Road Rage! (Highwayman!)

[Paradox]

Bright and warm, the day was a particularly pleasant one with not but a cloud to cast its gloomy shadow on the world or drown it in its melancholy tears. Butterflies fluttered lazlily about, dancing from the vibrant petal of one flower to the next and allowing their path to be directed by the cool but gentle breeze that whispered softly through the grasses.  A herd of deer crossed the fields to stop for a drink at the river, blissfully unaware of the wild dogs that stalked their movements from the thick, tall patches of foliage.

Today was a perfect day for travel and Sekeoloah'zhin took advantage of it. He traveled down the paved road that ran along the river and cut through the fields, his little steps quite hurried. The kobold was constantly twisting his skinny little neck around to peer back fearfully over his shoulder as if he expected that someone were following him but few people were on this section of the road today and none of the travelers appeared to be the sort that would give another any trouble.

Despite this , Sekeolath'zhin was on edge. Ever since that day...

Once again, he was in trouble. He knew this and he had no one to count on but himself. He'd run from his old employer and his cohorts. He knew that no bandit would stick their neck out for the likes of him even though he had helped make them so very rich...

Perhaps the big happy man would have , but he was the only friend he'd ever had among the Southroad but he didn't want to get Wulfgar in trouble because he would have been very sad to lose him. Perhaps even more sad than that time he'd lost his favorite silver goblet that he liked to drink from....

His wandering mind distracted him from paying attention to where he was going and bumped into someone who was purposefully standing in the middle of the road, blocking his path. Sekeolath'zhin staggered back and nearly lost his balance. He let out a startled hiss and looked up into a dark and unfriendly face.

The man that loomed over him was built powerfully, clad in dark leather armor and armed with a wicked curved sword, " Good day, little one. " The man said in a cheerful tone that almost belied the cruel intent in his dark gaze, " Bashir sends you his regards, " not missing a beat the man brought the tip of his blade dangerously close to the kobold's nose, "he also requests that you give back to him what you stole. "

Sekolath'zhin gulped and stared at the blade with beady, crossed eyes. "I-I-I have n-no idea what you're ta-talking about. Hehe." He laughed nervously at his lie and his crafty mind raced, thinking of all possible manners of escape. At the moment , however, there seemed to be none.

"Don't play me a fool, lizard," the man growled, "give me the ring or I'll run you through and search your corpse."

Sekeolath'zhin fell on his knees and sobbed pathetically, " Pleassse. I don't have it anymore! I sssswear-"

A boot crashed into his muzzle, knocking him onto his back. The human stood over him, preparing to bring his wicked blade down on Sekeo's scaly throat, " Where is it?"

"I-I don't know!" Sekeolath'zhin sobbed. He was being honest this time but the man scowled, clearly not convinced.

"Are you sure about that?" He stepped on the kobold's small chest , pinning the creature to the earth with his weight.

"YESSS! I am ssssure. I wassss in a hurry. I dropped it maybe. Pleasssse don't kill me! I will give you many of my ssssshinniesss. Pleasssee, pleasssse."

The man spat on him, " What a shame.Then you are are of no use to me. " He raised the blade over his head then brought it screaming down towards his throat.



ooc: Sorry if this wasn't quite what we'd discussed , but I am horrible with intros sometimes and this was what popped up in my head. Rather than forcing you to wait even longer, I just went with what I had! Hope it's alright.

[TheHighwayman]

For once, Kyt was actually feeling rather well. Sure, he'd been on the road all day, and had spent an exhausting two days earlier aiding a village with a brief epidemic, but he'd not come down with anything himself and he was reasonably well fed. The village had even been kind enough to provide him with a new traveling cloak, as his old one had more holes than cloth. Had he been the sort of person prone to such things, he probably would have started humming to himself. The healer was content simply to feel the road passing under his feet as he made his way home. If he'd wanted to, he might have even felt up for jogging a ways.

Tap, tap, tap, went his walking stick. The pace was steady, counting out every step. Kyt made certain to stay to the right and to keep the tally of how far he'd come- it would be an easy mistake not to notice when the road forked and miss the path home. Kyt almost smiled to himself. Nearly twenty years of helping the nearby towns, and only once or twice had he erred. He knew the route almost by heart, and one could almost say he could navigate the roads blindfolded.

