Round 206

Jeane's wings beat furiously as she throws herself between the ominous stone door and her companions, dark feathers scattering in the sudden gust. The massive portal groans open with terrifying slowness, revealing darkness beyond stained by what looks disturbingly like dried seawater. "Get back!" she snarls, both hands raised in a defensive posture that trembles slightly from exhaustion. "We don't know what's waiting in there—could be more of those skeletal fucks or something worse." Abby presses herself against the wall opposite the door, her arms full of adult toys and lubricant bottles that clatter softly together. The binding tendril across her chest pulses erratically, its frequency shifting to a discordant note that seems to vibrate through the very stone around them. "Jeane?" she manages, voice tight with barely controlled panic. "What's happening? Why is the door opening now?"

As if in answer, the glyphs along the door frame flare to aggressive life once more, casting harsh shadows that dance across Jeane's strained face. She grits her teeth, wings spreading wide for balance as she funnels what little magic remains into maintaining the barrier between them and the chamber beyond. "I don't know!" she admits, frustration evident in her voice. "But I can feel it—something big is moving through that darkness. And it's fast." The air grows colder as the door opens wider, revealing not just empty space but what looks like a narrow tunnel descending into black water. "Fuck," Jeane mutters, more to herself than anyone else. "That's great—now we've got a potential drowning hazard to deal with on top of everything else."

Abby shifts uncomfortably, the items in her arms clinking together softly. "At least it's not more of those things?" she offers, though her tone makes it clear she doesn't find this comforting. "Maybe whatever's down there is friendly? Or at least not actively trying to kill us?" Jeane lets out a harsh laugh that borders on hysterical. "You want to bet our lives on 'not actively trying to kill us' in this fucking place? Because I'm pretty sure those odds are shit." The tendril binding Abby pulses again, stronger this time, and she gasps softly, pressing her free hand against it as if that could still the unwanted sensation. "I... I don't think we have a choice," she says, voice strained. "The portal won't activate for another minute according to Halie, and whatever's coming through that door might be here before then. We need to move."

Jeane's crimson eyes narrow as she considers this, wings twitching with barely contained anxiety. "Fine," she growls at last. "But we go down together, and I'm taking point. If something tries to eat us, I'd rather it start with me than either of you." Abby nods, though her expression suggests she'd rather have a say in who gets eaten first. The binding pulse comes again, weaker this time, and she takes a deep breath. "Just... tell me if you feel anything change," she says quietly to the tendril. "I'll try to keep up."