"I DON'T KNOW!!" Terra shouts back at Eira, "I DON'T KNOW! I-I don't know!?!" he repeats, putting his hands on his head and grabbing his ghost hair, "Everything's spiraling out of m-my control!! I can't do anything! A-anything!! I never can do anything!! It-it's always the same thing, every single time, it n-never ends!! Over, and o-over, and over, a-all I can ever do is watch people die...!!"

Sparky watches quietly, noticing now how Terra slowly floats down to the ground in front of the fountain. //Maybe he's slowly starting to calm down...// he thinks, knowing that what Terra needs right now is just time, time to let this all out, time to settle down, and more so than anything else, time to be able to sit down and process everything... but he glances back at Eira. She's doing her best to help, Sparky knows this, and while her words are flying straight over Terra's head, maybe she's helping him in some other way without realizing it fully...? Maybe... For now, he's going to wait just a little longer, to see what Eira does next.

Eira thought about what Terra said. It's understandable, after seeing multiple people die, including friends from their group. And Terra was stuck in a form where he literally couldn't do anything to protect them. "It has to be hard, isn't it?... To see our loved ones hurting and not being able to help them at all... I get it. But... I don't know if it'll mean much to you, but I learned growing up that evil never wins. Good will always come through, if we have the belief to wait for it to happen. In the meantime, we'll give it our best shot till it finally wins." She gave him a faint smile, trying to show encouragement.

As she scanned the area, Crystal tried to think about what would do the job well.. It had to be something that wouldn’t leak, but was easy enough to transport.. Some of the stuff here was a tad foreign to her, but with some thinking she got the gist of most of them.

Estimating the amount of puddle, Crystal moved and grabbed what seemed to be a suitably sized bin with a lid. She tested the item and it’s durability, but mainly the lid and how well it attached to and sealed the bin shut. She figured Scarlet wouldn’t leak, especially if they were careful, but for extra protection, she took a couple of the plastic bags too. But she was not going to dare touch anything with her hands, so she also took that hand broom and dustpan.

Once she gathered the objects, mindfully avoiding all the suspiciously sliced items and most the mannequins just in case, she returned to the smelly liquefied remains of Scarlet and paused for a moment, thinking to herself, ‘This might be the grossest thing I’ve ever done..’ Crystal practically held her breath, soon crouching next to the puddle to get started, but when she was close enough she noticed the odd way it shimmered a slightly different red color..
As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t think about it at the moment.. Crystal swept some of the goo into the dustpan, then dumped it into the bin, repeating this a few times to make sure she got all she could. It took absolutely everything she had to resist gagging, and even then, she still looked on the verge of doing so. When it was proven she had gotten the majority of everything, she closed the lid as securely as possible, then put said bin in not one, but two of the plastic bags. One to further seal away the contents, and the other for carrying purposes.

Then the girl stood and turned to the Mare, her poor face pale and practically green, “there we go,” she said with a slightly strained voice, holding up the bag of grossness a bit, “..hopefully this will do.”

" Yes sir, Miss Crystal and ( I have no idea what her name is ) have apprehended Scarlett, she seems to be immobilized at the moment and is a puddle by were see had her ritual placement... I would still proceed with caution as we do not know what truly causes her to become disable at this moment, but I do suggest we take this moment to our advantage " the Vanguard replied to Boreas, she had her sword at her side and her other hand holding the cut she had gotten from her scuffle with Jason

The Mare watch as the human girl went to find something to use, she stayed State guard by the evil blood puddle until Crystal returned and got to work// I do not Envy her but I do feel I owe her a for this... // if it wasn't be for Crystal clean up Scarlett like she did the Mare herself would likely have to and with no hands in this form that only left her mouth and that was a very unsettling thought.

" you have my thanks Lady Crystal " the Mare replied, she then nodded and added " let us hope that it will suffice " hear ears twitchde hearing the that the background music had stopped " it seem the rest of our party have completed their task as well, may we go join them? " She offered

Boreas narrowed his eyes slightly when the Vanguard mentioned a ritual, but upon hearing Scarlett had been disabled by something, he muttered, "Hm... Likely why her spell's faded. I agree with your conclusion--let's move."

"But first..." Noting the Vanguard's injury, the Captain reached back into his bag and pulled out the handful of bandages he had left from Edgar. "...Not enough to stop it completely, but you should be able to stifle your bleeding with this."

The Vanguard paused for a moment went the Captain offered the medical supplies, a fant smile came to her face " thank you sir" she put away her sword for the moment to take the supplies, she then started to patch herself up as much as she could

Crystal gave a small smile when the Mare thanked her and then replied softly, “Of course, it wasn’t pleasant but we have her now and that’s what matters the most.”

When the others were mentioned the girl nodded, quiet for a moment as she wondered whether or not the worst was over.. She pulled herself out of it though and said, “Yeah, let’s get back to them so we can make sure they’re okay and get out of here.”

