Milo looks to the edge of the bleached ground. "I might be small but I am fast. I think I can cover that distance very quickly, it means I can focus on watching the wave and not on running myself."

Myrla's eyes lock on the creeping wave of hands and faces as she listens to the others. She quickly shifts her thoughts to the plan that’s forming in her mind. The memory of riding a horse through Taurë Parca long ago flashes in her mind—something she hadn’t done in ages since the desert overtook her home. And then Wadi’s mention of his new powers hits her with sudden clarity. She turns to the group, her voice urgent but steady. “We can do this smart, not just fast. Wadi, if you turn into a horse, I can ride with you. You won’t even have to dash, and we can cover a lot of ground while both of us keep an eye on the wave.”

She then nods toward Milo. “Milo, if you dash half speed, you can still keep your eyes on that thing. It’s like you’re not even dashing, but you’ll already be ahead.”

She glances at Brix and Inge. “Brix, double dash, throw up as much dust as you can. You’ll be fast enough to keep ahead of the wave, and Inge, you just keep up. If we time it right, we will be out of danger quickly, and Milo, Wadi and I can keep an eye on the wave while we all arrive at the same time. We will only need to deal with one or two attacks at most.”

Myrla’s heart races with the excitement of riding again. "Let’s move quickly and get out of here before that thing crashes down on us." She readies herself, feeling the thrill of a plan that might just save them, with the long-lost joy of riding carrying her forward into the unknown.

(I'm unsure if I'm metagaming too much here as I'm assuming Wadi told the group about his powers to change into beasts, or he might not actually know about riding horses anyway and I'm assuming to much. Please, if that is the case, then let's just skip it and we run normally.

Here's the fastest plan I can think of: If Milo dashes first and uses the action surge to keep an eye on the wave it might be as if he doesn't dash at all as he has an action to watch the wave? Wadi could turn into something quick like a horse and don't need to dash for 60ft. Myrla could ride Wadi with just 5ft movement. Brix could double dash and Inge can dash normal. Then, in the second round, Milo and Wadi -with Myrla riding on top- can just walk out and Brix and Inge dash. That should net us just one or two attacks, depending on whether the second round still triggers attacks after we leave the bleached ground.)

Wadi agrees to the proposed plan.

Milo also agrees to it. 

(hopefully no one gets caught in the first attack, or all plans go out of the window....)

Isn’t the very existence of plans rooted in their chance of failure?

Brix starts running his fingers through his hair rubbing his head vigorously. 

"I suppose if we have no choice."  He reaches down and sqeezes the tongue of both his shoes then readies himself for the break.

"On your call Myrla"

Some part of Inge clearly rebels at the idea of running from an enemy, but she shows her teeth in what passes for a smile, then nods gamely.

"I trust you, Myrla.  Let's do this."

Myrla scans the group quickly, feeling the urgency rise. “Alright, let’s move everyone! Milo, dash and keep your eyes on that thing. Brix, be ready to kick dust. Inge, follow him.”

Her gaze shifts to the encroaching wave, staring it down with fierce determination. "Wadi, whenever you're ready!" she says, already starting to move, keeping the statues in her line of sight as she walks while waiting for Wadi to transform. “We can’t let that thing catch us. Let’s go!”

Nodding to the others, Milo sprints as fast as he can. Grunting in exertion, he clears the bleached white ground and out the other side. Still gasping for breath, he turns toward his friends and sees the monstrosity that would have befallen him and his friends had he not rushed as he did. There, behind his friends, is a wall of hands and screaming faces that only get taller, slowly cresting and trying to engulf their prey. Thankfully, the movement of the wall appears to slow down as he continues to keep his eyes on his friends. 

Heeding Myrla's suggestion, Wadi focuses on what he had learnt before coming here and slowly transforms into a warhorse he had seen in the camp. Myrla immediately jumps up his back, all the while maintaining her gaze toward the rapidly encroaching creature. Beside them, Inge keeps a steady pace while occasionally looking back at the wall of horror. Surprising Myrla, Wadi, and Inge, the little form of Brix suddenly bolts with incredible speed beside them; his shorter leg seems to move in a blur.

As most of the group reaches the midway point of the bleached ground, the wall of statues lashes out toward Wadi and Inge as soon as the group briefly takes their eye off the creature to focus on their run. 

