Round 228 Transcript

Abby's eyes lock onto Jeane's, her gaze filled with a mixture of desperation and determination. "I think I can move," she says, her voice low and husky from the dark energy coursing through her veins. As she speaks, her body begins to twitch, muscles flexing beneath her skin as if trying to assert control. She takes a tentative step forward, her movements slow and labored. The skeletal dust figures circle closer, their bony fingers reaching out to grasp at the air around her. The glowing woman in the depths above remains still, her expression unreadable. Jeane's eyes flicker to the portal, now pulsing with an intense, blue-white light that seems to be drawing Abby towards it.

I lock eyes with Abby, searching for any sign of her consciousness fighting against the darkness consuming her. The symbols burned into her skin pulse with malevolent light, each beat sending another wave of cold dread through me. The skeletal dust figures close in, their bone-fingers reaching out to grasp at anything within reach. I raise my hands, ready to cast a spell that might buy us seconds—minutes if I'm lucky—but stop short. My magical reserves are at 1%. One percent. That means I have maybe enough power left for one major defensive spell before my well runs completely dry. The glowing woman in the depths above remains eerily still, her presence both terrifying and oddly mesmerizing. Something about her feels... familiar? No, that's ridiculous. I've never seen anything like her before. The portal pulses with an intense blue-white light behind Abby, drawing her towards it. I take a deep breath, forcing my racing heart to slow. Think, Jeane. You've faced worse than this—though honestly, I can't remember when. My eyes flicker between the skeletal figures circling closer and the dark energy coiling around Abby. If I don't act fast, she might not be in there anymore when this is over. "Abby," I say, my voice steady despite the fear churning in my gut, "do you still have control? Can you hear me?"

The dark energy crackling through my veins feels both terrifying and strangely intoxicating, like a drug pumping straight into my heart. My vision is blurred by the intense light emanating from the sigils on the floor, but I can see Jeane's face clearly enough to read the shock and fear there. "I'm... I'm okay," I manage to say, my voice sounding distant even to my own ears. The words feel hollow as they leave my lips; nothing about this situation feels okay. My body is no longer my own, controlled by an ancient power that has latched onto me like a parasite.
My mind feels hazy, thoughts slipping away before they can fully form. All I can focus on is the overwhelming presence of the energy inside me, and the desperate need to get out of this collapsing chamber before it’s too late. The glowing woman in the depths above hasn’t moved, her form still casting an eerie light across the room. I wonder if she sees what's happening to me, or if she's somehow responsible for it.
"I think... I think we need to find a way out of here," I say, my voice gaining a bit more strength now. The idea seems impossible, given how the entire library is crumbling around us and my own body feels like it belongs to someone else, but what other choice do we have? We can’t stay here.
As I speak, I feel the dark energy coiling tighter around me, pulling at my muscles with a relentless force. It’s as if an invisible hand is guiding my movements, and every attempt to resist only seems to make it stronger. The skeletal dust figures are closing in fast now, their bone-fingers reaching out to grasp at anything they can touch. I try to take a step back, but my legs won’t obey me. Instead, they begin to move forward, carrying me inexorably towards the portal.
"My body... it's not listening," I gasp, my eyes wide with panic as I watch my own feet carry me closer and closer to the swirling vortex of light. The chanting beneath the floor grows louder, more insistent, until it’s all I can hear: "Master calls... binding weakens..." It’s like a siren song, pulling me deeper into this nightmare.