The Mare nodded again, it seem they were ready, even the little drone had come over. " then let us continue our quest " she said and started on her way, she did take a glance over her shoulder and thought// we will need to investigate this further but at the same time it could be a risk...// she would speak to her comrade about the evil ritual place and want to do with it later.
For now the Mare led the way out of the circle of creepy mannequins and back out into the main store, there she could see Boreas and her comrade not far away and so she headed in their Direction

Once the two groups met, they both ensured each other's safety. Boreas added onto Crystal's work by freezing the bag Scarlett was in--then, due to how heavy it was, it was entrusted to the mare in her true form. They then regrouped with the last mare and the unconscious Jason, and the whole group cautiously left the wrecked clothing warehouse. Though, this time, it was through the emergency exit, which led out into a different street. Far up ahead, there was what looked like a huge pit in the middle of the asphalt.

...Jason was still unconscious, but tied up, just in case.

There was still an unsettling presence in the air, then again this part of the city was under attack and yet there was no sign of monsters present but it was clear that something /had / been there and not to long ago.

A giant hole was burned into the ground, it had swallowing the most the road across and part of one of the sidewalks, the edges still hisss and pop with the residue of acid...

On the other side of the hole was evidence of some form of resistance or struggle, some dark looking ice still lingering, but that wasn't all, claw marks in the shade of a human hand was dug into the remaining part of the road, smeared blood followed it over to were the claw marks stopped and a pool of blood stood.
Edgar flew over to were the hole was and let out a whistle indicating that it was very big, The hole seem to have connected to the sewers and who knows were they all went...

" I have a bad feeling about what happened here " one of the Mares mumbled.

The other Mare with Scarlett stayed in the middle of the group, last thing they needed was for something to help the blood sword.
The human Vaseterm was taken point, so far she didn't see any hostiles but that didn't mean they were not there. " keep your eyes open for anything "

Crystal felt partly relieved once the group got outside, but it didn’t last long when she saw what was ahead of them..

Upon seeing and getting closer to the large hole in the ground, the girl’s expression turned more and more concerned and fearful, especially when she saw the Ice, blood tails, and claw marks. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what made the pit in the ground, but she did want to know who’s blood that was and, if it was a person, whether or not they were okay.

After taking in the sight before them, Crystal glanced around, looking for anything else that might be there, or an indication of who or what had been here before them..

Boreas had his own brief moment of relief once their team was on the move again and no one had sustained any very serious injuries. He was wary of any possible traps as they left and kept watch for anything that may try to come to Scarlett's aid as well.

The scene outside, however, was yet another strange sight. "Hm..." The icy Elemental mumbled, eyeing what was in front of them. He tried sensing what he could in the air... And found something that didn't sit well with him. He was sensing foreign magic that was more evil than anything he'd felt in a long time. He already knew there was some form of horrible evil in the city, but this was like they were walking from Senza straight into a dark world.

What he was sensing centered around the acid-induced pit, and the outside edge of it closest to them. It was enough to give even him the shivers. However, there was another form of magic he was sensing--coming from the ice. It was still dark, and criss-crossing with the extremely evil magic... But something was different about it. Even at a distance, he could tell there were two sides. It was bitterly cold, and yet there was a freshness to it. This also puzzled him.
Either way, the strength of what he could sense and the sizzling of the acid residue told Boreas one thing for certain:

"...Everyone stay alert--this was recent."

The Vanguard spread out in their formation, they were staying on high alert, it was obviously something bad went down here.

The Vanguard in her humanoid form could since the evil as well, she cautiously approach the hole but dared not to get to close to the edge in fear of touched the acid remnants. "Ughhh, whatever did this has a foul stench" she complain covering her mouth with her arm. The hole itself was large and it's very present felt like a black hole just waiting for someone to fall in it or to pull someone in...

She stepped away from it " best to let the others know about this as well..." she thinks outloud, they had been making frequent calls back and forth between the other Vanguard groups, keeping each other informed on traps, hot spots for enemies, Survivor locations and placed of interest like this place here.

The woman had been using smoke from her fire magic to detect any traps, it appeared that there wasn't any in this area so far, so she had let it get lighter for now until they move again.
After scanning the area and then checking with her teammates the Vaseterm then try to have a vision, her eyes glow silver but after she grimaced they faded back to normal, the Vanguard took her Palm rub her eyes because they stun " ugh... that was unfortunate... I figured as much, whatever happened here is being blocked, I couldn't see anything but odd shape and muffled noises, but I am guessing some kind of battle went on "

Edgar had his flashlight on and was doing his own investigation, he made booping and whistles when he spotted something of interest, which was anything from the big hole, Eiras ice, Crimson blood and claw marks and even an suspicious black feather.

He was taking samples of what he could for later studying, but his investigation was an over to were the blood and claw marks were... by the look, who ever this was appeared to had been dragged, he let out a worry boop sound, he wondered if the person got pulled into the hole... but looking at the scene a bit more brought up other possibilities, the ice! Maybe, maybe the ice was a wall? He let out a thoughtful whistle, it was odd that the claw marks did stop before making it to the hole so maybe... something picked the someone up? There was feathers, flying could explain why claws didn't go down, because maybe they went up? Edgar took one of his Limbs and put it to what can be assumed as his face as he made a deep grumbly noise tgar could be tooking as a 'HMMMMMM' but if this is were the claws ended how would they find were claws went? Tracking something that Flys was a lot harder then something on the ground... speaking of ground, Edgar noticed that the claw marks had come a way up head so he started to follow them, maybe finding were they started might give a clue in to what happened he thought.

