Finally, someone with some sense! The gator did not want to go into the cave, and the dog agreed. But he stayed, to see what the others would do. If even one went in, he would go along. If anyone was going to die, it should be him - he was already sickly, so it would only be right.

And then, of course, the hybrid-beast went racing into the cave. The dog sighed - looks like he was going in, then - only to be cut short by Pride. The white stag seemed alarmed, and gave them all a farewell, before heading into the cave. Yoosung cast Will o' Wisp, as it looked dark inside, and he wished to be able to see, and trotted in at the stag's heels. He had no farewells to bid, and so didn't speak.

I've been on a lonely tripdragging along a lonely shadow

Wilder listened to the creature with wide eyes, the strangeness disappearing from their glassy surface and instead being replaced with a gleaming excitement. Danger! Exploration! A test of some sort! It sounded like quite the adventure and it sounded like a lot of fun! She hopped with excitement and turned to the others, bouncing on her feet eagerly. "Oh, can we go? Can we go? Pleeeaaaase?" She asked as if the others had some sort of parenting power over her; not that she waited for a response.

She turned and zoomed into the cave after the hybrid, the stag, and the dog, her tail pressed down against her sprint. She paused just before she entered, however, and tried to cast her magical senses out, hoping to find some sort of glimpse of what was going to happen, but nothing happened. She shrugged and continued, her black pelt melting into the darkness.

Miru watched carefully as the strange figure of strength took the gem and faded once more into the shadows. It's final words had been... troubling. There was no skirting around it, this being intended to toy with their very lives and certainly had the power to back up that desire.

With unblinking gaze the fox initially took a few steps back, knowing better than to rush headlong into what was almost certainly a trap if she could avoid it. These proposed puzzles, under normal circumstances, would certainly appeal to her playful nature; but with the stakes so extreme there was no way she could justify that risk. Before she got too far away though a rogue thought hit her, an insight into how deep they might already be.

What guarantee do we have that the game has not already started? Simply by showing up have we already agreed in its mind to participate, could it be that those who leave are setting themselves up to forfeit both their victory and life?

Her heart beat began to race as a dawning dread seized every muscle. There was no choice! Once more they were trapped within a labyrinth of shadow and madness with no way out but forward.

The words of the others barely registered to her ears until the owner of the fated pink eyes rushed headlong into the darkness with glee. Such a enviable state to be a child with no knowledge of the depths they had found themselves in. That carefree nature would surely serve them well in the trials to come.

"One wrong choice here might spell our doom." she spoke aloud almost under her breath as a single paw struggled to more forward again. "Flee if you trust the holder of strength. As for me I see no path but forward"

Even as every instinct told her to run away and take that risk the fox broke through her paralysis and dashed into the unknown.

---

Though my thoughts are my own
"This is my greatest tool to hone"
Tags:

THE BLACK ROOM

The Darkness is Full of Whispers

One by one, they pass into the darkness. Behind them the light vanishes. It is as if there was never an entrance, never a broad maw biting at Monoceros.

The cave sounds cavernous--impossibly large. It is eerily silent, only their own movement (frighteningly loud in the silence) and the sounds of very distant dripping water echoing across the stone.

Yoosung's wisp provides the only light. Its faint blue-green glow shimmers over strange stone beneath them: black, wet, cool to the touch, yet almost organic in its rounded, swirled patterns.

The wisp lights no walls--in fact, its light doesn't reach very far at all before shadows engulf it on all sides. Yoosung's light is the only beacon in the darkness. It lights but one other thing, aside from the Gembound and the floor below: a pedestal some meters ahead, black stone, with something small lying atop it.

Something pale grey, flat, and motionless.

Those left behind, outside, would see the yawning mouth of the cave creak and close, like a wound suddenly sealing, the rock and dirt shuddering shut--though to those within, it as if it was never there.

For those within, there may be more to notice. Gembound can roll for perceiving something more than immediately meets the eye.

@Shango @Pride @Yoosung @Miru @Wilder

Wilder bounded forward until she was right next to the dog and his little light and kept pace with him as the darkness swallowed her and the rest of the ones that had entered the cave. In the darkness, she tried to see but even her eyes, so well adapted to seeing in the darkest nights, could see nothing but pitch blackness beyond the light source. She sobered for once and stayed silent as they made their way deeper in.

Only when the light started to shine on something else did she regain some of her usual vitality. With a gleeful bounce forward, she ran up to inspect the pedestal, her whiskers twitching as she inspected every inch of it. "What is this? What does it do? What's it for?" She turned and sniffed the floor around it, as if searching for other clues, trying to discern anything she could from the darkness, the ground, and whatever the thing was on the pedestal.

