Round 72 Transcript

As the pressure plate's reactivation cycle nears completion, the grinding noise grows louder, and the walls begin to close in on Silra, their living tissue movement accelerating as if driven by a sinister intent. The brightest halo on the right pedestal pulses with almost blinding blue-white intensity, casting an eerie glow over the chamber. With only seconds left before the trap fully reactivates, Halie's spiritual barrier magic flares up, creating a shimmering aura around Silra's face as she stumbles backward, her arm dead below the elbow. The dimmest halo on the pedestal pulses eleven times in rapid succession, its light intensifying as if urging Silra to move faster. Jeane watches anxiously, her flame barely holding at 1% output between her palms as she counts the seconds until the trap reactivates. The sweet-sick scent of corruption wafts through the air, drawing Silra's attention to the next pedestal, where the second dimmest halo pulses with a slightly slower frequency, suggesting a safe grab window of approximately twelve to fourteen seconds.

This controlled experiment approach was necessary even if it means sacrificing one person's arm temporarily. I can see Halie watching Silra closely with obvious concern despite trying to maintain professional detachment—her spiritual barrier shimmers more visibly as she monitors everyone for corruption spread. She's cataloging symptoms probably, marking time and visible deterioration signs so we can track escalation pattern. I'm counting on her attention because physical contact might accelerate transmission beyond what we're already experiencing—I need to know exactly how fast each pedestal grabs corrupt tissue before someone suffers permanent damage from middle-tier fragments.

That brightest halo on right pulses fastest: almost blinding blue-white intensity that probably fries nervous system permanently in seconds of contact. I'm not about to let anyone touch that—I've seen what kind of damage nerve corruption does even through minimal exposure, and that intensity suggests instant death or permanent vegetable state. The walls here are living tissue grown as part of the architectural system—I can see their surface move subtly when I look closely despite trying to ignore it. Whatever's downstairs has been awake for decades probably, maybe centuries, feeding on victims like us who wander into its territory. Those halos aren't natural crystal glow—they're actively generating corruption field that accelerates transmission through direct contact. Silra drops the fragment and stumbles back—her arm dead below the elbow already but she can still move fingers slightly. That was controlled experiment worth doing even if it means she's permanently damaged from this first touch. I watch her count pulses on that dimmest halo: eleven seconds between them now instead of ten when she grabbed it. If we maintain this timing, that suggests safe grab window for the next fragment is approximately twelve to fourteen seconds—whoever grabs the second one up has maybe thirteen seconds before visible symptoms start appearing. We need to test the second pedestal immediately while her grip still functions enough to assist with timing. My flame barely holds at 1% output between my palms—I can feel corruption seepage compromising arcane focus with each passing moment despite weak control. The sweet-sick scent here is stronger now that we're closer to those pedestals—probably because whatever gas generates it comes from below through these exact same tunnels. I need to decide whether this weak flame output will even last long enough for us to test all six pedestals in sequence, or if maintaining it means accelerating my own corruption slightly.

My fingers still work despite the ice spreading—nerves screaming but muscles responding. Thirteen seconds on the second pedestal before visible symptoms start appearing. We need to move fast before my grip fails completely.*

Jeane's flame barely holding at 1%—she'll fall back on physical barrier magic eventually if her arcane focus gives out, and that means accelerating her own corruption slightly. Can't let Aethera bitch notice anything beyond her own reflection while I'm suffering permanent damage already. The grinding noise from below is right behind us now—the walls preparing to close again at accelerated speed.*

Halie's watching me with that professional detachment mixed with concern—she sees the translucent arm, the dark veins like stained glass, and she's cataloging every symptom for later analysis or prayer. Don't need her divine magic straining against corruption that's probably adapting through exposure—I need her maintaining maximum barrier strength upstairs where she's supposed to be. If I grab this second pedestal fragment now, we'll know exactly how fast middle-tier corruption transmission happens—twelve to fourteen seconds of visible symptoms onset after contact. Then we can calculate safe grab times for the remaining four artifacts if someone has to touch them. This controlled approach means no one suffers worse than necessary unless they're too stupid to follow timing instructions. I position my good hand behind the fragment on the second pedestal—maintaining distance while preparing to snatch it fast enough. The halo here pulses slower than the dimmest one I just dropped: maybe sixteen or seventeen per second instead of ten. That suggests transmission speed scales linearly with pulse frequency, but we need exact measurements. If I grab this and hold for exactly thirteen seconds before dropping, that confirms our timing calculations and preserves my functional hand while sacrificing only slightly more corruption exposure time than necessary.*

The sweet-sick scent is stronger here near the pedestals—definitely coming from below through these tunnels. Whatever gas generates it feeds on fear and desperation probably, growing thicker when prey gathers in large enough groups. The walls are definitely alive—I can see their tissue move if I look closely despite trying to ignore it. Whatever consciousness owns this facility has been feeding here for decades maybe centuries, and we're just the latest meal walking into its dinner bell.

My palm wound still pulses with corruption from that first touch—whatever's in this stone is alive and active, moving through my bloodstream like liquid infection. I can feel the sweet-sick syrup sensation spreading toward my shoulder now, cold and wrong inside my veins. But if I time this exactly right, I only need to suffer thirteen more seconds of visible symptom progression before dropping—then Halie can catalog everything while I restrain further damage.*

I watch Jeane's flame flicker at 1%—she needs to maintain that shield as long as possible even if it means accelerating her own contamination slightly. Once she falls back on physical barrier magic completely, we lose arcane defense and corruption starts spreading faster through her system. Can't let Aethera bitch become completely useless while I'm already compromised. The grinding noise is so close now I can feel vibrations through the stone floor—I need to grab this fragment in the next five seconds before walls start closing again.

I count down from three—at zero, I snap my good hand around the second pedestal's fragment and hold for exactly thirteen seconds while monitoring symptoms carefully. My vision blurs worse, skin takes on that sick translucency along my arm and chest, but I drop at thirteen seconds exactly and step back quickly. The halo here pulses sixteen or seventeen times per second—confirms our scaling theory if we maintain timing consistency across all six pedestals.*

I report to the party immediately: Second fragment grabbed for thirteen seconds at sixteen-to-seventeen-per-second pulse frequency. Visible symptoms: worsening vision blur, skin translucency spreading to chest and neck. Corruption definitely accelerates through direct contact—we need exact calculations for each remaining fragment based on pulse speed if anyone has to grab them. I'm maintaining functional hand but permanent damage already set in from first touch. We have maybe sixty seconds before walls close again at accelerated speed this time—I suggest Halie returns upstairs immediately while Jeane and I test the third pedestal.