Round 98

The grand foyer staircase groaned underfoot as Jeane descended with careful haste, her crimson eyes scanning the darkness ahead for movement or threat. The ancient wood complained loudly about the weight and speed, each step echoing through the stuffy lower level air. Her dark wings shifted restlessly, beating slowly to maintain balance as she navigated the steep descent.

"This is bad—very bad," she hissed under her breath, more to herself than anyone else. "The magical energy holding this containment is unstable at best, completely unsustainable at worst." She reached the bottom and extended a hand back up toward Halie, offering support as the older woman descended more carefully. The shield dome around them pulsed with strain, its magical energy humming in dissonant harmony with the structure's own protests.

Halie paused midway down, her blue-grey eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation below. The shield dome around them pulsed with strain, its magical energy humming in dissonant harmony with the structure's own protests. She gripped Jeane's offered hand but didn't immediately descend further. "What exactly is unstable here?" Her voice carried suspicion rather than concern.

Jeane's expression tightened fractionally before she forced a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "The binding magic between us is... complicated," she admitted reluctantly. "Maintaining it requires constant attention and energy input, especially when we're this far from the source." She gestured vaguely toward the upper levels where Zha'thik still held their magical anchor captive.

Halie's gaze remained skeptical as she descended the final steps onto solid ground. "And how long can you maintain this 'complicated binding'?" she asked sharply. "Because if it fails while we're trapped down here, we'll be defenseless against whatever that thing upstairs decides to throw at us."