Shiloh gave a sound of approval when Jesgil helped bring the barrier down. Pleased that her suspicions were proved correct would give her a small smile, but knowing how she was she wouldn't stay happy for long. She was always moving onto the next thing to fret over, necessary or not. "Oh good lord…" He heard her mutter in a tone that made him feel uneasy. "What's–" The ground began to shake violently all of a sudden, nearly throwing him onto his back! Shiloh grabbed onto him to keep him steady, but what happened next made everything within him want to run. A horrible, unearthly shriek pierced the night's silence, breaking the tension they had been under this entire time. Panic was filling his thoughts as he realized whatever kept the poor employees from returning was likely coming after them!

"Gods above!" He yelled, covering his ears shaking. "It's coming this way! Everybody scatter!" His friend shouted above the roar. It was so dark out that he could barely see, but he did as told and ran to take cover. Before he and Shiloh went separate ways, he heard the metallic ring of something being unsheathed. As if to announce the dreaded terror of the forbidden forest, whatever had obscured the moons' light finally parted–revealing a monstrosity of the woods and earth. Towering at ten feet or taller, a horrid amalgam of twisted wood, leather, and vines formed the body of some deer-skull headed thing. Its arms were long and jagged, it began tearing away at the plants and trees in an attempt to swipe at them. Chunks of earth flew as it raked the ground, its footsteps causing minor tremors in the immediate area.

Shiloh was already running to the side trying to find a way to attack it from behind. However it seemed to sense what she was doing, and slammed its fists into the ground to discourage her. There were sickly yellow lights in the sockets of its deer-skull, and shaggy moss hung off its frame like fur. Somehow this monster had taken residence here, making it too dangerous to inspect the hot springs' source. At least that was what he believed from what he'd seen and heard. Hiding and trying to find a safer spot out of its long reach, Cymbel noted how terrifyingly fast it was for something made mostly of timber.

Jes was quick to scramble upon the sudden chaos that formed in front of them, causing her to dash behind a tree. A nervous sweat covered her forehead as she peered around the corner, gazing down the figure as it towered before them. "Oh gods, please don't tell me that shell was placed to keep him in!" If that was the case and it decided to rampage outside of the lands, things would not look so well for them. All of this just to refill a natural hot spring, too… She doubted it had any relation to solving their murder mystery, but there would only be more blood if that thing got loose.

"Awaken, my blood, and grant me thy steel," she muttered under her breath, holding her hands in front of her before a beam of light forged between her hands, crafting the shaft of a two-handed axe. As she took it within her fingers, her mind was stuck on processing anything she could. Did the plant part of it not care for ice? How deep could her blade even cut into it? All the while, whispers of tending to the murder still lingered, distracting her even further before she had to stop everything to make sure her heart did not stop from all the stress.

"It will be all right," she muttered to herself. "It will be alright. Lady Dal told you you are strong. She appreciated my aid when they appea–" Her words stopped as she thought back to the scales overtaking her in the pyramid. The thought of her icy powers overtaking her caused her to freeze once more, hunching over once more, composure lost as the weapon now rattled as if it was suddenly too heavy to handle. "Don't let it take you," was the new thing she muttered, though in a much more dull tone. "Don't let it take you…"

Nothing stayed peaceful for long anymore. Those days were long in the past. It was just a matter of time before something disturbed the curious party on their mission. Where Cymbel had Shiloh to hold onto him, Morticia was not so luck and fell right on her butt with an audible “oof”. Her terror filled eyes beheld the most grotesque creature she had ever seen, a montague collection of nature and leather with that deer’s skull which was most unsettling. Ryerles was screaming in her ear as the pixie pushed herself up to dart out of the way.

A quick glance showed the maid in the tree, and the other fae on his own as Shiloh began sneaking away. What could she do? Fights were never the pixie’s strong suit. As she looked between Cymbel and the monstrosity, her heart beating harshly against her ribs, Morticia remembered when her husband and she fought together against that hoard of dark creatures. She wasn’t just a pixie! ”We gotta get out of here, Mort!” ”No! Go to Cymbel, drag him out of here if you must! Trust me.” The air around her began to shimmer once more, cutting Ryerles off from further protest.

Her body began to shift and grow as large, leathery wings sprouted from her back. Where the pixie once stood was now a large dragon with lavender eyes, and glistening blue scales that seemed to glow under the moonlight. She roared at the creature, establishing herself as the most dangerous thing of the group. It lunged at her, which earned him a lash of her tail. With a deep intake of breath, Morticia let loose a stream of icy breath at the creature.