Col steeled his resolve as the monster appeared in front of them once again and darkness continued to descend upon them. It was becoming hard to say but the un-natural Breathstalker was still easily distinguishable amidst the murk. The command was hardly needed and Col carefully aimed his bow, making absolutely sure that this one shot would hit. To his relif, and satisfaction, the monster was torn apart into the ashy blackness that filled the air. That eerie feeling had not vanished however and Gardevoir's words only confirmed his suspicious that the fiend wasn't quite dead yet. Col covered his mouth with one arm, arrow still held in it, and ready to fire should that creature re-appear. Col at least hoped that he would see before it was too late, and as such his eyes strained to push through the clouded air, roaming in all directions for any sign of it. How much further was that tower?!

---

The Breathstalker was truly a terrifying beast to behold, but Lorenzo stared headlongingly towards the tower in the distance and knew that this mighty beast could hold it's own in the face of danger. If a hound could do it, certainly he could as well. The crippled trainer flung off his cloak from his body, tying it around his mouth as a bandanna, before he mushed the giant hound forward through the Breathstalker and onwards to victory. There wasn't much standing in their paths now, but the ash would certainly raise a bit of a problem if they stayed in it for long.

Lorenzo heard his new friend whine in reaction to the ash and felt his heart sank. That was a whine that was all too familiar to the trainer. With a few reassuring pats, the hound trainer told his new companion "You're doing great, friend! Just a little further and we'll be out of harms way!" Lorenzo was feeling... fairly confident in his abilities. He might've been horribly scared, but he was ready for what's coming up in the future. All the group needed was to first get out of this ash storm...

This was all getting to be a bit much for poor Bastian. He had never put much stock in the stories about magic or mythical beings. Now, however, he was being chased by a creature of ash after being teleported to some mysterious place by a magical glowing rock. Bastian was practical man in fantastical circumstances. Fortunately, practicality came with resourcefulness. He reached into his medical bag and pulled out a roll of cloth bandages. He then wrapped the strip of cloth around his head to cover his nose and mouth as defense and against the swirling cloud of dust descending upon them. Looking to his comrades he saw that Lorenzo was using his cloak to cover his face, so he handed the roll to the next closest man to him: Col.

Bastian extended his arm toward Col with the bandages in his hand and gave him a nudge to gain his attention. Hopefully, Col would figure out what he was meant to do with them just by seeing Bastian's example.

It was almost impossible to see the ground immediately in front of them on top of the problems with breathing. The one thing that broke through the thick ash was the tower of light, still shining up ahead. They travelled with all the speed the hound could muster. The dog coughed and gagged from inhaling the particles. It had to stop moving for some time as it choked on the black ash. Lorenzo encouraged the beast, but without some relief they would be stuck in place.

Then Marque donned the mask. It fit perfectly over his face and even felt like it had attached to his flesh in a warm embrace. Suddenly, wind swirled around them. Not the cold icy death they had experienced before. A warm gust which blew the black ash away from their group. It continued to swirl around and protected them from the nasty particles of the BreathStalker. Marque instinctively understood that this wind was in some way connected to the mask which he wore. Knowledge which he was ignorant of seconds prior came to him. He felt like he could alter the flow of air around himself with the help of this crow mask.

Seconds passed as the hound began to recover. Col utilized Bastian's bandages to cover his face as he notched another arrow. Ready to fire at the presently unseen enemy. Lorenzo mushed on their four-legged companion. With the better visibility and breathability they were able to make good time.

Suddenly, out of the cloudy black twenty feet in front of their path it reappeared. The BreathStalker opened its maw and released an ear-piercing scream. The cove vibrated in protest. The ground around it warped and bent to the creature's presence. Their hound came to an ubrupt halt. Marque's mask seemed to offer some reprieve from the entity's screams. They sounded distant and hollow. Not nearly as terrifying as when they first heard them.

Then, two large warped stones rose in the air adjacent to the BreathStalker. In a flash, the stones flew toward them with deadly speed. Col's shield glowed nearby as if begging to be utilized. Marque's mask protected them from the ash, but could it stop solid projectiles on its own?

