"The structure of this thing is already different from what things were like on Earth, and they function differently from the Fraysans, some of which came from humans. Best to just break it down as we go along and maybe catalogue things. If we go purely by normal thinking, we'll be even more lost than we are now, ya know?"

"So you're as strong as those things then?" Isabelle's features lit up as she looked over his figure. "You're going to have to show me how strong you really are sometime."

Nikolai nonchalantly shrugged and a small smirk crossed his features, "Once I get the chance to, sure," he replied, "we've been dealing with them swiftly for the most part whereas I don't have to resort to that." Slowly, he began to move toward the other end of the cave, expecting for Isabelle to follow as he got a feel for what might be out there.

"If you will excuse me," Elyss smiled as she stood from her seat. "I will be going out for some fresh air. Edward should be alright for the time being, letting him rest will do him good. Be sure to call for me if anything changes in his status."

The porcelain woman bowed her head slightly and tilted her head to one side. "I hope Ed makes a speedy recovery," she said.

Elyss made her way outside, getting out through the hatch and then down to the ground was simple enough and she went to one wall of the cave to sit down. She breathed out and closed her eyes, her meditation beginning to settle her mind and body from the aches. Though she could theoretically heal herself, it would strain the body at the same time, which meant that it did heal wounds but always left her more tired than what was expected from the healed. It would be better for her to rest normally.

As Nikolai Jr made his way to the rear exit of the cave, he managed to sneak a few peeks from afar. It seemed to exit out onto some sort of cliff side overlooking a large plain. The sunlight was very bright.

Mano couldn't tell what was what or what did what inside the monster's gut. None of the organs looked anything like what any other living creature would have and it soon became apparent that he couldn't possibly understand the biology of the creatures.

Yogi casually strolled through the now-repaired trees, and saw the group chilling out.
He was still a bit shy however, so he looked for something to clean. Anything that would be dirty.

Leo followed Isabelle and Nikolai. "Nikki J, you can show me how strong you are any time you want." He stopped before the edge of the cliff and adjusted to the sunlight, he stood next to Nikolai. "Now this I wike." However nice it seemed, he couldn't help being a pessimist, waiting for something to come out and try to kill them. He didn't say it out loud though, for fear of putting it out into the universe.

Leo stepped out, some sort of strange ruins making up the floor of the cliff side. The intricate stone designs beneath his feet held firm as he looked out over this strange world. Suddenly the ground shifted and the structure beneath him rose up into the air in the shape of a diamond. He tried to move but found himself strangely paralyzed. Panic began to overtake him as a titanic monstrosity rose up before the trio. The creature's head looked like a massive bone plate and had he paid attention he would remember seeing the monster as one of the three on the parchment back in the fortress. It rose one of its bifurcated hands and held it in front of the boy before uttering an earth shaking groan.

Nikolai Jr and Isabelle could only watch as Leo's entire body was turned to dust and blown away by the sheer force of the creature. The beast turned, seeming to have not seen them and looked into the distance.

It was as if some sort of game master had heard his thoughts, because looming over Leo was enormous creature. He knew in that moment he was going to die. There was nothing he could do, and honestly, he wasn't sure if he wanted to do anything in the first place. He would've had nothing to go home to, so, he accepted his fate within the split seconds he had left, and glanced back at Nikolai and Isabelle and smiled. Not a smirk, this time, but a smile. The sheer force of the beast had blown Leo to dust. At least now he'd be with his mom and dad.

Orwell looked up from watching Edward. He enjoyed the exercise of doing so. It allowed him for just a moment to pretend that everything that's actually happening wasn't real. Edward was sleeping safely and happily inside the Obelisk after convincing his mother and father to allow him to sleep under the stars because there wasn't any smog in the sky, and they let him because there were no dangers to be worried about. They were just a happy family, living a happy life. But that illusion was always shattered and this time by the unearthly groan that shook the cave and sent his sensors haywire. He checked his heart rate monitor and his count was one off, someone was missing... He couldn't tell who it was as three members had gone down the hallway, so all he knew was that either Nikolai jr, Isabelle, or Leo had met their fate. He felt great pity towards them and was saddened by their death but the safety of his charge was always priority so he hunkered lower, hoping that whatever it was would leave. Edward was still sound asleep, still under the influence of the anesthesia.

Isabelle had gotten up to follow Nikolai. She wasn't ready for their conversation to end just yet. Leo followed as well to the end of the cave. Isabelle noticed the patterns in the ground as they walked towards to the end of the cave, but was too caught up with other thoughts to think too much about it. Before they knew it, the ground was torn asunder by a giant beast and Leo was gone. The sheer power of the monster impressed the mage, and she yearned to defeat it in order to grow her power. Unfortunately she's just a sophisticated projection of her true self, and lacks any capability to kill it here and now. She grabbed Nikolai's shoulder and urged him to follow her back inside of the cave before it became aware of their presence as well.

Nikolai Jr. counted his blessings that he didn't step further outside, but at the same time, he partially wished that it was him. There was a moment of silence as Leo turned into complete dust before his eyes; flashbacks to Sebastian ran through his head and he exhaled shakily. Slowly he backed away alongside Isabelle, taking one of his revolvers out of the holster in case that would do anything.

As she sat knelt and relaxed, she felt calm. Within the recesses of her mind she found peace, with enough distance from the world around her, the silence in her mind was enough to lull her into a state of relaxation... however, something dulled it all. Even within her mind, she could feel the thumping of hearts and their lively beat. That is until one skipped and eventually vanished into the void.

Falling out of her trance, she fell forward, catching herself with her hands. Elyss didn't understand, where did Leo disappear to? Was he? No...no, no, no, no! She refused to believe it so and was about to leave the cave when Nikolai and Isabelle had entered.

"What happened to Leo?" she asked urgently. "I can no longer feel his heartbeat!"

Mano sighs as he tries wiping off some of the alien gunk. "Well, we broke this thing down good, but I still can't make hide nor hair of how these things function. I can't even tell if there was a stomach in there or not. It's just a mess of parts. At least it seems meat like. Might wanna try to cook it, might not. Kinda worries me; who knows if these things turn inedible if dead or something?" He looks towards the cave. "What's all the ruckus about now?"

Mercy was squatting nearby Mano, watching him at work. Her head tilted as she observed him breaking the monster apart, none of the parts looking familiar in the slightest. Slightly confused, the girl simply decided to let Mano do his thing, and help if asked.

When the roar thundered through the cave, coming from the other side of it, she straighten up slowly looking towards the source. At this point, it already became quite obvious that any inhuman sound in their proximity most likely meant trouble. Entering the cave, Mercy could already hear Elyss asking out for Leo.

"What was that? What happened?" She quickly approached the group, deep frown on her face. Nickolai's expression already giving away some answers...