This was bad. Even though they made sure to stay together, the worst possible thing really did happen. Just a few minutes ago the ground suddenly collapsed underneath them. The middle-aged man everybody called 'Uncle Walter' turned into a wolf and jumped away in time, but her reaction time wasn't as fast. But in the nick of time, Rashomaru's friend Cyril had pushed her hard enough with a blast to send her onto the greenish, solid floor far from the edge. When the dust cleared and the shaking stopped, all that was left was a pile of rocks jamming up a big hole where they had been standing. However the stroke of bad luck didn't stop there. Without their best fighters, she and that uncle found themselves desperately hiding for their lives. And it wasn't because they were trying to avoid fights–it was because in their current situation fighting was absolutely not an option. While they were searching for a way to go back down, they stumbled upon some rocks. Worried that it was another cave-in, Nui tried moving some of the stones until she realized one of them looked like a face. Then it dawned on them that the pile of 'rocks' they were moving looked uncannily like bunch of broken up statues of people. The 'statues' weren't the same greenish tint as the malachite the spire was made of, so that meant something else had petrified them. Of course this was something she was piecing together now, as her scream from thinking she was holding a severed head made her drop the rock and created enough noise to attract whatever was responsible.

The area was dead silent as the two huddled together in the darkness, not daring to use any light sources. There was the sound of leathery wings beating and heavy breathing, while a wide beam of a sickly pale light passed by their hiding place. The fox girl didn't know what it was, but she had caught a glimpse of it when it turned around and flew the opposite direction from them. It was five meters across, without any legs or feet. The entire backside was composed of a ghastly mixture of writhing tendrils and wings. Some of the wings were bat-like, the others were feathered. When it made a turn down a far corner, the outline of its shadow looked like the profile of a giant floating head and the beams of light were shining from its 'eyes'. If that thing ever caught them, it was over. Just like these poor people who were now statues. She didn't even know if people could be resurrected after being broken up, but right now they had bigger problems. That thing was making its rounds in this area, and unless they knew where it was–they wouldn't be able to safely move about to find the way back down. Ears twitching, whenever that flapping sound was close she held her breath, afraid to even breathe. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could hear it in her ears.

The sound of screams were caught in the large ears of the Indlovu who treaded these halls, leather skin granting an innate level of protection as what seemed like carefully-laid plates of steel were "grafted" around her more sensitive areas before dawning a clock around her large body. Each careful step of hers come with a steady weight as Shuja patrolled the dark halls, handle at the ready just in case dire action had to be taken.

As she patrolled though, the feeling of disgust filled her stomachs as she came across a floor littered with the stoned and shattered bodies of once were human beings. She had only a brief moment to offer their souls a prayer of respite before catching the echo of wings fill the halls before a pair of beams moved across. Was that the thing that did this to these once-living beings? If so, then in the name of Father Indalo, it would be severely punished. After all, they were placed upon this world to create and construct this world, not become statues for others. In fact, it had no need to turn "prey" into stone unless that was its diet. If not, then she could only judge its actions as sport which boiled her blood even more.

However, before she let her rage take over and get transferred into her blade like a savage brute, she meditated to calm her heart and examined the scene closer. It seemed it, too, was seeking out the source of the screams. Its attention was elsewhere and had not turned over to her. Survival took precedence over the hunt for those who walked these halls, so ensuring the safety of whoever is potentially being tailed had to take priority.

The light was not much, but enough for her to see the ends of things in the region, including what seemed to have been a collapsed floor. Holding a hand up, she whispered to herself, "Oh Lord of Craft and Creation, hear my plea. Bestow upon me your gift to make things anew and give life to stone." A faint glow encompassed the amber eyes of the Indlovu before taking hold of a slab, shifting it over to crash on the ground below.. Sure enough, the beams shifted from its location to the new noise and moved to examine it with Shuja carefully following behind to where it once flew.