The two mares in their true forms stayed back and relatively close to each other for the time being. The one with Scarlett staying alert for any unexpected happenings, while the one with Jason on her back activated her radio with a simple flick of her ears. Then she stated their team name and location.

"We have encountered the remains of a recent ugly struggle..." She proceeded to describe what they were seeing.

"Roger that... All teams will be notified...
We have also dispatched a team to investigate the silence at the palace. No word yet." A responder from a nearby base reported back.

And the two continued to share information back and forth as the group advanced.

Weaver follows the direction Catch points with his ribbon, and thinks. "Mmmm, I think I could, with how messed up my Great Wolf form is now I think I could, pretty sure I've watched Eater climb things in that form a lot better," he says, then looks up at his friend, "You're just going to have to hold on real tight, I'm not gonna try to just beeline for the nearest tunnel, but still... I... I guess I can hold on to you with my chains too. Uh, if that's fine with you?" He pauses, making sure he's still got a good hold on Catch's ribbon, then shapeshifts to his Great Wolf form, and stands upright like a werewolf. He blinks, then realizes, "Oh, uh, you gotta shift to your human form still, too, if I'm gonna carry you over."

Dreamcatcher ears droopped at that, it was weird to think about how Eater changed Weaver body so much and how it seem so natural for the Nightmare and yet to Weaver, this would be his first time using that form of his great wolf form. // even with him back in control his body been damaged and messed up by Eater... will there be a way to fully reverse what has been done to him or will Weaver have to live with it like now but not?...I'm not even sure what will really happen to Weaver body after Eater is taken out, I hope it go back to normal but the damage...// he wondered if Weaver body would be like a pot that had been smashed and glued back together, it look whole but it still have the scars of what happened to it. Catch set his worries aside for now, they both had a job to do and he didn't like being so close to the heart of the spell.

The Dreamer prince held his ribbon around his friend loosely but still touching him as Weaver shifted to his great wolf form, he wanted to make sure that his friend was getting his emotions magic at all times, even when shifting to a bigger form.

" ... I don't mind, I hold on as tight as I can but his my bad hand I rather be safe then sorry, I'm sure my magic works both ways, if you're the one holding on to me, I don't see why it wouldn't work the same " the Dreamer prince replied, he then took a breath and made absolutely sure he still had a ribbon on his friend " alright, I'm going to shift " he said as a simple heads up before doing just that.

A golden glow came from Dreamcatcher as his form changed, and went he was done, Catch stood in his human form with his hand on Weaver fluffy arm " I be ready whenever you are brother " he said with a soft smile, then he remembered and looked up and suggested " Anna, you probably should sit this one out in my pocket "

" ...yeahhh...I could use a nap but don't forget about me in there ok?" The Tiger Fairfin said tiredly.

Catch grimaced at that, he hadn't been the best partner the past few months himself but he was going to be different " I won't, I'm going to do better "

" good, because I am to " she replied and kiss the top of Catch's head, she then lazy flew down and got in her little spot in her partner pocket.

" alright, I think we're both ready now " Catch said looking up at his brother tall great wolf form

Dreamweaver nods his head, and watches as his brother shapeshifts. "Alright!" he simply says when Catch says he's ready, but he waits and watches Anna and Catch as they talk. In the meantime, he glances down at his massive werewolf paws, and really starts to take in how... uncomfortable this form is. //... In some ways, my body doesn't even feel like my own anymore, and that's a really weird feeling... I guess in some ways, it isn't really mine now...// he thinks, but tries to hide his discomfort now that Catch is ready, and his brother continuously pouring emotions into him is something to distract him from his thoughts, too. "Ok if everyone's ready, all aboard the Weaver Express," he playfully remarks, crouching down so Catch can climb up on his back.

That got a small chuckle out of the Dreamer prince. Catch then climb up on his brother back, he couldn't help but taking a hand and playfully patting the scarf around Weaver neck " I could always hold on to your new scarf like rains" he tested, Catch wouldn't do that though, not to something new and held importance in keeping his friend safe from this spell, at least he believes that what was doing that.

Now that his teasing was done, Catch held onto his friend back, wrapping his arms around his neck like a little kid wanting a piggyback ride " onward to the Nightmare king!..." he then added in a monotone voice " never thought I said that willingly "

"You could," Dreamweaver snorts, very carefully taking his shackled chains and wrapping them around Catch too. He doesn't even want to risk using his barbed chains for this. "I mean, I think I could see how you could've said that more naturally, if we were hunting down Malice as the chosen heroes, and we had our whole group, and we were going to bring an end to him... Buuuut, that's not the case here. At any rate... Please keep your hands and your Fairfin on the Great Wolf at all times until we get past the black hole!"

