Round 50

Jeane moved deeper into the chamber, flame-wrapped rapier held ready. "Direct contact like this is risky," she muttered, crimson eyes scanning every inch of the living walls. "But we can't map the plates from out here either." Silra dropped into a crouch immediately behind her—teal eyes narrowing as she began mapping the shifting surfaces with delicate touches. "The walls here are no mere stone—they breathe like flesh, ooz... She paused mid-sentence, head tilting slightly. Wait. Did you hear that?" Halie followed, her holy symbol glowing brighter as she tried to maintain a shield of prayer against the pervasive corruption. "This place is... alive somehow," she gasped, tracing protective symbols over her body. "The walls pulse like breathing things." She froze, blue-grey eyes widening. Did someone just... moan? From inside these walls?" Jeane's flame crackled higher at the sound—rapier extending another inch as she moved forward with predatory grace. "You heard it too?" she whispered back. "Interesting. Either this place is more sentient than we thought—or something else is hiding in here." Silra was already moving, teal eyes scanning every seam and junction in the walls. "If it's sentient, we need to map its structure," she said clinically. "If it's just a host—we need to find the parasite." Halie moved to flank Jeane, holy symbol extended between them like a shield.* "Stay close," she whispered. "Whatever makes noise in a place like this... I doubt it's friendly." The sweet smell had intensified here into something sickly—a mental assault designed to rep...