Round 83

The scratching sound above intensified into something deliberate—a predator marking time before striking. Jeane met Halie’s steady gaze across the pulsing silver threads between them—respect flickering alongside her tactical assessment. "Testing containment field now is smart—militantly so—but it also gives whatever's upstairs exactly what it wants: more time to analyze our defenses before we commit," she said, her demonic nature pulsing beneath her skin.

Silra’s teal eyes narrowed as she studied the pulsing silver threads between them—her rogue’s perception picking up minute fluctuations in the binding resonance patterns. "Jeane’s directional charge components are theoretically sound—I’ve read papers on similar applications," she said, voice cool despite the magical pressure. "But forty seconds to prepare them under active magical pressure is either brilliant efficiency or reckless haste, and I’m not sure which yet."

Halie’s blue-grey eyes locked onto Silra and Jeane in turn—her expression blending faith-driven certainty with practical calculation. "I understand the risks, but our situation demands verification we can’t get through wishful thinking alone," she replied, raising her holy symbol higher. The light cast wavering shadows across the walls as she began gathering sacred energy for the containment field.