The slightly muffled sounds of outrage from Ortha's vilemaw shivered up the rotted leg she had clutched in her septic teeth. Worrying at it like a dog with a bone, she readjusted her grip and attempted to wrench it free from the fleshless corpse of the squire. Her plated tail whipped back and forth as she glared up at the former owner of the tibia, the constant litany of growls coming to a shocked silence as the chop of the axe buried the weapon in the thick bony armour on her back.

With vilemaw eyes locked on the undead squire's empty sockets, Ortha turned her firefang head to look back at the weapon. Infuriated by the attack, the juvenile balaruadon bunched her stout legs beneath her and leg go of the leg suddenly, practically spitting it out and only giving the other unnatural creature a heartbeat in which to stagger backwards before she launched her full weight at him, cruel claws glinting in the poor light, both sets of slathering fangs honed on his ancient arour, to savage him like the primal monster she was.

Across the cavern, Kona clutched at rabbit-Rilana so tightly with his beak that he broke skin, staining the pristine white fur with fresh red around her scruff. With a beak meant for stripping prey such as this, it was difficult to be gentle, especially when harsh sneers and the clash of weapons met his eyes and ears. He'd been underground far too much for his liking during this journey.

As Alya approached, the half-leopard half-eagle lifted his head, peering down at the Songweaver. Without Rilana to interpret and act as the medium for his mental communcations, Kona was just as mute as the half-elf. But he was intelligent enough to recognize her concern, and he trusted Alya as Rilana did. His long feathered ear-tufts flicked forwards and he lowered his head to put the dangling lagomorph into Alya hand's, producing a soft, worried chirp that ended in a clack of his beak.

It was then that Rilana finally stirred, the long soft ears twitching as revitalization spread like warmth through her soul, and Juloya's voice echoed around inside her mind like the deep cracking of ice felt on the surface of a glacier. She righted herself, black eyes opening to glance up at Alya and Kona, her emotions impossible to read on her tiny bunny face. 

[color=00aeef][i]"What...?"[/i][/color] She raised herself up on her poofy back feet and looked at the ceiling before peering around.

[i][color=fff200]"You died, welcome back,"[/color][/i] Kona replied sardonically, ruffling his wings to hide how worried he'd been.

[i][color=00aeef]"I feel fine now."[/color][/i] She bounced down to the ground, swiftly transforming into her usual shape, staring across the stone and ice cavern trying to work out what was happening. Her heart gave a lurch when she spotted Svarak splitting off in the center of a crowd of mobile skeletons. She took a few steps towards him, ready to jump into the fray and fight side-by-side with the man she loved. [color=00aeef]"Oh Svarak...why is he taking off his armour?"[/color]

Across from them, she could see the null stone with Juloya inside. She had to reach out to brace herself against the gryphon and the half-elf as she came face to face with a thing she had only seen in visions. For a moment she was distracted by a constant stream of mental profanity coming from Ortha.

[color=000000][i][b]CRUSHYOURBONES TEARYOURLEGOFF EATYOURMARROW SQUATINYOUREYESOCKETS SHITYOUOUTINTHESNOW![/b][/i][/color]

And then she spotted the silhoutte of her fellow Moon Fey standing near the stone. [color=00aeef]"Lady Moira!"[/color] Her voice was full of relief at seeing her friend alive. But Kona grumbled a low warning.

[i][color=fff200]"She's not the same Lady Moira that we used to know. Her words are full of hate."[/color][/i]

[color=00aeef]"What?"[/color] Rilana's eyes narrowed as she considered this. [color=00aeef]"Alya, I have to get closer. Kona, you have to help Svarak because..."[/color] Because she couldn't. She had no place among those slashing weapons. The gryphon gave a proud nod of his noble head and spread his wings, the air whooshing over them as he angled off to see what he could do with a bunch of skeletons. They didn't seem to be paying attention as he circled once and then dove for a gold sash.

Rilana moved swiftly towards the null stone, her breath catching in her throat. Every inch of floor, every breath of chill air across her skin, felt as though it was tied like a string back through time, wound tight enough to snap as the weight of centuries since the first events here seemed to come crashing down. She didn't exactly sneak, but her footsteps were soft, almost reverent as she moved for the stone, her eyes shifting back and forth between Juloya and the back of Moira's head.

[color=00aeef][i]"Juloya, tell me what to do. You're the one who knows what needs to be done. Where is he?"[/i][/color] She chased the thread of the chillborn's words where they had echoed in her mind only a short time ago, half-expecting her to remain still and deathlike in her crystalline prison. [color=00aeef][i]"Help me help Svarak. I love him."[/i][/color] Perhaps unwisely, she reached out to touch the surface of the null stone, remembering that she had a piece of it in her pocket.