Having said this, the Nightmare carefully makes his way over to the edge, and just as carefully drops himself down, clinging to the ledges there and making sure he's got a good grip on each one.

That made Catch smirk, he then held on the best he could, even though it was chains the prince was ok with this because it was Weaver in control.

When his friend dropped down the Dreamer prince felt an odd wind blowing, it didn't feel natural at all and he had a feeling if it wasn't for the sticker on his arm it would feel more then just weird. // I hope that sticker stay on for all this...//

After carefully climbing across the edges of the crater, Weaver eventually makes a stop at the next nearest tunnel that opened up into the crater, but he doesn't stay there long, and keeps going. This happens a few times, and then after what must've been a long time, the Great Wolf and his passengers finally arrive at the other side of the crater.

Dreamcatcher held on for dear life, not only was there the unknown death spell of Malice's that they were trying to skirt past but to do so they had to get across a giant crater, Catch squeeze his eyes shut, he had been trying to do better with his fear of falling, in the past if he could he try not to look down, that seem to help him out a bit, but this time it didn't help, if anything it made it worse...

The nightmares he used to have burned in his mind... it played over, Catch was standing there as the sun was fading, the remaining light painted the sky with shades of gold and red, and then the sky filled with shooting stars of all different colors, it was a beautiful site to see and any yet he never found pleasure in it, if anything it filled the Dreamer prince with dread... something about this wasn't beautiful at all... it was a trick, a trap that he could not Escape despite knowing what was going to happen next... the floor beneath him vanished..

Catch found himself falling backwards into a pit of darkness as the light above him faded like a Giant mouth closing around him, swallowing him and darkness... but he wasn't the only light to be trapped, the stars were here to, and he knew what they were, each and every one were a Dreamer and one by one, he watch as the darkness consumed them.... Catch wanted to save them, get them out of this dark monster, then the Dreamer prince knew what he see next, something that had far more meaning to now then before, a purpley Blue Star, after everything that happened the past year, Catch knew who star that was...it was Weaver....he called out to his brother , but Weaver light was being ripped apart , in his desperation Catch reached out his right hand like he always did in his dreams but now he knew the meaning of why... even though it was pointless,he to was falling to, he watch Weaver star just like the others disappear into the darkness... Catch couldn't do anything... he watch as his hand was being eaten by the darkness, bit by bit, parts of him were gone, but he didn't care, he couldn't do anything against the void pulling him down and the deeper he fell the less he care... what did he have left to even care about? ... it ended the same, him falling, him failing... this feeling was sucking the hope out of him, a consuming Darkness, this was what truly frightened him, however in reality Catch was given Weaver a death grip for dear life, he was trembling and just wishing it would be over soon

Dreamweaver grimaces--while he doesn't know entirely what's going on with Catch, he can still feel it--and taste it--the fear and despair flowing from his brother is overwhelming. "Catch, we made it. Hey, we made it across, brother," he says in a quick but firm tone the moment they're safe in the tunnel, but he starts wondering what it is that's scared Catch so bad. //Was it just the anticipation, or being afraid of the spell if we... If we fell? I know he's been scared of falling for a long time, that's gotta be it?// he thinks, then adds, "We didn't fall, and we're not going to. We're safe on the other side now, take a deep breath. Anna! If you're feeling alright in Catch's pocket, can you help out with this too?"
On top of that, he tries to make his Pearls glow to give a bit more light, so Catch can see that they're away from the ledge, but the light they give off isn't quite as comforting or as bright as he'd probably like them to be...

It took a moment but Anna poked her head out, she seen what Weaver was talking about and climb up her partner jacket " Cat, your alright " she coo, Anna knew her partner and the long time fear he had, Catch had been trying to work on over coming and others had 'attempt to help' him by their standards but it was something she felt was more complicated then Catch just leaning to fly, there was a deeper meaning behind the thought of 'falling'...
" come on little brother, your ok, we made it across and all in one piece " she chime in with Weaver to encourage the Dreamer prince.
Between Weaver and Anna talking to him, Catch in a way woke up, making a startled gasp when he opened his eyes and for a brief second they Shimmer with a silver glow before faded back to normal " w-ait? what?! " he took deep breath try to calm his heart down.
It was a bit hard to see at first but the little bit of light went a long way to help. Catch loosened his grip on his friend " thank the moons... it was just dream " he Mumbles, he knew it was a dream the whole time but at the same time they never felt like a dream ether.

"'Just a dream?' Catch, you don't need to go around, falling asleep on my back during something like this!" Weaver teases, but with an underlying tone of seriousness to it still, "Hey, yeah we're safe now, but I don't think you could have /really/ fallen asleep--you were holding on to my fur for dear life. What happened?" he asks. He would've been even more concerned if he saw Catch's eyes shimmering silver, but he can't see him while he's on his back like this. (edited)

A half-heartedly smile came to Dreamcatcher face with his friend teasing " ... I mean, I don't think I fell asleep, maybe I black out for a moment?... I don't know?
but... it was like the nightmares I used to have as a fawn... the one with the stars falling and I..." he couldn't get the words out that he now believed that one of those stars was Weaver.