Then he felt something ahead. Two somethings, in fact. One of which he doubted he need fear- the small one seemed more concerned with it's own life at the moment, but the other one, the larger one, gave him pause; he had the cold soul of a killer. The tapping of his walking stick slowed and soon paused entirely. Kyt was no warrior, but perhaps he could learn something of the situation before becoming involved. From here he could just barely make out what they were saying- partly in thanks to his keen hearing- and what he couldn't quite make out his gift allowed him to piece together. The kobold had made enemies of somebody, that was clear. How or why remained an unknown, but Kyt's stomach churned at the thought of allowing a murder to happen unchecked before his eyes.

Kyt hurried forward, breaking into what could almost be described as a panicked sprint when it became clear he was moving too slowly. "He's telling the truth! Stay your hand!" Kyt didn't know that for certain, but at this point honesty was less important than life. The blind man reached them more quickly than he thought he was capable of moving and held his staff out before the blade. The wooden walking stick flew out of his hands and clattered across the the road, now in two even pieces. He lifted himself to his full height and "looked" at the man in what would have been eye to eye. "I do not know why you're here, but you gain nothing by killing him." Kyt's tone was unnervingly calm, given the reckless sprint he'd just come out of and the fact that he was currently staring down an armed thug.

((OOC: No problem. This works perfectly fine. Besides, it's better than I would have done.))

[Paradox]

Kyt's intervention gave the mercenary pause. He stared at the man whom had positioned himself so hastily in front of the kobold as if in defense of the scaly little blighter. Not the sort to swing his blade and ask questions later, the mercenary drew back, removing his boot from Sekeolath'zhin's chest. He lowered his weapon and frowned and cocked a dark brow at this mysterious newcomer, "Really? And who might you be? One of his bandit brothers, I suppose? "

Sekeo remained where he was, lying on his back and staring up at the sky. He considered fleeing while the mercenary was distracted, but he was also curious about this man who chose to help him. It was curious. Few people were willing to help a kobold, let alone a thieving one such as he.

[TheHighwayman]

Kyt folded his arms. "Do I look like a bandit to you? No, I'm just a passing traveler who dislikes bloodshed. A healer, if you will." He raised the sash across his eyes, revealing his sightless gray eyes for a moment before covering them again. "And I can assure you, he's speaking the truth...It's one of my few talents." It took some effort, but he managed to keep his voice level. Kyt took a moment to think- if things went extremely poorly he could always fall back on his power, but he really rather wouldn't. Best to try and stick to persuasion.

"So why bother killing him? I doubt he's got much on him." It sounded reasonable enough to Kyt, but then again, he wasn't a killer. Besides, the man probably knew there wasn't much profit in it anyway. With a resigned sigh, Kyt figured he'd need to give him some incentive to leave the kobold be. "And I've got just a few coins with me, they're yours if you leave in peace," He added.

[Paradox]

The mercenary had no arguments. It was true that Kyt did not appear to be of the same ilk as Sekeo, but he had seen oddities among criminals before. There were always exceptions or something unexpected. Life was unpredictable. Magic made it even more so. 

It didn't really matter who this newcomer was however and so, with his answers he shook his head, " Even if what you say is true, I cannot let this scaly little thief go. I was hired to obtain what was stolen or bring his head to Bashir and I do not intend to leave without one or the other. Bashir is not simply a wizard, he is also a noble of considerable influence. He doesn't take lightly to those who steal from him and he is paying a king's ransom for it or him.  "

He gestured with his weapon-free hand to the blind healer, " Please, step aside if you do not wish to die with him."

[TheHighwayman]

Well, so much for persuasion. "Very well," Kyt said, and then wasted no time in acting. Darting forward, he reached out with both arms, attempting to make just an instant's worth of contact. Grabbing onto the mercenary's outstretched arm, he used his power. Using his magic to transfer a small amount of his own life force into his opponent, he attempted to overload his senses and leave him unable to act. The amount of energy would floor an ordinary man, but Kyt had no way of knowing how successful it would be against this one in particular. The only thing the kobold would be able to see of all of this would be a brief pulse of light at the instant of contact.

As the cost of his magic took it's toll, Kyt's grip weakened and released altogether. He suffered a rare moment of true panic as his magical "sight" flickered in and out, leaving him well and truly blind. He could neither tell whether or not his magic had worked or whether or not the kobold had tried anything during the confusion, but he took solace in the fact that whatever the outcome of the situation should be, he'd have done what he could. It finally dawned on him to raise his arms in defense, but he discarded the idea as pointless- what good would they do against a sword?