"Hello?" Shuja whispered, "Is anyone here? I am safe and here to help." Still, the winged beast was only momentarily distracted. Who knew how long until i came back to return to this spot if at all?

Don't move. Don't make a sound. Don't breathe.

That was what ran through Walter's mind as soon as he pulled Nui behind a wall as the slow beating of wings passed by. For a while he had thought it was too quiet on the floor they were on after the boys fell through the pit, and unfortunately he was right. The young fox's tails twitched, brushing against his legs as her ears were standing straight like a rabbit's. They were pressed up close against the stone wall, hands clasped tight over their mouths. This was no time to shift into a beast. Whatever that creature was, it was far too large for him to take down with a lunge. And its back was empty of any soft spots which lupine jaws could pierce. From the silhouette of the flying terror, there were writhing tendrils as well as the wings which kept it afloat. Those could trap him before he could hurt it. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he listened and waited for when it was out of sight. There was another crash in the distance, and the muscles in his body locked up when the flying monster changed course to see what was there. It didn't turn in their direction, praise be to the gods. As the two no longer were holding their breath, they nearly jumped out of their hides when the voice of a stranger startled them both. 

"Yes, two of us. Quickly, we need to move to find a new place to hide. I don't know if there's more of those flying things here, but we can't take our chances." The tracker replied in a whisper. The fox girl with him nodded furiously, even though it would be hard to see her if it weren't for her snow-white hair and fur. Warily Walter looked to see if there was any light approaching, anxious over how long it would be distracted before circling back. "Do you know where the stairway to the floor below is?" He asked. "Some of our group fell down when the floor collapsed all of a sudden. We need to regroup with them and share what we've seen. All we have is my crossbow and her paper spells." It had only dawned on him now how lucky they had been for the past floors, only facing creatures that could be taken down with speed and precision. As long as the boys' spells were fast enough, the danger would be over in minutes. However, if there was something that could turn a person to stone, that would change their approach for venturing up the Spire. And in their current position, killing the enemies just wasn't possible. His crossbow wouldn't do much and Nui's magic couldn't seriously damage enemies. Staying hidden and moving carefully was their best bet than attract the attention of one of the Spire's monstrosities. 

Two souls. Scared senseless, but currently safe. Still, if they were not showing their face, it meant they were, at the very least, extremely cautious, so while indeed they had to be fast, she had to make sure she was at least safe. "I should let you know I am a pretty large entity," she warned, "and I am not one to label myself as weak, but every entity has its weak spots. If you do not trust me, you can cripple my legs and run through narrow passages. Loud noises are not pleasant to my ears as well." she them removed a sheathed dagger from her belt and rested it upon the ground that rested as a door between the two voices. "This tool would be my only way to dare give chase after that if I wish to not attract whatever that was.

"As for the stairwell, it is but a few meters behind me. I only wandered this floor a minute most. If anything should come up, I shall be your front, and should we find a safer area to camp, I can cast-forge you some bolts. They may not be as great as handling the anvil, but for now, we have little options to spare. Now come." If needed, she would even act as their wall back to the entrance, but their goals were set in their hearts, thus she could not argue against their wishes unless their lives were at actual risk when the time comes. For now, though, her eyes gleamed over to the hall to see if she could spot whatever fluttered in the halls and to see if it was making its way back before starting to move herself.

Was this person lying? Nui wasn't sure. Her mind was racing and she was worried that this might be the thing that was after them, or maybe bandits who were robbing others. But that shouldn't be likely, after all it wasn't like the Spire was taking sides. Anybody who wasn't part of the Spire was its enemy. But if they did trust them, then that meant leaving was actually possible. She looked up at Uncle Walter to see what he thought. So far she hadn't made any noise so it wasn't like the voice knew for sure that the man wasn't lying. "…We'll take that chance. You said the stairs were right behind you, and we need to leave as soon as possible." The fox girl shook her head, trying to tell him not to go. What if he didn't come back? What if they were being tricked? She didn't want him to risk his life like this for her, her heart couldn't take it. She was scared of being alone. Uncle Walter left the safety of the wall to meet with whoever was there, and she stayed still. The sound of slow flapping wings started to come closer. The fur on her ears and tails began to stand on end. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took out one of her paper talismans. Clutching it between her fingers she enchanted it with an invisibility spell. It wouldn't protect her from being turn to stone, but if she couldn't be seen it would help her avoid getting caught. 

