He should've known the oppressive silence would close in - quite literally. Just like that, some of them were snatched into the darkness, stolen and lashed by something. Nassir's anticipatory panting ramped up, pale eyes whirling around towards the back of the group. He stood still for a moment, head glancing up and - it's still moving. The wisp would go with or without them.

And the group was splitting. Fireheart was out there, and others were disappearing into the dark - Caves, they're just vanishing.

Take a step back, okay - the panther inhaled harshly, called to the rest of the group, "stay together - oh... okay?" Not my sutter, no - ! "If you have light magic, hang towards the back and try to spread as far as we can so... the others can catch up... ?"

His dark hide flickered as he hung towards the back, trying to extend a path out to the others, calling, "are you there? We're here!"

It's so cold... he thought, idly.

NASSIR is pressing on, but hanging in the back with a little bit of extra glow?

Keep your head down, it's none of your business how others are doing.

This facet wasn't sure what they were, but they were sure that they were not a self-sacrificing loon. They were painfully mortal, and not in the business of racing into the void that was closing in on them. Howl wouldn't be caught dead doing that.

Whoever left me in the saddle, I'm going to wring you out to dry, they thought balefully into the locked headspace. That was, if they survived.

The hybrid moved on, glancing up every once in a while to see if they were directly beneath the wisplight.

HOWL is pressing on (and continuing to not contribute to the class.)

Simon lulled in the soft rocking motion of Morganite's stride, loosely curled around their neck. The long stretch of trek so far was actually quite calm; no blood or destruction, just quiet walking. He'd nearly fall asleep, if it weren't for the soul crushing silence and suffocating darkness. There wasn't much he could do about it, though. The only magic he did added darkness instead of keeping it away, and the typical chattering of Orenstein and Charles simply fell flat. All he could do was keep watch over the others and make sure no one strayed too close to the edge.

Now, chilly temperatures aren't exactly the best for a cold blooded snake. Numbed by the cold, his attention slipped. And then the shadows attacked. Like some scene from his worst nightmares, the darkness gripped onto two gembounds and erased them from view. Simon's head shot up in alarm, rapidly counting his family members while dimly noting the two canines going for the rescue. Everyone was here but-- 'Pumpkin!' The little scoundrel! What did he think he was doing?! He hissed softly in alarm, only for Ifrit to dive in as well. Did the darkness damage their brains as well as their sight?! If he were any less polite or quiet he'd certainly start screeching right at them.

Simon felt tempted to slither right over there and drag them right back. But was there anything he could do? He wasn't strong in any standard, his magic was weak, and they were already deep into the void. Plus, Morganite commanded themself not to leave, and in the case those two didn't come back, well... he didn't want to disappoint them too. With great reluctance, he lowered his head, coiling a little tighter for extra warmth and comfort.

SIMON is pressing on.

Anemoi

She takes note of Warrior's response, and replies with an airy, "Oh, lets hope they got eaten too." Attempting to stay chipper despite the silence that felt like a physical weight on... well, everything.

Toxic gas... sucking sand.. why does this place exist? Why send people here? these questions light her mind and she screws her face up in a type of determination - feeling a fire ignite within her that bolsters her love for her collection of family, and burns anew for the others around her- one that flickers and allows a cold wash of horror to sink into her fur as she watches some get snatched away, others rush in to save them and still others double back to help them- it's a nightmare, a mess, and she lets out a cracking, caterwaul of terror as she watches one her own dive into the dark-

"PUMPKIN! Come back!"

She's stuck in place, unable to make herself move, causing her to be moved closer towards the back edge of the light, but she looks out at her other, remaining compatriots and almost shudders, before pulling from inside and forcing out a shield of air after Pumpkin, and after Ifrit-

But she herself? She stays with the group. Feeling guilt chew her stomach at not following Ifrit, or Pumpkin... but she can't.

ANEMOI is pressing on.

Cold - cold - PAIN. The darkness stole her voice, nearly choked her. It lashed at her chest, penetrating straight through the exoskeleton there. Coppery blood spurted out, and jumped through the air as it cut across her left forearm and -limb. Canine teeth locked around her arm, pulling her out of that blind black. Bright eyes snapped down just in time to see Fireheart disappear into the darkness on his own.

Her hooves beat a frantic rhythm into the sand as she spun around - and watched Warrior bolt past. There had to be an entire group in the dark, now. She needed to protect them or carry them however she could. The horse carried a light source, and she did; "hey, I'm coming with!" she hollered after him.

Breaking into a full gallop after his pale figure, she tried to catch up and run at his side. "If we find anyone, I can put them on our backs," Elyon wheezed, out of breath already. Shit.

ELYON is attempting to rescue Black with Warrior!

Puck watched as the white horse turned and raced behind them. All these gembound were And then, his free ride had the audacity to say she was coming with him. Oh no. Oh no no no no, Puck wasn't going back there. Puck had business to attend to. Puck leapt from Elyon's shoulder as the crab-centaur turned, watching her disappear into the darkness.

"Goodbye!" The devilish monkey called after the pair. "They stupid." Puck said. "Puck not stupid."