[Paradox]

Confident in his abilities to intimidate , the mercenary had anticipated the meddlesome stranger to turn tail and flee. Surprise twisted his dark features when the stranger reacted in a manner that he hadn't, in his arrogance, counted on. There was no time to react, however, for the moment that Kyt's hands came in contact with the merc's skin, the man shuddered and collapsed.

Sekeolath'zhin had witnessed the whole ordeal from where he cowered on the ground, though he had not seen exactly what had happened to the merc when the blind one had approached him unarmed. An intense light blinded his vision, denying him further speculation. However, when the light faded and the kobold could see again, he noticed the mercenary's body on the ground and let out a startled hiss.

Mean men with swords were scary but men with magic were even more intimidating. He was not sure what to make of Kyt, but he quickly scrambled up to his feet and brushed the dirt free off the dark leather material that he wore.

"Phew. I thought I wassss going to die, " Sekeolath'zhin piped up. His manner nervous and his body was tense, ready to flee at a the slightest sign of hostility from this stranger. "Thank you for helping me." As he was saying this, Sekeo was already sneaking over to the mercenary's still form and picking through the man's pockets, claiming whatever he possibly could.

ooc: Apologies for the delay. I took a day to draw and then I had to have another look at Kyt's abilities to make sure I replied appropriately.

Hope this is alright!

[TheHighwayman]

Kyt remained silent a moment, his breath rattling through his thin form. The young man felt as if he'd spent the past three days without any sleep and someone had decided to punch him in the ribs. Slowly his senses returned and he calmed himself enough to identify what the kobold had said, though he was still clearly a bit wobbly on his feet. "Don't mention it," he managed. He staggered, nearly collapsing after his exertion. "Though you do owe me a new walking stick."

Kyt stopped then, examining the spirit of the creature he'd aided. He seemed trustworthy enough- there were no indications of real hostility, though it would seem his little display had made him somewhat nervous. Still, there was one thing that was bothering Kyt... "So, did you really steal whatever it was he was after?" Kyt paused and rethought matters, unconsciously turning his head to the limp form of the kobold's assailant. "On second thought, questions might be better answered later. I don't know how long he'll be out."

Kyt took a shaky breath and started off along the road again, trying to recollect his count. He might be off by a few steps, but it should be workable... "I'd suggest you get moving as well. I've only got one more of those in me, and he won't exactly be surprised a second time." Kyt didn't turn back- there was little reason to- but he did gesture for the kobold to follow. "Of course, if you don't mind I could use a hand getting to the city after that." Kyt figured it wasn't exactly an unfair trade for the kobold's life, and he certainly didn't want to be alone if that man managed to catch up with either of them.

((OOC: Not a problem.))

[Paradox]

The man's response absolved some of the scaly little fellow's apprehension. Sekeo's expression brightened, " Walking stick? Oh...yes, yes. I think I can do that. " Hopefully, he didn't mean to steal Kyt one. 

At the question pertaining to his thievery of the ring, the kobold did recoil and cringe. "Steal? No, not me.  Bashir has powerful pretties, so shiny..." The thief sighed wistfully, thinking of the wizard's riches , but he snapped out of his little fantasy and shook his scaly head furiously. "No, I did not steal from him. Not the ring he says is his," he spoke sincerely but his tone was nervous and most normal people would have likely perceived that he was hiding something, "  I won it in a fair game from a bandit," The fair part was inaccurate but who cared if a bandit was cheated ? Only the bandit whom was cheated! That's who!

The kobold peered over at the unconscious mercenary when the blind one mentioned leaving. Of course he intended to leave, silly human. He would already be gone now were it not for his mild sense of curiosity as well as a surprising sentiment of gratitude.

Sekeolath'zhin finished picking the mercenary's pockets clean and moved hurriedly after the human. The little fellow's footsteps were so light and graceful that he didn't make a sound , but he spoke up to let Kyt know he was there. It wouldn't have mattered if the kobold knew that the blind man had a way of sensing him or not, " Yessss, yesss. I will help. I like helping." Sekeo nodded enthusiastically, " Alwaysss help thossse that help me. " A frown tugged across his scaly lips though, " Where are you going?"

