There was a tremendous ruckus that brewed about as Aloe failed in his attempt to wake Nel. The changeling huffed in annoyance which was followed by a disappointed click of his tongue. Still nothing.  Maybe a stronger strike will do? ? In one swift moment, Aloe raised his hand higher as his grip on a bundle of the lady’s shirt held her steady. 

[b]“Itsy-bitsy, bitsy spider, come to eat you all up!”[/b] The magpie cried out, flapping its wings.  

His hand pulled away at the last second as Aloe fixed the magpie with a glare. Confusion reflected on his expression as though he was thinking through a riddle. “Spider? What— OUCH!" 

At that very moment, something bonked him on the head. Luckily, it wasn't enough to knock his out yet it still hurt. He growled as he whipped around... only to paused. He reached down to pick up a gun. For a moment, he stared at the weapon until the noise grew even louder than before. 

Peering over the bushes, the scene was enough to draw curses from him. Kettle was down near a white column, not moving an inch. There a gigantic stone beast after one of his traveling companions with a lady-spider – a Jorogumo, wasn’t it? – that was about to cut off the bone-y creature’s escape path. Just what is that Jorogumo doing? She is an ally, is she not? He saw her as part of the traveling pack when he had lagged behind. Although, the red in her eyes weren’t there before… A gem shone brightly in her hands. Slowly, his eye widened, the magpie’s words slowly sinking in.

Crap, what was he suppose to do?

It wasn’t long before the ground trembled a few feet away from where they sat and caught his attention for a moment. A section of grass shifted. In slow cranks and grinding metal, a hole revealed itself in small increments. Hidden within it was a staircase that descended into darkness. No matter how well his eye could adjust to the darkness, he couldn’t see the bottom. 

His gaze flickered from the hole to the approaching spider lady and finally to the fallen Clavic. The gun felt heavy in his hand. Aloe grimaced. He wasn't sure what was in that hole, but it seemed to be the only option if they wanted to live. 

With a sharp intake of breath, Aloe rushed out of the thicket, leaving Nel behind. With adrenaline pumped into his system, he shortened the distance that separated him and Clavic. He grabbed onto the fur that Clavic wore and pulled the being up; the gun he held shook unsteadily as his aim kept switching between Lila and the stone beast.

“Creature of bones, there’s a staircase along with a girl hidden behind those bushes. Take her and go down!” Without waiting for the poor creature to recover, the young man pushed it toward the shrubs, ignoring whatever bones that may fall out of it. He turned his gaze over to Leon. “Young hunter, come!”