He didn't have much time to wonder where Elyon and Warrior went--the light was getting ahead of him. And if he wasn't with the light, how could he play with the gembounds ahead? The monkey stuffed the rest of his stones into his mouth once again, and sprinted after the gembound there. Many seemed distressed. Didn't they know it was just a game? It was then that Puck got an idea. An awful idea. Puck padded closer to the rest of the group.

"Puck escaped! Puck saw something--something scary. It was big with giant claws, and dragged them into the dark. Could feel its breath on Puck's back. It was very cold. Heard screams."

To add credence to Pucks statement, he began to cast. He felt the warm surge of magicka gathering in his stone. He concentrated it low, over the backs of the gems padding along ahead of him. A slight, wisping wind formed. It blew softly over the backs of the gembound nearby. Not as intense as Puck had wanted. He frowned. Desert air must be different from normal cave air.

It was stealing them! Taking strangers and family and the cold darkness was no place to be alone. What was this place? Why was this happening to them? No, don't question anything, stay happy, everything's fine. Everything is fine. No one's dying, they have already brought others back who fell behind. Everything is fine. Smile, Oren, smile as if you're life depends on it and don't look back. His family were telling everyone to stay, stay in the light, stay together, stay away from the dark. Stay stay stay.

But he couldn't.

Pumpkin first, then Ifrit. Who was right, of course they were, family were supposed to stick together, they couldn't just leave Pumpkin. Yet, they were. Everyone was just continuing on, all she got was sad look back and screams to not go, don't go, don't leave. Everything is fine. A breeze caught them, an evil breeze (no, Oren, nothing was evil!) and something was saying that it was what took them. Don't do it, don't do it. There's bad out there, such bad. But there were also others that needed help. He could not fight something that was big with giant claws though, did it matter? All they had to do was run away from it, they didn't need to fight.

In a moment of complete and utter lunacy, a joke dying on his lips and a look passed around from member to member the hybrid guy dived into the darkness as if he was jumping into a freezing pool. Wrapping the cloak around his shoulders tighter, though it helped not at all, he searched for the one that his family went after. His gem reaching out as he did so, this must be magic and he could stop that, he could! He just had to find whatever it was but it must be somewhere in the dark. "I'm coming, stay together! Listen to my voice because you know it's perfect!" If they survived, no, they would survive, of course they would, there would be four of them in the group. They could stick together. They could catch up with the others and the wisp. They could.

But it was so dark and cold and it felt so lonely. But everything was fine.

ORENSTEIN is attempting to rescue Fireheart (Technically just going after family but pot-ay-to pot-ah-to)

He kept talking, twittering on about the sand and the changing ground beneath them, wondering what everything looked like, imagining things. "Oh, I'll bet there's incredible mountains in the distance! Maybe we're going towards the mountains? Wouldn't that be amazing? Climbing a mountain? Or perhaps a great lake! The ground is getting soggy, after all! I've always wanted to see a lake! Ah, I'll bet in the light it shines under the lights, glimmering like one thousand lanterns. Oh, I do wish we could see it!" He felt that feeling of wrongness in the air, he felt like his words meant little, and it was a feeling that he hated so much that he persistently continued to jabber, in defiance of the fear. If there was one thing Charles could do, it was talk, and nothing, not even some weird, creepy cave was going to take that from him!

He turned when someone shouted Pumpkin's name. He'd been so busy talking that he hadn't even noticed that some of the others had fallen into the shadow. He let out a call of alarm and fluttered up, landing on Kini's back. "Pumpkin! Now, I appreciate your spirit of adventure, but this is no time to be wandering off!" And, despite the warnings of the others, both Ifrit and Orenstein turned right around and went after him! "Now hold on! We need to stick together! My dear family, please don't separate!" He clacked his bill, worried, especially as he looked over the ones that had come out of the shadows - covered in scratches and bleeding. He groaned, wanting to fly out and help them, but knowing that he would probably only make things worse. "You better come back safely or I will be very cross with you!"

CHARLES is pressing on.

The Eagle shuddered, ruffling her feathers til they stood taller, making her seem much larger than she was, though she ducked her head down in fright. It was so quiet, too quiet, aside from their footsteps and that one bird's incessant twitting.

The lights were eerie, and she snapped her head this way and that, trying to peer through it, follow the wisps, but there was nothing, and so when suddenly others were taken, she saw it. The shadows wrapping around them, then spitting them out scratched and bleeding, and she shrieked in alarm and bat her wings, only for more of the group to split off and go after them.

And, so too, did her mount. "Oh, no don't-!" she shrieked and, with a weak gust of wind, took flight off of Ifrit's back to flutter inside of what remained of their cluster.

Speech. Thought.

Hera is pressing on

Shredded ears twitched, this way and that. It was too loud, too quiet, the air eerily torn with each sound they made. He fought the urge to spread his wings and take to the air, strides stuttering as his paws sank into the ground, ice balling his stomach at the painfully familiar Dead Marsh.


And then Elyon and Rainstorm were gone, then back again with the smell of blood, replaced by the wolf and dog-creature . A strange creature was nearly taken, and others raced out, and he whirled, snapped his wings wide and barked "No! Stay close, don't go after them, you'll only be lost, too!" but, of course, no one listened.

Styx is pressing on