Anna had claimed up to Catch shoulder and looked at him with concern, she seen the silver flicker in his eyes for that brief moment, she had come to learn that had to do with his Vaseterm magic stuff " maybe it has to do with your silver blood? Your eyes were glowing for just a moment when you opened them"

"Hmm..." Weaver mumbles as Catch explains and Anna adds more to it. Since he can't feel any sympathy for his brother, his mind goes straight for a more logical approach. Sure, Dreamcatcher might not have been able to bring himself to say what he believes, but being able to feel what he is gives Weaver some guesses. Then, there's even just what Weaver knows Catch has been going through... Last night comes to mind, when Catch, in his dark form, was locked in the cell with him and Crimson... "A nightmare about falling stars... Hey, don't your eyes turn silver when you're having a vision? It's been a while, but I think that's what would happen?" the Nightmare asks, then states, "Hey, wait, how about you take a deep breath, and then we can talk more as we keep going? Since we made it across, can I, uh... shift back to my human form now, too?"

Catch went quite at that, he thought whenever he had a vision it forced him to shift but he didn't know everything about them ether, it only seem to effect him to, unlike most the vision he had but that didn't change the fact that this ' dream' was unsettling, but Weaver was right they needed to go.

" y-eah, sure. I'll get down " the Dreamer prince said, his voice still shaken. It didn't take long for Catch to climb down, he keep a hand on his brother and then shift back to his true form. It was easier to hold on to something with his ribbons and give them room then to hold on with a hand and only have an arm length of space, they still didn't know what all could be down in this hole and then didn't even know if Malice would welcome company so having as much room in flexibility was more ideal.

Catch made sure his ribbons were around Weaver for when his Friend would shift, he didn't say anything for now, more lost in his thoughts then anything.
Anna how did she could tell just how much Catch was bothered by what he seen but he didn't seem to want to talk about it just at this moment

//Man, he's got it real bad...// Weaver thinks, grimacing slightly when he hears Catch's tone. //Should I... have let him hold on for a bit longer? I don't know, Moons, it's like I don't know how to do things right anymore. Ah well, I'll do the best I can...//

He watches as Catch shapeshifts back to his true form, then when Catch is ready, Weaver shapeshifts back to his human form. He pats his sides, takes a breath, looks up at his friend, and forces a smile. "... Hey... Don't lose sight of hope, brother, things'll turn out alright. After all, look what you're doing now! What you have been doing! You've brought me back," he says, trying to muster up all the hope and optimism he can, and he gives Catch a good pat on his ribbon, "You've got a good grip on me, too, I've got no fear of falling with you here."

Dreamcatcher glace over at his brother with his encouraging words, it was true, Weaver wasn't gone, so maybe there was hope for all the other Dreamer to? But his mind keep wondering what did his dreams mean? It felt like it was just more then some dream, that it was a puzzle that needed to be solved but pieces were missing.

" yeah, that true " Catch started, he was going to do his best to focus on the positive even though the nagging thought of his dream was hunting him. "I will do my best to hold on but...we already know I'm going to have to let go at some point...but, that not right now "Catch then started down the tunnel, he keep at a good pace for Weaver to keep up without problem and considering his hurt leg.

"Well..." Weaver starts to say when Catch mentions that eventually he'll have to let go--of course he knows that too, but for right now... he blows a raspberry at that thought.

He follows right by Catch as they continue on down the tunnel, and is quiet for a little bit, thinking over everything. "... Hey... If your nightmare was some kind of weird vision, can you tell me and Anna more about it? Maybe we can get more of an idea of what's really happening in it if we put our heads together, or... pick up on something, or, uh... Something. It seems kind of odd to me if you've been having this 'vision' since you were a fawn," Weaver eventually asks.

Terradream stares at Eira, now standing in front of her instead of floating, with a look of confusion and despair on his face. Of course, he was taught the same growing up, Dreamer families always go over the importance of being good and righteous, and to have hope, so he can relate to that. But after everything that's happened over the past year, the doubt makes him question... Will good really prevail? Will it really? After seeing the abomination of a creature that was trying to take Crimson, and the four statue demons... The fate of the realms are on the Keyhunters' shoulders, are on /his/ shoulders, can they really stop such great an evil...?
And yet, there was that glimmer of hope he felt earlier... That spark of hope that's reminded him what it was like to have some confidence, some faith...
Terra gradually looks more and more depressed as he thinks and stares at Eira, the tension around him and the static in his appearance eventually disappearing. He says nothing more to her, and eventually turn his eyes down to stare at the floor.

So, with Terra being quiet, Sparky instead flies over and gives Eira a sad smile. "Yo, thanks for helping out, Eira," he quietly says, "It might not seem like you've done much, but you have. I appreciate it, and I'm sure Terra will too, later." The large ghost Fairfin sighs, then lastly he adds, "... It's just going to take some time for him to rest, you know?"

