It would be no more than a lie to claim they felt better after a night's rest.

It had helped for sure, but when they woke no one was really up to moving until the middle of the day. And even then, Leiken only briefly stirred before deciding he was too tired to do much. Yes, they had all survived and gotten back to camp, but it was like they simply could not manage to shake off the weight of their encounter with the Skull. Even Hawkes was more solemn than usual. And Solace, in all xir growth, had needed to go back to sulking just outside of camp while the other waited for a while. Euele had been struggling too. She felt like it was wrong for her to feel this keening sense of dread, they had won, they had survived, they should be elated! And yet they weren't.

"Solace? Hawkes?" Euele called out quietly, stirring Acherna from her nest of blankets as she moved past the little drake and out into the empty air of the campsite.

Hawkes slowly crawled out of their tent, bleary-eyed and looking exhausted. "What do you need, Euele?" Their voice was so wrought with exhaustion, Euele almost sent them back into their tent.

Instead, she cleared her throat. "We should probably head back up to the surface today." It went without saying, none of them were okay enough to actually endure much more of what the Dungeon might throw at them.

Solace emerged from the shadows looking as haggard and worn as Hawkes, if not more. "That sounds like a good idea. We need the guaranteed safety of the surface right now while we get over... that." A shudder rolled over xem, causing xir knees to shake and xir skin to twitch wildly. Gritting xir teeth, xir jaw visibly tensed as the terror left xem, as swiftly and as silently as it had come. When xey managed to release a breath, the sound was like xir soul escaping xem.

Euele looked one with concern in her eyes. "We should start tearing down camp. I'll take care of my own tent as well as Leiken's... we'll need to divide up the weight we carry, I don't think he-"

As if summoned by Euele's attempt at mothering, Leiken pushed his way out of his tent, interrupting her before she could finish her sentence. "You know, sound passes through fabric quite readily." His tone was quiet but scolding. "I can carry my own things and take down my own tent. Its my face that got injured, I'm not dying." He let out a quiet sigh, tail tip flicking behind him. "I actually seem to be doing the best out of all of us, so don't you dare try to take any of my burden on yourselves." He straightened and looked between them, an unmistakable softness clouding his vision. 

Leiken stood there a moment longer before getting to work, leading the charge really, when it came to taking down tents and packing bags, getting everyone moving and packed with a gusto that rivaled Euele on a good day. With his aid, the four of them were able to get all packed and ready to go within an hour. An impressive feat for anyone, let alone the most injured of them. 

With Que on his heels, he lead the way away from camp, up a slope and into the belly of the Overgrown Caverns as they began their ascent.

 They didn't travel for long, stopping often for small breaks and fresh water at any chance they could. This went on for about three hours before they decided it was time to set up camp for the night and began searching for somewhere safe to set up. Too tired to split up, they followed Hawkes from area to area, poking their heads in looking for clean water before continuing. 

Eventually, it was the sound of flowing water that lead them to that room. 

"This place looks like a nice place to set up camp for the night." It was Euele who spoke up first, looking drained but wearing the essence of a smile, just as she always did around those she cared for. "There's fresh water and only two entrances, unlike the last twelve places we've tried." 

Solace nodded along. "That sounds like a good-" Xey stopped, brows furrowing. "Do any of you smell that?" Xey took a deep breath then let it out in a snort.

"What?" Hawkes' ears twitched as they snuffed at the air, almost immediately regretting their decision when the rank smell curled through their nostrils. "Oh that's awful." 

Euele's ears pinned, her instincts telling her to run. "We should get out of here. It seems like that stuff is flooding the room." She looked down, eyes going wide when she noticed the green clouds slowly building around the floor. "We need to get out of here." 

Leiken's eyes darted towards Que, then up towards the doorway she was running towards. She was a good dog, he thought, his mind wobbling, his focus slowly slipping. "Come one, that door's the closest." He sped onwards, starting to feel faint. Suddenly, Euele was by his side, propping him up as they made a mad dash for the door. Maybe it was because of his injury, or the recent trauma, but as he faded in and out of focus he thought he heard the same shriek the Skull had made, somewhere beneath the floor.