When they left the room full of gas, it was pretty much decided that they would set up camp immediately.

Everyone had been left with a headache that made navigating wakefulness a difficult slog that no one was really up for at the moment. Indeed, they hardly had gotten a single tent up before Euele collapsed and the others soon followed in kind.

Alas, their rest would be cut far too short by the return of an enemy that just wouldn't die.

It was Leiken who awoke first, breaking free from one nightmare he could escape and into one he couldn't. The earth shook, the world trembled, and up from the group came the ever echoing shrieks of The Skull, the horrible sound of dry bone against dry bone like chimes under the belly of an undead drake. In that small second between waking and sleeping, to Leiken, it had seemed like hell had belched into being to drag him there. It took him a few deep breaths to tear free of the stupor that had been placed upon him, only for him to leap to his feet with a loud shout. 

"The Skull!" Even being now fully awake, Leiken could hardly summon more words than that. The Skull was indeed right there, looming with its gnashing jaws, roaring a single word as it drove through the air towards the still sleeping party. It was once again Que who saved them, the poor golden hound raising her voice to the heavens with a fearful howl, loud enough to stir the dead.

Euele shot upright, blinking sleep from her eyes as she jerked to her feet, grasping around for her staff as she stared with horror upon The Skull. It looked much the same as when she had last seen it, bristling with arrows, teeth browned with grime. Strangely enough, it's call was different. The wordless scream was gone, the haunting laughter stilled, instead a single word claimed its every syllable, strangely familiar in all the din. 

GALATEA.

A word that had echoed through ages. One she had even seen written in several places around the dungeon.

Solace knew of the word, the sound seeming to call xem into awareness as it echoed through earth and time. Xey shivered, leaping to xir feet, claiming xir poleaxe from where xey had placed it before falling into sleep. Xey hold it close to xir chest, eyes staring up at the Skull as it shook, the word echoing throughout the dungeon like a blessing or a curse. Xey didn't care which, stirred from xir state of watching as the Skull's eyeless pits fixed xem with a gaze full of blood lusting rage.

Melt was already on their feet with blade in mouth when Solace lunged to attack, ears pinned against the wretched screeching, the word meaning nothing to them. "What is it screaming about?" Their voice was just barely audible over the unholy screams. 

Leiken leapt over to their side, sending a blast of magic towards the thing, before he answered out of the corner of his mouth. "No one really knows." He explained, voice like a ray of sunshine among the din. "It's something that's mentioned throughout history. I think there's an empty campsite that has it written on a wall somewhere in the dungeon." His tail swished as he explained, lunging forwards to send another blast of light at the Skull as it reared back from Solace's blade.

Melt frowned, perplexed but not about to waste any more time on the matter. If it was a question that hadn't been answered when in all of history it had been asked, it wasn't worth the time. Especially right now as a fight raged against the dungeon's scourge. They could seek out answers later, perhaps peruse the Pale Palace's library for clues. As of right now, it was time to fight! They lifted the tip of their blade, narrowing their eyes at the Skull as it glided away from a blast of magic from Euele's staff. Their party needed them. "We should try to find the answer later!" The words left their throat unbidden, aimed at Leiken as they galloped forwards with all their weight driven into their blade. 

The Skull howled with rage, the sound distorted into a single word.

GALATEA.