Round 186

The walls' synchronized breathing stopped completely—everything except that low pulsing hum growing stronger, vibrating through the stone itself like a heartbeat counting down seconds until the next phase began. Something massive shifted beneath them—foundations groaning under whatever moved in the basement below. Jeane fought to maintain altitude above the pressure plates, her wings straining against the increasing pull. The arcane cost mounted with each beat—her flame resistance was already below 40%, critical failure approaching in minutes she didn't have to spare.

Forward movement meant descending those stairs where whatever intelligence controlled this place waited... but staying put meant playing into its hands as easy separate targets. The sweet rotten stench intensified as the walls' breathing pattern fractured completely—dozens of independent surfaces now pulsed in irregular rhythms that seemed almost... deliberate. Halie documented the shift with trembling hands, her right arm's corruption climbing past 97%. Every surface had become an eye watching them, a mouth breathing their shared air thick with decay and something else—something sweet like spoiled fruit mixed with...

Jeane.