Placing the talisman on her head between her ears, the magic took effect masking her form and shadow. Slipping out she held her breath as she saw something tower over Uncle Walter and her both. Was this another monster from the Spire? What if they had been wrong and the petrifying enemy wasn't what was flying around? Tiptoeing, she went up behind the tracker and touched his arm. It felt like cloth, and she was relieved. Taking another talisman enchanted with teleport, she pressed it into Uncle Walter's hand. Whispering as quietly as possible into his ear, she told him to give it to the person to help make moving around faster. She didn't have anything to silence their footsteps, but teleport could move things without needing to walk. The tracker looked behind him, as if trying to see the fox girl whose scent was nearby. From the look in his eyes she knew he understood, and turned back to face their mysterious helper. 

"Oh, by the way I have a little something that can help move us around without making noise. It's an enchanted paper. This one's supposed to teleport you to a place where you can see. I can hear that flier coming back, so we don't have much time. Even if we don't get right next to the exit–at least we can get far enough to where we can avoid being seen." Nui nodded, even though they couldn't see her. As the flapping sound was getting louder, there was a strange sound that echoed from the entire place. It was like rocks grinding against each other, and it didn't last long. The air flowing around them changed direction and she could feel it from her ears. The stairway that should have led down had moved. The walls might have moved as well, with the path of whatever was roaming the floor adjusting to it. "It's coming! We need to hide!" She whispered louder, still invisible to the eye.

IN the end, an older gentleman stepped around the corner. He said there was two, so why was the other not with? As much as she wished to irk, time was short. The wing beats were growing ever louder and the sound of shifting stone, not by her own hands, made her worry. A paper, decorated with strange signs, was rested in her hands, the man ensuring her it would allow her to "warp" to places she could see. With a nod, Shuja picked up the dagger and rested it within his hands, and though the steel was bounded by leather, the sheath seemed to have somehow emanated a warmth.

"Should the need come, this Daughter shall aid you. Petrify flesh that thing does, but the heart of a kiln, possibly not." Another voice came from the empty air, quiet but urgent. This must be the second, she thought before turning her attention away from them, the switch axe that rested upon her back exposed to the two as she concentrated at what she could see. The walls were indeed closing and shifting with not much of a window, perhaps to help trap with the flying entity. She saw a spot she could get to quickly before turning, right hand now forging a glow of ember collapsing into a single spot. "Now is the time we move!" The moment she caught sight of the beams of light moving in their direction, she threw the ember glow over to it before turning her attention back to the previous spot. A bright flash encompassed the region of the flying entity, hoping that it held a sensitivity to sudden bright light to stun and distract it as she felt her body become light, becoming nothing as the walls around her faded to darkness before coming back, coming to the new scenery.

The the moment she turned to the right, the hall where she came from was now gone, stopped by a new wall that has taken its place. Indeed, it was as if the Spire was alive, not allowing its guests to escape. Still, it did not stop her as she marked the new wall with the Crest of Indalo, the sign of her church that also bore crest on her weapon and cloak,  onto the wall with a glow. If she had to move, she would at least leave signs of her path to meet up later.