Eira observed Terra's expressions as he thought and processed deeper and deeper, and she frowned a bit seeing how downcast he became. She gave a slow nod to Sparky though when he spoke to her. "I definitely understand that... Just look after him and make sure he isn't alone, alright?" The shiftress gave the Fairfin and Dreamer another dip of her head, and gave a faint, sympathetic smile towards Terra.. "Your friends are always herein you need us," she said before turning and going back indoors to follow the rest fo the group.

*always here

‘Recent..’ That word echoed in Crystals mind after Boreas said it, and the girl watched quietly as the Vaseterm woman attempted to have a vision.. When the verdict was given, Crystal looked down for a moment. It did seem like a battle of sorts happened, but with the way the area was, she couldn’t help the little voices in the back of her head that made her incredibly worried that whoever had been here, potentially didn’t make it away..

Crystal tried to push it aside for now, and while she avoided the big hole like the plague, she started to look around too, particularly getting curious of where Edgar was going and following after him a bit.

(Sorry for the lackluster post, my brain has been mush in the writing department lately.. xP)

(Hi Galaxy! That's quite alright! X3
How're you doing? :3 )

(Hey, I think you did pretty good, Galaxy!

And hello! How're you doing? :>)

(Hello guys~

I'm doing okay, finally not really sick anymore, which I'm very glad about. X>)

(That's great! Glad you're feeling better! :D)

(Hey that's great to hear! I'm really glad you're not feeling sick anymore! ^-^ )

Boreas watched the mare in her human form step towards the massive pit and attempt... Something he was unfamiliar with. He'd already seen Ethan 'soul searching' so he put two and two together in his mind until he could ask more questions: Sight was important with these people.
//...Whatever she was trying to see is blocked here...// This just added to the thought that whatever thing had caused this was extremely bad news.

After glancing to the other members of their group to see what they were doing, Boreas moved forward, intent on further investigating the scene as well. His brow furrowed as he glanced to every oddity on the scene, his gaze eventually stopping at the bloody marks on the ground. He saw Edgar and Crystal already investigating the spot. The Elemental distinctly remembered what Jason had done with the robot earlier... He just hoped this wouldn't be too hard on the human girl.
"Yo, Edgar, Crystal! Are you able to identify whose blood that is?"

" you know me and Weaver are here for you Cat " Anna said softly and patted her little brother.
Catch's ears pind back at that, he had told them before but as things had unfolded the Dreamer prince his dreams had more meaning, it was like somethings were starting to make since, but at the same time it just left him with more questions and with those questions, fear...

" alright... it started off the Sam as always, I'm standing there... this time I think it was a field but it's changing from time to time.. anyway. " Catch sighed and counted " it was dusk, the sky was red as the sun was setting... I don't know. The sky seemed different this time. It's been red before...wait has it? I thought I seen it red before, yeah but it different before, this time it was fading instead of growing after everything went black. This time it was like the darkness was swallowing it..." Catch didn't know what it meant so he continued on to a part Weaver would have hear before " as the sky got darker stars began to fall.... there was so many of them Weaver, I... I know they're not just normal stars, they were Dreamers, Weaver, falling and then the ground opened up and I was falling to..."

( HI Galaxy! I think you're post looks good!

I'm glad your feeling better now to! ^-^)

The Vanguard went over to her comrade to discuss the current events and investigate the matter, just the previous times ( that weren't always mentioned but we're in time skips or hinted) that they were in fact keeping informed with the other groups of Vanguard who were also dealing with the attack on this District, they were informed on other hidden traps that had been discovered by other groups, a long with the last know location of the different members of the key Hunters, there was also talk about how no one was able to get in contact with the Palace at the moment but a team was sent to investigate... on their end, the group with Boreas and Crystal let the others know were they location was as often as possible, they also informed any traps and the place they found Scarlett, this place to was added to the list of places that needed deep investigation.

Edgar looked up when Crystal came over, he made some beeping noises at her as if he was trying to start up a conversation, it was likely on what they were looking at.
There was one claw marks that was shaped in a form of a hand, and then later others Cashes in gashes in the asphalt, likely feet and knees digging in to be slowed down. On closer closer investigation there was a few spots were it looked like shiny red fragments were on the ground, they looked as polish and pure as fine cut Ruby and Garnet gems, parts of Crimsons armor that had been broken off by the Seeker projectiles.

However the little drone attention shifted when Boreas addressed him and Crystal, Edgar then went on to try and explain the findings even though he wasn't sure ether, he beeped and boop as he bobbed back and forth, it was clearly a interesting tale, it was to bad no one that was awake unstood the little drone, or they might have known this ' there stuff and more stuff, that following by more stuff that probably led to that stuff but didn't because other stuff happened to case other stuff that led to this stuff that happened here, whatever that stuff was '

As the two Vanguard discussed the events and reports, the third one with Scarlett continued to stand at attention--not wanting to delve into the heart of the scene with the evil they had already apprehended.

...However, overhearing Edgar's beeps and boops, she cast a sideglance to Jason on her teammate's back...

Turning to face him, the Vaseterm lifted one hoof and pawed at the boy's leg. "...Master Jason?"

