Round 282

The air in the narrow stone passage seemed to thicken, growing almost viscous with an otherworldly energy that made Abby's skin crawl. The walls pulsed with a sickly blue-green light, their surface covered in writhing symbols that shifted and changed like living tissue. She pressed herself against the far wall, trying to maintain maximum distance from Hera's convulsing form while still keeping the situation in view. The fluid surrounding them churned and splashed, spraying droplets that hissed when they hit the stone floor. Each spray seemed to make the walls' breathing more erratic, their synchronized pattern breaking into a chaotic rhythm that echoed the increasing violence of Hera's seizures. Abby could feel the heat radiating from the liquid, a burning sensation that promised corruption if she dared touch it. The low hum that filled the tunnel grew louder, more insistent, until it was all she could hear—the sound of something ancient and hungry, feeding on their fear and desperation. She could only watch as Hera's body arched again, back bending at an impossible angle as another scream tore from her throat, the sound echoing off the living walls that seemed to drink in her terror.