Round 195

The massive stone door groans open further, revealing a yawning darkness beyond that seems to drink in what little light remains in the chamber. A heavy silence presses against them for a moment before the sound of grinding stone fills the air again, the ancient mechanism protesting its own motion. The air from within the tunnel spills out, carrying with it a strange scent—salt and something musky that makes Abby's head spin, her heart racing faster.

Jeane grits her teeth, the strain of maintaining her wards visible in the tense set of her shoulders and wings. "Halie's conscious—good." The tendril on her breast pulses again, sending an involuntary shiver through her—I can't let it distract me now. She turns to Halie, trying to keep the exhaustion out of her voice. You need to understand something. That magic that healed you? It didn't come from me. I don't know what it is, but it's ancient and powerful—and I don't trust it.

Abby feels a chill run down her spine at Jeane's warning about the tunnel. I know she's right, but the curiosity is almost overwhelming. The air smells so different there, like salt and something musky that makes my head spin. She tries to push it out of her mind and focus on what we need to do next.

When Jeane mentions pushing someone back through the portal, Abby instinctively takes a step away from her—she looks so intense right now, like she could... The thought trails off as the stone floor shudders again, and the glyphs on the floor pulse more rapidly. The air currents grow stronger, drawing her attention to the opening stone door, now creaking slowly as it swings open further.

The sound of grinding stone grows louder, and the chamber begins to fill with a fine, powdery dust that settles around Jeane and Halie like a cold, gray mist. Suddenly, the dust particles begin to take shape, coalescing into humanoid forms that rise from the floor like some kind of fucked-up magic trick gone wrong.

I spin around, my wings instinctively unfurling despite the cramped space—I can feel them catch air, threatening balance—and see those skeletal dust figures rising from the floor like some kind of fucked-up magic trick gone wrong. My hands are already glowing with what little magical energy I have left—5%, maybe less after maintaining barriers for so long—but even that small amount pulses weakly between my fingers. "Get behind me!" I shout, my voice firm despite the panic crawling up...

The skeletal dust figures rising from the floor send a jolt of pure terror through her—they look like they could be alive, and the thought of those tiny bone hands touching her skin makes her stomach churn. She watches in horror as one lunges at Halie, Jeane's weak magical blast barely scattering it before it can reach her. "I-I'm with you, let's go!" She says, her voice high-pitched with fear as she stumbles towards the portal, her eyes darting between the dust figures and the dark tunnel. The idea of...