How much were you paid? We can double it, there is no point in fighting a losing war..."
Luke said calmly.
The man must have been grinning behind the mask, as he finally stood up.
The floor shook as his black boots met the ground, but he seemed in no haste to begin the fight.
A chuckle escaped his lips.
"I was offered thirty thousand golden pieces, and a place at Rider's roundtable... But I declined... I will happily kill you for free..."
He stepped forward, causing the weapons on the racks to rattle with every step.
Poppy readied herself, as Neo summoned the curved blade from his catalyst.
Luke scoffed.
"You must really want me dead... Wearing not a single hole in your armor for protection against the weapons I use most..."
The Iron Thorn let out a bitter laugh.
"You don't even know..."
Then when he lunged at Luke, Neo had already moved, but the room quivered underneath the force of the attack, causing Poppy to lose her balance.
Neo's blade met the chain of the man's mace, causing it to swiftly wrap itself around his sword.
Neo's eye widened, and The Iron Thorn yanked the sword free from Neo's hands, then delivered a crushing blow of his spiked mace to the side of Neo's face.
Poppy screamed, and Luke had already fired his first shots.
She could only made a silent prayer before she stood up and ran at powerful mercenary.
There was no telling if they would make it out of this alive, but they were dead if they didn't at least try...