[TheHighwayman]

"Arca," Kyt replied, his pace regaining a measure of it's former steadiness. He could hear the kobold following along behind him, and he was glad he'd decided to heed the warning. Kyt frowned at Sekeo's response, however- even a normal human would be able to tell he wasn't being entirely honest, and Kyt wasn't exactly ordinary. His voice took on a stern tone and his arms folded as he addressed the kobold. "And I would advise you don't lie to me- being able to do that," he gestured back in the direction of the mercenary, "isn't my only talent." 

"But I suppose whether you stole it or not isn't important," he muttered. Kyt's breathing was already becoming labored again, the extended effects of his magic beginning. He maintained his pace without complaint, but it was clearly difficult on the young man. "Now, my name is Kyt," he wheezed. "You are?" Kyt slowed and reached into his tattered cloak, pulling out a small pouch with an admittedly foul odor. From this, he withdrew a couple of leaves and popped them into his mouth. "Herbs good for restoring energy," he explained. "Too weak to do much, but they do help after I try something like that."

[Paradox]

Sekeo cringed. How did the man know whether he was telling the truth or not? Was he psychic? An empath, perhaps? The kobold shook his head, " Small fib, maybe, but what do you care if a thief takessss from another thief? If I did not cheat him, he would cheat me. That issss the way thieves work." He shrugged his small, narrow shoulders. "I did not know who the ring belonged to. Even if I had feeling to give it back, I could not. You think other thief tell me? No, of courssse not becaussse he might think I will rat on him for money . He issss right to fear that becausssse I would. I do whatever I mussst to live. Make money, get ssssshinniesss. I do not care about other thief who issss mean to me. Sssspits in my face and callssss me sssstupid lizard. No, no. I do not. "

For every step Kyt took, the kobold took three or four. It was a chore to keep up with the strides of the tall folk, " I thought about giving it back becausssse it issss sssspecial. There issss power in it that issss not meant to be trifled with.  I feel thisss. But I wasssss not given a chance. The man who wantssss it back issss not merciful. He ssssent people to kill me. No talkssss.They jusssst asssume I took it becausssse I have it. I do not think thisssss fair. Isss true I am thief, but I know better than to take magic thingssss I don't know how to ussse. That issss dangeroussss, but I wonder if thissss ring doesssss belong to thisss man. Thissss Basssshir assss he claimssss. "


Sekeo blinked at the man's introduction. Kyt. Such a tiny name but simple to remember. He hissed in approval, " Well met, Kyt. I am Ssssekeolath'zhin. " He watched the man take the herbal concoction and nodded, " Ssssso, you are bound for the big city. Thissss Arca. I have friend there I need to ssssee.A wizard who can help me identify thissss ring maybe. Explain power, offer council of what to do . I will accompany you until our pathssss need to ssssseparate. Issss leasssst  I can do for your trouble."

Sekeo looked back over his shoulder every so often to see if anyone was following them. "You do not know how grateful I am, " the kobold went on, " not many people help thissss poor kobold. Only a few. "

[TheHighwayman]

Kyt merely nodded politely as Sekeo attempted to excuse his actions. He knew well enough how the world worked, and he hadn't meant to accuse him of anything- he had simply been curious. The mention of the ring possessing some power, however, gave him pause. "So, you've come into possession of some item of considerable value, and now you've got people out for your blood." Kyt wondered at exactly what the nature of such a ring could be- he'd heard that good mercenaries tended to be expensive, and the odds of catching any given thief were pretty poor. It's owner must have really wanted it back. "Do you have any idea of what it might do, exactly?" Kyt finally felt the difficulty the kobold was having in keeping up and began taking shorter strides- they were far enough down the road now that his urgency in moving along at first had mostly passed.

Now Kyt faced a personal dilemma in how to deal with this situation. On the one hand, he had a job to do back in Arca, but on the other hand this wasn't something that he liked the thought of leaving be. After drumming his fingers on his forehead for a moment or two and letting out an annoyed sigh, he made his decision. "Well then, perhaps you'd like my continued assistance with this? I'm not much in a fight, but I can tell when someone's intentions are less than friendly- your pursuers wouldn't be able to catch you by surprise again with me along. After all, if you get yourself killed later, this won't really have done any good at all. And to be honest, I'm a little concerned about this ring. That man's employer likely isn't exactly a benefactor of mankind." It was then that Kyt had another idea. "Say, maybe my own magic could tell me something of the ring. Do you still have it, and may I have a look?"

