Round 183

The walls' breathing stopped completely, everything going silent except for that low pulsing hum growing stronger like a heartbeat counting down seconds until whatever's downstairs decides we're close enough to pull us down. The seam in the wall flares brighter every time Halie thrashes against those plates—she's fighting but she's also feeding it somehow, each desperate movement making the corruption spread faster through her system. I hover higher above the shifting ground, wings beating frantically as I struggle to maintain altitude with my flame resistance dropping below 40%. Every beat costs precious arcane energy I can't afford to lose, and the walls' living tissue has already wrapped around my ankles in a soft but unyielding grip that's holding me in place against my will. Forward movement toward those stairs means navigating whatever's waiting down there while maintaining distance from Halie's rapidly spreading corruption—both tactical challenges that might be impossible to balance successfully.