Dreamweaver listens intently as Catch begins retelling his dream, a serious frown now on his face. //A red sunset... Fading away, as if the darkness was swallowing it... Huh... That's new...// he thinks, then somberly nods his head when Catch brings up the falling stars. The Dreamers. "Yeah...?" he asks, waiting for Catch to continue, so he can hear if anything else in this story has changed.

"Of course! He won't be alone," Sparky declares, flying over and landing on his partner's shoulder after giving Eira a thumbs-up.

Terra still stays quiet, his shoulders slumping a little as Eira tries her best to still be encouraging. His friends will still be here... But will they? Will they still be here, alive, after everything... He doesn't try to stop or protest to Eira as she leaves, he more or less stares off into space...

~~Ok, now ready for the timeskip~~

In one of the rooms of the medical wing, Fiona lay there on a hospital bed. The nurses were still treating her, working to remove the poison from her system first and foremost...

The Elemental had been totally unconscious for the most part, but now she began to stir. Her eyelids twitched and she let out a mumbly groan. Then after a few flutters, her eyes snapped open and she let out a gasp, "Whuh--!!" Fiona started, her mind flying back to her thought process from just before she passed out. "Where is everyone?!--Ow!" She quickly tried sitting up, then flinched, immediately feeling aches and pains from her exhaustion. "...Where... Where am I...?" She muttered, actually trying to take in what was around her now.

Crystal did her absolute best to try and once again at least partly understand what Edgar was saying with his beeping and booping noises, but it wasn’t going well.. She stared at the evidence of the struggle that happened earlier, suddenly coming to a realization, “Was.. Was someone being dragged..?” She questioned aloud. The girl then caught sight of a couple of the strange shiny fragments and slowly crouched down and picked one up to look at it closer. She had no idea what it went to, but it stood out compared to everything else.. Something about it felt important..

When Boreas called out to her and Edgar, Crystal turned to look back at him and shook her head a bit, though she waited to say anything until the little drone was done speaking. When Edgar had finished the girl then said “No, I have no idea who’s blood this is..” as she stood back up and faced the Elemental. “Edgar’s been making his noises but I’m pretty sure the only one who can understand him is currently unconscious..” Crystal glanced over towards Jason and the Mare who was seemingly checking on him, her eyebrows knitting worriedly before she turned back. “We did find this though,” Crystal showed the fragment she was holding onto, “it was down in those..” she nodded to the marks and scrapes.

" after that it was completely dark and the only light came from the falling Dreamers " Catch shook his head and shuttered at the memory of what came next " the stars were being ripped apart by the darkness until nothing remained..." Catch was staring down at his hoofs, his right one in particular, it was still bandaged but with everything he had put it thought his leg was swollen and his bandage was showing signs of his injury had been weeping but Catch didn't say anything, how his leg felt wasn't what bothered him the most right now. " I seen that purpley Blue Star falling again and I know why I try to save him now....that star was you Weaver " Catch looked up to see his brother eyes, he had to make sure, he did save Weaver right? This wasn't just him hallucinating that his brother was alive still. No, there was others who seen and know to.

Catch then turned his head back down as he continued to hobble along " when I reached out to try and save you from the darkness the darkness started to consumed my hand ....and I wasn't able to save you... I wasn't able to save anyone, I felt helpless, even worse, I wanted to give up, like there was nothing left to even hope for...I didn't even want death, there was just nothing... I know it was just a dream...but it's scary looking back, I was seeing what ended up happening..." after that Catch went quite, there was a lot going through his mind at the moment

Weaver stays quiet for a while longer after Catch finishes, thinking really hard on everything. "... Yeah, I can't deny that that sounds really close to what happened, but..." he starts, "There's some details that stick out to me. For one... Yeah, when I turned that night, it... it felt pretty hopeless. At the time, it did seem like I was lost, after all, Eater was in full control, and I kinda was dead, my soul was pulled away into Void's heart... But despite how that turned out... You and everyone else were still hopeful, weren't you? Isn't that why you and everyone else kept Eater alive, that hope that you could still rescue me? Even while I was in the void--or I guess, /in/ Void, I held on to hope too, I had hope that things would get better, despite having to watch and listen to everything Eater did. So that goes against what you felt in the dream." After saying this, he crosses one arm and puts his right hand on his chin. "I'm just not sure what it would mean, if that dream doesn't represent what happened to me... Oh, that's another thing too, you also haven't been completely consumed by Cataclysm, either..." he pauses, then adds in a quiet mumble, "Well, wait, you just said it was eating your hand, you didn't mention being fully consumed... But, my point still stands, it's not /exactly/ like what happened. Some things just don't add up."