[Paradox]

"No," the kobold admitted, "I am not a mage. I can only sssssenssse magic and itssss potency.   That issss why I left my fellow banditsssss. It would be bad if thissss fallssss into the wrong handssss, I think." Sekeo didn't trust any of them anymore than they had trusted him. "Ssssso I think I am taking thissss to my friend. He issss wizard. Who knowssss magical artifactsss better than wizard?"


The kobold was relieved with the taller Kyt reduced his pace. Sekeo eyed Kyt suspiciously when he asked to see the ring. He did not think this man seemed the dishonest type and he wasn't particularly attached to the ring because he knew what sort of trouble , to some extent , that it would bring. He reached into his pocket, "Okay, but you musssst give it back to me." He gently took the man's left arm and pressed the ring into his hand. It was simple by design. Just a simple gold band set with a stone of black onyx.

The simplicity of the ring's appearance, however, belied the nature of great and ancient power that resided within. 

[TheHighwayman]

Kyt nodded in thanks and slowed to a snail's pace as he turned all of his attention to the trinket. He wasn't hopeful for much- his strength was in feeling the spirits of the living, not whatever hints of power might reside within the ring, but it was worth a shot. There was certainly something within the small metal band, but he couldn't quite... Oh, that wasn't good. As the full realization of the level of power within the item hit him, Kyt could feel his consciousness threatening to be swept away in the midst of so much magic. Had he panicked, he might very well have suffered dire consequences, but Kyt maintained his calm and managed to extricate his spirit and his mind's eye from whatever power resided within the ring.He shuddered and shook himself, as if to dislodge something unpleasant.

Wordlessly he handed back the ring. Continuing on in silence, he tried to compose himself. "Whatever that ring does, exactly," he finally said, "it is not to be trifled with. I would advise you to be very, very careful while it remains in your possession, my small friend- and a long while after that for good measure."

((OOC: I don't know if that's really an appropriate reaction to the ring, but it seemed fair enough. Let me know if there's an issue.))

[Paradox]

Anxiously , Sekeo watched the human handle his ring. Yes, even though he intended to be rid of it, he still could not help feeling a little possessive over it. He held out his clawed hand and was only relieved if not a little surprised that Kyt returned it without hesitation. Most humans the kobold had met would have tried to claim such a thing for themselves. He shook his head. This man was strange to him but not in a bad way. Blinking slowly, Sekeo stowed the ring away in his pocket.

"Yessss. Isssss good advice. I heed it, " the kobold agreed. He paused in step for a moment to glance back over his shoulder back down the road. He could barely make out the distant form of the unconscious mercenary lying in the dirt road. He whipped his head to look around again at Kyt, " Do you know what it doessss?"


Ooc: Naw. It's a perfectly good response! Apologies for this being dreadfully short.

[TheHighwayman]

Shaking his head, the blind healer grimaced. "Had my soul lingered longer, maybe I could glean some hint of what it was crafted for. What I could tell, however, was that it was very old and very powerful- more so than I've felt from anything in my admittedly short life. Unfortunately, lingering longer might have meant losing touch with myself. Let that give you an idea of the sort of power within." He shuddered again. "I don't know if the power is malevolent or not, but it certainly didn't feel benign."

"Do you know nothing of the one who wants you dead? This Bashir, he said," Kyt continued. "Perhaps that could shed some light on the ring's purpose." The puzzle was really starting to bother him now. He knew the area and most of it's people (even if not all of them knew of him) like the back of his hand. He always felt somewhat responsible for their well-being, and it went without saying that ancient items of immense power tended to jeopardize said safety. He decided he would keep an eye on the situation, whether anyone wanted or not. But first he needed answers. "Or anything else about it's origins that might help?"

