No path back to this one

The Warlord grunted. A sound neither agreement nor disagreement. He was getting on in his years, but he wasn’t ready to let it slow him down yet. If his bones ached a little first thing in the morning, then he just needed to warm them up with a hearty exercise.

“I don’t doubt it” the Warlord agreed, knowing the truth in Io’s words. She had looked after the Armada - and him - for long enough for him to appreciate her skill. He didn’t move immediately however. He looked at the cottage, and felt the presence of the woman beside him. He thought of younger days in the Armada, and knew the melancholy wanted to eat him from the inside out. He huffed. “Well. Best get to it then” he said, and went around the cottage. Luckily he was tall. He found the stump of an old tree and used it to leap onto the lowest point of the roof. The place was well built, but even then it felt rather unsteady beneath his colossal body. He waited a moment to ensure it wasn’t about to fall down around him, and then moved higher.

He took out a flat piece of metal he had been using for dismantling so far, and had been tucked into his braces. He used it to start levering pieces free, putting his weight into it.

"Speech"