Round 120 Transcript

As I finish tracing the final rune on the doorframe, the ward erupts in a blinding flash of blue energy, bathing the room in an intense light. The sound of Zha'thik's furious pounding on the outer corridor door grows louder, his guttural language echoing through the metal, threatening to shatter the doorframe at any moment. The binding between party members shrieks in protest, individual threads snapping like brittle twigs as they struggle to maintain their tenuous hold. The ward holds for five minutes, but with the added strain of the magical exhaustion and Zha'thik's relentless pursuit, I can feel its effectiveness waning. Halie stumbles forward, her face pale and drawn, as if she's on the verge of collapse from divine reinforcement. "Halie, you need to hold on," I warn, my voice tight with effort, "we're not out of here yet."

The door creaks as Hera pushes it open, revealing a long corridor lined with sealed doors, each one shrouded in darkness. The air is heavy with the scent of decay and corruption, and I can feel a malevolent presence lurking just out of sight. Zha'thik's voice rises above the din, his words dripping with malice as he claims the corridor as his own: "You will not escape me this time."