Round 46

Silra's fingers never stopped moving across her interface, a blur of motion even as the cold water lapped at her waist and then her hips. The entity before them had taken on a humanoid shape, its form shifting like the very liquid surrounding them, dark and oily hues rippling across its surface. Her teal eyes locked onto it, a mix of focus and barely controlled irritation visible in their depths.

"I can feel it clinging to us—digital filth trying to take root in our systems," she said, her voice tight with concentration. The water sloshed around her as she shifted her weight, the cold seeping through her clothing. "Fine. We'll leave its digital ass behind once we have what we need." She turned to Halie, standing nearby, her expression a mix of desperation and determination. "You think I want this thing anywhere near my thoughts? It's already trying to burrow in through the collar connection."

Halie stood her ground, water swirling around her thighs, her silver cross glinting in the dim light from the screens lining the tunnel walls. Her voice was measured but urgent when she spoke. "I can't let this continue," she said, a note of barely suppressed rage creeping into her tone. The water rises above my waist now, cold and insistent, a constant reminder of our precarious situation." Silra, your collar is brilliant work, truly—but we need to leave before the entire tunnel floods. This entity... it's not just data anymore. Can't you feel how it clings to the physical world?"