Walter wasn't sure what this person's words meant exactly, but he accepted the dagger since she seemed to promise it would help. They all heard the flying terror come closer, to which their new ally threw something in its direction. With a commanding voice, she told them they had to escape while they had the chance. The tracker felt an invisible hand grab onto him as he felt his body become light as air. And not a moment too soon–as the thing which was thrown exploded with a blast of light. The sound would have thrown his hearing off if they were closer, but thankfully Nui had teleported them both. They were all together where the stairs should have been, only to see a solid wall. It was just as they feared. The stranger marked the place before many sounds were starting to fill the silence. The echoes of the blast of light had attracted every horrible thing that had been lurking in the dark, it seemed. But the monster they had narrowly escaped wasn't dead, and now it might be more motivated to find them than ever. In the distance, another stronger explosion rocked the entire floor, causing both tracker and fox child to brace themselves. This didn't feel like the Spire, so something or someone must have caused it. He desperately hoped it was their separated party members–they had no idea if the Spire had tried to trap the boys the same way it had tried on them both. Gripping the leather bound dagger in his hand, he whispered to the girl who he knew was still there. "Is there anything you can do to help us find where the monsters are or stall them longer?" The girl's invisibility wore off, and she reappeared.

"N-no…but I can make them easier to see or make them fall asleep–if they can fall asleep." That was good enough in the tracker's book. She wasn't an experienced sorcerer, so he could understand why she hesitated to admit it. "We'll all keep our ears to the ground, but if you pick up on trouble coming our way, don't hold back. Do what you can and we'll take them down. Alright?" The fox girl nodded, hardly making a sound. Turning back to the stranger who was now with them, Walter spoke. "We won't be able to hide forever. Sooner or later we'll be forced to fight. Could you tell me how this weapon can help us? From the way you described it, there's something magical in this. Best to make the most out of what we have." If Nerine's daughter or youngest was here, he wouldn't need to worry about conserving his bolts. But now his crossbow was as good as useless if they couldn't hurt what they hit. He didn't know what this helpful stranger could do either. In the dim light he saw a great weapon, but he couldn't make out what kind. It didn't look like anything he had ever seen. They didn't know how many of the fliers were around, but one less meant one they didn't need to worry about. 

The sensory attack Shuja had dealt to the flying abomination had been effective in making it lose its bearings, but as it was a creation of the Spire, it quickly resumed its original intent. The arrival of new intruders had drawn the attention of the monsters–seen and unseen–towards the explosion. The beams of light which marked its range for petrification swiveled around and moved away, meaning it had turned its back. Now was the time for a preemptive strike. The backside bore multiple wings and a mass of tendrils, but it was far less worrying than being turned to stone.

When her mark was finished, she turned around to find the man from before appear before them. Seemed as if marking where she was was useless then. Normally, this would leave her emblem as like a tracker on where they have been, but as seen before, the walls were alive and roaming, just like the other inhabitants and invaders that roamed said halls. Worse come to worse, the halls would ensnare the group to leave them to suffocate or starve, but only if its "rules" would allow it.

And soon after seeing the elder man, a child came into view, where an obvious disheartened gloom washed over her face. This is no place for a child, ached her heart, no matter how much talent she could possessed. She was meant to enjoy her youth, not risk it in such a realm of chaos and strife. It wasn't like she needed any more resolve to get the pair to safety as is. Still, she had to set her thought aside as the man turned around and addressed her and her tools, which she responded by removing it from her back and holding it forth.

"This is a special weapon that I have designed and made myself. It can switch between an axe head to grant me better reach or a sword to help cut through even the toughest of hides. As for the dagger that you hold," she motioned to, "it rests a Daughter of Indalo and is the heart of my forge. …" She seemed to have caught onto something and worked on trying to fix it in her head before continuing, "In your lands, I think you would call it an… El-he-mendal? … No matter the name, she must always find a source of heat and flame to step in, and that dagger allows me to bring her with me even across the Grand Blue."

As she turned back, she saw the beams of light once more moving away, showcasing a back of tendril and feathers. Still, from what her ears could catch, it was no longer alone, and it had drawn attention. "A theory:" Shuja stated, "Though its front is too dangerous to strike ahead else we wish to become the stone we stand on, it may be possible that it wears a frail back. Something to keep in mind." She returned her switch axe to her back before turning to another hallway. "Let us pray that the stairs have not moved far."