[Paradox]

Sekeo slowed his steps and scratched his scaly chin with his claw, his beady eyes misted over in deep contemplation as the kobold's mind traveled back in time to the events that lead to his current dilemma. "Hrrrm. Let me sssee. I know a little about Bassssshir. He issss a mage from Essssyrn, but he hassss lived in Serendipity for sssome time now. He isssss a collector of valuable thingssss. Mossstly magic artifactsssss I think. I've never actually ssseen what he hasss becaussse he issss mage too. Powerful I hear and too much trouble to be worth sssstealing from. But I do not make a habit of sssstealing from magessss. " He shook his head and contemplated further, " He makessss his home in Arca. I don't know where exactly, but I hear it issss a very large and extravagant esssstate. Maybe Hubert knowsss where. "

He stopped suddenly and held up a claw, " Or I might know where thief issss. One I win the ring from. I could asssk him but I do not do that alone. He would try to kill me becausssse he wassss ssssore lossser. I had to run away. He at leassst might know more about Basssshir. I do not think he knew what he'd taken though.  Or perhapssss he did. Maybe wasss act to trick me. I did not think him ssssso clever but maybe I wassss played for a fool ssssso angry mage would come after me insssstead. You think sssso? "

[TheHighwayman]

A collector. That wasn't so bad- perhaps he simply wanted it for the sake of owning it, rather than to use it for some nefarious purpose. At any rate, he'd certainly be out of reach for the time being. This other thief, on the other hand, sounded like a more promising lead. "What if we hunted him down together? He might -try- to attack you with me along, but between the two of us he shouldn't be a problem. And I doubt he planned it. If he wanted the ring gone, he wouldn't react so poorly to losing it." Kyt stooped quickly and scooped up a small stone, tossing it about in his hand. Odd? Yes, but he'd gotten somewhat used to carrying something with him on his trips, and he didn't exactly have his staff anymore.

"Though I suppose it would still be somewhat risky. I'd need to catch him by surprise for my magic to be particularly effective, and I assume you wanted to avoid direct confrontation for good reason. Hrm... I suggest we see this wizard friend of yours, first, then see about interrogating your previous victim. What to do with the ring can be determined once we've got a clearer understanding of exactly what it does. If it's safe enough I'd be willing to aid you in making a break for it- at least so far as I'm able, given I can't travel far from Arca at any given time. If it's as sinister as I fear it may be, simply running may not work."

[Paradox]

Sekeolath'zhin stopped suddenly and grabbed for the man's arm, " You would do that? Really?" He sounded surprised. He couldn't wrap his mind around the concept. " You will want payment, I asssssume," he considered what he had to offer, but humans were not so predictable. Each one had a different desire and they were not always easily pleased.

" Name your price," as he was saying this however , his eyes shifted to the path that lay ahead of them. Arca was still a long way off and the sun was slowly sinking to the west behind them. This wasn't what concerned him however. Three rough looking men loitered on the road, their backs to the kobold and his current companion. They were still well off , but the kobold's keen eyesight identified them and his grip on Kyt's arm unintentionally tightened like a vice. Sekeo wasn't that strong, but his little claws digging so into one's flesh was not a pleasant feeling.

His eyes widened and he almost lost his breath, "Oh no, "Without waiting to explain, he pulled Kyt hastily off the road and stumbled down the hill, moving for a small thicket  that spread alongside the road and river. " ,more trouble." He wasn't absolutely positive of that, but his instincts told him that those men weren't friendly and they were probably lying in wait of someone to rob , most likely him. And as rough and mean as they looked, they'd probably do a lot worse than rob him.

[TheHighwayman]

Kyt opened his mouth to assure the kobold that he wasn't doing it for money when he was pulled to the side. He was caught by surprise, but as he'd begun to detect the first traces of malevolent intent himself it wasn't hard to guess the reason. "Unpleasant looking company?" Under ordinary circumstances Kyt would have simply carried on ahead- he was obviously not a profitable target himself, and there always seemed to be something about him that unnerved such people to the point of deterrence- too many ghost stories about blind men traveling alone, perhaps? Regardless, it would have been easy enough to bluff his way past, but with Sekeo and the ring in tow such a feat would be far too risky.

"Any suggestions?" he asked, short on ideas himself. They could just try to slip around the brigands he supposed, but sneaking about was difficult when you couldn't see hiding spots or twigs just waiting to snap. Plus he preferred not to leave the road. If there'd only been one he could probably zap him- enough time had passed between his last effort that Kyt would probably still be able to walk if he used his power again, albeit barely. "And by the way," he continued before he forgot. "I'm not offering my help for money. I don't know what that thing does, but it's powerful enough that it could very well hurt a lot of innocent people should it fall into the wrong hands. I'd rather do what I can to prevent that."