Shango spun, surprised, as the light abruptly vanished behind him. He was the first inside--and the one frantically fidgeting, sniffing at the back of the cave, when the others came through.

Yoosung's light was good--and he stuck close to this, his scale-feathers bristling with fear as he looked around.

"Too dark," he told the others in a growling tone, though his fright was clearly apparent in it. He focused for a beat, a sheen shifting over his large, glowing eyes. His magicka made it so that he could see a little better, with the aid of the wisp--see the strange curved lines along the cave, as if molten obsidian had cooled mid-flow. This he studied, quietly--but was careful to stay near Yoosung.

When Wilder went ahead, he watched, but stuck near the wisp. He didn't want to leave it. He didn't want to be alone in the dark.

________________

I AM THE STORM

When Pride stepped in, his heart was racing.

Yes, he was quite powerful with his magic. But much was at stake--and it was his experience that told him that this could end very badly. Fearfully he glanced about, silver eyes blinking in the dim light of Yoosung's wisp.

"This was foolish, but we must do what we can to get out together. We need to rely on each other--stay close," he added. His tone was hushed, and one of warning. He glanced at Shango at the hybrid's comment, but said nothing--he was right; it was too dark. Pride himself would have to conjure up some light, but he wished to ensure, first, that it was safe to do so. Quietly he followed Wilder to the strange pillar, and the gray object atop it--but his gaze, and his flicking ears and flaring nostrils, were on the cave around them.

What was this place..?

Miru had quickly caught up to the group within the maw, but strode low to the ground and stayed near the end. Whoever the masked one might be they certainly could have set up anything in this treacherous game. Floor traps, wall traps, falling traps, anything would be within the realm of possibility. She could only take mild solace in the fact that they would probably face obstacles requiring wit rather than sudden pronouncements of death in this tomb of horrors.

At least later on. Here at the beginning would be the perfect place to lay an unexpected surprise if the holder of strength wanted to instill terror.

Her words stayed locked within her chest even as the child of fate bounced toward the first major object in their path. She wanted to call out to them; she wanted to warn the creature whom she had declared 'friend' of the situation they were in. To do so, however, would probably do more harm than good.

Instead she executed the only action she could think of that might assist the group as a whole, delving deep into her magic instincts to try to bring out her glow. It was risky, and if there was something lurking in the darkness it would immediately make her a target, but the masked one had described puzzles rather than beasts. The benefits of extra light would surely outweigh the dangers of its presence.

Like a match on propane a flaring blue light radiated out from within, casting rippling rays upon the ground around her. Her stance relaxed as she strode around the edge of the group, taking care to illuminate as much of the perimeter as possible even as her keen ears swiveled to listen for any new movement reacting to the light.

---

Though my thoughts are my own
"This is my greatest tool to hone"
Tags:

The stag was easily visible in the dark, his white pelt nearly glowing. Yoosung trotted at his heels, the pale Will 'o the Wisps floating around him, providing little light. The fox joined them, as well, and through the pale light of his Wisps he could make out the vague shape of the kitten.

His head moved on a swivel, taking in what they could see - dark, swirling stone, that seemed almost wet beneath his paws. He came to a stop as something seemed to emerge from the shadows, made from the same stone, head straining forward as he sniffed the air, ears twitching.

"It is," he agreed with Shango, and his head throbbed as he summoned more Will O' the Wisps. He couldn't help but to flinch as they seemed to explode into existence, so bright that he had to avert his gaze. "Too bright!" he grumbled, shaking his head and blinking the spots from his vision.

I've been on a lonely tripdragging along a lonely shadow

THE ROCKS HAVE VEINS

The Ground Breathes

Yoosung's wisps grew in number. Miru's glow joined them, so that the area around the small group glowed an eerie blue-green. This light, cast over the ground, made it all the clearer: and Wilder would be the first to take note:

The rock, strangely swirled (like a lava flow coagulated into obsidian), seemed to be pulsing.

Moving.

The lines were throbbing, and the ground as a whole moved ever-so-slightly, almost as if... alive. This would be clear to Wilder--an impression there, then gone, difficult to notice. But should the cat point it out, then the others may also recognize it.

Wilder would also notice a soft breeze--a stale flow of stagnant, warm air--coming from the north. Whatever lay in the darkness, this steady air current was the only noticeable change.

The pedestal before them still held this gray object: upon closer inspection, a small, flat slab of stone, scratched and marked many times. It wasn't immediately clear what the markings meant, but the stone was not large, and could perhaps be taken with the Gembound, should they choose to move on.

@Shango @Pride @Yoosung @Miru @Wilder