Round 68 Transcript

At bathroom in a New York high rise penthouse suite, the pressure shifts from waiting to immediate risk. The ward answers the party's presence with a fresh pulse through the stone and no one can mistake it for safety. The nearest sign of danger is now structural collapse imminent. Someone has to answer that change now.

I press myself further into the corner of the bathroom as Hera backs up against the tile wall, her eyes wide with fear. The water from the broken shower stall sloshes around our feet, soaking my shoes and sending a chill up my legs. I can feel the building groaning above us like an angry beast, and every pulse of energy from the wardstone outside seems to vibrate through the floorboards, making my teeth chatter.
"I-I don't know what we're supposed to do," I whisper, my voice trembling almost as much as my hands. I glance at the door, wondering if there's still a chance to escape, but the sounds from out there sound even worse than being trapped in here with this thing. "Should we try to block it somehow? With something heavy?"
My eyes dart around the room, landing on the various toys and equipment scattered about, remnants of Jeane's recent playtime. A large pink vibrator sits on a nearby shelf, its shape reminiscent of a weapon but utterly useless against whatever is happening. I feel completely helpless, like a child lost in the woods.*

I grab Hera by her shoulders and pull her gaze off the floor to meet mine. "Listen," I say, voice sharp enough to cut through her panic. The building groans overhead like a dying beast, but I don't flinch—I've heard worse sounds in deeper hells than this luxury prison. "You're not going to die here because of me." The wardstone pulses again, its energy thick and wrong against my skin. It wants something—probably answers it won't get from us—but the pressure is building too fast for subtlety now. I glance at Silra still crouched near the doorframe, her eyes calculating angles I can barely see in the dim light. "Stay back," I tell her without turning fully away from Hera. "If that stone breathes wrong, you'll need your hands free to run."