---

Actions
Lorenzo urged the hound to the right, narrowly maintaining their footing from falling into the sea.

Bastian reached for the glowing shield nearby, and took a defensive position on the dog's left. If it fell, so would they all.

Col fired another arrow toward the fiend.

Marque attempted to guide and increase the speed of the arrow which Col fired.

---

Outcomes
The grainy stones made their way toward the companions. However, Lorenzo and Bastian's quick thinking proved invaluable. The stone furthest to the left missed the group entirely, while the stone about their right bashed directly into the shield Bastian held. The force rattled him, but much less then expected for a large projectile moving at that speed. The shield radiated in response as the stone fell harmlessly to the ground.

The arrow Col fired moved with incredible speed and precision aided by the winds. The BreathStalker hadn't anticipated this speed increase. It had already begun to create a wall of hardened ash to block the damage. The arrow was much too fast and pierced directly through the half-made wall. The group heard a muffled explosion. They saw vibrant reddish orange colors pop from the hit and heard the screams of the entity.

---

Actions #2
Lorenzo attempted to bring the hound past the BreathStalker.

Bastian prepared himself for whatever was waiting behind the wall. His shield glowed with the impact from before.

Col readied another arrow in case the BreathStalker reared its form.

Marque attempted to manipulate the air where the entity may be reforming.

---

Outcomes #2
The hound followed Lorenzo's commands with hesitation, but charged forward anyway. They made it around the half-formed ash wall. There they saw the BreathStalker with a large gaping hole spanning from its left shoulder to more then half its chest and entire arm. It screeched and clawed with its other arm at their hound. The elongated arm and talon like claws reached for them. There was no telling what would happen if they made contact.

That's when Bastian jumped into action. With deft reflexes he raised the shield above his head and blocked the majority of the hit. To his surprise, the shield glowed orange and blasted the entity into the air. At the same time, Col fired another arrow at it which exploded in the same bright colors. Marque successfully separated the many ashen particles away from one another, preventing a quick recovery.

---

In a few tense minutes they arrived directly in front of the shining tower. Strangely, anywhere the light of the tower illuminated, the black ash was absent. Even though the rest of the sky and landscape was covered by the thick ash, around the light were strings of vibrant colors and an open sky. No howling winds were breaking into this space. They were presently safe.

Col's gaze swept the landscape and the air itself like a bird of prey, searching for the slightest hint of that monster reforming, an act that would be swiftly halted by another shot. However nothing happened. They merely arrived at the lighthouse, the iridescent light seemingly banishing the smoky ash that had previously prevailed over them. It was a relief to be able to see and breath clearly at last. still not entirely relaxed, Col warily lowered the bow and waited a few moments more. "It seems we're safe, for the moment at least, I think it would be best to explore the lighthouse while we have the chance."

---

"Yes, let's." Lorenzo agreed calmly with the knight, patting his hound on the head for a job well done. "Though, do you men think that this beaut can fit into the bottom of the tower? I don't think I want to risk the monster bringing about harm to it while we're in there." From the looks of things, the dog could maybe squeeze in there, but it would definitely be a tight fit at the minimum, impossible most likely.

"I'll gladly keep watch if it's otherwise. I'm not much good at stairclimbing, if my legs were any indication of such." If only he had use of his legs again, then this would be a hell of a lot easier of a time and job on him. Alas, he didn't, so he had to deal with what he was given. it wouldn't be so bad, hopefully.

Bastian climbed down from the giant hound and removed the bandages from his face that had been safeguarding his lungs from the ash. They seemed to be safe for the moment and those bandages made breathing difficult, so there was no need for them now. His companions wanted to explore the tower. At this point Bastian could no longer find anymore reasons to object. Whatever was happening here, the answers were hopefully in that tower. It was their best bet. Bastian would hold onto Col's shield until he returned Lorenzo's bow. Col wouldn't be able to use the shield with the bow anyway.