Catch tip his head in a halfway shrugs as he walks " it was a dream... I guess it's like the visions I have had were somethings end up becoming reality as others things don't... but with the visions I have had I'm glad a lot of those things haven't happened and maybe it be like the dream and won't, not in the way it shown at least...."
" I haven't lost hope, though more then a few times it felt like it be easier to just give up " The Dreamer prince admitted, but getting it off his chest did seem to help, and not doing it in his dark form ether. " it's just got me thinking about things... just what does it all mean? Why do I have /that/ dream, is it a warning or something? But you already became a Nightmare and..." he paused with the next thought and " He wondered out loud" what about the others? What happened to the others Dreamers and there stars? If you're alive are they out there to? "

Boreas made his way over to Crystal and Edgar as the robot attempted to converse with them. Something must've been different about this that made the little robot respond this way. "...He has a lot to say... We'll need carrot-top to translate when he wakes up." He agreed with Crystal.
The icy Elemental took another, closer look at the gouged markings in the street, then his attention was brought to the fragments Crystal had.

The captain narrowed his eyes at it, "Red shards, huh..." They reminded him of one thing and one thing only, but this possibility made him frown, "...They seem awfully familiar, but we can't say that for certain yet..." He muttered, turning his attention back to the gashes, "It would take a lot of force to dig into the street like this... Suppose full crystals could cut it--but the shape is more organic."

As the humans got to work treating Crimson's wounds, it was quickly discovered that the barbs Glory can see are invisible to them. This being an opportunity for her to help more, Glory swiftly helps the humans with this problem, getting different things like cloths and wrapping them around the barbs to make them visible.

Once that's done, and Crimson's in a more stable condition, no longer bleeding out or anything, and when things are calmer, Glory tries to contact Rihanna to update her on the situation. Unfortunately, this is around the time when the boys and Anna are near the black hole, so she can't reach them...

So, for a while now, the little Fairfin has been curled up next to Crimson's neck and shoulder, much like a cat would. She tries to get some rest herself, but not sleep, as her worried mind is all over the place. Why can't she reach Rihanna now? What's happening to Catch and her partner? What about everyone else? Fiona, Eira, Rahab, Terra... They're around here too, surely they're getting help? But there's still others out there... And what about Crimson? The person in control of his body said he believes Crimson is still alive, just sleeping... Will he wake up soon? Or, when Crimson's body wakes up, will this stranger still be in control? ... What a horrifying thought, to share your body with someone you don't know, even if this new person is equally disturbed by it...

"Whoa! C-areful! Y-our going to give yourself a headache sitting up to quickly! " Death the Bellezzas said, he was sitting on his hindquarters with his paws up in and calming motion, his long neck was bent so he could look down at the Elemental. So Death was practically looming over Fiona, but he did his best to calm her down.
Thankfully there was others in the room, doctors and nurses checking charts " Ah, good, your a wake " a doctor said coming over, he was a older looking man " you weren't doing so well for a hot minute, but your awake so we must have done something right, you know it's not even day that we get Elementals here "

//Yeah, I'm sure it was...// Weaver thinks in response to Catch's confession, and silently gives him a pat on the shoulder as he walks. "I think it's safe to assume that they're not just gone," he then says with a slight grimace, "It'd be nice if their stars could simply be returned to the sky where they belong, up with the Silver Moons, but just from the fact that I'm here... It's not going to be that simple. That's where I'm concerned... I know Eater saw countless Dreamer faces in Void's heart, I just don't know where they've gone after it exploded and the palace collapsed. If they also went back to their Nightmare bodies... Moons help them, they have it so much worse than I do..."

The Dreamer goes quiet after that, thinking about just how bad it would be, being trapped in your own body, but having no magic seal put on you to mess up your Nightmare, no reason for the Nightmare in control of you to spare your friends and family... Feeling the sick and twisted pleasures that the Nightmare would experience, that the Nightmare would force you to experience, when they kill or torture people... That kind of existence would be a truly hopeless one that could break even the strongest Dreamers, if they were forced to live like that too long... His missing heart can't ache for those people, but he feels rather anxious about it. //Moons... Please, if that's the case, please help them in some way... If I could, I would do whatever I could to help them...// he silently prays.

But, going back to the vision dream... There's still something off. "... Hey... You know, it's weird that you're even still having this dream, like you said, I'm already a Nightmare... So if it's a vision, it can't be something of the future, unless... It's not about that at all? Could it be something else? Something else that wants to devour Dreamers like that?" Weaver asks, though he does think to himself: //I dunno though, this is starting to sound kind of crazy... What else could it possibly be?//

Fiona heard a voice. And the voice was right--she definitely had a headache, which prompted her to bring her hand to her forehead. "Wha..."
...Along with this, though, she finally noticed where the voice was coming from: the dragon body and paws moving in a calming motion beside her bed.
The Elemental's wide eyes followed this, up to his neck, which then led to her craning her own neck to see Death's face looming over her. Leaning to look up so high made her flop back onto the hospital bed pillow with a fluffy 'thump.' "Whoa...! Uh... Hi... D-Death?" Her voice was still a bit tense. It wasn't easy for her to get that name out, especially since she wasn't even sure if it was right (or what it even was.)

However, then there were other people in the room, too. Fiona rolled her head to the side to look at the doctor as he spoke. "Huh? Oh, right! I... Wasn't doing so great when we got here... Wait--wait! What about the others who were with me? Are they okay?!" She rushed to that question, still needing a /little/ more time to recollect herself.