Round 99 Transcript

As Jeane's magic crackles at fingertips, the wardstone's energy surges in response to her female arousal. The pipe wedged under the door handle groans ominously as the energy intensifies. Hera's eyes are wide with terror, but she manages to hold the pipe in place. Halie switches with Hera at the door, using her shield arm to brace against the wardstone's energy. The sound of the wardstone's pulse is like a living thing, beating in time with their frantic hearts. The water from the busted shower stall continues to pool around their feet, making every step a treacherous gamble. The slippery floor from spilled lubricant adds to the danger, threatening to send them all tumbling. As the wardstone's energy reaches a fever pitch, Jeane's magic falters. The pipe creaks ominously, and the seal is broken. The wardstone's energy surges forward, threatening to engulf them all.

Halie shifts her weight against the door, pressing her shield arm flat to keep it braced while Hera works the pipe into place under the handle. The wardstone's energy pulses through the wood in time with their breathing—Jeane's magic crackles dangerously nearby—and she can feel it trying to seep between the cracks and around the frame. "Switch with me at the door," Halie tells her, voice low. "You're too close to the energy." Hera looks up, face pale but determined, and nods once before moving aside so Halie can take her place bracing the barrier. The cleric's shield arm burns where it touches the wood, but she grits her teeth against it—faith is supposed to protect against such corruption, isn't it? She has to believe that now.

I brace my shoulder against the door, pressing hard as the wardstone's energy pulses through the wood. My heart pounds in my ears as I hear the pipe creak ominously. "Abby! Push on this side with me!" I call out, desperate for help to keep the door from giving way. The water sloshes around our feet as it floods from the broken shower, and I feel my feet slipping on the slick floor covered in spilled lubricant. I glance over at Jeane, seeing her magic crackle dangerously at her fingertips. Fear rises in my throat as I realize how close we are to this thing, how vulnerable we are trapped in this tiny space with nowhere to run. "Halie!" I shout, "Use your faith! We need all the protection we can get!"

My hands tremble as I press against the door, bracing for another surge of energy. I pray silently that whatever Halie believes will be enough to shield us from the corruption of the wardstone's power. But deep down, I'm not sure anything can save us now. We're running out of time, and options, and I have no idea what we'll do when this door finally gives way.