Round 93 Transcript

Hera's sybian hums in sync with the wardstone energy, its vibrations intensifying as the mirror on the opposite side of the door shudders ominously. The water from the broken shower stall rises, threatening to overflow the bathroom. Halie braces the door with the mirror, her knuckles white with tension. As the group holds their collective breath, the wardstone's energy surges, causing the sybian to emit a piercing whine. Jeane's barrier spell strains against the wardstone's pulse, her body tensing with effort. The air is charged with electricity as the two opposing forces clash. Suddenly, the mirror on the opposite side of the door shudders violently, and the room falls silent, except for the steady hum of the sybian and the creaking of the building's structural framework.

My heart hammers against my ribs like a trapped bird as I watch Hera sit astride the sybian, its relentless vibration seeming to pull at the very air around us.
The sound of it is deafening in the small space, mingling with the ominous groans of the collapsing building outside. A chill runs down my spine when Jeane mentions something stronger being needed—I know what she means. The thought of using that thing terrifies me almost as much as the thought of being crushed under a ton of concrete.
"I-I can try to find another heavy object," I stammer, my voice so faint it's nearly lost in the din.
I take a hesitant step toward the door, my eyes fixed on the mirror Halie has braced against it. The glass seems to shimmer with an unnatural light, and I swear I can feel its pull too.
My mind races, trying to process everything happening around me. The wardstone’s energy feels like a living thing now, coiling through the room and making my skin crawl. Every part of me wants to run, but there’s nowhere left to go. We’re trapped, and all that stands between us and whatever lies beyond is this flimsy door and our own desperate ingenuity.

The wardstone pulses feel like teeth gnawing at my barrier spell now. I can't hold this much longer—not with every drop of power in me and then some. That thing out there wants to pull us through more than it wants to break down walls. Silra, if that mirror shifts another inch, you're going through the floor along with it. Hera, whatever you think you're doing on that sybian, do it harder—if we can distract it long enough for me to cast one last thing... I need you both focused. Don't let fear make you useless. The building shudders around us like a dying animal, and the water from the shower is mixing with the spilled lubricant now, making everything slicker than sin underfoot. We're running out of time faster than we're running out of options.

I press my hands flat against the mirror, feeling the wood frame shudder under the strain of holding back whatever waits on the other side. The wardstone pulses through the door like a living thing, each beat making my teeth ache. This is wrong. We should be praying, not— I look at Hera on the sybian, her face contorted in concentration and something else. Something that makes my stomach twist. But if this keeps the building from collapsing completely, maybe it’s necessary. Maybe this is what faith demands of me now. I shift my weight, trying to brace the mirror better. The floor tilts underfoot, slick with water and something unmistakably viscous. My robes feel too thin, too inadequate for what’s happening here. I need to focus on holding this door. Focus on not thinking about what Hera’s doing or how Abby’s breathing is coming in little panicked bursts. “Keep it steady,” Jeane calls out, her voice tight with effort as she maintains the barrier spell. “We’re almost—” The wardstone pulses again, stronger this time, and I feel it in my teeth, my jaw, my temples. It wants something. Wants us to keep going, to push further. I lean into the mirror harder, feeling the wood dig into my shoulder blades. “Almost what?” I ask without meaning to. My voice comes out harsher than I intended.