Just as Oli's eyelids shot back in surprise, his alarmed pupils were assaulted by dense darkness. But the engulfing blackness wasn't enough to stifle Oli's perturbed thoughts.
*That was Eeole. I'm sure of it. But why the hell was the message so choppy?
*And what was he trying to say–?*
"Oliver, Kako, you're both there, right?"
Yeter's hushed cry pierced Oli's heavy mind, forcing him to address their new circumstances.
Kako calmly spoke out, "Yeah, I'm here. Is this you, Yeter? And that's you, right Oliver?"
The Sabertooth Baboon reached for his nearby companions. Luckily, patting Oli's tall back and Yeter's side brought instant relief and confirmation.
"We're all fine," Oli stated. "So… this is Malignant Veil? It's not much worse than the Chasm, just with an unnatural abundance of dark essence."
"Yeah, this ain't so bad. We've got this easy!"