It was a blessing, perhaps, that Galatic couldn't smell. His panic, perhaps, would have been furthered still by the smell of ozone and burnt hair, even moreso than it was by the muffled sound, the thickened air.

He managed to get his talons underneath him, head spinning about on its swivel, as he tried to locate something grounding. But there were so many noises - voices, crackling, magic! Crying of names and demands and please for help!

As Kra'raum fled, the owl panicked again as things flew passed him, something exploding. The owl thrashed his wings, throwing another Gust at Kra'Raum.

And then, suddenly, it was calm. The voices were faded, and he stumbled, attempting to keep up as he followed. "Please! What's going on!" he sobbed fearfully, the thought of being left behind terrifying.

@Thothaga @Pride @Huckleberry

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

A cry from behind and a magical gust of wind grazing her hair, got the spider's attention. She spun around and saw a small, flat-faced bird with stone eyes looking oh so lost. She thought she recognized him as the other gembound in the cagr and had been eaten by the void. Thothaga skittered back to the owl. He needed to be calmed down before his wind-throwing hurts someone (other than Kra'Raum of course)

Thothaga stuck out her leg in front of the owl to prevent him from bumping into her. "You are a lucky one, blind-bird." She said calmly. "Worry not, the creature has fled, and two fools are pursuing it."

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

@Galactic

The she-wolf shook her head as the hallucinations faded away, allowing her to focus on the here and the now, to put all of energy on saving her Sibling. Traitor he may be, he was still Family, until Mother declared otherwise. Her eyes locked onto the sight of the beast, and as it began to drag away Huckleberry's cage, she made a horrific screeching sound, lunging and grabbing the bars of the cage in her teeth, digging her claws in. She was faintly aware of the spider's attempt to weave the cage into her web, and her fur stood on end as electricity sparked in the air.

A deep snarl rumbled in her chest at her Sibling's cry, and she growled, "You're not going to die!" for once, she felt grateful for the white stag as he used his Magic to strike the Monster in the darkness. Her ears flattened at a howl of pain, and then to her relief the shadows released their grip on her Kin's cage.

She leaped back as the very shadows seemed to explode - shards of the cage flying every which way. As the shrapnel flew towards her, she leaped sideways, rolling and coming up in a battle-ready crouch, ears forward and tail high, a snarl on her lips, muzzle furrowed and mantle high.

And then, to her horror, Huckleberry was taking chase after the monster. Her eyes widened, and she called out, "Huckle, wait!" The shite stag, and the massive spider both chased after him as well, and she cursed as she began to chase after him, snapping "DAMN IT HUCKLE!" slowing only long enough to grab the stupid owl by its wing, before speeding up and running all out after the trio.

"She speaks." 'She thinks.' She does.

OF WISPS AND WHISPERS

KRA'RAUM, TERROR OF THE CAVES

6 / 100 HP

The Gembound poured into the pitch-black, charging after the monster in the dark.

The tunnel swarmed with shadows, icy to the touch.

The cave seemed to shudder. A dark shape turned, giving up its flight to turn and face them. Whispers filled the air, rising, rising, rising toward a scream.

For an instant--before whatever it was about to do--it was there, visible, a dark shape in a darker tunnel.

It would be wise to choose one's actions carefully.

Huckleberry 72/100	Shiny 36/50	Galactic 86/100
Pride 86/100	Thothaga 86/100	Jayberry 85/100

@Huckleberry @Pride @Galactic @Jayberry @Thothaga

Jayberry's eyes locked on Pride, the deer's white pelt a beacon in the dark. She couldn't care less about the white deer, of course, but she couldn't make out Huckleberry in the shadows, so she had to rely on the deer to find her Kin.

The air filled, first, with whispers, before rising into a scream. The monster turned to face them, and she dropped the owl, continuing her run and skidding into place in front of Huckleberry. The wolf dropped into a battle-ready position - if it tried to harm her Sibling, it would have to kill her first. A chilling snarl rose in her throat, her teeth bared and fur bristled.

"She speaks." 'She thinks.' She does.

The owl gave an alarmed shriek as he found himself scooped up, swinging with the animal's strides. "Who?!" he called, before going limp, deciding that this was as 'fine' as he was going to get.

And then, suddenly, he was falling, hitting the ground with an "Oof!" he rolled, tumbling head over talons, before thumping into Pride's leg.

@Pride

Pride skidded to a halt as the creature appeared ahead. It hadn't been his intention to chase after it--merely to try and stop Huckleberry. But now, with it leering there, turning, clearly about to attack--with the whispers intensifying all around them--he swiftly drew together his magicka to strike.

It was not an intense, carefully-crafted bit of magic--it was a blunt, simple strike, the first thing he'd ever learned, aiming to blast the thing back before it could hit them first.

He stood braced as he sent it out, his head sweeping a fraction downward, his forelegs splayed. His silver-gray eyes remained locked on their enemy, and he did not speak as he struck.

