Zol lightly chuckled to waft through his unpreparedness being brought to the light. The summons was so sudden, and he was so geeked he rushed to the Ark, leaving his dossier behind. He figured he'd do what he had just done and ask questions about what he felt he needed to know. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't tell Erigor to test his mantle as a hunter and then fumble around, making amateur mistakes like not reading your mission details. He knew he better tighten up fast. If he wanted to be someone others could depend on, he needed to take things more seriously. If this went like his last mission, No...he would not let that happen again. From here on out, his game face was on. He...had a goal that was dear to his heart that I must see fulfilled.
"Wizardy huh, and naten snatching soul magic eh, reminds me of the outer beings of Zevlar 8"
He murmured more to himself than to Cyrus; he was reminded of that harrowing battle across the stars. Those guys were sinister, evil, interdimensional whatchamacallits with tentacles that could go incorporeal and rip out living souls. Ultimately, they fell to him as he had extraordinary ways of dealing with casters, especially anything trying to mess with his soul.
It was the first time since returning that anyone had even asked what it was. Zol was cable now as he was. It felt like a "tell me about yourself" interview question, making him just as uneasy. Since returning to the guild, he hadn't had the chance to flex what he could do in many ways, still aware of the scope of his abilities now having a body that was just as strong as his spirit."-Which reminds me, Zol- while you do possess your own plateau of respect among the Guild, I am non familiar with your hunting abilities. I have no idea how you fight or your method of approach." He said, suddenly stopping in his tracks and folding his arms. "You've heard my plan- as a polymorph, my abilities allow me to alter my physiological integrity to mimic anything I've eaten within my lifetime. With them, I prioritize overwhelming and unrelenting techniques. I'm up front. I'm in their faces. And if I wanted to, I could probably wrestle this cult until the suns sets next week."
"Well, let's see, how can I put this?"He sounded as if he was bragging, and he may have been a little bit. Cyrus took pride in his abilities, of course. But he took greater pride in the confidence his strength placed in those around him. Not only did Cyrus want Zol to be comfortable with fighting alongside him, he wanted him to feel protected. No less than if he were fighting alongside the Primal Fang himself. It wasn't extrinsically stated by Erigor, but during his briefing Cyrus could feel a certain level of trepidation in his GuildMaster's voice when he told him Zol would be accompanying him. There was no way in hell Cyrus would allow Zol to be harmed during this mission, but in order to do that he needed to know as much about his ally as he could.
He said as he adjusted his gauntlets that hummed with a spectral-esque light. When he thought about how to sum up his skills best, he felt it would be easier to show them. So, he would perform a few mundane movements of his hand to cause a pillar about his height to rise. It would lift off the ground, hovering slightly above the earth.
"The earth and me are practically one; I can manipulate its shape, size, consistency, you name it just as easily as breathing"
That very same pillar would begin to shrink and compress and form into all kinds of shapes and weapons.
"If I gave it my all, I could probably create something about three times this monument. I could even terraform this entire Island had I half a mind to"
The condensed pillar was then caught in his grip.
"My physical strength and durability are nothing to scoff at either. Though he was wounded, I managed to pull through a full-throttle punch from Erigor himself."
Zol wasn't the bragging type by far. However, he could pick up on the outer echoes of meaning behind Cyrus's pride. He took the care of those in his charge seriously. His braggart demeanor must've given others the confidence to stand firm, knowing he was beside them. Indsie, the earth of his soul, brought comfort to him. However, one thing he noticed about Cyrus was the same feeling he got from Erigor, the same worry he saw about Amir. The urge that everyone had to shield him from danger. If he was going to be an arm for even Cyrus to depend on, he needed to show he possessed the power to see that dream a reality right now.
"As far as my fighting style, well... that's a little harder to explain. It would be easier to show you."
He would reach out, placing his hand upon Cyrus's shoulder. His eyes would become emboldened with his aura, the might of his soul. He would then cause that aura to flow through Cyrus, allowing him to experience the invigoration of his very cells being imbued with his spiritual power like he could lift the monument itself with his bare hands. This would expose him to Zol's soul plane briefly, just enough to witness the core of his anthem Caudlron.
"My Anthem; Cauldron allows me an almost interminable retainer for energy. Namely, that of my soul, which can be measured to the very black of space, as it has the potential to become just as boundless. With this power, I have nigh total dominion over my spiritual self, granting me arbiters like astral projection, increasing the power of me or my allies, and being able to heal them, shatter and dispel hexes, etc. I have felled all kinds of crazy terrors, each with their menacing darkness trying to gain my soul for their own. For reasons I've yet to unveil, demons and creatures like them in malefic nature are especially susceptible to the wavelength my soul ebbs and flows with. Using that to my advantage, I can "Exorcise" otherworldly force back to where they came...or to another place entirely using a form of Mystic Arts handed down to me known as Banishment.
The limits of application of Zol's Aura abilities were only as stunted as his imagination. He could fit whatever role the situation required, whether for offense, defense, or support. Whether the situation calls for beams of aura powerful enough to blast through a mountain or conjuring defensive fields strong enough to repel a meteor or trap malign spirits, if need be, he could even use his power to heal mortal wounds. His versatility and exceptional adaptability made him a force to reckon with. With that, his aura would recede, fading into nothing. He wanted Cryus also to know comfort that he wasn't here to protect Zol but that Zol was here to protect and support him as well. He was known as the Etheral Berseker back in Carna for a reason. His fist could shatter all kinds of malicious influences.
"Listen, Cyrus, I know everyone is worried about me. I get it, but treating me like a fine china or some porcelain doll isn't protecting me; it keeps me from growing. Protecting does not have to be yours alone as a defender of the realm. We will lay this darkness to rest. With you watching my back"
He said, raising a fist for a bump, and hopefully, one obliged.
"And me watching yours!"