{{Wadi and Inge, make a Dexterity saving throw. Update on the positioning: Milo is clear; Wadi, Myrla, and Inge are midway; Brix is about three-fifths way there.}}

{{Oh, and a bit of news: my post will be a bit slower in the coming week before hopefully going back to normal (as normal as can be) in November. Turns out a clear schedule means it's close to final exam week. Quite a shock since I'm used to having 4 to 5 months of lectures before the final exam.}}

Inge's DEX Save with advantage due to Danger Sense:  17

(If no advantage from Danger Sense, then 11)

Sensing the presence behind her, Inge feels the need to duck and she does so. Her gut instinct hasn't led her astray just yet. Passing above her head, missing her scalp by a hair's breadth, is a pillar of grasping hands and screaming faces. From the corner of her eyes, she can see that if she were just a tiny bit slower in trusting her gut, she would have been captured by the creature. 

"Keep running! we're almost clear!" says Brix through ragged breaths.

{{Still no roll from Wadi. At least, not where I can see them. I rolled for him, and it was lucky that Wild Shape used the person's bonus, not the horse.}}

Another pillar of hands and screaming faces heads toward the back leg of Wadi's equine form. Sensing a danger approaching, he swerves for just a little bit, in time for Myrla to look back and stare at the approaching tendril and petrify it right before the creature's palm finds Wadi's legs. 

A long moment passes before Brix, Inge, Wadi and Myrla skid out of the bleached white ground. The cresting form of the creature looms before the panting members of the group before it seems to hold its form and move no more. It seems the creature has its limitations. Despite the creature's massive form and looming mass that overshadows the group, it doesn't appear to be able to go beyond the bleached white ground. It writhes and rises higher and higher, 10 feet, 20 feet, 30 feet high in the air, yet it cannot go beyond the bleached white ground. The threat has passed and the group slumps to the ground to catch their breath.

(Sorry everyone, I had not been monitoring this thread; thought it had gone away; GLAD it has not. )

Wadi is ready 

Milo sits down to catch his breath. He hopes that the simulation will skip the return travel, though he is doubtful of it. In particular he doesn't want to think how they are meant to get past this wall of mass to start the return. But that is a problem for another day. Once everyone else is ready he will stand and continue on to do this rescue

Inge's long braid whips around one way, then another as she continues to look around wildly, searching for signs of more enemies against whom her glaive apparently does no good.  Foes which must be stared at to prevent them grasping on to you, as the macabre wave nearly had with Inge just now.

Her stomach rumbles loudly, yet for once, she attempts to ignore it.

"Which way now?  We have a few days to find this Kashran guy, right?  Are we going to have to come back through... whatever that was on our way back?"

Myrla swings herself off Wadi’s back with practiced ease, landing lightly on her feet. She exchanges a relieved glance with Inge and Milo, who are catching their breath after the intense escape. "We made it through... for now," she says, giving the towering wave of hands and faces one last wary glance as it looms and writhes just beyond the bleached ground. Turning her attention back to the group, she takes a steadying breath.

"Our mission is to locate and rescue Commander Kashran. According to the captain, the ghouls dragged him beyond the Field of Angels. We've got a few days to find him, but there’s no telling what we'll encounter on this side of the Field." She glances at Inge, her own expression mirroring the worry of needing to return. "As for getting back through that thing…" she nods grimly toward the petrified wave, "we’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let’s focus on freeing Kashran." 

With a determined look, she adjusts her pack. "When everyone’s ready, let’s keep moving. We can’t let him down now."

Wadi will survey the area for any signs of where the commander may have been taken. 

Perception: 20

Investigation: 15

It is difficult to determine where to go next in this barren landscape. The ground is dusty enough to easily leave tracks, but the wind seems to wipe it just as easily. Yet, all is not lost. It appears that the info that the scout gave is quite correct when they say the commander was taken beyond the Field of Angles. Even without any more info, it is easy to divine the most probable place he would be taken to.

Beyond the Field of Angels, about a day or two travel away, lies a rocky hill. Faint outlines of shambling creatures, reminiscent of the ghoulish creatures that attacked the camp, can be seen roaming around a darkened spot on the hill. From this distance, it resembles a cave entrance. Still, it is not without its challenges: the mouth of the cave appears to be flooded as it lies right beside a river. 

Between gasps Brix stops panting long enough to make a suggestion.

"Perhapse...we... short rest.."