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

Thothaga staggered back as a black wolf raced passed her and snatched the owl before he could even respond. She flicked her fangs in annoyance as she watched her drag him towards the others. "Rude." She huffed. The black wolf had violent, reckless air around her, Thothaga felt kind of bad for the owl. She probably broke his wing.

The creature had stopped to face its pursuers, and by the time Thothaga caught up, the stag blasted it back with a simple energy spell. She hung in the back, growing weary of the consuming shadows, and this fight. Thothaga was a patient creature, she really was, but the others were starting to get under her exoskeleton. She had been ignored, lost in the dark, caught in crossfire, almost eaten by shadows and impaled by shrapnel, and now her "allies" were begging for another fight with this.. this.. evil, underhanded creature. She had half a mind to toss them all into its shadows, (except for the owl) but Thothaga was smarter than that. She had to end this before it begins (again).

The spider's quartz gem lit up, shining bright with magicka. Grab him-- She commanded her mind, with her eight eyes eyes trained on Kra'raum's body.

"I GROW TIRED OF THIS GAME." The giant arachnid bellowed harshly, not just to the creature, but to everyone else as well. She was clearly angry. If one could not tell from the venom dripping from her fangs, then surely from the air around her.

-- and THROW HIM. Thothaga used her magick to forcefully chuck Kra'raum straight into its beloved, consuming shadows. Hopefully it would eat it like it had the cage and her web. If not, maybe it would crack its head open on a rock of something.


"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

Huckleberry sprinted into the shadows, ignoring their icy touch and ignoring the cries of everyone behind him. His eyes were focused up front, keeping them locked on the place where the shadow beast was. He was filled with rage and the thirst for vengeance - he hurt and Shiny hurt and Pride hurt so this thing would die. Die!

As the beast turned Huckleberry skidded to a halt, panting heavily. He faced off with the monster, his mind going haywire as he searched for something to do, something to utterly destroy him with. And, with a scream, his magic simply burst from his body and pressed forward. He wanted to crush the monster, destroy him and grind his ashes into dust. Collapse the shadows, bring the roof on its head! Huckleberry screamed his anger as he pressed forward with his magic, the complete loss of control making the spell weaker then he wanted. "DIEDIEDIEDIEDIE"

OF WISPS AND WHISPERS

KRA'RAUM, TERROR OF THE CAVES

0 / 100 HP

The beast was struck by the blast of magic, slamming into the cave wall behind it.

It stumbled.

As the air pressure dropped, sharply, it would be hard for the others to breathe; Huckleberry's magic would leave them all gasping for breath, Kra'raum included.

It collapsed.

As it did so, the coalescing whispers broke into a rip-roaring scream. Shadows boiled up over the fallen creature's form where it lay motionless--perhaps dead. The scream tore through the tunnel, then, and through their minds, echoing sharply and leaving an agonizing, migraine-like headache in its place.

The world seemed to come alive with shadows.

The walls bled black ichor. The floor fell away into void-black. They each tumbled into nothing, falling, and they knew it would be eternal. It would be forever. They would never stop falling. The world around them screamed incessantly, agony and terror--even the rocks were screaming. The others around them broke into pieces, pieces that spun away into the black, never to be seen again. Violet eyes blinked in the darkness.

Each Gembound would gradually awaken on the floor of the tunnel. It appears normal, but everyone present will remember what they have seen--and the magic used to inflict it will have left an echo. Each Gembound present will now know the spell Mindscream. However, each is also left with Kra'raum's final curse, alongside this questionable "gift"...

At times, the shadows dwelling at the corners of their vision will seem to move of their own accord. Any particularly dark locations or shadowed places will seem to shift with movement, at times, and it feels real. Perhaps it is real. The faces of those around them, along with familiar landmarks, may appear to distort unexpectedly and in disturbing ways. Each Gembound will be plagued by nightmares: nightmares of dark places, of being trapped in claustrophobic places, of grasping tentacles, of falling floors, of eyes in the darkness. This may, depending on the Gembound's willpower and logic, last merely a few cycles, at a minimum--or it may, perhaps, be permanent.

Regardless... Kra'raum has been defeated. Huckleberry is safe.

Huckleberry 72/100	Shiny 36/50	Galactic 86/100
Pride 86/100	Thothaga 86/100	Jayberry 85/100

Kra'raum has been defeated, concluding Radiant Gift in the Dark.
Gembound will suffer nightmares and horror-themed hallucinations lasting at least 3 cycles.
All of those present will learn the spell Mindscream.

Mindscream
High Intensity Offensive. The user assaults a target's mind directly with an overpowering surge of their own choice of emotion, sound, memory or imagery, limited only by their imagination. User must concentrate wholly on this spell cast, but can temporarily disable the target for the duration, incapacitating both user and target.

@Huckleberry @Pride @Galactic @Thothaga @Jayberry